A/N (Aroihkin's Notes) / Chapter originally written on 08.01.2003.
01.01.2005: First re-write. 07.20.2007: Second re-write.
Review archives and review-replies can be found on AroWrites(dot)Net.

[[ Note added 12.25.2009: Please note that while a small handful of these chapters have been touched-up in 05 and even in 07, as you progress you'll start seeing my 2003 versions in all their painfulness. Bloodstained was always intended to be expanded on and re-worked - this basically started as a skeleton - but it became too daunting and has since been abandoned.

Between its size (in general ambition; number of sub-plots, charted-out chapters, etc) and the fact that I hadn't seen the OVA or had access to the manga at the start of the original writing, it's just never been something that could be fixed with some simple editing. I still hope to someday rebuild it from scratch, but in the meantime; read at your own risk, knowing that it is really very old and is really very skeletal as the chapters progress. ]]

Bloodstained Steel
Chapter One

"Please! Stop!" the shout was barely audible over the blood roaring in his ears, barely registered at all with the distractions of his narrowing vision, his racing heart, the bite of stiff rope cutting off the circulation to his hands.

Not to mention the peasant in front of him, lowering a torch to the brush he stood amongst. Even his feet had been lashed to the thick pole behind him after he'd kicked the first of his captors in the throat hard enough to crush his trachea.

He was certainly strong for such a small man, both in height and build, and young to boot. But he was injured, unfamiliar with the territory, unarmed and far out-numbered... they'd gotten awfully lucky to have caught him in the first place.

The captive man could feel blood trickling down his fingers and his once-sandaled feet from his struggles against the rope. A few seconds later, he couldn't register even that as the flames began to lick at his legs, growing hotter and hotter and no way to pull back from it.

It... hurt. His hakama began to smoulder, his skin felt less like skin and more like hot iron pressed against his nerves, all over, searing deeper and deeper...

A flash of something metal caught his eye before the man couldn't see at all anymore. His clothing had caught fire for real, now, and he threw back his head and screamed, incapable of thought around the pure, tangible, white-hot agony.

And that was when - with a thud to the side of his head that he didn't even register - his world blacked out.

"I couldn't care less who he might be," Someone he couldn't see spoke from within the darkness surrounding him. The voice was snappish, and female. "He's hurt, and that's all that matters."

"But... he's that guy everyone has been talking about!" A younger, male voice protested. "He's here to kill us all!"

"He's certainly not going to be doing any of that any time soon in the condition he's in." Even more snappish, now. "I believe I can handle someone who can't even stand on his own, Teshi, now go home, and don't say a word about this to anyone!"

He would have frowned if he had at least been able to see around him to assess the situation, but he realized that the darkness all around him was really just because his eyes wouldn't open, no matter how hard he willed them to. The man was vaguely aware of his right leg being moved, but he couldn't even keep track of how as the pain re-intensified for a moment and then was replaced by something soothing and cool.

Despite himself, he relaxed. He was in no condition to really fight that, after all, and any relief had to be a good sign. Something cool and damp - cloth? It was hard to even feel the texture, his nerves were so overloaded - was pressed to his forehead.

Pain lanced through him again, albeit not nearly as badly, as he was levered slightly upright, lolling and unresponsive head against a... knee? Shoulder? Was that an arm under his shoulders and neck? He couldn't tell, and wanted desperately to panic, but held on tight to the impulse and fought it back down again.

His mouth was opened, something was... poured in, and... were those fingertips...? His throat was stroked over and over until he was forced to swallow the unknown fluid. If he'd had the energy, he might have spit it out, and if he'd had more sense at the time he would have known it probably wasn't poison. Why pull him out of the fire just to kill him another way?

But he lacked either, and so it was just as well that whatever it was slowly stole his consciousness away. It seemed to trickle for a moment, alarmingly, and then... nothing but a dreamless, thoughtless night.

Rurouni Kenshin © someone else. All here that is not found in the manga and/or anime... is mine. Never steal if you value your spleen.

Reviews are lovely, reviews make the Aro happy, and a happy Aro is more inspired to write. However, they are not absolutely required, and flames will result in a very annoyed Aro. I'm not forcing you to read my stuff, you must realize. So I've no sympathy for you if you read it, hate it, and yet can't keep your pointer off the review button.

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