Author's Note: My muse went to sleep for a while, so I did not have much
inspiration for the better part of two weeks. Now, I have another chapter
for you as a result of my waking muse, enjoy.
Kaoru's eyes grew wide, and she turned a pale white as the color drained from her. Thunder had begun to rumble in the distance, as birds had begun to chirp more and more hurriedly. Then nothing; the world stood still.
"I understand my presence may cause you alarm, but rest assured I wish nothing more than to speak with Kenshin."
Sarekoso spoke quietly and gently, but Kaoru did not notice that his expression, which was one of amusement, actually hid something much deeper.
A few moments of silence passed before Kaoru finally agreed to go deliver his request. Her blue kimono sparkled in the pale moonlight, and she hurried along troubled with the feeling that someone was watching her.
Shinta was sitting in the room they now shared, and a somber expression played across his calm complexion.
"What has happened Kaoru? You came back in a hurry."
"There is a man at the gate by the name of Sarekoso who wishes to see you." Kaoru's voice betrayed the intensive fear that had built in her since seeing this ominous stranger.
Seeing this emotion in Kaoru perturbed Shinta, since his old acquaintance was causing too much damage, and history had already taught him that lesson once.
"Thank you. I will go speak with him, wait for me here. I shall not be long."
Kaoru's confidence swelled if ever so slightly, for he always seemed to have a natural ability to allay her fears, but that feeling soon faded as Shinta grabbed his sakabatou just prior to leaving their room.
The night had a strange warmth to it, but Shinta became very cold inside. 'I was hoping that this above all else would never surface again.' This was all too similar to before.
*************** Shinta returned home to his farm and to Tomoe. Upon his arrival, she greeted him with a beautiful smile, and life was normal and quiet once again.
A small man spoke to him as Shinta approached the front door.
"Come to Kyoto with me, and quickly, there is urgent business concerning you there."
Shinta stopped walking as he turned to meet the man. The shadows hid his face, but after so long, there was no mistaking Sarekoso, he had been with him too long.
"I only just returned from travel, what could require me so soon and so urgently?"
A faint flicker of amusement flashed across his face as he aimed a chuckle at Tomoe who was working near the fields.
"I can give you the night, but you know as well as I that it's best not to keep them waiting. I can offer you no information as to why they want you so soon, since they did not see fit to tell me."
Shinta's face hardened slightly as he tried desperately to figure out what could possibly be happening.
"Very well Sarekoso, I shall leave with you at dawn."
With that he walked past him to his home, and greeted Tomoe with the best smile he could manage. His efforts however, were in vain, for Tomoe saw past this attempt of his instantaneously.
"Kenshin what's going on? I do not like it when they appear; they always bring news for your latest departure."
"I leave for Kyoto in the morning. I do not know what they want with me, but I cannot refuse a summons from them."
Tomoe became crestfallen, and lowered her head.
"I understand."
Later that evening a visitor came to their farm, and as Shinta went to meet him the stranger sunk to his knees.
"Kenshin, their greatest fears have been confirmed come with me, quickly, and yes now."
Shinta's mind quickly became very alert, as was his custom when tragedy threatened; he also became worried seeing Sarekoso kneeling before him.
"What is going on? Did you not promise me the evening? I do not understand."
"That's fine" he said standing up "an emergency has just occurred, hurry and retrieve your sakabatou. I cannot stress enough how important it is we arrive at Kyoto tonight. I will explain as best I can on the trip there."
Not really having time to question, Shinta raced back into the house. Upon retrieving his sword, he called out a farewell to Tomoe and that he had no choice but to leave immediately he became fearful.
"Tomoe? Where are you? Tomoe?"
After still receiving no answer, he raced about the house, and then the fields to find her, but his efforts proved in vain. He was about to enlist Sarekoso's help in finding Tomoe, when he found Sarekoso in the doorway.
"She's gone isn't she? Things are worse than first feared come with me."
They quickly went out the door when.
*********** NO!!! Shinta snapped out of his flashback, there was a reason this felt so familiar he thought, because it had all happened BEFORE!
He was gasping for air after having sprinted across the compound back to their room.
"Kaoru? Where are you? Kaoru?"
She was gone.
He turned toward the doorway, determined to wring answers out of Sarekoso, but instead found a note that had fallen from the crossbeam of the doorway. Shinta picked it up and read it aloud:
All hail the mighty battousi,
You've grown weak from this woman. Legend still talks of you with the highest tone of reverence, but then what are we? We who have taken what is most valuable, and now control the legend? All hail the mighty battousi indeed, come and get her, we wait.
Anger and frustration bounded wildly within him as he struggled to maintain his self-control. How could he have been so stupid? Where they right? Had he finally after all this time with Kaoru been weakened by her? 'No' he thought. Kaoru was nothing but a blessing in his life.
He took hold of his sakabatou, strapped it to his waist, and was already running after them, when someone in the distance called his name.
"Wait, Kenshin where are you going? Is everything alright?"
Shinta spun toward the caller, but after squinting at the small figure, saw it was only Yahiko. He did not have time to explain to the boy where he was going or why, so without so much as an answer, he was off in pursuit of Kaoru and his past.
Not bothering to search for clues as to where Kaoru was taken, nor needing to, Shinta set out for Totomi province.
The night was a blur to Shinta; his head had been clouded with all the emotion of Kaoru's capture. Owls, trees, stars, people, water, everything blended in, and when he finally 'awoke,' he stood in the presence of an awakening sun. For his efforts, he was awarded with a comb at his feet. It was purple with a pink flower, and it had been the one Kaoru was wearing the night of her capture.
"Even now they toy with me." He sighed, and bent over to retrieve the item. This token that carried Kaoru's memory.. her scent seemed to give him a renewed courage. "It's different this time; I will not be your puppet as I once was. You've come back to seal the past, but all you have done is seal your fates."
Author's Note: Kaoru's captured again, what else is new. Anyway, I write this so I can shine a light on a part of Shinta's past that though may not be strictly true to the story, will hopefully make you the reader look and Shinta and his past differently when I'm done. No two points of view on one event will ever say the same thing, and so with the next chapter enter the plot twist.
Kaoru's eyes grew wide, and she turned a pale white as the color drained from her. Thunder had begun to rumble in the distance, as birds had begun to chirp more and more hurriedly. Then nothing; the world stood still.
"I understand my presence may cause you alarm, but rest assured I wish nothing more than to speak with Kenshin."
Sarekoso spoke quietly and gently, but Kaoru did not notice that his expression, which was one of amusement, actually hid something much deeper.
A few moments of silence passed before Kaoru finally agreed to go deliver his request. Her blue kimono sparkled in the pale moonlight, and she hurried along troubled with the feeling that someone was watching her.
Shinta was sitting in the room they now shared, and a somber expression played across his calm complexion.
"What has happened Kaoru? You came back in a hurry."
"There is a man at the gate by the name of Sarekoso who wishes to see you." Kaoru's voice betrayed the intensive fear that had built in her since seeing this ominous stranger.
Seeing this emotion in Kaoru perturbed Shinta, since his old acquaintance was causing too much damage, and history had already taught him that lesson once.
"Thank you. I will go speak with him, wait for me here. I shall not be long."
Kaoru's confidence swelled if ever so slightly, for he always seemed to have a natural ability to allay her fears, but that feeling soon faded as Shinta grabbed his sakabatou just prior to leaving their room.
The night had a strange warmth to it, but Shinta became very cold inside. 'I was hoping that this above all else would never surface again.' This was all too similar to before.
*************** Shinta returned home to his farm and to Tomoe. Upon his arrival, she greeted him with a beautiful smile, and life was normal and quiet once again.
A small man spoke to him as Shinta approached the front door.
"Come to Kyoto with me, and quickly, there is urgent business concerning you there."
Shinta stopped walking as he turned to meet the man. The shadows hid his face, but after so long, there was no mistaking Sarekoso, he had been with him too long.
"I only just returned from travel, what could require me so soon and so urgently?"
A faint flicker of amusement flashed across his face as he aimed a chuckle at Tomoe who was working near the fields.
"I can give you the night, but you know as well as I that it's best not to keep them waiting. I can offer you no information as to why they want you so soon, since they did not see fit to tell me."
Shinta's face hardened slightly as he tried desperately to figure out what could possibly be happening.
"Very well Sarekoso, I shall leave with you at dawn."
With that he walked past him to his home, and greeted Tomoe with the best smile he could manage. His efforts however, were in vain, for Tomoe saw past this attempt of his instantaneously.
"Kenshin what's going on? I do not like it when they appear; they always bring news for your latest departure."
"I leave for Kyoto in the morning. I do not know what they want with me, but I cannot refuse a summons from them."
Tomoe became crestfallen, and lowered her head.
"I understand."
Later that evening a visitor came to their farm, and as Shinta went to meet him the stranger sunk to his knees.
"Kenshin, their greatest fears have been confirmed come with me, quickly, and yes now."
Shinta's mind quickly became very alert, as was his custom when tragedy threatened; he also became worried seeing Sarekoso kneeling before him.
"What is going on? Did you not promise me the evening? I do not understand."
"That's fine" he said standing up "an emergency has just occurred, hurry and retrieve your sakabatou. I cannot stress enough how important it is we arrive at Kyoto tonight. I will explain as best I can on the trip there."
Not really having time to question, Shinta raced back into the house. Upon retrieving his sword, he called out a farewell to Tomoe and that he had no choice but to leave immediately he became fearful.
"Tomoe? Where are you? Tomoe?"
After still receiving no answer, he raced about the house, and then the fields to find her, but his efforts proved in vain. He was about to enlist Sarekoso's help in finding Tomoe, when he found Sarekoso in the doorway.
"She's gone isn't she? Things are worse than first feared come with me."
They quickly went out the door when.
*********** NO!!! Shinta snapped out of his flashback, there was a reason this felt so familiar he thought, because it had all happened BEFORE!
He was gasping for air after having sprinted across the compound back to their room.
"Kaoru? Where are you? Kaoru?"
She was gone.
He turned toward the doorway, determined to wring answers out of Sarekoso, but instead found a note that had fallen from the crossbeam of the doorway. Shinta picked it up and read it aloud:
All hail the mighty battousi,
You've grown weak from this woman. Legend still talks of you with the highest tone of reverence, but then what are we? We who have taken what is most valuable, and now control the legend? All hail the mighty battousi indeed, come and get her, we wait.
Anger and frustration bounded wildly within him as he struggled to maintain his self-control. How could he have been so stupid? Where they right? Had he finally after all this time with Kaoru been weakened by her? 'No' he thought. Kaoru was nothing but a blessing in his life.
He took hold of his sakabatou, strapped it to his waist, and was already running after them, when someone in the distance called his name.
"Wait, Kenshin where are you going? Is everything alright?"
Shinta spun toward the caller, but after squinting at the small figure, saw it was only Yahiko. He did not have time to explain to the boy where he was going or why, so without so much as an answer, he was off in pursuit of Kaoru and his past.
Not bothering to search for clues as to where Kaoru was taken, nor needing to, Shinta set out for Totomi province.
The night was a blur to Shinta; his head had been clouded with all the emotion of Kaoru's capture. Owls, trees, stars, people, water, everything blended in, and when he finally 'awoke,' he stood in the presence of an awakening sun. For his efforts, he was awarded with a comb at his feet. It was purple with a pink flower, and it had been the one Kaoru was wearing the night of her capture.
"Even now they toy with me." He sighed, and bent over to retrieve the item. This token that carried Kaoru's memory.. her scent seemed to give him a renewed courage. "It's different this time; I will not be your puppet as I once was. You've come back to seal the past, but all you have done is seal your fates."
Author's Note: Kaoru's captured again, what else is new. Anyway, I write this so I can shine a light on a part of Shinta's past that though may not be strictly true to the story, will hopefully make you the reader look and Shinta and his past differently when I'm done. No two points of view on one event will ever say the same thing, and so with the next chapter enter the plot twist.