DISCLAIMER:

Kenshin: Cel doesn't own me, much to her dismay.

Saitou: Nor me, in any kind of way.

Cel: Wow...! You two rhymed.

Saitou & Kenshin: ~*Glance at each other and cringe.*~

Cel: I thought it was cute. ~*Shrugs*~ Right, I don't own anything of Rurouni Kenshin or Samurai X.



To the Beginning to Find the End
by: Celena Schezar
Ch. 2 - Meeting the Battousai




It also didn't take Kethry too long to get lost either. She spent the whole day trying to learn the city streets, but she just couldn't get the hang of them. So instead she found herself practically right back where she started. She was on the outskirts of the town again, but this time she guessed it was the other side. Nothing looked familiar but then again she had only seen that one alley.

The sun began to set when she came to a place that was inhabited by people who looked nice enough to get help from. As Keth walked towards them they began to take notice in her. One even came out to meet her. With his hand over the hilt of his sword.

"Stop right there! I won't just let assassins walk in the front door." With his battle cry said, he drew his katana and began to rush at her.

"What?" She looked down at her swords. "Oh! These. I'm not what you think. Please, don't!"

The plea was ignored. He slashed sideways at her with a quick, fluid motion. He was fast, but she was faster it seemed. She easily took a leap backwards out of harms way only to quickly duck below his next attack. She didn't want to fight him.

Kethry could only dodge for so long until the other had worn her out to where her dodges were inefficient. She tripped once and found a cut across her cheek. It was over. She was breathing hard and could not dodge the next attack.

He had the sword held high above his head ready to swing it down upon the kneeling girl before him. With a shout he swung it towards her as she cowered beneath her arms.

"Stop!"

The single command halted the attack an inch away from the girl's covering arms. Carefully she poked her head out to look up at her attacker. He was looking behind him with a frustrated look on his face.

"Why? This girl is an assassin."

"If she were an assassin, do you really think she would have not already drawn her sword? For that matter, would she not have waited for nightfall and avoided you guards completely? She's no assassin."

The man, or rather boy for he couldn't have been too much older than Kethry herself, looked back down at her and again to his stopper. He sighed with resentment and sheathed his sword with reluctance.

Kethry couldn't believe her luck. For the second time in a week she had barely been saved. She eyed her savior from her position near the ground before slowly getting up and dusting herself off self-consciously. As she moved towards him she felt as if she knew the man.

It wasn't until she got close enough to distinguish his facial features that she realized just who had saved her. It was the Hitokiri Battousai. Only he looked much younger now for some reason. Maybe it was because the hidden innocence was less hidden out of battle. It was also light outside though the sun would soon be below the horizon.

The hitokiri, or rather former hitokiri she reminded herself as she chanced a glance at his cross-shaped scar, was looking at her in what could pass for amazement to the nearly stoic boy. He was probably around her own age about now, a handsome boy with soft 'girly' features and flaming red hair. His eyes were a beautiful, rare violet color. At the moment a slight hint of wonder was set in them.

She glanced down at herself briefly and then looked back up at him with a sheepish smile. "Yea. I heal quickly. Besides, I didn't want to stay with that jerk any longer than I had to."

He merely nodded and then began walking back the way he had come from. As she followed him slightly behind and to his left, she noticed the building seemed to be like an inn of sorts. What they now walked down was a covered 'porch' on the outside of the place. To their right were evenly spaced doors leading to the rooms where she assumed the Ishin-shishi stayed. She hop-skipped up to his side and pointed across him to the apartments.

"Hey, ahh..." She almost let his name slip, but she would rather introductions be said.

He took the hint as he glanced at her. "Himura Kenshin."

"Right. Kenshin-san... Can I call you that?" After his nod she continued with her earlier question. "Are these the places where you guys, I mean, the Ishin-shishi stay?"

He gave another nod as answer. She held tightly onto her patience as she quietly reminded herself that he wasn't much of a conversationalist before becoming the rurouni of his later days. With her question announced she headed on to other things. "Right. Oh, yea! I'm Kethry. Err... Khushrenada Kethry."

To her ears it sounded funny saying the name with the surname first but she did it for him. Kenshin glanced at her again quickly before nodding once more and returning to his idle stare of watching where they were going. Kethry sighed as again she received no verbal confirmation. Didn't he know how to talk?

In a few more moments the Ishin-shishi stopped next to one of the doors and slid it open. He gestured for her to enter and she obliged. Stepping to the center of the room Kethry glanced around the sparse room. This was another nothing-interesting-here room for her to hardly take notice of. There was a pallet on the far left side of the room in the corner, a book shelve filled with all different sized books to its left in the other corner, and a desk to her right against the wall with a lone chair.

She turned back to Kenshin to see what he was going to do. She had just met him and didn't really know what to do or say to him. She fidgeted as they both stood there silently. Finally he moved his head and looked down at her stomach.

She glanced down and then back up at him then down again. It took awhile but finally she noticed that though the wound was closed, her clothes were not. A nice tear in her blue kamishimo was in plain view. One could see the beginnings of her binds and the skin below. She blushed slightly and looked back up to him.

"Yea. I didn't have the time or materials to fix it. I suppose if I had a needle and thread I could patch it up good enough."

Kethry let the sentence hang in the air as she wondered if he would actually do anything to help her. When he moved suddenly, she almost jumped before she scoffed at her edginess. She watched as he went to the desk and opened the drawer. Kenshin carefully took a small wooden box out and turned back to Keth, holding it out to her.

She took from him and slid the lid back to look inside. There was a couple of needles, some different colored thread, and other bits and things of a sewing kit. She smiled kindly at him before turning around and walking to the middle of the room, where she promptly sat down Indian style in one smooth motion.

As Kethry prepared to sew Kenshin came up in front of her to sit down as well. He avoided staring at all costs and didn't at first notice when Kethry had begun to undress. She stripped herself of the kamishimo so that all that covered her was the wrappings of her chest. She carefully began to sew up the sliced material.

Kenshin was about to say something when he looked up and gave a small, startled yelp. He quickly changed his gaze and then shuffled around to place his back to her so as not to accidentally look at her. When Keth heard the surprised cry she looked up to find him facing the other way. Once again she found herself blushing as things that were common in her time where quickly noticed out of place in this time. Kethry no baka.

"Arigatou, Kenshin-san. But it really wouldn't have bothered me or else I wouldn't have done it." She paused as she gave the matter some thought. "Of course! Gomen nasai. You're very honorable."

"Arigatou." The embarrassed Kenshin mumbled from his position opposite her.

Finishing in a hurry, Kethry quickly placed the things back in their box and closed the lid. She put her kamishimo back on before addressing Kenshin once more. "You can turn around now."

Cautiously, Kenshin turned his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye. Seeing her fully dressed once more he shifted back around to face her. He glanced at her work briefly, but still would not look at her directly and instead avoided her gaze as before.

There was an awkward silence before Kethry cleared her throat softly and waited for him to look up. When she had his attention somewhat more focused on her she began. "You know, I don't really have anywhere to stay. You see, I kinda got here by... Well, I... Umm..."

She stopped abruptly as she found that her words would only confuse him if she told him the truth. So instead she told him the half-truth. "I sort of ran away."

Keth watched him carefully to find his reaction, but Kenshin just looked at her as he always had. No emotion, no judgment, no nothing. He was so stoic it almost hurt to look at him. Especially in the eye. That was the one place where his emotions betrayed him. Not like some though, for it wasn't a complete betrayal. In fact, they hardly told anything of him at all. But if one knew what they were looking for, they would see the hidden pain from being the hitokiri within those orbs.

She looked away to stare at the floor. Kenshin merely nodded in acceptance before getting up and walking to the futon. He moved it off the wall a bit so that there was more freedom for the occupant before looking at her and motioning to it with a small wave.

"You can stay here. I don't sleep on this thing, so you can sleep on it as well. In the morning you can figure out what you're going to do." With that said he went to the door and slid it halfway open. "I'll be back in a little while. I need to meet with someone."

Kethry watched as he walked out the door. It was to late when she finally managed to mutter her thanks to him. She sat there idly to await his return.

By the time Kenshin had returned he found Kethry passed out on the futon. He walked over to her and carefully pulled the covers up around her. He then took his place with his back against the bookshelf to find rest himself.




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Jap. to English Dictionary:

Kamishimo - samurai's garb

Arigatou - Thank you

Gomen nasai - I am very sorry

Baka - Idiot
Word no baka - Word is stupid (ei.: Kethry no baka - Kethry is stupid or Stupid Kethry)


Note: Kamishimo is the only word I could find for a samurai's style of clothing, but I know I had seen another word in another fic. If anyone knows the specific word of the shirts that the Ishin-shishi wore, please let me know so I can change it.