Seed of Hope
Chapter 1: Dangers
(A/N: Haha! Oh man, it's just sooo fun to read the reviews I have received, but thanks for taking the time off to review this lil' ficcie of mine, it means so much to me sniffs
Anyways, like I said I'm not revealing who the person in white is and the only reason I refer to the "white figure" as a "thing" is, if I use he/she then their identity will be exposed, but don't worry all will be revealed:D and I'm sure at that time you would know what pairing it is, but as a hint, if you read my bio then you'll know what kind of RK pairing I normally write about. Shall end crap here, on with the story!)
Disclaimer: I rule the universe! Muahahahaha! chokes on a mentos
The rain was coming down in buckets and buckets, never letting up for a second. The bleak and dark atmosphere could only be mirrored by the feelings of those still traveling on the road unable to get out of the rain. The number of people on the streets slowly dwindled until there was hardly anyone left, only a few could only be seen left hiding under the roofs of the buildings, glad for the shelter from the cold.
The light from the stars could hardly be seen, however if one looked closely under the faint glimmer of the stars, one could slowly make out a figure, walking on the streets, battling the harsh elements. This figure was clothed all in blue, his clothes all tattered and torn- hardly what one would wear, especially on a night like that. This human, if he could be called one, was in such a terrible and pitiable condition looked to be about 17 or 18 and yet despite his condition he wore a smile on his face.
Soujirou smiled to himself as he walked along the streets, what he had predicted to be an innocent drizzle had turned out much worse and he had not yet found a place to stay for the night.
"I guessed I must have underestimated you," Soujirou said facing the sky and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the raindrops caressing his face.
It had been two years since he had left Shishio and taken up the life of a rurouni. He had been wandering for so long, he knew it would take him a long time to seek for his answers, but he couldn't help but feel a little impatient. The only thing he felt that he could truly feel glad for was his being given a second chance to live life once again. Soujirou sneezed and shifted the weight of his satchel on his left shoulder; he could feel the weight of his wet clothes slowly pulling him down. Soujirou's stomach gave a little growl and he rubbed his head in embarrassment. He had forgotten that it had been two days since he ate his last meal. His stomach gave another rumble; maybe he should get out of the rain and get under shelter. Looking around, Soujirou spotted a signboard belonging to that of an old restaurant.
As he stepped inside, he immediately regretted it. The acrid smell of liquor and cigarette smoke filled his nostrils and he felt giddy. He turned to walk away when suddenly he felt not one, but two pairs of arms tugging and pulling at his yukata. He looked to find two beautiful ladies in matching red and purple kimonos with golden plum blossoms.
"Hey there," the two crooned, "Where are you going? Why don't you come and sit with us?" Soujirou was at a loss of words, as the two ladies kept touching him. Being the polite boy he was he tried to refuse them and walk away, but the two ladies despite their frail appearance kept clinging onto him.
"Aww, come on, we won't bite… much, just play with us for a while, I'm sure you'll have a good time…" Came a voice on his right.
"Gomenasai, demo... I can't stay, please let go of me. Please" Soujirou begged, hoping against hope that they'll let go.
Surprisingly it worked and secretly heaving a sigh of relief. Soujirou turned to leave through when he heard the unmistakable sound of someone crying, or to be precise, bawling. He then realised that it was the two ladies that were clinging on to him that were bawling. Soujirou was too scared to move, he had never been in such a situation before, what was one supposed to do? Scared, the poor boy tried his best to calm down the two ladies, when he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps. Sensing something was wrong, his reflexes kicked in and his hand automatically flew to the hilt of his katana.
The footsteps got closer and closer and almost as suddenly as they were heard- they stopped. Soujirou looked up and saw a huge man. The clothes the man wore were loose and the smell of sake clung to him like a second skin. The man towered over Soujirou by at least two heads.
Silently sniggering at Soujirou's size, he looked down at Soujirou and boomed, "What's the matter boy? My daughters not pretty enough for you or is my place not good enough for you"
Not knowing what to say, Soujirou remained silent. The tension in the air was thick; one could no longer cut it with a knife. Seconds passed and both parties refused to say a word. Everyone in the restaurant was now staring at the scene that was slowly unfolding. The uncomfortable silence was only broken when the man said, "You barge into my restaurant, make my girls cry and now you expect to leave? I don't think so."
Soujirou checked his pockets, he was hoping that by some small miracle that maybe, just maybe he would have enough money to pay the man and hopefully he would be able to get out of the place without making too much of a scene- it was too much to ask for, all he had were a few coins that just barely made up the cost of a small bun.
"Is that all?" The man asked, "Well then, I'm afraid I'm just gonna have to teach you a lesson about being polite!" With that, the man snapped his fingers and suddenly a group of big burly men appeared.
Soujirou mentally counted the number of men. There were 12 altogether. He could easily take them out. He placed himself in position and started to ready himself for his shukuchi. He advanced upon on the group, ignoring the many cries of surprise and quickly took out five of them with the sheath of his sword. He was about to attack the other seven when he began to feel dizzy. He stopped for a while to catch his breath, his head was starting to feel hot and heavy and it was becoming harder and harder to breathe, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to stay out in that rain for so long. He mentally chided himself; this wasn't the time to be worrying about a little headache.
Feeling slightly better after catching his breath, he was about to attack the sixth man, but before he could move, he felt his headache becoming more painful by the minute and his vision was now blurring, he found himself slowing down and his energy was quickly draining out of him. As he made one last attempt to stand up with the aid of his katana, someone gave him a sharp kick in the leg and giving in to the pain and the terrible fever that was now engulfing his senses; he dropped onto the floor with a loud thump that echoed throughout the restaurant.
Scared by what they saw, the onlookers shunned their eyes from the terrible sight as the group of thugs continuously punched and kicked the poor youth who now lay on the floor in a pool of his own blood.
"See what you made me do? If only you had been a little nicer," the man said as he gave the now almost unconscious Soujirou a nudge with his foot. "You should be grateful boy, I could have easily made my men kill you, but seeing that I'm such a kind and forgiving man, I shall let you go… but not without a little parting gift…"
At that, Soujirou could feel himself being roughly placed into a sitting position. He gingerly opened his eyes only to see the two ladies in the very revealing kimonos approach him smiling a little too sweetly. The lady in purple held him up, while the other held a tiny porcelain bowl. She smiled seductively at him and drank the contents of the bowl and turning his head to face hers, fed him the liquid by mouth. The liquid felt very cold and Soujirou could feel himself shiver involuntarily. The two ladies left him and almost immediately, another two pairs of arms grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and dragged him out into the rain.
Soujirou had not yet swallowed the liquid, but upon contact with the ground the liquid found its way into his throat. The liquid burned the inside of his throat and tears quickly filled his eyes. By now, he found it hard even to move any muscle and his vision was slowly becoming obscured with tears. No one noticed the body that lay in the rain, no one save for the lone figure in white that stood under the tree
(A/N: Chapter 1 now edited, thank you for supporting this fic. Hope that you guys will still read it after so long. Also I would like to say again that the katana Soujirou is holding onto is his own and that Kenshin did not give him that katana. Hope that clears up any misunderstandings.)
Rock on!
Babyblue899