| “ | New eras don’t come about because of swords, they’re created by the people who wield them.
— Kenshin Himura
|
” |
Kenshin Himura, formerly known as Battousai the Manslayer, is the main protagonist in the manga/anime series Rurouni Kenshin. After finishing his job as an assassin for the Ishin Shishi during the Meiji Restoration, Kenshin assumes the life of a wanderer. Ten years after the Revolution, he arrives in Tokyo, where he meets Kaoru. She invites him to stay in her dojo even after she discovers that Kenshin is the "Battousai". During his residence in the dojo, Kenshin establishes lifelong relationships with many people, including ex-enemies. When Makoto Shishio, the brutal once-successor to Kenshin's position as Chōshū's manslayer, masterminds a movement seeking to overthrow the Meiji Government, Kenshin leaves Tokyo to stop him. To defeat such a foe, Kenshin is forced to resume his training and mend his relationship with his teacher Seijūrō, who taught and took care of Kenshin, originally named Shinta, in his childhood. That childhood training was interrupted when Kenshin decided to protect the people of Japan. After finishing his training, all Kenshin's friends reunite with him and help him to defeat Shishio and his army.
Months later, a man known as Enishi Yukishiro starts attacking all people that Kenshin meets as an act of revenge for the death of his sister Tomoe. At this moment, it is discovered that Kenshin was married to Tomoe in the Bakumatsu but accidentally killed her when trying to rescue her from a group of assassins. When Enishi finds out about Kenshin's feelings towards Kaoru, Enishi sets out to kidnap her. He succeeds and leaves behind a professionally-made decoy of Kaoru with a sword in her heart, making everyone believe that she had been murdered. Kenshin falls into severe depression and runs off to a village of wanderers to mourn. However, he breaks out of his depression after his friends discover Kaoru is alive. The group goes to rescue her on Enishi's island. A battle between Kenshin and Enishi follows and when Kenshin wins, he and Kaoru return home. Five years later, Kenshin is married to Kaoru and has a son named Kenji. After an encounter with Kaoru's student Yahiko Myojin, Kenshin gives his reverse-blade sword to him as a gift for his coming-of-age.
Battle vs. Jonah Hex (by Killermoves)[]
It was an era of innovation, a century of civil wars. A time for industry and revolution, a time for the feudal ways to die. The 19th century was known for many things, from science, warfare, and literature; a real period far from its romanticized and bastardized Victorian caricature.
Deep in the jungle, the smell of smoke and embers permeated from a makeshift camp that a lonely Japanese man had built. He sat down near the fire, his katana on his shoulder, hugging it tight as one would cradle a child. He shivered behind his long red Japanese dress, his eyes constricted as he fought the wetness and the cold. Lonely and silent, he only had the banana trees, acacia trees, and the bugs to keep him company. He’d killed a lot of men in his youth, but bugs, and nature itself, was an enemy he had never been able to defeat.
It seemed for him, that this godforsaken jungle-infested island, was not built for people to live in.
The man was known as the Hitokiri Battousai of the Bakumatsu, but by the Meiji era, he became known as the pacifistic wandering rounin. His name was Kenshin Himura, and he now slightly regretted agreeing to take part in this government mission to the island dotted somewhere in the Pacific.
“Kaoru-san…” he murmured. “I miss you, my dear wife…”
Suddenly, the peace would be disturbed by a loud bang, and the ronin would disappear from his campfire. The cocking of a lever-action rifle came next, followed by the rustling of leaves and branches.
Out came a man wearing a brown uniform and a Confederate slouch hat. His rifle breathed smoke as he surveyed the area in front of him. His face was so scarred and grotesque that not even the tortorous jungle could match its horror. It was as if Satan himself had decided to take a walk in the mortal world.
“Where the hell did he go?” the man said to himself, perplexed. His name was Jonah Hex, and while he had faced a lot of enemies throughout the years, it was the first time he’d seen someone disappear into thin air. His mind had begun thinking; maybe it was no man he tried to kill, maybe it was a ghost.
Slowly, Jonah began backing away from the camp. It was a bad move, walking out like that into the open. He had the advantage of the jungle when he attempted that ambush. But now? Not only was he bereft of his initial advantage, but the jungle now masked his dangerous prey, turning itself into his disadvantage.
Suddenly, a glimmer of a blade appeared out of the foliage. Hex could barely dodge the slash, but the blade did connect with his rifle, somehow cutting it in two. The cowboy then rolled on the ground while simultaneously discarding the remnants of his rifle. He already had his revolvers drawn when landed back to his feet.
In front of him, was Himura Kenshin; his hands gripping his katana tightly, his eyes burning with rage. Jonah cocked both his revolvers and said, “I swear you coulda cut me if you wanted to with that speed of yers.”
“Sumimasen,” Kenshin replied, eyes still enraged.
Kenshin wanted to know why that man tried to shoot him. But he was jestering to himself. Even with that horrible mug, Kenshin could still sense the emotions that leaked out of him. He knew the man was also here against his will. Like him, he was there to kill. Though the reason still escaped him.
Was the reason similar to Kenshin’s? Was the man here because of patriotism and the wanting to serve his fellow persons? Or maybe it was because of something else? Something more malicious? Like money? Or reputation? Or maybe just pure apathy and sadism?
Jonah was not a man who would kill someone for no reason at all. He made murdering a business, but he always killed only those that needed killing. He didn’t know if that man was any more as evil as him — maybe even less evil than those ants that like to ruin Sunday picnics. So he had no assurance if what he was doing was right. Everything he did here was a red flag against his principle. Maybe he should have never participated in this contest…
Jonah began firing his two revolvers, with the initial barrage easily being dodged by the samurai with a series of side steps. As Kenshin began moving forward, a bullet did tag him in the ribs, causing searing pain. Kenshin grunted, cursing to himself for underestimating this gunman. With full godspeed, Kenshin charged at Jonah, yelling, “Ryukansen!”
It was Jonah’s turn to underestimate his opponent’s speed. He did not see the dash or the swings of the sword. All he felt was three slashes that hit him in the side, followed by a last slash that slammed into his face like a boxer’s hook. The force of the slash threw him towards a tree, slamming his body into it, making hundreds of leaves fall like it was raining.
Jonah tried to get back up, with only one revolver remaining in his hand. All the wind from his lungs was forced out of him with that stroke. It did feel weird that he was hit with what he thought was a blunt sword. If it was a sharp sword, his body would have been sliced into steaks, ready to be cooked.
“Ryutsuisen!” screamed Kenshin as he appeared from above, preparing a downward slash unto Jonah’s head. This time, Jonah managed to move out of the way, leaving Kenshin carving out a huge chunk of the tree Jonah previously slammed into. With equal speed, Jonah aimed his gun and fired twice, hitting Kenshin both times in the thigh, hoping these would slow him down. But Kenshin just spun around, yelled “Soryusen!”, and hit Jonah in the hand, knocking away his remaining pistol.
Undeterred, Jonah drew his tomahawk and bowie knife. He rushed at Kenshin and began to dance with the samurai. The cowboy was fast, but Kenshin had no problem dodging away at the former’s small and pitiful arsenal. Every jab from the knife was easily dodged with a backstep or a sidestep. Every swing of the ax was easily blocked with Kenshin’s sakaboto or sheath. Yet, even in melee, Kenshin’s own forte, the samurai could not allow himself to underestimate his foe again.
With a graceful retraction of his arm, he brought his blade forth near his sheath. He then said, “Ryumeisen!”, and sheath his sword so loudly that it deafened Jonah.
“Gawd dammit!” Jonah cursed as his hearing felt numb and the defeaning silence hurt his head. Seeing his opponent stunned, Kenshin prepared to unleash another devastating technique. “Kuzuryusen!” Kenshin yelled.
In blind rage, Jonah threw his tomahawk in an effort to buy himself some time. The ax embedded itself into Kenshin’s shoulder, drawing blood and making the samurai scream in pain. Jonah then used the oppurtunity to retreat into the jungle, leaving Kenshin once again alone.
Kenshin managed to pull away the ax, though it tore his shoulder, leaving him with a gaping wound. Breathing and tired, Kenshin now had to finish this fight lest he ended up bleeding to death. He then ran towards the jungle in pursuit of his adversary. He searhed and searched, cutting away vegetation, almost stumbling on the rocks and slipping through the mud. However, Jonah Hex was nowhere to be found.
And before Kenshin knew it, a knife was plunged into his spine. “Dumb move, kid…” responded Jonah as he pushed the knife deeper. Gritting through the pain, Kenshin managed to wildly slash his sword into the air. Jonah could feel himself being pulled after that slash — it was as if a tornado was summoned out of nowhere, pulling him in.
But Jonah was not going to let his chance of winning slide. He punched Kenshin in the face before he could swing his sword again, finally knocking the exhausted rounin out.
Epilogue[]
God continued to be unegotiable, and the island remained a hell for the poor saps. The weather was moody, swinging from shivering wet cold to dry unforgiving heat. The forest, on the other hand, never ran out of blood-sucking bugs to feed. Yet Kenshin remained unconscious; that was until the worst headache woke him up from his slumber.
“Finally, the manslayer awakes,” greeted a white man. He wore a brown coat and tie, paired with black slacks and leather shoes. On his back was a cape and on his head was a peculiar cap with flaps on the side — a deerstalker. He sat on a log with his legs crossed, exhaling smoke from a large wooden pipe he held in his left hand. He had black hair, smooth forehead, a beak shaped like that of a hawk, and the eyes that seemed to penetrate right into the soul.
Kenshin remained in his bed. Besides the headache, he could feel the bandages and patches, tightly wrapped around his abdomen. The mere fact that he was still alive meant the wound from the gunfighter’s knife was not that fatal. Either way, Kenshin was damn lucky.
As Kenshin observed, beside the white man was another man, this time an Easterner similar to Kenshin, but different for he was more of a medium built compared to the slim samurai, wearing a white uniform similar to what the old xialon monks had. Half of his head from the forehead was hairless, almost shimmering and flawless, while the back of it had a long ponytail tied into a lock.
“Do you speak English?” the man with the funny hat said. “Your country has been in isolation for so long I’m afraid only a few learned your dialect.”
“I speak few,” Kenshin said. “I understand few…”
“That’s good enough. I am Sherlock Holmes by the way. From Great Britain. And this Chinese man with me is Wong Fei Hung.”
Hung then went to Holmes and spoke to him of something that Kenshin could not understand. There was an urgency in his face, as the groggy Kenshin noticed. And some doubt too. Probably some disgust in there as well. Holmes nodded and turned back to Kenshin, before saying, “My friend wants me to tell you that we are all friends here. And we would request that if we are to survive in this place, we have to work together.”
Before Kenshin could speak, Jonah Hex came from behind, surprising the former. He then said to Holmes, “I can vouch for this guy. He could have killed me, but he didn’t.”
“I…” Kenshin murmured, head still slightly buzzing. “I do not kill.”
“Good for you then,” Jonah said. “Ain’t the Japanese man such a Christian?”
“Settle down, yank,” Holmes said. “Listen, all of us here volunteered to represent our county in this… tournament. But we never knew that this tournament is actually some sort of game of death. Some sort of battle royale. And we all were told to kill each other.”
“Kill in the name of our countries…” commented Jonah. “Ain’t it so beautiful.”
“But we agreed not to take part in it,” Holmes continued. “We have to work together to get out of this island and watch out for that Cossack who owns this. Surviving is about thinking, not just strength.”
“Surviving is also about movin’,” Jonah replied. “And we need to move now. Y’all are free to stay here, but I’m gettin’ out of here.”
Expert’s Opinion[]
While Kenshin Himura was deemed to be the better melee and close quarters combatant, Jonah Hex’s longer range weapons, stealth, and intellect still triumphed in the end.
Battles here were deemed to be unfair or otherwise not in accordance with wiki standards, and have been removed from the statuses of the warriors and displayed below.
Battle vs. Jonah Hex (by MrPacheco101)[]
DC Comics Presents’
All-Star Western Spectacular
Featuring:
Jonah Hex
'In
“A Devil' Rides in Kyoto!”
Written by MrPacheco101
Kyoto, Japan 1868
Deep within the running currents of the Katsura River, a large, fisherman boat is seen sailing along the riverside. Its' robust dark wooden frame sails through the smooth currents while the warm summer winds blow through its large silky red sails, propelling the large boat further as the captain navigates through the river path. Within the boat’s robust hidden interior lies a crowd of travelers sailing through the Katsura River. All of them ranging from poor Japanese peasants traveling with their family and friends to the low life criminals that dwell and slither within this war torn nation; however within this group of well diverse individuals lies a man seemingly lost in translation. An American whose own ghastly appearance can cause the bravest of men to shiver in fear , a man who comes out of the most brutal bloody massacres unscathed and clothes soaked with the blood of his slain enemies, that people dub him the "Devil’s Executioner".
They say wherever he rides death is sure to follow; the smell of blood and gunsmoke lingers in his worn grey military outfit. He goes by one name and one name only…Jonah Hex, a legendary bounty hunter whose uncanny tracking ability and unrivaled marksmanship has made his reputation of being the best of the best in The American Frontier. The mere whisper of his name has attracted some of the most loyal police forces to the most vicious cutthroats and thugs slithering within the expanding west, all of them put in their graves by a cold bullet from pride and ignorance.
While on a trip to California to hunt down some of the members of the infamous train robbing Van Hallow Gang, Hex's skills and prowess in nabbing them have caught the attention of a middle age man of Asian decent traveling along the golden state. The man has offered the bounty hunter a sum of 500,000 dollars for a “special” assignment in the island of Japan: A nation now plagued in a bloody war for surpremacy. His job, to hunt down the mysterious assassin known as “Battousai The Man-Slayer.”, a lone samurai feared throughout the land for his uncanny swordsmanship and slayer of over hundreds of men. According to his employer, the assassin has slained his younger brother during one of the bloody conflicts appearing in the streets of war-torn Kyoto and now…vengeance is on his mind.
The man guaranteed he’d pay for the bounty hunter’s travel expenses, however Hex was hesitant at first since he was clearly out of his comfort zone with a land full of “yeller bellys” and the fact there was little information he can rely on to get a visage of what his prey actually looks like. The only clear definition Hex has is this “Bah-to-say” apparently has a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek, at least…that’s what the man told him. Despite these odds the bounty hunter reluctantly agrees to do the job due to the large sum of money he will be rewarded , plus why not…it can boost up his reputation back home anyways.
“Ye got yerself a deal Mr. Yoshimura” Hex said to his immediate employer. “I knew you would come to your senses Mr. Hex and I assure you will be rewarded greatly for your services.” The man said. “But…might I ask you this one favor?” He asks. “Whut is it?” The scarred bounty hunter replied.
“I want you to bring …Battousai’s scalp to me.” A stint of glee twinkled in the man’s brown eyes as these seemingly twisted words flow freely from his mouth. “I want that man to suffer slowly and painfully as possible for bringing my family such sorrow!and grief I want to burn it from the face of this earth and watch crumble into ashes.” He said while gripping his fist fiercely. Jonah stood there with a straight face, he knew this man meant business and to Hex…business is always good. “That’ll cost ya extra.” He said with a slight grin on his face.
Hex lies against the stiff wooden frame of the boat with his large white sack lying next to his side. His wide-brimmed gray hat covers his short scruffy orange hair. “Hmm…” Looking around, Jonah suddenly finds himself being the center of attention within the crowd of people. The villagers starred at the hunter intensely, some of them gawking in disgust at the sight of Hex’s brutally scarred face, whispering in a tongue the bounty hunter couldn’t understand. Hex merley scoffs off their intangible insults and tips the rim of his gray hat in attempt to take a light nap before arriving to his destination. Hex’s ears twitches as he hear several pairs of footsteps coming towards his direction, disturbing his slumber.
The bounty hunter grunted and tilt his head up. Three men stood in front on the lone gunslinger, their ragged clothes and rough appearance indicated their status as warring bandits. Hex notices the one in the middle chewing a piece of wheat straw; his overly bulky build and the scars on his face indicated Hex that this one is by far the most ruthless and overall leader of the trio.
The head bandit chuckles and points his finger at the westerner. “Koko ni mo wareware wa motte iru mono o mi...Hakuji.(Well look what we have here boys…a damn Yankee.)” He said in a sneer tone, the head bandit laughs again louder tilting his head back slightly. The other two bandits joined their leader with the occasional chuckle. Hex stared at the trio with a blank look on his face. He didn’t know a god damn word this yellow neck punk was saying, but the only thing Hex can figure is this “ugly bastard’s” nonsense jabbering is keeping him from getting any visage of sleep in this cramp area. The head bandit pulls out his sword from its 'sheath and points it at Hex’s head
“Anata ga koko ni kuru to iu ōkina shippai o shidekashite shimatta Jidaki.(You made a big mistake in coming here Yankee.)” The bandit said with a cocky smile. “Ima watashi-tachi ni anata no mochimono no subete o ataeru to watashi wa anata no atama no sesshu-ryō ni tamotsu kamo shiremasen. (Now hand us all of your belongings and Imight let you keep your head intake.)” Hex gave him a cold stare and grunted slightly. Without warning, Jonah Hex takes out one of his pistols and pulls the trigger in a quick draw. The bullet jams into the head bandit’s shoulder and causes him to fall into the damp wooden floor. The rest of the bandits and the other passengers stood their shock as the large man falls onto the ground with a loud thud. “There’s mah retort.” Hex said.
”Watashi no Kata! (My arm!)”The bandit painfully screams, grabbing onto his wounded shoulder.” Anata wa watashi no ude o utta!(You shot my arm!)” Blood seeps between his fingers. “Basutādo! (Bastard)” The other bandits yell as they pull out their own swords. Hex quickly aims his pistol at the other two bandits.
“Ah still got 5 more bullets wit y’alls name writtin all over im.” Hex said in a cold, bone-chilling tone. “Care ta know wat I’m gonna do next?” The bandits stood there without anything to say, cold sweat seeping from their pores. Knowing they stood no chance, the bandits put away their swords.
“Oye!” A loud voice calls out. Everyone in the lower deck stopped and look to where the voice is coming from. Earlier, one of the crew members hears a loud noise coming from inside the ship’s lower deck and has come to check out the ruckus. “Watashi wa koko de ōkina oto o kiita. Nani ga okotta no ka? (I heard a scream coming from here. What’s going on?)” The shipmate said. Jonah looks at one of the bandits and gives him some kind of silent signal. The bandit nods his head.
“Nani mo nai. Koko de ue no watashi no yūjin wa hijō ni warui inoitami o motte imasu.(Sorry. My friend over here has a very bad case of the stomach ache.)” The bandit said with a slight chuckle. The crew member stood there for a moment. “Sore o umaku osaeru yō ni i~tsu te, wareware wa sugu ni jūbun'na hondo koto ni narudeshou. (Well tell him to keep it down. We’ll be in the mainland soon enough.).” The crew member said before going back up deck. Hex and the bandits watched as the crewmember walks back and closes the latch behind him.
The bounty hunter turns his attention back to the shaking criminals.“Now get outta o’ mah sight.” Hex said, signaling with his pistol. The bandits nod their heads and start to walk away, dragging along their wailing leader with them while the other passengers look on. “Damn yeller bellies.” Hex grunted before putting away his pistol. He then shifts his head back onto the heavy boards, tilting his hat once again and drifts into a deep slumber. It’s only a matter of time before he arrives, might as well make the most of it. ...
Once the boat boarded onto the docks, Jonah Hex was the first amongst the other passengers to get out of the boat. Hex then takes a deep breath letting all the fresh air enter his lungs after staying in that cold and dark space for what seems like days. “Time ta get started.” He said. The bounty hunter walks into the mainland and has a look around. At first glance, Hex could tell the city was different in so many; the building structures gives the sense of a city clinging onto it’s old roots and culture, yet it’s forced to come into the modern era.
Walking further, Hex notices the long and intricate alleyways commonly appearing in the town, making it the perfect place for an assassin to operate and escape the authorities. The people flooded the streets-some of them knocking into the bounty hunter in the process- like a swarm of little ants, again making it hard for it to locate and apprehend anyone in this town. “Hmmm.” The bounty hunter groaned, already annoyed by the city life. Looking at the city once more. Hex knew with the little information given ,the intricate alleyways, the foreign and the seemingly crowded population gives the impression this hunt was just beginning. A small grin crept up on the bounty hunter’s face. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be fun.
....
Midnight
Somewhere in the city of Kyoto, a group of garbed men are seen walking along the streets in the midnight hour; all five men are wearing the same uniform comprised of a blue colored kimono with white stripes and a white headband wrapped around their foreheads, representing their allgience to the infamous Shisengumi corps. A special police force formed by the Tokugawa shogunates in order to combat the pro-imperialist samurais of the Ishi Shishi, their treachery and brutality is known across the nation and has earned them the nickname "The Wolves of Mibu." The leader of the band, a large man of startured height, scans the desolate streets while holding a lamp to guide him and his men through the darkness, hunting down a small group of pro-imperialsts they found earlier.
"No one here either." The leader said. "Guess they all ran off."
"Those imperialist dogs sure know how to run with their tails between their legs." One of the men commented
"Ha, go figure. Those guys don't have the guts to take us Shiesegumis on!" Another man said pridefully. "We already got them on the run."
They all chuckled in union."Right you are Akira-san." The leader replied. "Well men it seems our work here is done. Time to hea.....huh?" Before he could finish, both the leader and his men hear the faint sound of footsteps. "Who's there!?" The leader swings his lantern around, it's coming from the alley. "Show yourself!?" He demanded. The faint footsteps soon grow starts to grow louder, much to the uniformed mens chargin , as they anticiapte what is to come. Soon a figure begins to appear out of the darkness; The Shisengumi men grip tightly over their swords, ready to unsheathe them when the times right. The leader then flashes the lantern's light at the shadowy figure, revealing....a lone samurai. "Huh?" The swordsman wore a reddish vest with long gray pants and sandals. His head was covered with long red hair wrapped in a ponytail, he also wore a black circular hat that hid most of his face.
"It's one of them imperialist soldier." One of the men said from afar. An imperialist.... The leader thought. Maybe he can give us some information about the others in this area. "Who are you and where did you come from?" The leader demands. The man stood there silent. "I said who are you and where did you come from?" The leader ordered, but the man didn't respond. The large man soon grows irritated. "If you don't tell me who you are, then I'll cut you where you stand in the name of The Tokugawa government !" He yells, taking out his sword. The man stood there unfazed. "The only who'll be spilling their blood tonight..." the man said, his tone sounding emotionless and distant. " is you." The leader grinds his teeth. "What did you say!?" The man then lifts his hat off, revealing his golden piercing eyes and an X cross on his left cheek. The men gasped at the same time, as if they seen a ghost. They all recognized the mans face.
"It's him..." One of them said. "It's the Battousai!"
The Shinsegumi quickly pull out their swords in union. " Kill him!" The leader roared as he and his men charge at the lone samurai at once like a pack of wolves preparing to strike a sickly elk. The red headed warrior unsheathes less than a third of his blade before flashing forward into the charging group of bloodthirsty men. "Ryuosen! (Dragon Nest Strike!)" The samurai quickly slices into the air multiple times in such a swift, eloquent motion like running water before appearing behind his opponents in mere moments. The samurai then turns back around, noticing The Shisengumi troops have become motionless. Their swords still swinging high up in the air. "Damn...you." The leader gasps, before his skull suddenly splits open; blood gushing freely from the wound. The rest of the men howled into the night as they are suddenly ripped to shreds by the slashes inflicted upon them. Heads are cut in half, Arms and legs ripped from their sockets, deep gashes appear in their chests, turning it into a total bloodbath. Blood sprays across the samurai's right cheek as he looks on the carnage he brought upon, showing no emotion.
The Shinsegumi men soon lay upon the ground in their own pool of blood. All of them slain by the samurai named Himura Kenshin.... the legendary Battousai, The Man-Slayer!
Kenshin sheathes his sword and proceeds to walk away, but something suddenly grabs a hold of his foot. "Huh!?" Alerted, the young samurai quickly looks down and sees one of the Shinsegumi men have clinging onto his foot, still alive. His skin looked pale and one of his arms was missing from his socket; the dying soldier stared at his enemy with his cold, lifeless black eyes. "Ba...tou...sai...." He gasps with his last breath before laying his head and finally coming to peace . The dead soldier's grip soon loosens, abling Kenshin to free his foot. The red-headed samurai looks at his fallen enemy with anger. "You could have done something else with your life, and yet you pointlessly threw it away in battle you knew you couldn't win." The samurai said, in a distaste tone. "I wonder how many of your kind are still out there." He pondered. Kenshin then looks into the midnight sky, where the full moon appears and shines through the blood soaked streets. I better not stand here for long, or else I'll be seen. Kenshin thought. The lone samurai soon escapes into the dark alleyway.
....
Kenshin washes his hands inside a nearby well, removing the bloodstains from his skin. Kenshin then grabs a white cloth and soaks into the well water; removing his sword from his sheath, the young samurai proceeds to wipe the bloodstains from his blade. Kenshin observes the rag as it's white milky color turns to a pure crimson colored shade. "Blood...." He said softly. "No matter where I go there's always so much blood to be shed."
Even though Kogoro-san have relived from my hitokiri duties the way of life it is given me has yet to waver. He thought. No matter how hard I try to escape or try to forget, it always finds it's way towards me through some bellow fools waiting to stake such a meaningless and souless claim like this. The red hair samurai reminisce of the countless faceless enemies he has slained in time, the cold hard steel cutting through their flesh like soft sorbet, their silent screams echoing through his mind like a chorus of dreaded agony. Kenshin takes a look at his blade. I wonder how many of them will die by my hands before this war ends? Hundreds? Thousands? Or better yet, will this entire war ever end? It seems like ages since I have found a time to rest my blade for a long time A time for peace maybe? Heh.... what should I know, it seems pretty fitting for this nation to fall to a plague of violence and for me to be the one to lead this senseless onslaught. A perfect purpose. He rambles on in his mind.
NO! Kenshin shakes his head in disgust. "I can't falter like this! Not now! Not ever! " The young samurai brings his blade up. " I made a vow a long time ago. With this blade...I made a vow that I would use all of my strength to forge a strong path to a new era! An era to make everyone around me smile! An era...where peace will reign." He vows with such strong zeal. "And for that....I cannot lose to my inner demons. Not now." Kenshin said before sheathing his sword back. "I will bring happiness to this nation one day. I swear it...Tomoe-san."
Suddenly, Kenshin hears a strange noise. "Hmm?" Kenshin quickly turns around. What was that? He thought. Kenshin then listens closely...footsteps. Someone is in the vicinity. Where's it coming from? Kenshin looks around, trying to pin the location as the sound of footsteps grew louder.
Until Kenshin notices something moving from the far corner. "Whose there!?" Kenshin yells in Japanese. "Show yourself!" He demands, placing his hand of the sword's handle. The figure soon moves out of the shadow, revealing it to be..... a small dog. "Huh?" Kenshin is caught by surprise. A...dog? He thought. To think out of all things to come out at night in a dangerous place like Kyoto. Kenshin chuckles. "Must be loosing my mind." He said, letting down his guard. The furry canine walks up and sits down in front of Kenshin, looking at the young samurai with it's puppy brown eyes. "Oh you must be hungry." Kenshin said with a smile. He then reaches inside his gi trying to pull out any morsel of food he has hidden, only to be left empty handed.
"Oh my guess I ate the last rice ball after all. Come next time and I might have some more." He said with a smile. The dog then let out a small bark before scurrying off into the darkness. The young samurai chuckled and looked on. Kenshin looks up and stares at the moon hanging above."Well it's getting late, I better g- WHAMP!." Before Himura could finish his sentence he felt something heavy bash the back of his head
"Ngh." Kenshin collapse onto his knees before falling face first into the ground, unconcious. Jonah Hex then appears behind the fallen warrior with his pistol and rope in hand. "Huh, that wus eazier than Ah expected." He said twriling his pistol and putting back into his holster. Hex grabs a hold of the knocked out samurai's leg and drags him into the darkness.
....
Kenshin...
Kenshin...
Himura feels something soft brushing against the side of his forehead. "Hmmm." the young samurai slowly begins to open up his eyes. "W-hat happened?" He murmured slowly to himself. "You're awake." A femael voice said. That voice... It sounded so familiar to him. Looking up, Kenshin's eyes widen in shocked as he sees the woman's face. The long braded black hair, the lean jet black cool eyes, and the beautiful silked white kimono. He'd recognised that person anywhere.
"Tomoe-san." He said. It was his wife who was long ago dead from the tragic events of Kenshin's hitokiri life, but is now seen gleaming with life and vigor. Kenshin soon finds himself laying against his formerly deceased wife lap as she begins to brush his hair lightly. He then looks around and finds himself back at the home he and his wife resided in before. "You've been asleep for hours." She said. "It sounded like you had an nightmare."
"It was." He said getting up. "Oh my." she said worridly. "About what?" Kenshin looked back at her and smiles. "Nothing." He said, brushing her cheek. "Nothing at all." Tomoe smiled back. "Well that's g-" Before she could finish her sentence, Blood began to suddenly seep from Tomoe's chest as she suddenly falls face down over Kenshin's lap. Kenshin stood there in a state of shock. "Tomoe-san?" He said shakinly. Himura places his hand over her shoulder and slowly turns her over. Tomoe's face remained emotionless and cold, her eyes staled in pitch black darkness, all the while the blood patch in her chest soon starts to grow larger. Kenshin then looks at his and sees himself wielding his katana, now covered in his wife's blood.
His eyes widen in horror. No.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"
Himura Kenshin awakens with a loud scream. His chest heaving heavily up and down as the sweat begins to pour down his forehead. "Just...a...nightmare." He said raspily before calming himself. Kenshin looks to his left and finds himself back into his current and yet different surroundings. Still in Kyoto, but where am I? He thought to himself.
Kenshin then tries to lift himself up, only to find himself suddenly slamming his ass back on the ground. "Ow! What the-" The red- hair samurai looks up and finds both his hands tied up and knotted onto a poll. How did I up like this!? Just then Kenshin hears a sharp shaving noise and turns his head forward; the samurai spots Jonah Hex crouching down as he sharpens his Bowie Knife through a long strip of sandpaper, while his katana and wakizashi laid next to the bounty hunter. Jonah suddenly stopped sharpening his knife and looks up at the tied up assassin.
"Oh yu's awake then huh ? " He said in a thick southern draw.
Kenshin sat there silently, staring at the scarred man with his gleaming yellow eyes. He didn't know who he was or why he was here, but Kenshin could tell from the look of his scarred face that this man meant trouble. "Ye know ya look kinda yung fer a butcher who kills alot o' people." Hex said getting up and patting down his shoulders. "But hey I started yung m'self." . Jonah then looked down at Kenshin's swords laying right next to him. " Fancy swords ya got thur too, never seen those kinds back a' home." He commented.
" Watashi ga yuko" (Let me go.). Kenshin demanded coldly in his native tongue.
Hex begin to laugh heartily. "Hawhawhawhaw. Ye know I don't what tha hell ya just said, but yer squeky voice is just a hoot boy!" Hex commented. The cowboy strolls to his bonded foe and crouches down in front of him. " Now I know ye may not kno' wut Ah'm sayin, but ye see a man that's just like ye pay me some big bucks to kill yer little ass." Jonah Hex then grabs a fistfull of Kenshin's hair, causing the hitokiri to slightly hiss in pain and places his knife against his forehead. "Nice and slow, so if I were ya I suggest ya quit squirming, and it might ju- oof!" Before Hex could finish speaking Kenshin suddenly slams his foot straight into his gut, causing Hex to drop the knife and stagger back a bit. Hex then falls flat on his ass and grips his stomach in pain. Seeing his chance, Kenshin quickly crouches down on his two feet and begins to pull on his bonds with all of his might. Gritting his teeth, the strings from the rope slowly starts to come apart as Kenshin pulls his bond against the hard wooden poll; like pulling hard on a chinese finger trap, the ropes suddenly rip apart from the pressure put on them freeing Kenshin from imprisonment.
"Ah hell !" Realizing his prey has set himself free, Jonah quickly reaches for his gun. "Graaaah!!!!!!!" However, before the cowboy could pull it from his holster Kenshin suddenly makes a mad dash. Appearing in front of the wounded bounty hunter, surprising him, and slamming his palm into his face; the momentum of the strike quickly lifts Hex into the air , causing him to rotate in a full 360 degrees before falling hard face first in the cold hard dirt with a loud thud. Using the momentum himself, Himura Kenshin quickly rolls foward and grabs a hold of both of his swords on the ground before landing back crouched down. Kenshin stayed there for a moment, while his opponent twisted around holding his face and wallows in pain.
"Watashi wa anata ga daredearu ka shiranai ka, anata wa doko kara kite imasu." ( Now I don't know who you are or where you come from stranger.) Kenshin said while slowly standing up."Shikashi, anata wa tameshite mite, watashi o kyapucha suru tame no machigatta ketsudan o shimashita." (But you made the wrong decision to try and captureme." He then puts both of his blades on his gi belt. "Dakara watashi wa kon'yanode, anata ga shinjiru mono wa nani demo kami ni inoru shisa... Anata wa jigokuhenomichi o aruku!" ( So I suggest you pray to whatever god you believe in, because tonight....you walk the pathway to hell!) As Kenshin said those words the gleaming light of the full moon shines brightly on him. Revealing the cold, deathly stare of his bright yellow eyes that was stowed upon his enemies before death. "You...you sunavabitch!" Hex staggers back up, he shift to the side briefly due to Kenshin's palm strike before keeping a hold on his ground. He then remove his hands from his face, revealing his broken and bloody nose underneath. This was the last straw.
"Yu's a dead man now boy."
"Tch." Kenshin gets into his battle stance and unsheaths a fourth of his blade from his sheath, suddenly he disappears in thin air. "Ah damn...." Hex was now on guard, his eyes shifting from side to side while his fingers grip closely to the handle of his pistol. The air soon grew stale in the warm summer night. Without warning, Himura Kenshin appears next to the tensed up hunter. "Huh!?" Jonah realized too late. "Hah!" Himura Kenshin quickly unsheaths his blade and makes a horizontal slash. Utilizing his quick reflexes Jonah Hex rolls out of the way, but not before getting knicked in the side of the abdomen by his opponent's sharp blade. "Nice try." Hex said as he lands on the ground crouched down. "Allow me ta return tha favor!" He then pulls out his pistol and aims it, firing off a couple of shots one after the other.
Blam. Blam. Blam.
Three bullets rocketed out of the muzzle splitting into three dffrent directions.With his accute sense of vision, Himura could see the rounds propelling at dangerous speeds. With only a split second to react Himura had to make his move. "Hmph." Kenshin quickly moves his head to the side, causing the first bullet to fly pass him, mere centimeters away from grazing his skin. Kenshin then shift his body again and spins around ,dodging the second bullet as it swiftly rips through the excess layers of his clothes. Despite these close calls, the young samurai fail to realize the other oncoming projectile as it quickly makes haste. The bullet grazes the back of his shoulders. "Ngh." Kenshin suddenly feels an extremly sharp from the rear of his shoulder as the small chunks of red flesh flies out. He turns around quickly dashes towards the nearest narrow alleyways as the crack of another gunshot is heard, but misses it's target by a hair. Kenshin then slips into a corner and hides behind the stone wall. Hex then stands on his own two feet.
"Ya can hide all ye want boy." He said. "But one way er the other you ain't comin back alive."
The bounty hunter takes a step foward and walks towards Kenshin's location with his gun ready to aim.Tch...trapped. Kenshin thought. Can't get a decent strike, not with those things around. He thought again, looking at his wound. Kenshin's fingers gripped tightly over the hilt of his katana. No matter... The foostep soon starts grow louder as the bounty hunter closes in on his caged prey. "End o' the line." Hex said clicking his gun. Without anticipation, Jonah quickly turns a corner and aims his gun only to find....Nothing behind the wall.
"Damn." Hex said. "Where'd he go?"
The bounty hunter then looks down and spots small trickles of blood from the wound he inflicted on his prey, leaving a trail to follow. A small grin appears on Hex's face. "Told ya wouldn get too far." He said confidently. Jonah then follows the blood trail into the dark alleyway. The trail soon leads Hex into various twists and turns in it's maze-like layaway; as Hex travels further, the blood trail soon starts to become thin and faint. The bloody trail soon stops dead cold in the middle of another empty street. "Ends here huh." Jonah looks around and sees nothind visible. He then crouches down and observes the ground below him, checking the ground below him to see which direction the hitokiri went.
Hmm...strange. The bounty hunter thought as he scans the ground. Not a single stone or pebble is turned or moved anywhere, the dust trail he left ends where the blood stains end, and not a single sign of precipitation as well. It's like he dissappeared off the face of the Earth.
Chk.
Hearing a faint a sound Hex quickly turns to the side with his gun aim high. Kenshin suddenly appears in front of the bounty hunter with his katana still in hand. "Well Ah be damned." Hex said. "I bet ya itchin for it huh." Himura remained silent, his piercing golden eyes fixated on the bounty hunter. "Grrraaaaaaaaah!" Kenshin charges at towards his opponent in a flurry of rage. Hex smiles. Idiot. He thought as the red-headed samurai bull-charges at him. The bounty hunter pulls the trigger and let's off another round off his gun. The bullet flies straight towards the middle of the hitokiri's skull like a dart about to hit the bullseye; the bullet runs straight through his opponent's skull as expected. "Heh." Hex grinned as he made the perfect shot, however something was wrong. Just as the bullet drives itself into it's target, Kenshin's body suddenly starts to dissapear; as if it was a mirage. "Hmm?" Jonah Hex blinked his eyes in disbelief as he saw his opponent's upperbody dissappear. In a flash of speed, Himura Kenshin created an after image of himself after he crouches down, just as he planned out. "Doryusen!" With a yell, Himura Kenshin strikes the ground below him, sending out a barrage of debri and dust in the process.
Hex eye's widen as he sees the horde of earthly debri come flying at him. "Damn!" Jonah tries to aim his gun at Kenshin to finish the job, but one of the flying debris slam into the bounty wrist. "Gah." Hex hissed in pain. Another rock of debri hits him again in the shoulder, knocking him back and dropping his gun his gun in the process. Another piece of debris soars through the air, Hex quickly shifts his upper body to the side, sending the drebis flying pass by. Distracted by the flying debris Jonah Hex failed to see Himura Kenshin appear in the midst of the oncoming debris like a speed of sound. "Hmm." Hex then notices his opponent in the midst of debri. At the same time, Kenshin raises his katana high in the air while Jonah pulls out and aims his other pistol.
Shhclck!
Blam! Blam!
The young hitokiri slashes downward diagonally into his opponent's chest as he fires two bullets from his second pistol. "Ngh!" Hex gasps in pain feeling a large gash open up in the middle of his chest, releasing a faint spurt of blood. The two bullets pierce into Kenshin's lower abdomen. "Guh!" Himura gasped loudly, feeling the rounds burst inside, releasing small shards dep inside his flesh.
"Damn it to Hell!" Jonah Hex cursed as he slightly staggers back before regaining his footing once more. The bounty hunter takes a deep breath. He never should have underestimated the capabilities of his opponent, especially one wielding only a sword, otherwise he wouldn't even be in this situation. Hex places his hand on the wound, smearing it with the oozing red liquid. It's deep and bleeding bad. He thought. But not enough to kill me....yet.
Himura Kenshin stabs his sword into the ground before collapsing onto one knee. Breathing much heavier than before, Kenshin leans against the hilt of his blade. He then places his hand under his Gi and over his wound. Himura felt his stomach being pricked by an endless thread of needles. God damn did it hurt. Covered in blood, Kenshin pulls his hand out. He got me as I placed my attack on him....how unexpected. The hitokiri thought, looking at his blood soaked digits. Hit me below anything anything vital, bleeding bad, but not enough to incapitate me yet. However, at this state I can't overexert myself, especially if I'm bleeding like this.
"Nmm." Realizing his opponent is seemingly off guard, Hex raises his gun and fires out a round, sending it flying towards his opponent's forehead. As the bullet is several inches away from his forhead, Kenshin then takes a hold of his sword and pulls it out of the ground, sending it clashing into the head of bullet. The steel blade slowly begins to cut into the bullets' core, slicing it in two and sending the halves ricocheting into different directions. " Sweet merciful Jesus." Hex said in disbelief. Seeing an opening, Kenshin makes his move and charges in full speed. Not paying attention, The young hitokiri appears in front of the disbelief bounty hunter in mere seconds. "Huh?" Realizing he's in endanger Hex tries to aim his gun once more, but Kenshin slams the blunt end of his hilt into his opponent's wrist striking a nerve. "Geh." Hex winces in pain, dropping the gun in the process."Mfrgh!" Himura then grabs a hold of Hex's collar with his other arm and lifts him up, much to his chargain. "Uwhooo!!!!!!!!!!" Using his strength, Kenshin throws his opponent overhead and slams him into the cold dirt pavement. "Gahuo!" Hex gasps as he falls flat on his back. Kenshin raises his sword up in the air for impalement. "Kore wa ima owaru."(This ends now.) He said thrusting his blade into the wounded bounty hunter's head. "Opp." Jonah Hex rolls out of the way causing the sword to pierce the ground under him. Hex then gets up on his knees and reaches behind his back as his opponent pulls his weapon out of the ground. "Uaaah!" Himura tries to side-swipe his fallen enemy in the head, however Hex pulls out his trusty tomahawk from behind and blocks it at the last second.
"Nani!" (What!) Kenshin gasped.
"Heh." Hex grins while getting back onto his feet. The bounty hunter then pushes his enemy's sword to the side and kicks him hard in the lower stomach. "Guh!!!!!!!" Himura groans, coughing up globs of blood in the process. The young hitokiri suddenly felt a tremendous amount of pain happen to him at once, causing him to stagger back. Wobbling slightly, Himura takes a deep breath. "Anata wa tashika ni odoroki de ippaidesu." (You are certainly full of surprises.) Kenshin said raspily. "Tadashi, shi ga anata no shinraidekiru-te nashide watashi ga chokumen shite negaimashita-" Before he could finish, Jonah Hex swings his tomahawk forward, causing Kenshin to block his attack with his katana. "How about you shaddup an' die." Hex said calmly, leaning against his opponent. "Tch." As the metals crackle between each other, Himura Kenshin pushes against the bounty hunter's ax with a much stronger force. "Umph." Jonah Hex loses his footing and is pushed back. Kenshin then strikes his opponent in the side once more, but the bounty hunter quickly regains his footing and parries the attack with the tomahawk. "Hmph" Hex quickly counters with an underhand swing to the pelvis, however Kenshin parries the attack with his own. "Herup." Jonah then retaliates by side swiping his axe through Kenshin's Head, but the hitokiri leans his head back, letting the tomahawk catch a mere thread of hair. "Hoh." Himura quickly counters by thrusting his sword into Hex's chest, however the bounty hunter manages to dodge to the side, causing the katana to nip the sleeve of his jacket before parrying the sword away. The two warriors soon begin to clash their weapons against each other, over and over and over again with neither one of them is giving in.
He's really skilled with that weapon. Kenshin thought, looking at his opponent swinging his tomahawk. However, I have to end this fight soon.
As the two blades clashed against each other once again, Jonah Hex manages to hook the katana under the extended lower edge of his tomahawk. The bounty hunter then pulls his weapon downward, catching his enemy by surprise. "Huh?" Himura felt his body suddenly lean forward, causing him to slip up. "Heh." Taking the oppurtunity, Hex makes a fist with his free hand and slams into the hitokiri's scarred cheek. "Ngk!" The force of the punch knocks Kenshin back, spinning him around slightly in the process. Jonah Hex then raises his tomahawk above his head ready to hurl it into the air until...."Hmm?" Hex then lowers his axe as he hears a sudden noise. Footsteps, but they're not from the Bat-toe-say. He thought. "Huh?" Kenshin also hears the same noise and wonders where it's coming from. Suddenly, the two warriors are completly swarmed by a large group of people. "What the hell..." Hex said is disbelief as he found himself completly surrounded. It was The Shisengumi corp, who somehow managed to find their way here, all of them brandishing swords and spears. Damn... company. Hex thought, not knowing wether or not they were his target's allies; However, looking at his opponent's expression Hex surmises that they weren't his guys either.
"Mā, mā, watashi wa kon'nani hayaku tatakai de anata o sanshō shite kudasai omotta koto wa arimasen.." (Well, well I'd never thought I see you in battle so soon.) A voice said.
That voice. Kenshin raises his head. I know that voice. He thought, gripping his katana tightly. Footsteps are heard from the distance; Several Shinsegumi memebers parted ways, letting a lone figure walk in. The figure was a man of tall stature and lean muscular build with abnormally long limbs. He had long strains of black hair tied into a pony tail along with narrow piercing brown eyes atkin to a wolf and a devilish grin to boot. Kenshin gritted his teeth. "Saito." He growled under his breath. "Sanshō hisashiburi... Battousai." (Long time no see....Battousai.) The man cheerfully replied. Saito Hajime: Captain of the third unit of the Shisengumi. Together him and Battousai have shared a long rivalry of opposite sides throughout the war; it was fate that these two wil manage to see each other once again through unfortunate circumstances. Saito shift his sight from his enemy to Hex, observing the bounty hunter from head to toe.
"Found somethin ye like." Hex said as his ax glimmered in the pale moonlight.
The Shinsegumi chuckled slightly before returning his focus back to Kenshin. "Awaya, watashi wa anata ni mo Battousai sekai no hantaisoku kara teki ga iru to wa omowanakatta." (Heh, I never thought you have enemies from afar as well Battousai.) He said to the hitokiri. "Anata wa tashika ni ninki ga arimasu." (You sure are popular.). Jonah looks back at Kenshin. "Didn't tell me ya have an army of blue men comin after ye." He commented before looking back at the Shinsengumis. "Makes mah job alot harder." Kenshin scoffs off the hunter's comment, not knowing what he said in the first place. "Tsk, Ima wa hanashi o suru jikan wa arimasen." (Tsk, Now's not the time to talk.) He replied back, even though Hex didn't have a clue of what he said as well. Kenshin then looks at Saito." Dono yō ni anata wa watashi o mitsuketa nodesu ka?" ( How did you find me?"He asks."Kantan'niieba, anata wa tsuneni anata no ushironi-tai no konseki o nokosu. Tashika ni, anata no sutairu o tonikaku wa, omoimasen ka? Osamaru"(Quite slimply, you always leave a trail of bodies behind. Certainly fits your style don't you think?) The Shisengumi captain replied. Kenshin then remained silent, giving Saito a deathly glare.
"No matter..." Saito said. Looking at his men, he knew they were ready to strike at the beck of the call. A wide grin appeared on the captain's face. "Gaikoku hito o korosu koto ga, watashi ni Battousai no mama ni shite okimasu." (Kill the foreigner, but leave the Battousai to me.) He ordered. "HAI!" They all yelled in union as they charge into battle. "We'll finish this later." Hex says to Kenshin. Even if he didn't understand the language the young hitokiri nodded in response as the bounty hunter grinned and charges in at the mass of soldiers by himself. Kenshin shifts his attention towards Saito, both of them glancing each other down intensely. "Very well...." Hajime said pulling his sword from it's sheath. He then places both feet firmly apart from each other and raises his sword at shoulder length, placing his right hand at the tip of his blade. "Shall we begin ?" Still wounded from his previous battle, Kenshin raises his sword and gets into his Hiten-Mitsurugi Ryu battle stance. " Let's." He replied firmly.
....
Jonah Hex swings his tomahawk in the air and slashes a Shinsegumi in the chest, spraying a red mist of blood before falling on the ground dead. Another Shinsengumi swings his blade at Hex, however the bounty hunter parries the attack and slams his tomahawk into the soldier's face, ripping his face apart and having an eye pop out of its' socket. "Yaaaah!" A Shinsengumi soldier yells out swinging his sword at his enemy, but Hex block the attack and slashes the soldier in abdomen, spraying loads of blood as his intestines suddenly spilt out from his gut. Hex then finishes him by cleaving his head in two before pulling it back out, letting a stream of blood seep out in the process. The bounty hunter soon found himself surrounded by eight other men. Hex looks around and grins. "Well then..." He said twriling his tomahawk. "Who's next ?". One of the soldiers growled and charges at the enemy swinging his sword horizontally at him, but the bounty hunter quickly ducks down dodging the attack. Hex then swings his tomahawk underhand and lops off the soldier's arm holding the sword in one swift swing. "Gaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!" The man screamed in sheer agony as the pain suddenly kicked into high gear, blood spraying violently from the stump of his arm.
"Basutādo!!" Said the two spearmen charging at the bounty hunter and thrusting their spears at him. "Hmph." However, at the last minute Jonah Hex takes a hold of the wounded soldier's shoulder and uses him as a human shield, letting their spears sink deep into their ally's chest and neck. "Guh!" The soldier chokes on the blood gushing inside from the neck wound. "Koze-san!" They horrfically yell, realizing they accidently killed one of their own. Hex then kicks the back of the corpse, sending it toppling over. "Whooo." The two spearmen soon fall back on the ground as their dead ally collapses over them. Suddenly, one of the soldiers takes a swipe from behind and slashes Jonah in the back. "Gah!" Hex gasped in pain. The bounty hunter turns around and slits the soldier's throat in one swing. Four other Shinsengumi charge in for the attack. The first takes a swipe at Hex's shoulder, but the gunslinger parries the attack with his own and counters by swinging his tomahawk into the soldier's stomach, killing him in the process. "Owhoooo!" The second thrust his blade at the bounty hunter's forehead. Hex quickly ducks his head and dodges the attack. He then pulls his opponent's Wakizashi from it's sheath with his other hand and violently slits the second's throat, letting him fall dead. The third thrust his spear at his opponent's chest, but he quickly blocks the attack with the wakizashi and cuts the spear in half with his tomahawk. Hex then stabs the wakizashi deep into his opponent's neck until it reached the other side and pulls it out, causing the blood to spray on his torn up jacket; The fourth charges at the bounty hunter and swings his sword forward, however Hex manages to shift to the side and let Shisengumi slip up. Jonah stabs the wakizashi into the soldier's back and let's go of the hilt, causing the soldier to topple in the dirt dead. The rest of The Shisengumi group charge forward at the lone bounty hunter screaming out their war cry. One of the spearman gets up off the ground and looks up, seeing his comrades charging in for battle. He then pulls out his wakizashi and looks at the other spearman. "Come! We cannot give up now." He said raising his blade up high. "Swift death to evil!" The spearman shouts as he charges head on. As the spearman reaches the midst of the forefront, he is quickly cut down by the skillfull bounty hunter.
The other spearman watched in horror and fear as he sees his allies being swiftly chopped down one after the other. He knew he didn't stand a chance against that man and he wasn't willing to give up his life either. What...do I do?The spearman thought to himself. Suddenly a small glimp of light catches his attention. "Huh?" The spearman looks back and sees something from afar. Narrowing his eyes a bit, the man could make the shape of the object. It was a gun possibly from the foreigner. "Hehe." A wide grin appeared on the spearman's face. Looking back again, he could see the bounty hunter finishing off the last of his comrades. Taking his chances, the spearman makes a mad dash to the weapon. Feeling so far away, The spearman picks up his speed and never looks back. As he reaches his goals the spearman manages slip on himself from the adrenaline pumping and falls, but still continues to scramble to the gun. The spearman reaches up high and grabs a hold of the pistol. He then felt a sudden surge of hope coursing through his body. Now it was time for vengeance. The spearman then turns around and aims the gun. "Shi-" (Di-) Before the spearman could finish his sentence, the tomahawk suddenly came twirling at him. Before he had time to react, the tomahawk plunges deep in the middle of the spearman's forehead. Blood trickled slowly onto his nose. "Eh......" The soldier manages to gasp before falling onto his side dead. Hex then walks towards the dead corpse and grabs a hold of his tomahawk. Putting his feet over the deadman's neck, Hex manages to pull his weapon out of the corpses skull with a slight pop before the head plops back on the ground. "Now I believe this....is mine." He said reaching down and grabbing the pistol off the dead soldier's hand before putting it back into his holster.
....
Meanwhile, Himura Kenshin The Battousai and Saito Hajime of The Shinsengumi continue to trade blows with one another. Their blades clashing into each other, letting small specks of spark fly, in the pale moonlight. "Hahaha you still cease to amaze Battousai!" Saito said as they clashed their blades once again. "Even when you're at your worst, you still manage to fight with such vigor!" He said pushing his sword against his opponent's blade. "So let's find out who will leave victorious tonight Battousai!" The force of the push causes Kenshin's feet to sink deep into the ground. The hitokiri quickly counters by pushing The Shisengumi captain in one single motion, causing him to step back from the force. Taking a deep breath Himura could feel his energy slowly depleting as he struggles to put up a strong defense. Don't know how much longer I can last with him at this point. He thought to himself. I can't risk using my stronger techniques without making a single fatal mistake when he's around, however I can't stand here and die in vain. Saito crouches down slightly and raises his sword next to his shoulder. "Uuuuaaaaaaahhh!" He then thrusted it at such a fast pace that it manages to catch Kenshin off his guard; The hitokiri barley manages the parry the attack away. Hajime quickly counters by swing his blade to the side of Kenshin's head, but the young warrior manages to duck at the last second. Kenshin then retaliates by spinning around and slashing his opponent in the stomach. "Gah!" Saito gasps as he falls back. He then looks at the wound bleeding from his stomach and chuckles. "So you finally manage to strike me." Saito said with a grin. "No, that was just a step away from me cutting you in half." Keshin replied coldly. "Next strike, I take off your head." He said pointing his blade.
Saito chuckles " We'll see about that." He said getting into his fighting stance. "Come....let's finish this!"
Kenshin simply replies with a nod."Graaaaaaaah!" Saito then charges at the hitokiri like a bolt of lighting and thrust his sword forward once again, however Kenshin manages to disappear as the sword comes running through. "Hmm?" Hajime then looks up and sees his opponent mid-air above him. "This ends here Saito." Kenshin siad raising his sword above. "Ryutsuisen!" Saito smiles. "You think you can defeat me with an attack from above..." He said. "Battousai!!!!" Suddenly Hajime thrust his sword in an upward position, managing to stab the hitokiri in the middle of his stomach. "What!?" Kenshin says in shocked as he felt the blade plunge deep into his flesh. Saito then pulls the blade out in a single motion, letting the blood spurt out violently from the wound, before Kenshin drops onto the ground behind him. "Ngh...." Still managing to come out alive, Kenshin plunges his sword deep in the ground and slowly begins to lift himself up. "So here is where the mighty have fallen...." Saito said turning around. Kenshin looks up at his sworn rival, breathing raspily and not saying a word. The Shisengumi captain then raises his sword. "And this is where y-"
Chnk!
Before Saito could finish, a familiar tomahawk suddenly swings deep in between Hajime's neck and shoulder. Both Saito and Kenshin's eyes widen in shock. Blood soon begins to seep in from the massive wound. "N-nani" (W-What?) Saito manages to gasp. He then manages to turns his head and see Jonah Hex from behind wielding the weapon. The bounty hunter then pulls the tomahawk out of the wound letting the blood splurt out like a fountain. Saito then collapses onto his knee and falls face down, dead. Both warriors looked on at the fallen corpse of the once infamous Captain Saito Hajime of the third unit of Shinsegumi lay before them. "Anata wa.... Watashi o sukutta." (You....saved my life.) Kenshin said raspily, looking at the dead corpse.
Hex then looks at severly wounded Himura. "Now normally A would've called this evun b'tween us, however...."Click. "Huh?" Kenshin looks up and sees the long metal barrel of the bounty hunter's pistol aimed at his head. "Ah have a debt that needs ta be paid." He said codly. "And Ah aim ta repay mah debt." Realizing his defeat, Kenshin takes a deep breath and looks at the bounty hunter one last time. " Ya put up a good fight son." Hex said honorably. Slowly he pulls the trigger.
BLAM!
A lone gunshot crackles in the empty streets of Kyoto as a flock of crows fly away in fright in the midnight hour. Just like his enemies before him, the mighty hitokiri Battousai The Man-Slayer has finally met his end. Blood pooling below him as the smoke linger's from Hex's pistol. The bounty hunter puts away his gun and takes a deep breath. He then raises his tomahawk up high and swings it downward, loping off his prey's head completly from his body in one swift motion. Jonah picks up the dismembered head by the hair and looks up in the pale moonlight, wondering....
Will the man pay double for the entire head ?
Winner: Jonah Hex
Expert Opinion[]
TBW
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