Disclaimer: Yes I own Rurouni Kenshin ... Yeah right! I don't look anywhere close to Watsuki Nobuhiro! (and that's a good thing too) and I don't own the certain J-rocker who's name (well his first name) I stole for my story either ;.; kinda wish I did... who wouldn't want to own there own personal J-rocker? XD
A/N: I'm so sorry for such a long delay... I've been -really- sick lately... (and the piles of homework don't help much x.X;) Don't worry I promise I won't give up on one of my stories.
Thank you animegurl-23 You get a cookie! I couldn't for the life of me remember his name (I knew it was one of the two) so I just used one I read somewhere else ::doesn't remember where either::
Last time:
"Maybe you should tell him the significance of today?" Hiko said noticing that Kaoru's story might be a little longwinded.
"Yes," She agreed, "Well Today, June 3rd, is my birthday; it is also the day I lost my whole family."
- - -
It wasn't a subject she liked to touch on. Her family, they were all dead to her, even the ones who where still alive. She hated the subject, there where to many tears attached to it. Every little secret she had kept, had revolved around this subject, and now was the time to divulge some of those secrets, even if she didn't want to.
FLASHBACK
June 3rd 1850
Kaoru, a vibrant six year old girl, started her training in Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu only the year before. People had been skeptical, a five year old girl practicing kendo arts? But they paid the villagers no mind and let the young child practice to her hearts content. Her father had even made her a special bokken to accommodate her size (the standard one was even bigger than she was).
The young girl with vibrant eyes walked up to her mother's shoji and knocked softly. "Mama?" She asked quietly incase her mother was still resting.
"It's alright Kaoru, I'm awake you can come in." Her mother smiled warmly inviting the little child in.
"How are you feeling today mama?" The little girl asked putting her mini bokken down on the ground outside the room.
"Just fine my child." Her mother stretched, the sun shining on the woman's frail face, years of illness had dug deeply into her beautiful features, but that didn't matter, she was still held a beauty that was unearthly. "Kaoru, it is a special day today, did you know that?"
Kaoru smiled, "Is it because it is my birthday?" the child sat on her mothers lap.
Her mother smiled and poked Kaoru on the nose affectionately, "That's right, and do you know what we do on your birthday?"
"A walk through the sakura grove?" the girl asked hopefully the glee shining in her eyes.
"Yes my dear," her mother laughed at the young girl's enjoyment in the simplest thing. "Go on outside now, I'll get ready and we can take our walk."
"Okay mama!" Young Kaoru bounded outside. It was her birthday, her favorite day, the one time her mother and her where able spend time together, just them, no matter what. Kaoru sat outside her feet dangling over the porch as she hummed a little song.
A dark shadow was cast over her and a dark voice uttered a single word. "Child," Kaoru looked up, it was her uncle, Kamiya Toshiya. ((A/N: Yes I got that name from Dir en Grey... XD)) He was looking down at the girl and her bokken with a cynical eye.
"You're father is teaching you the way of wooden swords?" the man said, not as surprised as one might think. "Well you are just a little girl after all." Toshiya laughed "Where is my weak brother anyway?"
Kaoru stared at the man, she had met her uncle before, but it had been a very long time, and this man, for a lack of a better word, was intimidating.
"Don't just stare, answer me child!" The man boomed.
"Koshijirou is teaching at the Mikawa dojo today Toshiya, maybe you should come back later when he is home." Kaoru's mother stood just behind her brother-in-law not looking the least bit intimidated. "Or you can tell me what it is you wish to tell him, and I promise I will let him know." Kaoru's mother looked at the much taller man as he glared at her insolent attitude.
"My business is with my brother, and my brother alone." The man said coolly "Maybe a woman of your condition should be in bed, it isn't safe to be out in the open air." Toshia said over his shoulder before walking out of the dojo once more.
"Mama, he scares me." Kaoru said burying her face into her mother's kimono, as the gate snapped shut.
"Me too my child, me too." Her mother said softly smoothing her hair down, staring at the dojo gate at which Toshiya just exited. "Come on little one let's go, I don't want to spoil your birthday!"
"Yay!" Kaoru let go of the kimono and latched herself onto her mothers hand this time.
"Kaoru do you know why we walk to this tree every year?" Her mother asked her as they stared at one of the largest and oldest of the trees in the grove.
Kaoru shook her head and listened to her mother. "Your father and I met under this tree. And he proposed to me under it as well."
Kaoru's eyes widened in childhood wonderment. "Really?"
"Yes, we-" her mothers words where cut short by a sudden fit of coughing.
"Mama?" Kaoru asked scared when her mother said nothing and fell to her knees, gasping and coughing more fiercely. "Mama?" She questioned again getting no response as the woman seemed to collapse at her daughter's feet.
"Mama?" Kaoru shook the sleeve of her mothers kimono but it was no use, her mothers eyes where closed she looked like she was asleep. "Mama?" Kaoru whispered fearfully, tears burning her eyes. "Mama? Come on wake up, we have to go... Mama, Daddy is gonna be home soon, he's gonna worry about us. Please Mama wake up."
Her mother didn't listen to her she just lay there as if she were sleeping. Kaoru shook her again trying to get her to wake up. She didn't leave her mothers side, soon the sun began to set and it became cold. Kaoru shivered and curled up at her mother's side not daring to leave her alone in this place.
She didn't know when they had started, but tears where falling from her eyes. 'Why wasn't Mama waking up?' she curled tighter into the kimono 'Please Mama, Daddy is gonna become worried,' She sniffled again 'You told me not to leave your side, mama please wake up.'
"What have you done?"
Kaoru's breath caught when she heard this voice, it was her uncle. She looked up at him there was something in his eyes was it disgust? Hatred for a child like her? These questions where unfathomable for her.
Toshiya knelt down next to her mother. "She's dead." He said under his breath. He looked at the little girl and grabbed her shoulders and shook her.
"What happened? What did you do!?" He shook her and she started to cry, what did he mean she couldn't remember doing anything. She couldn't have been the cause of this could she?
"Stupid child answer me!" He shouted shaking her more fiercely. Kaoru's only response was a little whimper.
"Toshiya!" A booming voice said somewhere behind the man. "That is enough, my daughter did nothing and, you know it!" Koshijirou grabbed his daughter from the man's grasp, Kaoru buried her face into the crook of his neck. Tears kept falling, she was so confused, and why wasn't Mama waking up? Why did Uncle Toshiya ask her what she did? What did she do? It was too much for her, she felt so lost.
"What will you do now? Your dojo's technique will never be able to survive, you can't protect everyone. Father will forgive you if you just admit you are wrong." Toshiya said to him suddenly.
"This is not the time or place to discuss this; and there will never be a time for me to ask for penance to a man who is dead to me." Koshijirou said his voice dark, making Kaoru tremble even more.
"Think of what you are saying! Do you know the kind of enemy you are creating?" Toshiya yelled as Koshijirou carried his daughter away.
He stopped but did not turn to face Toshiya, "I accept my fate, as should you." Kaoru looked up at her father to see the grief in his eyes, it was something she never wanted to see from the man.
"I'm sorry daddy." Kaoru whispered clinging to her father, she didn't know what was happening, she had no idea that this conversation would be the beginning of the destruction of this child's family.
END FLASHBACK
"Hiko how much of this do you know?" Kaoru asked wondering what the Hiten Mitsurugi master knew.
"I know most of it..."
"So I guess it is true that you keep close tab's on your friends?" Kaoru smirked realizing the stories her father had told her were true.
"I thought you said that Kamiya Koshijirou was your student?"
"I did not train him in the art of swordsmanship, just the principles that his ancestors hoped his generation would learn." Hiko took a sip from his sake gourd "I thought you would have figured this out by now. If I had trained him do you think that either one of us would be alive? You my little idiot are the only person to ever defeat his master and not kill him, If I had trained Koshijirou Kamiya one of us would be dead right now and neither of you would be standing here."
Kenshin opened his mouth, but Kaoru interrupted. "Anyway... That wasn't the last time I would see Toshiya. There is one more piece to the story..."
FLASHBACK
June 3rd 1865
Years have rolled by since Kaoru's mother passed away, she was now 14 and recently dubbed the adjutant master of Kamiya Kasshin. June had rolled upon the Kamiya Dojo once again. A warm summer day, one that you would normally find people bounding around joyously could not be found here.
Tae and the Sekihara family had visited the young Kaoru with birthday tidings and a free meal from the Akabeko to celebrate this special occasion that was her birthday.
"Thank you for everything Tae but I will be fine, I have stayed in the dojo alone this long I promise you that I can handle it tonight." Kaoru assured her friend as she watched her walk away back towards her warm home and family. She smiled, happy that her friend was kind enough to offer the lone kendo instructor refuge in her home.
As soon as Kaoru closed the dojo gate, she slid to the dusty ground sighing sadly. It had been almost exactly a year since her father had left for the war. She had received a letter that morning wishing her a happy birthday. She pulled the letter from the sleeve of her kimono and read it to herself again, she words giving her comfort that he would soon return.
Dearest Hime-chan
How are things at the dojo? Are you teaching those little boys a thing or two? I miss you deeply. You must have grown so much since I have been gone! They gave me my release papers the other day, I am to come home soon! I can't wait, though I believe in what we are here to do, it doesn't change the fact that I would rather be home, with you and the other students. But enough about that stuff! I am writing to wish you a happy birthday! You didn't think I would forget did you? My dear little Kaoru I thought you knew me better than that. I even got you something, go look in my in the bottom drawer there is something for you there!
Love always
-Dad.
Of course the first thing you would think Kaoru to do was run into her fathers room and tear his dresser apart to see what he had gotten her. But Kaoru didn't, she promised herself that she would open it that night, after the sun had set. It was a tradition that she would keep.
Kaoru stood up from the gate when it almost instantly opened a shadowed figure stood there in the mid-afternoon light.
"Where is my hypocritical brother?" The figure demanded upon entering.
"Toshiya." The girl breathed remembering that voice, it still haunted her to this day.
"Answer me girl where is he?"
"My father, is serving in the war, which you would have known if you and the rest of your family hadn't abandoned us." Kaoru said haughtily, she had no love for her father's family, to her they were cruel people who did nothing more than abused power.
"Abandon you? Your father abandoned us when he married that woman who corrupted his morals!"
Kaoru clenched her fists it was one thing to talk about her father when he was away at war, but to talk about her dead mother? She wasn't about to stand for it.
"My mother did no such thing, I think you know as well as I do that it was your mother who actually gave my father some morals." Kaoru got an evil glint in her eye "Obviously you had your head to far up your ass to pay attention when she tried to teach you." she said it under her breath but the man heard her nonetheless.
"Just because my mother encouraged him to live by his thoughts, does not mean she corrupted him. If there is any corrupt person her it is you sir. You with your twisted ideals of oppressing those weaker than you, don't you dare think I am so much a child that I don't know what happenings occur in your families lives. I can only thank Kami that I have no part of it!" Kaoru's face had turned an interesting shade of pink as she became more and more furious. When pushed, this fifteen-year-old can seem three times her age.
"Then you are weak child, and naive by the sounds of it." The man glared at her, his presence seemed to fill the entire dojo. "You have no idea what I stand for child, maybe if you were to spend time with your family you would know-"
"I would never degrade my morals so low as to follow their crooked path." Kaoru wasn't about to back away from her father's teachings, not now, not ever.
"Why you insolent little-"
"Excuse me?" Interrupted a deep voice from the gate, "Kamiya Kaoru?"
"Yes," Kaoru sidestepped away from Toshiya, glad to get away from the confrintation "I am Kamiya Kaoru."
"I'm sorry ma'am but I bring news of your father..." The man didn't have to finish his sentence she knew what would follow, it's what anyone who's loved one went to fight dreaded to hear. "...Miss Kamiya? Did you hear me, I said that your father Kamiya Koshijirou has passed away, he's dead ma'am."
Kaoru's face was blank, it was like reliving her mother's death over again, except this time her father wasn't there to comfort her. He was the one who death had called upon this time. The messenger said something else but she didn't care, there wasn't anything to care about anymore.
"Th-thank you sir..." Kaoru finally said her voice sounded broken and distant, she closed the gate behind him. She turned to face the last person she wanted to see at that moment.
"Dead is he?" Toshiya said sounding unnerved by the information.
"Why did you call upon my father?" Kaoru asked her whole body trembling, "And don't you lie to me, I want to know what would bring you to go against your family's little excommunication, and to my front door?"
"A promise, one that obviously won't be seen now." Toshiya said looking down at the broken girl in front of him.
"What kind of promise?" Kaoru said looking the man straight in the eye daring him to deny her.
"It doesn't matter, it was only a small promise one I didn't expect to be kept in the first place. I see that I have over stayed my welcome, I will leave you to grieve now child." Toshiya turned to leave but just as he opened the gate he had one last thing to say, "Don't be so quick to judge others, just because you know your family don't assume you know me."
And with that Kamiya Toshiya left, Kaoru stared at the closed gate dazed, her family, her means of existence was gone, and there was no way of resurrecting them. Her uncle left her with more questions than answers once again. Kaoru turned to look at the dojo, it seemed so much bigger now. The breeze picked up blowing something onto her stomach, she looked down expecting to find a stray leaf, but noticed it was the letter she had received from her father that morning. Fate was a cruel puppeteer and she seemed to favor pulling on Kaoru's strings on this day.
Kaoru looked up to see the setting sun. 'Are you trying to tell me something?' She wondered as she silently made her way to her father's room. It brought back so many memories. 'But those are just memories, they aren't going to bring anyone back...' a low rumble was heard in the distance as a storm made itself present off in the distance. Kaoru shivered at the sound, before she bent to her knees and opened the bottom drawer of her father's dresser. Inside she found another letter on top of a package.
Hime-chan
It's your fourteenth birthday, I am so proud of you, I know I am not here in person to tell you this and I know a letter doesn't make up for it so a million apologies my dear. Happy Birthday Kaoru, I know this isn't your favorite day, and with reason. But it is still your day. The gift, I know you are dying to open it. But I want to tell you first, the small gift within the bigger one, it was your mothers, and now I think you are ready for it to be yours. You will be a fine woman someday my hime-chan, and not that you need telling but I will always love you, no matter what, that will never change. Happy Birthday, my dearest Kaoru.
-Dad
Kaoru's throat was dry, the letter sent chills up and down her spine as she read it. Her hands were shaking as she grabbed the package in anticipation for what it held. It was her father's final gift; no matter what it was she would cherish it forever.
Kaoru carefully untied the package, as the brown paper fell away to reveal a silk indigo ribbon wrapped around a small leather bound book. She opened the book but looked down when something small fell into her lap making the girl gasp.
"Oh my-" She stared at it, a small silver ring engraved with small knots twisted around the ring in a never ending circle. Kaoru knew this ring, she had heard her father speak of it, it was the ring he had given her mother when he professed his love to her.
The full weight of it all hit her in that moment. She was alone, her father and mother were both dead. All that was left were these relics. She was abandoned by the only family she had left. Not to mention she now was the singular owner of a large dojo, and she was barely fifteen.
END FLASHBACK
A silence fell over the mountain again as Kaoru finished her story. Whatever Kenshin had expected of her childhood, this certainly wasn't it. When he first met her he would have thought her life before him, was filled with nothing but happiness, laughter and joy. Her innocent eyes had certainly deceived him, and let him settle into a very comfortable lie.
"Excuse me..." Kaoru said suddenly walking away quickly.
Kenshin stood to follow her.
"I don't think so..." Hiko grabbed him by the collar of his gi and pulled the poor rurouni back. "Leave her be, you know very well that you would want to be left alone if it were you."
Kenshin nodded somberly, and stared off in the direction that she had left, he really didn't like the fact that she was all alone, and it was starting to get dark.
"She told you some things that will be quite useful, what are you going to do with your new knowledge?" Hiko asked quirking an eyebrow as he watched his apprentices response.
Kenshin looked at his master for a moment before it dawned on him what Hiko had meant. "I have an idea..."
To be continued...
A/N: EEE!!! Hey Spring of Trivia is on tonight!!! and only two more days until RK is on D (I'm just a tad bit hyper)
I would just like to say that this has to be the hardest time I have had on writing a chapter for this story yet... but now that this chapter is done the real fun is about to begin mwahahahahahahaha!!!
Until next time ::Waves::