Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is the sole property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Sony, and Jump Comics. Any resemblance to affiliated characters, events, or scenarios are purely the brainchild of a starving artist who has neither money nor legal expertise, so don't sue her!!
Warnings: Slight spoilers, nothing that is not already obvious from the outcome of the anime. No yaoi, but some hints at sexuality, and extensive use of profanity. This fanfiction will stay PG-13. Well, at least for now. ~_^
Author's Note: Thanks to Silent Sensei for helping me proofread this and correcting my grammar. I still owe you a daquiri from Tony Chang's!!
Prologue:
There are some things in life that you long to hold onto, but the closer you get to them, the more danger they are in. No one knows this lesson more painfully than a man who loves a woman very much, but can never tell her because the desire to protect her is stronger than the desire to have her.
This is real love, but as the saying goes, "love hurts." Especially when it is one-sided.
Or, when a man thinks it is one-sided.
This is a story about a man above men; a man who amended his killing nature and his bloody lifestyle. A man who became a wanderer to purge his own sins and to prevent further bloodshed of people at his own hand. Himura Kenshin, who carries a reverse-blade sword to honor his vow never to slay again. Truly a prince among men, but would you guess it? From such a small, quiet figure as his?
Maybe not. But you would see it, in his fierce loyalty for his friends, and his unspoken love for his companion. This is a story that carries his story, before it ends as we know it, but after it has begun to be told. Sit back, relax, and listen to Tsumi as I tell you a story set in the Meiji era of Japan, when swords were banned and the time of the samurai was freshly buried. Before the arrival of Kenji and after the death of four Kyoto Oniwabanshuu, here is a story about what happens when the wanderer's woman is threatened by a foe quite unlike any he has dealt with before.
Chapter 1: The stage is set
All is quiet. The birds are silent in their nests, the grasshoppers have ceased their nightly music, and even the stream trickles noiselessly through the still forest. Heat hangs over the land like a blanket, stifling the Tokyo inhabitants in the dark of night. In the distance, a dog emits a short bark. The sound is swallowed up in the vacuum and even the echoes sound pitifully weak. The dog does not bark again.
Out of the stillness, a man appears, his feet swishing through the dry grass as he hurries along. He walks past a house and looks up to read the name on the gate. No, he shakes his head and continues on. He comes to another house, and again he reads the name. No, that's not right. This process is repeated for several yards, until finally he reaches a moderately sized house, framed by several saplings. He lifts his straw hat to read the name, and smiles in relief. Yes, this is the one. One hand reaches into his satchel, and out comes a small vial of white powder. He flings out his hand and spreads it out into the yard, watching in satisfaction as one single, solitary puff of wind scatters the crystals. After that, there is no more breeze, and the man scurries away.
"BAKA TORI-ATAMA! You should be thankful that you're getting a free meal!"
"Why can't I get a meal when Kenshin is cooking?"
"Oh, so you're insulting my cooking, now?!"
"No, I'm just saying that my stomach can't digest this stuff!"
"Busu, these riceballs are like rocks with nori!"
"What did you call me, Yahiko-CHAN?"
"Don't call me chan!"
"Then don't call me busu!"
"But looking at your face is harder than trying to eat your food!"
"Ohayo, minna-san. It's a lovely morning, de gozaru yo."
"Calling me ugly, eh?"
"Ohayo, Kenshin!"
"Daijobu, Misao?"
"I don't know, am I, BUSU?"
"Genki genki!"
"That's it!! Come here, Yahiko-CHAN!"
"Yaa, try and catch me!"
"ITAAIII!"
"Ohayo, Ken-san."
"Oh, Megumi-dono, ohayo. What brings you here?"
"Hey kitsune-onna, you better turn around and go home, Kaoru made breakfast."
"URUSAI! There is NOTHING wrong with my cooking!"
"Yaa, try one of those rock-hard riceballs yourself!"
"Or chuck one at the gaki and maybe he'll stop running around the table!"
"URUSAI!"
"Oro?"
Himura Kenshin sighed and watched the scene with bemused resignation. Now both Kaoru and Yahiko were seated on the floor, spread-eagle and out of breath. The pretty dark-haired girl had relinquished her bokken for a pair of chopsticks, which she was now waving tiredly at her young disciple.
"That's the last time I ever make breakfast for you ungrateful cretins."
"Good, one more riceball like that and I might keel over," Sagara Sanosuke muttered.
"What did you say?!"
"Maa maa, Kaoru-dono, I'll go make some more food since we have more people to feed this morning."
Kaoru bestowed Kenshin with a benign smile as he sweatdropped nervously and made tracks for the kitchen.
"See, now you're making poor Kenshin cook extra food because you wasted mine."
Yahiko had regained his breath and was now seated upright next to Megumi. "So? Kenshin likes cooking, and he likes cleaning too. It's like having a really manly woman do all your chores."
Kaoru rolled her eyes and joined the others at the table. She picked up a riceball from the plate and tentatively poked a bit into her mouth.
"So, Kitsune, what are you doing here so early?"
"Well I'm obviously not here to see you…"
"It hurts, Megumi, it hurts."
"Yes, I bet it does. Anyways, I stopped by to see if Misao could come help out at the clinic today."
Kaoru discreetly spat out the bit of rice and cleared her throat before speaking. "Why do you need help? Is Dr. Genzai away?"
Megumi shook her head. "No, he's there right now, but he's taking care of a man with a serious injury. I've been up to my neck in new patients since midnight; ten people came in with mild symptoms, but it looks like the same disease in each case."
"Honto, ni? I guess I could help out then, too, unless you need Misao specifically."
"All the help I can get is fine, I was figuring Misao might know some herbal remedies from the Oniwabanshuu."
The petite onmitsu nodded, her black plait swishing against her shoulder as she replied, "Hai, Jiya taught all of us a few different antidotes for illness, and Aoshi-sama knows some of the more advanced diseases."
"Good, both of you can come down to the clinic after breakfast."
Kenshin walked into the room with a tray in his hands. "Oh, won't you be staying, Megumi-dono?"
"Arigatou, Ken-san, but I have to get back to my patients." Megumi rose to her feet and nodded at Kaoru and Misao. "See you two later, then."
"Ja ne."
Sano took a bowl of miso soup as Kenshin sat down with the rest of them. "So while the women are away, what are you going to do today, Kenshin?"
Kenshin shrugged with a smile on his face as he replied, "Oh, the usual. I have quite a bit of laundry that I could use some help with though, de gozaru yo…"
WOOSH. Sano and Yahiko were gone in a blur of clothes and miso. Kaoru giggled into her teacup while Misao laughed outright at a confused Kenshin.
"Oi, Himura, I don't think those two are cut out for your line of work."
"…Oro?"
When Kaoru and Misao entered the clinic half an hour later, they were surprised to see a line of people waiting in the small room that separated the more serious injuries from the less urgent illnesses. At first they couldn't see Megumi in the crowd of sick patients, but finally they found her tending to a man seated on a chair, holding a basin as he coughed up blood.
"Megumi? Are all these people here with the same disease?"
The fox doctor wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand, nodding tiredly. "Hai, it looks that way. This is the first person that came to the clinic last night, and now he's the first of them to start retching blood. While I was away, about six more people showed up." The man shuddered and croaked out that he could hold the basin himself, since he wasn't coughing so much now. Megumi stood up and gave him the basin.
"The main problem with all of them is the fever that's set in; it refuses to go away no matter what I do. I've tried bark tea, wrapping them in heated sheets, all of Dr. Genzai's old powders, and even some new Western medicines that just came in a few weeks ago."
"And nothing works?" Kaoru asked in concern.
"Nothing," she said firmly. "I've got the original six except for the coughing man wrapped up in futons in the back," she said, pointing to the mattress-covered figures in another corner of the room.
Misao walked over to the assortment of herbs and medicines Megumi had spread out on a low table. She kneeled down and selected a few roots, stripped the leaves off of a small plant, and began grinding them with a mortar and pestle. She explained her actions as she mixed, adding water and tea to the mortar.
"Aswaghanda leaves are popular in India for the reduction of fever, along with Khus and Papaya leaves," she said as she poured an even amount of the concoction into six small bowls. A fire had already been built outside for the heated sheets, and Misao took the bowls to heat over the flames for several minutes while Megumi directed Kaoru to the newest arrivals.
"Tadaima," Misao said wearily as she and Kaoru entered the Kamiya dojo, completely spent from a full day at the clinic. Kenshin emerged from the kitchen, holding two cups of tea. At the sight of the exhausted girls, a worried look crossed his face.
"Was it that bad? How many patients did you take care of?"
Misao sank to her knees in front of the table, dropping her head into her hands. "When we got there, Megumi had 16. 7 came in after our two minute lunch break, but Dr. Genzai was finished with his injured patient by then, so we had more help. Around mid-afternoon, 5 others came, and none of them were in any condition to go home, but the clinic was full. Megumi told the ones who were less far along in the symptoms to go home, stay well rested, and take the tea I made with every meal and twice between eating."
"Do you think it will help?" Kenshin asked.
Kaoru shook her head, swaying for a minute as the world seemed to tilt out of focus. Kenshin was on his feet, rushing to her side as he helped her sit. Misao peeked through her hands.
"Ne, Kaoru, are you feeling okay?"
"Hai-ai, I'm fine…" she said dazedly, desperately trying to make her eyes focus again. Suddenly Kenshin's concerned face was in front of her hazy vision, violet eyes boring holes into her pools of blue.
"Kaoru-dono? Kaoru-dono, can you hear me?"
Kenshin's voice sounded so strange, as if he was speaking through a wall…
"Kenshin, is she ok?"
Misao's voice seemed to come from far away…
"Kaoru-dono! Kaoru-dono, look at me!"
But Kenshin, you're right there…I am looking, she tried to say. But her mouth would not comply with her brain's wishes, and only a strangled moan emitted forth.
"Himura, look! Kenshin, she's-
She's-
She's-
She's-
Silence.
Kaoru could see Kenshin's lips moving, and she could Misao getting up and running somewhere…Where was she going? Through the haze that was threatening to consume her, she could barely make out his face now…So handsome, such rugged features…Her feeble hand lifted to cup the side of his face, and then, and then,
Darkness.
A/N: Questions? Comments? Angry criticism? Leave a review and tell me what you think! And have a nice weekend while you're at it. ^_^