Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin? Never even met the guy (sniff). Let it be known, I know what I own. (Corny, I know…)
ShiroiMatsu: While I was working on "Blessing of the Cursed" I found a draft of this chapter from a while back. It seemed like a good idea to do two fics; in case of a bad writer's block, I can work on the other. So I polished it up and here it is! Please do enjoy!
P.S: WE ARE IN ANCIENT CHINA IN THIS A/U FIC!!!
a rurouni kenshin fanfic
The burning afternoon sun glared down on the busy street. Despite the heat, hundreds of people milled about the shops and stalls that lined down the gray cobblestone street, searching for their daily supplies. Few paid attention to the immense warmth that was being soaked into their dark hair, the yellow light being stippled in only a few places by the rare graceful willow. The voices of old and young, male and female mingled into one loud hum. Occasionally, one could hear a the voice of a vender or shop owner yell out above the hustle and bustle to advertise their products.
Not everyone ignored the sweltering weather either. The cool shade of all shops and restaurants were taken advantage of. The Akabeko, in particular, was teeming with people yelling for juo [Chinese word for 'wine'] and other cool drinks. The upstairs of the Akabeko was almost completely deserted, starkly contrasting the level below it; seeing that nobody wanted to sleep in such weather. [1]
Kenshin entered the already crowded restaurant. He seated himself at a table tucked back into a corner and gestured for a nearby brunette girl that worked there to serve him some juo. The best juo in town was served quickly and efficiently. Kenshin took a long drought of the heavenly coolness and sighed with relief.
Finally, he was free. Even if it was just the day off, Kenshin never knew that he could be so grateful. Thank God for night shifts. A person could only go so far for money. Not to say that he wasn't glad for the large amount of money he got paid for his job; his previous situation in this town had been far less favorable…
flashback
He was scared. He couldn't remember anything at all, not even his own name. The people milling about on the street stared at him as if he were some kind of freak. The boy didn't blame them. He resembled a wet cat. A red wet cat with violet eyes. Though he was far from being cold, his clothes were still damp and hung awkwardly. His bright red hair and strange purple eyes stood out of the crowd like the moon on a starless night sky.
As the young boy passed an alleyway, he caught a glimpse of several large men leering at him. Unnerved, he quickened his pace down the busy street. The boy dodged the palanquin of a wealthy man and began to run when he saw the thugs behind him. The thick masses of the crowd slowed the boy down immensely. He was of slender build and very short, unlike the huge men chasing him that parted the people easily.
The thugs quickly caught up to the boy. He felt the hard jerk on his collar and found himself dangling in the air. The boy struggled, kicking and punching in vain. The obvious leader of the gang laughed and pushed his ugly face close to the boy's.
"Well, what do we have here? A little pretty boy, eh? Give me all the valuables on ye and I might just spare yer life…" he smirked, the rancid breath of the leader smacking the boy in the face like a wet fish. The boy twisted and turned, desperately searching for someone in the crowd to help him. The people that formed a large circle around them stared at them blankly, some with worry on their faces. Nobody stepped forward.
Fights breaking out on the street were a common occurrence. Few dared to interfere with them. The thugs carried swords, signifying that they had some knowledge of martial arts. A large part of the people in this era did, though some better than others.
"Let go of me!" the boy gasped, trying to push down the panic that bubbled in him. "I don't have any money!" The leader wasn't pleased.
"No money? That's a laugh. Yer one of those rich brats. And wats wid this necklace, eh?" The leader grinned as he closed his fist around the gold coin that hung almost hidden from a simple string. With a hard laugh, the leader dropped the boy unceremoniously on the ground and drew his sword. The boy leap out of the way clumsily just in time to avoid the sharp blade. His breath came in short gasps and his wide purple eyes dilated even more from panic. The leader smirked and kicked aside the small dagger that fell from the boy's robes. The thugs surrounded the boy, grinning with grim intent. He was way outnumbered. There was no escape.
Somewhere in the blind fog of panic within his mind, a small part of the boy screamed at him to fight back. They took that coin necklace. He couldn't grasp it in words, but that necklace meant something to him. And he had to get it back. Closing his mind to all logical reasoning, the boy allowed pure instinct to take over. He lunged with a snarl at one of the thugs. The huge man flew back in surprise as the boy wrenched the sword away from him with amazing strength and speed. A quick strike to the head with the sheathed weapon and the thug was out cold. With the coin necklace retrieved, the boy turned to the rest of the group. His eyes glowed a feral amber color.
"Get him!" the leader roared. The gang charged, swords drawn. The boy drew his sword and faced the attacking gangsters.
"Hiten Mitsuurugi Ryu, Dou Ryu Sen!!" the redhead roared, the strange words coming out on their own. The dirt dragon created by the powerful move sent the gang flying down the street. The boy stood there for several moments as the thoroughly frightened thugs ran, before sinking down to the ground with relief. Slowly, his golden eyes faded back to innocent purple. The crowd around him dispersed, quickly going back to their business.
Then a large shadow fell over the boy. He looked up to see a squat wealthy man, obvious by the state of his attire. Light gray streaks decorated his hair, the arrogance in his eyes flagrant proof of what the wealthy class was slowly coming to.
"Lad, you fight extremely well. I've an offer for you." The boy nodded slowly for the middle-aged man to continue as he stood up.
"You look like you need a place to stay and a job. How about you become one of my bodyguards? It pays very well and you're also provided with shelter and food." The boy almost snorted. The cowardly man just wanted to make sure he stayed safe from harm. He answered after quick consideration.
"I accept your kind offer," he said. The wealthy man smiled greasily at the boy.
"I'm Koba Jin," he said. The boy smiled gently at the frog-like man. With a quick glance at the words carved onto the sheath the sword in his hand, the boy replied.
"Kenshin. Himura Kenshin."
end flashback
Koba-san was a surprisingly fair employer. Kenshin found him tolerable, when he wasn't whining and clinging to the bodyguard like Kenshin was his lifeline. However, his daughter was another story. The clingy(er) and spoiled girl had immediately targeted Kenshin as her new interest. She was terrifyingly persistent. Kenshin shook his head to rid himself any thoughts of her. Shudder.
More people entered the restaurant to escape the blaring heat. Kenshin raised an eyebrow briefly at one of them. He wore all black. A light wide-brimmed bamboo hat covered with a large black veil concealed his face. A long black over-robe with short flaring sleeves cropped close to the upper arm hung open to reveal the diagonal lines of his inner attire. It was a simple, and black, long sleeved robe that fell loosely to his ankles. Slits on the robe on the side ran up to his sash to reveal dark pants loosely bound to the ankle by black clothe boots. Long straight black hair fell to the small of his back. Even the sword he held was black. This guy was crazy.
The man in black strode gracefully and surely to an empty table near Kenshin. He placed his sword on the table and gestured for some juo, without a single word. His every little movement was filled with grace and confidence. The man's back was ramrod straight and he downed the cup with one quick gulp. Many of the occupants in the room gave the man fearful looks. Probably one of those tightwad no-nonsense types. There was something vaguely familiar about the black robes, but Kenshin dismissed it.
He quickly lost interest in this strange black clothed man and turned back to his own juo. Kenshin sipped several more cups as he once began his search through his mind for his past. He realized that his memories were slowly returning these past few months. Very slowly, however. He still had yet to recall his true name. After a fruitless search, probing through every crevice in his mind, Kenshin gave up again, hoping that another day will bring back more memories. His fingers were numb from fingering his coin necklace anyways [Ancient Chinese coins had holes in the middle]. Then he heard it.
The eerie metallic ring of a sword being drawn.
Kenshin's closed eyes snapped open towards the entrance of the Akabeko as his hand went instinctively to the sword at his side. Just in time to see the man in black brutally slash open the throat of a peasant man.
Crimson blood, still warm from movement once within living veins, splattered across the room. Screams of the bystanders in the room rang in his ears. Kenshin leaped to his feet and approached to the scene of the kill, eyes wide with shock and horror. The black clothed man's act was horrendously cruel. The drunk peasant had obviously only accidentally bumped into him when he was leaving the restaurant, he had no right to kill him for such an inconsiderable act. Slowly, rage began to bubble and froth inside the red haired swordsman.
The black clothed man calmly cleaned his stained sword on the corpse's garment and sheathed his sword. He airily ignored the fearful and angry gazes around him as he turned over the corpse, leaning over as if to check if the cut his sword made was good enough to pass his standard. After giving a curt approving nod, he turned and left the hysterical room.
The Akabeko's employees rushed around to calm the disturbed mass of people and return the popular restaurant to some semblance of normality. Kenshin looked around him. Everyone was horrified, yet somehow not scared and horrified enough. The swordsman had a feeling that the brutal slaughter of that drunk today was a common occurrence. Faint streaks of amber gradually burned away violet as Kenshin caught the sleeve of a young girl that worked at the Akabeko.
"Who was that?" he asked, watching the doorway as two people took away the body. The brunette sighed gently, as if she tired of the many times she had to explain the man in black's identity to hotshot martial artists.
"No one knows his real name, but many call him Cobra. He's a regular here and already killed at least seven people here," she explained mechanically. When Kenshin opened his mouth to inquire further, she quickly added,
"No one knows where he currently resides and every person that had tried to tail him are either missing or still in a coma." Kenshin nodded, thanking her for the information. He couldn't stand to allow such a killer to hurt more innocent people and bring about more situations like his own…
flashback
He couldn't see anything. The darkness shrouded him like a suffocating and deadly embrace. Where could he run? How can he defeat the insidious poison within that blinded his senses?
His lungs burned as he gasped painfully for air. He felt the sharp burns of protruding branches that he couldn't see as they whipped onto his face and arms. Footsteps pounded behind, coming closer and closer, yet his originally fine-tuned senses could not distinguish their ki. It was all just pitch-blackness. They wanted to hurt him, but he escaped. Now they're searching for him.
A rush of air against his sweating face told him to stop. The rumbling of roaring water could be felt underneath his throbbing feet. Tentatively, he felt the area before him with one foot. A cliff. The only way was to jump.
The fine hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up. Animal instinct could never be completely deadened. He whipped around, tilting his chin in defiance despite his trembling knees. He could feel his pursuers' smirks. Suddenly, cloth surrounded him, limiting his air and movements. He fought back with almost a feral fervor, landing wild kicks and punches wherever he could reach. Grunts of pain rewarded his desperation and he felt himself released from his pursuers' holds. He felt relief wash over his pounding heart as he fell away from them to the ground.
But there was no ground.
He felt the rush of air as his fall gained momentum as the crashing of the turbulent waters below become stronger and more menacing. Icy cold knives plunged into his body followed by a sudden burst of pain.
Then nothing…
end flashback
How he ended up half drowned was all he could recall before he awoke to find his memories gone. Determined, Kenshin turned to leave after a set the pay for his wine down. A tug on his sleeve halted him at the door, and he turned to the brunette waitress.
"Please don't go after Cobra just because you wish to prove how strong you are. You don't look like you're the type to try something so stupid for just to boost your ego, Mr. …er…" The little waitress fidgeted in discomfort after she said something so outspoken. The young swordsman smiled gently. She was concerned enough about Kenshin's well being to act past her painful timidity.
"Himura, Himura Kenshin," he introduced himself with a small bow. The brunette ducked her head.
"I'm Tsubame…" she mumbled.
"Tsubame-san, I am glad that you wish no harm upon me, but I hope you will understand that I wish there will be no more unjustified killing," Kenshin gently explained to the kind-hearted waitress. "I must try to dissuade the Cobra from these wanton slaughters." Tsubame nodded worriedly and gave Kenshin a small smile. He wasn't a hotheaded hotshot that was searching an ego boost, but something much deeper.
"I apologize for keeping you, Himura-san. Please take care of yourself, though. He's much like that…Hitokiri Battousai…" Tsubame trailed off as she bowed respectfully and returned into the restaurant inn. Kenshin smiled gratefully as he acknowledged her advice. He's heard of the Hitokiri Battousai, the feared assassin who had mysteriously disappeared recently.
"You as well, Tsubame-san." With that, he tightened his leg muscles and sprung up on the roof with an explosive burst of energy. The roofs in the Chinese city layout conveniently provided for one of the most, if not the most, efficient way of transport for martial artists, seeing that the people of the streets were very lethargic when it can to making way. Kenshin hardly gave himself time to right his precarious balance on the wavy shingles before rushing off towards the direction of the black assassin's well-hidden ki.
It was disturbingly quiet along the forest path that Kenshin followed. Birds made themselves scarce, as if anticipating bad happenings. All the forest animals quieted the hum of life to an absolute minimum. Only the hollow swish of wind among the thick bamboo and the scuff-scuff of his soft shoes kept the red-haired swordsman company in this cloak of dread silence. The Cobra's ki now blared with a glowing indigo in Kenshin's senses, an obvious sign that he was awaiting the boy in the clearing up ahead.
"Greetings. You had me waiting, Swordsman," came the icy voice of Cobra when Kenshin slipped through the guarding foliage of the clearing. He sat on a large stone in the middle of the clearing with his back to Kenshin. The redhead nearly dropped his sword in shock; the Cobra sounded no more than sixteen! Kenshin narrowed his eyes and pushed back the anger that bubbled even higher in his chest. Probably some hotshot boy who killed for the fun of it.
"I apologize for the wait," Kenshin replied coolly. Cobra turned around and casually propped one of his feet on the rock he sat upon, projecting the perfect image of indifference to the world.
"Ah, finally a polite challenger," Cobra exclaimed mockingly as he gestured to the entire expanse of the open area with the arm that wasn't propped on his bent knee.
"The others were intolerable idiots, putting it mildly." Kenshin followed the sweeping motion of Cobra's arm and then finally noticed the numerous little wooden tombstones that dotting the edge of the clearing. Icy blue began to seep its way into Kenshin's wide eyes as he growled, not stopping to consider the decency that the Cobra had to even take the time to bury the bodies.
"You …bastard…" Kenshin hissed furiously.
So…many innocent lives…just like the Hitokiri Battousai… The Cobra signed dramatically and covering his face with a hand under the black veil.
"And here I thought I finally got to fight a swordsman whose manners hasn't gone down the drain…" he lamented with cold sarcasm. Kenshin made himself ready to attack, balancing on the balls of his feet. Something about this Cobra seriously pissed him off. And he didn't even know why.
Cobra looked up from his hand to the red-haired swordsman. Then he sighed again with a small shake of his head, this time in earnest, as if he were trying to shake off the burden of the world from his slender shoulders. His icy arrogant air seemed to flicker like a candle in a breeze.
"Be wise, Swordsman. Leave this place and don't challenge me. I do not wish to kill you." Kenshin blinked in surprise. He had caught the slightest hint of pain in the icy serpent's voice. The Cobra sounded almost rueful. However, Kenshin ignored his words after the thought the surrounding tombstones and his hand hovered over the sword by his hip again.
"You killed that man without any regrets!" he snarled back. A small breeze whipped through the clearing, lifting the dark gauzy material that hid Cobra's face. Kenshin glimpsed the smirk that curved the Cobra's lips. It was a purely heartless smirk; one that screamed at him in capital letters 'I. Don't. Give. A. Damn.'
"I won't lie…" the Cobra began in a long drawl. The rest of his sentence fell upon deaf ears as Kenshin's warrior blood roared in his ears, overpowering all sound save the harsh pounding of his heart.
Amber eyes narrowed, and Kenshin's figure disappeared with a blur as he charged.
Cobra tilted his head down and smoothly drew his sword. He stood and raised his blade just in time to meet Kenshin's angry steel from above with a harsh clang. The redhead jumped back, spared the black figure an icy glare and blurred into nothing again.
The Cobra spun quickly into the air, black fabric flying about his body like an ornery swarm of wasps. He kicked off a nearby thick bamboo stalk and ran airborne across the clearing [2]. Kenshin appeared nanoseconds later, pushing off from the same bamboo stalk Cobra was on. His blood red hair waved about his burning amber eyes, giving the swordsman the look of the very Devil himself. Kenshin's speed increased as he pushed his ki even further, bringing him gradually inches within sword range to the airborne Cobra in front of him. If Cobra was unnerved, he gave no sign.
Abruptly, the Cobra stopped running and allowed himself to plummet to the ground below. He landed gracefully with hardly a thump as his lithe body folded to completely absorb the impact. Kenshin quickly rebounded off another bamboo stem and followed his target, his sword aimed at the Cobra's soft throat. The black assassin dodged with a deft motion of his veiled head and readied his silver blade for a second attack of the redhead's biting sword. Only it didn't come.
BAMACK!
Kenshin allowed a smug grin to dawn on his face as he landed a powerful spin kick to the Cobra's jaw, sending the limp black figure flying back in a high curving arc.
The impact will knock him unconscious for a month, Kenshin thought. The Cobra's sword was sent clattering on the ground as it flew from his hand. The redhead triumphantly watched as the unmoving figure approached the hard ground in slow motion. Falling.
Falling…
falling…
Suddenly, in a flash of silver, another blade made itself known in Cobra's hands. Kenshin stared dumbfounded as the Cobra brought the blade above his head, pointed at the ground.
He faked it! At the moment, he landed, all the impact finding itself on the tip of the bending sword. The thin strip of metal leaned and curved, the hilt of the blade almost meeting the ground. Then with a sharp chink, the sword protested and fought back violently to the abuse as it sprang back to its original straight length. The force built up behind the Cobra's momentum in the blade sent the Cobra spinning horizontally back at Kenshin with "ungodly" speed, the furious blade at his side singing a haunting song of doom.
Kenshin barely escaped the flurry of attacks of Cobra's spinning sword with his arms and legs intact, receiving numerous wounds.
I just can't seem to read that bastard correctly! Kenshin growled to himself. He gritted his teeth against the burning of the thin cuts and escaped into the air.
"I did warn you, Himura."
Kenshin froze at the Cobra's icy voice behind his right ear, the small hairs on his neck standing up. He felt the callused tips of the Cobra's fingers tapping several points on his neck. Before Kenshin could recognize the slight actions as a nerve tap, numbness had begun to overtake his body. As the struggling redhead fought to remain conscious, Cobra carried him to the ground below unceremoniously on his slender shoulder and set him on the grass in a heap.
"Whad did oo do!?" Kenshin cried angrily as he fought to control his tongue and mouth. He glared at where the Cobra's eyes should be behind the black veiled hat. The black clad swordsmaster said nothing for several moments. Finally, he replied with a long arrogant drawl.
"Fight me again when you've mastered your sword art. We'll meet again, Himura…" Cobra's words faded away to Kenshin as he finally gave in to the overpowering numbness and slipped into nothingness. Cobra sighed as he sat next the redhead's limp body.
"Even though you've hardly learned your art, you still manage to stay awake for so long after my nerve tap. I'm glad that core of strength hasn't faded yet." The Cobra said wistfully as he gently cleaned some of Kenshin's worst wounds as a caring older brother would care for his younger sibling. He took pulled up a clump of a small grass-like plant growing by the rock and crumpled it until a sticky juice emerged from between the cracks of his hand. The small drops fell down on Kenshin's bleeding cuts, almost instantaneously stopping the flowing blood. When Cobra was satisfied with his work, he picked up and set him upon his shoulder and began walking smoothly back to town.
"You must understand, I cannot allow you to kill me yet. I still have much to do in this world."
end chapter 1
[1]- Most inns in ancient China would have the inn part upstairs, and the restaurant portion downstairs
[2] - Think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon martial arts here.
Notes:
- Kenshin seems a little short-fused (okay, make that very short-fused) I meant to portray a cross between Rurouni and Battousai. I think I over-did the Battousai-temper bit. Before anyone flames me, take into consideration that I'm a big supporter of Kenshin starting out really pathetic and then growing into his part rather than coming in with a big bang. I dunno why, I just think it's cool that way.
- Kenshin did lose his memory, of course he wouldn't remember if he's the feared Hitokiri Battousai.
- I love the ancient China history. Maybe it has something to do me watching all those Chinese action movies/series where people fly with all their kung-fu powers (pronounced Chi-Gong, literally meaning 'air power' heh). My family has quite of few of those. KA-POWY!!!
– From use of 'chi-gong' Chinese martial artists can supposedly run on air, fragile things [like leaves], water, and gravitize themselves to walls. Which is not possible. Chinese movie people just like to make it so, and then it would look better. 'Chi-gong' does exist, just the real thing is horribly disappointing compared to movie magic. Think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon martial arts for the actions scenes.
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