"So...Battousai has been sighted in Edo."
"Yes. By a reliable informant, sir."
"Hmm...We cannot be certain that he isn't being used as a decoy again. Investigate thoroughly first, Captain. Then inform me. I will decide what has to be done. We cannot allow Battousai to escape again."
"I see."
"You're dismissed."
Forgotton
By Aishiteru
Weeks. Weeks have gone by, and still Katsura-san has not called me back.
Kenshin paced impatiently, his nervous energy demanding an outlet. It did not suit him to be simply idle, when so many innocents were being caught in the crossfire between the Shogunate and the Ishin Shishi. If only he could be doing something useful! Lying idle gave him too much time to think...
Strange, how months could flee past like seconds, yet seconds could slow to eons...It took so long for me to realize what you made me feel, Tomoe, and it took only seconds for you to fling yourself between me and my would-be killer, only for you to be slain...
Tomoe...
He sat abruptly, raking a trembling hand through his hair.
Why doesn't Katsura send for me? He is in danger every time I am not with him...I am not doing anyone any good here. Least of all myself.
He raised desperate eyes to scan the dojo's pure lines. Distantly, he could hear the sound of people practicing, and the quiet slosh and clink of dishes being washed. This place...It was like he thought he could have had.
But never again. Never again would he feel the fleeting touch of her hand trail across his face, nor smell the delicate fragrance of white plum, and know it was she who tended to him while he slept, nor hear her quiet voice in the morning, in the evening, the sound and smile he lived for.
So long since he had seen a gentle gracious woman, so like all the graces Tomoe had had. And it was tearing things open inside him, seeing Koshijiro and his wife together, with their daughter, scars he thought were nothing but dull aches anymore. The flowers she gathered or bought in the morning. The peace on her still pale face as she arranged them in the evening. The inquiring way she tilted her face, the gentle quiet sound of her footsteps...
I stayed...because I think you need a sheath to hold back the madness.
I think that Tomoe can still be a sheath for your ungovernable rage.
Tomoe...
I'm losing to it again. I'm drowning in the madness, and everything tastes of blood.
Anata...
"Himura? Is that you?"
Kenshin's head jerked up, and his eyes widened in horror. "Katsura-san!"
Kaoru had had a busy day. First there was helping Kaasan clean up. Then she had helped Emiko with the laundry, wringing everything out, and pinning it up while perching precariously on another upturned wash basin. Then she had gone with Tousan to check up on another dojo...and got into a rather lively mud fight with some of the younger sons of the master there, which had ended with her soundly beating them all, being dragged home, her yukata a disgrace, and being dumped in the bath again. Yuck.
And it wasn't even lunch time yet.
Now she was going to tell Himura it was lunch time, but she couldn't find him. Normally he just stayed in his bedroom, although a lot of the time she could coax him into playing with her...He was a lot more fun then most of Tousan's students, who were all obsessed with training. There was only one other place...sometimes he would go into the back garden, though never on nice days, only horrible cloudy ones like today...
"Himura-nii? Are you here?"
She paused when she saw there was a strange man with him. Another stranger?
"Who's this?" The strange man asked.
Himura shook his head - impatiently she thought, a little confused. Himura was never impatient. "Kamiya-san's daughter. Kaoru-san," -more gently- "Would you please get your father?"
"Right," She replied. If Tousan was going to know about this strange man, then he was fine.
"Katsura-san," Kenshin repeated himself. "What are you doing here? It's dangerous for you to be wandering around unguarded."
Katsura Kogoro - his master of three years - simply smiled, lines of exhaustion lightly etched into his sharp featured face. "I'm fine, Himura. Just tired. In fact it's safer for me to travel on my own; anyone with guards is known as important for sure." He chuckled quietly, laughter that Kenshin was unable to share in. "I'll be fine after a little rest. No, I came this way to warn you of something Himura..."
Kenshin's eyes narrowed, and he nodded curtly.
"...And I have a favour to ask of you."
His face felt colder then ever as it set into hard grim lines, but Himura Battousai accepted the slender black envelope and tucked it into his sleeve.
It looked like the rain of blood would fall once again.
When will you stop killing?
"Who are you!? Answer me!"
Once, a very long time ago, another man had asked him those words. And in arrogance, a young Hitokiri had replied "A Choshuu Ishin Shishi. Himura Battousai."
And that night, Battousai had stolen Tomoe's happiness.
Who am I?
You did it...You made the blood rain fall.
"I am the bringer of the blood rain. And for the sake of the new era...you must die."
The man stumbled back, eyes flashing white in panic, thick coarse hands closing convulsively around the hilt of his sword. "Red hair...A cross scar..." Kenshin heard him mutter feverishly. "It's the demon...Battousai..."
A demon...yes.
The hiss of his sword escaping it's scabbard impacted on his ears, even as he sped forward, feet slapping slightly on cobbled stones, red hair flashing past his eyes.
there is nothing but this
The other man blocked desperately; Kenshin could feel his mad unreasoning terror -I don't want to die- flaring like the dying embers of a fire, even as Battousai's sword cut with unerring precision, stabbing cleanly through the man's throat. A hot splatter of blood sprayed out, spilling onto his face, tangling in the threads of his flame bright hair, bringing with it a smell like no other. Clean, sharp, and metallic, it was the scent of sorrow and guilt.
this and her tears
His eyes quiet, the hard amber gleam absent once again, Kenshin quietly slid his sword free, letting the body drop to the ground. Messy...But then again he had not assassinated anyone for a long time. A year...a year since...
and her smile...her words...
Efficiently, methodically, he cleaned the blood off his sword, shining it until the blade gleamed pure and silver in the bright moonlight, then turned to leave, slipping the weapon back into it's sheath. But not before he took a long look at the man's face, another face that would haunt his dreams at night.
The dojo was silent when he returned, and Kenshin had no wish to disturb the peace. He quietly padded through the corridors, exiting out to the back to stand by the well. His swords he unhooked and placed within easy reach, and then he drew a bucket of water up. There was blood crusted in his hair, and on his clothes and face. Without pause, he swung the sloshing pail up in a smooth easy arc, and let the bitterly cold water wash over his body. Again. And again.
There is not enough water in the world to ever wash me clean.
Again.
"Himura? What are you doing having a bath with your clothes on?" A sleepy puzzled voice asked from behind him. He turned slowly, long bangs dripping water down his face and neck to disappear down below his gi.
"What are you doing awake, Kaoru-san?" He asked the little girl.
"I heard a noise and you still didn't answer me." There was vague exasperation in her childish voice, children always seemed to knew when he tried to evade questions. Strange, he didn't remember having that ability when he was younger. Other adults must be better at evading questions then him.
"Well," he said casually, crouching in front of her so they were eye to eye. "I don't suppose you'd believe that I forgot to take my clothes off would you?"
She giggled, and at that carefree sound, he smiled himself.
For this girl...For all children...I want them all to be able to laugh like this.
"Unh unh," she said, shaking her head. "You're pretty silly, but not that silly!"
"Hmm," he murmured. "Well, how about this. My clothes were dirty too, and I wanted to save time by washing me and them at the same time."
Her small brow furrowed as she considered this, then smiled and nodded approvingly. "That makes sense. Maybe I should do that next time I get my yukata dirty."
He laughed, and ruffled her hair. Her disgruntled grimace from under his wet dripping hand only made him laugh more. "Go to bed Kaoru-san. I promise we'll play all morning if you're not busy."
Good humour restored, she scurried back to bed.
"So it has been confirmed that Battousai is in Edo."
"Yes sir. By several of our people. There has been an assassination, one of our agents working undercover. We are thus far unsure why he was eliminated."
"I see. Captain, you are to go to Edo at once, by yourself. Edo has not yet degenerated to the state that our capital has, and I want to keep things that way. Do not use any overt force. Contact the Oniwabanshuu if you need to. I have already enlisted their aid, and they are finding out exactly where Battousai is."
"Yes sir."
Kondou Isamu leaned back, and watched the retreating form of the Captain of the First Troop. The boy was ill, but did not let it show. He was unsure if Okita Souji would be a match for Battousai in his condition, but he had no one else to spare. Things were starting to accelerate again; he had heard disturbing rumours of a Satsuma-Choshu alliance...
If Battousai died, the Ishin Shishi would be demoralized. Perhaps it would even shake their confidence enough that...
No. There was not only Battousai to deal with, but another shadow assassin, one so secret that the leader of the Shinsengumi did not even know his name. And that was extremely troubling. But with Battousai gone, that would be one worry less.
Oro! Sorry if that chapter was pretty boring. I know, more Kenshin angst, blah blah...Do you think his turn about in his mood was too abrupt when Kaoru appeared? Give me feedback, please! And thank you to all reviewers! Oh, I'm on Tales From The Meiji Era now! So you can just look me up there, if you prefer that site.