Life After Death

Prologue: It's My First Day

Anybody who ever said that waiting tables was a safe, noble profession was lying through their teeth. Or at very least they were certainly not talking about waiting tables at the Ichigo Inn.

It was on one of the shadiest streets in Kyoto, open during the shadiest hours of night, and if a chunk of the crumbling ceiling didn't kill you, the food will. I can guarantee that nothing in the place smelled of strawberries. And nobody could be considered noble in the required kimono, or lack there of. I looked over my shoulder at the somewhat questionable owner of the establishment, who wiggled his sweaty brow and leered at me, and pulled the hem of my kimono further down my legs. Giving him a shy smile, I took the apron from one of the other girls and tied it around my waist, thankful that it covered another inch of skin.

My name is Tanaka Keiko and I'm seventeen years old. Today is my first day. Actually, it's my last, but I won't know that for about another three hours. You'll see why soon. For now, I pull back my waist length black hair and pour tea for the elderly man sitting closest to the door. He gives me a nod and tells me his order. I bring it back to the tiny man working in the kitchen and he sets to work making it.

The first hour of my shift goes by like this. I greet the customers and take their orders, pouring them tea and bringing their food. The mixed smells make me slightly nauseous, so I hold my breath and smile cheerfully. I may look like a giddy idiot, but it's better than the sick feeling.

I am taking away the empty plates of the elderly man, who is sitting reading some official looking papers, when the owner catches my eye and waves me over. I quickly put the dishes on the stack in the kitchen and meet him behind the payment desk. I can't quite pronounce his name, so I don't try, tilting my head as he speaks.

"Tanaka-chan, when you take the customers' orders, try bowing a little lower."

I raise an eyebrow at this; he gives me a look that says 'give it a try.' I sigh and bow slightly. The owner shakes his head.

"Lower."

I bow a little lower this time, finding it harder to keep eye contact as I'm short and he's a pompous ass.

"Lower."

"Sir, if I bow any lower customers will be able to see down my kimono."

"That's the point."

A blush creeps across my cheeks at this and I lower my face. If my parents could see me now, they would be shamed. But jobs are not easy to find in this unstable state of Japan and this one will keep a roof over my head, as leaky as it is. I nod my head and stare down at my feet. The bell at the front rings, signaling another customer has entered. The owner nudges my arm and shoos me away.

"Go, go greet him."

I nod again and shuffle away, still blushing. I make my way over to the new customer, sitting in the booth next to the elderly man. I bow low until I am sure he can see south and speak softly, my cheeks on fire from embarrassment. I can't believe I'm talking to people like this.

"Welcome to Ichigo Inn, what would you like Sir?"

I don't hear a reply and when I move to meet his eyes, something catches me off guard. Two twin katanas are laid across his lap, right hand constantly at the hilts. I gasp, eyes flicking up to the man's face when once again I am caught off guard. He is no man, but a teenage boy, maybe a couple years younger than me. Long red hair, very out of place for his Asian features, frames his sharp face. His skin his flawless safe for a long, thin cut running along his left cheek. His violet eyes are steadily watching the door as if he is waiting for someone he doesn't like to walk in. It gives me a shiver. At last with a jolt he meets my gaze. I blush when I realize I am staring and quickly look down at the floor.

"Chilled sake, please."

I nod and quickly make my way back to the kitchen. The owner gives me a startled look and I shake my head, putting the bottle and a cup on the tray. I can feel my hands shaking as I make my way back over to him and set the tray down. As I carefully pour the first cup, I can't help but glance at the swords, breath caught in my chest as I do. What sort of mad man would carry swords at night in this part of Kyoto in this day of age? I finish and place the bottle in front of him. I bow, avoiding eye contact, and quickly walk away, ignoring the owner's insistence of 'lower.'

It is another half an hour before the rain starts and another half after that before the next customer walks in, shaking the water off of him. He is middle aged, decently dressed and looks as if he may hold a position in the government. It makes me wonder what he's doing in this run down heap. He looks over at the wall where orders are posted and I do my usual greeting.

I finish clearing other tables and look around. Now the elderly man, the boy with the swords and the 'governmental' are the only ones left. I watch as the elderly man drinks his tea and the governmental eats his meal. But I'm not the only one people watching. The boy with the swords has his gaze fixed on the governmental from the corner of his eye, watching every move he makes. From my spot making tea, I watch as the boy discretely pulls a black envelope from his gi, pulling out a folded piece of rice paper. He reads what is written, then looks up at the governmental before slipping the envelope haphazardly back into his gi and taking another sip of his sake. His eyes fix once more on the governmental man and I can't help but feel cold. I decide to avoid watching him for the last bit of my shift.

Soon I'll be done my first day, and I can't help but think of how blissful it would be to return to my small room, change into a yukata that fits and crawl into my futon. I have just finished washing the dishes when the governmental man stands, pays his bill with a smile and ventures off into the rain again. I bow as he leaves when I hear clinking of metal on wood. The boy with the swords had thrown a few coins down on the table and quickly makes his way out the door, not bothering to reply to the owner's farewell. I sigh and make my way over to where the boy had been sitting, picking up the coins and putting the dishes on the tray.

As I move to take the dishes into the kitchen, I notice something black sitting next to the cushion next to the table. I recognize it instantly as the black envelope and I realize the boy must have dropped it in his mad dash to leave. Scooping it up, I make to chase after him to return it when a hand on my shoulder stops me.

I turn to find the elderly man looking up at me, dark eyes crinkled in a smile. He is holding a small piece of rice paper, much like the one in the black envelope, and he is tilting his head in question.

"Excuse me, dear. What is your name?"

I am so startled by the question that I take a moment to answer him.

"Pardon? It's Keiko. I'm sorry, I have to catch that boy!"

I make to turn when the man catches my shoulder again. I'm slightly annoyed at this, but I humor him and clench my jaw as he asks another question.

"What is your full name, dear?"

I hesitate for a moment. What does this old man want with my name? The way he stares at me steadily with his dark eyes makes me think he is up to something. But really, how harmful could this man be? If only I knew then what I know now.

"Tanaka. Tanaka Keiko."

The man nods and smiles again.

"What a pretty name! You better hurry, Tanaka Keiko. Don't let him get away!"

He reaches forward and pats my hand that holds the envelope. As his skin touches mine I feel a tingle run along my body, centering in my chest and for a moment I forget what it is I have to do. I look down at the envelope and, with a nod to the old man, I run out into the thundering rain.

I search the dark streets for the boy with the red hair and swords, but with every turn all I find are empty allies. My hair is sticking to my face now and I shiver as I hold the slightly damp envelope to my chest. I hear the clatter of footsteps and follow them down a narrow alley. When I reach the end, I see the governmental man walking down a side street.

"Hey!"

My calls are silenced by the deafening rain and I try again, but he doesn't answer. He doesn't even turn. I huff, clenching the envelope in my fist as I run over to him, hoping that he has seen the boy with the swords. As I reach him, I call out to him once more.

"Excuse me! Have you seen-"

The pain silences my words. If only I'd seen the boy tucked off to the side. If only I'd seen the katana in his hand. If only I hadn't found the envelope and dashed out in the rain to return it. If only I wasn't here, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The blade cuts through me and the governmental man as easily as if it were slicing tofu. I can hear the crunching of bone and the gurgling of blood rushing out of a deadly wound. The man cries out in pain, but I remain silent as all the nerves in my body sting in agony at once. I know I am dying.

And then, I feel nothing. But I see everything. I watch from a few feet away as our bodies fall to the sopping ground in a heap. The governmental man goes unnoticed as I step forward to watch the scene. The boy stares in horror at my body and I can hear him start to hyperventilate as the blood soaks the ground. His hair is clinging to him and there are a few drops of blood on his gi and hakama. His hand goes limp and the katana falls to the ground with a dulled clatter. His face goes slightly green and he looks as though he is about to vomit. He holds his head in his shaking hands as he scans his wide eyes from the wound in my side to my face. I copy him.

My skin is slowly turning white, my black eyes wide, though glazing over with death. My kimono is ripped from my ribs to hips, stained dark. The hem has slipped somewhat immodestly up my thigh and the white apron is soaked see-through. My hair is starting to mix with the mud and the rain rolls off my face like it would off of porcelain. My fingers slowly release their tight grip on the now bloodstained black envelope.

I have just died. Nay, been murdered, and all I can think is that I don't feel dead.

And how awful that kimono is.

Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I posted anything. So, first bit of business: Yes, I know, I have so many other fictions that I need to work on. They're all FMA, so I decided not to post any FMA chapters until the fandom calms down a little. All FMA fics are on hiatus!

Now, moving on. This is my first crossover fiction. Normally I don't do crossovers because they are so hard to make work. However, these two fandoms I think will work together very nicely. Dead Like Me (a Showcase original series) and Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X during the Revolution. For those who know of Dead Like Me, great! You'll understand right away where this is going! If not, you can either IMDB or google it. The basic rules of the fiction will explain themselves, but the characters and timeline have been completely changed, so it's kinda different.

Now, obviously because George (Georgia) Lass and her merry crew didn't exist in 1864, I had to make my own character, Tanaka Keiko. The next couple of chapters will reveal a little more about her, add some new key characters, and explain a lot of the rules from Dead Like Me and what they have to do with Kenshin. Seeya next posting!