Disclaimer: I don't own "Rurouni Kenshin; Meji Kenkaku, Roman-tan"... I think we should all be clear on that by now. looks over the disclaimer Yes, that should do nicely.
Chapter
5:
Takahashi Akiko
"Are you alright?" Atsushi, one of his comrades, asked looking at the young man. Kenshin nodded. "Does it still hurt Himura-san?" Kenshin continued to run his fingertips over the blood socked patch without saying a word. "That's a pretty bad scar," Atsushi continued, "it'll take months before the wounds completely heals... of course you're going to have that cross shaped scar left." Kenshin looked up at Atushi in dismay. Murai Atsushi used to be both a doctor and a kenjetsu student before the revolution. It was Atsuhi who tended to the wounded of the group, and it was he who had treated Kenshin with his new scars. His skills with medicine were far superior to those of his sword, but he hated the Tokugawa rule and wished to see a day when all men were free from classes.
Kenshin looked up at the full moon. "So it won't go away?" he asked disappointed.
Atsuhi placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, "I'm afraid it won't."
The group continued to walk down the country roads. The full moon acted both to their advantage as well as their disadvantage. It shone light on the road ahead of them, allowing them to see everything. However, it also allowed everything to see them. The group soon came to the cliffs of the Yodo River, the road narrowed. Of course they all knew that escorting a person such as Okubo Toshimichi from Osaka to Kyoto was going to be a difficult task. But never once did it cross any of their minds that the Shinsengumi had gathered enough information as to when Okubo was to journey to Kyoto. The path before them, as well as behind, was soon blocked with the members of the Shinsengumi. To one side they had only about three feet before the cliff started to rise steeply again and to the other they had a drop that fell to a black nothing below in the night.
"Himura-san," a cheerful voice came as a young man stepped forward, "I am honored to meet you." He smiled as he drew his sword. Kenshin looked at the young man confused, unaware of whom he was. Never before had he ran into him, yet the young man's friendly smile and courteous words came almost as if they had known each other for years.
"Okita..." Atsushi muttered under his breath. Kenshin looked up at his elderly friend. Soshi Okita. He had heard many stories of this young warrior. His skill with the sword was mortal for all his opponents, such was the reason that he was elected Captain of the first division of the Shinsengumi. His abilities even out shone those of his much senior comrade, Hajime Saitou.
"Hello Murai-san," Okita responded as he took notice of the tall, slender man, "I didn't notice you." Again, he spoke in the most courteous manner. The young man's smile faded as he took a glance at the surroundings.
The two groups readied themselves for yet another life or death battle. However, this time the life of one of the most famous revolutionary, Okubo Toshimichi, was at stake.
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Kenshin slowly opened his eyes. His head was throbbing with pain, as was the rest of his body. He slowly took in his surroundings. The small room was quite dark. The only light was that of the single candle at the side of his futon. As he sat up he felt a sharp pain rip through his entire body. He was sore all over. For a while, he sat quietly in the room, allowing the pain to subside. A small light glowed on the other side of the paper thin fusuma door to his right, a candle he thought to himself. He continued to look around. A small glimmer caught his eye. A sword lay on the floor next to a rack near the shôji door on his left. The rack itself had clothes hanging on it. As he studied them he soon realized they were his clothes. He looked down on himself surprised. His arms and legs where all bandaged as was his right foot and head. "This one still lives..." he muttered to himself, "but... where... where is this... place...?"
Painfully he tired to get up. The moment he stood, his legs gave way and he fell to the futon again. His right ankle was in utter and complete pain. Ignoring the pain, he got up again. This time forcing himself to stand up and limped his way to where his sword and cloths lay. He quietly changed. Taking his sword as a crutch he began to limp his way to the shôji door of the room. He took one last look at the tiny room, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything.
As he placed his hand on the shôji, the fusuma on the opposite side of the room slid open. A young lady on the other side of the paper-like door jumped back, they stared at one another from across the room for a moment. Her hair was braided back with a few strands flowing down over her face. Her eyes, a dark brown color, locked themselves intensely on the young man on the other side of the room as she stood in sock with her mouth slightly opened.
"What are you doing?!" the young lady finally exclaimed, "You mustn't be up!" She rushed over to the young man. Taking his right arm over her shoulder she walked him back the futon. Carefully, she helped him sit back down. Quickly, she took the sword from him and placed them back by the rack. Kenshin watched quietly as she went back to the door on the right side of the room. On the floor next to the wooden door frame laid a tray and a candle. The young girl brought both items in, closing the fusuma behind her delicately. She walked over slowly and placed the items next to the red haired youth. He looked at the tray full of food. The sweet scent quickly filled his nostrils.
"Here," the young lady handed him the tray, "this is for you." She placed the tray in front of Kenshin.
He looked down at the tray, taking the chopsticks in his right hand he looked at her again. "Thank you Miss," he said quietly. She smiled back sheepishly.
Feeling almost starved, the young man ate the meal set before him. Never before had be been given such a variety of foods. As he ate, his mind raced to remember what had happened before he had fallen off the cliff. Slowly, he remembered his near death experience. He could still clearly see how he had forced Okita to the edge of the cliff. Okita had been cornered with nowhere to go.
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The young captain of the first group of the Shinsengumi was probably no older then seventeen, yet his abilities were those of a master swordsman. Before the battle had begun, he had made it very clear that he wished to be the one to battle the Battôusai. In a split second, Kenshin's group was smothered by the enemy, and greatly out numbered. Only seconds into the battle was Okubo Toshimichi slain. The men immediately around the great leader quickly followed. Slowly, one by one, the revolutionaries fell. Those who still lived fought viciously for their lives. The Shinsengumi were ruthless in their ways, cutting down men with ease. Yet not one of them dared to come close to the young red haired man. Even as Kenshin went in aid of his friend Atsushi, the enemy backed away. Atsushi stood behind the young hitokiri, thankful to the young man.
Okita strolled through the crowd in battle as if he was strolling in a park during a late summer afternoon. His face void of expression as he watched the young assassin from between sword fights. He narrowed his light brown eyes as he came into plain view of Kenshin, sword in hand. Kenshin brought up his weapon, positioning himself in front of Atsushi. Soon, all fights began to impede one by one to watch the upcoming encounter. The echoing of swords clashing and men yelling ceased in such an eerie manner that the cold night brought an almost nauseas feeling to all the men present. All eyes laid on the two swordsmen, both being the youngest they had ever seen.
Okita, in another courteous gesture, gave a small bow before readying himself. Soon, the young captain sped forward. The sound of two swords slashing each other echoed off the walls of the cliffs. Without wasting his time, Okita drew his sword back for another blow. Anticipating the blow, Kenshin blocked, however he was thrown back as Okita threw a jab at him. A smile crossed the young leader's face for a split second. Kenshin took a quick look around to take in his surroundings a bit more before he sped forward the few feet that separated him from his opponent. Not anticipating the young hitokiri to attack him as quickly, Okita took a step back only to find himself standing at the edge of the cliff. He struggled to regain his balance as Kenshin's sword came whirling down on him. Without much effort on his behalf, the young assassin shoved Okita off the edge. As he lost his balance, Okita swung his arms around in front of him wildly, managing to take hold on to Kenshin's sleeve and pulling him along as he fell.
Kenshin was caught off guard as the weight of the young captain pulling on his sleeve dragged him over the edge of the cliff as well. In an instant, Okita passed before his eyes. The young leader had managed to take hold of a small shrub growing on the side of the cliff wall. Kenshin was less fortunate and fell to the river below. As he fell, he hit against the wall of the cliff more than once. Franticly, he tried to get a hold of anything to prevent his further falling, but with no avail. When he landed in the river below, he had tried to land upright and had struck a rock in the water, sending a shock of pain throughout his body. When he had gone back to the surface for air, the current quickly dragged him back down. Then he hit yet another rock under the furious rapids. After that he blanked out. He couldn't remember anything.
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"You where pretty bad when I found you on the river bank at Uji," the girl said, "It is only by luck that you are still alive. I'm just sorry that your friend didn't make it." She turned her eyes down, looking at the tatami mat. "The doctor said your ankle should be good in about a week or so. You just have to get used to walking again."
"Friend?" Kenshin looked up at her.
"Yes, or at least I believe he might have been your friend. He was found about half an hour down the river by a traveler. He seemed to have had a really strong blow to his head. He was dead when they found him. A tall man, around his thirties. He was carrying medicine on him."
Kenshin looked down on the bowl of rice he was eating. Atsushi..., he thought to himself, he died... His expression saddened as he continued to look down at the bowl before him. For the two and a half years that he had been with the Ishin Shishi, it was Atsushi who had first befriended the youth. He had advised the young man on how to act when in the presence of higher ranking members and had acquainted him to the city of Kyoto. "How long has this one been here, Miss?" he asked finally looking up at the young lady sitting beside him.
"It's been a little over two months and a half since I brought you back from Uji."
"Uji?" he questioned surprised. "We're in Uji?"
"No," she smiled weakly at him. "We're in Nara... this is my home. I was visiting relatives in Uji when I found you on the bank of the Yodo River."
Kenshin looked down at his bowl again. He was further south of Kyoto then he had imagined. What startled him the most was the fact that he had been unconscious that long of a time. He questioned himself if he really had been unconscious for that long. It didn't seem to be any more then just a day or two for him. He looked up at the young lady, "Miss... what happened to my ankle?"
"You had broken it", she answered almost surprised at the question. "The doctor did all he could to get back to normal." Kenshin looked at his ankle, it was no wonder it hurt him so much.
"Thank you very much Miss" he smiled kindly at her, "thank you for taking care of this one, Miss."
"Akiko," she answered. Kenshin looked at her taken aback. "My name is Takahashi Akiko."
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A/N: Well that was fun. I'm surprised to see how many spelling and grammar errors I had on this chapter... actually, the whole reason I'm rewriting is to fix my hideous spelling and grammar (Thank GOD for Microsoft Word!). Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up by either Christmas of New Years. Well, I hope you enjoy and that your all happy that I'm finally writing about Ken-san's alternative past. ENJOY!