Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin...I just worship it.
I also do not own the song in the story "Hiru No Tsuki" It is owned by the creator of Outlaw Star.
Pronunciation
Ryou (Ree-oh)
Chapter 9: Lynched
Arianna sat on the futon in the guest room. She stood up and straightened out her thin white yukuta. Warm moonlight streamed through the thin shoji doors that lead outside to the koi pound. A gentle breeze flittered outside, coaxing the wind chimes to sway, making the chimes jingle. Arianna opened the shoji doors and looked at the wind chime with curiosity.
"Ryou...are you here?" Arianna stepped outside of the room and onto the porch, descending towards the small wind chime hanging from the beam. Arianna reached her hand up to dislodge the trinket from a rusted nail that stuck out of the beam. She held the multicolored sea shells in her hand and looked out at the koi pond. Stepping forward, She sat down on the edge of the porch.
"Ryou...I still remember the song..." Arianna closed her eyes and leaned back on the porch. She opened her mouth and a haunting melody escaped her parched lips.
Oto no nai mahiru
Kaze wa tada
Akarui
Sukoshi
Nemutasou ni
Hanabira ga
Yureta
Nani ge nai
Kono omoi
Nee
Hito ha
Donna kotoba de
Yondeiru no
Shiroi
Suna no tsuki
Toji kometa
Hanashi o
Hikari
Furasu you ni
Kikasete ne
Sotto
Itsuka shiru toki ga kuru no?
Mune no itami o
Soshite
Ima yori yasashiku naru
No ne
Atatakai
Kono omoi
Nee
Hito wa
Donna namae de
Yondeiru no
Shiroi
Suna no tsuki
Mabushikute
Mienai
Tooi
Mirai no koto
Kikasete ne
Sotto
Arianna opened her moist eyes. She didn't notice as she sang that she clenched her fingers around the small wind chime. The wind blew back her long red bangs from her face. Arianna touched her neck and traced the outline of something faint.
"Arianna-dono?" Arianna's eyes flew open at the intrusion before spinning around to come face to face with Kenshin.
"Kenshin-san, why are you up at this time of hour?" Kenshin smiled warmly.
"I thought I heard someone singing, I guess it was you. You have a very beautiful voice de gozaru yo." Arianna smiled before patting the space next to her on the porch. Kenshin sat down and gazed at the sky.
"It will be sunrise in a few hours. I am used to waking up at this time from training." Kenshin nodded as Arianna explained her reason for being up. He looked over at her. Ever since Arianna had come here Kenshin had felt that there was something very different about this girl. A sense of wisdom beyond her years and maturity always surrounded her. It was funny really, it was a feeling that encompassed him during the revolution.
"Is something the matter Kenshin-san?" Kenshin's eyes were unfocused before he quickly addressed her with a smile.
"No, I was just thinking." Arianna nodded in understanding. She swept her hair over her shoulder. Kenshin noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
"Where did you get that scar?" Arianna turned to look at Kenshin before touching her neck again. Kenshin moved closer to Arianna before tilting her head back to look at the scar. It was grotesque up front. The scar was a straight line that went around her neck. The scar didn't look fully healed, the scar was jagged with the old skin that hadn't fallen off to make way for new skin to grow and heal.
"Is this recent?" Arianna pulled back and shook her head no.
"It happened a long time ago." Kenshin nodded his head, seemingly understanding that she did not want to discuss where she had gotten the scar. He slowly stood up before patting the back of his clothes for any dirt that may have escaped the deck and onto his hakama.
"I think I will go and start breakfast, it will take a while that way when everyone wakes up, all they need to do is come sit down." Arianna stood up also and smiled at Kenshin.
"I'll help you, being as I'm already up." Kenshin bowed respectfully, accepting her help. They went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the sleeping occupants of the Kamiya Dojo.
1 Hour Later
"GOOD MORNING TOKYO! THIS IS MISAO BRINGING YOU THE NEWS! IT'S NICE AND SUNNY OUTSIDE AND THE CLEAR BLUE SKY IS ROLLING ON OVERHEAD! AOSHI-SAMA WAKIE WAKIE!" Misao practically leaped out of the guest room and threw the door to Aoshi's room open. To Misao's disappointment Aoshi was already up and meditating on the floor.
"Morning Aoshi-sama! It's a beautiful day so lets go and eat breakfast and then go outside!" Misao ran into Aoshi's room and ran around in front of Aoshi kneeling and smiled broadly. Aoshi opened his ice blue eyes and gazed at Misao.
"Good morning Misao." Misao smiled even wider as her lord addressed her. Misao sat down fully on the ground and watched for any sign to see if he would protest.
"Aoshi-sama, after breakfast, would you like to go out for a walk around Tokyo?" Aoshi stood up and offered his hand to help Misao up. She took it gratefully and stood next to him.
"If it would please you, than I shall walk with you." Misao grinned and motioned for Aoshi to follow her. They headed towards the kitchen to begin eating breakfast. Kaoru slid her shoji open to see Misao and Aoshi walking down the hallway. She smiled at the cute sight the two of them made. She stretched her arms up and yawned. She followed after them into the kitchen. Kenshin and Arianna were busy dishing out the miso soup and other things into dishes and bowls for the people around the table. Kaoru sat down and looked at the feast.
"Wow, all of this looks really good!" Kenshin smiled as he untied his sleeves letting them return to their normal positions.
"Thank you Kaoru-dono, but most of the credit should to Arianna-dono. She's is truly gifted with culinary skills." Arianna smiled at the compliment before sitting across from the two of them.
"Well...dig in!" Yahiko grabbed almost everything on the table and dumped it into his dish. Misao also could match Yahiko in the amount of food they had put in their dishes. Aoshi ate silently, nodding his approval of the food in Kenshin and Arianna's directions. Kenshin and Kaoru went to grab the same bowl and then blushed as their hands met. Arianna, and Misao smirked at the two of them. Yahiko totally oblivious grabbed the bowl from both of their hands and dug into it. Misao reached across the table and punched Yahiko on the head.
"Hey! What was that for?" Misao growled at him.
"You interrupted a moment between them!" she yelled. Yahiko just shrugged and continued shoveling food into his dish. Kaoru's eye twitched at the comment.
"What do you mean moment?" Misao laughed nervously before replying.
"Uhh...nothing?" Kaoru frowned and started putting food in her bowl. Kenshin just smiled nervously before following her lead. The rest of breakfast was spent in silence accept from the few comments on how good the food tasted and thank you's for such a delicious meal. Yahiko stood up abruptly announcing that he had some things to take care of down at the Akabeko.
"Just be back before dinner Yahiko, I want to get in at least one lesson before then, alright?" Yahiko waved his hand as he exited the room.
"Yea, yea I know." Kenshin smiled before commenting.
"Well at least he is improving a great deal in obedience, ne?" Kaoru nodded as she slurped the broth from her bowl.
"GOOD MORNING!" Kaoru spit the broth back out into Misao's face. Misao blinked before reaching for a cloth to wipe the substance form her face. Megumi walked into the room beaming. Kaoru rolled her eyes and started slurping her broth again.
"What's wrong Battousai, all you can do is womanly duties now? What a shame." Kenshin spit out his food onto Misao.
"I really wish they would stop doing that." Aoshi handed his cloth to Misao. Misao suddenly smiled and thanked Aoshi for giving her his cloth. Arianna raised an eyebrow at the scene. Saitou came out from behind Megumi.
"I found Saitou on my way here and I decided to bring him along, I hope you don't mind Sir Ken." Arianna frowned and murmured as she finished her rice.
"You could have dropped him off in the river." Misao almost burst out laughing if not for Arianna's hand covering her mouth. Saitou glared at the red head.
"Good morning to you too Shadow." Arianna's eyes narrowed. Aoshi glanced back and forth, the tension in the air practically crackled in the air between the four of them.
"I came by to let you know that we found someone lynched this morning in an alleyway." Arianna stiffened. Saitou noticed this and grinned at the girl.
"Weak stomach?" Arianna smiled sarcastically at him.
"No, I'm just pondering how much of a monster you have to be without shuddering from that information." Saitou shrugged.
"I've heard and seen worse. Anyway, it was done by the gang we're trying to track down, Aka Ketsuki." Arianna looked down into her rice bowl before asking.
"It was a wire... wasn't it? Not rope." Saitou turned to her.
"And just how did you know that?" Arianna looked back up, amber flickered through her eyes.
"Just a hunch." Saitou turned to Kenshin and threw him a file that landed in the middle of the table.
"Memorize the information in there. That's the blue prints to the house they're hiding out in. It also lists all of their employee's and their abilities. I trust, Battousai, that you'll have the blue prints memorized and engraved in your mind?" Kenshin sighed and nodded his head. Arianna stood form the table and excused herself. She walked down the hall back to her room. She slipped inside and went to the small closet on the other side of the room. Arianna took out her hakama and pulled out a long piece of wire.
"It's him."
A/n: Stay tuned!
