KENSHIN
if I knew you were going to survive
I WOULD HAVE NEVER LET YOU FALL
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YOU BELIEVE THAT THE STRONG EXIST TO CULL THE WEAK. TO USE THEM AS FOOD. BUT YOU ARE MISTAKEN.
The first being to approach him was not the one he was here for. Nor was it the first one to watch him. There was a stranger somewhere that the scarred assassin could sense. Yet he stayed stoic, as if he did not realize that there was anything odd about the situation. The brute who had approached him was someone high up, his plumage showed as much. Kenshin briefly looked down to assure that the girl was still unconscious before he raised his gaze to that of the greeter. Lanterns met lanterns and Kenshin was neither phased nor disoriented by the hessians power reining down on him with such a resolute aura. Instead he calmly gazed back with a very demonic look. Something shallow and perhaps devoid of treasure… yet… poisonous. An unhealthy mix. The brujo spoke sharply. Grey Wind. Head Soldier of Abendrot. State your name and business here, and explain this female while you’re at it. Kenshin merely blinked. His mug did not open and his vocals were not released. This Grey Wind, head soldier of Abendrot, was not in his interest. After a short while of extended echoing silence between the two, Kenshin closed his eyes, relaxing to the fullest. His shoulders were not taut, and his ears were lazily pricked. He seemed to be… uselessly tranquil. However if Grey Wind were to step over that boundary line, the dog would immediately become alert. A cobra, prepared to strike if: harm were to come to the princess, harm were to come to him. Kobato was a gentle soul. And though she was being used as an offering as a captured prisoner, Kenshin was not the kind to let her be touched by unruly, blood driven fangs. Especially if she were not awake. It was an unfair advantage. So Kenshin waited.
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There was something strange about this dream. The smells were too strong. The wind was too real. She felt sick. Very… sick. Kobato awoke with a startled gasp of air. She sputtered, coughing and heaving. Her stomach felt as if it had been twisted in and around itself… what was wrong? Her head turned to the side. Dehydration? But why? She was sure she had stayed close to the treeline and had… suddenly, gorgeous toffee gazers flew upward, realization settling in at long last. It had been an extended amount of time since she had had her last drink of water. And no doubt she had been carried by her assailant across lands where there was no shade. Ko turned her head, chin touching her shoulder blade and found herself staring at the underbelly of the brindle soldier, Kenshin. This scent… her eyes grew wide and she snapped her head back on the summer grass, looking forward. She began to move herself so she was laying correctly. Abendrot. As she made an attempt to get up, she was met with a sharp pain on her shoulder. She winced and collided back to the dirt.
It would be wise princess to stay still, that it would.
The heiress of Munashii exhaled heavily, the breath having literally been pushed out of her. But she did not try to escape. If this male, Kenshin, was a trained Abendrot soldier, he was a very dangerous opponent. And seeing as Kobato had never been too large of a wolf to begin with since day one, her disadvantage was at an all time high. And not just that… they had company. Kobato’s body stiffened immensely when she realized that there was a ranked male standing in front of both her and Kenshin. Though covered by the great trickster’s body, Kobato felt exposed. This was not where she wanted to be. Not at all. Her eyes searched from side to side, her jaw bone clenching as she went through possible ways of escape. She could lash out at Kenshin’s underbelly, but the other wolf would see the attack coming and would most likely move before she was able to get away. Not only that, but another wolf was approaching. Three rangers that she had no clue the skillset of. There was no possible way she could get Kenshin on her side, was there? Her eyes traveled up, looking at the scar that nimbly moved its wrecked way across his flesh. No. Something was up with him. He wanted to be here. Perhaps he’d been caught by a hook and was being reeled in. Kobato closed her eyes tightly. She was not going to cry. All her tears had been used up months ago. However her heart was beating far to fast to be considered healthy. And when Kobato got too stressed, she had a tendency to faint. Which was not on her list of things to do today. Especially in front of these three. Who knew what could happen. When the last wolf came to a halt and began grooming himself, Kobato saw his eyes turn to her and she met them with adamant ferocity and remarkable bravery. The same look that she had given Kershov a year ago.
And then the tension broke and the girl smiled at him, whatever his name may be. It was not his fault that she was here, nor was it his fault that she had been dragged into this months ago. It was not his fault that she was captured and it was not his fault that she would be tortured or killed here. She let the smile touch her eyes, and absolute kindness reflected in her orbs.
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Finally the weasel came out of his bush, slinking his way across the stage as a shadow does on a ship’s deck. Around this time, the girl stirred and Kenshin’s eyes opened instantly. She was pushing the limits of what he would and would not like her to do when she began to move around so he put an iron palm on her shoulder, smashing her back to the dirt. It would be wise princess to stay still, that it would. The first words he had spoken since he had gotten here. And probably the last until Kershov arrived. The one who had stayed on the outskirts for a while, most likely observing the situation, spoke into the chasm of quiet. Nice to see you, Grey Wind. Eyes traveled to Kenshin’s and the killer stared back. Once again, there was not a speck of challenge in this wraith’s gaze, but there was something about the way the weasel acted that had Kenshin wondering if he had met him before. The rurouni had an excellent memory, and this proved excrutiatingly terrible when the nightmares and bloodlust got a hold of him. He could see them. Every soul that had ever been brought to their end by his power… He would surely remember those that had lived beside him, with him, or around him. But nothing came up. This weasel was an enigma to him. After a short while, Kenshin took his paw off of Kobato’s shoulder, assured that she was not going to move from the place she was at now. And like before, he closed his eyes, breathed in softly and out even more gently. Waiting.
However he could not help but wonder what his life would take a turn for here. Would he be returned as a killer once more? Someone who, after spies had collected intel on a certain varg, would assassinate them without them ever seeing his face? Would he be bound to the shadows again, never to touch daylight? If so…. He was glad. He could fall back into a rhythm that didn’t expose him to the niceties of those living with kindness and love in their hearts. He could find a way to avoid Kahlan and pretend it had all been but a daydream. Something that he once wished could happen, but in reality would never be able to occur. A soft smile crept to his mouth before it was swept away by a summer breeze. No. The shadows were much more suitable for a demon such as himself.
THE STRONG EXIST, NOT TO FEED OFF OF THE WEAK, BUT TO PROTECT THEM.
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