- Okita-san, we must go now!
The pale-faced swordsman didn't answer. He stood and looked at the dead men lying at his feet. Some still seemed to be breathing, seemed to be crying out for help. Okita frowned. Blood was streaming down his cheeks. One of the fallen men, with his last strength, grabbed him by the lapels of his coat. "Your wait is over," the swordsman thought, and plunged his sword into the dying man's back, finishing him off.
Okita closed his eyes, as if praying for the dead. In truth, he remembered the carefree life he had always led, regardless of the blood staining his hands. From a young age, for as long as he could remember, he had been trained for only one thing: murder. But despite this, he had always been a cheerful, lively boy who transformed only for those few moments when he had to murder again.
In truth, as you can see, Souji had never lived a carefree life. He only called "carefree" those moments when he sat in his room, in Japanese, on the ground, reading letters, documents, reports, and then picking up his sword and swinging it, over and over again. Only occasionally did he find respite by playing with the Shinsen Gumi Comedy Trio, teasing Mr. Hijikata, Mr. Kondou, or mocking Mr. Saitou. And it was this last that was most important to him. He would do anything for his friends. For them, he smiled, played, laughed, resembled a cheerful young lady, and without realizing it, he kept that army alive; even the ubiquitous Comedy Trio owed him a great deal.
With that in mind, he turned on his heel and, leaving another sea of blood, followed the voice of his friend, who had been calling him for several minutes.
"Come on, Shinpachi-san!" – seemed to escape his lips.
We haven't captured the fortress yet, Okita thought. It's not time for rest and melancholy yet. You'll have time for reminiscing later; right now, the most important thing is to cut down enemy after enemy, so that they don't do it first. A scream escaped his lips as he ran forward, cutting down life after life with each swing of his sword. He couldn't stop as he fell into a trance that stripped him of all human feeling, turning
him into a beast. He knew that if he didn't kill, they would kill him. A twist, a swing, a slash... and so it went, every time, regardless of the liters of blood pouring around him, both from himself and his enemies... Nothing crossed his mind, no remorse, no worries, no concerns, until he heard a scream, calling for help. He recognized it easily. His friends needed him. A cruel anger welled up within him, and in the blink of an eye he cut his way through a pack of hungry wolves seeking his life.
He'd arrived. He seemed to have made it. Shinpachi-san was already lying bloodied on the ground, and the enemy was about to deliver the final blow. Okita lunged without a second thought, clashing his sword with the attacker, who jumped back in surprise.
"Who are you?" the man asked, revealing only golden, incredibly fierce eyes in the pale moonlight.
"Okita Souji of the Shinsen Gumi, and whoever you are, was just about to slaughter my friend!" Okita replied fearlessly.
"Well... you don't know who you're messing with, Mr. Okita.
" "It's YOU... you don't know who you're messing with!" His
golden eyes gleamed. He knew perfectly well who he was messing with. Okita Souji's fame, the best of the best in the Shinsen Gumi, not counting Saitou Hajime, had reached him as well. He had no orders, but... he was waiting for this.
"Just so you know... who's going to kill you... Hitokiri Battousai, I am... PREPARE TO DIE!!!!
Yes, yes, ladies and gentlemen... That's how Okita's first encounter with Battousai looked. You'll probably say, "no wonder he was so hard on him," but... it's not like that... Souji didn't pay attention to his enemies' names, as he was always certain of victory. Even when he later heard his name, he couldn't remember where he knew it from. He didn't care. Things like the enemy's name didn't concern him.
They clashed in mid-air, which didn't harm either of them. They were both surprised. "You're good," Okita said, to which he replied, "You are too." Shinpachi, meanwhile, barely got up and, seeing that the enemy was quite capable, flew for reinforcements. Okita-san was about to shout that there was no need, that the Comedy Trio would only be putting themselves at risk unnecessarily. However, Souji didn't know that Battousai's fame had already reached the ears of almost everyone except Okita himself, and Shinpachi, fearing for the life of the Shinsen Gumi's first division commander, went not after the Comedy Trio but after Mr. Hijikata Toshizou and Mr. Saitou Hajime.
Unsure of what he was up against, Souji faced Battousai, who, truth be told, didn't know what he was up against either. Battousai leaped into the air, shouting something about a hit, which Souji didn't even catch, but managed to deflect the attack with a powerful swing of his sword, sending his opponent sprawling, not so much injured as surprised.
"That much was to be expected..." Battousai said. "...from the famous Okita Souji!"
Souji could even be polite to his opponent, so he was about to reply "thank you," but then... he felt a pain in his chest...
"But that's all..." Battousai finished, pulling his sword from Okita's left arm, which had been pierced through and through. Only, miraculously for Okita, it missed his heart. Souji didn't even have time to react, so fast was Battousai. Blood gushed from the swordsman's mouth, then he staggered to his feet and, holding his arm, fell to his knees... Darkness filled his vision... For the first time in his life, he had experienced such defeat.
Is this the end? flashed through the blue-haired swordsman's mind. Battousai would finish him off and send him to the next world... "See you in hell," he seemed to hear, but... No, not yet... With the last of his strength, because the pain in his hand was incredible, he reached for his katana (sword)... Battousai, on the other hand, was struggling with his thoughts... He hadn't been ordered to kill Okita Souji, yet this man had slaughtered countless of his comrades... Yet... he had no right. He could kill insignificant individuals, but not Okita Souji himself... Especially when he lay almost defenseless, missing one arm...
"You're not worth it..." Battousai whispered almost silently, so Souji wasn't sure if he was imagining it or if he actually heard it.
Battousai gave up, but he still held his sword above Souji's head, so he wasn't surprised when a flock of kunai suddenly flew in front of him. And they weren't just birds, but sharp stars thrown by shinobi. The kunai embedded themselves in the ground in front of Battousai, deftly avoiding Okita, forcing him to retreat a few steps.
Battousai looked around. On one of the rooftops, lurking in the darkness, was a black-clad ninja spy, Yamazaki Susumu. Okita looked at him gratefully, and with a wave of his hand, Okita indicated his companions to their destination. Saitou Hajime, along with his company and two of the Comedy Trio, Shinpachi Nagakura (^-^) and Harada Sanosuki, flew as if on wings to the aid of the commander of the first division of the Shinsen Gumi.
Seeing reinforcements approaching, Battousai sheathed his sword and spoke in a metallic voice...
"We will meet again, Okita Souji-dono..."
And vanished into the darkness. Souji rose from the ground, defeated, just as Shinpachi had moments before.
He heard Saitou's voice asking if he was alright, and Harada's call, ordering them to pursue the attacker. But Okita couldn't say a word. He was still in shock... This man had spared his life, this man could have killed him in an instant, but... he didn't...
"Stop..." he finally whispered, not showing his eyes. "Leave him..."
Saitou Hajime, commander of the third division of the Shinsen Gumi, looked at him in surprise.
"There's no need..." Souji smiled, trying to hide not only the pain, but also the embarrassment... and admiration. "If... I barely escaped with my life in a fight on equal terms with him, let alone our wolves..."
Saitou nodded in understanding, and Harada called off the pursuit. It turned out Okita was as conceited and stubborn as ever, and his true intentions remained a mystery to his companions. But... were they to everyone?
The shinobi, who had, in fact, been stationary for quite some time, merely nodded, as much out of admiration for Battousai as for Okita. His opponent had spared his life, he heard it clearly and distinctly, so Souji reciprocated by halting his wolves' pursuit.
Okita merely glanced at the ninja, signaling to him to keep his secret. Susumu didn't have to keep such things a secret...
For the next few days, Souji had no life in the "doujo," as the companions, especially the Comedy Trio, made light of him, to which he only responded with a shrug, and only when he finally grew angry did he remind Shinpachi that he, too, had failed to defeat this opponent. No one, except Shinpachi and Susumu, truly knew who Okita was fighting. Okita had ordered them to remain silent so as not to frighten the rest of the wolves too much. He himself, however, was reeling from the encounter. Himura Battousai was the best swordsman in the world, there was no doubt about that, but Souji... he didn't know it, or rather... he refused to entertain the thought that anyone better than him might exist. But there was. And not only a better swordsman, but also... a better man, capable of sparing a defeated enemy. And that was what bothered Okita most. That he had spared him. He would rather die than face such shame, but fortunately, only Susumu knew of that shame, so
Souji... forgone seppuku. Besides... he had no reason to, because... he had found a new purpose in life. To become better than Battousai. To surpass him so that next time he would prevail and spare his life. He decided he would spare his life, even if he begged him for death... The only thing he wouldn't forgive him was... sparing him.
From then on, Souji trained even harder, with even greater passion and fury, and at the same time... he tried to feed his heart with kindness, honesty, and understanding, which wasn't difficult at all, because the boy... had always been like that.
In this moment, we see Souji Okita as a delicate, almost girlish boy, seemingly incapable of harming a fly, but that was only an appearance. This beautiful boy is as dangerous as he is beautiful, especially after meeting Battousai, on whom he swore revenge. Kenshin himself had no idea what a storm he had caused and how difficult it was, a few years later, for Souji to put down his sword when she asked him to. This is just proof of how much this boy has changed, or rather... how much his friends have changed him, bringing out what is most beautiful in him... what he has always hidden in his soul... Love... ^-^
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