'...' = Thoughts
"..." = Speaking
[Information containing anything to do with the Japanese customs I use in this story will be at the bottom of the chapters. Author responses to any reviews will be put on the bottom of chapters in the future also.]
Chapter 1: The moment I met you...
'I never thought; Never could or would think about... killing... someone, anyone. I never want to see death, not ever again, especially killing someone by my own hands. How did this happen to me?... I remember...'
Flashback:
I was so little, I wouldn't have known what a prostitute was. But I heard whispers when we walked by people, me and my mom that is, people called my mom that. I didn't know if it was good or bad. And I never saw the point of asking my mom anyway, she said I was too young to understand... And like a good little girl, I never asked her again. My father had died years before my mom took on a... Mysterious job, I used to call it. She would go out after she thought I was asleep; around midnight and not come home until sunrise. One night I had found out about it; I couldn't sleep because of a childish nightmare I was having, and I awoke as my mother was leaving. I called out to her but she didn't seem to hear me for she continued out the gate of my father's dojo. I followed her; I was so tired when she finally stopped, she stood in front of a dirty old building. She tapped at the door very lightly, probably to not wake any neighboring people up. A man slid the door open loudly and roughly pulled my mom inside, sliding the door shut. By the time I got the courage to get closer to the building I heard screams and shouts that sounded like... mother. Like she was hurting bad and being tortured. I listened longer until it became too much for me. I ran, ran anywhere my feet would take me. However I had the streets of Tokyo engraved in my mind and my feet seemed to take me right back to my home; the only thing my father had left me and my mother. I ran to my room and cried into my pillow. I didn't knew how long I had been crying but when I finally stopped it was because I felt my mom shake me and embrace me in a hug.
She asked what was wrong. I had to think of something so I lied.. I wanted to yell, scream, or shout anything to make her let me know why she was letting someone hurt her so much... But I just cowardly told her I had a nightmare... And she believed me, like any parent would do. I fell asleep, still in my mother's arms. Months later several men came to see my mother. I called out to her and she came out of the kitchen and asked me what I wanted. I pointed to the men and her eyes widened she no longer smiled and she quickly; roughly grabbed me and locked me in our storage building from the outside. I cried out to know what was going on and then I heard a blood-curdling scream and moments later blood flooded into the doorway underneath my feet. I shrieked and stepped back the farthest I could and started to cry. I cried because I didn't know what was going on; when I was going to get out of here; and what they were going to do with mother. While I was crying I didn't hear the doors open; until I was stood up by a man who grabbed my arm so tightly I cried out in pain. He pushed me out the door in which I shrieked because of all of the blood I had to step on, I followed the trail of blood until I saw the other men digging a huge hole next to where the blood trail had ended... It was my mother she was a pale white, and the blood was coming from her. I screamed and tried to run to her but the man from before hung me like a sack over his shoulder and walked away; My vision was blurred from all the water filling in my eyes, but that was the last I ever saw of my mother.
'I found out later what prostitute meant, and I knew why she had taken the job. My family's name Kamiya was disrespected; everyone hated us just because of our name. That meant that nobody would want to hire her and she was forced to be a prostitute to feed me and herself. It was due to a relative of mine, my grandfather on my father's side. During the beginning of the Tokugawa Era, he was a member of a small group who fought local yakuza group's without any of the police's help. Somehow, as I was told, he somehow helped some of the yakuza members and they got a chance to murder hundreds of people in Tokyo. For this, noone spoke to the Kamiya's again and my father had very few students, ones who stayed loyal to him. The men had taken me and used me like a orphan slave. No one knew...'
The Present:
She felt ugly, so ugly. Next to beautiful women, she was standing in a line of gorgeous women in a very rich mansion. Held by a man named Kanryuu; he was picking out some of the women there to be his own private prostitutes; ones that would serve him only. Kaoru was supposed to kill him, though she could not know how she could with all his personal body guards surrounding the place. Finally it was her turn, her breath caught, what if she wasn't accepted? What if she couldn't carry out her orders? What if...
"You!" Kanryuu shouted pointing his finger at her, "step forward." He said, like it was a command. She took little steps, trying to stay the farthest she could away from him. He was so ugly and money hungry that she already hated him. She bowed her head so he wouldn't see her slightly angry face.
Kanryuu expected her from head to toe, "hmm...." He hummed making her more nervous. "Hmpf... Not perfect but you can amuse me... Your accepted." He said. She wanted to jump up and down from accomplishing her first task but then she wanted to cry for help of being accepted as a prostitute. She moved to stand next to the few other women that were accepted, who were much taller then her.
He dismissed the other women who didn't make it, who all huffed on their way out. "You may go to your quarters." Kanryuu told them. Kaoru followed the other girls to the sleeping quarters they were assigned to. While they went into theirs, Kaoru merely stepped inside and pocked her head back out in the hallway. She saw Kanryuu go to, what appeared to be, his room, closing the door behind him.
Kaoru stepped back into the hallway and walked to the room he had just gone into. The guards that were just outside the door looked at her, "may we help you, madam?" One asked. She smiled the best she could, "may I see Kanryuu-san?" She asked. The men looked at each other and then the other man knocked on the door. "What is it?" Kanryuu asked from inside.
"Kanryuu-sama, one of your women is here to see you." There was a long pause before he answered, "send her in." The men stepped out of the way, letting Kaoru step in and then they closed the door behind them. She observed the room; a huge king size bed was in the right corner of the room; a desk filled with papers and a chair next to it; some paintings were on the wall, but that was about it. She turned her attention back to him and he looked at her like he was expecting something, "why are you here?" He asked annoyingly.
"Why I..." Kaoru had to think of a reason fast and she blurted out, "...I'm here to pleasure you." She had to swallow the lump in her throat that had formed and prevent herself from coughing from saying such a thing to a man like him. Kanryuu smirked an evil grin and stepped toward her. Her eyes darted from left to right as he put his hands on her shoulders, she yelped.
He looked at her confusingly and she giggled nervously, "perhaps you would like a... massage?" He nodded, walking over to his bed he sat down on the edge. She followed, sitting behind him, and started to massage his shoulders.
While he was enjoying himself, Kaoru grabbed a dagger from inside her obi of her kimono and was shaking nervously. She hated him, but she didn't want him or anyone dead, so even though she was suppose to kill him; she couldn't. She closed her eyes shut and managed to stab him in his right shoulder. Kanryuu screamed like a girl, jumped off the bed and turned towards her, his eyes were filled with rage, assuring her death would come soon.
"You bitch! I'll have you dead in an instant!" At his words, Kaoru shivered and her eyes widened in horror, making her back up to the headboard of the bed. He snapped his fingers, indicating he wanted his guards, no footsteps were heard and nobody stepped into the room. So he snapped them again... And again, noone came. "Where the hell are my bodyguards?!"
"Dead." A deep dark voice was heard, and a person stepped out of the shadows in the room. His scarlet red hair, a crossed-shaped scar on his cheek, and his ambered-color eyes were the most unique features about him.
Kaoru blinked, 'when did he...?" Her thoughts were interrupted by Kanryuu's loud annoying voice, "dead?! By who?! A wimpy man like you?" He started to laugh insanely finding his own stupid humor funny.
"Yeah..." The man said, making Kanryuu stop in the middle of his laughter. Sweat started to form on Kanryuu's forehead but he still didn't believe the man, "you lie! Tell me how you really got in here!" The man smirked at him and amusement shown in his eyes, "show you? Hmm... Well..."
In a blink of an eye he had moved with such speed she could hardly see his movements, one second later, he appeared in front of Kanryuu and stabbed him in his head with his katana; blood spewing everywhere; and he was instantly dead. Kaoru looked on in horror and feared for her life and so while he was re-sheathing his sword, she ran out of the room as fast as her legs would go. He watched her go, 'no witnesses are to be left alive...' Those were part of his instructions, and he would follow them. He disappeared out of the lone window in the room.
~*~*~*~
She had been threatened before with people saying they were going to take her life, mostly by the men she worked for, but never had she felt so sure that she was going to die, like she was now. She ran and ran, the fastest she had ever before, and her body wanted to slow down but her mind wanted to run more faster. As she was nearing the door it crashed open and he blocked her way. She stopped and backed up and was prepared to run the other way but he moved to fast for her and he stopped her from going that way, too.
"Who are you?" He asked in an aggressive tone.
"I'm... Ritsuko Kaoru." She told him, the name she had used from since she was an orphan slave.
He held his katana to her throat, "you lie... Tell me your real name!" He shouted.
She quivered, how he knew she was lying she did not know. "Kamiya Kaoru..."
He asked some other questions, "why are you here? Why were you trying to kill Kanryuu and who sent you?"
"I... I was sent here... to kill... Kanryuu." She answered him looking at him with fear in her eyes. He continued, "why?" Kaoru looked away from him, "They want him dead." He drew the katana all the way to her throat, "who are they?!" Kaoru shut her eyes tight and managed to stutter , "one of the most powerful yakuza... in Japan, led by Hiroshi... Jiro..."
He looked at her with no change of expression. He had manslayer eyes, ones that men who were cold-hearted blood thirsty killers possessed. He then removed his katana from her throat and placed it back in it's sheath with a clicking sound. Causing her to let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. He stared at her for a few moments, like he was thinking, deeply. She felt nervousness come over her and so she began to fidget her fingers.
He was about to say something when he heard shouts coming from outside.
"They're all dead?!" He heard someone ask.
"Who could have done this?!" Another asked.
"SURVEY THE AREA! Do a full search of anything with-in five miles! Squad four will come with me to investigate the mansion and find Kanryuu-san!" A man spoke, most likely the leader.
They were away from the mansion, so they hadn't taken notice to Kaoru or this man. He seemed to be calculating how many men there were outside, until he turned towards her and effortlessly picked her up into his arms.
"Ah! Just what do you think your doing?!" She practically yelled.
"Er... Shut up woman! They'll hear you!" He told her in a commanding voice. His intense gaze on her sending shivers down her spin, making her unconsciously nod to his command.
Before the men reached the mansion any further, he began to run, and she latched her arms on to his neck to make sure she wouldn't fall. He ran towards the nearby forest and blended in to the darkness. For all the men knew, in their eyes, he had never been here before.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
Information on Japanese customs:
Names: There are several ways of addressing Japanese people. The most comman is -san which is roughly equivalent to 'Mr,' 'Mrs,' or 'Miss' and is added as a suffix to either someone's given name or family name. The more polite version of -san is -sama addresses. In Japan, it's common practice to use the surname, particularly in business and when speaking to people of a higher rank. The given name is used almost exclusively with friends or family. The Japanese always write the family name before the given name. In the work place, senior staff are almost always addressed by their job title (rather than their name). The job title with the polite suffix -san is used if they are being addressed by their subordinates or people who do not know them... The same applies to teachers, doctors, dentists, or very senior persons who are addressed either as sensei (literally: teacher) or by using the surname followed by sensei. People in certain occupations can be addressed by their occupation plus -san... Children up to about ten years of age can be addressed by their given name, often abbreviated, with the suffix -chan (a diminutive of -san). As they grow older, people will tend to address them using their surname and -san; this form of address becomes standard after they leave high school and enter work or embark on further study; the suffix -kun is sometimes preferred if a senior person is speaking to a junior.
-This information taken from "Japanese, A rough guide dictionary phrase-book" Online information about Rough Guides can be found at their website www.roughguides.com
Words from Nanakilover/Brukaoru (Author): Hello everyone! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, for there are more to come. The above information on Japanese customs, do you want me to continue giving you information? Please review and tell me, that way I know if I should spend time writing it or not. Thanks, dewa mata! (See you again!).
Disclaimer (so no one will sue me): Creator Nobuhiro Watsuki has all the rights to Rurouni Kenshin. If you want to sue me, try everyone else who has made a fanfic first.
"..." = Speaking
[Information containing anything to do with the Japanese customs I use in this story will be at the bottom of the chapters. Author responses to any reviews will be put on the bottom of chapters in the future also.]
Chapter 1: The moment I met you...
'I never thought; Never could or would think about... killing... someone, anyone. I never want to see death, not ever again, especially killing someone by my own hands. How did this happen to me?... I remember...'
Flashback:
I was so little, I wouldn't have known what a prostitute was. But I heard whispers when we walked by people, me and my mom that is, people called my mom that. I didn't know if it was good or bad. And I never saw the point of asking my mom anyway, she said I was too young to understand... And like a good little girl, I never asked her again. My father had died years before my mom took on a... Mysterious job, I used to call it. She would go out after she thought I was asleep; around midnight and not come home until sunrise. One night I had found out about it; I couldn't sleep because of a childish nightmare I was having, and I awoke as my mother was leaving. I called out to her but she didn't seem to hear me for she continued out the gate of my father's dojo. I followed her; I was so tired when she finally stopped, she stood in front of a dirty old building. She tapped at the door very lightly, probably to not wake any neighboring people up. A man slid the door open loudly and roughly pulled my mom inside, sliding the door shut. By the time I got the courage to get closer to the building I heard screams and shouts that sounded like... mother. Like she was hurting bad and being tortured. I listened longer until it became too much for me. I ran, ran anywhere my feet would take me. However I had the streets of Tokyo engraved in my mind and my feet seemed to take me right back to my home; the only thing my father had left me and my mother. I ran to my room and cried into my pillow. I didn't knew how long I had been crying but when I finally stopped it was because I felt my mom shake me and embrace me in a hug.
She asked what was wrong. I had to think of something so I lied.. I wanted to yell, scream, or shout anything to make her let me know why she was letting someone hurt her so much... But I just cowardly told her I had a nightmare... And she believed me, like any parent would do. I fell asleep, still in my mother's arms. Months later several men came to see my mother. I called out to her and she came out of the kitchen and asked me what I wanted. I pointed to the men and her eyes widened she no longer smiled and she quickly; roughly grabbed me and locked me in our storage building from the outside. I cried out to know what was going on and then I heard a blood-curdling scream and moments later blood flooded into the doorway underneath my feet. I shrieked and stepped back the farthest I could and started to cry. I cried because I didn't know what was going on; when I was going to get out of here; and what they were going to do with mother. While I was crying I didn't hear the doors open; until I was stood up by a man who grabbed my arm so tightly I cried out in pain. He pushed me out the door in which I shrieked because of all of the blood I had to step on, I followed the trail of blood until I saw the other men digging a huge hole next to where the blood trail had ended... It was my mother she was a pale white, and the blood was coming from her. I screamed and tried to run to her but the man from before hung me like a sack over his shoulder and walked away; My vision was blurred from all the water filling in my eyes, but that was the last I ever saw of my mother.
'I found out later what prostitute meant, and I knew why she had taken the job. My family's name Kamiya was disrespected; everyone hated us just because of our name. That meant that nobody would want to hire her and she was forced to be a prostitute to feed me and herself. It was due to a relative of mine, my grandfather on my father's side. During the beginning of the Tokugawa Era, he was a member of a small group who fought local yakuza group's without any of the police's help. Somehow, as I was told, he somehow helped some of the yakuza members and they got a chance to murder hundreds of people in Tokyo. For this, noone spoke to the Kamiya's again and my father had very few students, ones who stayed loyal to him. The men had taken me and used me like a orphan slave. No one knew...'
The Present:
She felt ugly, so ugly. Next to beautiful women, she was standing in a line of gorgeous women in a very rich mansion. Held by a man named Kanryuu; he was picking out some of the women there to be his own private prostitutes; ones that would serve him only. Kaoru was supposed to kill him, though she could not know how she could with all his personal body guards surrounding the place. Finally it was her turn, her breath caught, what if she wasn't accepted? What if she couldn't carry out her orders? What if...
"You!" Kanryuu shouted pointing his finger at her, "step forward." He said, like it was a command. She took little steps, trying to stay the farthest she could away from him. He was so ugly and money hungry that she already hated him. She bowed her head so he wouldn't see her slightly angry face.
Kanryuu expected her from head to toe, "hmm...." He hummed making her more nervous. "Hmpf... Not perfect but you can amuse me... Your accepted." He said. She wanted to jump up and down from accomplishing her first task but then she wanted to cry for help of being accepted as a prostitute. She moved to stand next to the few other women that were accepted, who were much taller then her.
He dismissed the other women who didn't make it, who all huffed on their way out. "You may go to your quarters." Kanryuu told them. Kaoru followed the other girls to the sleeping quarters they were assigned to. While they went into theirs, Kaoru merely stepped inside and pocked her head back out in the hallway. She saw Kanryuu go to, what appeared to be, his room, closing the door behind him.
Kaoru stepped back into the hallway and walked to the room he had just gone into. The guards that were just outside the door looked at her, "may we help you, madam?" One asked. She smiled the best she could, "may I see Kanryuu-san?" She asked. The men looked at each other and then the other man knocked on the door. "What is it?" Kanryuu asked from inside.
"Kanryuu-sama, one of your women is here to see you." There was a long pause before he answered, "send her in." The men stepped out of the way, letting Kaoru step in and then they closed the door behind them. She observed the room; a huge king size bed was in the right corner of the room; a desk filled with papers and a chair next to it; some paintings were on the wall, but that was about it. She turned her attention back to him and he looked at her like he was expecting something, "why are you here?" He asked annoyingly.
"Why I..." Kaoru had to think of a reason fast and she blurted out, "...I'm here to pleasure you." She had to swallow the lump in her throat that had formed and prevent herself from coughing from saying such a thing to a man like him. Kanryuu smirked an evil grin and stepped toward her. Her eyes darted from left to right as he put his hands on her shoulders, she yelped.
He looked at her confusingly and she giggled nervously, "perhaps you would like a... massage?" He nodded, walking over to his bed he sat down on the edge. She followed, sitting behind him, and started to massage his shoulders.
While he was enjoying himself, Kaoru grabbed a dagger from inside her obi of her kimono and was shaking nervously. She hated him, but she didn't want him or anyone dead, so even though she was suppose to kill him; she couldn't. She closed her eyes shut and managed to stab him in his right shoulder. Kanryuu screamed like a girl, jumped off the bed and turned towards her, his eyes were filled with rage, assuring her death would come soon.
"You bitch! I'll have you dead in an instant!" At his words, Kaoru shivered and her eyes widened in horror, making her back up to the headboard of the bed. He snapped his fingers, indicating he wanted his guards, no footsteps were heard and nobody stepped into the room. So he snapped them again... And again, noone came. "Where the hell are my bodyguards?!"
"Dead." A deep dark voice was heard, and a person stepped out of the shadows in the room. His scarlet red hair, a crossed-shaped scar on his cheek, and his ambered-color eyes were the most unique features about him.
Kaoru blinked, 'when did he...?" Her thoughts were interrupted by Kanryuu's loud annoying voice, "dead?! By who?! A wimpy man like you?" He started to laugh insanely finding his own stupid humor funny.
"Yeah..." The man said, making Kanryuu stop in the middle of his laughter. Sweat started to form on Kanryuu's forehead but he still didn't believe the man, "you lie! Tell me how you really got in here!" The man smirked at him and amusement shown in his eyes, "show you? Hmm... Well..."
In a blink of an eye he had moved with such speed she could hardly see his movements, one second later, he appeared in front of Kanryuu and stabbed him in his head with his katana; blood spewing everywhere; and he was instantly dead. Kaoru looked on in horror and feared for her life and so while he was re-sheathing his sword, she ran out of the room as fast as her legs would go. He watched her go, 'no witnesses are to be left alive...' Those were part of his instructions, and he would follow them. He disappeared out of the lone window in the room.
~*~*~*~
She had been threatened before with people saying they were going to take her life, mostly by the men she worked for, but never had she felt so sure that she was going to die, like she was now. She ran and ran, the fastest she had ever before, and her body wanted to slow down but her mind wanted to run more faster. As she was nearing the door it crashed open and he blocked her way. She stopped and backed up and was prepared to run the other way but he moved to fast for her and he stopped her from going that way, too.
"Who are you?" He asked in an aggressive tone.
"I'm... Ritsuko Kaoru." She told him, the name she had used from since she was an orphan slave.
He held his katana to her throat, "you lie... Tell me your real name!" He shouted.
She quivered, how he knew she was lying she did not know. "Kamiya Kaoru..."
He asked some other questions, "why are you here? Why were you trying to kill Kanryuu and who sent you?"
"I... I was sent here... to kill... Kanryuu." She answered him looking at him with fear in her eyes. He continued, "why?" Kaoru looked away from him, "They want him dead." He drew the katana all the way to her throat, "who are they?!" Kaoru shut her eyes tight and managed to stutter , "one of the most powerful yakuza... in Japan, led by Hiroshi... Jiro..."
He looked at her with no change of expression. He had manslayer eyes, ones that men who were cold-hearted blood thirsty killers possessed. He then removed his katana from her throat and placed it back in it's sheath with a clicking sound. Causing her to let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. He stared at her for a few moments, like he was thinking, deeply. She felt nervousness come over her and so she began to fidget her fingers.
He was about to say something when he heard shouts coming from outside.
"They're all dead?!" He heard someone ask.
"Who could have done this?!" Another asked.
"SURVEY THE AREA! Do a full search of anything with-in five miles! Squad four will come with me to investigate the mansion and find Kanryuu-san!" A man spoke, most likely the leader.
They were away from the mansion, so they hadn't taken notice to Kaoru or this man. He seemed to be calculating how many men there were outside, until he turned towards her and effortlessly picked her up into his arms.
"Ah! Just what do you think your doing?!" She practically yelled.
"Er... Shut up woman! They'll hear you!" He told her in a commanding voice. His intense gaze on her sending shivers down her spin, making her unconsciously nod to his command.
Before the men reached the mansion any further, he began to run, and she latched her arms on to his neck to make sure she wouldn't fall. He ran towards the nearby forest and blended in to the darkness. For all the men knew, in their eyes, he had never been here before.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
Information on Japanese customs:
Names: There are several ways of addressing Japanese people. The most comman is -san which is roughly equivalent to 'Mr,' 'Mrs,' or 'Miss' and is added as a suffix to either someone's given name or family name. The more polite version of -san is -sama addresses. In Japan, it's common practice to use the surname, particularly in business and when speaking to people of a higher rank. The given name is used almost exclusively with friends or family. The Japanese always write the family name before the given name. In the work place, senior staff are almost always addressed by their job title (rather than their name). The job title with the polite suffix -san is used if they are being addressed by their subordinates or people who do not know them... The same applies to teachers, doctors, dentists, or very senior persons who are addressed either as sensei (literally: teacher) or by using the surname followed by sensei. People in certain occupations can be addressed by their occupation plus -san... Children up to about ten years of age can be addressed by their given name, often abbreviated, with the suffix -chan (a diminutive of -san). As they grow older, people will tend to address them using their surname and -san; this form of address becomes standard after they leave high school and enter work or embark on further study; the suffix -kun is sometimes preferred if a senior person is speaking to a junior.
-This information taken from "Japanese, A rough guide dictionary phrase-book" Online information about Rough Guides can be found at their website www.roughguides.com
Words from Nanakilover/Brukaoru (Author): Hello everyone! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, for there are more to come. The above information on Japanese customs, do you want me to continue giving you information? Please review and tell me, that way I know if I should spend time writing it or not. Thanks, dewa mata! (See you again!).
Disclaimer (so no one will sue me): Creator Nobuhiro Watsuki has all the rights to Rurouni Kenshin. If you want to sue me, try everyone else who has made a fanfic first.