DISCLAIMER: All Rurouni Kenshin characters belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro, Jump Comics, and all concerned parties. No infringement intended! Please don't sue me, a poor person. Any other characters created belong to me.
Timeline: Sometime in the distant future
Type of fic: Alternate Universe
Other notes: There may be some expletives here so I'm apologizing ahead of time ^^; Also, I will be changing the personalities of the characters we have in some aspects. Furthermore, I will also change some of the ages and who's older than whom 'k? ^^;
Real Dreams, my other fic, is on hold while I make room for this fic ^^; The next chapters should be up within two weeks after my finals ;p I promise to get more of the said fic soon to those who have been waiting! ^^v Please let me know what you think of this one ;p thanks! ^^
Rebirth
Prologue
--------------------
"Oh, daddy! Look, he's sooo cute!" a delighted voice squealed as a little bundle of what-seems-to-be-cloth-on-first-sight was handed to waiting arms.
"Daddy?! Why, that sounds so good, dear..." cheerfully replied the man as he approached his family.
"Shhh... Ooooh... Cute little fingers, ne Chibi? [Chibi = 'little one'] ... There... That's the way to do it..." cooed the woman to her newborn child as she held him steadfastly against her chest. Smiling, she brushed aside the cloth covering her son's face.
He cried loudly just then.
*What the...?* the woman thought as she shifted her body to peer at her son's face, all the while trying to calm him down from his raucous. She could've sworn she saw something... A frown crossed her features as she bent closer for an inspection.
Nothing.
*Odd... I could have sworn... I could have sworn it looked like...* she mused as she bounced her baby absently, trying to comfort him.
"Dear?... Dear? Daijoubu?" her husband asked worriedly as he noticed his wife's attention drifting.
Startled, she looked up. "Eh? Ah, daijoubu desu."
Her husband looked at her again, disbelieving. "Honto? You don't look so... Would you like to rest now?"
"Aa. You're probably right... Maybe I'm just tired."
"Oi, don't start talking like that! Well then, I'll go get the doc now."
She smiles. "Arigato." When her husband left, she cradled close her son hoping that it was, indeed, just a dream.
**********
The clattering of machines made their way to her ears as she walked down the long and gloomy passageway. In her hand was a set of printouts, showing charts and graphs pertaining to the recent tests that they were conducting. Like an individual possessed, her lithe figure managed to avoid all oncoming traffic of patients, doctors, and nurses rushing here and there while reading the thick wad of papers she clutched carefully in her hands. Then, in her state of absentmindedness, she almost ran directly into a pole when something in the reports struck her odd.
Glaring at the pole like it was the one at fault for blocking her way, the young doctor sighed and made her way to the nurse's station where she was greeted enthusiastically by one of the interns, carefully composing her face to show none of her discomfort.
"Konbanwa, Sensei!" the young intern greeted her enthusiastically.
The young doctor looked up from the sheaf of papers and carefully showed a rare and small smile… a smile that did not reach her sapphire eyes… at the intern before pulling off her glasses. "Konbanwa." she said with forced cheerfulness while brushing aside her loosely-braided hair with one hand. "Um, is Matsuoka-sensei in?"
The young intern grabbed a short file from the desk and began to leaf through the pages quickly. "Yes, he is… He's supposed to be in his office right now." the intern said after locating the appropriate entry.
The doctor again forced a small smile to show her thanks before retreating from the desk. She then directed her body to walk the familiar, but dull hallways, to the office she visited so often these days. Her head hurt not because she was sick but because she was aware of how stressed she would be again after her report was done. She sighed imperceptibly and continued her trek.
This particular corridor had nothing special in it. In fact it can be said that it is as plain and boring as any other hospital hall one individual would've been in: It was, as with most if not all hospitals, white from floor to ceilings, even the doors. It was squeaky clean as if the cleaners were afraid that one drop of foreign matter would soil the safety and sanitary regulations that the hospital was so proud of passing during each inspection by the local authorities. And, it was desolate, a corridor where barely anyone graced upon unless they had special reason to be present there.
Her footsteps echoed monotonously on the scrubbed tiles and, although she was the only one on the corridor, the young woman couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness. Looking around didn't help because there was nothing to look at except wall, wall, wall, door, wall, wall, wall, door… Audibly gulping and trusting that her body knew the way to the right door by now, the doctor brought up the papers she held by her side and started to reread it for the hundredth time, hoping that she had made a mistake earlier at the corridor. She replaced her glasses on top of her nose before delving deeper into the stack of white sheets. Unfortunately, as she found out some pages later, she didn't make a mistake and she let her frustration show momentarily on her face before hiding it quickly.
Silently growling to herself, she almost missed the correct door. Cursing under her breath, she straightened out her smock and began to raise a hand to announce her presence. But, before she could knock on the wooden surface, she heard a hushed discussion from within the office.
'Great…' she muttered under her breath. But she wasn't really disappointed because she was thinking that she could use the time while she was waiting for something productive. So, she leaned against the wall near the door. 'This will give me time to think of what to say…'
The petite woman closed her eyes and started to compose her report mentally when she accidentally heard some of the conversation from within.
"Can you really guarantee me…success…project?" came one voice.
"Yes… one sample… months ago…" came the other, the woman recognizing it as Matsuoka's.
"You'd better or… how long…"
"... yes… She has been…"
Then, the lady doctor heard the conversation getting louder and knew that these people were quickly approaching the door. Just slightly embarrassed for eavesdropping, she hastily backed away from the door when it opened. Two men came out, one being the tall, dashing frame of Matsuoka-sensei while the other was also a tall man with short, dark hair gelled in a stylish fashion. The two stopped short at the sight of the lady doctor.
"Sensei." the mystery man respectfully greeted the young woman, bowing slightly.
The young doctor could only bow in turn before turning her attention to the other doctor in sight.
"So then… We will keep in touch with you…" Matsuoka said earnestly at the man and extending his hand.
The other regarded the male doctor carefully before raising up his hand and shaking the latter's. "I will be waiting." he said simply before walking away down the barren hallway.
Matsuoka turned to the woman and invited her to come into his office. Once inside, he shut the door behind him and beckoned for the woman to sit down but she refused. He shrugged his shoulders and sat down behind the desk.
"So, what is this about?" he asked her patiently although his voice was weary and a little hopeful.
The young doctor regarded him carefully, hiding her emotions behind a well-practiced mask before replying. "I received the results for the test on Subject A."
Matsuoka raised an elegant eyebrow although if it was from shock , from disbelief, or from hope, the woman couldn't tell. "Indeed?"
"Yes. It seems… that there is a slight problem…" At the short silence that followed, she decided to continue. "It seems like the final stage involving the… memories…" she trailed off.
The other occupant of the room sat stiffly on his chair. With deliberate slowness, he removed the spectacles that were perched on top of his nose. Then, he began to massage the bridge of his nose as if to remove the tension that was building there. Without looking up, he asked, "So, is this what I think it is…?"
The young woman carefully narrowed her cerulean eyes to mere slits, "I'm afraid so…"
"SHIMATTA!" the doctor suddenly yelled, banging his fists on the table and successfully making the young woman jump in surprise. Then, as if suddenly remembering where he was, Matsuoka composed himself quickly but the woman could see that his anger was barely restrained. She gulped audibly when the doctor raised his eyes to look at her.
His eyes bore no mercy.
"You know the price I seek for failure." he said in monotone although his voice carried barely suppressed rage. When he saw her nod imperceptibly, he continued. "However, you are very good at what you do... and virtually irreplaceable…"
At those words, the lady doctor felt her insides relax although she didn't show it. Fear would only make the situation worse.
For Matsuoka, on the other hand, seeing this woman barely flinch at the face of a threat made him feel exhilarated. 'Finally! I finally have someone on my staff who doesn't crumble when under pressure.' he thought delightedly, remembering previous staff who grew fearful when they disappointed him and, hence, delivered poor and incompetent work.
After a short while, "How long do we have to wait?"
The other doctor didn't miss a beat, "Unknown," she replied in monotone, "there are too many factors involved. However, at first estimate, it may take as much, or as little, as ten years. Initial manifestations may start as early as two or three years though."
The tall man closed his eyes and sighed. "Is there any other way to circumvent this? Any other way?"
"None that we know of. But…" she paused.
Matsuoka looked up at the hesitation, prompting her to continue her query.
"Is it wise to leave Subject A with them?"
He grinned humorlessly at her question. He had somehow anticipated this and so, "Yes. Since it's the first time we succeeded in this project, I want to see how the subject would react to the outside world instead of being cooped up with us here."
The girl just narrowed her eyes further, still a little doubtful at the reply the doctor gave her but she knew that she isn't in a position to query. Matsuoka is her superior after all. So, without further ado, she handed him the pile of papers she was lugging around.
'Good! She knows her place… This… woman… is intriguing to say the least.' the male doctor mused noting the blank expression the other person was giving him although he could read some doubt in her eyes.
Just then, the speaker outside called for their attention. It was requesting for the female doctor's presence at a room they both knew well.
Matsuoka leaned back on his chair. "Very well then. If that is all, please attend to your duties and report back at the usual time."
She nodded her assent and turned to leave.
"Oh, and Kamiya-sensei," he added quietly to her turned back, "do not fail me."
Kamiya did not turn around but nodded her head before going out the door, shutting it quietly behind her.
Matsuoka opened the laptop on his desk and opened up the file pertaining to the doctor. While he waited for his request to be given by the computer, he reached for his phone and switched on a scrambler before dialing a number.
"It's me…" he said quietly to the voice that answered on the other end. "Yes… He did… No, not much but, we have trouble… Yes… I'm sorry. Yes, I'll send you the complete report right away… Yes… Once again, I'm sorry… Yes, I'll see to that… She's fine so far. She'll do what we say unless she wants her… All right." he put down the phone with a sigh and viewed the file before him.
"Kamiya Kahori," he said again with admiration, "what a mysterious woman you are…" He read again her file, something he didn't pay attention to when she was added to his staff. He should have read it before, he realized, as he found himself whistling at her accomplishments in the medical field and then some. A grin formed on his lips and he laughed out loud. "It was good we got her! Brilliant, just brilliant!" he said into thin air.
End of Prologue
Notes: I'm afraid this will be a fic that'll take time to finish ^^;; You just saw two characters really introduced here, one of which I made up ^^; Kamiya Kahori will be, as you know, Kaoru, although her personality is different from the Kaoru we know ;p I don't want to actually give away a lot of things about the upcoming chapters so please stay with me if you can in the suspense ;p Unlike my previous works, I already have the outline to the end so I know what will happen; I just want to keep everyone in suspense while I write Hehehehe
C&C welcomed! ^^
Timeline: Sometime in the distant future
Type of fic: Alternate Universe
Other notes: There may be some expletives here so I'm apologizing ahead of time ^^; Also, I will be changing the personalities of the characters we have in some aspects. Furthermore, I will also change some of the ages and who's older than whom 'k? ^^;
Real Dreams, my other fic, is on hold while I make room for this fic ^^; The next chapters should be up within two weeks after my finals ;p I promise to get more of the said fic soon to those who have been waiting! ^^v Please let me know what you think of this one ;p thanks! ^^
Rebirth
Prologue
--------------------
"Oh, daddy! Look, he's sooo cute!" a delighted voice squealed as a little bundle of what-seems-to-be-cloth-on-first-sight was handed to waiting arms.
"Daddy?! Why, that sounds so good, dear..." cheerfully replied the man as he approached his family.
"Shhh... Ooooh... Cute little fingers, ne Chibi? [Chibi = 'little one'] ... There... That's the way to do it..." cooed the woman to her newborn child as she held him steadfastly against her chest. Smiling, she brushed aside the cloth covering her son's face.
He cried loudly just then.
*What the...?* the woman thought as she shifted her body to peer at her son's face, all the while trying to calm him down from his raucous. She could've sworn she saw something... A frown crossed her features as she bent closer for an inspection.
Nothing.
*Odd... I could have sworn... I could have sworn it looked like...* she mused as she bounced her baby absently, trying to comfort him.
"Dear?... Dear? Daijoubu?" her husband asked worriedly as he noticed his wife's attention drifting.
Startled, she looked up. "Eh? Ah, daijoubu desu."
Her husband looked at her again, disbelieving. "Honto? You don't look so... Would you like to rest now?"
"Aa. You're probably right... Maybe I'm just tired."
"Oi, don't start talking like that! Well then, I'll go get the doc now."
She smiles. "Arigato." When her husband left, she cradled close her son hoping that it was, indeed, just a dream.
**********
The clattering of machines made their way to her ears as she walked down the long and gloomy passageway. In her hand was a set of printouts, showing charts and graphs pertaining to the recent tests that they were conducting. Like an individual possessed, her lithe figure managed to avoid all oncoming traffic of patients, doctors, and nurses rushing here and there while reading the thick wad of papers she clutched carefully in her hands. Then, in her state of absentmindedness, she almost ran directly into a pole when something in the reports struck her odd.
Glaring at the pole like it was the one at fault for blocking her way, the young doctor sighed and made her way to the nurse's station where she was greeted enthusiastically by one of the interns, carefully composing her face to show none of her discomfort.
"Konbanwa, Sensei!" the young intern greeted her enthusiastically.
The young doctor looked up from the sheaf of papers and carefully showed a rare and small smile… a smile that did not reach her sapphire eyes… at the intern before pulling off her glasses. "Konbanwa." she said with forced cheerfulness while brushing aside her loosely-braided hair with one hand. "Um, is Matsuoka-sensei in?"
The young intern grabbed a short file from the desk and began to leaf through the pages quickly. "Yes, he is… He's supposed to be in his office right now." the intern said after locating the appropriate entry.
The doctor again forced a small smile to show her thanks before retreating from the desk. She then directed her body to walk the familiar, but dull hallways, to the office she visited so often these days. Her head hurt not because she was sick but because she was aware of how stressed she would be again after her report was done. She sighed imperceptibly and continued her trek.
This particular corridor had nothing special in it. In fact it can be said that it is as plain and boring as any other hospital hall one individual would've been in: It was, as with most if not all hospitals, white from floor to ceilings, even the doors. It was squeaky clean as if the cleaners were afraid that one drop of foreign matter would soil the safety and sanitary regulations that the hospital was so proud of passing during each inspection by the local authorities. And, it was desolate, a corridor where barely anyone graced upon unless they had special reason to be present there.
Her footsteps echoed monotonously on the scrubbed tiles and, although she was the only one on the corridor, the young woman couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness. Looking around didn't help because there was nothing to look at except wall, wall, wall, door, wall, wall, wall, door… Audibly gulping and trusting that her body knew the way to the right door by now, the doctor brought up the papers she held by her side and started to reread it for the hundredth time, hoping that she had made a mistake earlier at the corridor. She replaced her glasses on top of her nose before delving deeper into the stack of white sheets. Unfortunately, as she found out some pages later, she didn't make a mistake and she let her frustration show momentarily on her face before hiding it quickly.
Silently growling to herself, she almost missed the correct door. Cursing under her breath, she straightened out her smock and began to raise a hand to announce her presence. But, before she could knock on the wooden surface, she heard a hushed discussion from within the office.
'Great…' she muttered under her breath. But she wasn't really disappointed because she was thinking that she could use the time while she was waiting for something productive. So, she leaned against the wall near the door. 'This will give me time to think of what to say…'
The petite woman closed her eyes and started to compose her report mentally when she accidentally heard some of the conversation from within.
"Can you really guarantee me…success…project?" came one voice.
"Yes… one sample… months ago…" came the other, the woman recognizing it as Matsuoka's.
"You'd better or… how long…"
"... yes… She has been…"
Then, the lady doctor heard the conversation getting louder and knew that these people were quickly approaching the door. Just slightly embarrassed for eavesdropping, she hastily backed away from the door when it opened. Two men came out, one being the tall, dashing frame of Matsuoka-sensei while the other was also a tall man with short, dark hair gelled in a stylish fashion. The two stopped short at the sight of the lady doctor.
"Sensei." the mystery man respectfully greeted the young woman, bowing slightly.
The young doctor could only bow in turn before turning her attention to the other doctor in sight.
"So then… We will keep in touch with you…" Matsuoka said earnestly at the man and extending his hand.
The other regarded the male doctor carefully before raising up his hand and shaking the latter's. "I will be waiting." he said simply before walking away down the barren hallway.
Matsuoka turned to the woman and invited her to come into his office. Once inside, he shut the door behind him and beckoned for the woman to sit down but she refused. He shrugged his shoulders and sat down behind the desk.
"So, what is this about?" he asked her patiently although his voice was weary and a little hopeful.
The young doctor regarded him carefully, hiding her emotions behind a well-practiced mask before replying. "I received the results for the test on Subject A."
Matsuoka raised an elegant eyebrow although if it was from shock , from disbelief, or from hope, the woman couldn't tell. "Indeed?"
"Yes. It seems… that there is a slight problem…" At the short silence that followed, she decided to continue. "It seems like the final stage involving the… memories…" she trailed off.
The other occupant of the room sat stiffly on his chair. With deliberate slowness, he removed the spectacles that were perched on top of his nose. Then, he began to massage the bridge of his nose as if to remove the tension that was building there. Without looking up, he asked, "So, is this what I think it is…?"
The young woman carefully narrowed her cerulean eyes to mere slits, "I'm afraid so…"
"SHIMATTA!" the doctor suddenly yelled, banging his fists on the table and successfully making the young woman jump in surprise. Then, as if suddenly remembering where he was, Matsuoka composed himself quickly but the woman could see that his anger was barely restrained. She gulped audibly when the doctor raised his eyes to look at her.
His eyes bore no mercy.
"You know the price I seek for failure." he said in monotone although his voice carried barely suppressed rage. When he saw her nod imperceptibly, he continued. "However, you are very good at what you do... and virtually irreplaceable…"
At those words, the lady doctor felt her insides relax although she didn't show it. Fear would only make the situation worse.
For Matsuoka, on the other hand, seeing this woman barely flinch at the face of a threat made him feel exhilarated. 'Finally! I finally have someone on my staff who doesn't crumble when under pressure.' he thought delightedly, remembering previous staff who grew fearful when they disappointed him and, hence, delivered poor and incompetent work.
After a short while, "How long do we have to wait?"
The other doctor didn't miss a beat, "Unknown," she replied in monotone, "there are too many factors involved. However, at first estimate, it may take as much, or as little, as ten years. Initial manifestations may start as early as two or three years though."
The tall man closed his eyes and sighed. "Is there any other way to circumvent this? Any other way?"
"None that we know of. But…" she paused.
Matsuoka looked up at the hesitation, prompting her to continue her query.
"Is it wise to leave Subject A with them?"
He grinned humorlessly at her question. He had somehow anticipated this and so, "Yes. Since it's the first time we succeeded in this project, I want to see how the subject would react to the outside world instead of being cooped up with us here."
The girl just narrowed her eyes further, still a little doubtful at the reply the doctor gave her but she knew that she isn't in a position to query. Matsuoka is her superior after all. So, without further ado, she handed him the pile of papers she was lugging around.
'Good! She knows her place… This… woman… is intriguing to say the least.' the male doctor mused noting the blank expression the other person was giving him although he could read some doubt in her eyes.
Just then, the speaker outside called for their attention. It was requesting for the female doctor's presence at a room they both knew well.
Matsuoka leaned back on his chair. "Very well then. If that is all, please attend to your duties and report back at the usual time."
She nodded her assent and turned to leave.
"Oh, and Kamiya-sensei," he added quietly to her turned back, "do not fail me."
Kamiya did not turn around but nodded her head before going out the door, shutting it quietly behind her.
Matsuoka opened the laptop on his desk and opened up the file pertaining to the doctor. While he waited for his request to be given by the computer, he reached for his phone and switched on a scrambler before dialing a number.
"It's me…" he said quietly to the voice that answered on the other end. "Yes… He did… No, not much but, we have trouble… Yes… I'm sorry. Yes, I'll send you the complete report right away… Yes… Once again, I'm sorry… Yes, I'll see to that… She's fine so far. She'll do what we say unless she wants her… All right." he put down the phone with a sigh and viewed the file before him.
"Kamiya Kahori," he said again with admiration, "what a mysterious woman you are…" He read again her file, something he didn't pay attention to when she was added to his staff. He should have read it before, he realized, as he found himself whistling at her accomplishments in the medical field and then some. A grin formed on his lips and he laughed out loud. "It was good we got her! Brilliant, just brilliant!" he said into thin air.
End of Prologue
Notes: I'm afraid this will be a fic that'll take time to finish ^^;; You just saw two characters really introduced here, one of which I made up ^^; Kamiya Kahori will be, as you know, Kaoru, although her personality is different from the Kaoru we know ;p I don't want to actually give away a lot of things about the upcoming chapters so please stay with me if you can in the suspense ;p Unlike my previous works, I already have the outline to the end so I know what will happen; I just want to keep everyone in suspense while I write Hehehehe
C&C welcomed! ^^