"Where do you want me to begin?" Kenshin poured Murasaki a small cup of
green tea as he kneeled at the small table in his room, the spunky redhead
sitting across from him.
"From the beginning." She let the tea sit on the table until it was cool.
"Your mother's name...Yukishiro Tomoe. Beautiful since the first day I laid eyes
on her. I was to be on an assignment that night, so that first sight had to be
quickly placed out of my mind so that I could concentrate on work..."
Murasaki interrupted, breaking her sip of tea. "Assignment? Work?! What are you
talking about?"
Kenshin sighed. Maybe she doesn't know anything.
"Has anyone ever told you of Hitokiri Battousai?"
"How could I NOT hear about him? He was one of the most famous people to bring
about this new era."
"Has anyone ever described him to you?"
Murasaki sat in her thoughts for a while, trying to remember all that people had
told her about the famous Battousai. She swallowed hard when her mind found the
truth.
"Y..y...you?!"
Kenshin nodded, more ashamed than proud of anything. "Yes that was I. Would you
like me to continue?" She nodded.
"It was that same night that I met her again. It was not the.... subtlest of
meetings." Kenshin chuckled to ease his mind a bit. ""You made the bloody rain
fall" were her first words to me. It wasn't the sight of her that made me
realize it was her...it was the seductive smell of her white plum perfume."
"God.... how tempting that smell was." Kenshin's thoughts wondered for awhile,
remembering all those nights they spent together...the room would fill with that
subtle smell, driving him almost to the point of madness. He shook his head in
shame, pulling his mind back to the present.
"Many...events took place and we eventually became married."
"Events?! Like what?"
"Those are unimportant. What is important, however, is that we got married for
another reason besides our deep love for each other. And that, Yoriko, was you."
"Me?"
"That night when she spoke her first words to me...." Kenshin's mind once again
returned to that night. Yes, she was drunk...but she begged him for comfort, for
the comfort her husband once gave her. Yes, he did resist. This isn't what he
was supposed to be doing. But there's a limit as to where a man has his
boundaries...her touch, smell.... her eyes. Damn those eyes!
17 years earlier
"No thanks are necessary." "I don't want to thank you...I just want someone." In
her drunken state, she had forced the Hitokiri to the mat. He could have easily
pushed her off and be on his way...but with those eyes looking at him? They
didn't make it so easy for him. He smelt the sake on her breath, and knew that
she was not in her right mind.
"You're drunk." He grimaced, the stench of alcohol causing him to wrinkle his
nose. All those years with his master hadn't developed his love for sake. He
just wanted to get away from this girl.
But nothing he said registered to the young girl's head, as she only pressed
herself to him more. The warmth...the feel of her against him...his mind went
cloudy, only seeing the pair of eyes nearing his.
They closed; her lovely lashes against her cheeks.
Her lips met his.
The rest of the night...
"We both tried to act like nothing happened...but Katsura could sense
something...that's why he told us to leave and live together. Sure, no one would
suspect a Hitokiri to be married, but he also knew that it was the best for us
to raise this child...you...as we did share ourselves with each other."
Murasaki smiled, taking a sip of her tea. It was wonderful to hear such a story
of 2 people so full of love for each other. But her smile quickly changed when
she heard the rest of his words.
"But I was undeserving of her love...I killed her husband, Murasaki. To find out
that the person you love and have a child with was, only a few weeks before,
going to be married to her fiancée...and to end that with your hands!" Kenshin
stared down at his own hands, as if the blood stains were still there." And
don't think she hasn't tried to avenge his death. That same night...when we
shared...her actions were all part of a plan to kill me. If only she had gone
through with it...if only she wasn't drunk! She knew from the beginning...a life
for a life..."
"But...she did forgive you, right? 'Love conquers all', as the saying goes, no?"
Kenshin only shook his head. "I hope she does...I never found out." His eyes
lifted to peer outside at the blue skies, as if he were to see her smiling face
there to show that she did forgive him.
"What do you mean? Weren't you together for a while so that you could raise me?"
"Yes, we were.... you born within 3 months of us getting married." Kenshin
smiled so lovingly at Murasaki. "You were such a beautiful child, Yoriko. And
you still are." He cusped his hands on her cheeks. "Even your mother's eyes..."
"But what happened?" Her eyes darted at his eyes, waiting for the answer.
His smile slowly lowered, as did his head, as he realized that he could no
longer delay the inevitable. "I killed her."
Never had anyone been in such a state before. Her own father...killed her
mother. Here, she thought that when she had finally found this man, they could
reminisce...become father and daughter again...even find their mother. Emotions
rushed in and out from her: hate, sadness, spitefulness, envy, revenge....
"I...I never got the chance to meet her..." she finally managed some words.
Kenshin lifted his head, surprised that she could struggle through such grief to
speak. He felt a lump rise in how own throat as he saw the tears surface on her
eyelids, finding their way down her cheeks, leaving trails of moistness behind.
"Not again..." he cursed himself. Another loved one...and he had to hurt her. It
was then that he wondered why he even went on living...all he caused was pain to
those close to him.
She stood to her feet, wiping the tears from her eyes and face. She gave a short
bow, and turned to leave the room.
"Yoriko..."
"...........thank you for taking your time to talk to me. But...I realize now
that it was a mistake to want to find you, 'father'." And with that final
message, she left the dojo.
She didn't know what to think. Could she actually be able to kill her father? Of
course she could! He took her mother's life! 'A life for a life' as he said, but
her thoughts were interrupted.
"Was I right, or was I right?" The familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
She nodded. "Yes, Shiro. You were right. I only found pain coming here..."
"And don't you want to pay him back for causing this pain?"
"...........yes. Yes, I do." Murasaki clenched her fist; her violet-blue eyes
flashed a hint of yellow for but a fraction of a second.
"Ah! I see. I thought all those stories of the golden glow of the Battousai's
eyes were a myth, but maybe it's actually hereditary."
"Why're you surprised?" She released her fist, leaving puncture wounds in her
palm where her fingernails pierced. "You have golden eyes yourself."
"Silly girl.... you're his only "other" relative...mine were obtained through a
different means. Anyway, let's back to the subject at hand. We both want the
Hitokiri dead, no?"
"Well, I do.... I'm not too sure about you." Murasaki smirked. "You just seem
bent on killing just about anyone and everyone...including me."
Shiro chuckled, seeing as the girl had a point. "Well, let's just work together
this once...we can achieve the goal so much quicker and easier."
Murasaki nodded. "Alright, what do I need to do?"
green tea as he kneeled at the small table in his room, the spunky redhead
sitting across from him.
"From the beginning." She let the tea sit on the table until it was cool.
"Your mother's name...Yukishiro Tomoe. Beautiful since the first day I laid eyes
on her. I was to be on an assignment that night, so that first sight had to be
quickly placed out of my mind so that I could concentrate on work..."
Murasaki interrupted, breaking her sip of tea. "Assignment? Work?! What are you
talking about?"
Kenshin sighed. Maybe she doesn't know anything.
"Has anyone ever told you of Hitokiri Battousai?"
"How could I NOT hear about him? He was one of the most famous people to bring
about this new era."
"Has anyone ever described him to you?"
Murasaki sat in her thoughts for a while, trying to remember all that people had
told her about the famous Battousai. She swallowed hard when her mind found the
truth.
"Y..y...you?!"
Kenshin nodded, more ashamed than proud of anything. "Yes that was I. Would you
like me to continue?" She nodded.
"It was that same night that I met her again. It was not the.... subtlest of
meetings." Kenshin chuckled to ease his mind a bit. ""You made the bloody rain
fall" were her first words to me. It wasn't the sight of her that made me
realize it was her...it was the seductive smell of her white plum perfume."
"God.... how tempting that smell was." Kenshin's thoughts wondered for awhile,
remembering all those nights they spent together...the room would fill with that
subtle smell, driving him almost to the point of madness. He shook his head in
shame, pulling his mind back to the present.
"Many...events took place and we eventually became married."
"Events?! Like what?"
"Those are unimportant. What is important, however, is that we got married for
another reason besides our deep love for each other. And that, Yoriko, was you."
"Me?"
"That night when she spoke her first words to me...." Kenshin's mind once again
returned to that night. Yes, she was drunk...but she begged him for comfort, for
the comfort her husband once gave her. Yes, he did resist. This isn't what he
was supposed to be doing. But there's a limit as to where a man has his
boundaries...her touch, smell.... her eyes. Damn those eyes!
17 years earlier
"No thanks are necessary." "I don't want to thank you...I just want someone." In
her drunken state, she had forced the Hitokiri to the mat. He could have easily
pushed her off and be on his way...but with those eyes looking at him? They
didn't make it so easy for him. He smelt the sake on her breath, and knew that
she was not in her right mind.
"You're drunk." He grimaced, the stench of alcohol causing him to wrinkle his
nose. All those years with his master hadn't developed his love for sake. He
just wanted to get away from this girl.
But nothing he said registered to the young girl's head, as she only pressed
herself to him more. The warmth...the feel of her against him...his mind went
cloudy, only seeing the pair of eyes nearing his.
They closed; her lovely lashes against her cheeks.
Her lips met his.
The rest of the night...
"We both tried to act like nothing happened...but Katsura could sense
something...that's why he told us to leave and live together. Sure, no one would
suspect a Hitokiri to be married, but he also knew that it was the best for us
to raise this child...you...as we did share ourselves with each other."
Murasaki smiled, taking a sip of her tea. It was wonderful to hear such a story
of 2 people so full of love for each other. But her smile quickly changed when
she heard the rest of his words.
"But I was undeserving of her love...I killed her husband, Murasaki. To find out
that the person you love and have a child with was, only a few weeks before,
going to be married to her fiancée...and to end that with your hands!" Kenshin
stared down at his own hands, as if the blood stains were still there." And
don't think she hasn't tried to avenge his death. That same night...when we
shared...her actions were all part of a plan to kill me. If only she had gone
through with it...if only she wasn't drunk! She knew from the beginning...a life
for a life..."
"But...she did forgive you, right? 'Love conquers all', as the saying goes, no?"
Kenshin only shook his head. "I hope she does...I never found out." His eyes
lifted to peer outside at the blue skies, as if he were to see her smiling face
there to show that she did forgive him.
"What do you mean? Weren't you together for a while so that you could raise me?"
"Yes, we were.... you born within 3 months of us getting married." Kenshin
smiled so lovingly at Murasaki. "You were such a beautiful child, Yoriko. And
you still are." He cusped his hands on her cheeks. "Even your mother's eyes..."
"But what happened?" Her eyes darted at his eyes, waiting for the answer.
His smile slowly lowered, as did his head, as he realized that he could no
longer delay the inevitable. "I killed her."
Never had anyone been in such a state before. Her own father...killed her
mother. Here, she thought that when she had finally found this man, they could
reminisce...become father and daughter again...even find their mother. Emotions
rushed in and out from her: hate, sadness, spitefulness, envy, revenge....
"I...I never got the chance to meet her..." she finally managed some words.
Kenshin lifted his head, surprised that she could struggle through such grief to
speak. He felt a lump rise in how own throat as he saw the tears surface on her
eyelids, finding their way down her cheeks, leaving trails of moistness behind.
"Not again..." he cursed himself. Another loved one...and he had to hurt her. It
was then that he wondered why he even went on living...all he caused was pain to
those close to him.
She stood to her feet, wiping the tears from her eyes and face. She gave a short
bow, and turned to leave the room.
"Yoriko..."
"...........thank you for taking your time to talk to me. But...I realize now
that it was a mistake to want to find you, 'father'." And with that final
message, she left the dojo.
She didn't know what to think. Could she actually be able to kill her father? Of
course she could! He took her mother's life! 'A life for a life' as he said, but
her thoughts were interrupted.
"Was I right, or was I right?" The familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
She nodded. "Yes, Shiro. You were right. I only found pain coming here..."
"And don't you want to pay him back for causing this pain?"
"...........yes. Yes, I do." Murasaki clenched her fist; her violet-blue eyes
flashed a hint of yellow for but a fraction of a second.
"Ah! I see. I thought all those stories of the golden glow of the Battousai's
eyes were a myth, but maybe it's actually hereditary."
"Why're you surprised?" She released her fist, leaving puncture wounds in her
palm where her fingernails pierced. "You have golden eyes yourself."
"Silly girl.... you're his only "other" relative...mine were obtained through a
different means. Anyway, let's back to the subject at hand. We both want the
Hitokiri dead, no?"
"Well, I do.... I'm not too sure about you." Murasaki smirked. "You just seem
bent on killing just about anyone and everyone...including me."
Shiro chuckled, seeing as the girl had a point. "Well, let's just work together
this once...we can achieve the goal so much quicker and easier."
Murasaki nodded. "Alright, what do I need to do?"