Metallic Dreams
By: Baka Saki

Master rules creator in the future. Robots have inherited the Earth, enslaving the few thousand humans that remain. A rebellion is in the works. But even in these dark times love is possible. This is the story of how one woman takes a stand.

I am one. I am the one. I am the who saved them all.

It's late evening. The stars have become visible through the blanket of clouds. The robots have ordered the guards of the Northern gate of the refuge camp to leave their posts to look for the Rebellion. The Rebellion was formed two years ago. No one knows by who. It's rumored that the leader of the Rebellion is a handsome stranger who appeared out of nowhere. Just like Misao and I were...They say he's smart and quiet, that he practices with the sword. I find that hard in this time of 4001 A.D that such a skill is possible.

One might wonder what I'm talking about, about why are humans packed into camps, and why a rebellion has taken place. I heard all this from a elder in the camp she told me the history of the past two thousand years that passed since I was transported here through some kind of worm whole.

I can remember the old woman like the back of my hand. She was old in her years. Her eyes sunk into her head, with wrinkles on her face. The woman was frail and had a raspy voice. I can say her hair was long, a tangled mess of white hair. She was wise for her years, very kind and sweet.

"Where am I?" I's asked her. She told me I was 2000 years from what I once knew. I was transported here in a secret portal that was used in the last nuclear war that had transported bombs between nations. The configuration some how got changed and it was transported to my time as worm hole to this year. She said it was an accident that I was transported here. Then later I heard one of the robot guards, who escorted roughly here to my new home, speak that I was The One. They said to keep a close eye on me. I thought about it since. My mother once told me everything happens for a reason. I think this happened for a reason.

Since then two years have gone by. I met Misao my second year here. She was transported here just like me. Only she was from the year 1947. She said she was transported to this time when she was working at a bar in New York City. When she had gone to get an order she ended up walking into a big metal thing, a robot. She said it was so shocking she passed out for days.

We were going about our daily lives until suddenly we were transported to this era. We never expected it. Surly we didn't want it. It just happened.

I've heard of others that were transported here as well. We've both tried to find them, but failed for the robots guarding the camp always found us, beat us and put us back here. Misao and I were on probation in our shelter for a month. We had almost no food or water.

Misao and I are now working on a few odds and ends for our small shelter. It was made of a few rusted pieces of scrap metal that we found in the camp's dump.

The air was cold for it was winter. I heard nothing but the clank of the hammer as I hit the hot metal carefully. It was to be a patch for a hole in the wall. Sweat was formed on my brow even though it was freezing. The heat from the little fire, that I held the metal over from time to time as it would make it softer and easier to mold in a flat piece of metal, was very welcomed to my skin. The air was heavier than it was in my time. All the pollution has made it so.

The world has changed much since my time. It has seen both good and bad times. Nuclear Wars went on the last millennium. Nations have sunk deep into the sea. Once the population of people all over the world rose to millions. Now it has dwindled down to only a meer few thousands. One hundred are killed every day because of the poor conditions we live in, the lack of food, being beaten to death by the robots, or they just give up. They say there is rest in death. I always have the thought of killing myself every day, but I just don't do because I know the Rebellion will come thorough. Many people think they will. The elders say they'll fail, that humans made this happen so they should die for their mistake.

"Misao, I can't believe it's already Christmas. Well you know what I mean." I murmured, still hammering at the metal.

"Yes, it's been so long since I smelled that sweet old smell of pine from the Christmas tree!" Misao replied.

I chuckled, "We never used a real Christmas tree. It was always a fake one. Every year Daddy would let me put the star on it though..."

"Yeah. My father was never around. You know with the war and all," Misao looked at her bare feet. I stopped my hammering and looked at her emerald eyes. They were so beautiful in the night time light. Right now they looked as though they held much thought."When Daddy did come home for Christmas he bought me the most prettiest dresses ever! I would get so excited that I tried it on as soon as I laid my hands on it."

"That's great Misao. I miss them so much, my family. I wonder how they lived out their lives. I wonder if any of them got transported here like us." I kept rambling, but I felt Misao's finger press on my lip.

"They all lived a happy life Kaoru. I'm sure of it," Misao paused, smiling big,"It's possible that one of them ended up her like us..."

"Yeah!" I said cheerfully, getting back to my hammering before the metal hardened.

Hours later the patch had been put on the wall. Misao was sitting in the corner drawling something with a very old pencil on a small piece of paper that had a wanted sign of the leader of the Rebellion on the other side. I leaned over from my seat on the self made stool beside her to see what she was drawling. It was something that shocked me. I gasped and dropped my moth wide open. What she drew was a man with delicate features. His hair was a sloppy mess, tamed only by a small hair tie she had shaded in. His eyes were cheery, with that mischievous sparkle in them. On his left cheek was something that was really shocked me. It was a cross shaped scar.

"Misao," She looked at me when I tried to form the words on my tongue,"Who is that you are drawling?"

She drew the paper to her chest, lacing the pencil in her fingers, staring at me with her big emerald eyes."It's the leader of the Rebellion. I hear he's quite the hunk. One of the elders claimed to have seen him and gave a description, so I decided to draw a picture based on it. It's quite fun for me as I love to drawl."

I pursed my lips a tad,"I see. Can I borrow that?" I snatched the paper from her clutch and sprinted to the doorway of the small hut,"Thanks!"

I ran out. People who were working out stared at me, as I ran, as if I were some mad woman. I didn't pay them no mind though. It was him on the picture. It had to have been. Stopping for a moment to catch my breath, I looked at the piece of crumpled paper, running my finger over the scar. It looked so life like. Misao had remarkable skill with art. It was just a close up of his face and shoulders.

"What are you doing ?"

I turned, startled from my thoughts, clutching the drawling to my chest. My eyes rested on a quite burly man with brown hair sticking out every where. His eyes were the softest brown, and he had a scowl on his face.

I narrowed my eyes into small slits and stepped back slowly, my bare feet freezing under the moist snow. I saw my breathe as time stood still, me staring at the unknown man. Perhaps he was from another camp because he didn't have the tan brown shirt and pants on that made up a man's uniform. Each camp had their own colors. Some had Purple for the humans' uniforms. Other had blue, orange, or any other color you could think of. We were all labeled too. Like the workers had a shovel emblem on their right sleeve. I was servant, which meant I had an apron label on my right sleeve. This guy wasn't labeled, I saw none on him as I looked his body up and down, which was odd. He could possiblely be a cyborg. They resembled humans and most of the time the lords of the camps were usually cyborgs as were most robot guards. Most of the gate guards and minions of the Camp Lords were the primitive metal robots.

"What are you doing? Are you a spy because" He stopped me.

"Here, put these on. I think you'll need them." He handed me a pair of leather boots.

"How did you get leather?"

"It's fake," he paused and scratched his chin,"A friend made them."

Putting both boots on the ground, I slipped them on quickly, zipping up the sides. As soon as I stood straight again, I could feel the feeling start to return to my feet. It was the best feeling I had in quite the while.

I bowed to show my thanks. I still was skeptical about the man thoughwas he a spy or could he...

Possibly he could be part of the Rebellion. It was dark out as were his clothes, which were mostly black. He had on a simple black muscle shirt and some tie up boots with cargo pants. He had a small laser gun in one pocket around his waist and some kind of hologram thing in another pocket.

My eyes widened my realization. All he did was smile and nod.

"Figured me out didn't ya?" He winked, "Shh. We better get out you of here. You follow me. I'll take you to where you want to go.

"Where I want to go?" I blinked puzzled, as he gently grabbed my wrist and tugged me along. A few guards were out as no humans were to be out at this hour. As we passed each shelter I saw people huddled around a small fire, trying to keep warm in the frigid air. I was freezing as well, except for my feet. I saw one little child peering out an open window to a poorly made shelter. His eyes held a deep sorrow. I stared at him, it was like the man who pulled me along had just stopped, but he didn't. Such sorrow in child's eyes, there shouldn't be such a thing. His little eyes blinked and then every thing became a blu, like the finger painting of a child was what all seemed around me as the man sped up. He must've been thinking if he got caught we would both be killed, so he went fast.

I know maybe one in my position wouldn't trust this guy. I mean how could they? But I think he was trustful. He seemed nice enough. I just hope I know what I'm getting myself into...

Suddenly, we stopped. It was a cyborg patrolling the Eastern Section Gate. The man grabbed my upper arm and jerked me roughly to him.

"Don't say a word." He mumbled down at me.

The wind blew hard tossing my hair about my face and snow into my eyes. I could smell the stench of the man. He had me held on my upper arm with his giant hand. He was so tall that my feet couldn't touch the ground. The red bandanna on his head tickled my nose and made me sneeze, the wind carrying my spit onto his face. He kept it emotionless for the cyborg was getting ever closer. I could feel him glare at me for a split second before he broke into a firm solute as the cyborg passed and htne stopped in front of us. I held my breath as the cyborg looked me over with its fake hazel eyes. It poked at my face and slapped it. It was testing whether I would yell or scream at it. I didn't do one thing for it could cost both mine and this man's life. My cheek burned from the slap, and my eyes got narrow with tears forming in them.

"Punishing her I see?" inquired the cyborg, scratching its chin.

"Yes Sir!" said the man who ahd me in his grasp.

"Do well with it," the cyborg bowed and saluted back to the man.

After the cyborg was totally out of sight the man put me back on the ground. I fell on my rear, cupping my cheek in my hand. The man looked at me with his concerned brown eyes. I smiled and waved my hands, the other hand uncupping my cheek and wiping a tear that ran down my face.

"I-I'm fine. I'm used to it." I said in a cheery voice. My eyes were blank as I looked down unto the sparkling snow. Feeling the wet drops land in my ebony hair.

"You don't look fine," He ran his finger on my swelling cheek. I winced at his touch "It's already turned red. I think it'll turn into a bruise." I shook my head, taking Misao's drawling, gripping it in my hand.

"So where are you taking me too? And why?" I inquired, trying to change the subject.

"You'll see." He winked, turned, and started walking.

"Wait for me!" I yelled after him, waving my arms in the air. I ran to his side. We walked in silence all the way to the exit of the camp. What was he doing we can't just leave!

"What are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed!" I grabbed his arms. He stopped and stared at me for a moment. Then he looked ahead past the tall gates into the starry sky. Grabbing my hand, he led me behind a small shelter that held a small family. I could hear them inside laughing like nothing was wrong. I heard the laughter of a child and the melodic singing of a mother. I looked into the one window and saw the three sit around a makeshift Christmas tree. The mother sang Jingle Bells. It's amazing how that song has lived for so long. The man put me out of my trance when he knocked three times on the metal fence that surrounded the camp.

"You're going to get us caught!" I ran to him, hearing nothing but the crunch of the snow under my feet.

"Shh!" Was his reply.

I narrowed my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. Then as I looked at the man I heard three knocks. He motioned me to come to him and I did.

"Stand beside me and don't move," he whispered, getting something out of his pocket. It was that hologram thing I noticed earlier. He pressed a red button on it and set it on the ground. I watched him curiously. A million colored light appeared before our eyes and melted the snow around it. The lights then got assorted to make a human shape. The silhouetted figure wasn't very tall as it was life size. It's hair was long and it wore what seemed like cargo pants and a t-shirt.The lights then sorted out to make a face, hair, eyes, nose, etc. When it was done I held my breath. His hair was red, his eyes were violet, and he had the scar on his left cheek. A smile was imprinted on his angelic face, giving him a gentle look. He was very fit with many muscles on his small frame.

"Hello Kaoru. It's been too long,"he said.

"Kenshin...?"

I closed my eyes and let a tear drop from it. My hand let go of the drawling. It swayed in the wind like a weightless feather or a piece of snow. I walked closer to the hologram, thinking it was real for one moment I tried to touch his scared cheek. All that happened was light fragments flew about for a second and reassorted to remake his cheek.

"It wasn't real," I closed my eyes. The man put his hands on my shoulders. I looked back at him with sorrow in my eyes. I saw sympathy for me in his.

"It'll be real soon. Every thing will be come clear. I promise Kamiya Kaoru." He whispered.

I nodded, turning back to the hologram staring into Kenshin's eyes. He smiled down at me and I smiled back. I turned back to the man. Then something dawned upon me.

"I don't know your name."

Sano scratched the back of his head with a grin on his face.

"His name is Sagara Sanosuke. We all call him Sano though." Kenshin explained.

I looked back at the man named Sano and put my hand out in the air, a smile on my face. Sano looked at me puzzled.

"What? Don't you do hand shakes?" I asked

"What's a hand shake?" He said stupidly.

My eyes got wide as saucers.

"Just give me your hand opposite of mine." He walked over to me and put out his right hand to me. I entangled my fingers with his and moved his hand up and down once. His skin was rough from hard labor. "It's a way you greet some one. It's kind of like saying hello."

"That's nice," our hands were still together,"Well we better get going. See you Kenshin."

"You're right Sano. Take care of her." Kenshin waved to both of us and the hologram disappear into sparkling lights. I looked back at Sano's and my hands. They were still together. I felt my face start to get hot. Sano was in some kind of trance because he was staring at our hands too.

"Sano can you let go?" I asked.

"Oh! Sorry!" He drew his hand back quickly a blush forming on his cheeks.

I started laughing at the expression on his face. He looked like a child who just found he did something stupid.

"What!" he barked at me.

"Nothing," I said in between laughs. I laughed even harder when his face got red from anger. "Careful don't melt all the snow. HA HA!" I started walking just a little ways away from him. I think I finally found someone I could tease for the first time in two long years. I was happy!

I hope you like! I worked on it a long time. Please review!
Disclaimer: I make no profits for this story. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin!