Disclaimers: Rurouni Kenshin© is created and owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro, Sony Entertainment and Jump Comics. I'm making this fic for entertainment purposes only.
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Gateway to DarknessChapter 2: Decision of Reawakening
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Kingdom of the Guardians
1881
The Guardian of Dream stood and pounded his staff to regain silence. The other Guardians stopped talking and looked at him, their eyes revealing anxiety. He looked at the three Guardians he was with, sighing loudly when they saw his own worry in his face.
"The Gate is again opening, after five centuries of being dormant. We knew that one day it would come to this, and thus we let several Guardians reincarnate as humans to avoid this event. But we can't deny that the island is surfacing, and the Gate is waiting for a person who would simply open it in one cut." The Guardian of Dream said. "It's time that we awaken some that doesn't know about their own destiny."
The Guardian of Light gave a loud gasp. "But, Dream, didn't Time say that when too much of the Guardians are awakened, it might cause some trouble?" She asked.
"Not if Chaos is awakened so he could control those problems. After all, Time himself isn't aware of his powers." Dream replied. "Only seven of the Guardians are awakened to their destiny. We're fortunate that the Elemental Guardians are all awake. Rebirth recently became aware of his own. We can't let this continue on."
The Guardian of Ice closed her eyes, her character of being silent taking over her. Although once human, now Guardian, she was still the same as she had been when she was very alive. She was close to Light because she understood and found relief that she knew of her life when she was on Earth. But, that doesn't mean that she didn't miss being on Earth.
Light turned her head, looking at Ice as she contemplated. "Ice, tell us what you think. Should the remaining Guardians be awakened? They will add burdens to the things they already carry."
She opened her eyes. "I agree with Dream. We'll need all the help we can get, and that means the other unawakened Guardians. I'll admit it would be a problem, since one of them is young, but there's nothing more we can do, is there?" Ice answered.
The Guardian of Future nodded. "It's a sensible thing to do. I agree with Dream and Ice. Light, we need them. All of us have to be there when we close the Gate."
Dream smiled smugly. "There you have it. It's a 3-1 vote." He said. "Ice, contact Water. Let the reawakening begin."
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Tokyo, Japan
1881, 5 days later
"Hiyaaah!" Yahiko shouted, bringing down the bokken he was holding. Sweat dripped from his chin, and his breath was coming out in heavy gasps. The practice dojo was empty and hot, since it was midday and in the middle of summer. Now that he was fifteen, he wasn't a pupil of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu anymore, but the shihondai. Kaoru raised her position to 'master' a year ago, and he was the only one eligible to take the position she left.
The few students who enrolled in to study kenjutsu were coming in later in the afternoon, where the sun wasn't so high up and the winds blew much regularly than in noontime. Yahiko would be training them on his own today, since Kaoru was sick, according to Kenshin.
Yahiko exhaled, willing his breath to become normal, and his heartbeat to slow down. He placed his bokken back on the rack and sat down with legs crossed, starting to meditate. While he meditated, all he could hear was the soft whisper of the wind, his own breath, the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears and the slide of the dojo door. Yahiko opened his eyes and quickly turned, surprised when he saw Misao standing by the doorway.
"Yo, boy." She greeted cheerfully, taking light strides into the dojo. "I see you're taking your training well. I got to hand it to Kaoru, she really drilled you good." Misao teased, ruffling the young man's hair. "How are you, Yahiko? Missed me?"
Yahiko snorted. "Whatever, weasel. You didn't seem to change a bit. Still Misao, still acting like a child, with a body that still looks like a child." He smirked, standing up to his full height, now that he was, at least, one head taller than her. "You can't just hurt me now that I'm taller than you."
"Don't get smug, darling," Misao purred, taking a few steps away from him. "Your skills pale when compared to my ninja skills, Yahiko, so don't get overexcited, thinking that I can't pound you to the floor even though you're taller than me…boy."
He growled. "Why I ought to…!"
With a loud laugh, Misao jumped out of the way when Yahiko attacked, quickly taking a bokken from the nearby rack and held it in her hands easily. "Want to have a rematch from that battle we had years ago, Yahiko-chan?" She asked, provoking him to fight.
With narrowed eyes, Yahiko took his own bokken. "Hell, yeah!" He shouted, readying into a stance. "Get ready to eat your words, itachi-musume." He ground out, smirking when Misao fumed.
Wood against wood echoed throughout the dojo.
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Kenshin smiled when he heard the cracking of wood against wood in the dojo, hiding his amusement while he drank his tea. Across from him kneeled Aoshi, who glanced at the direction of the sound before he gave an amused snort and took his own cup. The two men were quiet, just listening to the sound of battle cries and the bokken being thwacked against each other.
A moment later, Kaoru peeked into the room, smiling at the sight of the two before she moved beside Kenshin. She was a bit pale, her skin unusually hot and her lips as red as a tomato. Her joints were aching, her movements slow and she was cold and hot at the same time. Also, the beginnings of a headache made her vision spin and blur sometimes, but she pushed it all away.
"Kaoru! You shouldn't be out of bed!" Kenshin said, standing to assist her. "You don't look to good. I should bring you back to the room."
She laughed, holding on to Kenshin's arm tightly when her vision began to spin. Dizzying spells were normal these days, and Kaoru was extra thankful that Yahiko hadn't gotten the sickness that she had. As far as she knew, to which she thanked the gossips of neighbors, there was an epidemic in this part of the city. It wasn't deadly to be important, but the sudden flu attack was quite disturbing. Children were rarely out of the house with the parents very protective of them.
"Don't. You know I want to welcome Aoshi-san and Misao-chan." Kaoru rasped, her voice hoarse. It was painful just to speak. "If you don't mind, Aoshi-san. But Kenshin may be right. It would be best that if I returned to the bedroom before you and Misao-chan get sick because of me."
Aoshi shook his head. "It's fine, Kaoru-san. Misao and I can take care of ourselves. After all, being ninjas, we have far greater immunity to just simple flu." He said, his lips quirking. "As you can hear, Misao missed Yahiko."
Kenshin chuckled. "They're in the dojo, having a swordfight." He whispered to Kaoru, holding on to her hand. He dropped it gently and poured tea for her, handing her the cup. She complained about him fussing about her like a hen, and he laughed it off with him saying that she was like a sick child that he needed to cuddle. Aoshi continued to sip his tea, smiling once in a while whenever the two argued, even though Kaoru was sick.
Suddenly, from the dojo, a scream erupted and Kaoru's blood ran cold.
"YAHIKO!!!"
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In the Akabeko, Tae wiped the sweat from her brow. The restaurant was crowded, and there were some people outside, waiting to be seated. Everyone was working overtime, especially Tsubame. Even though it was her day-off today, she volunteered to work. Tae had told her not to, but she insisted, and she finally agreed, since an extra hand was needed. Tsubame had planned to go to the Kamiya Dojo today to bring food and ask about Kaoru, but it seemed like that was to be scheduled on another time.
"Thank you, please come again!" Tsubame said as a customer went out, signaling for the next customer to be let in. She froze when Fujita Goro—otherwise known as Hajime Saitou—entered the restaurant. She had always been scared of the policeman, mostly because of his steely golden eyes. Nevertheless, it had been a year or two since Saitou stopped coming to the Akabeko, for reasons she didn't know. From the gossips she heard, he was transferred to Hokkaido.
"Ah, Sanjou. All grown up now, I see." Saitou said, smirking at her coldly. Timidly, Tsubame led him to an empty table.
"W-What is your order, Fujita-san?" Tsubame stammered, holding on to the tray in her hand tightly until the knuckles were white.
"The usual. I presume you still remember it." He answered.
Tsubame nodded. "I'll get it right away, Fujita-san." She said, hurrying to the kitchen. She could still feel his eyes boring on her back, and Tsubame stayed tense and alert. The hairs on her arms stood up and her back stiffened. When his order came, she immediately placed it on the tray she was holding and brought it to him. "Is there anything you want, Fujita-san?"
"Nothing—yet."
She gulped. "Enjoy your meal." Tsubame said, backing away slowly.
"But there is one thing I want you to know."
She froze. "Y-Yes?"
"Darkness has fallen."
The tray fell from her hand and clattered on the floor.
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Kawasaki, Japan
1881
The people bustled about; bumping into Megumi more times she could count. She strained herself and pushed through the crowd, finding the inn the Guardian of Death told her to go. She fumed at the thought of him, angry with him for leaving her alone in a city near Tokyo, but still not Tokyo. It was nearing dusk, and she was still out searching for that inn. Fortunately, because of the crowd, there haven't been any men that were ready to make her a victim.
Finally, after hours on the street, Megumi found the inn she was looking for. With a sigh of relief, Megumi went straight to the front desk.
"Excuse me," Megumi said, waving at the man behind the desk. "I'm asking for a room key. My…friend reserved it for me."
The elderly man smiled kindly. "What room would that be, young lady?"
"Umm…I think that would be 204?" Megumi said, praying hopefully that she remembered the right number. Again, she cursed Death for even leaving her here. Why not bring her to Tokyo? Kawasaki was very close to Tokyo. Probably an hour's ride in a carriage and she would make it there.
The man fumbled through the list. "204…204…ah, Takani Megumi, I suppose?" He asked, already taking the key from which it hung.
Megumi gave a sigh of relief. "Yes, that would be me." She replied, already taking the key from him.
"My instructions from your friend said that you would be checking out tomorrow at noontime, and that you'd be requiring a private carriage with four horses bound for Tokyo." He said, reading from a piece of paper. "Your friend already brought your luggage here earlier. You'll find it in your room."
Stunned, Megumi could only say a polite, "thank you" before going to her room. As soon as she opened the door, she realized that the man behind the desk was right. Her bags were already placed neatly on the floor, untouched. The room was nice and comfortable, made especially for one person. Megumi sat down on the western four-poster bed, surprised beyond words. It seems like that bastard had a heart somewhere inside him, she mused, looking down on her hands.
She was jolted from her musings, however, when a desperate cry suddenly echoed in her mind.
Please come as soon as possible. He's been bitten! He's sick! Fire said, the feeling of grief coating each word. I'm sorry I didn't notice it in time. It's my fault!
Who's sick, Fire? Calm down and tell me! Megumi told her firmly, like she was shaking her.
The young one! Fire wailed again.
Megumi gave a sharp intake of breath. I will be there tomorrow as soon as possible! In the meantime, you and Water give him energy little by little so he wouldn't be as bad as he should be.
Water can't give any more energy. She's sick, too. Fire whispered. I'll be the only one to give him the energy he needs, then.
Do that. And Fire…don't worry. He will be all right.
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Tokyo, Japan
1881
Aoshi tended to Yahiko, frowning at the young man's coloring. His skin was pale, and—if he wasn't imagining things—a bit greenish. He took the cloth that was soaked in cold water and placed it on his forehead, warming after moments, which was odd, since Yahiko didn't have any fever. Kenshin was on the next room with Kaoru, both trying to calm Misao down. She was in hysterics and very guilty, to which Aoshi knew no reason.
Yahiko was as still as a statue, in which, again, seemed strange. He seemed to have fever, but his skin was cold; his skin seemed to be greenish in coloring, his body as still as stone. All of this behavior puzzled Aoshi. He had never seen anything like it. There was no sickness he wasn't familiar with, and he admitted to himself that Yahiko's condition was something new to him.
On the other room, Kaoru watched as Kenshin tried to calm down Misao. She didn't dare be near her. Finally, after a while, Kaoru sighed in exasperation and sent Kenshin to bring tea. He stepped out of the room with relief to be away from Misao at the moment, and Kaoru moved close to the hysterical woman, placing a hand on her shoulder and shook her slightly.
"What happened? Why do you think it's your fault that he was like this?" Kaoru demanded. "What did you see?"
Misao sniffed. "It was a new type of insect, not the one that we saw last week. It was smaller and more agile-looking. When I was going to attack Yahiko at the back, I saw it on his neck. Before I could get it away, it already bit him, and he collapsed just like that." She choked out, trying to control her sobs. "I didn't notice it was there when I should've had. It's my fault if Yahiko gets any worse and die!"
Kaoru shook her hard. "Yahiko is not going to die!" She said fiercely. "He's a strong boy and he can handle it! No one's blaming you for what had happened. If you're careless as you say you are, then I'm more careless than you are!" She said. "Do you know why everyone's sick in this neighborhood? It's because of that insect. I got sick because I didn't sense it and bit me. I'm fortunate because I'm different that my sickness isn't as bad as it's supposed to be. I'll be fine in a couple of days. Yahiko will come out all right."
"You mean…the people who were sick in this neighborhood…they're worse than Yahiko is?"
She nodded. "I couldn't stop it from completely. It hasn't spread to the other places because I placed a barrier around the whole of Tokyo, except this place. Because if I did, then the insects would just breed in here and multiply when my energy is down. But now that you're here, I can place a barrier in this place, too, since you can kill them."
Misao shook her head. "No. I will place the barrier and kill them. You're weak as it is. Regain your strength first before you help me."
Kaoru smiled. "Now that's the Misao I know." She said. "I promise I'll regain my energy fast enough so I can help you soon."
At that moment, Kenshin slid the door open, peeking cautiously. When he saw that Misao stopped wailing, he let out the breath that he was holding and entered the room with a tray of cups and tea.
"Now, who's interested in a nice cup of tea?"
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Kingdom of the Guardians
1881
The Guardian of Light moved gracefully towards the garden where she knew the Guardian of Ice spent most of her time alone when she wanted to think. She saw her sitting by the fountain, her fingers absently creating circles on the surface of the water. Ice's eyes looked glazed, seemingly lost in memories. Light walked to her side, watching as Ice sighed and turned to her.
"What's on your mind that's troubling you?" Light asked, sitting beside her. "It weighs heavily on you."
"It's hard having memories of centuries ago and several human lives. Even when I was living, I still remembered the time when the Gate closed and the island was sank at the bottom of the ocean. The burden is there. I'm starting to wonder if I made the right choice in agreeing to Dream's plan." The Guardian of Ice confessed. "Three of the Guardians have already mortal burdens of their own. One is far too young, but knows suffering. Do you think I made the right decision?"
Light placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "It's been eating you inside, hasn't it?"
"More than you could ever know."
"Have you contacted Water?"
Ice shook her head. "Water is sick, and her mind is foggy. I can't connect with her. She's using her energy to make a protective barrier over Tokyo so the other places won't get affected. With her sickness, it's slowly draining her. Reawakening takes a lot of concentration and energy. Even if I did contact her, she can't do it immediately."
"I see," The Guardian of Light murmured. "Your hometown is Tokyo when you were alive, isn't it?"
She nodded. "Yes, but my family isn't there now. They've gone someplace that I most likely won't mind. I know they'll be comfortable there."
"Water is protecting it."
Ice looked at her. "I know. It's her hometown, too."
Light smiled. "But did you know that half of the reason she's doing it is for you?" After she saw Ice's incredulous expression, her smile widened. "I take it that you don't."
"But…why is she doing it for me?"
Her companion's eyes looked softly at her. "Because, dear friend, even though Water knew that she can thank you whenever she pleases, she decided to show her gratitude for you in actions."
The Guardian of Ice looked at her hands, confused to no end. "I don't need any thanks. I did nothing for her, as far as I can remember. The only thing that she and I share is—oh." Realization finally dawned on her, and gave one of her rare smiles. "I see. There was really no need to thank me."
"But she wants to, dear." Light said. "Water is a kind-hearted woman, you know that."
"I know, and I'll do anything for her."
"Well, now, what're you waiting for? Think of something that would help her."
Ice stood up from her seat. "I know exactly what to do."
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Tokyo, Japan
1881
There were no more people outside since it was in the middle of the night. The streets were dim and silent. Shadows were all around the place, seemingly menacing. A man suddenly appeared, his sandals making a noise on the road. He held a bag, which was slung on his shoulders and a sword on his left side.
He stopped on the bridge by the shallow river, taking in his surroundings with a calculated look. Although the place seemed peaceful, he knew far better than to take everything by its cover. Danger was slowly coming to the city, and that was why he was here—to answer the call of his destiny.
"Tokyo…" He murmured, looking up into the sky with no stars.
To Be Continued…
Reviewers:
Aragorn821, Dragowolf, The-Lone-Lemon, Jocanda—thanks for your reviews!
Nia—nope. It gives a bit of mystery when I don't list them down. You have to find out for yourself.
Stormwarrior91—you're 2 out of 3 correct.
Satora Bonai—you're also 2 out of 3 correct.
Sailor Universe1—the third person to get 2 out of 3 correct.
Beauty Eclipsed—the story is in 1881 because, from my calculations, Kenshin stepped in Tokyo in year 1878. Let's say they got to know each other, met and had adventures, plus a real proposal in two years. Add a year of marriage. That would be three years. 18783=1881.
Author's Notes: I'm being generous, giving more clues for finding out the identity of other Guardians. I believe you know all of them, just not what sort of Guardian they're supposed to be. Actually, if you read and analyze, I've already given many clues as to what Guardians they are, and what their human identities are. Just read between the lines and there you have it!
R/R people. E-mails are also appreciated.
Started: March 15, 2004
Finished: March 18, 2004