Lchan: Hey! Repaired the last chapters! ^_^ And, I'm convinced now, so Mary, Legato, and the rest of the guys, who had to suffer through my lack of geographic knowledge, can finally have your "Tokyo!" (Made a mix-up about Tokyo and Kyoto, see…) ^_^ Heaps of credit and I'm sorry! If you find some other "Kyotos" out there that I missed, please tell me! I'd certainly appreciate it!
Now, why don't you go on and read the chapter? You may think it just mirrors the former one, but read again and think again! There are differences! ^_^ RnR! Anyway, let's hope it doesn't suck too much. DON'T EXPECT ANYTHING AWARD-WINNING!!! Ganbatte in reading this! J
Oh, and americananime—your review was very…heartening. Really though. It's true. Hehe. Thanks very much! J
Counter Strike
- Change of Pace
"This is torture!" Yahiko groaned, the weight of his load gaining on him. He shifted the bulging bags on his shoulders and groaned again. "Things can't possibly get any worse than this."
"I'd give anything for a nice, warm lunch and a BARREL of cool water…" Sano joined in, his mouth watering at images of steaming rice balls, sushi rolls, strings of noodles and a large, fat chicken. "Ah…"
"I'D like a bath," Megumi supplied, rather uncharacteristically. She really wasn't the type of woman who was into complaining. More often than not, she was a foxy but strong, undeniably intelligent woman who carried herself with a pride of a queen walking among her people, soothing spectators with eyes that glimmered with a promise of devotion to sympathize and just be there for when you need her—always poised, always secure.
However, she clearly also had her limits.
And nobody could blame her for disclosing that.
Comfort sounded especially delicious under the searing heat of the sun and not one of them could disagree with the other. Scarce, skinny trees that couldn't really provide much shade, lined their dusty path, and the road was speckled with occasional clumps of dead, burnt grass—nothing that could ease the discomfort.
All in all, there were just a fat lot of bushes and three very sweaty travelers from Tokyo, who were walking around at the hottest time of day to apologize to a person who probably took the left path at some of the uncounted crossroads wherein they had turned right.
"Well, it's no use complaining about that now," Megumi rationalized, impressing on Sano and Yahiko that she was back to her bossy old self. She had the grace to sound less domineering though, and that was more of a luxury for Sano than Yahiko or Megumi could dare to think. "We should walk on. There's bound to be a village soon enough," she continued.
"Yeah, and we better walk fast," Sano added, shading his eyes as he raised them to the sky, which, to his dismay, was completely cloudless. "This sun is way brutal. There should be no flopping down on the ground. It slows us down." He glared pointedly at Yahiko.
"Sure, Sano, if you'd be willing get this fat load of kimonos off my back!" the little kid retaliated.
"Fine, here, I'll get that, shrimp," Sano readily countered, throwing Yahiko his own tiny backpack and easing the head-gnawing kendo trainee out of his own load.
"Well…thanks…and I'm not a shrimp," Yahiko grudged out, and Megumi found that he meant the note of credit.
Sano heaved the luggage onto his back and effortlessly walked on. He stopped after about a yard. "Hey, c'mon, instinct queen, lead the way," he called back to Megumi, who was busy staring after him, amazed at his bighearted offer both to Yahiko and to her.
Then she strode forward, smiling, and neither Sano nor Yahiko would say that the foxiness was completely gone. "It's nice knowing you could learn," she said.
"I'm not exactly brainless, fox-lady," he grumbled back.
Megumi's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Sano thought she was going to insult him again—but she didn't.
Yahiko wiped his brow after slinging the string-strapped backpack over one shoulder and walked to follow his companions.
"How many hours has it been?" he piped, ten minutes into their resumed walking. His was the first voice to rent the sudden silence. Lethargy really was a harsh adversary to take on.
"I don't have a watch, but I'll say it's been quite a while," Megumi replied.
"I'll second to that," Sano added. "When we left the dojo, the sky was orange-gray. Why do you ask anyway? I think it's kind of obvious."
"Yeah, well, it's just kinda weird that we're not fighting that much anymore," Yahiko explained. "Sure you're still a jerk, you both still abuse me a lot, and Megumi's still your fox-lady, but…"
"Hey, hey, easy with the names!" Sano reprimanded.
"And please, I am NOT a fox and I'm especially NOT his," Megumi inserted, with a touch of annoyance.
Yahiko went on as if they didn't say a word. "My point is that for as long as we've been together, I can't remember a single affable moment and I just thought it would take a lot more than a couple of hours to get us to stop jumping at each other's throats."
"And gnawing at each other's heads," Sano gloomily appended. "I see your point, but I'm not complaining. I'd be happy to go back to hating both of ya if that's what you want though."
"So you don't right now? Hate us, I mean…?" Yahiko asked, determined to prove his line of reasoning.
"Don't push it," Sano grumbled.
Yahiko was triumphant, but wary. "The sun wouldn't make hating us too easy anyway, Sano. If you flare up as easily as you always have out here, you'll burst into flames and dissolve into ashes."
"I said if you wanted me to hate you," he replied, still not one to be proven wrong.
"Dissolving into ashes is highly far-fetched even under this sun anyway," Megumi supplied, rather absently.
"Sure."
And they lapsed into silence again. None would admit it of course, but the backbiting felt better gone than present. It was downright aberrant, but it came naturally—and it felt undeniably satisfying.
* * *
Kamiya Kaoru breathlessly grasped at her kimono, her chest heaving as she leaned back against a more friendly-looking tree on the outskirts of the dark, overshadowed passage.
The woods had seemed endless, and it shocked her to find that there was still an exit. She had run all the way out without a change in pace and her secure, kimono-wrapped legs and luggage hadn't made it any easier for her.
When she had finally reached the intense, bright opening,
as she peered back into her nightmare, she found that her headless,
blood-bathed pursuer was invisible, whispering, not in the least harmful wind.
Now, as she looked up at the clear and radiant blue sky and the glaring rays of
the noon sun, she wished she had taken her time.
"Well, no use going back now…" she murmured, reasonably, between pants for air. She could see a village entrance from there and it looked near enough. "I could run to there and preserve my complexion…if only I could…oh, why didn't I bring an umbrella!?"
She rolled her eyes in disdain, wiped a trickle of sweat from her brow, and leaned back once more to recover her bearings.
The glare of the sun made her feel very hungry, and she was experiencing the first stirrings of a serious headache. Furthermore, she was getting sleepy and was unquestionably lost. It was nauseating.
Desperate and tired, she began to pray for a carriage or an umbrella (or a big leaf to blow her way at least), shutting her eyes tight and pleading from the heart.
It seemed a million minutes later when she heard the patter of dainty footsteps.
Or was she just feverish because of sheer lethargy?
"Oh no! I'm hallucinating!" she panicked to herself, furiously shaking her head. "I have to get out of here somehow before I go crazy, collapse and die! Oh please, oh please…please, please, Father God…help me out of this…I—"
"Excuse me? Are you okay?" a timid, feminine voice suddenly spoke up right in front of her.
Kaoru started, and then opened one eye, almost afraid to look. She blinked when a shy-looking, Tsubame-like, umbrella-toting girl came into focus, a pair of liquid jade eyes peering bashfully into hers.
"Huh?" she managed to strangle out. "I mean oh! Uh…I'm fine…" She cleared her throat and then giggled awkwardly, realizing how real the girl truly was and how stupid she must have looked.
She mentally said an earnest prayer of thanks to God.
"Why are you out here?" Kaoru asked. "The sun is practically cancerous…"
"I've been waiting by the gates of the village for somebody who was supposed to arrive today—since morning, to tell you the truth. I saw you come with your luggage and I thought…" the girl paused and flushed a little. "Well…you're not her…"
Kaoru smiled, kindly. "I'm Kamiya Kaoru," she said.
"Chizuko Kisa," the girl replied.
Kaoru tipped her head in acknowledgement, and then her smile faltered a little as Kenshin's face flashed inside her head.
"What's wrong?" Kisa asserted, catching the abrupt flicker of sorrow on her acquaintance's face, and a worried frown creased her own forehead.
"It's, uh...it's a long story…" Kaoru evasively replied, her eyes dropping, regret seeping in and flooding her azure gaze. She cleared her throat. "Mm…can I ask you something?" she suddenly piped, her voice barely above a whisper.
Chizuko blinked. "Why not?"
Kaoru bit her lip briefly and braced herself for the worst. "By any chance…have you seen a red-haired wanderer pass by here this morning?"
Kisa blinked and lowered her head to recollect. "Mm…a red-haired wanderer…?" she mused aloud. She chewed on her lower lip and let time drag by. As it did, she stole queasy glances at Kaoru from underneath her lashes. She could tell that her answer would mean a lot to this girl.
"Well…have you?" Kaoru pressed.
Kisa stammered. "Er…I…I don't know…that is…maybe I missed a few…just maybe…I mean it's unlikely…but…maybe." She dodged the other woman's gaze and stopped abruptly, clearly uneasy and visibly trying not to disappoint her acquaintance. "See, I've only been waiting since dawn…maybe she came before that."
"No..."
"Well...maybe I missed her..."
"You couldn't have! He's too—" She was going to say exotic, but then she decided to stop. She was starting to panic. She CANNOT lose track of him now!
"Uh, why don't you try telling me more about this woman, Kamiya-san?" Kisa suggested, clearly sympathizing.
"It's a 'he'," Kaoru corrected, then she heaved a silent sigh of relief. So Kisa thought Kenshin was a girl! She probably hadn't seen much of lady redheads that day—but MALE redheads…surely! "He carried a sword…and he had purple eyes…" she continued.
"A purple-eyed swordsman…?" Kisa knew and was quite sure she had not seen anybody by that description so far. She shifted her eyes. "I…I don't know…"
"He had a tiny knapsack and wore a pink kimono with his hair pulled back into a ponytail and he has a large x-scar on his cheek and he's a little taller than me but unquestionably tiny. Please, you must have…" Kaoru desperately prattled, trailing off at the look on Kisa's face.
The younger girl just shook her head. "I…I still don't know…" she murmured, apologetically.
Kaoru's azure pools fell. She felt like crying. "But…but the man said he took this road and…I…mou! Kenshin probably turned left at some crossroad in there! Or maybe even right! Why didn't I look hard enough?"
"Kamiya-san, what are you talking about?" Kisa blinked, looking confused.
"Chizuko-san, I HAVE to find him! I didn't mean to kick him out of my dojo, but somehow, someway I did, and so he went off wandering again and without anybody to stop him, he might…he might…" In her mind's eye, Kaoru could see Battousai's golden eyes glinting crazily at her, ready to kill and watchful for another prey. "All because of me!!" she wailed, breaking off her warbled explanation. Then she began to weep. "It's all because of me, Kisa…" she hiccupped, despairingly.
"I don't…I can't get it, Kaoru-san…gomennasai (sorry)…please, let's go into the village. You seem tired and some food would do you good," Kisa softly intoned, offering Kaoru some room under her umbrella.
Kaoru lifted her luggage and took a step into the shade. "Thank you…thank you so much…"
"It's no problem at all…but…"
"But what?"
"Uhm…Miss Kaoru…if you don't mind my asking, what's this man's name? Why is he so important to you?" Kisa asked, as the two girls walked off to the village.
"He is the best thing that has ever happened to me," Kaoru replied, not even minding how guileless her words sounded. "He's the sweetest, gentlest, most skilled swordsman in the whole of Japan, I think even YOU would agree if you met him, and he—"
"He's your love interest, I see," Kisa understandingly cut in. "The sweetest…and gentlest…it must be hard for you to have lost him."
"My LOVE interest!?" Kaoru cried, finding herself blushing madly. "Kisa, I…"
"And he is the most skilled with the sword…" Kisa quoted, smiling. "Better than Battousai?" she asked, jokingly. "I'm not a fan of him, but I find his killing abilities rather…overwhelming, see…don't take me wrong—"
Kaoru lifted her nose into the air and disregarded the statements after the question. "He is just as good as if not better than Battousai, and I'm not boasting OR kidding," she said. She proudly smiled at Kisa. "His name is Himura Kenshin."
"Himura?"
"Hai."
"Mm…"
"Is something wrong?"
"No, not really…uhm…oh, that's right! NOW I understand why he's as good as Battousai!"
"Huh? How?"
"X-scarred, red-haired, skilled Himura Kenshin IS related to X-scarred, red-haired, skilled Himura Battousai, ne?" Kisa nudged Kaoru.
Kaoru gaped at her.
"Tomoe-san was my stepmother's second cousin," Kisa hurried to explain, answering Kaoru's silent question.
"Oh!" Kaoru flushed at the mention of Tomoe's name. Kisa might think she was trying to steal Kenshin away. "I...uh...s—sorry..."
"It's okay," Kisa said. She smiled. "I don't see how you've fallen for him, how you came across him, or how on earth you kept him from killing you, but, still…it's okay. Love can be pretty crazy."
Kaoru smiled, sheepishly.
"Oh, and Kamiya-san?"
"Yes?"
"There were NO crossroads from the next village to here on that path you took."
Kaoru blinked, disbelievingly, her blush vanishing. "What!? But…" She lowered her troubled gaze as her mind flashed to the man who had directed her, feeling despondent as a realization dawned.
Was he some kind of nut? Did he fool around with passing women all the time? What did he go and misdirect her for!?
"Well, I—I'll just think on it later…it doesn't matter…" she absently murmured, and she knew that Kisa didn't believe it any more than she herself did.
* * *
Kenshin cringed inwardly when a small family blanched and withdrew from him as he passed. Honestly, it was getting tiring watching people flinch at the sight of a sword, sheathed or not.
In his wandering before he met Kaoru, he had been more than ready to face those kinds of reactions—fresh out of the Tokugawa era, heart and mind still pounding with remorse. However, after Kaoru's presence brought sunshine beaming down on him again, he kind of lost track of his guilt just a little. The joys of having a family had brought him veering off the road of remorse to a better one.
He still hadn't forgiven himself for all the bloodbath he had caused, but his vow of keeping people safe had become more of a habit than a pact with himself. It was a welcome change, but even though…
He would never have the guts to admit it out loud, but the lot of unfriendly people he had been passing was beginning to annoy him to a point that he was losing more and more of his drive to protect them.
So far, the people who had come halfway to being friendly were a number he could count on his fingers.
He knew most people didn't know he was Battousai. All they could see were his sword and samurai look—and he wasn't even a samurai! He was just a swordsman. Men are born samurais, not made samurais. He was born a peasant and raised by a sword master.
He couldn't understand it: how these people could be so hostile.
"These people should learn not to jump to conclusions," he murmured, shifting his purple eyes slightly. "They should try and give people they don't even know a chance…even though they carry swords…"
His voice bordered on sadness, disappointment, and vague irritation.
He reasoned with himself that they were probably just still in a trauma from all the gore of the Tokugawa era, but strange as it may seem, no matter how he tried, he couldn't make himself feel better. At all.
Because Kenshin suddenly found himself sticking to a highly abnormal thought that the people were just plain being paranoid.
* * *
tbc
Lchan: Okay, THAT was OOC, ne? The Kenshin-part I mean. Daijobu, peeps, I know. I guess this chapter kind of lagged, but you guys just hold on for me, okay? And anyway, this chapter wasn't totally fruitless either. I'm not gonna go internalizing though, and I'll just leave you to figure out the little details that make this chappie different for yourselves. It rather sucks a little, ne? Well, like I said, hold on for me?
Okay, now, don't flame, okay? Be nice even when criticizing—even if you think this chap doesn't deserve it! If you do flame, flame with reason, and I MIGHT learn to like you if you do. Now, if you enjoy flaming and annoying people just for fun (wasting time, in other words), I suggest you find something more productive to do. ^_^ See ya guys in the next chap then, that is, if you're still willing to come back after this one! Well, I can hope…
