Fascination
by Inner Voice

In the early morning light, Okita Souji sat staring blankly out of his bedroom window. He usually enjoyed watching the people in the street below, but this morning he saw only the Hitokiri Battousai as he went over last night's skirmish again and again in his head. He had finally come face to face with the elusive assassin…

Souji remembered the thrill of anticipation that had gone through him as he prepared to fight the master swordsman whose handiwork he had already seen. He had been with the group that found Soudou's body and broken sword, and he had instantly known that he had to have the privilege of facing such a skilled opponent. And Battousai had not disappointed him, last night. Their fight, though short, had been intense, and the exhilaration he had felt could not be dimmed even by the onset of one of his coughing spells. The hitokiri moved as quick as thought, and his sword strokes were amazingly powerful for one so small and young.

The young Shinsengumi captain smiled slightly. Many had said the same about him. Still, even though he knew from personal experience that a good swordsman didn't necessarily have to be a large person, Battousai was definitely not what he had expected. The assassin looked to be little more than a boy…Souji wondered how old he was—surely not more than seventeen! So young to be so cold…

He was as short as Souji, with a slim, delicate-looking frame. His features were striking, finely drawn and set in a pale face that stood out against the darkness of the night and the assassin's black clothes. Last of all, his hair…Souji had dismissed the rumors of blood-colored hair as the product of hysterical exaggeration or bad eyesight, but last night he had seen Battousai's red hair for himself.

All in all, Battousai's appearance was startling…and undeniably beautiful. But it was a cold, sullen kind of beauty that didn't attract Souji at all.

Souji shook his head abruptly, yanking his thoughts back to the present. Why should it matter to him whether or not he found the Hitokiri Battousai attractive? All he needed to know was that the assassin was an expert swordsman, and it would be a pleasure to confront and defeat him.

The young captain smiled again and placed a hand on his sword's hilt as he vowed:

'Someday soon, Battousai…we will meet again.'

Author's Notes:

This is my first shounen-ai story, posted in honor of the first International Day of Slash. All you yaoi fans know that "slash" is the English term for yaoi, right? Well, the cool people over at the Library of Moria (www.libraryofmoria.com) declared July 1 as a holiday to celebrate our favorite hobby. So please spread the news, and I wish everybody a very happy International Day of Slash!