< > Thought
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Hitokiri's Battousai and Wolf

By Jade One

The figure padded silently over the wooden surface. Even trained observers would miss the figures movements, believing instead that they had just seen the flickering of a shadow, their imaginations creation of movement where none existed. They would be wrong. And in the past such lapses had let the shadow of death in. But not tonight, not ever since that last night. Such skill was the result of practice in a time when life depended on the ability to live unseen, a shadow until the time came to strike and then only to become substance for the instant it took to strike. The darkness was almost complete, the only light being provided by the stars, the thin sliver of moon having long since set. But it was light enough.

Kenshin moved through the night. He paused briefly before the door, extending his senses. A flicker of a smile crossed his face before he entered the room, moving with a practiced ease so that not even a whisper of air betrayed his presence.

He moved to the corner of the room, staying in the deepest shadows, daring not to disturb the being who slept in the centre. He had been in countless situations in the past when his survival had depended on his ability to remain undetected until it was too late but this one was possibly the most dangerous because this being held his heart. He sat in the corner, his senses alert, his body ready to become one with the shadow at the slightest hint of movement. Kenshin watched her as she slept, the smile from earlier now fully in place. <She is so beautiful.>

Kaoru lay asleep on her futon, unaware of her nights visitor. Despite the cloudless sky, the night was warm so she had thrown the covers off earlier. Modesty though, was kept by a light yukata. Her hair was confined in a loose plait which lay around her head in gentle coils. <Even when she is asleep she manages to arrange herself just so...> Kenshin watched the perfect form before him, noting the soft smile which was playing around her lips, an indicator of pleasant dreams.

<I still can't believe it,> he thought, watching her sleep. <I can't believe she said 'Hai.' She is so beautiful, an angel. Ai shi te ru, Kaoru. I can't believe...> And so it was, most nights Kenshin would creep into Kaoru's room. He came just to watch her sleep, just to reassure himself that she was still there, still safe, that this wasn't just a dream. He didn't want to do anything, there would be time enough for that later, a shared lifetimes worth. He came just to watch her sleep, to feel the peace she gave him and to return it as best he could, by guarding his angel as she slept, just for a few hours.

He didn't want her to worry and so that was why he never let her know he had been there, using all the skill he had learnt as a hitokiri to move undetected to ensure she did not wake. In a week, all he would have to do is open his eyes, protecting her with his embrace and her presence the reassurance, the peace he needed to rest.

Kenshin's head snapped up, turning towards the door. His eyes narrowed, something was not right. There had been no sound, no change in the air but his senses said something was wrong. He silently rose, gripping the hilt of the sakaba as he crossed over the room, gently pulling the sheet back across over Kaoru's form. Kenshin leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Sleep my angel, nothing will disturb you. Ai shi te ru."

He turned away from her sleeping form, the smile turning into a snarl, which he suppressed. No one should be here at this hour so it was safe to assume the intruder was not friendly. He would have to be quiet about this. Still, who ever it was deserved the beating he would inflict. Kenshin paused at the door, keeping to the shadows. He slipped out of Kaoru's room, moving to a deep shadow but still in a position to intercept any intruder. There was something naggingly familiar about the presence. His eyes narrowed further when he saw the figure standing in the dojo's yard.

The man was tall, a clean cut, thin figure with yellow eyes. His uniform gave his form crisp lines. His katana was at his waist, ready to be drawn at any time. His left hand was in his pocket but his right held the glowing butt of a cigarette. He was facing away from Kenshin's current position, focused instead upon the room Kaoru had given him to sleep in.

<That's good. He is here only for me. The Wolf may be ruthless, cold blooded, cunning and vicious but has sense enough to direct these only at his intended victim. He knows the risk of it being otherwise...> Kenshin glided along the verandah. <He's not expecting me from here.> He kept his ki under control. There was no need to project his presence. And the warning would not be heeded by this man.

"What do you want, Saitou?" His voice was cold, betraying his anger that he should be here but soft enough not to carry. A small part of him was happy at the reaction his question brought. The wolf gave an almost imperceptible flinch at the first spoken word, realizing his enemy was behind him and no doubt wondering how long Kenshin had been there. Kenshin felt no surprise, anger or amazement from Saitou. Apart from the flinch all reaction was ruthlessly suppressed.

Saitou turned, flicking the cigarette away, as Kenshin moved out of the shadow, into what little light was provided by the stars. He noted the quirk of an eye brow and the slight crease of Saitou's lip, no doubt in response to the direction he had come from.

"What do you want, Saitou? It's late and hardly the time for house calls."

"I was sent."

"Sent?"

"By several parties."

"Couldn't it have waited until morning?"

"Hai... But some idiot in your government seems to think that proper detective and undercover work should be conducted at night, so this was the most convenient time." Kenshin was surprised by this rare explanation of the Wolf's actions but his anger at the disturbance they caused was not lessened. He also noted that Saitou's stance clearly indicated that he considered the entire idea ridiculous and the fact that he was working nights very close to 'aku.' He had probably considered doing something about the idiot but had decided not to. No one controls Mibu's Wolf but even he can be guided by... consequences.

"Why are you here?" Kenshin's eyes were still narrowed and he hadn't relaxed. Something about this whole visit was wrong.

"Yagamata's concerned about you."

"Oro...?" <Yagamata? Why would he be concerned?>

"About your forthcoming marriage." Saitou looked annoyed at having to elaborate.

"Why should he be concerned?" Kenshin asked carefully. Something was not right. Although Yagamata had had his reservations about his marriage to Tomoe, he had eventually come around, especially when he found out it had practically been Katsura's suggestion to marry.

"He feels that he owes you the concern." What little feeling Kenshin could get from Saitou was of slight superiority. Probably from having heard an Ishin admit a dependence. "He feels that you, Himura Kenshin, have not considered the dangers in marriage, especially those connected to your previous history as the Hitokiri Battousai."

"Oro..." Kenshin narrowed his eyes, silently considering this statement. He was trying to find what was wrong. <Yagamata would not be concerned. He would be happy I found love again. His suggestion to go back to working for the government before was not because he wanted the Hitokiri but because he felt that I shouldn't live so obscurely. He knows I am aware of the dangers in marriage. I was when I married Tomoe.> Kenshin's pupils shrunk, his eyes changing from violet to a deep blue. <If Yagamata sent Saitou, wouldn't he have mentioned my previous marriage when explaining his reasons for this visit? Ah... So that's it.>

Saitou noted the slight shift in weight as the Rurouni became Himura Kenshin, the swordsman.

"Tell Yagamata I am aware of all the risks. He should know that I would be, but thank him for his concern. But what do *you* think, Saitou?" <Saitou hasn't been sent. Although his story is good enough. He is concerned himself. He doesn't know about Tomoe. He wants the Battousai, but equally, he doesn't want anyone else getting there first.> Kenshin let his anger color his tone. "Spit it out Saitou. Yagamata did not send you."

"Even the Battousai has gotten weak."

"Concerned about my reputation Saitou? I'm flattered but it is something which no longer concerns me."

"It should concern you. Shishio and Yukishiro aren't the only one's who remember the Battousai. There will be others."

Kenshin laughed. A short soft snort of amusement, very unlike Himura Kenshin. His voice was cold, a whisper in a graveyard. "Oh, I don't think so Saitou. I didn't leave many living corpses."

"You left enough."

"Don't piss me off, Wolf." The voice was Kenshin's but the mannerisms and inflections were of someone much darker. His eyes glowed dimly in the darkness. Yellow. The mark of the Hitokiri Battousai.

Saitou's eyes widened slightly at the words. The Battousai was closer to the surface than he thought. "That was fast."

"I'm always here Wolf. I always will be. Don't push him. You're not ready to deal with the consequences if he willingly gives in to me." The hitokiri smiled slightly. "I'll ask again, the question you have not yet answered. What do you want, Saitou? Or have I answered that question for you?"

"You know what I want." The response was whispered.

"Shinsen Gumi's Third Captain, Saitou Hajime's last great battle. Oh yes, I know what you want and am happy to send you off. He, however is not."

"Then it is as I said. The Battousai has become weak."

Kenshin's pupils contracted to mere dots, his eyes narrowing in anger. Ken ki rose in preparation for battle. His right hand moved to the hilt of his sword. "Don't. Push. Me." A breath draw in and released, anger flowing out. A cold humorless smile. "One could say the same about you, Fujita Goro. As you have pointed out to me before, although our beliefs differ, there are many similarities between our lives. My Master warned me that any side I belonged to could win. Perhaps I should have listened. Now, like you Wolf, I am as much trapped in this era as you. And as you need Fujita Goro, so do I need Himura Kenshin."

"Goro is me."

The Battousai said nothing to that. He continued on. The truth had many facets and he understood them all, even if the Wolf had not yet admitted it. "I may need him but he does not need to be unhappy. It is a small sacrifice for me to realize her importance and act accordingly."

"You respect her. The Hitokiri is beginning to love a woman. You really have become weak. Is it you who created Himura Kenshin or is it he who created you?"

"You'll never learn the answer to that one, Saitou. But she will be first Himura's wife. In time, she may become mine, if I can love again. Tell me Saitou, is Tokio your wife?"

"...if I can love again..." Saitou echoed, mouthing the words. A swift spike of surprise was ruthlessly supressed. Too late.

The Battousai smiled maliciously. "From your reaction, Tokio is Fujita's wife. So which of us is stronger? The Wolf who hunts alone or the Hitokiri who has known love and knows the price of life. I ask you Saitou, is it you who created Fujita Goro or is it he who created you?"

Saitou took a step back, the gravel crunching loudly beneath his foot. His eyes, usually narrowed, yellow, ready for attack, widened, losing their intensity as his question was turned back.

Anger flared, his lip curling up into a snarl, eyes narrowing again and flashing a hard glare at the Battousai. "No. I created Fujita. He is separate from me. He is the being I require to live in this Meiji era," he spat.

"Really. How disappointing. The Wolf truly hunts alone." The Hitokiri sounded amused, superior. "It was Himura who created me and he who defines me, as I define him. We are, and will always be one. He's had opportunity to kill me, he made a choice for life and so we will live together, one being." Saitou's eyes again widened, hearing the Hitokiri speak so bluntly. "Himura Kenshin can kill Saitou. Don't make the same assumptions others have that the vow is absolute. You are the one most likely to meet the conditions."

A cold wind blew, cutting between the hitokiri's, swirling dead leaves around their ankles. The time for battle had passed.

The Hitokiri laughed, a cruel, soft laugh. Saitou's confusion was deep but it was there and not even he could control it forever. "I am aware of the consequences of marriage. And if anyone chooses to use it against me, they will be the first and last being. You will see the consequences of Himura willingly giving in to me.

"Go home, Saitou. You are not ready to fight me now. When you answer your question and can no longer live in this era I created and are ready to die, come and visit me and we can take care of business. Although," he sounded thoughtful, "bring along another sword. While I like this blade," the Hitokiri flicked the sakaba partially out of its saya, exposing a shining length of the reversed steel, "it is not a suitable blade for a battle between hitokiri's. I'd hate to repeat the mistakes of the past." Saitou's hand moved to his neck as the Hitokiri let the blade slide home with a sharp click. His eyes lost their yellow glow, returning to the focused blue.

"It's late Saitou. So unless there was something else, I'd advise taking the night off and going home to your wife." Kenshin smiled, "Come to the wedding if you want but leave now. You have accomplished your mission and I do wish to sleep tonight. I have to get up to make breakfast tomorrow." Kenshin's pupils had widened while he was speaking, his eyes returning to their relaxed violet. His posture retracted from a fighting stance.

"Hai, Battousai, but this is not over yet." Saitou turned, heading towards the gate, the gravel crunching beneath his feet as he made no effort to hide his presence. His hands moved in practiced motions, lighting a cigarette.

It is for now Wolf. It is for now. Kenshin watched Saitou leave before turning towards his room. The Wolf would not challenge now and had had his concerns addressed. Whether the Wolf returned was still to be decided but he would not return until he knew who was now the creation. Saitou or Fujita. The past or the present. Kenshin smirked, his eyes glowing dully. The Wolf had learnt that there was more to the Ishin Shishi's Hitokiri Battousai that Shinsen Gumi's Third Captain Saitou Hajime had believed.