Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Belonging ❯ Long Awaited ( Chapter 2 )

Title: Belonging

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and all it's characters do not belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for a little while

A/N: Hi! To everyone who reviewed my fics, thank you guys so much! Thanks guys. Mwah!

/I just added some new words…I hope it's not an inconvenience…/

Kyuketsuki - vampire

Tsukuru - made vampire

Umareru - born vampire

Lamia - Magical creature like a vampire but with higher power. The True Immortal Vampires that cannot be killed. No one really knows the extent of the true powers they wield.

Momban - the Kamiyas are all considered Momban or Wardens of the Gates. They are Priests or Priestesses that have great power.

Jogoku - hell

Tengoku - Heaven

Nedan - Blood Price, very important to vampire clans. It is viewed as revenge or atonement for wrongdoing...a way to even up the score.

Ki - life energy

Meikai - demon world. The people here mostly want to rule all the realms.

Kaibutsu - The race of people who live in Meikai.

Makai - The `between' world where all planes converge. The inhabitants of this plane can cross over to other realms. It is the threshold into Ningenkai (Human World)

Youkai - The inhabitants of Makai. As a whole they view the humans as beneath them. There are different types of Youkai; vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters...so on...

Reikai - Spirit World (this is where the Magical Creatures and Spell Casters come from It is the world Kaoru came from.

Rei Ki - possessed energy by the inhabitants of Reikai

Nakama - Life-mate. A very strong bond...

Shidôsha - Leader...a form of address meant to show respect

Oniwabanshu - /I have no idea if this is the right way to spell it, if it's wrong tell me the correct way and I'll change it. Thanks ;P/ This is a group of Youkai, mostly vampires, who patrol Ningenkai, keeping an eye for rogue Youkai making trouble in the Human world or Hunters who are harassing Youkais. Sort of like a police squad of sorts…but more secretive…like MIB…/Hehehe ^_^/

Okashira - /again I don't know the right spelling, please correct me if I'm wrong/ What the Enclave uses to address Aoshi.

Enclave - A bunch of Youkais who live in Ningenkai and follow Aoshi /even though he doesn't really want them to, they treat him as a sort of master/

/Looks up at the notes... Don't worry...you don't need to memorize it to follow the story. It's just so that you have a reference if you so wish...I hope you enjoy my fic. This is my first Rurouni Kenshin endeavor so please tell me if I'm doing a good job and should continue or if should just not write anymore...Thanks ;P/

Chapter One

/Ningenkai - The Human World/

"Kenshin…?" Seijuuro Hiko called out, wandering through the large estate in search of the little redheaded waif. There were times that living in such a large house was a pain, there were so many places for a little boy to hide in or explore. Still, Seijuuro felt that if he had to stay in Ningenkai, he might as well make himself comfortable and that is exactly what he did. The house was a large sprawling structure guarded by high fences and electronic gates with the top-notch burglary systems. He had to hand it to the humans. What they lacked in natural ability, they tried to make up for with technology.

It was rather like thinking a think wooden fence could keep one safe from an angry lion but hey...who was he to judge?

Besides, it did keep people away.

As for Youkais…Kaibutsu…or even those Spirit World Dwellers…well none of them ever really visited Ningenkai.

None of the really strong ones anyway

They viewed the human world as beneath them.

For most of the Spirit World Dwellers, it was like a great Aristocrat going down and mingling with unwashed peasants.

As for Youkai…Ningenkai was just a place you go to for food.

Most Kaibutsu were confined within the barricades that held them only within their world…unless of course some unknowing human found an old spell and summoned one of them…

He'd heard it happen a few times hence the Oniwabanshu had been formed.

To create some semblance of order…a balance.

Both Makai and Reikai had come to decision to form the squad.

It was better for all involved if the humans stayed oblivious to the existence of the other realms.

Soujiro sighed. He had lived in Ningenkai for lifetimes and he had bare witness to the changes the evolution of man had brought. It seemed that most of them had forgotten about The Wars.

His kind was now relegated to folklore.

The Spirit World Dwellers were now referred to as mere `fairies' or `magicians'.

They had forgotten.

And even so he could still see the instinctive reaction of people to the dark unknown. They still held the fear passed on to them for generations. An unconscious part of them remembered what it was that lurked in the dark.

A small smile twisted his lips and he expanded his senses slightly, to see if he could locate the boy this way.

There it was, the faint throbbing of a latent power.

Strong but sleeping still

He found Kenshin sitting by the large window that overlooked the gardens of the house they were occupying. The five-year-old seemed so small to him, so frail, it was hard to believe the dark power pulsating within the little frame.

And there was indeed immense power inside of Kenshin. The birthmark in the shape of a cross on his skin was proof that in his blood pulsed the most ancient blood of his lineage.

That was the reason why Seijuuro Hiko was bound to teach him the ways of the Ancient Sword. Why he had left his world to dwell with mere humans. It was his duty to teach this young boy to control the power flowing in his veins, to rein it in and keep it under the tightest of controls.

Perhaps this time he would succeed in quelling the darkness dwelling within.

Kenshin glanced away from the beautiful red moon in the sky. "Why is the moon this way Master?" he asked, his eyes large and questioning.

"The moon?" Seijuuro asked, stepping closer to the window and freezing at the sight of the blood red moon hanging like an ominous figure over the clear, starless night.

"Why is it so red?" Kenshin asked.

"It's called the Chi-Tsuki; The Blood Moon. It's a marking of a special event."

"A special event…" Kenshin repeated, thinking. "Have you seen it a lot of times Master?"

Seijuuro's eyes were hooded. "I've only seen it a few times before in my life…the last time was five years ago…"

"Oh…that must be why I haven't seen it before. I was just born then…" Kenshin commented.

Seijuuro looked down at his young ward. "Yes…you were born then…"

Which meant…

That she had been reborn as well.

OOOOO

Misao carried a beautifully lacquered box in her hands. Inside was a set of everything that was needed to perform a tea ceremony. Even though they were vampires, she knew that the Okashira still enjoyed the studied motions and calming effects of having a tea ceremony.

A blush colored her cheeks as she thought of spending some time alone with him. Maybe then he would be able to get up enough courage to propose to her and tell her of his real feelings.

Misao froze however when she ran into Megumi who was also on her way to Aoshi's room. Her eyes hardened in anger. "What are you doing here?" she snapped possessively.

Megumi merely lifted an eyebrow at her. "I will bring that inside for him if you wish," she told the younger girl. She was amused by the anger radiating out of Misao's every pore. Oh to be young and in love.

Misao's eyes narrowed. "You have no right to be here."

"I was called for." Megumi said in liltingly sweet tones. "Were you?"

Misao's face reddened. "That's because you keep pushing yourself at him! It's me he really loves!"

"I never claimed he loved me…nor do I love him." Megumi said calmly as she plucked the lacquered box from Misao's hands. "I will tell him that you brought this for him," Megumi said before continuing and slipping inside Aoshi's room. She found him sitting on the bed, his eyes trained at the starless sky.

"Your little girlfriend is possessive Okashira," Megumi said as she placed the box carefully on top of Aoshi's bedside table. "You really should invite her in bed one of these days. It might appease her."

"Misao is a child." Aoshi scoffed, not turning to look at Megumi.

"That child has lived several lifetimes by human standards. She may look a bit young but she is a kid no longer." Megumi said as she got on the bed and moved behind him, slipping her fingers inside his half open shirt and feeling the warm texture of his smooth skin stretched over hard muscle. She playfully bit at Aoshi's neck extending her fangs just enough to scratch the skin, but not to penetrate. Aoshi would never allow for such closeness. The exchange of blood was done only between Nakama…life-mates.

For a vampire to openly allow someone to partake of his or her blood was a sign of submission.

It forged a bond of belonging.

Megumi allowed Aoshi to partake of her blood not only because he was the leader of their enclave but also because it felt good.

Pleasurable.

Her teeth tingled at the though of feeling Aoshi's fangs pierce her soft skin, his mouth open and sucking…a warm, moist cavern…

The breath rushed out of Megumi as Aoshi's arm caught her unaware and sent her slamming to the other side of the bed. She was more surprised than hurt as her shirt felt open, her exposed skin glinting like porcelain in the dim light. She sat up, several locks of thick raven hair falling over her shoulder and her eyes. Megumi pushed them aside lazily as she eyed Aoshi. There was a small red mark on his neck where her fangs had almost broken the skin.

"Don't get too excited…" Aoshi said glancing at her at the corner of his eyes.

Megumi tilted her head to the side a small smirk playing around her luscious lips, her hair tumbling like a dark waterfall. There was something strange burning in the depths of his eyes. In the centuries that Megumi had followed Aoshi to Ningenkai, this was the first time the raven-haired beauty had ever seen some semblance of emotion, grace the stoic man's face. "What is it?" she asked, knowing that he was preoccupied with something.

"Haven't you yet noticed?" he asked as he turned back to the window.

Megumi turned to see what it was that had him so captivated. She gasped. "Chi-Tsuki…" she breathed.

OOOOO

Misao frowned. There was something odd about the moon tonight but when she peered at it closely; her eyes hurt and her vision blurred. She blinked trying to clear it before deciding to just give up. What did she care what the moon looked like anyway?

Misao's eyes flashed with anger as she hugged her knees tighter to her body, her eyes narrowing.

Megumi was right now in Okashira's room.

In Okashira's bed

Misao hugged her knees to her chest and fought of the tears that were threatening to rise in her eyes. She stared down at her feet willing the image from her mind's eye but like some perverted masochist, she couldn't help but relive what she'd seen and even conjure up more imagined images causing herself more pain in the process...

She could practically see how Megumi would look as she left Okashira's room, the pleasure and satisfaction still evident in her aura and the bruised look to her lips.

Ugh!

She was so lost in her personal musings that she failed to hear and sense Soujiro approaching until he laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. She jumped, startled and turned her weapons in hand.

Soujiro smiled at her and held up both hands in a gesture of appeasement. "I come in peace Misao-chan," he said.

With a deft flick of her wrists, Misao's weapons were once more hidden from view. "You scared me," she berated him as she flopped back down on her seat once more.

"I'm sorry. I just thought you might like to have some company," he said as he sat down beside her.

Misao studied his smiling, relaxed features. She tried to get a `sense' of him but she wasn't strong enough to read his aura when he was blocking her.

"I really hate her," Misao announced with fisted fists.

He only needed one guess to figure out who, `her', pertained to. "Megumi has never done anything to you." Soujiro pointed out.

Misao whirled on him, her eyes burning with incense. "She's…she's going to be with him tonight!" she snarled.

Soujiro shrugged. "There is no real connection there. It is just another way of fulfilling a body's needs like eating food or drinking blood. There is no real bond of involvement. It doesn't matter whom he does it with."

"Yes it does! He shouldn't be doing it with anyone but me!" Misao wailed indignantly, flapping her hands like a beheaded chicken.

Soujiro raised an eyebrow slightly at her possessive tone but the smile never left his face.

Misao's expression turned mulish. Soujiro Seta was rumored to be one of the oldest vampires in their enclave. It was said that he had come from Makai and followed Lord Aoshi when he had decided to move to Ningenkai.

It was so hard to believe that he was actually that old. He looked to be the same age as her give or take a year or two.

If that were true, she'd always wondered why they had done it.

Why they left Makai.

Misao knew that most Youkais would rather die than step one foot into the Human World.

Unless of course it was for feeding…

But to actually want or choose to live with humans was another thing.

Only the basest of Youkais were said to inhabit Ningenkai.

Lower Classes and Exiles.

Or those Youkais who had been born in Ningenkai

Misao was one of them

She was a Youkai, a panther shape-shifter, but she had been born in Ningenkai. She had no idea what Makai, her world, looked like. Her parents had fled Makai and had chosen to live on Ningenkai instead, among humans.

It had been centuries ago…

Back then humans still remembered.

Now the humans had forgotten that the other worlds exist.

Most of them anyway…

But Misao could still remember the Hunters, humans who could not accept the treaty and mistrusted anyone who was not human. They had sought out Misao's parents and killed them. She had escaped only because her mother had hidden her and told her not to move or make a sound.

It was Oniwabanshu who had found her and brought her to Okashira.

To Aoshi…

She didn't know much about him. Only that he was rumored to be really ancient and that he had been born in Makai.

He was powerful and mysterious and Misao and so heartbreakingly beautiful that she would willingly lay down her life at his feet.

"Anou…Soujiro…" she hedged.

"Yes Misao-chan," Soujiro prompted. He could plainly read her thoughts and knew what she was going to ask even before she'd formed the words. Misao was just so open, she broadcasted her every feelings without even noticing it.

She was still so young.

Or maybe it was just because he was already so old.

The thought made Soujiro's smile falter, but only for a second. He had joined his Master, Aoshi and gone to Ningenkai to await her return. Aoshi had declared Nedan against Battousai and defied the Council's orders to remain within Makai.

Aoshi had turned his back on everything, even his family and his position in the Council.

Soujiro had known Aoshi since they had been children and although Aoshi had always been very stoic, he had never had that dangerous light of hatred in his eyes. Not until that fateful day when Lady Kaoru had died…

"Soujiro-chan!" Misao said leaning in closer and waving a hand over her elder's face. "Hello…is anyone still inside there?"

Soujiro blinked.

Misao rolled her eyes and settled back down beside him. "The Oniwabanshu are sort of like the guardians of Ningenkai, right? They make sure everything runs smoothly. The humans remain oblivious to our existence and Youkai's don't become too greedy…"

Soujiro nodded. "Yes, they were formed by a joint council from Makai and Reikai. So?"

"Why do they keep on coming here looking for Aoshi-sama? It's almost like…they are seeking his advice, his opinion…" Misao said chewing her bottom lip. No one ever really talked about Aoshi-sama's past. No one even knew his last name, if he had any. It was rumored that only Soujiro and possibly Megumi, who knew the truth about the Okashira's past. Misao wondered if it would be a breech of conduct for her to ask information but she couldn't help it. She was interested to know everything about her love. "Is Aoshi-sama very powerful when he was in Makai? Why did he come to Ningenkai?"

"Do you know the story of Tachikata?"

"Yes. A little bit. Tachikata means, cut or severance, right? It was a disagreement between Reikai and Makai. It was over a long time before I was born anyway. Besides, it's Makai History…I'm not very good on that subject."

"You're not very good on human history either," Soujiro couldn't resist but add. "Anyway, what do you know about it? Tell me…"

Misao sighed, "I don't know a lot. It was a little bit after the Wars. The treaty uniting all the worlds was just newly signed and there was a tentative peace. The peace was broken when a Momban was killed in Makai and the Spirit World, Reikai was in an uproar about the murder of their kind within Makai lands." Misao shrugged. "There was some conflict but it was resolved. So what? It was over years ago. What does it have to do with my question…?"

Soujiro stood up and patted Misao's head. He too had already seen the appearance of the Blood Moon. It was all going to unfold very soon. "I think you should sleep now Misao," he said before leaving.

Misao watched him go with a frown, not even realizing that she had come so close to the truth.

Soujiro turned to look at the blood-covered moon and felt a shiver run down his spine.

It would happen in this lifetime…

The long wait was soon coming to an end...

A/N: Hi! SO did you guys like? To everyone who reviewed this little fic of mine. Thank you! /dispenses hugs/ please review this chapter neh? I wanted to establish the waiting bit…anyway, was it okay or was it had to understand and confusing? Don't worry…Kaoru and the others will make an appearance soon…^_^

Sweetyfanfic, NARGIEGIRL21, Jbella, Nguardian, thank you guys so much for taking the time to review. I hope you guys like this installment, tell me what you think. Hi Maureen, you're asking if it's Aoshi/Kaoru or Kenshin/Kaoru, right? What do you think it's going to be…? /grins…read the story to find out/