Disclaimer: Nope, don't own 'em. All RuroKen characters belong to their respective creators, animators, marketers, and whatnot. I'm just borrowing them for a bit.
Frozen
Chapter 1
A soft breeze blew across the courtyard of the Kamiya dojo, carrying with it the scent of spring. It was the finest it had been for weeks; the sun shone, the birds chirped, the sky was a brilliant, intoxicating shade of blue. Everything was perfect, not a thing amiss or out of place in the world.
Which was precisely the reason, of course, that something had to go wrong.
She was waiting for something to happen. Something. Anything. Yahiko was working at the Akabeko. Sano was gone for the week; when pressed, he had only given the cryptic response "private business." Kenshin had gone off on some small errand of his own, and would not return for some hours yet.
Kaoru Kamiya watched as a single pink petal floated softly through the air, sighing at the scent of cherry blossoms it brought along with it. The dojo was absolutely silent- it should have been easy to relax. And yet she still found herself on edge, waiting for something to happen- tense where she should have been calm, especially now that the riotous events of the past year were behind them.
Unable to focus her mind long enough to perform any of the chores needed in the dojo, she had come outside to try and enjoy the spring weather. There were undoubtedly a million things she could be doing- things vastly more productive and useful than watching flower petals on the breeze.
But the last week had been particularly chaotic, and she found herself unwilling to leave the soft green grass to return to her duties inside. Sitting here, the warmth of the spring morning had finally begun to relax her, easing slightly the months of tension that had been building on her slim shoulders. Yahiko would undoubtedly taunt her for being lazy; but he would never have to know. None of them would. Especially not...
Sighing, she dismissed the thought and lay back once more. A short rest, then. But only a short one.
There was, after all, work to be done.
***
Himura Kenshin sighed as he crested the hill, closing violet eyes as a breeze ruffled his unruly bangs away from his face. The wind was warm against his skin, and it smelled of the rain that had fallen only last night.
'So it is spring.' He though idly, raising his head and breathing in deeply. 'Another year.'
Something flashed at the corner of his eye, and he turned to see a pink cherry petal floating past, carried by the wind that swept and tossed it through the morning air.
Beautiful...but he really should be doing things besides watching blossoms in the wind. Kaoru-dono was still at the dojo, and without someone there to moderate her, she was probably working herself far too hard.
He smiled at the thought of her dashing around the dojo, busy with anything and everything. She had grown even more capable of running her father's business over the past year- but there were still days when the work of caring for the dojo, as well as Yahiko, Sano, and himself, seemed to weigh her down. She had not been sleeping well for the past few weeks, he knew. When she appeared in the morning, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she was jumpy and easily rattled.
The flower petal dipped once more in the soft breeze before landing on the ground in front of him.
'Kaoru-dono...'
It was like that night, months and months ago before he had left for Kyoto....with the cherry blossoms falling all around, their sweet scent drifting through the air.
Memories of an embrace-feeling her body close to his, her startled gasp of breath warm on his neck- and then her heartbroken cry as he turned and walked away.
A shake of his head brought him back to the present. He had walked away that night, fully expecting never to see her again.
But she had followed him.
He knew then that she had feelings for him; he had seen it in her eyes. The knowledge had awoken a whirlpool of emotions, a mixed storm of fear, shock...and relief.
Raising his hand, he let the wind sweep the flower from his hand, turning to face the dojo.
Towards home.
***
The dark man watched him go, and smiled as the rurouni faded into the distance. So this was the man he had been awaiting for so long...this was Hitokiri Battousai. The manslayer, the murderer- the warrior with the stains of a thousand lives on his hands.
Funny. He thought such a man would have looked more...dangerous.
Black, bottomless eyes flashed with dangerous good humor. Lips curled into a smile. It was no matter what Battousai looked like- all that mattered was what was inside.
That soul- the black soul of a killer.
He could feel that his time was drawing nearer, and it made him impatient. He had waited for so long...and now that his chance was nearly here, he had become impatient in an almost child-like manner.
He wanted that soul, that power- and he wanted it NOW.
And, as many poor, lost lives could attest to, he always got what he wanted.
But he had been patient for time out of mind, and he could afford to wait a bit longer. It was, after all, the chance of a lifetime- or a thousand.
The dark man drew back, melding with the shadows of the trees behind him. The morning sun shone where he had stood, warm rays beating down on the green grass, and melting the perfect frozen outline of two footprints, one right next to the other.
***
Underneath a tree, barely a mile away, the only movement was the rise and fall of Kaoru's chest as she slept, having been lulled to sleep by the breeze and sun. Dark brows narrowed- a breath hitched. A soft gasp escaped her, fingers reaching for something not there. She shifted briefly- and then slept silently once more.
In her dreams, she strayed through wisps of memories, thoughts, nightmares. Walking a path that she had followed countless times before, she passed the good and the bad, things that had caused her pain and joy, tears and laughter. But she paid little heed to any of it, for she knew that in the end, her dream would lead to him, just as it had countless times before.
So she journeyed the paths of her mind in sleep, alone. In her heart was a constant, throbbing ache: an emptiness that drove her from memory to memory, searching, unable to rest.
And just as she felt she could not take another step- just as she felt she would collapse with weariness- a lone figure appeared.
His face was down, eyes shadowed by unruly bangs. He did not look up as she drew closer, but the throb in her chest began to ease, simply by being in his presence.
"Kenshin," she breathed...and he raised his head slowly, gazing at her with wide violet eyes. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were filled with desperate yearning, tinged with sorrow and regret that seemed to draw her to him like a moth to a flame. She wanted so badly to run to him, to throw her arms around him and tell him that everything was all right now-
But even as she drew closer, he slowly raised both hands, palm-side up, as if trying to show her something.
"Kenshin..."
He shook his head, even as his eyes shone with loneliness that brought tears to her eyes.
"Kaoru-dono...don't come any closer."
She fought to go to him, but her feet refused to move along the path. He watched her all the while, palms still raised in front of him.
"No," he whispered. "Sessha's hands are stained with too much blood, Kaoru-dono...so much blood...Sessha is not worthy."
She struggled to cry out to him- to tell him that she didn't care, to tell him how much she loved him- to tell him how much it hurt to stay away. But the dream was already fragmenting, fading into pieces of hazy memory.
But even as his face faded, she could still hear his voice, calling her name.
"Kaoru-dono..."
She sat bolt upright with a sharp cry, reaching out for him-
And her hands touched soft cloth, the fabric bunching between her fingers as she gripped it.
"...nani?" she managed, trying to force the world back into perspective. A warm hand gripped her shoulder; violet eyes stared into her own, concern bright in their warm depths.
The world fell back into focus with a nearly audible click as his face came into focus, so close to her own.
For a heartbeat, they stared at each other, faces only inches apart. Momentarily lost in the depths of his eyes, Kaoru felt as if she were drowning, deep water closing over her head even as she fought to breathe. But then he dropped his gaze, and the spell was broken.
A blush burned across her face as she looked down as well, and she was horrified to see that she was still gripping his sleeve in one hand. She released it as if it had burned her palm, too embarrassed to lift her eyes again.
"Kenshin?" she whispered groggily.
"Aa," he responded gently. "Kaoru-dono, are you all right?"
She nodded, raising a hand to rub her eyes. "Of course..." She stopped as her fingers touched wetness on her cheeks. Tears. She had been crying in her sleep.
"Iie, you were crying," he murmured. "Kaoru-dono, what is it? Sessha saw you sleeping here, and it looked as if you were having a nightmare."
"Sessha was worried," he continued when she didn't respond.
"I'm fine," she managed, still not able to look at him. A warm hand covered hers, and she automatically raised her eyes to his in surprise. Once he had her gaze, he held it, searching for the answer she had not given. Caught off guard, she could only stare back, mind wholly enveloped by the soft warmth of his hand on hers.
Kenshin searched her gaze, struck by how weary the normally vibrant face seemed. When he had first entered the courtyard, she had been laying peacefully on the ground, fast asleep- but as he drew nearer, she had begun to thrash and moan, as if fighting her dreams.
"Are you sure, Kaoru-dono?" he asked softly. "Sessha has noticed that you are tired all the time. Have you been sleeping well?"
Sleeping? No...she hadn't slept well in a long while. There had been dreams...several times a week, if not more. It was always the same; his turned out palms, a barrier to keep her away, and his pain-etched face as he told her to stay back. Of him fading into darkness, leaving her alone once more with the dull, pounding ache of loneliness.
How many times had she tried to run to him, to wrap him in her arms and hold him tight, to ease the ache she saw on his face- the same ache that was mirrored in her heart?
"Hai...I'm fine." She repeated. "You worry too much, Kenshin."
His lips curled slightly in a smile- but the expression did not reach his concerned eyes.
***
The dark man clapped his hands gleefully as the air in front of him shimmered and waved, projecting a picture of Kaoru's tear streaked face.
It had been almost too easy- with the barest of thoughts, he could place himself inside the girl's mind, turn her dreams dark and cold with only the slightest nudge. He had no personal quarrel with her, of course; it was only another step towards his goal of the Battousai. And even if he did not realize it yet, the girl carried with her a large part of the hitokiri's heart.
And to get to him, all such...obstacles...must first be removed. People such as the girl tied Himura to his human side- helped keep clear the line between the Battousai and the man, kept one from bleeding into the other. Kept that strength, that glorious, dark strength, at bay.
He could not have that. When he finally claimed Battousai's soul, it must be pure and untainted. And so even as he slowly wore the girl down with nightmares, night after night, he turned his dark gaze towards another that Himura loved.
The boy.
Frozen
Chapter 1
A soft breeze blew across the courtyard of the Kamiya dojo, carrying with it the scent of spring. It was the finest it had been for weeks; the sun shone, the birds chirped, the sky was a brilliant, intoxicating shade of blue. Everything was perfect, not a thing amiss or out of place in the world.
Which was precisely the reason, of course, that something had to go wrong.
She was waiting for something to happen. Something. Anything. Yahiko was working at the Akabeko. Sano was gone for the week; when pressed, he had only given the cryptic response "private business." Kenshin had gone off on some small errand of his own, and would not return for some hours yet.
Kaoru Kamiya watched as a single pink petal floated softly through the air, sighing at the scent of cherry blossoms it brought along with it. The dojo was absolutely silent- it should have been easy to relax. And yet she still found herself on edge, waiting for something to happen- tense where she should have been calm, especially now that the riotous events of the past year were behind them.
Unable to focus her mind long enough to perform any of the chores needed in the dojo, she had come outside to try and enjoy the spring weather. There were undoubtedly a million things she could be doing- things vastly more productive and useful than watching flower petals on the breeze.
But the last week had been particularly chaotic, and she found herself unwilling to leave the soft green grass to return to her duties inside. Sitting here, the warmth of the spring morning had finally begun to relax her, easing slightly the months of tension that had been building on her slim shoulders. Yahiko would undoubtedly taunt her for being lazy; but he would never have to know. None of them would. Especially not...
Sighing, she dismissed the thought and lay back once more. A short rest, then. But only a short one.
There was, after all, work to be done.
***
Himura Kenshin sighed as he crested the hill, closing violet eyes as a breeze ruffled his unruly bangs away from his face. The wind was warm against his skin, and it smelled of the rain that had fallen only last night.
'So it is spring.' He though idly, raising his head and breathing in deeply. 'Another year.'
Something flashed at the corner of his eye, and he turned to see a pink cherry petal floating past, carried by the wind that swept and tossed it through the morning air.
Beautiful...but he really should be doing things besides watching blossoms in the wind. Kaoru-dono was still at the dojo, and without someone there to moderate her, she was probably working herself far too hard.
He smiled at the thought of her dashing around the dojo, busy with anything and everything. She had grown even more capable of running her father's business over the past year- but there were still days when the work of caring for the dojo, as well as Yahiko, Sano, and himself, seemed to weigh her down. She had not been sleeping well for the past few weeks, he knew. When she appeared in the morning, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she was jumpy and easily rattled.
The flower petal dipped once more in the soft breeze before landing on the ground in front of him.
'Kaoru-dono...'
It was like that night, months and months ago before he had left for Kyoto....with the cherry blossoms falling all around, their sweet scent drifting through the air.
Memories of an embrace-feeling her body close to his, her startled gasp of breath warm on his neck- and then her heartbroken cry as he turned and walked away.
A shake of his head brought him back to the present. He had walked away that night, fully expecting never to see her again.
But she had followed him.
He knew then that she had feelings for him; he had seen it in her eyes. The knowledge had awoken a whirlpool of emotions, a mixed storm of fear, shock...and relief.
Raising his hand, he let the wind sweep the flower from his hand, turning to face the dojo.
Towards home.
***
The dark man watched him go, and smiled as the rurouni faded into the distance. So this was the man he had been awaiting for so long...this was Hitokiri Battousai. The manslayer, the murderer- the warrior with the stains of a thousand lives on his hands.
Funny. He thought such a man would have looked more...dangerous.
Black, bottomless eyes flashed with dangerous good humor. Lips curled into a smile. It was no matter what Battousai looked like- all that mattered was what was inside.
That soul- the black soul of a killer.
He could feel that his time was drawing nearer, and it made him impatient. He had waited for so long...and now that his chance was nearly here, he had become impatient in an almost child-like manner.
He wanted that soul, that power- and he wanted it NOW.
And, as many poor, lost lives could attest to, he always got what he wanted.
But he had been patient for time out of mind, and he could afford to wait a bit longer. It was, after all, the chance of a lifetime- or a thousand.
The dark man drew back, melding with the shadows of the trees behind him. The morning sun shone where he had stood, warm rays beating down on the green grass, and melting the perfect frozen outline of two footprints, one right next to the other.
***
Underneath a tree, barely a mile away, the only movement was the rise and fall of Kaoru's chest as she slept, having been lulled to sleep by the breeze and sun. Dark brows narrowed- a breath hitched. A soft gasp escaped her, fingers reaching for something not there. She shifted briefly- and then slept silently once more.
In her dreams, she strayed through wisps of memories, thoughts, nightmares. Walking a path that she had followed countless times before, she passed the good and the bad, things that had caused her pain and joy, tears and laughter. But she paid little heed to any of it, for she knew that in the end, her dream would lead to him, just as it had countless times before.
So she journeyed the paths of her mind in sleep, alone. In her heart was a constant, throbbing ache: an emptiness that drove her from memory to memory, searching, unable to rest.
And just as she felt she could not take another step- just as she felt she would collapse with weariness- a lone figure appeared.
His face was down, eyes shadowed by unruly bangs. He did not look up as she drew closer, but the throb in her chest began to ease, simply by being in his presence.
"Kenshin," she breathed...and he raised his head slowly, gazing at her with wide violet eyes. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were filled with desperate yearning, tinged with sorrow and regret that seemed to draw her to him like a moth to a flame. She wanted so badly to run to him, to throw her arms around him and tell him that everything was all right now-
But even as she drew closer, he slowly raised both hands, palm-side up, as if trying to show her something.
"Kenshin..."
He shook his head, even as his eyes shone with loneliness that brought tears to her eyes.
"Kaoru-dono...don't come any closer."
She fought to go to him, but her feet refused to move along the path. He watched her all the while, palms still raised in front of him.
"No," he whispered. "Sessha's hands are stained with too much blood, Kaoru-dono...so much blood...Sessha is not worthy."
She struggled to cry out to him- to tell him that she didn't care, to tell him how much she loved him- to tell him how much it hurt to stay away. But the dream was already fragmenting, fading into pieces of hazy memory.
But even as his face faded, she could still hear his voice, calling her name.
"Kaoru-dono..."
She sat bolt upright with a sharp cry, reaching out for him-
And her hands touched soft cloth, the fabric bunching between her fingers as she gripped it.
"...nani?" she managed, trying to force the world back into perspective. A warm hand gripped her shoulder; violet eyes stared into her own, concern bright in their warm depths.
The world fell back into focus with a nearly audible click as his face came into focus, so close to her own.
For a heartbeat, they stared at each other, faces only inches apart. Momentarily lost in the depths of his eyes, Kaoru felt as if she were drowning, deep water closing over her head even as she fought to breathe. But then he dropped his gaze, and the spell was broken.
A blush burned across her face as she looked down as well, and she was horrified to see that she was still gripping his sleeve in one hand. She released it as if it had burned her palm, too embarrassed to lift her eyes again.
"Kenshin?" she whispered groggily.
"Aa," he responded gently. "Kaoru-dono, are you all right?"
She nodded, raising a hand to rub her eyes. "Of course..." She stopped as her fingers touched wetness on her cheeks. Tears. She had been crying in her sleep.
"Iie, you were crying," he murmured. "Kaoru-dono, what is it? Sessha saw you sleeping here, and it looked as if you were having a nightmare."
"Sessha was worried," he continued when she didn't respond.
"I'm fine," she managed, still not able to look at him. A warm hand covered hers, and she automatically raised her eyes to his in surprise. Once he had her gaze, he held it, searching for the answer she had not given. Caught off guard, she could only stare back, mind wholly enveloped by the soft warmth of his hand on hers.
Kenshin searched her gaze, struck by how weary the normally vibrant face seemed. When he had first entered the courtyard, she had been laying peacefully on the ground, fast asleep- but as he drew nearer, she had begun to thrash and moan, as if fighting her dreams.
"Are you sure, Kaoru-dono?" he asked softly. "Sessha has noticed that you are tired all the time. Have you been sleeping well?"
Sleeping? No...she hadn't slept well in a long while. There had been dreams...several times a week, if not more. It was always the same; his turned out palms, a barrier to keep her away, and his pain-etched face as he told her to stay back. Of him fading into darkness, leaving her alone once more with the dull, pounding ache of loneliness.
How many times had she tried to run to him, to wrap him in her arms and hold him tight, to ease the ache she saw on his face- the same ache that was mirrored in her heart?
"Hai...I'm fine." She repeated. "You worry too much, Kenshin."
His lips curled slightly in a smile- but the expression did not reach his concerned eyes.
***
The dark man clapped his hands gleefully as the air in front of him shimmered and waved, projecting a picture of Kaoru's tear streaked face.
It had been almost too easy- with the barest of thoughts, he could place himself inside the girl's mind, turn her dreams dark and cold with only the slightest nudge. He had no personal quarrel with her, of course; it was only another step towards his goal of the Battousai. And even if he did not realize it yet, the girl carried with her a large part of the hitokiri's heart.
And to get to him, all such...obstacles...must first be removed. People such as the girl tied Himura to his human side- helped keep clear the line between the Battousai and the man, kept one from bleeding into the other. Kept that strength, that glorious, dark strength, at bay.
He could not have that. When he finally claimed Battousai's soul, it must be pure and untainted. And so even as he slowly wore the girl down with nightmares, night after night, he turned his dark gaze towards another that Himura loved.
The boy.