Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Memories of Kyoto ❯ A Strong Will to Live ( Chapter 1 )

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A Strong Will to Live
 
The place was submerse in a heat that became, at every breath and second, unbearable. Every single breath was an agony, between the smoke and the pain from the wounds that slyly bleed. The dark smoke cloud was starting to dissipate, and now there was a terrible vision beyond it: two bodies consumed by the flames. There were five pairs of eyes staring at this horrific scene in front of them. It was unreal. Just like if they would wake up from this terrible dream, this violent nightmare… at any moment…
Kenshin, Sanosuke, Aoshi, Saitou and Hoji were still with their eyes fixed on the place where Shishio became a human torch, and where that same fire consumed the already dead body of his wife, Yumi, the one Shishio himself had killed with no regret. The five men seemed to enter in some sort of trance, from which they were suddenly taken by a murmur, weak and incredulous.
- No… Lord Shishio… No… - Hoji picked up the clock Yumi so religiously followed and, with a furious madness, throw it against the floor, breaking it.
- Well… - said Saitou's cold voice - It's just like he said… If you're strong you live and if you're weak you die. Wasn't it his “law of nature”?
Sanosuke, ignoring the pain on his right hand, caused by his own Futae No Kiwame, walked to his read headed friend. This one has the gi completely messed, showing his injured arms. Kenshin picked up the clock Hoji thrown and looked at it. He heard Aoshi Shinomori's voice saying something but his ears were too much puzzled. The pain was starting to take over his body and his vision begun to be wooly.
Sanosuke looked at Kenshin…maybe he was wrong, but…seemed to him that his best friend was trembling. The rurouni looked so thin, and the worst was that he looked weak and weakness of any kind something that the former street fighter never thought he would see on Kenshin. The tall man approached the small red headed one and lightly (not much, in his rooster head manners) touched his shoulder, making no reaction on Kenshin's body or expression.
- You've beaten him. - Sanosuke said in a low and tired voice.
- No… - Kenshin wanted to start, but he was interrupted by a strident scream.
- HE DIDN'T LOOSE. THERE'S NO WAY HE COULD HAVE LOST. LORD SHISHIO DIDN'T LOOSE!!! - Hoji was out of control. With no waning he started running, having the sweetness of hitting Kenshin when passed for him. Sanosuke wanted to follow the guy, but something made him stop. There was fear and astonishment in his brown eyes when he saw Kenshin falling, dropping finally his reversed blade sword. The fighter came to one's senses at time to hold the small rurouni in his arms before he hit the floor. Horrified, he find out Kenshin was frozen and the blood flood freely away from his body, turning red the ground under him.
- Kenshin… - in vain - KENSHIN!!
(to be continued…)