Disclaimer: I do not own the RK characters.
Side Note: There is a possibility that yaoi, yuri, or hentai will be in this fanfic, although I have not decided whether or not to include it as of yet. Another point, this fanfic will include some fantasy-based aspects.
Silverware
Chapter 1
By Vix3.16
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I ran into her one day, recently…
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A whisper rippled over the water, through the forest depts. The wind had retired for the night. And the stars strained to catch what only the moon could reveal.
However, the moon could not reach the fleeting figure as it flew through the relatively still forest. The wildlife barely noticed it sliding through the undergrowth of the woods, and those creatures that did catch sight or scent of it dismissed it. It seemed irrational and simply a bother acknowledging something which posed no threat nor willed any harm to them.
Suddenly coming upon a clearing basked in mingled heavenly lights, a silver form was clearly defined. It was determinedly female, and human in all appearances aside from the moon-mirroring mane that flowed out behind it. Even the skin upon it shivered under such divine lamplight in a pale, nearly translucent tone.
The sylvan form glided under the safety blanket offered by the deep woods, holding to a lope at an even tempo. Time slid gently by, whilst the silver femme ran on. There was a great well of stamina held inside her body, from long years of training and a unique bloodline. Though what held her to such a determined pace was her past. After a decade, she'd finally caught on to the location of an old, old acquaintance. Nothing now could possibly stop her.
"Battousai. Battousai. It has to be you." She whispered to wizened trees who shivered upon hearing it.
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Although the evening was fast deepening at this hour, the Kamiya dojo still provided proof of life. A recent festival had caused much excitement throughout the town, and after a day of merriment little Ayame and Suzame were just beginning to slow down, while Kaoru, Yahiko, and all the others sat out upon the open porch chattering in light-hearted tones. Even Megumi and Dr. Gensai, who had shown up earlier that day to invite them all to the festival, were sitting and chatting blithely with the others.
Kenshin Himura smiled to himself as Ayame and Suzame sat in his lap, giggling and tying Kenshin's hair into all sorts of "braids" and twisted little shapes that fell apart as soon as either of the little darlings let go of them.
They were sitting a little ways off from the larger group, only several yards from the forest's edge. It was a quiet, comfortable evening really; strange for the usual chilly weather of Autumn. And it was all Kenshin could do to keep his hair from becoming a tangled mass resembling a red brush pile. Laughing at the antics of the little ones his high spirits suddenly faltered for a fleeting moment. His eyes drew away from Ayame and Suzame to gaze into the dark verge of the forest. Only eyes as sharp as his would catch the slight shiver within the trees.
'Well that is strange. It is a windless night, that it is.' Kenshin thought with a flickering worry beginning to burn somewhere within the back of his mind. However his outward appearance was unbroken once more and he laughed, taking Ayame and Suzame up off of his lap and standing with them.
"Come, Ayame and Suzame. You should go and play with Miss Kaoru and the others. I'm sure they would love to see how good you are at braiding their hair, that they would." He said with heart-felt warmth and a matching smile. How his life had changed, that he would be able to sit here and play with these beautiful children and be allowed to live a simple life… once again. How ever calloused he had become over the years, the urge to cry was never really gone, and there were occasions that he would come nearly a string away from it. It was so wearying to be reminded of his past day in and day out, when long ago he'd decided to push it aside.
As the two tittered and went off to show the others their new talents Kenshin straightened and slowly slipped off into the shadows of the forest's edge. A sense that had been instilled into his body over the long years of his past told him there was someone out there. His eyes glimmered amber and he stepped further into the darkling woods.
Moments passed in silence and he suddenly fell into a feeling of ease and relief. There was no hostility to the forest, the night sounds went on contentedly. Slowly Kenshin sank down to the ground, sitting cross legged against a nearby maple. He could feel her presence before she even revealed herself. The voice that came to him was soft and questioning, a gentle breeze reincarnate. It was alien to him, although something inside told him the owner was familiar.
"Kenshin?" He turned to his right, his eyes widening slightly, both in recognition and wonder. He beheld a young woman sitting with drawn up legs hugged tight to her. She was well built and yet had the curved body of someone very flexible and capable of great agility. Her skin was very fair, making Kenshin fleetingly wonder how it would look like under moonlight, and her face was finely shaped with thin, but not unpleasant looking lips. He determined that she would stand anywhere from five foot six inches to five foot eight when at her full height. Yet what caught him off guard were her eyes. They were unearthly, a pale milky white with a faint ring of piercing blue around the edge of the irises. Atop this her hair shimmered in long silver waves of moonshine, cut in the oddest fashion where upon the right side of her head it was cropped short in a masculine style. It further went around the back of her head in a progressive diagonal slope downwards until it flowed free for nearly a foot and a half.
Kenshin looked away with a shadow of a smile upon his face, although it held more pain than anything else. "It's been a long time." He finally voiced in a quiet tone.
From the silver figure came the same low voice he'd heard previously. "Yes… it has."
The silence prevailed between the two figures for what seemed forever. Yet it was not without communication. They simply had no need for speaking, and it seemed their mutual silence expressed more than they ever could with words. Finally Kenshin tensed as he sensed her move closer to him, yet he felt the urge to question her.
"What do you ask of me?" He uttered in a low tone, tinted with a slight hostility that flowed from his unease. Questions, memories, thoughts overcame him and left him unsure of what to do. She was a figure of the past gliding from out of the midst of his nightmares… and fears. A decade ago… she had been only a little girl… just a little girl.
The voice came again, overflowing with uncertainty and unspoken questions. "I just… wanted to see you… again…." He could feel the mountain of things she wanted to say to him and was overcome with thankfulness for her not mentioning them. He was still trying to keep himself from trembling. Her presence right next to him was surreal. He turned to look at her. 'She's surreal.' He thought to himself, knowing enough to avoid the eyes searching his, lest she detect a hint of his inward emotions.
"You… they call you Kenshin… is that… it's your name? Kenshin?" This time he could not stop himself from glancing up into her eyes, the surprise evident on his face. It only deepened upon seeing that this was a valid question, her eyes tinged with mild confusion, the question evident on her face.
"Y-yes. You… didn't know?" He asked, still recovering from the shock.
She nodded slowly and visibly pondered his question before responding, glancing down to the ground at her side. "I only knew you as the Battousai…. Our introduction was through a physical and mental embedding. Not verbal, for the most part." She paused again after looking up to his masked countenance, and biting her lip slightly. Kenshin wondered vaguely why this action on her behalf looked so strange to him. The thought was cast aside as she spoke slowly. "Do you remember what you said back then… that night?" She asked and there was a note of apprehension in her voice. He wondered to hear it in someone who'd caused him so many a sleepless night, even without her knowledge. It took him several moments of deep thought but it hit him suddenly, clearly, as he glanced up, catching her still gaze.
"When we meet again… we'll be friends… alright?"
Kenshin nodded slowly. "We'll be… friends… alright?" Upon hearing the first word relief swept over the silver femme and a small smile graced her face. Kenshin could not hold back the smile that emerged upon seeing her happy countenance. This is what she looked like smiling. The phantasmal figure of his nightmares was smiling. The first, true smile he'd ever seen from her.
"KENSHIN!"
The cry broke through the air, ripping through the silent woods. Kenshin almost despaired over seeing the silver-haired woman leap to her feet, her smile lost to a stern, collective mask. She was an emblem of apathy, found even in her voice. "I'm sorry."
The trees overhead rustled slightly in the absent space where she had been… a phantom memory once more.
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Wandering out from under the eaves of the still forest, Kenshin smiled, catching sight of Kaoru looking around for him. The moment she caught sight of him she ran to him, yelling his name for the entire dojo to hear. And soon Kenshin found himself surrounded by everyone besides little Ayame and Suzame.
"What happened, Kenshin? Why'd you run off like that? You had me worried sick you know!" Kaoru yelled, fidgeting angrily as though worried he'd run off again and leave them all alone to worry about him, but focused on letting him know she was mad at him as well. Kenshin laughed sheepishly and nervously scratched the back of his head.
"I'm sorry, Miss Kaoru, that I am. I hadn't thought I'd worry everyone this much. I'd wanted to go for a little walk, for a moment or so. I'm quite sorry for worrying everyone, that I am. But I'm quite alright. So you can stop worrying about me, Miss Kaoru." He refrained from biting his teeth, wondering how such a weak, if mostly true, excuse would keep the others from asking too many questions. Thankfully it seemed no one was in the mood to even bother with thoughts about wild stories and reasons explaining his wandering off. Everyone was still clinging onto the general merriment of the festival earlier that day and so didn't bother to look at this particular incident twice. Before long everyone went back towards the dojo, deciding it was time to say good night and exchanged their farewells with each other individually as they went for their separate beds.
Sanosuke's was the only parting comment that left any hint of anyone noting Kenshin's momentary absence. "Went for a walk, huh? What someone would wanna take a walk for in the middle of the night I don't even want to know. I guess it's just some thing we'll never be able to figure out. Huh. Kenshin, you're a funny guy, you know that?"
Kenshin slowly made his way to his bed in thoughtful silence.
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END
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Author's Comments
So, anyways. This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic so it's probably not all that great. However, I appreciate any and all reviews/comments.
This is not the last part. If you hadn't noticed the "Chapter 1" at the top, it means there will be more parts to this storyline.
Also, if anyone would like to make any suggestions about what they would like to see, please, be my guests.
Hint, Hint - REVIEW! - Hint, Hint