Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ When Angels Fall ❯ The Ghost Who Holds the Ace of Spades ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

When Angels Fall:

The Ghost Who Holds the Ace of Spades

By:Kiamirei

~Just assume that this is the standard disclaimer. And please review
this story or email me!

Kenshin Himura leapt up then, amber eyes blazing. He drew his sheathed
sword again.

A Sakabatou, he thought to himself. How did I get this? Why do I have
this? Where is my real sword? Where am I? Am I a prisoner? Why am I
here? Wherever here is...focus. Baka, some swordsman you are. Standing
here instead of figuring out the answers to the questions!

Kenshin slipped the sword, once again in its scabbard, into its sheath
and cautiously exited the room, cold eyes narrowed. He stepped out
into a hallway, the walls painted white. It wasn't any place he
recognized. Warily he kept his right hand near his sword hilt as he
walked down the hallway in the direction that he could hear voices.
Before he got there, though, he noticed one room with its door open.
Entering as guardedly as he could, the man soon found out that it was
a room that he could use to wash up in.

Sitting outside as they ate their breakfast, which with all the recent
events was even worse than it normally was when made by Kaoru, the
other two residents of the Kamiya dojo and Sanosuke Sagara did not
hear their friend get up. There was no arguing, had been none for the
past three days. Megumi would come later, when she could get away from
her other patients, and even then there would be no fights; Kaoru,
Yahiko, Sanosuke and Megumi were far too worried. No one even made any
comments about the poor cooking.

"Kaoru," Yahiko said, "today is the day that he's supposed to wake up,
isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. But don't be too afraid if he doesn't get up today; Miss
Megumi said that she was just guessing when she predicted the date."

"But he looks better than he did before, doesn't he?"

"You saw him yourself, Yahiko-chan. What do you think?"

There was silence after that.

Kenshin walked up to the three people sitting before him in silence.
He felt much better after washing, and didn't mind that his hair, once
again into a high ponytail, was dripping water down his back. In fact,
he hardly noticed it; he was so intent on getting to the bottom of the
situation. He listened to them talk for a while, but the only thing
that he could figure out was what he already knew: he had been very
sick, from poison, but (this he thought they did not know) he was
fully better now. Then he knew that it was time to make his move. He
could not recognize any of the three people who had their backs turned
to him, but he would get his answers.

And they'll talk if they want to live, he assured himself.

Eyes narrowed, he tensed up and spoke.

"I have some questions."

Almost immediately afterwards, the girl and the young boy jumped up
and ran to him. They stopped though, confused, when he jumped away out
of reach. The man who had not run to him grinned now and spoke.

"Hey, Kenshin, you're awake. We were worried."

"You know my name. How do you know my name?"

"Kenshin, this isn't funny. We were so scared!" The girl, this time.

In a fast movement, almost too fast to follow, Kenshin was staring up
into the eyes of the man that had first spoken, his sword flipped so
that the blade pressed into the neck.

"Tell me how you know my name."

"K-Kenshin," the man stuttered. "What's going on?"

He gulped as the sword pressed harder into his flesh, drawing forth a
thin stream of blood. Sanosuke was scared now, and looked back into
the eyes of his friend. Suddenly it clicked. Kaoru got it too, and
spoke up in a shaky voice.

"Y-your tone...and your way of speaking...you say `ore'...you're eyes,
so cold....and amber...no...Not again! I won't believe it! I won't
believe it, I won't!"

Now Kenshin turned his gaze upon the girl. She was beautiful, he
noticed, even though she looked scared out of her mind and tears were
pouring down her face. Tomoe had been, too, but he didn't care enough
about this girl to compare them.

"You won't believe what? Answer me, before I decide to kill your
friend here."

"I-I-that is, I mean that..I..."

"Don't make me tell you again. If you do, your friend will soon be
missing his head."

The way in which his eyes blazed and the tone of voice he used made it
clear that Kenshin was deadly serious. However, only Kenshin knew that
for all of his actions, apart from being angry he was also very
scared. He could not remember how he got there, where "there" was, and
who the people in front of him were.

"I-I- YOU'RE NOT KENSHIN!" she burst out.

"Stop being foolish. Of course I'm Kenshin, though how you know that I
don't know."

"No, you're not," she quavered. "You're not Kenshin at all, you're the
Hitokiri Battosai! You're not the Kenshin I know!"

"'Not the Kenshin I know'? What is that supposed to mean? I've never
seen you before in my life."

Now the man spoke up.

"Kenshin, what are you talking about? You've been living here! Don't
tell me you don't remember Kaoru and Yahiko. Or me, Sanosuke."

"Then...you didn't capture me?"

"Of course not!"

"And it wasn't you who poisoned me?"

"As if we would."

The blade was sheathed and Sanosuke breathed again, rubbing his throat
and wiping the blood off. Everyone present could actually see the man
before them thinking as he rang the water out of his red hair again.
After a few minutes the expression cleared, though the eyes stayed the
same.

"You're...yes, I remember. I remember now."

Now Kenshin stood in the stance he used to attack.

"I remember," he said coldly. "Yahiko, you tried to steal from me."

"No! I-"

"Kaoru. You wanted to kill me for something I didn't do."

"Yes, but that was-"

"And Sanosuke. Or should I say Zanza?" The last sentence was a sneer.
"You tried to kill me too. You even went so far as to battle me. A
foolish move, indeed. I don't understand why I didn't kill all of you
before. But it's no matter. I'll just do that now."

All three cried out in a simultaneous "No! Wait!"

An eyebrow went up. "Why? Explain to me why your lives are worth
sparing."

"Because," Kaoru said, stepping forward tentatively, "that was before.
We're your friends now, don't you remember?"

Again, the man thought though for a while longer this time. He seemed
to be replaying the events that had happened to him. Kenshin kept his
hand at the hilt of his sword, in case they tried any attacks against
him. They seemed sincere enough, but they easily could be lying.

Kaoru Kamiya....she's the...the heir to the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, his
memory informed him. She thought I was destroying her family name. I
guess I'll excuse her. Yahiko Myojin...former thief. Former? Yes. Yes,
that's right. He was forced into it. And Sanosuke...Zanza? No, he's
Sanosuke. Now he is at least. He hates the government. But after I
beat him....he...he...he's an ally now, ne? Yes. There was another
one, right? Her name was...was...Megumi Takani. Former Opium maker and
now a doctor. But I still don't know why I'm here. Perhaps they force
me to stay here? It must be. Kyoto is where the enemies
are...were...are? Dammnit! I'm confused. This is during the
Tokugawa....no....yes...no. Meji. This is the Meji Era. And my
Sakaboku. I'm a wanderer. Or I have been, for the past decade or so.
Which is why I have this stupid blade. So. Now what?

Kenshin relaxed, and as he did the other three did too, visibly. Kaoru
turned away for a moment, quickly wiping her eyes. She would not cry
in front of him, never would she do that. He wouldn't understand.

Besides, if the real Kenshin -no, when the real Kenshin comes back, he
would feel bad if the thought he made me cry. Which he did. Of course,
that's assuming that he remembers what happened just now, Kaoru told
herself.

The four of them stood there, each wondering what they should do next.
Surprisingly, it was Yahiko who moved first.

"T-there's some breakfast," he said. "Kaoru made it, so it's not good,
but there's still some left..."

He winced a bit, expecting the usual outburst, but there was none. His
teacher was trying to hold herself together. After a moment's
consideration Kenshin nodded and moved towards the pot that was still
sitting there.

"I'm going to go inside," Kaoru said. Kenshin nodded, and then nodded
again as Sanosuke said that he would follow. Yahiko sat down next to
the not-so-former Hitokiri in silence.

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"What do we do?" Kaoru asked Sanosuke. Her eyes were filled with
tears, and she gripped him as if holding on for her very life.

"I don't know."

"How do we get the real Kenshin back?"

"I don't know."

As soon as he responded to her question, Sanosuke realized something.
Kaoru had said the "real Kenshin", as if the person who had stood
before them was somehow fake, a multiple personality that did not
really exist. But that wasn't true.

"You're wondering how to get the real Kenshin back?"

"Hai."

"No."

"Huh?"

"He's not the `real Kenshin'. Saying that would mean that this
Kenshin, the one we just left outside, isn't real also."

"But he isn't! He's the Battosai, the evil one that the real Kenshin
always tries to kill, or suppress!"

"No! He isn't evil. You must understand. Kenshin Himura is the
Hitokiri Battosai, and the Hitokiri Battosai is Kenshin. Normally he's
able to separate the two, and keep himself from killing. But somehow
the poison changed that. But under no circumstances should you assume
that Battosai is evil. You weren't there during the revolution, Kaoru;
you didn't fight. I did, though I was young. Of course I heard of the
Hitokiri Battosai, who was feared from miles around. I'd never tell
him this, but I even had a nightmare of him once. He killed people
before they had a chance to scream. It was generally agreed that the
gods would envy his speed. Hell, they'd still envy his speed. The
Hitokiri Battosai was most definitely one of the deciding factors of
the war. But no one can tell for sure, and he isn't arrogant enough to
think that. All he knows is that he was feared and hated by his
enemies, and even some allies."

"You say all of this, but it only proves my point!"

"I'm not finished. Kenshin was feared during the war, but he was also
respected by anyone with any brains. He slaughtered so many people
it's hard to forget that he was just like everyone else -only much,
much stronger. But remember, Kaoru, that while he was a killer, he was
human, just like the rest of us. He fought for an ideal, and he was
devoted to his allies. He told me once, that even then he wanted only
to protect people. If anything, he's more human than anyone else. He's
not satisfied with this government, because they're corrupt, and
enforce the very things that he fought so hard against. The Meiji
government has, in effect, betrayed him. But despite this, he opted to
stop fighting, and the Hitokiri Battosai, after fading into the mist
after the war, stayed there. Now, a decade or so later, he still
fights for those ideals. It's harder now, though, because he must do
this without killing. So don't you dare say that he's evil."

Kaoru looked down at her feet. She wouldn't say anything more about
the subject, but neither was she entirely convinced.

So he was respected and feared. So he fought for ideals. So what? No
matter what, it cannot be forgotten that he killed too many people to
keep track of. And in killing them, he destroyed the lives of everyone
who loved the person that he killed. In that light, it seems just a
little bit harder to forgive the murdering side of him than Sanosuke
says. Wisely, she kept these thoughts to herself.

"That still doesn't tell us what we should do."

"Well, Kaoru, it shouldn't be too hard to figure that out."

"No?"

"He may not be evil, but he's dangerous. So there are two things we
must do: first, do anything we have to to stay alive and keep him from
being pissed of at us, and second, keep him from killing anyone."

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"So...so you're all better, Kenshin?"

"Yes."

"What are you going to do, then?"

"Hm?"

"Well, you're free to sit around at the dojo if you want. Kaoru
teaches me. I mean, you're free to also, but it's just that-"

"I'm never teaching anyone my sword techniques. Don't ask again,
please."

He was polite enough, but someone older could not have missed the
underlying threat. Yahiko, however, failed to pick it up.

"Yes, Kenshin."

The Hitokiri Battosai looked down at the boy, and saw that he was
depressed. Something stirred within him, but he pushed it away as
quickly as he could.

It isn't your problem if the kid is sad, he told himself sternly. Just
ignore it. Part of growing up is learning to mask what you feel. The
kid should learn.

"Um..you never answered my question."

"Hn? Oh. I-I don't know. I may stay, because I have nowhere to go. I
may go to Kyoto. All of my enemies were there, and they may have
returned to the area. First, though, I want to find the people who
poisoned me. With darts, was it?"

"Hai."

"Hn. Yes, I'd like to find them. And soon. But before that I want to
get rid of this stupid blade."

Yahiko's eyes widened.

Get rid of the Sakabatou? How could he? Yahiko could not find an
answer for these unspoken questions, but he dared not ask.

"But then you'd be unarmed."

"Go get Sanosuke Sagara."

"Huh?"

"Now."

"R-right! I'll be right back!"

In a few minutes, Sano had appeared and Yahiko had gone inside.

"So, Kenshin, what is it?"

"Sanosuke. You were a mercenary, a fighter for hire."

"That's correct."

Usually, Sanosuke would not use such a formal tone with the other man,
but the unusual circumstances certainly merited it. Kenshin nodded,
acknowledging both the answer and the respectful tone that he was
being spoken to in. He didn't expect it, of course, but neither would
he turn it down.

"As a mercenary, you had access to the underground, ne?"

"Hai."

"So you know of a variety of people, ne?"

"Hai."

"You know people who are assassins, some are thieves, some make bombs,
some make opium, some are pirates, and some are mercenaries, ne?"

"Hai. There are all kinds of people."

"And some make swords."

"H-hai."

"Do you know a blacksmith who'd be willing to make a sword?"

"Gomen, but no."

Kenshin thought about this for a moment. Using only a Sakabatou would
complicate matters even more than they already were. Already he'd have
to track down the two that had attacked him, even though they had a
couple days' lead on him. No matter, though. Once he did catch up to
them, they would be easy enough to get rid of. Then he'd have to find
Gohei. He'd also be easy to defeat. As much as he wanted another
sword, one that was not reverse-bladed, he also didn't want to let his
attackers get away. After he was finished with that business, he'd
decide what to do.

Of course Sanosuke Sagara knew someone who would willingly make a
sword for Kenshin. For a price, of course. But he was determined not
to let the red haired man get a hold of a sword that could kill. This
was for Kenshin's benefit, and also for his own. If he had only a
Sakabatou, he couldn't kill Sanosuke as easily. However, he was not to
be let off the hook that easily.

"Sanosuke."

"Yes?"

"You may not know a blacksmith now, but I want you to find one.
Wakarimasu ka?"

"Kenshin, there's no way that-"

The look that he was being given silenced the former Zanza. Kenshin
had never looked directly at him when he was in his "Hitokiri Mode".
He did so now, and Sanosuke was instantly quieted. Never again did he
want to be looked at that way. The amber eyes, incapable of a look
besides emptiness or threat (Sanosuke could not know that the kindness
in them had been killed by Tomoe's death), were now promising imminent
death. And coming from the former assassin, that promise was very
believable.

"If you're not with me you're against me. You fought during the
revolution, so you know what I'm going to tell you."

"You don't allow any of your enemies to live."

"Exactly. None of my enemies ever lived long enough to learn my name.
I don't wish to be overly cruel, but this is an important matter. So I
have a proposition for you."

"And just what is that?" Sanosuke asked, already knowing the answer.

"Sanosuke Sagara, you will find me a blacksmith who will make me a
sword."

"If I don't?"
"Then I will kill you."

It was quite clear that he was deadly serious.