Fan Fiction / Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Memories of the Past and Friendships of the Future ❯ The Scar of Obscurity ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

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Memories of the Past and Friendships of the Future

By koe760

Chapter 2: The Scar of Obscurity

Battousai let his narrowed eyes take in his surroundings. His comrades shifted uneasily as his intense amber gaze passed over them and seemed to burn right into the very depths of their souls. Ignoring the nervous side-glances from the other Ishin Shishi members, Battousai strode as soundless as the night toward his final destination. As he passed the group of swordsmen, he signaled them to follow in his wake.

Stealthily gliding through the bamboo forest, Battousai and his selected group of men gradually surrounded the location where there was an important meeting secretly being held between all of the key leaders of the Shogunate. If they could eliminate this group of men, then it could mean the end of the revolution.

Distracted for the briefest moment with thoughts of no more war and blood, Battousai was for the first time he could remember caught off guard. So, it was an immense shock to him when something whizzed passed his face, ruffling his wild red hair, and leaving a thin trail of blood across his left cheek.

Stumbling back a few steps, he softly cried out in surprise as he clutched his slashed cheek with one hand as the other instinctively grabbed for his katana hanging at his hip. His eyes frantically sought out the source of his injury as he positioned his body in the unmistakable stance of the battou-jutsu.

His keen eyes just barely managed to catch the sight of a very large bird of undistinguishable breed, with coal-black feathers and red tipped wings before it disappeared behind the branches of the surrounding growth.

Feeling strangely lightheaded in the now dead silent and still forest, Battousai slowly straitened his body from his attack stance as he looked at his blood-covered hand in horrified fascination. He couldn't believe that while he was untouchable by even the best of all the swordsmen in Japan, a bird had managed to get past his defenses. A simple wild bird. His mind just couldn't comprehend how that was possible.

Finally noticing that his comrades were staring at him with open astonishment, he covered his face with his trademark impassive face expression and glowering eyes. Glaring at no one in particular, and yet everything and everyone around, he purposely strode to where the battle would soon be fought to decide the fate of the war, and forgot all about his little unimportant scratch.

Soon he could hear the distinguishable sound of sword fighting, and he waited for his body's natural response of adrenaline to come roaring into his body. When that did happen, he could feel that something was different this time. It didn't feel like it normally would when his body would prepare to go into battle. He somehow felt even more weightless than he had ever felt before. Almost as if he could just jump into the air and keep going…never stopping or looking back…dancing among the fluffy dream-like clouds and skipping past the stars as they winked at each other in happy merriment, with not a care in the world. Looking down at the feathery softness of the world below as the joyful stars above darken into the faces of his screaming victims, crying out in agony and pain. The downy white clouds once being stood upon now sharpening into the blood-dripping steal of thousands upon thousands of instruments of war, showering those below with their grimy red stickiness as the whole surface of the world takes on a red haze.

Battousai was abruptly plunged back into reality as he heard someone nervously clearing his throat. Deeply disturbed by his momentary lapse of concentration, Battousai tried to cover up his increasing uneasiness he felt from his distraction and the slash mark that seemed to sting more than just a normal scratch should, he quickly started to sprint towards the fighting, with his men trailing behind him.

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Kenshin jerked awake with a gasp, panting as the dream unrelentingly filled his mind with unwanted memories of his past. It wasn't that the dream was really horrifying or anything like that. The dream was actually not that awful, compared to all of the other ones he had experienced. It was his remembrance of what had happened after the events in the nightmare that had him panting and shaking on the cold hardness of the ground as he pressed his hand against his burning cheek.

Suddenly remembering what had happened in the forest, Kenshin hastily looked around to take stock of his surroundings. He narrowed his eyes when they came to rest upon his bound and chained wrists in front of him. He then let his eyes travel downward as he examined the odd clothing that he was now dressed in. He couldn't help but to stare at the magenta colored shirt he was wearing and the white pants that seemed too tight after having previously worn his loose-fitting gray hakama. The clothing was of an unknown style to him, as he has never seen anyone wear anything like it before. Discarding his clothing problem as insignificant at the moment, he let his eyes wander even further down and he let out a quiet growl when he saw his bare feet.

He then gazed at the stonewalls that surrounded him in a round room that was approximately 6 feet in diameter. The thing that puzzled him though, was the lack of a door. No matter how hard he studied every inch of stone, he couldn't even find the smallest trace of a door.