Disclaimer: I do not own RK. It belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki, SONY etc...
Author: This is mainly A&M fic, but you _may_ see hints towards other pairings also. I just happen to like Megumi, no Kenshin & Megumi in this fic.
Okay, these should explain some things in the fic.
This kind of follows the original story of Kyoto arc.
In this fic Aoshi never left Kyoto with Hannya and others. Misao's father is still alive and the okashira. Misao was captured years ago and no one knows anything about her. The event with Shishio is closing in.
Loyalty of a Heart
By: Tiian
Chapter 1.
~ Day 1 ~
Shinomori Aoshi walked down the main street of Kyoto frowning. His face spoke of cold anger and every person to look at him soon looked elsewhere. Even women that where attracted to his good looks turned their eyes away from him. His black hair flowed as he walked and the wind touched it, his blue eyes seemed to see everything. He was wearing his ninja uniform and his trench coat over it. He was gorgeous. Men looked at him a little scared and jealous look in their eyes, there where women looked him with admiration.
Even when he was angry like at this moment. His anger was directed towards one single person. Shishio Makoto.
That man had came to Kyoto that was Aoshi's territory and he didn't like it. Shishio had hidden himself well, but from Oniwabanshu it was impossible to hide. Aoshi had many of his men in his troops, but he knew that Shishio knew about them. He was not a stupid man.
And now things were getting even more... Annoying. He had received a message that Battousai was coming to Kyoto. The man to give the message was no one else but 3rd captain of Shinsengumi Saitou Hajime. Well, he called himself Fujita Goro now, but nothing else had changed. He had had the nerve to ask for a place for Battousai from Aoiya. 'For common good' had come up more than once and in the end they had agreed. It had been Okina's idea. Aoshi had disagreed 'loudly', but it had been useless. Even the okashira had risen from bed to say his opinion.
The okashira...
He had once been a strong and wise man, but losing first a daughter and then a wife had taken a lot out of him. He had pretty much given the title to Aoshi already a long time ago, but there were times like this when he voiced himself. When he for a moment stopped pitying and hating himself. At those moments they could see the strength that he had once had all the time.
Losing Misao had pained them all greatly. She had been only two years old when a fight had taken place at the Aoiya. It had been burned to the ground at that time. Akari had been hurt while she was trying to save her daughter and so she hadn't been fast enough to dodge the log that fell from the roof because of the fire. She had been caught under it with her precious daughter in her arms. The leader of the enemy had entered the room at that moment. And he had taken Misao with him promising a bright future to her with a cruel smile on his lips. Akari had always blamed herself for being too weak to protect her own daughter. They had all blamed themselves.
She was rescued only few minutes after Misao had been taken, but it was enough. No one knew what had happened to her. Had she been killed? Taken abroad? Every member had been alerted for her but nothing was found. Nothing. She disappeared. And with her vanished also Akari's will to live. No matter how much everyone tried, she had lost herself. Her father tried everything and in the end they both died the same day, father trying to his last breath save his daughter who didn't really want to be saved. The title of okashira was given to Akari's husband even though he also had lost his faith in life. So practically Aoshi had led Oniwabanshu since that day.
The duty was heavy, but he carried it well.
Now the strongest fighter was coming to Kyoto and he would stay at the Aoiya, which meant that he couldn't fight him. The strongest of Ishin Shishi Himura Battousai. The legendary samurai. Again the wave of regrets. *We should have fought at the Edo. We would have won.* A sigh.
It was past now. The fight ahead would be against Shishio Makoto. A fight they couldn't afford to lose or Shishio would rule over everything.
He strode forward with amazing speed. He had long legs and he almost flew down the street. People hurried from his way and the ones that didn't, he dodged. He had complete control over his body and its every movement. The crowd wasn't a problem for him. Or so he thought.
Suddenly a girl appeared out of nowhere walking right at him. Maybe she was hidden in the crowd and he had missed her or something else. But there she was. A small girl with black hair tied into a long braid. She was wearing a blue kimono and getas. This much Aoshi saw before they collided.
The impact was greater than Aoshi presumed it to be, but it hardly had any effect on him. The light-weighted girl on the other hand fell to the ground. Her kimono flew around her and an indecent amount of long legs was revealed. The girl sat on the ground and Aoshi could hear her mutter something like 'ouch'. He knelt beside her. It was partly his fault if she had been hurt even thought she had been the one to try to walk over him. "Are you hurt?" The male members often said that he had cold and unfeeling voice, but he had heard some women praising it.
Then the woman turned to him opening her bright blue eyes and he was lost. Her eyes seemed endless and their colour devoured him. She smiled and Aoshi had to correct his previous thoughts. Not a girl but a woman. She had a little bit of childish features on her face, but he could also see that she was older than he had thought. The shape of her mouth and her eyes hinted at a woman, but the shape of her face hinted at a child. He couldn't quite make her age clear, somewhere between 15 and 20 probably.
"I am fine. I am sorry for troubling you." Her voice was clear and it further trapped Aoshi in the web she had created during those short moments. He offered his hand to her staying quiet. She smiled and took it. Her hand was warm and smooth. It was a long ago when he had held anything besides kodachis and papers. Touching another person was addictive. He looked deep into her eyes. It seemed like an eternity when he helps her up, never breaking their eye contact. He could see her smile faltering as a strange look rose to her eyes for a second.
She was a lot shorter than he was; her head was a little short of reaching his chin. They were so close that he could smell her hair and sweet natural scent filled his head. She didn't use any perfumes like so many woman did. Aoshi let go of her hand even though he didn't really want to. Something in this woman drew him in a way that he could not understand.
He stepped away from her to create distance between them, so dimming the effect she had on him. "What is your name?" Aoshi couldn't really understand why he had asked that he was just happy that his inner turmoil didn't show up in his voice.
And again she smiled. "I am called Tsunami, but my name is Yoshigawa Karen. Thank you for your help. I won't bother you furthermore." She bowed politely and walked by him. He could almost feel her hair on his skin. He looked at her retreating back. People around them had paid no attention to this meeting, but Aoshi had. He doubted that he wouldn't forget it very soon or the woman with two names.
He looked back ahead and continued walking. He had other things to worry about than some girl-woman with a nickname Tsunami. A natural catastrophe that destroys and kills. Shishio, Battousai, Saitou and himself. Strong men were gathering in Kyoto.
* * * * * *
Tsunami let out the breath she had been holding. That man sure had swooped her of her feet, literally speaking. When he had looked at her she had lost her capability to think straight. His eyes had captured her. And that mouth...
A smile rose to her lips. In the end she was just a woman and Shinomori Aoshi was a handsome man. And sexy. She would never forget the way he had made her feel. For a moment she had thought that he had guessed that she had intentionally bumped into him, but it didn't seem like it.
"So how was he?"
Tsunami laughed slightly at the bodiless voice that she heard from her right. "More than most can handle." She smiled a cunning smile.
"So can you handle him?"
Again she laughed. "Of course." Now that Shinomori was gone she dodged people with ease again. She could feel men watching her as she skilfully moved her body around people. Almost as if she would have been dancing.
"You sound very sure about that." The voice sounded almost amused.
Tsunami just stopped walking and looked to her right. She couldn't see him, but she felt him. Her personal bodyguard and one of her own ninjas that took orders only from her. "I am sure about it." For the first time she spoke seriously. The man answered with a long silence and Tsunami continued walking.
He broke it. "I am sure too. He gave few very little signs, but I saw them."
Tsunami walked taking little steps. She hated kimonos and getas. They didn't allow her to move her body as freely as she would like to, but to get to Aoshi they were necessary. He had a good eye for such things and if he would understand that she was an onmitsu it would be game over for her.
But the first mission was accomplished and it had gone well. He had now seen her and he knew what to call her. And they had touched. Something as little as holding a hand was very important when one was talking about a man like Shinomori Aoshi who she had heard to avoid such things.
"Aoshi." She rolled the name from her tongue and added spice to her voice. It sounded wonderful just like he had. That voice sure had turned her on.
"I sure hope that your sword won't turn out to be double-edged one."
She turned to the voice. Her mask of happiness, innocence dropped and it was replaced by a cold and ruthless look. "My loyalty belongs to my father. Never question it, Fumio!" After saying that she hurried forward with her mask back on leaving her guard behind her.
"Yes, but who does your heart belong to? Or will belong to?" He had seen that she had affected Shinomori, but he had also seen that one time that Tsunami's guard had dropped. *I hope this ends well.*
And he followed her. Fumio knew where his heart belonged to even though it would never result into anything. Tsunami, the only daughter of their leader, was a precious possession. Her father wouldn't give her away to just anyone. Even though he had two sons also, his daughter meant the most to him. His precious Tsunami.
She had received that nickname already when she was a child. She was a talented martial artist and she handled weapons with ease, but that wasn't the whole reason for the name. Tsunami was a tidal wave caused by earthquake and it run everyone over destroying everything in its path. That's where her nickname came from. Already as a child she had caused more troubles than any other child and when she had grown up and learned to fight, name suited her even better.
She wasn't someone you should underestimate. That could cost a lot.
Tsunami had always preferred not killing, but she was capable to do so if needed. But her mission wasn't to kill Shinomori, at least not now. Probably never. Her father protected her well, he would not send her to do the kill a man as dangerous as Shinomori was with his double kodachi-style. No, this mission was for something else.
The man shook his head and continued following Tsunami. He knew very little of what she was to do, but not why. That was between her and her father and he wasn't going to interfere. It could very well cost him his life. He was Tsunami's ninja and he took orders only from her. Her father had no power over him, but he had over Tsunami. He had her loyalty and that was a lot when talking about Tsunami.
It meant that she would do anything he ordered her to do and if she disobeyed, she would offer him her life to take. He wouldn't probably take it since he loved her, but one could never be sure.
* * * * * *
Himura Kenshin aka Battousai walked through the forest steadily coming closer to Kyoto, the place he could never forget. A battlefield from hell. He had never really wanted to return there. It reminded him too much of that had happened, of all the killing. It also reminded him of Tomoe. He could still clearly remember her even though so many years had passed. Her eyes with hardly ever revealed her inner thoughts, her mouth which hardly ever smiled, but which had smiled to him. Her long black hair and her scent. The scent of white plums, which had replaced the scent of blood. Thinking about her always brought ache to his cheek and to his heart.
Tomoe. His friend, his lover and his wife. His saviour, who had saved him in so many ways.
He had almost gone insane from having to kill all the time, but she had dragged him back to sanity. She had cleared the haze in his mind with her questions. They had cut through the wall he had built around himself. She had reached Shinta, the little boy in him. He owed his life to her.
He had been unworthy, blood forever etched to him. His hands had ended many lives and the blood could never be washed away. He had killed her fiancée and stolen her happiness from her. He had attacked her when she was trying to put a blanket over him. He had hurt her in so many ways and still she had loved him. Still she had given herself to him. She had trusted her happiness to him.
During the time that they were married she had taught him what happiness meant, what it was and how to grasp it. It was thanks to her that he had survived the war. Without her there would have never been rurouni. If she hadn't been there with him, he would have been lost.
And in the end she had given her life to him. She had died by his hands to save his life. She had died smiling to him. And even though she was dead, during the war she had never left him. He had been able to feel her all the time protecting him. The promise he had made to her, he kept. He had found a way to protect people without taking a life.
He stepped forward with his face blank. He was getting closer and closer to Kyoto. He couldn't escape it. Shishio Makoto had to be stopped. And he had to get a new sakabatou now that Soujirou had broken his present one. Seta Soujirou was a remarkable young man and so unfeeling. Nothing could be felt from him. A perfect killer almost like he had once been.
To beat him and to beat Shishio he would have to learn more. He would not succumb to the hitokiri again. He had to find another way and that meant having to face Hiko Seijurou again. Face his master he had himself abandoned to leave to the war against his will in the middle of his training. That would be hard. He would not be pleased, far from it.
Also finding Arai Shakkuu and Hiko Seijurou wouldn't be very easy.
Then he remembered something else. Something Saitou had said at the Shingetsu village. He had said that their best informant in Kyoto was Oniwabanshu. Kenshin remembered them. He had sometimes fought against them in the past. They had been in the shadows just like he had been in the beginning. He had also heard about their leader Shinomori Aoshi who had led them during the war. Edo had surrendered without a battle. It probably hadn't been his idea.
Aoiya was the place he would have to find and the people there would help him. Or that was what Saitou had said. At the moment it was better than nothing. There was a limit to how much he could do himself, especially since he didn't have that much time. So once he got to Kyoto, he would try to find this Aoiya even though the thought of involving more people into this was against his will. But since Oniwabanshu knew how to fight, it didn't feel so bad. Mere though of involving his friends in Tokyo was enough to turn his stomach upside down. They didn't understand the danger that lurked in Kyoto. They would have been helpless. It was better this way, at least they were safe and Shishio would be unable to use them against him.
Things were getting harder once again. During his journeys nothing like this had ever happened. He had helped where he had been able to, but after stopping and staying in Tokyo his problems had increased tremendously. So becoming a wanderer again was probably a good thing. This way others wouldn't be in danger because of what he was or had once been. His real friends...
Kaoru-dono. She was a little bit naive young girl, who accepted him even though she knew who he had once been. She could never really understand him, but she tried so hard. He had done things she would refuse to believe. She was so innocent, but she had a strong heart. Maybe she would have been able to understand someday if he wouldn't have had to leave her behind. He had heard her crying when he had walked away and it had almost made him turn back. To her. But if he would have seen her cry, he would not have been able to leave and that he had to do. She meant too much for him.
Yahiko. He had natural talent towards budo and a will to learn that would lead him far. His desire to become stronger reminded him a bit of himself when he was younger. In some way Yahiko was his hope for tomorrow. With Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu he would become the preserver of the future, where killing was no longer necessary. He had great hopes for him.
Sanosuke. A former Sekihoutai member, who still held them in his heart. Kenshin knew that he would have wanted to come with him, but in Kyoto where Shishio Makoto ruled, he would be in danger. He was strong, but not strong enough. His attitude would have gotten him into trouble very soon. It was better for him to stay away from this. He didn't understand the danger.
Megumi. There was a beauty with great brains, strong heart and playful attitude. She was far from innocent and she probably understood him better than others, since her past was painful as well. She had made opium, which had killed people. She had indirectly killed them and the quilt was often in her eyes. Her attitude made things easier for her and so Kenshin allowed her little tricks, like that dog collar when he had been leaving. Besides having her around made Kaoru much more lively.
He had had to leave all of them behind to keep them away from dangers in Kyoto. They were probably very angry with him at the moment, but at least they were safe. If they would have came with him, he would have had to worry about them all the time and it would have made fighting a lot harder. He sighed.
Step by step he was closing in. He would soon reach Kyoto.
* * * * * *
Tsunami took of her kimono, getas and other clothes and with them she stripped herself of her mask. She was home; there was no need to act around here. Most of the people had known her since she was little. She threw her hair to her back from her shoulder and walked to her closet and took her training clothes. Black shirt and shorts. Shorts her father hated. He said that they revealed an indecent amount of her legs, but Tsunami liked the way her fathers men watched her sometimes when they thought no one would see.
She smiled. She knew that she was being watched. She was never alone, someone was always guarding her back. At the moment it was probably Sara. She was a petit woman with short hair and she looked like a child. Looks were deceiving, Sara was very good fighter and ninja. She mainly guarded or gathered information.
Tsunami dressed herself and exited the room and entered the hallway. They lived in a huge western type mansion with three floors. And two more floors under ground. Her father was more than a leader of their clan, he was also important trader and merchant. He had multiple identities just like Tsunami had. She was called Tsunami among the ninjas who knew her, for others she was Ichikami Shouri, daughter of Ichikami Kyouryoku. And as the daughter of rich merchant&trader Yoshigawa Ryoushin she was Yoshigawa Karen. That was the name she had given to Aoshi.
Close to Tsunami's room there was a hidden passage to the underground floors. The three floors above the ground were the ones where everyone lived and guest were entertained, they were the side shown to normal people. It was the place that was ruled by Yoshigawa Ryoushin. And outside there was a huge garden where Tsunami had played a lot when she had been younger.
The underground floors were the hidden ones. There were seven training halls, ten weapon rooms, five rooms where important underground people where greeted, four rooms for information and thirty rooms for hidden ninjas, that didn't live in the rooms above ground. There were also five rooms where prisoners were held and five to give to quests. That was the world ruled by Ichikami Kyouryoku.
Two sides of the coin, one couldn't live without the other one.
Tsunami smiled widely. She loved this house and all of its hidden passages. She had had so much fun with them for as long as she could remember. She doubted that there was no other person that knew them as well as she did. She looked around. For example not many knew that there was a passage to one of her fathers room behind the painting that portrayed a woman with long black hair. She had used it many times while running away from her mother Shinchou. She had tried to get her to baby-sit her younger brothers Chounan and Nozomi. Chounan was eight and Nozomi was four. Well, she had just gone to tell her father that she was in the middle of a game and he freed her from it. She had her father wrapped around her finger and in the end her mother had given up.
It wasn't that she didn't love her brothers, but she just didn't have the patience needed when dealing with children. She lost her temper so very quickly. But soon Chounan would be old enough. After two years he would be ten and accepted to their clan as a full member. He would get a new name and then true training would become. Nozomi was still six years short of this honour. But when they were old enough she would teach them all of the passageways and the power of will to solve all before them. There was nothing more exiting than trying to solve a mystery.
This whole house they lived in was a mystery and she loved mysteries. And what would be bigger one than Shinomori Aoshi who never revealed anything of himself. She knew that this 'mission' would be very interesting. The key to get to Aoiya and to Oniwabanshu was to get Shinomori. Makimachi had practically no power, so the key was Aoshi. She would play him to her hand.
She had always liked playing games, just like her father. This was just a new game to them. True, he had lost to Oniwabanshu in the past, but it didn't matter. He had lost his first wife to them but gotten something in return. He had no ill feelings towards them. To him and to Tsunami this was just a game ready to be played. She had made her first move today to capture Aoshi. How would he answer to her move?
That made games so interesting, especially when you played with humans and their feelings. Every human was unique so every move was unique. Guessing and wondering made every game worth playing. It made her heart beat harder. It made her feel alive. Every single person was just a doll on a huge playing board and she was playing with them.
Now, would Aoshi counter by searching her or by forgetting her? And how would she answer to his move?
If he tried forgetting, he would soon notice that she wasn't going to allow him to forget her. If she wouldn't hear from him soon, she would make her next move and ¨attack¨. They would meet soon again. Maybe she would go to the Aoiya as a customer and find out more about him. Discreetly naturally.
She stepped behind the curtain that covered half of the corridor and moved to her left along side with the wall. Soon she was at the door, which could easily go unnoticed. She opened it with a silver-key that hung from her neck and entered. She was already half way down the stairs before she heard the door close again. Sara.
Having a bodyguard around her all the time, even in her own home, had annoyed her in the beginning. She had had many fights with her father about it and he had won them all. She was important and he would not lose her. Of course she knew that he had bodyguards also. Three of them in the matter of fact. Mother and Tsunami's brothers had all three also. She was the only one with only one or two. She was grateful of that.
She walked down and faced another door to her right. She took another key out this time also. She used the silver one to open upper lock and golden one to open the lock near the floor. She stepped trough and closed the door behind her. She was standing at the other end of a very long corridor. Many smaller corridors began from this one. It was easy to get lost here if you didn't know where you were going.
Tsunami knew this house from front to the back. For her it was easy to move in here. She glanced at the door behind her quickly and smiled. A little test to Sara. She started running. She would see if Sara would be able to keep up with her for long or even find her. There were multiple places she could go to on this floor and on the lower one. She was going to practise but one could practise on both floors as well as weapons could be fetch from both. Sara would have to guess and guess right.
With what move would she answer? If Sara knew her well enough she would be able to find her. If she didn't, she would have to learn. No matter where she headed now, Sara should be able to pinpoint her destination and she should arrive there before her. Both she and her father liked to play this kind of game with their bodyguards, both of them had multiple games going on all the time.
She run down the hallway and turned left. This smaller corridor would end soon, but she wasn't heading for the ending, she stopped in the middle. There was a door. It would lead to nowhere if one didn't know what to do. As fast as she could, Tsunami opened the hidden door and closed both doors behind her. Sara didn't know about this one, Tsunami was quite sure about that.
The room she was in now was a crossroad. There were many roads she could take from here. Some lead back up, some to the garden and one to the lower floor. And there she was going and Sara should know that. The problem was that there were six training hall in the lower floor and one on the upper. Sara would have to guess which one.
She jumped up, the way was hidden way up near the ceiling. And she ran head down in small passageway. Let the game continue.
* * * * * *
Reviews please. I want to know if I should continue this.
Author again.
This whole game-thingy came from reading too much Hikaru no Go. I so like that series and Sai that it has influenced my thinking. Now, I want to learn the basics of Go too!
Names:
Yoshigawa=River of good luck
Karen=Pretty One
Ryoushin=Good Mind
Shinchou=Prudent
Chounan=First born
Nozomi=Wished (for a child)
Ichikami=one god/upper one
Shouri=Victorious
Kyouryoku=Strong One
Names from:
http://www.japanorama.com/namesinj.html
http://www.takase.com/Names/NameInJapanese.htm
I don't know if these are actual names, but I like them and I'll keep them.
Author: This is mainly A&M fic, but you _may_ see hints towards other pairings also. I just happen to like Megumi, no Kenshin & Megumi in this fic.
Okay, these should explain some things in the fic.
This kind of follows the original story of Kyoto arc.
In this fic Aoshi never left Kyoto with Hannya and others. Misao's father is still alive and the okashira. Misao was captured years ago and no one knows anything about her. The event with Shishio is closing in.
Loyalty of a Heart
By: Tiian
Chapter 1.
~ Day 1 ~
Shinomori Aoshi walked down the main street of Kyoto frowning. His face spoke of cold anger and every person to look at him soon looked elsewhere. Even women that where attracted to his good looks turned their eyes away from him. His black hair flowed as he walked and the wind touched it, his blue eyes seemed to see everything. He was wearing his ninja uniform and his trench coat over it. He was gorgeous. Men looked at him a little scared and jealous look in their eyes, there where women looked him with admiration.
Even when he was angry like at this moment. His anger was directed towards one single person. Shishio Makoto.
That man had came to Kyoto that was Aoshi's territory and he didn't like it. Shishio had hidden himself well, but from Oniwabanshu it was impossible to hide. Aoshi had many of his men in his troops, but he knew that Shishio knew about them. He was not a stupid man.
And now things were getting even more... Annoying. He had received a message that Battousai was coming to Kyoto. The man to give the message was no one else but 3rd captain of Shinsengumi Saitou Hajime. Well, he called himself Fujita Goro now, but nothing else had changed. He had had the nerve to ask for a place for Battousai from Aoiya. 'For common good' had come up more than once and in the end they had agreed. It had been Okina's idea. Aoshi had disagreed 'loudly', but it had been useless. Even the okashira had risen from bed to say his opinion.
The okashira...
He had once been a strong and wise man, but losing first a daughter and then a wife had taken a lot out of him. He had pretty much given the title to Aoshi already a long time ago, but there were times like this when he voiced himself. When he for a moment stopped pitying and hating himself. At those moments they could see the strength that he had once had all the time.
Losing Misao had pained them all greatly. She had been only two years old when a fight had taken place at the Aoiya. It had been burned to the ground at that time. Akari had been hurt while she was trying to save her daughter and so she hadn't been fast enough to dodge the log that fell from the roof because of the fire. She had been caught under it with her precious daughter in her arms. The leader of the enemy had entered the room at that moment. And he had taken Misao with him promising a bright future to her with a cruel smile on his lips. Akari had always blamed herself for being too weak to protect her own daughter. They had all blamed themselves.
She was rescued only few minutes after Misao had been taken, but it was enough. No one knew what had happened to her. Had she been killed? Taken abroad? Every member had been alerted for her but nothing was found. Nothing. She disappeared. And with her vanished also Akari's will to live. No matter how much everyone tried, she had lost herself. Her father tried everything and in the end they both died the same day, father trying to his last breath save his daughter who didn't really want to be saved. The title of okashira was given to Akari's husband even though he also had lost his faith in life. So practically Aoshi had led Oniwabanshu since that day.
The duty was heavy, but he carried it well.
Now the strongest fighter was coming to Kyoto and he would stay at the Aoiya, which meant that he couldn't fight him. The strongest of Ishin Shishi Himura Battousai. The legendary samurai. Again the wave of regrets. *We should have fought at the Edo. We would have won.* A sigh.
It was past now. The fight ahead would be against Shishio Makoto. A fight they couldn't afford to lose or Shishio would rule over everything.
He strode forward with amazing speed. He had long legs and he almost flew down the street. People hurried from his way and the ones that didn't, he dodged. He had complete control over his body and its every movement. The crowd wasn't a problem for him. Or so he thought.
Suddenly a girl appeared out of nowhere walking right at him. Maybe she was hidden in the crowd and he had missed her or something else. But there she was. A small girl with black hair tied into a long braid. She was wearing a blue kimono and getas. This much Aoshi saw before they collided.
The impact was greater than Aoshi presumed it to be, but it hardly had any effect on him. The light-weighted girl on the other hand fell to the ground. Her kimono flew around her and an indecent amount of long legs was revealed. The girl sat on the ground and Aoshi could hear her mutter something like 'ouch'. He knelt beside her. It was partly his fault if she had been hurt even thought she had been the one to try to walk over him. "Are you hurt?" The male members often said that he had cold and unfeeling voice, but he had heard some women praising it.
Then the woman turned to him opening her bright blue eyes and he was lost. Her eyes seemed endless and their colour devoured him. She smiled and Aoshi had to correct his previous thoughts. Not a girl but a woman. She had a little bit of childish features on her face, but he could also see that she was older than he had thought. The shape of her mouth and her eyes hinted at a woman, but the shape of her face hinted at a child. He couldn't quite make her age clear, somewhere between 15 and 20 probably.
"I am fine. I am sorry for troubling you." Her voice was clear and it further trapped Aoshi in the web she had created during those short moments. He offered his hand to her staying quiet. She smiled and took it. Her hand was warm and smooth. It was a long ago when he had held anything besides kodachis and papers. Touching another person was addictive. He looked deep into her eyes. It seemed like an eternity when he helps her up, never breaking their eye contact. He could see her smile faltering as a strange look rose to her eyes for a second.
She was a lot shorter than he was; her head was a little short of reaching his chin. They were so close that he could smell her hair and sweet natural scent filled his head. She didn't use any perfumes like so many woman did. Aoshi let go of her hand even though he didn't really want to. Something in this woman drew him in a way that he could not understand.
He stepped away from her to create distance between them, so dimming the effect she had on him. "What is your name?" Aoshi couldn't really understand why he had asked that he was just happy that his inner turmoil didn't show up in his voice.
And again she smiled. "I am called Tsunami, but my name is Yoshigawa Karen. Thank you for your help. I won't bother you furthermore." She bowed politely and walked by him. He could almost feel her hair on his skin. He looked at her retreating back. People around them had paid no attention to this meeting, but Aoshi had. He doubted that he wouldn't forget it very soon or the woman with two names.
He looked back ahead and continued walking. He had other things to worry about than some girl-woman with a nickname Tsunami. A natural catastrophe that destroys and kills. Shishio, Battousai, Saitou and himself. Strong men were gathering in Kyoto.
* * * * * *
Tsunami let out the breath she had been holding. That man sure had swooped her of her feet, literally speaking. When he had looked at her she had lost her capability to think straight. His eyes had captured her. And that mouth...
A smile rose to her lips. In the end she was just a woman and Shinomori Aoshi was a handsome man. And sexy. She would never forget the way he had made her feel. For a moment she had thought that he had guessed that she had intentionally bumped into him, but it didn't seem like it.
"So how was he?"
Tsunami laughed slightly at the bodiless voice that she heard from her right. "More than most can handle." She smiled a cunning smile.
"So can you handle him?"
Again she laughed. "Of course." Now that Shinomori was gone she dodged people with ease again. She could feel men watching her as she skilfully moved her body around people. Almost as if she would have been dancing.
"You sound very sure about that." The voice sounded almost amused.
Tsunami just stopped walking and looked to her right. She couldn't see him, but she felt him. Her personal bodyguard and one of her own ninjas that took orders only from her. "I am sure about it." For the first time she spoke seriously. The man answered with a long silence and Tsunami continued walking.
He broke it. "I am sure too. He gave few very little signs, but I saw them."
Tsunami walked taking little steps. She hated kimonos and getas. They didn't allow her to move her body as freely as she would like to, but to get to Aoshi they were necessary. He had a good eye for such things and if he would understand that she was an onmitsu it would be game over for her.
But the first mission was accomplished and it had gone well. He had now seen her and he knew what to call her. And they had touched. Something as little as holding a hand was very important when one was talking about a man like Shinomori Aoshi who she had heard to avoid such things.
"Aoshi." She rolled the name from her tongue and added spice to her voice. It sounded wonderful just like he had. That voice sure had turned her on.
"I sure hope that your sword won't turn out to be double-edged one."
She turned to the voice. Her mask of happiness, innocence dropped and it was replaced by a cold and ruthless look. "My loyalty belongs to my father. Never question it, Fumio!" After saying that she hurried forward with her mask back on leaving her guard behind her.
"Yes, but who does your heart belong to? Or will belong to?" He had seen that she had affected Shinomori, but he had also seen that one time that Tsunami's guard had dropped. *I hope this ends well.*
And he followed her. Fumio knew where his heart belonged to even though it would never result into anything. Tsunami, the only daughter of their leader, was a precious possession. Her father wouldn't give her away to just anyone. Even though he had two sons also, his daughter meant the most to him. His precious Tsunami.
She had received that nickname already when she was a child. She was a talented martial artist and she handled weapons with ease, but that wasn't the whole reason for the name. Tsunami was a tidal wave caused by earthquake and it run everyone over destroying everything in its path. That's where her nickname came from. Already as a child she had caused more troubles than any other child and when she had grown up and learned to fight, name suited her even better.
She wasn't someone you should underestimate. That could cost a lot.
Tsunami had always preferred not killing, but she was capable to do so if needed. But her mission wasn't to kill Shinomori, at least not now. Probably never. Her father protected her well, he would not send her to do the kill a man as dangerous as Shinomori was with his double kodachi-style. No, this mission was for something else.
The man shook his head and continued following Tsunami. He knew very little of what she was to do, but not why. That was between her and her father and he wasn't going to interfere. It could very well cost him his life. He was Tsunami's ninja and he took orders only from her. Her father had no power over him, but he had over Tsunami. He had her loyalty and that was a lot when talking about Tsunami.
It meant that she would do anything he ordered her to do and if she disobeyed, she would offer him her life to take. He wouldn't probably take it since he loved her, but one could never be sure.
* * * * * *
Himura Kenshin aka Battousai walked through the forest steadily coming closer to Kyoto, the place he could never forget. A battlefield from hell. He had never really wanted to return there. It reminded him too much of that had happened, of all the killing. It also reminded him of Tomoe. He could still clearly remember her even though so many years had passed. Her eyes with hardly ever revealed her inner thoughts, her mouth which hardly ever smiled, but which had smiled to him. Her long black hair and her scent. The scent of white plums, which had replaced the scent of blood. Thinking about her always brought ache to his cheek and to his heart.
Tomoe. His friend, his lover and his wife. His saviour, who had saved him in so many ways.
He had almost gone insane from having to kill all the time, but she had dragged him back to sanity. She had cleared the haze in his mind with her questions. They had cut through the wall he had built around himself. She had reached Shinta, the little boy in him. He owed his life to her.
He had been unworthy, blood forever etched to him. His hands had ended many lives and the blood could never be washed away. He had killed her fiancée and stolen her happiness from her. He had attacked her when she was trying to put a blanket over him. He had hurt her in so many ways and still she had loved him. Still she had given herself to him. She had trusted her happiness to him.
During the time that they were married she had taught him what happiness meant, what it was and how to grasp it. It was thanks to her that he had survived the war. Without her there would have never been rurouni. If she hadn't been there with him, he would have been lost.
And in the end she had given her life to him. She had died by his hands to save his life. She had died smiling to him. And even though she was dead, during the war she had never left him. He had been able to feel her all the time protecting him. The promise he had made to her, he kept. He had found a way to protect people without taking a life.
He stepped forward with his face blank. He was getting closer and closer to Kyoto. He couldn't escape it. Shishio Makoto had to be stopped. And he had to get a new sakabatou now that Soujirou had broken his present one. Seta Soujirou was a remarkable young man and so unfeeling. Nothing could be felt from him. A perfect killer almost like he had once been.
To beat him and to beat Shishio he would have to learn more. He would not succumb to the hitokiri again. He had to find another way and that meant having to face Hiko Seijurou again. Face his master he had himself abandoned to leave to the war against his will in the middle of his training. That would be hard. He would not be pleased, far from it.
Also finding Arai Shakkuu and Hiko Seijurou wouldn't be very easy.
Then he remembered something else. Something Saitou had said at the Shingetsu village. He had said that their best informant in Kyoto was Oniwabanshu. Kenshin remembered them. He had sometimes fought against them in the past. They had been in the shadows just like he had been in the beginning. He had also heard about their leader Shinomori Aoshi who had led them during the war. Edo had surrendered without a battle. It probably hadn't been his idea.
Aoiya was the place he would have to find and the people there would help him. Or that was what Saitou had said. At the moment it was better than nothing. There was a limit to how much he could do himself, especially since he didn't have that much time. So once he got to Kyoto, he would try to find this Aoiya even though the thought of involving more people into this was against his will. But since Oniwabanshu knew how to fight, it didn't feel so bad. Mere though of involving his friends in Tokyo was enough to turn his stomach upside down. They didn't understand the danger that lurked in Kyoto. They would have been helpless. It was better this way, at least they were safe and Shishio would be unable to use them against him.
Things were getting harder once again. During his journeys nothing like this had ever happened. He had helped where he had been able to, but after stopping and staying in Tokyo his problems had increased tremendously. So becoming a wanderer again was probably a good thing. This way others wouldn't be in danger because of what he was or had once been. His real friends...
Kaoru-dono. She was a little bit naive young girl, who accepted him even though she knew who he had once been. She could never really understand him, but she tried so hard. He had done things she would refuse to believe. She was so innocent, but she had a strong heart. Maybe she would have been able to understand someday if he wouldn't have had to leave her behind. He had heard her crying when he had walked away and it had almost made him turn back. To her. But if he would have seen her cry, he would not have been able to leave and that he had to do. She meant too much for him.
Yahiko. He had natural talent towards budo and a will to learn that would lead him far. His desire to become stronger reminded him a bit of himself when he was younger. In some way Yahiko was his hope for tomorrow. With Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu he would become the preserver of the future, where killing was no longer necessary. He had great hopes for him.
Sanosuke. A former Sekihoutai member, who still held them in his heart. Kenshin knew that he would have wanted to come with him, but in Kyoto where Shishio Makoto ruled, he would be in danger. He was strong, but not strong enough. His attitude would have gotten him into trouble very soon. It was better for him to stay away from this. He didn't understand the danger.
Megumi. There was a beauty with great brains, strong heart and playful attitude. She was far from innocent and she probably understood him better than others, since her past was painful as well. She had made opium, which had killed people. She had indirectly killed them and the quilt was often in her eyes. Her attitude made things easier for her and so Kenshin allowed her little tricks, like that dog collar when he had been leaving. Besides having her around made Kaoru much more lively.
He had had to leave all of them behind to keep them away from dangers in Kyoto. They were probably very angry with him at the moment, but at least they were safe. If they would have came with him, he would have had to worry about them all the time and it would have made fighting a lot harder. He sighed.
Step by step he was closing in. He would soon reach Kyoto.
* * * * * *
Tsunami took of her kimono, getas and other clothes and with them she stripped herself of her mask. She was home; there was no need to act around here. Most of the people had known her since she was little. She threw her hair to her back from her shoulder and walked to her closet and took her training clothes. Black shirt and shorts. Shorts her father hated. He said that they revealed an indecent amount of her legs, but Tsunami liked the way her fathers men watched her sometimes when they thought no one would see.
She smiled. She knew that she was being watched. She was never alone, someone was always guarding her back. At the moment it was probably Sara. She was a petit woman with short hair and she looked like a child. Looks were deceiving, Sara was very good fighter and ninja. She mainly guarded or gathered information.
Tsunami dressed herself and exited the room and entered the hallway. They lived in a huge western type mansion with three floors. And two more floors under ground. Her father was more than a leader of their clan, he was also important trader and merchant. He had multiple identities just like Tsunami had. She was called Tsunami among the ninjas who knew her, for others she was Ichikami Shouri, daughter of Ichikami Kyouryoku. And as the daughter of rich merchant&trader Yoshigawa Ryoushin she was Yoshigawa Karen. That was the name she had given to Aoshi.
Close to Tsunami's room there was a hidden passage to the underground floors. The three floors above the ground were the ones where everyone lived and guest were entertained, they were the side shown to normal people. It was the place that was ruled by Yoshigawa Ryoushin. And outside there was a huge garden where Tsunami had played a lot when she had been younger.
The underground floors were the hidden ones. There were seven training halls, ten weapon rooms, five rooms where important underground people where greeted, four rooms for information and thirty rooms for hidden ninjas, that didn't live in the rooms above ground. There were also five rooms where prisoners were held and five to give to quests. That was the world ruled by Ichikami Kyouryoku.
Two sides of the coin, one couldn't live without the other one.
Tsunami smiled widely. She loved this house and all of its hidden passages. She had had so much fun with them for as long as she could remember. She doubted that there was no other person that knew them as well as she did. She looked around. For example not many knew that there was a passage to one of her fathers room behind the painting that portrayed a woman with long black hair. She had used it many times while running away from her mother Shinchou. She had tried to get her to baby-sit her younger brothers Chounan and Nozomi. Chounan was eight and Nozomi was four. Well, she had just gone to tell her father that she was in the middle of a game and he freed her from it. She had her father wrapped around her finger and in the end her mother had given up.
It wasn't that she didn't love her brothers, but she just didn't have the patience needed when dealing with children. She lost her temper so very quickly. But soon Chounan would be old enough. After two years he would be ten and accepted to their clan as a full member. He would get a new name and then true training would become. Nozomi was still six years short of this honour. But when they were old enough she would teach them all of the passageways and the power of will to solve all before them. There was nothing more exiting than trying to solve a mystery.
This whole house they lived in was a mystery and she loved mysteries. And what would be bigger one than Shinomori Aoshi who never revealed anything of himself. She knew that this 'mission' would be very interesting. The key to get to Aoiya and to Oniwabanshu was to get Shinomori. Makimachi had practically no power, so the key was Aoshi. She would play him to her hand.
She had always liked playing games, just like her father. This was just a new game to them. True, he had lost to Oniwabanshu in the past, but it didn't matter. He had lost his first wife to them but gotten something in return. He had no ill feelings towards them. To him and to Tsunami this was just a game ready to be played. She had made her first move today to capture Aoshi. How would he answer to her move?
That made games so interesting, especially when you played with humans and their feelings. Every human was unique so every move was unique. Guessing and wondering made every game worth playing. It made her heart beat harder. It made her feel alive. Every single person was just a doll on a huge playing board and she was playing with them.
Now, would Aoshi counter by searching her or by forgetting her? And how would she answer to his move?
If he tried forgetting, he would soon notice that she wasn't going to allow him to forget her. If she wouldn't hear from him soon, she would make her next move and ¨attack¨. They would meet soon again. Maybe she would go to the Aoiya as a customer and find out more about him. Discreetly naturally.
She stepped behind the curtain that covered half of the corridor and moved to her left along side with the wall. Soon she was at the door, which could easily go unnoticed. She opened it with a silver-key that hung from her neck and entered. She was already half way down the stairs before she heard the door close again. Sara.
Having a bodyguard around her all the time, even in her own home, had annoyed her in the beginning. She had had many fights with her father about it and he had won them all. She was important and he would not lose her. Of course she knew that he had bodyguards also. Three of them in the matter of fact. Mother and Tsunami's brothers had all three also. She was the only one with only one or two. She was grateful of that.
She walked down and faced another door to her right. She took another key out this time also. She used the silver one to open upper lock and golden one to open the lock near the floor. She stepped trough and closed the door behind her. She was standing at the other end of a very long corridor. Many smaller corridors began from this one. It was easy to get lost here if you didn't know where you were going.
Tsunami knew this house from front to the back. For her it was easy to move in here. She glanced at the door behind her quickly and smiled. A little test to Sara. She started running. She would see if Sara would be able to keep up with her for long or even find her. There were multiple places she could go to on this floor and on the lower one. She was going to practise but one could practise on both floors as well as weapons could be fetch from both. Sara would have to guess and guess right.
With what move would she answer? If Sara knew her well enough she would be able to find her. If she didn't, she would have to learn. No matter where she headed now, Sara should be able to pinpoint her destination and she should arrive there before her. Both she and her father liked to play this kind of game with their bodyguards, both of them had multiple games going on all the time.
She run down the hallway and turned left. This smaller corridor would end soon, but she wasn't heading for the ending, she stopped in the middle. There was a door. It would lead to nowhere if one didn't know what to do. As fast as she could, Tsunami opened the hidden door and closed both doors behind her. Sara didn't know about this one, Tsunami was quite sure about that.
The room she was in now was a crossroad. There were many roads she could take from here. Some lead back up, some to the garden and one to the lower floor. And there she was going and Sara should know that. The problem was that there were six training hall in the lower floor and one on the upper. Sara would have to guess which one.
She jumped up, the way was hidden way up near the ceiling. And she ran head down in small passageway. Let the game continue.
* * * * * *
Reviews please. I want to know if I should continue this.
Author again.
This whole game-thingy came from reading too much Hikaru no Go. I so like that series and Sai that it has influenced my thinking. Now, I want to learn the basics of Go too!
Names:
Yoshigawa=River of good luck
Karen=Pretty One
Ryoushin=Good Mind
Shinchou=Prudent
Chounan=First born
Nozomi=Wished (for a child)
Ichikami=one god/upper one
Shouri=Victorious
Kyouryoku=Strong One
Names from:
http://www.japanorama.com/namesinj.html
http://www.takase.com/Names/NameInJapanese.htm
I don't know if these are actual names, but I like them and I'll keep them.