Disclaimer 2: Any other fictional characters © Eileen Setiawan and other aliases she assumes (H-san, hina-chan, etc)
Disclaimer 3: I do not endorse this product as official. This will not be used for profit or in any way derogatory to the series. This is only for the sole purposes of killing time and boredom (and study time).
Author's Note: Here's chapter 2! Yay! As you can tell I have kept the "Prologue" in, yet changed the title so that the actual word is not there. This is because, when reading the manga, I have noticed that Watsuki-sensei places a brief overview in the beginning of every manga book. This is similar to what I am doing with the repetition of the beginning.
Be aware however that I also place a brief introduction to the actual story after the statement relating to the "13th year of Meiji". So, readers, be wary!
BREAKING THE ICE
The Story of a Tormented Boy
Nearly two decades ago, an eleven-year-old boy watched as his sister died at the hands of the infamous Hitokiri Battousai, an assassin and his brother-in-law. Believing that Battousai had purposefully intended to murder his sister, he sought to gain Jinchuu, believing that his hands must punish this hitokiri, as the heavens had not yet given the justice he believed his sister deserved. He spent many years loathing Battousai, this hatred consuming him. Slowly, when he gained both power and wealth, he planned his final stage of revenge. His final act of Jinchuu.
But all did not go to plan.
After facing loss by the hands of Battousai, now known as Kenshin, Enishi Yukishiro was captured by police. As he boarded the ship bound to his life in prison, Kaoru, Kenshin's dearest, gave to him a diary belonging to that of his sister: Tomoe Yukishiro. In it, revealed to him was the truth. The truth of his sister, the sharp taste of reality, and a deep, disheartening despair; however, there was also hope. Hope that one day he would be able to finally grasp the sense of closure that was triggered through Tomoe's diary. With this in mind, he jumped the ship and swam all the way to Tokyo, with only the clothes on his back and Tomoe's diary as his belongings. He reached the Village of Lost Souls, and there he met a kindly man named Oibore. He remained with him for two years, recuperating and grasping the truth behind Tomoe's words.
It is now the 13th year of Meiji.
Enishi walked through the bustling streets of the small town. He wondered silently if this small town had always been so… busy. He had heard from locals that a man had controlled the town with ferocity, causing the town to become fearful and repulsive. The townspeople cared not for anyone but themselves, much like other towns that had come under the man's iron fist. The man's name was familiar… yes, he had dealings with him during his days as a Triad boss: Shishio Makoto.
Enishi looked towards the path ahead, seeing the townspeople smiling as if Makoto had never existed. It was as if all had been forgotten, and all this just because one, little, restaurant. He looked at the flyer in his hands: the Mazekineko.
Chapter 2: The Mystery of a Man
The next morning, the Mazekineko was bustling as usual, with customers flocking in and out. Within the restaurant-hostel the employees bustled about in their uniforms, greeting and serving customers. In the back, the part owner, Gendo cooked the meals with his eldest daughter, Sakura, helping him. In the front, the other part owner, Gendo's wife and Sakura's mother, Mikara served the customers with the other employees. From the back, the girl from the previous night came in, greeting both Sakura and Gendo.
"You're late Hatoha!" said Gendo, his voice stern, but his face displaying a playful smirk.
Hatoha bowed low.
"Gomenasai! I… ano…"
"You can explain later. Hurry up and get ready. We need all the help we can get!"
"Hai Gendo-dono!"
After getting prepared, Hatoha joined Sakura in cooking the meals. Sakura leaned over to Hatoha, whispering her concerns.
"What happened last night?"
Hatoha smiled.
"Nothing really. The usual."
"Hatoha-chan. Tell me. Please."
Hatoha chuckled, shaking her head.
"Sakura-san, it's okay really. As I said, the usual."
Sakura pouted, chopping the vegetables. She then swiftly turned on Hatoha, pointing the knife in her friend's face and causing Hatoha to break into a cold sweat.
"Keigo!" she said loudly, waving the knife around just inches from Hatoha's face.
"Ke – "
"I'm your friend. Call me Sakura-chan. You calling me Sakura-san makes me sound old. Now please tell me what's wrong."
Hatoha laughed nervously, pointing the tip of the knife, which remained a mere five centimetres from her face. Sakura then laughed nervously herself, placing the knife down on the chopping block, then turning to her friend, crossed her arms and glowered
"Well?"
Hatoha sighed. "Sakura…" Sakura looked at her with raised brows. "-chan…" A pleasing look crossed her face. "You know the town's been having a rough time with crime ever since that incident two years back. In fact… if it wasn't for your family, we would be in serious trouble."
Sakura smiled at Hatoha. Both were the same age, and understood the other. However, Sakura lived a more sheltered life than her friend. In fact, before that incident two years ago, Sakura had lived in Nagoya.
"Plus," added Hatoha; going back to stirring the stew she cooked. "You are older than me… by one season."
Sakura
stared at her friend incredulously, who grinned back at her. Fuming,
glowering, but still finding the humour in it, Sakura once again
began chopping the vegetables.
"Welcome sir!" came the waitress at the front door, bowing low to the man who walked in. His cloak-like apparel floated behind him enigmatically, seeming to float ethereally in the wind. He glanced down at the girl through purple-tinted glasses, his turquoise-laced eyes piercing into hers, and then turned away, entering the restaurant. She blushed visibly under his fleeting but intense glance.
"Are you okay?" asked the other woman standing with her.
"H – hai…" came her reply, embarrassed that she had reacted so publicly to this man's intensity. He seemed like such a mysterious fellow. She wondered what he was doing in such a small town as this.
Sitting down at the table, Enishi stared forward at the opposing wall, thoughts pervading his mind. It was winter soon. He needed to get back to Kyoto… for his sister… for Tomoe.
"May I help you sir?" came a female's voice through his thoughts. He looked up, seeing a mature woman standing before him. Her black hair was held back in a bun and she wore a maid's uniform, much like the two young girls outside.
"I'll have whatever you prefer," he said, giving her a charming smile. This was business. He was good at business.
"Anything else?" asked the woman.
"Sake," came Enishi's short reply.
The woman nodded, taking his order down. She then walked towards the back to a small window where some of the kitchen could be seen. Three people bustled about there: two young girls and a man. One girl had his back to her but still, there was something familiar about her.
"Beef hot pot and sake," yelled the woman into the window.
The man nodded, telling the other two, who nodded their heads in return. They then went about chopping, stirring, sprinkling, pouring, and other kitchen-type duties as they made Enishi's order. The woman returned, giving him a smile.
"Your order will come soon," she stated.
He nodded, the smile he had assumed before still on his face.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Sakura stirred Enishi's order. She stooped down to see who the customer was and an impish grin crossed her visage.
"Oh, he's cute," she stated to Hatoha, who was chopping vegetables for the beef hotpot.
"Hah?" asked Hatoha, distracted with her task.
"Over there," she said, motioning with her head.
Hatoha stooped down to see what her best friend was talking about, and gasped, incredulous of what she saw.
"Cute yes?" came Sakura's voice over Hatoha's stupor.
"Ano…" came Hatoha's reply. She then turned to her vegetables and started chopping faster. "Maybe we should get his order done. He's probably hungry," she said, her voice and actions hurried.
Sakura stared at Hatoha confused, then that same impish grin crossed her face.
"Oh," she mused. "You know him, don't you?" she questioned, poking fun at Hatoha.
Hatoha shook her head.
"No!" she said forcibly. Perhaps too forced.
"YOU DO!" came Sakura's voice loudly. "YOU DO KNOW HIM! HOW? WHEN? WHEN DID YOU TWO MEET? WAS IT LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT? WHY ARE YOU SO EMBARRASSED TO SEE HIM?"
"Sakura-chan…" came Hatoha's meek reply.
"Can you two girls please cook and talk at the same time? And Sakura-chan, stop being so loud," came Gendo, staring huffily at them.
"Gomen," said both girls in unison, exchanging glances.
Author's Note: I apologise for last chapter. The text is very squashed together, and thus looks cramped for readers. I hope you can forgive my pathetic-ness for not reading instructions in the "Documents" section of