Hello readers! Thank you for stopping by! I've been considering writing RK fanfiction for a long time now, but now after watching North and South (this really awesome Victorian romantic drama with a hot Richard Armitage - highly recommend it!) I've finally picked up my virtual pen and put my ideas down on my laptop. I would say I'm quite new to the RK fandom actually, and I know it might be past the time to be publishing this, but I've read some great fics so far and I just wanted to add something of my own. I'm not too sure where this is going to go, or how my writing is going to do it for you guys, but I'd love to hear about anything I'm doing wrong (or right!). Also this is unbeta-d so all mistakes are mine.
Note: most of the italics = character's thoughts (apart from a few Japanese names)
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, I'm not that awesome.
"Are we there yet?"
"Just a little more, Kaoru."
The young woman trudged along the narrow streets of Kyoto behind her father, marvelling at her bleak surroundings. Kamiya Kaoru didn't like this place at all. It was so different from Tokyo! Even though the war had ended almost 6 months ago, its horrors still clung to the air around her. The walls of the various houses and merchant stores had telltale scratches, likely remnants from the late night swordfights between supporters of the Emperor and the Shogun. Occasional burn marks littered the roofs of the houses, adding to the morose scenery. Corners of the cobbled streets flaunted dark splotches that looked suspiciously like dried blood. As busy as the merchants appeared in calling out to passer-byes in high-pitched shrills, their eyes were hollow and unnerving, carrying the pain of the things – and the people – they had lost in the war. No, Kamiya Kaoru didn't like this place at all.
She followed her father into a non-descript inn with an old, but well maintained board signed 'Aoiya'. They were greeted by a pretty lady who introduced herself as Omine, one of the caretakers of the inn. But instead of being showed to their rooms, they were shown into a waiting room of sorts.
"Are we meeting one of your friends?" Kaoru asked her father.
"Yes, we're meeting Okina. He's one of my friends from before the war. He'll have some information about Hiko, who'll give us a place to stay."
"Hiko-san? You mean the last master of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu? Father I didn't know you had such great friends!" For the first time that day, Kaoru's eyes lit up in respect of this newfound relation.
Kamiya Koshijiro snorted. I would have never put "great" and "Hiko" in the same sentence – ah, my daughter's love for swordsmanship is truly defying limits. I hope she always remains so enthusiastic. "Great friend? Well he'll be pleased to hear that I'm sure."
"Yes, he'd never be happier," spoke a white-haired old man from the open shoji doors of the waiting room. The newcomer had a solemn face, his expression serious - but his jovial eyes gave away his excitement at his old friend's presence. He walked inside and closed the door, seating himself opposite his guests.
"Kamiya my goodness, I didn't know you were hiding away such a pretty little daughter up in Tokyo – did you come here to keep her with me?" Okina raised his eyebrows suggestively. Kaoru immediately turned red – whether it was from embarrassment or anger she didn't know. Probably both.
"Still the same are we, Okina? You haven't changed a bit – I'm disappointed." Koshijiro sighed at his friend's penchant for pretty women, something that hadn't changed in the many years that he had known him.
"Kaoru-chan, please forgive this old geezer's lewd comments, I always did have the eye for a pretty thing, and pretty, my girl, you are."
Kaoru turned two shades darker and was almost about to retort when her father cut in, "Save the teasing for later Okina, or I fear you'll chase away Kaoru back to Tokyo."
"Oh no Kaoru-chan, I'm not making you consider leaving am I? You haven't even met Misao!"
"Misao?"
"Yes, she's like my grand-daughter. Very lively – you'll find out when you meet her."
Somewhat subdued, Kaoru momentarily forgot her embarrassed anger at the older man. "How old is she?"
"She's around your age – just about 16. I think she should be back in town in a few days, so you'll have to wait until then to meet her."
"Oh, I see." She's just 3 years younger than me! Maybe she'll be good company – it's not like I know anyone here.
They were interrupted by Omine's entrance with some tea. "I assume you've had a long and tiring journey. Some tea will be good for you. As well as a nice meal, ne?" Okina suggested. "Omine – get our guests a nice, warm meal, won't you?"
"Right away Okina-san – except that we've run out of tofu, so it'll just take a little longer to prepare dinner as I still have to go to the market." Omine replied.
"Run out of tofu, my dear? Oh, well, Kamiya I hope you do not mind the wait." Okina turned to the older of the two guests in confirmation.
"No of course not, take your time." Koshijiro replied.
"Actually, do you mind if I go get the tofu? That way Omine-san can start with dinner preparations." Kaoru interjected.
"No, of course not Kaoru-chan, you're our guest!"
"No I want to – I'll get to explore the neighbourhood as well!"
"Eh…are you sure Kaoru-chan? If you insist – I'll give you directions to our vendor." Omine replied.
"Then it's settled." Bowing to Okina and her father, Kaoru got up to leave. "I'll be leaving now."
"Don't get lost Kaoru – and come back soon, it'll be getting dark." Her father called after her worriedly.
"I'll see you soon!" With a wave at the older men in the room, she left with Omine, taking down the directions to the tofu vendor across town.
Koshijiro turned back to his old friend and tried not to worry too much about his daughter.
"You worry too much Kamiya, she'll be fine. She is old enough after all. Actually, she's at the perfect age for that – have you thought about it? If you don't have anyone particular in mind I might have a few suggestions – "
"Okina, you know I don't have any intentions of marrying her off right now."
"Well you'll have to do it someday, and then you'll have to decide on who'll be good for our little Kaoru-chan."
Hah, as if anyone would be good enough for Kaoru. Or that Kaoru would ever like anyone seriously who'd be good enough for her. I'd like to see that happen. Koshijiro sighed. He liked to avoid conversations like these as much as possible.
"You and I both know what I'm here for – did you get the information I asked you about?"
"Think over it again Kamiya. If you ever want suggestions – I'll gladly give you some." Okina winked at his friend's displeased expression. "But yes, we have found Hiko's whereabouts – in fact, we notified him about your arrival and he said he would come over and greet you personally."
"Meet me personally? He's never put in that much effort before."
"Something about introducing you to his student – he said it was important because his student will be showing you to your new accommodation."
"Ah, passing off his work to others as always. Why have I never heard of this student? – I thought he hated the idea of teaching the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu to anyone."
"He did – he's been teaching him for years. But during the war his student left to fight and only came back a month ago. So far things have been rough between them, but their relationship is slowly progressing. When you meet him don't judge him too harshly for his attitude – the war has not affected us the same way it has affected him."
"What do you mean?"
"The Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu is a style meant for killing – you know that. And for the Isshin Shishi it became their ultimate weapon during the war. Sadly this means that he has seen far greater destruction that any of us can imagine – and from his own hand too."
"Poor boy." While Koshijiro knew that the war had been necessary to create the peaceful Meiji era, the path of getting there had been dark and destructive, not something he would approve of easily. But being a fighter himself, he knew better than to judge those who had given in to the destruction of the war. "What's his name?"
"Kenshin – Himura Kenshin."
Kaoru wandered around the merchant streets, trying not to look too closely at the merchants themselves. While many in her Tokyo neighbourhood had known her well, she was a relative stranger in Kyoto – something both saddening and comforting. It's true that people here did not smile and greet her quite as often but she was left to ponder her own thoughts instead. So far, she was missing her home – in Tokyo. They had left in a hurry and now without any friends or family apart from her father, and she was beginning to feel lonely even though she had just arrived. Her bright coloured kimono stood out in the sea of darker, sombre coloured garments of the locals, and that put her on the receiving end of many curious stares. Perhaps it was because of the war, but the women had taken to wearing darker colours to mourn the loss of their loved ones. The only women who were extravagantly dressed were the geikos and Kaoru did not want to be compared to one. How dare they!
It was getting darker now that evening had fallen and the clouds were starting to gather above, a telltale sign of oncoming rains. Kaoru needed to get back quickly if she didn't want to get soaked. She turned around the corner to get to the tofu vendor – but there was no tofu vendor. Oh no. Don't tell me I'm lost. Not now, when it's going to rain. She should have noticed that she couldn't see any merchant stalls anymore. Normally, getting lost would not have worried her so much, but she didn't even know the streets of Kyoto yet! She could be stuck here in the rain and unnecessarily worry her father. She was 19 for God's sake!
Just as the first few drops of rain fell on her face, she ran for cover under one of the houses with a tiled roof to keep out of the rain. Kaoru groaned. Ugh just what I needed. What a welcome this is. And why is it so cold? She shivered in her slightly damp kimono, thanking God that the kimono had more than a few layers underneath to keep her warm. It was dark and gloomy around her, with the exception of a small light emanating from a slightly ajar door of the house she was taking cover under. Is it warmer in there? She peeked through the slit, hoping for a nice couple offering her some shelter from the rain. She saw…no one. It is warmer in there – should I go in? She edged her way in to the entrance of the house calling out to anyone who could hear her.
"Sorry for intruding!...Hello?" The room she had entered was bare, devoid of any people, but there was a pot of tea slowly warming over the stove. The house was actually quite large, with many corridors and rooms all set out in a maze, so it was impossible to tell how big the house actually was. Kaoru cursed her inquisitive nature but continued to walk ahead, trying to find the owner of the place. "Hello? Is anyone home?" As she walked closer to the rooms she could hear muffled sounds from them – voices? She slid open the shoji slightly – and froze.
Inside she saw a figure with blazing red hair, pulled in a high ponytail above their head – a woman? No – it's a man for sure. He was short, taller than her but only by a few fingers. He was wearing a dark grey gi paired with a black hakama, throwing out his red hair in deeper contrast. His long red hair fell in bangs around his face, framing his violet eyes – violet! They're so unusual! But they were cold and hard – devoid of any emotion. Their emotionless state sent shivers down her spine.
"We weren't trying to escape!"
Kaoru hadn't even noticed the second person in the room– also a man of considerable height and build, but he was on the floor, seemingly begging the red head for forgiveness.
"Trust me, if I wanted to do that I would have straight up fought your with my bare hands – I wouldn't - "
"You expect me to believe you?" The red head's icy voice replied. It's much lower than I expected. "After all those bombs I found in your quarters – "
"They weren't mine – look if they were I would have – "
"Enough." The red head's steel voice cut off the other instantly, sending shivers down Kaoru's spine. "You should have known better than that. And now you will meet your end." With that, the red head fluidly pulled out the katana resting in its sheath at his hip and pointed it towards the man on the floor. He raised his sword hand, and that was all Kaoru needed to dash inside without a second thought to stop him.
"Stop it! Don't kill him!" She pushed the man out the way and stood protectively in front of him, looking straight into hard violet eyes that had widened at the interference. The same violet eyes that now almost shimmered amber in anger at the strange woman.
"Who the hell are you? How did you get in here? Get out!" Who is she? How did she get in here – how did I not notice? She's seen almost too much. His low voice growled and reached the insides of Kaoru's chest. But Kaoru stood her ground, looking defiantly into his eyes and challenging him to dare lay a hand on her. She didn't know where she was getting this courage from, considering that the beautifully dangerous red head could kill her with just a flick of his wrist. But something told her that he wouldn't just kill her for any reason. I hope this isn't reason enough. If he doesn't sheath his katana soon, I think my heart will actually jump out of my chest.
"Didn't you hear me? Get out!"
"No – you can't kill him!" The red head widened his gaze at the woman again. Was she mad? Challenging the former Hitokiri Battousai of all people! The nerve! Did she not see the katana ready to strike her?
"I don't care who you are. I will only say this once more. Get. Out." When Kaoru didn't move, he sighed and re-sheathed his sword. "Sagara, this isn't over. I will be watching you closer than ever – you have been warned." With that said to the prisoner on the ground, he grabbed Kaoru roughly by the arm and dragged her out of the room, shoving her out in the pouring rain once at the entrance. She stumbled on the wet, cobbled streets, but turned around to face the red head.
"Don't ever come back here. It's not your place."
"How could you even think of killing that man without hearing him out?"
"What I do in my time is none of your concern."
"None of my concern?" Kaoru scoffed. "Are you even human?"
The red head narrowed his gaze on the woman. He'd never seen her before – not that he knew everyone who lived in Kyoto, but he had a fairly comprehensive knowledge of the residents in certain neighbourhoods. And this was a neighbourhood most people kept out of. He wondered how such a young child found her way to him. No not a child, just a very young woman - a very striking young woman. She was wearing a brightly coloured kimono, unusual for this part of town, which was now damp from the rain, clinging to her skin. Definitely not from around here then. She had very long dark hair that was tied up in a blue silk ribbon, but was currently sticking to her pale face, contrasting with her blue, blue eyes. Her eyes are so…angry. He chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. Her sapphire eyes flashed in angry indignation in response.
"Do you find killing people amusing?" The red head immediately sobered up and glared at the woman. How could she even suggest something like that?
"Leave." He replied coldly. He'd had enough of her accusations – and he had more important things to do. He couldn't waste his time on this…utterly frustrating woman anymore. So without another word, he sighed and walked back into the house, closing the door on the strange woman and leaving her out alone in the rain.
"Hey, you can't just – " But it was too late, the red head had already left and wasn't going to come outside anymore. Frustrated no less than him, and still fearful for the other man's life and what the red head might do to him, she had no choice but to turn away and go back to Aoiya. From a far off window in the house she just left, a certain red head watched her back as it disappeared in the distance.
As she walked back, Kaoru could not stop thinking about the man's violet eyes. Or the way his katana glinted in the dim light. Who carried katanas anymore anyway? They were in the times of the Meiji, for heaven's sake! Didn't he know that carrying katanas was banned now? Stupid, stupid samurai. He's too blood thirsty for his own good. It's people like them who have driven my father out of Tokyo.
"Tch, stop thinking about him Kaoru, forget he ever existed. Like he never existed." She closed her eyes and willed images of violet eyes and blood red hair away from her mind.
"Why, Miss, we have just the perfect ribbon to replace your damp one, if you'll like to have a look?"
Kaoru opened her eyes – she was back in the merchant district! And it had stopped raining. She looked down at her now damp kimono that was slowly drying in the mild sunlight and then at the merchant behind his stall of many colourful ribbons. Hmm, now that I'm here, I might as well…Oh wait – the tofu!
Humming happily, Kaoru walked to the front gates of Aoiya, new sapphire coloured ribbon and tofu in hand. She didn't know how long she had spent in the merchant shops, but it must have been a couple of hours because her kimono was almost dry. She had found the merchants to be very inquisitive about her and her father, which she was uncomfortable with initially, but eventually befriended a couple of them and even found out about one of the dining establishments in town called the Akabeko (which, one merchant swore, served the best pork miso soup in town). It had become quite late now and she was in a hurry to assure her father she was all right. I suppose I shan't tell him about the strange encounter I had today. It would only anger him.
Omine showed her in, thanking her for the tofu and wondering why she had taken so long.
"Your father received two more guests, Kaoru-chan." Omine blushed prettily as she guided Kaoru to them. "They're right through that door."
"Thank you Omine-san." Ignoring Omine's reaction for now, Kaoru slowly slid the shoji aside to enter the waiting room. For the second time that day, she froze in her spot.
"Ah Kaoru, there you are, you had us worried! Why are you so late? Never mind that, come meet one of my oldest friends - his name is Hiko Seijiro-san." Koshijiro gestured towards a large man around his age, with long black hair tied at the back and with a flowing white cape that clung to his broad shoulders. Hiko bowed stiffly towards Kaoru. "And this is his student, Himura Kenshin-san. Greet them properly now." But Kaoru stood still as a statue in her spot, staring at the man called Himura Kenshin. What? How? When? He can't be the man from today. He can't!
"It seems, Kamiya-dono, that your daughter and I have already met, so we have." Oh no. "Hello again, Kamiya Kaoru-dono." Oh kami no. "My name is Himura Kenshin." He can't be. "It's a pleasure to meet you – again, so it is."
He can't!
I'm almost scared to ask but...how was it? Love it? Hate it? Find it meh? Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
