Chapter 1: Jinchuu
A lonely child
Chased a butterfly that may be going to meet her mother
Never knew: she has passed away forever.
The child was told to count the stars, count the waves
When it ends mother will come to meet, with a new dress.
The child was sincere in counting, as time passed the number was mounting
The Lonely Child - A poem of Loneliness, Lost Mother and the Death
by saleheensblog
It was a late summer night, fireflies engulfed the night breeze and Himura Kenshin and his companions had gathered at the Akabeko earlier that night to celebrate their safe return, and were now leaving to their homes. The girls enjoying the sight of the fireflies decided to stop by a river bed to speculate the sight, the men sitting behind them discussing over what had happened in the day.
They had met a beastly sized one-armed man in the afternoon when they had gathered at the Akabeko, he looked battle-worn and poor, an intimidating aura. However, he showed no harm to those in the restaurant, and kindly thanked Sekihara Tae, the manager of the restaurant for the food. Although, he were calm the minute Kenshin had stepped into the Akabeko, the atmosphere turned sour as recognition shot through Kenshin's expression, but quickly ignoring the man, the one-armed customer got up and left immediately after paying for his meal. A mystery.
"So that whale-mouth's arm was your work?" Sanosuke asked Kenshin, after he had explained how he knew that one-armed man.
"Yes," Kenshin answered Sanosuke.
"And he didn't even notice you, right?" Sanosuke asked again.
"I believe so," Kenshin answered gravely, his long bangs covering his anguished expression.
Sighing inwardly Sanosuke got up from sitting on the grass, "Then aren't you letting it get to you too much?" he said, "I know that this kind of stuff has been weighing for a long time, but still."
"But…" Kenshin continued.
"No buts," Sanosuke answered back, looking over at Kenshin, with his signature fish bone in mouth, "It's about time you got used to living in peace."
Glancing over to the women that were surrounded by the fireflies and laughing amongst each other, Sanosuke smiled and continued to speak his point.
"Look over there, do you see the shadow of war in any of that?" Sanosuke said referring to the sight before them.
As if on cue on what he had said, a booming sound scattered around the night sky, accompanying the blinding light. Like a flare that was foretelling an upcoming disaster.
"What was that?" Koaru asked shocked by the flare.
"Fireworks?" Sekihara Tae wondered aloud.
"No," Kenshin answered his face paling, "I remember that sound."
That distinctive thunderous sound…That's one of the Three Great weapons of the Bakumatsu.
Amongst the small disaster stood a young child that watched the civilians scatter around the district, clearing up the damage from the sudden flare.
The child was dressed in foreign garb unlike the traditional Japanese Kimono's. The child wore a classical black and white Chinese Mandarin style suit, with black trousers that folded at his ankles, the usual clothing for the male's. The child was thin and short, and looked no older that ten years old. What was most unusual about the child was his long dark red hair that was tied back in a high ponytail, that dropped down to the nape of his neck and how his bangs fell over his left eye.
Watching further into the crowd, he continued to stare at a group of men and women, in particular, a man with long red hair, who carried a sword by his waist.
"Just like how Shushu described," the boy spoke to himself, stepping into the crowd and trying to get closer to the group that was inspecting the small damage and the people that were fussing over putting out fires.
Just as he were approaching the said group, the boy was pushed down by a crowd of police running by frantically, saying something about canon fire. And just as the boy had looked up to see his target again, Kenshin had ran off with Sanosuke and Yahiko trailing behind them. They were already too far gone for him to catch up with.
"Hey are you okay?" the boy looked up to the woman who stood above him, stretching out her hand to help him up, "That was a hard fall, are you lost?"
Glancing the woman up and down, the boy stared after where Kenshin had once stood then back at the woman.
"The man with the sword, do you know him well?" he answered bluntly.
"Eh?" she replied, "Y-yes, is there something you need from him?"
Starring the woman in the face the boy smiled, "Yes, I have a message for him from my Shushu, can I meet him?"
"Your Shushu?" Koaru said, confused by the foreign word, "As you can see Kenshin has left right now to help out the police, you should return back to your parents, it's not safe out here for a boy your age."
"I see thank you," the boy smiled and bowed at Koaru, "I'll have to find the Hitokiri Battosai myself."
With that said the boy ran off towards the direction Kenshin and Sanosuke went, moving with eased speed.
"What was that all about?" Koaru whispered to herself, worry on her face, "And how come that boy knows Kenshin as the Hitokiri Battosai?"
After trying to catch up with Kenshin and Sanosuke, Yahiko had stopped to breath after vomiting his exhausted body so much from running too fast all at once.
"It's impossible for me," Yahiko said dejectedly and sat by the gutter than he had puked into, "Kenshin is just too amazing, let alone me trying to catch up to Sanosuke."
"That's no good," a young voice said from behind Yahiko.
Turning immediately to the voice, Yahiko spotted a young boy, about his age, with dark red hair, and an indifferent gaze in his eyes.
"Huh?"
"It being impossible for you," the boy approached Yahiko, squatting beside Yahiko, "It's no good."
"Well you don't know what I'm even talking about!" Yahiko argued back.
"It has to do with being a swordsman, am I wrong?" the boy stated pointing to the wooden sword at Yahiko's side, "Although I do not know much about being a swordsman."
"Of course you don't!" Yahiko mocked the boy, fingering the boy's clothing, "You don't even look Japanese!"
"I am Japanese," the boy answered the boy, looking at him like he were stupid, "Do you truly believe a child my age could speak Japanese fluently like this with you without Japanese background?"
"Then what's up with the clothing?" Yahiko asked.
The boy smiling at the comment glanced forward and down the road, ignoring Yahiko's remark.
"Y'know my Shūshu," the boy started, "My Shūshu is a very strong man, he's also my Jiàoshī, he taught me some basic things, but I'm still nowhere near as strong as him."
"Eh? Shūshu? Jiàoshī? Japanese please," Yahiko stared at the boy, "Are you sure you're not lying about being Japanese?"
"Shushu means Jii-san in Chinese and Jiàoshī means Sensei," the boy sighed.
"Oh! So you admire your uncle and want to be as strong as him?" Yahiko said, understanding his words.
"Right," the boy continued, "Although, my Shushu refuses to teach me at times, he says that I don't need to know how to fight, I have no reason to."
"He sounds worried about you," Yahiko said, sitting comfortably by the boy, forgetting about catching up with Kenshin.
"Jiǎ, Jiǎ" the boy laughed shaking his hand side to side, stating that Yahiko was wrong, "Shūshu is very cold-hearted and could careless about others unless he needed them for a certain purpose."
"So then don't you get frustrated sometimes when you feel like your not strong enough to be around your uncle?" Yahiko asked the boy, "Don't you want to catch up with him as soon as possible?"
"Of course I do" the boy smiled, "But that would just trouble my Shushu if I carried on with that kind of attitude "There's a time for everything and you shitty brat aren't ready." Is what my Shushu tells me."
"Is that so?," Yahiko asked, brow raised from the way the boy described his uncle, "Where is your uncle?"
"I think Shushu should be on his way to Yokohama," the boy said, standing up and dusting his clothes.
"Eh?" Yahiko exclaimed, "Shouldn't you be with him then? Unless you have family here?"
"I don't have family here," the boy smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "Shushu left me here so I could deliver a message to a certain person, then I can return to him, perhaps you know him?"
"Cripes your Jii-san sounds harsh!" Yahiko sweat-dropped, standing up as well, "Is this part of your training or something?"
"Jiǎ, Jiǎ" the boy said his expression blank once again, "It's Jinchuu."
Next Day
The next morning had quietly crept up, last night's event weighing heavily on everyone's mind. Sekihara Tae's restaurant was destroyed by the canon fire and her family had been worried of maybe her being targeted, and Kenshin had found a note of Jinchuu, laying by the site the Canon had first been fired. It were obvious whoever had fired the canon was not working alone and they wanted revenge.
That morning at the Kamiya residence Koaru had a lot of things going by her thoughts one of them was about the young boy she had seen that night looking for Kenshin. He had called Kenshin the Hitokiri Battosai, so maybe the child may be a link to whoever that fired the canon. But why?
Yahiko was also acting strange, Koaru had also noticed. When he came back to the dojo last night, he had a dissatisfied look on his face, and when they had started the day's training exercise Yahiko had suddenly become impatient and wanted to learn the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu succession techniques. After the long argument of Koaru telling Yahiko he weren't ready to start learning the techniques she became curious as to his sudden outburst. When they had first met, Yahiko had made it very obvious that he had no interest in learning swordsmanship from her.
"Why'd you suddenly get so serious?" Koaru asked him resting on the dojo floor, "Did something happen?"
Thinking about the boy he had met the night before, Yahiko frowned. They seemed to be in a much similar position, so why is it that when he looked at the boy, he seemed not as restless as him, calm.
"I just want to be stronger," Yahiko answered, "And I'll do whatever it takes for that day to come by sooner."
"To tell you the truth," Koaru spoke, "You're a lot stronger than you think."
"Eh?" Yahiko spoke, looking up to Koaru with disbelief.
"Your fights with Nagaoya and Mikio and Henya were clear victories," she continued, "You held your ground against that Giant and Fuji without flinching, that's more any accomplishment of an average ten-year old."
"What are you trying to say," Yahiko said sadly, "Don't try to comfort me like that."
"That's not it," Koaru said, "When Kenshin was ten, he had just started his training. Sanosuke had started fighting after the break up of the Sekihoutai. Neither of them had probably fought any serious battles. You could very well be the strongest ten year old in Japan."
Yahiko thinking over what Koaru said couldn't help but think of the boy he met last night even more. If he could be the strongest ten year old in Japan what about that strange boy. It was obvious he were no obvious child, but he claimed not knowing much of the art of swords. Was he strong? Was it wrong for him to want to become strong so badly.
"But you're still only ten," Koaru said, jarring Yahiko from his thoughts, "Becoming even more stronger would be dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
"Yahiko," Koaru got up, walking over to the sliding doors to leave, "As long as you continue to blindly search for strength I couldn't teach you the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu and you wouldn't learn it."
Sliding the door open, Koaru stretched her body, about to step foot out the door, "Hang in there Yahiko."
Eleven o'clock that night, the city began to stir once more, the Maekawa dojo was attacked and Kenshin and Sanosuke had fled to bring a lending hand and find out who was targeting them.
Hiding in the bushes not too far from the Kamiya Dojo, the mysterious boy stood. Staring after the fleeting figure of Himura Kenshin.
"Battosai," the boy whispered, "Some other time."
"Come," a tall man with white hair and round sunglasses spoke placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "We have a grand introduction to prepare for right?"
"Right…Shushu."
The next morning followed in the blink of an eye. The Maekawa dojo was destroyed down to the ground just like the Akabeko restaurant, its remnants badly injured. Kenshin had not yet returned back to the Dojo and was trekking round the district. He knew not he were to do now, he was very certain that whoever was bombing and attacking the city, more specifically those that shared a small relation to him, were targeting them to get his attention. These people spoke of Jinchuu, punishment brought on by man. These people wanted revenge from the blood he had shed in his past, they cared less for atonement.
Walking by a small stream and a bridge, the sun glared down on Kenshin, lifting his arm to shield his eyes, Kenshin looked slightly up from his feet, startled by the sight before him.
A man with white hair in western clothing, his face very familiar to Kenshin and a small child that hid behind him.
"You're Enishi!" Kenshin exclaimed, horror in his expression. The image of a woman with long black hair and an indifferent look suddenly appeared to him, nearly knocking him down to his feet, "Tomoe!"
"What's wrong Battosai," Enishi spoke with sick pleasure in his grin, "Did you see my sister's ghost?"
Stepping forward from behind Enishi, the mysterious boy looked down to the badly injured and nearly broken man before him. Himura Kenshin, the Hitokiri Battosai.
"This man is my father?" the boy whispered to himself, a darkened look in his right eye, the wind blowing moving the hair that covered his left, showing a faint scar that ran over his eye and down to the top of his cheek. The left eye had lost its color, it was blind.
"That's right," Enishi continued, "My sister, she is always with me…now, always and forever."
Shaking in his stance Kenshin continued to stare at Enishi then back at the child.
"But you Battosai," Enishi spoke, his voice deepening with malice, "There is no trace of my sister within you."
"Yukishiro Enishi," Kenshin spoke, shocked, "You're the one behind all this?"
"So you didn't know?" Enishi chuckled, adjusting his shades, "The last time I saw you was in the middle of the battle of Toshifushimi, eleven years ago already?"
"Where ha-" Kenshin had tried to speak, only to be interrupted by Enishi.
"Where have I been all this time?" Enishi spoke, "I was in Shanghai. I didn't want to live in the Japan you Isshin Shishi made. And you know what the conditions were like in Shanghai afterwards. All the wars and disasters, the corrupt government, no place for a child to be alone. I drank from mud puddles, ate from dead flesh. Always getting sick, and always nearing death."
"…That's enough, don't tell me anymore," Kenshin spoke, his voice tired, his body defeated.
"You'll listen to this," Enishi smiled, "This is the only thing I have to thank you for, eleven years of that…I lived in Shanghai for so long I almost forgot how to speak Japanese, and I crawled my way to the top. The top of Shanghai Mafia, controlling an Entire continent of illicit arms manufacturers."
"All that had happened last night, all the weaponry that was used against you, I arranged for that all. However, I'm so glad you survived."
"Enishi," Kenshin spoke, determination now rising within him, "I understand your hatred towards me and wanted to get revenge over your sister. But do not hurt the others that are not involved in this. Your revenge is against me alone! Only I should accept punishment."
"Those you hold dear," Enishi frowned, "The Japan you built with your blood stained sword and a Japan without my sister….is a sin itself."
"If you keep this up it won't be revenge!" Kenshin shouted, desperate for his words to reach Enishi, "It'll be slaughter, even if Tomoe would have wanted revenge, she wouldn't have wanted this!"
Anger boiling out of the pot, Enishi had drawn out his gun that he kept in his holster and with great fore and speed threw it towards Kenshin, hitting him hard on his forehead.
"How dare you speak of her!" Enishi shouted, "What do you know of what she wants."
Silence was even louder than what Kenshin had to react to the sudden gesture of speaking about Tomoe.
"Try saying her name one more time!" Enishi exclaimed, "Try it and ten Rengoku-class battle ships will turn Tokyo into a sea of flames!"
"I'm done here," Enishi sighed, regaining his composure and readjusting his glasses, "The true battle will be ten days from now."
"Ten days?" Kenshin said, his expression indifferent.
"That's right," Enishi smirked, "They place will be Kamiya Dojo. There you will see our perfect Jinchuu."
Cackling with hated laughter Enishi began to walk away from Kenshin, the young boy following quickly behind, disappointment evident in his eyes.
"I thought the Hitokiri Battosai would have appeared to be much fiercer," the child thought to himself.
"Enishi wait!" Kenshin called out, Enishi and the child turning to face Kenshin, "Is there anything else! Anything but fighting! Anything that I can do to atone for the crime of stealing you sister? What shall I do? Answer me Enishi!"
Sighing Enishi faced Kenshin, "…For someone who can't let go of an idea, you're very slow to catch on…"
"What should you do?" Enishi continued, "If you want an answer, then I'll tell you, I want you to suffer in hell."
Shocked by Enishi's answer Kenshin staggered backwards a step. Sadness overwhelming him.
Finally looking over to the child Kenshin stared confused for a small moment, dread falling over him.
"Enishi, who is this child?"
"Ah I'm glad you finally noticed," Enishi smiled placing his hand on the child's shoulder once more he gave Kenshin another sickening grin, "When I was living in Shanghai, and was going over some particular affairs, I came across this child. This child was about to be sold of to child trafficking, maybe to some foreign bidder. The funny thing was how this child resembled both you and my sister. This child has your ugly hair, but my sister's gentle face, the child mostly spoke Chinese, but understood Japanese quite well."
"Where are you getting at?" Kenshin spoke inching closer to where the child stood, "There's no way."
"Hmm, that your child is here in Japan? Or alive?" Enishi cackled, "You killed my sister and abandoned her child! You truly are disgusting."
"No!" Kenshin exclaimed, "Our child was a girl, we had a daughter!"
"My name is Kazue," the child intervened, "That is all that I know is mine and mine alone."
"K-Kazue," Kenshin stuttered, walking closer to her in a daze, the girl walking closer to him, and Kenshin suddenly latching his hands unto her shoulders, "It couldn't be, I-I thought you were dead."
"I was only a babe, when I lost my mother," Kazue spoke unfazed, "I do not know her, so when Shushu found me and told me I still had a father, I traveled with him so that one day I could see you for myself and judge you."
Breathing in sharply Kenshin moved his hands from her shoulders and looked at her face. She truly resembled Tomoe, if not for the faint scar on her left eye.
"What happened," Kenshin spoke, moving the hair that fell on the left side of her face behind her ear.
"I was simply cut," Kazue replied, swatting Kenshin's hand away and covering her eye with her hair, "Yes I am blinded in that eye.
Moving backwards away from her, Kenshin stared at the stranger before him. Even though he knew this was his daughter, he knew nothing of what she went through, what she had seen, and who she had grown to become so far.
"My judgment of you," Kazue continued, "Is that you are of pathetic caliber, you killed my mother and abandoned me. I do not care of your reasons or your circumstances now. I have no intent towards you, and could care less of what becomes of you."
"Shushu had been kind enough to tell me the true reason behind why mother had found you, my birth must have been a hindrance or a burden. Is that why you did not sought to keep me?"
"Kazue," Kenshin frowned, sadness in his eyes, "I believe an apology would not be enough for you."
Feeling tears in the back of her eyes, and anger scratching at her throat Kazue ignored these feelings and continued to look at this pitiful man.
"You owe me nothing," Kazue spoke turning away from Kenshin and walking towards Enishi, "We are strangers."
Leaving Kazue dared not too look back at the man who was supposedly her father. She feared if she were to do so, she would lose the grip she had of her emotions and collapse to the ground in tears. How could this man be her father? He was a true murderer, he had killed her mother, and he didn't come for her.
"You want to follow him?" Enishi spoke, not glancing down at Kazue, "You believe you will get the fatherly affection you've longed your whole life from that man?"
"Wù" Kazue answered, "I cannot possibly look at him with eyes of a loving daughter without seeing the eyes of a grieving man and be embraced by murderous hands. Besides I have you Shushu."
"You're still spouting that nonsense," Enishi frowned, "Didn't I tell you I only brought you with me because I need you to bring despair over Battosai, so his Jinchuu will be satisfying. After that I will have no need for you and leave you be, as far as I know your blood is filthy."
"Yes Shushu," Kazue said, her head down and she stared at the ground as the continued the walk away from Kenshin, to finalize the plot of his Jinchuu.
Ten days she thought Ten days, and I will be alone again.
Dear Mother Embrace me, and make me whole
Dear Father smile at me, and tell me a story
I know not of the world
I know not of it's pain
Keep me safe in your love
Never leave me astray.
OK! So I a really confused here! Doesn't Oji-san mean Uncle in Japanese and Ojī-chan means Grandpa in Japanese? The only deference in the two is the emphasis of the "I" in the word...or at least that's what I thought? I dunno. I've checked every where I know. Dictionaries, word check...even Dang Google Translate gives me nothing, I don't know any Japanese ppl so just tell me what you Know? That would be a great way to leave me a review! XD
I apologize if the Chinese in horrible, I know it's bad I can tell! English isn't even my first language! Lol! I'm apologizing so it won't be like I didn't know so ls don't flame when I already know!
I'm still working on the next chappie so hang tight!
Hey there people! Recently I've been re-reading the Rurouni Kenshin series cuz I never really finished it! I've been wanting to post this series way before I even got a Fanfiction account so please review If you feel this story should continue! I apologize for any errors you may find in this chapter...story! :D
So I started this story from chapter...(looking up chapter) 153! and ended this chapter from 163! Woo I managed to squeeze in ten chapters in over 4,000 words woo!
Kazue is Kenshin and Tomoe's daughter, there might be slight changes to how the story may be written to have this Fic make sense so I apologize in advance! It's just a Fanfic so none of this is real or even matters, it's just to entertain our magination!
Thanks for reading so far! Pls R&R it would be very much appreciated thank you!
