Konnichiwa Minna-san! This is Hikari. My first Kenshin story so please keep
the flames to a minimum, enjoy!
The young woman looked up at the sign over the Kamiya Dojo.
She was of middle height, with long crimson hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her eyes were hard, and haunting, colored lavender. Her skin was fair, and she wore a red gi top with long flowing breeches that had once been white, but were stained off-white by dust from the road. Her palms were stripped with calluses and blister scars. She went bare-foot and her feet were dirty, and were covered with small scratches. A wooden sword was tucked into her belt.
"Have I finally found you?" She whispered, in a soft mezzo-soprano voice. She pushed open the large wooden door and entered.
A young boy with short, wild brown hair, and dark eyes was sweeping off the stone walk way.
"Excuse me. But does a man named Himura Kenshin live here?" She asked.
The boy looked up at her. "Maybe, why?" He asked suspiciously. "Who are you?" He demanded.
"Uncle Ken-chan! You promised to play with us! Now come on." A small girl's voice ordered from around the corner of the dojo.
"Yeah Uncle Ken-chan, you promised!" An even smaller voice echoed.
"Alright, I'm coming." A man's voice replied.
She paled considerably at the sound of his voice. "It is him." She murmured.
Kenshin rounded the corner of the dojo, being pulled by two small girls, Ayame and Suzume. He looked up at Yahiko and the girl, his smile dropped to be replaced with a look of shock. The girl looked at him with mingled hope, and curiosity.
"Ken-chan?" She asked, her voice was soft and hesitant, she had searched for ten long years following the trail of the wandering man with the red hair and cross shaped scar. And here he was, standing right in front of her.
"Tsuru-chan?" He whispered hoarsely.
She threw herself at him, she wrapped her arms around Kenshin, and buried her face in his shirt. "Ken-chan, it really is you. I finally found you." She said, her voice was muffled by the fabric.
Kenshin released his hold on Ayame and Suzume to wrap his arms around the girl. "Tsuru-chan, you're alive." He murmured softly, "I thought you had died."
"Who's she Uncle Ken-chan?" Ayame asked, curiously.
The two pulled away from each other reluctantly. "Yahiko-chan, Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan, this is my imoto, Himura Tsurughi." Kenshin introduced.
"Konnichiwa, Minna-chan." Tsurughi said, with a polite bow.
"Kenshin, you have an imoto? Why didn't you ever tell us?" Yahiko demanded.
Kenshin began to reply, when the door to the dojo opened again, and a young woman, with long blue-black hair, and aqua-marine eyes entered, carrying a bag of groceries.
"Minna-chan, I'm back." She said smiling. She paused when she saw Tsurughi. "Konnichiwa, who are you?" She asked.
"Kaoru-san, this is my imoto, Himura Tsurughi. Tsuru-chan, this is Kamiya Kaoru-san, the assistant master of the Kamiya Kashin style." Kenshin said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kamiya-san." Tsurughi said.
"Call me Kaoru, onegai." Kaoru replied, still smiling.
There was a loud banging on the closed door of the dojo. "Open up!" a man's voice ordered.
Kaoru handed her bag of groceries to Yahiko, "Put those away and I'll get it." She ordered, turning to the door. Yahiko grudgingly obeyed, grumbling about the "stupid old hag".
Kaoru pulled open the doors.
Six, very large men stood outside the doors, all of them had katanas at their waists, blatantly ignoring the law that prohibited them from carrying such things.
"Yes? Can I help you?" Kaoru asked curiously.
"We're are looking for a woman named Himura Tsurughi, some people told us they saw someone that looked like her enter this dojo." The tallest said politely. "We would like to looked around if you would allow us to."
"Gomen nasai, sir. But I can't let you do that." She replied.
One of them grabbed her by the collar of her kimono, and lifted her clear off the ground. "You'll let us in now, wench, or pay the price." The ugliest of them, with a heavily scarred face, ordered.
The other door opened, Tsurughi glared at the men. "Put her down, Kitsune- baka. I'm right here." She said coldly.
The man dropped Kaoru, and advanced on Tsurughi. "Hitokiri Yureiken. It's about time we found you." He said, drawing his katana. The other men also drew theirs.
Tsurughi drew her wooden blade. "Leave now, bakas. I don't want to hurt you." She said, backing up a step.
"Wait a moment. Who are you? And what do you want with Tsurughi?" Kenshin demanded, stepping up beside her.
"Battousai." The polite one that had first addressed Kaoru muttered.
The ugly one, Kitsune, glared at him. "This is none of your concern, Battousai." He said. "Yureiken is mine, she will die by our hands."
"What do you want with her?" Kaoru asked, drawing her own wooden sword.
"To prove that we are some of the greatest swordsmen alive, we will defeat Hitokiri Yureiken." Kitsune replied.
"Shinne!" He cried, lunging at Tsurughi, she blocked his strike easily. He growled at her, and swung his sword around again.
Tsurughi thought frantically.I can't let her free, she'll kill them. I can't loose control again! She fought two battles, one with Kitsune, another with the Hitokiri Yureiken. She lost against the man slayer inside of herself.
Her eyes flashed yellow, all she saw was her blade, and her opponent. Opponents must be defeated, to defeat is to kill. He must die.
She blocked and swung her word up to slam into his neck, the dull crack of his spine ripped her from the control of Yureiken.
Tsurughi, Kenshin, Kaoru, the children, Yahiko, and Kitsune's accomplices watched in horror as his body fell limply to the ground. His head hung loosely on his neck.
"You, you killed him." A man said, shocked and afraid.
"You will pay!" Another cried. They circled the body and carried it away with them.
Tsurughi looked disgust at her sword. She thought. Her knees buckled under her, and she fell to the ground. Staring at her sword, wide eyed. She could almost feel the smugness from Yureiken. She hurled the sword away from her, it embedded itself in the wall surrounding the dojo. She looked at her hand, in her mind's eye, it was stained with blood. No matter how many times she told herself she had spilled the blood for a just cause, it never erased the self-loathing that came from taking the life of another. She had nightmares about her part in the rise of the Meiji Era. Each night she could vividly recount the face of every man and woman that she had ever killed. Each one always glared at her with loathing and accusing eyes.
"Tsuru-chan?" Kenshin knelt beside her, and put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched away from his touch.
"Get away from me, Ken-chan. She'll kill you too." She whispered.
"Who will?" Yahiko demanded.
"Hitokiri Yureiken." Tsurughi replied.
"Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan, why don't you go seen Grandpa, okay?" Kaoru suggested.
The young woman looked up at the sign over the Kamiya Dojo.
She was of middle height, with long crimson hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her eyes were hard, and haunting, colored lavender. Her skin was fair, and she wore a red gi top with long flowing breeches that had once been white, but were stained off-white by dust from the road. Her palms were stripped with calluses and blister scars. She went bare-foot and her feet were dirty, and were covered with small scratches. A wooden sword was tucked into her belt.
"Have I finally found you?" She whispered, in a soft mezzo-soprano voice. She pushed open the large wooden door and entered.
A young boy with short, wild brown hair, and dark eyes was sweeping off the stone walk way.
"Excuse me. But does a man named Himura Kenshin live here?" She asked.
The boy looked up at her. "Maybe, why?" He asked suspiciously. "Who are you?" He demanded.
"Uncle Ken-chan! You promised to play with us! Now come on." A small girl's voice ordered from around the corner of the dojo.
"Yeah Uncle Ken-chan, you promised!" An even smaller voice echoed.
"Alright, I'm coming." A man's voice replied.
She paled considerably at the sound of his voice. "It is him." She murmured.
Kenshin rounded the corner of the dojo, being pulled by two small girls, Ayame and Suzume. He looked up at Yahiko and the girl, his smile dropped to be replaced with a look of shock. The girl looked at him with mingled hope, and curiosity.
"Ken-chan?" She asked, her voice was soft and hesitant, she had searched for ten long years following the trail of the wandering man with the red hair and cross shaped scar. And here he was, standing right in front of her.
"Tsuru-chan?" He whispered hoarsely.
She threw herself at him, she wrapped her arms around Kenshin, and buried her face in his shirt. "Ken-chan, it really is you. I finally found you." She said, her voice was muffled by the fabric.
Kenshin released his hold on Ayame and Suzume to wrap his arms around the girl. "Tsuru-chan, you're alive." He murmured softly, "I thought you had died."
"Who's she Uncle Ken-chan?" Ayame asked, curiously.
The two pulled away from each other reluctantly. "Yahiko-chan, Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan, this is my imoto, Himura Tsurughi." Kenshin introduced.
"Konnichiwa, Minna-chan." Tsurughi said, with a polite bow.
"Kenshin, you have an imoto? Why didn't you ever tell us?" Yahiko demanded.
Kenshin began to reply, when the door to the dojo opened again, and a young woman, with long blue-black hair, and aqua-marine eyes entered, carrying a bag of groceries.
"Minna-chan, I'm back." She said smiling. She paused when she saw Tsurughi. "Konnichiwa, who are you?" She asked.
"Kaoru-san, this is my imoto, Himura Tsurughi. Tsuru-chan, this is Kamiya Kaoru-san, the assistant master of the Kamiya Kashin style." Kenshin said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kamiya-san." Tsurughi said.
"Call me Kaoru, onegai." Kaoru replied, still smiling.
There was a loud banging on the closed door of the dojo. "Open up!" a man's voice ordered.
Kaoru handed her bag of groceries to Yahiko, "Put those away and I'll get it." She ordered, turning to the door. Yahiko grudgingly obeyed, grumbling about the "stupid old hag".
Kaoru pulled open the doors.
Six, very large men stood outside the doors, all of them had katanas at their waists, blatantly ignoring the law that prohibited them from carrying such things.
"Yes? Can I help you?" Kaoru asked curiously.
"We're are looking for a woman named Himura Tsurughi, some people told us they saw someone that looked like her enter this dojo." The tallest said politely. "We would like to looked around if you would allow us to."
"Gomen nasai, sir. But I can't let you do that." She replied.
One of them grabbed her by the collar of her kimono, and lifted her clear off the ground. "You'll let us in now, wench, or pay the price." The ugliest of them, with a heavily scarred face, ordered.
The other door opened, Tsurughi glared at the men. "Put her down, Kitsune- baka. I'm right here." She said coldly.
The man dropped Kaoru, and advanced on Tsurughi. "Hitokiri Yureiken. It's about time we found you." He said, drawing his katana. The other men also drew theirs.
Tsurughi drew her wooden blade. "Leave now, bakas. I don't want to hurt you." She said, backing up a step.
"Wait a moment. Who are you? And what do you want with Tsurughi?" Kenshin demanded, stepping up beside her.
"Battousai." The polite one that had first addressed Kaoru muttered.
The ugly one, Kitsune, glared at him. "This is none of your concern, Battousai." He said. "Yureiken is mine, she will die by our hands."
"What do you want with her?" Kaoru asked, drawing her own wooden sword.
"To prove that we are some of the greatest swordsmen alive, we will defeat Hitokiri Yureiken." Kitsune replied.
"Shinne!" He cried, lunging at Tsurughi, she blocked his strike easily. He growled at her, and swung his sword around again.
Tsurughi thought frantically.I can't let her free, she'll kill them. I can't loose control again! She fought two battles, one with Kitsune, another with the Hitokiri Yureiken. She lost against the man slayer inside of herself.
Her eyes flashed yellow, all she saw was her blade, and her opponent. Opponents must be defeated, to defeat is to kill. He must die.
She blocked and swung her word up to slam into his neck, the dull crack of his spine ripped her from the control of Yureiken.
Tsurughi, Kenshin, Kaoru, the children, Yahiko, and Kitsune's accomplices watched in horror as his body fell limply to the ground. His head hung loosely on his neck.
"You, you killed him." A man said, shocked and afraid.
"You will pay!" Another cried. They circled the body and carried it away with them.
Tsurughi looked disgust at her sword. She thought. Her knees buckled under her, and she fell to the ground. Staring at her sword, wide eyed. She could almost feel the smugness from Yureiken. She hurled the sword away from her, it embedded itself in the wall surrounding the dojo. She looked at her hand, in her mind's eye, it was stained with blood. No matter how many times she told herself she had spilled the blood for a just cause, it never erased the self-loathing that came from taking the life of another. She had nightmares about her part in the rise of the Meiji Era. Each night she could vividly recount the face of every man and woman that she had ever killed. Each one always glared at her with loathing and accusing eyes.
"Tsuru-chan?" Kenshin knelt beside her, and put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched away from his touch.
"Get away from me, Ken-chan. She'll kill you too." She whispered.
"Who will?" Yahiko demanded.
"Hitokiri Yureiken." Tsurughi replied.
"Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan, why don't you go seen Grandpa, okay?" Kaoru suggested.