Usual disclaimer, Rurouni Kenshin is the creation of Nobuhiro Watsuki, with the manga and anime rights belonging to Jump Comics and Sony Entertainment, respectively. FF is non-profit, meant for entertainment only and can be archived anywhere, just let me know where. Please send no flames, I'm sensitive. For all other commentsyou may contact me through this website or my own.
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In the Moonlight . . .
There was no way around it. "We have to go. I'll tell you what happened when we're a safe distance away," he explained, grabbing most of their bags off the floor before kicking the last one at Yahiko. "Let's go," he ordered, leading the way off the road and further into the forest as the voices of the crowd behind them grew ever quieter with the distance, walking silently for a long time until they came to a small clearing somewhere in the middle of nowhere, properly covered by lush green trees almost black in the dead of night—long breaths of relief and a distant worry, causing Sano to have a look around the wooded area before signaling to them to have a seat. "We should be safe here for the time being." He said. Rubbing his face with his palms, as the other two glanced at him. Quiet only for so long, he knew, before one of them opened their mouth.
"We'll have to wait around till dawn before we head off to the docks, otherwise we'll just get lost." He explained, watching Kaoru frown as he guessed, her next thought.
"I don't understand, Sano, why are they after us?"
"Because of what happened," He murmured. "This whole thing . . . Fuck," he thought. This whole thing had been a fucking trap. "You can't understand. I know unless I tell you the story."
"So tell us already," Yahiko barked, glancing back suddenly as something like a branch snapped in the distance. Eyes full of worry as they all sat quietly a moment, waiting with abated breath for something that never came.
"Probably just an animal," Kaoru murmured; looking slightly worried as she glanced around them.
"Probably," Sano agreed, watching Yahiko look nervously around them before glancing at him.
"Are you gonna tell us?"
"Yeah, you little runt I'm going to tell you." He snapped, looking slightly affectionate at the youth before shaking his head, wondering ever briefly where Kenshin was before shaking his head. "Over four hundred years ago . . ."
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A soldier approached the river, eyes unreadable as he gazed into the water, wondering for the millionth time, if what he'd seen when he was a youth could have any glimmer of truth beyond his wishful thinking and reminiscent hope . . .
He had been too young to understand what'd felt but even then he had known, it was something like fate when he had looked upon her countenance and had his heart come short of stopping as she wiped away his tears and held him, he had thought of nothing but staying this way forever.
But then the sun had begun to set and she's had to leave, he remembered as he came awake when she'd begun to disentangle herself from his desperate grip.
"Please don't go," he had whispered, watching her with tearful eyes as she paused by the river's edge. Quiet for a long time, it had seemed until she turned to look at him once more, long white-robes moving with the wind as she turned back to him. Dark blue eyes as deep the oceans bottom, when she had touched his face, the ever present smell of flowers suffusing his senses as he had breathed in the smell of her dark hair.
"You are so young now, my love. And you can't possibly understand. But the hand of fate has weaved a web for us that I myself could never break."
"I don't understand."
"I know," she'd whispered, stroking his long hair wistfully before skimming fingers caressed a cheek. "I have to go," she had said. "It wasn't time for us to meet. But I . . . I was curious, to meet my savior. I have dreamed of you for a long time." She had whispered, releasing him from her arms as she stood back. "The sun is setting and I have to go."
"No . . ." He had argued, running to her side and immediately clinging to her thighs. "Please, don't leave me. I have no one. I - isn't there anything I could do. Can't you take me with you?"
"No," she had whispered, blinking tears back as she had wiped his away. "You have to wait, I'm afraid for years before we meet again."
"But why?" He had cried as tears brimmed her eyes. "Why can't I go with you now?"
"Because . . . Fate would strike me down before I could even get in the water with you."
"I don't understand."
"I know," she had whispered. "You will you just have to trust me. I will come again . . ." She had murmured, kissing his cheek affectionately as sleep had suddenly overcome him. "You need to live in the world of men, do as fate has intended for you before we meet again." She had said, as his eyes had begun to close. "It will only be a while longer," she had promised, as he had blinked, ever slowly, she had waded into the water and disappeared.
When he awoke, it had been dark, nothing of his surrounding showing there had ever been anyone around as he had raised his head, shaking the last cobwebs of sleeps, as he had come to the sad realization that it all had probably just been a dream before heading away from the river and back to his home . . .
It had taken him years after that day, to completely forget her, forget the dream and hollow promise she had bade him as he had slept.
But even then, as he grew and aged, became a soldier and even feared among the world of men, he had never been able to look at water without thinking of some nonsense to do with the echoes of that dream before he quickly put it out of his head.
Focused on the inevitable war that had come and with the times and ever present danger, the whispers of invasion had cast him away from his camp. Tired of the same fearful talk of death, he wasn't afraid of like the others. Death was death, he had thought, and as inevitable for everyone as the season, was for bringing change.
It was a coincidence that while deep in thought, his steps had brought him back to the one place, he had stayed away from for over two decades now, he thought as he gazed out into the water, mesmerized the mid-day sun, shining off the resplendent water. The sound of approaching men, made him turn. Dark eyes narrowed, as they showed themselves to be from his camp.
"Oi! Toshio-sama? What are you doing out here by yourself?" Someone asked, slanted black eyes narrowed as his companion, Tokuma Shoten, poked him in the ribs.
"He's got a girl," he cajoled, drawing his companions eyes to a woman with long white-robes standing by the rivers edge.
"My-my," Shoten breathed, "What a beauty."
And even as he gazed at her, Toshio could not believe she had come this close to them without him hearing her. She was so small and fragile looking, he felt a sliver of fear travel through him, at the way Shoten and his friend were looking at her.
"Is she a priestess or something?" Shoten asked, eyes never leaving hers until she frowned. "She's not from town." He commented as his companion started forward. "Wait, Tatsu no," he breathed as Toshio drew out his sword, moving in front of the unknown woman with a protective-possessiveness, gleaming from his eyes.
"Stay away from her," he ordered, showing clear intent to kill if they so much as neared her.
"She looks like Mia . . ." Tatsu, murmured, as Shoten pulled him back by the arm. "She looks like that brothel girl, he used to hang around with, remember."
"That's right," Shoten agreed, "Whatever happened to her?"
"She ran away with someone from Chouku," he murmured, eyes gleaming maliciously at the guilty expression Toshio had tossed his woman.
"So is this Mia, all grown up?" Shoten asked, "Are you gonna share her when you're done."
"No."
"To which part, Toshio-sama, my cousin's in the woods with his friends and I only need to call him." Shoten murmured, watching the woman behind Toshio, shake her head slightly before turning her back towards them.
"Oi," Tatsu called, starting forward again as the woman waded into the water. "She's going to get away," he murmured as they glanced at her swimming away.
Shoten hit Toshio on the side of the head giving Tatsu enough time to jump into the water after her as Toshio swayed back with the unexpected blow, dizzyingly shaking himself out of it, as fearful scream cut across the wooded area.
A flash of pain cutting along his senses as Shoten stabbed him in the back, laughingly stepping away from him as Toshio fell to his knees. "Not the best soldier after all, ne Toshio-sama. Not so mighty when your woman's watching, are you?" he murmured, turning just in time to see the blow that would have taken off his head. "Che," he breathed, gulping back his fright as he wiped away a gash off blood off his face, running away far enough that he wouldn't follow when his woman screamed again.
Toshio ran into the water, struggling against the current and his heavy armor as he swam fiercely to catch up to Tatsu, long arms encased in leather only making it that much harder for him to reach her as the sun began to set.
She screamed again, struggling in the water, against Tatsu who'd managed to grab hold of her long enough to distract himself with her robe, trying to rip it open when Toshio reached for him, pulling on his shoulder's hard enough to break his collar bone if not for the heavy armor, shouting for her to get away, as he struggled against Tatsu's blade, eyes dark beneath a wash of pain as he managed to stab him.
Ever conscious of her fear, as he pushed away from him, struggling to remain awake long enough to save her, as he shook his head, drawing out a small blade from his belt as Tatsu lanced himself against the current, blade coming centimeters from his face as he imbedded his knife deep into Tatsu's stomach before twisting the blade, making sure he would not survive before pushing him off. Watching the water stain red around him before trying to swim across, eyes distantly focused on a little island he swore did not look like the other river's edge.
Pelting rain and blood as he managed to crawl ashore—dying, on a spring of white-flowers, he had never smelled before; confused as he looked up, eyes clouded by a wash of pain and ever slowly fading strength, as the river maiden approached him, for a moment merely gazing down at him before gently touching his brows and cheeks and mouth.
Seemingly fascinated by his features before signing deeply, shining a grateful smile down on him before picking up one of the newly blood soaked flowers, eyes ever a dark blue as she kissed it before lightly resting it on his chest. And with in a moment's breath, brining him back to life.
As he watched her, eyes closing and body curling to give him warmth, he felt his heart expand with new devotion. As he pledged to her then and there, that he would forever protect her from any harm . . . She smiled, as brilliant as the sun, holding him protectively before she ever spoke his name or he realized, just who it was he'd saved.
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"Now, this is where it gets complicated. When she healed him, she gave up her immortality. And soon, after he realized who it was he'd saved. She tried to explain to him the problem of her death. Which after so long would soon be inevitable. He was devastated, of course. After so many years of waiting and to finally have her at his side, he could not bare the thought of her leaving him. He loved her and would not let her go.
And so she told him, that as long as his love was so, and the white-red orchids he had soaked remained on land or near the river's shore, she would reincarnate many lives.
The problem started, fifty years after her first death, when he could no longer await for her return and he swam across the span, returning to the land that had once given him birth and searching out the river maiden for himself. He was sure that after so long, she had to have been reborn. His problem was, after so many years away from others and only her as an example, he had become far too trusting."
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The land had not changed much in his absence though there were a few more houses here and there and the market place did seem to have gotten bigger, he thought. As he came to a stop, watching some kids run by him, faces bright and laughing.
He sighed, something like bitter regret at the memory of her revealing she could never bare him any children. 'A river maiden never dies my love. It was never intended for us to known that fate.'
'But because of me—'
'Because of you I know love.'
And that had been enough to loosen the passing feeling of regret, he knew, as long as he had her, he would never want for anything else. Children or no children, he loved her more than anyone being could ever love another.
Its why, her absence was slowly killing him. He had to find her and take her back with him. He could not live in peace knowing she was somewhere on the island, a short swim away from him and so, so very close he could smell her hair, he thought, turning with the passing of a running child. Whose tears stained the earth dark, her long dark hair, swinging behind him as she lost herself in the crowd.
His instincts honing in on her like a predator trailing prey—he followed her at a distance, watching her maneuver through the crowd like she was trying loose him and that, he could not understand.
"Can I help you," an old man asked, blocking his path as she continued to run away.
"Do you know where she's going?" He asked, pointing at her long dark hair disappearing at a distance.
"Home, I would guess."
"She was crying."
"Oh, that happens a lot. She's a strange child and the other kids don't like to play with her at all. They think she can see things to come."
"Like a sightseer."
"What a strange word," the old man remarked, "You talk like my father," he replied, watching his attire with a strange look on his face. "My father has armor like that," he said slowly. "Where did you acquire yours?"
"This is mine, old man. Do you know where she lives?"
"Sure," the old man remarked, eyes slightly narrowed. "You know," he said. "When I was young, there was this old man, a few houses away from mine, who whore that same armor. He liked to warn the boys not to go near the river's edged. He swore it was haunted by a woman who drew men to their death."
"What?"
"His best friend Tatsu—"
"I see," Toshio replied, momentarily distracted by the old man. "Did he put you up to this?"
"What?"
"Because I don't think this funny," he murmured. "He and Tatsu nearly killed her." he spat, becoming angry again with just the memory of what happened. "If I hadn't jumped in after her . . ." He couldn't even finish. "You tell him to stay away from me or I'll cut more than just his face this time." He warned. Fisting his hands at his sides as the old man's jaw worked convulsively.
"You're . . . her guardian?"
"Among other things, old man, are you going to tell me where she lives?"
"Yes, of course," the old man whispered, turning his back on Toshio and leading the way, murmuring I can't believe this, under his breath as they drew ever near—a serious expression on both their face, as they cast sight of the little girl crying outside her house.
"Asami," he whispered, watching her as she stopped for a second, breath hitching in her throat as something like recognition crossed her features.
"I - I know you," she whispered, eyes wide as he picked her up.
"You don't remember," he asked, carefully pushing back a strand of her hair as the old man watched with keen eyes.
"I- its hazy," she whispered, hiding in the crook of his arm as he rubbed her back.
"Why are you crying?"
"Because . . . I - I told them what I saw. And now they think I'm weird."
"What did you see my love?"
"The village . . . This village is going to burn to the ground," she whispered pulling far enough away that he could see her heart shaped face, the glimmer of blue in her eyes as well as small rose like birth mark just behind an ear. "They're going to do something bad. Something they shouldn't do and that's going to set of a . . . A chain of events, that will be hard to stop." She sighed, casting her arms around his neck, as she looked at the old man. "They're going to try and cut the flowers."
"But then you'll never be reborn."
"I know," she whispered, dark blue eyes, steady on the old man as he seemed to piece things in his head.
"I'm not going to let that happen."
"I know," she sighed, extending a long look at the mid-day sun as someone came out of her house.
"What are you doing?" A woman screeched. "Sakuya get in the house."
"She doesn't love," she whispered to him. "She beats me and calls me her worst mistake."
"Why you ungrateful little bitch," the woman sneered, taking off her sandal with her intent only too clear. "Give her to me," she commanded, stretching her arms to take her, when he backed away.
"Asami's not really yours," he whispered. "She's the river maiden. And I have to take her back."
"What kind of nonsense are you sprouting . . . River Maiden, please. They're all just fairy tales in her head. Give her to me."
"No." He whispered, holding her protectively in his arms as the woman shook her head, dismayed it seemed at his refusal. "You don't even want her. Why are you being so insistent?"
"That is none of your concern. Hishashi, are you just going to stand there while he steals my daughter."
"I think, you should let him take her." he responded, moving away from the pair, with something like doubt, shadowing his eyes. "She was never like the other children. Masako, she has always been strange."
"That doesn't mean, she's anything special," she screamed, finally garnering her neighbor's attention, as Asami tightened her hold.
"Let's go." She whispered, as her mother turned a very bright red.
"You bring backher back," She screeched, "She's my daughter! You thief! She's mine!"
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"They followed him all the way to the water, where to their dismay, she turned into an older version of herself the moment her foot touched the water." Sano murmured, watching their awed faces, for a moment before shrugging.
"The old man repeated his story enough times to make the others afraid. But it was a long time before they ever saw him again."
"But the flowers," Kaoru interrupted, pointing to her surroundings to show the lack their off. "When did they do this?"
"That was like two hundred years ago," Sano recalled, frowning a moment as he tried to repeat things as they'd been told to him. "It seems that he came ashore and found some drunks cutting off all the flowers on the hill. They were too drunk to have known better . . ."
"But he killed them anyways," Yahiko murmured, shaking his head as he let out a deep sigh.
"They found only women could cut the flowers. Because as children they could be excused, they loved to make flower crowns and any older—he could never hurt any of them, simply because he could never run the risk of accidentally hurting Asami."
"The year, he came into town again, they were in the middle of civil war, both sides had build forts to watch the other, but when they saw him, donned in ancient armor and long unbound hair, they tried to kill." Sano recalled, watching the darkness in the sky begin to lighten ever so.
"He was a bloody mess when one of the women ran out of the fort, crying that they leave him alone, that he had never done anything to them, when one of the soldiers, pushed her away. Forcing her watch to them as they beat him over and over again, as a deep cut across her temple soaked her robes. Eyes shimmering with such hatred, she cursed them. He was immortal and they could beat on him all they liked but they weren't going to kill him. They would only make him stronger and that much faster, she told them as somebody slapped her across the face. She stopped crying all together. From here on, she whispered. Anyone of your women to cut a flower will immediately fall ill and meet her end."
"Did they kill her?"
"Aa," Sano whispered, looking away from Kaoru as a few tears brimmed her eyes. "He was immortal, as she had said and when she died he killed every one of the men on that field. That's when they began to build those large walls we saw as we came in. They build something like a large city behind those walls. They keep the women inside while the men keep watch. Once they're old enough they're allowed to live outside the fort.
"But the flowers," Kaoru insisted, "How did they cut all the flowers after she cursed them."
"None of the people who heard her curse them made it out alive Jou-chan, it was only after years of cutting them and watching their women die that they figured some sort of curse must have to be on them . . . That's when they started brining in outside, people."
"So that guy," Yahiko interrupted, "Dr. Genzai's friend or whatever, he lied so we could come here. Not cause of Kenshin but . . . Cause of Kaoru."
"I think so," he murmured, watching Kaoru as she took it all in. Eyes cast wide in disbelief, as she tried to comprehend. "There's only one flower left on the whole island Jou-chan."
"And they want me to cut it."
"Are they serious?" Yahiko whispered. "She's not gonna cut any fucking flower for them."
"Yahiko," Sano snapped. "Watch your fucking language you little runt."
"Stop it," she commanded. "You're both such idiots." She murmured, shaking her in disbelief at what was supposed to be a vacation. "I can't believe this Sano. I mean are they really going to do this because of superstition."
"I don't think its superstition, Jou-chan."
"You believe them?"
"There's no fucking flowers, Jou-chan. They've build themselves a city, to keep him out."
"Even so . . . I mean, why can't they just give him what he wants. He came in peace the first time right. He wouldn't do anything if they didn't provoke him."
"Jou-chan," Sano sighed. "Would you really give up your kid if he just strolled up to you and told she was his? No, right."
"But . . ." He was right and for the time being she couldn't think of anything other than— "There's no chance she's actually in there, right?"
He didn't know. Actually he hadn't thought to ask but if she was then shit. It was more than just Kenshin they would have to worry about.
"Sano?"
"I don't know Jou-chan. I didn't ask."
"Still, these people," Kaoru asked. "They wouldn't hurt Kenshin would they?"
"They could try? I really don't think they'll get the chance, especially if Kenshin finds out what they're trying to do." He murmured, eyes turning towards the sky as it darkened rather then lightened. "What the . . . Fuck," he cursed, as the sound of dogs drew near them. He leapt from his spot, hauling Kaoru to her feet with the next movement before pushing her away. "Run," he told her, "We'll be right behind you."
"No, Sano please . . ."
"Run," he hissed, as he grabbed Yahiko by the hand. "Stay with her," he told him as he pushed him in her direction. "I'll try to hold them off, just head for the docks." he told them before disappearing into the woods.
Kaoru swallowing back a sob as Yahiko grabbed her hand. "It'll be all right. I know." She murmured, giving his hand a squeeze before heading deeper into the dark.
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In the dim light, eyes a stark purple shimmered a pale shade as he looked around their rooms, bare of all their things and its habitants, as he shook his head. Bemused above everything else, of why they shouldn't be right where he left them.
He hadn't being gone that long, he thought, he had only stepped out a moment to look around the town, to see that they'd be all right when the ship didn't come in the morning as scheduled but until the day after next.
But now, what was he too think, when every where he looked he found signs of them having to leave in a hurry. When he could see multiple steps in the dirt and know there'd been a crowd. Kaoru was in a kimono or night clothes mostly and she couldn't run very far in that. If they had needed to run, she would be the first to slow them down. They were bound to catch up to them and without him knowing why this town kept their women locked away; there was no way from to know she'd be safe.
"Kaoru," he thought, eyes glinting a dangerous shade as he followed the mass's footsteps. Catching the scent of the use of dogs as he disappeared further into the mountains. Knowing, if anything happened her, he would make them rue the day they were ever born. Because even at his most peaceful state, the one thought he could never bear was of anything happening to her.
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It's short, I know but they're introductory chapters. I do hope you will forgive me. But this is the last bump in the road, from here on out, it's all green pastures and open plains, if you know what I mean. And I think you do.
You will see Small Notes and Authors Notes only in the following chapters were things actually begin to get complicated.
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I thanks for reading, please, don't forget to review