Chapter Two: I'm WHERE?!
I'm sorry!!! I forgot one word, Rurouni= A wanderer.
Okay, I think that's it. Now, onto my fic! ^-^
Ashley blinked repeatedly, not believing her eyes. The instant she had seen that Areethra's sword was a sakabatou, the world changed to night, and stars came out of nowhere! Looking down at her feet, Ashley realized with a start that she was floating! But her shock of levitating passed quickly, when Ashley saw that pictures were whizzing past her! History spun by in pieces as Ashley tried to focus on them. She saw dinosaurs, cavemen, men and women of different nationalities growing up. Time and space shifted to show Asian people in kimonos, gis*, and hakamas*. One last scene swam before Ashley's eyes. Bodies littered the ground, flames ate at the buildings in the background, and a lone swordsman stood in the middle of the chaos. Then a hole opened up beneath her feet, and Ashley fell through.
She landed on the ground with a loud thud. Sitting up, Ashley glanced around to see if anyone noticed her arrival. It didn't seem like anyone did. Shifting her position a bit, Ashley felt rougher-than-normal cloth rub against her skin. Looking down at herself, she realized that she was dressed in a gi and hakama! 'What the heck?! Why am I dressed like this?! Where are my other clothes?!' A sudden thought occurred to Ashley and she took a closer look at her surroundings. Sure enough, the women and young children were in kimonos, while the men were dressed like Ashley. Ashley bit her tongue hard to keep from screaming. 'These people are all look anime style! What's going on?!' A whistle and loud yells of Japanese broke her stream of thoughts. Ashley looked up to see two men in uniforms running towards her. She didn't understand a word they were saying, but one look at the uniforms told her they were policemen. That's when Ashley realized that Areethra's sword was still in her hands. 'They're after me!' she realized when Ashley recalled a law from Rurouni Kenshin that stated no civilian could carry a sword. Ashley panicked and ran, shoving people aside or dodging them when they got in her way. She glanced over her shoulder to see how far away the policemen were. BAM! Not being able to see, or avoid, those in front of her, Ashley had run straight into someone. The man she ran into yelled at her in Japanese. Ashley muttered the only Japanese word she knew, "Gomen*," glanced behind her, and started to run again. The man noticed the police chasing her and caught the girl's ponytail as she ran past him. "Hey! Lemme go!" She struggled to free herself, but her efforts were in vain. Out of the corner of her eye, Ashley saw a shorter man step forward and address the two cops. The taller man turned her around. The policemen wore angry looks and started yelling at her again. Exasperated, Ashley yelled, "DAMMIT, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A WORD YOU'RE SAYING!! I DON'T SPEAK JAPANESE!!!" She spoke the last words slowly and heavily. The two cops looked very confused, but the man holding Ashley captive spoke. "So you don't know Japanese..." "I just told you tha--- Hey wait! You speak English?!" Ashley said in amazement. 'His voice...it sounds...familiar...' She looked up at her captor's face and nearly yelled with shock. The man was rather tall and muscular, but a little on the skinny side. He had brown hair that stood up and spiked, tied around at the base with a red bandana. His eyes were a bit small, and he had a fishbone in his mouth. His clothing had a western look to it. A white jacket with the Japanese symbol for evil stamped on the back opened in the front to show his chest, along with bandages wrapped around his ribs. His pants were also white, but they resembled capris more than pants. More bandages covered his legs and feet, and his shoes resembled slightly pointed black loafers. 'Sanosuke?! From Rurouni Kenshin?! Am I going delusional?! Ashley regained her voice. "H-How do you know English?" Sanosuke looked a bit sheepish and muttered, "Just picked it up." In a louder voice he asked, "Don't you know it's illegal to carry swords without special permission from the government?" Ashley decided to play dumb. "How could I? I only got here recently." "Then where did you get the sword?" "It was a gift from a friend," which wasn't entirely a lie, seeing as how Areethra had handed it to her. Sanosuke turned to the impatient police and, Ashley assumed, translated what she had just said. But the men still didn't look satisfied. Sano (short for Sanosuke) nudged a man next to him and muttered to him in Japanese. His friend turned to Ashley, who recognized him as Kenshin Himura, the famous hitokiri* who had fought in the Bakumatsu, and helped the Meiji Government* defeat the Tokugawa dynasty. He was rather short, only two inches taller than Ashley herself. He had darkish-red hair tied into a loose ponytail, kind violet eyes, and a big cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. He was wearing a magenta-colored gi, a white hakama, purple socks, and wooden sandals. A sakabatou hung by his side. "Where are your parents miss?" he asked smiling. "They have long since left this world, as have everyone I knew back home," true, her parents, friends, and relatives did not exist in the anime world. "Where are you from?" Kenshin asked again. "The United States of America." "You arrived recently?" Ashley nodded silently. Kenshin turned to the police and spoke. This time the two cops left, looking disgruntled, but satisfied. Both left without a backwards glance. "What did you tell them...sir?" Ashley added the 'sir' as an afterthought. "That you were a foreigner with no knowledge of Japanese laws, language, or culture. By the way, what is your name?" Ashley opened her mouth to reply, but found she couldn't say her name. She changed what she was going to say and said, "I don't have a name," at least not in this world. "Well, I guess we're gonna hafta pick one for you then," Sano said. "Fine, but pick one that suits me when you get to know me better," Ashley replied quickly. She didn't want a girly one that didn't match her personality. Sano shrugged, and Kenshin just smiled. 'I'll take that as a yes.' Do you know where I can exchange my American money for Japanese coins?" Ashley asked, pulling out forty dollars that had survived the time travel. (They had previously been in her back jean pocket.) "Yeah, follow me," Sano called as he started walking. "By the way, what are your names?" Ashley asked. "Sagara Sanosuke," Sanosuke replied. "Himura Kenshin," answered Kenshin. (A/N: In Japan, last names are said first when introducing yourself, and first names are said last.) "I'm sorry to trouble you, but the boat ride here sort of disoriented me. Where am I, and what is the date?"
"This is Tokyo, Japan, and the date is August 10th, 1868," Kenshin
answered. 'Japan?! I'm in Japan?! In the 1860s?! But why?' While these
panicky thoughts buzzed in Ashley's head, she steeled herself to act
calm on the outside.
"Oh. Thanks," was all she said. When Ashley had exchanged her money,
which, now in coins, was placed in a small bag, Ashley pulled the
string around it tighter and wore the sack as a necklace, concealed
under her gi. Kenshin and Sano seemed to be discussing something, but
stopped when Ashley approached. Kenshin turned to her and spoke. "Since you have nowhere to stay, would you like to stay at our friend's dojo*? She already has three boarders, Sano, Yahiko, and myself, so she shouldn't mind a fourth. If you help out with the chores, of course." "No, I don't mind. But who is this 'she' you keep referring to?" Ashley asked, a bit annoyed at having to play dumb. "The owner of the Kamiya dojo, Kamiya Kaoru." "And who is Yahiko?" 'Be patient. Just play dumb. Can't let 'em know I know about Rurouni Kenshin.' "Kaoru-dono's* apprentice." "Apprentice? In what?" "You'll see when we get there." "Let's go then!" The trio set off towards the Kamiya dojo (they stopped once so Kenshin could buy some tofu) until the reached a white stonewall with a wooden gate. "Welcome to the Kamiya dojo," Kenshin announced.
Okay, words. Gi= looks kind of like a robe, but a lot shorter, so it acts like a shirt. Sometimes there are two layers, and they have wide sleeves. Hakama= Kind of like a skort. When you stand still, it looks like a skirt with a wrinkled part down the middle. When you move in it, it's like pants, but the pant legs are really wide. It has slits along the sides, I think to hold in the gi, but I'm not sure, the go about to mid-thigh, but the gi covers your skin. The gi is tucked into the hakama, and a strip of cloth the same color as the hakama acts like a belt. Gomen= Japanese word for 'Sorry.' The second to last in being the least formal way of saying it. Hitokiri= Japanese word for assassin Meiji Government= The government that was established right after the Bakumatsu. Dojo= A school for studying swordsmanship Dono= Literally means 'lady.' It is added to the end of the first name as a term of respect, like miss. (which is how they say it in Rurouni Kenshin.) This is the absolute most formal way of addressing a woman.
I'm sorry!!! I forgot one word, Rurouni= A wanderer.
Okay, I think that's it. Now, onto my fic! ^-^
Ashley blinked repeatedly, not believing her eyes. The instant she had seen that Areethra's sword was a sakabatou, the world changed to night, and stars came out of nowhere! Looking down at her feet, Ashley realized with a start that she was floating! But her shock of levitating passed quickly, when Ashley saw that pictures were whizzing past her! History spun by in pieces as Ashley tried to focus on them. She saw dinosaurs, cavemen, men and women of different nationalities growing up. Time and space shifted to show Asian people in kimonos, gis*, and hakamas*. One last scene swam before Ashley's eyes. Bodies littered the ground, flames ate at the buildings in the background, and a lone swordsman stood in the middle of the chaos. Then a hole opened up beneath her feet, and Ashley fell through.
She landed on the ground with a loud thud. Sitting up, Ashley glanced around to see if anyone noticed her arrival. It didn't seem like anyone did. Shifting her position a bit, Ashley felt rougher-than-normal cloth rub against her skin. Looking down at herself, she realized that she was dressed in a gi and hakama! 'What the heck?! Why am I dressed like this?! Where are my other clothes?!' A sudden thought occurred to Ashley and she took a closer look at her surroundings. Sure enough, the women and young children were in kimonos, while the men were dressed like Ashley. Ashley bit her tongue hard to keep from screaming. 'These people are all look anime style! What's going on?!' A whistle and loud yells of Japanese broke her stream of thoughts. Ashley looked up to see two men in uniforms running towards her. She didn't understand a word they were saying, but one look at the uniforms told her they were policemen. That's when Ashley realized that Areethra's sword was still in her hands. 'They're after me!' she realized when Ashley recalled a law from Rurouni Kenshin that stated no civilian could carry a sword. Ashley panicked and ran, shoving people aside or dodging them when they got in her way. She glanced over her shoulder to see how far away the policemen were. BAM! Not being able to see, or avoid, those in front of her, Ashley had run straight into someone. The man she ran into yelled at her in Japanese. Ashley muttered the only Japanese word she knew, "Gomen*," glanced behind her, and started to run again. The man noticed the police chasing her and caught the girl's ponytail as she ran past him. "Hey! Lemme go!" She struggled to free herself, but her efforts were in vain. Out of the corner of her eye, Ashley saw a shorter man step forward and address the two cops. The taller man turned her around. The policemen wore angry looks and started yelling at her again. Exasperated, Ashley yelled, "DAMMIT, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A WORD YOU'RE SAYING!! I DON'T SPEAK JAPANESE!!!" She spoke the last words slowly and heavily. The two cops looked very confused, but the man holding Ashley captive spoke. "So you don't know Japanese..." "I just told you tha--- Hey wait! You speak English?!" Ashley said in amazement. 'His voice...it sounds...familiar...' She looked up at her captor's face and nearly yelled with shock. The man was rather tall and muscular, but a little on the skinny side. He had brown hair that stood up and spiked, tied around at the base with a red bandana. His eyes were a bit small, and he had a fishbone in his mouth. His clothing had a western look to it. A white jacket with the Japanese symbol for evil stamped on the back opened in the front to show his chest, along with bandages wrapped around his ribs. His pants were also white, but they resembled capris more than pants. More bandages covered his legs and feet, and his shoes resembled slightly pointed black loafers. 'Sanosuke?! From Rurouni Kenshin?! Am I going delusional?! Ashley regained her voice. "H-How do you know English?" Sanosuke looked a bit sheepish and muttered, "Just picked it up." In a louder voice he asked, "Don't you know it's illegal to carry swords without special permission from the government?" Ashley decided to play dumb. "How could I? I only got here recently." "Then where did you get the sword?" "It was a gift from a friend," which wasn't entirely a lie, seeing as how Areethra had handed it to her. Sanosuke turned to the impatient police and, Ashley assumed, translated what she had just said. But the men still didn't look satisfied. Sano (short for Sanosuke) nudged a man next to him and muttered to him in Japanese. His friend turned to Ashley, who recognized him as Kenshin Himura, the famous hitokiri* who had fought in the Bakumatsu, and helped the Meiji Government* defeat the Tokugawa dynasty. He was rather short, only two inches taller than Ashley herself. He had darkish-red hair tied into a loose ponytail, kind violet eyes, and a big cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. He was wearing a magenta-colored gi, a white hakama, purple socks, and wooden sandals. A sakabatou hung by his side. "Where are your parents miss?" he asked smiling. "They have long since left this world, as have everyone I knew back home," true, her parents, friends, and relatives did not exist in the anime world. "Where are you from?" Kenshin asked again. "The United States of America." "You arrived recently?" Ashley nodded silently. Kenshin turned to the police and spoke. This time the two cops left, looking disgruntled, but satisfied. Both left without a backwards glance. "What did you tell them...sir?" Ashley added the 'sir' as an afterthought. "That you were a foreigner with no knowledge of Japanese laws, language, or culture. By the way, what is your name?" Ashley opened her mouth to reply, but found she couldn't say her name. She changed what she was going to say and said, "I don't have a name," at least not in this world. "Well, I guess we're gonna hafta pick one for you then," Sano said. "Fine, but pick one that suits me when you get to know me better," Ashley replied quickly. She didn't want a girly one that didn't match her personality. Sano shrugged, and Kenshin just smiled. 'I'll take that as a yes.' Do you know where I can exchange my American money for Japanese coins?" Ashley asked, pulling out forty dollars that had survived the time travel. (They had previously been in her back jean pocket.) "Yeah, follow me," Sano called as he started walking. "By the way, what are your names?" Ashley asked. "Sagara Sanosuke," Sanosuke replied. "Himura Kenshin," answered Kenshin. (A/N: In Japan, last names are said first when introducing yourself, and first names are said last.) "I'm sorry to trouble you, but the boat ride here sort of disoriented me. Where am I, and what is the date?"
"This is Tokyo, Japan, and the date is August 10th, 1868," Kenshin
answered. 'Japan?! I'm in Japan?! In the 1860s?! But why?' While these
panicky thoughts buzzed in Ashley's head, she steeled herself to act
calm on the outside.
"Oh. Thanks," was all she said. When Ashley had exchanged her money,
which, now in coins, was placed in a small bag, Ashley pulled the
string around it tighter and wore the sack as a necklace, concealed
under her gi. Kenshin and Sano seemed to be discussing something, but
stopped when Ashley approached. Kenshin turned to her and spoke. "Since you have nowhere to stay, would you like to stay at our friend's dojo*? She already has three boarders, Sano, Yahiko, and myself, so she shouldn't mind a fourth. If you help out with the chores, of course." "No, I don't mind. But who is this 'she' you keep referring to?" Ashley asked, a bit annoyed at having to play dumb. "The owner of the Kamiya dojo, Kamiya Kaoru." "And who is Yahiko?" 'Be patient. Just play dumb. Can't let 'em know I know about Rurouni Kenshin.' "Kaoru-dono's* apprentice." "Apprentice? In what?" "You'll see when we get there." "Let's go then!" The trio set off towards the Kamiya dojo (they stopped once so Kenshin could buy some tofu) until the reached a white stonewall with a wooden gate. "Welcome to the Kamiya dojo," Kenshin announced.
Okay, words. Gi= looks kind of like a robe, but a lot shorter, so it acts like a shirt. Sometimes there are two layers, and they have wide sleeves. Hakama= Kind of like a skort. When you stand still, it looks like a skirt with a wrinkled part down the middle. When you move in it, it's like pants, but the pant legs are really wide. It has slits along the sides, I think to hold in the gi, but I'm not sure, the go about to mid-thigh, but the gi covers your skin. The gi is tucked into the hakama, and a strip of cloth the same color as the hakama acts like a belt. Gomen= Japanese word for 'Sorry.' The second to last in being the least formal way of saying it. Hitokiri= Japanese word for assassin Meiji Government= The government that was established right after the Bakumatsu. Dojo= A school for studying swordsmanship Dono= Literally means 'lady.' It is added to the end of the first name as a term of respect, like miss. (which is how they say it in Rurouni Kenshin.) This is the absolute most formal way of addressing a woman.
