Wow...I can't believe I'm on my second fic, I never thought I'd finish the first one. But before I get going, I would like to apologize to any of my avatar readers who wanted another fic. I just can't work while the series is going on, it messes with how I plan my story. That said, you may still get a oneshot or some drabbles out of me, and if you like Rurouni Kenshin I hope you'll check this out. Anyway, to those of you who don't know me, my first fic was avatar the last airbender, but I got some Ruroken inspiration and went with it. I should warn you though, this takes place after the manga's ending, not the anime's, so there will be some differences for those of you who have only watched the anime. And with that, I'll shut up, or you might not get around to reading the story...
The boy's gaze wandered over the earth and stone as he slowly moved through the rubble. It was everywhere, piles upon piles of it, a testament to what had taken place there. He stopped and looked down, bending over to pick up a piece of stone. He looked at it thoughtfully, before slipping it into his pocket. As his eyes wandered back down to the earth, the glint of burnished metal caught his eye. He stooped and moved aside some of the rubble, coming to a halt as he saw what the wreckage had been hiding. He sighed deeply before grasping the cold metal and pulling it from the earth's grip, shifting rocks and debris and he did so. He blew on it gently, a small plume of dust roiling up into the air as he began to brush it off. After he was finished he held it at arms length, staring at it. Here it was, the one thing he had hoped to find, and yet at the same time the one thing he never believed he would actually see. It was his…but not his alone. Yes, there was someone else who could lay claim to this, and finding that person was his next order of business. He slung his bag down from his shoulder and slid it in, taking care to wrap it before doing so. The boy stood, shifting the katana that was thrust uncomfortably through his sash, and turned to leave.
He stopped as his gaze fell on the feet of another person, another person who was not supposed to be there. His hand slowly rose to the hilt of his sword as his eyes rose to meet the person's face. As he made eye contact, he felt relief swell up inside him; whoever he was, he was smiling.
"I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I came here, but you were definitely last on my list," the young man said, his face falling even deeper into familiar laugh lines.
The boy looked at him, shifted the bag on his back, and replied, "You were expecting me at all?"
"As I said, definitely not. I was coming to look for that," he said, nodding his head towards the bag on the boy's back, "but you seem to have gotten it first, and I haven't the right to take it from you."
"No, I suppose you don't," he said, taking a step forward to leave; the man didn't seem to be quite all there, and it was starting to make him uncomfortable.
As the boy left, the man turned to watch him go, his gaze remaining on the spot where he had been long after he disappeared into the horizon. He turned back slowly and looked up at the sky; this was turning out to be more interesting that he had originally thought.
He shouldered his own bag before stepping off in the direction of his next destination; a destination that even he wasn't quite sure of.
Yes, it was short, but it is the prologue. Hope you liked it, R&R!
Twilight Rurouni