Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters, Kiena
Himura, or Kiera Nakamura. The last two are owned by my friends and I
don't know the names of all the people who own RK.
Chapter One: Respect Your Enemies
"You block, counter, and attack your enemies. You DO NOT treat your enemies with contempt, for underestimating them will become your greatest mistake, for they will then have the power to rule you and rule your hearts.
"Your name should not strike your enemies hearts with fear, they should respect you. We are enemies, true, but we are also human beings, with families, loves, and fears. They too are fighting for an ideal, as we are, fighting with their hearts, bodies, and spirits.
"Read their ki, but do not let it fool you. A swordsman is as strong as their swordsman's spirit, their ki, not their physical appearance.
"Tomorrow we will have a long battle, a fierce, breath-taking battle, that will seem to last a lifetime, and yet pass in the blink of an eye.
"Get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow; we head out at dawn." She looked over her small company of fighters and thought, They would follow me into death to fight by my side. We are wolves, after all, and the pack follows the leader even after death.
*
*
*
*
Beep! Beep! Beep!
At the annoying buzz of the alarm clock, Kiriko woke up just enough to slam the alarm to make it stop.
"Wake up, Kiriko! Or do you want to be late for school?" yelled her mother when there was no activity from the teenager.
"I'm up already! Be down in a sec!" came the groggy response. Upstairs, Kiriko hurriedly pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans and a charcoal grey tank top. By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, she had pulled a black, hooded sweatshirt on and managed to grab her black book bag and sweep some socks onto her feet.
Kiriko kissed her mom on the way out the door and gathered a chocolate chip muffin as she slid on her tennis shoes. She had just finished her last bite of breakfast and was struggling with her long, dark, brown hair when her friend caught up with her.
"Need help with that?" asked her best friend, Kiena. At her nod, Kiena swept her friend's hair up into a high ponytail and secured it with a strip of fabric. Kiriko just looked at her best friend; about her height of 5'6", auburn colored hair that you could swear looked pure fire red a moment ago cut short at her shoulders, and her violet eyes. Kiena was dressed in her usual: a faded pair of jeans, a baggy, short sleeved shirt, tennis shoes, and a sweater tied around the waist.
They walked in companionable silence the rest of the way to school. As they approached the main building, Shinta, Kiena's twin brother, ran up to them, breathing hard.
"Sleep in late again, Shinta?" asked Kiriko. All he could do was nod in reply. Shinta looked exactly liked his sister, and dressed the same, too, except without the sweater today. "I'll see you two after school at the dojo!" called Kiriko as they turned to do to their different classes.
The day passed by quickly, morning classes giving away to lunch, lunch giving away to afternoon classes, afternoon classes giving way to freedom. Kiriko liked school, and was best at Litature/Writing, Science, and Math. She was a loner, a lone wolf, to quote her words. But a wolf always has a pack.
Kiriko was the first to arrive at the dojo, as usual. She changed out into a black hakama and a grey gi, wrapping bandages around her midriff in the fashion of the dojo. When she finished changing, she pushed her regular clothes into her backpack and gathered her shinai from the rack.
As she started to warmup, Kiriko's mind went blank. She had been taught this by her first instructor, when she was six. Kiena, Shinta, and Kiriko had known each other since they were five, or four, and all shared the same interests. They would climb the trees near the dojo they lived by to watch the students train. After a year, they asked if they could train too. To humor them, for he thought that they would quit after one session, the sensi offered to train them if they cleaned up after the other classes. All three readily agreed. When they didn't give up, the sensi was forced to keep their bargain, and so they learned all he had to teach them.
A year after they had started, the sensi had had enough. He was the laughing stock of town, teaching to three little kids his style. He told the then eight years olds, and the seven year old, that if they could not master the session technique in one week, he would not teach them anymore.
The children, not as oblivious as they seemed, worked long and hard to perfect the technique. After the week was up, he faced off against them. Being the youngest by a year, Kiriko went first. Her sensi charged at her, but she easily dodged the attack and hit at his backside. To everyone's surprise, the hit connected, making the sensi stumble. Forgetting his place, the sensi attacked Kiriko with an all out attack. She used the session technique, still thinking the sensi was going easy on her and wanted to see the attack.
The hit connected once again, the force sending the sensi flying through the air. He landed, unconscious, a few yards away from the shocked eight year old. By that time they had gathered a crowd, many of whom fell over or sweat dropped (or both). Fearing she had done something wrong, Kiriko ran away and climbed the tree nearby, where only Kiena and Shinta could see her. They both joined her soon later to tell her what the people had said.
"They said we made great progress, and many would like us to train at their dojos. Isn't this great?!? We'll be able to pick our choice of a style from all those in Kyoto!" said Kiena. Shinta just nodded, agreeing with his sister. They left to tell the people what they would do, but when Kiriko climbed down into the mob of people waiting for her, she simply stated,
"I want to learn all the styles." and left. Snapping out of her memories, Kiriko glanced up as Kiena and Shinta entered, dressed in their gis and hakamas. The last person to enter before their current sensi was Kiera. She was their friend and fellow student. She was in her gi and hakama, her hair cut short in the boys' style. She was what she called "fashionably late."
Just then, the sensi walked in. He was the master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style. The Hiten Mitsurugi style was the last one left in all Kyoto they had not mastered, for there was as many dojos as there once was. And he was the only one that could defeat anyone of them.
Practice passed by quickly and they all walked home together. Kiera's house was just a little past Kiriko's.
They were all still in their gis and hakamas, for it was already past nine at night and changing would just delay them. A dark, foreboding man stepped out from behind a car and approached them.
"Can we help you, Mister . . ." Kiriko asked, sensing the man a split second before the others.
"Yes, in fact you can. My name is Hiko Seijuro and I need to know who the current students of the Hiten Mitsurugi styles are." the man answered. His white and red cape billowed around him in the wind.
"The four of us are those you are looking for. What is it you want with us?" asked Shinta. He thought he recognized this man from somewhere, though he had never seen him in his life. The man smiled slightly at his luck. Not even two minutes in this world and already I have found them.
"Yes, of course. I want you four to come with me." he ordered. At his request, four shinais came out as one, each in the ready position.
Hiko held up his hand, calling upon the momentary powers the widow had given him. They all fell down as one, unconscious, and Hiko picked them and carried them on his shoulders. They disappeared into the night . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is my first fan fiction, so please R&R!!!!
I will try and post the next chapter by the 21 of November (that's next Friday).
Himura, or Kiera Nakamura. The last two are owned by my friends and I
don't know the names of all the people who own RK.
Chapter One: Respect Your Enemies
"You block, counter, and attack your enemies. You DO NOT treat your enemies with contempt, for underestimating them will become your greatest mistake, for they will then have the power to rule you and rule your hearts.
"Your name should not strike your enemies hearts with fear, they should respect you. We are enemies, true, but we are also human beings, with families, loves, and fears. They too are fighting for an ideal, as we are, fighting with their hearts, bodies, and spirits.
"Read their ki, but do not let it fool you. A swordsman is as strong as their swordsman's spirit, their ki, not their physical appearance.
"Tomorrow we will have a long battle, a fierce, breath-taking battle, that will seem to last a lifetime, and yet pass in the blink of an eye.
"Get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow; we head out at dawn." She looked over her small company of fighters and thought, They would follow me into death to fight by my side. We are wolves, after all, and the pack follows the leader even after death.
*
*
*
*
Beep! Beep! Beep!
At the annoying buzz of the alarm clock, Kiriko woke up just enough to slam the alarm to make it stop.
"Wake up, Kiriko! Or do you want to be late for school?" yelled her mother when there was no activity from the teenager.
"I'm up already! Be down in a sec!" came the groggy response. Upstairs, Kiriko hurriedly pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans and a charcoal grey tank top. By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, she had pulled a black, hooded sweatshirt on and managed to grab her black book bag and sweep some socks onto her feet.
Kiriko kissed her mom on the way out the door and gathered a chocolate chip muffin as she slid on her tennis shoes. She had just finished her last bite of breakfast and was struggling with her long, dark, brown hair when her friend caught up with her.
"Need help with that?" asked her best friend, Kiena. At her nod, Kiena swept her friend's hair up into a high ponytail and secured it with a strip of fabric. Kiriko just looked at her best friend; about her height of 5'6", auburn colored hair that you could swear looked pure fire red a moment ago cut short at her shoulders, and her violet eyes. Kiena was dressed in her usual: a faded pair of jeans, a baggy, short sleeved shirt, tennis shoes, and a sweater tied around the waist.
They walked in companionable silence the rest of the way to school. As they approached the main building, Shinta, Kiena's twin brother, ran up to them, breathing hard.
"Sleep in late again, Shinta?" asked Kiriko. All he could do was nod in reply. Shinta looked exactly liked his sister, and dressed the same, too, except without the sweater today. "I'll see you two after school at the dojo!" called Kiriko as they turned to do to their different classes.
The day passed by quickly, morning classes giving away to lunch, lunch giving away to afternoon classes, afternoon classes giving way to freedom. Kiriko liked school, and was best at Litature/Writing, Science, and Math. She was a loner, a lone wolf, to quote her words. But a wolf always has a pack.
Kiriko was the first to arrive at the dojo, as usual. She changed out into a black hakama and a grey gi, wrapping bandages around her midriff in the fashion of the dojo. When she finished changing, she pushed her regular clothes into her backpack and gathered her shinai from the rack.
As she started to warmup, Kiriko's mind went blank. She had been taught this by her first instructor, when she was six. Kiena, Shinta, and Kiriko had known each other since they were five, or four, and all shared the same interests. They would climb the trees near the dojo they lived by to watch the students train. After a year, they asked if they could train too. To humor them, for he thought that they would quit after one session, the sensi offered to train them if they cleaned up after the other classes. All three readily agreed. When they didn't give up, the sensi was forced to keep their bargain, and so they learned all he had to teach them.
A year after they had started, the sensi had had enough. He was the laughing stock of town, teaching to three little kids his style. He told the then eight years olds, and the seven year old, that if they could not master the session technique in one week, he would not teach them anymore.
The children, not as oblivious as they seemed, worked long and hard to perfect the technique. After the week was up, he faced off against them. Being the youngest by a year, Kiriko went first. Her sensi charged at her, but she easily dodged the attack and hit at his backside. To everyone's surprise, the hit connected, making the sensi stumble. Forgetting his place, the sensi attacked Kiriko with an all out attack. She used the session technique, still thinking the sensi was going easy on her and wanted to see the attack.
The hit connected once again, the force sending the sensi flying through the air. He landed, unconscious, a few yards away from the shocked eight year old. By that time they had gathered a crowd, many of whom fell over or sweat dropped (or both). Fearing she had done something wrong, Kiriko ran away and climbed the tree nearby, where only Kiena and Shinta could see her. They both joined her soon later to tell her what the people had said.
"They said we made great progress, and many would like us to train at their dojos. Isn't this great?!? We'll be able to pick our choice of a style from all those in Kyoto!" said Kiena. Shinta just nodded, agreeing with his sister. They left to tell the people what they would do, but when Kiriko climbed down into the mob of people waiting for her, she simply stated,
"I want to learn all the styles." and left. Snapping out of her memories, Kiriko glanced up as Kiena and Shinta entered, dressed in their gis and hakamas. The last person to enter before their current sensi was Kiera. She was their friend and fellow student. She was in her gi and hakama, her hair cut short in the boys' style. She was what she called "fashionably late."
Just then, the sensi walked in. He was the master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style. The Hiten Mitsurugi style was the last one left in all Kyoto they had not mastered, for there was as many dojos as there once was. And he was the only one that could defeat anyone of them.
Practice passed by quickly and they all walked home together. Kiera's house was just a little past Kiriko's.
They were all still in their gis and hakamas, for it was already past nine at night and changing would just delay them. A dark, foreboding man stepped out from behind a car and approached them.
"Can we help you, Mister . . ." Kiriko asked, sensing the man a split second before the others.
"Yes, in fact you can. My name is Hiko Seijuro and I need to know who the current students of the Hiten Mitsurugi styles are." the man answered. His white and red cape billowed around him in the wind.
"The four of us are those you are looking for. What is it you want with us?" asked Shinta. He thought he recognized this man from somewhere, though he had never seen him in his life. The man smiled slightly at his luck. Not even two minutes in this world and already I have found them.
"Yes, of course. I want you four to come with me." he ordered. At his request, four shinais came out as one, each in the ready position.
Hiko held up his hand, calling upon the momentary powers the widow had given him. They all fell down as one, unconscious, and Hiko picked them and carried them on his shoulders. They disappeared into the night . . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is my first fan fiction, so please R&R!!!!
I will try and post the next chapter by the 21 of November (that's next Friday).