Author's Note: Again, this fic is meant to be angst above all else. There is no action in this chapter, but is essential to read to understand the story. Yes, Kenshin does appear in this chapter, but he won't return until chapter 3, unfortunately. Other than that, enjoy the show!
Chapter 1: When the Rock Crumbles Into Sand
"Mina, can you water the crops?" Mother called to me from the house as I was laying in the field, looking into the cerulean sky.
"Hai!" I call to my mother, jumping back to my feet.
This was my life back then, the simple country life. I was born as Tachibana Minako on June 20th, Western Year 1852. Red hair and lavender eyes, I was a rare breed in Japanese society. The hair came from my father's side, but the eyes were from my mother. We lived in the outskirts of Kyoto, away from the bustling city, it was a good thing too, because at that time you could simply find at least five corpses on the street within an hour upon entering. That time I lived in back then was dangerous, but only if you lived in the city. The only times my family and I were to go to the city was if we were going to the festivals, but we didn't go that year for a reason. The current year of my story is Western Year 1864, which would later be marked as the first year of the Meiji Revolution.
I tended to the crops just as Mother asked me to, but the odd thing was, there was nothing but dirt where the radishes were supposed to be. Father told me that there was supposed to be a drought that season, and I guess he was right. We needed those crops too, we would save them for ourselves for our meals and then sell the excess amount to the city. My family and I were only able to harvest ten radishes for ourselves the day before, and now, we have nothing.
"Pardon me, Miss," the voice of boy about my age interrupted my thoughts.
I looked up from the dirt, finding a young man before me. The odd thing was, it looked as if I was staring into a mirror. Red hair bound at the temple level, lavender eyes, a perfect copy somewhat. I glanced at him from head to toe, he just stood still as I did this. His garments weren't those of a Shogunate soldier, navy blue kimono, white hamaka, and a sword brandished on his side, and random spots of scarlet over these clothes. Upon closer inspection, I realized what those spots were. Blood, human blood!
"Oh my God...," I fell to the ground, beginning to plead for my life. "You're not going to kill me are you?! Please, I'll do anything, just spare me!" I found myself on my knees in tears, my hands wrapped around each other.
"Calm down, Miss," the young boy knelt down beside me, "I was just going to ask you which way the city is."
"Oh... gomen," I wiped my tears, returning to my feet. "The city is that way," I pointed to the east, "but I wouldn't go there right now if I were you, my father tells me there's some kind of war going on there."
"Arigatou, Miss," the young man bowed, and he began to leave. "Before I go," he stopped after taking one step toward the city, "may I ask your name?"
"Mina," I answered, bowing to him, "Tachibana Mina, and you?"
"Himura Kenshin," the boy answered, "I hope that we meet again, Tachibana-dono." The boy took one more bow before I watch him disappear into the roads.
That was my first encounter with Kenshin, although I don't think he remembers that encounter. I felt something warm about him, despite the coldness in his voice. He seemed different from other soldiers I had met before, quite an odd one he was. That day really meant a lot to me, that it did. Ever since that day, I believed that the red string of fate had tied us together, but later I would find out that the shade of red on the string was really crimson.
After finishing my chores, not that there were many to do due to the drought, the sun had begun to set. Removing the shawl over my hair, my mother signaled me inside the house. It was a simple two bedroom house, with a living room/kitchen upon entering the house and two bedrooms at both ends of that room. Yeah, it was small, but it was home.
"Mina, did you do your chores today?" Father asked me upon entering our home.
"Hai," I answered with a nod as I took my seat at the table, "but there don't seem to be anymore crops growing."
"Such a shame," Father got up from his spot on the table, "it looks like we might have to head into the city tomorrow to buy our groceries for this season."
Father wasn't very healthy at this point in my life, he would go to the bathroom a lot, vomit at least once every hour, and have random muscle cramps. The doctor told us it was cholera, and it seemed like it wasn't going to get better anytime soon. Mother and I had to split up his chores during this time. I didn't mind, but I was worried about Father a lot.
"When's Father going to get better, Mother?" I asked her, not knowing then that he was never going to get any better.
"...Soon, Mina," Mother answered as I sensed doubt in her words, "very soon."
"What do you mean there's no crops?!" I suddenly heard a man's yell from outside.
Jumping from my seat, I hurried outside to find a Tokugawa soldier yelling at my ill father. Ignoring the cries of my mother to not get involved, I hurried outside to defend my father.
"Just who do you think you are, Mister?!" I yelled at the samurai, not caring what he'd to do me. "You can't start pushing my father around like this!"
"Che, you must be Tachibana's daughter," the samurai spat in my face, "or should I say a lowly old man's daughter."
"Bastard," I wiped the saliva away from my cheek, striking the soldier across the face with the very same hand after, "what the hell do you mean?!"
"Farmers and the lower class don't deserve family names," the samurai remained calm as he recovered from my slap, "especially a name such as Tachibana."
"I'd like you to repeat that!" I balled my hands into a fist, trying to pull myself away from my father's grasp.
"Mina, you mustn't," Father held me back, despite the fact that I was close to breaking out of his hold.
"Let me go, Father!" I began yelling at my father, forgetting who the enemy was in this situation. "Let me go this instant or I'll...!"
"Che, you farmers amuse me," the samurai mocked us as he began to tread back down the road. "Old man, you say you support the Shogunate. If you do in fact support the Shogunate, then you will give the Shogunate half of your crops next season instead of the usual quarter."
"What makes you think we'll follow your demands!" I yell at the samurai.
"Mina, stop this now!" Father ordered me, "think about it young lady, the Shogunate has lead our country for four hundred years, do you think we can just have them replaced by some other stupid faction like the Ishin Shishi so easily?!"
"I'm actually surprised the Shogunate has been overthrown for this long!" I pushed my father away. "Father, why can't you let go of the past, Japan needs a stronger leader than the Shogunate! They could use someone like the Ishin Shishi to rule this country!"
"Mina, do you have any idea of what you just said?!" Father's voice soon became a yell in my ears.
"Che, you're such an idiot, Father," I turned my back on the old man, "you think things will just get better if you leave them be... Well let me tell you this, things aren't going to get better for any of us, not if the Shogunate keeps bullying us!"
"And just what do you intend to do about it, young lady?!" Father grabbed my shoulder, forcefully turning my body to face him.
"I...," no words were able to escape my mouth as many raced through my mind.
"Maybe I could join the Ishin Shishi," is what popped up in my head the most during those few seconds. I didn't think they would let me join back then, for me being a woman, the battlefield was supposed to be for men, especially ronin or vagabonds. Yet in the end...
"That's just what I thought, Mina!" Father limped back to the house. "Now go back inside and help your mother reset the table!"
If Fate had not intervened that day, perhaps that's all I could've ever been; a woman taking care of her family, doing nothing but household chores, being a nobody. Yet Fate did intervene, I just didn't know it yet. Not until two years later.
Chapter 1 Liner Notes
What do 'hai', 'gomen', and 'arigatou' mean?- 'Hai' is the Japanese way of saying 'yes', 'okay', or anything else in that area. 'Gomen' is translated to 'sorry' in English. 'Arigatou' is how you say 'thank you' in Japanese.
So when exactly did Mina meet Kenshin?- This event occurred before Kenshin fought Kiyosato Akira, but after Kenshin left Hiko's training. Basically Kenshin was returning to Kyoto from an assassination when he met Mina.
What's this 'Red String of Fate'?- In Japanese culture, the Red String of Fate is basically what many believe tie two lovers together. Mina harbors those feelings for Kenshin as you know from the Twin Dragon Arc, that's why she mentions it, and she'll continue to mention it throughout the story.
Why was the Shogunate samurai making a big deal over Mina's family name?- Tachibana is a last name given to legendary samurai in many samurai novels and tales. Usually one named Tachibana is a warrior feared by many, but still a fighter for justice. They also usually suffer from some kind of disease that was incurable then (in most cases, the warrior would suffer from tuberculosis). A good example of this would be Tachibana Ukyo from the Samurai Showdown video games. Ukyo was a Battoujutsu master but suffered from tuberculosis, in fact, he coughed up blood for some of his victory poses. For those who read the Twin Dragon Arc, you know what disease Mina has (at least later on). Also, Mina was given her first name for a good reason. In Japanese, if you don't know a person's name, or if you want to refer to everyone in the same area as you, you would call them 'mina-san'. Mina was given her name because farmers were recognized as the lower class during the Tokugawa era, but that's not all. In European culture, one named 'Mina' often suffered a cruel fate in the past, in most cases, their entire family would be killed before their eyes.
(Next time: "The rock of life has crumbled, Fate has begun to break the one they call Tachibana Mina. The mountain of Tachibana has crumbled, the pieces of the stone tower are all scattered..." -Tachibana Mina)
Author's Note: What'd you think? Trust me, it gets better as the story goes on, becoming more darker with each chapter, and if you're waiting for the action, it doesn't show up until chapter 3 when Kenshin returns. I must also warn you readers that the rating will eventually change to R due to graphic violence, along with a little bit of yaoi (only implied though), some yuri, rape, and a lemon chapter near the end. So drop me a review, but please don't flame me, I'm kinda new at this, I sure hope my preview for the next chapter sounds cool, I tried to make it sound like some kind of riddle. Suggestions for future chapters are welcome as this fic is still incomplete.