A/N:This is my first Rurouni Kenshin fanfic, I hope you all like it! Also it's dedicated to one of my good friends, who loves Samurai X(Samurai X and Rurouni Kenshin are mainly the same.) Alyssa! I posted it on your birthday, my birthday present to you Alyssa. Happy Birthday! Anyways I hope you all like, please go easy on this one!(Laughs.) Review kudasai(please)!
Many Moments Away--passing time's curtain
Ch-1-Old Tyme London
"Where is this one?"
Kenshin laid flat on his back, staring at what seemed to be the sky. The landscape was bleak, Kenshin was surronded by nothingness. Kenshin stood up, glancing around taking in his landscape, at least what seemed to be the landscape. The echo of footsteps could be heard, Kenshin looked into the distance, nothing but white. The footsteps came closer and closer. Still no sign of what is making the noise.
What seemed like hours was mere minutes, when the source of the sound revealed it's self in the distance of Kenshin's eye-sight. The figure came nearer and nearer. Finally when it stood face to face with Kenshin, it was a young-boy, wearing a blue and white kimono.
"Do you know where we are?" The boy asked,
"No, this one does not know." Kenshin replied.
"Any idea though?" Asked the boy,
Kenshin shook his head, him and the boy were both just as lost as one another.
"Boku wa Ace desu.(My name's Ace.)" The boy said,
"Ace?"
"My real name's Hiroshi Enjo. Ace is just a name I call myself, because I like how it sounds."
"Boku wa Himura Kenshin desu.(My name's Kenshin Himura.)"
"That name is oddly familar."
"Oro?"
"But I'm more concerned where we are." Stated Ace,
"What kind of place this is, it's just nothing-ness."
Kenshin staired at Ace, Ace reminded him of Yahiko a bit. Unsure why, Kenshin looked straight ahead. Something large was coming towards them.
"Ace-san do you see that large object?"
"Just 'Ace' Himura-san. And yes I do see it."
"Then just 'Kenshin', Ace-san." replied Kenshin,
Ace got ticked off, he hated when ever some one called him "Ace-san". Ace wacked Kenshin his shinai, just as Kaoru did long ago and still does currently.
"Ororo..." Kenshin said in a dizzy spin, falling to the ground.
"I told you not to call me 'Ace-san.'"
"Ororo, this one understands why your like Yahiko, ororo." Kenshin said still feeling dizzy from the blow to the head.
"Yahiko?...ah, Yahiko."
"Ace, do you know Yahiko?"
"I feel like I do."
The large object apporached, it was a ship; a large steamboat. A large sum of people were abord the ship. A plank was lower and people streamed out of the boat, suddenly all disappearing into the whiteness. Once most of the people were off, the man who lower the plank called out ot Kenshin and Ace.
"Are you two comin' or not?" asked the old seasalt,
"Where might this vessal be heading?" asked Kenshin,
"London." replyed the man.
"I wonder where that is." said Ace,
"It's better then staying here and I don't know how to get home, so I'll tag along. What about you Kenshin?" asked Ace,
"It seems your right Ace, this one can't get back to Tokyo like this."
The two stepped on to the plank and boarded the boat. Ace hanged lazily on the railing while Kenshin sat on the bench attached to the boat. The boat seemed to be going past nothing, it seemed as though there was really nothing but there was a breeze as the boat sliced through the air.
"Kenshin you're from Tokyo?" asked Ace,
"Yes. How about you Ace?" asked Kenshin,
"Yeah. But that's all I remember."
"About the shinai, where did you get it?"
Ace removed the hanging shinai from his back and handed it to Kenshin; Kenshin took it.
"This was from my brother, he used to learn how to use a sword. Our father was a samurai, but my father passed away."
"What became of your brother?" Kenshin asked careful, handing the shinai back to Ace,
"I don't know, we lost each other. He probably thought I died because he never found me, nor did I find him."
Ace felt a strange heat pressed against his body, Kenshin embraced Ace from behind.
"You were so misforunate."Kenshin said sadly, crying slightly. Ace punched Kenshin's chin.
"I'm not so misfornate I need you to cry for me! Besides I have a family now." Ace yelled,
"Oro?" Kenshin said rubbing his sore chin.
"After me and my brother got seperated I was taken in by the Hiroshi family."
"This one shall not press on any farther."
"I don't really mind Kenshin, I never told anyone this before."
" Sorry for punching you..." Ace mumbled,
"Ace, how old are you?"
"Fourteen."
"You remind this one a lot about Yahiko."
"Who's Yahiko, Kenshin?"
"A friend of this one.This one's wife taught him."
"Your wife! Kenshin your married!? How old are you!? "exclaimed Ace,
"This one is thirty-six.This one's wife's name is Himura Kaoru and this one also has one son named Kenji."
"Eh! You don't look at all like your thirty-six!You look like your only nineteen or something!"
"Everyone seems to think that."said Kenshin sighing.
The conversation continued between the two until the senary began to change. The senary changed from white to what seemed to be the out-line of a stream, meadow, trees, clouds, flowers, people, and animals walking about. Within a few minutes the senary changed again adding colour into the landscape, as though someone were adding the colours to a painting they were making.
"Did you see that Kenshin!"
"This one did."
"That's amazing!"
The two didn't seem to notice the people on the boat staring at them, everyone on the boat wore British 19th centary clothing. The Japanese men were quite the spectacle among them. The whispers among them, gossiped about the once forbbiden country, and right now two men from that country were on the boat with them. Many Japanese people have left Japan, after the arrival of the Meiji era and the "Black ships" from the west, but never wearing kimonos.
"In about ten minutes the S.S Marina will port at London."came the announcement from the captain,
"I suppose were docking soon, but you know what's making me wonder."
"What is it Ace?"
"None of these people look Japanese, and they been staring at us for sometime."
Kenshin turned around, the people were indeed stairing at them, inconspiculessly though.
"I suppose there from the west. Many westerners marvel at all Japan has to offer."
"They all look like they're from the west, but something else has been bugging me."
"Oro?"
"How is it we understand them? I remember once a westerner talked to me in some langauge I don't know."
"The language they speak is Eigo(English.)"
"Do you know English, Kenshin?"
"No, not really."
Ace walked over to one of the men sitting on the opposite bench, Kenshin watched Ace,
"What are you going to do Ace?"asked Kenshin,
"I'm going to ask this man, what time is it." replied Ace.
Apporching the man, Ace tapped him on the shoulder.
"Uh, yes?"said the man quite startled,
"済みません,今何時ですか?"said Ace,
"Ten to five o'clock." the man said looking at his pocket watch.
"ありがとう."
Ace walked back to Kenshin, Kenshin stared wide-eyed at both Ace and the man.
"Kenshin you okay?" asked Ace, "It's 4:50. I suppose were getting to port around 5."
"Kenshin?"
"That man, spoke English, and you understood Ace."
"Eh? He spoke Japanese to me."
"Oro?"
"I wonder why you heard him speak English and not Japanese like me."
"Very strange." said Kenshin,
"I'm gonna try something."
"Oro?"
Ace cupped his hand around his mouth and shouted " わかりますか?!(Do you understand me?!)"All the people turned their attention to Ace, people nodded and replied they understood and gave Ace strange looks.
"That was strange. Kenshin did you hear English and Japanese again?"
"No all Japanese."
Pondering the fact that the langauge barrier wasn't there. The boat docked at edge of the river, the plank was lower on the dock and everyone piled out. Kenshin stepped foot on the dock and walked towards the street waiting for Ace. After a few moments Ace stepped on to the cobblestone street beside Kenshin. People chocked the streets, coming from different directions.
"Where are we Kenshin?"
"London. So the man says." Kenshin said hiding his sheepish grin.
"Let's explore Kenshin," said Ace excitedly,
"Won't we get lost?"
"We already are Kenshin, we can't get anymore lost then this."Ace grinned, Kenshin smiled as well.
"Your right Ace, we should see what London has to offer us."
Kenshin and Ace went forward, pressing through the crowds of busy London. Reaching the enbankment, where the Cleopatra's Needle resides looking down upon the people of London and the Thames.
"I wonder why so many people are all around that monument."
"It has odd writing on it, doesn't it?" Kenshin replied, rubbing him hands around his arms.
"It's getting quite chilly." Ace nodded,
"It is autumn in Japan too."
"But much more colder here." replied Kenshin,
"I wonder where were going to stay."
"Ororo."
"What's the currancy Kenshin?"
Kenshin looked at a piece of paper posted on a building. The piece of paper was an advertisement for new houses bring built, advertising how much each house costed.
"The currancy is this 1/2 crown." Kenshin stated pointing to the price how much it costed to rent.
"What the heck is that?!"exclaimed Ace,
"Ororo. What a predictament."
"You said it Kenshin!"Ace said rubbing his arms as well.
"Curse autumn!" He yelled,
"Ororo."
The foreigners continued to walk the streets of old tyme London, pondering what to do for shelter on this blustery autumn day.
A/N:I hope you all liked it! I do wonder if I made it mysterious enough? That's for you to decide, after all this story was based on a dream I had, strangely Kenshin was really in the dream, Ace too. Oro?Sorry all my summaries suck and the Cleopatra's Needle summary is very long too!I really haven't been to England, I was in Europe(Netherlands to be exact) at the time I wrote the first chapter of "Let's play Hide and go Seek".(See profile.)Anyways someday I would really love to go there, and if anyone has been to England, and I made a few errors please tell me.Also if there's any grammar/spelling mistakes please tell me!Review kudasai.
Japanese Glossory
-san: basically means Mr,Mrs,and Miss.
Shinai-is a wooden sword used in sword training.(The one Yahiko carries all the time.)
Kenshin's "history"-Kenshin in this story is 36, concidering the year is 1888. Also in the one-shot Yahiko no Sakabato featured in issue 9, volume 4 of Shonen Jump, Kaoru is indeed married to Kenshin and in the character glossory, Kenshin's son's name is Kenji.It's also featured in the last volume of Rurouni Kenshin(volume 28.)
Ace's nickname-Many people who might be Japanese or can read it know "Ace" really doesn't sound or look Japanese. The Japanese pro. would be "Eshi"(it sounds like 'Acey' in English.) And I didn't like how it looked so I went with the spelling "Ace".(Note: I'm not fluent in Japanese.)
British Glossory
1/2 crown- 2s. 6p. 2 shillings and 6 pences make up a 1/2 crown. Concidered reasonable payment back then when £100 was a lot of money!
The river Themes- is obviously a river in London.
Cleopatra's Needle-Originating in Egypt, it was carved for Pharaoh Thothmes the 3rd.The hieroglyphics speak about the demi-god Thothmes.(In ancient Egypt kings were considered gods.) Later the needle moved to Alexandria. In 1798,the obelisk was to be brought to England in celebration for Admiral Nelson's defeat of the French, in the war entitled "Battle of the Nile". The obelisk got it's name from sailing on the ship called the "Cleopatra".Six men lost there lives in a storm when sailing the obelisk to London, it reached London in January 1878 and raised on the Embankment near the Themes, eight months later.Today the obelisk still stands, as a landmark to death, where on it's grounds witness' many suicidal attempts. Cleopatra's needle is supposedly haunted.(Information from the book: Ghost stories of London.)