Hey Guys

I'm an absolute newbie here. I only got my account a week and a half ago. I've been writing for far longer, though.

I thought of this story a long time ago. I have 94 pages so far, so i'll be posting often, even if I get to a point where I haven't had anything pre-written yet. PROMISE! I will NOT put this story on hold or discontinue it. I've had authors drop in the middle of theirs, and I know how painful it is .

Anyways, I'll let you read on.

PS: Even though I've got stuff pre-written, I'm VERY much open to other writers' suggestions and criticism, and i'll adjust it where it's needed if you guys want.

Prologue

Fate's Different Plan

By Mizuume

He stood in the snowy battlefield, his sword raised, his head fuzzy, with one name, burned into the depths of his mind; the one thing he wanted, and the one thing he was fighting for now.

Tomoe.

He raised the sword high into the air. Blood trickled all over, and for the second time since he'd turned into a Hitokiri, it was his own blood, not the blood of an oblivious, confused victim that had met his end from the point of Kenshin's sword.

A woman's somber, serene, familiar face entered his mind's eye. Her black eyes were bottomless, lifeless, pained… and he knew that when this fight was over, he would bring the life back into them. Whether the life in those eyes had ever been there or not, he would bring it. That was the one thing that clicked in his mind. Their future would be full of them, together, helping each other and healing one another's past wounds, with no outside forces ruining the things they'd worked so hard to build.

That train of thought, that attitude, that hope, was what drove him to deal his opponent a fifty-fifty blow. He could win or he could lose. And if the blow missed, it would be his body lying in blood stained snow. He intended to win.

White plum entered his senses. It came faintly at first, but then it got stronger and stronger until he knew she was in front of him. He was filled with dread. He couldn't stop. But, as if the gods had wanted this, Kenshin's foot hit something unknown and he tumbled sideways, his sword flying out of his outstretched arm. It brushed past Tomoe, leaving a minor cut, and went beyond her, only to embed itself in his opponent's chest. The burly man fell back, his eyes still wide and his mouth still open, and he met his end on the ground, staining the already blood-stained snow with even more blood.

Kenshin looked up. His wife was standing before him, unmoving and in shocked silence, her thin lips twisted into a line of pain. While all he wanted was to spring to his feet and take the woman in his arms, he found the strength wasn't in him. He rose shakily to his feet, and when he was standing upright his body trembled precariously. Tomoe was only a couple of feet away. Only a few steps and he'd be holding her in his arms. If only he could move. He smiled at her, a smile full of pride and relief. But she was still staring out blankly at him, and she didn't smile back. Instead, she lifted a hand to the shallow gash in her arm and slowly ran her fingers over the red-stained cloth. Then, disgusted by the presence of so much blood, she fainted the same way she had when the two people had first met.

When the Bakumatsu ended two years later, the couple finally had a life together. They dropped the act of husband and wife and became spouses for real. They farmed and lived comfortably in the modest little farmhouse Katsura had first granted them, those many months ago. Tomoe and Kenshin tried with effort to have children, but the fact remained that she was infertile, so it was only the two of them to fill the silence of the house. Naturally, the house was often silent, because Kenshin and Tomoe were not talkers when it came to one another. They expressed themselves more with their eyes even than with their gestures. Because Kenshin's eyes had been so hard and emotionless during his life as a Hitokiri, expressing anything meant the occasional crinkling in the outside corners of his eyes, or a slow blink and a nod. Tomoe wasn't very different. Her smiles weren't smirks, and they weren't ear to ear, either. It was almost like turning up the edges of her mouth was all she could do. The rest of her features remained impassive, so only those who knew her well would know the smile were sincere. Kenshin knew her well.

The years he spent with her had encouraged more words, however. She didn't change much, but Kenshin's whole personality changed. He was a little more polite, a little more compassionate, and his smiles came more often. It was like there was room to be happy now that his life wasn't completely surrounded by death. He offered a few people a friendly smile and was happy to help where he could in his free time. Katsura made the occasional request, but in the time of the Meiji era, few people had to be assassinated anymore.

So he and Tomoe farmed, offered a helping hand here and there, and lived off the money his former job had earned them. He was content, and knowing no better, he didn't want it any other way.

But nearly ten years after Tomoe's life was saved, fate turned the tables and took into effect the making of what is supposed to be.

Kenshin looked up from his bowl of rice and stared out to the porch. He spied her kneeling on the wood, her back to him but turned slightly so he could see her hands folded into her lap and the edge of her oval, undefined cheeks. He stood and walked towards the broad doorway. He leaned against the frame and stared out into the night, leaving the companionable silence between them undisturbed.

The silence was no longer awkward. After ten years of it, he didn't expect much conversation. Tomoe didn't like to talk, and though his liking for conversation had grown considerably, he knew she would remain unresponsive or only nod in acknowledgement if he blabbered to her about his day. When he felt the sudden urge to talk; to let off some steam and talk until the listener's ears turned inside out, he would go to a neighbor. Besides, things between them had been rocky, and they'd grown apart. She hadn't let him touch her in more than three months. She turned to him suddenly and the corners of her mouth turned slightly upwards, and he returned her form of smiling with an awkward half grin, half grimace.

"Are you all right?" He asked her after a moment, noticing the listlessness in her red-rimmed eyes.

"Hai." She turned back to the night. "It's only the wind."

Kenshin frowned and noted that there was no wind and it was a warm summer's night, but he knew not to question her. It would get him nowhere.

"Katsura sent word up here while you were at the market this morning." She said.

"Oh?"

"He wants you to go to Tokyo."

"Who will I kill this time?"

"Gohei Hiruma."

"I see. I'm not surprised the job came around. I was expecting it."

"Why?"

"He's causing trouble. Killing police, murdering, kidnapping, raping… He's a thorn in the Ishin Shishi's side. Convinced everyone he's Battousai. Apparently, Lord Okubo doesn't want to partner up with Katsura anymore, because one of us is causing unrest in the city."

"I see." That was all he got in response.

"How long will I be away?"

"Katsura said about two weeks."

"That's a long time."

"He said something about damage control after you kill him."

"When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow."

"Hn. I thought Katsura was more considerate than to send word the day before…"

Tomoe stood and walked to the bedroom. "Pack up," she said. She gestured with a flick of her head that she would be in the bathhouse.

"Hai."

Kenshin sighed to himself as soon as he heard the door slam closed, signaling his wife's exit. They'd been on this rocky stage in their marriage for a really long time. He felt like it was getting nowhere, and like this sudden stage was beyond all possible repairs. He remembered how it used to be, when he lay beside her on the futon in earlier months and smiled at her sleeping form. She was definitely something to admire- she had that traditional look, those porcelain cheeks, those small, pursed lips, that straight body, her long nose… she was very attractive. When he first saw her that night, covered in blood, he couldn't care less about anything but what a witness she was. But after he had time to appreciate her in those first months of fake marriage, she turned out to be rather attractive.

Now, she was his source of longing, his source of desire and his source of heartache. He wanted things to be the way they were before. He didn't like this no-longer-new arrangement. He missed things the way they were before, when everything was normal. Their normal, quiet, gentle life.

He missed being able to touch her soft skin with the calloused pads of his fingers and watch her sigh as a reaction to his caress. She hadn't let him touch her in over five months. They hadn't made love in a year. Something was wrong in her life. He could feel it. Something was bugging her, and it made her turn away even from her own husband, who had lived with her for a year.

"Maybe things will get back to normal soon." He told himself. Then he scoffed at his stupidity and threw away the thought. He'd tried to make it better a million times, but she wouldn't follow through. It was like she was afraid of getting closer to him.

He walked to his room and lay down on the futon. They weren't even in the same room anymore, let alone the same bed. But maybe he'd have that dream again. He'd recently had a recurring dream that was extremely unclear, but he remembered the scent of jasmine, and a pair of sapphire eyes, and the feeling of a soft cheek against his. He always felt comforted in that dream, like everything would be all right, and everything was all right, and he would never have to worry about the cost of living again.

When he closed his eyes and fell asleep, the first thing he heard was a voice, like the tinkling melody of an angel's harp, whispering two words he'd never thought of in his life.

Soul mate…

Well? What do you think so far? I hope it's good enough for this site... Review, please if it seems worth it, i'll post the next chapter in two days.

This isn't a cry for reviews, by the way, I just need to know that i've attracted enough interest. If not, i'll do a bit of editing.

After chapter one, they get a LOT longer, so don't lose hope :)

Thanks for reading,

Mizuume