The bloody past is up. Ugh.
Chapter 6.
Kaoru sighed softly as she put the last plate into the dishwasher. Sano had just left after eating most of the food, making horrible jokes, and generally being a nuisance, as usual. Nearly a week had passed since he had tried to kill Shinta and he had already become a regular part of her life. She didn't mind him that much, but she was racking up an enormous food bill. She sighed again. Like throwing small pebbles into a well.
Yahiko had just started his training. She had him cleaning the house most of the time, usually because of a bout of name calling. He was a diligent pupil, though. She walked up to her room to grab a bathrobe. And Shinta. It had only been two weeks and he was already turning her life completely insane. He was very cheerful, diligent in his work, and his little philosophical discussions usually gave her something to chew on for the better part of a day. She was quite sure she had never met anyone like him before. And what had Sano called him? Man-cutter? Still wrapped up in her thoughts, she pushed the door of the bathroom open.
She stopped and stared. Shinta was standing in front of the mirror, staring at her wide-eyed. He was completely naked, except for a towel surrounding his waist. Kaoru gasped in embarrassment and quickly ran out of the bathroom. Slamming the door behind her, she heard Shinta utter a soft 'Oro'. Leaning against the door, she blushed. "Uh, sorry Shinta, I-I didn't mean to walk in on you."
Shinta's muffled chuckle reached her. "No harm done. But please knock next time. I'll be out in a minute."
Kaoru chided herself mentally. Suddenly she winced. Shinta's body had been covered in scars. Pink jagged lines and grey mutilated skin covered his body. Some looked old while others seemed recent. How many people had he fought before?
Shinta stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in some of his new clothes. Kaoru stared at him oddly. Shinta sighed. "You want to know about the scars." It was a statement, not a question. Kaoru nodded. Shinta nodded and led her by the elbow to his room. Sitting down on the bed, he looked at Kaoru levelly. Kaoru didn't say anything. "Tell me, how good are you at keeping secrets?" Shinta asked suddenly. He knotted his hands together.
The young girl looked surprised. "You're not a fugitive, are you?" Shinta shook his head and stared at the wall, his eyes distant. "No, I'm immortal."
Kaoru's eye twitched. "What are you talking about? You had better not be messing with me." Shinta stared at her sadly. His eyes suddenly seemed ancient. "I'm sure you've heard of the Lunar Colony Revolt, nearly three hundred years ago." Kaoru nodded. "Have you heard of one man in particular, The Berserker?" Again Kaoru nodded and lifted an eyebrow. "What are you implying? No one lives that long, even if they can heal themselves."
Shinta sighed and gave an order to his holo-screen. "Historical documents, Lunar revolt, The Berserker. Search." The screen beeped and pulled up an ancient hologram of The Berserker's face. It was exactly the same as Shinta's face. "That proves nothing. You could be a mod." (mod- a person who alters their genetic makeup to look younger, look different, or for health reasons.)
Shinta turned to the holo-screen again. "Historical documents, The American-Chinese War, Ragnarok's Son." The machine beeped again, pulling up a picture of Shinta again. Kaoru gasped. "That was eight hundred years ago."
Shinta continued. The Canadian Reformation War, the Third World War, the African-Israeli War, the Fall of the UN Disaster, Operation Desert Storm, Vietnam, the Second World War, the First World War, and the Japanese Meiji Restoration. One by one, Shinta pulled up names of each war's pivotal shadow assassin. Codenames ranged from the Flash Death, to the Man-cutter, to Battousai. Kaoru stared in shock. Shinta lowered his head. "It all started with the Meiji Restoration. My country, Japan, was in upheaval at the arrival of the Americans. I had been alive for more nearly eight hundred years before that." He looked sadly at the screen. "Long ago, I was given a gift, one of far too much responsibility and power. Long ago, it was foretold that I would be a killer, a warmonger. I was young and foolish, so I simply brushed off the prophecy." Shinta looked at the pictures of his face. The paintings were a little off, but the pictures had captured his essence.
"After I became an assassin, the guilt swept in. I lost my sanity and became an empty shell of the man I once was. I became a blood lusting monster." He kept his eyes down, afraid to look at Kaoru. "Slowly, I came back to my senses after the war was over. I swore never to go to battle again. I moved to the United States as soon as I could and fell in love with the country. Then the First World War came. I killed again. This time, I was not blessed with insanity." He continued to stare at the carpet. "Kaoru-dono, you have never felt guilt as I have felt it. It ate at me every time I looked at myself in the mirror, every time I lay down to sleep." A single tear trickled down his face. He didn't bother to wipe it.
"My comrades from the wars all looked at me as some type of hero." He clenched the bed's sides. "What sort of hero kills people? I tried to die. Oh, how I tried. I threw myself into the hardest missions without hesitation. I made sure I was on the front lines. I made sure that people would now my name so they would come looking for vengeance." He gritted his teeth. "I've been shot in my sleep, sliced to ribbons in battle, suffocated in deep space without a suit, and stabbed repeatedly. I've been hit by cars, fallen from high buildings, and thrown into the sea with rocks strapped to my body." He sighed and willed himself to let go of the bed. "Sano was wrong. Decapitation will not work. I was considered a freakin' Superman and I hated every minute of it."
He touched a hand to his cheek, where the round tipped scar was. "But then, something happened, and I saw the world in a whole new light. My eyes were finally opened to the true beauty of life. I then gave up war forever and resumed my wanderings." He looked at Kaoru. "This is the longest I've been anywhere since the last war, nearly three hundred years ago."
Kaoru had her eyes closed and was shuddering slightly. Shinta put his face in his hands. He shouldn't have said anything. No one should have to have heard that. He got up slowly, as if his age were affecting him. "Kaoru-dono, I'm sorry for having troubled you. I should go. People have obviously discovered I am staying here and will come after me. I have no wish of putting you in danger." He had entertained this thought for an entire week, but he had already become integrated within Kaoru's daily life. He did not wish to leave, but maybe if Kaoru rejected him, leaving would be easier. He grabbed his sword and the small amount of objects he owned. He walked to the door, but felt a tug on his shirt. He turned. Kaoru was scowling at him, her large blue eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"You jerk, I don't care about your past. All I care about is who you are now." Shinta stared at her, surprised. Where those tears for him? "Kaoru-dono," he said softly. "You should care about a person's past. Especially if their past is longer than several centuries." Kaoru hugged him suddenly (sorry guys, it's only a friendly hug). "Friends don't let friends wander off, never to be seen again. Sorry, buddy, but you're staying here even if I have to tie you up and leave you in the basement."
Shinta chuckled and hugged her back. "That's quite a remedy. I suppose I could stay a while longer. But you never know when I might have to leave again." He glanced at the clock that the holo-screen displayed whenever it wasn't being used. Pulling himself out of the embrace, he smiled brightly. "You best shower up as I fix some supper."
Kaoru glared at him in mock anger. "No more of this angsty, depression stuff, right?" Shinta nodded, put his things on the floor and walked downstairs. Kaoru watched him leave and then went to take a shower. Pushing the door open, she saw Yahiko just barely pulling a towel around himself in time. "Aaaaa, what are you doing, hag?" He yelled bloody murder as Kaoru quickly closed the door.
I might not be able to submit another chapter tomorrow. That's the one with Jin-e (Is that how you spell it? I have to know by tomorrow.)
What did you think? I mainly only wrote about the more famous wars. And also, keep in mind that Kaoru found out about Kenshin's bloody past in the first episode, so I had to make him trust her.
As for the shower scenes, I couldn't help myself. In anime, it's always the guys that walk in on the girls. I twisted it (No kidding).
Overall, though, I don't really like this chapter. The dialogue was too clipped, fast, and annoying. However, it was crucial to the storyline for Kaoru to know about his past. Any suggestions on how to fix this is welcome. I appreciate it.