Kenshin's eyes softened, just for a moment. He looked tired, standing there, holding Okita back. And he was. He was tired of all this fighting, all this pain. The truth was, he had killed them. Not the ranked officers, but he'd killed...more Shinsengumi than he could remember. He couldn't remember all of the men he'd killed. Their faces blended together in the same mask of pain and blank horror, and he couldn't for the life of him make out individual features.

He pushed back, holding the stance, before Okita suddenly broke and lunged for his chest. Kenshin couldn't dodge or block in time, so he turned to take the attack with his already injured left shoulder. The sword went all the way through, but it gave him a window. The pain was...staggering, and it took all had not to scream. Lunging had left Okita open. Not that much, but it was enough. Kenshin stepped forward, faster than Okita could react, and slashed him across the chest.

He hadn't switched the sakabatou. The blunt side of the blade hit quickly and cleanly, with a lot of force. Maybe, just maybe, it would be enough.