Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Phantom ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

' choice in music was terrible enough but watching his dad swinging his hips from side to side in time to it and singing loudly was worse. Yukishiro snickered as he finished tacking down the last tatamis mat in the main room watching his father paint the walls. looked over at his son with a grin.

"Don't tell me you don't like oldies?!" he said teasingly. Yukishiro stood wiping his hands on his pants. They'd gotten a lot accomplished over the last week having had the floors professionally fixed so they no longer had to tread for their lives. The roofer had finished his job the day before which was a blessing since it was supposed to start raining tonight. Outside Yuri was hard at work tearing up the earth beneath the slotted window of the kitchen that faced the old well and the out buildings. She was determined to get her roses set today and had banished Yukishiro to helping his father after he'd accidentally trod on one of the bushes. Inside the house was shaping up nicely. The kitchen floors had been swept and mopped and the old wooden counters torn out and replaced with new cabinets, a plumber was working to install plumping into the new sink. He would get started on turning one of the old bedrooms into an indoor bathroom tomorrow. His mother had shuddered at the idea of using the privy and bathing in the old bathhouse, but Yukishiro had found it relaxing to steam his aches away in the old wood tub that his mother had vigorously scrubbed before allowing him to use. With the last of the new tatamis down, and the walls painted, they could start moving in their furniture in the afternoon. An electrician had been by that morning and had informed his father it would take several thousand yen to completely wire the house from scratch. The lack of electricity hadn't been too bad, and they could survive another week or so without it until his father's first paycheck was due. Yukishiro wiped his sweaty forehead on the back of his arm and snickered.

"Nah, I like oldies now and then. When they aren't being slaughtered, anyway." He laughed. Hiroshi laughed as well.

"Well, know it all why since your done why don't you go get us a couple of Pepsi's from the cooler and we'll take a break." He said as he put the roller down in the paint pan and stepped over the plastic drop cloth walking outside to sit on the porch. Yukishiro joined him a moment later and offered him one of the cold sodas snapping open his and taking a long drink. Setting the can down he leaned back on his elbows and looked around. The grass was freshly mowed and the weeds gone, the sandy front yard been swept and cleaned and the old wooden gate repaired. It was looking nice, he had to admit. His father had been right, the harder they worked and the more progress they made the more he was beginning to like it here.

"Think we'll get to move our stuff in today?" he asked looking over at his father who was sitting bent forward, his elbows on his knees watching a line of ants troop through the sand and under the porch.

"I don't see why not. I'd like to get it all moved in today before it starts raining. I don't know how sturdy the roofs in those old buildings are." He said. Yukishiro nodded and sipped his Pepsi again closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of the breeze that blew over the walls and ruffled the leaves of the tree before it washed over him in a cooling wave. his eyes he looked over to find his father watching him.

"What?"
shrugged. "I was just wondering why you haven't been working in your dojo. I thought you'd be spending all your time in there and you've only gone inside it twice."
shrugged nudging the sand with his bare toe.

"Haven't felt like it. We've been pretty busy." He said. Since the first night he'd been reluctant to venture inside although he'd neither seen nor heard anything since that night. Hiroshi nodded watching him as if sensing there was more to it but not wanting to press.

"Alright, but still I think you should work on making it yours." He said. Yukishiro nodded.

"Yeah I will." This answer satisfied his father who abruptly stood, soda can in hand and turned back inside.

"I'm going to clean up the pain mess. If you want to you can start bringing the stuff inside." He said walking back into the house. Yukishiro sat still for a few minutes longer until he'd emptied the pop can and crushed it setting the crumpled tin on the porch before stepping into his sandals and walking towards the out buildings. Rounding the corner of the house he felt the wind picking up and paused to watch his mother as she tied the young rose bushes to the fan like holders behind them. Looking over at him she smiled and waved and he returned the gesture before walking on to the building. Climbing the two stairs he reached out for the door and paused as a chill ran down his spine. For a split second everything around him was dimness and calm, moonlight filtering down. A soft voice that seemed almost beside him whispered, 'Rurouni?'. He leapt backwards off the stairs so fast he fell on his backside. Sunlight blinded him as he staggered back to his feet looking around. Yuri was watching him.
"Yuki-chan? What happened? Did you hurt yourself?" she called. Yukishiro felt sweat beading his forehead and knew it had nothing to do with the heat of the afternoon. Looking over at his worried mother he smiled a little and shook his head.

"I'm fine....a hornet startled me. That's all." He said. Yuri nodded and rose dusting off her work pants and plucking the gardening gloves from her fingers.

"Alright then, I'm going to take the car and go get some dinner. Is there anything special you want?" she asked. Yukishiro shook his head no looking back at the door waiting for his mother to disappear inside. Walking forward slowly he stepped up again and touched the door. Nothing happened.

"you're losing your mind, takashi." He whispered. Opening the door he began unloading the boxes and furniture stacking them first in the yard and then with the help of Hiroshi carrying them and placing them inside.

on the front porch leaning on one of the posts his arms crossed loosely over his chest Yukishiro watched the threatening black clouds looming closer. The wind was ferocious now, ripping at his t shirt and jeans and rattled the new rice paper of the shoji doors behind him. Hiroshi stepped outside and looked at him leaning back on the wall by the door.

"Your mother is happy." He said. Yukishiro's lip twitched in a smile.

"Oh?"

"The plumber assured her he can install a garden tub in that bedroom near the kitchen."

"Well that's good, I guess."
nodded watching the storm clouds.

"The electrician will be in next week to wire the house. Have you decided about the dojo, yet?"
in the day the question had been raised on whether or not to wire the dojo with electric lights. Yuri had said of coarse it had to have electricity, why wouldn't it? Yukishiro hadn't been so sure. He liked the quiet simplicity of the dojo the way it was. He didn't really want it changed. Hiroshi noticing his discomfort had told it was up to him, if he wanted them fine and if not ok.

"I like it the way it is." He said after a few moments of thoughtful silence. His father nodded his head stepping back to the door.

"Alright well I can call the electrician then and tell him he can knock one room off his list." He said with a chuckle sliding the shoji shut behind him. Yukishiro sighed walking slowly down the porch to the new shoji doors that hid the long and silent room. He started to open the door but stopped his fingers just lightly touching the paper. There was something about this room, something about this whole place that just wasn't right. It was as if he could sense something else going on here, something hidden in the shadows that he could see and yet couldn't see at the same time. He stood for a long time that way, motionless, his fingers touching the oiled paper softly before a loud roar of thunder brought him out of his reverie with a start. Heavy raindrops began to spatter the grass and ground, the wind whipping it onto the porch and getting him wet. Hurrying back along the porch he ducked inside the main house where his mother sat amidst the cartons and boxes unwrapping books, knickknacks and towels.

"Are you alright?" she asked noticing the wet spots on his clothing.

"Yeah...the thunder startled me that's all." He said walking down the short hallway and into the room he'd claimed as his own. Although small it was perfect for him, since he didn't keep much in the way of possessions. On the walls hung two Dir En Grey posters as well as wall scroll of a samurai warrior, his bookcase was filled top to bottom with books, his tv, vcr and Playstation 2 perched atop it and virtually useless without electricity. His desk held his laptop, also useless and thus still in its case, and the other boxes of his belongings he hadn't felt like unpacking earlier. His low bed was put together and neatly made, his mothers doing no doubt. Walking over he sat down on it and sighed listening to the thunder roar outside. Laying down he clasped his hands behind his head staring up at the ceiling. Everything ached from all the work they'd done this past week. It was the good kind of ache though, the kind that comes with the thought of a job well done. He smiled a little listening to his dad singing 'Stormy' as he put things away in their room next door. Closing his eyes he let the hammering of the rain put him to sleep.

came awake with a start lurching in his bed and looking around wildly. Silent darkness encased him from all sides and he had a moment of thorough panic until lightening from outside lit the room and reminded him of where he was. Slowing his breathing he looked at the clock seeing that it was two am. What had woken him? Slowly rising to his feet he could feel energy prickling along his arms and making the hair at the nape of his neck stand on end. Shaking off his goose bumps he crossed his room and slid open the door stepping into the hallway and looking around. Darkness. Then he heard it. From somewhere to his left, towards the kitchen came the sound of children's laughter. It was faint and echoed like it came from far away. Retreating to his desk he grabbed his flashlight and stepped back into the hallway flicking it on and moving slowly down the hall listening. Outside wind and rain lashed at the walls, thunder roaring overhead and making him all the more nervous. Crossing the main room he paused in the center and looked around. There it was again! A high pitched giggle and then another, coming from the kitchen. Slowly he moved down the short hallway listening to the sounds of muffled giggles and moving objects coming from the kitchen. The shoji was dark, no light to be seen but he could hear them easily.

"Ow, quit it that hurt!"

"Shhhhh you'll wake them up."

"Here let me have one, I'm hungry to."
sounded like two little girls whispering to each other, but the voices were echoed like they were traveling up from the bottom of a well. He listened as the whispers and giggles continued. How on earth had two little girls gotten into their kitchen? Whoever they were they shouldn't be there and he was going to tell them so. Stepping forward he jerked open the kitchen door with a scowl.

"Hey who do you think you..............." Yukishiro blinked in shock at the sight of the empty kitchen. Stepping inside he looked around thinking perhaps they had hidden. Opening all the cupboards revealed nothing but non perishables. What the hell?! Where did they go?! Slowly moving backwards out of the kitchen he looked back down the hallway in time to see two small shadows disappearing down the hallway towards his and his parent's room.

"Hey!" he called his voice drowned out by the thunder. He hurried after them the light from his flashlight bouncing along the floor and walls as he entered the hallway and looked around seeing nothing. Moving down the hall he opened doors peering into the rooms and searching among the boxes. Nothing. Opening his parents door he peered inside and looked around shining the flashlight into the corners, his fathers snoring rivaling the thunder. Turning slowly he looked back down the hallway seeing nothing but shadows and the occasional silhouette of a crate when lightening flashed. From far away came the sound of a giggle. Yukishiro slowly closed the door to his parents room and retraced his steps into the main room. Opening the front shoji he stepped onto the porch and was instantly drenched, rain and wind lashing at him as if their house had suddenly landed in the midst of the turbulent Pacific. Walking down the porch his flashlight giving no light, he abandoned it in the wet grass and stopped in front of the shoji's leading into the dojo. The temptation was unavoidable. Reaching he shoved the shoji open and leaned in bracing his arms on either side of the door facing water dripping off his chin. The dojo was quiet and dark, lightening flashing lighting up sections at a time. Far down the room before the shrine knelt a silhouette. Yukishiro gasped for air his hair sticking to his forehead his hazel eyes wide. Lightening flashed again revealing the slender form of a man dressed in a uniform that had been outdated over a hundred years ago. Slowly his head turned to the side and in the next flash of lightning Yukishiro saw the grin that reminded him of the fangs of a wolf and the flashing glint of lightning reflecting in amber eyes before the world went black.