Writing Challenge (1character)
Title: Battosai (50 sentences for 1character)
Fandom/Pairing: Rurouni Kenshin; several alluded to.
Rating: 14-A
Warnings: *Spoilers* right to the end of the manga, (mostly) canon manga-verse.
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is copyright Nobuhiro Watsuki. Story is copyright V.S.
Notes: This took FOREVER. Uses theme set gamma & thanks go to fairly_grimm for help with #29 and raventide for inspiring #37.
#01 - Snow
Snow was now part of a bittersweet memory - his last moments with Tomoe, and the day he swore the vow that would become all that kept him alive.
#02 - Child
He’d always wanted children of his own (even believing it to be an impossible development), ever since he’d lost his own parents and innocence at a young age.
#03 - Brick
At one point, he’d have considered Aoshi as stoic as a brick was hard, but watching the okashira with Misao managed to quietly convince him otherwise.
#04 - Judgement
Saito's sword rained judgement, crying out 'swift death to evil'; Kenshin did not find many of those victims worthy of such a harsh sentence, and kept to his own philosophy of protecting without ever killing.
#05 - Powder
He ground the cigarette to a fine dust beneath his foot, giving a Saito a disapproving glare; tossing such filth at him was not acceptable, no matter what the faux officer’s reasoning.
#06 - Grim
The future was grim but held far more promise than the past ever could, and so he faced it with a brave smile on his face and a dear one’s hand in his.
#07 - Trap
Even with a wall behind him and an arm to either side of his small person, Kenshin did not consider himself trapped - but he did not choose to flee.
#08 - Star
He’d spent many a night on the banks of any given river, gazing at the sky and searching for the single star that shone red; he likened it to himself, now, swathed in that brutal colour but wanting only to shine.
#09 - Possession
When asked what possession he treasured most, he would need only a moment before replying steadily with “My life.”
#10 - Bandage
Sanosuke had given Kenshin the bandages from around his wrists so that the samurai could continue on the defense without bleeding any more seriously from the neck.
#11 - Pearl
The sunlight glanced off the blade of his opponent’s sword and flashed brightly into his eyes before he could close them; after blinking several times, Kenshin found that a blackish pearl-like circle obscured his sight and cursed himself for not having seen the trick coming.
#12 - Glass
He could see through the act as clearly as he could see through glass - there was no regret within Enishi, absolutely none.
#13 - Classified
Kenshin never mentioned how strange he found it that Sanosuke was often the one informing him of matters the police would normally have labelled as classified - it was hardly his business how the young man spent his time.
#14 - Buttons
There were times he wondered why the buttons on Saito’s officer apparel had never flown off - the man moved almost as swiftly as Kenshin himself, and his body movements were nay so friendly on his clothing.
#15 - Closet
It seemed like it happened every day: Kenji decided to hop out of the closet and yell, and Kenshin had to pretend like the infant had surprised him, smiling all the time.
#16 - Ash
There was a colour that, above all others, Kenshin could not stand - it was when skin was faded and lacking colour, ash-grey with imminent death.
#17 - Definition
In all honesty, it had no given meaning, so when asked for the definition of ‘oro’ he promptly responded with the sound itself.
#18 - Staircase Wtf, read this as suitcase. Several times.
Kenshin remembered the day he’d had to watch Yutaro leave - the young boy had lugged a suitcase across the station with a depressed look on his face, acting entirely lame until Yahiko had gone after him with his shinai.
#19 - Nail
The high-pitched, desperate screaming was, to him, far worse a sound than nails scratching down a chalkboard.
#20 - Prey
Odd, really, that he would be classified a predator but so often felt hunted.
#21 - Backwards
Another two steps backwards and he wouldn’t be able to go further, so a step forward was what he chose instead - a disconcerting smile graced the lips of the one in front of him, the man remaining unaware of Kenshin’s true intentions.
#22 - Trouble
Kenshin had worried there would be trouble when he presented his proposition to Kaoru (that he travel for a while, perhaps to Kyoto to see Misao and Aoshi), but she’d been surprisingly complacent about it.
#23 - Little
When Kenji was born, he was very little in size, but enormous in the amount of joy he brought to his father, even with the persistent yanking of Kenshin’s hair.
#24 - Collar
All at once he woke, shaking, from the dream, rubbing his fingers gently on his throat; Shishio haunted him, his mind conjuring visions of the burned man’s hands twisting around his neck.
#25 - Circle
He stayed within the small circle of close friends he’d built, loathe to get anyone else involved in his life lest someone else make a new attempt at jinchu.
#26 - Hands
All the pure waters in the world could not wash the blood of sin from his hands.
#27 - Freedom
He could see in how Sanosuke comported himself that all the man desired was to be allowed to do as he pleased - he’d never stand for being kept in one place, and no matter how much it would sadden him to eventually see Sanosuke off, Kenshin knew it would be for the best.
#28 - Last
“This one would appreciate it,” Kenshin said levelly, making no movement but keeping his serious gaze quite steady, “If this was the last time you were ever seen.”
#29 - Scab
He gently rubs the itch out of the hardened blood clot stuck in place by fibrin, not willing to pull it off and leave another scar, even if it will be but a small mark on his finger.
#30 - Crown
The impalpable crown on his head proclaimed him the highest killer, the one that all others sought to surpass.
#31 - Time
Slowly, he slid from the other’s comforting grip, saying with as cool a tone as he could muster, “It’s time for you to go now.”
#32 - Rice
Kaoru-dono’s shopping list, as always, was brief, concise, and included all the heavy things: miso, tofu, soy sauce and rice.
#33 - Worn
His idiot pupil’s endurance had always been astounding, Seijuro remembered; even exhausted and worn down to the last reserves of his energy, Kenshin had never backed down until he honestly could no longer move - and even then, sometimes it took a while.
#34 - Paint
It may have been true that the blood had rained from the sky, but likewise it was true that it splattered on both of them and left vivid stains like morbid red-brown paint.
#35 - Ache
At times, he still ached for Tomoe’s hand on his cheek; at those times, he would delve further into the present day and cling to those he had now - he would not allow himself to go back.
#36 - Cherry
Honestly, he preferred to avoid sweet fruit when possible, but cherries were normally alright, having more of a tang to them than other fruits did.
#37 - Library
In the small library that eventually grew in Tokyo, only once did he ever find a book with a name written on it belonging to someone he knew: The Life of Shishio Makoto by Kamatari Honjou.
#38 - Win
If he were permitted to infinitely redefine the word ‘win’, he might be able to convince himself that he had accomplished more than defeating others in duels; in his mind, those were not wins, no matter how the rest of the world saw it.
#39 - Loss
Loss was something he had in common with everyone; after all, no one had ever lost nothing over the course of their life - his was simply more amplified.
#40 - Fold
Kaoru always praised his skills with the laundry, noting how straight his folds were - this was her excuse for continuing to make him do it, even after he was a permanent resident at the dojo rather than a long-term visitor.
#41 - Music
The peaceful breathing of a loved one sleeping safe next to him was more music to his ears than any other sound ever could be.
#42 - Bell
He was still awake at midnight, waiting to hear the bells chime and prove to him that everything was safe.
#43 - Sleep
He remembered with longing the times when he’d been able to sleep without worry; to truly sleep, not merely rest and allow the body to recover without giving the mind a chance to do the same.
#44 - Contact
The sudden touch made him jump, but not pull back - he was surprised, not repulsed.
#45 - Electricity
Adrenaline had surged through his veins over an hour ago; now it was thinning out and he knew he would stop soon, like to a switch being flipped off.
#46 - Milk
Kenshin always drank water to quench his thirst - anything else, even the least-fattening milk, he found to be too thick and would stick in his throat.
#47 - Wild
He spoke “I will kill you,” and everyone gathered knew he’d gone back to the bloody madness, to the wild way of the war.
#48 - Expectation
Seijuro had expected his idiot pupil would return, ever since the man had left - after all, Kenshin had always had a complex with being too weak, and faced with such an enemy as Shishio, Seijuro had known it would rise to plague him again.
#49 - Mechanism
Iwanbo, the puppetmaster Gein’s greatest invention, had proven difficult to beat even knowing it was not real - to strike a blow that may be fatal to a regular human was far from comfortable for Kenshin now.
#50 - Finale
In the end, it was exactly as Kenshin had said it would be: everyone walked their own path.
Fandom/Pairing: Rurouni Kenshin; several alluded to.
Rating: 14-A
Warnings: *Spoilers* right to the end of the manga, (mostly) canon manga-verse.
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is copyright Nobuhiro Watsuki. Story is copyright V.S.
Notes: This took FOREVER. Uses theme set gamma & thanks go to fairly_grimm for help with #29 and raventide for inspiring #37.
#01 - Snow
Snow was now part of a bittersweet memory - his last moments with Tomoe, and the day he swore the vow that would become all that kept him alive.
#02 - Child
He’d always wanted children of his own (even believing it to be an impossible development), ever since he’d lost his own parents and innocence at a young age.
#03 - Brick
At one point, he’d have considered Aoshi as stoic as a brick was hard, but watching the okashira with Misao managed to quietly convince him otherwise.
#04 - Judgement
Saito's sword rained judgement, crying out 'swift death to evil'; Kenshin did not find many of those victims worthy of such a harsh sentence, and kept to his own philosophy of protecting without ever killing.
#05 - Powder
He ground the cigarette to a fine dust beneath his foot, giving a Saito a disapproving glare; tossing such filth at him was not acceptable, no matter what the faux officer’s reasoning.
#06 - Grim
The future was grim but held far more promise than the past ever could, and so he faced it with a brave smile on his face and a dear one’s hand in his.
#07 - Trap
Even with a wall behind him and an arm to either side of his small person, Kenshin did not consider himself trapped - but he did not choose to flee.
#08 - Star
He’d spent many a night on the banks of any given river, gazing at the sky and searching for the single star that shone red; he likened it to himself, now, swathed in that brutal colour but wanting only to shine.
#09 - Possession
When asked what possession he treasured most, he would need only a moment before replying steadily with “My life.”
#10 - Bandage
Sanosuke had given Kenshin the bandages from around his wrists so that the samurai could continue on the defense without bleeding any more seriously from the neck.
#11 - Pearl
The sunlight glanced off the blade of his opponent’s sword and flashed brightly into his eyes before he could close them; after blinking several times, Kenshin found that a blackish pearl-like circle obscured his sight and cursed himself for not having seen the trick coming.
#12 - Glass
He could see through the act as clearly as he could see through glass - there was no regret within Enishi, absolutely none.
#13 - Classified
Kenshin never mentioned how strange he found it that Sanosuke was often the one informing him of matters the police would normally have labelled as classified - it was hardly his business how the young man spent his time.
#14 - Buttons
There were times he wondered why the buttons on Saito’s officer apparel had never flown off - the man moved almost as swiftly as Kenshin himself, and his body movements were nay so friendly on his clothing.
#15 - Closet
It seemed like it happened every day: Kenji decided to hop out of the closet and yell, and Kenshin had to pretend like the infant had surprised him, smiling all the time.
#16 - Ash
There was a colour that, above all others, Kenshin could not stand - it was when skin was faded and lacking colour, ash-grey with imminent death.
#17 - Definition
In all honesty, it had no given meaning, so when asked for the definition of ‘oro’ he promptly responded with the sound itself.
#18 - Staircase Wtf, read this as suitcase. Several times.
Kenshin remembered the day he’d had to watch Yutaro leave - the young boy had lugged a suitcase across the station with a depressed look on his face, acting entirely lame until Yahiko had gone after him with his shinai.
#19 - Nail
The high-pitched, desperate screaming was, to him, far worse a sound than nails scratching down a chalkboard.
#20 - Prey
Odd, really, that he would be classified a predator but so often felt hunted.
#21 - Backwards
Another two steps backwards and he wouldn’t be able to go further, so a step forward was what he chose instead - a disconcerting smile graced the lips of the one in front of him, the man remaining unaware of Kenshin’s true intentions.
#22 - Trouble
Kenshin had worried there would be trouble when he presented his proposition to Kaoru (that he travel for a while, perhaps to Kyoto to see Misao and Aoshi), but she’d been surprisingly complacent about it.
#23 - Little
When Kenji was born, he was very little in size, but enormous in the amount of joy he brought to his father, even with the persistent yanking of Kenshin’s hair.
#24 - Collar
All at once he woke, shaking, from the dream, rubbing his fingers gently on his throat; Shishio haunted him, his mind conjuring visions of the burned man’s hands twisting around his neck.
#25 - Circle
He stayed within the small circle of close friends he’d built, loathe to get anyone else involved in his life lest someone else make a new attempt at jinchu.
#26 - Hands
All the pure waters in the world could not wash the blood of sin from his hands.
#27 - Freedom
He could see in how Sanosuke comported himself that all the man desired was to be allowed to do as he pleased - he’d never stand for being kept in one place, and no matter how much it would sadden him to eventually see Sanosuke off, Kenshin knew it would be for the best.
#28 - Last
“This one would appreciate it,” Kenshin said levelly, making no movement but keeping his serious gaze quite steady, “If this was the last time you were ever seen.”
#29 - Scab
He gently rubs the itch out of the hardened blood clot stuck in place by fibrin, not willing to pull it off and leave another scar, even if it will be but a small mark on his finger.
#30 - Crown
The impalpable crown on his head proclaimed him the highest killer, the one that all others sought to surpass.
#31 - Time
Slowly, he slid from the other’s comforting grip, saying with as cool a tone as he could muster, “It’s time for you to go now.”
#32 - Rice
Kaoru-dono’s shopping list, as always, was brief, concise, and included all the heavy things: miso, tofu, soy sauce and rice.
#33 - Worn
His idiot pupil’s endurance had always been astounding, Seijuro remembered; even exhausted and worn down to the last reserves of his energy, Kenshin had never backed down until he honestly could no longer move - and even then, sometimes it took a while.
#34 - Paint
It may have been true that the blood had rained from the sky, but likewise it was true that it splattered on both of them and left vivid stains like morbid red-brown paint.
#35 - Ache
At times, he still ached for Tomoe’s hand on his cheek; at those times, he would delve further into the present day and cling to those he had now - he would not allow himself to go back.
#36 - Cherry
Honestly, he preferred to avoid sweet fruit when possible, but cherries were normally alright, having more of a tang to them than other fruits did.
#37 - Library
In the small library that eventually grew in Tokyo, only once did he ever find a book with a name written on it belonging to someone he knew: The Life of Shishio Makoto by Kamatari Honjou.
#38 - Win
If he were permitted to infinitely redefine the word ‘win’, he might be able to convince himself that he had accomplished more than defeating others in duels; in his mind, those were not wins, no matter how the rest of the world saw it.
#39 - Loss
Loss was something he had in common with everyone; after all, no one had ever lost nothing over the course of their life - his was simply more amplified.
#40 - Fold
Kaoru always praised his skills with the laundry, noting how straight his folds were - this was her excuse for continuing to make him do it, even after he was a permanent resident at the dojo rather than a long-term visitor.
#41 - Music
The peaceful breathing of a loved one sleeping safe next to him was more music to his ears than any other sound ever could be.
#42 - Bell
He was still awake at midnight, waiting to hear the bells chime and prove to him that everything was safe.
#43 - Sleep
He remembered with longing the times when he’d been able to sleep without worry; to truly sleep, not merely rest and allow the body to recover without giving the mind a chance to do the same.
#44 - Contact
The sudden touch made him jump, but not pull back - he was surprised, not repulsed.
#45 - Electricity
Adrenaline had surged through his veins over an hour ago; now it was thinning out and he knew he would stop soon, like to a switch being flipped off.
#46 - Milk
Kenshin always drank water to quench his thirst - anything else, even the least-fattening milk, he found to be too thick and would stick in his throat.
#47 - Wild
He spoke “I will kill you,” and everyone gathered knew he’d gone back to the bloody madness, to the wild way of the war.
#48 - Expectation
Seijuro had expected his idiot pupil would return, ever since the man had left - after all, Kenshin had always had a complex with being too weak, and faced with such an enemy as Shishio, Seijuro had known it would rise to plague him again.
#49 - Mechanism
Iwanbo, the puppetmaster Gein’s greatest invention, had proven difficult to beat even knowing it was not real - to strike a blow that may be fatal to a regular human was far from comfortable for Kenshin now.
#50 - Finale
In the end, it was exactly as Kenshin had said it would be: everyone walked their own path.