AN: ok, this is my first Rurouni Kenshin fic. So please be gentle. *grins*
and do I really have to do the disclaimer dance?
*shrugs* guess I do. Ok, here goes. *takes a deep breath and shouts*
I OWN RUROUNI KENSHIN AND ALL ITS CHARACTERS!!!!!!!!!!...
*a pause* OK, maybe that didn't come out right. *bonks herself on the head* that was just wishful thinking on my part.
OK, lets try that again.. *takes another deep breath...... and whispers*
"I don't own Rurouni Kenshin." She glances around, hoping against hope that no one heard her.
OK, now ON WITH THE STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
He stared at his hands, and haunting memories kept flashing through his mind... the glint of steel, the whistle of the blade, the clashing of swords, and finally the gore. Blood, splatters of it, dripping, dripping and dripping. .... He continued to stare at them, with blank eyes that seem too convey disbelief and denial at the same time. Outside his window, lightning flashed.
*knock* "excuse me." the sound seemed to snap him out of his reverie. He glances at the door and plasters his smile in place.
"come in"
He watches as the lady places a fresh pitcher of water beside the basin on the sidetable. The simple routinary action seems to reel his mind back to the present. He was staying at an inn, choosing to sleep on a comfortable bed for once, rather than the hard ground that has become his norm as of late. He smiles sadly, rain always makes him relive his past. Memories which he would rather forget. The lady bows to him and goes out the door. "Arigatou" he bids her. He shakes his head, as if to shake away the grip of his unfortunate past.. maa maa. I seem to be a bit off tonight. Might as well go down and join the others for diner' *sighs* he gets up, fastens his katana securely on his waist and makes his way for the restaurant down below.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"oi! More sake!!"
"Did you hear about the recent murder..."
"My wife is having a fit! She kicked me out of the house.."
Noise greeted the young man as he entered the establishment. But, unfazed, he calmly makes his way to an empty table at the far end of the room. A waitress immediately materialized at his side. The boy glances up, warm brown eyes looking at the girl who's patiently waiting to take his order. Whoa! The service here is pretty fast. He thinks, impressed. hmm. lets see..
"uh I think I'll have a plain soba and some miso soup".
The girl nods, "Hai. Please wait for awhile while we prepare your order."
Then, she walks away leaving the boy to ponder, heading towards the kitchen.
So, I'm alone again. After all these years of serving under you, I'm alone again, Shishio-san. Although its not so bad really. Just different. But not bad. Not bad at all.
He just kept on with his internal conversation. Lost in his thoughts. He didn't notice the fleeting glances that were thrown at him by the other patrons. He looked strange. A boy in his late teens, dressed in a light blue gi with a dark blue hakama. All alone and staring at the wall before him, pondering about God knows what. I'm wandering all over Japan now Shishio-san. I'm trying to find myself, just like Himura-san did. I hope I'll find my answers, though I'm not really sure if ten years is enough. He often did this mental conversation with his dead mentor. The man was a bit demented, but he gave Soujiro the strength to survive all the years of this chaotic era. He gave Soujiro something when nobody else did. And to the boy that was called Soujiro, something sure was better than nothing.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Here you go"
Soujiro looks up. His order has arrived. Two steaming bowls were set in front of him. And after all that mental talk that he did, he found that he was indeed very hungry.
"Arigatou" he murmurs.
The girl just nods and walks away, off to serve the other patrons of the restaurant.
Soujiro began eating. Noting how the soba tasted wonderfully against his tongue. And the hot soup just warmed him up. this is good food. Nothing really excellent, but nothing to complain about either. and after spending all his time on the road, feeding on nothing but smoked fish for weeks, the plain soba and miso soup tasted like heaven to him right now.
He continued eating, but at the same time, he kept his ears open to the conversations that were going on around him. You never know what you might pick up while listening. Something useful might come up.
"My wife just gave birth last night. I have a son!!!"
"The restaurant down the street is nice too. They have this duck which they serve with.."
"Hey have you heard about the murder that occurred last night in the next town."
Soujiro looked up a bit. Twice now had he heard about that murder. The first time it slipped his mind a bit, but after a second mentioning of the topic, he began to get intrigued. So he strained his ears some more hoping to catch more of the conversation.
"They say that that's the 3rd one this week. The first one was a couple, then after that a whole family was killed. They say its quite a sight. Those bodies mangled and shredded to pieces. Those poor children."
"And you say this occurred just within a week? Ch' the things people do these days."
"Murdering bastards."
This is certainly interesting Soujiro thought. Not that he found the idea of murder shocking, after all, that was what he did before he gave up on that profession. Well, not really give up, more like reforming. It was hard to let go of his sword which has become a part of him all these years. But at least he had now given up on the thought of murdering innocent people. He was still in the process of trying to help people out. He didn't think that he would give up on killing anytime soon. He found it hard to defend the weak without killing the attackers. He was working on that though. But he didn't think that he would be able to change that quickly. He found it hard to completely shift from one mindset to another in such a short period of time.
Perhaps I should go and pay that town a visit. Who knows what I might find there. Opportunities perhaps? Or maybe I'll find my answers. Anyway, its not as if I'm doing anything currently. With that, he finished his meal and made his way back up the stairs towards his room. Better have a goodnight's rest. I have a long journey ahead of me tomorrow.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
The sun peaked out of the horizon. And at the early hour of six, Soujiro woke up and prepared his things for his travel. He stopped by the window and took a glance outside. He always loved this time of the day, when everything looked so peaceful and calm. So fresh before all the bustle that goes with the morning activity tampered with the scenery. *sigh* well, I have to get going and with that, Soujiro took his things and made his way out.
He was walking a calm pace, admiring everything he passed by. He has been doing that quite often as of late. An indication that his soul was finally healing along. His gaze was soft as he took in the view. Soft fields blown by the wind. Green and forever stretching. And on the far side of the picture, there stood the mountains, proud and tall. A testimony to nature's power, a monolith of a monument.
Soujiro took a deep breath and just smiled. Sure he smiled all the time, but this time his smile was a bit more genuine. Not the grinning mask that he usually wore. Life has been behaving lately. Maybe it is true that life is full of ups and downs. And when you've been down as I have, there is nowhere to go but up. he thought. Smiling again at his analogy. what do you think of me Shishio-san? Am I being foolish? Too much sentimentality. That is so unlike me. And I wonder if you think that I'm being idiotic. But I'm so much happier right now Shishio-san. Maybe I'll look like a fool to the world, but I'm happy. Shouldn't that count for something?. He stopped his mental tirade. This was going nowhere. His former master wouldn't answer back. And if he did, Soujiro wasn't sure if he was going to like the reply. He grinned at that. On second thought, he knew somewhat accurately what his former mentor was going to say. And it was nothing pretty. Infact, if one is overly sensitive, one might say its downright insulting. But then, Soujiro wasn't exactly sensitive. More like he had almost no emotions at all. He had only just recently started to tap into his emotional side. And though he knew it was an improvement, he still found the experience disconcerting.
Too involved with his thoughts, Soujiro failed to notice the time of the day. He was just too immersed with the scene and his jumbled thoughts that he hadn't realized that it was now way past noon. But some things couldn't be ignored, however.
*GURRK.*
*GRUMBLE*
Eep! He grinned sheepishly. Inwardly thankful that there hadn't been anyone around to hear that embarrassing sound. He patted his stomach lightly. must be time to eat. He scanned the surroundings, looking for a potential meal. His eyes spotted a glimmer beyond the trees, and after listening carefully, he was able to pick up the sound of flowing water. Ah. Yokatta. There's water nearby. Hopefully it might be a river or a stream. Maybe I can catch some fish there. He hurriedly made his way through the trees and found himself at the bank of a huge stream of water. It was so clear that he could easily see the bottom of it, though the water was probably knee deep. He scooped up some of the liquid with his palms and drank. Refreshing. Especially after a long day of travel in the heat of the sun He looked around. No fish though. *Shrug* Oh well, I could always eat some fruit anyway. He scanned the area. And finally, after a few minutes of looking, he found a tree that had some fruits on it. He didn't know what those fruits were called, but they looked delicious. He made his way over to his "lunch" and climbed up. It wasn't much of a challenge to him, and after a very short while, he had already gathered much of the fruit. He wasn't planning to eat all of them, but from his experience, you never know when you might get a chance to eat again. Food wasn't exactly lying around everywhere. So he was planning on bringing some of this fruit along, incase he gets hungry along the way.
Munching on his fruit, Soujiro continued with his travel. The sun was way up in the sky now. And it was scorching hot. Wiping his brows with his sleeves, Soujiro grimaced. This is a bit too much he quickened his pace, the sooner I get to town, the better. Soujiro walked quickly and soon, his mind was filled only with the thoughts of a faster travel. His eyes no longer wandered around to observe the scenery. Right now, he was only concerned with getting out of the heat fast.
Then, before he knew it, darkness had descended, and still no town was in sight. It must be farther than I thought *shrug* well at least the night is better than that burning sun. The cool night air blew through his hair, messing it up a bit. He gladly welcomed the wind though. His body was tired from all that walking, not to mention the heat that had sapped much of his strength. Carefully making his way to a tree, he leaned against it, placing his things beside him and clutching his sword, he slept and awaited the coming of the next day.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
AN: ok that's it for now. I'll have to think of something for the next chapter. Tell me what you think. Suggestions? Reviews please..
Mayorie ^_^'
*shrugs* guess I do. Ok, here goes. *takes a deep breath and shouts*
I OWN RUROUNI KENSHIN AND ALL ITS CHARACTERS!!!!!!!!!!...
*a pause* OK, maybe that didn't come out right. *bonks herself on the head* that was just wishful thinking on my part.
OK, lets try that again.. *takes another deep breath...... and whispers*
"I don't own Rurouni Kenshin." She glances around, hoping against hope that no one heard her.
OK, now ON WITH THE STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
He stared at his hands, and haunting memories kept flashing through his mind... the glint of steel, the whistle of the blade, the clashing of swords, and finally the gore. Blood, splatters of it, dripping, dripping and dripping. .... He continued to stare at them, with blank eyes that seem too convey disbelief and denial at the same time. Outside his window, lightning flashed.
*knock* "excuse me." the sound seemed to snap him out of his reverie. He glances at the door and plasters his smile in place.
"come in"
He watches as the lady places a fresh pitcher of water beside the basin on the sidetable. The simple routinary action seems to reel his mind back to the present. He was staying at an inn, choosing to sleep on a comfortable bed for once, rather than the hard ground that has become his norm as of late. He smiles sadly, rain always makes him relive his past. Memories which he would rather forget. The lady bows to him and goes out the door. "Arigatou" he bids her. He shakes his head, as if to shake away the grip of his unfortunate past.. maa maa. I seem to be a bit off tonight. Might as well go down and join the others for diner' *sighs* he gets up, fastens his katana securely on his waist and makes his way for the restaurant down below.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"oi! More sake!!"
"Did you hear about the recent murder..."
"My wife is having a fit! She kicked me out of the house.."
Noise greeted the young man as he entered the establishment. But, unfazed, he calmly makes his way to an empty table at the far end of the room. A waitress immediately materialized at his side. The boy glances up, warm brown eyes looking at the girl who's patiently waiting to take his order. Whoa! The service here is pretty fast. He thinks, impressed. hmm. lets see..
"uh I think I'll have a plain soba and some miso soup".
The girl nods, "Hai. Please wait for awhile while we prepare your order."
Then, she walks away leaving the boy to ponder, heading towards the kitchen.
So, I'm alone again. After all these years of serving under you, I'm alone again, Shishio-san. Although its not so bad really. Just different. But not bad. Not bad at all.
He just kept on with his internal conversation. Lost in his thoughts. He didn't notice the fleeting glances that were thrown at him by the other patrons. He looked strange. A boy in his late teens, dressed in a light blue gi with a dark blue hakama. All alone and staring at the wall before him, pondering about God knows what. I'm wandering all over Japan now Shishio-san. I'm trying to find myself, just like Himura-san did. I hope I'll find my answers, though I'm not really sure if ten years is enough. He often did this mental conversation with his dead mentor. The man was a bit demented, but he gave Soujiro the strength to survive all the years of this chaotic era. He gave Soujiro something when nobody else did. And to the boy that was called Soujiro, something sure was better than nothing.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Here you go"
Soujiro looks up. His order has arrived. Two steaming bowls were set in front of him. And after all that mental talk that he did, he found that he was indeed very hungry.
"Arigatou" he murmurs.
The girl just nods and walks away, off to serve the other patrons of the restaurant.
Soujiro began eating. Noting how the soba tasted wonderfully against his tongue. And the hot soup just warmed him up. this is good food. Nothing really excellent, but nothing to complain about either. and after spending all his time on the road, feeding on nothing but smoked fish for weeks, the plain soba and miso soup tasted like heaven to him right now.
He continued eating, but at the same time, he kept his ears open to the conversations that were going on around him. You never know what you might pick up while listening. Something useful might come up.
"My wife just gave birth last night. I have a son!!!"
"The restaurant down the street is nice too. They have this duck which they serve with.."
"Hey have you heard about the murder that occurred last night in the next town."
Soujiro looked up a bit. Twice now had he heard about that murder. The first time it slipped his mind a bit, but after a second mentioning of the topic, he began to get intrigued. So he strained his ears some more hoping to catch more of the conversation.
"They say that that's the 3rd one this week. The first one was a couple, then after that a whole family was killed. They say its quite a sight. Those bodies mangled and shredded to pieces. Those poor children."
"And you say this occurred just within a week? Ch' the things people do these days."
"Murdering bastards."
This is certainly interesting Soujiro thought. Not that he found the idea of murder shocking, after all, that was what he did before he gave up on that profession. Well, not really give up, more like reforming. It was hard to let go of his sword which has become a part of him all these years. But at least he had now given up on the thought of murdering innocent people. He was still in the process of trying to help people out. He didn't think that he would give up on killing anytime soon. He found it hard to defend the weak without killing the attackers. He was working on that though. But he didn't think that he would be able to change that quickly. He found it hard to completely shift from one mindset to another in such a short period of time.
Perhaps I should go and pay that town a visit. Who knows what I might find there. Opportunities perhaps? Or maybe I'll find my answers. Anyway, its not as if I'm doing anything currently. With that, he finished his meal and made his way back up the stairs towards his room. Better have a goodnight's rest. I have a long journey ahead of me tomorrow.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
The sun peaked out of the horizon. And at the early hour of six, Soujiro woke up and prepared his things for his travel. He stopped by the window and took a glance outside. He always loved this time of the day, when everything looked so peaceful and calm. So fresh before all the bustle that goes with the morning activity tampered with the scenery. *sigh* well, I have to get going and with that, Soujiro took his things and made his way out.
He was walking a calm pace, admiring everything he passed by. He has been doing that quite often as of late. An indication that his soul was finally healing along. His gaze was soft as he took in the view. Soft fields blown by the wind. Green and forever stretching. And on the far side of the picture, there stood the mountains, proud and tall. A testimony to nature's power, a monolith of a monument.
Soujiro took a deep breath and just smiled. Sure he smiled all the time, but this time his smile was a bit more genuine. Not the grinning mask that he usually wore. Life has been behaving lately. Maybe it is true that life is full of ups and downs. And when you've been down as I have, there is nowhere to go but up. he thought. Smiling again at his analogy. what do you think of me Shishio-san? Am I being foolish? Too much sentimentality. That is so unlike me. And I wonder if you think that I'm being idiotic. But I'm so much happier right now Shishio-san. Maybe I'll look like a fool to the world, but I'm happy. Shouldn't that count for something?. He stopped his mental tirade. This was going nowhere. His former master wouldn't answer back. And if he did, Soujiro wasn't sure if he was going to like the reply. He grinned at that. On second thought, he knew somewhat accurately what his former mentor was going to say. And it was nothing pretty. Infact, if one is overly sensitive, one might say its downright insulting. But then, Soujiro wasn't exactly sensitive. More like he had almost no emotions at all. He had only just recently started to tap into his emotional side. And though he knew it was an improvement, he still found the experience disconcerting.
Too involved with his thoughts, Soujiro failed to notice the time of the day. He was just too immersed with the scene and his jumbled thoughts that he hadn't realized that it was now way past noon. But some things couldn't be ignored, however.
*GURRK.*
*GRUMBLE*
Eep! He grinned sheepishly. Inwardly thankful that there hadn't been anyone around to hear that embarrassing sound. He patted his stomach lightly. must be time to eat. He scanned the surroundings, looking for a potential meal. His eyes spotted a glimmer beyond the trees, and after listening carefully, he was able to pick up the sound of flowing water. Ah. Yokatta. There's water nearby. Hopefully it might be a river or a stream. Maybe I can catch some fish there. He hurriedly made his way through the trees and found himself at the bank of a huge stream of water. It was so clear that he could easily see the bottom of it, though the water was probably knee deep. He scooped up some of the liquid with his palms and drank. Refreshing. Especially after a long day of travel in the heat of the sun He looked around. No fish though. *Shrug* Oh well, I could always eat some fruit anyway. He scanned the area. And finally, after a few minutes of looking, he found a tree that had some fruits on it. He didn't know what those fruits were called, but they looked delicious. He made his way over to his "lunch" and climbed up. It wasn't much of a challenge to him, and after a very short while, he had already gathered much of the fruit. He wasn't planning to eat all of them, but from his experience, you never know when you might get a chance to eat again. Food wasn't exactly lying around everywhere. So he was planning on bringing some of this fruit along, incase he gets hungry along the way.
Munching on his fruit, Soujiro continued with his travel. The sun was way up in the sky now. And it was scorching hot. Wiping his brows with his sleeves, Soujiro grimaced. This is a bit too much he quickened his pace, the sooner I get to town, the better. Soujiro walked quickly and soon, his mind was filled only with the thoughts of a faster travel. His eyes no longer wandered around to observe the scenery. Right now, he was only concerned with getting out of the heat fast.
Then, before he knew it, darkness had descended, and still no town was in sight. It must be farther than I thought *shrug* well at least the night is better than that burning sun. The cool night air blew through his hair, messing it up a bit. He gladly welcomed the wind though. His body was tired from all that walking, not to mention the heat that had sapped much of his strength. Carefully making his way to a tree, he leaned against it, placing his things beside him and clutching his sword, he slept and awaited the coming of the next day.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
AN: ok that's it for now. I'll have to think of something for the next chapter. Tell me what you think. Suggestions? Reviews please..
Mayorie ^_^'