Rurouni Kenshin® does not belong to me. It's just as simple as that. Now read on. XP
Chapter 1
Fate's Wandering AngelMy name is Himura Kenshin. No wait… Let me rephrase that. My name –now- is Himura Kenshin. In a life before I was once called Hitokiri Battousai or, as some other called me, Battousai the Manslayer. I was feared in the ancient lands as the most feared being in which hunted down for innocent blood, a beast really if not a demon. Don't get me wrong though, as much as I would have not wanted to do so I was pushed into doing it. Call it an assignment as you can say. Lost? If not well, you soon will be.
I'm an angel, a High Angel if you want to be picky. Actually I'm rather the Divine High Angel of Fate but High Angel is just something I rather go by. The other title was to long and didn't seem to fit me anymore in this time. But like others have said before me, titles are only titles. Though now I'm considered the Wandering Angel. So many titles, so little time. But that's besides that point. I belonging to the kingdom of Kouen, heaven as you can call it. You know… Fluffy clouds, gold gates, people in robes with halos and wings? Hmmm.. Not really. It's anything but that. It's like any other worlds. It's different. It wasn't heavenly or well.. hell. It's as normal, if you consider it normal, as the place in which you like to call Earth. Care for me to explain? Perhaps another time. I rather not confuse you than I might have already.
Like I said before, I am an angel. It's hard to believe that the once Battousai can be such a thing such as an angel but I am an angel, that I am. I was sent down below in the years below, before the Meiji Era, by Fate in order to set things back onto course. You see Fate controlled everything and looked over time to make sure everything falls in line and place, as Fate wanted it to. If Fate wanted the destruction of Earth than Fate shall have it. It's really not wise to oppose that of Fate for Fate is Fate.
Well in this special case, Fate wanted to bring the ancient lands to near ruin and bring about the Meiji Era. Don't ask me behind the reasoning of Fate's decision. I'm only an angel in which takes orders not question them. Like I said before, not wise to oppose Fate.
Having gotten the assignment to do such things as that I was sent to the ancient lands, without any saying into it of course, to carry it out. It wasn't the most pleasant of things really. I was at a young age, as others would say a mere adolescent in which should only think… well what most other adolescents should. Well being as of how Fate would have it, that did not happen though at first it seemed like it. But I won't get into details, maybe later. Such a time for one's background isn't need. Not when there are other stories to be told, those in which contains more meaning in and behind them.
Well of course as I grew older, later figuring out the mission on my own, it wasn't too hard to do or carry out. Destroy, kill, spill blood upon the Motherland, bring chaos upon the land, the list went on and on. Anyway, that was the easy part. The hard part was controlling such things, the things I have done. You see as I grew up doing these things I began to develop another side of me. The Battousai. He was the other side in which enjoyed such brutal acts and crimes, the one that enjoyed the screams of pain, of the blood, of the killing. It was hard to control. Hell, I couldn't really control it at all.
Slowly, as time passed and more blood was spilt, I earned the name of Hitokiri Battousai the Manslayer. Everyone feared me. They feared that they would be the next victim to my blood-tainted katana, my katana in which now thirsted for blood, in which fed on it, in which needed it. I was enjoying it too much but I couldn't turn away for it was too hard. But that was till that faithful day when I met her…
She had dark black hair, black as the midnight skies, and deep brown eyes in which lit fire within them though they were seemingly emotionless. She was timid and kept to herself yet when forced she showed much strength and power. It was someone unlike I've ever seen or met before, she was not like any other human. But of course, as Fate would have it, she wasn't human at all.
As if betraying me Fate had sent another angel, a Divine Angel of all Angels, to be sent down to Japan to stop me. It seemed Fate knew of this happening, of how I would grow and develop, and had this planned all along. I never understood why. Fate understood and saw everything so why did it continue to act as if it doesn't? I suppose that not even I would know the answer to that very question. Perhaps Fate itself does not know…
The Divine Angel went by the name of Tomoe. An earthly name but it suited her. It suited her nicely… Nicely like my katana was to her flesh as much as I hate to say it, that I do. She never was the one in which I thought I would kill. It was a sin for an Angel to kill another angel, especially in a ranking so high and pure. It wasn't meant to be. It truly wasn't but Fate… Fate always had a sick sense of humor. Let me tell you of this happening.
I was trained by that of that of the famous known style of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, an assassin technique, by none other than a lesser angel by the name of Seijuro Hiko the 13th. He is considered a lesser angel for leaving that of Kouen to live on Earth. I suppose he found its comforts and warmth on the blue planet than with the rest of his kin in the Kingdom of Light. I think it was the sake that the humans made instead, but who's to say? He was always considered to be the different one, so I heard. But as I was saying I was trained by the deadly technique, a technique in which I used for my own purpose and need in the upcoming war. Some called it a war, some called it a revolution, as for me? I called it an opportunity to prove my worth.
Though not knowing I was an angel, High Angel, at the moment I played along in Fate's little game, being pulled so freely by its strings. Fate knew of my heart, from the pains of what I recently had went through, and knew each button to push to set me off. Cruel is it not? But what isn't? Yet as Fate played its game I was blindly following it, doing every single thing it wanted me too. Having a weak heart, weak as the Battousai claimed it to be, I joined in the war in order to protect the people and bring peace to the restless land. Little did I know I did everything but that.
It was an unstable time where one power fought with another to gain control of another. You can say it was a fight for supremacy, something that repeats itself over and over in history. What can you say? Humans are primitive beings in which cares not for the repeating of history itself but instead of their purpose being served. Yet this history was different, it was tampered and controlled by Fate itself. Having sent me down below I took the full responsibility to help with the war, causing it to repeat itself yet to another rhythm, another beat. Siding with the government, Imperialist as they were called, I fought by their side, after the training from the lesser angel of course. I was both true and loyal to my superiors. Never once had I betrayed them and not once had I questioned them. It was almost the same cycle for me. I was only taking orders and never questioning them, such a way a samurai lived by his sword.
Claiming to fight in the name of justice and peace, or what I thought were in the name of justice and peace, I've made myself believe of the killing I was doing was for a greater, better purpose. Such a sorry excuse to make to hide the guilt that lied deep within my frail heart, a sorry excuse it was. I would never forgive myself for this yet somehow I did. I was unsure of such reasoning but I thought nothing much more of it. No use of beating a dead horse. Yet still… The deaths… The blood…
I remembered their faces, their anguished cries of pain as they looked to me, spitting the blood from their mouth. I despised such an image but the ones I despised the most were the ones, the victims in whom I slaughtered, who, knowing their near fate, forgave me. I never knew of their reason nor gave it much thought until all the blood had settled. Those eyes that spoke to me, those eyes in which forgave me for such a sin I have done even long after the life and spark within them had died. Perhaps they saw me as an angel before they died, the angel of death, and forgave me knowing their time was up. It was said that when near death one could see the world beyond theirs. I was never sure of myself for I never remembered being in the world with the living, nor did I care till that faithful day.
It was that very day in which I met a soul by the name of Yukishiro Tomoe. I already talked of her but let me talk again. For her sake and memory… I can still remember her so well. Her dark hair in which matched of the dark night skies, her brown eyes in which contained its cool complexion to them, and her frail, pale white skin. She seemed truly that of nothing but perfection, as I thought of it myself. I was not sure of our meeting at first but I was sure it was Fate's doing. Though forbidden to love I couldn't help to fall in love, or what I thought of it as love, with the woman. I wasn't sure of what or how but I did. Each day was a new, renewed day for me as I felt as if I were reborn again being in her presence. Such a sensation was new to me for I never had I felt in all my years that I have been reborn and 'lived'. But that was all soon to end with a stroke of a single blade.
I remembered it all to clearly of the happening. I remembered of that faithful night. The night skies were dark as a single star shone brightly in the night's sky illuminating the darkness in its light. It was a sight to behold, for I have never seen such a sight before. I wasn't the one to be very observant yet it felt as if I couldn't ignore it. Perhaps it was Fate's way of telling me of something it had planned, of something that was to come. I wasn't sure for I was never told of it.
I was there with Tomoe, on that very night, at the house in which I had built myself with my bare hands alone. It wasn't large yet it was enough to support the two or us and perhaps even more. I remembered her sitting quietly on the porch next to my side. We were quiet, since we were in a heated argument earlier, as we sat there in each other's presence. The argument that took early in the day was that of her background. After all we've went and been through she finally decided to open to me and tell of her true being. She told me of everything. Of how she came to revenge that of her late husband, whom I slain at the mercy of my blade without knowing, how she was the spy to her dead husband, and of how she was a Fallen Angel, a lesser angel, in which fell from Kouen to live on the surface of the blue planet Earth. Never before had she bothered to tell me of this, not till now. Perhaps it was because of the star or maybe Fate's doing. She was like me, another toy Fate played with, pulling us blindly on its string.
I couldn't help as I sat there quietly thinking and retracing everything over. The facts in which Tomoe had spilled and told to me, my mission of coming to this little planet, and of Fate itself. Was this all of Fate's doing? Was this not love I was feeling, was it something I was only being led to believing? I wasn't sure, I was never sure. Never had I had so many thoughts, hopes, and even doubts. It all cluttered my mind and my sense dulling them. What happened next was something in which I never understood how nor why it happened to be.
I went off, having to carry my mission, as I left Tomoe, my Fallen Angel, behind. I looked up as I saw the star still shining brightly as the clouds slowly began to crawl into the skies trying to hide that of the star's bright glow but with little succession. I also noted of the deep rumbles set off in the distance. It was soon followed up by a loud strike of thunder, the lightening covering the lands in its bright light for a fraction of the second. It was so quick and so unpredictable just like that of my blade. Having my mission to carry out I did so without any trouble as I began to start the cycle all over again yet… yet it all stopped abruptly. Readying myself, forgetting that of the victim whom I was suppose to kill, I saw that of another flash.
Extending my blade forward I expected it to make a quick kill of my victim, wanting to hurry to my Tomoe back at home. No matter how much I held a grudge against her for the secrets she kept against me I still felt obligated to return to her and to her embrace. Yet all that changed as I realized what had happened, of whom I had struck. My eyes widened in fear as I found, not the body of my victim in my blades path, but of Tomoe herself there. She had followed me, despite my warnings, and had flung herself in front of the blades deadly path.
Quickly retreating my blade back I quickly rushed to her weak body, forgetting of my victim seeing them escape. Throwing my tainted blood to the ground I went to her and held her in my arms as I felt the stinging in my eyes seeing her looking so pitiful. True Angels, no matter what rank they were in, could not die by the hands of mortal beings they could die at the hands of another, of another Angel like myself. I couldn't believe at what I had done. Was I to blind to even sense of her presence, had I merely forgotten or did I simply not thought of it twice? I could have prevented this from happening yet at the same time I couldn't. No, I couldn't, not when Fate was behind all of this. Damn Fate.
I held her close as I felt her life energy draining away from her heavenly body. I spoke of her name, telling her not to dare leave me yet still, no matter what I tried, she was still slipping through the thin line of Life and Death. I remembered her of smiling and of saying my name. Her words were pitiful yet soft. I told her not to speak yet she did not listen. She told of me of her reasoning of everything. She was sent from a time before with a mission of her own, to help Fate's Wandering Angel return back to his home, to return him back to 'humanity'.
The stinging in my eyes never left as I heard her speak and tell me of these things. I knew than that I was the angel in which she spoke of, the one in which she was suppose to return to 'humanity'. Oh how I wished I have stabbed the blade through myself than her. She didn't deserve this, anyone but her. Angel or not she had a pure heart and deserved a less crueler faith but… Fate was not in the slightest way kind. I knew of this was Fate's doing all along yet still. My heart ached as I saw her slipping between my fingers, slipping away into the arms of Death. I held her even closer, pressing her figure into mine. Finally, in the moment of truth, I felt nothing. Nothing of her, her life energy, her heart, not even her warmth. I knew she was…dead.
I looked up to the skies as I saw the star still shining bright, mocking me down below on this accursed planet I was sent upon on. How I loathe the star to shine with all its glory after what I have done and now going through. The guilt was overwhelming… The star still shined, basking in its glory, as another thunder was heard roaring through the lands as I shouted out into the heavens and of the hells. The thunder died along with my shout as a few rumble were heard in the aftermath. I continued to look up into the skies as I saw the skies parting slightly as it let the rainfall from its tightened hold. Immediately I loosened my grip upon Tomoe's dead form. I knew of nothing of my mission anymore. No more would I kill again, for Tomoe's sake and for my sanity.
I remembered sheathing my katana as I took her body back and burned her body along with the very house we planned to live together. To think I was to abandon my Angel ways to live with her, to become a lesser angel like my former master. I knew Fate would disapprove of this yet still I tried. Though raining I burned them both, burning my memories along with them. Stabbing my blade, my blade in which shall remain sheathed forever, in front of the place I burned to mark of the very things I once cared deeply for. After that, I began to wander, wander far from the memories in which I had burned and tried to forget. Wandering from the burning memories the rain poured still, though not to extinguish the fire. Looking to the rainfall I could see the land, from the star's glow being brighter than before, being covered in rain, the rain in which were stained in red from the tears of both heaven and hell.
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A/N: Ouie! Well it's a bit longer. I was going to add more to it but I thought of it better to add it in the later chapters. Hopefully this story includes the paragraphs in it unlike the prologue. I'm not really sure what happened to it. Hopefully it's been updated and it is now easier to read. Maa maa.. Gomen! Well I hope you like this chapter none of the less. It's just a little background story on how our little angel came to be. Don't worry Kaoru and Kenshin meet each other eventually. Oh and for those who guess Kaoru being the girl in the prologue, you are correct. Congrats! lol Mou! Here I go blabbering again! Please review and even give me a few ideas on how things should work out. Well ok than. Ja! And arigato! ^-^x
-Also another note. If I get my scanner fixed hopefully I will draw a sort of cover for each chapter. I'm not sure if anyone would be interested. If so than please tell me so I can have a reason for doing so, knowing that someone will actually look at it. All right than. Arigato! And to look at my other, older work visit Oh and please bear if the site goes unavailable for awhile. Being that it is free and has so much data it can only handle so much. Cheap am I not? But hey I'm too young to really work anyway so XP Ja! Oh and if you wish to be added to my mailing list, for when I update mt stories, than e-ail me at kuro_tenshi_hari@yahoo.com ok ja!