Disclaimers : Okay, nothing to say actually, just that all the Rurouni Kenshin characters don't belong to me. They belong to the uum, well, their respective owners. But, I do own this story and if there's any added character I wanna add later on they will belong to me, 'kay. Now, on to the story.
Mirrored Shadows
by reita homoeshi
"What a beautiful day...," a woman, namely the assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, Kamiya Kaoru said to herself. It is indeed, a beautiful day, with bright rays of sunshine peeking through the closed window of the girl's room, with the crisp air of the cool morning gently teasing the sleepyhead to rise and shine. 'Get up! It's a great bright new day! Come and dance in the sun' they seem to say.
"Hm... I wonder what Kenshin is doing. Maybe he's making breakfast. I might as well get up, or that baka student of mine would rile me up with his annoying pitchy voice. Not to mention his vocabulary. I swear, he comes up with so many new names to call me every day, he would run out of possible combinations one of these days" she thought to herself, chuckling all the while.
"Then again, he does took up Sano's penchant for those foul words. Who knows when he would stop.. Oh well, I'll just wait and see.. Maybe he'll got so frustrated that he'll get his tongue twisted and he'll never insult me again! Mwahahahahahaha...
A few hours after the inner mumblings of a certain ebony-haired girl...
"Hey, old hag! Get that lazy of yours out here and practice with me," a spiky haired boy, known to the Kamiya Dojo inhabitants as one Myoujin Yahiko, or fondly called Yahiko-chan, shouted aloud from his place at the dojo grounds.
"Grrrr, who are you calling an OLD HAG, kid! Do 200 strokes with your bokken and count aloud, NOW!" the raven haired girl bristled. "And after that, clean the dojo, twice, then dust the Kamiya family shrine until it shines. Done that, help Kenshin with the laundry, and go and buy groceries for tonight's dinner. And don't think of staying over at the Akabeko this night, or I'll let Tsubame watch me beating you up during practice! Hmph, that'll teach you to insult me again." said the raven-haired beauty, a few veins can obviously be seen popping out, anime-style.
All anger vent out to said victim, Kaoru went out to meditate. But, just as she was about to turn a corner, she laid her blue eyes on the all-too-famous Himura Kenshin, who presently was washing the clothes and suddenly, her heart missed a beat.
'He seems too quiet now, for my liking. It's like he doesn't know I'm looking at him, like I didn't exist here. Surely he had noticed me, hadn't he? But, usually, he would just look at me and smiled reassuringly. Oh! How I miss that smile. If only he smiles, I wouldn't be worried at all. He's been acting like this for weeks now. What is he worried of? But, that look, that distant look on his face seems so very familiar. I've seen this expression before, only on another's face. Surely I did not forget about this. Who was it??
Ah, yes! My father! My father just look the same before he went to join the war, almost 15 years ago.
F L A S H B A C K
"Papa, papa, hello, earth to papa, PAPA!!!" a girl, not more than 5 years old called to a man, most probably her father.
"Huh! Oh, Kaoru-chan. What is it, my little tenshi???" he said.
"Didn't you hear me calling, oto-san???" Kaoru said hotly.
"You calling me? I thought I heard someone screaming her lungs off."
"OTO-CHAN" she said threateningly.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry musume-chan. What is it that you want to talk to me, dearest???"
"Nothing. I just want to wipe that look on your face. It scares me, oto-san." said the little girl.
- . -
"There, you're doing it again. Is something bothering you?"
"Nothing, Kaoru-chan, nothing..." With that, the man stood up and went inside.
"Hm, strange. Papa never act like that. Well, I'll just go and search for some flowers. That'll cheer him up," Kaoru thought, happy to do something for her dear father.
About two hours later
Little Kaoru was walking happily, with a bundle of flowers in her arms. She was humming, and singing, a look of pure pleasure evident in her bright eyes and her broad smile.
Suddenly, she hears a voice. 'Hm, that sounds like father. I better check it out. So, she crept behind the bushes, scanning for the source of the sound.
But, later, she regretted what she heard...
"Kamiya, you have to go. Our country needs us and we must fight." an unknown man stated.
"I don't know Daisuke. It's a war, I know, and we need to fight, but I don't want to leave Kaoru-chan. I love her too much. She had lost so much so early, and I don't want to hurt her further if...if I can't return...forever. She had lost her mother, Dai, and I don't want her to lose me, too."
"I understand. I have my family too. Do you think that I don't think about them? It is for them that I chose to fight. For them, Kamiya. For a better future for them, in a country where there is no more war for them to face. Not like us today. Think, Kamiya, think. For a better future for Kaoru, you have to make this sacrifice. And I don't think that anything will happen to you. You're a good swordsman, better then I do. I don't think any harm shall come to you. You shall come back, Kamiya. Safely, after all these ended, back to your Kaoru-chan."
"I'll think about this, Daisuke. Later, I will tell you my decision." Koshijirou finally said.
Then, both of them left, going their saperate ways. Leaving in their wake, a child who was happy, who deserved to be happy, feeling miserable. The light went out of her eyes, and she lost the smiling facade.
Kaoru felt like...like...nothing. She felt her body going numb and almost fall down if she is standing, which she is not. She didn't even remember sitting down, or did she fell? She was seated, hiding between the bushes, her young ears picking up all that was said between the two men.
'Papa wants to leave? He wants to leave me? Why??? Why??? WHY???'
That thought haunts her innocent mind, with everything that her father said being replayed over and over again.
Is something bothering you, oto-chan???
"Nothing, Kaoru-chan. Nothing..."
'So that's why oto-chan is acting like this'
E N D o f F L A S H B A C K
Without her knowing, unconciously, she wiped a tear that trailed along her porcelain-like face. Quickly, she tore her gaze away, refusing to look at Kenshin, who still had that look on his face.
With a sigh, Kaoru started to head back to her room, changing into her training gi and hakama, all thoughts about meditating gone from her mind. 'Training would always make me forger my worries. Alright, Kaoru, let's practice our moves again.'
End Chapter 1
Heh...Heh...Heh...Sorry for the cliffhanger. Or is it really a cliffhanger??? I dunno, you tell me. Well, what do you think about this so far, hm??? If anybody wants to give an idea, of flames, or anything, please click the lil' button just below this, okay. Oh, and I would like you to decide for me if Kenshin should leave, OR Kaoru should leave, okay. I would love it if you review my story, you know.
By the way, if you've read this before, or at least a fic with the same plot or style of writing, do not be alarmed. This is actually my FIRST fic, or should I say, an edited version of my first fic. That fic was written a few years ago, at least 4 to 5 years back and when I read them again now, I just want to make it better. After all, back then I was just fooling around, and my language wasn't very good, therefore, this is actually (or hopefully) a better version of that previous work of mine. )
Please review, ok.. Greatly appreciate your effort.
Oh, and for anybody who are wondering, this would definitely be a K+K and I'll add some action, adventure, humour, and emotions running high and... OOPS, now I'm babbling. Sorry.
