Last major modification: 10/22/98 Last minor modification: 05/26/99 [KFFDisc] That Which Lingers - Part 17 (very rough draft) Like it says, a very rough draft. This part is really short and there's not much going on action-wise -- it's mostly just background information. However, there should be a lot more action in upcoming parts! ^_^ --------------- This story is set in my own ALTERNATE REALITY Rurouni Kenshin universe which I've called "The Nightwitch Tales" -- think of it as Rurouni Kenshin mixed with various supernatural and paranormal elements. Other stories in this alternate reality are: "Night Visitor"; "All in the Family"; and "Romancing the Wolf". It takes place after the end of the Kyoto story arc. After that, all bets are off. Elements of the Revenge story arc may show up in the story. WARNING: This story is "semi-dark" -- it has dark elements (violence, profanity, etc.) but it's not a darkfic! Actually, there's quite a bit of romance in it.... ^_- As always, C&C is greatly appreciated! ^_^ ====================================================================== THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra ====================================================================== Part 17: BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS ====================================================================== --------------- Disclaimer All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties. The characters of these series are used WITHOUT permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit. Original portion of the fiction included here is considered to be the sole property and copyrighted to the author. --------------- Text Conventions ( ) are character thoughts / / and // // represent various sorts of mental dialogue [ ] denote visual or time notes ********************************************************************** [ Kyoto - mid-August, 1878 (11th year of the Meiji period) ] In their room at the Aoiya restaurant, Kenshin put his sakabatou within easy reach and began to skim through the book Saitoh's wife had given him. The text provided a much more detailed background for the story told by Tokio's grand-aunt Asuko but the old woman had told them the most important parts. The text's description of Kinslayer matched perfectly with the black sword used by Misao and later stolen by Kaoru, down to the peculiar hilt ornaments. Sano and Yahiko watched their friend with a mixture of concern and unease. They both knew that Kenshin was terribly worried about Kaoru, but he was behaving calmly. A bit TOO calm for their liking. It was an ominous sort of stillness, just like the eerie hush in the air just before a big thunderstorm. They couldn't help wondering how much of this icy self-control was from the Kenshin they knew and how much of it was from the Battousai. Sano glanced at his friend who quietly reading with his back against the wall and uncomfortably, "Oy, Kenshin...." "Yes?" "You mind telling us what happened the last time you bumped into that Minobe guy?" Kenshin put the book down and said simply, "I never knew him by name, but I do recall the incident that Saitoh described." "The collapsing bridge thing?" "Yes. It was almost thirteen years ago to this day. I was acting as a bodyguard to one of the older members of the Ishin Shishi. That night, I was escorting him back from a meeting with some other members. There had been some security problems recently so we were especially alert. Our route took us by a bridge at the southern end of Kyoto. It had been raining heavily for the last several days and the canals were nearly overflowing. As we were passing by one of the bridges, five Shinsengumi swordsmen jumped out from an alleyway. They were inexperienced and stupid. The battle ended up taking us out onto the bridge. I was about to finish off the last man when a full squad of Shinsengumi appeared on the opposite side of the canal. By the time they got onto the bridge, it was starting to shake dangerously. I jumped for the bank just as the bridge collapsed. The Shinsengumi were caught in the middle of the bridge and they all fell into the water." Kenshin shrugged slightly as if to say, 'And that was that'. Yahiko could barely repress a shiver at the cool indifference in Kenshin's voice. It was so unlike him. The young boy coughed, then said tentatively, "Kenshin...?" "Yes, Yahiko?" "So what happened to the other guys? The other Shinsengumi who showed up later? The ones the fell into the canal...." "I don't know. It was an abnormally cold August and the canals were choked with debris. It's likely that some, if not all, of them drowned." Yahiko stared at Kenshin. The swordsman's eyes were not shifted to that feral golden shade that he remembered so well from the dojo battle with Saitoh, but Kenshin's pale violet gaze was devoid of the warmth and empathy that the boy was used to seeing. (His voice... it's so empty. He doesn't seem to care that he slaughtered four swordsmen who were probably no match for him. He doesn't seem to care that an entire squad of men probably drowned right before his eyes. How can he say that he cares about the people he killed when he talks like he doesn't feel a damn thing at all?) But Yahiko found himself thinking back to his conversation with Kenshin a few days ago when Kenshin said, 'I think... even acting as the Hitokiri Battousai... somewhere deep inside, I already knew that each life was valuable in its own way.' (I can't believe that he would lie about something about that. A part of him MUST have cared. But... doesn't that sort of mean a part of him DIDN'T care? Is that how he managed to survive all that fighting and bloodshed in Kyoto? By not caring, at least on the outside?) As Yahiko struggled to reconcile the Battousai's apparently callous disregard for human life with the Kenshin he knew, Sano watched his friend suddenly rub his forehead and grimace slightly. "Hey, you okay?" Kenshin said quietly, "Yes. It's just that I don't particularly enjoy thinking about what happened during the Bakamatsu." He hesitated briefly. "And now that I'm in Kyoto, the memories are stronger than ever. They feel so vivid, so real." Almost unconsciously, he rubbed at the blue hair ribbon around his right wrist as if seeking reassurance... or perhaps to remind himself of the present. Sano muttered, "Great. Just great. And there's no telling when Kaoru will show up around here!" Kenshin looked a bit startled. "No. I'm certain that she'll appear within the next day or so." "Why's that?" asked Yahiko. "Minobe or his ghost has gone through all this trouble to recreate the circumstances of that night on the bridge, even going to the point of entangling the entire city of Kyoto in this waking nightmare. If you following THAT reasoning, it's only appropriate that the final confrontation take place on the exact anniversary of that night on the bridge." "Which is?" "Bon... the Festival for the Dead. August 13th." Kenshin's lips curved up in a wintery smile. Sano smacked himself on the head. "Damn it! How could I have totally missed that! That's less than three days away!" Yahiko said, "So we don't have much time...." "Much time to do what!? There's not a whole hell of a lot WE can do!" snapped Sano. "It's all up to Kenshin." With a worried look, the fighter said, "Can you fight off those memories of the Battousai for that long?" Kenshin did not immediately answer. Finally, in a steely voice, he said, "No matter what happens, I'm not going to forget Kaoru and what she means to me... not after all we've been through... I refuse to lose that because of some madman's hunger for revenge." It was only later that Sano realized that Kenshin never truly answered his question about the Battousai. ----------------------------------- However, it seemed that memories of the bridge incident were not so easily dismissed. While Sano and Yahiko slept, Kenshin stared out the window at the dark sky and the rain, remembering.... And on the Takagi estate, sheltered from the cold, steady drizzle, Saitoh leaned against a tree overlooking the koi pond. He took a long, slow drag on his cigarette as he recalled a similar rainy night thirteen years ago. ----------------------------------- [ Kyoto - August 13th, 1865 ] As Saitoh Hajime, the Captain of the Shinsengumi's third squad, finished discussing the evening's mission with his men, one of the newest members of his group spoke up. "But what are you going to do about the Battousai?" Saitoh lifted an eyebrow and said coolly, "Nothing." "Nothing!? If he's causing us so much trouble, why haven't we hunted him down and exterminated him?" "Keep your mind on the task at hand, Minobe. We have more important things to do tonight than chasing after Himura Battousai." Saitoh turned away, apparently bored with the conversation. Matsuda, one of the more senior members of Saitoh's troop muttered, "I hope we don't run into him tonight. The timetable's too tight. If we get bogged down in an extended battle, it could jeopardize the whole plan. More importantly, we could lose the element of surprise." "Are you saying that we should run away from a single man?" Minobe snapped in an outraged voice. Saitoh shrugged. "True, the Shinsengumi do not flee from adversity, but it would be infinitely more convenient to avoid a confrontation with the Battousai tonight. There'll be plenty of opportunities for duels and challenges later on." Minobe would not be so easily diverted. "Well, you might be afraid to face him, but I'm not!" Several of Saitoh's more experienced men exchanged cynical looks and rolled their eyes at this display of reckless arrogance. However, Saitoh chose to be amused by Minobe's rash words. With a nasty chuckle, he said, "Oh ho. So you think you can take on the Battousai? Don't be an idiot." "He can't possibly be as good as they say," sneered the young man. "No. He's better. You'll be lucky to survive the first exchange of blows, Minobe. If you want to get yourself killed, that's fine with me, but do it some other night." Minobe flushed bright red with rage, then stormed off into a corner to sulk. He was soon joined by several of his friends. Saitoh turned to Matsuda and said, "I hate getting saddled with such a pack of immature idiots." The other man shrugged and said, " You know we're a bit short-handed at the moment. We had to accept these members of the fifth squad in order to boost our numbers. He's an excellent fighter. Lots of talent." Saitoh scowled. "But he has no brains and no judgment. And a fool like that is a danger to himself and the people around him. If the Battousai doesn't kill him, I just might end up doing it myself." ----------------------------------- Carrying an umbrella to shield himself from the steadily falling rain, a middle-aged man was being warily escorted by several swordsmen. Just behind the man walked a very young man, a teenager really. The lanterns along the street were just bright enough to illuminate his long, bright red hair which was caught up in a high ponytail and the crossed scars marring his left cheek. The older man glanced soberly at the redhead and said quietly, "Himura-san...?" "It was as we expected, Tomoboko-san," the redhead replied in a cool voice, his left hand resting easily on the hilt of his katana. "Your nephew sold the information about the meeting to one of the Shinsengumi's informants." The older man grimaced, then said, "So what happens now?" "He's already been taken away for interrogation." "I see. That explains the sudden change in the meeting's location." He shook his head sadly. Himura suddenly stiffened, then whirled just as five young men charged out of a nearby alleyway. The lead swordsman yelled, "Battousai!" His opponents were dressed in the familiar Shinsengumi uniform, but they looked raw and inexperienced compared to the other Shinsengumi he had encountered before. (New recruits looking for easy prey. Idiots.) With a sharp gesture, he sent the other bodyguards on their way with Tomoboko. However, it seemed that this pack of Shinsengumi swordsmen was not hunting for ordinary Ishin Shishi blood tonight. They were hunting specifically for him. With a scowl distorting his handsome features, the lead swordsman snapped, "THIS is the fabled Hitokiri Battousai? A scrawny teenager!?" He snorted. "My old aunt is bigger than he is!" The Battousai cared nothing for their bravado. One hand on the hilt of his katana and the other on the sheath, he coldly snapped out a single word. "Come." ----------------------------------- Several hours after the meeting, one of Saitoh's men came running up, shouting, "Captain! Something's gone wrong! The Ishin Shishi were already on the alert even before we got into position!" In the distance, Saitoh and his men could see the glare from a large fire reflecting off the heavy cloud cover. With the constant rain, there was little chance of the flames spreading, but it was a bad sign, nevertheless. "The fighting had already started," Saitoh snapped. One of the other members in his troop shouted, "Saitoh-san! If we cut across the southern canal, we can be there in a few minutes!" As the squad ran through the increasingly heavy rain, Saitoh wondered what -- or who -- had alerted the Ishin Shishi forces. He soon had his answer as the squad of swordsmen reached the edge of the canal. He instantly recognized the three combatants blocking the far end of the bridge. The first man was that idiot Minobe and the second was one of Minobe's equally idiotic friends. The third man bore the unmistakable red hair of the Battousai. (That fool Minobe! His fighting's probably attracted the attention of every Ishin Shishi fighter within three blocks!) seethed Saitoh. It was no wonder that the enemy were ready for attack. Even now, he could see Ishin Shishi forces converging on the bridge. However, he and his men had a mission to complete and the Shinsengumi would not tolerate any interference, especially from the opposition. He glanced at his men and said, "Fight your way through and head for the designated location. I'll deal with the Battousai." And with those words, Saitoh and his men charged across the rain-slicked wooden bridge. At that moment, one of the Battousai's opponents fell, leaving Minobe alone to face the master swordsman. Saitoh's squad was barely halfway across when the structure shook alarmingly as the swiftly flowing water in the canal slammed a large uprooted tree into one of the bridge's main supports. (Damn. Another impact and this whole thing will collapse.) He glanced upstream only to see more chunks of debris coming their way. "Go!" shouted Saitoh at his men. By this time, Minobe was undoubtably realizing that the Battousai had more than earned his deadly reputation. Saitoh snarled in a mixture of dismay and anger as a panicky swipe of Minobe's sword completely missed the Battousai and sliced deep into one of the bridge supports. It was the deathblow for the structure, which had already been badly weakened by the constant pounding from the debris-filled floodwaters. There was a loud crack, everything shuddered, then the whole bridge abruptly crumbled. Saitoh caught a glimpse of the Battousai effortlessly leaping for the safety of the canal bank, just before he plunged deep into the icy churning waters. As he clawed his way back to the surface, something hard slammed into the back of his head and everything abruptly went black. The next thing Saitoh could remember was the feel of mud oozing between his fingers as someone struggled to haul him out of the torrential flow of water. He lay on his stomach for a few moments, vomiting up all the water he'd swallowed, then he turned over onto his back and stared upward. He instantly recognized his rescuer. Muddled and exhausted, Saitoh dazedly thought that Takagi Tokio -- even though she was soaking wet and splattered all over with mud -- was quite the most beautiful young lady he could ever recall seeing. ----------------------------------- [ Kyoto, mid-August, 1878 (11th year of the Meiji period) ] Saitoh dropped the cigarette butt and ground it out. His lips curved upward in a rueful smile and he murmured, "And as they say, the rest is history...." With those words, Saitoh Hajime retired to his bedroom and fell asleep in his wife's arms. ----------------------------------- (end of part 17) ********************************************************************** Next part: Conversations with a senile old lady and Kaoru returns... really! =^_^= -------------------------------------------- madamhydra@aol.com /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E http://www.geocities.com/~madamhydra/