Disclaimer: I do not own RuroKen. It is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, the mangaka who is a very close second to Takahashi Rumiko, AKA The Goddess.
This takes place 5 years after the Kyoto Arc. Misao is 21 and Soujiro is 23. Keep in mind they still could pass for teenagers. Kenshin was 29 and he looked maybe… 22 (IMHO). Oh… Kenshin is 34 and Kaoru is 23 soon to be 24. Yahiko is 15. This would of course put this around the time of the little epilogue about Yahiko. I haven't read it so just forget it ever happened. K and K haven't added a third K (Kenji) to the family yet. And don't even tell me 'but it happened at the end of the manga too' etc. SHUT UP ALREADY. If you wanna know where I found this out… do a little digging. Takes like 5 minutes for all of them.
This is a Soujiro/Misao fic. Normally, I'm a freak for the canon couples, Akane/Ranma, Inuyasha/Kagome etc., but for somer reason I just had to write this. For some reason I just think that they click. Anyways, unlike my Inuyasha fanfics, I'm not going to write a gigantic authors note. Yet. Shit now that I look back it's still big. Oh, and this will be mainly through Soujiro's point of view I think.
"Speech" {Thoughts} _Emphasis_ ===Flashback===
_____________________________________________________________________________________
~~~Misao~~~
Makimachi Misao sighed. It had been a year since she'd last seen Kenshin and Kaoru. The reason she was going to see them all the way from Kyoto was, well… they were getting married. At that thought, the young woman rolled her eyes. {Finally. After how long?} They'd both been in love for nearly as long as they had been living under the roof of the Kamiya Dojo, so why had it taken them 6 years to get married? They could be so ridiculous sometimes. But she was still happy for them, and she was trudging through the rain, hauling her ass for the nearly week long walk that awaited her so she could celebrate with them. Don't get her wrong, she _is_ happy for them, it's just that their marriage was reminding her of her own lack of a love life. Namely, the failed relationship with one Shinomori Aoshi. Sighing, she looked up at the sky, as if to ask 'why', getting no answers, but instead receiving a raindrop in the eye. She shuddered. {I hate the rain.} she thought. Her female shinobi's outfit did little to protect her from the elements. Not to mention it was pretty skimpy, considering the fashions of the time. {At least everyone convinced me to take a cloak.}
~~~Soujiro~~~
Seta Soujiro. Soujiro no Tenken. Heartless, cold blooded, murderer, assassin, god gifted. He'd been called all of those. The last five he didn't like, except for 'god gifted'. He really had no feelings regarding that name either way. The first two he didn't especially hate, nor did he like them. They were his names. And that was that. As he continued walking, ignoring the rain, a smile on his face, as usual, he decided it was probably time to get something to eat. Of course, being a Rurouni (AKA hobo) he had no money at the time. He had very little money at all usually, and as a result, hadn't eaten anything for the past two days. Briefly, he entertained the thought of killing a rabbit or bird, using his shukuchi. It would be easy. As he saw some smoke rising just ahead of him, he put that thought aside. He would eat when he reached the village.
When he was halfway or so to the village, some thirty minutes or so later, he found another traveler trudging down the road, looking miserable. She (he could tell it was a she by the feminine shape, visible even through the cloak she was hugging around herself) apparently heard his footsteps, indicating she had either some knowledge of martial arts, or was very paranoid, and turned towards him.
"Hi!" she said cheerfully. Soujiro considered this, a smile upon his face, his lips curving upwards slightly. She hadn't seemed quite so cheerful before.
"Hello, traveller. I am a rurouni. Would you by any chance have some food or money to spare for one such as me?" he asked her in a pleasant tone. He had always been extremely polite, even more so now.
"Er. I'm spending the night at the Violet Rose Inn at the next town... they give discounts for married couples there. If you pretend to be my husband I could pay for a room. Just don't try anything on a poor harmless girl like me, okay?" she asked, winking. She was clearly happy with the idea of company. Soujiro briefly wondered why she would make him such an offer. Asking a strange man to sleep in the same room with her, just for a discount on the room seemed... odd. he was having small doubts of her chastity.
"You would have to sleep on the floor though."
{Ah...} She seemed to think she could protect herself. A young woman such as herself could get into trouble with such a mentality... "I would enjoy that greatly. Could I hear your name?" he asked. He was currently studying her figure. Not in a perverted way of course. He'd found out years ago he apparently had no sex drive, which was odd, considering his age. It must have been repressed along with his emotions. Soujiro then noticed something. {Green eyes…} he thought. An uncommon eye color to be sure. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't figure out where he had met her, or whether it was just déjà vu.
"I'm Makimachi Misao. You can just call me Misao though." she said. The girl shook her head a little. He seemed so familiar….
The rurouni bowed. "My name is…" he paused for a second, as if unwilling to give his name. "My name is Seta Soujiro." he said quietly. {Makimachi Misao…} he thought. In truth, he had been trying to jog his memory. Soujiro suddenly snapped straight, at the same time Misao had. "I remember you!" he said with enough emotion to warrant an exclamation point. A rare occurrence. Misao leaped back, drawing several kunai.
"Tenken!" she hissed. Soujiro, however, merely got down on one knee, head down. He'd made a vow never to kill again, a few days after he left Shishio-sama. He'd broken it once, to his dismay. It turns out you _can_ kill someone with a sakabatou if you're not careful. He took his mind off of that train of thought. Besides, if she actually did attack him, he could easily disarm her, however this seemed to be the best option to pacify her.
"I have no intention of harming you, Misao-san." he said. Soujiro had emotions now. They were just very rare and weak, so Misao was having a hard time trying to figure out if there was any disguised hostility. Being the generally trusting person she was, she decided not to kill him out right. The gentle pitter-patter of the rain was setting a hypnotizing backdrop to the whole scene.
"Where are you going?" she asked, suspicious.
"I am going to visit Himura-san." Misao heard it as, 'I'm going to go kill Kenshin.'
"Why are you after him? Revenge?" she asked. She hadn't been around for the second battle of Kenshin vs. The Tenken, and had conveniently forgotten Himura's retelling of the battle.
"Revenge for Shishio?" she asked, kunai's still ready.
"I have no intention of harming Himura-san." Soujiro replied. He was still smiling. He couldn't stop unless he got very, very angry. And when he stopped smiling, you pretty much wish he hadn't. Soujiro had stopped smiling maybe 3 times in the past 5 years. Each time he stopped, someone either died or was rendered unable to wield a sword henceforth, and as previously stated, the death was a mistake. "I merely wish to meet the person who's lifestyle I have adopted again." he continued.
{Eh... adoptded lifestyle?} thought Misao, confusion showing through on the features of her face. {Er...}
===Hello, fellow traveler. I am a rurouni. Would you by any chance have some food or money to spare for one such as me?===
She relaxed her pose a little. "How do I know you're not lying?"
Soujiro used the best oath he knew. "I swear on Shishio-san's grave." Misao sighed.
{Swearing on a crazed sadist's grave. I guess for him that's pretty serious though.} she thought. Misao was naturally forgiving, much like Kenshin. Most people _would_ have killed Soujiro if put in Kenshin's position at that time. Maybe half would have killed him in Misao's. "Get up." she said. Soujiro looked surprised. He thought he was going to have to run away from a homicidal kunoichi. She hadn't reacted too well to his oath. The ninja part didn't matter as much as the 'homicidal' and 'female'. There is nothing scarier than a homicidal female out to get you. When in that state, a pre-pubescent schoolgirl can open a can of whupass on a pro wrestler.
Soujiro stood cautiously. He relaxed after a second when she just stood thoughtfully. "Does your offer still stand?" he asked, acting more like the way he was before his mind shattered. Like a playful teen.
"Offer?" asked Misao.
"I would be honored to accompany you, Misao-san." he replied, clearly giving her no room to argue.
"O…kay." she replied. "Oh! Offer! I remember. Sure, you can come along anytime you want! Like I said, don't try anything though, kay?" she said, enthusiasm returning with lightning speed. After walking for a few more seconds, she decided to make conversation. "You know Kenshin and Kaoru are getting married? Thats why I'm going to visit them."
"Himura-san… married?" he asked. It was his turn to be confused. It made him feel better, however. Like a tiny ray of hope beaming through a black cloud. 5 long years, and he hadn't met one person who would forgive him for his sins, if they knew about them. He'd saved countless people from property damage, rape, even death, yet if they learned he was an ex-assassin, he would be immediately shunned. But… obviously Himura-san had found _several_ people who would forgive him… maybe… he shook his head. He'd never _really_ desired companionship before. But, looking over at the green eyed girl at his side, the ray of hope suddenly grew a little bigger. Unaware that he'd stopped smiling, he began to do so again. But this time…. It had feeling in it. A feeling to be exact. Hope.
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End of Chapter 1 - Revised
Argh. Wow. Suckiness abound. Hopefully I changed the rating from about 2/10 to 4/10. I realize now that I actually published it when I wasn't even done proofreading it myself. For example, when it said "But, looking over at the green eyed girl/young woman..." I had put a slash there before deciding which word to use. And it got published like that. Gr. Oh well, after revising this monsterous heap of ass-sucking, I've decided to punish you some more by finishing it.
... Man. FFnet is sucking again. Here I am trying to upload this and its telling me to come back another time. An omen?
Possibly. *snicker*
This takes place 5 years after the Kyoto Arc. Misao is 21 and Soujiro is 23. Keep in mind they still could pass for teenagers. Kenshin was 29 and he looked maybe… 22 (IMHO). Oh… Kenshin is 34 and Kaoru is 23 soon to be 24. Yahiko is 15. This would of course put this around the time of the little epilogue about Yahiko. I haven't read it so just forget it ever happened. K and K haven't added a third K (Kenji) to the family yet. And don't even tell me 'but it happened at the end of the manga too' etc. SHUT UP ALREADY. If you wanna know where I found this out… do a little digging. Takes like 5 minutes for all of them.
This is a Soujiro/Misao fic. Normally, I'm a freak for the canon couples, Akane/Ranma, Inuyasha/Kagome etc., but for somer reason I just had to write this. For some reason I just think that they click. Anyways, unlike my Inuyasha fanfics, I'm not going to write a gigantic authors note. Yet. Shit now that I look back it's still big. Oh, and this will be mainly through Soujiro's point of view I think.
"Speech" {Thoughts} _Emphasis_ ===Flashback===
_____________________________________________________________________________________
~~~Misao~~~
Makimachi Misao sighed. It had been a year since she'd last seen Kenshin and Kaoru. The reason she was going to see them all the way from Kyoto was, well… they were getting married. At that thought, the young woman rolled her eyes. {Finally. After how long?} They'd both been in love for nearly as long as they had been living under the roof of the Kamiya Dojo, so why had it taken them 6 years to get married? They could be so ridiculous sometimes. But she was still happy for them, and she was trudging through the rain, hauling her ass for the nearly week long walk that awaited her so she could celebrate with them. Don't get her wrong, she _is_ happy for them, it's just that their marriage was reminding her of her own lack of a love life. Namely, the failed relationship with one Shinomori Aoshi. Sighing, she looked up at the sky, as if to ask 'why', getting no answers, but instead receiving a raindrop in the eye. She shuddered. {I hate the rain.} she thought. Her female shinobi's outfit did little to protect her from the elements. Not to mention it was pretty skimpy, considering the fashions of the time. {At least everyone convinced me to take a cloak.}
~~~Soujiro~~~
Seta Soujiro. Soujiro no Tenken. Heartless, cold blooded, murderer, assassin, god gifted. He'd been called all of those. The last five he didn't like, except for 'god gifted'. He really had no feelings regarding that name either way. The first two he didn't especially hate, nor did he like them. They were his names. And that was that. As he continued walking, ignoring the rain, a smile on his face, as usual, he decided it was probably time to get something to eat. Of course, being a Rurouni (AKA hobo) he had no money at the time. He had very little money at all usually, and as a result, hadn't eaten anything for the past two days. Briefly, he entertained the thought of killing a rabbit or bird, using his shukuchi. It would be easy. As he saw some smoke rising just ahead of him, he put that thought aside. He would eat when he reached the village.
When he was halfway or so to the village, some thirty minutes or so later, he found another traveler trudging down the road, looking miserable. She (he could tell it was a she by the feminine shape, visible even through the cloak she was hugging around herself) apparently heard his footsteps, indicating she had either some knowledge of martial arts, or was very paranoid, and turned towards him.
"Hi!" she said cheerfully. Soujiro considered this, a smile upon his face, his lips curving upwards slightly. She hadn't seemed quite so cheerful before.
"Hello, traveller. I am a rurouni. Would you by any chance have some food or money to spare for one such as me?" he asked her in a pleasant tone. He had always been extremely polite, even more so now.
"Er. I'm spending the night at the Violet Rose Inn at the next town... they give discounts for married couples there. If you pretend to be my husband I could pay for a room. Just don't try anything on a poor harmless girl like me, okay?" she asked, winking. She was clearly happy with the idea of company. Soujiro briefly wondered why she would make him such an offer. Asking a strange man to sleep in the same room with her, just for a discount on the room seemed... odd. he was having small doubts of her chastity.
"You would have to sleep on the floor though."
{Ah...} She seemed to think she could protect herself. A young woman such as herself could get into trouble with such a mentality... "I would enjoy that greatly. Could I hear your name?" he asked. He was currently studying her figure. Not in a perverted way of course. He'd found out years ago he apparently had no sex drive, which was odd, considering his age. It must have been repressed along with his emotions. Soujiro then noticed something. {Green eyes…} he thought. An uncommon eye color to be sure. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't figure out where he had met her, or whether it was just déjà vu.
"I'm Makimachi Misao. You can just call me Misao though." she said. The girl shook her head a little. He seemed so familiar….
The rurouni bowed. "My name is…" he paused for a second, as if unwilling to give his name. "My name is Seta Soujiro." he said quietly. {Makimachi Misao…} he thought. In truth, he had been trying to jog his memory. Soujiro suddenly snapped straight, at the same time Misao had. "I remember you!" he said with enough emotion to warrant an exclamation point. A rare occurrence. Misao leaped back, drawing several kunai.
"Tenken!" she hissed. Soujiro, however, merely got down on one knee, head down. He'd made a vow never to kill again, a few days after he left Shishio-sama. He'd broken it once, to his dismay. It turns out you _can_ kill someone with a sakabatou if you're not careful. He took his mind off of that train of thought. Besides, if she actually did attack him, he could easily disarm her, however this seemed to be the best option to pacify her.
"I have no intention of harming you, Misao-san." he said. Soujiro had emotions now. They were just very rare and weak, so Misao was having a hard time trying to figure out if there was any disguised hostility. Being the generally trusting person she was, she decided not to kill him out right. The gentle pitter-patter of the rain was setting a hypnotizing backdrop to the whole scene.
"Where are you going?" she asked, suspicious.
"I am going to visit Himura-san." Misao heard it as, 'I'm going to go kill Kenshin.'
"Why are you after him? Revenge?" she asked. She hadn't been around for the second battle of Kenshin vs. The Tenken, and had conveniently forgotten Himura's retelling of the battle.
"Revenge for Shishio?" she asked, kunai's still ready.
"I have no intention of harming Himura-san." Soujiro replied. He was still smiling. He couldn't stop unless he got very, very angry. And when he stopped smiling, you pretty much wish he hadn't. Soujiro had stopped smiling maybe 3 times in the past 5 years. Each time he stopped, someone either died or was rendered unable to wield a sword henceforth, and as previously stated, the death was a mistake. "I merely wish to meet the person who's lifestyle I have adopted again." he continued.
{Eh... adoptded lifestyle?} thought Misao, confusion showing through on the features of her face. {Er...}
===Hello, fellow traveler. I am a rurouni. Would you by any chance have some food or money to spare for one such as me?===
She relaxed her pose a little. "How do I know you're not lying?"
Soujiro used the best oath he knew. "I swear on Shishio-san's grave." Misao sighed.
{Swearing on a crazed sadist's grave. I guess for him that's pretty serious though.} she thought. Misao was naturally forgiving, much like Kenshin. Most people _would_ have killed Soujiro if put in Kenshin's position at that time. Maybe half would have killed him in Misao's. "Get up." she said. Soujiro looked surprised. He thought he was going to have to run away from a homicidal kunoichi. She hadn't reacted too well to his oath. The ninja part didn't matter as much as the 'homicidal' and 'female'. There is nothing scarier than a homicidal female out to get you. When in that state, a pre-pubescent schoolgirl can open a can of whupass on a pro wrestler.
Soujiro stood cautiously. He relaxed after a second when she just stood thoughtfully. "Does your offer still stand?" he asked, acting more like the way he was before his mind shattered. Like a playful teen.
"Offer?" asked Misao.
"I would be honored to accompany you, Misao-san." he replied, clearly giving her no room to argue.
"O…kay." she replied. "Oh! Offer! I remember. Sure, you can come along anytime you want! Like I said, don't try anything though, kay?" she said, enthusiasm returning with lightning speed. After walking for a few more seconds, she decided to make conversation. "You know Kenshin and Kaoru are getting married? Thats why I'm going to visit them."
"Himura-san… married?" he asked. It was his turn to be confused. It made him feel better, however. Like a tiny ray of hope beaming through a black cloud. 5 long years, and he hadn't met one person who would forgive him for his sins, if they knew about them. He'd saved countless people from property damage, rape, even death, yet if they learned he was an ex-assassin, he would be immediately shunned. But… obviously Himura-san had found _several_ people who would forgive him… maybe… he shook his head. He'd never _really_ desired companionship before. But, looking over at the green eyed girl at his side, the ray of hope suddenly grew a little bigger. Unaware that he'd stopped smiling, he began to do so again. But this time…. It had feeling in it. A feeling to be exact. Hope.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
End of Chapter 1 - Revised
Argh. Wow. Suckiness abound. Hopefully I changed the rating from about 2/10 to 4/10. I realize now that I actually published it when I wasn't even done proofreading it myself. For example, when it said "But, looking over at the green eyed girl/young woman..." I had put a slash there before deciding which word to use. And it got published like that. Gr. Oh well, after revising this monsterous heap of ass-sucking, I've decided to punish you some more by finishing it.
... Man. FFnet is sucking again. Here I am trying to upload this and its telling me to come back another time. An omen?
Possibly. *snicker*