Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. This story isn't going to be very dark, maybe a twilight-ish color.
Hmmm...I don't really like this title either so I might change it in the future. Good titles are so hard to come upon nowadays.
Kaoru hated how the fictitious legend of Battousai made her people weak, but how was she supposed to know that the legend was actually true? KBK. AU, not present day.
I'm really not into the whole possessive thing, though I do like some stories, but I'm going to give this a try just to see where it goes. I'm planning on having fun so if you see something you don't like just drop a review and we'll talk about it like calm adults. How's that? Because I do so detest when people flame me and don't leave an email address or something so I can defend myself.
Tears, Shatter, and Joy
Introduction
By: Espiritus
"Battousai will save us," her mother whispered on her death bed. Kaoru shut her eyes tightly.
How wrong her mother was even at death, fooled so completely by a legend told many years ago about a red-haired swordsman who would free them and their people. The lies her people told disgusted Kaoru; they shouldn't kept their hopes in a man, legend or not. It was their lives, their future and it was up to them and them alone to right the wrongs and bring justice to the land. Not some legend that never existed.
"Sure, mother." Kaoru said softy admitting nothing of her own feelings. Her mother knew though, her mother knew and smiled touching her middle daughter's cheek.
"Believe, Kaoru. Believe and hope for a better future." Kaoru placed her own hand on top of her mother's shaking one, cold as it had been for the past few months. It was death's claim and Kaoru hated more than anything, more than her father's betrayal.
She did not want to argue with her mother now like she had so many times before, but the repulsion welling within her would not calm. Why didn't people try to better their own lives instead of waiting for some man to do it for them? If they rose together against injustices imposed upon them then maybe they wouldn't have to be slaves to the Ora. Maybe they could be free like the stories from five hundred years ago told of. Maybe, Kaoru sighed…there was too many of those.
"I do believe, mother, in God that granted us life, who is all around us." Kaoru explained moving her arm around the room to emphasis her point. "I believe that the Grand Creator gave us the power to rebel against the evils done against us, but I do not believe, refuse to believe, in a legend which has no trace of truth."
"The Creator has no trace of truth," her mother pointed out, a smile on her thin lips.
Kaoru sighed. That was so much different. Kaoru placed her hands to her heart feeling its living pulsation; this was a gift only a god could give, the Grand Creator. "No, mother, you're wrong. I see the Creator everywhere, and that is my truth. The legend of Battousai was made out of the frail hopes of a dying people."
"No," her mother stated stronger, blue eyes flashing. "The legend had been around long before our enslavement, a prophecy made hundred of years before the events occurred which ruined our people."
"Prophecies," Kaoru snorted, "that's all anyone ever talks about, mother. Why don't we at least try to..."
"Impossible, Kaoru." Her mother's voice weakened and Kaoru felt stab of guilt for arguing with a dying woman.
How much more disrespectful could she be? Yet she had always been defiant not allowing anyone to walk over her beliefs yet still listened to other beliefs with open ears, all except the legend of Battousai. The legend made her people weak, dependent and Kaoru sometimes want to scream at them all to wake up and take action into their own hands. They may die, but they would die with the fire of honor and not with a whimper in silence.
"We're non magical, our suppressors are, and therefore, we stand no chance."
"But, mother..." The woman raised a hand, cough, and smiled.
"You're made of wind, Kaoru, always were; one moment you are calm and the next moment you're a raging storm. Your sister, Misao, reminds me of fire, and Megumi reminds me of solid earth, stable and firm." Her mother's eyes lighted up in dreamy haze of emotion, and Kaoru smiled at her mother's fanciful thoughts. Her mother was a dreamer like her but different.
Kaoru grabbed her mother's hand and squeezed while despair fell over her soul as the knowledge that this would be one of the last, if not the last, time she would have a deep conversation with her mother. Over the next few days she would fall into Agony, and then the mother she knew would be gone though her body would remain withering in pain.
"And you, mother, are water. You always carved a new path for yourself, never could be trapped, and always fit and molded into each situation given to you. You have been stronger than us all and," Kaoru bit her lower lip willing herself not to cry; her mother asked them not to cry for her. "Thank you, mama. Thank you for loving us."
The woman smiled once more shaking her head, "Don't thank me for something I wanted all my life to do, Kaoru."
And that was the last conversation Kaoru ever had with her mother before the Agony took over her body. Her mother became a shell after that, no longer the beautiful and strong woman she had once been, and Kaoru came to hate the legend all the more.
Her mother died because of it, because she spread the fictional news.
&&&&
The rain increased, Kaoru noticed, by the beating on the window. The only candle in the room flickered back and forth with a stray wind which ran through the cracks in their house. Megumi sat on the other side of the table mending their cloths, and Misao stood staring out the window her hands pressed against the breaking glass.
Earlier that day, they buried their mother. She suffered for two months under the Agony before it finally took her life, after it broke her spirit.
Kaoru did not like the concept of hate the only time ever coming close to the emotion was when their father abandoned them, leaving without reason, without a goodbye, but right now Kaoru wanted to hate magic for all its black curses. She wanted nothing more to do with the magic that other half of the population of their world had; it gave too much power, and too much power led to too much corruption.
Her mother said that they were nothing against magic, but Kaoru refused to believe that. She was not water like her mother, she did not mold into her situations, instead she took them and made her fate and destiny hers; she was determined to be the mistress of her own life and not the other way around. She was wind; she could not be captured nor controlled.
"Mother loved the rain," Misao said suddenly bringing forth two sets of eyes to look upon her. Misao smiled turning to face her sisters. "She lived an excellent life, the best she could, don't you think?"
"I miss her too, Misao." Megumi said before resuming her mending. Kaoru gave an encouraging smile at her younger sister.
"Yes, she did love the rain, Misao. Do you remember how she always took us out when it rained and made us dance as if we were fairies?"
Misao laughed bringing her arms out and twirling around the drab room. Misao could make any place radiate with light and joy, it was an enviable trait that the baby of their family possessed, and Kaoru became infested with laughter as she watched Misao spin about the room, still girl in many senses of the world yet wise in her own way. They were all wise in their own ways.
"And don't forget, Kaoru, how she put flowers in our hair as we danced."
Megumi looked up from her mending. "Or weeds if no flowers could be found."
"Which was almost always the case," Kaoru finished off smiling at her eldest sister.
The rain pounded harder against the window and a few stray drops fell from the ceiling. Megumi sighed as she reached for a bucket placing it where the rain drops fell. Tink. Tink. Tink.
Misao smiled. "Almost sounds like music that the Oraians listen to, doesn't it?"
Kaoru nodded her head for the sake of agreeing, but all three of them knew nothing compared to the Oraians' music. Kaoru had heard one song many years ago; it was a haunting, sad tune like that of angels' song. Among her people it was said that the Grand Creator blessed them Itself, and Kaoru again felt the welling of disgust.
Why did her people think so lowly of themselves? Did they not have more honor than that?
Five hundred years in slavery does that to the spirit, her mother's words whispered. Yet if that were true, why was she like she was? Why did she retain a hope that her people could make their lives better, could be equal once more to the Oraians?
"You look lost in thought, Kaoru. Want to talk about it?" Megumi asked sitting back down and resuming her mending.
Kaoru watch the needle flow into her vision and then disappeared behind the rough cloth once more and did not speak for a long time. Megumi said nothing more knowing her sister needed time to think; she only pushed when necessary, and with her younger sisters it happened more often then she would have liked.
"It's the same thing, Megumi."
Oh, so it was that.
She placed her mending on her lap as Misao settled herself into the other chair. "It's about our people again, isn't it?" Megumi asked casually.
"I can't stand it, Megumi. You know I can't stand to see how we all just stand here and do nothing." Kaoru stood up quickly and started pacing the room, her hands curled into tight balls. "I want to go to the north, join the rebellions and at least try to make something with my life other than slavery."
Megumi pursed her lips understanding her sister's anger, she too felt it, but how could they escape? They were watched, branded like animals, and it took great planning and luck to escape from one's master family. Misao played with her fingers, a stray laugh bubbling from her throat.
"So you want to try and escape, go to the north and join the rebellions?"
"Yes," Kaoru said lowering her voice. "I stayed only for mother's and your own sakes."
"They're dying faster than ever before, Kaoru. The Oraians are getting smarter in their tracking and killing; you've seen the fliers the post on our doors." Megumi explained logically thinking of the paper outside their very door telling of the latest battle - a victory for the Oraians. Their kind hadn't prevailed since the beginning of The Blood Purification, the beginning of their enslavement five hundred years before.
"Megumi, I'm not afraid."
"If they find you before you make it to the rebellions, they will make you into a pleasure slave and the place the Agony on you. They will break your spirit more than one time, Kaoru. They will do anything to break your spirit even if it means lowering one of their own kind to have sex with you."
It was true, only a select few were pleasure slaves because the Oraians thought it beneath them to couple with one of her own kind. The notion revolted them and Kaoru was glad of that because that meant freedom in one aspect for them.
"I know and I'm not afraid, Megumi, but I don't want to leave you two alone either."
Misao smiled and placed her hand on her sister's. "Megumi, I say we go with Kaoru."
Kaoru shot her sister and incredulous look; Misao rarely spoke of her feelings dealing with their enslavement, she always had a smile on her face instead. Smiles hid many things Kaoru had come to find because of her younger sister.
Megumi shook her head and sighed. "I can't decide your fate for you, but I will worry."
Before Kaoru could speak, Misao did first. "Why don't you want to come, Megumi?"
Megumi gave a sad smile, her eyes tearing up. "I can't leave the orphans by themselves, Misao."
Kaoru, in her selfishness, had forgotten about the children Megumi took care of and another wave guilt over powered her. Could she leave her sister? Would they place the Agony onto her for both Misao and herself trying to escape?
"I wish I could go with you, but I can't. We each have our own paths to choose from and I chose this." Megumi said placing her hands on the table. "I know that look, Kaoru, and don't you dare feel quilt." Megumi tuned stern. "I wish you two the best paths in life, you were made for greater things then this world has to offer...I want you two to know that."
"Megumi..." Kaoru started feeling as though she was losing her sister, and in reality, if Misao and she decided to leave, she truly would. In reality, in they left they would never see her again. "I can't go then. I can't leave you alone." Misao nodded in agreement.
"No!" Megumi whispered harshly standing up imposingly touching her heart with a hand. "I chose my path, Kaoru and Misao, it's time for you to chose yours. Go and make a better future for the children I stay to look after. Go and be free for whatever amount of time you have."
And Kaoru found that she could say nothing to Megumi, and for once, Misao neither spoke nor moved.
A/N: Keep in mind this is just the prologue and that all things confusing will be explained in time. So the last part probably sucked, but it was a bit hard to write. I don't think I got my point across, but oh well. Do leave a review if you can, they motivate me. Thanks for reading!
Espiritus