A/N: I have no idea if anyone has ever done a fic like this, but anyway I hope you enjoy. I'm kinda going out of my element with this one so let's see how I do...
Disclaimer: I base most of my RK stories mainly on the manga, which belongs to Watsuki-sensei, not me ;.; (the anime is property of Sony)
There are 4 parts to this story ((There could be more, see the note at the end of the story)) they all have part of the original RK series, I am just taking a different perspective into it ((Okay so that's a little bit of an understatement)).
I The beginning
II Death and Life
III Children of Slavery
IV No Longer Shinta
Fact: In Japan before the Meiji era (and to an extent even through that era) the people of Japan (and most of Asia) believed that any person born with red hair was actually a demon, and in most cases would be killed otherwise they were believed to bring misfortune on their village and the surrounding people, enter Himura Shinta.
- - -
THE BEGINNING
The begging screams of a woman rang through the cold night, "Please no, he is my son!"
"And he is mine as well," A male voice answered, "but all the same, he must not live! If he lives we will die!"
"So be it! He deserves to live! I don't give a damn about what happens to me, he is my child and I will protect him with my life!" The woman held a bundle close to her heart protecting it from her husband incase he decided to do something brash.
"Koishii..." her husband pleaded.
"Even from you." she declared her eyes shooting daggers at him. "Shinta is our child, and you would condemn him to death?" The woman looked down at the baby in her hands, his crimson hair being his most apparent feature, and his lavender eyes where something peculiar as well.
"I will not condemn him." The man finally gave up his argument seeing how futile it really was. "Life will not be easy for him, Koishii you realize that?" the man looked down at his son relieved that tonight he would not be taking the life of the one he had created.
"I have accepted it." Her tone was not laced with as much venom as her earlier words, but it had a finality to it, telling her husband that this was the end of this conversation.
DEATH AND LIFE
(Nearly 8 years later)
Death, it is never easy to deal with. A young boy named Himura Shinta was left alone, his mother and father dead, their lives taken from them by cholera. The young red haired boy had nothing left; death was sure to take him as well, but fate is never so kind.
Found lying helplessly in front of the graves of his parents, Shinta was plucked up by a Slaver who took the boy thinking of the monetary profit of a new slave. The slaver took him not noticing in the dying light the particular shade the boys hair held.
A sick realization was brought to Shinta's attention; he was still alive, he felt the sting of freezing water drench his person. He shot up wondering who would be so cruel as to bring him back to the world, that he wanted to leave so much.
"Wake up-" a gruff voice came to his ears, but it was cut off when the one owning the voice noticed with a cold realization that the child he had just disturbed had red hair.
Shinta stared at the man who looked less kind than he actually was. Shinta just stared at the man, he didn't know how to react as the man before him froze as if he had just seen a ghost or a de- right... a demon, Shinta sighed to himself, 'That is all I am isn't it? A demon. I am nothing more than bad luck.'
"Y-Your hair..." the man trailed off. "Why aren't you dead?" Most children with Shinta's particular shade of hair were killed the moment they were born.
Shinta didn't answer the man's question he just stared at him for a moment before he sheepishly asked, "Are you going to kill me?"
The man looked at the small boy with serious consideration. Then he did something that was very unexpected, he laughed. Not only did he laugh, he smiled at the boy.
"Be you demon or mere child I cannot kill you." the man looked at Shinta again noticing that the boy was not reassured. "I will not kill you, besides I need your work. I spared your life for that reason when I found you at those graves."
The boy didn't need to say it aloud it was written on his face, "People will notice me, I will be of no use to you."
"Heh," the man laughed, "You, boy will be of plenty use to me. You will be working in the kitchen pealing potatoes and cutting vegetables, no one will see your hair down there."
"Why do this for me?" Shinta had been given a new lease on life and he was skeptical about it, to say the least. "I am more trouble than I am worth."
"A child like you shouldn't talk that way, like you have given up on life." The man shook his head, "It is no matter why I am doing this, you are my slave now, and that should be your only concern."
'My only concern?' Shinta laughed inwardly at this, 'Right...'
CHILDREN OF SLAVERY
Shinta had been a slave for nearly a year, he had gotten used to life away from most people, living in the kitchen, his only concern was peeling potatoes and cutting other various vegetables, which he had become very good at. At the ripe old age of nine Shinta had thought he had found something he could do forever, something that had meaning, something that gave him use... peeling potatoes.
But like with all things, change must occur. Shinta was woken earlier than usual by a loud rapping on the door of the cupboard where he resided.
"Boy!" the gruff voice was familiar, it was his owner, his master. "Wake up Boy!"
Not wanting to anger his generous owner he did as he was told, and hurried to him to see what was so urgent.
"Listen to me, there is little time boy, you need to leave, now."
Shinta looked at him, to say he was confused would be an understatement.
"Child there is a wagon train at the end of my property, go with them, they will take care of you."
"Master, I do not understand..."
"Don't be stupid child, there are people after you, you must leave now while you still can! Do as I say, go!" He pushed Shinta out of the house and towards the back entrance of the property where sure enough, there was a wagon with other slaves waiting to be taken away; it was obvious what had happened. His master had sold him to save his life.
Shinta obeyed his Owners last request and made his way towards the wagon where he discovered that once again fate liked to laugh in his face, Shinta though a child was the only boy with the exception of his new owner, there were three girls, who all but ignored the distinct color of Shinta's hair and took care of the boy.
Akane, Kasumi, and Sakura, that was their names. Though they had just met Shinta, they had already formed a bond with the young boy. For once he was treated like he was human, not a red haired demon. These four were all children of slavery, but who would know that fate would have a crueler destiny for these souls.
The girls cared for Shinta like a brother, but that bond that they felt for the boy would be tested.
Night fell but they kept to there journey to their new home, little did they know that this would be their last time together...
Someone at the end of the train of slaves a blood curdling scream resounded, Shinta turned around to see men forcing there way into the group cutting down any in there path. Akane gasped and ran to Kasumi, Sakura, and Shinta's side, she grabbed the boy and pushed him into a bush so he would hopefully not be seen.
"Where is the demon child?" One of the bandits asked grabbing one of the girls by the hair and forcing her to her knees. "I saw him! I saw him with you! Where is he? He is worth a lot of yen."
Tears of pain stung the girls eyes but she said nothing, that boy did not deserve death and she would prevent it, even if it meant with her own life. Life is short, but today this woman's was cut shorter, her blood stained the road beneath her; Silenced forever by the bandit.
Shinta shook with rage as he watched this, it wasn't right, they shouldn't be protecting him like this, no one should. He looked at his feet and found a katana that had been discarded by someone who had the luck of meeting with another's sword. Shinta picked it up and stepped out of the bushes. 'I won't let them die for me, I can't!'
The bandit now had Sakura in his grasp, threatening her, but she would not speak as well, she soon met the same fate as her sister. The bandit looked up from his work and saw Shinta. "There's the demon child!" The man's eyes glowed with longing to slit the boy's throat and collect the bounty.
"NOO!" Kasumi yelled, she was the last left and as Akane and Sakura before her she would protect Shinta from the blow that would have killed him. "Shinta, You have to live..." The girl whispered as she fell to the ground before him. Yet another person had condemned their life for him, and again another was lost. Shinta again picked up the katana ready to avenge his fallen 'sisters'.
NO LONGER SHINTA
((A/N: The next part is basically direct quotes from the manga translations, I still don't own rk though...fyi I did this because this is where the manga story lines and this one meet...))
"You can't dream of defeating me child." One of the bandits laughed as he advanced on the boy.
Shinta breathed hard, the sword was heavy but Shinta swore to do what he could, and that is just what he would try to do.
Two bandits fell blood flying from their corpses. ((a/n: lovely image ne?))
"Who the hell are you?" The bandit stuttered looking at the figure of a strong man who had slain the other bandits with ease.
"It would be pointless to give my name to one who is about to die." The man said coldly before dealing a death blow to the bandit.
"You're pretty unlucky, boy." The man who was named Hiko said looking down at Shinta, "Since the coming of the Black Ships two years ago the Bakufu's system of keeping the public peace has broken down. Around here there's a lot of degenerate ronin turned bandits. I just happened to be here to take your revenge for you."
Shinta said nothing, he just looked down at the ground which was slowly starting to take a crimson shade.
Hiko looked at the boy who was still staring at the ground, "No matter how much you hate or how much you suffer, you can't bring the dead back to life. The same thing is happening all over Japan these days. You should be glad to be alive." Hiko looked up the road, "If you go to the village and tell them what happened, they'll find some way for you to make a living."
Hiko waited for a response, but he gave up on hearing a response and left the boy standing there.
Shinta stood still looking at the ground, 'Lucky? How am I lucky?' Shinta thought bitterly as he began to dig a hole. He worked all through the night, he buried his slaver, the bandits, and his sisters that night. It was dawn when Shinta finished; the boy stood in a field full of wooden crosses. He stood in front of three graves in particular; graves marked by stones, beneath lay his 'sisters.'
"You dug graves not just for your parents but for the bandits too?" Hiko looked a little surprised that the boy had done this alone.
"They weren't my parents. They were slavers. My parents died last year of cholera. But even bandits and slavers are only bodies when they die... so I made them graves." Shinta's voice seemed cold and distant, like he had lost his soul. It sent a cold chill down Hiko's spine.
"These three stones?"
"Miss Kasumi, Miss Akane and Miss Sakura. They were taken from their families because of debts. I only met them the day before, but I was the only boy and we didn't have any parents. I thought even if it cost me my life, I had to protect them." Shinta kept his eyes on the graves in front of him, how he wished that it could be his body beneath the stones and not theirs.
"But..."
"I looked for good stones for their graves but these were the only ones I could find. I looked for flowers too, but I couldn't find any..."
Hiko looked at the boy and then uncorked the bottle of sake he had, and poured it over the three stones. "Man or woman, it would be a shame to attain Buddhahood without knowing the taste of good sake. It's an offering from me. What's your name, boy?"
Shinta looked up at the man, "Shinta..."
Hiko raised an eyebrow at the name 'Now that wont do...' he thought to himself, "That's no name for a swordsman. From now on, you're called Kenshin. I'll teach you all I know."
"Aren't you going to take me for the bounty?" The boy asked wondering what this man had planned
"No, come on boy, you are my pupil from this point on."
And from that point on Himura Shinta was no more, and at that moment Himura Kenshin was born.
The End.... or is it?
A/N: Okay, so basically it is up to you guys, do you want me to continue? If so review and tell me what you want to see happen, I could continue this all the way up through the Jinchuu arc... but it's your guys decision, so press that little button and tell me what you want!