Disclaimers:  I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or Trigun, nor do I own Myojin Yahiko, Himura Kenshin, Kamiya Kaoru, Gunsmoke (although Artesia, which is a town I've placed on Gunsmoke, is my creation), Vash the Stampede, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Millie Thompson, or Meryl Strife.  All I own is the authorglue used to bind these series together in my first crossover fic.  This fic is nonprofit, shared solely for the purpose of enjoyment.  I get nothing out of posting this except happiness to share with my reviewers and other fans.

The Water Savior

The column of water bears down on Yahiko inside the well with crushing force, yet he feels oddly light, and he has no trouble breathing.  He's torn, horrified of the thought that he does not know what will happen to him, whether he'll drown and die or meet Kenshin by some odd chance.  At the same time, he's disgusted with himself.  He knew the well had taken Kenshin, he heard the odd sounds coming from the well, and yet what did he do?  He stood there, leaning precariously over the edge.  I practically begged it to suck me in!  Stupid…I'm so stupid!  Spinning wildly, he's too shocked by the unbelievable event to move, his mind too numb to grope for the sidewalls or top of the well.  He can't fight it at all, nor can he scream; in light of the present circumstances, he can't even think straight.  In a silence that never should have been, Yahiko spins down through the slippery stone column to what ought to be the bottom of the well and a crushing death.

Above him he can see Kaoru fling herself inwards, searching for him.  "No, Busu!  Stay away!  You're gonna get pulled in!"  Yahiko admonishes her selflessly; he'd reach up and push her out if he could.  But something's different; something's weird beneath the tumultuous, fractious surface of the water.  Kaoru seems to be pulling further away from him, her face ashen, locked in an expression of anguish.  Her warped voice comes to him beneath the water as she disappears from sight.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Her voice trails off, then is silenced as the well shuts him out from his life in Tokyo with a resounding crash, like a steel door slammed shut.  Silence quickly fills with the impartial influx of tidal waters, surging and ebbing.  Snippets of voices whisper tauntingly beneath the waves.  Yahiko strains to hear the voices over the sardonic water, watching silently as the rippling cyclone around him smoothes and becomes calm, though it doesn't lose its speed until its surface is akin to a mirror, a cylindrical silver screen.

Kaoru's screams echo throughout the Kamiya complex….

Yahiko, startled to hear Kaoru scream again, looks up above him, expecting to be able to see out of the top of the well.  It's to no avail.  The well itself is gone.  There is nothing above him now but water and infinite darkness.  Yet he's not ready to give up, afraid that Kaoru, too, may be facing the very same circumstances.  More for her sake than his own, he reaches out, searching for clues as to where in the well he is, where she might be.  Straining for a way to get to her, he has to keep her safe in Kenshin's absence.

"Kaoru!  Kaoru, where are you?"

Yahiko doesn't have to wait long for an answer, but never in his wildest dreams would he have expected the answers the well intends to offer in vivid portrayal.  Beginning its initial transformation sequence, the silver screen enveloping him fades into the familiarity of the Kamiya dojo.

Stumbling in utter horror towards the well, Kaoru peers inside in shock.  "I've lost him."

"No, Busu!  I'm right here!  Kaoru!"  He reaches upwards, jerking his body violently in an effort to reach out to her, calm her fears.  "Kaoru, grab my hand!  Help me!"  Let me protect you.  But just as he's not ready to give up on his life in Tokyo, the well's not about to release him from its clandestine motives.  His journey is just now beginning.  The true horrors and ingenuous revelations intrinsic to the well's otherwise good intentions are about to unfold.

Yahiko comes trudging to the well, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Hey, Busu, 'the hell you screaming about in the middle of the night?"  He stands to her side, following her gaze inside the well, noting her silence with no small measure of discomfort.

Yahiko yelps in a distressed mixture of surprise and fear.  The silver screen of water now extends above him and his eyes widen in abject horror, staring at the seeming mirror above him, literally looking up at himself, or, rather, a vision of himself in the recent past, revisiting the events of last night in muted splendor.  But how?  Frantically, he searches around him, his senses fervently reaching out for something rational, logical, or sensible.  "What's going on?  Is anyone there?  Kaoru?  Kenshin?  Hello?"  With each utterance, Yahiko becomes more frantic.  Any minute now, Kenshin's gonna reach down and I'll grab his hand.  Kenshin will pull me to safety!  This is the first time since his days with the Yakuza that he's truly felt alone.  Someone has to rescue him, right?  Kenshin…Kaoru…help!  His mind and heart race frantically.  "I don't want to be alone!"

The well trembles again, passing through a checkpoint into new fear.  The water screen scrambles, fizzles, and suddenly rushes against him, drowning him in the well's ambitions and his own fears.  The flashback, too, disarranges to the lesser point that the voices attack in an unbearable barrage of taunting mockery, rising in volume and pitch to a feverish scream.

"What are you looking at anyways?"

"He's gone."

"You can't expect me to believe that."

"Everything's…gone.  I lost him."

"Go look for him!"

Kaoru's words, screamed in a nauseating, nightmarish mantra, echo and begin to nip at his hearing from all around him, closing in on him as if to suffocate him.  His senses overburdened, Yahiko blacks out, finally succumbing to the well's whimsy.  When he next opens his eyes, the water is completely gone, fully imbibed by the black void curling tight against him like a sensual lover, equally gentle.  He tries to move but finds himself paralyzed, his will negated for the higher purpose of an ultimate consciousness, one he previously assumed he knew well but is about to truly experience in novel honesty, opening a new dimension of understanding central to the well's aims.  Snippets of sound surround him, slowly weaving their fibers together into true experience; as the sounds turn to words, Yahiko recognizes the comforting voice of a very confused rurouni.  The well develops the sound until it's crystal clear, echoing not only with Kenshin's utterances, but also with his very actions and thoughts, as if the well itself has actually come alive to disclose this very private information for an ulterior motive.  In this phenomenon, Yahiko can literally see Kenshin.  He makes a desperate grab for the man, but the action only sends ripples through an otherwise smooth surface.  When it again settles, Yahiko understands.  What he's seeing and hearing before him is the past.  As he travels through the well, he exists as Kenshin living the very same experience.

The well is indeed deep and quite dark inside.  From somewhere above Kenshin, the voices of his worried family come swarming down around him, bodiless, groundless marks of the unearthly peril surrounding him.  He reaches upwards, trying to grab hold of the rope, the bucket, the sidewall, anything, but only the gut-wrenching sound of Kaoru's tears greet his palms.

Yahiko stares, disbelieving, as his hands, bloodied and torn by rope, grope frantically for anything to stop his descent.  No – not his hands…Kenshin's hands!  As Kenshin's body moves him, his mind grapples with the intense strength barely held in check, the raw emotion Yahiko had suspected must lie dormant now pouring through the very fibers of his being with thriving muscular strength, strong, quickened heartbeat, and the dizzying, passionate connection to the naïve young girl that accepted him into her life without once caring about his past.  His body screams as he strains to fight the inevitable, not ready to give the cherished girl up.  Wow.  Everyone knows Kenshin loves Kaoru (except her), but this is…this is more than that!  Jeez, Kenshin, why don't'cha just marry Busu already?!  It's the only valid path for such a deep connection between soulmates, after all.

Yahiko lives the rurouni's agony, his spirit shrinking away from the unfathomable grief settling with crushing heaviness into weary, guilt-bearing bones.  To heighten the loss, he knows he can't protect her from her sorrows, not this time.  He bows his head wearily, his eyes searing, burning with unshed tears.  Long, unruly red bangs hide his twisted expression from himself and his young friend, but the final gripping vision subtly marks fait accompli for the well.

Upon completion of this necessary revelation, the black nothingness of the well beneath Yahiko bottoms out.  The twin desert suns of Gunsmoke assault him; he squints, shielding his eyes, seeing nothing but weird white dirt.  Unlike Kenshin's transport, Yahiko travels faster, hitting the ground in a near sonic boom.  Trying to catch his breath, knocked out upon impact, he can hear the sands separating beneath him.  "Oh shit," he groans; the dry, cracked land beneath him crumbles beneath the force of his weight and he continues to fall, this time directly through the earth.  Upon second impact, his landing is softer, lighter, and a hell of a lot colder!  The ground – and Yahiko – splash into an undiscovered underground spring, causing a geyser to erupt into the air, leaping high above the surface of Gunsmoke.  Yahiko travels with the geyser, grabbing for the bleached ground on the way up.

The sound of the cool, crisp water is far from soothing for Yahiko as he grapples with the crumbling sand for footholds, muttering curses all the while.  The sight is one to behold, for though a drenched, cursing Yahiko may be humorous, flowing water on Gunsmoke is a rarity of worship-worthy status.  Hearing the sudden rush of water, the citizens of Artesia warily begin to emerge from their air-conditioned shelters.  Since a natural spring in Artesia has been hitherto unheard of, they venture tentatively down dusty streets, expecting to find chaos and mass destruction.  The sight accosting them, however, is far beyond their wildest dreams.  Within minutes, an impromptu celebration is at hand under the cool showers of the spring with Yahiko at the epicenter, joyful noise dispersing in shockwaves of a rather different sort through the town, spreading the miraculous news with gusto.

Kenshin, Vash, Wolfwood, Millie, and Meryl pause mid-conjecture in Kenshin's room; they're not oblivious to the jubilation wafting through the open window of the hotel.  The air thickens with the clean smell of water.  Meryl is the first to the window, followed closely by Millie, ready to investigate the new phenomenon.  The insurance girls glance at each other; by now, they've learned to expect the unexpected, knowing full well that nothing is unbelievable.  They've heard this sort of commotion, felt the air thicken, and smelled the pure clean water before.  Before the three men blink, the girls are out the door.  That town had actively been searching for water, and there was a source mapped beneath the ground.  As far as anyone knew, there was no such underground water source here.  It's very odd…and Meryl has a suspicion that the event can be linked to Kenshin.  It certainly merits investigation.  And, as curiosity is a communicable disease, Vash and Wolfwood stand, dragging a clueless, orofull Kenshin out to greet the magnificent sight before them all.

Children laugh and play in puddles underneath an umbrella of clean white water while the adults stand nearby in the mist, enjoying the serenity and newfound security of a permanent water source.  Kenshin looks around upon the smiles, shining eyes, and glowing faces in meandering wonder.  From the looks of it, water is scarce in Artesia.  How hard do these people really have it, living on a hot ball of sand with very little, if any, water to spare?  His violet eyes soften and crease in sadness, wondering how these people have managed to survive to this day.

Wait.  Kenshin's jaw drops.  Oro…is that Yahiko?  He does a double take, the subtle motion attracting Vash's attention, and then he's gone, diving into the thick of the crowd hovering near the source of the geyser, basking in the refreshing chill of the crisp spray, gently shielded from the sun's brutality.  Kenshin squeezes through the cavorting masses as only a rurouni can, his violet eyes honing in on what appears to be a rather drenched version of his young friend.  "Yahiko!"

Yahiko looks up suddenly from dodging his new crowd of devout admirers, somewhat apprehensive of the unfamiliar surroundings and the gaijin smothering him, lifting him in the air as if…as if in celebration?  Why?  He just fell into a damn well, down from the sky, and through the ground into an underground spring!  Wait…maybe they saw him fall from the sky and – hey, was that Kenshin's voice, just now?  He writhes out of the town's overzealous grip, falling to a soggy crouch at Kenshin's feet, much to their shared surprise.  "Kenshin!  What the hell's going on?"

Kenshin helps pull Yahiko to his feet, the latter wringing out his banana-split yellow gi, both feeling more than a little odd and out of place here.  Kenshin's frowning gaze glazes over the crowd before he shakes his head.  "I don't know where we are or what's going on, Yahiko, de gozaru yo.  Daijoubu?"  Kenshin starts weaving through the crowd again towards the front porch of a bar, wanting somewhere quieter and out of the way of the celebration to sit down with the boy samurai, who has, indeed, come to join him.  Despite how glad he is to have Yahiko's companionship, he's saddened even more.  He hasn't yet found any hope of returning to his home, and now Yahiko will share his fate.  It's more than unfortunate.

Yahiko nods in answer, immediately eased by the swordsman's presence.  "Hai, Kenshin, daijoubu."  They both sit on the steps of the porch, angled towards each other.  "Thanks…those people were starting to suffocate me."  In fact, they'd suffocate just about anyone in his position; it's an uneasy thought.  Finally wringing his clothing to a semblance of dryness, he looks up, startled by the fierce, intense expression in Kenshin's eyes.  "Kenshin…."

"Kaoru-dono…how is she?  And the others?"  Interesting how they're lump-summed.

Yahiko nods.  "Kaoru's fine.  Well, at least she should be."  The admission causes visible tension to weave its way into Kenshin's taut musculature; his expression tightens into one of taut pain.  The boy feels compelled to continue, guilt ensnaring him for Kenshin's discomfort.  "She blames herself for the…accident."  Well, that's one euphemism for it, and it'll work for now.  "She thinks it's her fault you disappeared, and…well, when I was in the well, I kinda saw her.  She looked even worse."  I made her even more upset…that's my fault.  Yahiko can't bring himself to meet Kenshin's eyes.  I failed them both…Kenshin for not being strong enough to take care of Kaoru in his absence, and Kaoru for falling into the damn well when I should have known well enough to stay away from it.  Then again, he'd almost done them a service in that by falling in himself, he protected Kaoru, Sano, and Megumi from falling in as well.  However, this is the furthest thought from his mind.  Yahiko squeezes his eyes shut, tilting his head away from his idol.  "Gomen nasai, Kenshin."

He doesn't expect forgiveness, especially as quickly as it's given.  Kenshin folds Yahiko into his embrace; the warmth in his tone is an especially potent poultice for Yahiko's spiritual wounds.  "Even though she's upset…I'm glad to hear that Kaoru-dono's not hurt and is staying strong, de gozaru yo.  Thank you, Yahiko."

"A-ano, I wasn't able to do anything!  I was useless!"  As much as he loathes it, hot tears spill from Yahiko's burning, dry eyes, his young tone weakening with sorrow.  I didn't do enough.

The candor of the father-son picture is overwhelming for Millie, who had also noted the redhead's absence and had scanned the crowd, silently following the two companions visually after spotting them.  It's tear-jerkingly touching to watch the two in consolation.  They obviously know each other and both hail from the same elusive location.  She sniffles quietly, wiping a joyful tear, deciding that the news of her discovery can wait while the two reunite and catch up with the odd events, perhaps even speculate together as to where they are in reference to their Tokyo home.  Kenshin's sorrow when Vash revealed the truth had been profound and almost tactile, it was so thick.  Perhaps this boy will be good for Kenshin's morale, cheering him up and providing him with a sense of rational purpose.

Vash had followed suit – and Millie's gaze – ever since the short swordsman caught his attention earlier.  Tears drip unchecked from his smooth, deceptively youthful, glowing complexion.  Neither spectator makes any effort to hide the sentimental gesture, nor do they strain to hear a private, comforting conversation.