Disclaimers: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

JeniNeji Comments:

This is a sort of random idea I got and decided to give it a try. This is the first fanfic I do for Rurouni Kenshin and furthermore, my main language is Spanish. Sorry for the mistakes I know ought to be hiding there somewhere, yes, I need a beta-reader…but have none for this anime yet. ^^ If this piece is liked, I have started to mentally develop further chapters so…enjoy!

xxoOoxx

The Voice


Because I never realized it, I do now.

I have come to rely on you.

Blindly.

Mutedly.


xxoOoxx

"Good morning" the distorted voice a female spoke from a black laptop. A line of three kanji swirled monotonously on the screen, the sign of the infamous company he worked for. "How are you doing today, Battousai?"

The red haired man ignored the screen and the voice while he dried his long strands of crimson hair. The white towel contrasted impressively, making the innocent scene somehow turn wicked. Maybe it was the way his hands flexed automatically as he moved them, perhaps it was the way his sinful hair invited to be touched or the chiseled muscles of his abdomen. Sadly, there was no one in the room to watch the edible man.

"I am sorry," the distorted voice said evenly "I forgot to notice the hour, you must still be drying or dressing" she excused herself and the sound of rustling paper could be heard as she began to do something else.

A little smirk appeared on his usually dead lips. He had come to like the way she had accustomed to his tight routine. It spoke of intelligence, commitment and organization. The way he liked his partner to be, no mistakes no unnecessary spilled blood.

He lazily threw the short white towel to the basket and then untied the one at his hips and did the same. He freely walked towards his accommodated closet and opened it thoughtful. He glanced at the clothes, and stuck to the dark colored ones as it was his custom. Without further thought he drew out a faded blue jean and a dark-gray blue shirt. He brought the clothes out and placed them on his bed as he moved to the drawer for a pair of boxers. After selecting one he fancied and putting it on, he finally proceeded to dress up.

He walked to the bigger dresser and picked up his brush and slumped on the comfortable desk chair in front of his costly laptop. He glanced at the moving kanji with bored amber eyes before he began to work on the few knots that had decided to take residence on his silky hair.

"Good morning," he asked his unknown female partner. He knew the last names of the selective group of persons who hereditary worked on her position, the mediators, but he had never been told about her and he had never bothered to ask. There was no need to know anything about her, he was a professional, and they didn't get themselves involved with people from work. That was law. "I appreciate your preview understanding" he added after a pause.

"There is no need Battousai, sir" the distorted voice hastily commented "It was I who was rude" the voice stopped abruptly as if thinking something over but seeming to decide otherwise "You have a mission tonight, it will be most…challenging" the voice warned.

The Battousai didn't bother to answer and instead, concentrated on tying the hair band on his usual high ponytail. He walked towards his night table and took a package of new socks and pulled it open with a quick tug. He proceeded to find his black leather shoes and once again walked to the desk chair, this time putting on his socks.

"The targets is Jineh" the voice of the female continued, aware that he was not going to comment anything "The information says that you have encountered him before, thus, making you more effective than other unknowing professionals, however, his location had become erratic and the bureau has been unable to pinpoint him effectively".

He was now tying the straps of his shoes listening to the blabbering of his partner. He knew she was aware that these unimportant facts irked, the minimum difference on the loudness of her voice hinted him so, but they both understood that it was protocol. He lay back on his chair and closed his eyes, waiting for her usual business voice. After ten seconds, it returned.

"Your job is to locate and eliminate the target" a pause were she took a deep breath and then the final sentence "The standard precautions" the voice finished, and somehow, the nagging feeling that she wanted to express something additional came to him. He was an assassin, had been for the last fifteen years. His skills were unmatchable, but those were not the only one which kept him alive, he had learned to trust his instincts.

"Tanuki" the Battousai carefully used his partner's cover name "Is there anything else you should inform me?" he waited for a moment, his thumbs joining each others as he searched the possible things she would feel the need to share with him.

It came as a surprise when her guarded voice, something he had never heard from her before, came "No Battousai, sir" he frowned now unsettled "That's all there is to report".

"Very well" the Battousai replied his usual cut line and the sound of the connection between them shutting filled the room.

His amber eyes glared suspiciously at the screen of his laptop for a few seconds, distrusting his mediator for a moment, before once again walking to his closet. Silently he drew out a long grey coat and walked towards his living room. He tediously took his long katana from its resting place and strapped it against his belt and walked out of the room.

xxoOoxx

It was almost sunrise when he came back to his apartment. It wasn't until he closed the door behind him that the weariness of the search for Jineh finally left him. He moved the familiar way towards the holder of his katana and placed the unused item there.

After that he walked towards his bedroom and began to undress of his sweaty shirt and threw it to the laundry…and noticed that it was half-way filled, so he would need to wash them soon. Feeling his feet a little sore thanks to all the walking he'd done he decided to lie on his full bed. He turned to the alarm clock at the small wooden table at his side and stared at the flashy red colors, 5:43 am. After a necessary stretch he set up the alarm clock for 7:00 and closed his eyes.

The annoying beep of the alarm sounded a moment later and he narrowed his golden eyes angrily at the device. With now rested feet but a sore back he rose from the bed and forced his limbs to take him to the shower. He opened the knob and pushed it to the right side, letting the warming water splash away the soreness of his muscles.

He hadn't found Jineh last night. Now the warning Tanuki had given him made perfect sense. The man had gone unstable and paranoid, he ought to be in order to remain alive, but that made his task more difficult. He had visited the clubs, downtown and even the parks. Many times over, trying to make an organize schedule to set the hours, but it seemed that the man was no where. Never before had this happen and then again, the once again warning of they knowing each other became another boulder on the way. He would have to change his routine and search parameters a little for this special case, or he would fail his first assassination.

An obnoxious ringing sound came in from the open door of his bathroom and his eyes instinctively narrowed. He knew that in theory his laptop had a device which allowed his partner to call out to him, but this was the first time he had actually heard the sound.

He hurried to dry a little and stomped down the hall towards his laptop. He couldn't help but to press his lips together in displeasure. If he didn't think that whatever this whole ordeal was important, he would have growled. He sighed loudly when the first naughty drops of water ran down from his hair and tickled down his back. He stopped in front of his laptop and gazed at the familiar kanji.

"I'm here Tanuki" he said and didn't hide his anger "This better be important".

Tanuki didn't reply immediately and his amber eyes were starting to dig a whole on the screen of his laptop "Battousai. Good Morning," a disrupted voice began smoothly and a feeling of uneasiness immediately rocked him. This was not Tanuki's voice "Tanuki is currently unavailable," the female voice kept on as if it were a daily occurrence. It angered him, this was not habitual. He had never liked the idea of having a partner, that was no secret; however, that the bureau decided to change his partner just like that, it infuriated him in a way he never thought possible. "I am here to receive the report about the current status of your assigned task" the female voice finally said and the loosely command was not well received.

"What is your alias?" Battousai's stern voice demanded. He couldn't believe the anger he was feeling. If it was being interrupted from his shower, the soreness of his muscles, the lack of sleep, the futile search the night before, this woman's unprofessionalism or the sum of them all, he wasn't sure, but there was no hiding it, he felt his demons stirring inside of him.

"Is it important?" the distorted voice replied disrespectfully and it was the last vestige to common sense he had. He closed the lid of the laptop with an unrestrained shove and cursed loudly.

He stomped down towards his bed and moved the sheets carelessly away, searching for his mobile. After some seconds, his hands caught it and he began to dial a phone number he had memorized. After a few rings a respectful voice answered.

"Himura" the man on the other line greeted evenly.

"I can't believe the impertinence of your mediators" he growled without restrain "I want that woman you partnered with me removed now" the red haired demanded.

The line was silent for a moment "Why?" was the one word reply.

"No one orders me around," the Battousai growled "and her voice is sickening" he added to make his point.

"Himura," the voice of his boss began and he instantly knew he had overstepped his boundaries "With someone of your talents, I am sure you can deal with it. You are a professional and I am sure that her sickening tone of voice is something you can ignore. We don't need for partners to like each other we only need them to pass reports and missions".

He didn't say anything, he couldn't. He knew he may be acting thoughtlessly, but he just couldn't accept his boss's logic, and he couldn't disobey him either, so he simply chose to remain silent.

After a minute, a sigh escaped his boss "Himura," the relaxing voice once again began "It's temporary," the boss informed him "your mediator will return in three days".

"I understand" he managed to force out "Forgive my unusual unwillingness Katsura-sama" he said, this was sincere.

"Do not think of it Himura," Katsura replied easily "We all have bad days" he commented with an understanding tone. "So, I am to assume this means you didn't complete your mission last night?"

"No sir" Himura respectfully informed "I was unable to find the target, sir" he explained evenly, and was suddenly reminded of the way Tanuki directed herself to him. It was similar to the way he directed himself to Katsura.

"I see" Katsura replied in thought "Very well Himura, I shall expect your next report" he continued "Until then" and the phone line disconnected.

He stared at his cell phone for long moments, undecided about the results of his conversation with Katsura. Three days, he will have to deal with this insolent woman for only three days, after that, his real partner will return. Three days, he kept on saying. He was a professional; he could deal with three days.

xxoOoxx

His room has never been so messy, but neither has been his mood. Piles of papers were scattered around the room. He had begun his search.

Seven days had passed since his new partner had been assigned to him, three since he began to search for Tanuki's real identity, two days have passed since he killed Jineh and a day since he last slept.

He still didn't know why he bothered. Why should he worry about Tanuki? There was no logical reason for this obsession that had taken over him, but he couldn't stop himself. Maybe it had been the dedication she had showed him, memorizing his life or the nagging feeling he had last time he crossed words with her, she had wanted to tell him something.

After three days of investigation, he had narrowed the possibilities to two. She was either a descendant of the Makimachi's who currently had a female representative named Misao, or she was the female descendant of the Kamiya's, whose representative was named Kaoru. They were the only two who had began to work two years ago, the same time he began to work with Tanuki.

After close consideration, he believed her to be Kaoru rather than Misao. The first had kendo teaching on a martial art by the name Kamiya Kasshin, which was a complicated art that focused on defeating an enemy without killing it, making extensive use of pressure points and nerves. Furthermore, it required a strong commitment and extreme strong will, something he believe Tanuki possessed. The later, Misao, was descendant of a renowned family of ninjas. Ninja's were silent and somber by nature, but he has found that the young female was anything but such, and that her energetic ways had caused her some problems.

The unusual ringing of his cell phone immediately attracted his attention and he left the papers and went to the origin of the sound. He took the mobile and his golden eyes narrowed when the caller id registered the caller as 'unknown'. After a quick debate he flung it open and pressed it to his ear.

A moment later someone spoke "Battousai, sir" the caller voiced. He recognized that voice, the strength and the cautious pronunciation of each syllable, even the exact two seconds pause between the two words. It was his partner. She had contacted him at last, she was alive.

Still, there was something anomalous. She had called him. She was not contacting him by means of his laptop, she was using his mobile. Surprise filtered through his pores as he finally noticed it. She had talked to him, with her real voice, not her distorted one. He had needed a moment to recall her voice and he felt his whole body tense with exhilaration.

Her voice was…lovely. Her strength as a martial artist echoed on her voice, the strength, stubbornness and even defiance. It was a moment of bliss, the feeling of realization was obscuring all the tiredness he had felt these last days. It was as if he had been waiting, daily, these last to years to uncover her, her voice, her soul, like a lover relented on the act of undressing a loved one. And he felt greedy, needy, he wanted to hear her voice once again.

"Kaoru" he had whispered, no hint of doubt. He was sure that was her name, he wanted her to have that name. He wanted her to be the descendant of the Kamiya Household. He wanted her to be the one of the 'Sword which protected Life'.

He worshipped the startled gasp he had earned from her, it was her. Kamiya Kaoru. A second passed before her voice overcame the surprise and her business voice once again coated her normal one "I need to deliver a report to headquarters," she instructed with a strange mix of authority and respect "The white tiger is on the loose".

Wench! He heard a man scream infuriated on the background of her phone. He narrowed his eyes in alarm, was she on a mission? He knew there were some mediators who had double jobs, one for mediating between the company and assassins and another one for intelligence missions, many of them working as undercover. It amazed him that his Tanuki was one of those, he had never expected it.

"Kaoru" he said again and he loved the way it felt as it left his mouth "Are you on a mission?" he asked with some preoccupation.

The abrupt sound of a door being pushed down made him tense, what was going on there? "I will contact when I am able to" she dully informed. You will die today! The shout promised with anger "Dismissed" and as soon as he heard those words a crashing sound was heard and then the line went dead.

She had destroyed her cell phone, the undeniable truth of the act not going unnoticed. She had done that to prevent any type of tracking that would lead the enemy to contact them, but, she had destroyed her possibly only salvation as well.

A mix of dread and anticipation made way through his senses and he began to dial a familiar number. After a few rings, the strong voice of his boss answered "Himura" the call had obviously been unexpected.

"The white tiger is on the loose" he passed on the phrase his partner had told him "My partner contacted me" he simply explained.

"I see" Katsura simply stated and took a deep breath "Prepare yourself Himura, you may need to work tonight".

"Understood" Himura's voice suddenly became darker, wilder and his eyes began to turn a feral golden color. Tonight, he was going to hunt.

xxoOoxx

To be continued…maybe, depends…

xxoOoxx

Please, comment!