[Amidst a winter landscape, Warhammer walks through the forest by a small town.]

WH: In spite of the theories of men, faith is a very real and very powerful force in the lives of those who live within and without it.

TWHammer presents:

Shinkou No Michi

A Rurouni Kenshin fanfic





Note: This story takes place about 25 years after the end of the manga story line.


As the sun continued its slow and gentle ascent into the morning sky, every single snowflake, which had fallen to the ground, added to the natural beauty of the scenery.  Like an unwrapped gift, the snow covered the whole countryside and some of the nearby town, only making it all the more wonderful to behold.

With all the silence, one would think that no one lived here, when such the opposite was true.  People had lived in this area at one time.  People that had nothing to go back to and were hated by those that saw things from a different point of view.  Yet, despite the opposition, these people were guilty of no crime and were killed for simply being there.

Walking through the snow was one such a man who lived here.  Walking quietly through the snow, he beheld the remains of the temple where he had once lived in.  Anji Yuukiyuuzan, a former priest and former Miyoh Oh, took his first look at the place that had meant so much to him, so long ago.  He had finished his training with several other priests and had chosen to follow the path that would lead to his Guze.

At first, he felt devoid of direction in merely trying to discover his own way in life.  However, traveling through the countryside had shown him the horrors of war.  The Bakumatsu had taken countless lives and ruined even more.  Seeing such suffering tore at his heart and after settling in a small hamlet had decided to take care of several children who had lost their parents in the war.

The thought of helping to create a life for those who had none of their own had led to the discovery of his Guze.  That would lead him to a life of service.  Such an endeavor, though difficult to sustain, was more than worth it.

Walking past what remained of the foundation, he continued to stare at the ground where the home and those who lived there were now buried.  He looked up to see the only thing that stood after the blaze, the statue of Hotoke-sama.  Walking to it, the memories of all the times he had been with the children flooded back to him.

There were many that said that his choice to take care of the children was foolish. Not only was he not qualified, but the parents of the children were still in favor of the Tokugawa dynasty.  Such information was difficult to endure with, more so since the town had already been annexed to the new Ishin Shinshi's new government.

In spite of the fact he was able to provide the children with food and other necessities, he could not do it alone. Many times he had asked the more learned members of the town for help, but he had been refused on more than one occasion.  He was also warned against asking for help, for the attitude of some of the villagers had turned rather sour at his kindly demeanor.  So with no alternative, he threw himself into the task of being a teacher and caretaker his charges.  He considered himself fortunate that Tsubaki, the eldest of the children he took care of, took it upon herself to help the others.

But being as young as she was, Anji had refused her assistance because he felt that she was still young and wanted her to enjoy her youth while she still had it.  Despite his sincere intentions, she did not take being told to stay back very well.

*

"I CAN TAKE CARE OF THEM!"  She screamed, making Anji step back slightly.  Villagers who had passed by the temple often marveled at how a twelve-year-old girl could easily scream at a man seven years her senior and more than twice her size.  It was also amazing that no matter how loud she screamed, Anji would never get angry.

"You're busy enough taking care of the fields and repairs to the temple, why can't I help these kids learn how to read and write?"

Not wanting to sound insulting, Anji replied, "Well, Tsubaki.  You're still learning yourself and..."

"I KNOW THAT!"  She screamed, making some of the snow on a neighboring tree fall to the ground.  "But I do know enough to be able to teach them the basic kanas.  Please, Anji-sama. I know I can do something and I don't want to waste it just sitting here doing nothing!"

Though her rage had weakened somewhat, Anji's ever smiling face and pleasant demeanor still held strong.  Tsubaki was about ready to concede in this battle of wills, when Anji spoke softly.  "Very well.  While I'm working on the fields and my training, you can teach the first set.  When I'm done, I'll come help."

Tsubaki's face suddenly brightened enough to melt the winter snow and she ran back to the temple.  Her drive made her more than ready to be a teacher for the other four children living there; it was the part of being able that she still needed work with.  He smiled at her determination and wondered if her patience could ever get at the same level.

Turning again to the field, he whispered in prayer to the world beyond, "Hotoke-sama.  Please, watch over Tsubaki. Give her the wisdom and patience to be a good teacher to them.  She is a good child and will do much more good than I ever hoped to be able to."

*

For more than a year, Tsubaki had discovered the hard way what being a teacher to several rather hyperactive children was.  Her tempter would often flare out against them and they would come running to him for protection from the wrath of Tsubaki. Yet, for the most part, the children began to learn how to read and write.  Without any sort of organized school, the feat by itself was amazing.

It was after that year that he had gotten word that Tokugawa had fallen and now the Meiji government, run by the Ishin Shinshi, was now in power.  It also was in the process of establishing a new government for the people of Japan.  That the beginning of a time when things began to fall apart.  Due to a new law, any town that had residents that supported the Tokugawa was considered unworthy for support from the government.

The mayor of the town had ordered him to leave for elsewhere.  It shocked him when he found out that it was because of the children the town was denied the money.  The children were without any kind of guilt.  Yet, without mercy, Tsubaki and all the children living there were burned to death.  It still angered him to this day that it was all for money.

Worse more than that, he had lost his way and his faith.  Without his faith, he had become a Hakai-So, a fallen priest who had failed in the mission of the Gods and traversed a dark and lonely path.  As part of a new Guze, he realized that a power to achieve it was necessary.  In order to re-create, something needed to be destroyed in the first place.  Such a desire led him to discover the deadly strength of the Futae no Kiwami and its powerful defensive capability.

In pursuit of his new Guze, which would save the world, he had murdered many people.  He had fallen so far; he had even joined the infamous Juppon-Gatana for taking down the Meiji Government.  He knew that more people would die in order to take down the Meiji Government, but he considered himself beyond feeling at that point.

He had no idea where he would have gone were it not for a certain gangster by the name of Zanza and the man who was once known as a Hitokiri.  He had discovered his fault and many sins.  Even then, it a very difficult thing for him to acknowledge. So in order to try and reach some sort of peace with his soul and to earn forgiveness to the ones he had failed, he turned down the government's offer for a job and turned himself in.

For twenty-five years, he had nothing, save it were the grave slab of Tsubaki and the children; to keep him company as he began to rot away in the Hokkaido jails.  Now a man of nearly sixty years of age, he decided to return to the place where it all started to seek forgiveness again from Tsubaki and those children.

Offering a prayer, his words failed to come, for the guilt was too great.  Yet, his heart was able to voice his implore for the children to forgive him.  He had lost track of time, searching for those few precious words that would put his troubled soul at peace.

Seconds passed into minutes and into hours.  He could not tell where the sun was due to the clouds that had developed.  All that was visible was in the horizon where the mountains stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Is there something wrong?" a woman's voice said from behind him.

Anji turned around to see a woman, looking around the same age as he, standing in the snow outside the site of the temple.

"No... nothing at all." Anji said starting to walk back.  "I just needed to make peace with my past.  How about yourself?"

"This place is very important to me.  It has many memories that I cherish... especially before it was burned down."

"I am sorry to see you finding a place of such importance lost.  I used to live here with children that I took care of.  However, time and circumstances took them and this temple away from me.  It was very difficult to get over."

The woman's face fell in sympathy,  "I can only imagine."

Without turning, he continued,  "Indeed.  I not only lost the ones that mattered most to me, but I lost my way and did things that I still regret to this day."

"I take it you were part of the scuffle that took place in Kyoto many years ago and there is still blood on your hands.  Am I right?" She asked knowingly.

Anji nodded once.

The woman turned away from him and said,  "It is not easy for a murderer to obtain forgiveness.  To end another person's life prematurely is indeed a truly horrible thing."

"How does one know who does and does not deserve to die?  By what they have or have not done?"  Anji questioned.

The woman nearly snorted at the question,  "Since when does one man decide when his fellow man dies or not?  By his strength?  By his wisdom?  By his position?  It's foolishness to think in those terms."

"Then, what can one do when a man realizes his mistake after all the he has done?"

The woman was silent for a long time.  Anji turned to the woman, to see her kneeling in the place where he had stood only minutes before.  It was the same place where he had taken the ashes from Tsubaki's hands.  He turned away to allow her to stay in that hollowed spot, undisturbed.

"The way I see it, to simply live is not enough... but to live for others.  To live where one would assist in the endeavor of another, with no thought of reward.  To deny the self and help another out of friendship, compassion, and such."

Anji took a moment to ponder her words.  It sounded very familiar.  In fact, it was indeed the very premise of his old Guze.

"Osho-sama."  The woman said, causing Anji to whirl around to see no one.  All he heard was a whisper in a breeze that passed him by.  "Don't let the past hold you back.  You've done more than enough.  We never wanted you to suffer so much."

Anji's surprised demeanor calmed as the voice's plea reached the innermost part of his soul.  For so long, he had let the past and the actions of others control him. Now, after so much penance, he had no clue as to what he would do next.

"Osho-sama... please live.  Live the way to achieve your Guze. The Guze you spoke to me about.  Where everyone helped one another, and there was nothing to fear.  And don't forget... we love you... Anji..." she whispered as the last of the voice and breeze vanished with the sunset.

He saw that the clouds were beginning to disperse, revealing a beautiful sky that would soon be filled with stars.  Even then, Anji still felt no relief. He had spent so much time in self-loathing and anguish, he still wondered whether or not he would ever feel joy again.

Walking back from the temple grounds, he walked to the inn for travels that often came this way.  Anji was no exception to this, for he was planning on heading south.

"Anji-san."  Another voice, this time male, said from behind him.  He turned to see a much older Seta Soujiro, about to walk into a small restaurant.  The intervening years, it seemed, had not been kind to him.  He seemed tired and well worn from his long and difficult search for the truth that had been hidden by Shishio's lies.

The older Soujiro smiled and said,  "Are you well, old friend?  I would think this would be the last place you would want to go after all that's happened."

Anji let himself smile for once.  "Time changes people, Soujiro-dono."

Knowing exactly what he had meant, Soujiro's demeanor brightened and he nodded.  "Indeed.  So, would care to join me?  I've just got here and was about to eat. And some company would be nice as well."

"I have a little money of my own, so you need not worry about me. However, I too feel the need of familiar company. So, I shall."

For the next few hours, the former Juppon Gatana members spoke of the time they both had lost.  It seemed strange to those who overhead their conversation, speaking of their painful pasts with such calm and without guile.  As the shop was ready to close, they said their farewells and went their separate ways.

Walking to the path which lead out of town, Anji felt more calm and relaxed at that moment than he had for nearly thirty-five years.

"What is it like to live?"  He asked to no one, out loud. Almost on impulse, he raised his hand and looked at the palm.  The calluses that once protected his body so well faded and the skin had become well worn.  However, he could still use his hands the way he did was he was a young man.  With that, he continued down the path that would lead him to another town... and to another chance.

Whether he knew it or not, the stars within the heavens shone with an unusual fervor at his newly found path.

A man had found his faith once more.

The End

[Warhammer, still in disguise, walks past Anji on the path, back to the town.]

WH: Here's a little Japanese 'Tango'/Vocabulary for you:

Shinkou no michi: Path of Faith

Bakumastu: The rather bloody war that ended the Tokugawa dynasty.

Ishin Shinshi: The group of people who helped to bring down the Tokugawa.

Guze: A Buddhist term used for describing a goal.  Note that a Guze goes much deeper than just a goal, but it's a hope that can be made real according to the believer.  Just make sure not to quote me on this, since I know very little on the basics of Buddhism.

I found that the reason why I like Anji is the same reason I like King from the Tekken series.  He did what he did for the future of children.  I guess that makes me a sentimental fool, but it doesn't hurt to feel that way.  I also want to be a good dad when I get married and have a family of my own.

Although Anji's story was rather complete after the Kyoto arc, there was a part of me that said that something more could have come from him.  From his picture in the prison, I got the feeling that he still had conflicts within his soul that he still needed to find out how to let go.  Even the author of the series said himself that he still had problems he had to take care of.

I'm also kind of tired of the usual Kenshin fics which center around the main cast.  Need more fics about minor characters, says I.

Next, I feel that it is not easy for someone to find their faith after they had lost it.  However, I've heard experiences where people had found it after being lost for so long.  The reason why I consider faith so important is not just because I am a practicing Christian, but when you think about it, faith is what gives us the motivation to act.  Not only for our own betterment, but for the betterment of our fellow man as well. Faith is something that you don't see, but you know is true.  It's also a very precious thing, so don't lose yours.

If I got a bit preachy, I do apologize, but it is to be expected. :p  At least I'm not as bad as Kenshin is. Oi vey!

Of course, C&C is always appreciated.

Finally, everything that has to do with Rurouni Kenshin belongs to the creator of it. Watsuki Nobuyuki.

Now, go thy way and sin no more... or something to that effect.

[Warhammer runs back into the town before the stores close.  Even egocentric, bitter, and omnipotent authors need food once in a while.]


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