Fan Fiction / Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Bloods Peace ❯ chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

 

-2-

 

 

“Again!” Hajami yelled his sword poised toward her as he waited for her to rise.

Sakura was on her knees, a hand tight around the hilt of her sword while the other balled angrily at her side. A long strand of dark hair broke free from its bounds and wisped about her face in the soft wind. She lifted her head slightly and eyed him.

In what seemed a breath of an instant she had moved, her sword up and ready as she raced toward him at blinding speed.

Hajami stood motionless, waiting. Steal gleamed in the sunlight and with easy grace he sidestepped her attack.

Sliding to a stop she turned around and was off again. Steal rang against steal as their swords met, but with little trouble he pushed hers aside, sending the girl to fly falling to the ground.

She came to her feet and glared at him.

“Master!” she said irritation plain in her voice, “I'm not strong enough to beat you!” she griped her sword tighter in a gesture he understood to be frustration.

“I did not say you had to beat me, Sakura, I said you had to hit me at least once with your sword, nothing more.”

“And how do you expect me to do that? You're stronger than me! You're my master! How can the pupil defeat the master?”

“In time and with practice the pupil will over come the master. If the pupil can't, then the pupil has failed.” He smiled at her frown, “You're speed is your advantage. If you are faster than your opponent then you have the advantage. It does not matter if he is stronger or more equipped, you have the advantage.”

“I should be better than I am,” she finally said. “You've been teaching me now for almost eight years! I should be able to hit you at least once!”

Hajami smiled at this. A sad smile she thought.

“Soon I will teach you what I can of the Ultimate attack,” he paused his mind seeming to wander to another time, “soon, soon your training will be over and you will be the master…”

She frowned at him as she idly looped the stray strand around her ear.

“Sakura,”

She brought her eyes up to his face.

“Go on back to the dojo…” he turned his eyes on the shadowed trees; his eyes alert and slightly narrowed.

She frowned also looking in that direction.

“I will be there shortly. Go on.”

She eyed him a moment more and then nodded silently. Sheathing her sword she turned and walked away.

 

Sakura eyed the setting sun with a frown. It was getting late. She turned her eyes on that of the gate once again, hopping to see it open and her master's head peer in.

But it never did.

She frowned again and urgent feeling coming over her. The hilt of her sword stung against her palm. She loosened her grip and let out a sigh.

She had waited long enough. Sakura turned to the gate, opened it and was gone.

 

She was running. Night was close at hand and she felt certain something was amiss.

Her master would have showed up… why hadn't he showed up…?

She stopped dead in her tracks, falling slightly forward and landing on her knees. The smell of blood rising over her like a wave of despair… She could never forget that smell…

A picture of her dead brother flashed through her mind, the sight of his eyes wide and staring at the moon his face blank and empty.

She shuttered and stood back up, her eyes wide. She was almost there.

The clearing where they had trained, she stood now staring. Blood caked the ground and there amidst the gore of it her master laid. A wave of horror passed over her as she felt her body turn numb, and then she was moving.

She fell to her knees beside him and saw with sudden hope the rise and fall of his chest.

“Master…” she said her voice sounding distant.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, “Sakura,” he whispered, the ghost of a smile around his pale lips.

“Master!” she said again more urgently, “What… what happen?”

His smile vanished as a frantic look crossed his face, “Sakura,” he said a bloodied hand finding hers, “you have to listen to me!”

She nodded and gripped his hand tighter.

“You have to leave, Sakura, if he finds you he will kill you…” he coughed slightly and she saw with horror as blood slowly ran down his chin.

“Master! Who did this to you!”

He studied her eyes, saw the anger burning there, and frowned slightly.

“I love you, Sakura, I've always thought of you as my daughter…” his breathing slowed as he suddenly gasped and coughed out blood. Sakura grasped his hand all the more. “I don't wish this life on you, dear one… Please… you must stay away from him…”

“What is his name, master? Tell me his name!”

Hajami smiled slowly as he coughed again, “Hiko… Sagero… Please, Sakura, you mus… you must…”

Her eyes wide she watched in silent terror as his hand lost its grip on hers and with cruel shock she let it fall to the ground.

He was dead…

She sat on her knees beside him for some time, her body to numb to move. Then slowly she stood. She would not leave his body here to rot: she would do what she could for him. Turning she went to a near by stream and began pulling out rocks.

All that night she worked, placing rocks over her master's body, and when dawn's early rays shown through the forest, she placed the last on. Once again she fell to her knees before him.

His tomb of stones.

Her hands fell heavily to the ground, they were sore and bloody, and her shoulders ached horrible. She dropped her head and stared at the bloodied earth.

“Master,” she said quietly, “I promise… I will avenge you… I promise, I will kill him… I will kill Hiko Sagero… I promise.”

 

The sun was casting shadows about her face as she slowly made it back to the small dojo. Her eyes were down cast as she felt limp and useless, and finally bringing her eyes up to open the gate, she saw with dread that it had been knocked recklessly off its hinges and now laid on the ground.

“Ah, here she is!” a man yelled suddenly appearing before her with a smile.

She glared at the stranger as she stepped back and gripped her sword. There were men on all sides of her now. All of them snickering slightly and holding some crude weapon.

She eyed them angrily, her eyes narrowed and deadly, “What do you want?” she said in a whisper.

The man before her smiled, “To run my sword through your heart.” His breath smelled of alcohol and she found his threat very cynical.

“Who would send a horde of drunks to the door step of a dojo master and threaten to run the pupil down with a sword?” Her voice was soft. Her tone deadly. “He mocks me…” her hand tightened.

The man laughed again, “The master is… out! At the moment!” he looked around his comrades' beaming as they all jeered at the joke. Sakura had heard enough.

She released her sword with lightning stealth and with in an instant was moving. The men stood there in a moment of confusion and then with startled cries they awkwardly pulled their swords free.

There had been no chance.

Blood dripped from the tip of Sakura's sword as silence seemed to stretch on until the steel was finally felt against their flesh, and with an agonizing scream their blood spewed on the ground.

Standing strait now, her eyes covered under a mass of dark hair she watched the deep color of blood roll down her sword. She stood motionless, feeling the weight of death upon her.

She had killed before; not by accident, but with the pure desire to end a life. Twice now her sword had been stained with blood… her brothers sword.

She watched the soft drops fall from the point making a pool to add to the bigger. Sakura cleansed her sword then with a quick swipe through the air and without further hesitation she placed it back in its sheath.

Sakura eyed the fallen bodies a moment. Feeling suddenly a hardness over her heart. Her soul. A weight had been placed on her. A weight that could only be lifted now by more blood.

The oath was spoken. She would see it through.

 

 

Blood rains from the sky

To fall upon my soul

In destructive horror I do cry

For only death can I hold

 

 

 

 

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