Author's Notes: Hey everyone... I'll probably explain more in depth in the next chapter, but stay with me! Please leave positive feedback! It makes me a whole lot more confident and actually look forward to updating. Not much else to say, except that I hope you enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin...
Tainted Black
Chapter One
For Peace
Any sensible person would be at home tending to their duties. They would certainly not be walking around at night in the middle of a storm. That would be the obvious and natural thing to do. However those rules didn't seem to apply to the two lone figures walking calmly to wherever their destination was. With rain falling down so hard, anyone would be fleeing to their home trying to escape the blinding flashes of lightening. That is, unless you were trying not to attract attention to yourself. This was a kingdom at war after all. Attracting attention is something that no one wants to do during a war. Unless you want to be arrested for suspicious behavior, it would be best if you stayed quiet.
The two figures both wore a cloak with the hood pulled tightly over their heads. They spoke quietly, their words being swept away by the puffs of wind.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" The softly whispered voice clearly belonged to a female. The two figures stopped for a moment, observing their surroundings warily, as if someone was listening amidst the loud rumbles of thunder.
"Yes, I'm quite certain that this is Kumamoto," said a gentle, reassuring baritone voice. The couple gazed into each other's eyes with a look of finality and continued their path a bit more hurriedly than before. They certainly felt more rushed, there were many houses and they had to discuss the matter at hand with them immediately. This arrangement was vital for the people of two warring kingdoms.
While their search for that house was proving fruitless, someone had seemed to answer their silent prayers. A large, crackling flash of lightening provided enough light for the two to see the house. It was a beautiful house, a house that stood by itself at the end of a bridge. Although they had been to this house numerous times before, the rain splattered onto their face which blurred their vision, and the harsh winds insisted upon biting their skin with chilly wisps of air. You could almost visibly see the relief radiating from the cloaked figures. They both began to run as fast as their legs could carry them, despite the fact that they were tired and soaked to the bone. Their heavy, sore legs pounded on the wet wood as they began to make their way to the house.
After what seemed like hours running across the seemingly endless bridge, they found themselves in front of a door. The female figure shivered, only it wasn't because of the rain. It was almost like a sense of dread…something wasn't right. It was almost as if someone was watching them.
Before they could even knock, the door opened, revealing a young brunette with chocolate brown eyes urging them into the house. The couple rushed in while the brunette shut and bolted the door closed. The mysterious figures removed their shoes while the petite young woman helped the two take off their cloaks. She quietly led the two to her living room where a tall raven-haired man with the most dazzling sapphire eyes stood.
The woman with chocolate eyes, known as Kamiya Yuko, walked over and stood beside the man whom was her husband, Kamiya Souta. As soon as they stood together side by side, they immediately dropped to the floor and bowed a low bow. "We are absolutely honored to be in your presence," Souta said. The couple smiled gently at their two dear friends who bowed before them.
"Please, stand up. You don't need to be so formal," said Himura Ayumi gently. Ayumi was a tall woman with average features. The only thing that stood out about her was her gorgeous blood red hair.
The Kamiyas awkwardly stood up. They didn't know how else to treat the Himura's…they were royalty.
"We are truly sorry…we just don't know how you are normally treated with respect…"Yuko said in a sincere voice.
"Nonsense! In this kingdom we don't have to go through formalities…After all, we are not the one's in control of this nation," said Himura Shinta with a joyful tone. Shinta was a lighthearted man with dark black hair. He always seemed to be in good humor, which is most definitely why so many people feel at ease whenever they are around him. The air seemed to be cut in half as the intensity ebbed away a bit. Everyone smiled at each other reassuringly, as if trying to prepare themselves for what was to come.
"Although this is a blissful reunion, we have business to tend to…"Ayumi said softly. With that statement the intensity seemed to be thickening all over again.
"She is right. This is no time to talk like these are the old times. Yuko, if you would please." Souta said with a hint of regret. "Yes, but before we do, let us sit down on the cushions," Yuko said. They all sat, bowed respectfully, and looked at Yuko.
Kamiya Yuko cleared her throat as she began to speak, "This ordeal and strife that our two kingdoms have entered is simply put, a living hellhole. There is an agonizing amount of bloodshed and the people now live in fear," Yuko stopped for a moment, looked in the eyes of her husband and her guests as she continued, "Everyone is terrified of what is to come. There have been countless assassinations, robberies, and even kidnappings. The people are begging for peace and my husband and I have decided to take whatever action is necessary to ensure the peace these people want with all of their souls!" Yuko's clear sorrowful voice resonated throughout the room as she concluded. They nodded slowly in unison, each thinking their own thoughts.
Himura Shinta broke the silence, an edge to his voice as he spoke, "You are such reliable friends, and we want peace as much as you do. So for the sake of peace, my wife and I have come up with a plan that will be guaranteed to fulfill just that. It's foolproof." The Kamiya's searched their faces questioningly, waiting for the plan.
Then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, it hit them. It was after all, the easiest form of an answer.
Yuko's face paled dramatically while her husband remained stoic. "You don't mean to tell us that you want…" Yuko didn't have enough mental strength to keep the quiver from her voice. The Himura's stared at them and nodded.
They knew this would be hard on the Kamiya's. If the Himura's were the type to buckle under emotional pressure and turmoil, they wouldn't have made it as far as they did.
"This is the only option left for us to take. Your King and Queen do not want to negotiate with us at all. They believe that as soon as we settle for peace, we will attack and take over," Himura Shinta said in a steely voice.
A few still moments passed before Souta spoke, "Is this the only way? Is there no other way to ensure peace?" It was soon obvious that although his apathetic mask was absolutely flawless, he couldn't manage to hide the emotion in his voice. The Queen and King slowly looked at each other, looked back at the distressed Kamiya's, and nodded. "Then we must," Kamiya Souta said, void of emotion. It took a few seconds for Yuko to fully comprehend what he said. "What?" Yuko's voice was barely above a whisper. Souta looked at his wife and said, "We must." There was no arguing with that tone of voice. Yuko felt helpless and she didn't like it one bit. "We can't let her go through with this," murmured Yuko in a monotonous voice.
Kamiya Souta and the Himura's looked shocked. Yuko almost never defied an order when her husband gave it. She was, in all sense, the perfect wife. She cooked, cleaned, was very polite, lady-like, very beautiful, and helped care for her child alongside with her husband. "Yuko…we must do this…its for the good of two kingdoms. If we don't accept there will be more bloodshed. Only from this point on it will be our fault, because we didn't agree to this," Yuko's husband said in a slightly raised voice.
Yuko looked sadly up at her husband and said, "Souta…you are willing to bring the happiness to these warring kingdoms…our Kingdom of Kyushu and the Himura's Kingdom of Chubu…and yet…your actions are proving that you are putting the welfare and happiness of the people, above our only daughter."
His breath hitched as his eyes flashed with unspoken anger. "Yuko, you know I care about our daughter more than life itself…but this will prevent a longer war! How can our daughter live in peace, when the two kingdoms itself are not in peace? These are horrible, horrible, times Yuko. There is senseless bloodshed everywhere! When you walk home from work at night, you at least hear one scream of somebody out there being tortured or even murdered!" he said in a firm voice.
The king and queen just sat quietly, hoping beyond hope that they would just agree. Yuko looked up at her husband with hesitance and worry. "She will never trust again. No matter how long we keep this from her she will find out. When she does, even if she loves us, it will turn into mistrust, hate, and she will never speak to us again," she said with tints of regret. The Kamiya's looked at each other, and slowly looked at the Himura's as they spoke their finalized answer in unison, "We accept."
Relief flickered quickly across the faces of the Himura's.
"Excellent, just excellent!" King Himura Shinta said in a loud voice. Himura Ayumi looked reproachfully at her husband, and stated quietly, "What about your daughter? What if she hears our conversation? My husband has a naturally loud voice…and shoji doors are, well…" The Kamiya's looked at each other, smiled, and laughed softly. "Our daughter is a very, rather abnormal heavy sleeper for her age. Especially since she has been wearing herself out practicing her swordsmanship…She has gotten quite good, and she now has her own katana…she sleeps with it like a child would sleep with a doll." Souta said with pride.
The Himura's looked at each other with slight distaste. "Are you sure you should be teaching her about swordsmanship… it's just not proper for…a lady of such standards to learn swordsmanship. She only started, so you should begin to discourage her." Himura Ayumi said with a small voice. Souta glared while Yuko decided to speak, "Actually, we can't discourage her. She has been practicing since she was 5 years old with a mere stick…she officially started learning by the time she was 7."
The Himura's facial figures contorted with disgust, but before either of them could say anything Souta said quickly "How is your son? Our daughter has always asked about him. She said she was disappointed that he couldn't make it to her 13th birthday. They haven't seen each other in two years after all." All thoughts of swordsmanship vanished as the Himura's thought about their sweet son. "He misses her as well, naturally. She was his largest source of friendship and entertainment. He was devastated when I told him that he couldn't see her because of the war between our kingdoms. These two years have been very boring for him indeed. Especially with him being prince and all…" Ayumi said in a kind voice.
Shinta then took the time to clear his throat to get their attention. "It was just wonderful hearing about your daughter again, but we have to get focused again…when will it take place? In a few months?" King Himura said in a matter-of-fact voice. Queen Himura Ayumi looked at the Kamiya's expectantly.
Only the Kamiya's looked dumbfounded. "In a few months…?" Yuko stammered.
The queen scoffed and said, "Of course! We can't put this off until later now can we?"
"She is only 13 years old! Surely you can't expect someone that young to…" Souta trailed off.
"I'm beginning to lose my faith in you Kamiya's…" King Himura said testily.
"Please understand…she is a free spirited child. To put her into that sort of predicament…is inexcusable." Yuko said quietly.
The Kamiya's stared at the Himura's in questionable silence, while the Himura's seemed perfectly content in glaring holes into the Kamiya's heads.
"Why our daughter? What about princess Tomoe?" Yuko blurted out in a desperate voice.
The king and queen looked sheepishly at her. "You do recall her scandalous activity about a year ago…"Queen Himura Ayumi said pleadingly. That was all she needed to say for the Kamiya's to understand. Their daughter was not of noble blood so there had to be some reason for the Himura's to ask something like this from them. The Himura's were obviously worried that another scandal would occur, and their "foolproof" plan would evaporate like water left in the blazing sun.
The Kamiya's still had their doubts however. "I thought that the court at Kumamoto castle said that she had changed. That she was purified and that her sin had been forgiven by the gods." Kamiya Souta stated suspiciously. "Yes, I recall hearing that as well. There was an ancient ceremony that had taken place at the purest water in the city. There was a sacred prayer done at the temple later on in the ceremony," Yuko said.
"We can't take our chances on matters such as these…you are our only hope and the next best choice would be you," the king said with a fleeting smile.
Of course the Kamiya's knew that, but they were in denial. They couldn't do this to her…she was only 13.
"Besides, we thought it would be easier on both of them since they know each other well…" Ayumi said with her most convincing voice. The Kamiya's looked at each other hesitantly. "We will accept…if you wait at least 3 years, when she is close to adulthood." Kamiya Souta said placidly. The Himura's glared coldly at the Kamiya's suggestion. "You wish for us to wait until she is mature enough to handle the situation…? How many more people will die in these 3 years of waiting? Of doing…nothing?" the king said in a deadly voice.
"We may have been friends for a long time…but this is absolutely ludicrous!!" the queen exclaimed. "Yes we have been friends for a long time haven't we…so to honor that friendship you should at least grant us this one request in the matter!" Yuko said determinedly. The Himura's heaved a great sigh. They couldn't bear to argue with their friends any longer. They both smiled gently at the Kamiya's, signaling that their one request had been granted.
"It's late, we should be getting back to the Chubu Kingdom. The walk from outside of the city gates to your house alone was roughly an hour due to the rain, and our carriage should be waiting outside of Kumamoto fairly soon. So as you can see, we don't have time for idle chatter, unfortunately," King Himura said apologetically.
"Certainly. You can't have your carriage riding around in the city to our house," Yuko said consolingly.
"It would arouse much more suspicion than we want," Kamiya Souta said.
The hosts walked their guests to the doorway, helping them put on their clothes and shoes. Kamiya Yuko opened the door, which led out into the rain that pored in torrents from the heavens.
The Himura's looked at them gratefully, but before they left the queen spoke, "This arranged marriage will be opening a door towards peace. My husband and I are confident that your daughter, Kamiya Kaoru, will live a happy life with our son Himura Kenshin."
"We hope so," Yuko said before clasping her hands with the queen's. After a few moments they let go, and the Himura's disappeared as the Kamiya's closed the door behind them.
Outside a mysterious woman was seated comfortably behind the trunk of a tree, quite close to the Kamiya household and within earshot of the…interesting conversation that had just taken place. The woman gracefully stood up from her place on the soggy ground and began to walk in the rain. She slowly walked, heading towards the informant who should be patiently waiting in a horse drawn carriage outside the city gates.
'So it has finally begun…' she mused with self-satisfaction as she took a shorter, faster route than the Himura's, so they would not notice the carriage, which bore the golden insignia of the Kinki Kingdom.