Harvest Moon, Tertius Pars

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin was created by Watsuki Nobuhiro; all rights reserved to Sony, Shueisha JUMP, and Anime Works. All the other characters in this fiction are mine and can only be used with my permission. This piece of fiction was solely created for entertainment purposes only. I am not making any money from this.

Author's Pre-chapter Note: This is going to be long; some parts are boring as they are talkies, which would explain some background. Please bear with me. Also, please be careful in reading; there will be slight implications of yuri, and some of its content while not exactly lemon will require a mature and open mind. Thank you very much.

Eyes of Blue
by: Crimson Prophet

The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity;
but a wounded spirit who can bear?
The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge;
and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
-from the Holy Bible, book of Proverbs,
chapter 18, verses 14-15.

"O-orooo!" Kenshin squeaked, although inside he was quite alarmed at being caught off guard so easily, just like that. Who is this man de gozaru yo?! How was he able to catch sessha off-guard de gozaru yo?! Aloud, he protested, "Sessha didn't do anything de gozaru yo!"

The man shook him again, and Kenshin gritted his teeth, about to get royally pissed off.

"Put him down, Shinomori," a sardonic voice cut in, and the tall man holding him up by the scruff of his shirt turned around, forcing Kenshin to futilely try to see who just spoke, although the voice sounded eerily familiar to him. "He doesn't know what he's done. For that matter, I don't either, and I don't like not being briefed on what had happened. Put him down, Shinomori. That's an order!"

Reluctantly, the tall man named Shinomori put him down, and Kenshin stepped back cautiously, straightening his shirt and jacket then turning around. As soon as Kenshin saw who had been behind him all along, his eyes widened in shock and his jaw hardened. "You!"

"Yes, me, Battousai," Saitou Hajime drawled mockingly, amber eyes cold. "Long time no see."

Kenshin's violet eyes chilled. "That's how sessha wanted it de gozaru."

Saitou gave him a thin smile. "What a warm welcome from a friend I haven't seen for ten years. Sheathe your fangs, little foxtail." He turned, started towards the door, which slid open automatically. "We're here to do business. And we can't do it here."

Silently, the two men followed Saitou, although Kenshin can't help but notice that the tall man next to him kept flicking glances at him as they walked, unnerving him. Suddenly, Saitou stopped in front of the wall at the end of the hallway, interrupting Kenshin's musings. He watched in mild shock as Saitou's arm shot sideward, slapping the wall beside him. That portion of the wall sank an inch, and the wall in front of them slid smoothly upwards, revealing a hidden hallway.

Kenshin took an involuntary step back. "Oro!"

"Stop your oro-roing and get on with it," Saitou said impatiently, moving forward. "Not unless you want to get trapped in this place."

"Oro?"

Aoshi stopped next to him, and gestured to the hallway that were behind them. "If you'll just take a look, Himura-san..?"

Kenshin did. And gulped.

A metal wall was sliding down on the elevator he came to this floor with, and on the metal doors as well. As soon as it was finished, a person who didn't know that there had been doors in that hallway would think that there wasn't. And if a person wasn't careful enough, like Saitou has said, he could get trapped in this place, with no way out. It was that impenetrable.

A man could die in that place, trapped forever.

Turning, Kenshin nodded his thanks to the tall, silent man and walked on forward, following Saitou quietly. They came into another dead-end, and now Kenshin watched with no surprise as Saitou placed his palm on the wall, and it lit up, the words 'Access Granted' suddenly appearing on top of his hand, so much like magic ink. And like magic ink, it faded to nothingness, as the wall in front of Saitou slid sideward, revealing a briefing room.

A while later, they were seated around a wide table, steaming tea placed in front of them. Folders were placed in front of them, the word 'Videre' stamped in front. Saitou steepled his hands under his chin. "I'd like to get over this as fast as possible. Shinomori, you first. What the hell happened? Did this ahou do something to Revelations?"

"No. Yes. I don't know," Aoshi replied, voice tinged with frustration. "I don't know if its good or bad for her. It happened so fast.."

Kenshin looked at Aoshi in confusion, violet eyes clouded with confusion. "Err...did sessha do something wrong? Was sessha not supposed to wake her up de gozaru ka?"

Saitou exploded off his chair, a shocked expression flitting across his lean features. "What do you mean she woke up?!"

Kenshin shrank back. "Orooo.."

"I don't know how he did it, but what you heard is true, Saitou," Aoshi confirmed it quietly. "I went to her room to check on her, and saw just in time to see Himura trip and fall across her. And then...it was just a moment, but her eyes opened. She studied him for a moment, then went back to sleep. It was gone so fast that I didn't think her monitors caught it."

Saitou sat back on the chair; pinned Kenshin with a clear amber gaze. "So we were right after all. You have some connection with her, Battousai. It would seem you could do something others usually can't. Reach Revelations."

Pain flickered through Aoshi's cold blue eyes for a second, then vanished.

"Just what the hell is sessha supposed to do?" Kenshin asked quietly. "Saitou, I know you don't like me that much, and the feeling's mutual, but perhaps an explanation would be appreciated...?"

Saitou snorted, and lit up a cigarette. "Still polite, eh, Battousai?"

"Just get on with it, Saitou."

Saitou arched an eyebrow at the quiet, vehement reply, steel laced through it's husky tones. But nonetheless, he complied. Even Mibu's Wolf has principles against baiting a fox when there's too many things to do with such little time. Saitou puffed leisurely at his cigarette for a while, then uttered one sentence simply. "The person you just met on that room is the replacement of the twins."

Kenshin's eyes widened. "What do you mean de gozaru ka? If she is the replacement, then why is she sleeping?"

Aoshi sighed and continued where Saitou left off. "Because that's all she'd ever known for the past ten years. She's not exactly comatose; she just willed herself to a very deep sleep and had been undisturbed for the past ten years. That is, until you came along, Himura," he added rather abruptly, as if he still could not believe it. "Trust us when we say we have tried all the given ways to wake her up. She wouldn't. Not even for the shortest while. It was only until today that I saw her eyes of blue again."

Kenshin raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"She's my sister," Aoshi continued softly. "We came from the same mother, but had different fathers. Her father was the late General Koshijirou Kamiya. I assume you've heard of him?"

Kenshin nodded; who haven't heard of the general who was reputed to be one of the best officials the military ever had? It was just too bad that he was killed ten years ago, along with his wife. Suddenly, several facts slammed straight into place. Could it be that Gen. Kamiya was killed because underground people wanted to get their hands on his children? Granted, Aoshi might not be 'gifted', but looking at him, I could say that he's certainly skilled on other things other than what his sister has...

Aoshi looked straight at him, and nodded, confirming his suspicions. "By then, the twins have already fallen, and you have already vanished. It was then that we discovered that Father has already made arrangements for us; but it was already too late. She has already fallen into deep sleep. Fortunately for us, the military has dropped the genome research, and it was safe for her to come here." His lips twisted in a cynical smile. "Unfortunately for us, two months after she came here, the original base was infiltrated."

Kenshin's brows shot up, and he half-stood, shocked. The original military base was infiltrated?! But how...?

"Yes, contrary to your belief, Battousai, the original base was not perfect," Saitou drawled, puffing at his cigarette. "When Shinomori says 'infiltrated', it means several people turned to the other camp. However, due to some morons in the upper people, those double agents were never caught. Of course, those ahous are gone now."

"Those agents took with them DNA samples from the twins, and all the information on the genome research as well." Aoshi continued, a steely glint in his eyes. "Or what they think was the DNA. Those samples they have taken where only ordinary human DNA fused with just one-fourth of the twins' own. It was done for precautionary measure which paid off."

"Yes, but sessha thinks it was only half-way paid off," Kenshin commented thoughtfully. "If we presume they have all the information on the genome research de gozaru ka, wouldn't it mean that if they continue the research and was actually successful, all they would need now is DNA from someone with the same abilities as the twins right?"

Saitou's mouth quirked. "Haven't lost all your touch eh, Battousai?" he remarked before continuing. "On that account, you're right. That's why we've tried all the possible ways to conceal Revelations, and took all means that any information leak about her was stopped. However, news that the military has acquired a replacement leaked to the underground, and we've been finding spies all over the place." His cold eyes gleamed. "But up until now, they haven't been successful in finding out who and where exactly is the replacement."

"So where does sessha come in?"

Saitou folded his arms across his chest, gave him a measuring stare. "I know you work alone, as do I, but in this time, we have no choice. You're to work with us. Group Testament."

"It is used to be made up of six people, one of them being Revelations. But Exodus was murdered just a month ago. Somehow they found out that he was one of us and tried to extract information out of him. " Aoshi explained softly. "We tried to reach him, but we were unable to. Now there are seven of us. You, your friend, me, Saitou, Chronicles and Psalms. Your friend, Acts, would help both Chronicles and Psalms, while you, me and Saitou would be Revelation's guards."

"But why does it have to be sessha?"

Silence.

"Because somehow, you're connected with her." Aoshi replied after a while, exchanging a look with Saitou. "Revelations didn't exactly ask for you, but i know her well. And the fact that she woke up earlier..."

They fell silent again; this time, Kenshin was the one who broke the silence.

"Shishou told sessha that an underground group has actually continued the genome research. Is it true they were successful de gozaru ka?" Kenshin glanced from one man to another. "Is it true? And is it the same group that tried to get the twins?"

Saitou arched an eyebrow. "So Solomon told you that much, eh? We don't know much, as they are as good as we are," this sounding like it was forced out, as if it was hard admitting the fact,"...but from what we have learned -and experienced- they have succeeded. But the soldier we faced was paltry; obviously they had to make do with the DNA they got in the first place. And it seemed that it was only an experiment; merely a test of their abilities."

"But the upper brass became worried," Kenshin haphazarded a guess, speaking up. "That's why they decided to get sessha back, right?"

"Yes." Aoshi answered. "Not only that, we want to be able to formulate an attack on that group once we have the information on who they are. Revelations won't be able to help much this time though. Someone's been blocking her; she's been unable to see these past few days. The only thing she did say was to be wary of a past bleeding to the present." The tall man suddenly frowned. "In fact, she couldn't say what she wanted to say; it was as if something's blocking her."

Saitou stood up. "But still, that's enough to go on. I'll get going. I need to report. Shinomori, you take over."

"Very well."

"Well? Report." A tall man commanded, flicking ash from his cigarette as he perused the kneeling man before him. "Was it successful?"

"No, sire." The man responded, white lab coat gleaming whitely in the room. "It was weak. It does not have even one-fourth of one of the twin's power. Your people was able to kill it quickly. In fact, only one of your Elite was needed to finish it off."

The other man chuckled deeply. "As expected. However, continue with the research and testing; maximize the effort. We must unlock all the secrets that the information given to us; keep at it. Dismissed."

The white-clad man nodded and tuned smartly on his feet, long strides taking him out of the room. The man left behind stood up from his chair and went to the wall behind his chair, which slid up smoothly and revealing a dark room lit by a lone globe lamp. In the center of the room was a huge four poster bed, faintly glimmering black curtains drawn.

Those curtains were moved aside by the man, revealing a woman sleeping on the black satin sheets, hair like crimson blood strewn across the pillow. Carefully, the man sat down, but that movement was enough for the woman to awaken, thick black lashes drifting up. She gazed up adoringly at the man, ruby-red lips parting in a smile, not heeding the fact that her naked body was barely covered by the thin satin blanket. "Ohayo, anata."

In answer, the man bent, and captured the woman's lips with his in a harsh, possessive kiss. After a while, the man lifted his head and replied, "Ohayo, koi. Had fun today? You seem well-rested."

"Yes, I had fun, anata." The woman responded softly. A smirk, so out of place on the woman's perfect features, found its way on her face. "I found a new one to toy with. She's interesting; for once my new toy made me work. I like her."

An eyebrow kicked up. "Her? I didn't know you changed preferences, koi. Last I checked, you still wanted me."

"Oh, but you know I still want you, anata," the woman purred softly. "It's just that I'm having fun. I'm practicing for the toy you're going to give me. Aren't you going to tell me who she or he is?" She licked her lips. "Will I like what you'll give me? When will I have it?"

The man smiled ferally. "You'll have her soon, koi. Soon."

Sagara Sanosuke whistled in amazement as both he and Hiko Seijurou stepped inside the elevator, hands shoved in his pockets. "They really threw money in this, eh?" he commented cynically as the elevator zoomed downwards. "Why does this doesn't surprise me?"

Hiko arched an eyebrow. "Ahou. Try saying that without that glazed look in your eyes and I might actually believe it."

Sanosuke merely snorted in reply, turning away. K'so. Was it that obvious? He opened his mouth, about to say something to Hiko when the elevator stopped. Sanosuke slanted a confused look to Hiko who just crossed his arms and waited. Obviously, this wasn't their floor, so it meant someone wanted to use the elevator they were on. The doors slid completely open, revealing a woman.

Sanosuke's mouth went dry as cinnamon brown eyes locked with his.

The woman stepped in, smiled briefly at Hiko, who merely nodded in reply. The elevator began to shoot downwards again, and Sanosuke took that chance to study the woman that just stepped in, though she had her back to him. She wore a pristine white lab coat, though it was open, thus revealing that she wore a simple white blouse tucked neatly into a black tight miniskirt, long shapely legs encased in gleaming black nylons. Rich, raven black hair glinted under the harsh lights of the elevator, gathered up into a high bun, albeit an untidy one with tendrils escaping to frame her face. It was, Sanosuke noted with slight amusement, held up by a yellow pencil.

How the hell do they pin their hair up with those things?

His thoughts were interrupted when the elevator stopped for the second time, the doors sliding smoothly open. The three of them stepped out, Sanosuke turning to watch the woman walk away from them, her shoes making decisive sounds on the gleaming metal floor. Then, he turned to where Hiko was waiting, firmly pushing all thoughts of the woman from his mind as he prepared himself for the road he had chosen to take.

"Sumanai. I haven't introduced myself. My name's Shinomori. Shinomori Aoshi." the tall man said quietly as he stood up. "Now is a good time as any to meet the others, since this is the only free time we'll have. This way."

"Aa."

Leaving the room, Kenshin followed Aoshi quietly, and then stopped as the sound of pounding music reached his ears. He looked at Aoshi quizzically, confused as to why he was hearing such music at a military base. In fact, he was rather surprised he was hearing music at all. It seemed out of place on the somber building, that throbbing, pulsing beat the youth are accustomed to this days. It would seem many things have changed since I last have been here, that it did... the redhead concluded somewhat soberly. I wonder if this was the only thing that changed in this place?

"This is Psalms' private office." Aoshi answered Kenshin's unspoken question. His cold blue eyes glinted with some unknown emotion then it vanished, too quickly for the redhead to place. The tall man pressed the buzzer on the wall next to the metal door. "She is...rather young in her preferences. But no matter what her preferences are, it matters not. What matters is her expertise in intelligence, as well as computers. She is by far, if not the best, one of the best hackers in the world today."

Kenshin blinked. "She?"

Aoshi's sensual lips tilted up in a twisted version of a smile. "Yes, she, Himura-san. Its been a long time since you left, and you will find that upon your return, many things have changed. Some for the better." Turning, he swiped his identification card on the panel and the lights blinked green, granting them entry. Aoshi stepped forward, shaking his head. "It would seem Psalms didn't hear us."

The doors quietly slid open as they stepped forward, and once again, Kenshin was transported into another world. The redhead blinked, almost in confusion as he stared around him. If Kamiya Kaoru's room was a haven, a sanctuary wherein you can calm your soul, here in this room lay Chaos. Many bright posters of bands were posted on the metal walls, at least what was visible of it. Almost all sides of the room, there were computers shoved against it, most of them on, some of them obviously on standby. Several papers littered the floor, and when Kenshin picked it up, he almost choked. It was a military report, and it was left lying around just like it was nothing on the floor! Suddenly, Kenshin had this impulse to clean the room, something he can't help but do whenever he sees something dirty.

Immediately, Kenshin felt silly and took his gaze away from the room, focusing on the sole occupant of the room. The paper in his hand fluttered to the ground, forgotten, as he stepped forward. In the far wall, in its center, was what seemed like a girl with a long cord of black, tightly braided hair with her back to them, sitting rather tensely on her chair as she typed madly on her keyboard, seemingly never once realizing that two men had stepped inside her office, so absorbed was she on what she was doing.

Or at least, that's what Kenshin thought. Still, the music throbbed and pulsed, almost deafening in its capacity.

Suddenly, the girl's chair flew directly towards Aoshi, and a kunai whizzed towards him in a blindingly dangerous speed. Almost automatically, Kenshin caught and plucked it before it hit him, right hand immediately hovering towards his left hip. But he caught himself, straightening, violet eyes returning to its soft luster as Kenshin returned his gaze to the girl, respect growing.

It would seem, that while some things have changed, Kenshin concluded, some haven't. And it will never change.

Returning to present time, Kenshin realized that the girl -no, young woman, he corrected himself, was apologizing rather profusely to Aoshi, who had merely jumped out of the way of the whizzing chair and caught it by its back rest before it can damage any of the computers humming pleasantly in the background. "Oro?"

Both turned to him, and Kenshin's eyes widened a little in surprise when he realized that the Psalms Aoshi was talking about does really look like a high school girl, and yet, as he stepped forward, he noticed her eyes. Sea-green in color, and while it was full of life, there was the unmistakable appearance of having seen too much, experienced too much. There was wisdom and knowledge in her eyes that shouldn't be there had she been a high school girl.

Iya, Kenshin thought to himself, this Psalms is no high school girl. Sessha is right in saying that she is a young woman.

"Himura-san," Aoshi was saying, and Kenshin snapped himself back to attention,"..this is our Senior Intelligence Officer, Makimachi Misao. In here she is known as Psalms. Misao, meet--"

"Himura Kenshin, otherwise known by others as Battousai, call sign Manslayer." Misao interrupted, sea green eyes studying him carefully. "The red hair and the scar gives you away, not to mention the stance you made after you caught my kunai. Age, 32 years old. Left the military at the age of twenty-two, for reasons that he would not disclose. Trained by the famed Hiko Seijurou, otherwise known as Solomon, in the arts of fighting and weapons. After leaving, entered the Tokyo Police Station headed by Solomon instead."

"You certainly know sessha well, Makimachi-dono," Kenshin remarked quietly, politely handing back her kunai. "May sessha ask why de gozaru ka?"

"Simple. You're a living legend, and living legends tend to make me curious." Misao shrugged, tugging on the ends of her long braid as Aoshi merely watched their interaction. "And most importantly, you are going to join our group. Naturally, it would be my job to know."

Kenshin smiled. "Aa, it would seem so."

Satisfied with her evaluation of him, and his response, Misao turned to the tall man next to her. With that simple movement, her girlish stance changed. "Proverbs, Solomon and Sagara Sanosuke are on their way down the elevator. I've got a message from Lamentations to le you know that you're supposed to meet them both. It would seem that his meeting will be held indefinitely." She glanced at the computer to her right. "Even now, both of them are heading to the meeting room. Should I contact Solomon and let him know that he's to go here, sir?"

"No, we'll go to him. It'll take time if we wait for them. " Aoshi turned to the door, Kenshin and Misao following him. "Misao."

Misao raised her eyebrow in query. "Hai, Aoshi-sama?"

"Your timing is off. Improve on it."

Sanosuke prowled restlessly throughout the room, feeling much like a caged wolf. Hiko merely glanced at him once and turned his attention back to the report he was reading. Finally, the metal double doors opened, and Kenshin was the first to walk in. Almost immediately, Sanosuke pounced on him. "What took you so long, man? We've been here for ages!"

Misao snorted at that as she plunked down on a chair. "Ha. As if five minutes would count as ages. Sagara Sanosuke, you never change! Still as impatient as ever."

"What the hell-?!" Sanosuke whirled around, and it was then that he noticed Misao. "Makimachi Misao? It's really you!"

Misao grinned as she stood up and struck a pose. "In the flesh, baka tori."

"But why...?" Sanosuke's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you're..."

Misao sobered. "Yes. Yes I am."

"As much as this is all entertaining me, why don't you all sit down and maybe start behaving like the elite military group you ahous are going to be?" Hiko interrupted sarcastically, putting aside the report he had been reading. "I don't have all day, and neither does you ahous."

The others nodded and Misao sat down, Aoshi opting to stand and lean on the wall, next to the door. Sanosuke and Kenshin sat down, the tall streetfighter leaning forward. Hiko nodded in satisfaction, and started. "Before anything else, I am called Solomon. There's no use trying to introduce myself; you all already know my true name and my day job." He smirked. "And baka deshi, I presume Saitou had already briefed you in?"

Kenshin nodded mutely.

"Good. Therefore this will be quick. You can brief Sagara later, we don't have time to go over it again. " Hiko crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll leave the introduction to Aoshi; it's not that important anyway. I've read the report Saitou had for me today, and among others. There's been an attack just earlier."

Misao exploded off her chair and Aoshi straightened abruptly. "What do you mean? Explain."

"Not to worry, he took care of it earlier." Hiko waved them all to go back to their earlier position. "They didn't even had time to infiltrate our base. But this event bothers me. From the call I had from David earlier, the soldier attacked very near this building. They're getting near, and I want to know how the hell did they guess where we are."

"But that wouldn't have been possible!" Misao cried out. "The dummy base we set up in the former area... What happened to it? The officers, the people in it... What happened? They should have been able to lure them into it!"

"They're all dead."

Author's Notes:

Psalms - A book in the Holy Bible. Makimachi Misao's codename.
Age - Himura Kenshin and Shinomori Aoshi are 32 years old; both were 22 years old when Himura Kenshin left the military and Shinomori Aoshi entered it along with Kamiya Kaoru. She, meanwhile, is 27 years old. She was 17 years old when she entered the military. Both she and Makimachi Misao are of the same age, Makimachi Misao being 21 years old when she entered the military. Sagara Sanosuke is 30 years old, Saitou Hajime is 35.

in one's dreams, one can see the future. tsuzuku.