After his talk with Kenshin, Sano walked down the street, which was bustling with people. He was just taking a stroll to clear his head. But that was not what would happen.
As the rooster-head walked, he knew that something was up. The way that people moved around him wasn't... Natural. It was like they were robots. All of their steps moved in sync. It was then that Sano realized that he had no idea who any of them were.
In their small town, everybody knew everybody. But this crowd he was walking through went against that rule. It was then that he realized that it was a trap.
But it was too late.
"Has anyone seen Sanosuke?" Kaoru asked the dojo residents. "He disappeared about three hours ago, and he hasn't come back!"
"Now that I think about it... That's weird." Yahiko said. "He always comes back for food or money whenever he's out for this long!"
"We had an argument, that we did." The familiar voice of a swordsman floated through the air.
"What about?" Kaoru asked the emerging redhead.
"He thought he was right, and I thought he was wrong." Kenshin said, smiling.
"Kenshin, that just described every argument in the world. Can you be more specific?" Yahiko asked, confused by Kenshin's reply.
"It's nothing to worry about, that it isn't." Kenshin replied quickly, and began to walk towards the back yard." I must go do the laundry now."
"Kenshin is acting awfully weird." Kaoru thought, although Yahiko was thinking exactly the same thing. "What was their argument about?"
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Sanosuke was still stuck in the crowd. There seemed to be no escape! The people were so tightly packed together on such a small road... It was extremely disorienting!
Eventually, after pushing through the seemingly endless mob, he appeared on the other side. And then, he saw him.
Sano wasn't all too good with sensing Swordsman Spirits, but from what he could tell, this guy was strong. Really strong.
"Who are you?" Sano asked the man. He had a braid tying his long brown hair behind his back. He wore white clothing. He almost looked doctor-like.
"My name is Ebony." The man said, looking straight at Sano. "I was told that ny friend was killed here. His name was Sena."
"Great. Now that Sena's dead, all of his underlings are gonna try to kill us." Sano thought to himself.
"You're wrong, Sanosuke Sagara." Ebony replied. Sano looked at Ebony, fright almost showing on his face. "I wasn't Sena's underling. He was mine." Ebony took a step closer to his prey. "He did everything I said... Just as you will soon do."
It suddenly hit Sano. The people that were walking seemed to be zombies... What if they were being controlled?
Ebony held out his hand and began to gain control of Sanosuke's body, but said martial artist resisted. His entire body shook from the sheer amount of willpower needed to fend off the mind-controlling manslayer.
With the swiftness of wind, a dagger planted itself firmly into Sanosuke's stomach. As Sano groaned in pain, he was taken over.
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Two days later...
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When everyone had awoken, the dojo's residents discovered a letter nailed to the door.
"Is Sanosuke Sagara is to live, you will have to defeat me, Battousai the Manslayer. The open field next to the river. That is where your life will end. Signed, Ebony the Manslayer." It read.
"Do not follow me." Kenshin said sternly as he walked out of the dojo.
"Why?" Kaoru asked. "We can help too!"
"These killers are targeting you to get to me." Kenshin replied. "First you, now Sanosuke. I don't want anything to happen."
"What if you turn into the Battousai again?" Yahiko yelled, not noticing the shiver it sent down Kenshin's spine when he spoke of his other personality.
"He will not reappear." Kenshin said, putting on his mask of happiness. "I can assure that, that I can!"
With that, he left.
"Is Kenshin an idiot, or is he really good at hiding things?" Kaoru asked her student.
"I don't know. It's almost impossible to see what goes on behind that innocent smile..." Yahiko replied.
YOU ARE READING
Rurouni Kenshin: Unleash the Battousai
FanfictionHimura Kenshin thinks that Battousai is forever gone, locked away in his fragile mind. This bloodthirsty side of himself is far from it. "To never spill a drop of blood again" is the oath he made to himself when he put down his sword and became a wa...
