THROUGH TIME
(A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic)
CHAPTER SIX
Meeting of an antisocial monk… damn it's not Sanzo…
Sanosuke woke up when the sun peeked through the trees and he looked over to see Juri kneeling by the fire boiling some hot water in a pot. He sat up and she looked over at him and smiled. "Morning."
"Uh morning." He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. 'Did she even get any sleep last night?' He thought to himself. "Sleep well?" He asked.
Juri nodded. "Fine thanks, yourself?"
"Yeah it was okay."
She smiled again. "I haven't slept outside in few months, had to get used to it again." She stoked the fire and brushed some hair from her face. It wasn't pulled back like normally and he noticed the length just touched her shoulders lightly.
She actually looked like a woman that morning. He pulled the blanket back and rolled his injured shoulder, remembering her teasing the other day of his defeat by Saitou, she had claimed to be able to know the future, and known of his injury previously but hadn't known of Saitou being the cause of it. He wasn't sure of her so-called 'powers' or 'gifts' they seemed rather selective if you asked him.
"If you're feeling okay, we could get some training done on the way to Kyoto today." Juri looked at him and smiled.
He hadn't trained with another person in such a long time. "Yeah sure." He had seen a brief taste of her strength when she fought Kenshin, but it had become known that both her and Kenshin had been holding back, and the damaged blade of her mother's sword turning her in to more of an angry woman than a manslayer.
If what Saitou said about the revolution and the samurai of that time, then, her Kenshin and Saitou obviously fought at a different level than himself and he knew he fought at a different level from the ordinary martial artists of this timeline.
"Well I'm making some tea it's probably the only thing I can make that doesn't burn, blow up or you know just generally taste bad." She smiled.
Sano smiled to himself he had yet to taste her cooking, it couldn't possibly be any worse than the missy's cooking… could it?
"Um… were you a bad cook you know in this other lifetime… you know the one you saw in the future?" Sano asked looking at her.
She blinked for a moment before looking at him and an unreadable expression crossed her face. "I guess." She remarked. "Well I could make a pretty mean chicken and cook rice fairly well, and vegetables… but meat I wasn't too good with."
Sano just nodded. "Well I guess I'll have to stick to eating your chicken, vegetables and rice to be on the safe side then."
Juri looked at him. "So what brought that question on?"
"Just curious." He replied. "If you don't mind me asking how did you die in that lifetime, it just seems strange that with your skills of this timeline that you could be killed so easily with bullets."
Juri nodded. "I didn't have a sword, it's pretty much illegal to carry weapons that kill around the street, I was out clubbing with my friends, and got lost on the way home, when these guys who my father owed money to grabbed me, the problem is he was in another country, so they had to hold on to me for a while, kept me hostage in this basement club for a few days before I kicked their asses and then ran like hell still bound, but…" he watched as she paused and looked at him. "They didn't like the idea of me getting away after I floored the three of them so I was shot three times one in the mid back one in the leg then finally right between the eyes."
Sano blinked. "And you remember that?"
Juri nodded. "I shouldn't you see, when reincarnation happens, it generally means you forget previous lifetimes due to emotional attachments or really traumatic experiences that trigger ones psychological state. But I remember I don't know when it started, just that it came to me at first in the meditation my mother was teaching me, then in my dreams until I could recall every single face and every name, even when and how they died after me." Her shoulder's fell slightly. "I guess I remember because I feel that at least one of them or at least her brother is in this timeline, I want to protect them this time round. But to do that I had to better my own protection, even with my martial arts skills in the future I couldn't even save myself."
Sano found himself standing up and he watched as she looked at him as he walked up to her and she stood up looking up at him before he found himself wrapped his arms around her shoulders pulling her in to his arms.
He let her wrap her arms around his neck and hug him back.
"And you lost your husband of this lifetime, with all this knowledge you could be a threat you know that?"
"Yeah I'm thinking that's why Shishio wants to see me. He wants it, he wants to have his perfect future." Juri sighed her head resting up against his chest.
"Don't give it to him okay?"
Juri laughed. "Yeah right as if I could I didn't study Japanese history in school, it was general history and in college it was Chinese history cause I was part Chinese that lifetime."
Sano smiled. "Guess he'll be in for a shock then, I won't let you go see him alone okay?"
"Okay." Juri stepped back and Sano looked at her cheeks blushing. "Thanks."
He watched her as she walked back over to the pot and knelt back down and swirled the water round the pot watching it boil slowly.
"Sorry I don't how to be a proper female in this timeline." She apologised.
"You can't help the way you were brought up." Sano moved next to her and looked in the pot.
"I know. Maybe if I'd had parents it would have been different." She sighed. "I can't win though, during the revolution the Meji wanted me dead, now their corrupt officers still want me dead, if it wasn't for Sakama I'd have probably hunted them all down and killed them."
"Did he stop you?" Sano looked ay her.
"Nah he just beats me to those guys." Juri smirked.
Juri dodged the punch easily, 'He seems distracted this morning, is it cause I'm a female that he doesn't want to hit me?'
"Sano…" She raised an unimpressed eyebrow before dodging yet another punch, Sano's fist connecting with a tree and knocking it over backwards, the tree falling and clipping the base of another tree a few meters back.
"You're not even trying. Am I distraction to you?"
"Huh?" Sano looked at her and the creak of another tree beginning to fall caught her attention as she looked behind her, the base of the tree clipping falling forward made her blink suddenly. "Hey watch out!"
She felt herself suddenly being grabbed as he pushed her out of the way of the falling tree. "Whoa…"
They hit the ground her eyes closed, the sound of the tree landing fairly close made her open one eyes and look to the side of her at the three only a meter away made her let out a breath.
"Your not a distraction missy." She looked directly up above where Sano was partly covering her, his hands on other side of her head.
"I… um… thanks." She looked at the tree. "Getting better, two trees one punch." She smiled, now if only you could do that to people you might stand a chance against Shishio." It was only then she noticed the compromising position Sano was hovering over her in and she felt a blush creep over her cheeks, but she made no move to even remotely get up. 'What is up with this guy and me? Why does he seem to effect me like this?' She thought somewhat frustrated.
Sano looked at her and blinked seeing the blush. 'What's she blushing about?' he thought clueless until he saw how the two of them were semi lying in the grass of the forest and he found his own cheeks blush suddenly. 'Oh!' He went to move but was caught off guard for just a moment when her hand wrapped round his wrist.
"I'm supposed to help you build up a better defence against Shishio and his lackeys, I'm sorry."
He just smiled. "It's okay defence isn't one of my strong points, just help me get stronger, I need some new techniques, I'm sure you have some in that cute head of yours."
"So even if I'm not very woman like, I'm still cute?" She blinked almost clueless.
Sano found himself blushing. "No, it's not… I…" He trailed off as he found her hand touch the side of his face.
"Thank-you, I was starting to wonder what Tsuki saw in me, I guess I must have something he liked." She sat up slowly and let out a sigh.
"You miss him?"
"Like anything, weird huh, all we did was fight and fight and fight, then every now and again, when he'd just hug me when I was upset it was like everything was okay, he'd protect me, even if I was slightly stronger than him."
Sano let out a laugh. "Now that was arrogant."
Juri gave him a playful push off her and he sat there she sighed. "Shishio is going to pay, if Tsuki was alive I'm sure he'd easily be able to sway me that the Meji government is wrong and a new Japan is better than this, but he's dead cause of him, and for that he has to pay."
"You're going in to this with revenge, it's not a good motive. It'll cloud your judgement."
Juri looked at him, "What about you?"
"I just don't want Kenshin to do this alone, if he was then maybe he might end up reverting back to his Battousai ways, and I don't want that, Yahiko doesn't want that and the little missy doesn't either."
"If he does I'll conk him one, cause then he'd be a hypocrite and I hate hypocrites almost as much as Hiko's pottery." Juri nodded.
"Uh huh… and I suppose that's a big hate." Sano raised a brow.
"Oh yeah." Juri nodded her head. "I don't care if he is Kenshin's master, and could slice me in two, he needs lessons."
Sano smiled. 'She does seem pretty carefree for the rumours about the Jun Dai that came about in the revolution. Maybe that's another thing Tsuki saw in her. I think I'm starting to understand her just a little bit better.'
"Well then Missy just make sure you stay in one piece okay. I don't think Sakama would like to see doubles okay?"
"Oh yeah it's not like I'd let him kill me that easily." She boasted.
"You might need to tone down that ego just a little bit." Sano joked.
Juri gave him a playful punch in the arm before standing up and brushing herself down. "Well with a comment like that I think it's high time I showed you why I have this ego, because even without a sword I'm exceptionally good, even Mr. Smiley knows that, why else would he ask for my help?"
"That will never stop unnerving me how you're such good friends with a creep like him."
"Awww but he's a real sweetie once you get to know him."
"Which I will remind you, isn't going to happen."
The two walked through the forest and Juri looked up at the sky. She saw the image of a western woman in the clouds and she felt eyes on her. She looked at Sano.
"They're just clouds." He remarked.
"I know but you can scry by using them." She smiled seeing him blink confused.
"Scry…"
"Don't worry past life kicking in… or should that be future life." She pondered for a moment.
"So what did you see?" Sano asked.
"I got the feeling of my mother watching me." She sighed and looked down.
'God was wonderful that he gave me such a wonderful child.' One of her mother's last words before the men came to kill them both.
She stopped for a moment placing her hand on her stomach, 'And he takes you and dad away from me, gives me all these memories of a future I don't want to know, then takes Tsuki from me leaving me pregnant. How come I don't think he's a wonderful as you say anymore?'
"You okay? Are you in any pain?" Sano looked at her worried.
Juri raised an eyebrow. "The baby isn't due for a few more months now like just under nine, I'm fine."
Sano rubbed the back of his neck and Juri couldn't help but smile at him and he smiled back.
"I didn't mean… like… uh… that you know."
Juri chuckled. "Awww poor baby, am I confusing you?"
"Just when I think I understand you, you do or say something that makes me scratch what I thought I know."
"I'm not like those others who fought in the revolution, I'm different from Saitou and I'm different from Jigen, and I'm so not like Kenshin or Shishio. It's just the way I am. I'll admit my past wasn't the best, but when something bad happens to me I still move forward and I live it day to day with a carefree smile."
Sano nodded. "Yet you plan to go to Shishio's with the intention of killing him don't you?"
"Yeah if Seta had found me instead of Tsuki he would of got his bratty assassin to kill me if I didn't meet with Shishio. Tsuki would of done the same for me."
"Your pregnant, don't you think he'd want the child to have a chance at life." Sano stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Oh I know the future trust me you can't get rid of me that easy." Juri smiled and she dove in to her bag. "Rice ball?"
Sano shrugged and he took it munching on in as the two walked along.
"You know what way we're going?" She asked after about five minutes.
"Why's that?"
"I've seen that tree before." She motioned to it.
"Isn't that the one we passed last night?" Sano asked.
"I think so." Juri replied.
"DAMNIT WHICH WAY IS KYOTO!" Sano exclaimed.
Juri smiled. "And Tsuki said I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag, I feel much better now."
Sano gave her a sidelong glance. "You're not helping you know?"
"I know." Juri smiled. "Another rice ball?"
Sano let his head drop. "Do you have anything else but rice balls?"
"Inari?" Juri pulled a small container out. "I love these things, they're so addicting, I ate them too in the future." She popped one in her mouth.
"Yeah sure why not." Sano sighed as he took one.
The pair sat under yet another familiar tree as they stopped for lunch and Juri smiled quite happily as she ate the lunch she'd bought from the Akabeko.
"We're never going to get to Kyoto at this rate." Sano sighed.
Juri looked at him. "Sure we will, the spooks are just telling us to rest for a bit."
"The spooks or you?"
Juri laughed. "Oh really Sano you think I can tire that out easily, the great Jun'Dai murderer of heaps and heaps of people, revolution buddy to Mr. Smiley."
Sano shuddered. "Stop calling him that."
"Awww but it's cute and suits him."
Sano let out another shudder. "How you find Saitou cute is beyond me."
Juri smiled. "Jealous? Well just so you know you're cute too." She patted him on the head. Sano sweatdropped.
"Gee that makes me feel better." He drooled. "Can we change the subject now?"
Juri paused for a moment and she blinked and looked over her shoulder as if she was looking at someone.
"Juri…" Sano looked at her.
"Spooks say someone is that way we can ask for directions."
Sano raised a brow. "Ask for directions."
Juri let out an exasperated sigh. "Really even one hundred and twenty-six years in to the future men stillllll don't like stopping and asking for directions. No matter what race, no matter, what age, it's got to be a man thing."
Sano glared at her. "Okay fine we'll do it your way then." He grumbled.
Juri smiled. "Good. And even one hundred and twenty-six years later, women are still the ones to talk them eventually in to it."
"That's only cause you're just as lost as I am." Sano remarked.
"Yup but I'm proud to admit it." Juri smiled.
The two finished their lunch and headed in the direction Juri motioned. Sano walked along behind her eating a bean bun when the ground suddenly shook.
"Whoa…"
Juri spun round and had her sword out Sano blinked and looked down seeing she'd caught the bun on her sword, as he'd fallen over. He looked up at her and she smiled offering him the bun.
"Uh it's okay I don't know who you've killed with that thing recently."
Juri looked at him offended. "I've cleaned it and sterilized it, but if you just wanna waste the last of my food."
"The last." Sano grabbed it, before stuffing it in to his mouth.
"Thought that'd get your attention. I've only got Inari's left in my bag."
"Juri!" Sano exclaimed.
Juri let out a giggled and raced off in the direction.
Sano's eye twitched. "You're so annoying! Get back here!" he gave chase.
Juri looked over her shoulder as Sano was gaining on her. 'He's faster than a normal guy, guess he's not that normal and ordinary to start off with.' She thought with a smile.
The ground suddenly shook again and Juri sopped dead as a tree began to fall and she jumped out of the way spinning round, she let out a relieved breath.
"The amazing tree dodging Jun'Dai strikes again."
But only moments after her ground annunciation Sano ran directly in to her before they fell in to the shrubbery.
"Ooof…" Juri looked up and she blinked seeing Sano hoovering over her once again and she raised a brow. 'Why is it the spooks keep shoving this guy on to me? I refuse to be hooked up with a guy weaker than me. Even if he is really cute.'
"Sano…" Juri looked at him.
He seemed to be looking at something, or someone before he looked down at her and she looked up to come in to view an upside down figure of a bulky man staring at a rock.
"Those spooks of yours are starting to creep me out, you know that." Sano remarked softly.
Juri was still looking at the imposing tanned figure with Panda eyes she watched in amazement as he pulled his fist back and brought it down on to a large boulder suddenly shattering the rock in to a thousand pieces sending the debris flying about as the ground shook with the impounding boom noise.
"Whoa…" Juri breathed. "Now that's some technique."
"Amazing, so it was that guy that caused me to nearly drop my lunch." Sano remarked.
"My lunch you freeloader." Juri jabbed him in the side, Sano jilted before he lost his balance falling right down on her.
Juri blinked seeing him pretty much right up close and she blinked. 'His eyes they're a brown amber I never noticed that before.'
She then noticed the blush that crept across his cheeks and she smiled at him, before cheekily planting a kiss on his nose. "Now shift your ass so I can get up you hefalump."
"Eh?" Sano blinked.
"Okay, for laymen terms… You're crushing me." Juri remarked before knocking him on the top of the head.
Sano jumped up suddenly and Juri slapped her forehead seeing he'd gotten the panda eyed guy's attention.
"Uh…" Sano blinked.
"Can I help you?"
"So you're the one shaking up the forest, you caused me to nearly drop my lunch with that rock smashing thing."
"My lunch you freeloader." Juri called from the bushes before standing up and brushing herself down and jogging up to the panda eyed man. "That's some cool technique."
He looked at her then at Sano. The two caught a raised eyebrow and Juri looked at Sano then back to the figure.
"Well… um…….. this is awkward."
"I want you to teach me that technique." Sano looked at him.
"Oh nice, no, hi I'm such and such it's just teach me punk." Juri rolled her eyes.
Sano gave her a sidelong look and the man looked at the two of them. "Before I teach you, I'd like to know your opinions on the Meji government."
Juri blinked. "Politics huh, you don't look like a politician to me. But don't get Sano started on the Meji government he just goes off in to a rant."
"Hey!" Sano glared at her. "I hate the Meji government and you should to, they're trying to kill you."
The man looked at the two of them, his look showed interest in why they both would hate the government so much.
"I have some green tea and inari's if you wanna talk about it." Juri replied.
Sano's eyes feel flat. "Inari and tea?" He looked to his travelling companion.
Six days later…
Juri sat cross-legged meditating at the campsite with the fallen monk who had introduced himself as Anji. She opened one eye and looked to the distance.
"You worry about your friend it is understandable." Anji remarked.
Juri looked at him. "I've lost my husband I don't want to lose my friend also."
"Then tonight I suggest you say your good-byes. I doubt he can have mastered the futaenokiwami technique in that amount of time."
Juri looked at him before looking down. "I think he can do it."
"Is there something more between you two that you have that much confidence in him?" Anji questioned.
"Me and that freeloader? Oh hell no!" Juri crossed her arms defensively. "He's a jerk and a moron. Why would you think that?"
A small smile crossed his face. "The spirits believe there is."
Juri found herself blushing. "Damn those spooks." She muttered.
"Go see him, you don't have much time." Anji told her.
Juri stood up. "Fine." She huffed and walked off.
"It's the other way." Anji remarked.
Juri walked back past him again huffing. "I knew that." She grumbled.
Anji just smiled.
Juri found Sano sitting down by a cliff face and she blinked as she heard him talking. "Your wrong I won't give up!" he shouted at whoever was there and she stepped out from behind the tree.
"Sanosuke?" She found her voice soft and almost filled with worry.
He looked over at her. "Juri."
"Are you alright?" She asked walking up to him stopping a few feet away she looked at the debris lying about from his attempts at trying to learn the monk Anji's technique.
"I'm fine." He replied.
"Uh huh and talking to thin air is all right?" her eyes fell flat. "Great company I keep, a meditating monk or a guy who talks to thin air."
Sano looked at her. "Hey!"
"Now lets see who would I rather hang out with a man with an imaginary friend or an antisocial monk." She pondered for a moment. "Now if the monk looked like Geno Sanzo from Gensomaden Saiyuki that would be good."
"Oh funny." Sano drooled.
She looked at him her expression fell serious. "Sano please, I've lost my husband, if I were to loose a friend to, I don't think anything could keep me from going Jun'Dai again."
He stood up suddenly. "So you and Captain Sagara both think I can't do this?"
Juri blinked. "Captain Sagara?"
He looked at her. "I had no last name during the revolution, so after it I took his." He looked to the side.
Juri smiled. "That's a silly reason, but despite that it suits you."
He looked at her. "I'm going to do this I'm going to prove you both wrong."
She looked down. "I think you can do it, it's just I worry about you." She let out a sigh. 'When did I become such a girl?' She thought before turning away. "You can do it. I believe in you."
She walked back to where she'd come from. 'Despite that part of you thinks he can't and that why you came this far out, isn't that right?'
She heard the voice and turned round to see Sano looking at something. 'I'm hearing them again.' She realised.
"Captain…" He looked there surprised.
She then saw the figure through a thin line of smoke, 'I'm right aren't I Jun'Dai?'
"What do you know!" She snapped suddenly and then covered her mouth and Sano looked at her.
"You can see him too." Sano's eyes fell flat. "Imaginary friend." He scoffed.
"Shuddup, you don't understand." She mumbled.
Sano walked up to her and she looked up at him as his hand touched the trunk of the tree next to her, leaning over her.
"I understand that there is a confused, psychic short samurai who doesn't know what she's talking about." He remarked.
"WHO YOU CALLING SHORT!" She snapped before thumping over the top of the head with her sheath.
Sano let out a sigh as he rubbed the bump. "Face it Juri you are just short, any bet two years time Yahiko will be taller then you."
"Grrrrrrrr." Juri growled.
Sano smiled at her. "Your cute when you're angry."
"Uh!" She fell back against the tree.
'It seems you two are well suited, it would be a shame for you to leave her behind Sanosuke, just think about what I said.'
"I've made up my mind Captain."
'She doesn't want to lose you it's obvious, just think about it.'
Juri looked to where the ghost of Captain Sagara was before he vanished from sight and she looked up at Sano and she blinked a blush creeping over her cheeks.
'It's too soon after Tsuki's death to look for someone…'
She closed her eyes. "I believe in you." She slipped away quickly back the way where she came hurriedly.
'What's wrong with me? I haven't been like this since I first met Tsuki… besides he's five years younger than I am. I don't go chasing immature boys.'
The Next Day…
Juri lay on her stomach on the grass her head resting on folded arms as she looked out over the clearing, it was a nice day and she hadn't moved since Anji had left to go and kill Sano. She personally didn't want to witness the death of someone she knew, it was hard enough when Tsuki had died in front of her.
'I don't want to mourn again.'
She didn't even hear the footsteps as they approached her and a foot tapped her in the side. "Hey Juri. You ready?" A voice asked.
She looked up at the voice and sat up seeing Sano standing there, all that was wrong was he was a little bit more dirtier than normal, but he was alive, and she blinked for a moment before she just smiled and gave a nod sitting up and grabbing her duffel bag from beside her.
Sano's raised a brow at her. "Hey are you okay?"
She nodded again. "Just wondering what the hell I'm doing, nothing new." She pulled out a packet of cigarette and put one in her mouth before lighting it up and she could hear the hiss of protest from the spooks around her.
Anji walked up to them, she lent back against a tree as Sano and Anji exchanged a few words, she looked at Sano as he looked back at her.
"Kyoto is this way." He motioned.
"Alright I'll just have this then catch up." She motioned to the cigarette.
Sano looked at her. "Are you alright? You seem distant."
"I'm fine." She watched him shrug as he walked off.
Anji looked at her. She nodded to the monk. "You know as well as I do, we'll be seeing each other again."
She looked over her shoulder. "Isn't that right Seta?" She added.
The familiar clap from the young boy came before he stepped out from behind a tree. "That was excellent Jun'Dai, you knew I was here. Then I take it we'll see you in Kyoto, Lord Shishio will be happy indeed."
Juri nodded. "I bet he will, tell him I'm coming for him, and then…" She pointed at Seta. "I'm gunna take your head for what you did to Tsuki." She turned and walked off following Sano from a distance.
To Be Continued…
A.N: I have no Beta for this fic, so please excuse any mistakes you see (and thelamethis uploaded funnyhere so I hope you can still read it)as I might have missed a few, when I re-read through this chappie… I'm truly sorry and I am currently in the middle of working on a group of fics Transformer, Saiyuki, The Crow, Wolf's Rain, DBGT, Yami no Matsuei, and a couple of anime cross over fics to name a few oro… I get to many damn ideas… I'm terribly sorry…