My first Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic
Here are a few definitions to help clarify some Japanese words used in the story.
Engawa: Refers to the typically wooden strip of flooring immediately before windows and storm shutters inside traditional Japanese rooms.
Yukata: A light cotton kimono but not as formal.
Kata: Refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practiced alone or in a group in unison when training.
Wakizashi: A smaller version of a katana allowed to be worn in Feudal Japan after the prohibition on the Katana was implemented.
GONE
Chapter One - Vanished
Set after the Feng Shui events. Kaoru is missing. Will this new development reawaken the Hitokiri Battōsai? Or will Kenshin be able to keep it together trying to piece together what happened?
I'm not following any events from the manga but I will reference the movies (yes I know the movies are based on the manga. I just never got a chance to read them all). I am altering the birthdates of a majority of the characters, deal with it hahaa. Kaoru is 21, Kenshin is 27, Yahiko is 12, Sanosuke is 26, Megumi is 26, Ayame is 5, Suzume is 3 and Dr. Gensai is…old. I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters.
Day 1 - Midday about 1:50pm
It was a sunny day in late spring. Upon reaching the location, Ayame and Suzume squealed in delight and ran to the plum tree. "Hold on you two," Kaoru instructed. Dr. Gensai left the girls in her care for the day. "Plums, plums!" Ayame giggled starting to pick up some of the fruit from the ground. "Plums, plums! Suzume repeated in her usual manner.
Kaoru kneeled next to them setting her basket down. Kaoru began explaining, "Now, in order to tell which ones are the really sweet and juicy ones, you have to squeeze them a little." Ayame picked one up and started squeezing the fruit with all her might, "Like this?" "Oh no, not too hard." Kaoru picked one up to demonstrate. "Here, like this." Kaoru squeezed the fruit slightly and gave it to Ayame to do the same. "Now that one is a bit hard and the skin is red. So that means that it isn't ripe yet. But this one," Kaoru picked up a darker colored fruit and squeezed it slightly, satisfied that it was softer but not too soft. Again she handed the fruit to Ayame, "this one is nice and ripe." Ayame concentrated and also squeezed it a bit. She looked up smiling, "Ok."
Kaoru smiled in return at Ayame and glanced behind Ayame to her younger sister Suzume. Kaoru's smile fell when she saw that the previous unripe plum Ayame gave to Suzume was being jumped on and ultimately pulverized. After the fruit was effectively smashed in huge chunks, Suzume stopped and pointed at the plum squealing "Ripe!"
Kaoru laughed nervously. She stood, brushed the dirt from her yukata, and approached the girl before she could pick up another plum from the ground. She set the girl on her lap for a moment, "Now Suzume, we have to be able to eat these. We want them to be whole so we can surprise the others with a nice treat." "Suzume," Ayame chastised, "When we find a ripe fruit we put it in the basket." Suzume followed her older sister's movements and jumped off Kaoru's lap to help collect the plums.
Kaoru smiled at the two as Ayame found the ripe fruit and handed it to Suzume to put it in the basket. Kaoru circled around the tree to pick up some plums of her own and place them in her lap. Suzume also ran to Kaoru grabbing the fruit from her lap. Kaoru hugged the little girl and gave her a peck on the forehead before she scampered off; she loved those girls as if they were her own.
The three continued in this manner for a few minutes when Kaoru heard Suzume scream. Kaoru jumped up from her position and ran to where Ayame was. Kaoru stepped in front of Ayame protectively staring in shock and anger as a man was now holding Suzume in his right arm, and a wakizashi was held next to the little girl's face. "Who are you!" Kaoru calmly asked, staring down the new foe.
The man said nothing. Kaoru was unable to see any discerning features on the guy since he was donned in shinobi garb. The outfit looked similar to that of the Oniwabanshū, but unlike Misao's clan, this guy was covered from head to toe in all black. The only thing visible was the glint of his cold black eyes.
Suzume started crying. "Shut up brat!" he yelled at the girl effectively quieting her but the tears continued. Ayame flinched and ducked behind Kaoru's yukata fearful for her sister's life. He moved the weapon closer to Suzume. "No, wait!" the shakiness in Kaoru's voice betrayed her.
"Please let her go." There was a moment of silence where the man said nothing. Then, slowly he lowered Suzume to the ground. Suzume ran to Ayame, both girls hugging each other. 'Who is this guy? I didn't think he would just let her go like that.' Kaoru thought to herself. 'He's testing me, but what does he want.' "Thank you," Kaoru watched him closely.
'Just maybe…' She grabbed the girls' hands motioning to leave. The guy stepped forward, "No, you stay." 'I didn't think he would let us all go.' Kaoru eyed him carefully then bent down to the girls. "Ayame I need you to listen closely. Take your sister and run back to the dojo." "Big sister Kaoru…" Ayame voiced nervously. "I don't want to leave. What if you get hurt?"
Kaoru gave a faint smile knowing the odds were not in her favor. Her yukata limited her movements and she didn't have her bokken to defend herself. She tried to soothe Ayame's worries by rubbing her back, "I'll be ok. Now, I need you to be a big girl and take Suzume and run."
Ayame hugged Kaoru, grabbed her sister's hand, and ran back towards the town. Kaoru was careful to make sure that the man before her wouldn't change his mind and go after the kids.
Kaoru glanced in the direction the kids were headed. The kids got a good distance away and the man showed no signs of moving. 'Maybe he's another foe from Kenshin's past.'
"Kenshin isn't here." "Oh, I have no intention of fighting the Battōsai directly." 'So he does know about Kenshin's past as the Battōsai. And what does he mean directly.' Kaoru tried to keep her expression blank but couldn't help swallowing the lump in her throat. 'If history serves correct, anyone who knows about the Battōsai is a very skilled opponent.'
"Heh, heh. You're wondering how do I know about your friend?" "Yes," Kaoru answered hesitantly. "I know about each of you. Down to the acquaintances, each of you met during your travels. I've been watching your group for months. I even know that your crush the Battōsai went to the market and he'll be gone for about another hour. Yahiko went to spend the day with Tsubame and Sanosuke will be out of the picture for a few hours." Kaoru took an involuntary step back.
"Which just leaves you with two helpless kids. Oh wait, correction, now it's just you." "W-what do you want?" Kaoru didn't like where this was going. There was a brief pause, "You." Kaoru inhaled sharply, but before she could even blink or react, the man disappeared and was in front of her in an instant. Kaoru felt a sharp pain. Then her world faded to black.
Day 1 - Midday about 3:00pm
Megumi was on her way to the dojo. Dr. Gensai asked if she could retrieve the girls for him. She was always willing to help out when it came to Ayame and Suzume. Not watching them of course. She felt that the girls enjoyed playing with Kenshin and Kaoru more.
Megumi was on the last stretch, the dojo will be in sight in a moment. After rounding the corner, Megumi was bumped and pushed by a few people rushing to get by. "Hey," was all she could voice. The two men were already a good distance away. 'Well what's gotten into them.' In fact, Megumi noticed a commotion in the distance. 'I wonder what's going on?' Megumi's thoughts about the commotion were interrupted when she noticed something out of place at the dojo entrance. She ran the rest of the way.
Upon reaching the gate Megumi tried catching her breath for a brief moment. "Ayame, Suzume! What in the world are you two doing outside of the gate!" The two girls in question seem to have been crying for a while now. "Where's Kaoru?" she tried to ask the girls calmly. Neither of the girls responded.
Megumi picked up Suzume, "Here let's get you both inside." Megumi took a look at the commotion occurring in the distance, opened the gate, took Ayame's hand, and walked inside. She shut the gate behind her. She kneeled down to Ayame, while still holding Suzume, "Are you two ok?" Their crying started to quiet down. Ayame managed a slight nod. "Kaoru! Hello is anyone home!?" Megumi yelled but was greeted with silence.
She turned her attention back to the girls, both of which seemed tired. "Girls do you know where Kaoru is?" Suzume was all but nodded off, probably from excessive crying. Ayame continued to stare at the ground looking very sleepy as well. Megumi sighed, picked up Ayame, and carried both girls to the guest beds to nap. She reached the guest room and set the kids down. Both girls walked to the futon and settled under the covers. Ayame cuddled up with an arm around Suzume and fell fast asleep.
'Where the heck is everyone!' Megumi got up and searched every inch of the dojo. Not a soul in sight. She decided to make some tea and sat down in the common room. 'How could Kaoru be so irresponsible to leave the kids here alone. And outside for that!' Megumi took another sip of her tea, 'When that raccoon girl gets back, she's going to get an earful.'
Day 1 - Midday around 3:15pm
Kenshin hadn't meant to spend so long at the market; he just felt that they may have company over for dinner. "Hey, Kenshin!" As if on cue, Sano called out to Kenshin. Kenshin stopped briefly to allow Sano to catch up. "Sano, good to see you." "Is that food I see for dinner?" "Yes, that it is." "Well, then I decided to visit at a perfect time." The two continued their walk towards the dojo. "I just hope Ms. Kaoru is not upset that I took a while at the market." "Nah. The little Missy will forgive you once dinner is made."
"So what have you been up to Sano?" "You know, just hanging out with Katsu. He wanted me to see his latest paintings." "How are those…oro?" Before Kenshin could finish his question, he noticed the commotion in the distance. "What's going on there?" Sano wondered.
The two ran towards the commotion making their way through the large crowd of people. Kenshin and Sano managed to reach the front of the crowd. Kenshin took note of the scene in front of them. Police were on the scene. A straw mat seemingly covered a dead body. Not far away, there was the old plum tree and a basket that was tipped over. His eyes lingered on the basket for a moment.
"Chief!" Sano tried to get the police chief's attention. "Mr. Sanosuke, Mr. Himura!" "What happened here Chief?" The Chief was used to telling Kenshin and the gang any issues that were recently occurring. "Some of the folks found a body on fire. We managed to put out the flames a few moments ago. Now we're just waiting on… Ah Dr. Gensai, right on time." Dr. Gensai made his way through the crowd. "Doctor if you would, we need your assistance on this one. It will be difficult catching the person responsible with so little evidence."
"Yes, happy to help in any way that I can." The Doctor kneeled down next to the body taking a moment to analyze things. "Anything of note Doctor?" the Chief was hopeful.
"Well, my preliminary findings indicate that the victim was a young woman. There's a smell of oil. Probably oil from a lantern is what caused the fire. I wish I could provide you with more, but the fire is making it difficult to determine anything else at this point. Maybe if I can examine the poor dear in a lab, possibly Megumi can lend a hand as well?" "Sure Dr. Gensai, we'll make the body available for you once we get it back to the Prefecture."
Dr. Gensai stood and gathered his things. "Kenshin, Sanosuke. You wouldn't happen to know what happened?" "Oh no, sorry Dr. Gensai. We just arrived here shortly before you, that we did." "Well let's just hope we can give this poor woman some closure. Please let Megumi know I'll meet her back at the clinic." "Sure thing Doctor."
With that, Dr. Gensai left the police to finish their work. "Let's clear the scene," the Chief ordered his men. "Hey Chief," an officer came running up. "We found what appears to be tracks from a horse and carriage." "Take some men to investigate. Who knows, it could lead us to the individual responsible." "Yes sir Chief," the officer responded and left to relay the order that was given.
"Well Chief, I hope you catch the person responsible." "Thanks Mr. Himura. We may have to invoke a curfew. But I should get going." Kenshin and Sano exchanged their goodbyes with the Chief and headed back to the dojo. Kenshin glanced back at the scene, his attention was drawn to the deceased woman than the basket before turning away. The crowd slowly started to disperse also due to the scene being cleared.
"Man, that's really messed up. Who would set someone on fire? I just hope the lady that was killed wasn't alive when it happened." "We should tell Ms. Kaoru and Ms. Megumi to be careful walking alone." "I say we accompany them where ever they go." "I agree." Kenshin couldn't shake the unnerving feeling that something was off.
The two men walked the short distance back to the dojo. Sano opened the gate since Kenshin had his hands full. "We're home!" Kenshin called. Megumi walked out to the engawa. "Welcome home Sir Ken. And Rooster head, you're here too," Megumi responded dryly towards Sano. "Gee thanks for the warm welcome." "No doubt you saw Sir Ken carrying food from the market and decided to visit for free food." "You know me too well Foxy," Sano smiled shamelessly.
Kenshin proceeded to the kitchen to unload the food purchased from the market. "Will you be joining us for dinner Ms. Megumi?" Megumi turned her attention to Kenshin, "Oh Sir Ken, I would love to stay for dinner. I did want to get Ayame and Suzume to Dr. Gensai's though before it gets too late." Kenshin began chopping carrots for the meal he was eager to start.
"Well Foxy, let me know when you leave. There's a killer on the loose." Megumi sat down on the edge of the engawa, "What do you mean?" Sano joined her. "Well someone burned a woman just outside of the town." "Is that what that commotion was about?" Megumi responded. "You saw the commotion too Ms. Megumi?" Kenshin was listening to the conversation. "Yes," she turned her head toward the kitchen doorway. "I didn't get to see what was going on since Ayame and Suzume were outside of the gate."
Kenshin stopped chopping the vegetables to join the conversation for a moment. "What do you mean they were outside of the gate?" "Well exactly as I said Rooster. The girls were standing outside of the gate crying when I got here."
Kenshin frowned, "I thought Ms. Kaoru was watching the girls today?" "That's what Dr. Gensai said. But when I got here she was nowhere to be found. Yahiko isn't here either." "Well that's odd," Sanosuke voiced what they all were thinking. "I did notice that it was quiet when we arrived. The Missy and Yahiko are usually arguing about something while practicing katas."
"Were there any notes left from Ms. Kaoru?" "No, I checked everywhere after the girls fell asleep Sir Ken." The three sat in silence for a few minutes. Sano attempted to ease the worry, "Maybe something came up and Kaoru and Yahiko went somewhere together." "But that still doesn't explain Ayame and Suzume being outside the gate." "Well I have no idea Foxy!" "Well try to come up with something better Rooster!" Megumi retorted.
By now Kenshin turned his attention back to the vegetables to finish chopping, wanting nothing to do with the argument that was bound to start between Megumi and Sano. 'Ms. Kaoru, where are you? And why were the kids left outside?'
Day 1 – Kamiya Dojo - Early Evening 5:25pm
Kenshin had prepared some kenchin-jiru soup, with miso chicken over a bed of rice and some hot green tea. Megumi, Sano, and Kenshin waited for a while hoping that Yahiko and Kaoru would return any moment. Ayame and Suzume were too exhausted and slept soundly.
Megumi and Sano were idly chatting about Katsu's painting talents that they had the privilege to see. Kenshin's mind was elsewhere worrying about Kaoru's whereabouts. After 15 minutes of waiting and not wanting the food to get cold, the trio dug into the meal. A few Mmm's were heard from Megumi and Sano. Not long after, the meal had vanished in silence.
"Thank you Sir Ken for a delicious meal." "Hmm. Oh, thank you Ms. Megumi." Megumi could tell Kenshin was worrying about Kaoru and Yahiko. "Well, I should get going. It's getting late." Sano stood up along with Megumi, "Foxy I'll walk with you to Dr. Gensai's." "Rooster head, it's odd you being so thoughtful." Megumi raised an eyebrow towards the gesture. Sano scratched his head, "Well just want to make sure you and the kids are ok. You know, cause of the commotion and all." Megumi gave a small smile and welcomed the help.
Kenshin barely noticed the conversation as he cleared the table of the dishes. Megumi and Sano left to go retrieve the kids. A short while later they returned, Megumi carrying a sleeping Suzume and Sano carrying a sleeping Ayame.
"Hey Kenshin!" "Sano?" Kenshin looked up from cleaning. "I'll be back. Besides, we have to give the little Missy a hard time when she comes back." "Yeah tell that Raccoon girl I want to speak to her, so I can also lecture her about watching the girls." "I will give her the message, that I will." "Kenshin, I'll ask around to see if anyone has seen the Missy or Yahiko." "Thank you Sano." Kenshin forced a smile and watched as they left through the gate.
The two set off in the setting sun towards the clinic. "Sir Ken seems to be really worried. The nerve of that little raccoon girl making everyone worry. Not to mention leaving poor Ayame and Suzume outside crying." "Yeah," was all Sano added. His mind was drifting to darker thoughts, 'Could the woman that was burned be…' He visibly shook his head to rid himself of the image. 'No. The Missy has to be with Yahiko. That has to be it!' They continued the rest of the way in silence until reaching the clinic.
The clinic is comprised of two stories, the first floor consisted of the clinic where patients were cared for. The second floor consisted of a living quarters for Dr. Gensai, Ayame, and Suzume. "Greetings Ms. Megumi, oh and Sanosuke as well I see. Thank you for bringing the girls home." "Not a problem Dr. Gensai. We'll just take them to their beds." "Thank you Ms. Megumi." Sano was silent the entire time they reached the clinic. Upon leaving, he bid Megumi and Dr. Gensai a good night and went into town in search of Kaoru and Yahiko.
Day 1 – Kamiya Dojo - Evening 7:30pm
The gate to the dojo opened, "Busu I'm starving! But I'm not eating anything you cook," Yahiko chuckled to himself. Kenshin was in one of the bedrooms putting away laundry when he heard the gate open and Yahiko made himself known. He rushed to the engawa startling Yahiko. "Kenshin! What's wrong, did something happen?"
Kenshin scanned Yahiko noticing Kaoru's absence, "Yahiko, have you seen Ms. Kaoru?" "Kaoru?" Yahiko thought for a moment still a little alert. "The last time I saw Kaoru was before I left to spend the day with Tsubame. That was around noon I think. She was with Ayame and Suzume just finishing chores."
Kenshin thought for a moment. 'So the girls were the last to possibly see Ms. Kaoru.' "Is everything ok…?" Yahiko inched forward noticing that Kenshin was absorbed in thought. Kenshin sighed and sat down on the engawa, "Ms. Kaoru has not come home yet." Yahiko joined Kenshin, "Well maybe she's with Tae. Those two lose track of time talking about girl stuff all the time." Kenshin wasn't convinced.
Just then, the gate opened again drawing the attention of Kenshin and Yahiko. Darkness shrouded the gate so they couldn't tell who had just entered. The gate slammed shut roughly and a tall figure walked into the light towards them. Kenshin stood, "Any luck Sano?" "None. I even checked to see if the Missy was with Tae, but she hasn't seen Kaoru either."
There was a stretch of silence as no one said a word. Yahiko was tired of being in the dark, "Why are you guys so worried about Busu? She'll be back." "It is not like Ms. Kaoru to leave Ayame and Suzume on their own outside of the dojo gate, that it is not." "Wait, what?" Yahiko knew Kaoru would never do anything as Kenshin just described.
Kenshin and Sano stared at each other both with the same thought in mind but neither dared to say it. Yahiko looked between the two and stood up abruptly, "What's going on? You guys know what happened?"
Kenshin gave Yahiko his full attention, "We are just worried about Ms. Kaoru nothing more. The Chief told us there is a killer on the loose, so we just want to make sure Ms. Kaoru is ok, that we do." Kenshin didn't want to alarm the boy about the female body found earlier. 'That woman outside of the town could that have been Ms. Kaoru?'
Kenshin looked to Sano and saw the worry on his face as well. 'No. We have to believe that Ms. Kaoru went off on an emergency errand.' "Yahiko," Kenshin changed the subject. "I left some food for you in the kitchen. It should still be warm." "Oh, thanks Kenshin!" Yahiko's stomach growled loudly at that moment causing the youth to laugh nervously. "Guess I was hungrier than I thought." Yahiko disappeared into the kitchen.
Kenshin watched as Yahiko left then approached Sanosuke to speak to him quietly. "We have to hope that Ms. Kaoru lost track of time and is on her way home, that we do." Sano's gaze left the ground, "But Kenshin, what if that killer got to her. If so, I'm going to hunt him down along with the Chief..." "Sano," Kenshin interrupted, "we should keep a clear mind, that we should. If Ms. Kaoru isn't home by morning, then we will have daylight to search for her." Sano nodded his head once in agreement and walked off to go to one of the guest beds.
Kenshin resigned to the common room to drink some tea in preparation of waiting up until Kaoru returned home. After finishing his tea, Kenshin sat with his reverse blade sword standing in the crook of his left arm. The tea calmed him enough to allow him to nod off to sleep leaning on his sword to keep him upright.
Well folks that's it for chapter one! I couldn't remember where Dr. Gensai lived exactly, but above the clinic seemed fitting. It's been a long while since I've written, but I do have a few stories in development. Hope you all enjoy.