1 Separate Truths
2 A Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction
3 Author's Note: I started some new ways to identify thoughts since I didn't realize that italics didn't work on Ffnet, ^_^;; So now all thoughts are marked with thought. That's all for now, please read and review!
Spoilers: Almost all of the Kyoto Arc will be spoiled for you eventually. Gomen!
Disclaimer: Rights to Rurouni Kenshin and all of its lovely characters belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro, etc. Original characters all belong to me, but you can probably use them if you ask, ^_^.
4
5 Part 2: Fateful Morning
Dawn showed its glowing face as Soujirou stepped into the dew covered grass. Turning to look at his home for the past six months, he felt a slight tightening in his stomach. He had allowed himself to stay at this place for much longer than usual. This morning, with the bird chirping brightly outside of his cottage, he woke up with the urge to set off once again. Picking up the parcel that lay next to his feet, he spared the run down little place one last glance before heading to the main road.
Where will I go now? He thought to himself. He had spent the last two years wandering the countryside. Maybe its time to head to a city. Am I ready? He felt tension fill his body as he thought of facing so many strangers. Two years of isolation had its toll on him; he didn't want to think about having to fit into society again. Sighing, he shook his head, No use in agonizing over this, I'll just go where the road will take me. With that thought in mind, he raised his head and smiled once at the sunlight filtering through the autumn leaves before setting off at an energetic pace.
Walking past the lake, Soujirou suddenly came to a halt. Briefly, his mind wandered back to the girl who sat crying by the shore. He still did not know what had caused her tears and, looking down at his parcel, he probably would never know. He felt oddly saddened that he would never be the one to take the hopeless look out of her eyes. It's probably better if you didn't know anything, you can't help her anyway. Laughing harshly at himself, Soujirou turned away from the lake.
************
As she hung the laundry out to dry, her mind continued to linger upon the slight man by the lake. Was I just dreaming? She wondered. Whether he was real or not, she still felt oddly comforted and calm inside. For when she awoke in the morning, she realized that she had already made her decision. Picking up the laundry basket, she made her way to the kitchen to prepare for lunch. Tying an apron around her kimono, Raiha had just started to make soup when she saw Keiko skipping towards her with a huge smile on her face.
"Onee-chan! Onee-chan!"
Stepping away from the cooking fire, Raiha bent down to talk to the little girl.
"What is it, Keiko?"
"There's a man outside! I think he wants to see you!"
Raiha tensed, "What did I say to you about talking to strangers."
"I should never talk to them when you are not here." Keiko announced in a sing-song voice. "But he was standing at the gate and looked really worried. C'mon, lets hurry before he goes away!"
Led by Keiko, Raiha walked to the small gate that led to their small cottage, but when she got close, her step faltered slightly.
It's him! She realized. He was real after all, not a beautiful angel with ink black hair and dark blue eyes.
"Hello." She spoke softly when they faced eachother. His startled gaze met hers as he stood there unmoving.
"Good morning." He replied. Gazing into her violet ones.
Keiko looked back and forth between the two adults. Boy, she thought, why are they just standing there? Pulling at her sister's hand, she whispered loudly to Raiha, "Why don't you invite him in?"
Flushing, Raiha spoke, "Excuse my manners, but would you like to come in mister -."
"Seta. Soujirou." He smiled, " Thank you but I was just about to go on a trip."
"Oh." Feeling oddly disappointed, Raiha's smile fell a little. "I just made some rice balls and if you don't mind I can pack some for you for your journey." It was a small sign of gratitude.
Understanding the gesture, Soujirou said, "That would be wonderful. Thank you."
She smiled again and turned back to the kitchen.
Raiha stood at the cutting board and looked down at the neat little package tied with a small string. She was still trying to digest that the stranger from last night was standing at the front gate. Except he wasn't a stranger anymore, he had a name. Soujirou. But she would get no more time to learn about him. Picking up the package, she sighed. Better go give him the package and let him go Raiha.
When she stepped out of the kitchen, she saw little Keiko run towards her. Seeing the terrified expression on the child's face, Raiha broke into a run.
"What happened?" Raiha asked, holding Keiko in her arms.
"There's a scary man outside and he's going to hurt Seta-san. Seta-san told me to run and stay with you in the kitchen."
"Listen to me Keiko, I want you to go to the kitchen and stay there. Don't come out unless I come and personally get you, okay? Can you do that for me?"
Keiko nodded her head, "I won't come out. I promise."
"Good. Now hurry along." Raiha waited until the little girl was in the small room before running full speed towards the gate.
Her heart clutched in horror, when she saw what was happening. "Keisuke- san!" she cried out. "Please, calm down!"
Keisuke had grasped Soujirou by the collar of his gi and looked like he was about to smashed his fist into the smaller man's face.
"You slut." Keisuke growled, "Now I know why you kept denying me what was mine.
You were already spreading your legs for him!"
Raiha shook her head in denial. "That's not true Keisuke-san. Soujirou-san is a cousin of mine. He just got here today from the city to see me." Hoping the lie would placate the drunken man. Stealing a glance at Soujirou, a cold feeling went through Raiha when she saw his eyes. He looked calm and composed, as if the bigger man was not threatening him but inviting him for tea instead.
"Don't lie to me." Keisuke slurred. Letting go of the other man, his attention was all on her.
"Get lost if you don't want to get hurt" He tossed over his shoulder at the slight man. Opening the gate, Keisuke weaved menacingly towards her, leering at her slight cleavage, he grinned at her. "Since you have already given away favors, there should be no reason I should wait to get married to have you, right?"
Raiha took a step back but then held her ground, "I will never marry you."
But the man seemed not to hear what she said and reached out to grasp her arm. But even before she jerked her arm out of his reach. The big man howled in pain.
Raiha raised her surprised glance to Soujirou who was standing next Keisuke holding a glinting sword at his neck.
"You son of a bitch!" Keisuke screamed holding his bleeding hand.
"I suggest you leave right now and never come back." Soujirou said coldly. Keisuke turned to look at the smaller man. He opened his mouth to curse at him. But stopped suddenly as a shiver ran down his spine.
The slight man was smiling as he held the glinting sword firmly.
"I'll be back for you, you bitch. You'll pay for this." Keisuke sneered at Raiha before hurrying out of the small courtyard.
Raiha stared after the retreating man in silent shock. Her worst nightmare was happening right in front of her eyes.
"Raiha-san? Are you okay?" A soft voice next to her spoke with concern. Turning to Soujirou, she looked into the deep pools of his eyes and felt relief and sorrow rush through her.
"Thank you." She choked out forgetting the conventions of society for a moment and fell against him.
His hands came up to catch her and the sword clutched tightly in his fingers fell with a thud on to the ground.
But even as she leaned into him, she was pulling away. Her features were composed when she looked up at him.
"Thank you for saving me earlier Soujirou-san. I'll be in your debt for the rest of my life." She said solemnly.
"No." He spoke softly.
Startled by his reaction, Raiha thought she saw something flash in his eyes before he continued.
"I've brought more trouble for you than ever. He'll be back the moment he is sure that I have left."
"Maybe. But, I knew the situation would turn out like this if I refused him." Raiha rationalized, realizing that she still held the small package in her hand, she quickly handed it to him. "Here are the rice balls, you better be on your way if you want to make it to the next village before dusk."
"I can't - -." He broke off as he felt someone else's presence. "Show yourself." He said politely.
Startled by the sudden comment, Raiha glanced around but saw nothing. But even as she surveyed the courtyard, the leaves on a large tree in the corner rustled slightly as a shadowy figure blended into the leaves jumped down to land gracefully.
"Soujirou. You must be losing your touch if it took you this long to sense my presence." A pretty woman purred.
"Kamatari." Soujirou bent his head slightly, "what are you doing here?"
Author's Note (Part 2): So what did ya think? I hope that I didn't over dramatize everything . . . ^_^;;
2 A Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction
3 Author's Note: I started some new ways to identify thoughts since I didn't realize that italics didn't work on Ffnet, ^_^;; So now all thoughts are marked with thought. That's all for now, please read and review!
Spoilers: Almost all of the Kyoto Arc will be spoiled for you eventually. Gomen!
Disclaimer: Rights to Rurouni Kenshin and all of its lovely characters belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro, etc. Original characters all belong to me, but you can probably use them if you ask, ^_^.
4
5 Part 2: Fateful Morning
Dawn showed its glowing face as Soujirou stepped into the dew covered grass. Turning to look at his home for the past six months, he felt a slight tightening in his stomach. He had allowed himself to stay at this place for much longer than usual. This morning, with the bird chirping brightly outside of his cottage, he woke up with the urge to set off once again. Picking up the parcel that lay next to his feet, he spared the run down little place one last glance before heading to the main road.
Where will I go now? He thought to himself. He had spent the last two years wandering the countryside. Maybe its time to head to a city. Am I ready? He felt tension fill his body as he thought of facing so many strangers. Two years of isolation had its toll on him; he didn't want to think about having to fit into society again. Sighing, he shook his head, No use in agonizing over this, I'll just go where the road will take me. With that thought in mind, he raised his head and smiled once at the sunlight filtering through the autumn leaves before setting off at an energetic pace.
Walking past the lake, Soujirou suddenly came to a halt. Briefly, his mind wandered back to the girl who sat crying by the shore. He still did not know what had caused her tears and, looking down at his parcel, he probably would never know. He felt oddly saddened that he would never be the one to take the hopeless look out of her eyes. It's probably better if you didn't know anything, you can't help her anyway. Laughing harshly at himself, Soujirou turned away from the lake.
************
As she hung the laundry out to dry, her mind continued to linger upon the slight man by the lake. Was I just dreaming? She wondered. Whether he was real or not, she still felt oddly comforted and calm inside. For when she awoke in the morning, she realized that she had already made her decision. Picking up the laundry basket, she made her way to the kitchen to prepare for lunch. Tying an apron around her kimono, Raiha had just started to make soup when she saw Keiko skipping towards her with a huge smile on her face.
"Onee-chan! Onee-chan!"
Stepping away from the cooking fire, Raiha bent down to talk to the little girl.
"What is it, Keiko?"
"There's a man outside! I think he wants to see you!"
Raiha tensed, "What did I say to you about talking to strangers."
"I should never talk to them when you are not here." Keiko announced in a sing-song voice. "But he was standing at the gate and looked really worried. C'mon, lets hurry before he goes away!"
Led by Keiko, Raiha walked to the small gate that led to their small cottage, but when she got close, her step faltered slightly.
It's him! She realized. He was real after all, not a beautiful angel with ink black hair and dark blue eyes.
"Hello." She spoke softly when they faced eachother. His startled gaze met hers as he stood there unmoving.
"Good morning." He replied. Gazing into her violet ones.
Keiko looked back and forth between the two adults. Boy, she thought, why are they just standing there? Pulling at her sister's hand, she whispered loudly to Raiha, "Why don't you invite him in?"
Flushing, Raiha spoke, "Excuse my manners, but would you like to come in mister -."
"Seta. Soujirou." He smiled, " Thank you but I was just about to go on a trip."
"Oh." Feeling oddly disappointed, Raiha's smile fell a little. "I just made some rice balls and if you don't mind I can pack some for you for your journey." It was a small sign of gratitude.
Understanding the gesture, Soujirou said, "That would be wonderful. Thank you."
She smiled again and turned back to the kitchen.
Raiha stood at the cutting board and looked down at the neat little package tied with a small string. She was still trying to digest that the stranger from last night was standing at the front gate. Except he wasn't a stranger anymore, he had a name. Soujirou. But she would get no more time to learn about him. Picking up the package, she sighed. Better go give him the package and let him go Raiha.
When she stepped out of the kitchen, she saw little Keiko run towards her. Seeing the terrified expression on the child's face, Raiha broke into a run.
"What happened?" Raiha asked, holding Keiko in her arms.
"There's a scary man outside and he's going to hurt Seta-san. Seta-san told me to run and stay with you in the kitchen."
"Listen to me Keiko, I want you to go to the kitchen and stay there. Don't come out unless I come and personally get you, okay? Can you do that for me?"
Keiko nodded her head, "I won't come out. I promise."
"Good. Now hurry along." Raiha waited until the little girl was in the small room before running full speed towards the gate.
Her heart clutched in horror, when she saw what was happening. "Keisuke- san!" she cried out. "Please, calm down!"
Keisuke had grasped Soujirou by the collar of his gi and looked like he was about to smashed his fist into the smaller man's face.
"You slut." Keisuke growled, "Now I know why you kept denying me what was mine.
You were already spreading your legs for him!"
Raiha shook her head in denial. "That's not true Keisuke-san. Soujirou-san is a cousin of mine. He just got here today from the city to see me." Hoping the lie would placate the drunken man. Stealing a glance at Soujirou, a cold feeling went through Raiha when she saw his eyes. He looked calm and composed, as if the bigger man was not threatening him but inviting him for tea instead.
"Don't lie to me." Keisuke slurred. Letting go of the other man, his attention was all on her.
"Get lost if you don't want to get hurt" He tossed over his shoulder at the slight man. Opening the gate, Keisuke weaved menacingly towards her, leering at her slight cleavage, he grinned at her. "Since you have already given away favors, there should be no reason I should wait to get married to have you, right?"
Raiha took a step back but then held her ground, "I will never marry you."
But the man seemed not to hear what she said and reached out to grasp her arm. But even before she jerked her arm out of his reach. The big man howled in pain.
Raiha raised her surprised glance to Soujirou who was standing next Keisuke holding a glinting sword at his neck.
"You son of a bitch!" Keisuke screamed holding his bleeding hand.
"I suggest you leave right now and never come back." Soujirou said coldly. Keisuke turned to look at the smaller man. He opened his mouth to curse at him. But stopped suddenly as a shiver ran down his spine.
The slight man was smiling as he held the glinting sword firmly.
"I'll be back for you, you bitch. You'll pay for this." Keisuke sneered at Raiha before hurrying out of the small courtyard.
Raiha stared after the retreating man in silent shock. Her worst nightmare was happening right in front of her eyes.
"Raiha-san? Are you okay?" A soft voice next to her spoke with concern. Turning to Soujirou, she looked into the deep pools of his eyes and felt relief and sorrow rush through her.
"Thank you." She choked out forgetting the conventions of society for a moment and fell against him.
His hands came up to catch her and the sword clutched tightly in his fingers fell with a thud on to the ground.
But even as she leaned into him, she was pulling away. Her features were composed when she looked up at him.
"Thank you for saving me earlier Soujirou-san. I'll be in your debt for the rest of my life." She said solemnly.
"No." He spoke softly.
Startled by his reaction, Raiha thought she saw something flash in his eyes before he continued.
"I've brought more trouble for you than ever. He'll be back the moment he is sure that I have left."
"Maybe. But, I knew the situation would turn out like this if I refused him." Raiha rationalized, realizing that she still held the small package in her hand, she quickly handed it to him. "Here are the rice balls, you better be on your way if you want to make it to the next village before dusk."
"I can't - -." He broke off as he felt someone else's presence. "Show yourself." He said politely.
Startled by the sudden comment, Raiha glanced around but saw nothing. But even as she surveyed the courtyard, the leaves on a large tree in the corner rustled slightly as a shadowy figure blended into the leaves jumped down to land gracefully.
"Soujirou. You must be losing your touch if it took you this long to sense my presence." A pretty woman purred.
"Kamatari." Soujirou bent his head slightly, "what are you doing here?"
Author's Note (Part 2): So what did ya think? I hope that I didn't over dramatize everything . . . ^_^;;
