A.N. Welcome back, Minna, to my Fourth chapter of 'Fading Futures', now things are getting interestingI want to thank everyone who read my fic so far and is now giving this chapter a go too, so arigato gozaimasu! Also thanks again to Beth-Kun and Hitokiri Taijiya for your comments. You're helping me and my muses out big time! Thanks to Kobakawa Reisha as well for telling me the spelling error of Tomoe's surname. Sessha is sooooo sorry! I'll spell it properly from now on. Your review's are giving us motivation to get better and better, so give yourselves a big pat on the back too! Hope you like my next chapter!
Disclaimer: still not mine…(sigh)… But Shinya and this story are!
Last time on Fading Futures:
Shinya was visited by the ghost of Tomoe, who tells him that only he can stop the change in the flow of time and save his family from vanishing!
Tanoshimimas! (Enjoy!)
Chapter Four
Into the Past
A loud speaker somewhere down the train crackled as it came to life. "Next stop, Odawara"
Shinya sighed and glanced at the young woman beside him. After the initial shock of being told that he was in the presence of a ghost who died during the Bakumatsu who had once known his ancestor –Kenshin Himura – and the shock that she was going to send him back in time to the 12th year of Meiji, Shinya's more reasonable state of mind took over once more. Calmly, he thought over the basics of how he would save his family, which Tomoe Yukishiro had explained to him.
"The talisman" She had said "will last only around half a year or so. After that its power will begin to lessen until the shield itself vanishes, so you have little time. I can get you back to February 1st of the 12th year of Meiji, but after that it will be all up to you to make sure nothing happens to your ancestors and that they stay together. If you can't stop the problem from occurring, I'm afraid that not even your friends will remember who or what you were, because you would never have been born…"
Shinya turned his head and gazed out of the window, watching as fields and houses flashed by and touched the smooth talisman that now hung around his neck on a thin black cord. So Keiichi, Tomoji, even Yukie – no one would remember who he was if he didn't fix the past. And if he failed, it wouldn't be like he would be able to start a new life either, because he would cease to exist. He would fade away into nothingness.
"…If you fix the past by Shunbun no hi, I will be able to bring you back to your own time, a day or so after the time you left for the past…"
But if he failed, Tomoe wouldn't have to do anything at all, because there would be no Shinya to bring home… Shinya sighed softly.
"Are you alright, Shinya?" Tomoe asked quietly.
He glanced at Tomoe from under his bangs again. No one else had noticed Tomoe since they had left the Himura household for Tokyo train station. Tomoe had explained that only certain people who needed to see her would be able to see her at all. He looked back at the window again and whispered, so everyone else on the train wouldn't hear him and think him mad "I'm fine, 'part from the fact I'm still half convinced it's a dream, or I've gone nuts." He smiled softly "I don't know if you know, Tomoe-san, but most people don't get visited by ghosts, or start vanishing into thin air"
Tomoe watched the boy sadly, at the expression in his eyes of worry and confusion, despite his smile – just what Kenshin after he became rurouni, she noted. "You took it better than I expected you to. Akira-kun told me you would probably be more… panicked"
"Akira?"
Tomoe looked away from him. "He was my fiancée, before I met Kenshin. He was killed, during the Bakumatsu."
Shinya hesitated, before lowering his eyes "I'm sorry…"
She looked surprised for a moment before she smiled at him. "Its alright, we're together now, when I'm not physically helping your family."
The train began to slow down as the loud speaker crackled into life once more.
"This stop, Odawara. Will passengers collect their belongings and make their way towards the doors."
"This is it, Shinya"
Shinya grabbed his bag and followed the crowd towards the exit. As soon as he was free of the crowds, Tomoe took his hand and led him through the station and out into the busy street. As they made their way past shopping malls, restaurants and a bike hire shop, Shinya had to jog to keep up with the speed of Tomoe's walk while avoiding being jostled by the busy people rushing about. Soon the outskirts of town came into sight, the houses becoming fewer and fewer until there were none to be seen through the dense forest. Even the path they followed was so overgrown it was barely visible.
"Where… are we… going?" Shinya panted as he was pulled further and further away from civilisation.
"To a shrine"
"A shrine?" now he was really confused.
"Its not just any shrine" she said, "This shrine was built next to a place where the flow of time is very fragile. Though the people who made the shrine over 3000 years ago didn't know its full importance, they could sense that it was sacred ground and built the shrine to protect it. Its derelict now, no one even knows it exists – the last man who was the priest here, I believe, died about 100 years ago. Ah, here we are."
Shinya pushed aside the branches of a fallen tree and peeped through the gap. The 'shrine' as she had called it was a run down, desolate looking place that was a mere shadow of its former glory. If the path had been overgrown, this building was much worse. The walls were covered in vines that covered the entrance and up the roof, choking the once beautiful structure. The tiles of the roof were smothered in moss, fallen leaves and dust. Bells hung by the entrance as well, but they were so rusted that they no longer tinkled like wind chimes as they once did when the shrine was in use, but only made a dull 'clunk' as the wind bustled through the trees. A little stone bowl by the fushuma, which people would have washed their hands in before entering stood empty, dry as bone. Even the birds avoided the place. It was a saddening sight.
Shinya stepped over the fallen tree and moved towards the old shrine, but it didn't look much better up close. As he stepped forward over the carpet of leaves he paused and glanced over at a strange looking well that stood a little way off from the building itself. It came up to his waist in height and two wooden boards covered the top. Around the sides of the little wall were strange drawings of dragons and other mythical creatures – like Hieroglyphics on a Pharaoh's tomb. Tomoe glided past Shinya and stood by the well, watching him as he looked on in awe. Carefully, she laid a pale hand on its wall.
"This" she breathed "is the entrance to the thinnest part between the time boundary. It was once thought to have powerful properties for keeping a person young, and has been thought to cure some sickness and diseases. The well was considered blessed by Kami himself, as it also holds the secret to travelling to the past."
Shinya grinned as he thought about Kagome in his manga comics' back home. In the series of 'Inuyasha', Kagome had used a well to travel back in time to help the half- dog-demon to find jewel shards.
"I thought we were going to see Kenshin-san and Kaoru-san in Meiji, not going to feudal times to see Inuyasha." He joked.
"Who?" Tomoe asked, confused.
"Never mind" he sighed.
"Help me uncover the well" Shinya jogged to Tomoe's side and began to lift the rotten planks from the mouth of the well. With an effort he prised it off and eased it gently to the floor. Nervously, not sure what to expect he glanced inside.
"Its empty!"
Tomoe nodded. "It's been empty of water for some time now. But, for our purpose, it's turned out to be a good thing."
Slowly, she reached behind her red obi and pulled out another gem, this time bright amber one marked with silver rather than the gold runes of his sapphire talisman. It glowed softly as she held it out to Shinya. Unsure what to do, he gave Tomoe a confused stare. With a small smile, Tomoe took Shinya's hand and placed the crystal on his palm, where it glowed more violently than before.
"This is a special crystal given only to those who serve as guardians. That is what will break the time barrier and allow you through to the Meiji period. Throw it in the well."
"Oro? Um… if you say so." Shinya glanced down at the dark hole and, with one last look at the shinning crystal let it drop into the well. It plunged until the light was little more than a speck in the darkness. He strained his ears to make out any sound if it hit the bottom, but he heard nothing.
Just how deep is this well anyway! He wondered as he leaned forwards to look in the well once more. Suddenly, he heard a rumble, deep in the well and he spotted a puddle of light at the bottom. It exploded and the light rushed to the surface. With a cry, Shinya flung himself out of the way. A pillar of rainbow light shot like fire into the air with a whoosh, exactly where his head once was. So bright was it that Shinya was blinded and had to cover his eyes with a hand. All of a sudden it was gone leaving him blind for a few seconds.
Nervously, Shinya edged towards the well and peered inside once more.
"Oro!" he gasped. The well, which had previously been empty of any water, was now full to the brim with a strange, silvery liquid that flashed all the colours of the spectrum as the suns rays filtered through the leafy canopy. "Kami! Tomoe-san, what IS that?"
"That is the way to the past of February 1st in the 12th year of Meiji. To go back in time, all you have to do is jump in, and it will take you to this shrine in 1879."
"Down the well, huh? I'll tell Kagome you said 'Hi', ne?"
Ignoring Tomoe's confused look; Shinya stepped onto the edge of the wall, slinging his bag over his shoulder, and glanced back at her. "So, any rules I gotta follow, while I'm in the past?"
"Yes. Unless you feel you must, don't reveal you're Kenshin and Kaoru-san's descendent to anyone. It's best that you don't say your last name is 'Himura' as well, it is still linked with 'Hitokiri Battosai' in most cases. Also, you mustn't reveal anything about the future for them, or it could change the flow of time even more"
Shinya looked at her as if she was lunatic. "I know I'm convinced I'm mad anyway, but I'm not stupid enough to make them think I'm nuts too!" he flashed her a small smile. "Wish me luck, ne?"
He glanced down at the well again and took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing." And screwing up his eyes, he jumped.
It was like being sucked down a giant plughole. As soon as his feet touched the silver liquid it almost bodily took hold of him and plunged him further and further into the silvery mass faster than any bullet train. It spun him faster and faster that it made him feel sick, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't breath to scream. He was choking on liquid silver, unable to see, being dragged further and further. He wasn't going to make it! He was going to drown! He was –
Suddenly his head broke the surface and he gasped lungfuls of precious air. The silver light was gone now and he realised he was treading water. Slightly panicked, Shinya spun round, searching for an exit, but all he could see were rocky walls. But he could see natural light coming from above. Glancing up he could see the sky, deep blue, with soft clouds like cotton wool floating slowly, some disappearing behind the green branches that arched high above the mouth of the well. He could hear birds twittering in the February sun.
Shinya glanced around for a way to pull himself out from the well. At first he couldn't see anything, but he caught sight of a thick rope with a small bucket attached to it. Reaching up he tugged at the rope until he was sure it would hold his weight. Satisfied, he took a firmer grip on the rope and began to haul himself out of the water. At an agonisingly slow pace, he managed to climb farther and farther upwards until he could clasp the well wall with his hands. Breathing deeply, he shouldered himself up the wall until his head and shoulders stuck above it, his legs dangling beneath him. As he gasped for air, he glanced round at his surroundings. His heart skipped a beat.
Instead of the run-down shack with its rusty bells, he could see a well tended beautiful shrine in a clearing of the forest that seemed, somehow, younger to Shinya. Birds twittered pleasantly in the branches. Along the way, he could see a small path that lead out towards the town of Odawara. It was cooler than it had felt when he jumped into the well.
"I did it…"he whispered, awe-struck, "I really did it… This is the Meiji era!"
Slowly, he realised how stupid it would look if someone saw him, bedraggled, hanging in the well. After all, the shrine in this period was still in use and would be for several decades yet. With a grunt, Shinya tossed his bag onto the grass and hauled himself out of the well, flopping onto the floor. After lying in a daze for what seemed like half an hour, Shinya elbowed himself upright and dragged his bag towards him to see what he could salvage, tipping it all onto the ground.
"Damn!" he growled. Apart from his brokken, which he had brought with him just in case (he had heard that the Meiji era was still dangerous, though thankfully not by Bakumatsu standards) and a few other things, everything was ruined. Grumbling he dumped the stuff back in the bag.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"
Shinya's head snapped up and he clutched his brokken even tighter. The scream, a male voice, had come from not far away. Frozen, Shinya listened intently. The same voice cried out again.
"Why are you doing this? This is holy ground! Please, just leave this place-"
A cold voice cut him off with a cruel laugh "give us everything you have and we might just consider leaving this place in one piece!"
Horrified, Shinya heard the draw of a sword as it hissed to life. Before he knew what he was doing, he bolted towards the sound. As he rounded the corner of the shrine, he saw it – an old man with a balding head and wispy white hair dressed in a Priest's robes was lying on the floor, clutching an arm to his chest, which was covered in blood. Before him stood four men – obviously bandits – one of which held a bloody katana in front of him. Four of them, picking on an unarmed, defenceless old man! The injustice of it all made Shinya's blood boil.
"Stop it right now!" He yelled. Everyone turned round to look at him. One of the bandits' lips curled.
"Who the hell are you?" he snarled. "Some poor fool come to die with the old man?"
Shinya took the stance of mugyo and glared at the men coldly. "Who I am is not your concern. Why are you hurting this guy?"
The man in front with the katana laughed again and caught Shinya's gaze. "We could say the same to you - it's none of your concern. However, I'm feeling a little generous today, kid. You see, this old man wouldn't give us what we want. After all, we samurai have a right to our payment, and I'm afraid this old man wouldn't pay up. Now run along like a good little boy, unless you want to get hurt."
Shinya smirked. "Now, I was under the impression that the tax you referred to was stopped after the revolution. This man owes you nothing, so leave him alone"
The bandits bristled at Shinya's cocky tone and the leader's face was scarlet. "Boys" he growled "why don't you show that little brat not to mess with the big boys"
Grinning darkly, the three began to stride towards him. One held a wooden staff, another a brokken similar to his own. The last cracked his knuckles while grinning dementedly.
"Sure thing, Boss" he smirked. Shinya tensed, ready for the fight. He had the fate of himself, his family and the old priest on the line. Eyes narrowed, he watched as they began to come into his range. Somewhere outside the ring of men, he could hear the old man cry out "No! Run child! Run while you still can!" but he shut out the voice. No distractions now. Concentrate…
The men began to speed up. Now! Shinya darted forward.
"What the…!" One began, but Shinya rushed in and, avoiding the brokken, slashed upwards. His brokken crashed against the man's jaw, sending him flying backwards into the dirt. He didn't stop to see if he was conscious, but dodged out the way of a fist that was flying towards him. Crouching he leaped sideways to avoid the man's foot as it came to strike at his side. Quickly he spun round and aimed at the leg the man was balancing on after his foot swept by. The bone cracked and with a scream, the man fell to the floor, clutching the wounded limb. Shinya felt a ki flare and turned just in time to see the man with the staff swing his weapon towards him. Shinya dodged. However, this man whirled the staff at great speed, leaving no room for a counter attack with a brokken. All he could do was dodge. Shinya leaped and ducked, his eyes scanning for weakness. As the man swung the staff upwards he saw it. Digging in his heal, Shinya darted forward and swung for his ribs, just below the arms. The man gasped and dropped his weapon.
"My-my arm!" he stammered "I-I can't feel it!"
Shinya drew back his brokken and thrust it forward. It connected with his fleshy neck. The man choked and fell. Shinya whirled around and pointed his brokken at the astounded bandit leader. Shinya smirked, but the man snarled.
"Punk" he howled "now you'll die!"
Ignoring the priest altogether, the man darted forward, his sword raised to strike. Shinya gasped – this man was much more skilled than the others were. Shinya took up stance and readied himself for the attack. With a cry, the leader swung the sword towards his neck, hoping to slice his head from his shoulders, but Shinya brought up is brokken at the last minute. The sword's blade cut deep into the wood, but was stopped by the iron bar weight within it. Quickly they broke free. The bandit snarled even more and swung downwards. Gritting his teeth, Shinya dodged at lightning fast speed and swung himself into the thick branches of a near by tree. The man looked up and hacked at the branch, but Shinya leaped and darted towards the next tree. But as soon as his feet landed on the bark, he pushed himself off again, swinging the brokken as he did so. With centrifugal force, his sword smashed into the man's temple, just as he turned in horror. The man's eye's bulged and he fell backwards, bonelessly, in a heap. Light as a feather, Shinya landed. Slowly, he let out a small sigh and turned to find the first bandit staggering to his feet. He gasped and stared at Shinya with fear.
"Please" he begged "let us go now! We'll leave, we'll leave!"
Shinya nodded "Take your companions and leave. Never come back here. Tell the police everything you've done, you got it?"
"Y-yes sir…"
Shinya watched as the man gathered up his companions and, staggering, made his way down the path, Shinya's raptor-sharp gaze following him all the way. Once the man was out of sight, Shinya relaxed and turned to the old man, who was looking at him as if he had seen a ghost. Shinya wasn't really surprised. His jeans and T-shirt were wet, dirty and ripped. Plus he had just seen a style of Kendo that combined the Kamiya Kasshin and Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu's. But he caught sight of the priest's arm.
"Are you okay, sir?" Shinya asked kindly. "That arm looks pretty bad… Do you have a doctor around?"
The man snapped out of his paralysis. "The nearest one is down town"
"Rrgh! No time! Look, I'll try to help, okay? But just until a doctor can be called"
Carefully he pealed the rough robes from the wound checked it over. The arm, thankfully, wasn't as bad as he thought. It was the blood that had soaked into the cloth that made it seem worse. Shinya sighed and smiled. "You're lucky. Looks like you'll be okay. It's just a flesh wound and you won't bleed too much. Do you have bandages at all?"
The man nodded " inside. I sometimes get someone hurt who can't get to a doctor in time, so I have them just in case…"
"Come on, we'll both go in and we can do it so it won't get infected or something." He carefully helped the man to his feet and led him to the shrine.
The shrine was only a small one inside and plainly decorated with a statue made of what looked like solid gold, which stood by the back wall surrounded by lit candles. At the side was another door that lead into a comfortable looking sitting room with a few cushions scattered about. At the back was a cupboard.
"Are they in there, sir?" the old priest nodded wearily. Shinya smiled encouragingly. "Sit down and I'll sort it out. I know a little bit about first-aid"
He turned to the cupboards and rummaged through them a little bit. There really wasn't all that much in there, so it wasn't long before Shinya emerged with bandages in hand.
A little later and the two sat by a warm fire, which crackled softly. Shinya had pulled a cushion close to the priest's and was carefully cleaning the wound of dirt using water he had warmed from the well. The old man just watched as Shinya worked in silence.
At length, the spoke "Tell me, stranger, what's your name?"
"Oro? M-my name?" what was it Tomoe had said? She had said not to say his name was Himura, didn't she? "Um, I'm Shinya H-Harada"
Harada? Where the heck had that come from? He was sure glad Yukie hadn't heard him use her last name. He didn't think she would ever let him forget it! He quickly busied himself with unrolling the bandage to hide his reddened face.
"Ah well, my name is Takeshi Kojima, Kannushi of this shrine. Thank you, Harada-sama, for your help earlier. If you hadn't come when you did, I would most likely be dead right now."
Shinya blushed even more furiously and waved his hands franticly. "It was nothing really. I was just passing through and, well; four against one didn't seem all that fair to me, that's all! And I'm not a sword master"
The man smiled "Such modesty. Where is it you are heading?"
Shinya had begun to wrap the wound in the bandages, but paused to look up at Takeshi. "Tokyo, Kojima-Kannushi."
"Tokyo, hmm? I had a visitor here only last year around this time that was on his way to Tokyo. A very polite young man he was, as I recall – had long red hair and a scar like a cross on his face, and such sad eyes. He was a swordsman if I remember, like you, but with a very strange sword."
Shinya frowned slightly, already knowing whom this 'young man' was. "How do you mean, strange?"
"Well, the blade was the wrong way round to an ordinary katana. He said it was a 'Sakabato'"
So, it was true what he had read in the book back in his own time. Kenshin Himura had made a vow never to kill again and used a reverse bladed, non-killing sword to defend people.
"Now that I come to think about it, the Rurouni was very much like you, Harada-san. If it weren't for the fact you had black hair, I'd say you two were related! He even spoke like you. He used to say that word - 'Oro' – often."
"R-really?" well at least I know now what not to say! He though nervously. Better not say 'oro' round Tokyo then, or he could have people thinking he was Kenshin's brother, or even his son!
"Are you also a Rurouni, Harada-san?"
"Oh, no I'm not. I'm going to Tokyo to… visit someone. I have…family there, but I've never been there before" At least not in this time period anyway… He finished tying the bandage and sat back triumphantly "There you go, Kojima-Kannushi!"
"Ah!" Takeshi wiggled his fingers as he looked at Shinya's handy work, "My thanks once again. Well, Harada-san, it's getting a little late to travel there today. Why don't you stay here for the night? It's the least I can do after you saved my life."
"Oro!" he blurted out. Jeez, this man hopped from one subject to another really quickly! Perhaps it was just old age. He smiled at Takeshi. "Thank you. I'd be honoured."
0
When Shinya woke the next day, it took him a few minutes to remember where he was. As he looked around the small room and listened as birds twittered in the trees outside, watched the sun's rays create beams of light across the Tatami floor, he contemplated the evens that had taken place. His family's disappearance, the appearance of Tomoe's spirit, his jaunt into the past and his run in with the bandits, all of it seeped it's way back into his memory. Shinya carefully lifted the sapphire talisman – still round is neck, resting on the V of his borrowed yukata – and squeezed it tightly. He bit his lip.
"So, it really was real… all of it…" he whispered, fighting the urge to cry. He growled at how pathetic he was being and pushed the covers from him. Sulking about it wouldn't accomplish anything. Carefully, he searched the room for his clothes, but instead found clean garments waiting for him. A little surprised, he inspected the new clothes.
They were very similar to the training clothes he wore for kendo. The gi was a pale blue compared with the white of his training gi, but didn't have any badge on it indicating a sword school. It was lined with a darker blue. The hakama were the same colour as the lining on the gi, as were the socks. As he held them up to himself, he was surprised to find that they fitted him perfectly. Carefully, he stripped himself of the yukata and changed into the new clothes. They were made of slightly rough cotton, but they were warm and felt good against his skin. He sort of wished he had a mirror to see what he looked like. Unfortunately there wasn't one in the room, so he just folded away his futon and slid open the door.
The shrine was quiet and serene, but as he gazed around, he could smell miso soup cooking. Following his nose, he walked along the Tatami floor and slid open the door. The old priest, Takeshi Kojima, was sitting on the porch while stirring a large bowl of miso soup. As Shinya padded outside, Takeshi turned towards him and smiled. "Ah, Good morning, Harada-san! I hope you want breakfast."
"Morning" he smiled back. He stroked the front of his new clothes "did you… um… get these for me?"
"We happen to be the same size, so I gave you one of my spares. There are still some people in Tokyo who don't approve of foreigners and might take you for one. Are you from Yokohama then?"
"Um…yes" he lied. Well, at least it would explain to him any of my future-like behaviour and the old clothes. Still, lying to the priest made him feel bad "Ano… Thank you, Kojima-Kannushi."
"No need for thanks." He answered quietly "if it hadn't been for you, I would be dead by now and the shrine would have been destroyed." He looked at Shinya in admiration, which made him a little uncomfortable. "I also packed some food and money for you"
Now Shinya felt really guilty "No! I couldn't take that!"
"But you saved my life. I'm in your debt"
Shinya opened his mouth to argue, but it was obvious that Takeshi had made up his mind. He sighed in defeat. "Alright then…"
Takeshi beamed and past him a bowl of miso soup before taking up one of his own. "Here you go, Harada-san. If you are going on to Tokyo today, you'll need your strength"
Shinya looked at his own, still feeling guilty deep down, though he knew Takeshi wanted him to take so much from him. "Thank you…" he mumbled before starting to eat.
To be continued…
AN So, Shinya's finally gone into the past to start his quest to save his family, but has already bumped into trouble! Poor guy, what's the rest of the quest gonna be like! I thought I'd give you a taste of the action that is on the menu later. Plus this scene could become useful to me. How? You're gonna have to keep watching this space to find out! Okay how was my Fourth chapter? Good, bad? Review and give me you opinions.
When I was thinking of how Shinya could get to the past, the well idea popped up. Then I remembered the stuff about Inuyasha and that Kagome used a well to get to feudal times, so I thought Shinya would probably think of this too, as I did make reference to the Manga comics in his room in chapter two. Just as a disclaimer for that, I don't own Inuyasha or any other Manga comic either, so solicitors can get off my back!
Next time on 'Fading Futures'
Shinya makes his way to Meiji Tokyo to find Kenshin and Kaoru at the Kamiya dojo, but meets with someone who knows them very well indeed. He's finally gonna see his ancestors! What happens? Find out on the next chapter of Fading Futures: 'Past and Present collide'
Mata Aimasho, Minna! See you next time…
Chosha Kurenai xXx
