Disclaimer: Characters from Rurouni Kenshin do not belong to me. This goes
for the entire story so I will not be repeating it every chapter.
Note:
/..// indicates thought
The only part of the Rurouni Kenshin I have seen is what is aired on Cartoon Network. Since this takes place during another series, there may be some inconsistency between this and that series. Please tell me what they are and I will try to fix them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter One
The screams were far away now but she could still hear them, even over her panting. They were echoing through the pitch-black night, calling her back to that terrible place, promising her a better life. All lies. Last time they had called her like this she had returned only to receive a good whipping and more work. This time the only thought on her mind was to run, run as far away as possible. She ran until there was not a single light to be seen. No moon graced the sky; no stars were visible through the thick blanket of clouds threatening to burst every second. Suddenly, she collapsed. Her legs ached and her chest hurt with every intake of breath. Running, that was something she had gotten good at. It was the only way to avoid trouble back home. But then again, home had ceased to be that a long time ago. Rain poured down on her. The trees hardly did anything to stop the downpour from soaking her. /There's no way I can stay here. If this keeps up the rain will flood this place for sure.// So once again, the girl got up and made her way up the mountain in front of her.
The rain had let up and was merely drizzling now. The sun was not yet visible but the sky was getting lighter. Through the trees she could see a fire. Smoke curled up, barely visible in the still dark sky. /I should avoid this place. Whoever lives would surely expose where I went if someone came to ask. I don't exactly blend into a crowd, much less the woods.// But the fire was warm; she could feel it even from where she stood. Slowly she crept closer. The clearing was now in full view. There was a cabin too, but no one seemed to be around. It looked completely deserted except for that fire.
There were twigs snapping to her left. She spun around to see a large well- built man trudging through the woods. He hadn't noticed her, not yet, but here was no way to run, and he would notice her in a few seconds. She looked frantically around for a place to hide but found none. When she looked back in the man's direction he was a few feet from her looking at her with a sternly questioning but also curious look. His hair was dark and somewhat long and his body was well muscled
"Who are you?"
No answer
"What is your name?"
Still, no answer
"Where did you come from? Why aren't you home?" The man asked in an exasperated voice.
The girl flattened herself even more against the tree she had been hiding behind. She was trembling, not only from the cold, but also from fear. /This man will ruin me. He will tell them were I am and I will have to go back and this time, I don't think I'll be able to escape.//
"Can you speak?" The man had crouched down and was now even with her face.
The girl gave a slight nod more out of instinct than because she had wanted too. Encouraged by this the man tried to put his hand on her shoulder. He was about to rest his hand on her frame when she disappeared. The man looked at the place where the girl had been, a little confused. No, she had not disappeared. She had simply moved out of the way much faster than he had been expecting. When he looked up, he saw her standing about three feet from him. He extended his hand again but she backed away. /Stupid girl// he thought. /She's freezing half to death and knows I have a fire. Why won't she just come with me?// When he looked at her again she was still exactly where she had been. Her silver gray eyes were staring at him with distrust and at the same time pleading him to help her. The man stood up.
"Alright, if you want to come your welcome to share my fire. I'm not sure how you found this place. It's at least a days walk away from the closest village. That's that way."
The man unknowingly pointed in the direction the girl had come from. With that he walked into the clearing, sat down by the fire, and started feeding the flames with the wood he had been carrying. Slowly she followed him, sat down on the opposite side of the fire and stretched her hands towards the flames to warm them. He could see her clearly now. Her remarkable features were even more startling now that the sun was up. The strangest was perhaps her hair. It was white. Not dull gray white like when a person got old. It was a white shining silver that almost seemed to sparkle when the sun touched it. She could not have been older than ten. Her frame was small but not abnormally so. He fingers were long and still a little blue from the cold. The previously white lose pants had been soaked and splattered with mud. Her deep blue shirt had not fared much better, though the stains were less visible because of the darker color. And then there were those eyes. Narrowed, not directly looking at him but still watching his every move. He tried to imagine what they must look like when she was smiling. How they must glint in the sunlight. The man smiled at her hoping to elicit a smile back, but the girl only narrowed her eyes further, becoming even more suspicious.
/She must be freezing// he suddenly realized. Her wet dirty clothing was sticking to her, and even though she was as near to the fire as she could without being burned, she was still shivering.
"I'll be right back," he said, getting up, picking up the sword that had lain beside him and placing it in his belt. The girl shot up was several yards away by the time he had gotten up. The man shook his head and walked into the cabin. /She's so fast// he wondered as he looked out of the window to see that she had once again taken her place at the fire. He picked up several garments and a blanket as well as a two mugs and some tea and went back outside, where the narrowed eyes of that girl were ever watching him. He laid the garments and blanket halfway towards her.
"They belong to my idiot apprentice. He's making visiting some of the towns at the moment. We're not completely self-sufficient up here," he smiled. "You're welcome to go into the cabin and change. It would help you warm up."
The whole time she had not taken her eyes off him. He felt like those narrowed eyes were staring right into his soul. After a few moments the girl got up and took the clothing, but instead of heading into the house as the man had expected her too, she walked towards the woods, in the exact opposite direction. In a moment, she was out of sight.
When she was sure the man could not possibly see her, she changed into the dry clothing. It felt good to be dry again, if not completely warm. /As if I was going to put myself into a position to be caught. If he thinks he can lock me up in his cabin and wait for someone to pick me up he's wrong. Is this man to be trusted?// she wondered. /He hasn't showed any signs of using that sword but since he spoke of an apprentice he must be good.// The girl walked back out of the woods. In the place where she had previously sat, was a cup filled with steaming tea. Carefully she sat back down.
"I didn't poison it or anything" the man said a little annoyed when he saw her hesitation.
She picked up the cup and put it too her lips. The tea was hot, almost scalding, but felt so warm that she did not really care that she had burnt her tongue.
"So, what is your name?" he said trying again.
A long silence, then, "I have no name." Her voice was clear and a little cold, but not really insulting. From her age, he would have guessed her voice to be light and a bit higher. Instead it was like. like ice. In fact, her whole being was ice. No emotions played across her face; in fact he could not even fathom what she was thinking.
"Then what does your family call you?"
"I have no family. I never knew my parents." She answered in the same voice.
"Oh," /another orphan of the revolution.// "so where do you live"
Silence. /Sorry but that's one thing I can't tell you. If anyone comes by here looking for me I won't give them extra clues.//
"You teach swordsmanship?"
"Yes, as I said before, I sent my apprentice to get some stuff from the villages around here. He should be back sometime today actually."
"What's your name?"
"I am Seijuro Hiko the thirteenth, master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style" /Well, at least she's talking to me now, although I don't like that stare of hers. It becomes somewhat intimidating after a while. Hmm silly, she's only a girl.// She sat still thinking hard for a moment.
"Never heard of you or your style." /My so-called uncle never mentioned anyone by that name and he spends more than half his time criticizing everyone her knows, so full of himself. Whoever this man is, I don't feel like he's lying to me. If that's so and I've really run that far away from that cursed town I should be relatively safe.// She was suddenly aware that Seijuro was watching her. She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. To his relief some of the tension seemed to have ebbed from them.
"So, what am I supposed to call you?" Seijuro asked
The girl just shrugged her shoulders. Another long silence followed.
"May I call you 'Aisu'?" Seijuro asked.
The girl, who, for once was not staring at him but rubbing her hands against the warm mug, nodded.
/Fits you well too; ice is truly your element Seijuro thought. Aisu it is.//
~~~~~~~~~~
Note: "Aisu" is the Japanese word for "ice" (I think, tell me if it's not)
Note:
/..// indicates thought
The only part of the Rurouni Kenshin I have seen is what is aired on Cartoon Network. Since this takes place during another series, there may be some inconsistency between this and that series. Please tell me what they are and I will try to fix them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter One
The screams were far away now but she could still hear them, even over her panting. They were echoing through the pitch-black night, calling her back to that terrible place, promising her a better life. All lies. Last time they had called her like this she had returned only to receive a good whipping and more work. This time the only thought on her mind was to run, run as far away as possible. She ran until there was not a single light to be seen. No moon graced the sky; no stars were visible through the thick blanket of clouds threatening to burst every second. Suddenly, she collapsed. Her legs ached and her chest hurt with every intake of breath. Running, that was something she had gotten good at. It was the only way to avoid trouble back home. But then again, home had ceased to be that a long time ago. Rain poured down on her. The trees hardly did anything to stop the downpour from soaking her. /There's no way I can stay here. If this keeps up the rain will flood this place for sure.// So once again, the girl got up and made her way up the mountain in front of her.
The rain had let up and was merely drizzling now. The sun was not yet visible but the sky was getting lighter. Through the trees she could see a fire. Smoke curled up, barely visible in the still dark sky. /I should avoid this place. Whoever lives would surely expose where I went if someone came to ask. I don't exactly blend into a crowd, much less the woods.// But the fire was warm; she could feel it even from where she stood. Slowly she crept closer. The clearing was now in full view. There was a cabin too, but no one seemed to be around. It looked completely deserted except for that fire.
There were twigs snapping to her left. She spun around to see a large well- built man trudging through the woods. He hadn't noticed her, not yet, but here was no way to run, and he would notice her in a few seconds. She looked frantically around for a place to hide but found none. When she looked back in the man's direction he was a few feet from her looking at her with a sternly questioning but also curious look. His hair was dark and somewhat long and his body was well muscled
"Who are you?"
No answer
"What is your name?"
Still, no answer
"Where did you come from? Why aren't you home?" The man asked in an exasperated voice.
The girl flattened herself even more against the tree she had been hiding behind. She was trembling, not only from the cold, but also from fear. /This man will ruin me. He will tell them were I am and I will have to go back and this time, I don't think I'll be able to escape.//
"Can you speak?" The man had crouched down and was now even with her face.
The girl gave a slight nod more out of instinct than because she had wanted too. Encouraged by this the man tried to put his hand on her shoulder. He was about to rest his hand on her frame when she disappeared. The man looked at the place where the girl had been, a little confused. No, she had not disappeared. She had simply moved out of the way much faster than he had been expecting. When he looked up, he saw her standing about three feet from him. He extended his hand again but she backed away. /Stupid girl// he thought. /She's freezing half to death and knows I have a fire. Why won't she just come with me?// When he looked at her again she was still exactly where she had been. Her silver gray eyes were staring at him with distrust and at the same time pleading him to help her. The man stood up.
"Alright, if you want to come your welcome to share my fire. I'm not sure how you found this place. It's at least a days walk away from the closest village. That's that way."
The man unknowingly pointed in the direction the girl had come from. With that he walked into the clearing, sat down by the fire, and started feeding the flames with the wood he had been carrying. Slowly she followed him, sat down on the opposite side of the fire and stretched her hands towards the flames to warm them. He could see her clearly now. Her remarkable features were even more startling now that the sun was up. The strangest was perhaps her hair. It was white. Not dull gray white like when a person got old. It was a white shining silver that almost seemed to sparkle when the sun touched it. She could not have been older than ten. Her frame was small but not abnormally so. He fingers were long and still a little blue from the cold. The previously white lose pants had been soaked and splattered with mud. Her deep blue shirt had not fared much better, though the stains were less visible because of the darker color. And then there were those eyes. Narrowed, not directly looking at him but still watching his every move. He tried to imagine what they must look like when she was smiling. How they must glint in the sunlight. The man smiled at her hoping to elicit a smile back, but the girl only narrowed her eyes further, becoming even more suspicious.
/She must be freezing// he suddenly realized. Her wet dirty clothing was sticking to her, and even though she was as near to the fire as she could without being burned, she was still shivering.
"I'll be right back," he said, getting up, picking up the sword that had lain beside him and placing it in his belt. The girl shot up was several yards away by the time he had gotten up. The man shook his head and walked into the cabin. /She's so fast// he wondered as he looked out of the window to see that she had once again taken her place at the fire. He picked up several garments and a blanket as well as a two mugs and some tea and went back outside, where the narrowed eyes of that girl were ever watching him. He laid the garments and blanket halfway towards her.
"They belong to my idiot apprentice. He's making visiting some of the towns at the moment. We're not completely self-sufficient up here," he smiled. "You're welcome to go into the cabin and change. It would help you warm up."
The whole time she had not taken her eyes off him. He felt like those narrowed eyes were staring right into his soul. After a few moments the girl got up and took the clothing, but instead of heading into the house as the man had expected her too, she walked towards the woods, in the exact opposite direction. In a moment, she was out of sight.
When she was sure the man could not possibly see her, she changed into the dry clothing. It felt good to be dry again, if not completely warm. /As if I was going to put myself into a position to be caught. If he thinks he can lock me up in his cabin and wait for someone to pick me up he's wrong. Is this man to be trusted?// she wondered. /He hasn't showed any signs of using that sword but since he spoke of an apprentice he must be good.// The girl walked back out of the woods. In the place where she had previously sat, was a cup filled with steaming tea. Carefully she sat back down.
"I didn't poison it or anything" the man said a little annoyed when he saw her hesitation.
She picked up the cup and put it too her lips. The tea was hot, almost scalding, but felt so warm that she did not really care that she had burnt her tongue.
"So, what is your name?" he said trying again.
A long silence, then, "I have no name." Her voice was clear and a little cold, but not really insulting. From her age, he would have guessed her voice to be light and a bit higher. Instead it was like. like ice. In fact, her whole being was ice. No emotions played across her face; in fact he could not even fathom what she was thinking.
"Then what does your family call you?"
"I have no family. I never knew my parents." She answered in the same voice.
"Oh," /another orphan of the revolution.// "so where do you live"
Silence. /Sorry but that's one thing I can't tell you. If anyone comes by here looking for me I won't give them extra clues.//
"You teach swordsmanship?"
"Yes, as I said before, I sent my apprentice to get some stuff from the villages around here. He should be back sometime today actually."
"What's your name?"
"I am Seijuro Hiko the thirteenth, master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style" /Well, at least she's talking to me now, although I don't like that stare of hers. It becomes somewhat intimidating after a while. Hmm silly, she's only a girl.// She sat still thinking hard for a moment.
"Never heard of you or your style." /My so-called uncle never mentioned anyone by that name and he spends more than half his time criticizing everyone her knows, so full of himself. Whoever this man is, I don't feel like he's lying to me. If that's so and I've really run that far away from that cursed town I should be relatively safe.// She was suddenly aware that Seijuro was watching her. She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. To his relief some of the tension seemed to have ebbed from them.
"So, what am I supposed to call you?" Seijuro asked
The girl just shrugged her shoulders. Another long silence followed.
"May I call you 'Aisu'?" Seijuro asked.
The girl, who, for once was not staring at him but rubbing her hands against the warm mug, nodded.
/Fits you well too; ice is truly your element Seijuro thought. Aisu it is.//
~~~~~~~~~~
Note: "Aisu" is the Japanese word for "ice" (I think, tell me if it's not)