A SECOND CHANCE
Warning: This fanfic contain spoilers from the Kyoto Arc, Jinchuu Arc and heck! Just all over the place in both the manga and anime, la!
A/N: Ok, this is my first fanfic ever so it's probably not that good… feel free to throw any constructive criticism my way. Oi! I said constructive criticism not melons, la: P Anyway, Standard Disclaimers apply; I don't own Rurouni Kenshin (sigh) and hardly any of these characters are original. Ok, here goes, my first fanfic ever…
Chapter 1- The Cross Shaped scar
It's that dream again. The same man is standing before the girl that looks just like me… standing among countless fireflies. That girl is… who is she? She looks like me. Who is the man? I know him. Long red hair… A crossed shape scar on his left cheek, who is he? I walk a little closer and I hear them talking.
"When you and I first met, you kept me from leaving knowing very well that I was the Hitokiri Battousai. You told me that you couldn't care less about other peoples pasts and it made me happy, that it did." I gasped. Hitokiri Battousai… I've heard that before! Where have I heard it? The red haired man continues talking, but with each word, the girl looks more crestfallen. Why do I feel like I'm going to cry? Why do I feel like that I'm never going to seen him again? "…But to the government and all of Shishio's men, to all those who have desires for or against Battousai, I am and shall always be Battousai, that I will."
Shishio… Why does that name frighten me so much? The man walks forward and hugs the girl in the kimono. "Thank you for all that you've done for me and farewell. I am a wanderer and I must drift of once again…" and with that, he walks off. Leaving me, no, the girl crying on the grass… She says something, but I can't hear.
"No! Don't go! Please don't go!" I scream, but neither the man nor the girl can hear me. I start running towards the man. "Please, don't go." I don't know why I don't want him to leave… I just couldn't. I reach out to stop him, but my hand just passes through them, as if I'm not really there…
I woke up with a start. I had that dream again… "Thank you for all that you've done for me and farewell. I am a wanderer and I must drift of once again…" those words, why do they hurt so much? I've been having these dreams for the past month, it was different every time, but they always consisted of the same people: a little boy, a ruffian, a doctor, a girl and a wonderer. For some reason, the girl looked exactly like me. I would always be watching everything happen, but every time I tried to touch something, I couldn't. I know those people, but who are they? The boy looked so much like my cousin, but how could that be? I decided to stop worrying about it. I got up out of bed, put on my school uniform and got ready for school. It's Monday, May the 14th. Term two of school had just started and I wasn't planning to be late. I decided that I shouldn't worry about it too much. I should ask Otousan about it later.
"Kaoru! Kaoru! Matte!" I snapped out of my musings and saw Misao running towards me. "Kaoru! What's wrong with you? You've been all spaced out for the past month! Is there something you're not telling me? Best friends don't have secrets you know!" Misao looked at me with this really worried look on her face.
"Mou, I just haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately. Anyway, how are things going between you and Shinamori-kun?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I really should stop worrying about that dream. I'm only making Misao worry. Misao shouldn't worry too much about me. She's already got a lot on her mind. Three weeks ago, Aoshi Shinamori moved to Tokyo from Kyoto. Ever since then, Misao's been dying for his attention. If you ask me, that boy's weird. He's always in his own little world and he never shows any emotion. One thing is certain though; Aoshi has it bad for Misao.
"I don't know. Aoshi-sama never says anything and I don't even know if he takes me to the movies because he wants to or because he's just being nice. Mou! Men can be so troublesome, ne?" Misao asked
I laughed. Misao was actually complaining about something! She's always so happy and hyper. "Mou, Misao, you're being unfair. Not all men are like that! I mean Yahiko's fine." I replied. Yahiko was my twelve-year-old cousin. He can be a bit of a brat at times, but he's great.
"Whatever Kaoru. You're one to talk! I mean look what happened with Jinei!" Misao shot back. She apologised immediately, but the harm was already done. Jinei was my ex. We went out for half a year and I really thought he was the one. He broke my heart big time and I was still trying to get over him. I mean he was a real nice guy when we first met, but he had a dark side. He hurt me real bad, especially when he tried to kill Misao, Yahiko and I. He's in jail right now, but I don't know if I'd ever get over him. If I ever saw him again, I don't know what to do. "Matte! Kaoru! Look, I'm sorry! I forgot. Gomen! Gomen!"
"It's okay Misao, I'm okay now." I whispered with a forced smile. I was getting over him. I hadn't thought of him for a whole month. That was probably because of those dreams though. "We better get to class now. You know what Yukushite sensei's like if we're late." Misao sighed and the two of us went to class.
Yukushite sensei walked into the classroom and started shouting at the top of his lungs. Ok, maybe not shouting, but that's what he sounds like. It's like he thinks we're all half death or something. "Ok class! Shizukane! I'd like to introduce our new transfer student from Kyoto, Himura Kenshin."
"Another transfer student from Kyoto? Cool. I wonder if he knows Shinomori-kun," Misao whispered. But I wasn't paying attention. All my attention was on the newly introduced transfer student. He had red hair and had a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. The guy from my dreams! The only difference was his clothing!
"Himura-san, take a seat next to Kamiya-san and we'll get started." Yukushite sensei instructed and turned to the roll. The guy, Kenshin, smiled and took the seat. "Konichiwa, Kamiya-dono. My name's Kenshin." He said with a smile. Oh my god! He's got such a cute smile.
"Hi, please, just call me Kaoru." I replied with a smile. I was surprised I could speak, I'd never felt more tongue tied in my life! He was that good looking. But I wasn't planning to say yes if he ever asked me out. Like hell he was. I mean, sure he was good looking and all, but I still wasn't ready.
And that was about it. We didn't say anything else. I mean how could we when Yukushite sensei was giving us his most evil look that could have actually killed us on the spot if he tried any harder? But it didn't really do anything. I couldn't concentrate on anything. Kenshin… Himura Kenshin… So that's his name…
"I can't believe sensei's giving us so much work! I'm never going to finish it!" I cried as Misao, Kenshin and I walked out of school.
Kenshin laughed, "Maa, maa. Kaoru-dono, you'll manage and trust me, Yukushite sensei is much better than some of the teachers sessha has had, that he is." We walked along quietly for a few moments before Misao spotted Aoshi and ran off.
"Aoshi-sama! Whatcha doing after school? Can we go for a walk? It's such a wonderful day! Common Aoshi-sama!" Misao cried as she practically dragged Aoshi out of the school.
"Misao-dono is in a very nice mood and it seems to be good for Shinamori-san, that it does." Kenshin stated as we walked on.
"You know Shinamori-kun?" I asked a bit shocked. I mean, sure the guys came from the same city and all, but what were the chances?
"Hai. Shinamori-san and sessha are friends, that we are." Kenshin replied.
"Oh crap! Look, I'll talk to you later. Otousan's going to be furious if I'm late for kendo practice." I cried as I started running off.
"Oro?" Kenshin exclaimed. "Kendo practice, Kaoru-dono? You do kendo?"
"Hai." I replied, with a little blush. I know its modern day Japan and everything, but kendo's sort of a hobby and my dad loves teaching it. "What's wrong with kendo?" I asked a moment later with a slight frown.
"Oro, you misunderstood sessha, sessha doesn't mean it in a bad way. Sessha was merely surprised."
"Ok, well, I'll see you tomorrow then, sayonara Kenshin!" I cried as I ran off. Otousan will kill me if I'm late! Especially since I'm the heir of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu!
I spent the next few hours of the afternoon practicing. Starting of with meditation and a few deep breaths to calm the soul. I've pretty much mastered my kendo, but I still love practicing. Otousan's been teaching me since I was four and it's just been engraved deep in my heart. Kamiya Kasshin, the sword that protects…
As soon as I got home after school, I decided that I should really ask about it. It wasn't normal having the same dream for a month. I knew that Otousan could tell something was wrong. "Kaoru, is something bothering you? You've been acting different lately." Ah, see? There it was. The 'talk' starts now. Don't get me wrong or anything, Otousan and I are really close.
"Otousan, have you ever heard of a man with a crossed shaped scar on his left cheek? Hitokiri Battousai?" As soon as I said that, I knew that Otousan knew about him. I just knew it. "I think his other name might have been Kenshin Himura," I added, not quite sure of it myself.
"I'm surprised they haven't taught you this in history." Otousan replied. So my dreams are real! He actually existed! "Himura Kenshin was a great revolutionist of the Bakumatsu. He worked as a shadow assassin and later on a bodyguard for the Ishin Shishi. After the Bakumatsu, he disappeared. About ten years into the Meiji, Himura met a girl, Kaoru Kamiya in Tokyo. You're named after her. The two fell in love, but during Enishi, his brother in law's revenge, Kaoru was killed. It's really sad, but after that, Himura disappeared again. He was never heard of again."
My dreams… That girl… The one that looks just like me, is she Kaoru? Is she me? No, this can't be… No matter how absurd it sounds, could it be true? "Otousan, was there someone called Shishio?" I asked uncertainly. I wasn't sure if I wanted an answer, but I just had to know.
"Shishio, Shishio… Oh, he was Himura's replacement in the Bakumatsu. I don't really know much about him, but you should check the library. Any more questions?" Otousan asked me with a grin. My father loves it when I ask him questions. He says it makes him feel intelligent.
"One more, what was Kaoru like?" Could she really have been me? Could I have been her? This is just getting weirder by the second…
"Hmm… Wait here, I think I have a picture of her somewhere; she was your ancestor by the way. I'll go get it." And with that he went. He wasn't gone for long before he came back with a dusty old book. He handed me an ancient looking photograph. There was a boy with spiky hair that looked just like Yahiko standing on the right holding a Shinai. The ruffian from my dreams with a sour expression, the man with the crossed shape scar – Himura, and sitting next to him was – Me! It looked just like me! A/N: Have any of you seen the episode with the train robbery? LOL, photos suck out people's souls. : D Well, that's where this photo came from! "That girl in the middle's her. Kaoru Kamiya. She's a lot like you actually. Brave, compassionate and has a bit of a temper. Her father was the one who started the Kamiya Kasshin too." This was too much to take in at once. I felt like my head was going to explode.
"Otousan, you wouldn't mind if I skipped practice today? I don't feel so well." I asked in somewhat of a whisper as I went to my room. A ran into my bedroom, slammed the shoji door shut and collapsed onto my bed. I am Kaoru… She and I, we are one… Kenshin… You and him, are you one? I was so confused. I was sure that Kaoru and I are the same person, but how is it that I remember? What is going on? I started crying. Kenshin…
That night, Kaoru cried herself to sleep…
TBC…
A/N: Ok, that's my first chapter, la! Like it? Hate it? Don't care? I know, I know. Kaoru dies. Don't think I haven't beaten myself up for that. It's just that I needed to have her die without Kenshin revealing his undying love to her yet… And also, I didn't want to pick on Enishi too much. So instead, I made Jinei the psychotic ex-boyfriend. (And no, la. You haven't heard the end of him). I've hit a major writers block and I have no idea what the point of this story's going to be, la. It's taken me weeks to write this, but can you blame me? I mean common! It's exam week, la… sob, sob… life's not fair… I don't know where I got the idea of using bits and pieces of Japanese, but I did. I don't know how to speak Japanese, although I wish I did… but for all those other people like me who don't speak Japanese, here's a glossary, la:
Hitokiri: Assassin or manslayer
Battousai: The name given to Kenshin during the revolution. Comes from his perfection of the battoujutsu attack.
Bakumatsu: The revolution in which the Meiji came into power
Matte: Wait
Otousan: Father
Mou: Kaoru's signature phrase. Kaoru's exclamation of mild exasperation. Means something like 'damn', but on a smaller scale.
Ne: Right?
Gomen: Sorry
Konichiwa: Good morning
Kun, -san, -dono, -sama: honorific
Sessha: This unworthy one. It's the way Kenshin refers to himself, but WHAT IS SO UNWORTHY ABOUT HIM?
Sensei: Teacher
Oro: Kenshin's signature phrase. He uses it when he's surprised (how do you surprise the most powerful swordsman in all Japan?), confused, etc.
Maa, Maa: Now, now. Kenshin's way of saying calm down (Kenshin uses it A LOT, but not as much as oro:D)
Kendo: Sword play
Shinai: sword made of bamboo
Shoji: Traditional Japanese doors. The ones made with paper.
Hai: Yes
Iie: No
Sayonara: Bye
