A.N.- this is just fic that I decided to write. I have always liked the Kenshin and Tomoe pairing. Of course I am a big fan of Kenshin and Kaoru, I just think that TomoexKenshin seems to get overlooked often. I wanted to write a fic dedicated to them. I've always thought Tomoe was a very enigmatic and interesting character. I wanted to get a chance to write about her.
I wanted to start this fic from near the end of Tomoe and Kenshin's time together, but during the story I will back it up to flashbacks and switch between the present and past. It's my first fic!
Please feel free to review, and note that neither Rurouni Kenshin nor its characters belong to me, but to its creator and mastermind Nobuhiro Watsuki-san.
The Confluence of HeartsChapter 1
It was the day of the first snowfall. Tints of pallid blues and greys dappled the vast hills of farmland and intermixed with cold white as they drifted from the crystalline sky, which invariably consisted of broad clouds overhead.
The air had a vague chill that tickled the flesh when exposed to it. It was the commencement of autumn, where all things in nature took upon a delicate external face. Animals saw this alteration in their environment as an end to their gathering and a beginning to their rehabilitation. They crept into the underground and crevices where they could hide from the sting of ice upon their paws.
The hard season had begun. The farmers took this as a sign to gather up what harvest they had left and store it for the upcoming winter. It was difficult in the isolation of the mountains of Japan, yet there was a quiet and rural life of solitude that many would have longed to have compared to experiencing the turmoil that ravaged the cities.
Tomoe had once loathed the very idea of going to the rustic lifestyle of a peasant wife. She had not taken a quick liking to the part that she had been given to play. Yet she was a mastermind of putting up a fortified pretense. She donned the card of a wife of a young medicine merchant and carried out her duty in a solemn and compliant silence.
Being eighteen and having much clouding her mind already, she would have preferred to be anywhere but the mountains. Yet Tomoe knew that these desires to be free were selfish and foolish. It did not take her long to adapt, for she was a naturally capable adapter as well as a worker.
Tomoe never expressed her disinterest in the countryside, nor did she expect to develop a quiet liking to it. She found it more appealing compared to the gossip and drama entangled with Kyoto. Yet within that city lie memories.
There were memories of a childhood where she always supported the role of mother for her younger brother. She had always seemed to be in the role of something, which was in an essence never her choice. The role of a caregiver had been the only which had she sincerely taken upon as her own.
The memory of a death of an admirer and his eventual bloody assassination in the dark alleyways of Kyoto remained lucid in her mind. It was a fervid recollection that always reappeared to Tomoe, but one that she was forced to quell in order to keep her equanimity.
There were other memories, which had been most recent, that Tomoe found herself thinking about more often. She spoke not of these memories, for they involved a young man who was the very cause of both her suffering and her mixed feelings at the present moment.
Her companion and supposed "husband" played the charade just as cleverly as she, yet he was different in his performance. Kenshin was in contrast to her, had a subtle amiable quality and kindness that people took a liking to. The children flocked to him with smiles beaming on their faces and begging him to play with them.
The famed hitokiri, now a friendly medicine man, began to know his fellow villager's names and their needs, he recognized the land, and what weather would bring what kind of crops. Kenshin was clever, yet not clever in the sense that Tomoe was.
Tomoe was never malevolent in nature; she was just never open with her feelings. Kenshin spoke rarely of his feelings, yet he had a much easier time doing it than she did.
The two treated each other with a distant respect. Tomoe was the detached and dutiful wife and Kenshin the hardworking and kind husband. They remained closed doors to each other and let each day pass by without opening them.
Tomoe thought her companion peculiar, for he was so young, yet so wise in experience. He muffled his true sincerity because of his wounded heart. His eyes had seen which should not be seen. His hands had been sullied with the blood of many and his mind altered by differing ideals and loyalties.
Kenshin had become a creature that killed without hesitation for one cause. He had allowed himself to be used, his strength and bloodlust to be nurtured, and his power unleashed for the sake of "equality" and "justice". He himself never spoke of what he thought justice was, nor mentioned what it was like to see a victim's light leave their eyes.
His loyalty was unwavering and his will resolute, yet in his heart there was a tremor and cry that Tomoe had sensed since she first met him. It was a cry of youth, innocence, and candidness that had been gradually swallowed up by the influences of the revolution.
Being in the countryside had lessened the dangerous hold over Kenshin's heart, as well as Tomoe's. They could both sense that darkness lifting and a new day dawning before their eyes.
Yet in their situations, so much remained uncertain. One day Kenshin would return to that hell-induced life, smothered with chaos and clashing idealists for the old and the foreign. Tomoe then would be left to herself to linger with a purpose.
Her purpose had been to avenge her destroyed happiness and the death of Kiyosato, her lover. Tomoe had not yet told Kenshin of this man, or that he was the cause for her suffering as well as them getting placed in the country to live with one another.
Her hesitance increased with each passing day. The two of them grew more accustomed to the banality and simplicity of their new life and to the company of one another. Kenshin began to smile, and Tomoe found a spark of warmth emerge from the deep recesses of her weary heart.
She knew her intentions, yet she waited longer and longer to go through with them. Kenshin remained naïve to her heart, for it was always closed to him. She was kind to him in a cool sense. The boy did not object to her indifference, yet he seemed somewhat saddened by it. Her reticence and lack of expression confused him, so he thus attempted to start conversations with her in an attempt to brighten the mood.
Kenshin sometimes took Tomoe to the village with him. During the summer they had worked on the crops together, fished together, and even taken evening strolls with one another. They seldom spoke to one another, but little did they know how much they watched each other.
The two observed each other incessantly with a curious and longing keenness. Tomoe was always wary and submissive. Kenshin was alert and wondered about the woman's persistent somberness. He wanted to know more about the woman he spent time with and gotten used to her presence. He found her to be the kindest person he had ever met; yet he never told her that.
Tomoe baffled him, if only she knew how much he wanted to know more about her. Kenshin played with the village children often and she would always watch. She watched him so intently, which both unnerved and thrilled him. She was so sober, which frightened the children. They said she was an ice princess, which only made the young samurai laugh.
It was now the first day of winter and the wind nipped at the exposed skin of the passersby. It was not yet frigid, yet chilly enough to unsettle people.
Kenshin was traveling back home carrying his box of medicine and herbs strapped to his back after a day's work. He donned a thick kimono and wore a violet scarf that Tomoe had made for him. She had said the color suited him and stated that he needed to wear warmer clothing. The next day she had insistently wrapped the scarf about his neck after spending the whole day making it.
It was not yet mid-day. Tomoe was outside sweeping with a sore-looking broom and had her ebony black hair pulled back along with the long sleeves of her pale kimono. She glanced up at Kenshin as he entered and stared at him with her deep black orbs of eyes.
"You've come early today. I've yet to make dinner," she said whimsically, as she continued to swish the broom about.
Kenshin set down the pack that was on his back and nodded his head in greeting. "Actually I was thinking we could buy a fish at the market. We could have it for dinner with some pickled plum and rice. Doesn't that sound lovely? We've not had that in a long while."
Tomoe blinked at the cheerfulness in his tone. She stood upright and stopped her ministrations as she faced him. Kenshin was looking at her warmly and the corners of his lips rose into the faint outline of a smile. His violet eyes glimmered with a vague light of content and the wind brushed back his long red hair ever so slightly.
Tomoe nodded slowly. "If that is what you wish."
That does sound nice.
Kenshin smiled. "Good. It's cold. You'll want to bring a shawl."
The two of them made their way to the village in a soft silence. Kenshin looked around, observing the nature and strolling leisurely. Tomoe walked with slow, graceful movements and kept a few paces behind the hitokiri. She watched his back and saw him glance back at her.
"The medicine I sell will help make up for the lack of harvest this year. I am buying us some fish as a reward for our hard work. The winter will be a hard one, so we'll have to take care," Kenshin stated.
Tomoe spoke quietly. "That's kind of you."
Kenshin shrugged. "Follow me.
Tomoe followed curiously, and realized they were heading a different direction than usual. They bypassed crops, went through a few fields, before they came to a narrow and curved stream. Kenshin walked alongside it and led Tomoe by the hand to cross it.
He led her to a hill overlooking the rushing water where the sun illuminated it, creating a pleasant radiance. Tomoe watched as Kenshin plopped down in the grass to take a rest. He motioned for her to sit beside him and sighed as she complied.
"It's beautiful. It is a pity that it will freeze soon. You know, I was thinking we could grow more crops in the spring. I hope I am not called back to war soon. I have come to like it here. It's nice being away for a while. Don't you think?" Kenshin said languorously, and rested his arms beneath his head.
Tomoe glanced around and took in the serenity about her. "It is nice. Do you think they will have you return before spring?" A hint of emotion lingered in her voice and she stared at him with a tint of avidness.
Kenshin's eyes narrowed and his face turned staid. He became sober and shrugged. "One cannot say. The enemy will likely think my sword skills have waned. I cannot refuse if I am summoned. My duty is to the Choshu."
He saw something that he recognized as disappointment in Tomoe's eyes. It was a faint flicker and she looked away. Kenshin sighed and stared at the ripples in the water. "I hope that doesn't happen anytime soon though. I want to get next years crops in and see the cherry blossoms bloom for the first time."
Tomoe glanced back at him softly. "Do you want to go back to that; killing people?"
Kenshin appeared pained and he tensed. "They are relying on me to help win this war. I told you that it is my duty. I pledged myself to the Ishin Shishi." He paused before his form slackened. "It's been nice getting away from it all for a while. It's helped me realize more not only about the war, but about myself as well. I like it here, with you and the others. After the war I might come back here. What do you plan to do once this is over Tomoe?"
The woman looked at him with an involuntary stiffness. "I am not sure." She spoke the truth, for she found herself becoming more indecisive as each day passed.
Kenshin nodded slowly and studied her ashen face, which was set in a demure expression. Her dark oval eyes lessened in their severity and took upon their natural delicate beauty. The hitokiri inclined his head slightly and examined the graceful angle of the woman's jaw.
Tomoe felt him glide a finger lightly along her jaw. Kenshin's feather touch caused her heart to skip a beat and her rosy lips parted open as a gasp threatened to arise in her throat.
"You are very beautiful Tomoe."
Tomoe's icy exterior began to crack somewhat by those words. She looked at Kenshin as if startled, and her cheeks colored. She said nothing as the boy grinned at her smoothly before standing up.
"We better get going. It's getting late and we have to get that fish," Kenshin said swiftly. He extended his hand to her and Tomoe stared at it before gripping it. He helped her rise to her feet, and she stood there staring at him for a few moments as if in a daze.
The two of them went to the village and retrieved the fish. They walked back home in silence and Tomoe found herself staring at Kenshin in wonder.
He said I was beautiful?
A memory came to her, of someone who had said something similar.
"My beautiful Tomoe…"It had been young man who had said that, who had a pleasant expression and enthusiasm for life. He had been so attentive and caring. She had fallen in love with his zealous nature, yet she could never have told him.
Then he left for war to prove his worth to her…
Tomoe saddened as she recalled getting the letter, which had revealed his death. Assassinated in an alleyway of Kyoto…
She glanced up at Kenshin who was walking contentedly and seemed to be drifting in his own world. Tomoe's face darkened and she breathed heavily.
You killed Kiyosato…She remembered how she had wept and wandered later, drowning her misery in alcohol.
Amber eyes, cold steel dripping with crimson…a head full of red hair…a lithe and godlike swing, and the agonizing cry…blood spurting into the air as the body hit the ground…
Then it rained blood…
She had met those eyes, so hardened and piercing like the sharp steel of a blade.
Tomoe glanced at Kenshin and realized something.
Amber…
He looked at her for a moment over his shoulder and her eyes widened with the realization.
No, violet…
Tomoe blinked and Kenshin blinked back. "Are you all right?"
The woman nodded quickly in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I must have dozed off."
Kenshin stared at her for a moment before shrugging and turning away. Tomoe stared at him uneasily before resting a hand to her brow.
That's odd. I could have sworn his eyes were amber. I must have been imagining things.
She dismissed the thought before catching up with Kenshin.
To be continued…