REVISED: NOVEMBER 28 2004
Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic
Summary: It's modern day. The streets are rife with violence; corporations are corrupt; assassinations, commonplace. Himura Kenshin, known only as Battousai, is a shadow assassin for an organization so secret even he doesn't know who truly runs it. However, Battousai has an even bigger secret; one, that if it were ever discovered, would mean more than his death…it would end in his total annihilation. Battousai is not only the deadliest assassin to ever prowl the dark streets of night…he is also a vampire, one of the oldest still in existence…and a rarity among his kind.
He has a soul.
- R - English –Supernatural/Drama/Romance – Multi-Chapter - Status: In-Progress –
Rurouni Kenshin & Samurai X Original Japanese Version © N.Watsuki/Shueisha Fuji-TV SME Visual Works Inc. Sony Pictures Entertainment
All Fanfics created by Chiruken (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.
Tears of Eternity
By: Chiruken
Chapter 1
The mad scratch of pen on paper whispered through the small apartment, accompanied by soft, barely audible mutterings. A moment later, the pen stopped moving. With a heavy sigh, Kamiya Kaoru crumpled the sheet of paper and tossed it over her shoulder to join the other paper balls littering the hardwood floor around her. She stared at the blank sheet spread before her for a moment with a frown, finely shaped brows furrowed into a pucker of intense concentration marring the smooth perfection of her pretty features, and then lifted the pen again, the tip hovering over the lined note pad, her expression alternating between one of deliberate focus and keen frustration.
Several minutes passed as she stared at the blank paper with pen poised and ready, teeth worrying her lower lip as she stared hard at the sheet, almost willing the words to appear before her. The ticking of the clock echoed loudly in the silence as the seconds evolved into minutes. Slowly, she lifted her sapphire gaze from the blank sheet of paper and watched the tail-shaped pendulum of the black and white cat form swing back and forth as she searched for inspiration in its half-lidded, rotating eyes. Back and forth, to and fro, the eyes shifted and Kaoru's followed. The soft hum of the refrigerator buzzed in the background as she stared into the cat's eyes. "God I hate that clock." She muttered under her breath, tearing her gaze away and returning her attention to the paper spread before her on the tiny wooden kitchen table.
She touched pen to paper, but instead of inspired, heart-wrenching, mind-assaulting verse, she produced poorly drawn sketches across the top of the page and down the sides. Finally, she let out a sound of pure frustration and threw her pen across the room, eyes sparking blue fire. She glared at the doodled sheet of paper before her and dropped her dark head onto the table with a thud, moaning softly as the incessant ticking of the hated clock continued from its position on the wall above her, her ponytail sliding over her shoulder to pool on the smooth surface of the makeshift desk. She had a deadline to meet and wasn't anywhere close to accomplishing it. What a lousy time to land in a creative slump. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Problems?" Kaoru turned her head slowly, not lifting it from the cool surface of the table, at the cheerful inquiry and glowered at her roommate across the room. "You know what your problem is, Ru?"
Kaoru winced at the longstanding and hated nickname. "Don't call me that, Misao." The objection was voiced more out of habit than any actual annoyance. She'd known her friend and roommate for many years and had long since gotten used to her habitual teasing and irritating penchant for aggravating her to no end with maddening, though imaginative, nicknames best left unvoiced.
Makimachi Misao laughed brightly and flopped into the vacant chair across from her best friend and roommate, the wood creaking in protest from the abuse. "You have to relax, Kaoru. You're way too tense." She shifted on the chair, wriggling to a more comfortable position before leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table, chin propped in her hands. A moment later she leaned back again before repeating the process, seemingly unable to contain her high level of energy.
Observing the other young woman squirming on her chair, Kaoru shook her head. Misao had always been an energetic person, barely able to stay in one place for more than a few minutes before having to be on the move again. Just watching her friend made her tired. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one with a deadline." Kaoru sighed and pushed her chair back from her makeshift desk, standing slowly as her cramped muscles protested after having remained in one position for too long, reaching her arms over her head in a prolonged stretch.
The other young woman leaned back in her chair, tilting it up on two legs as she tugged her dark braid in careful consideration, green eyes reflecting a rare moment of seriousness. "You do it to yourself, you know. You could say no to them." She let her chair tip upright, the legs landing with a sharp snap. "It isn't as if we're hurting for money. The restaurant is even more successful than I imagined it could be."
"I know, but…" She averted her gaze and stared across the sparsely furnished apartment, seemingly fascinated with the dishes piled in the sink in the tiny kitchenette. It was a familiar discussion between the two of them. Kaoru wanted to succeed on her own merit and not rely financially on anyone to help carry her, not even her best friend…much to Misao's frustration.
Studying her roommate with concerned green eyes, Misao sighed and shook her head. She was worried about Kaoru…more than she wanted to admit. It seemed in the last few months she had forsaken all social contact, shutting herself away in the apartment to hunch over the table and write. Misao understood…to an extent…how her friend felt, but enough was enough in her opinion. Sitting straighter, she leveled her gaze at the other young woman. "Take a break, Kaoru. Go for a walk, check out the new nightclub downtown…do something. Just get out once in a while. Sometimes I think you've forgotten that you're alive."
Kaoru shifted uncomfortably under Misao's steady stare. She glanced at her, and then quickly averted her gaze again, blue eyes falling on the hated clock hung on the wall behind her friend. "Misao, where did you find that thing?" She pointed to the black and white novelty clock, deciding a subject change was in swift order. Though her friend meant well, she just didn't understand Kaoru's position.
"At that cute little shop a couple blocks from the restaurant." She grinned up at her roommate, accepting, for the moment, the detour from the discussion of Kaoru's non-existent social life. "Isn't it precious?"
"Precious." Kaoru repeated flatly, expression carefully neutral. "Oh it's something all right." Something awful! She added silently.
"I knew you'd like it." Misao jumped to her feet, her high energy level asserting itself once again as she all but bounced across the apartment to the large windows, missing her friend's look of mild distaste. "We really should think about moving, you know. This crummy neighbourhood just keeps getting worse. I mean, how long has it been since the parking lot lights burned out?"
Kaoru shrugged and began cleaning up her mess, gathering scattered paper balls and tossing them into the container designated as Recyclable Materials…another of Misao's bright ideas, right down to the happy face painted on the side of the blue plastic container in bright yellow. "Since we moved in?" She answered distractedly as she searched for her favorite pen, tossed across the room earlier in a fit of acute and childish frustration.
"Exactly." Misao pressed her face against the cool windowpane and peered out into the night. "You'd think somebody would notice and fix the problem. I mean, really…I can't be the only one who's a little nervous with an unlit parking lot."
"What are you worried about anyway?" Kaoru shot over her shoulder as she reached behind the small stereo set up in a corner and felt amongst the cables for her pen. "Nobody in their right mind would even dream of attacking you." And it was true. Misao had developed a reputation for dealing harshly with anyone unfortunate enough to believe she was easy prey just because she was female…and rather short at that. She was highly skilled in kempo and didn't hesitate to demonstrate if the situation warranted it.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" She sent a withering glare across the room over her shoulder. "I thought you were supposed to be my friend." Her lips turned down into a pout, along with a quivering lower lip to complete the picture of hurt feelings and bruised pride.
Kaoru refrained from rolling her eyes. She'd known the other young woman long enough to be used to her rapid mood swings. "I am your friend, Misao. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."
"Sure. Whatever." Misao turned back to the window and pressed her lips to the glass, condensation forming, and then blowing hard. A loud, explosive rumbling sound emerged before she pulled back, giggling, her irritation forgotten. She traced her slender fingers through the fog she'd created, drawing a happy face.
Kaoru shook her head with a sigh. "There are times I really wonder about you, weasel girl." She muttered under her breath, grasping her pen triumphantly before straightening.
"Hmm? Did you say something?" She frowned passed her reflection and artwork into the darkness, movement having caught her attention in the shadowed parking lot below. A moment later a sly smile curved her lips, wicked humor glinting in her green eyes as she glanced over her shoulder towards her roommate. "Oh lookie, Ru. It's your sweetie from down the hall."
Kaoru looked up startled. "My what?" A flush of keen embarrassment worked its way up her neck into her face as she hurried to Misao's side, hip-checking her out of the way before leaning forward to peer through the fogged glass, shaking her head when she saw the happy face drawn in the condensation. Following her friend's gaze she saw a familiar figure crossing the lot with measured strides. "He's hardly my anything, Misao. I've never actually met the man." Despite her words, she couldn't tear her gaze away from the shadowed figure below.
"Then why are you blushing?" Misao grinned at her red-faced friend. "Come on, Ru." She elbowed her in the ribs for emphasis. "If you hurry you can catch him in the hall." She wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Kaoru pressed her hands to her flaming cheeks and shook her head with a nervous giggle. "I don't think so." She turned away from the window and closed her eyes, thoughts of her mysterious neighbour winding through her mind. Though she'd never actually met him, she felt strangely drawn to him all the same. A slight smile curved her lips upwards, a delicate blush staining her cheeks as she thought for a moment of actually taking Misao's advice and meeting him in the hallway. With a soft, barely audible sigh, she pushed the thought from her mind. There was no way she'd ever do anything that bold. She wouldn't know what to do, beyond staring at him like an idiot. After all, what did one say to a complete stranger? Excuse me…you don't know me, but I've been watching you through my window and I find you unbelievably attractive. Want to get to know each other? She snorted and shook her head. "Yeah, right." She muttered under her breath.
Ignoring her friend's unintelligible mutterings, Misao grinned impishly. "Fraidy-cat, fraidy-cat.." Kaoru studiously ignored her roommate's childish taunts with practiced ease. "What're you afraid of, Kaoru? I doubt he's the kind of guy who'd bite on first meeting." A thoughtful look crossed Misao's expression. "Though to tell you the truth, I don't think I'd mind." Misao laughed, an appreciative gleam in her eyes. "Yummy…" Once again she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, licking her lips for emphasis.
"Misao!" Kaoru gasped, a flush returning to her face at her friend's audacity. "What about your precious Aoshi?" Her eyes narrowed meaningfully as she turned to face her directly.
The young woman waved a hand in careless dismissal with a bright and carefree laugh. "Hey. I can look. There's nothing wrong with that. Nothing could ever change my feelings for my Aoshi." Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Just you wait, Kaoru." She lifted her hand and wagged her finger. "Someday you'll know what I'm talking about."
"Yeah. Sure. I don't have time for stuff like that." Misao shook her head and crossed to the small kitchenette. Kaoru sighed and turned to look out the window again. Seemingly of their own volition her eyes swung back to the shadowed form drawing closer to the apartment building. She'd never admit it to anyone, especially not Misao, but she felt a fascination bordering on obsession for her secretive neighbor. She'd tried everything in her power to learn more about him, short of placing him under interrogation, and all she'd come up with so far was his name. "Himura." She breathed the name softly and gasped when he looked up, as if hearing her whisper, revealing a striking amber gaze. Kaoru pressed her hands against the window, leaning forward until her forehead rested against the coolness of the glass and felt time stop as they stared at each other, transfixed. The moment shattered when he tore his gaze away and hurried towards the entrance, out of sight.
Kaoru shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, biting her lower lip in indecision. Impulsively, she spun around and crossed the Spartan apartment quickly. She reached for the doorknob and froze at the unmistakable sound of a door slamming closed. She let her hand fall back to her side, the door still shut. "Next time, if you hurry, you might actually catch him." She whirled to see Misao sitting on the counter watching her with an amused expression in her green eyes. She swung her legs, lightly kicking the cupboard doors with her heels. She held up a slice of toast. "Snack?" When she shook her head, the other young woman shrugged. "Suit yourself." She jumped to the floor and reached into a cupboard, pulling out a glass measuring cup, red letters faded. She turned with a wide grin and held out the cup with a flourish. "Here, Ru. Go borrow some sugar."
Kaoru threw her hands up in frustration. "Misao, just give it a rest, all right?"
"Not a chance." Misao crossed to her friend and pressed the cold glass into her hand. "Think of it as Inspirational Research."
"Inspirational…" Kaoru blinked, her lips twitching up into a grin. "You're terrible."
"I know. So get going already."
She shook her head quickly. "No way, weasel girl, not looking like this." She pointed towards her disheveled hair before gesturing to her faded and thing t-shirt accompanying the comfortably worn sweatpants she was wearing.
Misao glowered at her roommate. "Who're you calling a weasel?" she followed Kaoru into her room. "You take it back, Kaoru."
She randomly opened and closed dresser drawers, pulling out more presentable attire before pulling her t-shirt over her head and replacing it with a soft blue knit sweater. Turning to her closet, she searched through the neatly hung articles before pulling out a pair of jeans. "Fine, fine. You're not a weasel." After quickly changing and tossing her sweatpants into the corner holding her laundry basket, Kaoru grabbed her brush off the small dresser and pulled the ribbon from her hair, letting the long dark tresses fall free. "Down or up?"
"Definitely up." She flopped down onto the unmade pine futon, wincing at the feel of the somewhat lumpy mattress. "Have you ever considered getting a new bed, Ru?"
Kaoru frowned at her friend's reflection in the mirror. "Why? That one's still in good shape. And Misao?" She waited until Misao nodded, indicating that she was paying attention. "Please don't call me that, all right? I really hate that nickname. It would be like me calling you Sao."
Misao rolled her eyes. "We've been having the same discussion for years, Kaoru. Give it a rest already. You know and I know that you don't really mind. You just like complaining."
Kaoru smiled and shook her head indulgently. "Maybe." She answered noncommittally as she retied her blue ribbon. "There. How's that?" She turned and looked at her friend hopefully.
"You'll do. Now get going…before he leaves again." Misao jumped up and followed Kaoru from the bedroom. "Hey! Don't forget the measuring cup, Ru. Remember, you're supposed to be borrowing a cup of sugar."
"Got it. No problem." Kaoru wiped her suddenly damp palms on her jeans and smiled nervously before taking the proffered cup. "Wish me luck?'
"Always." Misao all but pushed her roommate out the door, leaning against the frame and peering around the corner to watch as her friend made her way slowly down the hallway. Shaking her head, she decided that Kaoru definitely needed to get out more before quietly closing the door and returning to her abandoned toast.
Kaoru drew in a deep breath and slowly tiptoed down the hall towards the apartment she knew belonged to the mysterious man named Himura. She stopped before the door and swallowed, wiping her hands again before knocking. She drew in a deep, calming breath and waited, mentally rehearsing what she would say to him. She bit her lip anxiously as the seconds ticked by and her mind remained blank. "Oh God…" She whispered. "What am I doing?" She took a half step back, intending to flee back to the relative safety of her own apartment.
Before she could take a step the door opened. "Yes?"