Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Love Hina Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Disaster? ❯ What's Going On!? ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disaster?
A Rurouni Kenshin Self-Insertion Fic
By: Serenity-chan and K-chan

Chapter 2:
What's Going On!?

Nicole got off a lot harder than Ashley. She hit her head somewhere in the Time Tunnel and had been falling through time unconscious. She never felt her hard landing in a drift of fresh snow somewhere in a forest. Several bruised ribs would pain her much later on, but now her real trouble was the cold. Jean shorts and a ratty Hello Kitty top would definitely not serve her well. Neither would her white flip-flops. Unaided, she would die in under an hour.

But someone heard her fall. Souzou Sagara, three of his best friends and the rest of the Sekihoutai were camping not too far away. Souzou heard the soft *thud* that accompanied Nicole's fall into the snowdrift. Quickly, he followed his instincts and went to investigate the source of the sound.

When he saw the girl lying out cold and totally motionless in the growing pile of snow, he felt his heart skip a beat. Was she---? He couldn't finish the thought, just immediately dropped on his knees beside Nicole's seemingly lifeless form. Falling back into the familiarity of basic first aid, he took hold of her wrist. With her other hand, she was clutching a dented, scuffed hardwood bokken for dear life. Souzou couldn't find a pulse in the girl's wrist and he wasn't going to put his hands anywhere near her chest, for the sake of propriety. So, tentatively he slid his hand along the curve of her throat, trying to find her carotid artery. Her pulse was faint and very weak, but it was there.

Realizing that if he didn't do something quickly, her pulse would cease entirely, Souzou lifted Nicole up in his arms. She still wouldn't let go of her bokken. Souzou held her closer to his chest, trying to share his body heat. Unaware of her own movements, Nicole snuggled closer to his warmth.

"Souzou, what the HELL?!?" demanded Reichi, running up to his best friend.

"Where'd ya find her?" inquired Kyo, looking the girl in his friend's arms up and down. "She sure is cute..."

Touya smacked his best friend and dragged him back to their campsite.

"Really Souzou," said Reichi, considering his best friend was, in general, the sane one of the group. "Where'd you find her?"

"Nevermind that," replied Souzou. "I don't know what happened, but it looks like she just fell or something."

He looked down at the shivering girl in his arms, who still clutched her bokken.

"All I know is that she needs help fast," he continued. "I mean, look at her! She's going to freeze to death in that!"

Of course he was referring to her shorts and ratty old top. They were soaked from lying in the snow and even if dry, they certainly wouldn't be adequate cover for her. Gently, he brushed some snowflakes off her face. As he did so, he saw that her face was startlingly pale, to the point of turning ashen grey. If she had any chance of recovery, Souzou was going to have to do something and fast.

Souzou set the girl down on Reichi's portable futon and slipped his own jacket off to wrap around her. Then he sat down beside her to figure out what to do. He had no clue who she was or where she had come from. And from what things looked like now, he wasn't going to be finding out anytime soon. He watched her for a while, until she was warmed up enough to sleep peacefully, then got up. The first thing he needed to do was talk to his friends. Maybe they could help him figure something out.
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As Souzou, Reichi and Touya tried to make sense of a seemingly senseless situation, Kyo's curiosity began to get the best of him. Quietly, he sneaked into the tent Souzou and Reichi had been sharing. For someone with a slight obsession with swords, a girl from nowhere who showed up clutching a bokken was fairly interesting. She really was cute... but Kyo shook his head, trying to focus more on assessing her skills. He didn't realize she was regaining consciousness until she...

"Eeeeeek!!!!" she shrieked, nailing his shoulder with a wild swing. "Who--- What--- What the hell are you doing!?!?!"

*CLONK*

Another swing, this one more accurate, came down hard on Kyo's head, raising a major lump. He swore out loud and whipped out his own bokken in a defensive stance, knowing Souzou would have a fit if he pulled his actual sword on a girl. Nicole swung hard and swore worse than Kyo when she tripped over her own foot and crashed to the ground. Touya, who had zoned out of the conversation a good while ago, heard a female voice swearing and got up to investigate.

"What in the---?" he asked, his voice trailing off.

The two were sparring like lunatics, swinging wildly and swearing loudly (and fluently) at each other. Doing a little trick jump, Kyo wound up behind Nicole, much closer than she would have wanted him. She stood there panting until she felt something on her rear.

(Author's Note: Think Miroku, from InuYasha)

"Can I..." she started asking, looking down.

His hand was on her rear.

"... help you?" she finished, trailing her eyes up to his boyish face.

*WHOMP*

"OW!" squawked Kyo.

*SLAP*

Nicole's hand connected sharply with Kyo's cheek. He wasn't ready for that, overbalanced when she hit him and hit the ground hard. Touya was totally dumbstruck. Kyo was one of the best fighters he knew and here he was, beaten by a scrappy teenager with no exceptional skill. The girl's bokken was edged against Kyo's head. And of all people, a GIRL...

"Souzou! Reichi!" he called in a low voice, trying to keep Kyo from hearing him. "You have to see this!"

Within seconds, his friends were by his sides, staring incredulously. Finally, Kyo just took hold of the girl's bokken and, with a sharp jerk, tipped her off her feet. She squeaked as she fell and looked up defiantly. Kyo didn't really know what to do. Finally, Souzou, being the unofficial "leader" of their little posse, besides actually leading the Sekihoutai, stepped in.

"You... calm down..." he said tentatively. "Just... um... get up..."

Nicole scrambled to her feet and snatched up her bokken, brandishing it wildly. Souzou frowned and took a step forward. A dented wooden bokken pointed dangerously at his face. He took another step and a now-frantic Nicole swung. The blade connected with the wrist he had raised to block it. He bit his lip and winced, but made no sound. When she heard that he made no protest, Nicole looked up at Souzou's face.

"Whoa..." she whispered, realizing who she was facing. "You... You... er... SOUZOU!"

Souzou looked at her as if she were crazy. Tentatively, watching her wild eyes the whole time, he stepped back. Alright, this girl was insane and she was going to hurt someone if they didn't get that bokken away from her. The problem was, none of them wanted to get near her.

"Uh, Miss, could you, um... put that down?" offered Touya lamely.

"No!" snapped Nicole. "Mine."

Touya took a tentative step forward, holding out his hand.

"Come on now, Miss," he said, as if trying to calm an angry wildcat. "You'll hurt somebody..."

"Mine," Nicole repeated flatly.

*SWAT*

Nicole swung crazedly at him and swore foully when she missed. Touya jumped back and fell over Kyo, who hadn't bothered to get up. Reichi moved behind Souzou, shaking his head. Souzou had never seen a girl like this one. She was dressed like nothing he had ever seen before, fought like a demon and had a worse mouth than his best friends! Then the girl's manner changed.

"Could any of y'all tell me where I am?" she asked, suddenly looking pathetically lost and confused as she lowered her bokken.

Souzou raised one eyebrow and took a step forward. Maybe he could try to talk sense into her. Moving slowly at first, he inched closer. In a split second, he had her bokken in his hand. Nicole froze, her eyes wide and her face paled in fear.

"Ah--- alright... I--- just don't hurt me..." she begged quietly.

Souzou set Nicole's bokken down at his feet and took another tentative step forward, as if he either expected her to break down and cry or go berserk and attack him.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I won't. And neither will the rest of my friends."

Touya pushed himself up and pulled Kyo up by the back of his shirt.

"He might look kinda rough, but he's not really a bad guy," he joked, shaking his friend, who glared up at him. "Don't mind him..."

Nicole didn't notice. Her eyes were trained on Souzou, looking at him from under the brim of a floppy bucket hat with Goofy on the front of it. (Yes, the Goofy hat... Everyone knows the Goofy hat!) Things began to swirl and everything felt like it was spinning. Before long, it was too much for her. Nicole's eyes rolled up in her head and she sank to the ground.

Rolling his eyes, Touya let Kyo fall again.

"So that's how you take care of a lady?" he asked sarcastically, to which Kyo grinned back sardonically.

Souzou easily lifted the tiny girl up close to him and headed for the tent he and Reichi shared without a word. Reichi watched his friend go and looked back at the younger men behind him, still scuffling. He rolled his cocoa-brown eyes at them and heaved a sigh.

"Morons," he muttered.