Subject: [KFFDisc] Much awaited Second Chapter Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 01:22:48 PDT From: "Kaoru Kamiya" Reply-To: kenshinfanfics@makelist.com To: kenshinfanfics@makelist.com Well after hounding my in real life friend Sailor Star Destroyer, I finally have chapter 2 of the Rurouni Kenshin/Tokyo Babylon crossover ^^ WOOHOO!!!!!!! ^_^ I've titled the series, of which SSD approves of... Sakura no Kenshin (Blossoms of the Heart of Sword) ^_^ Hey Sakura fits Clamp perfectly :P Anyway, part 1 can be read here http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/1276/k1.html Part 2 can be read http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/7494/sakura2.html Anyway send c & c his way at sailorstardestroyer@mailexcite.com (at least I think that's right) Without further ado here's part 2. Sakura no Kenshin (Blossoms of the Heart of Sword) SHADOWS OF THE PAST, ECHOES OF THE FUTURE Chapter 2 by Sailor Star Destroyer Sanosuke sat in the local ramen shop, drinking sake and eating a steaming bowl of hot ramen. He sat, thinking about life. Shi-shi-oh was dead, peace had returned to the Kamiya dojo and he was even considering finding a real job. Or maybe that was just the sake thinking for him. He breathed a sigh of relief and just enjoyed the moment, knowing that soon, all too soon, the peace would be shattered again. But, there was always hoping things coudl stay this way forever. He had just finished his bowl of ramen and cup of sake and was about to ask for another when Yahiko came running from the doorway. "Sano-san!" He cried, running, almost tripping a poor young waitress and skidding to a hault in front of the older man. "Kenshin's leaving again!!!" Sano's eyes grew wide, he could feel his anger building. After that whole Shi-shi-oh affair, hadn't Kenshin said he would NOT leave again. Didn't his promise to Kaoru mean anything???? Did that bastard have no sense of what he was doing? He stood up, threw some yen on the counter and stormed out, leaving Yahiko standing there searching in his pockets for the rest of the bill. Sanosuke arrived at the dojo gate as the sun was setting just as it opened and Kenshin walked out, his sword at his side, a small pack on his back. Sanosuke walked right up to him, did not say a word, drew back his fist and decked Kenshin in the face, sending the samurai flying into the gate and knocking him down. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sano screamed. Kenshin looked up at him from the dust, a look of understanding on his featured. "I'm leaving." "That's freaking obvious," Sano shot back, "Where the hell are you going?" Sano never heard the hoofbeets of the horses pulling an old carriage up behind them. But, he did here the voice that answered his question. "He is coming with me," a soft, feminine voice said. Sano turned around and saw a middle-aged, but still quite lovely, woman sitting, looking at him from the inside of the carriage. "And, who are you?" He asked, the anger gone from his voice as if by magic. "My name is Sumergai Sakura, I am the one who has hired your friend to protect me." Sano turned on Kenshin again, "So? You're leaving Kaoru again for money????" The anger had returned and he raised his fist again, his body shaking with pent up rage. "No," Kenshin spoke, with slow, deliberate words, "I have to, she is not paying me. This is a debt I owe to her and to her Lord." "Then," Sano said, lowering his fist and helping Kenshin up, "I'm coming with you." Kenshin shook his head. "This is something I must do alone, my fate is not for you to share. If we die, I do not want you to die as well. You must stay and watch over Kaoru-dono." Sano grabbed Yahiko, who had just run to catch up with him and was quite out of breath. He thrust the young man out in front of him. "Hey, Yahiko would be more than happy to watch Kaoru-san, while we're gone. Wouldn't you, Yahiko?" Sano placed his fist on Yahiko's head and pressed down, his other hand covered the young boy's mouth and moved his head up and down. "No," a new voice said, from behind them all. The group turned to see who had spoken. Kenshin frowned when he saw the figure but Sano could not help smiling slightly. "I will go with you," Saito Hajime stated plainly as he took a drag from his cigarette, "Sanosuke, I've seen you fight and you are no match for me. You will definitely be no match for the one Kenshin must challenge. Stay here, guard the dojo and pray for our safe return." "Now listen you...." Sano began but was cut off be Kenshin standing in front of hima nd walking the the carriage. Saito followed, entering just after Kenshin. The carriage sped away down the road. "Dammit!!!" Sano swore loudly, "He's gone and done it again and this time I have no idea where the hell he is going!!!" He grabbed Yahiko, who began to protest and stormed into the dojo, slamming the door behind him. From the shadows nearby came the soft, soft sound of childish laughter. "Saito," Kenshin spoke as the carriage bounced up and down on the unpaved road, "How do you know the Sakurazukamori?" Saito smiled a little. "Batou-sai, the legendary Onmyo-ji assasin is known quite well to those of us in the Shin Sen Gumi. In fact, we hired him at the time to eliminate certain people we deemed too well protected to attack with our Hitokiri directly. "Twelve years ago, we hired him to kill a certain traitorous Lord. He failed as someone else had already done so. We did not pay him and his honor was offended. Batou-sai, you were the one who killed the Lord before he could, you robbed him of his pride. And. I apologize for this Lady Sumeragi," she nodded and smiled at him, "you left his worst enemy, the one we had convinced him would die, alive. This is a great offense to him and he will not rest until you and Lady Sumeragi are dead." Kenshin nodded. "I see, and you think he will want revenge on you as well?" Saito took another drag from his cigarette and exhaled loudly, then he nodded. "Recently, several members of the Shin Sen Gumi have been found dead, each with a certain mark engraved on their hands." "The mark of a five pointed star inside a circle," Sakura spoke, a statement, not a question. Saito nodded again. "Yes, and I know I am the next target." "How?" Kenshin asked. Saito leaned forwards and removed his gloves, holding out his hands, palms down. On the back, seemingly tatooed in blood on his hands were two five pointed stars inside a circle. "How did you get them," Kenshin asked, looking at the back of his own hands just to be sure. "Two days ago, on my way here to see you. I was in a crowd, travelling by train when a young man, maybe 12 years of age, pushed past me. That night, as I prepared for bed, I found these on my hands. The child had touched me for less than a second. This could only have been done through Onmyo-do." "Yes," Sakura agreed, "that is the mark of those the Saukazukamori wishes to kill. He will follow someone with that mark forever if need be, from generation to generation he will hunt the one bearing that mark and their children, and their children's children who will each, in turn, inherit the mark on their hands. Only by killing the Sakurazukamori who marked you can it be removed." "I see," Saito said as he looked back to Kenshin, "there is one other thing. We found a message at the last murder sight, imbedded under the dead man's skin." Saito handed Kenshin a browning sheet of paper. Kenshin scanned it, adn as he did, his eyes grew wide. "Turn the carriage around! Turn it around now!" he screamed, rushing to the front to scream at the driver. * * * Back at the dojo, Sano was sulking. Could he help it that Kenshin and Saito just had better luck than he did? And now he was left behind, again, playing babysitter to a wining boy and a grieving woman. Kaoru hadn't stopped crying, she seemed convinced Kenshin would never come back. Never, not even when Kenshin left for Kyoto, had Sano seen her so upset. Damn that Kenshin, off on another one of his personal scores while everyone waited to see if he would return. Sano took another gulp of Sake and decided to check up on everyone. Yahiko was sleeping peacefully, snoring loudly with his arms and legs flung out, sprawled over his bed. The two young girls were sleeping as well, twin visions of angelic loveliness. Lastly, he checked on Kaoru. He pushed the sliding screen to her room open and loked inside. Thankfully, she had cried herself to sleep. At least now she could get some rest. Sano closed the door and sighed. Now if only he could get some rest. He walked back to his own room and closed the screen, lying down and staring at the ceiling. Dammit, he thought, I can't sleep and it's all Kenshin's fault. Does he have no concern for any of us. Sano closed his eyes and tried to sleep. In the quiet of the spring night, he could hear the chirping of the crickets, the quiet whispering of the breeze through the blossoming cherry trees and the sudden crack of a twig. Instantly, Sano shot awake, grabbed a lantern and rushed from his room. He ran down the hallway, towards the source of the noise. He threw open the entrance to the back and frightened a poor cat half to death that had fallen off the roof and into a pile of dead twigs. Sano wiped his forehead in relief and laughed to himself. "Guess I am getting a bit paranoid," Sano said as he turned back around to go inside. Without warning, a sharp pain struck him in the back of the neck. The floor grew closer rpaidly as he feel. He tried to slow his fall with his hands but could not, his arms wouldn't work. In fact, he couldn't move anything, he couldn't even breathe. Panic hit him, what could have done this, who could have done this? Just then, he saw the shadow of a figure, illuminated by his lantern, step over his body. The figure paused to take something off his neck, instantly Sano lost consciousness, his last thought was, "Why does this always happen to me? Why?" * * * The carriage arrived back at the dojo an hour and a half after it left. The sun had long since set and everyone should have been sleeping, but every light was on. Kenshin leapt from the carriage and ran into the dojo but he knew it was far too late. Sano was sitting, rubbing the back of his neck, tears leaking from his eyes. Behind him sat the old man, comforting the sobbing girls. Next to Sano, sat Yahiko, cursing loudly. They all looked up as Kenshin entered. "She's gone," Sano said, his voice almost an inaudible whisper, "Someone came and took her while we were sleeping." Kenshin's eyes narrowed. He looked again at the note in his hand and cursed loudly, throwing the note to the ground. Sano picked it up and read it. In elegant, flowing script it read: Batou-sai, It has been a pleasure watching you for the last few years. You seem to have assembled quite a nice little family for yourself. And I see you have eliminated most of your enemies. Oh well, Shi-shi-oh was a fool and we both know that. Let it be known that I will not fall so easily. You robbed me of taking the woman I was hired to take, so I will take yours. Unless you take me down first. Yours Truly, the Sakurazukamori "Batou-sai," Saito said, walking in from out of the courtyard, "There is another message." The group, accompanied by Sakura, walked to the back. On the lawn, were three slips of black paper, suspended in midair among them, made from the falling cherry blossoms were three words. OLD SHRINE MIDNIGHT As soon as the group saw the words, the papers fell and the blossoms blew away in the wind. Kenshin turned to look at Sakura, then at Saito and finally at Sano, who loked back with guilt in his eyes. "Come, we must prepare," Kenshin said, "destiny awaits." The group turned to enter the dojo as the wind picked up slightly. Distant thunder sounded as lightning flashed in far off clouds. A storm was brewing. To be continued (I'll ask him since that doesn't seem like a starting point and see if I'm missing something on the disk he gave me) Kaoru-Sensei http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/7494 kaorusensei@hotmail.com "BAKA!" ______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ List Site: http://www.findmail.com/list/kenshinfanfics/ To unsubscribe, send to kenshinfanfics-unsubscribe@makelist.com FREE group e-mail lists at http://www.findmail.com