Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…no matter how I wish it were true…Because if I did own it there would be a lot more ahem hehehe….
Anyways….it occurred to me that I could have completed this in time for Halloween…..but that didn't happen….shifty eyes
Stormy Night
"Augh it was so sunny just a second ago! What is with this crazy weather?" Yahiko yelled over the roar of the rain. His feet splashed through yet again another puddle as he continued to run towards the dojo.
Over the steady beat of the rain Yahiko could hear someone calling his name. Looking up he spotted Kaoru standing at the dojo gate. "Hurry up and get inside Yahiko!" she gestured with her hands motioning for him to hurry up and enter.
With renewed speed, he picked up the sides of his saturated hakama and dashed for the gate where Kaoru stood waiting with an umbrella. Together they darted towards the dojo safe under the roof of the veranda.
"Whoah Yahiko-chan you look like a drowned rat!" exclaimed Sano. He smirked evilly when he saw Yahiko bristle with irritation.
"Don't…call…me—"
"Yahiko! Why don't you go take a bath before you catch a cold ne? And once you're done come back to the training hall okay?" Kaoru said as she shot a glare at Sano. The ex-fighter for hire merely grinned wider and proceeded to lean his long frame against the shoji that led to the training hall.
Snorting in annoyance Yahiko just glared at him wondering if it were possible to have fire shoot from his eyes. Then maybe everyone could enjoy some nice roasted rooster. Taking the umbrella from Kaoru, he turned on his heel and made his way towards the bathhouse, the soles of his sandals squishing noisily against the polished wood.
Once he was out of earshot, Kaoru turned to Sanosuke frowning. "That wasn't very nice Sano leave the poor kid alone." She scolded.
"Since when do you come to his defense?" Sano asked quirking an eyebrow. At that Kaoru blushed faintly. While she was inclined to agree with Sano's critique of Yahiko's appearance, not that she'd admit that out loud at the moment, she could still feel for the brat. His normally spiky hair had been matted to his head like a dark helmet. His gi and hakama had stuck very close to his skin, the normally baggy clothes revealing his thin frame. Her eyes followed the trail of water her young apprentice left behind as she spotted him entering the bathhouse.
"Well I just know that it's not the nicest feeling being drenched in rainwater. Your clothes stick to your back like natto on a spoon." She sighed, shaking her head of the thought, "Anyways, why don't you stay the night since it's raining really hard."
"Well that's awfully kind of you Jo-Chan, but I have to meet some buddies of mine early tomorrow so it's better that I be in the area, more convenient."
"Well why don't you just stay until it dies down a little bit Sano. It won't be good to catch a cold. I'll lend you an umbrella before you leave just in case it's still raining later." She smiled when Sano finally bowed his head in consent. "This is great; you can stay for the game too."
"Game…?" Sano questioned one eyebrow rising. Before Kaoru could answer a voice interrupted them from behind.
"Kaoru-dono, I retrieved the items you requested from the storage room that I did. Where would you like them?" Kaoru and Sano turned around to see Kenshin just stepping onto the engawa. He carefully shook off the excess water from the umbrella he was using and leaned it against the wall.
"Oh thanks a lot Kenshin please just put them inside the training hall." Kenshin nodded his head before sliding the shoji open and stepping inside the training hall.
Eyebrow still raised Sano turned to Kaoru. "What are you planning Jo-Chan?"
Kaoru just smiled at him. "You'll see." And with that she stepped inside the open shoji and started to help Kenshin set up the materials she had asked him to bring in.
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When Yahiko returned from his bath he didn't see anyone. Leaving his clothes in his room he began to roam around in search of the other residents of the Kamiya dojo. Around him he could hear and see that the heavy downpour had not yet ceased. It was the night of the full moon, but one would not have known that were they not told. The heavy cloud cover completely obliterated any ray of moonlight from touching the earth. The dojo was naturally a darker place at night than anywhere else in the city due to its more remote location, however on this night the dojo was far darker than Yahiko could ever remember. Far in the distance Yahiko could see bolts of blue electricity jump from cloud to cloud. Not pleased with the idea of a lightening storm on top of the rain, Yahiko frowned and resumed his search.
He turned a corner and spotted a faint orange glow in the direction of where he knew the training hall to be. As he got closer he could make out the silhouettes of Kaoru and Kenshin. Sliding the shoji open he was greeted with the sight of Kaoru lighting small candles. Kenshin was placing them around the room to help illuminate it while Sano was reclining against the far wall.
"You're still here rooster head?" Yahiko asked smirking at the older man.
Seemingly unfazed by Yahiko's abrupt greeting Sano merely grinned and continued to chew on the fishbone in his mouth. "And miss the chance to spend time with my favourite little Tokyo samurai? I see you took a bath, pity. The drowned rat look suited you well, Yahiko-Chan."
"DON'T CALL ME CHAN!" Yahiko yelled in indignation. He prepared to launch himself at Sanosuke, but was stopped by Kenshin.
"Maa maa that's enough you two; it's still raining heavily outside that it is Yahiko, so Sano will have to stay until it dies down." Kenshin stated. He placed a hand on Yahiko's shoulder to calm the boy.
Huffing in annoyance Yahiko just dropped down to sit on the floor. "So what are we all doing in here then?"
"I'll explain in a minute so let's just get comfortable." Kaoru stated.
He watched as Kenshin and Kaoru made themselves cosy on the dojo floor seating themselves on cushions. Kaoru handed him one as well. Sano continued to lean against the far wall.
Finally Kaoru spoke again. "Well since it's raining I thought it would be nice if we all just spent some time together. It looks like it will be like this for a while so why don't we play a game?"
"What kind of game Kaoru-dono?'
Kaoru smiled rather mischievously before responding. Reaching to her left she carefully picked up four unlit candles and handed one each to Yahiko and Kenshin. She gestured for Sano to come closer. "Come here Sano, this won't work unless you're sitting with us."
Sano complied, and plopped himself in between Kenshin and Yahiko. Kaoru handed him a cushion and his candle and placed the last one in front of herself. She then pulled out some more matches from within her kimono sleeve and then lit the candle directly in front of her. Then she carefully lifted a bowl full of water and placed it the centre of their little circle.
The faint glow of candlelight flickered across her face and cast dark shadows behind her. Outside the rain continued to beat down though not quite as hard as earlier. The steady rhythm seemed to beat in time with the movement of the candles stationed around the room. The wind whistled past the shoji door making the thick rice paper shudder.
"So Jo-Chan you going to tell us what you've planned or are we just going to sit in all this mood lighting?"
"This is not mood lighting Sano." Kaoru retorted rolling her eyes. "Anyways, I need you all to light your candles from the flame on mine." They all complied and stared at her expectantly. Slowly a wicked smile spread across her face.
"We're going to play Hyaku Monogatari."
The walls suddenly shook with a loud groan as one particularly strong gust of wind rushed by. Some of it was able to push through the crack in the shoji causing the fire of the candles to dance wildly their light rippling over the surface of the water in the bowl.
"100 Tales of Horror? Sessha has never played that before."
"Ghost stories Jo-Chan?" Sano asked incredulously.
"Oh come on it'll be fun! The night is perfect for it!" Kaoru pouted. "Ne Yahiko?"
"You want us to sit around telling ghost stories by candlelight?" Yahiko asked his voice flat. "I'm going to bed." As he was making a move to stand Kaoru pulled a bokken from out of nowhere and whacked him over the head with it.
"Baka! Just sit down already. I would have thought you out of all of us would want to participate. Unless…" Kaoru's voice trailed off her eyes widening in slight amusement. She giggled and sat back.
Not liking the look in her eyes Yahiko sent a glare in her direction. "Unless what busu?" He bit out irritably.
"Unless you're…scared, if that's the case Yahiko you can go to bed now if you want." She giggled some more before stopping abruptly. "Hey! Did you just call me ugly again?!"
"I am NOT scared! I'm a descendent of Tokyo samurai I'm not afraid of anything! AND you should stop getting mad when someone states the truth about how you look! You should be glad that I'm so honest with you instead of letting you walk around thinking otherwise!"
"Why you little—" Kaoru suddenly stood brandishing her bokken threateningly. Yahiko quickly scooted back a few feet. But before she could inflict any damage Kenshin leaned forward and caught the end of her ponytail.
"Maa maa, this game does sound a little interesting. So why don't we all settle down." The two shot murderous glares at each other before relenting and settled back on their respective seats. Straightening her kimono Kaoru threw one last withering glare at Yahiko before speaking.
"Alright then, Kenshin you said you've never played before so I'll explain a little bit of how this is supposed to work. We will be playing a shortened version of this game. We are each going to take turns telling a story and once we are done we will blow out our candle. The water in the centre is here to indicate the presence of any spirits and is meant to protect us."
"What exactly do you mean the water will tell us if there are ghosts near by?" Yahiko questioned.
"Well actually the extinguishing of each candle after the end of each story is meant to summon a spirit."
For one very brief moment Yahiko's body froze at the mention of summoning spirits but he quickly frowned. "You don't seriously believe that do you busu?"
Again with the ugly talk. Kaoru's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as she fought the urge to lash out by digging her nails into the palm of her hand. A vein on her forehead throbbed as she sent him a glare that promised a slow and torturous death if he didn't learn to shut up.
"Well if that doesn't embody the expression 'if looks could kill' I don't know what would." Chuckled Sano to himself but, he immediately stopped when Kaoru directed her gaze to him. His quiet chuckles turning into pained coughing at his sudden inhalation of air.
"Now if there will be no further interruptions can we start now? Good. Would anyone like to start first?" Kaoru silently looked around at the three males in front of her waiting for them to speak.
"Well I guess I can start." Sano volunteered after a pause. "Ahhh, Let's see..." Sano sat rubbing the back of his head trying to think of a suitable story. After a minute of thinking he dropped his right fist into the palm of his left. "Yosh, ok I got it."
"I'm supposed to use one of your names for this story." He stopped to look around. "Great thanks for volunteering Yahiko."
"What!"
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There were once two young boys walking home together. It was a dark cool night. The wind was blowing gently rustling the trees as they passed through a grove of Sakura. Their only source of light was that of the crescent moon and one lone paper lantern that the boy called Yahiko carried. The two youngsters were speaking amiably together about things that had happened during their day.
"I heard a cool story earlier today. There is this old belief about ghosts. It's said that at night, if you leave your shoji door open halfway, it means that ghosts are going into your room. If you have the shoji shut all the way, it means that ghosts are in your room. And if you leave it just a tiny bit open…it means that they are watching you."
"You don't believe that do you?" Yahiko asked his friend. His friend shrugged.
As the two boys reached a bend in the path they came across an old cemetery. It was a fairly small one with only a few gravestones. As they approached it Yahiko's friend grabbed the end of his sleeve pulling him to a stop.
"What are you doing? Don't you know that you're supposed to hold your breath when you walk by a cemetery?" his friend admonished.
Snorting Yahiko shook his friend off. "Oh come on first that story about ghosts in your room now you want me to hold my breath walking past here? Why?"
"I don't now why…" his friend trailed off.
"Well then why should I then?"
"I know it sounds weird, but there's a reason behind all superstitions and stories. I mean all legends start out with some kind of truth. You really should be more respectful." His friend frowned at him.
"Alright I'm sorry…but I'm still not going to hold my breath."
At that they both continued to walk with Yahiko not bothering to heed his friends warning. After about ten minutes Yahiko could see the gate leading to his home. Handing his friend the lantern so he could continue home he bid him farewell and entered his house.
He quickly made his way to the kitchen and ate the dinner left out for him. After cleaning up he made his way to his room. Once he stepped in he turned around to close his shoji but stopped suddenly thinking.
'Should I close it halfway or just leave—?' Yahiko suddenly shook his head.
'This is stupid I'm just going to close it'.
With that he quickly shut the sliding door, changed into his sleeping yukata and jumped into his futon.
After awhile he began to drift off to sleep. He could feel his body relaxing as time continued. He was just about to fall asleep when suddenly a voice called out to him from beyond his door.
"Yahiko…I'm outside your door…"
Yahiko's eyes opened slightly at the sudden intrusion of noise. The voice was so faint its tone so light that Yahiko was unsure whether or not he heard correctly. He listened intently for a few minutes but all he could pick up was the slight whistling of the wind as it rushed by his room. Closing his eyes again he decided that it must have been him starting to slip into a dream. So he flipped over his back now facing his door and settled into his blankets once more.
Gradually he began to relax again. But as soon as he started to drift off once again he heard a voice. Soft, light, feathery…
…and closer…
"Yahiko…I'm inside your room…"
Yahiko's eyes popped open. The voice was louder than he first heard it and there was no more mistaking its message. He had not heard his door open, nor did he hear the sound of feet walking. His mouth was suddenly dry his body rigid. He strained his ears trying unsuccessfully to pick up any noise.
He waited with bated breath as the minutes slowly ticked by. Then suddenly he stiffened, the hairs on the back of his neck bristled in warning. Yahiko suddenly found it hard to breathe.
"Yahiko… I'm right…beside you…"
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"Wahhh…Sano that's creepy." Kaoru squeaked her hands moving to cover her mouth. Suddenly the room was as bright as midday as a bolt of lightening cut through the night sky. Seconds later it was followed by a loud crack of thunder that seemed to leave the walls of the room shaking in its wake. Jumping in surprise Kaoru squealed and suddenly latched onto Kenshin's arm quickly burying her face in his shoulder.
"Oro!" Kenshin jerked back at Kaoru's grasp nearly falling onto her. He quickly regained his balance and took her arms gently pushing her away. "Kaoru-dono it's okay. It's just thunder. Although Sessha must admit it startled me too."
"Yeah ugly it's only thunder, Kami-sama you're such a girl!" Yahiko snorted. Although he was secretly glad that it was dark again, that way no one could see the slight tremors of his body. He'd never admit it out loud though; just like he'd never admit to feeling uneasy about Sano using him as the character in his story.
Kaoru smiled apologetically at Kenshin before straightening up. She smoothed down her kimono with care before she glared at Yahiko. "Well sorry for being a girl."
"Haha well I'm glad that you found it so creepy." Sano said chuckling. He then leaned forward and blew out the flame of his candle. The extinguished flame sent up a faint wisp of smoke. It rose into the air before fading away into the darkness of the room. "Story one complete. Who's next?"
"I'll go next." Kaoru said raising her hand. She took a deep breath before she started.
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It was a dark night as the gir1 traveled home. Grey clouds moved across the deep blue sky, the pale moon peeking out from behind them. Her long hair fluttered behind her like a dark ribbon in the wind. The day had been exceptionally warm for autumn, but it soon rapidly cooled as the night fell. Now wisps of white fog rose from the ground, like ghostly fingers as they wrapped around the rural landscape.
'I'm so glad I decided to buy this bicycle from the foreigners market. It's so much easier to get home this way.' The girl thought happily to herself. She carefully moved her bicycle forward. In her right hand she gently adjusted the paper lantern to help illuminate her path better. Her small smile faded as she turned a bend. She grit her teeth and pumped her legs harder as she went up the slight incline. 'Good thing I decided to wear a pair of hakama.'
After a while sweat began to form on the young girl's brow as she went on. The warm liquid traced a hot path down the nape of her neck. She was glad that the night air was cool. The wind rushing past her skin was a welcome feeling as she continued uphill.
Soon the ground began to even out and she allowed her legs to rest a bit as she went about at a more leisurely pace. The cool damp air felt wonderful against her flushed skin. She inhaled deeply the sent of nature. Her smiled returned as she continued forward and began humming to herself softly.
The dark country side passed by her in a blur as she began to slowly descend down a hill. Her bicycle picked up speed, the wind blowing through her hair faster and stronger. She let out a light laugh enjoying the ride. Up ahead she saw the fork in the road and prepared to turn right and stopped.
Placing her right foot on the ground to steady herself; the young girl frowned as she looked ahead at the path before her. Thirty feet or so down the road stood several young men. They were leaning against a stone wall and talking amongst themselves.
Their tall figures were illuminated by the lone street lamp above their heads. Even from far away she could tell by their loud laughter and sluggish movements that they were more than a little drunk. She bit her lip unsure of what to do. She scrutinized the men some more debating in her mind the best course of action. Could she just ride through? Would they try to give her problems? What other options did she have?
She turned to her left knowing it to be another, albeit, longer route home. But again she found herself stopping. While there were no people lurking around down that particular stretch of road, she was still hesitant. Darkness stretched as far as she could see down it. Thick patches of fog seemed to collect in the darkest of its corners appearing like large gaping mouths ready to swallow her whole. She looked back to her right and at the more reassuring lighted path, then again to her left.
A shout and loud snickering startled her as she once again looks to her right. One of the men had spotted her it seemed and had started to alert his buddies of her presence. Swallowing nervously she quickly turned her bike to the left and hastily pedaled forward, her figure swiftly engulfed, disappearing into the dense fog.
After five minutes of straight riding she quickly stole a glance over her shoulder. She let out a small sigh of relief once she was certain they had not tried to follow her. Turning back around, she slowed her pace down just a bit. She squinted out into the inky blackness carefully adjusting the lantern in her hand to see better.
She pedaled in silence down the path. Her eyes darted around the scenery. It had been a while since she last rode this path, but it had only been during the day. The rows of Sakura lining the path were always a treat to ride through. It was a nice scenic route during the day. During the day being the key phrase. Each tree seemed a good five feet taller than normal, rising like dark sentinels towering over the earth.
Presently the air grew thicker and the fog denser. The girl squeaked involuntarily as she caught sight of a pair of glowing eyes peering at her through the darkness. Slowing down she pointed her lamp at it and sighed in relief when she saw a cat run off into the bushes. She broke out into a grin at her silliness.
'Geez, why am I so jumpy? I've been down this path a lot of times. 'Course I never did travel during the night…'
She continued on trying valiantly to ignore her quickened heartbeat. Along her right a house came into her view. It was incomplete and long abandoned by who ever was building it. The shoji was torn and the roof crumbling. The wild grasses clung to its walls gripping the rotting wood like long gnarled fingers.
A feeling of unease suddenly entered her mind. Like a phantom itch, both distracting and unfounded. The feeling only grew as she continued onward. She passed several large and old trees. Their ancient bark was so knotted and thick that it gave the illusion of faces, twisting and writhing as though trapped and in pain.
Her pedaling slowed and she came to a stop as a brisk wind suddenly pushed through the trees lifting her hair. The sound faded into the night air, like a dying moan. Shivering she pulled her thick gi around her more securely.
Tentatively placing her foot back on the pedal she pushed off again, unconsciously at a slightly slower pace. Her one thought was to get home as quickly as possible and then bury herself under a mountain of warm blankets atop her futon. And still, it would not leave her. Like a voice in her head. Its call was both wavering and persistent, trying to remind her, no, trying to warn her about something. With effort she picked up her pace.
Then like a hand passing over water, the mist in front of her thinned and up ahead she saw a structure.
It was another house.
The voice grew louder.
There was something about it. Something important about it that she was supposed to remember…
'Turn back!' It seemed to scream.
There was a story to it…the reason she never traveled here during the night…the sounds of pain…a bad smell…long dark hair…
So distracted was she that she failed to notice the branch in her path. It hit her wheel and suddenly she was thrown forward and to the side. Her vision blurred into a windmill of grey, white and black as her body somersaulted over her bike. She landed hard on her shoulder and rolled several feet before coming to a stop.
Time passed indeterminably as she fought to clear her head. Her shoulder ached and her head throbbed. The air was suddenly colder. The chilly fog seemed to wrap around her body. Their invisible fingers filled her senses. Like pieces of a puzzle images and voices came crashing through. Her eyes still closed she tried to sort through the myriad of voices bouncing in her head.
That smell!!
Why didn't they notice?
Long dark hair…!
It's cursed!
Only at night…the sounds…!
Those screams! Make it stop!!
NEVER AT NIGHT! DON'T TRAVEL AT NIGHT!
Groaning aloud the girl opened her eyes with effort. Her vision swam and slowly the stars above her came into focus. Vaguely she knew that she must have stumbled and landed on her back onto the hard front step leading to the house. Tilting her head back she caught sight of something white. Her eyes traveled upward roving over the long expanse of material. Her breath hitched, her body tensed.
All white…
Long hair…
And eyes as deep as the darkest hell stared down at her from behind the wrought iron front gate.
Delicate white hands grasped the bars.
Like a creaking gate the pale mouth moved in a silent scream never to be heard by mortal ears.
In the time it took her to register her surroundings she was already up and racing madly away from her fallen bike, from the house, and especially from those eyes.
But the young girl screamed, and she screamed. Her shriek of terror rose into the sky, her voice swallowed by the deep night.
Cursed!
That smell!!
Long dark hair!!
NOT AT NIGHT! NEVER TRAVEL AT NIGHT!
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"Hoho! Nice one Jo-chan!"
Kaoru blew out her candle and shot Sano a smile in thanks. Outside the storm still raged.
"Ok Kenshin it's your turn."
"O-Oro?" Kenshin sputtered. "But Kaoru-dono, Sessha doesn't really know any ghost stories."
"Are you serious Kenshin? In all your travels you've never once encountered any ghost stories?" Sano asked disbelievingly.
"Well normally I just kept to myself. In the places I stayed I never went out of my way to talk to many people."
Sano smacked a hand to his forehead. "Man Kenshin you are so anti-social!"
"Sanosuke that's not a very nice thing to say!" Kaoru admonished. Turning her body towards Kenshin she spoke in a lighter tone. "Kenshin it's only a game anything will do really. If you need sometime to think of something we can let Yahiko go ahead first." She turned toward said boy, "Right Yahiko?"
"Yahiko?"
"Hey brat!"
Yahiko who had been silent until then suddenly jerked at the sound of their voices.
"What?!" He snapped.
"I was asking if you could go ahead of Kenshin since he needs some time to think of a story. What's wrong with you? You were all spaced out."
"Haha he was probably scared Jo-chan."
"I was not Rooster-head!"
"Sure you weren't Yahiko-chan!"
Before the inevitable fight could break out Kenshin put a restraining hand on Sanosuke's shoulder.
"Let's not go there alright?" he sent Yahiko a look as well, and the boy settled himself down.
"Well Yahiko are you going to tell one then?" Kaoru asked once again.
"No I don't know any stupid ghost stories either ok?"
"You too? Kenshin I half expect but you? What did you live in a box?" Sano said shaking his head.
"Shut up Rooster-head! If this is a shortened version then what difference does it make if we don't tell a story each? It's just a dumb game! I mean come on ghosts aren't even real!' Yahiko huffed angrily.
Kaoru who had been silently watching their exchange suddenly spoke up.
"That's not entirely true Yahiko. You should be more respectful."
"Oh don't tell me you believe in them? Ugly as you are, I thought you had more sense."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Kaoru bit out her blue eyes narrowed in irritation. After a pause she spoke again.
"Do you know that stain on the tatami in the spare room beside you Yahiko?" Kaoru asked softly. She had meant to keep this to herself, but seeing as how Yahiko was being more unruly than usual she decided to teach him a lesson.
Yahiko frowned. "You mean that whitish mark? Isn't that a sunspot?"
Kaoru's face remained a steady mask of neutrality. Her dark blue gaze never wavered as she continued to stare at Yahiko.
"It is a little more than a 'sun spot'." She finally said. At the tone of her voice, Sano and Kenshin both exchanged looks.
"That room used to belong to me. But by the time I had turned nine I switched into the one I'm currently in."
Kaoru paused before continuing. "Do you know that river? The one we cross nearly everyday to get to the market? When I was younger I fell into it trying to chase my ribbon."
"It's a very shallow River, as you know, but on nights like this.' She gestured toward the closed shoji where they could all hear the rain still heavily beating down. "There have been times when it's become swollen."
"When I fell in I was very easily swept away. I don't know how much time passed, or how far it had taken me, I must have blacked out along the way. When I awoke I was slumped against a rock jutting out in the middle of the river. My body was numb but I could feel that my kimono was ripped in several places.
"I didn't dare move even though I could see the shore. I was tired and the current was still strong enough to push me further downstream. My grip slipped once but I didn't move. I realized that something else was helping me stay put. What though I didn't know."
"Some more time passed until finally my father and some of his friends came for me. Someone had seen me fall in and had run to get him. It had taken them sometime to find me because I had actually been swept to a small village on the outskirts."
"As they were trying to pull me out whatever had been helping to anchor me would not budge. With a great heave the men were finally able to get me out. And finally I saw what had kept me in place."
"It was a skeleton or more specifically an arm. Its bony fist had caught a tear in my kimono. The rest of it was pinned beneath the rocks. We learned later that it was the body of a young girl that went missing three years ago. She was identified by the necklace she was still wearing; it was the crest of a wealthy merchant family a couple towns over. At the time of her disappearance she had refused an arranged marriage and was thought to have run away. Once she was returned to her family she was given a proper burial."
"Now sometime later as I was recovering from the fever I had caught, I woke up very suddenly in the morning just as the sun had begun to rise. I didn't know what had woken me but I had the impression that someone had gently touched my forehead. In fact my head which had just been burning with fever the night before was suddenly cool."
"Sitting up I looked around and noticed the spot directly beside me was wet. The water had not even sunk into the tatami yet. It was as if someone had stood there dripping…"
"Beside the puddle was a small bouquet of blue bells…." Kaoru paused for breath. "I recovered completely after that, but I couldn't stay in there. Even after all this time. That stain refuses to come out, even after eight years."
Silence greeted the end of her tale.
"H-hee-hee…" Yahiko laughed nervously. "That's …um…"
"Creeped out Yahiko?" Sano asked smirking. He chuckled as the boy shot him a glare. "Well would you listen to that. It's finally stopped raining!" Good now I don't need to stay overnight, Jo-Chan usually offers me that room.
"Oh it did!" Kaoru acknowledged. "But we're not finished yet." She pouted.
"Moods gone though, it's alright Jo-Chan we can finish another time."
With that they all got up and began putting their things away. Kenshin dumped the water in the bowl outside while Kaoru blew out the candles and placed them by the wall with the cushions to be put away the next day.
The three of them walked Sano to the gate, there he turned to Kaoru.
"So, why didn't you just replace the tatami in that room altogether?"
"Actually we did, three times. The stain just didn't want to go away."
"Hmm…I have always felt an odd energy from that place. Not bad, just different from the rest of the dojo that I have." Kenshin remarked crossing his arms over his chest.
"Whooo that is disturbing! And Jo-Chan why do you always make me stay in there when I sleep over!?"
"HAHA! Looks like Rooster-head is more chicken than rooster!" Yahiko laughed evilly. He tucked both his arms in like wings and flapped them around as he screeched like a chicken.
"Why you little brat—!" Sano made a move to clobber Yahiko, but he was too quick and darted away into the house.
Cracking his knuckles Sano just reached for the dojo gate, just wanting to go home.
"Alright I'll see you guys tomorrow then." He took one step out before stopping to turn to Kaoru and Kenshin once more. The two looked at him expectantly.
"Just one question I'm not sure about…why blue bells?"
Kaoru's face darkened slightly. She smiled with some discomfort.
"In flower language…the blue bell means 'thank you'..."
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Yahiko had watched from around the corner of the house as Kenshin and Kaoru saw Sano off. HA! Serves Sano right! Teach him to mess with Myojin Yahiko Tokyo Samurai! He smiled to himself pleased that he was able to get a rise out of the older man.
He watched as Kenshin and Kaoru started to make their way towards their respective rooms and decided that he should turn in as well. But before bed he made a beeline for the kitchen suddenly craving a late night snack.
Thirty minutes later with his belly full, Yahiko made his way toward his room. His tabi clad feet made no sound as he walked along the veranda. His thoughts began to drift as he mentally ticked off what he needed to do tomorrow.
Do training…run to the Akabeko for a short shift…help Gensai-sen—
And then he saw it, the room that was once Kaoru's. A splinter of nervousness entered his mind. Unconsciously he slowed his pace his eyes trained on the closed shoji door.
Frowning Yahiko willed his eyes to avert their gaze and his feet to move faster. This is dumb! I'm not scared! Kaoru must have just wet the bed or something…right?
His chanted that over in his head a few times. Suddenly a sharp wind blew across the back of his neck, like cold nails being raked across his flesh. It hit the shoji causing it to rattle violently.
Yahiko squeaked involuntarily and bolted past the room as fast he could down the veranda and around the corner.
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Kenshin was just settling into bed when he heard a light rap at his bedroom door. Getting up he moved to slide it open.
"Yahiko? Something wrong?" Kenshin asked. He looked him over noting the slightly tense line of his shoulders. The young boy looked up his eyes nervous.
"Um…Kenshin? Could I…you know…um…could I stay here tonight?" Yahiko asked sheepishly.
Kenshin's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Moving aside he gestured for him to enter offering the boy a warm smile. "Sure."
He took out an extra pillow for the boy to use and laid it down beside him. Then he let Yahiko settle in before slipping in himself. Silence came as they both got comfortable.
Coughing lightly Yahiko spoke. "Listen Kenshin, could you…um…not tell Kaoru…about…you know…
Smiling in the dark Kenshin chuckled softly to himself.
"Of course Yahiko Sessha will not mention any of this that he won't."
"Thanks Kenshin, goodnight."
"Goodnight Yahiko."
End
AN: So…I temporarily dropped writing Whispering Corridors (my other RK story) to write this. Actually in case anyone is wondering the next chapter of Whispering Corridors is pretty much done, I'd say 90 complete.
Hyaku Monogatari – (Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai) '100 Tales of Horror' is a real parlour game popular during Japan's Edo period. You're actually supposed to have 100 candles and subsequently tell 100 ghost stories. Again after each one you do blow out a candle and at the end there is supposed to be an extra person in the room i.e. a ghost.
A bowl of water or a Kimono worn backwards is supposed to be present to protect the people and warn them of nearby spirits.
Blue Bells – in flower language they actually mean grateful, but for the purpose of my story I changed it just a bit.
THE GHOST STORIES – The first one told by Sano is one that some friends have told to me. To be more accurate they are actually two stories that I rolled into one.
The second story told by Kaoru is based on a TRUE STORY. Well more or less true it's tweaked obviously to fit the RuroKen universe and timeline. This actually happened to my cousin back home in the Philippines (Bulacan). He always traveled down the darker unlighted path because the lighted path was overrun by stray dogs that didn't hesitate to attack people. The house mentioned is also true.
It was broken into and the young girl living there was raped then murdered. Her body was not found until a week later, because of the smell. She was found lying on the stairs with bullet wounds in her chest.
At certain times of the day people walking by claim they can hear the sounds of a struggle around the time it was said the girl was to have died.
Kaoru's own personal story I completely made up.
Well Thanks for reading. Please review if you'd like. :)