Hi everybody! This is the dragonemperess speaking. If you have read my work before, I think you may find yourself a bit disappointed. I will again be reusing a character of my own intervention. She has already played a lead role in my other works, but I love her too much to let her go. I enjoy dropping her in different worlds with different love interests. As I have only a vague idea of what is going to happen in the stories myself, I like to drop her in and see how it all plays out. Please review and let me know if you are interested in another chapter. Thank you and enjoy the show.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ruroni Kenshin or any of the characters that appear in the show/manga. I do however own the plot of this story and rest of the characters.
"What the hell was that?" The raven haired girl asked in confusion. "She came out of nowhere."
"It was a good thing too, we were about to have our butts handed to us. She took out those guys before you even got here. I think she was as fast as you Kenshin." Yahiko uttered the praise, also crouching next to the unconscious form. Koarou let out a ragged breath, exhaustion sweeping her form. She looked at the smooth cut running across the girl's form.
"Get Megumi." She ordered Yahiko. The child turned towards her and pouted, unhappy about having to abandon the mystery. Kenshin crept closer, having arrived at the tail end of the engagement.
"I don't mean to alarm, but I think that blow was meant for you Ms. Karou. That it was." The red haired man said softly. He had been too late. By the time he had sensed the danger and gotten there. The thugs had been laid out. One had managed to get up, had drawn his sword. Ran at Karou. He had been too far away to get to her in time. Had tried calling out, but the man was too close and Karou too slow to react. The girl had taken several steps, faster than he was used to seeing. Not fast enough to pull the raven haired girl away, but fast enough to step between the man and his target. She took a blow to the back, and he heard her hiss. In the same breath she had snatched the bokken in Karou's hand, turned and cracked it against the man's skull. He fell to the dirt unconscious. She handed the weapon back to the now stunned girl and thanked her for the loan. Karou managed to whisper a small thank you and the girl had smiled in return. And then she collapsed. The trio had rushed from their spots to the body. She was still breathing, but it was shallow. If Kenshin had to guess, it was poison.
Megumi showed up quickly, Yahiko and Sano in tow. She went into doctor mode and pushed away all the curious musings she had about the stranger. Without a word, she examined the wound. Confirmed Kenshin's suspicions. She checked the sword and found it was the vector of the contamination.
"I can neutralize it, but the process takes days. Even without that, the wound is rather nasty. I would like to stay with her to make sure it doesn't get infected." Megumi said.
"She can stay with us." Karou offered. It was the least she could do. The girl had helped when everyone had stood around. Had gotten hurt assisting her when those she grew up with were too afraid. Kenshin moved to pick her up, but was stopped when Sano grabbed him.
"Wait. I think I know her." The tall man said as he moved closer. Kneeling down, he turned her face slightly. A gasp escaped his lips. With a look of tenderness in his eyes, he scooped the girl up. Without a word he began carrying her to the dojo. The others rushed to catch up, confusion ample on their features. He carried her gently, with a giant smile on his face.
"Who is she?" Yahiko ventured, uttering the question the adults could not muster the courage to ask.
"A friend." Came the simple answer. Kenshin matched his pace with the taller man.
"Sano, I could have taken her. Your shoulder hasn't fully healed yet." The red head said. Sano shook his head.
"If she were to wake up and find you carrying her, she would freak out." He explained.
"What makes you different?" Karou interjected, trying to keep up with the two guys. He turned to her with a wry smile.
"Because I'm one of the lucky few." With those words he sped up home, wanting to get her comfortable as soon as possible. The way he moved, the others could tell no more questions would be answered until the girl in his arms was taken care of.
"Pack quickly Aiko. We can't be here any longer." The blue haired woman whispered as she threw as much as she could into the bags. They had to leave tonight.
"Yes Sumay-san" The young girl acknowledged the order and began to move more frantically. Both girls hurried getting whatever they thought they would need. The final touch was retrieving the money. Sumay knelt in the closet shuffling through the piles until she came across what she was looking for. Opening the small black box, she quickly grabbed the cloth sack and stuffed it into her obi. She had been hoarding money every chance she had for the past year. Originally she had been saving to buy a jeweled dagger for her father's birthday, but unfortunately she had to change plans. With things complete, they took the bags and snuck out of the manor. Her horse waited patiently just outside the stables. It was a beautiful animal, with flowing grey mane and a beautiful white coat. Sumay smiled at the animal, again grateful her father preferred not to give her jewelry and dresses. They loaded up the animal, then piled on. The horse was easily strong enough to carry the load, provided they went easy. This was why she kept the animal at a brisk walk even though they could be discovered at any minute.
Aiko's head lay on her shoulder. Sumay held the reins while the younger girl sat behind her. Poor thing was exhausted. She couldn't blame her. They had to act as if nothing was wrong. So the entire day they had gone about business as usual. Then when the others headed to bed, they headed to work. It was near dawn, and they had a long way to go.
The problem, and reason for this exodus, had all started six months before.
Sumay slide the door open quietly, hoping to be in and out before she was noticed. A sigh escaped her lips as she noticed Haruka, her older sister, already there. A maid ran a comb through her long brown hair, while another held up jewelry for her to choose from.
"To gaudy." She said waving away a gold obi brooch with a circle of ruby's set in the gleaming metal. A remnant of their mother's geisha past. Sumay cursed herself for her stupidity, leaving her favorite purse bag in here. It was on the other vanity, next to where her sister sat. She was thinking about snatching the cloth pouch up and racing out, but a voice stopped here.
"Sit down already. We leave soon and I want you looking your best." Haruka ordered glancing at her sister in the mirror. Not knowing what else to do, Sumay complied. Taking a seat, she waved off the maid that came to help. She looked in the mirror and pretended to smooth out her hair. Their family had been invited to a party. One of the local families was celebrating their only son's 27th birthday. Or so that was the presumption. The entire town knew the party was nothing more than an excuse for families to present their daughters to him. He was shopping around for a bride and everyone was lining up to parade in front of him. Well not everyone. Sumay had no interest in catching his eye and had demurred herself as much as possible. Her kimono was very simple, solid dark blue with a violet obi. Her hair was tied up in a simple low ponytail like the maids wore. Not a speck of makeup was on her skin, nor a single ornament adorning her. She only hoped she would be allowed to stay that way. Maybe she would get lucky and Haruka was almost done. She would finish up and leave, allowing Sumay to escape from this room. That hope vanished the moment the woman turned to her.
"You must be joking little sister."Haruka scolded. "You look absolutely frumpy."
"I know how much you like Haruto, and wanted to make sure I would not outshine you sister." Sumay said humbly, biting her tongue. Haruto was a bumbling pig of a man. Haruka held no affection for him. She simply wanted the standing he would provide. It was just how she had always been. Her first husband had been a sweet man. A low level officer in the military from a decent family. They had been married less than a year when he fell in battle. In public she wept, but Sumay had seen the other side. The side were she breathed a sigh of relief that she could look for better prospects. She had enjoyed the attention and respect of being an officer's wife. But it lacked the lofty position she craved. Sumay had liked her brother in law and was crushed by how callous her sister could be.
"Appreciated but not necessary." Haruka said as she applied the last touches of makeup. Sumay felt the tiniest twinges of pity. It was well known that Haruka, though fairly attractive, was always in the shadow of her little sister. It was a shame really. She wanted to attract attention, while Sumay would have been content to just sit in the shadows. Yet fate seemed to decide the youngest sister deserved the blessing of beauty.
Without another word, the mahogany haired woman stood and walked out. Her personal maid rushed out after her, clutching the selected jewelry. Sumay looked at the mirror and sighed with relief. For a moment she was convinced Haruka would have forced her to change. The woman was beyond controlling. But perhaps her desire for power was overwhelming her desire to control. Haruka wanted to marry a powerful man, to rule a kingdom and have people cater to her whims. Sumay was content with her life just the way it was. Her father was a low ranked noble with plenty of land and money. He was passing on their family's sword technique to her. People had assumed when she was born his disappointment was because she had not been the male heir he had wanted. As it turned out, he simply wanted someone to pass the style onto. He didn't care that she was a girl. He didn't care that it may have harmed her prospects of marriage. He had been elated when she asked to be trained. Unlike many nobles, he did not use his daughters as pawns for more power. He preferred they choose their own fate. That is why he happily allowed his eldest to marry beneath them, and his youngest to still be a maiden at the age of 20. Even though people had begun to talk, he was content to let her focus on her training.
Looking at her plain appearance in the mirror, Sumay couldn't help but laugh. She could be confused for the help. Even though her father would honor her wishes, she did not want to put him in the awkward position of having to turn someone down.
"And how are you enjoying the festivities?" The man asked as he walked up next to her. Sumay recognized him as the birthday boy.
"They are wonderful Haruto-san." She answered politely and hoped he would move on. The hopes were dashed.
"You look very beautiful today Sumay-san. I think you must be the prettiest girl here." He complimented, leering at her. She lowered her eyes in the pretense of being humble.
"Surely you jest. There are far greater beauties present then I." She said softly. In her mind she was screaming for him to just leave her alone. He was watching her, and she found the attention quite creepy.
"Nonsense. From the moment you entered I could not take my eyes off you." She suppressed the chill that ran down her spine. It seemed her plan had failed. She had made herself plain and attempted to blend in with the crowd. But still managed to catch the bastard's eye. She endured a bit more polite small talk before excusing herself, claiming she needed to speak to her father.
Sumay shivered at the memory, and those that followed. Haruto had asked for her hand soon after. Thankfully her father had turned him down. But the bastard was persistent. He continued his pursuit, but her father made a wonderful barrier. Unfortunately, her father had been called upon to train soldiers practically on the other side of the country. Their mother went to give whatever support she could. That had left Haruka in charge. She wanted an alliance, even if she had to whore her sister out to do it. Aiko had just been bought into her house to be her personal maid. They had become friends and she felt obligated to inform her mistress when she overheard Haruto and Haruka talk.
Over the course of her stay, they had grown quite close. Apparently Aiko's family had been distraught when she left home. But it was necessary. Her uncle had a gambling problem and had gone into massive debt before he died. She had actually met Sumay's parents when they visited the temple in her home village. Their fathers had talked, and eventually they made a deal. They were given enough money to pay off their debts and all it would cost was a year of the girl's labor. Aiko exchanged letters with her family constantly and it was obvious how much her family missed her. The girl had been given to Sumay as a gift, so on the girl's birthday she was given her freedom. But then the news of the forced engagement came to light and Aiko was not willing to let her friend be trapped like that. She insisted that Sumay come home with her. She could hide in her family's house until her father returned. He would put an end to the sordid mess. The betrothal would be broken and she could resume her life of training. As if nothing had ever happened.