Disclaimer:
ShiroiMatsu: Today, my dear friend Bob is going to do the disclaimer!
Bob: Hi guys, I'm doing the disclaimer today!
Shiroi: Yup, he is! ……
Shiroi: By the way, why is your name Bob? Not something cool like Mikara or Giyana or even Hikaru!
Bob: Because I'm a guy and all those "cool" names you just listed are meant only for girls to bear…
Shiroi: nod True…Anyways, on with da stooooooorrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!! (thrusts fist into air)
a rurouni kenshin fanfic
Previously…
Kaoru shook her head violently to rid herself of any nostalgic feelings. Chin up! Life gives you bokkens, you make annoying-guy pancakes! Gotta make the best of what you have, and right now, this is what life has dealt you. Go out and kick some butt! With that being said in her personal pep talk, Kaoru forced a plastic smile upon her red tinted lips, placed a fake sparkle in her eye and swaggered cheerfully down the rest of the steps.
Chapter 3:
Kenshin strolled along the peaceful streets, the midday sun warming his back. The sounds of a busy market street flowed and dancing around his senses, until it all become one rhythmic pulse that lured drowsiness to his relaxed mind. His eyelids drooped, a lazy smile on his face like that of a sunbathing cat. The suffocating crowd around that moved at a pace even pathetic for a turtle didn't seem to bother him at all. Kenshin loved his night shifts; they allowed him the freedom of day to do whatever he wished. It had been several days after he had fully healed and returned to his job. Koba Jin's daughter was away traveling. Cobra had yet to be seen the last few days either. Life was good. Did he mention that he loved his night shifts?
THUD!
"ORO!" the redhead yelped as he was knocked backwards to land on his rear end. Kenshin winced and stood up. He really had to stop walking around with his eyes closed. He glanced at the person he ran into, a woman who was also gingerly picking herself up from the ground. Kenshin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"I apologize profusely, Miss. I did not watch where I was –" Kenshin's violet eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
"K-k…k…You…look so different dressed as a lady…" he stuttered.
"That's fine, whatever you say Himura-san," Kaoru returned hurriedly. She pushed Kenshin to one side roughly and continued with her haphazard pace along the street.
"Orooooo…" Kenshin groaned from his perch on a nest of broken wood boards.
After a sound verbal beating from the owner of what used to be a market stall, Kenshin continued down the street, not quite as cheerful before.
"Stupid Kaoru, can't even watch she was going. What lady is she? Running around in pants or running and ripping her dress when she is even in one…" Kenshin muttered darkly to himself. He even had to pay the damned stall owner for damage that Kaoru caused! There goes two day's wages!
A flash of black crossed the corner of his eye. Kenshin's gaze snapped up, centering upon a black robed man. Cobra! People milled around his dark figure, unlike several nights before, as Kaoru had told it. They remained distant from Cobra, but, sadly, they seemed almost used to his presence.
Kenshin went on his tiptoes, stretching his barely 5 foot frame to its limits as he watching the black dot pick its way through the crowd with amazing speed. Kenshin brushed aside the people blocking his way, attempting to follow. Alas, the 5 foot two redhead didn't harbor the same kind of commanding air that spilt crowds like Cobra did. If anything, he went backwards as ornery shoppers fought back almost violently.
"Oroooo…" Kenshin groaned as a particularly irate female shopper klonked him on the head with what appeared to be a daikon radish [a big white Japanese radish]. He shook away the dizziness with a wistful sigh and took to the roofs. Thank God for roofs. They are the greatest blessing in existence for all those who are height-deficient.
Kenshin stood still, balancing upon the narrow ridge at the peak of the sloping roofs for several seconds. He suddenly leapt in the air, his image hanging midair for a fraction of a moment, before completely disappearing. As he raced along the long stretch of roofs, only quick flashes of red and pink that dotted the dark gray shingles spoke of the red-haired swordsman's existence. Witnesses brushed off the flashes as tricks of light and ignored the whispers of feet on the roofs above their heads.
As he arrived to the edge of the town, Kenshin halted to an abrupt stop, his narrow eyes scanning the landscape before him. Tall majestic buildings had disappeared completely, only nature's structures remaining, hugging a single well-used dirt road. Kenshin leapt down from the roof, his lithe body making nary a sound as it made contact on the hard ground. He turned back, perusing the road he had followed from up on the roofs for several moments, before hiding himself among the high sheltering leaves in the forest bordering the path.
Minutes later, Cobra appeared along the road that lead from the town, his robes swirling around his feet like a pool of black liquid. He seemed to glide, rather than walk, closer and closer to Kenshin's hiding place. Cobra stopped directly under the tree Kenshin occupied, his wide brimmed hat tilting upward. The teenager held his breath and froze, focusing his all to hiding his ki. At the same time, he strained to catch a glimpse of the face beneath the fluttering black veil.
Kenshin gave up as all his attempts failed and Cobra stepped closer and closer to the tree. Just then, an unusually strong breeze picked up, rustling the leaves and whistling through the branches. It caught Cobra's black hair and veil into a frenzied dance, his heavier robes swaying slightly as well. Kenshin thought he glimpsed the icy glint of blue eyes, but that image was lost after the shortest time.
After what seemed an eternity that was condensed into but a few tense moments, Cobra finally whirled away from Kenshin's tree and continued along the dirt path. When Kenshin was sure Cobra was out of the earshot, he let out an enormous sigh, panting in relief and to recirculate fresh air to his suffocating systems. The tension that had laid upon his muscles like a blanket lifted. The unusual breeze died down, back to a gentle nudge of air that could be felt only when one stood absolutely still.
A bead of sweat made its way down the redhead's cheek, tracing his single slashed scar. Kenshin silently thanked whatever celestial force that took pity upon him to send that current to hide him with dancing leaves and branches. After a small prayer to the heavens, he jumped to another tree, and another, and another, until he built up amazing speed vaulting among the branches to follow Cobra down the small dirt path.
Cobra made his way along the path. He could swear on another's life that someone was following him, but it seems that the Heavens wishes that the knowledge as to whom was to be withdrawn from him. Cobra shook his head. His instinct told him his little stalker was no one that posed any danger to Cobra's reputation if his shadow witnessed the task that he set to do today anyways. So Cobra won't look into it and he tossed the issue to the side. He slowly to a halt where the path took on a steeper degree, taking in the peaceful scenery of the small village nestled at the foot of the hill he currently occupied.
"At least today will be more pleasant…" Cobra grumbled to himself as he make his way down the hill. A flash of pink and red brushed the corner of his vision. Must be our little shadow. Cobra didn't stop as he turned to a particularly run down hut, almost hidden by the large skeletons of poorly cared for trees, but he allowed a smirk to cross his face. Cobra pushed open the rickety split rail fence; quietly tsking mockingly at the job the fence was made to do. He crossed the dirt yard, overstepping the occasional sickeningly thin chicken pecking feebly at the dirt.
Knock. Knock.
Cobra politely tapped the door, careful to not dislodge the lockless piece of wood. The living conditions of this family was sad, pitiful, wretched, pathetic, piteous, pitiable, rueful, saddening, miserable, woeful, dolorous, afflicted, and just about every word in the Chinese language [this is ancient China…] whose definition remotely resembled the said words. Cobra almost winced as the door gave way to his third knock.
KnoccCREEEKLUD!!!
Cobra stared at the demolished door, then stepped over it with a shrug. He already knocked politely enough to even push the door over. Still nobody answered. Let the women think she's hiding, despite that her fearful ki blared like a fiery torch on a dark evening.
An old piece of rotting wood suddenly made for his head. Cobra deftly leaned his head back the slightest fraction and avoided the attack. He tilted his head to study the skeletal figure in front him that resembled what used to be a beautiful girl as she regained her balance and went for another wild swing. Cobra kicked the sorry piece of wood out of her hands and crashing through the roof, raining down molding hay and splinters on the group.
He would have let her play around longer, but he was far from the mood to waste time. The girl gasped as she fully took in who stood in front of her and fell to her knees, backing away on them as she pushed two emaciated figures behind her in a final attempt to protect them.
"C-Cobra…" she stuttered. Cobra strode forward, looming over the frightened mother and children. His black robes and the shadows from the poorly lit hut only heightened the effect all too much.
"Of course, wench," Cobra sneered, "Who else would I be?" He unexpectedly lunged at her throat, kneeling in front of her with one callused hand around her thin neck. The girl bit back a terrorized scream and fidgeted, the two children behind her whimpering with unwanted fright and glaring at Cobra with defiant gray eyes. He leaned in, his mouth close to her ear.
"Don't be frightened, Shiao Lu [little deer]," Cobra whispered softly.
Kenshin growled deep within his throat as he watched through the hole in the hay-thatched roof. That bastard Cobra had no honor, going after defenseless girls.
"Of course, wench," Cobra sneered below, "Who else would I be?" His young voice sounded far from boyish at the moment. Kenshin watched with disgusted horror as the black figure suddenly made for the girl's thin neck, leaning down to whisper something into her ear. The girl recoiled from him, staring at him in shock. Then she burst into tears, burying her face in her trembling hands.
The two little boys behind the girl glared at the black clad serpent. Without a warning, they jumped on Cobra like ferocious lion cubs defending their food, their little fists beating in vain against his back as they attempted to protect their weeping mother. Cobra merely trapped all four slender wrists firmly in one hand, pushing them to one side. The two loyal little kids wriggled in a way that only kids knew how, almost worming out of Cobra's grasp. Had they the nutrition and the strength, they would have.
Cobra gave them not another glance and lowered his head, continuing to whisper to the girl, his entire body the screaming picture of arrogance. Kenshin watched with frozen horror, though what he really wanted to do was to jump down right there to hack Cobra into bloody pieces to be left there to rot. His heart went to the brave little twins, a small part of him relieved that Cobra hadn't hurt them, yet.
The girl scooted away from him, her sobs ringing in Kenshin's ears. She shook her head continuously, still backing away from Cobra.
"I don't believe you, I don't believe you, I don't believe you…" she kept crying. Cobra gripped her thin shoulders angrily, shaking her. Kenshin stared in disbelief.
"You will!" Cobra commanded the weeping girl. "I killed him…" His voice faded after a few words, but Kenshin had heard enough to make the connection. The drunkard. The brutal murder a week back…all for a pretty girl! Cobra continued whispering to the hysterical girl. She stared at him, still shaking her head. He growled something to her. Finally, she slowly nodded, her dark head bowed. Kenshin glared hatefully at the black-clad fighter. He drew his sword, growling in anger. By some way, Cobra was blackmailing the poor girl to agree to his plan..
The girl shakily got to her feet, rushing around the dilapidated shack, calming her the crying twins, and gathering what few belongings that she considered to be precious to her. She tied it all quickly into a small threadbare square of fabric, before extending it out to Cobra timidly. Cobra snatched it rudely, and spun around, gripping the fragile girl's upper arm with the same arm he held her bundle and readjusting his grip on the boys' slight wrists. He then strode out without another word, dragging the frail girl and her children after him. His rough treatment of the fragile girl and her twins was enough.
With a flurry of robes, Kenshin vaulted from his tree, flipping through the air to land in front of Cobra's path out the courtyard.
"Cobra! You shall not leave!" Kenshin roared, his amber eyes glowing with rage. His demonic eyes traveled to the girl, trailing along her unnaturally thin limbs. They widened at the sight of the discoloring bruises that decorated the majority of her chalk white skin. The little twin boys trapped in Cobra's other arm were in no better shape.
"Heh," Cobra made a sound that resembled a strange mix between a chuckle and a snort of annoyance. Kenshin's amber orbs snapped back to the dark serpent, his glare ten times more deadly than before. Cobra backed away from Kenshin, allowing the gaunt mother and children to come in front of him.
"Wha…" Kenshin spluttered. Cobra leapt into the air, after gathering the girl and boys into his strong arms. He kicked out, and ran airborne to the hills towards town with amazing speed. Kenshin stared after them, recovering almost instantly with a shake of his fiery head, and took bait for the chase in the air. The blank dead look he witnessed in the girl's steel gray eyes disturbed him to no end.
The two warriors, one fire, another ice, swirled in a deadly chase, kicking off at random places to further their speed. Cobra moved fast, considering his load of three precious lives. Kenshin's narrow amber eyes glowed as he followed not far behind. He landed and jumped high into the air from a particular branch of a tree beside the dirt path he had come along, flipping through the air until he was neck to neck with his rival.
Kenshin drew his sword, the blade singing for blood. He swung it at the dark robed figure, with great precision as to not hurt the girl and her children. Cobra turned quickly in midair, putting the thin girl in his arm directly in the path of the sword. Kenshin jerked back as if he were slapped, narrowly missing her. As he flipped away, he faked losing control of his sword, finally bringing it back in an arch that ended plunging deep into Cobra's left calf. He smirked at the satisfying hiss of pain from Cobra and withdrew his blade with a hard twist of his wrist that was guaranteed to tear more flesh.
Cobra turned facing Kenshin, still flying through the air with the support of his powerful ki. Every now and then, he dipped to lower level to push off a random branch or tree trunk with his right uninjured leg. Throughout the entire time, Kenshin could feel the icy blue orbs hold his own amber ones. He couldn't look away. A small part of him that loved to digress from the current worries at hand wondered how the hell Cobra managed to keep following the road, never slamming into any trees or obstacles along the dirt path that they traveled back to town.
Kenshin jerked from his half occupied state to barely evade an old rotten…shoe? He wondered no more at the sight of the girl's bare foot and growled at almost being conked on the head with a shoe. Kenshin glanced at his opponent. Cobra had turned around, as there were more obstacles to avoid now that the chase had somehow lead into town. The girl faced Kenshin over Cobra's black shoulder, her gray eyes blank as she tilted her head curiously in an almost childlike way, her locks of brown hair blowing in the wind.
They raced along the streets, all the citizens cheering Kenshin on as they scrambled to get out of Cobra's way. Unseen by anyone save the two boys Cobra held that looked up to his face in fearful awe, an uncharacteristic grin peeked out from under the fluttering black veil. That grin quickly disappeared to a grimace of pain. Dark blood had soaked through the entire backside of his lower leg, light drops of deep crimson speckling surfaces that Cobra vaulted past. Kenshin was right at the Cobra's heels; the black one's wound allowing for him to catch up with ease.
Cobra said nothing at the change in situation, flinging through the maze of pathways just as smoothly as ever. The whitewashed walls of different structures whizzed past his vision just as quickly as on any other day. But he was now lower to the ground, more running than flying through the air, in constant need of solid leverage for his forward momentum. Kenshin kicked through the air high above, his sword raised ready.
"Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryu, Ryu Tsui Sen!" he yelled as he descended down upon his target, knowing that the Cobra was much to close to the ground to turn and endanger his hostages lest he wishes to crash and crumble on the hard cobblestoned street.
"Wonderful," was all Cobra gritted out as he sensed Kenshin's airborne attack racing at his back. The girl with the steel gray eyes only stared at Kenshin, her eyes masked of any emotion.
Abruptly, Cobra veered sharply into a small alley in a way that Kenshin thought no one could possibly complete at his pace. Startled, Kenshin pulled out of his attack. He flipped backwards to avoid crashing into a building, angrily berating himself for not anticipating something like the stunt that Cobra just pulled. He just couldn't seem to be able to read the damned serpent's emotions to predict his moves! The Cobra was not just an amazing and unpredictable swordsman, but he also a clever serpent that wasn't afraid to use whatever means necessary to gain the upper hand in a battle.
Kenshin rapidly turned the corner where Cobra had evaded his attack, searching for the sneaky serpent's ki. He landed on the ground with a fierce snarl when he found nothing. The Cobra had disappeared like a shadow. Now there were only the subtle physical traces of Cobra's flight left for Kenshin to follow. The redhead muttered darkly to himself as he trailed the occasional shift of dirt and splatter of fresh blood down the deserted alleyway, highly irked by the moment's hesitation that lost him his prey.
End chapter 3
Author Notes:
- Can you imagine a thin chicken with its ribs all sticking out and stuff….shudder. Some types are meant to be plump. That goes for people too. Not that I'm comparing people with chickens…
- Shiao Lu: which means 'little deer'. As I delve deeper into the Shiao Lu mini-storyline, I'll explain more about her name.
- I need a name for the town. Any suggestions? And please, no Kyotos or Tokyos (one of my muses suggested that…she's being fired --). This is a Chinese town.
P.S; I forgot to mention for that last chapter: When Kaoru had Kenshin's plaque with the information to his job and such, it would have been a small vertical rectangle of wood, carved. Government officials back then would have had something like that, so why not the bodyguard of a government official?
You're probably thinking: "Where's the romance? Where's the fluff? Why the heck is Cobra in there so much?!" It's gonna work out. I may be a very redundant person, but I am trying my best to get my point across. overly arrogant grin as Shiroi punches to the air