Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Blades of the Cherry Blossom ❯ Unexpectation ( Chapter 1 )

Hi guys! Ok, this is my VERY FIRST Rurouni Kenshin fanfic so please take it easy on me. Um, so enjoy what I have for the first chapter. Oh, and I don't own Rurouni Kenshin nor Samurai X; I'm totally broke to own it. By the way, it's a Battousai/Kaoru fanfic if you didn't know.

Chapter 1

Night. A time when the light sleeps and the shadows awaken. A time when an intricate and complex web of killing and bloodshed paints the small streets of nineteenth-century Tokyo. It is here that, under the crescent moom, a lone figure walks the back alleys with a look of indifference on his face. Fierce amber eyes shone in a predatory manner, his senses on the alert for anyone who would have such courage to face him in a quick but majestic dance of swords. His outfit was cloaked with the scent of blood, yet his sword remained clean of stains. As he stepped into the faint moonlight, a scar in the shape of a cross was visible on his left cheek.

Hm. Judging from the shifting shadows, it is clear that it is almost 10:00 p.m. I had better hurry and meet up with Kamishi at the Soratoumi Tavern..... the mysterious person thought.

A few moments later, the enigmatic figure entered the Soratoumi Tavern, which didn't have much customers at the current hour. Silently, he walked past the main room and headed downstairs to the hidden room. He opened the iron door, and as he walked in, he saw a man of medium build with black eyes and dark hair that reached his neck. At his side were two short swords which he used in conjunction with his samurai sword that lay in its sheath on a rack in the back of the room. Once the amber-eyed figure sat down, Kamishi spoke.

"Hitokiri Battousai, glad you are here. I have yet another assignment for you."

"What is it?", Battousai questioned impassively.

"There is a man by the name of Naku who has been sending out a few of his men after me, night after night, in an unceasing pattern. However, I have received word from a few of my spies. There is a woman, aged around nineteen, named Kaoru Kamiya. I want you to sneak into Naku's....stronghold, and take the girl."

"I am not a means for the salvation of women; I am a hired assassin.."

"You did not let me finish, Battousai. As I was about to say, she would prove useful to him, and if she is gone, then Naku's plans go right down the toilet."

"And of what use is she to Naku?"

"He plans to use her as a means of deceit...."

"A geisha?" The assassin's eyes narrowed slightly. "So, Naku wants to use this girl to lower our defenses..."

"Exactly," stated Kamishi. "Do as you will with Naku, and bring the girl home with you."

"What!? Kamishi, what are you thinking!!?" Battousai fumed. "I am not going to have some whore living in my house!!!"

"She is not a geisha....yet. Naku plans on claiming her as his own, then forcing her to do his bidding.."

"How do you know all this?" At this point, Battousai's temperament was back to its normal, cold state.

"Let's just say that I have a few.....sources. Some allies of mine have been secretly tracing Naku, with him unaware of the fact that each and every movement of his is being watched, as well as his house," Kamishi stated with his eyes closed. "And from what they've said, Kamiya is one who holds a beauty that is pure; the only girl, in fact, who is untainted."

"Is that all?" Battousai questioned impatiently. His tone of voice implied that he was starting to get ticked as Kamishi spoke in a softened tone about this girl.

"That is all, Battousai. You must retrieve this girl tonight," Kamishi stressed. "If you fail to do so, then our organization--the Inagara--will be no more. Also, Kaoru Kamiya's purity and innocent nature will be ripped away from her forever..."

In response, the amber-eyed hitokiri stood and silently walked out of the tavern. His decision, Kamishi did not know.

A couple of hours later, Battousai found Naku's mansion. It was a little after midnight; a perfect time to strike. As he looked up, he saw that there was only one light on, and that was where Kaoru's room was.

~Meanwhile~

Kaoru Kamiya was sitting next to her room window in her medium-sized quarters. Fear struck her soul ever since she overheard Naku's plan a few days ago, and as she looked outside into the still darkness, she saw a figure moving quickly among the shadows. The next thing she heard was glass breaking, and as soon as that transpired, the alarms went off. Her room door automatically locked, and in the stagnant silence she heard all that occured downstairs in the main hall. Within two minutes, all twenty guards fell with a dull thud to the ground. Ten guards on her floor--the third floor--moved towards her door as a means of protection.

Soon enough, the 'intruder' reached the third floor, and cut through the guards, leaving them in a pool of their own blood. Battousai kicked open the door to Kaoru's room, which contained the scent of jasmine and rain. Glancing around the room quickly, he sensed her hiding under the bed, trembling slightly. With a smirk on his face, he said, "Kaoru Kamiya, come out from your hiding spot or I will be forced to kill you."

His tone was icy, and it froze Kaoru to the core. Quickly, she scurried out from under her bed, clad in a black yukata with a white crane design on the back. The sash was white and was tied tightly around her hips, and her raven locks flowed freely around her. Almost immediately, her cerulean eyes locked with Battousai's amber gaze, and travelled to the cross-shaped scar that adorned his left cheek.

With a gasp, Kaoru said, "You're the Battousai!!"

"I see that you have heard of me," Battousai stated icily. "Now, stay quiet or I'll--" He could not finish his sentence, for at that moment Kaoru launched herself at him and held him tightly around his waist.

"You have to get me out of here!" she pleaded, her eyes shut tight and threatening to overflow with tears. "Please!!"

Frowning, the assassin stated coldly, "I don't have to do anything for you. As of right now, my only obligation is to kill that bastard Naku."

At that moment, Kaoru lessened her grip on Battousai's waist, and got up off of the floor slowly. Her eyes were shadowed by her bangs, and she walked back to her spot at the window. No words were exchanged, and only silence filled the room. Finally, after twenty minutes of silence, Kaoru sighed.

"If you are here to kill Naku," she said, "then why are you here? Naku's quarters are in the next room over..." She turned away from the window, looking at the Battousai with a look that somewhat equalled his, save the hint of sadness that emanated from her.

"Come with me," stated the Battousai, extending his hand to her. "My other mission is to get you out of here."

"Then why did you lie?" Kaoru questioned fiercely. "Do you know how much I've had to put up with??"

"No, I do not. If you want to get out of here, then you'd best come with me."

His voice...it's so cold and harsh, Kaoru thought. But, why do I feel as if I can trust him? He is the most ruthless assassin right now in all of Japan... Right now, he is my only means of getting out of here.

Hesitatingly, Kaoru took Battousai's hand, and he pulled her up quickly. It was now clear to him as to why Naku wanted to claim this girl as his. Unbeknownst to him, Kaoru was still holding his hand tightly, though not enough to cut off his blood flow. Suddenly, Battousai moved forward at a god-like speed, and Kaoru moved swiftly, her hand still in his.

Without looking back at her Battousai asked, "Which way?"

Kaoru hesitated for a moment, and said, "Left!"

Battousai turned left in the enormous hallway, and kicked open the solitary door. There, clad in a fighting gi, was Naku. In his hand was a sword, and it was clear that he was ready to fight.

"Well, well, well.... If it isn't the notorious Hitokiri Battousai...", he stated in an air of arrogance. "I am aware that you are here to take Kaoru Kamiya from me, correct?" As he finished speaking, Naku gave a lustful gaze at Kaoru who, in response, moved behind the Battousai.

"And of what business is my mission to you?" Battousai questioned coldly.

"She is my business, fool.. The winner of this match decides who she stays with: me or you. If I win, I'll make sure to behead your pitiful body, place it on a pike, and put it on the scaffold in the market place. However, if you do win, which I highly doubt, Kaoru Kamiya stays with you..."

"I don't make frivolous deals with low-lives like you.." The assassin narrowed his eyes, and took out his sword. As if sensing the amount of danger contained in the situation, Kaoru backed up a few feet towards the wall, near the sword rack. On previous occasions, she secretly viewed Naku when he was training and, unfortunately, his speed matched that of Battousai's.

The two combatants stood a few feet away from each other, their swords poised to cut through the air and taste blood. A few moments later, Battousai and Naku began their onslaught upon each other as Kaoru watched silently.

Battousai, you do not have a chance at defeating Naku, thought Kaoru. He has a speed that excels yours, and a sword style that will put you to death so quickly you will not have time to beg for mercy.. That sword style is called the Death Shadow.

Though Kaoru had kept this silent thought to herself, her mind was able to link with that of Battousai's. As he received the message, his eyes widened a bit, and for a moment he lost his concentration. It was then that Naku caused a flesh wound on the assassin's right arm, weakening it slightly. Blood began to flow out of the wounded area, but Battousai didn't seem to care. His mind still lingered on the message Kaoru gave to him, so he cautiously gave one back without lowering his defenses.

(Kaoru, what was it that you said about Naku's sword style?) he questioned. In response, Kaoru quietly gasped, still unaware of the link between her and the assassin.

(B-Battousai? Is that you..?)

(Who else would it be if I were to be asking about Naku's sword style?!)

(....I'm sorry. I had thought this, but did not know that you were capable of receiving it... Naku's sword style is the Death Shadow; it mimics the attacks of Hiten-Mitsurugi but the speed is self-taught. In this case, Naku has trained so much that his speed is now equal to yours!)

(I see... No wonder why his attacks seemed familiar..... Well, best to wrap this one up and leave no mercy..)

With that said, the connection was cut, and Battousai dodged an attack that could have literally cleaved his skull in two. The attack that Naku tried on Battousai was, in fact, a forceful move, but the downside was that it left him open. At this moment, Battousai held his sword, blade-first, at Naku and skewered him by driving his sword through the adversary's stomach and filleting him from the torso up. Blood sprayed from the body, which sickly fell to the floor in a disgustingly wet smack.

Kaoru stood there in a dead shock. It was over. She was free. She no longer had to live in fear, for the very one that instilled it was now dead. Her breathing became uneven, and her mind began to swirl.

I'm........free? Has this nightmare finally ended, or have I jumped into another one..? What's to become of me now..? Will I live a life free of this burden, free of darkness? She closed her cerulean orbs and began to concentrate on stabilizing her breathing. A few moments later, a sharp voice broke her concentration.

"Hey!" It was Battousai, and he seemed to be slightly annoyed. "Are you coming or not?"

The nineteen-year-old girl glanced down at the floor and nodded. She could feel Battousai's amber gaze boring through her physical shell and looking, more or less, into her soul. At that point, she felt.....strange. Though the Battousai had an intense look of hatred on his stoic face, she knew that somewhere in his soul there harbored a different side of him. But how, in fact, could she do that? She only met him on this fateful night, the night of their meeting. As she looked up, it seemed that he was waiting for an answer to his previous question.

"Yes," she responded softly.

Damn it! Now I have to give her shelter, food, AND clothing! Battousai thought drearily. Well.. it shouldn't be that much of a problem. Everything will be decided once we arrive back at my house.. Kami, what am I thinking?! Why am I acting as if we're a couple or something??

It was now that Battousai began to feel strange, for he began to shift his weight uncomfortably. Snapping himself out of his thoughts, he turned to Kaoru and said, "Let's go" in a stoic tone. Impulsively, Kaoru walked over to him and grabbed his hand, in case someone were to separate her from him.

Once again, that sensation which grasped Battousai's soul began to take over once more. Although his countenance remained the same, his mind and heart were in a bitter struggle. As he walked out of the mansion with Kaoru and into the coming day, he knew then that it was the feeling he despised most: love.

~Omake~

Well, what do ya think? Ok, I know Battousai seems a little OOC, but that'll help later on in the fic when "stuff" begins to happen. Remember, Read and Review and NO FLAMES!!

ja-ne!