Tokyo Japan, 11th year of the Meiji Era (1878)
A short, red-headed man with a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek scrubbed away at some sheets, humming happily under his breathe.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru called.
The man looked up, blue eyes wide in question.
"What is it Miss Kaoru?" he said standing up and wiping his hands.
"I just got a letter from Misao! She's coming to visit from Kyoto!" she said running up to him waving a letter in her hand.
He smiled. "She is? When will she be arriving?"
"Tomorrow!" she said showing him the letter.
"This one thinks we should go out when she arrives, in celebration for our reunion, that we should."
"When are we going out?" said Yahiko as he rounded the corner, a shinai (wooden sword) over his shoulder.
"Not like you're going, Yahiko. You'll just eat all the food."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Miss Kaoru! Yahiko! It was just a suggestion, that it was!" Kenshin said.
Tokyo Japan, 2035
"Come on Renji!" I yelled skipping though the puddles.
"I'm-coming!" huffed Renji. "How-How can a girl beat me!"
""Cause I'm special and you're slow and fat." I said sticking my tongue out at him.
At age 5, I was crueler than a lion tamer and spunkier than a drama queen. But I had already made a friend, even with my horrible attitude towards everyone.
I reached the curb and jumped into the dirty puddle, making water splash all over the approaching Renji. He shook out his messy dark hair and frowned. "My mommy said that's icky water."
"And my mommy says stay out of my way, idiot." I smiled happily.
The rain that had been falling all week on and off again started again, at first a slight drizzle, then pounding pellets. Ominous thunder and lightning flashed across the sky. Renji jumped closer to me when a particularly loud thunder clap clashed through the darken sky, echoing across the busy streets of Tokyo.
I reached up to press the button for the crosswalk, but I was to short. I strained to reach, cold droplets of rain falling down the back of my purple rain coat. Then warm gloved hands picked me upfrom my armpits and hoisted me up, to press the button.
I looked up to meet the starling sweet blue eyes of my papa. He smiled and pushed my now soaking hair from my face and held an umbrella over both me and Renji. Even in my favorite purple raincoat with the skull pockets and big rain boots and cargo boy shorts, I was soaked to the bone.
"Come. I don't think Renji's mom would be happy if he caught a cold." Daddy said as he walked us across the street when the light said to walk.
"It's not the water that gives me the cold, its the bacteria in the water." he said.
"Smarty cat." I said sticking my tongue out at him.
We reached Renji's house and bade him good bye, then started our way home.
"Kyo, is it okay we go to my office? i need to pick up some paperwork for a big project." he said.
"Okay!"
We walked the four blocks to his office, the rain getting harder and our only shield was the polk-a-dot umbrella. We reached the huge 10 story building, all shiny and sleek in the rain.
Inside the building, it was warm and thankfully dry. The lady at the front with the big curls in her hair smiled warmly when she saw my daddy and me.
"A day outside in the rain, eh Mr. Himura?" she smiled. "Oh and Kyo! Just your luck. We have one more blue raspberry lollipop left." she handed me the lollipop and I smiled and said thank you.
We went into the elevator. When the doors closed, Daddy said "Now press 4 Kyoyo." I absolutely love buttons. I pressed the glowing "4" and then the elevator went smoothly up, me humming 'Poker Face' by Lady Gaga happily.
"Kyo, you're all wet." Daddy said smiling. He leaded down and started wringing some of the water out of my hair. My red choppy hair in crooked 4-way pigtails, one with a purple X clip on one were dripping wet. My hair was still wet when he finished, it just wasn't dripping all over. We reached the fourth floor, a clean place with shining white lights and simple décor.
(sorry it's so boring, just sit tight! The good stuff is coming! I promise)
We went to Daddy's office. It was messy and looked out of place in such a clean place. A picture of me in a wooden black frame with glitter along in (made by yours truly) held a picture of me on a swing, red choppy hair down and sticking in odd angles all over my head.
I giggled and pointed. "Daddy. That picture's old! My hair is longer and I'm 5! Not 4!"
"You're right." He said putting on his glasses on hugging me. "But I like that picture of you. It's a memory caught in the moment that will never be repeated. A memento of my little girl of how she looked at one point."
"But you see me every day!"
"I do, but as you pointed out, you're not 4. So I keep this as a reminder of you when I can't see you."
"Okay!" he went to his desk and I started playing with the water bird on his desk. We stayed like that for a while, me playing and giggling at the bird with the plastic top hat, while Daddy organized some papers on his desk. The sounds outside were not part of our warm little world of peace. How the lightning flashed across the sky right before the thunder boomed through the city. The relaxed air that lay in this room nice, and I wanted every day to be like this.
But little did I know that that peace would be broken by bombs.
A whirring sound of a plane pierced through the dark clouds, followed by many more. An explosion shook the building, making the water bird tip over.
"Kyo!" Daddy grabbed me and ran from the building, forgetting the papers and his coat.
Another explosion filled the air. This time, the ceiling behind us collapsed. Screams filled the air, along with the smell of ash, wood, smoke, and fear. Daddy ran towards the stairway, with people running towards the same stairwell. Screaming and in chaos, people who tripped stayed down, unable to get up from all the chaos. The building creaked as we ran down the stairs, Daddy holding me close to him, my head pressed against his shoulder.
"Out of the way! I have a child!" Daddy yelled, many people didn't move, but some helped him along. Daddy once told me when he read about 9/11, that fear can bring out either the best or worst in people. That when they faced death, they either only care for themselves, or wish for the well-being of others.
BOOOOMMMMM!
A bomb landed on the first floor, people being thrown through the hole in the floor, down 3 stories, or caught on fire. Daddy exited the stairwell to the third floor, where people where lying on the ground. Why are they doing that?
We reached the broken window, a long fall to the ground.
"Kyo, if Daddy doesn't make it, I want you to know that I love you, and that I'll always be with you. I know you can take care of yourself, and that you have a strength that can match the great Hitokiri Battosai, Kenshin Himura. And to please smile." Daddy looked panicked. Fear filled his eyes and love for me as he held me tight. It hurt me to see him like this.
"Daddy, it's okay. We'll be okay." He smiled. I could see the hope in his eyes through the smoke filled air, making me even more hopeful. Daddy's strong, so strong and that's what makes me strong.
A whistling filled the air, getting louder and more intimidating. Daddy looked up and gasped.
A huge explosion filled the air behind us, blasting us from the building. We flew through the smoke and terror filled air, me clamped tightly in Daddy's warm embrace, a scream ripped from my lungs as we fell, fell, fell.
Big arms were wrapped around me, warm and smelling of soot and ash. I couldn't breathe. Sirens filled the air, along with screams and explosions. Suddenly a sharp pain took over me.
I sat up quickly, only to make my head spin. I sat in a red pool. Of what? Cherry Kool-Aid? Melted gumdrops? God's tears?
Then I saw the source. It was my arm.
Except there wasn't an arm. It was a dark red melted gumdrop mess oozing from the stump where my arm was. I couldn't feel it. It was just. . . not there.
"Daddy?" I looked around, my eyes falling on his black suite with the purple shirt. He looked weird, laying there awkwardly. "Daddy?" I said louder. I shook him with my left hand. "Daddy! Wake up!"
I turned his head, only to be met by broken glasses and a blank stare.
"Daddy!" I slapped him. "Daddy! It's not a good time to practice sleeping with your eyes open! Wake up! Please!" He didn't tears filled my eyes. I willed myself not to cry. Grandma told me tears made you weak. Grandpa said tears make you human.
"God dammit Daddy! Wake up!" I screamed.
He didn't.
"Hey kid! Are you okay?" About 5 firefighters came over. They stopped d4ead when they saw me. Then rushed over. "We need a paramedic stat! This girl's sitting in a pool of her own blood!"
He grabbed me and started hoisting me up, but I screamed and kicked and held on to Daddy. "No! No! I'm fine! Help Daddy! He won't wake up!"
"Honey, " said a firefighter, only this one was a lady. She spoke calmly despite the situation. "You're daddy isn't going to wake up. He's in a better place."
I couldn't believe it. I won't.
So I did the sensible thing. I screamed and pounded on my daddy's chest. "Wake up! Wake up, dammit! If you don't I'll never share my Cheetoh's with you ever again! Please!" Tears streamed down my face, mingling with the melted gumdrops/blood and soot.
"DADDY!" I awoke with a cry, bolting from my bed in cold sweat. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.
I breathed in heavy gasps, not getting enough air into my lungs. I could almost taste the soot, blood, and tears again. The fires still blotched across my vision, along with the haunting image on my father's lifeless face.
"Oh God." I ran my fingers through my mangled long red hair, now a total rat's nest. "It was only a dream."
A dream of the worst day of my life.