Ooc::
This is my very first fic for Rurouni Kenshin so hope you guys read and review
it!! Good or bad, just throw it at me, I'll be happy to catch it.
Anyway
this fic is about Kenshin gumi from an outsider point of view as she gets to
spend a day with them in the Kamiya Dojo. I don't know if the fic is good
enough but I'm giving it my best shot, so please read and review. Thanx a
zillion for reading!
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Beyond
The Gates::
Ryushi hurried on as she saw the sky
getting darker. It's gonna rain. She could kick herself for not bring an
umbrella. Just two more houses down, Ryushi reminded herself as she saw the
Kamiya Dojo. Just then, the sky gave a loud roar before heavy raindrops fell upon
her. Damn, Ryushi thought, her mum was going to kill her, all the groceries
were wet. Ryushi was about to start running when someone called her name.
"Ryushi-san! Come on in!"
Ryushi turned around to find Kaoru
calling her. She stared questioning at the owner of the dojo, unsure if she
should enter.
"Hurry!! Come on in!!" Kaoru
told her as she sheltered her with the umbrella and dragged her into the dojo.
"Susume, Aiyame, help me to take
care of Ryushi-san ok!" Ryushi heard Kaoru call out as she grabbed two
umbrellas.
"But... but..." Ryushi called
out after Kaoru, but she had already flown out of the dojo with her umbrellas.
My groceries!! Ryushi suddenly
remembered about her groceries. Kaoru had dragged her into the dojo, but not
her groceries, which were still under the rain. Ryushi was about to run out and
get it when a boy ran into the dojo, carrying her groceries in both hands.
"Ryushi-san, your groceries," he told her as he shook the raindrops
off himself.
"Thank you very much," Ryushi
told the boy as he smiled up at her and shook his head.
"Ryushi-san! Yahiko!" Ryushi
heard someone call out from behind her. She turned around and found a young girl
smiling as she offered her a towel. The other girl offered Yahiko another
towel.
Ryushi thanked the girls as she dried
herself. She recognized the two girls, she often saw them sitting outside the
dojo and waiting for Himura-san to finish washing the clothes before he played
with them. They would always smile and wave at her whenever she passed by the
dojo.
Ryushi looked around the dojo. She had always passed the dojo after she
went to the shops since she lived near the dojo, but she had never entered the
dojo before. But she knew that the dojo was always filled with happy laughter
from the girls and Himura-san would always be outside washing the clothes and
playing with the girls. Yells could also be heard from inside the dojo.
Sano-san, they guy wearing the jacket with the word "bad" written on
it would also appear when it was dinner time. Megumi-san would also visit the
dojo often.
But there were also days when the dojo
was quiet, when nobody was around for long period of time. Ryushi found it
strange but she never questioned. She figured that they might be away for
holiday since the people living in the dojo seemed pretty adventurous to her.
But there were also times when the dojo
had their visitors. They usually arrived in packs and the dojo was more active
and noisy then usual. Not only did the visitors come during the day some came
in the night when most people were already asleep. But the visitors seemed to
have vanished when daylight appeared. Nobody found it strange since the people
living in the Kamiya Dojo seemed friendly, besides everyone knew Kaoru when she
was young and they were happy that she had found herself a new family.
Kaoru-san did a really good job of
maintaining the dojo, Ryushi thought to herself as she noted that the dojo was
still in perfect condition after so long. Not a speck of dust could be found
and all the wooden swords that hung around the dojo still looked new to her.
Ryushi looked on curiously at the painting that that hung around the dojo, but
she was afraid of intruding.
Just then she felt someone tugging on
her sleeves. She looked down and saw two hopeful pairs of eyes staring at her.
"Play with us? Please?" The girls asked her as they handled her a
ball. Ryushi nodded at once glad to have found something to do.
Happy laughter filled the dojo as the
rain fell heavily outside.
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Not long after Ryushi heard Yahiko call
out. "Kenshin! Kaoru! Sano??"
Upon hearing the names, the girls tossed Ryushi the ball and ran to the
outside of the dojo. Ryushi followed them and found Kaoru sheltering Kenshin
with the umbrella as he was carrying the groceries with both hands. Sano was
holding the umbrella with one hand and a bag of groceries in the other hand.
"Sano, what are you doing here? And
since when do you carry umbrella?" Yahiko couldn't help teasing Sano as he
helped Kenshin with the groceries.
"Jou-chan gave me the
umbrella!" Sano replied hotly as he shook his fist at Yahiko. But Yahiko
just laughed gleefully as he dodged the punch that Sano had aimed at him.
"I figured Sano would be coming
since it was almost dinner time and since I was bringing Kenshin an umbrella, I
thought that I'd bring one for him too, since he obviously doesn't bring
one." Kaoru explained as she hammered Sano and Yahiko, who were fighting,
on the head. "Behave! We have guest! Kaoru hissed angrily at them as she
flashed Ryushi an embarrass smile.
"Speaking of dinner... where's
dinner?" Sano asked as he looked hungrily around the dojo. "Baka! We
just got back! Wait!" Kaoru told him as she hammered him again.
"Won't you stay for dinner,
Ryushi-san?" Kaoru offered.
"But... but..." Ryushi began. "Please say yes! Besides
it's still raining..." Kaoru pleaded.
"Well... ok..." Ryushi agreed
reluctantly. "Great!" Kaoru exclaimed as she flashed Ryushi a smile
that would chase the rain away before she headed to the kitchen. The smile made
Ryushi felt welcome and it eased her fear of imposing on the Kamiya Dojo.
"I'll help you!" Ryushi
offered as she followed Kaoru into the kitchen.
Suddenly Kaoru stopped in her
footsteps. "Where's Kenshin?" She asked as she looked around the
dojo. Yahiko who was practicing, shook his head while Sano and the girls just
pointed to outside the dojo where a loud "ORO??!!" could be heard.
Kaoru and Ryushi hurried to the window
only to see a certain red head standing outside the rain, staring blankly at
the wet and dirty clothes. "Oro... My clothes!! I forgot to take them
in!"" He wailed as he took the clothes in. "I have to wash them
again... " He mumbled to himself as he headed towards the toilet...
"Is Himura-san going to be
alright?" Ryushi asked Kaoru who was staring at the empty space where
Kenshin was just standing. "Hai, he'll be alright. Let's get dinner
started!" Kaoru replied as she flashed her sunny smile again and dragged
Ryushi into the kitchen.
Yahiko continued his practice with
Sano watching and talking to him. The two girls waved goodbye to the people in
the Kamiya dojo when they saw their grandfather at the gates, holding an
umbrella and ready to bring them home for dinner.
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Ryushi saw Sano and Yahiko face light
up when she placed the food before them. "Kenshin! Dinner's ready!"
Kaoru yelled as she sat down beside them. Minutes later, the red head
appeared.
"Ano... Himura-san, are your
clothes alright?" Ryushi asked as she was at a loss for her next action.
"Hai!" He told her as he
pointed happily outside. Suddenly Ryushi realized that it had stopped raining.
The sun was shinning down on the freshly washed clothes.
"I must be going..." Ryushi
told them as she began to leave. The rain had stopped and there were chores
waiting for her at home as she did not have a Himura-san to do it for her.
"No, no, no. Please stay,
besides you cooked dinner for us." Kaoru told her as she forced her down
again. Kenshin who had already begun dinner nodded his head.
"But... but..." Ryushi
stared again but was interrupted by Kaoru. "We would love it if you stay,
right Yahiko, Sano?"
Upon hearing their names, Yahiko and
Sano broke up their fight for the food. "Hai... hai..." Sano replied
hurriedly as he eyed Yahiko's fish hungrily. "Sure! You should come more
often. Your cooking is way better than Kaoru's!" Yahiko replied gleefully,
glad that there was a chance to tease Kaoru. Unfortunately that earned him a
whack on the head and his fish landed in Sano's mouth.
"Hey! That was mine!! Give it
back!!" He yelled as he glared at Sano. "You were talking... so I
thought you didn't want it!" Sano yelled back as he fought off Yahiko who
had jumped onto him, in an attempt to get back his fish.
"Please ignore them and
enjoy the dinner!" Kaoru told Ryushi as she hammered both Yahiko and Sano
on the head. "Will you two behave?? We have guest!!" She hissed
angrily at them as she smiled at Ryushi. A huge sweat drop would be seen on
Ryushi's head but she smiled back at Kaoru and they managed to finish the rest
of their dinner in peace.
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Ryushi bowed as she thanked Kaoru
for the dinner. She waved her goodbye as she headed home. The rest of the
people in the dojo waved back and headed back into the dojo.
Weird group. Ryushi thought to
herself as she made her way home. Weird but happy group, Ryushi thought to as
the setting sun cast a firey glow on the dojo were laughter could be
heard. There were things about the
group that Ryushi did not understand but the love that they had for each other
was clearly visible though they seem to be fighting most of the time.
It was obvious that they had been through a lot together and she
guessed that that was what makes them so close and no one will be able to fully
understand that feeling until they join them in the journey. You could only
understand them this much if you are outside the gates, but what's beyond the
gates; you have to join them to find out.
Ryushi smiled to herself, glad to
have a chance to have a part in their journey, even though it was only for a
short while.
As Ryushi neared her house, she
saw her mother waiting outside for her. Ryushi smiled to herself. The visit
into the Kamiya Dojo had touched her in some way and boy was she glad to be
home!
-End
1
May 2001
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Thanx
a zillion for reading and reviewing!
