Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ KOTETSU TO KOSUI (Steel and Perfume) ❯ Genereaux Livienspiel ( Chapter 1 )

KOTETSU TO KOSUI (Steel and Perfume)
Chapter One

Kyoto, Japan
Spring 1876

The scent of the earth was still lingering in the air while the pavement was wet with fresh water rain. In the dark, Kaoru tiredly walked through the outskirts of Kyoto alone, hungry and penniless. It had been three weeks since everything in her life turned upside down. Three weeks of struggle she hadn't even thought was possible. Now her whole body was cold with rain and shivering with hunger, yes it had been three painfully agonizing weeks.

Kaoru's blue hakama was soaked with mud and rainwater that she found it difficult to walk about with its weight. The water splashed all over her sandals and made it slippery. Her hair was drenched with water and so was her backpack and the contents therefore which included another set of training clothes and her yellow kimono. Her bokken was clinging on her waist like it always did. The hand guards she was wearing were starting to itch and shrink as the hard leather was beginning to drain the excess water it absorbed. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold winds blowing through her wet clothing.

Lacking any form of distraction, Kaoru's mind painfully replayed the scene which she was forced to endure for the past three weeks; the flames, the screams, her futile protests and her now non-existent family. She forced hard breaths into her lungs. No, she mustn't cry now, she would grieve later, but the tears came without her noticing. It flowed from her eyes to her cheeks and eventually combined with the water dripping from her hair. She squared her shoulders and hastened her pace; forcing illusory energy from within into use.

The dark didn't seem so scary anymore, and she was accustomed to solitude by now. All these would eventually pass; the only thing that was important right now was finding him - in Kobe. She is now in Kyoto and Kobe isn't very far from there. She'd have to climb a mountain to get to her destination first but it did not discourage her. She was near, it had taken her weeks but she was so near now and she would endure this. Her mother had instructed her to find him, to find Himura Kenshin, and find him she shall.

Edo Police Headquarters
Spring 1876

"Are you sure?"

"Yes sir, the men could not recall seeing a young woman that fit her description that night."

The man looked irritably at the lower ranked officer in front of him. He knew that they would somehow make things more complicated.

"How can one girl escape a squad of policemen? Did I not tell you to station men within the ten meter perimeter Yoshida?"

"Yes sir, but the girl, this Miss Laidler, we assume that she was not in the house when we conducted the search Kajiuchi-san sir." The younger man said pronouncing the words Miss Laidler as Miss Raidrer due to his Japanese tongue.

Kajiuchi looked sternly at the young man in front of him causing the latter to flinch under his gaze.

"We do not pay you to assume things Yoshida. I want facts and evidences. I want to see the bodies of the Laidler household in the morgue first thing in the morning is that understood?" He said as he stroked his chin.

"Yes sir," the blue clad officer answered. Kajiuchi signalled for him to leave. He bowed and softly closed the door behind him.

Ten years of working under the government had taught Kajiuchi to be extra thorough in all his undertakings. One can never be too sure of anything unless everything had been cleaned till the last speck. From the Tokugawa to the Meiji government little has changed. He still had power and influence and he still was as potent a liar as before.

So the little bitch survived, they had to track and dispose of her at once. Helpless as she was, he would still pursue her. It was necessary for his vengeance. He massaged his temple and slouched into the chair. He had better go home for the night, more work was waiting tomorrow, but on second thought he had better get started now.

Where would she go? From his earlier research he knew that the Laidlers had no relatives in the country and all the Kamiyas were dead, his doing of course.

He stood from his rosewood chair and walked slow heavy steps toward the glass window of his office and like such dramatic evil moments such as this he did what every villain would do. He smiled evilly.

Yokohama
1845

Several Japanese eyes had turned as some English men had bowed upon the sight of Genereaux Livenspiel. Yes, she was of noble blood but they did not know that. The only thing they knew was what they saw. And what they saw was a foreign woman with her squarely set jaw, her delicately framed face and the most captivating and unearthly amber eyes. Her red hair was tied to a complicated bun and her frocks billowed gently with the wind, occasionally showing layers of petticoats and a pair of slender creamy legs as she walked the windy ports of Yokohama bay during the summer of 1845.

Although Japan secluded itself from the world since 1639, its ports still accepted a conservative number of outsiders most of which were Dutch. These foreigners then had to endure hours of luggage searching for Bibles, rosaries and other signs of Christianity since the Tokugawa government had banned that religion. Months had passed since her arrival in Japan. She settled herself in Deshima Island, an artificial island in the harbour of Nagasaki on Kyushu.

The locals were not in good terms with her, in fact they never had a clear standing with Gene. She talked to them, politely and courteously with bad Japanese, but never established any sort of relationship. She was, to them, a helpless, quiet, formal and very reserved lady.

All these first impressions about Gene changed with the market incident. They had learned that Gene neither was a silent woman nor was ordinary. A vendor thought to take advantage of the gaijin and insisted her pay was inadequate and when she refused to pay him more, he grabbed her hand and started to drag her away from the marketplace. That was the last time they saw the vendor alive for after several hours they saw him sprawled on the floor dead. His body was cold but there were no signs of struggle nor was there any blood. His expression was neutral; they thought he was asleep at first. His death was never solved and the authorities was just as happy to be rid of him since he was constantly running into trouble with his customers that they did not even investigate on the case.

Rumours spread that a boy last saw the vendor with Ms. Livenspiel in the same alley they had found the corpse. They had been fighting and the vendor was shouting at the lady. The boy thought of intervening to save the foreign woman but was shocked to see the body of the man lying on the ground. The last thing he saw was Ms. Livenspiel's right hand quickly and gracefully retreating from the vendor's nape. He noticed that her eyes had flashed a brilliant hue of gold before she blinked causing it to return to its normal shade.

The people had silently agreed that she was responsible for the killing, after all an innocent boy such as Anjin, stupid as he might be, wouldn't dare to lie about such a heavy crime. From that point on they had been careful with their dealings with Ms. Livenspiel, afraid to suffer the same fate with the insufferable vendor.

Their speculations were not far from the truth for Gene did kill him. She had every reason to since he was threatening her; to quote the man himself "do things a lady wouldn't want him to do." It wasn't like he could hurt her; he had no idea of who he was dealing with. Gene simply became annoyed of the man and decided to end his life. Using the method that was known as naked weapon, she hit a very vital pressure point with her bare and severely trained hands. This technique had been in her family for generations and only a few outsiders knew about this.

Naked weapon used no real armaments. Its weaponry consisted of simple everyday things like paper, chopsticks and even cloth.

They, the western population of Deshima, knew that she had nobility in her blood. She had bearing. Her head was always held up high and her petite back straight. Her eyes mirrored her intelligence and her actions were always refined, if not subdued. But the greatest giveaway was the brooch of German royalty that she always wore. Immediately, they sent her letters of invitation to their lavish parties and dinners. Women would call on her and have tea if nothing else.

Gene knew them too well for she was raised around such people. If they knew that she had not more than ten gold coins with her they wouldn't even take notice. She knew; that was the reason why she always wore the brooch her mother gave her. They never suspected anything for Genereaux always knew how to make two ends meet and her expensive jewelry suggested otherwise. Nor did they know why she came in the first place. That was what made her so buyable to both the ladies and the men.

They had never heard of the market incident or if they did they shrugged it away. Surely a helpless noble could not be responsible for such a dreadful thing. Everyone thought highly of her.

The men lavished her with gifts, which she used to start her pottery business, and the single women loved her company. The married women were a bit stiff on her for they were aware of the fancies their husbands bore towards Gene.

All was going well for her new life in the foreign country. During the span of only two years her business grew and so did her estates. She never felt guilty of taking advantage of men "with brains between their legs" for they were responsible for her current state, always bringing with them expensive gifts and jewelry on their visits. At first they were taken aback seeing a woman run her own business but they brought themselves to understand her current single situation. That was why the marriage of Genereaux to Octave had not come as a surprise at all.

Octave van Heerden was a silent man born of a Russian father and a Japanese mother - a daimyo's daughter. He was a tall and slender man with fine black hair and the most peculiar violent eyes, a very delicate complexion with a sharp flush on his right cheekbones which gave him a very interesting appearance, and a wide gentle mouth. He was almost pretty, Gene thought upon first sight of him. He looked very western save for his height which was clearly Asian. He was the prefect breeding stock for her.

They were married after a few months of engagement and had set off to Otsu in Gene's summer house for their honeymoon. Three months after their arrival Gene found herself enceinte, a state her friends called a delicate condition. When her dresses were unable to cover the bulge she was prohibited to attend parties and other public gatherings. On July 1, 1848 she bore a boy which they named after both their grandfathers. The boy had inherited from his mother her red hair though his were a hue brighter and from his father his large violet eyes. Like his father, his facial features were almost feminine.

Gene approved of the product of her union with Octave. From the very moment she held the baby in her arms she knew that he would grow to be great man, yes, Von Allen Kenshin Himura Van Heerden, was going to be a great man indeed.