A.N. Welcome back, Minna-san, to my seventh chapter of 'Fading Futures'. I want to thank everyone who read my fic so far and is now giving this chapter a go too, so arigato gozaimasu! Also thanks to Beth-Kun, Hitokiri Taijiya and Xeno for you reviews. I'll even try to improve the previous chapters if you really want it, Minna! So give yourselves a big pat on the back for all your help! Hope you like this Chapter!
Hitokiri Taijiya: Oh, about the last chapter. I was sort of thinking that right then, Kenshin was busy focusing on Shinya, as he was worried about the things he was saying. Because of the stuff he was going on about, Kenshin might have overlooked Yahiko and Sano. Obviously, I could be wrong, but it made a dramatic ending to the chapter! (Heh!)
Beth-kun: I hope you did ace it! Just remember to invite me to the party! LOL! By the way, be scared about sounding like you mom. Quick, run while you still can… But then again, this is coming from the person who made up that weird speech for Shinya, so you might want to ignore me. Anyway, good luck with those anatomy exam results!
Disclaimer: My story, Shinya (and all characters that don't appear in the Anime or Manga) is mine, but Rurouni Kenshin and its characters are not. They all belong to Watsuki-sama.
Last time on Fading Futures:
Shinya faced Kenshin and Kaoru on their feeling for each other, but Kenshin is proving difficult. Sanosuke and Yahiko overheard as Shinya attempted to get Kenshin to see the truth.
Tanoshimimas! (Enjoy!)
Chapter Seven
Operation: Get-together
Shinya stood under a young Sakura tree, which stood on top of a small hill overlooking Meiji era Tokyo as it swayed softly in the wind. There were no blossoms on it just then, the branches fairly bare. He touched its trunk and smiled softly. Shinya remembered this tree. It was the one that grew close to his home, back in the future. It was kind of nice to see and feel something that he knew that wasn't so strange to him in this unusual time. The wind picked up a little bit and tugged at his gi, but he ignored the chill. With a long sigh, he closed his eyes and slid to the ground, hugging his knees in front of him. Slowly, he opened them again and looked down at the busy streets below, bustling with people going about their daily routines. The sun was still quite high, only a little past midday and he could hear birds singing sweetly overhead.
He should have gone back to the dojo about an hour before – he had already missed lunch (Not that he had missed much: Kaoru was cooking), but after the convocation he had had with Kenshin that morning, he was almost embarrassed to sit around with him just then. But he also needed some time to himself to think things over, to get the answers he needed just then. But try as he might, all he could find was more questions.
He growled in frustration and pulled at his hair. This whole situation was driving him mad. Kenshin was a complete enigma to him. What was wrong with him that made him go to such lengths to keep himself from giving or receiving feelings of love? It wasn't just the fact he had killed so many people during the Bakumatsu that he made it out to be – it was something more. But what was it? What was the Tragedy? He hit the back of his head against the tree in frustration and opened his eyes again, watching the branches sway in the breeze. Can I still save my family, if I can't even fix a problem like this?
He screwed up his eyes against the tears of despair and frustration he felt welling up. He hated this, hated being in a world where he felt so helpless to do anything. How could Tomoe have given him such a duty, when he couldn't handle it alone? A tear escaped and slid down his face, despite it all. He just couldn't do this alone…
"Konnichiwa, Shinya"
Shinya jumped violently and looked up to find a familiar pare of dark eyes gazing back down at him. He stared, open-mouthed. "T-Tomoe-san! W-what are you doing here?"
Tomoe smiled softly and sat down next to him, looking down towards the town. "I came because I thought that I could help you in the task." She said gently.
Shinya blushed slightly and took the opportunity wiped his tears away roughly with the corner of his sleeve. They sat together silently, neither talking for a moment. At length, Shinya spoke.
"I thought that… you couldn't come through the well too. I thought that was why you needed me to sort all this out"
Tomoe glanced at him, but his amethyst eyes were fixed on the town. "No. I needed your help because I cannot physically do anything to help anymore. I needed someone who could help them, if they need it."
Shinya reached into the front of his gi and brought out the sapphire talisman, which glinted softly in the sun. He carefully held it in his hands, gazing at its delicate colours. Quietly he whispered "I can't do this on my own, Tomoe-san. I don't know what to do. You once told me, on the way to the train-station, back in my time, that you had once known Kenshin during the Bakumatsu. Something happened to him then, didn't it? Some tragic event that greatly effected him, but I don't know what. But whatever it was, it's laying heavily on him, stopping him from giving his heart to Kaoru, even though he loves her deeply." He took a deep breath and looked up at the ghost, his eyes pleading. "Tomoe-san, if you know what it was that happened, please tell me, because if you don't, I'm not sure I'll be able to do anything to help."
Tomoe watched him for a moment before she stood and turned her back to him. Slowly she rubbed her arm. In a voice barely above a whisper, she said, "When Kenshin and I first met, it was after Akira had been killed while protecting one of the Shogunate officials from the Ishin Shishi. I had travelled to Kyoto, hoping to find the Hitokiri who had killed him – Himura the Battosai – and get revenge for his death. The day I reached Kyoto, I stayed at an inn, but I drunk a little too much that night. There were some men around and they tried to harass me. But before they could do anything to me, Kenshin stepped in and saved me. Of course, I knew he was the Battosai from his hair and the scar that Akira had left on his cheek. But he was only a little older than you are now, still a child. It confused me. I followed him and caught up to him just in time to see him being attacked. Kenshin managed to kill the attacker and made it rain blood. At the time, I had thought it couldn't be done; yet he had made the blood rain.
"I fainted soon after that, but when I came to, I found myself in an inn, which I found out was a base of the Choshu Ishin Shishi, in the room that Kenshin used. I found out from Okami-san – the woman who ran the inn – Kenshin had brought me back, rather than have me killed. After that I helped around the inn.
"One of the men, I discovered was a traitor to the Ishin Shishi, but because I still wanted revenge for Akira's death, I made a deal with him that I would find Kenshin's weak point. But as time went on, I discovered that Kenshin hated what he had to do, hated those black envelopes that told him who his next target was. It was slowly dropping him into insanity. I was beginning to care for him by then and I tried to help him out. Then when Kenshin was out on an assassination, his commander, Kogoro Katsura, visited me and told me that since I had been around, Kenshin had been slowly coming back from the brink. I decided from then on that I would be a sheath against his madness and, instead of trying to kill him, I would try to bring back the man who Kenshin had once been. That way, I would be 'killing' the Battosai, but not Kenshin.
"Not long after what became known as the 'Ikedaya incident' – when the Shinsengumi went about to massacre Ishin Shishi leaders in June 1864 – Kenshin and I were forced into hiding in a village known as Otsu, as a young married couple. Instead, we decided to actually marry and for several months we lived together. Kenshin and I made a garden and he posed as a medicine seller. Sometimes the local children used to come and play with him" she laughed softly at the memory "I was so happy then, we both were. We had fallen in love.
"But after my little brother, Enishi, arrived, I found out that the men I said I would help were going to attack Kenshin. I left in order to save him, but in the end, Kenshin was drawn into a fight against many men. They had used some explosives that had him half blind and deaf, and he couldn't read ki very well because of the forest. By the point he reached the place I was, Kenshin was weakened and the other man had the advantage. To save Kenshin, I jumped in front of the man to confuse him, so Kenshin would win" her voice had grown weaker now and she placed a hand lightly over her shoulder. "Kenshin's sword killed the man, but it also killed me as well"
Shinya stared up at her, his eyes wide, horrified. Tomoe looked into the sky and whispered "before I died, I gave Kenshin the last part of his scar, so he would always remember me, and the promise I asked him to give to me. The promises that he would stay alive, so he could one-day find happiness once more. I did it to stop him from falling into madness because he had killed me. After that point, Kenshin decided he wouldn't be an assassin any more, and it was also when he decided that, after the Bakumatsu he would never kill again…"
Shinya wiped away the tears that had begun to fall and looked down at his talisman once more. Kenshin had accidentally killed his own wife - 'Tragedy' was not the word. How had Kenshin managed to live for so long, knowing he had caused the death of a loved one, despite having given Tomoe his word?
"I suppose I can see now why he would feel he doesn't deserve love again." Shinya whispered. "I can see why he feels the way he does now. But still," Determinedly he grasped the talisman in his fist "it wasn't his fault! He's gotta stop blaming himself!"
He stood up and faced back towards the dojo. "Tomoe-san, thanks for telling me. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do, but I'll try my best. Perhaps I can find some way, but…"
"You'll find a way"
"Thanks for the faith." He managed to laugh. "But I can only do so much. Kenshin has to come to realise the rest on his own."
With a small bow to Tomoe, he walked down the hill, still deep in thought about what he had heard. Pondering what he had to do.
0
Kaoru glanced around the garden for any sign of Shinya. It was passed lunchtime and he had still not been seen. But the only people she could see was Sanosuke, who was dozing in the sun, Yahiko, who was brushing the floor and grumbling about Kaoru's orders, while Kenshin had gone down to the town to buy more groceries – Shinya was nowhere to be seen.
"Stop worrying, Jou-chan," Sanosuke said with his trademark fishbone in his mouth, "I'm sure he'll be back soon"
"I know," she sighed "It's just that he left so suddenly. I was wondering what was wrong. Hey, tell me if he comes, okay, Sanosuke?" With one last glance towards the gate, she went back in the house again
Sanosuke frowned a bit. There was definitely something strange about that kid. But he wasn't sure what exactly. He jumped slightly as he heard the gate creak open and glanced up. Shinya had just walked through, his face thoughtful, his eyes covered by his dark bangs. Sanosuke leaped to his feet. "You idiot! Where the hell have you been?"
Shinya gave him a look that was cross between hurtful and annoyed "Well, 'hello' to you too." He grumbled. "I just wanted to have a walk."
"Teh"
"Where's the trust?" Shinya pouted
"With you, Ko-oni, none"
"Oh, an Imp, am I? Well, that's not very nice is it, Ondori?" He said good-naturedly.
"Well, now you're back, are you gonna tell us what that was all about this morning?" Yahiko had just wandered up and was watching him with suspicion. Shinya fell over anime style.
Sitting up again, he regained his composure. "So…um… you saw, did you?" Shinya smiled nervously. "It was nothing really…" But the dangerous looks on their faces quickly made him reconsider. He raised his hands in defeat. "Alright! Jeez!" He stood up again slowly and sighed. "I was just sick of seeing them act like that. I bet everyone knows they've got feelings for each other but them. They're good people, and I didn't want them to suffer." He glared daggers at them "happy now?"
Sanosuke and Yahiko looked embarrassed at each other. "Sorry." Yahiko mumbled.
"No harm done" Shinya smiled again. "I don't truly get offended."
Just then, the gate opened again and Kenshin came through. They watched as he walked half way towards the dojo before Kaoru ran down towards him, all smiles. The watched as the started talking and headed back up to the dojo again. They listened as Kaoru laughed at something he said. All three sighed.
"They're hopeless…" Yahiko grumbled
"Wanna try do something about that?" Shinya asked. The other two glanced at him. Shinya was watching where Kenshin and Kaoru disappeared into the dojo quite innocently, but his eyes sparkled mischievously.
"What are you scheming now, Ko-oni?" Sanosuke asked suspiciously. Shinya just grinned impishly.
"How about we try to get them together?"
"Ya mean like, secretly play matchmaker or something" Yahiko pondered out loud. The thought seemed to strike both of them at once, like the light bulb had turned on. Shinya could almost see the cogs wiring in their heads. Twin devilish smiles broke on their faces.
"Exactly. If we don't do something, they'll never get round to it. It's Operation: Get-together, Minna!"
From inside the dojo, Kenshin and Kaoru could hear the three guys laugh slightly maniacally and they glanced at each other uneasily. Why did they have the sudden feeling that they were going to be in for some trouble sometime soon?
"Oro…"
To be continued…
Chosha notes: Well, a shorter chapter than the others, so to anyone who loves longer chapters, Gomennasai! So, apart from Angst near the beginning and a few spoilers for the Samurai x stories (and the flashback in the Manga, of course), we also have a tastier of what is to come from the trio of Sanosuke, Yahiko and Shinya!
For anyone who doesn't know, I used a few Japanese words. 'Ondori' means 'Rooster' in Japanese (sometimes people use 'Tori-atama' as Sano's nickname, which means bird-head). 'Ko-oni', as Shinya says, means 'Imp'. I decided to use the version for a small devil, rather than mischievous child, partly because it sounds better, and partly because Shinya has a similar 'demented personality' as Megumi – or so Sano would say anyways!
Another thing is that, though Shinya comes from the future, he has only heard stuff about the Hitokiri Battosai in Legends and that book his mom gave him. Unlike us, who have the story in manga and anime, Shinya is from a place where Rurouni Kenshin is factual. So in that case, Shinya would not have known about Tomoe's connection with Kenshin and it would have been a mystery to him – one getting in the way of his 'mission'. So asking Tomoe for help was the only way Shinya could find out. Any comments would be welcome, though. So, how was it, Minna? Good, bad? You just keep those reviews coming! We're always happy to get constructive comments!
Next time on 'Fading Futures'
Sano, Yahiko and Shinya begin plotting and Kenshin and Kaoru find themselves in a few embarrassing situations. But are they just accidents and coincidence that it's just them with 'bad' luck? Find out on the next chapter of Fading Futures: 'Accidents Happen'
Mata Aimasho, Minna-san! See you next time…
Chosha Kurenai xXx
