Disclaimer: None of these are mine, and they never will be. -sniff- so shoo!

Of Fate and Destiny

It was always believed that the Ageless lived atop their mountains for as long as their services were not called upon. However, many of the Ageless grew restless and craved for the hustle and bustle of life down below. So, unbeknownst to the humans, they did eventually make their way down to join the ranks of the commoners in their daily lives, finding meaning in their existence in between these periods of simple waiting.

~

I was never a believer of Chance. She merely existed in the minds of the unbelieving, the devotees of Science and Reason. Didn't they realize that Reason and Logic was a product of Fate? That without someone to dictate who, what, when, where, why and how, everything would cease to make sense and then true chaos would ensue? Humans spent too much time pondering about coincidences and chance that they fail to see the lie that they were.

It was purely by the hands of fate that I ended up at that little corner of the bar and entirely by the will of destiny that he chose to sit there, shrouded more by mystery than the cigarette smoke. Dignified and respectable, this seedy bar was one of the last places I would expect to see someone like him. A dying breed. I mused to myself. Blood red tendrils framed his delicate yet distinctly male visage, as his bangs hid his eyes. Curious to find out the exact shade of his orbs, I took my Cosmopolitan and made my way to his table.

"Is this seat taken?" It was more of an introduction rather than a true question in itself. I was asking if I could enter his world and he knew it. No woman would go up to such a man without such an intention though he held the power to stop me. It's been too long.

"It is now, if you're willing to take it."

That was all the encouragement I needed to slide into the high chair.

Purple. His eyes were the color of Lilac.

~~~

"Kamiya, for the next project, you will be working with a partner."

Shocked, though the Commander could not tell, I nodded my head. I never worked with anybody and always did my duty alone. After all, I was more than capable of taking care of myself, lonely, but true.

A knock.

"Ahh, come in Himura, you have a mission."

Purple eyes widened as they regarded my Prussian ones.

~~~

So you see, it was entirely fate that pushed me to meet the man that I was to work with for a long time. We had to meet once outside of work to know our world outside of it. I wished that I knew what it was that fate had in store for me then, perhaps I would've been better equipped for a mission that was doomed to fail from the start. Looking back, with all these years between me and those times, I could understand why I had to be hidden from the truth. Had I known that my actions would ultimately lead to the destruction of my best friend, fate would have had to step in even more to ensure that the situation would lead to it's final destined conclusion for I would have fought to the very end.

I wish I knew.

~~~

Warm hands clasped my cold and clammy ones as Himura shook my hand in greeting.

"Himura. Himura Shinji."

His voice, entirely to his own credit, did not waver nor falter although his shaking hand gave his surprise and apprehension away. But since he was unwilling to admit his weakness, who was I to expose his sham?

"Kamiya, Kamiya Kaoru. It's a pleasure Himura-san, as always."

Our mission was a rather simple one, to infiltrate a rundown warehouse and take the criminals residing in there down. The main difference? They were probably from the plane of the non-living. Which was the second reason for my surprise that I was to have a partner. This unit I belonged to was a one woman unit because it was suppose to be a top secret unit, hidden from the world.

"If you don't mind my asking Kamiya-san, how did you know about this unit?"

His politeness may be a product of his upbringing, but I knew that he did not call me by my name, unlike that night we met simply for the fact that he was unsure whether it was wise that the Commander knew we were previously acquainted. However, as much as that fact did not bother me, I was equally unwilling to get 'chummy' with him because now we were on completely different footing. Now that he joined the unit, we were to assume an entirely professional relationship.

To find a friend only to lose him again.

"Himura-san, I'm surprised you didn't know that I was the one who set this unit up."

He wisely did not comment although I could see the questions clouding up his mind. After all, this unit has been up and running for over thirty years and I only looked to be in my twenties.

~

"Ah!"

Shots rang out in the cold night air. The atmosphere tense, filled to the brim with hostility which I was used to. However, a glance to my left showed me that my partner was unaccustomed to battling the undead, fatigue and bewilderness evident in his expressive lavender eyes.

Bodies piled up one by one as we cut through the throng of Morlocks. Ugly creatures related to werewolves, probably a distant cousin, they were unable to shape shift, preferring the night and human flesh to any other delicacy on earth. I have killed my fair share of them, amongst other creatures, but they were always the vilest of all, mostly due to the unearthly stench they exuded. Evidently taking showers was never an option for these pungent creatures of the night.

Finally, we reached the last, the strongest, and probably the leader.

"Step aside you creature! You don't know what you're going against!"

My warning was loud and clear. Although I knew that it would probably be left unheeded, let it not be said that Kamiya Kaoru does not fight honorably.

"Never!" The guttural leader stood his ground, brave but very foolish. "I'll kill you like I have slain the other humans!"

"Pretty words for a dead mongrel."

~

Looking back, I doubt I would have ever been ready for the cold, caustic tone in Shinji's voice. If I just closed my eyes, I can still recall his red locks billowing in the night breeze, his lavender orbs darkening almost to a rich blue, but most of all, the tone in his voice sending shivers up and down my spine. Now I knew why he entered the unit and worked under me, this man was my perfect substitute.

~

A lone bullet shot through the Morlock's body as its huge frame keeled over breaking into tiny flecks of dust. Death was never a pleasant sight, even if it was one of my mortal enemies.

"Is that the final one?" Staring at the spot where the Morlock stood before, Himura's soft 'Ah' was my cue to turn around and leave.

"Where are you going Kao-Kamiya san?"

One quick glance to my side revealed to me Himura's smiling face. Perhaps he was hoping for a celebratory drink? But all I really wanted to do was to return to my apartment and relieve myself of the stench of death.

"I'm going back. It has been a tiring night." My honest yet veiled truth did not seem to satisfy him for his smile dimmed as he regarded me suspiciously.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you uncomfortable with me?" Not waiting for an answer, not that he was really expecting one, he plunged ahead in his assessment. "From the way you fought today, it is obvious that you are a good fighter, probably one of the best, and you are holding back. If it weren't for the fact that I'm a rookie and the Commander wants you to guide me, I'd be surprised that you would require a partner, so tired, Kamiya san?"

His relentless onslaught brought a slight throbbing to my head as I raised my hands to my temples in hopes of relieving the pain.

A drink was definitely in order now.

~

"A martini for me and a Cosmopolitan for the lady." Himura's smile did not abate at all as he ordered our drinks, settling himself comfortably on the chair. Throughout the entire journey to the pub, we remained quiet, him, giving me space, while I desperately hoped he would forget that tense moment out there and be contented with the fact that we were going drinking.

"Ano... Kamiya san, I'd hate to push you..."

Fat chance of contentment from the red head. I grimaced, holding my breath for the inevitable question.

"... are you alright? Your face is turning funny colors."

It was then that I realized I had forgotten to breathe. Oh well, it's not like I can die. Reassuring him of my health, mental and physical, the nervousness returned in full as I resisted the urge to twiddle my thumbs and whistle, looking everywhere else, but at my handsome partner.

~

Thinking about that moment always makes me smile because it is only when everything was over that I realized the necessity in everything that happened that night. I was brought to Tokyo, to the police force, to that special unit for one reason. Obviously it was unclear to me, that pull which I felt every time I did something I was fated to do, nothing made sense then. Even with the position and that capabilities that I had, I was unprepared for the ultimate duty that I was to be called upon for. But it was imperative, my duty, and my unknowing. I wonder how the story would have changed if something in these chain of events was altered, but I knew it was impossible. Fate has never been known to leave chances for failure.

I never did answer his question that night, but I think we both knew the answer anyway. And as we progressed along, as our relationship grew, that question became more and more redundant.

~

Slowly sipping my liquor, I was mentally preparing a speech simple enough to throw Himura off course, yet sincere enough to make him drop his attempt at getting closer to me. For some reason, I felt that some event of importance was about to befall upon me, and I did not wish to get emotionally involved at any cost.

"...Kamiya san?"

I was not really expecting Himura to be so nervous. It was rather unbecoming of the impression that I first forged of him from our first meeting. Moreover, he did not really have any reason to be nervous, I was neither a fierce nor frightening company.. was I?

He called me again, making me realize the reason for his apparent distress – my unresponsive. Not just in that moment, ever since that meeting with the Commander, I put myself in a cage, locked up my emotions and did not allow Himura to see through to me. At the club I was warm and effusive and in the office, my personality made a hundred and eighty degree turn, no wonder the boy is apprehensive around me. It can not really be helped though, around work, when it concerns lives and deaths, I am unwilling to allow anything other than pure determination and cold soberiety fuel me.

"Hai?"

"I... I know that you're uncomforatble with me, but I assure you, I just want to have a... warmer relationship with you. I think that to be partners, we're going to have to try to work together and know each other better. So please do not think that I have any untoward intentions, I'm merely trying to get to know you better."

Well, he was not one to mince words. I have always liked that in a man.

"Himura, I do not doubt you being a gentleman, and I agree with you. On that note, I'm most assuredly willing to forge a better relationship with you, but I hope you are not planning on digging up any personal information from me. I'm setting it straight now, no personal questions."

Holding his hand up in a placating manner at my stiff tone, Himura smiled and agreed.

"Maa, maa I consent to that condition. No personal questions. So... friends?"

He stuck out his right hand as I smoothly mimicked his actions and we shook hands, the smile on his face breaking into a silly grin as we did so.

"Friends."





AN: I know, I know, this is a rather short chapter. I can't seem to be getting the momentum yet. But don't get mad, I've already gotten the entire story planned, and it seems to be pretty satisfactory. A warning though, it might end up pretty long, so bear with it, I'll try to leave out unnecessary details, so everything I put in the story is imperative to its development. Don't say I didn't warn you. Moreover, the background of the story etc might seem pretty close to David Eddings' 'The Belgariad' as I'm a complete fan of his, and the ideas of a fantasia which he has created has been an inspiration for this fic. However, it doesn't mean that the characters are based off his, they are kept close to the anime and mangas and the plot would be pretty different. Alright, that's all I want to say, keep reading, and I'll try to lengthen the next chapter. Btw, the shifting of Kaoru's addressing Shinji as 'Shinji' and then 'Himura' is entirely intentional. Hopefully you can see my reason for it? ^_^

Reviewers:

Whiterabbit: This would probably explain some stuff, but the general mysticism will still remain until somewhere in the middle of the fic, so please don't lose your interest and read on!

MissBehavin: Hope that this is something good! I'm trying a new genre, so I'm still rather rough at the edges, I certainly hope that you'd bear with me and give me pointers. Thanks for your encouragement.

Kistuni-1500: Hope this is cool sounding as well, I can't wait to see what you think about this.

Wistful-eyes: Umm.. no. It's not Kenshin. I think he'd Ryu Tsui Sen me or something if I ever dare to put him in a crossdressing role. On top of that, Kamatari would come after me for stealing his/her role in the Anime. I can't afford to have the two effeminate men coming after me. Heh heh

LadyShiin: You honour me with your review! I'm such an avid fan of yours and I especially love your story 'Sky Dweller'. To have you review my fic... ohhhh boy. -takes a deep breath- I think I'm going to faint...

DragonMastersofShadows: What a mouthful! Hope you're not disappointed in this chapter, do tell me what ideas you have, and I'll be glad to add them in!

CEEGEE: What would I do without you?? Thank you so much for your encouragement, it's people like you who make people like me want to write. Thanks ever so much!

~Haruko