Expel the Barbarian
Disclaimer:I do not own Rurouni Kenshin
A/N: Not my story, but my friend's story. I somehow convinced her to let me post this. Enjoy.
The Girl with No Land
The rain came in sheets that poured onto the soaked ground, washing away the hot air and drenching the night into a cold, numbing world that deafened everything around it. The girl and the large dog walked in the wet weather with their footsteps muddled and silent by the rain. The girl was gripping the hilt of a longsword, a claymore, and using it to support her small and weak weight. The dog, much larger than her, kept its muzzle near her and whimpered every time she gasped from exhaustion and stopped to catch her breath. She licked her dry lips to scarcely drink the water that came from the sky and coughed quietly and then looked up at the sky and she could barely see the moonlight that pierced through the dark clouds.
"Tahomores," she croaked – her voice was strange and heavy with a different speech, "where are we goin'?"
Tahomores, a large wolfhound, perked his ears to a certain direction and grabbed the girl by her collar gently and tugged on her with a growl. She groaned and tried to get her dirty hands away from his muzzle but gave up as it was a feat just to raise her arms up. Tahomores growled a little more and pulled her even harder and she grunted, "Awright, awright ya…dog you…"
The girl raised her sword and feebly slid it back into its sheath that was strapped to her back. At that, her knees buckled and the dog held her up and lowered himself down as signal. She gripped his fur and he hoisted her up and started to trot somewhere that he obviously felt was safer than the open area. Her tiny fingers held onto the beast's mane tightly; she could feel her conscious go in and out and she was fighting it as hard as she could to stay awake.
Tahomores gave a soft growl suddenly as they came to a stop. The girl groaned, as if to say, 'a few more minutes' and the hound turned to lick her washed hand and shook a bit. She nodded slowly and got off of his back and looked at him thankfully, "Where'd ya bring us to, boyo?" she asked quietly. Tahomores gazed upward and the girl followed and her eyes brightened to see a single apple in a tree. Food! "Begorrah," she croaked, "I'm hungry!"
With a sudden rush of last minute energy, the girl ran to the tree and grabbed onto its bark to pull herself up. Tahomores got under her feet to push her up and she squeaked in excitement, "Keep goin'!" she said, her fingers brushing against the surface of the fruit. "Jus' a wee bit more, atta boy!" She jumped when there was a light that suddenly bathed the two and they wheeled around in horror to see a tall man in light baggy pants and an open kimono.
"Hey!" he shouted and the girl fell off of her dog. "What do you think you're doing?"
The girl got to her feet and pulled out her sword while Tahomores snarled and growled at the man, who was walking towards him with another man behind him. They mumbled to themselves and the first man walked forward, "Who are you?" he asked. "Where are your parents?"
"Pah!" the girl spat and her arm shook from the heaviness from the sword. "Stay far!"
The men exchanged glances, no doubt shocked from her accent, and the first man chuckled, "What do intend on doing with that sword?" he asked teasingly and the girl's fury grew. "That's not how you hold a sword…where'd you get that anyway? Give it here, child." He reached out his hand towards the hilt.
The girl screamed and slashed the sword downward in an arch that sliced his arm clean off and then stepped forward and whirled the sword around and slashed across his chest. He gave a gurgled shout and then fell to the ground in a dead heap. The girl's eyes were wide in terror and desperation and she looked at the other man whose jaw was to the ground.
"We're under attack!" he shouted and he pulled out his sword – that damned butter knife they like to call a kitana.
"Don't come close!" the girl babbled, Tahomores barking and snarling at the man with his hair up on end. "I will end you!"
Suddenly, the rush was gone and the exhaustion set it again and her knees gave way. She took her sword and impaled it to the ground and slouched over, her hands gripping the hilt again. Tahomores barked in surprise and nudged her worriedly with his large muzzle and licked at her cheek…her eyes were fading in and out and she looked like she was about to pass out.
"What's going on out here?" demanded a new voice and he gasped in shock at the dead body and the child before him, "What happened - wait!"
"Grah! Let go of me! She killed Hisashi!" snarled the man.
"She did?" the other man said. "Who is she?"
"No idea, she just attacked without warning!"
"But…she's only a little girl."
The girl smelled something pleasant and she felt herself fade out as a female voice came into play, "What're you all doing?" she asked in horror and dashed forward and the pleasant smell wafted in an almost intolerable amount. "Put your swords away…attacking a child, what's the matter with you?"
The second that tender hands touched her face, her hands loosened her grip and she collapsed into a soft, warm lap that smelled like blossoms. Her head was hurting and her felt sick, the rest of the noises drowned out by her own conscious and the heavy rain that pattered and echoed into her mind. She felt herself being picked up and she began to think, Oh God, what're they gonna do ta mea?
The blackness came and there were no sounds of comfort, no more dreams of the green hills and the scaling cliffs that stood proudly against the thrashing sea, their waters punishing their rocky surface but still they were there without a hint of wavering. The sounds of the fiddle were faint but were drowned out by the roar of engines and the screams of the falling explosions and the sky was dark with metal birds that came in droves, dropping their black eggs that would cause horrible destruction the second they'd touch the ground.
The dreams seemed to be endless and horrifying and they were nothing the girl had seen before. She panted and whimpered in her sleep until her eyes opened in shock and she felt warm, gently sun on her face. She glanced to her left and saw Tahomores was resting near her, asleep peacefully and even groaning a little in content. Silly mutt. The girl carefully looked about and saw her sword on the other side of the room and she felt weary…but her eyes drifted to the figure of a young woman sitting there and sewing something in her hands. She had long black hair that was tied in a pony tail and long tassels to the side of her face and wearing a pure white kimono and a blue sash that was wrapped around her waist.
The girl made the mistake of making a sound of awe at the pretty woman's figure and she looked at her – the girl jumped and quickly sat up, "Ahhhoa!" she said stupidly, pushing herself back onto Tahomores and she flipped over.
"No, no!" said the young woman, "I won't harm you…don't be afraid."
"How do I know?" the girl asked. "You will not hurt me?"
The young woman shook her head, her dark eyes solemn, "No I will not," she said quietly, "don't worry. Are you…hungry? Were you trying to get the apple?"
"Yes," the girl admitted, "I am hunger." Her face went a little red at the lack of knowing the Japanese language but the young woman seemed to understand with a firm nod. "But what are you do have me?"
"I'll get you something," said the woman, getting to her socked feet, "please don't go anywhere."
There was a storming of feet coming towards the door and angry shouting on the way. The young woman's browed furrowed and she stepped in front of the girl as the door slid open and there was the man from last night and his face was red with rage.
"Kill her already!" he bellowed, his sword out as he was being held back by two men, a third trying to talk him out of it. "That little demon killed Hisashi!"
"She's only a child," said the woman, "you will leave her alone."
"Isamu," said a red-haired man firmly, "we'll worry about this later, killing her won't do you any good. Like Tomoe said, she's only a child! Don't do this!"
"She's a murderer!" Isamu shouted, forcefully stepping into the room and the young woman, Tomoe, stepped back with a deep frown on her face. "I can't believe you're being fooled into sparing her!"
The girl scowled when he pulled out his sword and raged even more, pointing it at Tomoe and threatening to kill her if she was in the way. The girl huffed angrily, "Yew Japanese have no honor," she said strongly and everyone looked at her in shock, her voice throwing them for a loop, "revealin' your blades to women and children…ya must get fun out o' eet, don't ya?"
Isamu stared at her with his mouth open, sword slightly limp, and then gritted his teeth and snarled, "You're the one who attacked us you little brat!" he said and the girl raised her brows at the insult.
"You came to mea," she said, her accent thick and hard to understand, "and I told ye ta stay back…ya didn't listen ya dolt."
"Doruto?" Isamu blurted out in confusion and the girl rolled her eyes.
"That's right, 'l' isn't in your language is it? Ya stupid bastards." The girl stuck out her tongue and Isamu growled.
Suddenly, the young red-haired man stomped his foot down, startling everybody in the room, "Enough!" he shouted and the girl stared with wide, awed eyes. "Isamu, leave! Leave or I'll get serious!" His thumb pushed the hilt of a sword and his eyes were sharp and threatening…Isamu recoiled fearfully, deflated, and nodded slowly. With one angry glance at the girl, he turned and walked down the hall, grumbling to himself.
"It's about time you said something, Himura," said one man with a thin mustache and black hair that was in a small pony tail. "I was getting tired of holding him back."
"Keep an eye on him Iizuka," Himura said, "I don't want any more drama. We might attract attention."
"Will do," Iizuka said with a smirk. He glanced at the girl and saw she was staring at Himura with wide, bright-green eyes that came in contrast with her dirtied face. "Hey I think she knows you, Battousai," he muttered to Himura and he looked at the girl with raised brows. "Maybe you can talk to her? She looks like she could be a relative of yours."
"With dark-red hair like that," Himura mumbled, "I would think so too. But where does she come from?"
"She's foreign alright," Iizuka said, "with that sword and accent. Maybe she was abandoned when they came to Kagoshima?"
Himura's expression changed into a hardened frown, thinking about that possibility, "If that's the case, why would they leave a child behind? Why would they bring a child at all?" he wondered. "She looks like she's been out in the streets for a while now, so…"
"Well!" Iizuka said brightly, "That's for you to figure out, isn't it?" He grinned and gave Himura a friendly pat on the shoulder and then walked off.
"Geez, why is it always me that has to figure this stuff out?" Himura grumbled to himself and then looked at the girl with a tried face. "Alright…let's start with the introduction: what's your name and where do you come from - "
The girl suddenly spoke in a strange language that startled Tomoe and Battousai, her hands stretching towards him desperately and saying, "An bhfuil Gaeilge agat?" When she saw him look confused and even a little unsettled, she deflated and put her hands to her eyes, coughing out a sob and curling up.
"No, no, don't do that," Tomoe said gently, touching the girl's shoulder and stroking her hair, "you'll get sick if you do that. Please don't cry."
"So I'm stranded," she whispered painfully, "by meself…"
"What do you mean?" Tomoe asked and the girl sat up and eased her hands away, rubbing her eyes and sniffing quietly.
Tahomores walked over and lay on the girls lap and she stroked his head, "Namae wa?" she muttered at Himura, now looking at him with dark suspicion, "My name, ye asked?" Himura nodded quietly and the girl raised a brow, "Róisín O'Brien," she said firmly.
"Ro-sheen?" Himura blathered and Róisín frowned deeply at him. "That's a nice name." He smiled a little when Róisín's brows knitted together. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Róisín said something in her strange language, rolling her eyes and forcing a sarcastic laugh, "You are mindful!" she said in her bad attempt at Japanese. "You think so fast! Very good. No one would get that at all."
"Hey, hey," Himura said warningly and she snorted at him, "no need for that now. Where are you from?"
"Ériu!" she snapped angrily. "Ireland!"
"Airurando?" Himura blathered and Róisín looked like she was about to throw something at him. "Where is that?"
"Far!" Róisín barked, shaking angrily. "Enough talk! I don't like questions!"
"Okay, okay," Tomoe said smoothly and Róisín jumped, as if suddenly aware she was right next to her. "We won't ask anymore, Róisín-chan."
Róisín settled down, seeing that Tomoe had pronounced her name in a proper way, it seemed to have eased her anger just a bit. She stared at Tomoe for a little longer before looking back at Himura, "Who are you?" she asked. "Why was I assaulted?"
"I don't need to tell you a thing, Róisín-chan," Himura said definitely and her eyes narrowed. "You're the one who came here to us so we're going to be the one's asking questions here."
"Pah, ya give me that much," Róisín growled, "attackin' a child…I thought Japanese had honor. Apparently no!"
"We do!" Himura said, "Just in certain situations. Besides, you're the one who attacked us, remember?"
Róisín snorted, "Ah told 'em to stay far!" she said in her defense, "And he tried to take my sword away! He didn't listen so he got what he was dogging for!"
"But a little girl like yourself shouldn't be carrying that around," Tomoe interjected firmly and Róisín frowned a little more. "It's dangerous."
"Seems like 'danger' is familiar to you all," Róisín grumbled, "I saw many deaths and blood in this province. Why should it matter if I'm carrying something that'll sway you?" She was quiet for a moment and then sighed, "I'm…hungry…could I please have something to eat?"
"Yes," Tomoe answered, "I'll get you something. Please…don't cause any more trouble here. They might not be so merciful if you're difficult. They mean you no harm."
"And him?" Róisín glanced up at Himura and he frowned. "With that kitana sword…he won't assault me?"
"Katana," Himura corrected here and she narrowed her eyes. "And I have no need to kill a child, as long as she behaves herself…of course."
They both glared at one another from across the room. He seemed a little surprised that she even dared to test him like this, it was as if she was daring him to attack, even though her sword was against the wall behind him. Tomoe glanced at the two and rose to her feet, breaking Róisín's gaze to her instead as she walked out of the room and slid the door shut. Himura, however, walked in front of the door and sat down with his legs cross and his eyes staring at her.
"What's the dog's name?" Himura asked her suddenly and she seemed surprised. "He likes you a lot, I see…"
Tahomores, not paying attention to Himura, gave a lazy yawn and rolled over onto his massive back with his paws limp in the air and his muzzle to the side. Róisín gently scratched his belly and his legs kicked a bit; she grinned.
"Tahomores," Róisín answered, "he's mah papa's dog. Good dog. Good, strong dog. Loyal an' friendly." She stroked Tahomores' chin and his frizzy tail wagged pleasantly.
Himura smiled, "He seems like it," he said, "he protects you, I take it?" Róisín nodded slowly, "I see…yes, that's a good and loyal friend alright."
"What's your name?" Róisín suddenly asked him, looking at him with those pretty green eyes that disarmed him with the gaze. "Hemurai?"
"Himura Kenshin," Himura said.
"I heard them call you Battousai," Róisín said curiously. "You have both identities?"
Himura looked awkward and then sighed, "Do you know what that name means?" he asked her and she shook her head. "How about…hitokiri?"
"Slayer?" Róisín blurted out and Himura nodded. "You slay people?"
"For a good cause," Himura quickly explained, "for the new Era…"
Róisín's face screwed up in confusion, "You're young," she said simply, "why do you kill bodies if you are so young? You look no older than fifteen summers."
"You're younger than me and you're killing people," Himura retorted and Róisín's face frowned deeply. "Care to explain?"
"Meh." Róisín turned her head defiantly with her lip up in the air and her arms folded. Himura sighed deeply and leaned back onto the door.
There was a light rap of the rice papered door behind him and he quickly scooted aside and pushed it open. There was Tomoe standing with a tray that had various little plates and bowls on top of it, one black bowl of white sticky rice, fish, and some vegetables. Róisín eyed it hungrily as well as Tahomores, whose sleepiness had miraculously vanished when he smelled the food, made a slight bark of interest.
"It seems…," Tomoe said thoughtfully, "…your dog is hungry too…"
Róisín only nodded and craned her neck up to get a better look at what they were feeding her, "He'll consume anything," she said, still looking at it, "scraps will be fine."
Tomoe lowered down the tray and both of them had the expression of awe and starvation. Tahomores made a swift move but Róisín snapped at him with a snarl (Himura and Tomoe stared with wide eyes) and shoved him away with her hands. She gave him a warning stare and he actually backed down from her. Her eyes went back to the food and she grabbed the bowl of rice and devoured it without the use of the chopsticks, only her hands.
"Do you know how to use chopsticks?" Himura asked rather disgustedly.
Róisín glanced at him and stuffed down the last bit of rice with her fingers, "No," she answered gruffly, "too low fer me."
"Low?" Himura growled. "What do you mean?"
Róisín rolled her eyes and started at the vegetables, wolfing them down while Tahomores made a whine of hunger. She glanced at him and gave him the raw fish on the plate and he practically ate it without chewing. Róisín grabbed the empty rice bowl and raised it up with her hands automatically, "More, please!" she pleaded at Tomoe. "More!"
"Oh alright," Tomoe said, bending down and getting the tray again, "but first, I'd like for you to take a bath."
"Bath?" Róisín parroted in alarm. "Where? How?"
"In the back," Tomoe said, "there's one for you to use." She looked at Himura, "Can you please heat it up for her?"
Himura looked annoyed that he was suddenly being ordered around, but sighed and stood up, "Okay, I will," he said bitterly, "since apparently she's in our care now."
"Tahomores is hungry still," Róisín said, looking at him as he was licking the plates, "do you got food for him too?"
Tomoe nodded reassuringly, "Don't worry, he'll be fed up as well," she said. "But first…you're filthy" – Róisín frowned deeply at her, insulted – " we can't have you in that state while you're here. Please behave and go clean yourself up."