Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Written in The Stars ❯ Interlude in Muddy Waters ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: RK does not belong to me. It belongs to its creator Watsuki Nobuhiro, and a bunch of powerful and wealthy companies. Jihan as well as other OC, are my exclusive creation, and I keep all the rights concerning them. If you are interested in using any of them, ask me before, please.

This fic's only purpose is entertainment, no profit intended.

IMPORTANT WARNING: This fic is a HEAVY ENISHI BASED FIC, if you consider that 'he is nuts, wacko, psycho, has lost it, etc, etc, etc' and all the variants of 'he is insane, and giving him the chance of overcome his misdeeds, and obsession is writing him impossibly OCC, you can read a lot of other fics where he is the perfect irredeemable psycho. But, then, don't go ahead with mine. You won't enjoy it.

Also, if you think that OCs sucks, and that the writer should not include them interacting with the canon RK characters, or they should not have a major role in the story, please, stay away from my fics or you'll get disappointed. I can easily construct an original fic whenever I want. But at this time, I prefer fanfiction, INCLUDING OCs. (OFC, to be precise, though there are a couple of OMC too). Sorry if it does disappoint you.

If you also hold the belief that females must be the shadow of the white knights in armor, only supporting our very macho males, etc, etc, etc, my fics aren't for you either. I'm a fan of assertive, strong women, who don't fear to face the world, and stand side by side of their chosen mates. I also like men being men, with men's flaws, who can face temptation, and even, fall into it.

For more information and my reasons for choosing him as my favorite character and why I think that he is as redeemable as any of the other RK characters, please read the rant at my bio/profile. Thanks in advance.

Individual answers to the reviewers at the end….

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First, I want to show my deepest gratitude to the patient women that have helped me to make this piece relatively readable. Thanks to their time, their effort, their comments and their priceless suggestions and ideas. If you enjoy this ride, it's also thanks to them. Therefore to them, a deep bow from me. Thanks Midori, MightyMightyMunson and Kamorgana. They are great authors, and I'm sure you know their fics, anyway, there is no harm in reminding you to check their stories. (Midori's work does not need introduction, ne? However, just to remind you, she has won the RKRC Awards in several categories and she is a very talented writer)

MightyMightyMunson's story 'As the Time Goes By' can be found in FF net also. Besides, I want to mention that MightyMightyMunson is an accomplished artist, and have drawn several spectacular pieces that I hope I can upload soon for your visual enjoyment. These are truly FANTASTIC.

And don't forget to check Kamorgana's Saitou-based stories, especially those in progress, Preys (AU) and Irresistible (during the Bakumatsu) that can also be found here. For those who love Enishi/based stories and has an open mind for alternate pairings, her 'Children of the Revolution' is FANTASTIC.

A big applause and a deep bow to them and their amazing talent.

Also, I want to recommend an unusual Saitou/Tokio fic. It's called "Falling" by L. Sith. It's really amusing and interesting, which in these times is a rarity, indeed.

A last note: Michaela … WELCOME BACK!!

Chapter dedicated to the beautiful Bianca.

To my reviewers, all my love. As I said, individual answers at the bottom.

Now to the fic:

Somewhere inside Lyrian deep space, year 378 since the Alliance's Foundation

The midday sun had long past its zenith, and the afternoon was slipping fast towards sunset. However, the so much needed relief from the heat wouldn't come upon them until they found more welcoming lands. Not that it really mattered to her; she was used to worse environmental situations, but her weary partner showed clear signs of being affected, though she knew by now that he preferred to pass out of sheer exhaustion rather than acknowledge his state. After all, and in spite of his stubborn reluctance to surrender to his weakness, he was still undeniably and completely human, though he was a lot tougher than she had credited him for in the beginning.

<Soon it will be time for the unavoidable stop… whether he wants it or not. >, Jihan sighed looking at her sulky companion through the corner of her eye.

Two full weeks had elapsed since the incident where she had been forced to reveal her abilities to him and though he hadn't take things as she had expected he would, things weren't exactly relaxed… They had kept a tense relationship since then. On one hand, because of her rigid personal principles, she wasn't particularly concerned. On the other hand, she admitted to herself that certain dose of civility was necessary with teammates to keep up efficiency and higher rates of survival.

But then again, that was why she always chose to work alone…

<Oh, well, it's not as if I have any chances to improve my choices… at least at the moment>

While he had been predictably furious at the revelations she confronted him with, especially concerning her skills, he had finally come to terms with the situation in an astoundingly easy way. Of course, he spent every chance he got bickering about the matter, (which happened to be no less than a dozen times a day), Jihan thought, giving an exasperated mental sigh.

<He is not exactly Mr. Merry Sunshine…>

The female warrior reflected on her gruff, brooding companion, who seemed to walk through life with a perpetual dark cloud showering him with gloomy thoughts.

Something that still confused her was the fact that he hadn't been surprised when he learnt where he was, though that was something she had anticipated to certain degree. The guy was astonishingly brilliant and, even when he came from a non-industrial civilization; he had figured many things with certain degree of accuracy. He had accepted the fact of being outside Earth boundaries somewhat, though he had entertained the very absurd idea of being lost into some mythical place on his own world.

However, once she cleared the issue, it hadn't been that information the one to scare him. Strangely, it had been the knowledge that Earth was gone, and he had been thrown into the future what had shaken him to his core. That had surprised her. She had expected that her abilities would have affected him the most; after all, non-telepaths were always afraid of mind readers like her, but she later understood that he had compared her and the other aliens scattered in the planet to some of the beings found in the popular folklore of humans, at least to some degree. That kind of link sounded rather ridiculous to her, but considering that the people of his world kept the absurd pretense of being the one and only sentient species in the whole universe, all in all, it made sense.

As long as the association helped him to cope with the situation better, that trend of thoughts was fine with her… At least for the time being…

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The forest was dense; so much that sunlight almost didn't penetrate the thick layer of leaves that dressed the tall trees. Heat was intense, and the insects, disgusting, even for a man like him, who was used to facing extreme circumstances without flinching. The place reminded him of the Bengali rainforest, only that it was ten times worse… and he wasn't an anti-British Maharaja's guest, enjoying the hunt of the tiger, while selling weapons for a new revolution. Here, he was the proverbial tiger, being chased by the rich bored hunters. The irony didn't go unnoticed to him.

They were soaked to the bone in sweat and from the humidity pouring from the air around them. The swampy surface they were forced to walk on did not help to make the journey any easier either…

Cursing under his breath for the tenth time in the last hour, he wiped the sweat from his brow, then grunted, trying to get a grip on his thoughts, and find a sort of relief from the hellish nightmare surrounding his senses.

Truth be told, he was royally pissed off and if, due to any particular twist of fate, he got the chance to get his hands on the damned bastards that had put him in such situation, they wouldn't face an easy time.

<Oh, no… I'll make sure they pay dearly, those fucking bastards> He clenched his jaw tightly, his hands literally aching with the need of breaking some necks.

The image of a hated redhead, in a now long gone beach, flashed in his mind.

<Son of a bitch…>

It had been so easy for the self-righteous bastard to pass through his defenses at that crucial moment. He had dared to stop him from killing the traitorous Chinese worm that used to be his second-in-command, using the only thing that could reach him: the threat of losing Tomoe's smile forever. He had been sure of one thing that day, and it was that his sister had ceased to smile to him. And the bastard had taken advantage of that, trying to infuse his cheap philosophy into him. His accursed brother in law's words, had sneaked venomously into his mind in a time when he couldn't differentiate right from wrong anymore, when he has lost the meaning of his life, the course of his path.[1]

At that point in his existence, the risk of losing her smile if he keep on spilling blood, was enough to stay his wrath...and to prompt his confused mind to grasp onto what seemed the most likely possibility of pleasing his sister's spirit. After all, it was a fact that her sister spirit favored Battousai somehow, so he had to have some key to please her. As he had later discovered, that key had been Battousai's promise. She had giving up her life to protect that assassin because he had promised her that, as soon as the accursed war was over, he would never kill again.

And then, foolishly, in his desolation, he had accepted the words of a demon as the only chance to get her forgiveness.

But, he knew that at certain situations, like the present one, to follow a non-killing vow would be sheer idiocy. He contemplated the situation he was immersed in, the hostile environment and the continuous risk of a violent, unexpected death reminding him of his current condition: hunted to become prey, he had no options left than kill or be killed.

<In this hellhole I wouldn't last a day otherwise…>

Considering this, he knew more than ever that Tomoe would not frown at him for defending himself to the necessary extent. Like his former brother in law, he would murder no more, but if forced, he'd act in self-defense. Yes, he was sure that Tomoe would surely approve it. And the present circumstances could be clearly labeled as 'a self-defense situation'.

<Hell! I didn't choose to be kidnapped or hunted in first place! >

"Let's take a break" the woman said, cutting suddenly his train of thoughts.

He glared at her, annoyed to high heavens by being treated bossily by the alien woman, but he knew beforehand that that there was nothing else he could really do, at least not after the revelations she had thrown on him like freezing water, two weeks before.

" Is the oh-so-superior species already tired?" he tried to retaliate, ironic, even though he knew almost instantly that she'd make him to regret his words. And he was right. She turned to face him, smiling smugly, which sent his blood boiling in rage.

"You know, little human, you don't cease to amuse me… I could go ahead for days non-stop… unlike you…. And you know it."

Yes, he knew it: she was stronger than him. Damn his fucking fate. Damn her arrogance. In brief, damn her.

Grumbling under his breath, he climbed through the huge roots and branches of one of the gigantic trees of the place, behind her, and sat down by her side, perched in the heights, as an extra security measure. Hell, the rest was welcome, but he'd die before admitting it to her.

His jaw ached with the strain of having it tightly closed, her words a painful slap to his pride, and a reminder of the complex and challenging situation he was facing.

In any case, the frail semblance of rational understanding of his current condition had completely collapsed after the episode where he almost died under the landslide, and the mind numbing revelations she had confronted him with then and shortly afterwards.

<Not that I had anything remotely figured out, but still…>

He remembered how she had pulled him out of the landslide, rescuing him from an assured death, putting him over her own shoulders and making their way to the riverbed. Then, after the first splash in the freezing waters, he finally passed out.

He also remembered waking up later, all nicely wrapped in warm blankets, near a neat fire, with the smell of something being cooked filling his nostrils. All his clothes, as well as hers, had been carefully hung around the fire.

She also had cleaned (and probably bathed) him, healed his wounds, bandaged them carefully, in brief, she had taken care of him with keen attention.

After he had wakened, the woman had approached him, wrapped in a blanket, and given him a cup of some kind of warm soup that smelled delicious. His hunger at the time had made him forget about everything else, and he had quickly devoured the meal, ignoring his now silent companion sitting by his side as well as his desire for answers.

And as soon as he had finished, she had spoken calmly.

However, for all her niceness, she had been quite forward, almost rude, with her account. Firstly, she explained with annoying detail the true scope of her skills, which had scared the living days out of him, leaving him at the same time teetering at the verge of a sudden attack of rage with the certainty that she had pepped into his mind. His feeling of anger soon evaporated, leaving behind worry and a bitter feeling of vulnerability since the bitchy woman now knew everything about him.

But if that had been shocking, her next revelations had shaken him to the core. Until that moment, he had suspected he was outside the earthly realm, at least, as he knew it.

These suspicions had been growing since the beginning of his ordeal in that strange territory, surrounded by unholy sights, strange landscapes, and all sort of hellish creatures. The skies' configuration had told him clearly that he was nowhere close to Japan or Asia, or at least, the world as he understood it. But he quickly had dismissed the possibility of being in Hell, in spite of the sights, and had clung to the hope that he was in some mythological place, somewhere that belonged to the land of legends.

The distinct possibility of traveling out of the planet was a ridiculous fantasy in his head, at least using the recent theories available to him.

Granted, he had read the current literary sensation in Shanghai's social gatherings from a very imaginative Frenchman, Jules Verne. The man had played with the possibility of traveling outside their home planet in his book, From the Earth to the Moon. He had to admit though, that he had only read it just to humor an acquaintance who wanted to know if the actual trip could be performed.

Since he was highly versed in the fields of metallurgic and fire arms, he had laughed good and hard with Verne's theory during the reading. Building a cannon[2], such as the one mentioned in the story, that was capable of launching a sort of ship into space, without destroying it and its human passengers in the process, was something out of human reach. In addition, there was another problem: if the space travelers wanted to go back to Earth, they'd need a similar cannon to launch the ship across space again. And of course, the idea only 'worked' in 'short' distances, since the inertia caused by the cannon blast only could drive a ship for so long…

Verne's books were entertaining, he had to concede that, and the Frenchman had a gift to envision the future developments in technology, as Captain Nemo's ingenious underwater ship. That machine was something that humanity would reach in the short term, that he could tell, since he knew that less effective prototypes had been already used in the American Civil War. It was just a matter of time and technological advances until they were able to reach Captain Nemo's utopia. However, the trip into the stars, now that was (or better said it had been) a totally silly premise, at least relying on Verne's approach to the subject.

So, armed with these facts, he hadn't considered the possibility of such a contraption, only that the idea was just the product of a very rich imagination.

But now… Now everything had changed.

Enishi shivered. Now Verne's fantasy was painfully real to him.

He was lost. But it wasn't the usual class of 'lost', that he'd sort easily with a magnetic needle, or guiding himself with the stars, the sun and the moon. No, like everything else in his life, it was not that simple…

He was lost in space.

Somehow, for some inexplicable reason, he was stranded miles and miles away from where old mother Earth used to be, in fact thousand of millions of miles away[3], a distance so obscenely huge that none of the human measure systems he knew could put it in a comprehensible way. Sure, he knew that the scientists of his time could write down the figures, but these were so colossal, that they stopped to make sense in his mind.[4]

But, strangely enough, that wasn't the worse news. Oh, no… There was still more to it… He had not only traveled into space, as the men in Verne's story, but beyond that. He was far from everything he knew and had once, but not only in distance, but also in time.

Jihan, his sharp tongued and ill-tempered partner, had told him that according to her own calendar, Earth had been destroyed three centuries ago, and since then the last lines of Verne's From the Earth To The Moon had been hammering inside his head.

' "Those three men," said he, "have carried into space all the resources of art, science, and industry. With that, one can do anything; and you will see that, some day, they will come out all right."'[1]

Enishi snorted. It seemed that all the art, science, and industry that Humanity had once attained, hadn't been enough to keep their little speckle of life in the Universe in one piece. His 'home' was now dust floating across space.

Everything was gone. Places, faces… Tokyo, Shanghai, Kyoto… Tomoe's grave…

Gone.

Gone.

Forever.

The only things that remained were the memories that he held within his heart, memories that would be swept by the wind of merciless time, when he finally died on this accursed alien ground... or managed to go back to his own time somehow.

According to the woman, by the time that earth had been destroyed, humans were a space faring species, keeping colonies is various worlds outside their own planetary system. However, at the time of his kidnapping, humans were nowhere close to having the technology to travel to the stars. Thus, in accordance with his own calculations, he had been thrown no less than four hundred years into what he could call his future.

He was the last heir of a lost culture. He, a criminal, the lowest scum in the social ladder.

<How ironic…> he thought smirking at the path his mind chose. The thoughts that surfaced in his brain were far from relaxing….

Because as far as the girl had explained to him, the humans she knew where pathetic shadows of their ancestors. They had been assimilated into the alien words surrounding Earth and its colonies as mere slaves, all traces of their past glory, lost to memory, just scraps of reminiscences converted into myths and legendary tales.

<The traces of conquest… > Enishi thought

It was a given that conquered peoples kept some kind of record of their past through tales, and for what the girl had told him, she had always thought of humans as weak worms, incapable of any warrior skill.

<At least, she had to admit that I surprised her…> he snorted again, furious, as he recalled her airs of racial superiority, fuelled by the shameful position that humans occupied in her civilization.

He closed his eyes, trying to fight off an unwelcome assault of dizziness and nausea. He shook slightly his head, as to exorcise a weird dream. But it wasn't a dream. The silver-eyed girl looking at him with puzzled expression reminded him that all madness was true. And brought to him more unpleasant thoughts.

As if finding himself thrown into a whirlwind of time and space wasn't enough, his companion was some kind of dangerous freak who could ravage his mind anytime she wanted. And the worse part of it all was that he had helped her to get back those fucking capacities… The thought made him want to bang his head into the next tree he crossed for succumbing to such stupidity …

< On second thought, simply breaking the necks of the bastards that have sent me to this hellhole, would be far too merciful. I wish I could get something akin to sharks in this damned place. That would be more fun. > He finally thought, gruffly.

"Your lack of attention might kill you… stop brooding and pay attention to your surroundings."

"Uh?" Her voice took him out of his reveries. And then suddenly, truth dawned in him, confirming his worse fears "You, woman, stop watching inside my head!"

"I'd be happy to oblige, human. But you think so loudly that your thoughts are hammering inside my skull" she snorted. "Besides, why should I? Remember you proper place, human."

"Which is?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Don't test my limits." She warned. "You are a human and a criminal. These two conditions don't put you very high in my favorites' list…"

He shot her a murderous glare, grumbled half a dozen profanities in at least two languages, and started to walk ahead of the arrogant woman.

"Look, our alliance is useful for both, so let's not ruin it with petty fights." she said, sounding almost conciliatory some minutes later.

He shrugged. As if she cared for his opinion… She was a conceited bitch, surrounded by an air of authority and superiority, and held a crude sense of racial supremacy over him that was even more annoying that all the Westerners he had ever met joined in one single soul. And to make things worse, she was a cop. A woman cop… He felt nauseated at the concept. What kind of uncivilized creatures allowed women to become… cops? Granted, woman could be very useful spies, and even skillful murderess. Still, their place was in the shadows, under the men's hand. However, looking at this female, with her formidable fighting abilities and her confident stance, he had the clear impression that she was used to command, and not the other way around. And he had already tried and failed to attain the control in their 'relationship', a rather embarrassing attempt that had given him hints about the boundaries that she would not allow him to cross.

He hated to be tied to her. However, he had no other choices available, at last, at the moment.

He wondered if Battousai's atonement had taken such painful and twisted extremes. If so, he'd be glad at least for that.

"Take this." She said, passing him a bottle with 'safe' water. The area was a rotten swam, and despite the abundance of water around them, it was not apt for consumption. They had to rely in what they could get from rain and condensation. So, they had dramatically cut the rations of water, turning a single drop into a very valuable commodity.

He grabbed the bottle, drinking eagerly. "I saved half of my dinner and part of my breakfast… We could share, if you want," she offered, in an openly friendly gesture.

Reluctantly, he reached for the tempting morsels, which he devoured avidly, though resentfully. After all, it was another reminder of his own weakness: she only needed to consume a third of water and food compared to his own needs. She was frustrating in more than one way.

While he consumed greedily the unexpected banquet offered by the woman called Jihan, he brooded about her and their situation. Since she had calmly explained her abilities, and background to him, he had started to understand some of her attitudes, like her sudden change towards him since they destroyed the collar she had been forced to wear.

Then, after the initial shock, he had tried to figure how to deal with all this mess surrounding him. Dwelling on the more upsetting aspects of his present circumstances was beyond stupid; it could be proven fatal.

Therefore, he faced the only possibility left to him: since he had no way to change the order of things, he'd have to abide by the rules of his new environment. At least, until he managed to get his ass back where it belonged, because if there had been a way to bring him there, there should be a way to revert the process. And he'd find it.

Here, he had no purpose. In his home, at least he had his father, not that it was the best motivation to go ahead in life, but there were still unfinished business between the two.

He wasn't used to walking through life without a goal.

When everything else falls apart, the goal remains, and keeps you afloat.

It had been that very principle that had kept him alive through the years, since the time when he had left Edo, walking amid the horrors of a country devastated by civil war. That principle had allowed him to endure the horrific bloody sights he had faced during his trip, to escape the fate of slave hunters and fight back the attempts of lecherous men in the road, tempted by the harmless figure of a little boy. But he had never been harmless, he'd always had his ways to defend himself, and most important, he had reasons to avoid being taken advantage of. He had a singular purpose, to protect and help his sister, and then, after the success of their well deserved revenge, to bring her safely back.

He had finally met her, but things hadn't turned the way they were supposed to… His chest had shrunk in pain when she had sent him back to Edo, to his father. Back then, she had reminded him about his duties as the heir of their family name. But what kind of family would be that, without her fastening them all together? Truth be told, he had had only grudges towards his father at that time.

And then, when she died, in front of his eyes, far from the reach of his hands, guilt and impotence had devoured his soul. Guilt because he hadn't obeyed her last wish, and impotence, because he had betrayed his duty, he hadn't protected her, as he had vowed… However, all his guilt had transformed into white-hot rage, and a new purpose formed within his soul, filling the void caused by the loss of his only loved one.

From that moment on his purpose, his goal, his justice, had overtaken every other desire, every walking moment and dream. Everything else had started to fade, to lose meaning. Only making -him- pay had made sense, all things subordinating to his ultimate goal.

At that point, his resolution had transcended all taboos, all laws, all social and morally imposed limits. His pain was so blinding, so real, that he had stopped at nothing to achieve satisfaction.

In that path, he had barred himself of all the rules and teachings his father and Tomoe had tried to instill in him, and had dressed in the dark robes of blood, death and sin. He had consciously lost his soul, thinking, mistakenly, as he had learnt fifteen years later, that his deed would pay for his sister's eternal rest in peace. The cruelty of the war, first, and the ugliness of the real world in Shanghai's streets later, had only eased the task.

From the ordinary, but relatively comfortable life he had known in his home, he had jumped into the fires of Hell. He had learnt then that the best rules for survival were taking what he needed where and when he needed and in the way he needed, and never, ever trusting or relying in anybody else. The rest of his golden tenets derived from these.

He'd had a sacred duty then, and nothing had mattered except achieving his goal. But then what was worse was the late discovery of what was truly happened. Fate had mercilessly shown him how painfully mistaken he had been, how useless, vain, the sacrifice of all that was pure in him had been. After fifteen years, he had found to his horror that the red-haired demon had changed his own sister's purpose, had forced her to forget Akira, him, and her family… Therefore, he had attained the painful realization that he, and not Battousai, had made his sister's spirit restless and unhappy, because the murderer had conquered her heart, and he, his brother, was hurting her love. That had shaken him to his core. And then, when he didn't know what he had to do, he had asked Tomoe for a signal to achieve her forgiveness; and he received his answer: the old man had come to his life. First he had thought that the half crazed beggar was another lost soul amid the lowest scum of Kyoto, but then he had realized that his request had been granted in the most strange of ways. There it was, in front of his eyes: his second chance to send the ghost of his sister into peaceful rest wasn't through revenge, but by staying his father's side, fulfilling the last wish of his sister, the same he had disobeyed so long ago, the last time she had seen her alive.

That had been his new purpose, and it had meant more of an atonement than a father and son reunion. In fact, he couldn't still acknowledge any kind of blood ties with the old man. Old scars were still there.

Now, his new purpose would be to find a way back to fulfill what the Heavens or Fate had decreed for him. He was sure that his father wouldn't be put in his path just to be taken away again in that absurd way by these strange beings.

Enishi straightened his back, resolution shinning in his eyes. For the time being, he'd use the old tactics. He'd start here from zero, as he had done after leaving his house. Of course, as always, he would rely in nobody else, not even in his companion. He would merely use her to get what he needed. And Enishi knew with absolute certainty that he would learn the rules of this place to survive, and get the hell out it, towards home.

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Jihan fought to keep her composure together, and look unconcerned.

She didn't know whether to despise the criminal in front of her or feel pity for the very tormented soul that was inside him.

In her profession, she had seen hundreds of delinquents, ambitious scum that didn't stop at anything to get richer and powerful. And she had disposed of all of them without the slightest trace of doubt. It was part of social service, she always said, ironically. In the end, they only received the adequate retribution.

But the man that stood in front of her… she couldn't figure him out. As far as she had seen in his memories, he had committed unspeakable acts, he had killed, maimed, robbed… the usual. But his motivations… those, she had never found before… He had wanted power, he had wanted money… but not for the usual reasons.

To be honest, as far as she knew, he had never enjoyed the privileges of his rank as a skilled assassin and later, as a syndicate boss, at least beyond the basics required to keep appearances. In this kind of life, be in Earth hundreds of years ago, or in the Alliance, any soft spot or a perceived weakness and you were sent to visit your honored ancestors…

But this man, this man had lowered himself to perform the wickedest deeds, intentionally lost his sentient soul, turning himself into a beast, and he hadn't done it for greed nor for power. He had done it for revenge.

To avenge a loved one, to appease a troubled spirit and sending her to a peaceful, eternal rest. He had taken the burden of such life of sin, to free a haunted ghost.

And boy, for someone like her, that was disturbing. Deeply disturbing.

As she looked at him, a shudder ran down her spine, and a thousand questions began to race through her mind. It was too sudden, these unwelcome thoughts and ideas and Jihan had to force the images back down into the dark places of her mind, unable to bear these echoes of a lost past and deep pain.

<What will I do with you? You are trouble, big trouble…> she thought.

Under normal circumstances, she would have eliminated him as soon as she had realized the degree of dangerousness and criminal offenses he had perpetrated. However, their circumstances where far from normal. In first pace, he had saved her, and she was still indebted to him. She had repaid only one of those opportunities, and there was still one to go.

In the other hand, and despite his dangerousness, she knew that he would not turn against her, and he was a very skilled and powerful warrior. An excellent helper, in spite of his race.

However, even with all these advantages and attenuations, she had to make a choice. She had a code to respect, and a duty to fulfill. But she also had a debt to repay.

She looked at the brooding man again, and she reached a decision.

<I'll relieve of your pain and your burden. As soon as we are even, I'll send you towards her, your sister, and your sufferings will be over.>

"Lets move. We must find a better place to pass the night" she finally said.

He nodded, and got ready to go on with the march.

"Next time, I'll choose the route." He grumbled "These damn swamps stink, in every sense of the word."

<What a pity> Jihan thought <I think I'll miss his sense of humor…>

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Phew… It's done for now… I hope you have enjoyed the chapter…

One of my dear reviewers, Mary Ann, has made me an interesting observation that I hadn't considered.

It's about the bi-solar systems. They can't support life. Anyway, let's play pretense, and for his purpose of this fic, lets say there is…

Here is her kind explanation, for all of us to know the scientific truth: I'm aware that bi-solar system is a common thing in the world of anime (the best example is still Trigun). But scientifically, it's impossible. Why? That's what I'm going to try to explain, though it will be a hard thing to do in English. So, forgive any simplification I make.

The first question one should ask is: why life on Earth is possible? The answer is simple: because we are just at the right distance from the sun. If Earth would have been nearer, the temperature would have been too high and we would have suffered from radiations. If Earth would have been farther, the temperature would have been too low. That is why there can be life on Earth and not on Venus or on Mars. The comfort zone is really tight.

Multiple stars systems are quite current. In fact, 60% of all stars evolve in such systems. I'm going to ignore the cases were there are more than two stars, and only explain the dynamic of bi-solar system…

In bi-solar system, both stars evolve on orbits around a common mass centre. For better understanding, imagine that the Earth and Mars are stars. We both know (well, unless you still think that Galileo was wrong ^-^) that their orbits are centred on the Sun. Well, in bi-solar systems, the only difference is that the "stars" Earth and Mars would orbit around an empty spot. (Ask Einstein and Newton for more details about that one… ^-^)

So, as in the solar system, Earth and Mars sometimes come closer to one another, in our bi-solar system, "stars" Earth and Mars would also come closer.

Planets can orbit around one of the two stars of a bi-solar system. And there can be a planet just at the right distance. But there can be no life because, the presence of the other star (sometimes close to the first star) would create great variations in the temperature on the planet. Too much for live to develop. Even plants and primitive organism wouldn't resist such a shock.

And also, as the planet of the bi-solar system orbit around only one of the two stars. There would still be only one sun. And a big ball of fire sometimes appearing in the sky…

Now to the individual answers:

Kenni() You reviewed Legendary, b ut I know you'll be reading g this one too… Superglomps to you! Thanks for your words.

Mary-Ann: *glomps* Welcome on board! I'm glad you are enjoying the fic so far. *blushes at kind comments* You'll find Jihan's character truly complex, having her own share of burdens and pains.

Yes, the other characters will join Jihan and Enishi. Or more accurately, it will be the other way around… *grins* But there are a lot of separate adventures for a long time yet…

If you don't mind, I'll make a note about bi-solar systems with the explanation you sent me. Thank you very much for your time. And I truly enjoyed your fic (me bad… I still have to review!). Take care!

L. Sith: I'm glad that you liked the lizard's (Kanryuu) use of Misao's name... He seems slightly bent on revenge, doesn't he? As for the review to your fic, don't mention it. It's my pleasure to enjoy your fic. A last note: You have done a very good job with the characterization, well, IMO, at least. Don't let others tell you otherwise. I just wanted to let you know that you count with my support.

Julie: Muchísimas gracias por tus comentarios. (Firuze ruborizándose).

Para mi, es bien claro en el manga (y el anime) que Kanryuu tiene un componente de sadismo, y es un cobarde que solo puede actuar usando el doblez para obtener sus fines. Es, en síntesis, un gusano. Probablemente es uno de los dos o tres VERDADEROS villanos de toda la serie, irredimible, sin una motivación que haga entendible sus maldades... Bah, un 'malo' que uno puede detestar sin reservas... he he he he...

Respecto a Kaoru y Misao, siento lo mismo. Prácticamente he tenido que parar de leer todos los fics con K&K como protagonistas porque me arruinan la diversión que RK significa. Es verdaderamente lamentable la manera en que la caracterización es manejada en la mayoría de los fics. O se simplifica a los dos ejemplos que mencionas, o el personaje es retorcido tanto para colmar las expectativas de una self-insertion encubierta de la autora, que deja de ser el personaje original creado por Watsuki. He llegado a detestar a Kaoru por culpa de estos males, aunque una repasadita al manga me ha devuelto la objetividad. Espero hacerle justicia a los personajes... En cuanto a Misao, es probablemente mi personaje femenino favorito en RK. Y coincido totalmente en tus apreciaciones respecto de ella.

Jbramx2: hehehe... Yes, he calls his victims 'Misao'… dun dun dun…

I'm glad you liked the bit between Hiroshi and Okina. It's a bittersweet moment, a mixture of light moments and sad memories of past scars. I'm really happy you find my humble ficcie 'fascinating' *Blushes*

Oryo: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed my portrayal of both 'good' and 'evil' guys, I want to make them as multidimensional as possible, with motivations and all, even if they are twisted and horrifying… Okina and Oibore are fun to play with, and , personally, I think Misao is an overlooked character. People focus only in her genki attitude, and there is a lot more beyond her skin.

MightyMightyMunson: *Superglomps her* I'm glad you are enjoying my fic so much… I hope to keep it up with your expectations… hehehe… there will be more on Oirbore as the fic progresses, and I hope t his also fulfills your hopes. He is rather intriguing, because there is not too much about him in the manga, to begin with… It's a character you must build up using Tomoe and Enishi's early background, and later the few scenes and dialogues we have in the manga.

EK: thanks for being there…

Kamorgana: *Jumps and glomps her* Thanks for your compliments (blushes), but without your help and MMM's , I'd be lost. Thank you both for your support and wise advice.

See you in the next one!

Chapter 9 Spoilers: What is Saitou doing unearthing corpses? And Aoshi promise to train Misao, but is it the training she expects?