Freedom
Disclaimer: I don't own Ruroni Kenshin.
A/N: I got this idea on a rainy day so if you want to keep reading this please review. Please and thank you.
Chapter 1: Forgotten Tragedy
Chiaki was never any good at listening to her parents. She always wanted to do things her way and she usually got what she wanted. Her parents were rich and they were powerful. They were the Emperor and the Empress of Japan after all. So when she wanted to learn how to use a sword she got what she wanted. But that was soon to come to an end. The night she graduated and came home from a long time away was to be the last night ever with her parents. She was eighteen at the time.
"Mom! Dad!" she yelled when she got to her rooms, "I'm home."
Her rooms had been left alone when she had left and the things around the room seemed so childish and wasteful now. When she heard the footsteps of her parents she turned to the door. Her mother came in first and she ran to her dear mother. Her father smiled at the reunion and he got a deep hug too.
"I'm home Father," she said, "And I learned a lot. I learned so much that I would feel if I didn't apologize."
"For what child?" asked her father.
"I was a selfish child before I went to learn swordsmanship and I'm sorry for being like that. That part of me is no more," she answered seriously.
"Well she has changed," said to her mother, "But that doesn't mean we can't have a welcome home feast."
Chiaki smiled as she followed her parents to the dining room where a huge feast was set out. She sat down and waited patiently for her father to start eating, which he did and they started to eat as a family.
"We haven't done this in a while," said her father.
"I am pleased that we have this time together," said her mother.
Chiaki agreed and dug into her food. But soon she stopped eating. When she had been training her normally large appetite had been shrunk to something smaller. She was full. Her parents looked surprised.
"Are you feeling well?" asked her mother.
"I'm fine. I haven't had this much to eat in a long time," she answered.
When they finished the meal the three talked before Chiaki dismissed herself to get ready for bed.
"I have to excuse myself now. I will go to bed now," she said.
"I'm sure you're tired. Sleep well my little flower," said her father.
Chiaki smiled and went to her room. She placed her two swords near her and changed before falling into a deep sleep.
Chiaki woke to the sounds of fighting downstairs in the throne room of the palace. Alarmed she shot out of her bed and dressed as quickly as she could. She had no more need for kimonos so she dressed in her training outfit she had worn home earlier that night. With her swords strapped tightly to her side she cautiously stepped out of the room. Almost as soon as she had gone three feet two of the palace guards ran into her.
"Princess are you okay?" the one who bumped into her asked.
"I'm fine. What is going on downstairs?" she asked.
"Attackers have gotten into the palace. Your parents are already at the escape tunnel. Go to them and escape from here. We'll hold them off as long as we can," said the other guard.
Almost as soon as he started to run towards the stair that would lead to the throne room he was shot through the throat with an arrow. Blood sprayed everywhere. Chiaki didn't scream, she had become used to the bloodshed of a samurai. The attackers killed the other guard when they saw her.
"That's the princess. Get her alive!" ordered one of the men.
Chiaki didn't run. Instead she stood at the ready with her hand on the hilt of her sword. It was a sakabato, a reverse blade. But her other blade was an actual katana that could kill. She could not afford to be merciful here. Placing her hand on the hilt of the katana she waited.
The men approached slowly, watching her every move. Little did they know that she was the one that was analyzing all they did. In the blink of an eye she lunged forward drawing her sword and then sheathing before she landed. Blood again sprayed across the walls of her rooms and all over her. She looked at the other men who had come with the two she had just killed.
"How?" asked the man, "You're not supposed to know how to fight."
In answer she killed the men in front of her, all of them.
Smoke hit her nose and she looked around. Flames danced up the stairs and smoke was quickly filling the hall way. Holding her uniform over her nose she made for the escape route. But when she got there she saw the bloody forms of her parents lying on the ground in front of the escape door. They had had no chance of defending themselves. Flames danced around her as she knelt and cradled her mom's head in her lap. Blood ran down her face from the countless she herself had killed. Tears mixed with the blood making it seem she was crying blood. As the palace collapsed around her she couldn't help but wonder why this was happening to her.
When Chiaki woke she was lying in the middle of burned ruins. Some of the wood and bamboo were still smoldering. Her head hurt and she couldn't remember where she was or how she got there. All she could remember was that she was a samurai and her name was Chiaki. She sat up slowly and looked around. The area of the ruins was huge, like a palace. Standing she shrugged about the whole thing and started walking. She was tired and she hurt in so many places she didn't know how she could move at that point. Dead men lay on the side of the road. Blood soaked the trees and the dirt around them. Thunder clapped overhead and rain started falling, washing the blood from the trees and leaves creating rivers of red water along the road she walked. Soon she came to living but injured people. Feeling it in her power she went over to a man on the side of the road. He was bloody and he was moaning but he was alive.
"Come on now," she said, "Help me out."
She let the man lean on her shoulder as she walked farther down the path. Suddenly a carriage pulled up by them. Some men and some women rushed from the inside. They went to the alive people on the side of the road. A nice looking woman approached Chiaki.
"Let me help you with him," she said holding out her hands.
Chiaki let the woman take the man from her arms. A man approached her.
"Now let's see about your wounds," he said leading her over to a tree she could sit under.
The man looked over the wounds on her arms and legs that had stopped bleeding a few minutes before.
"These are burn wounds," he said looking at them, "Are you from the palace?"
The man sounded hostile but she did not know why. She tried to remember.
"I don't know," she said, "I don't remember."
The man seemed to relax and cleaned and dressed her wounds.
"Can you walk?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you for your help," she said.
"If you need work go to the center of town. There's a bulletin board there. You can find work on it," said the man.
She nodded her thanks and started for the town. Not worrying about her lost memories.