Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Feuding Hearts ❯ Heaven's Natural Law ( Chapter 6 )

All four husbands struggled to their feet and shifted to stand before their wives, Kenshin at the head, acting as the leader. As Shishio scanned across his victems his eyes met Hoshiko's for a split second and a spark of rememberance was lit somewhere in the recesses of his mind. She quickly turned away, clutching her daughter's barely alive body tightly to her chest as she prayed with all her heart for him not to remember and for this whole ordeal to be over soon. She didn't know how long she'd be able to keep herself together.

"It's so unnerving to see you all fighting for something else now," Shishio observed, fishing around his sleeve for a second gunpowder-laced glove, "and to see you fighting side by side. So let's split you up, shall we?"

Gripping his sword tightly, Shishio held out the hand he'd just place a glove on, pointing it toward the defense-positioned group.

"A Guren Kaina?" Kenshin guessed, confused as to why he'd do it from such a long range. The truth of the matter came to him all too late.

Out of nowhere a ring of fire appeared around all of them, leaving both the evil demon and his soon to be victims with nowhere to run. With his sword held high in the air Shishio let out a spine-shivering laugh as his sword burst into flames as well. "Upgrade Secret Sword Two: Genki Guren Kaina!"

Everyone was knocked back by the force of the blast, sending everyone into a tumbling wounded mess on the burning Earth. Quickly they attempted to stand again, failing due to the burning wounds the now covered their bodies. Sano knelt over his son, checking to make sure he was still alive after all this. Thankfully he was, barely.

"The flesh of the weak is the food of the strong. You're all weaker than me, and you therefor have to die. It's the law of nature I tried to teach you before, but obviously you weren't listening," Shishio lectured, the flames dancing all around them. "But I'll carve it in your mind with this sword until you finally understand that you can't escape the fact that I am unquestionably right." He raised his sword up and made it erupt with burning flames once more, bring it down with an earth-shattering force the split the ground, causing an eruption of lava to spew forth from the ground. Without thinking Saitou grabbed his wife and daughter and threw them out of the way, barely dodging the firey rain himself.

Taking advantage of the choatic situation Shishio disappeared, reappearing behind Soujirou. Why take them out all at once when he could have fun picking them off one by one?

Without noticing her actions, Yozakura quickly grasped her father's sword, trusting is forward with a strength and speed she didn't even know she had. Soujirou turned around to find a sight his hoped he'd never behold. His daughter had pierced right through his stomach, her innocent hands baring white knuckles from the force at which she gripped his sword.

"No!" Soujirou screamed, grabbing hold of his daughter's frozen form and pulling her back. Shishio staggered back a few steps, sword still through him. "No, Yozakura why did you-"

"Your back was turned, Daddy," the girl explained, looking down at her hands as if they were stained with blood. "I didn't want him to hurt you I...I..."

"You failed miserably," Shishio finished for her, pulled the sword out of himself and throwing it aside, far out of reach. Now Kenshin and Saitou were the only ones armed, left to protect mothers and children alike.

The four women looked up, their eyes each agreeing that no matter what the consiquences, they had to do it. Kitai and Sukiko fought back the tears as they mentally prepared themselves for what was to come.

Evangelina knelt by her father, clutching on to his arm like she did when she was afraid of the dark as a child. The fire around them was closing in, leaving them little time and choices. She cursed her weaknesses, wishing in vain that she could help out in some way.

"You still don't get it do you?" Shishio asked, finally sounding annoyed. "You can't kill me, nor can you prove my undeniable truth wrong. The weak only exist to by food for the strong ruling at the top of the food chain. All of you will feed my cause, so accept your fate already. The strong live, the weak must die!"

"No!" Hoshiko spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "You're wrong. The fate of people that YOU speak of is entirely wrong. It's not right at all, and neither is the Aku, Soku, Zan that my husband lives by as the former Captain of the Shinsengumi's 3rd Division."

Hajime's eyes went wide at this. What was she talking about? Where did that power and anger in her voice come from?

"What is truly the law of nature lies in the Four Celestial Virtues. Compassion," she spoke, standing up.

"Faith," Shizuka added, rising to her feet as well.

"Purity," Sukiko called, joining them before their enemy.

"Hope," Kitai whispered, lying her son at her husbands feet as she stepped forward as well.

"And Truth," Hoshiko finished, the words dripping with hatred never heard from her before.

"No," Shishio refused to believe, stepping back and shaking his head. "You can't be-"

"It's only been, what, 21 years?" Hoshiko calculated, matching him step for step so he couldn't get away. "Im suprised you haven't forgotten us yet; haven't forgotten what you DID TO US!"

The flames closing in around them sudden burst into a raging inferno again, this time pushing back with what seemd like the strength of the woman's spirit.

"Hey, what's going on?" Sano asked, speaking the question on everyone's mind at the time.

Hoshiko didn't hear him. The other three didn't either.

A sudden realization stopped Shishio's slow retreat, a smirk suddenly playing into his features. "You know what will happen if you do this," he taunted, his voice loud enough so all could here.

"You've left us no choice," she answered harshly.

"You know what happened last time, and now you're not only older but one man short. Do you really expect anything out of this besides your own deaths?"

"If we die so be it," she answered, standing right between Shishio and her three friends. "I'd rather risk my life and have them carry on without me them then ever stand by and die by their side!"

The flames rose again, this time seeming to tear at the sky with their feriousity. Shishio was genuinely confident in his self-assured victory. Hoshiko was genuinely determined to stop him.

"Hoshiko," Shizuka spoke from behind her, demanding her attention. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? I won't have us doing this together if you're heart isn't completely in it."

"Together we fight or together we fall," Sukiko stated, looking back at what she was giving up.

"Sukiko..." Soujirou whispered back, unsure as to what was going on.

"Kitai," Sano shouted, making her teary gaze shift to him. He gave her a 1/2 hearted smile and thumbs out before offering her his encouragement. "I don't know what you're up to, but kick his ass for me, okay?"

She sniffled and nodded, turning back to the matter at hand.

Suddenly Hoshiko began chanting, the flames around them suddenly becoming blue in responce.

"Ad vires fecit dare nos vitae, voco ad caelium cum mae coris. Cupio sinabamis meam corpis descendere cum tui sanctatis. Cum magni dei creo ignium; et prolium committabo excitare omnis. Et precor crestote divinae praeses!"

The transformation had begun.