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fusion. With a barely intelligible=0Amumble, he protested, "What was that f=
or? And why would you connect a=0Apunch with pacifism? That makes no sense =
whatsoever!" =0A=0A"Exactly. What's pacifism got to do with punching? And w=
hat does swords=0Ahave to do with protecting lives? Absolutely nothing," Bo=
tan evenly=0Areasoned, already anticipating Kenshin's predictable answer be=
fore she=0Aeven threw her surprise punch. Too bad her forethought didn't ex=
tend to=0Aunderstanding the unfortunate implications of her riposte. =0A=0A=
"So your point is that I'm not really a pacifist and that my non-killing=0A=
vow really is a joke?" Kenshin queried while nursing his cheek with a=0Abit=
 of his own kenki, his forehead perspiring large, ethereal bullets of=0Asal=
ty chagrin. "Thanks... I think."=0A=0A"My point is to not think about it! R=
eally, it's okay. The ends justify=0Athe... Wait. You're using swordsmanshi=
p for good, avoiding violence by=0Abeing... Oh. You stop bullies by bullyin=
g them too... Hmmm. Responsible=0Apeople are always so concerned about bein=
g good all the time that when=0Athey finally get a taste of being bad, they=
 just can't get enough... I=0Athink," Botan attempted to elucidate, with qu=
estionable degrees of=0Asuccess. What was amazing was that she managed to m=
ake Kenshin's double-=0Astandard duality sound even worse than even _he_ ha=
d initially thought.=0A=0A"I reckon it _is_ best not to think about it," Ke=
nshin chuckled=0Auncertainly, not sure how to respond to Botan's unthinking=
 but thought-=0Aprovoking points. "Couldn't you at least end your little mo=
ral lesson=0Awith something a bit more profound and less morally questionab=
le,=0Athough? I feel like we're breaching tradition or something."=0A=0ABot=
an blinked contemplatively at Kenshin as she shifted from her seat,=0Aher h=
ands on her chin and her elbows on her legs. "Moral lesson, huh?=0ALike wha=
t? 'Life is a lesson, you learn it when you're through.' Those=0Asorts of s=
ayings?"=0A=0AKenshin shrugged. "Oro? Yeah. I guess."=0A=0A"If you want tha=
t, then get an inspirational message calendar," Botan=0Aretorted, which pro=
mpted Kenshin to rub his head in sheepish discomfort=0Aonce more. But she t=
hen appended, "If you want to fight demons your way,=0Afine! If Yusuke and =
the others want to fight demons their way, fine!=0AThere are consequences t=
o both options, so we'll just have to wing it=0Aand stick to what we believ=
e is right! At least, that's how I see it.=0ATo each his or her own." It wa=
s a message that really hit home for the=0Aredhead.=0A=0ATo Botan's confusi=
on, Kenshin gave her a "thumbs up" sign and a=0Acongratulatory, "Thank you.=
 That was a way better answer than before."=0AOf course, he got another pad=
dle whack to the head for his efforts. It=0Awas at that point that the ferr=
y-girl realized her anger issues with=0AKenshin that rooted from his pencha=
nt for condescension. What was up=0Awith that? Did she need to go to a Reik=
ai Therapist or something?=0A=0ACome to think of it, she never remembered h=
erself to be so violent=0Abefore with Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, or Kurama, so=
 what was up with her=0Arepeated urge to beat Kenshin up? Repetitive violen=
ce played for laughs=0Awas more Keiko's shtick than Botan's, really. Did _K=
aoru_ have something=0Ato do with it? 'HEY! Violent kendo-girl! Just get ou=
t of my head=0Aalready!'=0A=0ABut even as the ferry-girl's mind went off in=
to another tangent, her=0Alips moved by themselves and mouthed, "Then there=
's your answer right=0Athere, Kenshin. You don't kill because you don't wan=
t to kill, and you=0Aknow the full consequences of killing. Getting the opi=
nion of another=0Aperson, whether he agrees with you or not, will probably =
do little to=0Achange your own stance on killing. Have a bit more faith in =
yourself and=0Ayour principles. That's the _true_ answer to your question."=
=0A=0A=0A***=0A=0A=0ATo be Continued...=0A=0ANext: S.K.Y.! Save Keiko Yukim=
ura!=0A=0AR.I.P., Shisejyu Genbu. You're the one-shot character that never=
=0Acould, yet you somehow managed to become more important than you=0Areall=
y are _because_ of Kenshin's direct influence on you after=0Ayour long and =
protracted fight.=0A=0AI'd say this is quite true in canon as well, in the =
sense that=0AKenshin was able to redeem Sanosuke, Soujiro, Aoshi, and even=
=0ASenkaku (just in case you think that Kenshin only redeems=0A_important_,=
 bishonen characters :P) after merely beating the crap=0Aout of them. =0A=
=0AEat your heart out, Nanoha--Kenshin's the real deal when it comes=0Ato p=
roving his love and friendship through superior firepower. Oh=0Await, my ba=
d; that's Son Goku's original shtick. ^_^;=0A=0ADisclaimer: Yuyu Hakusho is=
 the rightful property of Yoshihiro=0ATogashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV and St. Pi=
errot. Rurouni Kenshin is the=0Arightful property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and S=
ony. This disclaimer=0Aalso covers all the other copyrighted material that =
are far too=0Amany to mention here. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.=0A=
=0APaalam!=0AAbdiel=0A=0A