Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Nothing but Nakedness ❯ It's Complicated ( Chapter 1 )

Nothing but Nakedness

Chapter One: It's Complicated

"Who has not hoped
To outrage an enemy's dignity?
Who has not been swept
By the wish to hurt?
And who has not thought that the impersonal world
Deserves no better than to be destroyed
By one fabulous sign of his displeasure?"
-J. Bronowski, The Face of Violence

Otako-Back streets

Running, that's all he ever knew, running, escaping, and evading. His feet pounded on the pavement and all he could hear was his ragged breathing and pounding heart. `Stupid stupid, stupid' he berated himself `I'm better then this,' turning sharply down a small alley way and skidding to a halt the boy cursed himself yet again. `Kuso, now what?' turning back the way in which he had come from the boy was about to make his get away when the entrance was blocked by the man he had stolen from. Eyes wide the boy looked to his left and then his right, trying to find anything that could help him get out of the mess he was in now. Sighing the boy pulled out his jagged edged blade and turned it towards the approaching man, wiping the back of his hand across his sweaty face the boys light brown eyes glared at the on coming man, the boy shook his head trying to get his thoughts focussed, he had to watch the man, gauge his movements and see if he even had a chance of surviving against him.

The mans gait was controlled, and light, a definite sign of a fighter `double Kuso, as if my day couldn't get any worse….' The boy looked around waiting for something….. anything to happen `I said….. my day just couldn't get ANY worse…..' again nothing happened, the boy shrugged his shoulders `well, if nothing bad wants to happen, then so be it!' he then turned his attention back to the man who had stopped a short distance away from him.

"Give it back to me" the mans voice was slightly husky and held a commanding tone to it, the boy decided to play dumb, maybe he could fluke his way out of a fight.

"Give what back? I don't own anything mister so get lost" the man stopped and regarded the boy for a moment before smiling slowly, his hand slipping down to rest just above the hilt of his sword.

"Then why did you run away from me? And why are you on the defensive if you didn't take anything of mine?" the boy raised an eyebrow

"I thought you were attacking me, this city isn't very trustworthy you know, of course I'm going to be on the defensive.'

The man grinned `he's fast, I like that, I might have use for him'

"What's your name kid?" the boy was taken aback by the direction the conversation had staggered off to.

"`Aint giving it to you, why should I?" The man grinned and pulled out his sword

"Because, if you don't, I might be forced to beat it out of you" the man pretended to pick off some dry blood from his sword, while in his perpetual vision he studied the boy, he was tall, had sharp angular features and tanned skin with black spiky hair `he's strong and agile looking, I wonder how fast he can move' and with that the man threw a dagger at the boys leg, with lightning quick reflexes the boy dodged the dagger and went down into a fighting stance all in one fluid motion. The man watched all of this with an appraising look. "So are you going to tell me your name?" the boy shook his head, the man sighed. "How about I tell you mine first? Will that make you feel more comfortable?" the boy said nothing. The man rolled his eyes "my name is Himura Kenshin, and you are?"

"Yahiko….. Myojin Yahiko" Kenshin grinned

"See now that wasn't so hard was it?" Yahiko just shrugged and pulled his knife back into the belt around his waist, for some strange reason he felt that he had nothing to fear from the man that stood in front of him. "So… are you going to give it back to me?" Yahiko looked away for a moment before his hand fished inside of his coat pocket and produced and light chain of silver thread with a few coloured stones weaved through it.

"What is it?"

"Identification" Yahiko nodded his head and turned to look around the street

"So now what?"

"Now, you come with me"

"Stop, both of you, out of the alley!" the two turned to the owner of the voice and groaned inwardly `sentinels' at least half a dozen of them. `Great, now it decides to happen' Yahiko then glared up into the heavens `thanks a lot!'

"I can take about oh…. Say four of them at once, can you handle the other two kid?" Yahiko turned to look at the man Kenshin before him and looked at him as if he was a complete baka

"You do realise that they are trained sentinels?" Kenshin nodded his head and licked his lips before casually walking forwards as if he had every intention of following the Sentinels orders. Yahiko shrugged and followed the older man out of the alleyway.

"You!" the `leader' of the sentinels pointed at Yahiko "match the description of the boy who was seen fleeing from the scene where the Tenshi emerald was stolen, you have the right to remain silent and everything you say can and wi-" Kenshin struck out with a well aimed kick to the man's head before following that up with a open palm punch to the soldiers chest crushing the wind pipe before the man even hit the ground. With a twist of his body Kenshin dodged the punch to his stomach and roundhouse kicked the second man in the neck breaking it in two.

With a small glance to look behind him Kenshin flicked his hand and with a fluid motion pulled out his sword giving it a small twist in his hands before he slashed the man behind him through the stomach before ripping his sword upwards; still inside the man before pulling it out and taking off the head of another man. Stopping for only a moment he looked to where Yahiko stood behind one of the sentinels just before he snapped his neck. Brushing off his hands Yahiko turned to look at Kenshin, a slight grimace of distaste on his lips.

"I really hate it when they see what I look like" he said before he began to help Kenshin stash the bodies in the alley they had just vacated.

"Do you always get into trouble like this?"

"Oh all the time, it comes with the line of work" Yahiko stated sarcastically "I'm usually more careful, however there were a few…..er….glitches in the plan and so….well…..yeah you get the idea." Kenshin just shook his head and grabbed the sleeve of the younger man and pulled him in the direction of the city square.

"Now, don't steal anything until I tell you its safe for you to…..understand?" Yahiko nodded his head and summoned up his most innocent look while crossing his fingers behind his back to cancel out the half promise. A sly grin made its way to his face when Kenshin let go of his sleeve and trekked ahead of him `I wonder if he noti-`

"And don't do that again, or ill kill you!" Kenshin was now right in Yahiko's face, hand just under his nose, waiting for Yahiko to hand back his identification, Yahiko groaned and gave it back `there has been way to many people trying to take away my life today, from now on, my number one rule is going to be DON'T GET KILLED!'

<*>

Just five miles from Otako

"Setsuae you must, he commands it!" Misao growled, pushing her hair behind her ear, and looking down at the seated girl before her `she's the worst type of person to have here, she doesn't listen to a word I say and openly disrespects Aoshi-kun'

"I cant! He's already given me something to do!" Setsuae continued to sort through her notes that had been taken during the meeting that Aoshi hadn't been present at, and trying her hardest to ignore the annoyingly tomboyish girl that stood beside her, looking over her shoulder `I really hate it when people do that!'

"Its been scratched, this is much more important"

"Look, Misao, I cant, I…. You know I can't do something like that!" the younger girl sighed

"Would you forget about him? It's been what… like a year already and your still blaming yourself for his death? He understood why you couldn't be there, and he told Aoshi that he forgives you, you know this! Just move on!" the older girl slammed her hands on the desk before her and stood up, sapphire eyes clouding over in anger

"Do not tell me what to do Misao, never tell me what to do!" Misao glared up at Setsuae

"I'm second in command damn it and you will do as our Okashira says, and he wants you to track down and follow Himura Kenshin, now get packed and go!"

"Iie….."

"Iie? What do you mean Iie? You insubordinate girl"

"Girl? Who are you to call a girl? I'm a year older then you baka, and what part of Iie don't you understand?

"Look, I know you hate these types of missions but you're the only one that Himura hasn't seen before"

"Like I care-"

"-You should…..he's the one that killed Masashiro"

"I don't believe you" Setsuae scoffed

"Fine, don't believe me, but if he is then you can extract your revenge upon him for killing your partner……AFTER Aoshi gets what he wants from him, got it?"

"So what do I have to do?" The older girl sat back down in her chair and stared at the notes in front of her

"Follow him, report where he goes, what weaknesses he has, who his friends are. We need to know everything about him, what he's doing, everything!"

"How do I `report' back?"

"Someone will be at any of the `raging storm' inns situated around all of the Southern Lands, now hurry up and get going!"

With one last glare Setsuae walked from the room. `I hate her, I hate him, and I hate everything about this place.' She walked into her room, picked up the first thing she saw and threw it out the window `I need to kill something…..no, I can control my anger, I wont let that little…..GAKI get me all flustered.' Taking deep breaths Setsuae reigned in her anger and looked around her room. `I don't know if I can trust her, but if it is him them…..but I don't understand why I cant just kill him and get it over with!' sighing she began to start her packing. `I mean why send me all the way over there to track this guy when they aren't even sure if he is Masashiro's killer?' Growling she pulled her long honey coloured hair into a bun and pulled her bag over her shoulder `I better get paid good for this!' and with that Setsuae set off in search of a red haired guy with purple eyes, and a cross like scar on his left cheek `its not much to go on!'

On the way out she bumped in to Aoshi, he glared at her and she glared back at him

"Don't stuff this up, he finds out your spying on him he'll kill you and no one will be there to protect you this time" the open contempt fuelled Setsuea's anger

"I'll do it, just as long as our deal still stands, once anything goes wrong out of it I leave, got it?" the leader of the Oniwabanshu sniffed in disdain

"Go!"

<*>

Komagata Yumi's house- Outside

Takani Megumi aka Fox Lady watched as the men Shishio ordered run around placing bags onto the three carriages that arrived that morning.

"Be careful with my medical supplies you imbeciles! That's FRAGILE!"

Beside her stood Shishio lover Komagata Yumi, both women were waiting for the men to finish up their work before they were allowed to step inside of the carriages and to be taken to the safety of Shishio's base, just outside of Edo.

"I don't see what all the fuss is about, do you Megumi dear?" the younger woman turned her attention to the beautiful ex-Geisha and shook her head, waves of black silky hair fell across her deep eyes.

"I think its just precautionary, lady" the older woman laughed and shook her head in amusement

"Iie need to be so formal, you can call me Yumi if you wish" the younger girl shook her head

"Okashira Shishio would be most displeased if he heard I was disrespecting you, lady" Yumi rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the now ready carriages.

"If you insist" she sighed, glancing up at the sky she took one last look at the sky above her home before hopping inside of the middle carriage and was soon followed by Megumi.

Megumi smirked slightly "oh, I insist"

<*>

Kamiya Kastushin Ryu- kitchen

"So whose this?" Kaoru asked, hands on hips as Gentatsu strolled in with a young man in tow.

"Everyone this is Sagarra Sanosuke, he's going to start training, your Otou-san said it was alright" Gentatsu stated going straight over to the fruit bowl and ignoring the already prepared food, he knew that it was Kaoru's turn to cook.

"Hey" Sanosuke said eyeing everyone in the kitchen. There were two females, and another male.

"Hello Sagarra-san, I am Kamiya Kaoru, and this is Takatsuki Toki a teacher here, and that one over there is Takimi Shigure."

"So…..what's that?" Sanosuke asked pointing at the food on the table. Kaoru's eyes narrowed

"It's my cooking"

"Oh? Looks more like something you've spat in" Kaoru went to hit him over the head for that insult to her food but found herself pinned to the ground and a glaring Sanosuke on top of her. Kaoru glared

"Get off of ME!" the young man didn't move `she tried to kill me!' his head was saying over and over again `who is this strangely weak onna?"

"Sanosuke! What are you doing? Get off of her" Gentatsu yelled pulling the mew student off of Kaoru.

"She tried to kill me!" Sanosuke argued

"The only way she can kill you is with her cooking….HEY!" Gentatsu cried out as he rubbed the back of his head gingerly, while trying to look like it didn't hurt him at the same time.

"Serves you right, now EAT!" grumbling to himself Gentatsu sat down at the table and waited for everyone else to sit down and try the poisoned food. Toki and Shigure eyed the blackened food warily while Sanosuke just shrugged and dug in to the food, earning him a one-hundred-watt-smile from Kaoru which he returned with a mouth full of food.

"See, someone likes my cooking!" Kaoru beamed

`I never said I liked it, its food, sometimes people are crazy!' Sanosuke thought while he chewed on a rather rubbery piece of meat.

<*>

The Royal Palace-Vacari

The halls were a mess of mass destruction, soldiers lay every which way, blood spilling from their wounds and staining the white marble floor. In the Thrown room stood Yu-Hitori of the High Council, surrounded by his bodyguards.

"Have they found the princess yet?" he asked, running a hand through his premature white hair, red eyes gazing around the broken thrown room.

"Iie my lord"

"Get this place cleaned up before the other Council members arrive…..and inform me when she is captured……and captain, she will be captured I hope!"

"Hai my lord"

A few levels below the Thrown room

The darkness was so complete it was blinding, the sound of scuttling feet could be heard and the soft whimpers of a girl rebounded off the walls of the dungeons. The soft clink of metal on the wall silence the sounds of the girl. The fact that there was now no sound was now deafening to both occupants.

"Princess?" the whisper was barely audible, but the sigh of relief wasn't, with a flick of his wrist the guard lit a match and held it up trying to see in the suffocating blackness.

"Shouzo Rorenzo, is that you?"

"Hai princess" the was a scuffling of feet and then Rorenzo was pushed from his feet and to the cold stone floor because the princess had thrown herself into the guard and was now hugging the life out of him

"Oh, I was so scared, I didn't…..I……-"

"Shhh, we have to get out of here, follow me…..and keep quiet, so far they haven't checked the lower levels, but that wont last, we have to get away from here as quickly and quietly as possible, its no longer safe here."

"Where will we go?"

"To a place I know, we'll be safe there."

"…..How far away is it?" there was no answer; Rorenzo had heard something up ahead. `We have to get out now! But where, how?' and then the sound of rushing water reached his ears `the sewers? Well, were desperate, its better then dying.' Placing his finger to the princess's lips to keep her quiet he lead her through the twisting catacombs of the dungeons and closer to the rushing water.

The sound of running water drowned out all sounds of pursuit and so both guard and princess could gauge how much time they had. Rorenzo, not one to tempt fate, pulled the princess quickly along behind him, disregarding the need for keeping quiet, speed was of the essence and they had to escape or he would die and the princess would be subjected to…..he didn't want to even think of what they would do to her if they got their dirty, blood stained hands on her.

"I'm not going in there!" Muto Sayo argued, not even trying to keep her voice down. Rorenzo rolled his eyes and with some struggle forced himself and the princess into the refuge water and down towards the gates. They came in to view, black, thick and straight into the water. Rorenzo groaned and waited until he and the princess were wedged up against them before he let got of her.

"Hold on, I'm going to see how deep they actually go." Sayo didn't say anything; she was shivering, covered in other people's excretions and was fuming at Rorenzo about shoving her into the dirty water.

Rorenzo took in a deep breathe, and then dived, the sound of the rushing water was muted and he opened his eyes hesitantly as he followed his hand that was guiding him down the bars of the gate, he was almost running out of air when he found the end, he was so relieved that he almost sighed and released his limited air supply. Smacking himself in the head mentally he hurried to the top, just realising that he was swimming in a river of refuge. Gasping for breath Rorenzo began to explain to the princess just how far it was. Sayo shuddered.

"I wont be able to hold my breath for that long!"

"You have to" and with that he gave her ample time to hold her breath before he pulled her under after him, he being a stronger swimmer then the delicate princess. They were nearing their air supply when they bobbed under the spikes of the gate and were on their way up when the princess started thrashing around. Startled Rorenzo looked down and saw that her foot had been caught by one of the soldiers who had invaded their home. Glaring under the dirty water Rorenzo pulled out his sword and with a deft tug pulled the princess out of the way before slicing the head off of the soldier and pulling her up as quickly as he could swim out of the water.

Both of their heads broke the surface and without even waiting for the princess to catch her breath Rorenzo was pulling her across to the bank and up onto the muddy surface. Then scooping her up he was off and running, just as the sun started to set, sending the landscape into orange, burning light that bleed from the sky.

<*><*><*>

Sujakata: ok, well I know that was short as well, I was going for ten pages, but I fell short damn it! But anyway, how do you like the direction this is taking? Can you tell I'm just making it up off the top of my head? I can hahahaha. Ok well tell me what you think

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin; I'm only borrowing the characters.

Translations

Kuso- shit

Baka- idiot

Gaki- brat

Iie- No

Onna- woman

Otou-san- father