Disclaimer: WHOEVER THINKS I DON'T OWN RUROUNI KENSHIN, READ ON AND REVIEW!
WHOEVER THINKS I DO OWN RK, WHACK YOUR HEAD ON THE TOILET BOWL, JUMP INTO A RIVER, CONSULT A PSYCHIATRIST, then READ AND REVIEW THIS FIC!
NYMPHA FABELLA
Chapter Eight: Tale within a Story
Kaoru heard the slamming of the door as she walked away. Outside Enishi's office were a long line of his servants, all waiting to talk to him. They all looked at her as she stormed out into the hallway, her face clearly angry. She glared at their curious and even suspicious looks.
"Don't any of you even try to follow me! I'm heading for my room, and none of you'd better start 'guarding' me, or I swear you'll all be sorry!" She ignored their mocking laughter and starting climbing down the stairs. So upset was she, though, that she didn't notice how her marching stubbornly had led her to a rather unfamiliar corridor, instead of the one that would lead to her chambers.
She looked around, now confused. The two walls around her extended to a dead end, with a window which looked out into the manor fields. All around her hung gigantesque Japanese paintings of samurai, fighting in battle. Stunned, she looked around. The two doors to her right turned out to be only a small bathroom, and a closet.
Feeling strangely out of place than she already was in Enishi's manor, she backed away, when her eyes spotted another door near the window at the far end. She reached for the knob, and hesitated. Well, she had told all those stupid minions that she would be in her room, but what did they know?
Besides, she had nothing to do in that room which was supposedly hers; and Enishi had given her the right to roam around, hadn't he? So what if she felt like venting out her anger by looking at the other rooms?
Mind finally made, Kaoru carefully peeked in as she opened the English-styled door, and felt her eyes widen in sudden awe. The room (if you could call it one concerning how huge it was), turned out to be a library. More than a hundred bookshelves were lined along the walls. The carpet was a soft, welcoming glow of dark red, and everywhere she looked Kaoru saw thousands of books lying around stools of different sizes, aside from those which were already on the shelves.
Three long tables were set out before her: One in the very, very, very far end of the room, the other near a window, and the last, right in front of her, all with matching comfortable-looking chairs. Kaoru looked up, and felt her jaw drop. Even the chandeliers seemed different from those in the other parts of the manor. They were still elegant, but the light they gave seemed to shimmer in a way that made one feel as if they were made to tempt you into lounging around, nose buried in a book.
Still, Kaoru hesitated. She had planned on sulking in her own chamber again, trying to plan another way of getting out. But didn't literary materials give people ideas as well? Perhaps, if she browsed through a few books, she might even discover something worth knowing about Enishi and his strange powers.
Finally, she shrugged. What harm was it to try and read some of those books, anyway? Curiously, she started taking down a few from some of the shelves. It turned out that there were books written in English as well, but as Kaoru could not understand them, she settled for the Japanese ones instead.
Moving on to the next shelf, Kaoru started to scan it carefully, trying to find one that would help soothe her nerves. Realizing that this particular shelf contained Japanese novels instead of the old, usual history and philosophy books she had come across earlier, she carefully picked one, settled herself down on the carpet, and started to read.
***@***
Once upon a time, there was a fair maiden imprisoned in an Ancient Temple. She could not remember why she was there, or how was it that she came to be. She tried desperately, each and every day, to find a way out, but failed.
There were no doors.
Only windows.
Windows which looked down to a ground so far below she daren't jump.
She had food.
She had a warm futon.
Jewelry.
The most beautiful clothes.
But no friends.
Until he came.
He came, riding on a huge dragon, his long hair brushing against his temples, a sword by his side. He had half a smile and half a smirk when he dared to veer his dragon near her window, and asked her why she lived all alone.
Why weren't there any doors?
Where were her parents?
Was she married?
Didn't she get bored in there?
Such irritating questions. Questions she herself could not answer! So she shouted at him. 'Stupid! I don't like you! Go away!'
She turned away before the tears could fall. She would have liked to be his friend.
His charming smile disappeared. He didn't mean to hurt her. It was the last thing he would have wanted to do.
***@***
Kaoru closed the book and put it back on the shelf. She would continue it tomorrow. Perhaps the maiden and the man would become friends after all. Maybe he would take her far, far away, to a place they could both call home.
If only that could happen in real life. In Kaoru's life.
***@***
Was he hallucinating?
A minute ago he was preparing supper, now he was in a trance. Everything swirled around him.
Purple.
Black.
That girl was screaming again, and countless tears from her blue orbs had stained her porcelain-like cheeks. No! She was bleeding…mouthing something…
What was it?
What could he do to save her?
He blinked the sweat from his eyes, straining, needing to know what she was saying; no—screaming. If he focused enough, he could read her lips clearly…they were screaming
"Kenshin!!!"
A/N:
And THAT, ladies and gents, is what I call an ultra weird chapter. What am I doing? I don't know either. My first fic. Pleas be kind.
Kalasin