Hey everyone! I've finally got to typing this up. Hope you like my very
first RK fanfic!! ^^
Note: I've only seen the show up to what they play on Cartoon Network, so I'm gonna go easy on myself and NOT attempt the pseudo-Japanese speech. Thanks.
The Firefly's Darkness
By gamegurl mirai
Ch. 1- A Simple Beginning
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What the heck is THAT?" Yahiko grimaced at a steaming hot bowl of a brown, soupy substance with chunks of green that Kaoru handed to him.
"Miso soup!" Kaoru ignored the boy's picky attitude as she handed out some bowls of today's lunch to Kenshin and Sanosuke.
Sano blew steam across the surface before he sipped a taste of the soup. "Doesn't taste as bad as it looks."
Kaoru narrowed her eyes as she took some out for herself. "I'll take that as a compliment," she said huffily.
"Well, I'd say that your cooking has improved, that it has." Kenshin said, lifting the bowl gently up to his lips.
"Yeah, it sure doesn't compare to your UGLINESS!" Yahiko sniggered devilishly before receiving a blow to the head with a hot soup ladel.
"If you appreciate my cooking so much, then you can accompany Kenshin to the market." Kaoru commanded, placing the bent soup ladel on a table.
"What?! Grocery shopping?! That's the most boring thing in the world!" Yahiko exclaimed, rubbing the lob on his head.
Kaoru smiled in an accomplished manner as she proceeded to drink more soup.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I hate grocery shopping." Yahiko mumbled, walking alongside Kenshin with his hands placed lazily behind his head.
"It's not so bad," Kenshin smiled as he shifted the weight of a bag of rice to the opposite hand.
"It is when you think of what it gets cooked into by Kaoru."
"Hmm.leeks, rice, carrots." Kenshin counted on his free fingers as he stopped at a booth laden with fresh produce. He handed the bag of rice over to Yahiko as he fished out money to pay for a bag of vegetables.
Just as he received it, they heard screaming voices approaching. The whole marketplace froze as someone rushed through, heavy footsteps of many feet following the runaway.
"Get back here, wench! We want our money!" One of them, the largest (and probably the leader) yelled. The handful of men all wore English-style clothing, different from the traditional Japanese garments. Their hard, shiny shoes clacked on the ground after the one ahead of them, a female.
She brushed past many people in her path,, almost toppling Kenshin and Yahiko as she fled for safety, turning down an alley between some structures of housing and stores. The men followed her.
"What was that all about?" Yahiko mused, straightening up.
Kenshin stared down the path they took. "Must be trouble," he replied sullenly. "Come on! I think she needs help."
Yahiko trailed alongside the samurai as they proceeded down the alley, where a fence barred the pursued girl from freedom.
"We got you now. Fork over the cash," the leader of the Englishmen said.
"I told you! I already paid. Leave me alone! I don't have anything left!" the girl stated boldly,a bundle tied across her shoulders weighing her down. She didn't look as if she had the money, either. Her clothes were no different from Kenshin's, right down to the worn sandals. (except her kimono-like top was a lime green and she wore a wide yellow obi of silk around her waist)
"We'll see about that," the head honcho grinned, pulling out a gleaming dagger rfom inside his suit pocket.
"Hold it right there," came a placid voice.
"What do you want?" one of the men asked gruffly, turning to face Kenshin and Yahiko on behalf of the others.
"Leave her alone." Yahiko pulled out his bamboo sword.
"Why should we, brat? It's none of your business, so butt out!" the leader said, grabbing the girl's long, raven hair, causing her to cry out.
"We'll make it our business to teach you some manners, that we will. Manners," Kenshin drew his reverse blade sword, glistening in the light, "such as treating a lady with respect!"
The blade shot forward and one man fell a split second later, as the sacks of rice and vegetables were placed alongside the wall.
Each of the remaining men drew a variety of weapons: switchblades, knives, even a gun. Yahiko leapt forward and sent a blade flying into the wall as Kenshin struck the one with a gun before he even had a chance to cock it. A few moments later, each man, (except the leader, still clutching the girl by her hair) was bent and in a considerable amount of pain. The remaining man eyed Kenshin from under the brim of his hat and threw the girl aside as if she were a dirty stray dog.
"I'll deal with you later," he spat, turning away from the girl and walking past Kenshin and Yahiko. His men collected themselves and stumbled after him.
"Are you alright, miss?" Kenshin asked worriedly, assisting her in standing up like the good-mannered gentleman he is.
"I s'ppose so.. Thank you, "she bowed gently and pulled out a fan to cool her heated face.
"What was that all about?" Yahiko asked, stringing his sword away on his back.
"Th-that's none of your business!" the girl stammered, closing her fan in order to smack the boy with it, which she did. Not too softly, either. "Kids these days. So nosy."
Kenshin blinked exasperatedly as Yahiko rubbed the new bump on his head.
"Well, I guess there's no harm in telling you. They've been after me for a week now. I had to borrow money from those slimy Brits in order to buy some clothing," she began, using the bundle as a visual aide. "I paid them back eventually; every last yen! But they lied and said I still owe then 1,000 more." she sighed. "I've been in hiding from them, but its hard to keep running on an empty stomach. I haven't eaten for 2 days."
"We'd be happy to take you back to the Kamiya dojo," Kenshin offered. It was hard for him to resist helping her, being in his usual nature to help those who needed it. "Miss Kaoru would be happy to cook something for you, too."
"Why don't YOU cook?" Yahiko prodded, a dismal expression on his face. "I think Kaoru's cooking has been enough torture," he commented bleakly.
Smiling, the girl followed her rescuers down the road outside the alley after they grabbed the sacks of groceries. "I'm sure the food will be delicious."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"My name's Hotaru Kagero," she said, having handed her now-empty bowl to Kaoru after relating her short tale to the residents of the Kamiya dojo.
The girl paused as the assistant manager poured a second helping of leftover lunch. The group was seated once more around the table, the girl being the only one eating a late meal. Hotaru seemed to be too hungry to mind the taste. Food is food, after all, and she ate it ravenously.
"Kagero? As in Meisha Kagero, the famous geisha?" Kaoru inquired, her eyes open wide in amazement.
"That's why you needed clothing. A kimono to be exact," Kenshin pointed out optimistically. "You must be a geisha as well."
"Yep. You've got me all figured out, Mr. Kenshin," Hotaru laughed. Kaoru didn't like the way she smiled. It seemed all too eerie, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 PM instead of 7:30.
"If she's related to you, then you should be able to get lots of jobs! You could've paid those guys out tenfold!" Yahiko exclaimed. It all seemed perfectly logical.
Hotaru replied with a quiet stare at the ground.
Silence.
Hotaru stood up suddenly. "Would you mind if I used your kitchen? I'd like to make you all something."
"Just make sure Kaoru doesn't help you cook," Sano warned, arms crossed with a smirk on his face in a usual posture.
An instant later, a fist struck his head with great force. "I heard that!" Kaoru growled angrily.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Phew! That was longer than I hoped, but I didn't want to stop. The beginning seems a little cliché to me. I wrote that a month ago, so its outdated.
Just review to lemme know what you think! Another chappy will be posted as soon as I type it up.
Another note: Hotaru means firefly in Japanese. Kagero is a made up word. The title, Firefly's Darkness, (Hotaru=firefly.. get it?) came from a pretty song we're singing in choir, called "come in from the firefly darkness". Anything else needs explaining, feel free to ask!
Note: I've only seen the show up to what they play on Cartoon Network, so I'm gonna go easy on myself and NOT attempt the pseudo-Japanese speech. Thanks.
The Firefly's Darkness
By gamegurl mirai
Ch. 1- A Simple Beginning
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What the heck is THAT?" Yahiko grimaced at a steaming hot bowl of a brown, soupy substance with chunks of green that Kaoru handed to him.
"Miso soup!" Kaoru ignored the boy's picky attitude as she handed out some bowls of today's lunch to Kenshin and Sanosuke.
Sano blew steam across the surface before he sipped a taste of the soup. "Doesn't taste as bad as it looks."
Kaoru narrowed her eyes as she took some out for herself. "I'll take that as a compliment," she said huffily.
"Well, I'd say that your cooking has improved, that it has." Kenshin said, lifting the bowl gently up to his lips.
"Yeah, it sure doesn't compare to your UGLINESS!" Yahiko sniggered devilishly before receiving a blow to the head with a hot soup ladel.
"If you appreciate my cooking so much, then you can accompany Kenshin to the market." Kaoru commanded, placing the bent soup ladel on a table.
"What?! Grocery shopping?! That's the most boring thing in the world!" Yahiko exclaimed, rubbing the lob on his head.
Kaoru smiled in an accomplished manner as she proceeded to drink more soup.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I hate grocery shopping." Yahiko mumbled, walking alongside Kenshin with his hands placed lazily behind his head.
"It's not so bad," Kenshin smiled as he shifted the weight of a bag of rice to the opposite hand.
"It is when you think of what it gets cooked into by Kaoru."
"Hmm.leeks, rice, carrots." Kenshin counted on his free fingers as he stopped at a booth laden with fresh produce. He handed the bag of rice over to Yahiko as he fished out money to pay for a bag of vegetables.
Just as he received it, they heard screaming voices approaching. The whole marketplace froze as someone rushed through, heavy footsteps of many feet following the runaway.
"Get back here, wench! We want our money!" One of them, the largest (and probably the leader) yelled. The handful of men all wore English-style clothing, different from the traditional Japanese garments. Their hard, shiny shoes clacked on the ground after the one ahead of them, a female.
She brushed past many people in her path,, almost toppling Kenshin and Yahiko as she fled for safety, turning down an alley between some structures of housing and stores. The men followed her.
"What was that all about?" Yahiko mused, straightening up.
Kenshin stared down the path they took. "Must be trouble," he replied sullenly. "Come on! I think she needs help."
Yahiko trailed alongside the samurai as they proceeded down the alley, where a fence barred the pursued girl from freedom.
"We got you now. Fork over the cash," the leader of the Englishmen said.
"I told you! I already paid. Leave me alone! I don't have anything left!" the girl stated boldly,a bundle tied across her shoulders weighing her down. She didn't look as if she had the money, either. Her clothes were no different from Kenshin's, right down to the worn sandals. (except her kimono-like top was a lime green and she wore a wide yellow obi of silk around her waist)
"We'll see about that," the head honcho grinned, pulling out a gleaming dagger rfom inside his suit pocket.
"Hold it right there," came a placid voice.
"What do you want?" one of the men asked gruffly, turning to face Kenshin and Yahiko on behalf of the others.
"Leave her alone." Yahiko pulled out his bamboo sword.
"Why should we, brat? It's none of your business, so butt out!" the leader said, grabbing the girl's long, raven hair, causing her to cry out.
"We'll make it our business to teach you some manners, that we will. Manners," Kenshin drew his reverse blade sword, glistening in the light, "such as treating a lady with respect!"
The blade shot forward and one man fell a split second later, as the sacks of rice and vegetables were placed alongside the wall.
Each of the remaining men drew a variety of weapons: switchblades, knives, even a gun. Yahiko leapt forward and sent a blade flying into the wall as Kenshin struck the one with a gun before he even had a chance to cock it. A few moments later, each man, (except the leader, still clutching the girl by her hair) was bent and in a considerable amount of pain. The remaining man eyed Kenshin from under the brim of his hat and threw the girl aside as if she were a dirty stray dog.
"I'll deal with you later," he spat, turning away from the girl and walking past Kenshin and Yahiko. His men collected themselves and stumbled after him.
"Are you alright, miss?" Kenshin asked worriedly, assisting her in standing up like the good-mannered gentleman he is.
"I s'ppose so.. Thank you, "she bowed gently and pulled out a fan to cool her heated face.
"What was that all about?" Yahiko asked, stringing his sword away on his back.
"Th-that's none of your business!" the girl stammered, closing her fan in order to smack the boy with it, which she did. Not too softly, either. "Kids these days. So nosy."
Kenshin blinked exasperatedly as Yahiko rubbed the new bump on his head.
"Well, I guess there's no harm in telling you. They've been after me for a week now. I had to borrow money from those slimy Brits in order to buy some clothing," she began, using the bundle as a visual aide. "I paid them back eventually; every last yen! But they lied and said I still owe then 1,000 more." she sighed. "I've been in hiding from them, but its hard to keep running on an empty stomach. I haven't eaten for 2 days."
"We'd be happy to take you back to the Kamiya dojo," Kenshin offered. It was hard for him to resist helping her, being in his usual nature to help those who needed it. "Miss Kaoru would be happy to cook something for you, too."
"Why don't YOU cook?" Yahiko prodded, a dismal expression on his face. "I think Kaoru's cooking has been enough torture," he commented bleakly.
Smiling, the girl followed her rescuers down the road outside the alley after they grabbed the sacks of groceries. "I'm sure the food will be delicious."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"My name's Hotaru Kagero," she said, having handed her now-empty bowl to Kaoru after relating her short tale to the residents of the Kamiya dojo.
The girl paused as the assistant manager poured a second helping of leftover lunch. The group was seated once more around the table, the girl being the only one eating a late meal. Hotaru seemed to be too hungry to mind the taste. Food is food, after all, and she ate it ravenously.
"Kagero? As in Meisha Kagero, the famous geisha?" Kaoru inquired, her eyes open wide in amazement.
"That's why you needed clothing. A kimono to be exact," Kenshin pointed out optimistically. "You must be a geisha as well."
"Yep. You've got me all figured out, Mr. Kenshin," Hotaru laughed. Kaoru didn't like the way she smiled. It seemed all too eerie, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 PM instead of 7:30.
"If she's related to you, then you should be able to get lots of jobs! You could've paid those guys out tenfold!" Yahiko exclaimed. It all seemed perfectly logical.
Hotaru replied with a quiet stare at the ground.
Silence.
Hotaru stood up suddenly. "Would you mind if I used your kitchen? I'd like to make you all something."
"Just make sure Kaoru doesn't help you cook," Sano warned, arms crossed with a smirk on his face in a usual posture.
An instant later, a fist struck his head with great force. "I heard that!" Kaoru growled angrily.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Phew! That was longer than I hoped, but I didn't want to stop. The beginning seems a little cliché to me. I wrote that a month ago, so its outdated.
Just review to lemme know what you think! Another chappy will be posted as soon as I type it up.
Another note: Hotaru means firefly in Japanese. Kagero is a made up word. The title, Firefly's Darkness, (Hotaru=firefly.. get it?) came from a pretty song we're singing in choir, called "come in from the firefly darkness". Anything else needs explaining, feel free to ask!