Alright, here this goes, as promised. The parts with A+M were a touch
difficult, I think it's because I am not as familiar with the characters
and because I don't identify with either of them. But I'll try. Oh and if
you want and idea of what Kenshin's voice sounds like, listen to Stabbing
Westward's "Sleep" to "What do I have to do" and make Chris Hall's voice a
touch deeper.
Vesca- Kaoru was having a flashback. "For a moment she looked up at him,
standing in alley instead of the club, each movement of the dance made
deadly by the silver blade of his sword, the red light became blood that
ran over his body. Kaoru shivered, looking away to banish the vision."
Icegal- I know picturing Kaoru goth is a stretch, but for some reason I
can see Kenshin falling into the lifestyle (not as the Rurouni, but more as
a modern-day Battousi). Will see what I can do to make it seem more
natural.
Jason- Absinthe is a liquor brewed from herbs (the leaves of the plant
wormwood with plants such as angelica root, fennel, coriander, hyssop,
marjoram and anise for flavor) that was banned in the US and most European
countries in 1915.
http://www.sepulchritude.com/chapelperilous/absinthe/absinthe.html
Kard- Enishi isn't Tomoe's brother, though he does make an appearance, he's
just not the revenge driven psychopathic genius we know and love, instead
he is head of World Corp. (because of course, if you're in an Anime the
city you live in is the world;)
Touched
Misao sat at the bar, her green eyes search for the familiarly tall figure of her Aoshi. With a sigh and a slight pout she wandered aimlessly towards the dance floor. Minutes after entering the packed club she and Kaoru had been separated, since then Misao had searched the club in hopes of finding the silent focus of her adoration. ~Oh Well~ she thoughts, ~It's his loss, and anyway, I know where he lives. . .~ An uncontrollably evil smile spread across her face at the reminder of that knowledge. Although Aoshi seemed to keep to himself, some of the clubs more interesting occupants knew him well making it easy enough to track him down. And that tall man in the creepy mask had been very helpful, despite his appearance, by telling her that Aoshi kept a loft in the building across from the club. With new plans for winning her Aoshi, Misao stepped onto the dance floor.
From the steps of the stage Aoshi watach in silence, his blue eyes following the child-like grace of her movements. Then with the resolve of a decision he never remembered making, Aoshi approached her. Although Aoshi was more than a regular at the club, more for business than entertainment, he didn't dance. Instead he stood silently, a rock amidst the restless crowd.
"Hello Aoshi," Misao chimed happily. For a moment icy eyes held something akin to surprise as the girl spun sillily to face him. He seemed out of place in the club, though his dress pants and white shirt didn't stand out, nor did his long white coat draw attention to him. Instead it made him seem like the place's watcher, calling to mind the old stone gargoyles that perched protectively atop church towards. Misao smiled at the thought, ~Perhaps like the gargoyles, but he's much cuter than those things.~
"How did you know I was here?" He simply asked, his voice holding no hint of emotion.
"You're too tall." Misao laughed, pointing towards the mirror across the room.
A low laugh came from Aoshi's throat; it's heavy nature in contrast with the calm exterior. "I see, care to sit with me." Time passed in a conversation of nothing, Misao giggling and rambling on about some event or another as Aoshi watched her, his blue eyes loosing their detached nature. A few times he caught himself flirting, and although his mind chided him with reminders of self-discipline and at one desperate point the possibility that Misao was too young for him, Aoshi ignored its protests and slipped further into the spell of her eyes. Anymore the words didn't matter; he wasn't paying attention to their dance of conversation. Then the shield of laughter she had built to ward off the clubs intrusions was breached.
"Aoshi."
"What do you want, Kenshin." He looked up, anger flashing behind blue eyes as he answered.
"Oh, hi Kenshin, have you seen Kaoru, she came tonight too. I though it would be good for her to get out, and anyway I think she likes you. . ." Misao continued on, as Kenshin simply stared at her, waiting for the moment when she would have to breathe, but somehow it never came and she continued on and on.
Helplessly he glanced at Aoshi, who just smiled back. "Thanks Misao, Aoshi, we need to get ready."
Kenshin sat in the flickering half-light, the noise of the club thundering around him. Red flared for an instant, illumination his face before dimming back to the sleepy orage glow as the clove left his lips. The thick pray smoke hovered around him in a tense halo, humming with the rising energy of the club. ~So, she's here.~ The darker half of his mind smirked, its release through the music assured. Sparks bounced from the floor as the clove impacted and lay waiting for his boot to crush its glow. With a sigh of sweet smoke he rose, stepping past a concentrating Aoshi.
Pale eyes looked up at him, the energy radiating from his body making Aoshi shift with discomfort. A spark of anticipation hid in his blue eyes, his icy calm forced instead of natural. It had been years since Kenshin had allowed his beast (as he referred to it) to rise, and now Aoshi could watch the killers grace move his friend like a pacing lion. The daredevil side of the Oni's one time enforcer moved like a thunderstorm in front of him, not raging but with the feel of a storms power held in a man's body, unstably and waiting to break.
"I see that despite your fancy words, you are not above us heathens." Kenshin teased, breaking through Aoshi's thoughts. This Kenshin thrived in confrontation, and sought to provoke Aoshi. The anticipation was a heady drug in his veins; mixed with the promise of release it sent a prickling shiver over his skin. He hadn't ventured in front of an audience since Tomoe's murder, having closed himself off to touch and release.
"Enjoying the company of a woman does not make me a heathen." Aoshi replied setting the guitar he had been turning down.
Kenshin smirked in response, turning towards the curtain. "If you say so," the shifting curtain muffled his words as he stepped out onto stage. The old addiction filled his mind, the rush of fear and the ability to loose control. Too many years of being careful and deadening his senses as he slipped into the mundane, of being lost in the blood, of falling from grace. Low notes wrapped their embrace around his mind as he slipped into the abyss. Slowly he raised his head, the torment that he'd held for so long rode his soul. He felt the words rise in his throat before his mind knew them. His voice unfamiliar now; the sound of wolves and moonlit forests, the off color of dark languages, and in it all the whispered rise of the predator.
Little gothic, won't you make me come inside Fishnet stockings, and that cross around your neck
I think mother wouldn't like what Mary knew, and she did Little gothic, gonna put my spell on you. . .
Darkness washed over the club as Kaoru pushed dizzily through the crowd. The bitter-sweet alcohol clouding her mind and its poison rushed through her body. The sea of warm bodies overwhelmed her mind in the thick darkness, a mass of flesh moving against her. Just before the insanity threaten to take her away with the music, red light washed over the stage and the people around her surged forwards to, pushing her dizzy body against the cold metal as the light and music entranced her.
Bathed in red his amber eyes glowing from the shadows of vermilion hair and black paint stood Kenshin. His hair fell loosely about his shoulders, hanging to his waist in a satiny invitation. Black boot laced up over vinyl pants, their silver O-ring and chains shifting and catching the light. A black collar with small rings encircled his neck, thin chains trailing down over his chest to connect with the rings of his belt. The silver Ankh caught the light, its claspless chain like a living thing against his skin. Slowly he raised his head, his voice coming in painfully tactile waves that drew Kaoru's unfocused mind in.
I think Mary wouldn't like what Jesus knew, and he did. Little gothic, gonna put my spell on you
In darkness I will come again, to hold you once again To kiss your wicked smile
Sex on bloodstained lips, lifeless doll eyes twitch Moonlight upon your face, wolfsbane pear in your eyes Your secret's safe amongst the dead.
Kaodu shifted uneasily, her blue eyes playing tricks on her mind with the light's help and absinthe's influence. Shadows seemed to mix with inked wings, unfolding to shift with vermilion hair. The sweet poisons making her unvoiced dreams a reality, making Kenshin into the angel she had prayed for, though with black wings of shadows instead of white feathers. But wishes can't be perfect. His voice sent chills over her skin, its low angstful rumble hypnotic. Then the music shifted, and that voice chased her thoughts away. Intensity implied sexuality gave his voice the draw of the unknown. All around her the crowd moved, the lyrics coming to her in fractured pieces. "We kiss the stars, we writhe, we are."
Then it ended, the music falling away to softer notes as he dropped into a crouch at the front of the stage, head bowed and face hidden in shadow. Thicker notes swetted around him as his voice came from behind the red curtain.
He was with in arms read, Kaoru shuddered as she stood so close to this glowing creature. She prayed for him to see her, to notice her, and prayed for him not to know hoe. To let the sweet pain of longing grow with in her, not knowing if want is better than having.
"Touched. . . You say that I am too So much, of what you say is true I'll never find some one quite like you, again I'll never find someone quite like you, like you"
The music rose slowly, building in waves around the club as his voice held her paralyzed.
"The razors and the dying roses
plead I don't leave you alone. The demi-gods and hungry ghosts
God, God knows I'm not at home
I'll never find someone quite like you again
I'll never find someone quite like you again"
He was standing now, amber eyes burning into her uncertain thoughts. She couldn't remember the words that came before, or his rising, but there he was. The music roze in a frantic need, taking Kaoru's pulse with it until it stopped, leaving her breathless.
"I looked into your eyes and
saw a world that does not exist
I looked into your eyes and
saw a world I wish I was in"
Suddenly she was being lifted, hands pushed her up and forwards, panic settled through her and she twisted against the hand that moved her until his arm encircled her waist, and lifting her up onto the stage. Off balance she leaned against the hands at her back, a glance over her shoulder revealed the man that had lead them into the club. Then she turned to face Kenshin, the subtle push at her back forcing her to take a shaky step forwards. He never paused; his amber eyes remained unblinking as he walked towards her.
"I'll never find someone quite as touched as you
I'll never love someone quite the way that I loved you"
The last words left her reeling, their implication heavy in her mind, it couldn't be for her. But that was as far as her mind got her before his fingers brushed against her chin, his thumb and forefinger applying slight pressure. Startled she tried to step backwards, but ran out of stage, her foot trying to find purchase on empty space. In that moment he caught her, pulling her forwards into his arm and lips. The sweet taste of vanilla was the first thing she knew before his teeth graced her lips in a plea for supplication. Fingers pressed with bruising force against her back as the storm in Kenshin's mind broke over them, leaving Kaoru leaning against him for support as he lead her from the stage.
Enishi pressed his hand to the cold surface of the scanner, awaiting the hum of computer-processed information, and then the final click that allowed him access to his suite. Tiredly he stepped across the threshold fingers gliding over the touch pad to lock the door behind him. The rooms were on the top floor of the World Corp. building. His corporation have, over these short six years, grown from nothing to control every major market in The City. But it's growth, though aided by his less than legal associates, had been stunted by the actions of one willful teenager. Kaoru Kamiya was an unforeseen barrier. After the elimination of her father, and the current financial ruin of her family's business she should be more than willing to agree to his terms. Now he was left to answer to those less than legal associates, and although Enishi did not advocate the murder of a woman his recent tactics were proving useless. Anyway, business was business.
Musk. . .The illusive scent permeated his thoughts, it's sweetness half sensed and half imagined. A slow hiss marked the exhale of air between his teeth as he dropped his coat.
"How did you get in her?" His voice came with accusatory strength to hide the growing uncertainty.
For moments only silence greeted him, the scent mocking him, then the shadows across the room parted. Even in the half-light of the city her red satin dress seemed to glow.
"Don't sound so surprised." The husky voice filled the space between them.
"What do you want, Chandra?" Enshi asked, feigning annoyance at her presence.
"Just checking up on my investments." She paused, walking towards him. Each movement shifted the rich fabric, it's high slits flashing ghostly. Red lips smiled with mockery at him. "you remember the assassin you hired to handle Kamiys? Well, he now clings to the daughter without knowing why." A low laugh trickled from her lips, "Seems I will have to handle your. . . inadequacies again."
Enishi glare openly at the woman, "You should be more careful what you say."
Laughing Chandra walked past him, "Should I now. . ."
"I should have killed you four years ago." The threat hung between them, a dangerous connotation to each word. "It's such a pity the bullet missed."
Brown eyes hardened, their depths slipping slowly into the blackness of he soul. "Don't presume to know who you threaten." The words were a low his, her fingers clenching expectantly as she turned towards him. "I will destroy you-" Her voice was cut short, the cold glare of a blade catching her eye.
"Really. And how will you do that Chandra. Better yet, who will stop me from handling you now." Enishi met her darkening eyes unflinching. "Now leave before I decide that you are no longer useful."
After the door closed behind her, Chandra flipped open her cell. "Aoshi"
". . .Hello. . ." His voice came breathless over the other line.
"Kenshin took hit on Kamiya four years ago. Come to the club." Was all Chandra said, flipping the phone shut as she left the World Corp building.
A/N songs- "Little Gothic" -Seraphim Shock, "Cold"- Static X, "Touched" -Vast
Touched
Misao sat at the bar, her green eyes search for the familiarly tall figure of her Aoshi. With a sigh and a slight pout she wandered aimlessly towards the dance floor. Minutes after entering the packed club she and Kaoru had been separated, since then Misao had searched the club in hopes of finding the silent focus of her adoration. ~Oh Well~ she thoughts, ~It's his loss, and anyway, I know where he lives. . .~ An uncontrollably evil smile spread across her face at the reminder of that knowledge. Although Aoshi seemed to keep to himself, some of the clubs more interesting occupants knew him well making it easy enough to track him down. And that tall man in the creepy mask had been very helpful, despite his appearance, by telling her that Aoshi kept a loft in the building across from the club. With new plans for winning her Aoshi, Misao stepped onto the dance floor.
From the steps of the stage Aoshi watach in silence, his blue eyes following the child-like grace of her movements. Then with the resolve of a decision he never remembered making, Aoshi approached her. Although Aoshi was more than a regular at the club, more for business than entertainment, he didn't dance. Instead he stood silently, a rock amidst the restless crowd.
"Hello Aoshi," Misao chimed happily. For a moment icy eyes held something akin to surprise as the girl spun sillily to face him. He seemed out of place in the club, though his dress pants and white shirt didn't stand out, nor did his long white coat draw attention to him. Instead it made him seem like the place's watcher, calling to mind the old stone gargoyles that perched protectively atop church towards. Misao smiled at the thought, ~Perhaps like the gargoyles, but he's much cuter than those things.~
"How did you know I was here?" He simply asked, his voice holding no hint of emotion.
"You're too tall." Misao laughed, pointing towards the mirror across the room.
A low laugh came from Aoshi's throat; it's heavy nature in contrast with the calm exterior. "I see, care to sit with me." Time passed in a conversation of nothing, Misao giggling and rambling on about some event or another as Aoshi watched her, his blue eyes loosing their detached nature. A few times he caught himself flirting, and although his mind chided him with reminders of self-discipline and at one desperate point the possibility that Misao was too young for him, Aoshi ignored its protests and slipped further into the spell of her eyes. Anymore the words didn't matter; he wasn't paying attention to their dance of conversation. Then the shield of laughter she had built to ward off the clubs intrusions was breached.
"Aoshi."
"What do you want, Kenshin." He looked up, anger flashing behind blue eyes as he answered.
"Oh, hi Kenshin, have you seen Kaoru, she came tonight too. I though it would be good for her to get out, and anyway I think she likes you. . ." Misao continued on, as Kenshin simply stared at her, waiting for the moment when she would have to breathe, but somehow it never came and she continued on and on.
Helplessly he glanced at Aoshi, who just smiled back. "Thanks Misao, Aoshi, we need to get ready."
Kenshin sat in the flickering half-light, the noise of the club thundering around him. Red flared for an instant, illumination his face before dimming back to the sleepy orage glow as the clove left his lips. The thick pray smoke hovered around him in a tense halo, humming with the rising energy of the club. ~So, she's here.~ The darker half of his mind smirked, its release through the music assured. Sparks bounced from the floor as the clove impacted and lay waiting for his boot to crush its glow. With a sigh of sweet smoke he rose, stepping past a concentrating Aoshi.
Pale eyes looked up at him, the energy radiating from his body making Aoshi shift with discomfort. A spark of anticipation hid in his blue eyes, his icy calm forced instead of natural. It had been years since Kenshin had allowed his beast (as he referred to it) to rise, and now Aoshi could watch the killers grace move his friend like a pacing lion. The daredevil side of the Oni's one time enforcer moved like a thunderstorm in front of him, not raging but with the feel of a storms power held in a man's body, unstably and waiting to break.
"I see that despite your fancy words, you are not above us heathens." Kenshin teased, breaking through Aoshi's thoughts. This Kenshin thrived in confrontation, and sought to provoke Aoshi. The anticipation was a heady drug in his veins; mixed with the promise of release it sent a prickling shiver over his skin. He hadn't ventured in front of an audience since Tomoe's murder, having closed himself off to touch and release.
"Enjoying the company of a woman does not make me a heathen." Aoshi replied setting the guitar he had been turning down.
Kenshin smirked in response, turning towards the curtain. "If you say so," the shifting curtain muffled his words as he stepped out onto stage. The old addiction filled his mind, the rush of fear and the ability to loose control. Too many years of being careful and deadening his senses as he slipped into the mundane, of being lost in the blood, of falling from grace. Low notes wrapped their embrace around his mind as he slipped into the abyss. Slowly he raised his head, the torment that he'd held for so long rode his soul. He felt the words rise in his throat before his mind knew them. His voice unfamiliar now; the sound of wolves and moonlit forests, the off color of dark languages, and in it all the whispered rise of the predator.
Little gothic, won't you make me come inside Fishnet stockings, and that cross around your neck
I think mother wouldn't like what Mary knew, and she did Little gothic, gonna put my spell on you. . .
Darkness washed over the club as Kaoru pushed dizzily through the crowd. The bitter-sweet alcohol clouding her mind and its poison rushed through her body. The sea of warm bodies overwhelmed her mind in the thick darkness, a mass of flesh moving against her. Just before the insanity threaten to take her away with the music, red light washed over the stage and the people around her surged forwards to, pushing her dizzy body against the cold metal as the light and music entranced her.
Bathed in red his amber eyes glowing from the shadows of vermilion hair and black paint stood Kenshin. His hair fell loosely about his shoulders, hanging to his waist in a satiny invitation. Black boot laced up over vinyl pants, their silver O-ring and chains shifting and catching the light. A black collar with small rings encircled his neck, thin chains trailing down over his chest to connect with the rings of his belt. The silver Ankh caught the light, its claspless chain like a living thing against his skin. Slowly he raised his head, his voice coming in painfully tactile waves that drew Kaoru's unfocused mind in.
I think Mary wouldn't like what Jesus knew, and he did. Little gothic, gonna put my spell on you
In darkness I will come again, to hold you once again To kiss your wicked smile
Sex on bloodstained lips, lifeless doll eyes twitch Moonlight upon your face, wolfsbane pear in your eyes Your secret's safe amongst the dead.
Kaodu shifted uneasily, her blue eyes playing tricks on her mind with the light's help and absinthe's influence. Shadows seemed to mix with inked wings, unfolding to shift with vermilion hair. The sweet poisons making her unvoiced dreams a reality, making Kenshin into the angel she had prayed for, though with black wings of shadows instead of white feathers. But wishes can't be perfect. His voice sent chills over her skin, its low angstful rumble hypnotic. Then the music shifted, and that voice chased her thoughts away. Intensity implied sexuality gave his voice the draw of the unknown. All around her the crowd moved, the lyrics coming to her in fractured pieces. "We kiss the stars, we writhe, we are."
Then it ended, the music falling away to softer notes as he dropped into a crouch at the front of the stage, head bowed and face hidden in shadow. Thicker notes swetted around him as his voice came from behind the red curtain.
He was with in arms read, Kaoru shuddered as she stood so close to this glowing creature. She prayed for him to see her, to notice her, and prayed for him not to know hoe. To let the sweet pain of longing grow with in her, not knowing if want is better than having.
"Touched. . . You say that I am too So much, of what you say is true I'll never find some one quite like you, again I'll never find someone quite like you, like you"
The music rose slowly, building in waves around the club as his voice held her paralyzed.
"The razors and the dying roses
plead I don't leave you alone. The demi-gods and hungry ghosts
God, God knows I'm not at home
I'll never find someone quite like you again
I'll never find someone quite like you again"
He was standing now, amber eyes burning into her uncertain thoughts. She couldn't remember the words that came before, or his rising, but there he was. The music roze in a frantic need, taking Kaoru's pulse with it until it stopped, leaving her breathless.
"I looked into your eyes and
saw a world that does not exist
I looked into your eyes and
saw a world I wish I was in"
Suddenly she was being lifted, hands pushed her up and forwards, panic settled through her and she twisted against the hand that moved her until his arm encircled her waist, and lifting her up onto the stage. Off balance she leaned against the hands at her back, a glance over her shoulder revealed the man that had lead them into the club. Then she turned to face Kenshin, the subtle push at her back forcing her to take a shaky step forwards. He never paused; his amber eyes remained unblinking as he walked towards her.
"I'll never find someone quite as touched as you
I'll never love someone quite the way that I loved you"
The last words left her reeling, their implication heavy in her mind, it couldn't be for her. But that was as far as her mind got her before his fingers brushed against her chin, his thumb and forefinger applying slight pressure. Startled she tried to step backwards, but ran out of stage, her foot trying to find purchase on empty space. In that moment he caught her, pulling her forwards into his arm and lips. The sweet taste of vanilla was the first thing she knew before his teeth graced her lips in a plea for supplication. Fingers pressed with bruising force against her back as the storm in Kenshin's mind broke over them, leaving Kaoru leaning against him for support as he lead her from the stage.
Enishi pressed his hand to the cold surface of the scanner, awaiting the hum of computer-processed information, and then the final click that allowed him access to his suite. Tiredly he stepped across the threshold fingers gliding over the touch pad to lock the door behind him. The rooms were on the top floor of the World Corp. building. His corporation have, over these short six years, grown from nothing to control every major market in The City. But it's growth, though aided by his less than legal associates, had been stunted by the actions of one willful teenager. Kaoru Kamiya was an unforeseen barrier. After the elimination of her father, and the current financial ruin of her family's business she should be more than willing to agree to his terms. Now he was left to answer to those less than legal associates, and although Enishi did not advocate the murder of a woman his recent tactics were proving useless. Anyway, business was business.
Musk. . .The illusive scent permeated his thoughts, it's sweetness half sensed and half imagined. A slow hiss marked the exhale of air between his teeth as he dropped his coat.
"How did you get in her?" His voice came with accusatory strength to hide the growing uncertainty.
For moments only silence greeted him, the scent mocking him, then the shadows across the room parted. Even in the half-light of the city her red satin dress seemed to glow.
"Don't sound so surprised." The husky voice filled the space between them.
"What do you want, Chandra?" Enshi asked, feigning annoyance at her presence.
"Just checking up on my investments." She paused, walking towards him. Each movement shifted the rich fabric, it's high slits flashing ghostly. Red lips smiled with mockery at him. "you remember the assassin you hired to handle Kamiys? Well, he now clings to the daughter without knowing why." A low laugh trickled from her lips, "Seems I will have to handle your. . . inadequacies again."
Enishi glare openly at the woman, "You should be more careful what you say."
Laughing Chandra walked past him, "Should I now. . ."
"I should have killed you four years ago." The threat hung between them, a dangerous connotation to each word. "It's such a pity the bullet missed."
Brown eyes hardened, their depths slipping slowly into the blackness of he soul. "Don't presume to know who you threaten." The words were a low his, her fingers clenching expectantly as she turned towards him. "I will destroy you-" Her voice was cut short, the cold glare of a blade catching her eye.
"Really. And how will you do that Chandra. Better yet, who will stop me from handling you now." Enishi met her darkening eyes unflinching. "Now leave before I decide that you are no longer useful."
After the door closed behind her, Chandra flipped open her cell. "Aoshi"
". . .Hello. . ." His voice came breathless over the other line.
"Kenshin took hit on Kamiya four years ago. Come to the club." Was all Chandra said, flipping the phone shut as she left the World Corp building.
A/N songs- "Little Gothic" -Seraphim Shock, "Cold"- Static X, "Touched" -Vast