Hello! Hello! Hello! I'm so sorry that I'm late! (Bows) Please forgive me! I had a problem with letting me upload my story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters. (sighs)
Thank you so much for all the reviews, I really appreciated them!
A quick note before the story continues:
This will not have as much K/K fluff as there has been in the past chapters because I have to put a lot more plot details into here so...
Onto the story!
Chapter 9:
The spring air danced playfully around the couple and the birds continued their chirping. But the two were dead silent.
Kaoru stared at Kenshin with a blank expression on her dirt covered face.
Kenshin's gaze turned up to her and there was a deep mournful look that was placed in his soft violet eyes. Kaoru couldn't speak. 'What does he mean his mother wrote the prophesy? How could he possibly know?'
Kenshin finally spoke up and intensely looked into her piercing sapphire blue eyes. "My mother was a seer."
Flashback:
A six-year-old boy named 'Shinta' ran into the village house, beaming with excitement. He looked up at his young mother who was making the beds in the cottage's one room.
"Mommy, I just caught this big fish today!" He picked up a fourteen inch fish that he had been dragging in his small hands from the lake that was a half a mile away and he was extremely proud of himself.
The red haired woman squatted down and looked into the joyous face that was beaming with happiness. She gave him a quick smile and looked at his hands.
"That's good Shinta. But you're all dirty! Go clean up!" She scolded and she patted the boy on the head.
He nodded and ran off to the well outside while the woman stood back up and smoothed out her skirt.
"Sakura!" A man's voice called as he strode into the house after passing the small boy.
He had ugly brunette hair that fell at his shoulders and he wore a gaudy purple cloak over his regal brown pants and shirt.
The woman gave him a fierce look. "What do you want, Hoji?"
Hoji smirked and he approached the young woman as he reached for her chin and gently stroked it.
Sakura thrashed herself away and looked like she was about to slap him. "Leave us alone, Hoji! I want a good life for Shinta and myself!"
"I'll leave you alone if you tell me how far you've gotten on writing it! You know what will happen if you don't do as I tell you, don't you?"
Unbeknownst to them, the small child was standing by the side of the house listening in on the conversation. He had a bad feeling about this man and he didn't want to leave his mother along with him! He crept closer to the open door.
"Of course I know what will happen!" She snapped as she went back to setting the beds.
"Then why aren't you working on it, my dear?"
"Don't you think I would if I had the ability to? Shinta means the world to me! Do you think I would sacrifice his life because I didn't want to jot down a few visions? He was the only thing I had left after Ryu died!" Her face turned back to him as angry tears started to sprinkle down her soft face.
"Well, you aren't trying hard enough," Hoji replied as if he was dealing with a small child throwing a tantrum.
She clenched her fists and attempted to stay calm. She whispered, "I'm trying as hard as I can."
"I don't think I believe you and until we get what we want…" He walked outside and Sakura followed him. "I'm taking him!"
"No!" Sakura screamed as Hoji picked up Shinta by the collar or his scruffy shirt.
"Mommy," Shinta whimpered, "What's he doing to me?" His little shoulders began to shake and small tears started to fall from his innocent eyes.
"Don't you dare!" His mother yelled and tried to take Shinta out of his grasp.
But Hoji slapped her and she fell to the ground. He looked at the boy for a few seconds and then finally shoved him back to the ground. Sakura quickly grabbed for Shinta and placed her arms protectively around his small waist.
Hoji slithered closer. Sakura flinched and Hoji sinisterly whispered, "Consider this your warning. I'll be back tomorrow." Hoji stood back up and slowly strutted away from them.
After Hoji was out of sight, Shinta looked up at his mother and innocently asked, "What does he want you to write?"
Sakura, who was already sobbing, completely broke down and hugged him ever tighter.
That night Sakura was stirring some cold soup and Shinta was watching her as he swung his legs from the edge of his bed. She was really edgy and he didn't say anything. He finally sighed and hopped off the bed to sit down at the table.
She poured some soup and he graciously took it. When she sat down there was a long moment of silence and she didn't speak for an extended amount of time, but she finally spoke up. "Shinta, I have to tell you something."
His head went up and he gazed into his mother's green eyes. "What, Mommy?"
"It's about the prophesy," She took a sip of her soup for a second and paused.
Shinta had always heard his mother talking about this prophesy, but he didn't know what it was about. He was only six-years-old and things like this confused him.
She continued, "This prophesy will determine the fate of the country and if bad men like Mr. Hoji and his men get a hold of it, the whole nation will go into chaos."
Shinta gave her a confused look and she sighed. "Shinta, the prophesy is about two people who will save the land of Azuna and Icico. If bad men find out who these people are, they will go out and attempt to kill them so that they can rule the countries."
"But what does that have to do with you?" Shinta asked innocently.
She sighed, "I'm a seer."
"What's that?"
She looked into his naive eyes and sighed.
"A seer is someone who can see into the future and the person who will write out the prophesy."
"But you seem to know so much about the prophesy, why can't you tell Mr. Hoji that?"
She looked into his eyes with great sorrow, "I've told him as much as I know but I don't know who the two saviors are and I can't tell the visions when to come."
"Oh," Shinta whispered. He was still confused, but he knew that this was a serious adult matter and he shouldn't get involved.
When Shinta was asleep and snuggled into his bed later that night he heard a crash in the room and he sat up to see what it was. He rubbed his eyes and saw his mother clutching her head and a glass shattered on the ground.
"Mommy?" He whispered. He was scared because she was whispering something in a venomous tone.
She turned around but she didn't seem to be looking at him. There was a vacant look in her eyes. She suddenly started to whisper:
Lives will be changed and altered. People close will die.
Both queens lie on their deathbeds because of a murder feigning as an illness.
Evil will start to rise in the abyss of the lands, in hiding
Two young people connected by the threads of time, will see an opportunity and runaway; only to come face to face with it again when their counties are on the verge of chaos.
They will both have noble upbringings but neither will know the truth
As they walk together they will realize of the danger and seek friends
They will fight beasts of fire and ice with skill great skill
But the true gift lies within.
The girl and the boy will return to their countries and fight.
But the outcome of the battle is up to them.
The boy's name will appear to be the heart of the sword, but his true name will be Shinta
The girl's name…
Shinta's eyes were wide and he wanted to cry. His mother was shouting in a tone that he wasn't used to. But she cut off. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell to the floor.
"Mommy!" He screamed and he ran up to her. He put her head in his small lap and tried to revive her.
Her eyes slowly opened, but they weren't the gentle ones he was used to. They were filled with fear.
"Shinta," She croaked. "You have to go away."
"But I don't want to go away, Mommy!"
"Shinta, it's all in the prophesy! You have to go!"
"Why do you have to tell people, Mommy? Why can't I stay here? I promise I won't tell!" he whimpered.
"Because it is a command from the gods and if I don't, you and I will both die a horrible death! You have to get out of here, Shinta! You're one of the ones to save to the country and Hoji will kill you as soon as he finds out!" She screamed.
Her eyes were blood shoot, her hair was in extreme disarray, and her face was paler than normal.
She looked like a mad woman.
Shinta slowly nodded and his mother gripped his right hand and yanked him out of the house in the pitch black night.
She snuck around houses, making sure that people wouldn't see or hear her.
Whenever the boy would make a sound, she turned around and glared sharply at him. So he stayed silent.
When they had been walking for hours they reached a big city and Shinta's feet were bleeding because he was bear-foot. Tears clung to his grimy face and his knees were scraped from tripping when his mother had walked too fast.
This wasn't like her! What was she doing?
They reached a dark busy street where homeless people lined the buildings. An unbearable stench came and more tears started to fall as he put his left hand over his nose. He couldn't tell what the odor was and he really didn't want to know.
His mother looked side to side and came to a halt. She crouched down and looked the small child in the eyes.
"Shinta, you are to stay here! Don't try to find your way back home! I'm leaving you here!"
"But Mommy…"
"No 'buts'! You are in grave danger and I couldn't bear it if you got hurt!"
"Mommy!"
He was weeping so hard that the front of his dirty shirt was drenched in sweat and tears.
"I can't do anything, Shinta! If they see me with you, you'll be in danger! Be safe, Shinta!" She kissed him on the cheek. She stood up, looked around, and started to run away.
He tried to follow her, but he tripped on a drunken man who was sleeping on the ground in front of him. When he finally got up, he looked around and his mother was gone.
He searched frantically, but he couldn't find her. She was the only thing that he had ever had and she abandoned him! His father had died when he was two and there was no one there for him! He started to shake and he sunk back to the ground.
He was all alone.
(End of flashback)
Kaoru's eyes were streaming with tears that wouldn't stop. How could someone do that to a child? How could someone abandon a child and put it in the streets?
Kenshin was glaring into the distance after he finished the story and was filled with an obviously loathing for this woman and the prophesy.
Kaoru murmured through tears, "Th-then what happened?"
"My adoptive parents found me and adopted me," He said coolly. "I really don't want to talk about it."
He avoided her eyes and she sobbed even more. She put her arms around his shoulders and clung to him.
His mother couldn't protect him from this cruel world.
But maybe she could bring back his innocence.
I hope you liked it! I know Kenshin's past is a bit confusing but it will all clear up later!
I know that Kenshin wouldn't be at all safe on the streets by himself, but you will find out why his mother did that in the next chapter!
Now... onto the anonymous review section:
Summer star: Thank you so much! You're such a loyal reviewer! I hope this will help you get over the cliff-hanger! I'm also glad that you like Hiko! I'll be writing a lot more of him in the future... Maybe even a bit in the next chapter...
Anonymous but very interested: - I have to say that I always look forward to your reviews because you tell me what you liked and what you didn't like. It really helps me! Thank you so much! I know that it was a bit sudden and I was going to drag it out a little longer, but if I did the chapters in between it would just be filler fluff and I don't think it would have been to the best of my ability... But I do agree with you! If you have a busy schedule I understand, but if you do have some free time, I would really appreciate some of your comments and suggestions!
Okay, that's it for the anonymous section! I do have a quick request to all of the readers now. I would really appreciate it if I reached fifty reviews for the next chapter! I don't need it, but it would be nice!
Thank you for reading this far and please review!
-rm/bo