Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Feuding Hearts ❯ Audiance to a World's End Battle ( Chapter 7 )

Note: I forgot to tell you all, I have seen the entire Kenshin series. However, I think it should have ended with the Kyoto arc, and am therefore keeping with the personalities of that part in the series. I will have some little references to other things after that but for the most part I'm going to try to stick with that part, k?

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A blinding white flash exploded out from Hoshiko's chest, making everyone cover their eyes.

"And so the battle begins again," Shishio spoke when he saw his four former enemies before him, clad and armed as they had been all those years ago.

Blue, heeled, knee-high boots took a step forward. A matching set of red, pink and silver did the same.

"In all my years.." Kenshin began in awe. "I have never seen anything like this, that I have not."

"Shinomori, Seta, Moron," Saitou called. "Did any of you know about this?"

All shook their heads no, their eyes refusing to leave the amzing sight before them.

Pink-gloved hands reached out in front of an armor-clad body as wind whipped violently around them. Those hands moved over the owner's chest before a faint pink light began glowing over the same plave on everyone else.They felt a warm feeling surge through their bodies before their wounds began healing themselves. Even Hawatari and Duil's blood disappeared, their bodies slowly returning to conciousness.

"Mommy you...," Yozakura began, looking at her hands and feeling her face only to find the burn scars gone and her energy returned. "You healed us all!"

Sukiko closed her pink eyes and nodded, turning back to Shishio.

"You know," the bastard began, placing his hand on his chin. "I find it ironic that someone as impure as Soujirou came to marry the very enbodiment of purity itself. Don't you, Wind Angel?"

Sukiko only glared at him, flicking her wrists to conjure throwing stars that she was anticipating sinking into his burnt flesh.

"However, some idiot like Sagara," he continued. "I can see him marrying Hope. You need it when you live such a pathetic life. Always being weaker than those around you, never being able to help."

Sano and Kitai both clenched their fists in anger at his words.

Hawatari finally opened her eyes, attempting to get up under the pretense that she'd been stabbed and finding her wound completely gone. As much as she cursed herself for it, her first thoughts were of Duil. Was he okay? Did he survive?

"Fucking shit..."

Oh yeah...Duil was alive all right.

She went to turn and tell him swearing killed brain cells when she saw what he was looking at. Before her were four pairs of angel wings, her mother attached to the blue ones, a long, blue bow in her hands. A million questions rushed into her mind like a waterfall of uncertainty, stilled only by her father's hand on her shoulder.

"Hawatari, can you stand?" he asked. She nodded, climbing wearily to her feet to stand beside him.

"So what do you say we get this fight started?" Shishio proposed, tugging on his glove. "It's been too long since I've had a fight like our last."

"She's not seriously going to fight him is she?" Hawatari asked, looking around as everyone.

"There's nothing we can do now but watch and wait," Aoshi answered. She looked at him like he was crazy but he didn't meet her gaze.

"They're gonna get themselves killed!" Duil argued, disgusted that these men would sit back and let their wives fight instead.

"You just got healed and already you're mouth's running off without consulting your brain first," Saitou sighed.

"Dad, come on, can't you stop them?" the boy asked, turning around to face his father.

"Until we know what the Hell's going on here, I don't want to take any chances," Sano answered, sounding uncharacteristically mature. He took a step forward and placed both hands on his son's shoulders, turning him around to face the scene before them. "Look at your mother. She looks like she knows what she's doing better than we do."

Wings fanned out behind her, a whip clenched tightly in her hands, silver hair curling down past her shoulders. His father was right; they were all lost.

"So who's up first?" Shishio asked. His crimson eyes scanned across the four Guardians before him. "How about you, Faith? Your red water spells always reminded me of blood."

Shizuka staked her staff into the ground. "If a fight's what you want, then a fight's what you'll get."

"Glad to hear it."

'I hope you know what you're doing, Mother,' Evangelina silently prayed.

"This is it," Soujirou spoke up. "This is where we find out what we're really dealing with."

Shishio got into stance, ready to be charged at. "Come on," he prodded, "Attack me."

Hoshiko crouched as if she were the one about to attack. Shishio narrowed his eyes and smirked. This was going to be so much fun for him.

"Pink!" she called out unexpectedly. Sukiko took to the air and held her throwing stars over her head.

"Meteor Shower!" When the stars left her hands they multiplied into hundreds and rained down on Shishio, who barely dodged them. He escaped with only one lodged in the back of his right leg.

"Silver!" Hoshiko shouted, turning to the whip-wielding angel.

Kitai held her whips behind her, bringing it forward with such force that it broke the earth apart. "Seismic Eruption!" The crumbling earth shot up in the direction of Shishio. This time dodging was futile. The attack was everywhere.

Shishio landed back on the ground, bruised from head to toe from the impaling rocks and bleeding from the star in his leg. He reached back and ripped the sharp, pink metal out, tossing it to the side in a disgusted manner. Much to everyone's horrified shock he healed himself again. Their attacks had been useless.

His eyes found Hoshiko again, his mind remembering their last fight. It had come down to them and he was so close to finally destroying her once and for all. If only that stupid girl hadn't stepped in.

Shizuka, Sukiko and Kitai took to the air, forming a semi-circle behind the still-grounded Hoshiko.

"I take it you still can't fly, precious Leader of the Four Divine Guardians," Shishio figured, loving the fact that he could rub that in her face. It was the reason for their great loss the first time. As much as she was great at leading their actions, she was a major weakness to them. "You speed may help you in the air but what good is it on the ground?"

"An angel who cannot fly?" Aoshi questioned aloud to himself.

"She has wings," Sano argued, stating the obvious. "So it doesn't make any sense."

"That's of little importance now, that it is," Kenshin told them. "What is important now is if they can get out of this alive."

Hawatari was too lost in her mother's title. 'Leader...?' Her mother was the Leader of the Divine Guardians?

*You're nothing but a lowly housewife who knows her rightful place at the feet of men. You make me sick with your endless weaknesses and constantly being at the beck and call of someone else. I hate you, Mother, I hate you with everything in me!*

Those hateful words echoed through her mind. She'd said that, and now her mother was risking her life to save them all. Suddenly she felt like the lowliest creature in the world.

Shishio got into his stance again. "The weak must die first," he recited to himself. It was too convenient that their leader was their greatest weakness, but he didn't complain. Conjuring fire into his sword again he chraged at the woman, twisting his body to slice her in half.

"Red!"

In a split second Shizuka held her staff above her head and spun it, creating a circle of water around Hoshiko. "Rising Current!" She quickly swept her staff in front of herself, making the red water shoot up and form a barrier around their leader.

For a moment blue flames were bursting from atop the water column, which faded once it had deflected Shishio's attack. However, he found himself face to face with the point of a flaming arrow.

"Piercing Inferno!" Hoshiko released the arrow at point blank range, stabbing the demon in the throat. He fell back and clutched at his neck.

"She's fire?!" Duil and Sano both gasped in shock.

Saitou, on the other hand, was making less obvious discoveries. "They're completely dependent on each other, but they're lacking something. As much as they're prepared for anything they're not aticipating his moves at all. It's like they're all firing a gun blindfolded and hoping it hits."

"How can you be sure of that?" Aoshi asked.

"Shinomori, your sect of the Oniwaban Group, the ones that worked for Kanryuu, how many were there?"

"Four of them and myself," he answered, his misunderstanding of the relevance of the question showing in his voice.

"You don't count yourself because you're the leader, and therefore separate. Am I right?"

Aoshi didn't answer but Saitou knew he understood his point.

"I still don't get it," all the children spoke up.

"Shishio called Hoshiko the Leader of the FOUR Divine Guardians," Soujirou explained, watching his once-considered savior writhe in pain with blue flames bursting forth from his throat. "There's only three angels behind her now."

Finally regaining his composure, Shishio violently tore the arrow from his neck, twitching as his body regenerated yet again. The Guardians simply stood by and watched.

"That's it, angels," Shishio stated, standing up straight, his eyes glowing with fury. So they're powers HADN'T diminished over time. "Time for round two, and I promise it won't be pretty."