Fire And Rain
A Rurouni Kenshin fanfiction by Evening News
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is property of Nobuhiro Watsuki
Rating: PG-13 for violence and current events
The following are notes that are important to the understanding of this story, so I would ask that you read them.
1. On The Plot Of This Story:
"Fire And Rain," named after the James Taylor song, is divided into three major parts. Part One is comprised of stories from the days of the Sekihoutai, and is the building block of Sozo and Sanosuke's father-and-son relationship.
Part Two deals with the reincarnation of Sozo and Sanosuke, with Sozo being reincarnated as an American- and a rising star in the Democratic Party. Sanosuke is reincarnated as the orphaned survivor of a car crash. This part of the story deals with the rebuilding of Sozo and Sanosuke's relationship, crises both political and personal, and the recovery of the memories of both characters.
Part Three deals with a global security crisis, and the effect that it has on the relationship between Sozo and Sanosuke. This part of the story may take longer to post than the others, as I am still working out the details of this part of the plot.
2. On The Political Affiliations Of The Characters:
In this story, Sozo Sagara is portrayed as a liberal Democrat. My politics tend to run in this vein, though I am very conservative on the issue of abortion. While my politics do seep into Sozo's character, I also believe that the ideology of Sozo Sagara is close to my own as it is. (I'm a bleeding heart anyway, but I must admit that Rurouni Kenshin has had some effect on my politics. The ways in which it did will be discussed later.) Please note that while Sozo's political and personal enemy is a conservative Republican, my aim is not to portray the Republican Party in a negative light. In fact, one of Sozo's best friends in this story is a conservative Republican.
3. On The Portrayal Of Arabs:
While the villains in this story are Islamic extremists, please note that I hold nothing against Muslims or Arabs. My stories sometimes deal with such modern issues as terrorism and national security, and the idea of a crisis in the Middle East spreading throughout the world is one of the concerns I wanted to express through my writing. Let me reiterate that I hold NOTHING against Muslims nor Arabs. The only people with blood on their hands are the extremists who are Muslims in name only.
4. On Updates:
My home Internet service does not cooperate with me when it comes to , so I'm using my grandmother's computer and Internet service. The first chapter was written on the last day of my fall break, so it could be quite some time before this story is updated. (Although my Internet service may change.) Please remember that as a student, I am often under stress, and may suffer from writer's block, so that can also be a hindrance to updating. However, I am dedicated to finishing a quality story, so I would ask that you have patience with me. Please enjoy "Fire and Rain."
Part One: 1869
Chapter One: In The Falling Snow
The snow fell swiftly but silently, covering the hills and valleys in an icy blanket of white. The stars alone lit up the desolate winter night, and no birds offered their songs to cheer the hearts of the weary men who rested in the largest of the valleys. The year was 1869, and Japan was at war. Not with China, not with Russia, but with itself. As the Tokugawa shogunate that had ruled the land for three centuries crumbled, a new era was dawning. That era, known to history as "Meiji," would change the face of Japan, through a bloody civil war and Westernization.
Among those who fought for this era were the Sekihoutai, an army comprised mostly of farmers and merchants. Formed after the Battle of Toba Fushimi, they dreamed of a day when all men would stand as equals, when the government was, in the eyes of the people, not an institution of fear, but a beacon of hope.
Huddled in the snow was the youngest member of the Sekihoutai, nine-year-old Sanosuke. Spiky-haired with a small build, he shivered and leaned back against a tree, looking down the hill and into the valley where the men of the Sekihoutai slept peacefully in their tents. The tents had been purchased from a Westerner in Yokohama, and they were quite cozy. From the side of the snow-covered hill where he sat freezing, the tents and dying campfire looked very inviting, and for a moment he longed to descend from his lonely spot and walk amongst the few men who sat warming themselves by the glowing embers.
Sanosuke quickly rid himself of the idea. He remembered the two young men who had dared him to stay the night on the hillside, and knew that they would taunt him without mercy if he came down. Besides, giving up was for girls and other such wimps.
For a moment he wished that he were not under the tree, but at home in Shinsu, safe and warm under heavy blankets. What are you thinking, stupid? said a voice in Sanosuke's head.
Indeed, in his heart, Sanosuke had no wish to return to his home. After all, it had been home in name only. It was not that Sanosuke disliked his family; but it had been a household built upon necessity and not affection. Besides, he had good reasons for leaving...
Reason Number One was stumbling up the hill toward the child, struggling to keep afoot in the deep snow. Leader of the First Unit of the Sekihoutai, Sagara Sozo was a handsome man with piercing eyes that spoke of the passion with which he believed in the Imperialist cause.
Reaching the top of the hill, Sozo knelt in front of Sanosuke, gently lifting the boy's chin so that the two locked eyes.
"Sanosuke... what are you doing out here?"
The snow-covered child was shaking violently. He cleared his throat and began to speak in a raspy voice:
"Hello, Captain Sagara. Taisuke and Ichiro said that if I slept out here tonight, they'd let me share thier tent for the rest of the winter."
Sozo made a noise somewhere between a snort and a growl. "I'll deal with those two in the morning. In the meantime, let's get you out of the cold."
"I'm okay, Captain, really..."
"No, you're not. I've never seen anyone shake this badly."
Lifting the child into his arms, he descended the hill and crossed the campsite, coming to a stop at the abandoned hut in which he had been staying. All the while his heart burned with anger. So, two of his men had thought it funny to force Sanosuke to sleep outside on the coldest night of the year? Didn't they realize that he could have died?Sanosuke said that Taisuke and Ichiro had done this... he'd never liked either of them. Coming from wealthy families in Tokyo, the two men had little common sense, and appeared to have joined the Sekihoutai for the sake of adventure, rather than for the sake of making better the lives of those around them. They had acted out of line before, but this ...
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise, and his gaze shifted downwards to Sanosuke, who had just sneezed in his arms. The child's innocent brown eyes met his. Help me, please. I'm cold. Sozo's heart ached for the boy. Entering the old, dusty hut, he placed Sanosuke on the pile of blankets that he had been using for a bed, one hand on the boy's back to keep him in a sitting postition. With his free hand, Sozo grabbed a small brown rag, and proceeded to wipe the snow from Sanosuke.
"Why did you listen to them, Sanosuke? You knew it was going to be cold out there."
"I've been sleeping outside up until now. All the other tents are crowded, and I needed a place to sleep, but they said I needed to prove that I was man enough to stay out there, otherwise, I'd just be a wimp."
"Is not being called a wimp worth your life?" asked Sozo, wiping snow from Sanosuke's right arm.
Sanosuke looked down. "No, I guess not."
"Hey, it's okay. But next time someone tells you to do something like this, don't listen. I don't want you to get hurt." Sozo gazed directly into Sanosuke's eyes, and the Sanosuke smiled. He threw his arms around his favorite person.
"Okay, Captain. I won't do it again."
Sozo was startled for a moment, but smiled and held the boy for a moment. "Let's get some sleep. We'll be moving on in the morning."
Sozo lay Sanosuke upon the blankets, then stepped across the room to look out of the narrow doorway into the winter's night.
"It looks like all's well out there."
He returned to Sanosuke's side and lay down next to him, taking the child's small hands in his own. Oh, those little hands were cold! He began to rub them, trying to bring some warmth back into them. On the whole though, Sanosuke was beginning to look a bit better. The color was returning to his cheeks, and the spark that had left his eyes was once again present. The boy was still shaking, however, and that worried Sozo a bit. Sanosuke was obviously still cold. Maybe if he kept Sanosuke distracted, he'd feel better...
"Sanosuke, do you want to hear a story?"
"Uh...sure, Captain."
"Okay. When I was a kid, my mother believed that every spring, you should clean your body out. She would call Doctor Ogata from downtown, and he would come to our house with this awful medicine. I'm not sure what it was, but it was black, and it made you sick to your stomach. I hated it. Anyway, one year, when I was about your age, I didn't want to take it. I paid one of the neighbor kids to take mine when my mother and the doctor weren't looking. He took it, and he got 200 yen for his trouble. Two days later, I was shifting through the ashes of a fire we'd built, and there was the medicine. It seems my buddy had eaten a piece of coal by mistake."
Sanosuke laughed, and Sozo laughed as well, fondly recalling the boyhood incident.
"Did it hurt him?"
"Just his pride."
The laughter died down, and for a few moments there was total silence. Then, somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. Sanosuke shot up, casting a wary glance around the room. Sozo chuckled softly, and Sanosuke lay back down.
"I hate wolves," he mumbled. He had been shaking from cold. Now he was shaking from fear.
Sozo locked his arms around Sanosuke, holding the child close to his heart. "Don't worry," he said, "Nothing is going to hurt you. I'm right here, and I won't let anything happen to you."
"Promise, Captain?"
"Promise."
Sanosuke snuggled up against his captain, clutching Sozo's clothing in his tiny hands.
"Hey, Captain?"
"Mm?"
"D'you think we'll always be together?"
"I can't tell you that, Sanosuke. You know as well as I do that one of us could be killed in battle. But I really hope that when this is all over, you and I can start a new life together."
"Y'mean I can stay with you?"
"If your parents will let you."
"Why should I bother to ask? I did run away from home, after all."
"True. But still, you might want to ask first."
"Aw, I'm sure they'll say "yes.""
Sozo smiled and rested his chin on Sanosuke's head. "I hope so, Sanosuke. I really hope so."
Sanosuke grinned. He'd never felt more loved. His bond with his captain was greater even than his bond with his father-no, that wasn't putting it right. As far as he was concerned, Captain Sagara was his father. No one else had treated him so well. No one else had taught him so much.
He buried his face into his captain's chest and listened to Sozo's heartbeat. It was a very soothing sound; the sort of sound that makes you feel that all is well, and Sanosuke felt himself falling into a deep slumber. Before sleep took him, though, he said something that Sozo would never forget: "G'night, Captain Sagara. I love you."
Sozo was completely silent , stunned by Sanosuke's words. Had Sanosuke really told him outright that he loved him, or had he heard wrong? No. He had heard him quite clearly. At last, he managed to speak, expressing his feelings simply but powerfully: "Good night, Sanosuke. I love you, too- and I always will."
Though it snowed long into the night, two souls lay sleeping peacefully in their warm little world of love.
I only have one post chapter note: The story Sozo told about the coal and the medicine happened to my uncle. My great grandmother had the same belief as Sozo's mother- that you should clean your body every spring. My grandmother told me about these awful little black pills that made you sick. Once, my aunt paid my uncle to take hers. As in the story, the medicine was found by the fire a few days later. It seems my uncle ate a piece of coal... thanks for reading!
- Evening News
P.S. I may attempt to post another chapter soon, using the Internet service we have at my house. I'm not sure though, we'll just see. (That is, if pre-election stress doesn't kill me- I worry about my candidate.)