Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Liquid Flame ❯ Marshmallows ( Chapter 3 )

A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfiction

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and its characters do not belong to me. Oh, the wicked things I'd do with them if they did.

 

AN: Warning - This chapter gets DARK and VIOLENT. Also, in chapter 2 I changed the teacher who could wrestle a bear to Miss Yamamoto.

Edited 06Jan06 because of KC Evans's help. Thank you!

 

~Liquid Flame~

By Indygodusk

 

Chapter 3: Marshmallows

 

Tromping up a dirt trail between cliffs veined with gray, tan, and chestnut, Tokio smiled contentedly. It had been too long since she'd been off of the school grounds. Muscles in her legs stretched as she propelled her body up and over a log crossing the path. The fallen tree retained a few stubborn patches of dark brown bark, but the majority of the golden wood was covered in swirling intricate tattoos carved by hungry insects.

Although the day had been warm, the leafy trees curling over their path threw a shawl of lacy shade over the hikers, keeping the golden evening sun from feeling glaringly hot. The circles and triangles of light streaking through the openings in the forest canopy highlighted each child's head with halos of copper and gold.

While her body was happily telling her it could keep on hiking for hours yet, the complaints of the girls hiking in front of her told a different story. Nevertheless, they were making better time than she had hoped. Since there were only two adult chaperones, Tokio had taken position in the back of the group to keep any stragglers from getting lost or losing heart.

After all of An's complaining earlier on that day, Tokio had expected An to end up keeping her company in the rear. Yet after fifteen minutes of sulking in the back, the Chinese girl had loudly sighed, “Shikatta ga nai, naa,” and picked up her pace.

As if her verbal acknowledgement that it couldn't be helped had flipped a switch, An proceeded to throw her whole heart into the experience. Passing by her sister in the middle of the line happily chatting with a friend, An slapped Jin on the back and teased in a mixture of Chinese and English, “Wei, don't be a chou.”

“I am not an ox!” cried Jin. “You're the chou who's been plodding in the back, not me.”

Without slowing her quick pace, An looked over her shoulder and called, “But who's in the back now?” Before Tokio knew it, An had claimed a position at the very front of the pack and thereafter refused to let it go.

It had momentarily startled Tokio to hear An speak first Japanese and then Chinese. Inside Aizu Academy, only English was allowed to be spoken unless there was a compelling academic reason. There were foreign languages taught at the academy, but they could only be spoken inside the classroom or out in the town. The principal was traditional and still strictly maintained a decades old governmental policy of English Only instruction. It was instigated after The Sundering to help cement English as the official language of New Japan.

While she understood the reasoning, Tokio sometimes regretted it. Walking through town, she would hear people casually throwing in phrases of Italian, Afrikaans, or Korean into their sentences that half a life at Aizu Academy had ill prepared her to understand. If not for her father's obsession with speaking Japanese in their home, she might have never learned the language beyond literary Japanese and random slang words.

When she was fourteen, she'd gone through a very short rebellious phase. During that period, she'd considered demanding an appointment with the matronly principal to point out a sentence she'd found in an old history book. The book claimed that English had the most borrowed foreign words of any language in the world. In her youthful imagination, she had pictured giving a passionate speech about the tradition of using foreign words. Her dream principal had humbly thanked her and decided to use the new knowledge as grounds to abolish the English Only rule. At the following celebration, the school had decided to name a holiday in Tokio's honor.

Of course, she had come to her senses before she had said anything. It would be disrespectful; she couldn't do something so confrontational and impolite to an elder. Besides which, it would probably be futile.

The principal was a stern woman who lived by her rulebook. There was an old Japanese proverb, “If you believe everything you read, better not read.” As far as Tokio could tell, the principal had never heard that saying. She religiously read, and quoted, from the many books about laws, rules, and regulations crammed into her office as if they had been immutable since time began.

Now alone in the rear, Tokio distantly saw An jumping back-and-forth between Miss Yamamoto in the lead and the rest of the straggling students farther back. She had the bounding stride and swift energy of a gazelle, or at least what Tokio remembered of a gazelle from an African documentary she'd seen years ago. Her science class had borrowed the video from another school down the coast, and the image of the leaping gazelle's slender neck, curved horns, and lustrous brown eyes had haunted her dreams for days. For a while she'd imagined finding one in the forest and secretly keeping it as a pet.

If An was a gazelle, then Miss Yae Yamamoto was a lioness. Deceptively calm golden-brown eyes concealed a fierce spirit and wild audacity. Combined with rosebud lips, waist-length hair, and almost supernatural grace, more than one man had confused her with a geiko or courtesan and invited her to entertain at a private party. Her first refusal was always polite. If they persisted, her second refusal was always a fist - followed closely by knees, elbows, and feet. Only a stranger or someone suicidal would proposition Yae.

While a fearsome enemy, Yae was even fiercer as a friend. No one was more loyal, supportive, or protective. The girls at Aizu Academy all knew that Miss Yamamoto's door was always open, whether they needed a shoulder to cry on or another person for a game of tag. As for the men in town, they knew that if they offended a girl wearing a dark blue uniform they might find an angry Yae showing up at their doorstep or cornering them in a shadowy alley.

This campout had been Yae's idea, and as such she was in charge. Tokio considered how appropriate her own position was in the rear since she had come along as Yae's backup. The twelve girls strung between them like glass beads ranged in age from twelve to fourteen. A lot of the younger girls seemed to be struggling up the trail. Hopefully, Yae was listening to the groans of the girls and would pick a campsite soon.

When the bodies in front of her took a sharp right into the trees to scale a steep incline, Tokio assumed that their campsite had been reached. The muscular silhouette of Yae on the ridge above praising each girl as she reached the top only reinforced her conclusion. Tokio provided a helpful push to the rump of the exhausted girl in front of her who was trying to clamber up over the boulder impeding her progress. “You're almost there, Hinae! Miss Yamamoto and the girls are waiting for you at the top,” she encouraged.

Backing up Tokio's words, Jin stood up on the ridge arching her hand above her eyes for shade so she could see the last of the climbers. “Ganbatte!” she cried out encouragingly. Hinae firmed her lips and grasped more firmly at the edge of the rock for balance, climbing up steadily.

“Good girl,” praised Tokio.

At the top, Tokio saw Yae cup her hands around her mouth and call down, “Look at that speed! All of those boys in town are eating your dust!”

You never noticed until you'd left her presence that this larger than life woman was only average in height. Her long black hair had been tied back tightly in a braid that somehow managed to stay smooth despite their trek through the forest. The hairstyle clearly revealed the shiny silver hoops running down one of her earlobes. Against school regulations, she was only allowed to wear them off of school grounds. Yet despite being a teacher she refused to get rid of them, popping them in every time she so much as took one step outside of that boundary.

When they had first met, Tokio had introduced herself with all of the propriety drummed into her as a child. This included full name, titles, and expression of pleasure at making a new acquaintance. She had been taken aback when the girl had uttered a succinct, “Yae, just Yae,” and stuck out her hand instead of bowing. For some reason, Yae refused to go by anything else all through school.

Of course, she'd been forced to change that when she'd become a teacher. Students couldn't call a teacher by their first name. Such familiarity would be inappropriate and against the rules. Despite years of friendship, it wasn't until the principal had officially welcomed Yae as a new staff member that Tokio learned her last name.

On that day, the principal stood in front of the assembled academy with military posture and announced, “We have a new staff member. Girls, I'm sure you'll all join me in welcoming Miss Ka-”

“Yamamoto,” Yae spoke over the principle. Speaking softly but vehemently she said, “I refuse to use his-” Realizing that she had just interrupted the principal in front of the entire school, she cut off her own words. “They can call me Miss Yamamoto.” The irate line of the principal's mouth after Yae's rude interjection boded ill for the new teacher. Tokio suspected that it had led to some sort of private punishment later on that day.

Nevertheless, Yae got what she wanted when the principal angrily cleared her throat and continued the ceremony. “Miss Yamamoto. Despite her being a former peer, I expect you all to treat her with the respect due to her position as a teacher at our prestigious Aizu Academy.” She paused momentarily to glare out at the audience and Yae standing by her side. “You are all dismissed.”

Curious about just what name the principal was going to say besides Yamamoto, Tokio finally found out over a year later. The truth came out during a secret party held to celebrate Tokio becoming a teacher herself. Somehow, they'd ended up playing Truth or Dare in the shadowy eaves of the midnight frosted forest.

That night beneath a crescent Hare and gibbous Toad, Yae had unusually balked at performing a dare. Considering that the person in charge of thinking up the dare on that turn hated Yae, and was known for being both creative and spiteful, Tokio couldn't entirely blame her. It was just so unusual for Yae to not take the chance to do something wild.

“You heard me the first time, Keri, truth,” Yae said again into their shocked silence.

Keri snorted and tossed her pale hair haughtily behind her shoulders. Earlier that night, Yae had noted that the moonlight brought out Keri's wrinkles and turned her pale hair puke green. It had almost sparked a fistfight, except that Keri had backed down because she knew she would lose. Tokio loved Yae, but she had been tempted to question who had the higher maturity - Yae and Keri or the five year olds sleeping back inside the building.

Leaning back on her hands, an evil smirk formed on Keri's lips. “Fine, but remember that it was your choice. Since you aren't very smart, you've probably forgotten how this works. If you don't take a dare you have to answer with the truth. I don't know if gutter trash like you understands about honesty. Do you need me to go and get you a dictionary?” When Yae snarled and gave an abortive lunge, Keri twitched. However that was the only sign she gave of apprehension. Acting unaffected, she leaned forward and folded her arms casually.

“Very well,” Keri paused and gave Yae a smile full of teeth. “I'm only teaching this year because I'm waiting for my husband to return from his trip overseas and the principal is his aunt. You, however, are here because your father doesn't want you. We all know that's why you always refused to use a last name. So come on, Yae Yamamoto,” the malice in Keri's voice was thick and viscous, coating their once merry group with fearful anticipation. “Tell us his real name. The name the principal almost said in last year's assembly. The name you refuse to use, or perhaps,” she faked a look of sympathy, “he refuses to let you use because he's ashamed of you.” Narrowing her eyes in wicked amusement she demanded, “Tell us the truth!”

None of them were breathing, and even the owl and crickets they'd heard earlier on that night were silent. Yae stood up. In the silence, the violent emotions distorting Yae's face combined with the green tinged light to make her look like an oni or demon ravaging through the darkness.

“His name is Katsura, KogorÅ Katsura,” Yae finally spit out.

Keri choked. Her husband worked for a small subsidiary of the Katsura business empire. Finding out that the girl she'd always called trash was the daughter of one of the most powerful men in New Japan was a bitter pill to swallow. “You- your father is….””

“He's a complete bastard and I hate him. He exiled my mother out here a few years after he went into politics. We lived with her Yamamoto relatives until she passed away. When mother died he barely even had time for the funeral. I hate him.”

Tokio's heart ached for her friend. As Yae spoke, gusts of wind whipped dark strands of hair across her contemptuous expression. Yet beneath the anger, Tokio could see pain - a deep wound ripped open by Keri's malicious question and words. When a cloud blew across the moons, Yae's face disappeared into the darkness. Her raw emotion was no longer visible to the naked eye, but despite the night Tokio could still recognize it. She recognized it because it was the same pain she felt in her own heart. Tokio made it a personal policy to avoid strong emotions like hatred, but she had never managed to completely avoid pain.

Serene one moment and wild the next, Yae could be hard to read. As her good friend Tokio knew this. Nevertheless, it shamed her to think that she'd never known about Yae's unhappiness.

Although frequently at the center of trouble, Yae still managed to excel at her classes, especially those involving physical activity of any kind. Tokio had been surprised when she'd chosen to stay as a teacher after graduation, although she didn't doubt her qualifications.

After an exhaustive day of joint teaching, Tokio had finally managed to ask her why. Yae had given a bitter smile, looked her straight in the eye and replied, “Where else did I have to go? It's not like anyone wants me, remember?” Unspoken was the reminder that they were the same in that. “Besides, I don't know what else I'd like to do. There aren't any careers for a girl who likes to pick fights and incite other girls not to take an insult lying down.” Her smile had turned more gamine and conspiratorial, “This way I can at least get paid to do one of those things, even if it's on the sly.”

In Tokio's opinion, the Aizu Academy was lucky to have her. Yae had quickly become one of its most popular teachers. Even if you didn't listen to students gossiping, you could easily see a correlation in the way the number of tomboys increased with every year she taught. As long as the girls remembered their manners and knew how to act like a lady when the situation warranted it, Tokio didn't see this as a problem at all. Some of the older teachers, however, weren't so complacent. Their disapproval was probably another reason, in addition to her love of the outdoors, that Yae organized so many field trips and study sessions off of school grounds.

When Tokio finally reached the top, she received a quick, one-armed hug. “Tonight's going to be fun. Thanks for agreeing to come with me,” Yae grinned infectiously.

Smiling back, Tokio replied, “How could I not, when you'd already told the principal I'd help chaperone?”

Letting out a loud laugh, Yae spun away and began supervising the putting up of the two large tents. Setting down her pack, Tokio conscripted the twins, An and Jin, to help her collect stones to set up a fire pit. Between the efficient directions of the two teachers, everything in camp was soon squared away.

After their unpacking, they all paused to watch the glorious sunset unweave scarlet and gold ribbons of light from the lavender and indigo sky of dusk. Then Tokio found herself and a cadre of girls searching the nearby woods for sticks. Not just any sticks, of course, but sticks dry, straight, and sturdy enough to hold a marshmallow or three over a brightly burning fire. She rejected four different sticks before she finally found one that she felt satisfied using.

Tokio wasn't sure just where or how Yae had come by the rare treat. Marshmallows were fiendishly difficult to find. If it was illegal, she'd get it out of her later. For now, however, the anticipation held her captive as much if not more than the younger girls. She loved the sweet taste and molten yet fluffy texture of roasted marshmallows.

When the canopy of trees finally proved too thick for the fading sunset, soft moonlight, and faint starlight to illuminate the forest floor, everyone trekked back to camp. After the dark woods, the excited girls greeted the sight of the dancing fire and open sky with cries of joy. Despite it being a mild night, the girls all crowded around the fire and held their fingers up to it as if they were frozen acolytes worshiping the blaze.

Although expected, Tokio still flinched when she first saw the flickering fire. Hopefully, the bright chatter of the children and the enjoyment of her sweet would distract her from any painful memories that might ambush. She was determined to have a good time tonight.

Before the roasting could commence, Yae ordered everyone to change into their nightclothes. Easily imagining girls going to sleep and getting marshmallow goo all over their bedding, Tokio tried to voice an objection. She didn't want to undermine Yae's authority, but eating in pajamas really wasn't common sense. Nevertheless, most of the girls had scattered to the tents by the time she finished her protest. The only person left was Yae, and she simply waved Tokio's words away.

“It'll be fine. Don't worry!”

That's how she soon found herself sitting cross-legged on the ground in her favorite gray sweat pants and extra-large blue sleeping shirt. Bracketed by An and Jin, Tokio waited for them to finish their ambush on her hair. When everyone had finished changing clothes, the twins had decided that everyone wearing pajamas had to have double braids before they could eat any marshmallows. The younger girls who were camping for the first time took this as gospel. Tokio worried that Hinae, with hair that only came down to her chin, would get left out and have her feelings hurt. Luckily the twins came to the rescue. Soon the young girl found herself sporting two messy nubs in her hair that might charitably be called braids, but only by a hyper girl in the woods at night.

Although she used to wear her hair in braids, Tokio had switched to the - in her mind at least - more mature bun years ago. Besides her single braid at night, she was no longer used to sporting any other hair style. It felt odd wearing the double braids now, like a return to childhood. Finally, the two girls tied off her braids simultaneously with a flourish and stepped back.

“Perfect,” stated Jin judiciously.

“We are so good,” boasted An. “Now on to the marshmallows!”

Glancing out over the drop-off and into the valley, Tokio thought she saw a bright burst of light like a momentary river of fire. However, it quickly disappeared, leaving her to wonder if she'd only imagined it. There weren't any houses where she'd seen the orange light, only open fields.

“Miss Takagi, come on! Miss Yae is opening up the marshmallows,” cried a young voice. Deciding that she must have seen an afterimage of the fire she'd been staring at for so long while having her hair braided, Tokio shook her head briskly to clear it and went to get her treat.

Even though the campers had found enough marshmallow sticks for everyone, the fire just wasn't big enough to hold twelve roasting sticks at once. An's solution was to suggest that they build a bonfire. “Jin and I can build a big tepee out of logs taller than Miss Takagi!”

“An,” Jin hissed, “I don't even know what a tepee is!”

Ignoring her sister, An kept talking. “Hinae and the rest of the girls can gather up the smaller sticks while the teachers dig a bigger fire-pit.”

Each enthusiastic sentence came out louder and more dramatic than the last. “And after we eat we can paint our faces with mud! Then we can pretend to be savages and make headdresses out of grass and flowers and dance around the fire singing and chanting! We could even catch a rabbit in the forest and roast it over the bonfire to give to the forest spirits!”

Yae's eyes had lit up with an unholy gleam at the vibrant picture An painted with her words, but after a contemplative moment she shook her head in regretful negation. “No, a big bonfire isn't really safe to have in the woods at the end of the summer. A forest fire could start too easily. Besides, it would get too hot for us to easily roast anything except our own skins!”

Tokio sighed quietly to herself in relief at a disaster averted. Even if no one had gotten burned, attempting to get all of the children reasonably clean before returning to the academy would have been a daunting task. Leaving them dirty wouldn't have been an option. If they'd returned with the girls covered in war paint and ash, the principle would probably put an end to these fieldtrips forever. An would have to content herself with eating her sticky treat.

"However," Yae began. 

Tokio's tension returned.  Had Yae reconsidered?  Would Tokio be spending tomorrow morning scrubbing little girls? 

Yae's next words answered her questions. "Leaving a treat for the magical creatures is a good idea.  I think we should place a few marshmallows by the trees in thanks for our safety. Who wants to help?"

All of the girls clamored to volunteer.  Within no time at all, a bowl made out of yellow long-stemmed summer grasses held three white marshmallows.  They set the bowl out upon a makeshift stone table just inside the tree-line. Made out of three muddy gray stones that An had insisted on digging up, the table tilted precariously. 

When all was ready, Tokio took up the task of standing at the edge of the forest and saying a few words. "In honor of the treaty we thank you for our safety.  We are grateful that you allow us to share in the bounty of your realm.  Please accept this gift," Tokio intoned solemnly. 

All of the girls then chorused, "Thank you, forest spirits."

Once the ceremony was completed, everyone raced for their sticks and the rest of the marshmallows.  The children were eager to eat their treats.

As one of only two adults, Tokio had been forced to wait until last to roast her marshmallows. It had been hard to hide her salivating during the wait, but it made the crispy coating and gushing core all the sweeter when she was finally able to bite into her treat. Some girls were going back to roast seconds, but Tokio hadn't been willing to wait that long again. She had decided to roast all three of her allotted marshmallows at once. Unfortunately, this meant the last marshmallow wasn't quite as gooey.

Seeing an opening by the fire, Tokio snuck in and thrust her last, half-eaten marshmallow down low by the red-hot coals. In her eagerness, she placed it too close to the heat, catching it on fire. Quickly retracting her stick, careful not to burn any of the girls lounging around her, she moved a few feet back from the fire and blew out the flaming marshmallow. It looked black and crispy, but she knew from her limited but treasured experience that the inside would be a perfectly smooth white consistency.

If she hadn't moved so far back from the fire, she might not have noticed the crashing sounds of a large animal rushing through the trees. It sounded like it was heading straight for their camp. Anxiety quickly soured her stomach. Tokio wasn't wearing a weapon, but while in the forest Yae kept her gun strapped on at all times.

“Yae,” she called out in warning, barely managing to keep her voice even. She was trying to think of what to say that wouldn't alarm the girls, but the decision was taken out of her hands.

A black monstrosity emerged abruptly out of the forest. Its pitch-black body seemed to suck all of the light and heat out of the previously cheerful clearing. The only things reflecting light were its large, bulbous eyes, sharp, menacing teeth, and the left half of its chest. It turned to face her, revealing that the glistening area on its torso was a ragged burn sluggishly bleeding black blood.

When their eyes met, Tokio's body jolted violently. She felt a painful tearing, like the creature was sucking her very soul out. Helpless, she was frozen down to her very marrow, and for a moment could hear nothing but the sound of her heart not beating. Terrified at her body's unresponsiveness, Tokio screamed inside of her mind.

Sound came back with a sudden harsh bang. Sucking in a cleansing lungful of breath, she gratefully noticed the rapid thud of her heartbeat. The blast was a gunshot. Somehow, Yae had managed to quickly draw and fire. Tokio prayed that a weapon meant to scare off curious animals would be enough to wound the jet-black abomination. For a moment she thought her prayer had been granted. Its injured shoulder jerked back, twisting its body awkwardly towards the ground.

However, it recovered almost instantly. Then it refocused its pus-yellow eyes on its attacker. Bounding forward, wickedly curved claws slashed Yae across the chest, flinging her body across the clearing like a used rag.

Before she'd been hit, Yae had managed to get off two more shots. Despite bursting one of its vile yellow eyes and sending up a spray of viscous fluid, the monster didn't even slow down. Its only response was an eerie scream of rage.

While it had taken the girls a few moments to notice what was going on, the attack on Yae focused their attention. A cacophony of high pitched screams filled the clearing. Viciously, the black beast raced after its victim and sliced again into her already broken body. Tokio didn't know why it had gone after her friend's unmoving form. Maybe it wanted to make sure she was dead.

Whatever the case, it meant that Tokio was now standing between it and twelve screaming, vulnerable girls. Looking up from its cutting, it speared her with its one bulging eye, made all the more terrifying next to its bleeding, hollow twin. Inside her head, a small voice screamed at her to run, to dodge and let it catch one of the girls, to do whatever it took to survive.

For a split second, she wavered. Then it was rushing towards her and she had to decide now. But hearing those screams, she knew that the decision had already been made as she bent her knees, centered her weight, and adjusted the grip on her marshmallow stick. Jaws gaping wide as it bent over to lunge for her heart, Tokio swore she saw her terrified reflection in the glisten of its serrated teeth.

At less than a foot away, she could see burn marks and bullet holes riddling its chest, along with several round white nodules on its skin that reminded her of curdled milk. Allowing hours of training with Kamiya-Sensei to take over, she thrust forward her marshmallow stick with all of her might into its one remaining eyeball. As if in slow motion, she saw the blackened marshmallow near the tip of her stick gradually approach the monster's eye and then merge with its black pupil. The rest of the stick followed, and the globe burst in a monochrome spray that splattered onto her face. When the knuckles of her hand smacked into the gushing flesh, Tokio felt an answering sharp impact on her chest.

Darkness surged and then retreated from her vision and she found herself staring at a sky festooned with billions of stars. She couldn't breathe. Suddenly, the stars disappeared.

Above her head appeared the silhouette of a man holding a sword in his left hand. Idly, she noticed that he was wearing white gloves. When he raised the sword above her body in preparation to cut down, she felt no curiosity or fear, only bemusement that she could see orange and scarlet flames reflecting off his swiftly descending blade.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

 

Dictionary

“Shikatta ga nai, naa.” - Japanese, “Geeze, (I guess) it can't be helped!” (naa or na often acts like ne, and expresses exclamatory feelings)

Wei - Chinese, wei is the word used to get someone's attention

Chou - Chinese, ox

Geiko - Female geisha (who can be male or female, as the `sha' means person), a Japanese girl or woman who is trained to provide entertaining and lighthearted company, especially for a man or a group of men. (After living in Kyoto, I have to use correct terminology.)

Ganbatte! - `Do your best!'

Oni - Demon or ogre

 

 

AN: Since New Japan is a mishmash of cultures, I thought it appropriate to throw in more foreign words into everyday speech. If this seems too confusing or annoying, please let me know.

 

Chinese question - I don't know how to tell the difference between Mandarin and Cantonese. Hopefully “wei” and “chou” belong to the same dialect, but if someone knows for sure I'd appreciate a heads up. The online dictionary I consulted wasn't clear.

 

Yae Yamamoto was a real person who knew Tokio in Aizu. However, her father was NOT Katsura. That is me utilizing my artistic license.

 

Battousai has elbowed his way into my plot line, so expect to see him sometime soon.

 

Reviews: Thank you so much for reading!

 

REVIEW o kaite kudasaimasen ka. Any and all feedback is appreciated. Thanks!