Hi all! This little ficcie is the product of two minds! Rurouni Angel and Chiruken have teamed up to bring you an original Alternate Pairing Rurouni Kenshin Fanfiction!
"Charmed" is going to be wild, a little crazy and maybe even a little scary at times…especially considering whom the Altered Pair will be!
Now, I feel compelled to add in a few warnings before we get into the fic itself:
1.Alternate Pairing!!! There….that's said.
2.This fic is rated for a decidedly citrus flavor. That means this fic is probably going to turn into a lemon sometime soon.
3.If you have a problem with sexually explicit scenes, dialogue or themes, then this fic is definitely not for you. If you have a problem with Alternate Pairings, then this fic is definitely not for you.
Well, now that that's been said…On with the fic!!!
(Oh…and don't forget to have fun! That's the main goal of this collaboration of Angel and Chiruken.)
Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic
Rurouni Kenshin & Samurai X Original Japanese Version ©N. Watsuki/Shueisha * Fuji-TV * SME Visual Works Inc. * Sony Pictures Entertainment
All Fanfics created by Chiruken (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.
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RPG Collaboration between Rurouni Angel & Chiruken
Charmed Part 25By Chiruken
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Time was running out. He could feel it. He tilted his face up to the sky, violet eyes narrowed against the glare of the sun in the wide expanse of bright blue. He felt uneasy, edgy…as if a storm were about to ravage Tokyo, yet he knew that it was something far worse than the mere elements of nature. He clenched his right hand into a fist to prevent himself from reaching for the hilt of his sakabatou, a light breeze blowing strands of red hair across his face, into his eyes, momentarily obscuring his vision. Deep inside he knew that the heart of this storm would descend on the Kamiya Doujou, endangering his family's lives yet again.
Drawing in a deep breath he forced his hand to unclench and the rest of his body to relax as well. Worrying never solved anything. He sighed softly, silently acknowledging that he always worked himself into a frenzy of anxiety. It was no wonder his stomach bothered him so much. He shrugged and turned back to the laundry waiting for his attention. "Damn Takeda for reemerging with a grudge." He muttered under his breath as he reached for a yukata to scrub, looking around guiltily to see if anyone may have heard his uncharacteristic swearing. Breathing a silent sigh of relief when he saw no one, he focused on the yukata and the rhythmic scrubbing, finding a calm centering in the familiar routine.
Kaoru peeked around the corner of the bathhouse, watching as Kenshin bent over the washtub, scrubbing vigorously. She bit her lip in worry, knowing that he felt responsible for this new danger knocking on her doujou's gate. "Baka…" She whispered affectionately and shook her head slowly, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of her dark hair behind her ear as the breeze tugged it free of her favorite indigo ribbon. Stepping out from behind the concealing wall, she swiftly approached her sweet red-haired rurouni. "Ne…Kenshin…what's for breakfast?"
"Oro?" He looked up and smiled when he met Kaoru's sapphire blue gaze. He could easily lose himself in her eyes, he thought wistfully before shaking his head sharply. "There is miso soup, rice and grilled eel, that there is."
Kaoru wrinkled her nose. "Eel? At this time of year?"
Kenshin placed his hand behind his head in a gesture of embarrassment, momentarily forgetting about the suds clinging to his wet hand and grinned up at her sheepishly. "Ano…it was all I could catch, Kaoru-dono, that it was."
Shaking her head with a sigh, Kaoru crouched down beside him. "That's all right, Kenshin." She frowned into the washtub and tilted her head to the side before reaching into the water, ignoring her sleeve dipping into it as well. Her frown deepened to a scowl as her eyes narrowed in recognition, a heated blush staining her cheeks red as she recognized the object she held dripping over the tub. "Kenshin!" He winced at her shriek of rage as she towered above him holding the dripping cloth. "Baka! My shitagi!" She whacked him over the head and stomped away in embarrassed anger.
"Orororo…" Kenshin muttered softly, rubbing his head with a wince of pain. He hadn't even realized that he'd picked up her unmentionables when he'd gathered the laundry earlier.
"Smooth, Kenshin…real smooth." Sanosuke snickered at his friend's confused expression. "If you wanted her to check out her under things, you should've waited 'til she wasn't around first before…"
"Sano…" It came out part angry growl and part embarrassed squeak. Closing his eyes, Kenshin silently counted back from ten, searching for an inner calm he was far from feeling. "It was an accident, that it was."
"Sure. I believe you. But I doubt jou-chan does."
Kenshin bowed his head and closed his eyes, feeling his face heating. "Did you want something, Sanosuke?"
The ex-fighter-for-hire sobered instantly. "Yeah. I've been hearin' quite a bit lately 'bout this new 'gentlemen's club'. Seems men join and get a chance to have a bit of fun with women they pay top dollar for."
The former hitokiri rolled his eyes. "That's hardly new, Sano, that it is not. Licensed…um…" He cleared his throat and glanced around before continuing in a low whisper. "Establishments in the red-light district are quite common, that they are."
Sanosuke leaned closer and lowered his voice to a whisper as well. "Yeah, but the men visitin' don't take their wives and auction 'em off to the highest bidder either, now do they?"
"Oro?!" Kenshin stared at his friend in shock. "Their…wives?"
"Yeah…and guess who's in charge?" He paused and stood straight again. "Our old friend, Takeda Kanryu. Kenshin…this is seriously bad." The rurouni nodded with a frown. "So…what are we gonna do 'bout it?"
"Ano…does Takeda attend these places himself, or does he have someone else run them for him?"
"Someone else. Some guy goin' by the name Yunokawa Genjo." Sanosuke looked closer at his friend, noting with no small amount of uneasiness the hard edge to his usually mild and gentle expression. "Uh…Kenshin…what are you plannin'?"
~~*~~
Megumi absently dusted the shelves lined with jars of medicinal ingredients and packets of prepared medicines, her mind focused on thoughts of the past…something she hadn't dwelled on in quite some time. It's all because of him… She thought with a sigh. That man…he was so…familiar. "But why?" She murmured softly as she bent to retrieve the dusting cloth she'd dropped. "Who is he?"
"Megumi? Are you in there?" The muffled voice coming through the door sounded concerned.
With a soft smile she crossed to the closed door and opened it. "I'm fine, Yahiko. Is there something you needed?"
"Yeah…where do you want this?" He held up a basket with emitting a delicious aroma.
Blinking in surprise she leaned forward and lifted the edge of the cover to sniff appreciatively. "Mmm…it smells delicious. What is the occasion?"
Yahiko shrugged, expression uncertain. "Dunno…Tae just said to bring this over to you."
"Hmm…that's strange." With a shrug she took the basket from the boy and smiled. "Tell her thank you for me. Can you stay to join me?"
He shook his head with an expression of regret. "No…gotta get back to the Akabeko for the lunch rush. You comin' over to the doujou later?"
Megumi nodded and followed him out onto the engawa. "Yes and I'll be bringing some ohagi as well."
"Ohagi? That's great! See you then!" With that Yahiko dashed across the yard and disappeared out the gate into the busy street and the crowd rushing by.
Slowly lowering herself to the polished boards of the engawa, Megumi opened the basket only to find a note on the top addressed to her. Taking it and opening it, she smiled as she read Tae's note. It seemed that she had a secret admirer. With an impish grin she peeked inside the basket and pulled out the top container. "I wonder who the admirer could possibly be…" Within moments she'd begun eating, eyes closed in satisfaction. Tae is such a wonderful cook… She was partway through the third dish when an odd feeling came over her. Eyes widening in alarm as the ground tilted alarmingly, she gasped, dropping the dish as she stood abruptly. "Oh no!" She cried as she felt herself losing consciousness. Slowly her legs gave way and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
No one saw the men sneak into the clinic's yard from the alley. And no one saw them quickly bind Megumi's wrists and ankles with roughly woven rope. Finally they tied a blindfold over her eyes and gagged her before wrapping her in a large blanket and leaving just as unobserved as they'd arrived.
**To Be Continued…**