Kaoru's Haunting Past
Disclaimer: I'll just have to say, Japanese and drawing really is not my forte…
Summary: Kamiya Koshijiro and his wife have a history that comes back to haunt Kaoru and because of this, an old acquaintance comes back and Kenshin is… jealous? Will Kaoru be able to overcome this on her own or will the rurouni come to her rescue?
Before You Read Please Note!
1. So whenever Kenshin says 'I' please remember that he refers to himself as 'sessha' meaning 'this unworthy one. '
2. If there's an asterisk (*) next to Kenshin's 'I' it means he's using "ore", a more aggressive and masculine way to refer to himself.
3. Kenshin also uses the verb "de gozaru" which is an ending meant to be formal and respectful and it doesn't have an exact translation to English. So I'm just going to leave that out of the writing because I find it weird to read "de gozaru" after his dialogue and annoying with "that I do/should/would/could/ect" after his parts.
4. This takes place right before the Enishi arc… I'd say this occurs about 8-12 months before. I felt like Kaoru deserves a deeper past like the others and have a story that centers on her.
5. There are notes at the end of the section that describe the choices I made while writing. They're informative, but some of the meaning also tie in with the story.
6. That's all I wanted to say! Please enjoy now ^^
It was one of those rare peaceful days at the Kamiya dojo. The skies were a clear blue, birds were singing, and the soft scrapping sound of a broom against a wooden floor could be heard from within. Kaoru, who was humming happily to herself, was cleaning the training room in her training attire and occasionally stopped to savor the moments of quietness and serenity around her for she had the house to herself, something that hasn't occurred in a long while.
When the clock struck noon, Kaoru stopped cleaning and headed towards the kitchen. Hm… how wonderful! I can make anything I want without having to hear insults from those certain individuals, she mused to herself. The Akabeko is busy enough today for Tae to ask for Yahiko's help and Sanosuke dragged Kenshin to see something 'real nice'… whatever that means. Megumi-san's at the clinic since Dr. Gensai took Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan to visit a friend in a neighboring town. Everyone sure is busy today. Well, I better get to work too!
The young girl set about making lunch and silently ate on the porch in front of her room while watching a couple of squirrels play tag in the courtyard. Sigh. It certainly is quiet... if only Kenshin were here too, then it'd be the perfect afternoon, she thought to herself while looking up at the cloudless sky. Suddenly, a sharp fling was heard and an arrow was shot into the wall behind Kaoru, barely missing her right cheek when it flew past. Dropping her bowl and chopsticks, she jumped into a defensive stance and shouted, "Who's there?" into the empty yard. Scanning the area with her eyes, she saw someone in the tree to her left. Gracefully, she jumped off the porch to pick up a fist sized rock, flinging it towards the shadow. It hit him on the foot as he tried to avoid the oncoming object and fled from the estate.
Sensing the unwanted presence gone, Kaoru looked back at the arrow and saw a note tied to it. She removed the paper and read the short message that was written within. A cold wind blew through the dojo as Kaoru dropped to her knees, her eyes filled with terror and sorrow.
End of Prologue. Following chapters will be much longer.
