Chapter 2, sprinkle
"Wake up rise in shine." A girl that Misao hadn't met before sat beside her bed smileing. Her red hair was dark and deep and she had blue eyes.
"You must be Ruri." Misao smiled. She glanced around the room, Ruri had opened the window so a nice breeze could flow in. She had picked some flowers and placed them in a vase by the window. She had putten a rug infront of Misao's door and unpacked Misao's backpack and placed her clothes neatly into a burrow.
"Yes I am." Ruri's hair started blowing in the wind and a chill went up Misao's spine. "We feel we might have some dangerous company abroud tonight," Ruri gazed out the window. "the whole town feels it, the streets are deserted and the stores closed. Everyone is too afraid to go out. I pitty anyone who has guard duty tonight, I'm afraid no one will come out to help them in fear of being slain." She looked at Misao boring deep inside here eyes was a trace as fear, though the rest of her pale buitafuly smooth face did not show it, if you observed her eyes carefuly you could see it growing inside her pupil. "Oh shit, we have guard duty tonight!" but that subject seemed to drop down suddenly with Misao's words.
"Well whatever evil befalls this loving town I will be glad to help." Misao although she had not gone around town yet could tell that the town was loving in the sence that the people lived here were very kind, and everyone seemed to help eachother out getting back home last night. But tonight was different, noone would need help to get back home. Nobody would leave home, except for the guards.
"Come, we are about to sit down and have some breakfast. If you are not that hungry atleast come and sit with us." Ruri smiled again and she brought Misao out and around a corner to a large room that they had named, the main area. Mainly because everybody seemed to like it there. So it was the main part of the dojo.
"Hello Misao, sleep well?" it was Nori she smiled and introduced Misao to Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi had black hair and brown eyes. Ruri and him shared a bed, so Misao guessed they were acouple.
"Yes, I slept well. And I hope to sleep like that every night." Misao smiled. At that moment Miki gave out a woop of triumph and then he walked into the room. Misao guessed by the looks on everyones faces they did not wish for him to get up.
"I thought I told you to stay there!" Nori looked like smoke could've come out of her ears and her eyes full with fire. Miki just stared at her with a look of anger.
"I'm not as weak as you would've thoughten." Miki sat down at the table, next to Nori. Who lifted her hand behind her and hit him upside the head. "Why the hell did you just to that?" he rubbed the back of his head.
"Every time you get up you end up breaking something. Remember last time you got up and then halfway to the door way you fell over and caught yourself with the table, and then you broke a vase." Nori wouldn't let her stare down and now one eyebrow was raised. "And another you fell down the stairs." With this Misao snorted into her tea and had to run outside in fear of tea coming out of her nose.
"Just let him stay for the meal, I'll escort him back to his bed later. To ensure that nothing breaks." Kiyoshi nodded to Nori sighed turning to her food. When Misao came back all peace had resumed so she went on eating and then shut herself in her room.
"This is so much like the old dojo." she said aloud to herself. "Nori is like Koaru always jumping down on you. And Miki is so much like Sano, so determined and sometimes alittle stupid to tell the truth." then she laughed, "Ok stupid." Then the door slid open and she sat up.
"Today and tonight we have guard duty, I am to show you around town now. And bring you to guard duty." Nori was standing in the doorway with a sword at her side. Misao grabbed the stuff she needed and she followed her. "You are to use a sword, no other weapons are admitted." Nori handed Misao a sword, it seemed built for Misao. It was light and it moved smoothly and with great agility.
"Ok." Misao shiethed the sword and kept walking along. They passed many stores that were deserted and here and there some workers were seen in the back pacing back and forth like trees swaying in the wind.
"This is where you get your weapons and theres where you get your food. " Nori pointed them out. After that they spoke seldom, and at long last they came to the end of the street and entered a large building. "This is where we meet before guard duty." Nori walked into a large room where everyone was kneeling down their swords infront of them, a man was pacing up and down infront of them. All of them were guys.
"Ahhh there you are Nori." the man looked relieved. "Hello, my name is Sora." the man was of normal weight and had just enough muscles but not too much. He had brown light hair and grey eyes.
"I'm Misao." then she noticed his hand was extended so she took it firmly and shook it.
"I like you, firm grip, tough." Sora stared at her face. It was of no expression but her eyes stayed upon his.
"Come Misao," Nori lead Misao to the line and unshiethed her sword laying it infront of her kneeling in suit to everybody else. So Misao followed.
"Today all you men will be patroling around the city. Except you three," Sora indicated to three men and they bit their lips. "you'll be patroling the eastern street, you the western, and you right down the middle. As for you Nori, you'll be patroling the south border. And Misao you'll be patroling the north." he then nodded and everyone got up and grabbed their swords, they shiethed them and then in singal file they left the room quietly and headed for their positions.
"Here this is the north road, just go up and down it. Tonight Ruri is going to be patroling the same street." Nori had her face set into a grim mask and she headed off down the eastern road to her position.
Night seemed to linger in the air like a threat as dirt rose from the ground blowing in the wind, windows were shut curtains closed. It was deserted. The only people abroad were the patrols.
What seemed like two hours later dusk came upon them and Ruri was hurrying up the street to her position for the night. Misao greeted her happily, Misao had been very lonely and now she had someone to talk to.
"Hey, anything seem peculiar lately?" Ruri walked along side her.
"No, just that its so deserted. But I guess thats usual right now." Misao sighed. She was puzzled and was having troubles thinking who would be killing the city members. Suddenly bells rang. Screams in the distance of men fighting could be heard and the clacking of swords. Then they heard screams of pain and then nothing.
"They're in the city," Ruri hissed "they've passed the guards. She unshiethed her sword and looked upon the roof tops. Then down inbetween buildings. A smell of smoke swifted from the south. No sighn from the north seemed dangerous so they leaned up against a nearby house wall so noone could sneak up behind.
"What should we do, we can't just leave them there to die!" Misao snapped. She was worried for Nori, and most of all for Kimi. The little girl was so young and she lived on the southern road.
"It seems like a fire has been lit to a nearby house." Ruri had snuck her head around the corner. Then her eyes widened and Misao snuck her head around too.
Down the eastern and western roads a horsemen galloped down a gleaming sword unshiethed in one hand a torch in the other. They lifted their swords and cut the guards across the stomachs, agony screamed out and pressed in around them.
"What shall we do." Misao hissed. Her eyes knew the tale of the battousai, and now she was to live it. "They are the remaining battousai who have gathered followers, and ones that have reversed they're swords back to the blackness."
"Fight, thats all we can do. This town we must face it, is going to fall into darkness." Ruri leaned against the wall popping her head back in as the rider passed. Then the two riders from the two roads ran at them. Charging with their horses, the other battlers had followed and closed out all escape. Some were torchering the women of the houses.
"How?" Misao shouted over the fear of the people.
"Believe you can." Ruri yelled. At that moment the riders reached them and they swung out their swords and they clancked together. They rolled and lifted the sword cutting the arms of the battousai. Then the others pushed them back in. "Underneath the horse will be safest, they'll end up hitting themselves with this one," Ruri hissed into Misao's ear. Noticing the confusion in Misao's eyes she added "just trust me." So she did.
The horses charged at them and they slid underneath them, grabbing the battousai's coverage. They had almost been trampled. Now the battousai's true selves were unmasked. And Misao gasped as Kenshin made a move to kill her, she swung her sword around and stopped his attack. And screamed the first word that came to her mind, Tomoe.
Kenshin drew back and ordered them out, they swung back onto their horses and galloped out of the village.
"How did you do that?" Ruri walked up to her. Her confusion was clear piercing through the night.
"I knew him, he used to be a battousai. Now he has returned. I'm afraid that darkness has befallen the people at my old dojo for that is where he had lived, where I lived. And with that they walked down the road picking up the dead. They found Nori injured on the side and brought her in. And that night all you could hear were the sounds of tears sprinkling the pillows.