Ohayo! Hee hee, this is lots of fun. Anywho, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin,
and please review!
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It had been several weeks since the mystery girl had been brought to the Kamiya Dojo. She had recovered astoundingly quickly from most of her injuries, and was able to hobble around with a crutch. He bright red locks of hair were commented on by many of the people who saw her, and had luckily been saved from cutting. The only things left for her recovery were a few bandages and her lack of speech.
They knew she could talk, since Kenshin had heard her cry out in her sleep on the first night. But she refused to say a single word. When they talked to her, she remained motionless, unless asked to do something. Then she would do the task to the best of her abilities. It was a baffling matter for the residents.
"I can't figure out why she won't speak," muttered Megumi underneath her breath. The mystery girl was busy playing a game similar to soccer with Suzumi and her sister. "She can, I know it, but she just doesn't want to."
"She'll find the time to speak when it is right, Megumi-san. She's just trying to figure out what is really good and what is really bad after the accident." Sanosuke was relaxing on the wall, chewing a fishbone contentedly.
"I know, but she's nearly healed! I-" She was cut off as Kaoru stuck her head out the door, yelling, "Lunch time, minna-san!"
"Come on, sister!" Suzumi and Ayame each grabbed one of the girl's hands, and helped her hop back to where she had left her crutch. After the girl had placed it under her arm, the girls began a singsong chant that moved in time to her hopping. "One at a time, two at a time, follow the path to food!"
The girl laughed, her peals of happiness flowing through the garden. Megumi sighed and said to Sano, "She's happy enough, but when will she trust us enough to talk?" Sano shrugged and followed the children inside.
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"Okay, everyone, eat up!" The cook beamed happily as everyone dug into the meal, happy that her cooking hadn't been botched this time. Even the mystery girl's special soup had come out right. She was kept on a mainly liquid diet to help her get fatter, and it seemed to be having an effect. However, the effect was that her wounds had healed quicker, but she didn't gain any weight.
Suddenly, the door to the dining room opened, and Kenshin stepped in. "Sorry I'm late, Kaoru-dono. I thought you might like some fresh fish for dinner, so I ran to buy it before it ran out."
"K. Ken. Kenshin?" Everyone stopped and stared at the girl. She was studying Kenshin very closely, and had managed to say his name after only a few tries! Her face was awash with a strange light, as though she had suddenly regained something that had been lost to her.
"You spoke!" Megumi cried, extremely startled. "Can you say your name?"
The girl seemed to stop and consider her question, before saying clearly, "I am Tsukiyo."
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Tsukiyo had refused to say anymore after the few words she had said at lunch, so they gave up and allowed her to go back to her game. Kenshin brooded in his room, trying to figure out the meaning behind her words.
//I know I've never seen her before. She can't be related to me. But how else could she have gotten my hair? And my eyes?// He stopped and shook his head. //She didn't get my eyes, she got the Battousai's amber eyes.//
"Kenshin?" He jerked his head up, to meet Kaoru's sapphire eyes. He put on a smile and said, "Hello, Kaoru-dono. I hope you are pleased over how well your lunch turned out."
She grinned and said, "I had a little help from Megumi-san, but don't tell the others." Putting on a more serious face, she asked, "Kenshin, what's wrong? Is it Tsukiyo?"
Kenshin sighed inwardly. He almost never was able to hide things from her. "Yes, I am afraid it is. Wondering about why she would say my name first, that I am."
"Maybe its because she's heard your name most often?" Kaoru offered.
"That is not it. It's just a feeling, but I believe she might know me from somewhere. The only problem is, I don't know her." His forehead creased with the rapid thinking that was going on in his head.
Kaoru paused for a second, before asking quietly, "Kenshin-san, I need you to tell me something. Is she rel-" Kenshin cut her off with a sharp shake of his head.
"I am almost positive she is of no relation to me. I will admit she bears a striking resemblance to me, but it is impossible. I never did anything that could create her." A flash of shadow passed over his face, but it quickly left.
Kaoru looked a lot happier, and said, "Well, why don't you sit down and try to see if she'll talk to you."
Kenshin's immediate reaction to this suggestion was to say no, but he stopped and thought about it for a few minutes. //If she would only say my name and hers, she probably trusts me the most. Mayhaps it is because of her first night, or it is because of a completely different reason, but I have to find out.//
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Tsukiyo slid open the shoji door as she leaned heavily on her crutch. It had gotten harder -not easier- to move around when she was able to hobble around by herself. She didn't understand the logistics of this, it simply was.
It took her a few seconds to allow her eyes to adjust to the dimness before she could see the person she thought of as //Red-sad-cross// in her mind. It wasn't that she was stupid; it was how she learned to think.
She jumped a little when the man cleared his throat, and said, "Come in, Tsukiyo-san." She did so, and sat on the cushion across from him, managing a graceful placement of her legs while she put her crutch beside her.
She studied him, while he sat with his eyes closed. //Red-sad-cross has questions. Answer? Yes, make him happy, learn more now.// She paused again, as he seemed to continue meditating. //He waits? Name word start questions? Yes, good answer.// She took a deep breathe, and said, "Kenshin?"
His head jerked up at the sound of his name. "Yes, Tsukiyo-san?"
//Red-sad-cross is strange, no ask. Ask self? Wait. Wait and see.// She mimicked his position, sitting kneeled with her hands folded on her lap. There were another few minutes of uncomfortable silence, before she said again, this time putting more emphasis, "Kenshin?"
"Yes Tsukiyo-san?"
She gave the mental equivalent of a scream of frustration. //Red-sad-cross annoy. Wants talk? Good answer? Yes yes.// "Kenshin, why am I here?"
His violet eyes widened in surprise at the sound of her second full sentence. Tsukiyo almost immediately felt a surge of happiness at his reaction. //Yes! Made Red-sad-cross surprise! Wants good words, not thought. Strange.// Kenshin slowly said, "Tsukiyo-san, Yahiko brought you to us for help. You were badly hurt."
//Ya-hii-ko?// She sounded out the strange name in her head, before it clicked. //Oh! Short-spike-talk! Understood!// "Yahiko is. kind to me. Thank him I will."
Again, surprise flickered across his face. She frowned, since she had been able to catch it twice now. //Red-sad-cross no good at hiding emotion? No, he very good. Hide thoughts well, just too easy.//
"It would be a good idea, that it would." He stopped, then decided to go for the jugular. "Tsukiyo-san, where are you from?"
She froze, her mind going into the 'danger' zone. //NO NO NO NO NO! Telling forbidden! Answer? Quick! Red-sad-cross want answer, give answer! Answer? What say?// Her face twisted before she managed to say, "I do not recall."
Kenshin's face turned as blank as a slate as he said, "Alright that is. You may go and play with Suzume-chan and Ayame-chan, that you can." She bowed to him before pulling herself to her feet using her crutch and hobbled out.
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Kenshin sat quietly after Tsukiyo left, thinking hard. //She is strange, almost as if she is like Soujirou was. But she is different, more as though she was brainwashed from birth.//
"Kenshin-san?" Kaoru stepped out from the closet, her kimono rumpled from her position inside. "What do you think?"
He turned to face her completely, making sure she knew how serious he was without changing his tone of voice. "I think that she holds a dark secret that we need to find out, as soon as possible. For her sake and ours."
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It had been several weeks since the mystery girl had been brought to the Kamiya Dojo. She had recovered astoundingly quickly from most of her injuries, and was able to hobble around with a crutch. He bright red locks of hair were commented on by many of the people who saw her, and had luckily been saved from cutting. The only things left for her recovery were a few bandages and her lack of speech.
They knew she could talk, since Kenshin had heard her cry out in her sleep on the first night. But she refused to say a single word. When they talked to her, she remained motionless, unless asked to do something. Then she would do the task to the best of her abilities. It was a baffling matter for the residents.
"I can't figure out why she won't speak," muttered Megumi underneath her breath. The mystery girl was busy playing a game similar to soccer with Suzumi and her sister. "She can, I know it, but she just doesn't want to."
"She'll find the time to speak when it is right, Megumi-san. She's just trying to figure out what is really good and what is really bad after the accident." Sanosuke was relaxing on the wall, chewing a fishbone contentedly.
"I know, but she's nearly healed! I-" She was cut off as Kaoru stuck her head out the door, yelling, "Lunch time, minna-san!"
"Come on, sister!" Suzumi and Ayame each grabbed one of the girl's hands, and helped her hop back to where she had left her crutch. After the girl had placed it under her arm, the girls began a singsong chant that moved in time to her hopping. "One at a time, two at a time, follow the path to food!"
The girl laughed, her peals of happiness flowing through the garden. Megumi sighed and said to Sano, "She's happy enough, but when will she trust us enough to talk?" Sano shrugged and followed the children inside.
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"Okay, everyone, eat up!" The cook beamed happily as everyone dug into the meal, happy that her cooking hadn't been botched this time. Even the mystery girl's special soup had come out right. She was kept on a mainly liquid diet to help her get fatter, and it seemed to be having an effect. However, the effect was that her wounds had healed quicker, but she didn't gain any weight.
Suddenly, the door to the dining room opened, and Kenshin stepped in. "Sorry I'm late, Kaoru-dono. I thought you might like some fresh fish for dinner, so I ran to buy it before it ran out."
"K. Ken. Kenshin?" Everyone stopped and stared at the girl. She was studying Kenshin very closely, and had managed to say his name after only a few tries! Her face was awash with a strange light, as though she had suddenly regained something that had been lost to her.
"You spoke!" Megumi cried, extremely startled. "Can you say your name?"
The girl seemed to stop and consider her question, before saying clearly, "I am Tsukiyo."
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Tsukiyo had refused to say anymore after the few words she had said at lunch, so they gave up and allowed her to go back to her game. Kenshin brooded in his room, trying to figure out the meaning behind her words.
//I know I've never seen her before. She can't be related to me. But how else could she have gotten my hair? And my eyes?// He stopped and shook his head. //She didn't get my eyes, she got the Battousai's amber eyes.//
"Kenshin?" He jerked his head up, to meet Kaoru's sapphire eyes. He put on a smile and said, "Hello, Kaoru-dono. I hope you are pleased over how well your lunch turned out."
She grinned and said, "I had a little help from Megumi-san, but don't tell the others." Putting on a more serious face, she asked, "Kenshin, what's wrong? Is it Tsukiyo?"
Kenshin sighed inwardly. He almost never was able to hide things from her. "Yes, I am afraid it is. Wondering about why she would say my name first, that I am."
"Maybe its because she's heard your name most often?" Kaoru offered.
"That is not it. It's just a feeling, but I believe she might know me from somewhere. The only problem is, I don't know her." His forehead creased with the rapid thinking that was going on in his head.
Kaoru paused for a second, before asking quietly, "Kenshin-san, I need you to tell me something. Is she rel-" Kenshin cut her off with a sharp shake of his head.
"I am almost positive she is of no relation to me. I will admit she bears a striking resemblance to me, but it is impossible. I never did anything that could create her." A flash of shadow passed over his face, but it quickly left.
Kaoru looked a lot happier, and said, "Well, why don't you sit down and try to see if she'll talk to you."
Kenshin's immediate reaction to this suggestion was to say no, but he stopped and thought about it for a few minutes. //If she would only say my name and hers, she probably trusts me the most. Mayhaps it is because of her first night, or it is because of a completely different reason, but I have to find out.//
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Tsukiyo slid open the shoji door as she leaned heavily on her crutch. It had gotten harder -not easier- to move around when she was able to hobble around by herself. She didn't understand the logistics of this, it simply was.
It took her a few seconds to allow her eyes to adjust to the dimness before she could see the person she thought of as //Red-sad-cross// in her mind. It wasn't that she was stupid; it was how she learned to think.
She jumped a little when the man cleared his throat, and said, "Come in, Tsukiyo-san." She did so, and sat on the cushion across from him, managing a graceful placement of her legs while she put her crutch beside her.
She studied him, while he sat with his eyes closed. //Red-sad-cross has questions. Answer? Yes, make him happy, learn more now.// She paused again, as he seemed to continue meditating. //He waits? Name word start questions? Yes, good answer.// She took a deep breathe, and said, "Kenshin?"
His head jerked up at the sound of his name. "Yes, Tsukiyo-san?"
//Red-sad-cross is strange, no ask. Ask self? Wait. Wait and see.// She mimicked his position, sitting kneeled with her hands folded on her lap. There were another few minutes of uncomfortable silence, before she said again, this time putting more emphasis, "Kenshin?"
"Yes Tsukiyo-san?"
She gave the mental equivalent of a scream of frustration. //Red-sad-cross annoy. Wants talk? Good answer? Yes yes.// "Kenshin, why am I here?"
His violet eyes widened in surprise at the sound of her second full sentence. Tsukiyo almost immediately felt a surge of happiness at his reaction. //Yes! Made Red-sad-cross surprise! Wants good words, not thought. Strange.// Kenshin slowly said, "Tsukiyo-san, Yahiko brought you to us for help. You were badly hurt."
//Ya-hii-ko?// She sounded out the strange name in her head, before it clicked. //Oh! Short-spike-talk! Understood!// "Yahiko is. kind to me. Thank him I will."
Again, surprise flickered across his face. She frowned, since she had been able to catch it twice now. //Red-sad-cross no good at hiding emotion? No, he very good. Hide thoughts well, just too easy.//
"It would be a good idea, that it would." He stopped, then decided to go for the jugular. "Tsukiyo-san, where are you from?"
She froze, her mind going into the 'danger' zone. //NO NO NO NO NO! Telling forbidden! Answer? Quick! Red-sad-cross want answer, give answer! Answer? What say?// Her face twisted before she managed to say, "I do not recall."
Kenshin's face turned as blank as a slate as he said, "Alright that is. You may go and play with Suzume-chan and Ayame-chan, that you can." She bowed to him before pulling herself to her feet using her crutch and hobbled out.
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Kenshin sat quietly after Tsukiyo left, thinking hard. //She is strange, almost as if she is like Soujirou was. But she is different, more as though she was brainwashed from birth.//
"Kenshin-san?" Kaoru stepped out from the closet, her kimono rumpled from her position inside. "What do you think?"
He turned to face her completely, making sure she knew how serious he was without changing his tone of voice. "I think that she holds a dark secret that we need to find out, as soon as possible. For her sake and ours."
