Book II

Menydh

Mountain

Chapter XIII

Preparations

"May your journey overflow with song and dance."

"Oh, that's lovely," Ro whistled as she watched as Kaoru extracted the traditional skirt from the depths of her worn wardrobe, the folds of material rustling together in a colourful display of reds, oranges, and yellows. Ro and Kaoru had been left alone by Sanosuke who had began the journey to Nantia to fetch Megumi and Kenshin was busy downstairs, tasked with preparing lunch. The two women had clamoured up the stairs in a fit of giggles and hollering, to which Kenshin tuned out as he slowly worked his way through peeling some of the less bruised carrots and potatoes. Since their conversation two days prior, Kenshin had been slightly skittish around her as he only nodded and gave her the occasional half smile as she came and went from her patrols. Kaoru had felt a pang of guilt creeping up on her and she confessed to Ro when they had been on patrol that morning. The blonde had listened attentively to her friend's preoccuptions and she make sympathetic noises in her throat.

Oh, Kaoru… Her friend had crooned as Kaoru told her everything about the conversation while they were out on an easy patrol route, to how even Kenshin seemed much more reserved around her. When Kaoru had related his apology to Ro, the Southerner had scrunched her face up and reminded Kaoru that he had walked into their world and not the reverse. There was a certain level of begruding respect that Kaoru knew that Kenshin had towards her profession but she knew that he was still upset when she came home covered in blood or reeking of death. His explanation of the sincerity of the forest baffled Ro upon Kaoru's recounting of the conversation, just as it had confused Kaoru, and the blonde pulled a long face as she tried to pick through the words.

But, hey, at least he told you something that was useful, Ro had pointed out as she swung her axe out in front of her in an experimental arch, her body following through her movement with her usual controlled grace. We know that something is happening beyond our borders and is upping the tension here as a result.

We don't know anything definitively, Kaoru retorted as she gave Ro an irritated look as the blonde looked at her gleefully as she gave her axe another tight swing. Even Kenshin does not understand what is going on—all he knows is that there is something driving them all to the North. So, we should be better prepared. She sighed as she ran a tired hand through her dark hair, her cap tucked away in the deep folds of her cloak. Ro had bobbed her head in easy agreement, finding no fault in logic in those words, and she grilled Kaoru on how the conversation was much more emotionally impacting than the actual information provided by the red headed foreigner.

He really hates what we do, Kaoru said stiffly.

Well, to be fair, it's not like we are crazy about this job either, Ro said as she ran her hands up and down the staff of the axe as she gave Kaoru a knowing look. He's not wrong at all: you and I would love to hang up these cloaks and call it a day. Unfortunately, we don't have such an option. Kaoru saw the brutally honest logic with which Ro spoke, knowing that she was just as level-headed and knew that their job was their means to achieve certain self imposed punishments.

I know that, Ro, but still… I feel bad when he looks at me that way because he knows that I know that this is not the right thing to be doing, Kaoru whispered as she fiddled with the cloth wrapped at the base of her bokken. Kaoru had been internalizing and trying to justify anything that would not lead her to feel such strong emotions towards the mysterious man's silent disapproval of her profession but she found herself more and more in agreement with him. She had not been born with a killer's instinct nor would she claim to have honed one to perfection. She hated the screams, the growls, and the stench of death that seemed to cling to her body and soul in ways that she had been unaware of growing up.

Could be that he's worried about you and because he's so in tune with what is happening, he knows something or has picked up on something that we're not privy to right away, Ro suggested with a puzzled look. I don't think he's doing this to hurt you—Kenshin seems too innocent and too sincere to do something like that with you. He seems like the type of person who would try to avoid salting open wounds.

That's possible, Kaoru agreed as she nodded at Ro's potential theory. She was not super experienced in handling men outside of Sanosuke but it was a much more fraternal relationship with the experienced patroller. She knew that Kenshin was a gentle soul that gave off the impression that he would be incapable of hurting anyone, but she knew that when he watched the forest from the window or they went on their occasional nightly stroll and he lost himself in the darkness, his eyes glazing over, there was something much more powerful and ancient to him than either of them was aware of in their current state of affairs.

I think he's a lovely person, honestly, and I really don't say that about too many folks, Ro said as she awkwardly patted Kaoru's shoulder. You should give him the benefit of the doubt, this is probably his way of trying to protect you from things that are not too clear to us—at least yet. Kaoru found temporary solace in those words as she carried them around for the remainder of the patrol, giving them a thousand whirls through her head as she considered that Ro's opinion was honest as was the honey blonde colour of her hair. They had not touched the subject again as they had finished their patrol, they themselves waving farewells as they walked down their separate paths from the Long House.

"Those colours look lovely against your hair," Ro remarked as she gave an admiring nod at the garment that Kaoru was grasping between her hands. "Besides, it has not snowed yet: it makes sense to wear what would be the autumn colours." Kaoru gave her a skeptical look as she ran her hands over the soft material of the skirt that had not seen the light of day for various years.

"You think so?" Kaoru inquired as she held it up for inspection. "I don't want to stand out—besides, I don't think it will fit. It's at least six years old, I think." Ro shrugged and gave her a toothy smile as the blonde pushed herself up from Kaoru's bed and snatched the garment from her friend's hands and held it to Kaoru's waist with a critical eye. Kaoru froze as Ro wrapped her arms around Kaoru's waist and looked at the skirt with a well practiced eye as she nodded vigorously.

"Oh, I think it will fit you just perfectly, you're a tiny thing," Ro sniffed as she handed it back to Kaoru and moved over to the door, shutting it with a deft push of her hand. She returned to perching on Kaoru's bed as they examined the traditional Northern clothes that Kaoru had been lying out in anticipation for the Solstice festival. She had a few skirts of various colours and cuts that laid out an interesting colour palette that the Southerner 'ohhed' and 'awwed' over and she had a few form fitting shirts with the typical Tereré geometric pattens that ran down the front.

"Try it on, c'mon!" Ro urged as she dug through the pile of top pieces and selected a lovely cream coloured one with black geometric shapes that were not overtly gaudy compared to other garments that existed in the village. She tossed the shirt at Kaoru who gave a nervous laugh but began to shed her clothes at the insistence of the blonde. She yanked her head through the hole in the shirt, tugging it down and pleased that it still reached her belly as it should have. She ducked as Ro tossed a bright red sash at her head, nearly smacked in the head at the wadded up garment, and she nearly shrieked as Ro started to dig through the other clothes that they had unearthed from the depths of the more abandoned garments of her closet.

"Alright, alright, but you put one on, too!" Kaoru retorted as she watched Ro freeze at the mention of donning Northern clothing. The Southerner, while pleasantly integrated into the Northern society in most faucets of daily life, still had a weird habit and found the traditional garb to be strange to her own tastes. The Southern traditional garb was much more practical as even the woman sported loose fitting pants and pressed white button up shirts. Her preferred wide brimmed hat was traditional from the South, designed to block out the sun's rays from her eyes, and she wore it frequently. She had balked at the first time her husband had gifted her a skirt from the North and according to her re-telling, nearly faked sick to avoid going out in public dressed in such a way.

"Is it mandatory?" She inquired.

"Absolutely," Kaoru replied with a sharp nod as she stepped into the skirt, pulling it up swiftly as it settled at her hips nicely. It was a bit tighter than she remembered but she had also grown a bit more as her hips flared in her late teens. She reached for the sash that had landed at her feet and deftly wrapped it around her hips, tightening it comfortably so that she was still able to move. Tying it at her side, she let the loose trails cascade down her side like two crimson avian tails of an exotic bird of paradise.

"Well, well," Ro said as she crossed her arms and gave her an approving look. "Don't we look dashing!" Kaoru felt her cheeks stain red at her friend's teasing but she herself was curious to see how she held up in the older garments that had gone unused. She inched her way over to the reflecting glass that was propped up against the wall and stared at the woman who was peering back at her with bright blue celestial eyes that seemed in awe at her outward presentation. Barring her hair not being styled into the Northern braids and hanging in a low ponytail, she twisted and turned as she admired the way the material still flowed and hit her mid-shin. The skirt billowed elegantly as she gave a quick ninety degree spin, pivoting elegantly on her foot and she heard Ro's laughing chiming in the background.

"You look lovely, really," Ro assured her. "Belle of the ball, you're going to have a great time this year. I feel it in my bones!"

"Probably," Kaoru agreed with an uncostumary cheesy smile to her face as she felt the memories of her childhood of the Solstice and dancing with her father and other friends rise up in a gentle tide against her memories. She was an avid dancer at Solstice, permitting herself the freedom to move to the traditional music that truly made the Northern rhythms as their own unique breed of music. She had lived many happy Solstice festivals and other much bleaker ones, and many that were just an excuse to forget about what was happening around her and lose herself in the crowds of people that switched dance partners and moved to the beat of the animal skin drum that marked their rhythm.

Ro and Kaoru occupied themselves with selecting another flowing skirt for Ro's borrowed use, despite her light complaining and insistence that it was not necessary, as she hesitated before stripping herself of her tight pants and slipping into the skirt, sucking in her stomach as Kaoru helped her haul it up to her hips. Ro's skirt was a deep blue with white trimmings, contrasting with her mane of golden hair, and Kaoru tied another red sash around her friend's waist, fastening it with the typical ornate knot that would not come undone despite the numerous dances that they surely would be tapping their feet to throughout the night. Ro had remained in her plain white shirt that she was viciously tucking into the hem of the skirt, her tongue protruding from her mouth comically as Kaoru was trying not to burst out into laughter. "Too much bread, I guess!"

They stood together as they gawked at their reflections in the mirror, Kaoru's arm resting over Ro's shoulder as Ro's hand came to pause on Kaoru's hip in a friendly manner. They looked out of their normal element of simple clothing or patrolling cloaks and it was their yearly reminder that they did have beautifully built bodies beneath their everyday clothes. The garments were designed to be complementary to a woman's natural grace, hips swinging as the sash's tails fluttered, the skirts hugging in all the right places, the shirts comfortable yet flattering. Ro's hair mixed with Kaoru's ponytail as they giggled amongst themselves, poking and prodding at each other playfully as they sighed at their reflections.

"Southern clothes are much more practical," Ro sighed dramatically as she released Kaoru's hip and took a few hop-steps backwards as she swished her skirt experimentally. "I'm not sure how you're really supposed to dance in these, honestly. It all gets in the way."

"What have you been doing the last few years?"

"I wear my pants underneath and bunch the skirt up," Ro said with a waggle of her eyebrows to which Kaoru slapped her forehead dramatically at the Southerner's interpretation of Northern traditional garb. "And I get drunk enough that I don't remember anything and put them away for another year."

"You dance in your pants," Kaoru repeated dryly.

"It's easier," Ro protested heatedly. "I can control my legs and not worry about getting tangled." Kaoru rolled her eyes dramatically at her friend's stand-offish nature to the traditional clothing and her insistence that pants were superior for all-night festivities. She rested her hands on her hips and tilted her head at the blonde who was looking at her warily, unsure as to what Kaoru was planning to say or even do.

"Well, you're wearing them now, why don't we practice?" Kaoru gave her a gratuitous smile as she clasped her hands together in pseudo-maliciousness and rubbed them together as though she were the devil herself. It had been a while since she had been able to dance the winter dances, last year's festivities a blur in her memory, and she dearly missed being able to dance the steps that her mother and friends had taught her in her youth: they reminded her of the simpler and happier days.

"Practice? Practice what?" Ro echoed as storm cloud of horror passed over her rounded face, her blue eyes widened in shock at the proposal.

"So that you look like you know what you're doing and when we dance, I don't have to worry about you tripping over yourself," Kaoru explained with a wide grin on her face, hinting at the teasing that she was jabbing her friend with as she took a few steps backwards. "The dances in the South are similar anyway! You just have to get used to dancing in a skirt, Ro! I'm the least feminine thing in this village and even I know how to dance more or less!" Ro's face fell at the realization that Kaoru's self depraving comment and wisecrack was accurate and she gave her another miserable look before nodding sullenly. The blonde also knew that Kaoru was an excellent dancer, despite her other faults, and she did move with a seemingly natural grace when there music to accompany her stepping.

"I think the easiest is the one about the cardinal bird, the eight-step one," Ro offered waywardly as she sulked heavily as she looked at the distance between her and Kaoru. They were facing each other and they raised their hands neatly, clapping out the first beats as Ro hummed out the base of the melody in her throat, Kaoru nodding her head as she tried to recall the lyrics to the dance that was the standard fare to the festivities around the country and had not died out with Central's brutal erasing of trying to consolidate culture. It had been a popular song that had been carried by the singing troubadours that had brought the song from the Eastern coast to the interior of the country. The children had often sang the song at periodic moments throughout the year, noting the changing of seasons especially, and it was a song ingrained into their brains since they were able to even speak and bumble about as clumsy children.

Kaoru hummed the rhythm as their claps marked the rhythm as they lowered their arms parallel to the ground, their feet stomping and alternating with their toes touching the ground. Kaoru moved to her left as Ro swung to the right, their skirts blossoming into bright groupings of colourful fabric, their bodies moving to the rhythm as their years of dancing at the festivities came back to them. They were seemingly dancing upon the hardened earth of the village, not the rough wood of Kaoru's home. Their minds could imagine the strings of lanterns, the other bodies of villagers falling into the same steps and twirls as they heard the distant echoes of laughter from the past.

They bumped into each other in a wayward and clusmy harmony, the familiar notes escaping through their lips in breathing intervals as Kaoru's back turned to Ro and Ro's back turned to Kaoru's as they danced the same original pattern in reverse. They turned on the eighth step, facing each other once again as their arms came up parallel to the ground once more. They stepped into their own circle, feet stomping obnoxiously against the floor, as their bodies drew closer hands raising as they waved towards the invisible sun that refused to peek through the clouds.

Their humming voices tangled together in a sweet and off-tune kelter as they eight stepped their way through the closer body interactions, before putting their backs to each other as they opened their distance up once more. Kaoru felt her ponytail swing against her back as she exhaled, counting out the steps once again, nearly side-stepping as Ro miscounted and almost treaded on her foot. They recovered their steps easily as they fell back into the simple eight step, once again twirling away from each other in a flurry of colourful fabric.

Dying happy, I want your forgiveness, Kaoru and Ro's distinct accents gave them a bizarre pronunciation that they laughed away as they drew close together, their arms parallel and nearly touching whilst they finally uttered the last words of the famed folksong. Ro was a bit shorter than Kaoru and Kaoru assumed the male's leading role as she angled her body to have Ro follow her lead. Ro complied and smiled brightly as she allowed Kaoru to lead her into the female's twirl, before her back was to her friend once again as they stomped out the last few beats of the popular dance before collapsing to the floor, laughing to themselves and marvelling at the fact they had not lost their touch for the typical folk dance that was enjoyed by all. Their laughs amplified in the small room as they began to cough horrendously, their limbs tangled and the slamming of the door open and coming face to face with a wide-eyed red haired man made them laugh even harder to the point Kaoru felt she was going to perish from the lack of oxygen in her lungs.

"Hello," She wheezed jovially as she gave him a sheepish smile, her cheeks a rosy colour and her shoulders rising and falling as she tried to catch up with her breath.

"This one heard a noise," Kenshin said mutely as he looked down at them with a very bewildered expression. Kaoru and Ro exchanged embarrassed looks as they looked down at their garments and back up at the memory-deprived Kenshin who seemed bewildered by their uncharacteristic behaviour. He had imagined that the giggles and laughs were part of some outlandish conversation yet when he heard the stomping and banging he grew concerned and flew up the stairs at the biggest thud, which he assumed someone had fallen against the hard flooring.

"We were just dancing," Ro offered meekly as she gestured at the skirts with a mirthful look to her face. "Solstice is coming, you know, it's important to know the dances—but you don't have to wear a skirt, so you're lucky." She gave Kaoru a scathing look as she pushed herself to her feet and extended her hand out to her friend who accepted it with a chuckle, allowing herself to be pulled upright. The two women stood next to each other, their skirts bumping against each other and their faces equally flushed from their tom-foolery.

"Dancing," Kenshin repeated dumbly. He seemed partially scandalized by the stomping and the noise that had carried throughout the house, the ceiling fixture swinging from the vibrations. His eyes were alert and his pupils had contracted to mere pin-pricks and there was a certain tension about him that seemed foreign to Kaoru who picked up on it immediately.

"It's an important part of the festivities," Kaoru explained as she brushed her skirts folds, ridding them of any dust that had clung to her and also trying to divert her attention from the bizarre aura that Kenshin was giving off. "Most of the night is dancing and you switch between various partners—most people don't know how to dance after a few hours, but it's a lot of fun to let our hair down and enjoy. It's the one thing that Central has not been able to ruin for us—yet." Her eyes hardened at the mere implication that there was a possibility of Central sinking their talons into the sacred festival but she shook her head.

"You're going to dance, too," Ro said and Kenshin knew it was not a friendly question but rather an indirect assumption that he had never had cross his mind in the days leading up the festivities. He had heard Kaoru and even Sanosuke humming to themselves, more than usual, and they were songs that he guessed were typical to the festivities surrounding the Solstice. He had watched as Kaoru, one evening, pull out a garment from the cupboards down stairs and muttered to herself about it being too tight before shoving it back into the stuffy drawers and shutting it away. He had seen Sanosuke lying out garments and eying them, deciding which white overcoat was the best one to be sacrificed for the sake of unrestricted drinking and the inevitable stains that would ruin the material.

"You are coming to the festival, right?" Kaoru inquired as she gave him a concerned look, despite knowing that taking him out into public was a risky move given that he stuck out too much. They would not have the protection of the darkness that sheltered Kenshin's existence from the village and they would be out in the open, putting them in a potentially precarious situation. Her words seemed to ease the tense air about him as he calmed, his pupils dilating back to normal. They had offered a remedy to the solution, a hooded overcoat that Kaoru had been able to alter from one that had already been embroidered with the typical geometric patterns of Tereré and he found that she was quite talented at altering garments. She had tugged the hood over his head affectionately, much to his surprise at the closeness of her gesture, saying that he blended in perfectly, but they had not brought up the issue again and she assumed that he was still slightly hesitant with regards to it. She had not wanted to bother him or pester him about confirming his attendance but not having said another word, she was unsure as it to if he would truly attend or not.

"Of course he is," Ro jutted in as she gave Kenshin a haughty look that dared him to deny her words. "He has to have some sort of fun—as well as dance the last dance with someone." She looked over at Kaoru and gave her another knowing look as she gave her friend a demure smile. "Not like how we dance, Kaoru, but he might be better suited for the last one-eh?" Kaoru's cheeks flamed up at the implications of Ro's words and she gave Kenshin a bashful look as she licked her lips subtly, unsure as to his reaction to the blonde's insistence.

"Ah?"

"Sanosuke and I told you that the Solstice marks the cycles of human life," Kaoru reminded him gently as she drew closer to Ro who was still swishing her skirt to-and-fro in an innocent moment of child-like glee. "The last dance is a type of dance native only to the North and it's a dance that is dedicated to the other side, actually. You typically dance it with your partner or your friends—but it's the most important dance there is, they say that anyway." Her nose twitched as a speck of dust entered her nostril. "It's supposed to be a gesture of good will, but it's really hard to explain. I guess it's like an acknowledgement towards how life cycles and how we should be much more prudent with how we treat the Earth and how we leave it for future generations."

"It's also hard to dance but you can sort of make it up as you go after a certain bit because it's stupidly long," Ro said dutifully as she gave Kaoru a cheeky smile. "Last year Kaoru and I were too drunk and we had a bit too much fun and nearly broke a leg trying to go through it the proper way. Won't be doing that again, will we?" Kaoru gave Ro a heated look at the mention of their drunken antics as they had danced with Sanosuke and Megumi, closing out the night in a furor of alcohol fuelled eight stepping and bickering over who looked the most presentable.

"This one will go," Kenshin said hesitantly in a strained voice as he gave Kaoru a crooked smile at the image of trying to navigate through an already confusing culture with the more musical elements of human movement thrown into a stormy and turbulent mix. "Would there not be a problem if this one were out in the village?" Ro and Kaoru exchanged momentarily glances as they themselves were unsure how to answer, but Kaoru relented and shook her head in reply.

"I don't think so, as long as you don't let anyone really see your hair or face," She said quietly as she pursed her lips. "Besides, it would hardly be fair for us to leave you alone in the house while we're having a good time—I think we can break this rule just once, well, exceptionally." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she watched Ro fiddle with the fabric of her borrowed skirt, the hem needing some serious repairs and Kaoru found herself counting the stitches mentally as she contemplated the merits of locking herself up in her room and avoiding any more utterances from her mouth.

"Exceptionally." It was repeated with a halting smile that did not seem to carry the same pleasant enthusiasm that Kenshin tended to speak with when engaging in conversation. Kaoru did not miss the dulling of his eyes as he regarded the two of them with an almost opiated stare, she herself slightly uncomfortable with how the light seemed to have faded from his normally inquisitive and warm expression. She looked away from the upsetting gaze that was trained upon her and she found that Ro had also quieted herself to uncharacteristic levels. Kenshin blinked owlishly as he realized that the two women were regarding him with careful stares and he started slightly before his smile softened and a much warmer light crept into his gaze.

"Well, if everything is alright, this one will resume the tasks downstairs," Kenshin finally said as he nodded his head slowly at them, the same hollow look to his eyes haunting Kaoru as she did not move to acknowledge him. Kenshin slowly retreated, closing the door behind him and she heard Ro's hiss from her lips as the blonde ran a flustered hand through her hair. Without having to say a word, she knew that even the Southerner found the normally jovial Kenshin's reaction disheartening and even she found herself slightly perturbed and confused.

"Something is bothering him," Ro muttered. "Any ideas?"

"None at all," Kaoru replied stonily as she bit her lip, wringing her hands together as she tried to scour her brain for what could have disturbed the red head so much to have had such a halting look to his face. She had seen those distant looks a few times before and was no stranger to them but she had never felt such a horrible wave of spiritual presence roll of him in such a way.

"None," She repeated quietly.

As the night drifted on the horizon, the streets darkening, Ro and Kaoru emerged from Kaoru's room dressed in their typical wear as they walked slowly down the stairs. Sanosuke had also returned and was lounging lazily on the sofa, his patrol cut short from an incident on the route that required the mining division to intervene and he was recalled back to the Long House. The fire had been recently stoked and it hummed energetically in the hearth, bathing the living room in a soft glow that seemed much more brilliant than normal. Sanosuke had offered to escort Ro back to her house in the Eastern district to which she had agreed, knowing that the patroller would not relent otherwise, and they had slipped away into the shadows of Tereré, Ro promising to reconsidering her donning of her pants in favour of the skirt.

Kaoru had taken stock of what was around her and saw that Kenshin had washed the blankets as well as some towels, leaving them to dry without getting in the way. The kitchen was cleaned and the table was absent of traces of meals and she assumed that he had gone to his room and would emerge later. Sighing as she realized she had taken for granted his generous cooking and effortless running of a household, she contemplated preparing her own make-do meal but vetoed it immediately knowing that Sanosuke would not be thrilled with eating her cooking.

She retreated back up the stairs, humming to herself the same song that she and Ro had danced to earlier, and shut herself away in the confines of her own room. The skirts were still scattered on her bed, although Ro had neatly folded them, and she reached for the swathes of bright fabric as she began to put them away in the wardrobe, having already decided which one she herself would don on the occasion. Kaoru than crawled onto her bed, burying her face into the cool surface of the pillow that she had re-sewn earlier that week and she closed her eyes, she herself succumbing to the gentle beckoning of sleep that reached out to her.

A few mere meters away in another room rested the seemingly stilled form of Kenshin, his back rigid despite the softness of the mattress, his hands folded upon his chest as though he were in prayer. He had closed himself within the privacy of his quarters after seeing that Kaoru and Ro were simply bumbling about and had retreated into the recesses of his blank mind, the darkness still overpowering and disorienting as he seemed to try and navigate the long empty corridors of what should have been memories or recollections. He was searching tediously for something, reaching out and trying to grasp something in the emptiness of his mind that simply did not exist or was locked away and not meant for him.

Something had compelled him to isolate himself from the humans that lived in the household and he had perceived something ominous on the tide of information that he was constantly receiving. His instincts were screaming at him to close himself off to the human plain where he was and to hide within the murky depths of his mind despite not knowing what laid within the darkness that seemed to be watching him with a predatory glower that went unseen to him. His body had nearly shut down, his breathing minimal and his movements nulled as the world slowly froze over and he tuned into the sounds that were inaudible to the mortal ear but were crystal clear to him.

He could hear the murmuring of the trees as they seemed to discuss his closeness to the very forces that destroyed them: their words were unkind and harsh as they viciously clawed at the human savageness of pillaging the forest of its resources and killing its mythical residents. Their murmurs were mixed with the unsettling whispers of the stream that gurgled angrily at how it was running redder and redder with blood because the patrollers were out in force and slaughtering anything that came across their path. The stream's bubbling words were muddled as he heard the mountain groaning heavily about how lethargic it felt as the miners picked away at her existence, reducing her to nothing bit-by-bit.

Humans are quite destructive and hardheaded, aren't they? A masculine voice rang out from behind the cacophony of the environment that hugged the village and Kenshin felt his brow furrow at how human it sounded compared to the rest. The words were concise and controlled as they were effortless: whatever had decided to speak had mastered human speech perfectly and knew how to catch Kenshin's attention with it. As he tried to reach out again into the darkness to locate the origin of the voice, it just chuckled at the attempt as it batted away his hand.

Not all of them are like this, as you know, but the Earth cannot really distinguish the minority from the majority, The voice commented neutrally as though it were something that was factual and a part of life that seemed acceptable. It's a shame, really, there are still many lovely humans left that find this world deplorable.

"Who are you?" Kenshin's voice was tight as he tried to plunge his hand deeper into the darkness and found that the inky and murky depths of his mind resisted, forcing his hand away. The voice chuckled again warmly as though bemused by the red-head's attempt to thrust himself into his own memories and recollections by pure will power and force. The darkness seemed to hiss at him, burning his skin for venturing too close and trying to touch the untouchable. He looked down to examine his hand but did not find any burn etchings other than the runes that had always existed on his palm.

It has been a while since we've met, but perhaps we shall each other soon enough, The voice responded. Perhaps, although fate may have other uses for me in the end. Kenshin felt his body tense at being referred to as a 'child' but his interest piqued significantly at the mention of the word 'fate', his hand slowly reaching out and seemingly stroking the darkness around him that seemed to ripple and bristle against his hand. It must be difficult to exist without memories or knowing who you are.

"This one has my name, which is more than what was expected to be regained," Kenshin countered as he narrowed his eyes at the darkness that babbled about him, slowly enclosing him and taunting him to go further into the depths of his own mind.

Ah, my apologies, perhaps it would be better to say: 'what' you are, The voice re-cast as it seemed sullen all of a sudden and silenced itself thoughtfully. Kenshin grunted lightly at the voice's words as he once again tried to stretch his hand into the darkness and was once again rejected by his own mind that was barricaded away from him.

Child, I admire your tenacious desire to embrace your memories, but let things come as time and fate wish them to, The voice said sagely as Kenshin froze, blinking momentarily into the darkness that seemed quite smug with the words uttered from the unseen voice. I am here to warn you of one thing: your time in this village is coming to an end and you must move down the path you are destined to walk—the very path you were woken once again to traverse. I understand that you have started to form bonds with the humans who have taken you in... especially the young woman. Cherish them, protect them:but do not stray from what you are needed to do.

"And what is this one supposed to do? What purpose was so great to awaken this one from deep slumber?" His voice was flickering between strained and confused, an authentic inability to comprehend what was happening within his mind and how his physical body was unresponsive.

I am not at liberty to reveal that, but there are rumbles in the village that know you are within their walls and they are going to strike while they can and when people are most vulnerable, The voice replied as it ignored his plead for information. You are to suffer once again but your sacrifice will not be wasted as it had been before.

"Before?" Kenshin repeated as he felt his vocal chords strain as he felt his blood run cold. " What do you mean before?"

If we are to cross paths, I will gladly begin to fill in some of the gaps in your memory, The voice said as though it pitied Kenshin and his vulnerability regarding the position he was in, finding it more and more dubious as he became more and more conscious of the world around him. Right now I have not the time or means to fully explain. My own time to speak to you is coming to an end. However, my parting words to you are the following: when the time comes, you are to go South, which you have known for some time now. Go as far as you can—and you will find help along the way.

"South?" Kenshin's voice was reduced to almost nothingness as he felt his heart thump heavily against his chest as the memory of the vision he had, had of Kaoru clawed at his brain viciously, her words saying that she would accompany him on the Migration to the South but her contradictory reaction when he had solicited her company. There was a roaring that grew in the back of his head as he felt his vision bleed into blackness, the static roar in his mind amplifying and intensifying as he felt himself brought to his knees, his hands reaching up to cradle his temples as he felt his chest tighten. There were too many mentions of the South for him to make even the most rudimentary sense of it but the urging and the seeming confirmation that he had required when he felt his instincts tugging him to the opposite of the compass were heavily validated.

The South is where you will find your answers, The voice reported sternly. Perhaps we will cross paths on the way—I hope we do, if fate is to agree. You will find allies along the way who will come to your aid, do not fear making this journey alone, The voice said in a semi-reassuring tone. I lament your departure because you are truly much happier now than you ever were before, however, you are needed because this world has been uprooted from stable foundations.

Kenshin found himself choking as his body shook with heavy coughs as he tried to break the hold that constricted him, but the voice's words seemed to sear themselves to his mind as he was unable to push them to the side. There was a sudden explosion of darkness behind his eyes and he felt his body fall backwards despite never having lifted from the bed. He could hear the voice's cheeky words of farewell as Kenshin thrashed about on the bed uncomfortably, the snaking pressure around his neck disappearing instantly as he snapped his eyes open and found himself staring at the roof of his room.

The house was quiet, the only sound being the occasional crackle from the fire, yet Kenshin could not shake the roaring from his head as the information stream seemed to have increased in size and he heard another symphony that had been absent before. Exhaling loudly as he ceased thrashing and tried to calm his racing mind and heart, he closed his eyes once again as he felt the world stop spinning and his senses stabilized.

Go South.

There are allies.

Your sacrifice will not be wasted.

Words that Kenshin understood at face value but could not comprehend their deeper meaning: he felt himself falling down into the deeper abyss from which he knew there would be no escape.

A/N: I have to admit, I am quite selfish and wanted to incorporate a bit of folk dance into this story at some point. It's a very fun scene to write and the actual dance is based off a traditional dance from Argentina called chacarera. The song used in this chapter is also a type of chacarera song and it's called 'Cardinal's Chacarera'. There's a couple versions of it, but I recommend the version by Soledad Pastorutti. And so, the plot keeps moving along at its own pace. :)

Don't forget to review! Even if you're stopping in to say 'hello'! And remember, I don't own the characters, just this nut-case of a plot.

PS: There will be no updates for the next few weeks, but I will have my laptop with me and will try to pre-write as much as I can. :D See you guys in a few weeks!