Shinrumi
Disclaimer: I did not make Rurouni Kenshin. Nor do I own it. Got it?
Chapter three- The Culprit and The Victim: Story of the Unlikely Enemies and The Other Cross-Shaped Scar
Saph(ME): long chapter title. It was supposed to be two chapters, but because of the long wait, I decided to merge the two together. By the way, people, if this chapter sucked, don't kill me. I have writer's block... AGAIN. Darn you, writers' block... T_T. Ok, and in reward for the long wait, you get a longer chapter! Sorry, I can't answer to reviews, cause I can't see them (my screwed up internet.... T_T) besides ones:
Kaede in love with charles- ....in case you didn't GET it, this is a story with the original characters and Shinrumi only. Lamebrain. Are you implying I'm a bad author? T_T anyways, you can't be in this story. why would I? So you can be a victim of the evil man?
Sorry I can't answer other reviews! My reviews page has been disabled. @_@ but thanks to everyone who sent me one!
//thoughts\\ "Someone speaking" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A few days later, after Shinrumi had settled in for awhile, the twins stood outside, doing laundry.
"Hurry up and train me, busu! I want to get strong!" Yahiko's voice could be heard throughout the dojo.
"Those two seem to get along very well, that they do." Shinrumi commented. Kenshin nodded. He was still amazed his sister was still alive. He had missed his playmate so much from when he was young........ He was awoken from his reminiscing by Shinrumi pushing him hard into his tub of water. He rose out of the water, blinking.
"Oro?!?!" he said. Shinrumi patted his head, then ran off.
"Tag, Shin-I mean, Kenshin, you're it!!" she yelled behind her back.
Meanwhile, Sano sat outside, calmly doing what he was good at: being idle. Suddenly, a pair of small, soft hands wrapped around his neck, and he found Shinrumi crouching behind him. She snickered softly. Sano turned and looked at her questioningly. She merely smiled up at him, and placed a finger at her lips.
"Just hide me for now, 'kay?" Sano gave her a puzzled looked, but nodded. Heck, she was pretty, he was being the hero, why the hell not? Soon, Kenshin ran around the corner, still holding some cloth he had been washing, hair and clothes soaked and full of bubbles. He looked around.
"Oi, Kenshin! Whatcha doin?" Sano called out. Shinrumi's hands, which were now on his back, poked him hard.
"Oro? Nothing. Have you seen Miss Shinrumi around here?"
"Still calls me miss, even though I'm his sister....." Kenshin heard it, and was behind Sano in the blink of an eye. His arms were around his sister, in a brother-to-sister loving hug.
"Tag, YOU'RE it, Miss Shinrumi." He said, and ran off. Shinrumi ran out, and was after Kenshin.
"Geez.....they're being childish today...." Sano commented.
Kaoru stepped out, and watched semi-amusedly as Kenshin and Shinrumi ran around, playing "tag." She stepped out and smiled, then put on a frown.
"KENSHIN!! You're supposed to be doing the laundry!" Kenshin and Shinrumi stared over at her, having being stopped in the middle of their "wrestling" match. They stared at her with dot eyes. Kaoru got a vein on her forehead.
"KENSHIN...." Kenshin sweatdropped, and flapping his hands, edged away, and then ran back to his laundry, Shinrumi following closely behind. Kaoru shook her head.
"Those two...." Sano got up and stretched.
"Well, Jou-chan, I'm off.... I'll be back later I suppose......" Kaoru nodded. She was alone in the dojo; Sanosuke had just taken off (well, he was probably at the gate chatting.....flirting with Shinrumi); Yahiko was probably off somewhere drooling over Tsubame (sp?); and Kenshin and Shinrumi were doing the laundry. She sighed and started making tea (hey, you try and think of something for her to do. T_T) Suddenly, a hand closed around her mouth. She struggled for a bit, but strength left her as air was cut off. Blackness consumed her. She was out cold.
Meanwhile, with our hero with his twin and a certain chicken –head......
"So, Shinrumi, what's your kinda man?" Sano was saying. Suddenly, Kenshin's head shot up.
"Someone's here." Shinrumi nodded.
"Someone powerful." She commented. They both stood up, each with a hand on their hilts. Suddenly, a black shadow appeared over them. Shinrumi's eyes opened as she saw the attack.... And recognized it.
"Shinta! Get out of the way!" she cried. Too late. Sanosuke and Shinrumi could only watch in silent horror as Kenshin suddenly had a blade protruding out of his back (think the Kenshin/Saito fight.....). Kenshin fell to one knee as the intruder took out the blade. He then turned to Shinrumi. Wait a minute... was that Kaoru slung over his shoulder??
"Bastard! Put down Miss Kaoru RIGHT NOW!" she yelled. The man laughed evilly.
"Being a bit rude now, aren't you? You forget who I am, do you?" he said, in a menacing whisper. Shinrumi's grip on her blade tightened till her knuckles were white. Her eyes narrowed with hate, and flashed amber.
"How could I forget a bastard like you......" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. It was cold, like steel biting into steel. It was filled with hate from the bottom of her soul. It was a hitokiri's voice. Sano shivered, while Kenshin, still down, sat, staring wide-eyed at the ground. Disbelief consumed him. That voice was familiar. Too familiar. No. No way in Hades..... Shinrumi couldn't.... she just couldn't.....
"Ah, I feel loved. So you DO remember me, dear Mukando." He said, stroking Shinrumi's cheek. She growled.
"I'm not your dear. And I'm not Mukando... anymore. And I most definitely will never work for you again." The man merely began laughing.
"Mukando, the only time you can leave me is when you're dead. So you have two choices: come back to me, and this pretty young lady won't be hurt.... Or stay here and let who knows what happen to her. You're choice. Until then, I'll be waiting....and Battousai.... You will come too. You will be the one fighting. I will not only have Mukando on my side..... but I will defeat the greatest hitokiri from the Bakumatsu!" He said, and jumped off, and in the blink of an eye, was gone. (a/n: that didn't make any sense. Damn writers' block.)
The amber faded from Shinrumi's eyes, and they were back to their normal blue-violet.
"Shinrumi....." Kenshin groan in pain. Shinrumi turned, and ran to her twin.
"SHINTA!" she caught him as he fell forward. Sanosuke rushed over to help her get him in. They lay him on a mattress roll (damn it, I forgot what they're called... darn writers' block.... T_T). Kenshin opened his eyes a bit to glance at his sister sternly.
"Shinrumi...." Shinrumi avoided his eyes.
"Yes Shin- er, Kenshin?"
"Is what that man said true? Are you really Mukando?" Shinrumi hid her eyes with her bangs.
"I WAS Mukando..... a long time ago....." silence held the room. Sano held up his hand.
"Ok, you lost me. Who's Mukando? Why is she so important? AND WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??" he yelled. Kenshin was staring intently at Shinrumi, while she in turn stared at the covers.
"Once, during the Bakumatsu," Shinrumi finally started, "there was another hitokiri besides Battousai. He his himself far better, and those who saw him were felled. He was called Mukando because it was said that when he killed, he felt nothing. He was empty of pain; apathetic (by the way, "Mukando" means "apathy" in Japanese.... If you didn't get it yet....). He felled men again and again.... That is, until he met Battousai.
"The two were evenly matched: manslayer against manslayer, swordsman against swordsman. The two had what was to become what is now called the legendary fight. The two fought for days, neither surrendering, or giving hope up. They had been assigned to kill the other; they weren't going to fail their orders now. The fight was also called the hooded clash, as both were said to have worn hoods throughout the duration of the battle.
"On the third night of the fight, Battousai managed to cut off Mukando's hood.... And found himself staring into the eyes of a woman. Not only that, but he was staring into his own reflection. Battousai thought he was imagining things.. Mukando charged at him; no one was allowed to see her face. Battousai dodged, and stabbed her. And that was the so-called end of Mukando...." She said. Sano's eyes were wide open.
"So, lemme get this straight. You were both hitokiris, out to kill one another, not knowing that the other was your twin?"
"Like I said before, I thought she was dead, that I did. I thought I was hallucinating when I saw her face. " Kenshin said softly.
Suddenly, Shinrumi had a look of vengeance and determination to get Kaoru back.
"Shinta- er, Kenshin, I'm going to get her. I'm going to get her back for you. It's the least I can do. It IS my fault she isn't here in the first place...." She said, standing up. Kenshin grabbed her hand.
"Shinrumi, what do you plan on doing?"
"I'm going there as you. That way, no one will try to capture me." Was all she said.
"Wait a minute. You can't go as Kenshin! First off, you don't have his scar. Second, I doubt you use the same style. Third..... ah...." Sano said, glancing down at her chest. SLAP.
"HENTAI!" Sano bowled backwards, a red slap mark on his face.
"Shinrumi, Sano has a point. How will you do this? They will know you aren't me.... And we're supposed to go together. You can't do this."
"We can't leave Miss Kaoru there either. Shinta," she said, not even bothering to correct herself, "I know what we can do. First, I will go as you." She put up a hand to silence the protests. "Let me explain. You were injured in the chest, right? That serves as a good excuse for binding my chest. Secondly, if HE inquires where 'I'm' at, I will say 'Miss Shinrumi is at home. She won't be serving scum like you anymore. Especially when I defeat you.'" She said (a/n: stupid writers' block..... I will find a cure for it someday..... until then, you'll have to read this crappily-written fic.... Damn myself ~punches self for cussing~)
"And what about the scar? I doubt you can hide that. Even if you were to wear a hood." Kenshin pointed out. Shinrumi was silent.
"No, I can't hide it. But I CAN make a copy of it...." She said. Kenshin and Sano's eyes widened as they let her words sink in. Shinrumi turned, and drew her blade (a/n: it's not a sakabatou, people!). She pulled the blade close to her face. As she was about to cut the blade deep into her skin, a hand stopped her.
"No! Shinrumi, there has to be another way!" Sano shouted. Shinrumi's hard eyes bore into his.
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid there isn't. A small scar is a small price for someone's life." And then she slowly, starting from the hilt, laid the blade on her left cheek, and slowly pulled the hilt down, leaving a trail of blood on her cheek, going downwards. She then pulled that away, and did the same for the horizontal scar. Sano and Kenshin's eyes were open wide as she pulled the blade away, to stare impassively at the blood staining her hand. Thus, another cross-shaped scar was born.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Saph: wow, Shinrumi must love her brother a lot if she's willing to do that for her brother.
Shinrumi: I do.....
Kenshin: aaw, miss shinrumi..... you're very kind, de gozaru yo!
Saph: anyways, that sucked huh? I hate writers' block. Grrr.... Anyways, leave a review, even if you want to flame me. I MUST HAVE REVIEWS! IT CURES WRITERS' BLOCK! I think.... Anyways, sorry for the long wait, but please just review!
Disclaimer: I did not make Rurouni Kenshin. Nor do I own it. Got it?
Chapter three- The Culprit and The Victim: Story of the Unlikely Enemies and The Other Cross-Shaped Scar
Saph(ME): long chapter title. It was supposed to be two chapters, but because of the long wait, I decided to merge the two together. By the way, people, if this chapter sucked, don't kill me. I have writer's block... AGAIN. Darn you, writers' block... T_T. Ok, and in reward for the long wait, you get a longer chapter! Sorry, I can't answer to reviews, cause I can't see them (my screwed up internet.... T_T) besides ones:
Kaede in love with charles- ....in case you didn't GET it, this is a story with the original characters and Shinrumi only. Lamebrain. Are you implying I'm a bad author? T_T anyways, you can't be in this story. why would I? So you can be a victim of the evil man?
Sorry I can't answer other reviews! My reviews page has been disabled. @_@ but thanks to everyone who sent me one!
//thoughts\\ "Someone speaking" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A few days later, after Shinrumi had settled in for awhile, the twins stood outside, doing laundry.
"Hurry up and train me, busu! I want to get strong!" Yahiko's voice could be heard throughout the dojo.
"Those two seem to get along very well, that they do." Shinrumi commented. Kenshin nodded. He was still amazed his sister was still alive. He had missed his playmate so much from when he was young........ He was awoken from his reminiscing by Shinrumi pushing him hard into his tub of water. He rose out of the water, blinking.
"Oro?!?!" he said. Shinrumi patted his head, then ran off.
"Tag, Shin-I mean, Kenshin, you're it!!" she yelled behind her back.
Meanwhile, Sano sat outside, calmly doing what he was good at: being idle. Suddenly, a pair of small, soft hands wrapped around his neck, and he found Shinrumi crouching behind him. She snickered softly. Sano turned and looked at her questioningly. She merely smiled up at him, and placed a finger at her lips.
"Just hide me for now, 'kay?" Sano gave her a puzzled looked, but nodded. Heck, she was pretty, he was being the hero, why the hell not? Soon, Kenshin ran around the corner, still holding some cloth he had been washing, hair and clothes soaked and full of bubbles. He looked around.
"Oi, Kenshin! Whatcha doin?" Sano called out. Shinrumi's hands, which were now on his back, poked him hard.
"Oro? Nothing. Have you seen Miss Shinrumi around here?"
"Still calls me miss, even though I'm his sister....." Kenshin heard it, and was behind Sano in the blink of an eye. His arms were around his sister, in a brother-to-sister loving hug.
"Tag, YOU'RE it, Miss Shinrumi." He said, and ran off. Shinrumi ran out, and was after Kenshin.
"Geez.....they're being childish today...." Sano commented.
Kaoru stepped out, and watched semi-amusedly as Kenshin and Shinrumi ran around, playing "tag." She stepped out and smiled, then put on a frown.
"KENSHIN!! You're supposed to be doing the laundry!" Kenshin and Shinrumi stared over at her, having being stopped in the middle of their "wrestling" match. They stared at her with dot eyes. Kaoru got a vein on her forehead.
"KENSHIN...." Kenshin sweatdropped, and flapping his hands, edged away, and then ran back to his laundry, Shinrumi following closely behind. Kaoru shook her head.
"Those two...." Sano got up and stretched.
"Well, Jou-chan, I'm off.... I'll be back later I suppose......" Kaoru nodded. She was alone in the dojo; Sanosuke had just taken off (well, he was probably at the gate chatting.....flirting with Shinrumi); Yahiko was probably off somewhere drooling over Tsubame (sp?); and Kenshin and Shinrumi were doing the laundry. She sighed and started making tea (hey, you try and think of something for her to do. T_T) Suddenly, a hand closed around her mouth. She struggled for a bit, but strength left her as air was cut off. Blackness consumed her. She was out cold.
Meanwhile, with our hero with his twin and a certain chicken –head......
"So, Shinrumi, what's your kinda man?" Sano was saying. Suddenly, Kenshin's head shot up.
"Someone's here." Shinrumi nodded.
"Someone powerful." She commented. They both stood up, each with a hand on their hilts. Suddenly, a black shadow appeared over them. Shinrumi's eyes opened as she saw the attack.... And recognized it.
"Shinta! Get out of the way!" she cried. Too late. Sanosuke and Shinrumi could only watch in silent horror as Kenshin suddenly had a blade protruding out of his back (think the Kenshin/Saito fight.....). Kenshin fell to one knee as the intruder took out the blade. He then turned to Shinrumi. Wait a minute... was that Kaoru slung over his shoulder??
"Bastard! Put down Miss Kaoru RIGHT NOW!" she yelled. The man laughed evilly.
"Being a bit rude now, aren't you? You forget who I am, do you?" he said, in a menacing whisper. Shinrumi's grip on her blade tightened till her knuckles were white. Her eyes narrowed with hate, and flashed amber.
"How could I forget a bastard like you......" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. It was cold, like steel biting into steel. It was filled with hate from the bottom of her soul. It was a hitokiri's voice. Sano shivered, while Kenshin, still down, sat, staring wide-eyed at the ground. Disbelief consumed him. That voice was familiar. Too familiar. No. No way in Hades..... Shinrumi couldn't.... she just couldn't.....
"Ah, I feel loved. So you DO remember me, dear Mukando." He said, stroking Shinrumi's cheek. She growled.
"I'm not your dear. And I'm not Mukando... anymore. And I most definitely will never work for you again." The man merely began laughing.
"Mukando, the only time you can leave me is when you're dead. So you have two choices: come back to me, and this pretty young lady won't be hurt.... Or stay here and let who knows what happen to her. You're choice. Until then, I'll be waiting....and Battousai.... You will come too. You will be the one fighting. I will not only have Mukando on my side..... but I will defeat the greatest hitokiri from the Bakumatsu!" He said, and jumped off, and in the blink of an eye, was gone. (a/n: that didn't make any sense. Damn writers' block.)
The amber faded from Shinrumi's eyes, and they were back to their normal blue-violet.
"Shinrumi....." Kenshin groan in pain. Shinrumi turned, and ran to her twin.
"SHINTA!" she caught him as he fell forward. Sanosuke rushed over to help her get him in. They lay him on a mattress roll (damn it, I forgot what they're called... darn writers' block.... T_T). Kenshin opened his eyes a bit to glance at his sister sternly.
"Shinrumi...." Shinrumi avoided his eyes.
"Yes Shin- er, Kenshin?"
"Is what that man said true? Are you really Mukando?" Shinrumi hid her eyes with her bangs.
"I WAS Mukando..... a long time ago....." silence held the room. Sano held up his hand.
"Ok, you lost me. Who's Mukando? Why is she so important? AND WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??" he yelled. Kenshin was staring intently at Shinrumi, while she in turn stared at the covers.
"Once, during the Bakumatsu," Shinrumi finally started, "there was another hitokiri besides Battousai. He his himself far better, and those who saw him were felled. He was called Mukando because it was said that when he killed, he felt nothing. He was empty of pain; apathetic (by the way, "Mukando" means "apathy" in Japanese.... If you didn't get it yet....). He felled men again and again.... That is, until he met Battousai.
"The two were evenly matched: manslayer against manslayer, swordsman against swordsman. The two had what was to become what is now called the legendary fight. The two fought for days, neither surrendering, or giving hope up. They had been assigned to kill the other; they weren't going to fail their orders now. The fight was also called the hooded clash, as both were said to have worn hoods throughout the duration of the battle.
"On the third night of the fight, Battousai managed to cut off Mukando's hood.... And found himself staring into the eyes of a woman. Not only that, but he was staring into his own reflection. Battousai thought he was imagining things.. Mukando charged at him; no one was allowed to see her face. Battousai dodged, and stabbed her. And that was the so-called end of Mukando...." She said. Sano's eyes were wide open.
"So, lemme get this straight. You were both hitokiris, out to kill one another, not knowing that the other was your twin?"
"Like I said before, I thought she was dead, that I did. I thought I was hallucinating when I saw her face. " Kenshin said softly.
Suddenly, Shinrumi had a look of vengeance and determination to get Kaoru back.
"Shinta- er, Kenshin, I'm going to get her. I'm going to get her back for you. It's the least I can do. It IS my fault she isn't here in the first place...." She said, standing up. Kenshin grabbed her hand.
"Shinrumi, what do you plan on doing?"
"I'm going there as you. That way, no one will try to capture me." Was all she said.
"Wait a minute. You can't go as Kenshin! First off, you don't have his scar. Second, I doubt you use the same style. Third..... ah...." Sano said, glancing down at her chest. SLAP.
"HENTAI!" Sano bowled backwards, a red slap mark on his face.
"Shinrumi, Sano has a point. How will you do this? They will know you aren't me.... And we're supposed to go together. You can't do this."
"We can't leave Miss Kaoru there either. Shinta," she said, not even bothering to correct herself, "I know what we can do. First, I will go as you." She put up a hand to silence the protests. "Let me explain. You were injured in the chest, right? That serves as a good excuse for binding my chest. Secondly, if HE inquires where 'I'm' at, I will say 'Miss Shinrumi is at home. She won't be serving scum like you anymore. Especially when I defeat you.'" She said (a/n: stupid writers' block..... I will find a cure for it someday..... until then, you'll have to read this crappily-written fic.... Damn myself ~punches self for cussing~)
"And what about the scar? I doubt you can hide that. Even if you were to wear a hood." Kenshin pointed out. Shinrumi was silent.
"No, I can't hide it. But I CAN make a copy of it...." She said. Kenshin and Sano's eyes widened as they let her words sink in. Shinrumi turned, and drew her blade (a/n: it's not a sakabatou, people!). She pulled the blade close to her face. As she was about to cut the blade deep into her skin, a hand stopped her.
"No! Shinrumi, there has to be another way!" Sano shouted. Shinrumi's hard eyes bore into his.
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid there isn't. A small scar is a small price for someone's life." And then she slowly, starting from the hilt, laid the blade on her left cheek, and slowly pulled the hilt down, leaving a trail of blood on her cheek, going downwards. She then pulled that away, and did the same for the horizontal scar. Sano and Kenshin's eyes were open wide as she pulled the blade away, to stare impassively at the blood staining her hand. Thus, another cross-shaped scar was born.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Saph: wow, Shinrumi must love her brother a lot if she's willing to do that for her brother.
Shinrumi: I do.....
Kenshin: aaw, miss shinrumi..... you're very kind, de gozaru yo!
Saph: anyways, that sucked huh? I hate writers' block. Grrr.... Anyways, leave a review, even if you want to flame me. I MUST HAVE REVIEWS! IT CURES WRITERS' BLOCK! I think.... Anyways, sorry for the long wait, but please just review!