Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ There Must Be No Witnesses ❯ chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

… And now she stood before him, with her sword, with her empty eyes, dragging the past behind her, a trail of blood.Reminding him, as if he could ever forget, what he had been, what he was, even now.Battousai.

The scraping sound of her sword leaving its sheath broke the heavy silence of the room…

Chapter two

"No!" Kaoru said loudly, jumping up from behind Kenshin. "He's changed." she said softly, her lapis lazuli eyes filled with warmth.

The woman's expression had not changed.She had yet to acknowledge Kaoru's presence. She squared off gracefully into fighting stance; her eyes had never left Kenshin's face.

Kaoru spoke again, more vehemently, desperately trying to make her understand.

"He's not the Battousai you're looking for.He's ~" she was cut off by Kenshin's hand on her shoulder.

"No Kaoru." he said, stepping up from behind her. Kaoru turned to him, face streaked with tears. "Oh, Kenshin,it's not fair!For either of you." he turned away from her and walked up to Seya, who waited silently.

"I am no longer Hitokiri Battousai.At that time I thought I was doing the right thing, even though I hated myself for it.Now my sword protects.It's been eleven years, and that blood is still upon my hands,I'll always have to live with that~"

"Enough!" she cut in. "Enough Battousai.Enough of your excuses.Face me.Fight me, and die with honor." Her words were a slap in the face for Kaoru.She turned to Kenshin, knowing how much he hurt.He said nothing.

Seya's eyes flickered, like green fire, and she lunged herself at him. It all happened in slow motion for Kaoru.She saw the blade, it held the glint of the dying sun.Seya moved with incredible speed,her sword slicing the air around him.He didn't move.She cried out in frustration, breaking the deadly circle inches away from his gut.

"FIGHT!" she yelled,her breast heaving with effort and emotion. "Fight!" a fierce whisper.

"I will not fight you. I am sorry." he said sadly, simply.

"I don't want your sorrow, Battousai.I want your blood." She swung her blade experimentally.No reaction from Kenshin.

Just then Megumi and Yahiko burst in through the open doors of the dojo.Yahiko had been forced to go shopping for groceries with Megumi.

"We're back!" Megumi declared and stopped short when she saw the woman.She looked Kaoru's age and was very beautiful.But that wasn't what had caught their attention.It was the fact that her sword was held to their beloved Kenshin's throat.

"Hey! What's going on?" Yahiko demanded loudly.

Megumi opened her mouth to speak, but fell silent when her eyes met Seya's.

"Ah, the woman doctor, Megumi.And of course, Yahiko.Do you see, Battousai?I have been watching you.And your friends.Doesn't that make you angry?" she taunted "Doesn't it? Doesn't that make you want to wield your sword and FIGHT ?"

A yellow flicker of irritation had quickly passed over Kenshin's eyes.The knowledge that this woman, who was quite capable of hurting innocent people, he was sure, could have killed any of his friends….and Kaoru…but, he reminded himself, he was responsible for her pain, for her ruthlessness.He tried reasoning with her once again.He spoke softly,meeting her cold eyes.

"Seya.I was defending my ideals.I was convinced that I was doing the right thing.But I was wrong.And for that I am sorry.I know that's no comfort.That won't soothe your pain.And it won't free me of guilt.But that's all that I can offer now."

She had closed her eyes, her fist clenched tightly, the tip of her sword touched the ground.At that moment, the others saw what Kenshin already knew: she couldn't be more than seventeen years old. Her shoulders hunched hopelessly.Kenshin hung his head,also.He would have liked to comfort her, but how? He could not take time back, he could not breathe life back into her dead parents, or take those memories away.And he could not hold her and run his hand over head soothingly and whisper that it would be alright.But Kaoru could, and at that moment she was walking slowly towards her.

Kaoru looked up at the slightly taller girl and put her hand uncertainly on her shoulder.Seya had not opened her eyes, had not moved.She did not encourage Kaoru, but she did not reject her.Of course Kaoru needed no encouragements; she threw her arms around Seya and held her tenderly.She stiffened at first, but then gave in to the warmth of the other girl.

"Thank you," she whispered sincerely.She raised her eyes to meet Kenshin's, over Kaoru's shoulder, and Kenshin realized what she was about to do.He could only watch helplessly as Seya spun Kaoru around, moving with god like speed.The blade was already at Kaoru's throat, the arm, around her waist.

"Now what,Battousai?" she sneered,brushing Kaoru's hair away from her face.

"Let go of her. Now."

"No, Kenshin, no!" Kaoru pleaded desperately, horrified with the vision of those amber eyes, glittering in the darkness of the room.

Seya's eyes widened.For a moment her grip on Kaoru loosened. It was the coldness of the voice, and those eyes…she had seen them before, so many years ago, standing over the body of her dead mother.And she saw them almost every night, in her nightmares, in the eyes of those she had killed, in the eyes of those she had slept with, pretending it was him…those eyes…

But the impression passed, and she pressed Kaoru's body closer to hers.

"Ah, Battousai" ~she said, narrowing her eyes ~ "at last."

A.N: what do you think, what do you think? What kind of a twisted girl is this, anyway? (I mean Seya, not me!) Please be nice and review this.

Ran -chan