Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic
Rurouni Kenshin & Samurai X Original Japanese Version © N.Watsuki/Shueisha * Fuji-TV * SME Visual Works Inc. * Sony Pictures Entertainment
All Fanfics created by Chiruken (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.
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Lightning
by: Chiruken
Chapter 2
Plick Kenshin moaned softly and fought the return of consciousness. Plick plick He frowned and squeezed his eyes shut tighter, trying to ignore the intrusion of reality. Plick plick plick Wrinkling his nose he raised a hand over his face in an attempt to shield himself from the dripping water falling with annoying frequency between his eyes. With a sigh he opened his eyes slowly and stared at the palm of the hand he was holding over his face. Violet eyes traced the familiar paths of the lines marking his palm, pausing over the sword calluses before continuing down to his wrist, pausing for a moment to study the way the muscles moved as he flexed his fingers before continuing to the familiar faded cuff of his gi. He frowned a little more as he stared at the frayed material, noting how the cuff was threadbare and worn, transparent and trailing a slight fringe of strings. With another sigh he silently acknowledged that perhaps it was time to retire the weary garment and find something less…ragged…to wear.
It took a moment for him to realize that it wasn't raining anymore. It took another moment for him to realize that there were now bushes surrounding him, though the tree he'd been in still towered above him, though oddly enough it appeared…taller. Soon sound began to filter into his consciousness, sounds he wasn't familiar with…loud, raucous, a cacophony of noise. He barely resisted the urge to cover his ears to block out the sound.
"Oro?" Slowly he sat up, wincing as a throbbing ache began in his temples, and looked around himself with something close to panic forming. "Oro?!" Eyes wide with increasing apprehension, he took in the unfamiliar surroundings, head swiveling from right to left and back, impossibly tall building reaching up to the sky, touching the clouds, it seemed. Hands closing into fists to still the tremors shaking them, he shifted to a kneeling position and peered out through a break in the bushes hiding him from view.
Eyes darting back and forth, the rurouni began to feel the panic he'd held at bay begin to surface, overriding all logic. Trembling, he began to back away from the insanity spread before him. Things…he had no name for them as of yet…that resembled carriages in a strange and warped way were zooming past him at impossible speeds without the benefit of being pulled by either horse or ox. Biting his lip hard enough to draw blood he crept forward again and peeked through the branches again, wide eyes following the dizzying movement in morbid fascination. These "horseless carriages" came in all shapes, sizes and colours…some colours he had no name for. Light glinted off metal adorning the exteriors, temporarily blinding him with the brightness. As he looked closer, he could see people inside these things…but they were dressed oddly. Frowning, he leaned forward a little more, squinting to get a better look. The carriages were moving much too fast for him to get a better look at the clothing, but he was almost certain that they resembled the western styles the politicians and younger people were favoring in Tokyo, Yokohama and other ports where foreign visitors were common.
Looking down, Kenshin frowned and passed his hand over the smooth surface of the ground. "Odd." He murmured, touching the strangely colour rock again. "So smooth…so even…" He studied the ground a bit more before shrugging. Compared to horseless carriages moving at impossible speed and building that kissed the sky, smooth walkways were nothing to him. He pulled back into the relative shelter of the bushes and folded his arms over his chest with a thoughtful frown. He had no idea where he was, but he had a feeling it wasn't Tokyo anymore. "At least not the Tokyo I know…" He raised a hand and gently massaged the ache in his temple. Closing his eyes on a low groan, he shook his head morosely. "Kaoru-dono's going to be very angry, that she is." Eyes opening slowly to reveal worried violet he heaved a long-suffering sigh. "I lost her tofu, that I did."
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