Oh, this chap has some stuff from Tomo's point of view… and to the last reviewer, I don't think the story's headed where you're thinking. Kenko is Kenshin, and I'm not sure if I'll go past the revolution (depends if I kill tomo or not) – ooh, btw, I need imput for that scene. Should I follow the manga scenario (where kenshin gets pissed off as all hell, and doesn't know about kiyosato (and it IS kiyosato, sorry – I bought the manga books 18-21, so now I know the kanji for it…)). Or the OVA scenario where iizuka (spelt with a 'tsu' with tenten to make the 'zu' sound, that's uncommon) comes and tells kenshin that tomoe's the traitor, and reads the diary (so he's in turmoil as he goes through the woods. Also, if I follow that, I'll probably write less… or maybe not) anyway, plz give your thoughts and views in a review, or something…
Chi no Ame ga Tekika Suru – A Rain of Blood Trickles Down
Getting outside, the young man glanced at the dark clouds that were bleeding out the rain. Although he was now away from the noise and the mugginess of the bar, the feeling of numbness and melancholy remained with him. Once again he had drunken too much. Placing his lone katana into his belt and adjusting his uwagi, he stepped out into the gloom. Seeing some old men standing under a shelter nearby, he walked over to them.
"Excuse me, but have you seen a woman with red hair go past?" he asked slowly, shielding his eyes from the rain.
"Oh… she came past a minute ago," One with a moustache answered, "But I'd hurry if I were you…"
"Huh, why?" He frowned slightly, carefully shifting his weight to keep balance.
"She headed in the direction where some screams came from," The older man looked him in the eye. "That demon must be out tonight…"
"Demon?" The young man's face grew dark. "You mean…" He was cut of by noises ringing out in the night air. It was the clashing of swords. Setting his face hard, he turned away from the older men and wandered into the darkness. Above him, the heavens tore apart, its blood drenching the already stained city.
The before-mentioned demon dodged each attack that the masked ninja threw at it, but was not comfortable about how close each attack was. Mentally it cursed its choice of going out in a kimono and geta, painfully aware as to how hard they were to move around in. Each movement it made which would normally be the slightest action now took much more effort, wasting precious energy.
Sidestepping the sword that flew towards its side, a wicked glint lighted up in the demon's eye. Changing the grip on its sabre, it allowed the ninja to lunge forward, and leaped to the side at the last moment. Stabbing the sabre into the softening ground, it kicked its legs apart to dislodge its geta and to hitch up the part of the kimono skirt.
As the ninja dodged the flying geta, he watched the demon land on its feet, realising the reason behind the move. The part of the kimono skirt was now more pronounced, part of its bare leg visible. Now, with the demon's legs able to move more freely, they were more evenly matched. A grin appeared behind his mask.
As he wandered down the darkening road, the young man thought he could smell something hanging heavily on the air despite of the rain. Slowing down, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he saw a slumped figure on the ground, a dark puddle coming from under it. Fearing what he might see, he refused to take a better look at it or the other body nearby, fearing he might see the mangled body of the girl he had followed. Hearing noises of the fight close by, he stumbled around the fallen bodies, the numbness now reaching his legs, and moved down the alley to watch the manifestation unfold.
The two figures seemed to be in a deadly dance, one gracefully blocking the attacker's blades, the holder lashing out with raw power. The stage that held them had not escaped their fury, with heavy damage to the latticework of several windows and walls, the ground with skid marks, footprints and crevices carved in. Black eyes wide open, the young man watched as the smaller figure seemed to be moving slightly slower, which in itself was hard to tell – both fighters moved almost too fast for the eye to follow, and the rain and alcohol masked most other things. The one thing he could see was a streak of red following its head. From descriptions he had heard from others, he could only conclude that it was the demon that was so often mentioned.
He had finally found it.
Suddenly, the dance changed in tempo. The larger fighter threw one of its swords in an arc around to the demon while moving in the opposite direction. Reading it as a diversion, it carefully moved near the flying blade to knock it into the ground, turning around to face the oncoming attack. But the ninja flew past the demon and leaped up high to a nearby roof. It was then that it realised that the ninja had looped the chain linking his swords together around its body. Before it could react, the chain tightened harshly, pinning its arms to its sides and crushing its ribcage.
The young man gazed motionlessly at the now stationary figure as it struggled against its bonds. Who he had thought to be the 'demon' was instead the young girl from the bar, kimono dragging in the mud, face distorted with fury and discomfort. Even while she seemed to be getting cut in half by the chain, she was still trying to reach out to the handle of the chain katana in the ground. But she was unable to keep her grip on her own sabre, and her knees seemed to buckle, eyes clenching shut.
Seeing the girl weaken before him, the ninja knew his job was almost done. It had been a hard fight, but he was soon to get his rewards. Breathing hard, he gave the chain one last jerk before he leapt off the roof. It was then that he saw the amber eyes snap open, blazing more intensely than before. In that instant her small hand had whipped out to grab hold of the other sword while surging forward to meet the ninja as he flew towards her. Before he could react, she had brought the blade up into his flight path. The ninja's eyes widened.
The young man felt his legs waver as he watched the girl's arms escape from their bonds and hold the sword steady as the dark ninja's body was cleaved through by his own weapon. As he was cut from head to toe, blood sprayed into the air to mingle with the falling rain, and splattered all over the young man.
Kenko fell to one knee, trying to control her breathing. The fight she had just endured had truly been for her life. Cheek searing with her reopened cut; she mentally assessed her injuries. Despite being impeded with her attire, the only injury she had received was from the chain that had cut mercilessly, which she then proceed to pull away from her waist and neck. Looking ahead she saw the second sword of her attacker lying ahead of her, his blood everywhere. Which meant that some must have also gotten on her. Cursing silently, she was about to rise when a noise behind her made her blood run cold.
The young man saw the girl stiffen as he cautiously moved forward. Ignoring the increasing blurring of his vision, he did not stop until he was two metres away. The girl had finally stood up, and her body seemed to be shaking.
'Someone saw…' she thought hastily, amber eyes wide. 'Someone saw me. No one is allowed to know who I am…' Her shaking hand tightened its grip on the katana as she remembered what she was told to do with witnesses.
Should I…She slowly turned around to face the witness, her eyes setting cold.
… Kill them?
The sight that faced her caused her thoughts to crash to a halt. Sea-green hakama and purple uwagi were covered in blood, and bottomless black eyes stared back at her from a bloody face. It was the man she and Ikumatsu had seen the day before. While she was stilled by his appearance, the young man's soft voice managed to reach her ears.
"They always say… that 'A rain of blood fell' in the tragic scenes of plays. But you… you actually make it happen…" He watched as the sword slowly slid from her hand to the muddy ground, her wide eyes staring.
Moving through the shadows would normally be an easy task for Kenko, but on this wet night she was carrying an unconscious man over her shoulders after having her chest crushed by a chain while wearing a soaked kimono which allowed for little movement. She had also forgotten to retrieve her geta.
'At least he has a slender build,' she thought to herself as she peered around the corner, looking for any late-night wanderers, 'But that still doesn't help much when I allowed myself to be fooled and hurt by such a petty trick. How could I not see that chain looping around me? It was such an obvious attack!'
Eyes flashing angrily, she slowly made her way towards the Kohagi Inn, thinking over the events that had just happened.
She had watched warily as the young man had approached her, saying something about her being hurt, but she had not expected him to tip over. Only just managing to catch him in time, she had then seen the lone katana at his side, which validated her thoughts of him being the man from the street and the bar. Realising that she had hesitated when thinking about silencing him, she had moved the thought from her mind and instead concentrated on what to do next. She couldn't exactly leave him there to wake up and give evidence, so she only had one choice.
Before hoisting him up onto her shoulders, she had studied his face. With his black eyes closed, the face seemed very familiar. The first thought that came into her head was Souma, but something else was also there. Deciding to think it over later, she had lifted him up when something had dropped out of his uwagi's sleeve. Picking it up, she saw it was a perfume bottle, of all things, and the scent of hakubai-ko had invaded her senses, blocking out the stench of the blood that was strewn across the ground.
'Why would a man carry around perfume?' Kenko thought dully as she reached the door of the inn, her breathing still not quite steady. Carefully raising an arm, she racked the door with her knuckles. "Tadaima," she murmured, sliding the door open noiselessly and stepping into the entrance
"Okaeri, Himura-chan – you're back quite early," was the bright reply as Okami came out to greet her. Surprised, she tripped on the step of the doorway as the dead weight of the unconscious man became too much.
Okami was also surprised at the sight that greeted her. Kenko was in a bad state – her breathing was slightly ragged, and the kimono that Ikumatsu had only just bought her was soaked with water, mud, and what appeared to be blood. The obi sash and her sleeves had tears in them where something had seemed to be wrapped around her, and the cut that marked her face was bleeding again. Her hair was matted against her head, and she was also missing her shoes. But the most surprising thing of all was the body that was draped over her shoulders.
"Himura-chan – what are you doing?"
"Oh, uh…" Kenko became flustered as she let the limp body slide off her shoulders and onto the floor, "I was… there was a fight, and, uh… he saw it, and… collapsed and, um…" She held her breath while the landlady regarded the young man's waterlogged body for a long time.
"Are you sure you didn't just get him drunk?" Okami hid a smile as the young girl face-faulted. "This is a respectable inn, not a teahouse. I didn't think I would have to tell you what I usually save for the men."
"O…Okami-san…" The colour of Kenko's face seemed to match her hair, "I… couldn't just leave him there, on the street… could you please just get him a room? I still have to do my assignment for tonight."
The smile slowly came out of hiding. "Mou, there aren't any spare rooms now, since Katsura's due back tomorrow with even more men. You'll have to share. You go change out of those clothes, first – once you've gone, I'll take care of him."
A nerve twitched under Kenko's eye as she tried not to lose her composure. "Aa, I need to get my katana, but… I'll just go as I am… no point getting my other clothes wet…" Okami watched the girl walk away slowly, a dark cloud following her. Once she had disappeared up the stairs, she knelt down to have a better look at the young man, when the noise of someone approaching her filled her ears.
"Ne, Okami-san," Iizuka yawned, coming from the common room, "What's going on out here? I thought I heard the girl's voice, but she's meant to be doing a… job…" he paused as he saw the waterlogged figure gracing the floor before him. "Eh… who's that?"
"Oh, just some stray that Himura-chan found on her journey," Okami muttered as she went to get some towels.
It was a few moments before Iizuka was able to reply. "Nanii! BaImean, Himura brought home a guy!"
"I'd leave now if I were you," Okami's voice floated out to the stunned man, "She's getting her sword now, and I'm not so sure she wants anyone to know of this…"
"Ah…" A sly smile crossed the weasel's face. "I see… Well, then, I'd best be off…"
Sighing heavily, Kenko made her way up the stairs of Kohagi Inn for the second time that night, rubbing her dull eyes. She had spent only a quarter of an hour trying to wash up her clothes and face, but she hadn't been as absorbed in it as usual, as her attention was diverted to the thoughts that had raced around her head. The assignment hadn't been a terribly hard task, though the men had appeared confused when they saw a girl wearing a bloody kimono and holding a sword. But once the target had seen the amber eyes that glared at him, the skinny man seemed ready to beg for his life, and his two bodyguards weren't much better. Also, since she was not keen on Iizuka seeing her in female attire, she had left the scene of bloodshed as quickly as possible.
But although they had arrived on time, perhaps even earlier, the wait had seemed to take forever, and she had been worrying over the young man who lay on the floor in Kohagi Inn. What if he had woken up and left? What if someone like Ikumatsu in the inn had seen him, or even worse, Iizuka? When they had finally appeared, she did as quick a job as she could of them – she also managed to avoid getting any more bloodstains on her kimono. Thinking about it now, she looked down meekly at the ruined attire she wore. Ikumatsu was not going to be happy.
Sliding open the shoji to her room, she saw a dark shape to her left. Looking closer, she saw it was a body lying down on her unused futon, facing the wall. Glad that Okami had had no trouble taking care of him, she walked over to her swords stand to place her weapon there, when she saw another katana in its place. Puzzled, she picked it up and examined at it.
The handle had a gold ribbon wound through the grip, and the scabbard was of the finest ebony. Also, the hilt was superbly crafted, with the image of a dragon imprinted around it, making the weapon seem more of a family heirloom than a tool of murder. Looking back at the sleeping figure on the ground, she figured it was the sword he was carrying before, and must belong to him.
Walking back over, she gently placed the weapon on the floor next to him, then moved back to where her usual clothes lay. Laying her own katana on the windowsill, she undid the cord that lay across the obi and pulled out the top sash. But when she reached to the back of her obi, a sudden blush ran across her face. Glancing back over her shoulder, she eyed the unmoving body.
'Don't be stupid, Himura,' she scolded herself, 'It's not as if he's about to wake up and watch you undress…' However, she still hesitantly undid the large sash and other ties around her waist, and held the outer kimono folds close together as it slid down to her feet.
Once she had removed the rest of the feminine clothes, she grabbed her gi and quickly threw it on, pulling her hakama up just as fast. Tying the knot crudely, she was finally satisfied that she was dressed well enough and sunk to the floor by the pile of books. Leaning against the wall, she took hold of the weapon behind her and rested it against her shoulder, all the while watching the sleeping figure.
He seemed to be in a deep slumber, the futon rising up ever so slightly when he breathed in. Brushing away her loose wet hair that clung to her shoulders, she settled into her usual position for the night, a feeling of envy for the young man in front of her. Only a person who had never killed could sleep so soundly. With her finger she slowly traced the still wet cut that was proof of her sins, and closed her eyes sadly. For a murderer like her, it was an experience she would never again have.
Notes:
… ok, I think this chapter is pretty dodgy, I had to rewrite it several times. First because I forgot that Tomo was drunk, secondly because I forgot to mention he still had his sword with him. Then I forgot about something that happens in the next chapter that has to be set up here first (that is, if anyone is sharp enough to pick it up… Mwahaha… meh, it ain't that big a thing) And I'm sure I've forgotten something else here too… damn… oh well, if anyone sees anything I stuffed up, go ahead and flame me.
Translations:
Geta – black clog-like sandals that women wear
Tadaima – I'm back
Okaeri – welcome back
Nanii – what! (and the 'i' is extended cos he did that in the manga)