Stories of the Meiji
Chapter: 2
Welcome
Next chapter. We introduce some more characters. I know this is set in japan but but I am going to refrain from throwing in a bunch of japanese (except for one line I'm giving to Zelgadis)...also I'm not going to use anything like san or sama it just does not make the fic flow right.
A/N: I know Saito didn't give Kenshin any part of his scar but I'm playing around with that idea in this.
Lina was sitting inside a nice house towards the edge of Tokyo. It was a small family estate that belonged to the Sairoon family which Amelia was the youngest. Lina sat in the large room that was used for entertainment as she waited. Lina, having a little bit of decency, sat in seiza as she awaited her host. Amelia sat on the opposite side of the room copying Lina's form as she waited. A few minutes later a loud noise could be hear from down the hall before the shoji door flew open to reveal a huge man. Lina looked at the man a little taken aback at his tall stature and somewhat rustic looks. The man had large muscles and a hulking mass that one would easily confuse him for being a foreigner. His black hair jutted off his head in small wings and his face had a busy black mustache to go with it. It was all Lina could do to keep from moving. After a moment the man turned and yelled, "Amelia, dear daughter!"
"Daddy," Amelia replied as she launched herself into her father's arms.
The two hugged and it was all Lina could do to keep what little food that was in her stomach down. She coughed lowly before saying, "Excuse me."
The two turned before Amelia announced, "Daddy, this is the nice lady that stopped the thief."
"Is that so," came the man's deep voice as he took a sitting position on the floor.
Lina quickly noted that he did not sit in seiza but in a more relaxed cross-legged position. She grumbled inwardly, 'Either he thinks I shouldn't get any respect or know one told me he doesn't give a damn about procedure.'
A moment later the man noticed Lina's position and chuckled while saying, "You can relax here. I don't require my guest to go by procedure. I am Phil Sairoon, heir to the Sairoon estate and sword dojo. And, you've already met my daughter Amelia."
Lina nodded after she had relaxed and sat the same way Phil did in the relaxed style that was meant for men. She noted that he had said dojo but did not wish to get into a talk about swordsmanship. 'I have a feeling they don't have a clue what the real art of the sword is like,' she thought somewhat depressed as her memories still plagued her.
"I see that you carry a sword still. You must be very good with it if you are still willing to carry it in front of the police," Phil began.
"Oh, this," Lina said before drawing the sword from its scabbard.
Both Sairoon's looked at the sword and where surprised to find the blade was on the opposite side of the sword. "Why is the cutting edge reversed," Amelia asked very confused.
Lina placed the sword back in the scabbard and replied, "My days of fighting with real swords are over. Though I do not want my skills to get rusty so I had this reverse-blade sword made so that I can still carry a sword but not have to worry about killing someone."
"That's so cool Mrs...," Amelia paused before she blushed and said, "I'm sorry I never asked for your name."
"It's Lina...Lina Inverse," Lina replied before waiting on the next question.
Both Sairoon's nodded as they looked at the would be heroine. She was a small framed woman that did not seem to be older than fourteen. She wore a crimson haori and black hakama. Her long red hair was tied back making her look like she was a man. The last part of the cross-shaped scare on her cheek that seemed to be the only indication that she had been in any battles. After a moment Phil smiled before replying, "Well, its late and I'm sure you're hungry so let's continue our discussion over dinner."
Lina smiled as she finally felt that helping Amelia had paid off. She sat and waited with the two as she could smell dinner being prepared. "Miss Lina," Amelia piped up, "I was wondering since you do want to keep your skill but not kill you could always join our dojo."
Lina looked at the girl before sighing and saying, "Thanks but no thanks. I don't plan to stay in one place for too long. And, besides I do not plan take up a new style."
"You could teach your style," Phil added.
"I have no plans of passing my techniques on to the next generation. The capabilities I learned are only used for war," Lina replied as she remembered back to the revolution.
She stood out back of the Ikedaya in the middle of Kyoto. There was a big meeting among the members of the choshu clan and they had wanted her there as back up in case something went wrong. Well, that something just so happened to be the Shinsengumi or, 'The Wolves of Mibu,' as they had been nicked named.
They raided the Ikedaya and began to slaughter the members of the meeting. Once Lina heard the attack she raced into the building and up the back flight of stairs. She quickly hurried the survivors down the stairs before turning to be met with two of the squad captains of the Shinsengumi. The one leading the front was him. Her main rival out of the Shinsengumi, the captain of the third squad, Zelgadis Greywords. She glared at him as he returned her stare before saying, "So we meet again Battosai the Man-Slayer."
Lina did not reply but took off down the stairs with the Shinsengumi in hot pursuit. She shot out into the back alley and continued to run trying to find a place that would be to her advantage. After about five minutes she came to a larger alleyway and stopped. She spun to face her pursuers to see that the only person left was her rival and arch enemy. She glared at Zelgadis as her hand moved to the hilt of her sword. Zelgadis mimicked Lina's action as they both squared off. Zelgadis smirked before asking, "So where did you get that gash? Makes me sad to know I wasn't the first one to cut you."
Lina sneered as she heard the mocking tone of his voice. She kept herself under control, knowing Zelgadis was trying to get a rise out of her, and focused on what to do next. The single cut on her face had come from a lucky shot by a green body guard. The cut had bleed for quite sometime but had finally healed over. Lina smirked before saying, "And, it will hurt you worse that you will never have the chance."
Lina crouched as she waited. It was in this moment that Zelgadis drew his sword and crouched in an odd stance. The sword was held in his left hand, parallel to the ground, and his right foot positioned on the ground in front of his body. Lina looked at the stance before taunting, "What kind of style is this?"
"I guess you'll have to find out," Zelgadis replied and he launched from his stance with blazing speed.
Lina barely had time to react as the sword was heading right for her. She quickly brought drew her sword at the last second to deflect his blow. Zelgadis' sword skidded off of Lina's and connected with the edge of her face. The blow cut a gash across the vertical one and thus gave her a scar that looked like a cross.
"Miss Lina? Miss Lina are you okay," came Amelia's voice as Lina was rattled out of her memory.
"I'm fine...just an old memory," Lina replied and looked down.
Phil looked at Lina before saying, "Bad memories are best left in the past. Well, since you won't join our dojo how about this. You are free to stay as long as you like."
Lina looked up and Phil before asking, "Are you sure?"
Phil laughed before replying, "Of course. Anything to repay you for helping my daughter."
"Okay...but I can't promise I won't wonder off again soon," Lina remember as the first true smile came to her face.
"So what have you found Goro...or should I say, Zelgadis Greywords former captain of the third squad of the Shinsengumi," came the amused voice of the politician sitting behind the desk.
"It seems that a shadow from the past has made it to Tokyo. And, judging by the information I was able to pull together I believe it to be Battosai the Man-Slayer," Zelgadis replied matter-of-factly.
"Well, this is interesting. See if Battosai will want in on our little ring," Minster Shinmo replied.
"As you wish," Zelgadis said before turning and walking out of the room.
'This could be just what I need to end this facade,' Zelgadis though as he placed his cap back on his head and walked back into the street to spy on his new target.
Disclaimer: Any characters or ideas from The Slayers do not belong to me. I am not selling this material, just writing for the heck of it as I go.
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