Title: Phantasmagoria
Pairings: Kaoru/Kenshin...
Categories: Adventure/Action/Romance
Sub-Categories: Drama/light Humour and Angst (because it's Rurouni Kenshin)/and maybe some Mystery, because I can.
Rating: T...M later on, perhaps.
Author's Notes: The Well and elements of Kaoru's modern life are taken from the anime/manga Inuyasha.

However, no other references are made to IY so there is no need for you to have read/watched it to understand HitM. The well is purely convenient as a time portal and plot device - cos I'm lazy like that :)

This is AU, but it will become a lot more canon as we go along. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

First Arc
Myths and Legends

Prologue
The Revolution and the Battousai

Tokyo, Japan
September, 2009

"The Meiji Era!"

A sharp rap resounded throughout the room, causing heads to turn automatically to the noise.

"As I mentioned before the summer break, this is our topic for the semester, class."

The inhabitants of said class groaned for a few moments after the announcement. The petite teacher at the front of the room smiled at their response and put down the ruler that she had previously used on the whiteboard. Her heels clacked on the floor as she crossed the room and the class slowly became silent.

Mrs. Shimizu was a good teacher, it was known by the majority of the school populace. Perhaps it was the tone her voice took when she spoke of the wars of times past, or the way her eyes would crease ever so slightly when she taught students about the lives of people long since dead. Some thought it was the way she spoke of history as if it was a fairytale, as if it was a book she would never tire of opening. It was like she was born to teach history, as some were born to write and some were born to fix people.

This year's history class was as non-descript as the last, faces and names flew past her quicker than she could remember them. Some were loud, some were quiet and some were just plain weird.

She watched the sea of black heads for a moment with calm eyes, before raising her voice again.

"Don't be like that people, look at it this way; we are learning about a time which shaped our country into what it is today." She began searching aimlessly on her desk for her textbook.

A few mutters were heard before a dark-haired boy near the front spoke up.

"But Miss, the Meiji Era was as boring as they come! I mean, with everything that went on in the Feudal era; the Meiji was a bit of a let down. People weren't even allowed swords were they?!"

Mrs. Shimizu paused in her search and took a breath. There was always one. The Feudal Era had been their previous topic; full of blood and war and political conflict; naturally the boys had loved it. She looked up at the boy with narrow eyes and recited the well-worn words.

"I'm sorry, Tanaka, but were you alive during the Meiji Era? Are you really 150 years old? You're looking good." Her voice was like dry ice, the light humour hovering above the serious tone beneath. The class looked as if they didn't know whether to laugh or shiver.

The boy called Tanaka spluttered pathetically and had the decency to blush.

Laughing slightly, she continued looking for her book.

"Do you think that just because there was a sword ban that no one used one? That's like saying the age limits on violent video games actually work."

He blinked and in his confusion gave an awkward shrug before she went on, "As historians, we can't afford to make such assumptions, you should know that by now. I guess I'll just have to show you how un-boring the Meiji Era was; turn to page nine in your textbooks and get ready for the lesson."

She raked through a pile of folders before finally retrieving her own book, as the classroom was filled with the sound of flicking pages and quiet snippets of conversation.

..o..

The girl turned the pages lazily until she found the right one. Her blue eyes scanned the page with interest and quiet confusion that was copied by others surrounding her. The Bakumatsu, huh? Wasn't that before the Meiji Era?

Shrugging, she pushed the book to the side and reached into her bag for her pen and folder. Pulling a piece of A4 out, she wrote the title and her name at the top, in neat strokes.

The Beginnings of the Meiji Era- The Bakumatsu
Kaoru Kamiya

"Now, in order for you to understand how the time of peace and innovation, or the Meiji Era came about, you have to know about what went on before it," Mrs. Shimizu watched the class closely, "thus, we have the Bakumatsu- the revolution."

"It was the turning point in what Japan had known for centuries; the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the end of the Edo Period and of Feudalism."

"Many things happened in this time of war and bloodshed that went undocumented. Underhand dealings, massacres, assassinations. It was a terrible place to be alive in. The most dangerous place to be, was of course the capital at the time; Kyoto. It was once described that due to the amount of blood spilled in the streets, that the scent and aura of death ingrained itself into the very foundations of the city. Not to mention the old saying that 'the rain in Kyoto was not of water, but of blood'."

Many in the class shivered uncomfortably and looked at the textbook page, where an old photograph of the city of Kyoto in 1865 was; its tall pagodas and smoky skyline.

"The major opposing groups in the city were of course the pro-Imperialist, Ishin-shishi and the elite Shogunate forces, the Shinsengumi swordsmen...a secret police if you will."

A hand rose.

"Yes, Miss Suzuki?"

"Wasn't the Shinsengumi the group that Hajime Saitou belonged to, Miss?" Her soft voice inquired.

"Yes indeed it was. Hajime Saitou was the leader of the 3rd Squad and is of course one of the more well-known warriors of the Bakumatsu. May I ask how you know about him, Suzuki?"

"Err," she hesitated, waiting for the inevitable backlash of laughter from her classmates, "I saw it on a documentary the other night on the history channel."

"Yes, well, since he is relevant to the topic, Saitou was a master of kenjutsu and it was under his command that the Shinsengumi earned their nickname; the Wolves of Mibu. Saitou controlled only a segment of the groups, but they were one of the most skilled and were often dispatched into the very heart of Kyoto. Now, the majority of the Shinsengumi were actually ex-samurai or Ronin and-"

"Meaning that the majority of them were blood-thirsty heathens," a bespectacled boy near the window called out.

Kaoru glanced up and frowned.

Ichiro Hayashi was a swat. Always was, and always would be. His dark hair was greasy and molded to his head. Kaoru didn't know if it was just unwashed or that he fashioned it that way. His black, beady eyes would peer over his horn-rimmed glasses and his teeth would protrude from between his lips, ever so slightly, whenever he looked in her direction. Strangely enough, he thought himself to be God's gift to women- didn't the guy own a mirror? However, he had a particular dislike towards her, and at any chance he got, (which was mainly in History); he'd throw a dig at her.

Kaoru had concluded that it was because of some misunderstanding that their grandfathers had had over a game of Shogi about 30 years ago- the circumstances were kind of sketchy. Anyway, Hayashi came from the 'better' part of town and was forever finding things to annoy Kaoru about; be it her family dojo or anything else he didn't approve of.

Her mouth opened before she could stop it.

"What do you know, Hayashi?!"

Mrs. Shimizu sighed. The class debates were usually long and tedious- involving swords and honour, especially when they were between Hayashi and Kamiya.

"Is there something you wish to contribute, Kaoru?" She asked the blue eyed girl calmly.

Kaoru looked startled for a moment before nodding and turning to the boy who sat a few seats away from her.

"You shouldn't be so stereotypical, Hayashi," she began hesitantly, before gaining more confidence, "Obviously, like your grandfather has probably been telling you, there were some who liked killing and got a thrill from it, but we can't forget that most of them must have had some amount of honour, with the following of the Bushido code and all."

Hayashi sniffed slightly before pushing his glasses further up his nose and smirking easily.

"Don't you think you're being a tiny bit biased there, Kamiya, seeing as your family own a dojo downtown?"

Kaoru looked at him, disdainfully.

"That doesn't make it any less true, idiot!"

"Who are you calling idiot, you-?!"

Rolling her eyes discreetly, Mrs Shimizu cut in.

"Ok, calm down people, historical debates shouldn't involve name-calling...but then again..." she paused thoughtfully before shaking her head, "What Kamiya said is true. Samurai were, of course, not all mindless killing machines; after all, they were human. Their skill in weaponry was unmatched during the times of war and revolution, especially their talent in swordsmanship."

She eyed the pair, who were now glaring daggers at each other; the air around them almost palpable.

Deciding to defuse the tension, the teacher cleared her throat and carried on with the lesson.

"So, where was I? Oh yes, Hajime Saitou was arguably at the top of his game. Few had the courage or skill to challenge him. Most died trying. Except...perhaps one..."

The two rivals gave each-other one last queer look before turning to watch their teacher with the rest of the class. Mrs. Shimizu stood still at the front of the class, staring unseeingly at the cloudy sky outside. She gave a quiet sigh, as if she had said something that should have been avoided.

"You must be wondering what this old woman is going on about now," her low voice caused some at the back of the room to frown in concentration in order to hear her words, "I say 'perhaps' because this man's existence is rather...shadowed, for lack of a better word. His history is so stained in blood that historians have argued for almost a century over his actual existence and the extent of his crimes. Some called him a demon, sent by the Gods to wreck havoc on those who opposed the Imperialists. 'Heavenly Justice', they called it. He was supposed to have killed without feeling, without compassion or guilt and above all; without mercy."

"Who was he, Miss?" It was that Tanaka boy again, his intrigue ironically contradicting his previous attitude.

"Well, let's look at the next page shall we?"

Page nine fluttered by thirty times. Forgotten and dismissed in its passing.

Kaoru thumbed the page impatiently. Who could this guy be?

The unusual quiet of the class was surprising but she never took much notice, the silence edged around her consciousness and her eyes searched the page until she found what she was looking for.

She stared at the picture of an old, yellowed painting in the centre of the white textbook page. The crusted edges and look of decay made the actual image blurry, but she could still make out the figure's distinct features clearly enough.

White hakama and a navy blue gi: the uniform of the Ishin-shishi, old tales from her grandpa told her so.

A long katana held unsheathed in front of him.

Flaming red hair, tied in a top knot.

And eerie golden eyes that seemed to seep into the yellow fabric of the cloth on which it was painted upon.

Kaoru swallowed past her dry throat and her eyes watered with the intensity of the figure's gaze and her own need to return it, unwaveringly. It was such a strange sensation. Dragging her eyes away, she scanned the picture. So deadly and haunting, like something that had just stepped out of a nightmare and yet, he was beautiful, in a sad way that echoed pain and tragic anger.

The irrational part of Kaoru's mind that reminded her that she was a seventeen year old teenager, thought he could vaguely resemble what was known as being handsome. However, she wiped that aside with vigour, because after all, it was only an oil painting.

The pull of the picture was strong and unnerving, the otherworldly beauty of it should have been impossible.

Kaoru broke the connection and stared at the ceiling, in all its yellow, flaky glory.

Who is he? What is he? Is he real?

Her eyes eventually moved away from ceiling above her head and she scanned the small text beneath the photo -

"He was the legendary hitokiri, the manslayer; Battousai..."

The class remained silent. However, the awe in her own voice seemed to snap Mrs. Shimizu out of the trance.

"It's strange," she spoke quietly, as if almost to herself, "That no matter how many times I teach about him...there's always that feeling present. You'd think I'd get used to it..."

She glanced at his golden eyes one last time, before looking back to the class, who were still sitting wide-eyed like a bunch of pre-schoolers who had just listened to their very first fairytale.

"He's really something, huh?" she asked softly. The class nodded, mutely.

"Of course, this is merely an artist's impression of what Battousai looked like. Flaming red hair and golden eyes are all well and good for being the stereotypical demon of hell that he is portrayed to be here, but in reality...well, it's just not very likely. Not impossible by any means due to immigration, but still, unlikely. And so, we can safely say that this is not a reliable source due to it's biased content, despite it's...appeal."

Most of the boys snapped out of the daze fairly soon after that; laughing it off and pretending it had never happened. The girls, however, were another story...

Eyes were glazed over. Bottom lips were chewed red. And cheeks were flushed and rosy.

Mrs. Shimizu laughed heartily, breaking the uneasy tension of the room. It was the same every year.

Kaoru let out a breath as she looked around the class.

Sure, the guy was handsome and could probably handle his sword well...but wasn't the whole 'near-fainting' business taking it to the extreme? It was hard to believe that these girls were meant to be seventeen years old. The guy was a murderer for god's sake.

That's right. He was a murderer. Someone who had killed, maimed and maybe even raped.

"Losers," she mumbled as she started fiddling with her pen.

Mrs. Shimizu smiled at the head of Kaoru Kamiya, who proved me the actual 'minority' of the girls that day.

"Miss?" Yuka Maeda gushed. "Do you think that maybe the Battousai was actually this hopeless romantic who was tragically in love with the daughter of the Shogun...or something?!" The girls sitting around her squealed in agreement and nodded their heads adamantly, obviously already believing the theory despite what Mrs. Shimizu's opinion would be.

A bunch of collective sighs were heard.

"A romantic swordsman. What's the chance, eh?" Yuka's breathy voice caught slightly, "A Tale of Meiji Romance! I say we do it as this winter's drama production!"

This was once again followed by many sighs and giggles of agreement.

"Yeah, like a Japanese version of 'Romeo and Juliet'!" Another cried.

The teacher looked as if she was about to take a step back, but instead, she just shook her head humorously.

Kaoru's rigid shock at Yuka's announcement wore off after a few moments.

What. The. Hell. Was that?!

With wide eyes, she turned around to the girl sitting behind her. One of her supposed best friends. Head of the Drama club and the craziest girl she knew. The one known as Yuka...the fangirl?

"Yuka..." Kaoru intoned sweetly, "Since when were you the Battousai's number one fan?"

The girl giggled and wound a finger around a strand of already tousled hair.

"Oh, I dunno...about the same time I realised that he was a total hunk!"

Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"But the guy must have murdered hundreds of- "

"Ahh, forgive and forget! That's what I've always said."

Since when? But Kaoru decided not to voice her thoughts and instead, she turned around in her chair, deciding that Yuka was a lost cause.

I guess the girls really weren't feeling the same thing I was when they looked at the picture. But...what were the guys thinking then? She looked out of the corner of her eye at a boy who sat to her right, before flicking them back to her textbook.

Scary thought...

"Alright girls, calm down now. You can discuss drama and romance at break but right now, we're learning about the Battousai." The girls started whispering again.

"And, when I say the Battousai, I mean the assassin, not the Romantic swordsman," she chuckled slightly as the girls blushed.

"Now that everyone is settled," she looked over the top of her textbook and peered at the class of seventeen year olds, "we can go on."

She cleared her voice.

"It was said that Battousai got his nickname from his use of Battoujutsu. However, his sword style is unknown or was simply just lost to History like so many things sadly are."

"Didn't he have a proper name?" One of the boys from the back called out.

"Well, shadow assassins were not the most documented characters of the Bakumatsu. It was their job to be discrete, after all. The best times for them in a place like Kyoto were under the cover of darkness, or in crowds. It's no wonder there is little known about them. The Battousai is no different. What lies on these few pages is about everything there is to know about him."

Small groups of conversation were beginning just as the door opened, revealing the elderly office worker, Mrs. Hadaka.

"Mrs. Shimizu, there is a telephone call for you."

"Ahh, there is? Well okay, thank you, Ai. I'll be with you in a second. Look over your notes while I go and see who this is," she told them and then followed the older woman out of the room.

Kaoru tucked an ebony strand of hair behind her ear as she leaned over her textbook. The teacher was right; there wasn't much to know about him at all. An eye witness account here, a paragraph of heavily padded facts there; all of which could have easily been biased or influenced. She sighed.

I hope we don't have to write an essay on him. Mine would be about four lines long! She turned a page. The title read, 'The Battle of Toba Fushimi.'

Deciding that there was no harm in reading ahead, she quickly scanned the page. '1868...One of the last battles of the Revolution...Last recorded sighting of the Hitokiri Battou- Wait!'

She stopped and re-read the last sentence, her eyes following every word. 'Last recorded sighting of the Hitokiri Battousai.'

She frowned and looked up from the page, staring at the boy's head in front of her. That was the last time he was seen? Nothing after that? Gods...talk about a shadowed life... Noticing one last paragraph on the page, she quickly read on. It was taken from an account written by a scholar in the Meiji Era.

It stood out with its bold, italic writing.

In the whirlpool of violence that Kyoto became after the arrival of the Black Ships in Japan, there arose a warrior known as the Hitokiri Battousai. This man, who paved the way for the new Meiji era with these bloody battles, disappeared at the conclusion of the bloodshed. With the passage of time he has become a legend, known simply as "the strongest."

Source: Unknown. Year: Circa 1878.

"The strongest..."

It was like a conclusion to his life story. What life though? It just couldn't have ended there! She blinked slowly. Perhaps he wasn't real. Just a legend, conjured up by crack-pot scholars who had more time and supplies of opium on their hands than was healthy. If he had been real then he couldn't have just disappeared. It wasn't even physically possible. Maybe he had headed off to the Bermuda triangle to live in peace, away from crazy revenge-seeking relatives of the people he had killed? Or...maybe he had run up the mountains, joined forces with some pacifistic monks, shaved his hair off and become a born-again Buddhist. Or maybe not.

What a life, though. All he would have known was blood and war and death. Hardly your average Disney fairytale...maybe more reminiscent of a Quentin Tarantino film she had watched at Yuka's once.

Kaoru was still lost in thought when a whisper was heard from her left.

"Psst, Kamiya," it was Hayashi again, "You'd know all about this thing, huh? Battoujutsu?" He made it sound so...worthless.

He held up his book and indicated to the paragraph on the page, under the same title. Kaoru glared at the greasy haired boy, through hazy eyes. It took a few moments for her brain to process his words.

That weirdo. If I had my bokken, ooohh he would get it...big time. Cutting off her violent thoughts, she looked back to his finger and the word it was pointed at.

"You shouldn't talk about things you don't even understand, Hayashi. For a swat, you really are quite stupid sometimes, you know that?" She whispered back, furiously.

Hayashi looked offended. People in the surrounding area chuckled under their breath.

"Oh, come off it. Listen, the Kamiya Kasshin style has nothing to do with the swordsmanship that the Battousai would have used. It-"

"Yeah, yeah, it teaches the 'Sword that Protects'. As you've been telling us since second grade."

A few mumbles of agreement met Kaoru's ears and she blushed slightly. Of course it was popular knowledge that her family had a dojo and that she was assistant master. She was proud of her heritage, damn it! Her brow furrowed.

"Well, it would have been kind of ironic if he was using such a technique, wouldn't it?"

The boy looked at her, almost thoughtfully.

Am I finally getting through to him?

He sniffed again, pushed his glasses up, and looked out of the window.

Kaoru sighed.

Mrs. Shimizu came back into the room a few moments later. She smiled at her buzzing class.

"Is everything all right, Miss?" Eri Oshiro, another of Kaoru's friends, asked.

The teacher nodded her head, complacently. "Yes, yes, everything's fine. My daughter wants me to pick her up from her study club tonight. Heaven forbid the little madam walk home. Okay, class!"

Chairs squeaked as they were twisted back into their original positions and conversations died quickly. Mrs. Shimizu celebrated her success inside. She had always believed that instead of ruling her classroom with an iron fist, she would tolerate their activities, even encourage them at times. This made the students more happy and willing to work if they knew they would get free time at the end. Plus, History was a popular subject and no one complained about her way of teaching since the exam pass rate was nearly the best in the school.

"Now, I know the section on the Battousai is very small but it really is a favourite with examiners. They believe that since it's so small, that it will be easily overlooked. But I'm sure you all will be fine seeing your enthusiasm for the topic."

A few grumbles from the boys and a few sighs from the girls were heard.

"The bell's going to go in two minutes so you can get packed up. After the week-end, we'll start on the Ishin-shishi and Shinsengumi internal hierarchies."

A rush of breath and the grating sound of thirty or so seats scraping across the floor cut through the air. The same sounds came from classrooms up and down the hallway.

The Drama club members had gathered around Yuka's desk almost instantly and were chatting animatedly.

"So what kind of props will we need? Any idea who should do make-up? Anyone got an actual storyline? Forget all that, who's playing Battousai?! He'd better be cute..."

Kaoru packed her textbook and folder safely back into her bag and slung it gently over her shoulder, as not to disturb the growing group of hyperactive fan-girls swarming around Yuka's desk. Her best friend's voice could be heard over the crowd, seemingly calling for order.

She giggled slightly and moved towards the front of the class. Most of the boys were hanging around by the window, except Hayashi who was hovering by the teacher's desk.

Kaoru got out her timetable and tried to figure out what she had after lunch. But the moment didn't allow her to.

"Kamiya, can I see you for a moment?" It was Mrs. Shimizu.

She jumped slightly, before realising who had called her and obediently folded her timetable up and went to the teacher's desk, brushing past Hayashi.

"Yes, Miss?" she asked politely.

"Kaoru, I was just wondering if you understood today's lesson. You looked rather bemused by it all."

She was about to protest that she didn't want the Battousai's ass, when Mrs. Shimizu held up her hand, "I mean, bemused in ways other than by his looks."

"Ahh," she muttered unintelligently and scratched the back of her neck. She could feel Hayashi's eyes on her. "Well...yeah, I suppose so. I've always been interested in the past and the people in it...but..."

"But?" The teacher prompted kindly whilst arranging her desk for the next class.

"It's just...I kind of looked forward in the book, to the section about Toba Fushimi and well...it said that that was the last sighting of the Battousai. Is it true? He was never seen again after that?"

At that moment, the bell rang. Kaoru didn't move and Mrs. Shimizu didn't even blink as she continued to monotonously file papers into drawers. She felt the people in the room bow before leaving; Hayashi was last out.

The teacher finally looked up and assessed her.

"Kaoru...I understand that you must feel a...connection if you will, with the Battousai. Please don't take that as an insult, I mean only in regard to your swordsmanship, as we must understand that despite Battousai using his sword to kill, he must have had some degree of skill."

She nodded in understanding, before Mrs. Shimizu went on.

"And well, I have taught students about this figure for many years and when I first learned about him in university, I was young and naïve. A bit more mature than the girls in this class, but not by much. I guess, I saw his story as romantic in the beginning as well but please, Kaoru, don't ponder over his story too much. Yes, there was an assassin by the name of Battousai. Yes, he disappeared after the Battle of Toba Fushimi. And yes, there were no further records of his existence. But like I said before," she pushed in her chair and gave Kaoru a smile, "he is only a figure in our country's dense history. And it is saddening, but we shall never know his true story."

The classroom was strangely quiet now. The students out in the school grounds were many floors below. Their whistling and shouting seemed miles away. The afternoon rain had begun to hit against the windows, softly and silently. The only indication of its presence was the sudden crescendo of yelling as the people below went to find shelter.

The smell of fresh coffee was wafting through from the staff room at the end of the hall.

Kaoru inhaled slowly.

"So, he isn't just a legend?"

Mrs. Shimizu looked thoughtful for a moment and there was a slight pause before she began speaking.

"I personally don't believe that he is only a legend. Perhaps he is now but not then. I think he was as alive as you and me. But for history's sake, he shall remain a myth...a legend destined to be the demon that comes to scare children when they don't go to sleep, the monster hidden within the darkness, beneath their beds."

The schoolgirl shifted her weight slightly. She knew it was time to go, but there was one more thing she had to know.

"Do you think he was as bad as they say?"

The older woman smiled tightly at her. It was the same smile she had worn when she had first began speaking about him, almost an hour ago. Her lips turned up slightly at the corners, her eyes creased and her eyebrows furrowed. In that moment, Kaoru found herself looking at an old and tired woman.

"Worse."

Kaoru nodded and let out a breath. She had just begun to bow when her teacher spoke again.

"Don't think on it so much though, Kaoru," she said, smiling naturally once more and ushering the girl to the door, "get some lunch and just be thankful that we don't live in such a terrible time."

Closing the classroom door behind them, Mrs. Shimizu nodded to Kaoru and walked in the direction of the staff room. Listening to the echo of her teacher's heels as they became more and more distant, the kendo instructor paced quietly to the window, where the rain was pouring down the glass in rivets. She slowly let a breath out and watched as it clouded the glass.

AN:Ages are generally the same as manga canon. Kaoru will be 18 next year in June, so for the majority of the story , she will be 17. Kenshin, when we meet him, will be 28 as normal. Everyone else is the same unless I say so.

Thanks for Reading!