Author's Note: All right guys, here's the deal, this fic is going to be at least sixty chapters long so I'm going to separate the separate story arcs into different story entries. As a result, there will be three different story entries of "Crimson String" in the future, each one with a different arc of the story. This arc will end within chapter 30 or so, then you'll have to watch out for "Crimson String Book II: A Rurouni's Path". Well, enough of my talking, let's get on with the show!



Chapter 17: Plagued by Darkness



After that little incident with Shion, I knew I had some explaining to do with Kenshin. As soon as I could, I dashed into the room, slamming the door to the other side as I entered.

"Kenshin, I have something to talk with you about," I tried to explain what just happened.

"Oh no, there's nothing to explain," Kenshin said with his back turned, his fingers still pinching his nostrils together, "I have nothing against your preference in..."

"You see, that's it," I tried to explain, "I wasn't expecting anything like that from Shion, that I wasn't, it's just that she..."

"You don't have to explain," Kenshin tried to ignore me again.

"Look, Kenshin, I am not...," I tried to get my message across.

"I understand," Kenshin interrupted again, "Shion-dono suddenly brought that kiss upon you when you least expected it and I just arrived at the wrong moment, that I did."

"Hai, that's exactly what happened," I wiped away the river coming from my brow, "I'm glad you understand."

I slid against the nearby wall after, my feet giving out as soon as my back had touched it. I was so tired after last night, not to mention shaken by Kensai's actions after I had defeated Misanagi. I know that woman wasn't going to let me get away with what Kensai tried to do, all I could do was pray that didn't happen anytime soon.

"Mina," Kenshin looked to me once the crimson river stopped flowing from his nose.

"Hai?" I turned to him.

"There's a festival going on this evening," Kenshin brought up, "Katsura-dono has decided to let everyone take the evening off, I was wondering if the two of us can go out together later?"

"Are you serious?" I asked, pinching my leg to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"I mean, only as your older brother of course," Kenshin quickly brought up, his hands waving from side to side as he spoke, "that is if you want, if not I can completely understand, that I..."

"Actually, I would love to go to the festival with you," I answered.

"Really, th..that's great, that it is," Kenshin smiled as he scratched an itch from the back of his neck.

"Let me rest first though," I yawned as I crawled toward my futon.

I had fallen asleep in an instant, my eyes were so weighed down that I had no strength left to lift them. Within what seemed like a blink, it was already night, well, it didn't seem like night when I had awakened. I was greeted with many lights outside, along with the chattering of many. There was a festival going on all right, it must be for Kodomo-no-Hi. I guess that would explain why there were some paper fish hanging on my balcony. It was pretty noisy outside, people were still carrying swords, but it didn't look like anyone had any intention to draw them, not with all the kids around at least.

"Mina, are you awake yet?" Kenshin knocked from the other side of the door.

"Hai," I answered, pushing the blanket of my futon away, "I'll be right down, just let me get dressed."

I didn't want to wear my usual navy blue kimono out to the festival, it just wouldn't be right. For once I could dress up formal and not have to worry about getting blood spilt over it. I searched through my closet, most of it was just spare kimonos for battle. I did however, find something just right for the occasion though, a nice red kimono with a splash of yellow and floral design on it. I quickly slipped out of my old kimono, throwing it to the other side of the room in the process. I felt the softness of the silky fabric as it slipped on my shoulders, the smooth texture wrapped well with my body. For once, you can see my figure, those other kimonos I wore you couldn't, and for the longest time I didn't have to wear a hamaka or bandages around my breasts either, my legs and chest felt a bit more free because of that. I had a pair of descent shoes for something like this, they were about an inch tall, making me the same height as Kenshin. Unfortunately, I had no fancy ribbons or make up, but then again, I never really liked make-up in the first place. I hurried downstairs as fast as I could, nearly tripping over each step as I usually did when I was running. Kenshin was waiting for me at the end of the stairs, unfortunately wearing his usual garb instead of something fancy.

"How do I look?" I asked Kenshin upon arrival.

"N... nice," Kenshin stuttered as he took a long glance at me.

"Well, let's go," I took his hand, leading us outside of the inn.

The streets were even more crowded than they were when I glanced down at them from my room. Everywhere you stepped, your feet would most likely crush the toes of another. The noise was even louder than it was from inside, I'm sure I heard at least ten conversations going on at once.

"Wow, I want to look at that!" I dragged Kenshin to the nearest booth.

This particular vendor had never put up shop here before, he would always have his store posted at the other side of town, but I guess he decided to try a new area for once. I would always go to his store during my free time, he sold all sorts of interesting trinkets. From children's drums, to mirrors, to hair ribbons, the stand had everything that amazed me.

"Is there something you like, young lady?" the vendor asked as I stared at the merchandise in awe.

My eyes quickly raced through each of the items, I felt like I was a kid again, at least a younger kid. Toys, make-up, and ribbons, this vendor had everything I needed. I must've glanced through each item a million times until my eyes suddenly halted before a particular item.

"Did you find something you like, Mina?" Kenshin asked as I took the item into my hands.

It was a purple ribbon, smooth as a baby's skin, I could practically pet it against my face to set me to sleep. It was nicely folded, the material wrapped around my hands as I stretched it, not a wrinkle on it. How much I wanted it...

"How much is it?" I asked the vendor, brushing my face against the material as I spoke.

"One hundred ryo," the vendor answered.

"Are you kidding me?!" my head sprang back up.

"It's made of silk from the West," the vendor explained, "I'm sure you would understand."

"One hundred ryo just for...!" I began to scrunch the ribbon as I curled my fingers into a fist.

"Sir, I'll pay for it, that I will," Kenshin suddenly interrupted.

"Nani?!" I turned to Kenshin surprised.

"Arigatou, sir," the vendor thanked Kenshin as he handed him the money.

"Kenshin, why did...?" I looked to my brother, surprised by his latest action.

"I took the trouble of buying so please wear it," Kenshin responded with a smile.

"A... arigatou," I bowed, "I will, starting at this moment."

Immediately, I took the band that collected my hair and pried it away, freeing my hair for a few moments. I brought the silk cloth from under my strands, pulling it upward as I began to tie together. One loop over the other, it was in place. For some reason, I was as happy as a girl who had just been proposed to during Tanabata Day.

"How does it look?" I asked Kenshin, my feet spinning to the east, showing him every possible side view there is.

"It looks as if it was made for you, that it does," Kenshin answered.

"Arigatou, Kenshin," I quickly wrapped my arms around him. "Hey, what's that over there?" my eyes quickly caught the attention of another vendor.

That ribbon meant a lot to me, I still wear it to this day. I always wear my ribbon at every opportunity I could, I never tire of it's soft texture. The only times I would actually remove it is when I take a bath or sleep, other than that, it's always on me. It's dark purple material reminds me of my eyes, a darker tint anyway. You must think I'm being silly just to be excited over a piece of cloth, but this is actually the only present Kenshin has ever given me, and it serves a greater purpose that I shall reveal a bit later on.

Kenshin and I must've gone through every vendor in the entire city. There were all sorts of trinkets I would've found interesting if I wasn't focusing on my new ribbon. We enjoyed the shows of the festival as well, there were many puppet shows, all of them intended for the children, but I didn't care, I was still a child myself to a degree. Kenshin must've enjoyed them too; I saw him smiling the entire time the shows were playing. I never wanted that evening to end, our first date. No, I can't call it a date, it was just an outing with my brother. We must've stayed up for hours, and we were getting pretty hungry. Kenshin volunteered to pay for dinner at this fancy restaurant. Luckily it wasn't too crowded. I ordered a dish of grilled chicken with a side of rice, Kenshin had mackerel with radish along with a serving of rice, and the two of us shared a bottle of sake for a drink.

"How is it?" Kenshin asked as I swallowed a helping of poultry.

"It's good," I answered as I poured myself a glass of sake, "your's?"

"It's my favorite," Kenshin answered, eagerly digging into the fish.

"So mackerel's your favorite, Kenshin?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Hai," Kenshin nodded, "and your's?"

"I enjoy strawberry mochi," I answered, "it's been quite a while since I've had some."

"Miss," Kenshin called for the waitress, "can you get us some strawberry mochi, please?"

"Kenshin, are you sure you can afford all this?" I asked after he ordered our desert.

"Don't worry about it, Mina," Kenshin assured me, "I've been saving up for a day like this, that I have."

We enjoyed the rest of our meal, talking about times when we weren't on duty and when we just hung out. Yeah, I know I haven't really spoke of Kenshin during my tale, but I can't go through ever little detail, my story would just go on for eternity if I did so. We really were close, it's just that most of our free time had nothing to really do with the events that lead me up to here.

"Well, what should we do now?" Kenshin asked after our meal.

"Let's go home," I proposed, lighting my tobacco pipe as I spoke.

The streets were virtually empty the time we left the restaurant. Luckily Kenshin had brought a lantern with him, using it to push away the shadows that lay in our path. The only sounds we heard now were those of our own feet, a click and clack followed my feet as I pushed them against the ground. We were almost at the inn when the shadows begun to move rather oddly. Darkness quickly brushed through the lantern's path, something definitely wasn't right. We stood there for a few moments, waiting for that shadow to pass again, but it didn't.

"It must've been a cat," I concluded after a few seconds, only to feel the shadows brushing against me from behind now.

"Mina, stay close!" Kenshin ordered after.

I was unarmed at the moment so I had no choice but to obey. I clung tightly onto his kimono's sleeve, burying my forehead on his shoulder. I wasn't scared, I was just using this as an excuse to stay close with him. I just wanted to nuzzle his shoulder, but that would just make him lose his guard and leave us vulnerable to what was stalking us. I sensed something coming from the shadows within seconds, coming from behind.

"Kenshin!" I warned him.

Kenshin quickly turned, drawing his blade as he spun. Several shards of metal dropped to the ground after, digging into the stone road. It was obvious who the culprit was, ninjas, Sanada Ninjas to be exact.

"Mina, take this," Kenshin slid his wakezashi into my hand.

Without hesitating, I slid the short blade out of it's sheath, holding it close to me as I waited for the shadows to try and swallow us. It came so suddenly, the shadow sprung forward, luckily my blade was waiting for his heart as soon as he had leapt out. With the fall of one, the rest of the shadows began to engulf us. There was no way out. Kenshin and I had to make one. We charged forward, swinging left and right, illuminating the area in crimson glow, the shadows were now visible in all directions.

"Mina, you go on ahead," Kenshin suddenly ordered.

"No, Kenshin, it's...," I tried to explain the events that happened last night, but he jumped to the rooftops, all of the ninjas following him after, "...me they want...," I kicked the dust before my feet.

Before I could follow, I heard the wind swirling toward me from behind. Quickly I turned, my blade leading my body's path as I did so. Steel crashed once my back was now where my front was, my eyes now fixed on the devil from last night.

"Misanagi the Flying Arrow," my eyes narrowed upon meeting her's.

"Hitokiri Kensai," Misanagi grinned.

The two of us jumped back after, regaining our bearings quickly. I didn't want to fight her, Kensai had already done so much damage to her that I would feel guilty taking her life. I guess Misanagi didn't seem to care, all she must've wanted was revenge.

"Misanagi, I have no intention to fight you, that I don't," I tried to offer her a treaty.

"I have every intention to!" Misanagi sprang forward.

Again, my blade caught her own, her teeth biting down on her lip as she forced her sword toward me. I had no intention to fight back, only to evade her attacks, so I simply pushed her away with my foot, but that didn't seem to help. The shinobi quickly launched herself back at me, her hand wrapping itself around my collar as her knees pressed me against the floor. Her sword pierced the ground as I tilted my neck to the side to evade the stab, I tilted it to the other side when she went for the second. I had no choice but to strike back now, so I swung at her side but she quickly saw this and used her usual back flip to evade.

"Misanagi, let's stop this before either of us is killed," I tried once more to reason with her.

"What a pathetic way to beg for your life!" the ninja said as she charged once more.

She swung from the side, but again my sword caught it. She followed with a chop from her hand from the opposite direction which I was easily able to evade by ducking. Attacks just flew from all directions after that. I made sure my blade only deflected her's, never using it to catch a punch or kick. No attacks had landed from that fury, the two of us were tired from all that after a few minutes later. There was still no sign of Kenshin, and there was no way I could or wanted to defeat her in my state.

"Nani?!" my hand suddenly began to twitch. "No, not now," I gripped it's wrist with my other hand, dropping my blade in the process.

I had forgotten about Misanagi for a second, and within that second, she attacked once more. I took a glance up a millisecond later to find her blade leading her charge, piercing the air as she ran. Then, without my input, I rolled forward, evading the stab and taking my sword back into my hand in the process, pulling it upward as I rolled. I found myself behind Misanagi now, the two of us standing in place, waiting for the effects of our attacks. A small click came from Misanagi's direction, followed by a loud clang when the blade of her sword fell to the floor.

"Perfect," my body said without my input.

"This can't be...," Misanagi's slowly began to turn toward me.

"You should have listened to her," Kensai spoke from my lips, her hand pulling against my ribbon, freeing my hair from it's constraint.

"Her?" Misanagi asked, her eyes widening as she began to back away.

"Now I have you right where I want you!" Kensai said as my feet pushed my body forward.

"Kensai, don't!" I yelled at her as she began to chase Misanagi. "She's suffered enough!"

Kensai had ignored my warning, continuing to chase the shinobi down. We didn't run for very long until Misanagi stopped in place, placing her fists before her as she turned.

"I may not have a sword, but these hands are all I need as a weapon!" Misanagi screamed as she charged forward.

Kensai drew my sword again, charging into battle once more. Misanagi swung first with a lunge with her arm, Kensai simply held my sword in front to catch the attack, cutting her fist at the same time. Misanagi ignored the pain of from her hand and swung her leg upward after. Kensai used this to her advantage, grabbing the leg with her free arm and pushing all of my body weight forward to cause both of us to fall.

"For trying to pull a stunt like that I should kill you now!" Kensai spat as she grabbed Misanagi's neck.

Kensai brought her blade up, the point aimed at the base of her throat. I could see the fear in Misanagi's eyes, an emotion that was long forgotten to the ninja. I continued to scream at Kensai, but it seemed she had ignored me. Kensai began to push my blade forward, but the blade had stopped once the tip had touched her neck. Slowly, Kensai pulled my body up, taking my ribbon into my hand and began to tie it back in it's place. After the one loop was set over the other, I once again had control of my body. I turned back to the frozen Misanagi, still paralyzed by fear.

"Go," I ordered her, sliding my brother's sword back into it's sheath.

Slowly her back rose from the ground, her hands pushing her back to her feet. She stared at me oddly for a few seconds, probably wondering why I suddenly chose mercy when I was so close to killing her. She quickly turned her back and began to walk toward the darkness.

"Hitokiri Kensai," Misanagi stopped before being completely engulfed in darkness, "one day I will pay you back for the events that had transpired over the last two nights, always remember that!"

And with that, the shinobi was swallowed into the dark realm once more. I stood there in the remaining flicker of the crimson light, wondering what caused Kensai to stop so suddenly.

"The ribbon," I concluded.

A simple accessory was the key to controlling Kensai, it must signify which of us is in control. Now that I recall this in the present, Kensai was calling for me before I was impaled by Misanagi's sword, and then she suddenly evaded the attack for us, pulling out my ribbon in the process. Also when Kensai was about to kill Misanagi, I was also calling for her, and then I took control, tying the ribbon back in my hair after. This was the key to controlling her; my ribbon. It's rather stupid if you think about it, but it doesn't matter if I can somehow control her to an extent now.

"Mina, there you are," Kenshin appeared shortly.

"Are you okay?" I asked Kenshin after he appeared.

"Hai, for some reasons the ninjas just left so suddenly," Kenshin answered.

"Well, we should get going home now," I suggested, brushing away the recent incident aside.

A simple accessory used to keep back the demon within, that is the true reason I wear my ribbon.

Chapter 17 Liner Notes



What's 'Kodomo-no-Hi'?- It's a holiday that's dedicated to boys and girls that's celebrated on May fifth. 'Kodomo-no-Hi' is roughly translated as 'Children's Day', and those who celebrate it decorate their homes with paper carp, hence the paper fish Mina spoke of.



What's a 'mochi'?- It's a round Japanese pastry, sometimes kept frozen like ice cream. The outside is made of some kind of sticky dough and the inside is usually filled with a fruit filling, or nowadays, chocolate, coffee, and other sweets from the Western world.



About the recent fight between Mina and Misanagi- It is through this fight that Misanagi learns of Kenshin through her men. If you can recall in the anime, Misanagi knew about Kenshin, and after this battle, this is the first time she has ever heard of him.



About Mina's ribbon- Yeah, I know it's a stupid concept to have a ribbon keep Kensai in check, but this item is actually based on divine items in myths that supposedly kept demons inside a person if the item was worn. I know the concept is dumb, but hey, she's gotta keep Kensai in check somehow, right, and I can't think of a better way either.



(Next time: "Birthdays are supposed to be days of happiness. People sing songs, people talk, and people be merry all day long. In this world, I cannot find happiness, the sake for this occasion is of a dark crimson shade, the banquet still breathes as the guests tear at it's muscle, and the symphony is filled with nothing but screams. An uninvited guest has crashed the party, eyes as narrow as the crack in the streets and a steel fang on his left hand, if he wishes to invade, he must face the creature that plagues me..." -Himura Mina)



Author's Note: Well, how was it? Just to let you guys know ahead of time, I'm going to cut down on the violence a bit, and focus a bit more on character development in future chapters, so some fight scenes might seem a bit dull or whatever, but it's supposed to build on Mina's character. Anyway, I'd like to thank Crystal for reviewing nearly every chapter. Now that Emiri-chan has stopped reading this fic, I'll have Crystal's reviews give me the encouragement to go on, so I thank you ahead of time Crystal, and please don't stop reading this fic, your reviews mean a lot to me, as do the reviews of the rest of you other readers. So drop me a review, but not a flame. Oh, and there will be two versions of the next chapter because there will be a lemon (Kenshin and Mina, I know Crystal's been waiting for this, so please be patient). Well, that's it, later people!