Disclaimer:
Eevee-Squee! I got my computer back, I'm so happy! So, here's my newest fanfic.
MisaoChan-Yay!
Eevee-Dedicated to my friend, Misao-chan, since I promised her I'd write a Rurouni Kension fanfic for her (grin) Let's see, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, yada yada yada, so here's the summary X3
Selene-Please tell me you weren't trying to rhyme again…
Summary:
The gang has had their share of weird coincidences before. But what are the odds of a circus coming to town the night of a festival that Misao invited them to, and running into a Misao look-a-like? Pretty slime, I'm sure. With a strange set of events set into motion, can all of it really be attributed to just coincidence?
Never Say Never – Prologue"Mama? Papa? Mama, Papa, where are you?" A tiny voice called through the darkness, the voice of a small child searching for her loved ones. She had awoken from her dreams, her happy world of dreams, to the sound of screams against the pitter-pattering of raindrops on the roof and soft ground outside.
They came from her parent's room.
Opening the sliding door, which separated her parent's quarters from the hallway, she saw the sight that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Blood was everywhere, and there they were, her parent's, dead.
Murdered.
The girls father was still in bed, head cut clean off, and her mother lay sprawled on the floor, the fatal wound on her back still gushing blood.
"Mama…Papa…" A tear streaked her face, then another and another. "Mama! Papa!"
Through the stillness of the night, the little girl's screams echoed hauntingly through the sleeping city of Kyoto, waking some. Neighbor's alerted the authorities to the 'disturbance,' but only when they arrived did they realize the truth of the matter. The little girl didn't understand what any of the officers were talking about amongst themselves, except that her parent's were murdered, that the murderer had entered through the window, and that it resembled the killings of an imperialist known as Battousai the manslayer.
They didn't even seem to notice she was there. No one comforted her; no one did anything as the girl stood and watched the authorities take her parent's dead and lifeless bodies away.
Did no one care?
Of course not, the only people who had ever care about her were her parent's; the two lifeless corpses that the police seemed to care nothing about. No, they didn't care, her parent's were just more casualty in this war, this 'revolution.'
"What about her?" For the first time one of the policemen noticed her. "What are we going to do with her?" The man he was talking to, who was obviously his superior, was jotting down a quick police report. His eyes were emotionless, as were the eyes of the officer who had noticed her.
"Send her to the orphanage." The girl's eyes grew wide, staring at the man who hadn't even looked away from his paperwork as he spoke.
He didn't care; his voice, his actions, his eyes, they all said the same thing, that he didn't care. No one cared, not about her parent's, not about her, not about the lunatic who was still on the loose, probably preparing to killing again and ruin another family's life together!
"Come on, to the orphanage with you." The man drew closer to her, his voice harsh and commanding.
She felt an intense anger, nothing but a deep and un-thought of anger and hatred for all of them.
Grabbing her hand roughly, the man started to steer her toward the door. But instead of coming quietly, her anger and hatred swelled inside her.
"No!" She had hit her breaking point.
Yanking away from his grip she ran, out of her parent's room, down the hall, past the police. This new angry inside willed her to grab a katana off the wall in the main hall before running out of the house. She ran, not caring where she was or where she would end up, clutching the katana tightly as if her life depended on her ability to hold onto her sword. Out of breath, she finally stopped, and fell to the ground. Her anger and sadness fell freely with her tears down her checks and the scream of frustration from her throat.
She screamed until she was horse. Leaning against the wall behind her, she looked to the sky. Cool raindrops mingled with her tears as she looked for the moon, the moon that always brought her such comfort. But clouds darkened the already dark sky, so that no comfort would come to her. Not even the stars could be seen.
Had it always been raining? When she awoke, had it been raining? When she ran from her home, had it been raining? Or was the sky crying with her? Did the gods feel sad at her loss?
She could not remember, her body and soul aced too much for her to care. But sitting there in the rain, her tears still falling so freely, her thoughts went back to her parents.
She loved them so; they were her mother and father, her best friends, her shoulder to cry on when she hurt herself or other's had.
But they were dead.
"Mama, Papa…" She spoke softly. "I promise, you're deaths were not in vain, I will avenge you."
Her voice was gone, that of the little sweet girl she had been. A new voice replaced it; something from deep within herself that was everything she was not.
A murderer.
Her eyes snapped open, and she bolted upright on her futon gasping for breath. Sweat covered her face and she shook violently. Again, damn it, she had had it again! Her subconscious was pledged by that night, and she was forced to replay it over and over again in her dreams. No matter how hard she tried, the girl with long wavy midnight blue hair, bangs that covered her also blue eyes, could not stop the plaguing dreams.
"Kuroi-chan?" She turned her attention to the person who had been sleeping in the futon next to her, a girl about her age with long wavy brown hair. Though groggy and tired, the look of anger and fear on her friends face mad her sit up quickly and become fully alert. "Kuroi, what's wrong?"
"Nothing Tenshi, nothing." Kuroi tried to smile for her friend to give her some comfort and calm her, but Tenshi saw right through her and frowned.
"Don't 'nothing' me Kuroi, tell me." No emotion showed on Kuroi's face at the threatening tone in Tenshi's voice, but soon it clicked. Tenshi's green eyes widened slightly. "You had that dream again, didn't you?"
Silence.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
More bone chilling silence.
"Talk to me Kuroi, please."
But even at the pleading words of her friend Kuroi sat in the still darkness of the night, not saying a word. Tenshi's eyes softened sadly, but a kind smile cracked her lips.
"You know I'm right here for you whenever you need me." Snuggling back into her soft and warm covers, Tenshi sighed lightly. "Get some sleep, we start off the show tomorrow." Shutting her eyes still smiling, Tenshi let herself be claimed once again by sleep.
The only person Kuroi had ever actually told about her past was Tenshi. When they had first met they were rivals, but slowly and surely they went from the most competitive of enemies to the most loyal of friends. How, was anyone's guess, they couldn't stand each other, couldn't work together, would do anything to ruin the other's act in the show. But that was a fleeing memory, and the two could barely fight properly much less plot to ruin each other's reputation. Perhaps the main reason Kuroi was so close to Tenshi, was because of that terrible night, and how badly she needed someone she could talk to about it.
Like her parents.
Kuroi shook the sudden thought from her head. She new deep down she missed them, sometimes to the point where she wished so badly to be with them that she had almost taken her own life to do so.
But Tenshi, thank the gods, always stopped her.
Perhaps by just weird coincidence, but that's how it was. When ever Kuroi was about to slight her throat, poison herself, jump off a cliff, or what not, Tenshi would always appear and talk sense back into Kuroi's head. How disgraceful too her honor if she had died now, without fulfilling her vow of revenge.
Kuroi picked up the katana next to her futon and studied it. The black hilt with gold, the black sheath, it was the same one she had grabbed off the wall before she had run away from the police. Though she had plenty of chances to trade for a better one, she never did, it was the only thing she had to remind her of the home she came from and the family she loved. There was another reason, it was a reverse blade sword, and she was determined to kill her parent's murderer with it. Was it not fitting, use the same kind of sword that Battousai had used to kill so many could, no, would be used to kill him.
She was so close, so close to finally achieving her goal of revenge.
He was here, in this city. But he did not call himself Battousai the manslayer anymore. He was a 'changed man,' a 'protector of the innocent,' he no longer used his sword to kill. Kuroi narrowed her eyes at the thought, how laughable, not that it mattered if he didn't kill anymore or not, she would still exact her revenge on him for what he did. No, it didn't matter what kind of man he was now, he would pay for his sins.
"With his life." Kuroi spoke softly to the darkness. "Battousai, you shall repent for you're sins by falling by my hands. The end is near for you, you will not escape me and my vengeance."
