Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or the song "Moonlight Shadow," …I only worship them.
Chapter 4: Scars Of A Past Far Away
The last that ever she saw him
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
He passed on worried and warning
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
It had been a few hours later that Arianna said that she was tired and would like to retire for the night. She sat in her room, sitting under the covers on the futon. The moonlight shone through the shoji leading to the garden and koi pond outback. Her long red hair cascaded around her shoulders and back. Arianna stood up, the sheets pooling around her feet. She walked to the shoji and looked out into the night sky. The thin yukuta she wore rustled in the warm night breeze. Arianna walked out to the koi pond and walked slowly in, small ripples forming. She put her arms to her shoulders and slid the yukuta off.
Lost in a river last Saturday night
Far away on the other side
He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight
And she couldn't find how to push through
A long scar reaching from her left shoulder blade to her right hip was on her back, along with a few small minor scars that were faded.
"I'm sorry." She hung her head. She held her shoulders and sighed heavily.
"I promise that I'll fix everything. When I do, it should be right again. I caused all of the problems anyway. I'm so sorry." She lifted her head and stared at the moon.
"I promise, I won't let my death be in vain, again."
The trees that whisper in the evening
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
Sing a song of sorrow and grieving
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
She stepped out and walked back to the room she was occupying. She slid the shoji shut and went to the closet to put on a clean yukuta. Arianna lay down and slept.
Dream Sequence
"Come on, Come on Auntie Arianna…LETS PLAY!" a little boy with jet-black hair and blue eyes ran around in a circle. Arianna laughed, her blue gi and white hakama rustling in the afternoon wind. She chased the little boy around and laughed.
"Hannya-chan! Your too fast!" She laughed. Hannya ran around wildly and yelled.
"Common, foll-." Hannya fell backwards from hitting a wall of flesh. He looked up and saw a man with short brown hair, shaggy looking clothes with a beard, and a sword at his side. Arianna stopped laughing and ran to Hannya. She knelt beside him and glared at the man.
"Can I help you?" She asked. The man looked at her.
"Yes." He replied icily.
"You can die." The man lunged at her, pulling his sword from the sheath. Hannya screamed. Arianna grabbed his hand and ran into a dojo, and ran around the hallways.
All she saw was a silhouette of a gun
Far away on the other side.
He was shot six times by a man on the run
And she couldn't find how to push through
She ran into her room and kneeled before Hannya. Arianna grabbed his shoulders.
"Hannya-chan, stay quiet and I'll take care of that man until your parents and mine come back O.K?" Hannya nodded vigorously. Arianna pushed him into the closet and slid the shoji behind him. She ran to the wall and grabbed her Sai's and quickly changed into her fighting clothes. She ran outside to find him walking around the hallway.
I stay I pray I see you in heaven far away
"Hey, You!" She yelled and caught his attention. She ran to the backyard and he followed her. The man ran and swung his sword. She easily dodged but felt something graze her side. She turned her head to see five men with swords. One ran up and kicked her in the stomach, and another punched her in the face.
I stay I pray I see you in heaven one day
Arianna rolled on the ground. Her mouth was bleeding and her cheek was bruised. 'Damnit, I haven't fully healed yet and it's slowing down my body. This could get bad.' She grabbed a Sai and stuck it in the ground sending out a Futai no Kiwami towards the six men. Five men were knocked out but one had jumped just in time, dodging the attack. He quickly ran and slashed her back.
Four AM in the morning
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
I watched your vision forming
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
"Ahhhh!." Arianna screeched. The man swung around and stabbed her in the stomach. Arianna didn't let the man have the pleasure of hearing her scream again, so she winced. 'I have no choice...' Arianna thought, 'I must protect Hannya, even if it means...' Arianna stood up as fast as she could and charged at the man.
Star was light in a silvery night
Far away on the other side
Will you come to talk to me this night
But she couldn't find how to push through
I stay I pray I see you in heaven far away
I stay I pray I see you in heaven one day
Far away on the other side.
"AMAKAKERU RYU NO HIRAMEKKI!" She slashed the man and landed on the ground on one knee. 'My body can't handle it anymore. The muscle strain's catching up to me.' She stood up and staggered.
"Hannya..." She collapsed on the ground.
Caught in the middle of a hundred and five
The night was heavy but the air was alive
But She couldn't find how to push through
"ARIANNA!" She heard voices but they seemed distant. Arianna cracked open an eye and saw her parents and friends shocked and worried. They quickly ran over to her, but her world was fading fast, into a never-ending sea of darkness.
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
Far away on the other side.
End Dream Sequence
Arianna's sleeping form rolled over onto her side. Red liquid seeped through her yukuta as she slept, dreaming of her memories.
"Hannya..." Arianna said as she tossed in her sleep. A slash mark across her back bleeding.
A/n: Stay tuned!
