Rain
By: Cereis
Disclaimer: I sadly don't own RK
…..though I'd love to own Aoshi :wicked smile:
Misao glares from the sidelines.
This is my first fic, so don't be too mean. I know my English sucks, but I'm working on
it!
Chapter One
Rain.
It eased his mind, relaxed him.
Aoshi Shinomori was walking through the rain in hopes of clearing his mind. His last mission didn't turn out quite the way he had expected. His so called simple mission of breaking up a local drug ring ended up getting him and his four most loyal followers, also his most trusted friends, involved in the break up of one of the biggest drug rings in Tokyo. Though successful, it took up much more time and effort than he would have liked. Also, because of one of his rare moments of carelessness, he now spotted a new scar on his left shoulder, the doings of their ringleader, Izumi Naguchi. He of course took care of the inflictor of that scar. His men had injuries of their own, but they were mostly minor.
He stopped walking and lifted his face to the sky, letting the cool beads of water stream down his face, easing some of the tension in his body. He let out a sigh of relief and continued on his way.
Hannya and the others were probably wondering where he had been the whole day anyways.
He continued, treading down forest path as the clearing that lead to the bridge came into view. He halted at the edge of the bridge.
He saw a child clutching the railing, hands shaking, as she slowly climbed to stand on it. She stood by holding on to a post that extended above the railing while looking down at the raging water beneath her. Looking on in a trance, she didn't seem to have noticed him.
He hesitated before he took a couple of steps towards her direction.
"Suicide isn't the most honorable death." He spoke clearly, but gently so as not to frighten the girl.
Her head snapped in his direction, a look of fear strewn across her face.
"You have no business here, please leave." She said shakily.
He hesitated again.
She reminded him of someone he once new. But whom? He simply brushed the thought aside.
He slowly took a couple more steps towards her. She grasped the post more tightly, knuckles looking deathly white against the dark colored kimono she wore. Closer up, he realized that she was not a child, but a teenager, probably in her mid teens.
"Why do you wish to end your life?"
Despite the rain, she noticed the piercing ice blue-green eyes of the man speaking to her. She looked at him warily before hesitantly answering, "If you knew what my life was like, then you wouldn't think twice before doing this."
"Maybe so… but I'd rather live than kill myself."
She snorted at his words.
"Being enslaved to a family against your will, nearly getting raped countless of times, and getting beaten by those slave drivers everyday isn't exactly the prime type of lifestyle. I'd rather end the pain now than keep on living." She said bitterly.
She stood up straighter, turning to face him while shaking her arm at him yelling, "You would never understand the troubles I have to go through everyday. You're a man. Men don't nearly have half as much trouble as women do to live these days. Men are at the top of society while we're the trash at the bottom. Women mean nothing to anyone nowadays, except for using them to pay off debts or 'having a bit of fun'."
Lightning flashed and thunder clapped suddenly, catching the girl off guard, causing her to slip and fall over the railing.
"Eeek!"
Aoshi dove over the railing, catching the girl, and bracing for impact as they hit water.
The girl looked in shocked as the man dove for her and caught her, attempting to shield her from the force of the water.
Why? Why is he doing this? He doesn't even know me…
The last thing she remembered before passing out was looking at the man's piercing blue eyes and the odd comfort she felt as he grabbed her in his arms.
The moment they hit the water, the girl passed out. Aoshi, still holding onto her desperately swam towards the shore. He may have enjoyed the rain, but swimming in a river during a storm wasn't his idea of a relaxing swim.
"Kuso", he cursed as a wave slapped him in the face for the third time in under twenty seconds.
After fifteen minutes, he managed to get them both to shore. He immediately turned towards the girl and checked to see if she was alive. It would have been a shame if she had drowned to death while Aoshi had jumped in after her to save her life. The sound of soft breathing brought some relief to the ninja.
He quickly gathered the girl into his arms and ran off in search of the hotel he and his comrades were currently staying at. If they stayed any longer out in the rain, there would be a good chance that the both of them would catch a cold.
In about ten minutes, he reached the hotel and took her to his room. After he closed the door with his foot, he realized that she was slightly shaking and deathly pale. He squatted on the ground to get a netter grip on her and put a hand to her forehead. She was burning hot with a fever. He gently laid her on the ground while going to fetch some clean towels, a sleeping yukata, some blankets, and a bowl of cold water.
He hesitated before starting to remove her kimono. A small tinge covered his nose when he realized that she certainly wasn't a child. He looked away while he dried her off, fearing that Kami-sama might strike him down might he look at her again. After doing so, he slipped his sleeping yukata onto her small form, laid her down onto his futon, and buried her in blankets. He then took a small washcloth, dipped it in the water, and placed it on top of her forehead. Her breathing was uneasy and sweat started to form on her brow. She moved slightly, a look of discomfort on her face.
Every once in a while, he would re-dip the washcloth in the water and replace it on her forehead. After a while, he checked her forehead again. Her fever had gone down to only a slight fever.
He sighed in relief before lying down on the floor near her and passing out himself.
Without warning, Naguchi was immediately behind him in the air, his sword came slashing down at his back.
Aoshi nimbly dodged his attacked and skidded to the side. Out of the corner of his eye, a group of silver flying objects could be seen soaring at him.
Kunai.
He turned and blocked them with his kodachi.
Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his left shoulder.
One of the kunai had passed on top and through his shoulder, going about half an inch deep.
Angry at his carelessness, he charged his opponent, releasing his ultimate attack on him and killing him instantly.
He sliced the air, removing the blood off his twin kodachis and re-sheathed them.
He jerked up in a small sweat.
He dreamed about his carelessness of getting injured. It angered him that he let his guard down for a split second, confidently thinking that Naguchi would never be able to pull off an attack like that.
Never say never.
He looked over at the girl sleeping soundly on his futon.
Now getting a good look at her, he studied her features. She had a slim, girlish face and long dark hair. Her bangs moved slightly in her face as she breathed deep breaths. He was right; she looked like she was in her mid teens, perhaps sixteen, seventeen at most despite her girlish looks. She looked so peaceful compared to the shaking girl standing on the bridge railing the night before. She was quite attractive for someone of her age. He felt somewhat like a perverted old man thinking that being twenty-seven years old. Not to mention, she looked somewhat of a girl he once knew and helped raised long ago…
That thought again.
He frowned as he tried to remember, but his mind came up blank.
He sighed in defeat and studied her again.
Meanwhile in a another room not far away…
"Hannya, who was that girl? Aoshi-sama never brought a girl to his room before." a large man with dark skin asked anxiously.
The man he asked who wore a white mask just looked out the window in silence.
"Aoshi-sama isn't that type of man." Replied a tall man with bulging muscles that looked as though they were as hard as rock.
"The girl was unconscious and drenched. He probably found her and decided to help her, the noble thing to do."
"But you never know, maybe he just wanted a little fun." The large man said again.
"Please!" The muscular man retorted.
"From what I saw, the girl was quite the looker, but a little young if I do say so myself." A small man with spiky hair said in a dark corner.
"See? Even Beshimi agrees with me!"
"Hyottoko, how long have we been with Aoshi-sama, and you still don't know him yet?" The muscular man said scoldingly.
"He's done it before Shikijou!" the man known as Hyottoko replied.
"Yes, but discreetly, unlike what he did last night."
The man in the mask, Hannya, started to rub his temples. Their arguing was starting to give him a headache. He slowly started to meld in with the shadows and disappeared. He swiftly made it for the door and left unnoticed for the time being. He needed to get away from their bellowing.
" Well you know what!" Hyottoko yelled.
"I think your arguing drove Hannya-san away." Beshimi cut in.
"Huh?" the two looked towards the window.
Hyottoko's face suddenly paled.
"Oh no…. I hope he doesn't tell Aoshi-sama what I was saying…"
Shikujo snorted as his words.
"Well, I'm going, it's time to train. I've to keep these beauties in shape." He said flexing and kissing his muscle.
He paused looking at it.
"Perfection." He muttered to himself.
He picked up his bag and left.
When the door shut, the other two looked at each other and laughed.
well, that's a wrap!
...i hope you all liked my fic...
please be nice...
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