Samurai X Fan Fiction / Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Upon A Raven's Plight ❯ The Present ( Chapter 2 )

AN: Just to remind everyone; Tomoe does not exist in my fic so if you’re looking for some Tomoe/Kenshin(Battousai), you’re looking at the wrong place.   Note: Don’t be too shy to review. I will always acknowledge each and every one of you. Besides, I don’t bite…much. (smiles cheekily)   Special Thanks to everyone who reviewed (and read but were too shy to review):   half-breed-demon-fox; ariel; Kori; YouKaiRahvin; Rochelle; Angel of lonelyness; sprinklescake67; White Ninja Spy; Innocence8; Alea Seikou; velvet-ink; Little Spider; !!!!!GREAT!!!!!; Readit’s; kik-ting; Mini-Oro-Kenji-Himura; Kenshin-FrEak; ghettotaku; pnaixrose.   Upon A Raven’s Plight   Chapter two: The Present   -------------------------------------------------------- --------- (Kaoru’s POV)   The sound of steel striking steel clinked and echoed throughout the room.   I panted quietly as I looked at Soujiro through the clanked blades of our swords that formed somewhat of a sideward cross.   He too was panting as silently as I am. I felt smug as I noted this, knowing that I had the stamina to worn even him out.   Had an outsider seen the battle that raged between the two of us since the start; they would’ve thought that we were being serious.   But we’re not. We were just kidding around; both of us didn’t put much of our hearts in the fight.   I smirked inwardly; the real fun is about to begin.   With a small but firm pull; I wretched my katana away from Soujiro’s, taking a few tiny steps away from him as well.   The smile on Soujiro’s face remained unfazed as he too made a few steps backwards. He tapped the bottom of his unique sandals with the flat edge of his katana; a sign that he was getting a little serious.   My sapphire eyes gleamed darker as got into a semi-crouched position and placed my right foot one step behind my left. I brought my own katana down in a slanted position so that the hand gripping the sharp weapon was in line with my right hip while the tip of the cold metallic blade rested just a few meters from my left foot.   Soujiro snapped his eyes open as he also got into position; his katana raised high in the air. He had done this in such a way that one would’ve thought that his sword was curved and not straight.   He offered me another one of his smiles which I returned, although mine was just a mere twitch of the lips.   Then, I noticed his leading foot twitch slightly and I knew that he was about to attack using his speed-of-heaven tactic.   I bent my knees; not enough for most opponents to take notice but it was enough for me to perform an aerial defense-offense attack.   Just as I suspected; Soujiro took the initiative and attacked first using his fast speed ability.   I barely had time to jump and dodge the attack before I would become a very-chopped hitokiri; courtesy of Tekken.   My eyes blazed with an inner fire that would consume me in almost every battle as I shouted out one of my special moves.   “Tsuki no Ryu Descent!”   ----------------------------------------------   ; “That was an excellent battle Kao-chan,” complimented Soujiro as the two of us began to gather up our things dumped in the training hall’s oak-polished wooden floor.   I wiped the sweat from my face with a small towel before I slung it over my shoulder.   “Ah, ah…you’ve gotten so much better since the last I saw you Sou-chan.” I told him in a half-teasing voice; a small grin etched on my lips.   Soujiro had been on an assignment since last week, scourging for information on the small towns, and he had just returned yesterday. To say that I missed him was an understatement but I was fully confident that he would be alright by himself.   The dark-brown-haired boy offered me one of his smiles which most people thought was cheerful and carefree.   How ignorant the fools truly are.   They only see the mask that Soujiro puts on his face almost every single minute of the day. Some of the Juppongatana saw little through the cheerful exterior and thought of it as eerie…or maybe even a bit weird. (As long as Soujiro’s out of earshot though).   Only Shishio-sama and I could see through the fake emotion Soujiro would so oftentimes display. Since Shishio-sama was the one who founded Soujiro…or rather the latter found him; he knew why Soujiro smiled the way he does now.   As for me; I knew even before Soujiro told me not so long after we met. Whenever I would passed by him in the hallways and he would smile at me in greeting; I knew deep in my once-then innocent heart that while he was happy in the outside, inside he was weeping.   Soujiro learned at a very young age that if you could block out the pain and suffering and smile cheerfully; nothing bad will ever happen to you.   Soujiro was just an empty shell as I am as well. He covers it with his smiles and I with my icy-emotionless eyes and seriousness.   Perhaps that is why the both of us had become inseparable throughout these years. In some ways; we are very much alike.   However, today, I didn’t felt like watching Soujiro smile the way he does now and I opened my mouth and said.   “Please Soujiro…You don’t have to smile if you don’t want to.”   Blue-grey eyes widened slightly in surprise as the owner turned to me.   “Kao?”   I smiled sadly at the dark-brown-haired boy standing besides me.   “You don’t have to pretend while it’s just the two of us.” I persisted.   I paused as a sudden thought crossed my mind; making me forget about Soujiro for the moment. Unconsciously, I frowned as I remembered my dream last night. Then I shook my head mentally.   No, it wasn’t a dream that I had. It was a memory.   Soujiro noticed my sudden silence and his smile turned into a small frown full of concern.   “Kaoru, are you alright?” He asked.   Woah, he actually said my full name instead of one of the pet names he would usually give me. Soujiro’s must be really worried to be this serious.   I didn’t reply instantly to Soujiro’s question. Instead, I closed my eyes for a moment and moved my eyeballs around to rid myself of the strain.   After a few moments of contented silence; I snapped my eyes open.   “I’m fine.” I finally replied.   “Just thinking about the first time I had met you and Shishio-sama.”   “Really?” Soujiro had a dazed look in his eyes as he gazed out at the setting sun from behind me.   “I can not forget that day that I met you as well, Kaoru.” He added as he fixed his blue-grey eyes on mine.   The way that Soujiro had said those words surprised me. They sounded so sincere…not to mention mushy.   I pointed this out at him and he reacted by laughing.   “I guess it does, doesn’t it?”   He gave a sigh. “It seemed like only yesterday when we met along with Shishio-sama in the rain…”   I nodded my head in agreement; the ravenous locks of my hair framed my slender face as a few strayed out from the high ponytail I tied them in.   “It’s hard to believe that it’s been eleven long years.” I said.   And it had indeed been eleven years since the night I went with Shishio-sama and Soujiro. During those years; the three of us had traveled throughout almost all of Japan. Shishio-sama gathered his followers there and the most strongest and/or devious minds of them all became a part of the group which came to be known as the ‘Juppongatana’.   In all the time that we had traveled; I had been exposed to several things no ordinary eight-year-old would have.   Shishio-sama instantly began my training along with Soujiro’s the day after he took me in. First, he taught us the basic techniques of his sword style and after we learned them all except for the most dangerous ones; both of us were left to ourselves to make up our own styles.   Soujiro trained himself to the point that he had mastered his own style called the ‘Heavenly Sword’. It was a style that depended mostly on speed and agility rather than in brute strength.   As for me; I trained myself in a style I would like to call ‘Tsuki no Ryu Kumori’. Roughly, it translates to Moon Dragon’s Shadow. Most of the techniques require agility, stealth and flexibility. Though they’re not as fast as Soujiro’s; they make up for it by being stronger.   Aside from this; Shishio-sama also told his loyal advisor Hoshi to educate us in the matter of politics. I had gotten the hang of it so much that Shishio-sama usually sends me when either he or Soujiro can’t go to discuss political matters with people who owed him a favor.   Most of them were former Royalists or Imperialists. It doesn’t matter to me though; these men are all corrupted with money and power regardless of their former positions during the Bakumatsu.   However, not all matters can be settled with the tongue and thus, at the mere age of twelve, I was assigned to assassinate a certain Tomukito Okiyo.   It wasn’t that hard. Just one clean swift slash at the neck and the corrupted man’s whole head decapitated from his body without a hassle.   Since Soujiro was two years older than me; he’d taken his first assignment when I was nine...although Shishio-sama told me that he’d killed even before that.   “Hello…anyone home?”   Soujiro’s voice broke me out of my thoughts and my gaze cleared to see that his face was merely inches away from mine.   Not knowing why; I suddenly blushed and pushed him away in reflex.   “Ah, good. You’re still alive then.” He chuckled.   I breathe a sigh of relief that Soujiro didn’t seemed to notice the red flush of my cheeks. Otherwise; he never would have let it down seeing as how I rarely display signs of affection or anything like that.   Yet I couldn’t help but smile. The worry was so evident in his voice and from the tiny wrinkles that appeared on his forehead.   “What are you smiling about?” He asked.   I merely gave him a small smile.   “I’m just glad that you’re following my advice.” I replied.   He looked at me with confusion. I resisted the girlish urge to giggle at the cute look on his face.   Damn hormones.   “You’re not smiling that mask of a smile anymore.” I pointed out to him.   Soujiro rolled his eyes heavenwards.   “Really…are we back again to that particular topic?” He said; meaning it as a statement more than as a question.   Then, wonders of wonders, Soujiro offered me a smile. Not like the smiles he puts on but a real, genuine one.   It was all I could do not to smile warmly in return.   After all; I’m the proclaimed Maiden of Ice and I’d like to keep it that way.   --------------------------------------------------------   I gave a high sigh of relief as I got out of the tub; feeling my tensed muscles finally relax.   I grabbed a towel and began to dry myself. Afterwards; I wrapped another towel around my body and tied it securely. With my hand, I wiped away the warm steam that fogged the mirror and took a good look at myself.   The warm bath gave my normally porcelain skin a slight reddish flush and my hair fell down to my waist in wet ravenous waves. I had a well-sculpted nose and my lips were a lush pink. My figure wasn’t that bad and I’m pretty much satisfied with how I look.   The only think that bothers me are my eyes. They are a bright sapphire blue that gleamed silver from time to time depending on my mood. It’s not the color I was against but the size of my eyes. I had often thought of them as too wide and innocent-like.   I scoffed. How ironic.   I wrapped another towel around my hair and twisted it so it rests atop my head like a turban. Half-blinded by the stream that hadn’t evaporated as fast as I hope it would; I reached for the doorknob and cranked it open.   The cool rush of the wind swayed against my face gently as I stepped out of my bathroom and into the soft lights of my bedroom’s lampshades.   Spying the clothes I had laid upon earlier on my bed; I glided towards the mattress and untied the towel around my body; letting the soft fabric descend to the carpeted floor.   I slip on my undergarments and put on my kimono. After some difficulties on tying my obi; I unwound the towel atop my head and a halo of curled raven locks framed my oval-shaped face. I walked my way to the desk and picked up my long comb as I proceeded to the horrendous task of untangling the semi-dry knots on my hair.   I cringed slightly as I came across a particularly stubborn knot. But it wasn’t long before my hair was a long straight curtain of the deepest black; giving off the pleasant smell of the jasmine shampoo that I used.   I sneaked one last look at the full-length mirror besides the large maple-wood cabinet. Seeing my reflection; I couldn’t help but smile.   The kimono I wore was a souvenir-gift Soujiro gave me when he got back from his ‘trip’. It was an emerald green color with light golden-brown leaves fluttering against an invisible breeze; blending well with the light brown hemline of the cloth. The obi was a darker shade of gold-brown with light shades of emerald green here and there. Unlike most women; I tied my obi into a sort of a large-bow instead of a square, finding it too stuffy.   All in all; the kimono was beautiful. It wasn’t extravagant but simple in a non-plain way.   I decided to leave my hair just the way it is and as I bent down to pick up my practice clothes to take to the laundry room; a soft knock vibrated at the door.   I stood upright and approached the door to answer it. My tabi-padded feet emitted soundlessly as I made my way across the carpeted floor.   Balancing the laundry with one arm; I opened the door with the other to find myself face to face with Kamatari; the scythe-wielding woman-man of the Juppongatana.   Kamatari sized me up; a finger tapping her/his chin thoughtfully. She finally voice out her opinion.   “You look good and the kimono seemed new. Did Soujiro-kun gave it to you?”   Kamatari said the last part with a hint of mischief.   I rolled my eyes at what Kamatari was implying.   “What are you doing here, Kamatari?” I asked her curtly.   Kamatari seemed unfazed though and gave me a smile.   “Just want to let you know that dinner’s going to be late tonight.”   Then, Kamatari’s green eyes turned serious.   “However, Shishio sent me to summon you. He awaits your audience.”   I rolled my eyes twice. Sarcastically, I commented.   “Really, Kamatari. I knew I shouldn’t have lent you that book of Shakespeare’s.”   Kamatari merely blew me a raspberry.   “Whatever,” Kamatari muttered.   Much to my surprise; the older woman/man snatched the used-clothes from my arms.   “I’ll take that. You’re too slow and Shishio’s already waiting for you.” Kamatari reasoned.   I ignored the indirect insult thrown at me and instead took the time to put on my geta sandals.   “I’ll be on my way then.” I muttered as I stepped outside into the hallway; closing the door behind me at the same time.   Kamatari nodded in agreement and made a motion with a hand as if shooing me away from my own room.   I rolled my eyes for the third time that night but proceeded down the hall anyway to where I know I would find Shishio-sama.   ------------------------------------------------------ (Meanwhile) (AN: Third Person’s POV)   “Shishio, do you really think that this is necessary?” asked a soothe, feminine voice.   Menacing red eyes turned to look at a young woman wearing a red-yellow off-shouldered kimono. The owner of the eyes; a mummified and purple-robed man in his later thirties; muttered.   “Yes, I do Yumi.” Shishio continued. “You know as well as I do that she is the most capable out of them all.”   The brown-haired woman nodded her head in agreement.   “Yes I know.” She responded. “But that doesn’t make me feel the least bit better.”   Shishio leaned down to kiss Yumi on the lips.   “Do not worry so much. You must believe in her abilities, we all know that she can accomplish what others can not.”   Yumi gave a half-smile.   “I know that…It’s just that I’m worried for her. You know that I think of her as the little sister I never had.”   Shishio gave a hoarse laugh.   “So true, so true.”   ------------------------------------------------------- - (Kaoru’s POV)   As the guards opened the double doors for me; I glided gracefully inside the very spacious room; lavishly-furnished like most of the mansion is.   My geta sandals tapped softly as I made my way to the high chair which Shishio-sama sat with Yumi, his lover and my friend, besides him as always.   I bowed in deep respect to them before I looked up at them with a blank look on my face.   “You sent for me Shishio-sama?” I asked politely, my voice as emotionless as I felt.   “Yes, I have an important assignment for you to do.”   To be continued   ---------------------------------------------------- ------   AN: Sorry if it’s not that great. I’ve got a cold today so I can’t think much. Anyway, I just wanted to ask you guys which of these battle names do you want Kaoru’s to be?   1.)    Spiteful Raven   2.)    Death’s Shadow   3.)    Eclipse Moon   4.)    Blood Rain (AN: Once I can find the Japanese translations)   Or, if you don’t like the choices, you can give your own. It’s all up to you.   Either way, I got to go now. Review! Review! Remember, the more you review; the better chance that I’ll write the next chapter much faster.