Rising Sun: A Rurouni Kensin Fanfic

by Mana-chan

Chapter 14

The gray morning ascended upon Akuma Inn with fog and dreariness. What light filtered through the thick canopy of trees melted into darkness and dissipated into nothing. The surrounding forest remained silent, void of creatures to welcome the day. From the lonely quiet two soft voices emerged, arguing softly over one light.....the light of the rising sun.....

"Ralon.... I'd like you to train Kaoru-dono.. you know as well as I do that she has the potential, but lacks the training to become a great fighter.."

Ralon's face remained emotionless as she contemplated this.

"Hai...Yuugure,...but her nature is not that of a fighter..."

Yuugure's face clouded and he clenched his fists.

"That shows how well you know her, Ralon.. she isn't like Ayana was. She's not weak in spirit..."

Ralon spun around angrily. "What do you know about Ayana?!! You never even bothered to speak to her! Ayana was never weak in spirit. Her body just couldn't handle the intensity of the technique!!"

Yuugure's eyes widened in surprise. Never before had Ralon displayed such fury and vehemence toward him before, and now that she had, the power behind her anger frightened him. He took a deep breath.

"I had my reasons for not speaking to her.... but the girl should have been smart enough to know that Tora's technique would kill her..."

Ralon's eyes flashed violently. "She knew...but she loved him...... she was willing to learn his technique to make him happy... subject closed, all right?"

Yuugure stared at Ralon in disbelief. He had known that Tora had loved Ayana, but the girl had never displayed any actions revealing her love for him. He shook his head, still curious, but let the subject drop.

"All right then...but still, I ask you to train Kaoru-dono..not enough of your technique to kill her...but enough to strengthen her skill in kenjutsu."

Ralon thought for a moment, and shook her head again, although less firmly than before.

"Why? Look at her..she's the ultimate gift of life- peace..light.. I refuse to take that from her.. You know as well as I do that my technique not only strengthens the body and perfects the skill of a person..it feeds off their life energy.."

"That's why I said not enough to kill her... you can control the technique, can't you? Limit its abilities to make her stronger, but not enough to transfer your techinique to her."

One emotion after another flickered across Ralon's face- reluctance, anger, sadness, fear, resolution..... She nodded.

"Fine...then training starts this afternoon."

"Arigatou, Ralon-san."

Yuugure bowed toward the older woman and left the room, leaving her with troubling thoughts of the past and the dark future ahead...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kaoru paced around her room restlessly. She couldn't understand her unease. Every time the vision came- the one with the golden-eyed, flame-haired samurai who delighted in death- she'd break into a sweat and feel her heart explode into a million pieces- a bittersweet feeling of love, joy, pain, hurt, and betrayal. The feeling frightened and confused her, and she hated it. She wondered if perhaps the dream was telling her something- telling her to end the bloodshed... Yes, that must be it.. Perhaps her destiny was to destroy the man in her visions and take revenge for all those who had fallen victim to his blade...if that were so, she would not fail them- she would kill the murderer in her visions and bring peace to Japan....

Kaoru smiled in satisfaction at finally having solved her problem and immediately went to her closet to find the proper attire for the upcoming day. Yuugure had mentioned training, and if that were so, she'd have to wear something less extravagant and beautiful than the indigo kimono of the day before. Flipping through the soft fabric, she finally decided on a plain yellow kimono with simple flower designs on it which did not hinder movement as much as some of the other kimonos. Quickly, she tied her hair up with a red ribbon and slid open the door to her room only to run straight into Natsumi. The younger servant girl gasped as her tray of food wobbled in her hands and threatened to fall, but Kaoru caught the tray just in time. Both girls sighed in relief.

"Ohayo Natsumi-chan. It's nice to see you again... Arigatou..you brought me breakfast! It looks delicious!"

Natsumi looked around fearfully to see if anyone had heard Kaoru, one of the 5 stars, speaking with her, a mere slave, with such a friendly manner. When she saw no one, she smiled and answered softly,

"It's nice to see you too, Kaoru-san... I'm glad you like the appearance of your breakfast."

Kaoru laughed and smiled brightly. "I'm sure I'll love the taste too! And it's Kaoru-chan, not Kaoru-san! We're friends, remember?"

Once again, Natsumi looked around fearfully, and seeing this, Kaoru firmly stated,

"Natsumi-chan, You're my friend, and you don't have to be afraid that someone will punish you for wanting to have me as a friend too.... I'll be sure of that."

The younger girl smiled gratefully. "Arigatou, Kaoru-chan.."

Kaoru nodded happily and immediately sat down to eat, savoring the taste of the well-cooked breakfast. After a few minutes, she stopped and looked up at Natsumi, who had been staring at her intently.

"Is something wrong?"

The girl shook her head. "Iie.... you just remind me of...Ayana-san."

Kaoru looked at Natsumi, a confused expression on her face. "Who is Ayana?"

The servant girl stared down at her hands. "I'm not allowed to say.."

"Please? Natsumi-chan? This place is so full of secrets, and there's so many things I don't understand... Perhaps telling me...would help me to understand better."

Natsumi took a deep breath. "Please don't tell anyone I told you anything... all I can say is that...Ayana was a girl who used to live here before Hebi came.. She was nice and pretty, like you, and she hated killing or hurting others, but Night wanted her to learn how to fight and be strong. He sent her to train with Tora and Ralon....but, while learning one of the techniques, she died..."

A soft gasp escaped Kaoru's lips, and for a brief moment, she wondered if Ayana was the one she reminded Tora and Ralon of.

"What did Ayana look like...exactly..."

"Her eyes were silvery blue, and her skin was always so pale, making her look fragile and weak.. She was small in stature, and thin, and always kept her hair tied up with a ribbon like yours. She was SO pretty- always moving like a butterfly, the sweetest expression always on her face, but behind her happiness, sadness and pain existed.... like being here was something that hurt her greatly.. You're like her in ways...only you seem stronger..not so easy to break...and I hope you really are as strong as you look..."

Kaoru whispered in a sorrow-filled voice. "Hai.. I hope so too... That's...so ... sad.."

Natsumi nodded sadly. "Hai....oh.. Kaoru..chan.. I must be going now... Ralon is expecting her breakfast."

Kaoru nodded. "Ja ne."

The other girl smiled and waved tentatively before fluttering out the door like a lost baby sparrow.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Battousai stumbled through the woods, clutching his sword tightly to his side, searching for something- anything that could reveal to him how he came to arrive at such a place. After several hours of aimless wandering, he suddenly began to hear noises- loud laughter, struggling, screaming. Immediately, his eyes narrowed to two golden slits, and he slid through the shadows soundlessly until he reached the source of the noise. His hand immediately reached to unsheathe his sword as he witnessed the sight before him.

A big, burly, half-dressed drunken man lay on top of a struggling young woman, and his dirty hands searched her body purposefully, ignoring her cries and screams. He began tearing at her kimono, digging his hands into her flesh to find the soft, smooth skin beneath the fabric, when suddenly, he stopped, his eyes bulging wide with disbelief and fear. The girl opened her eyes,surprised at his sudden stop in movement, and was frightened and amazed at the sight of a bloody sword protruding through the man's chest. Quickly, she pushed him off of her and retied the sash holding her kimono closed. The loud thump and the sound of a sword being resheathed startled her and she turned around slowly to meet her savior.

Battousai eyed the girl standing before him curiously. She was pretty, with dark indigo eyes and soft black hair flowing down to her waist, and something about her triggered a memory deep within his heart, but he couldn't place it. He watched as her eyes widened with the sight of him, and then her lips- full, sweet, and ruby red curved into a soft smile.

"Arigatou... Thank you for saving me,...um..may I ask your name?"

Battousai narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but answered. "Himura Battousai..des..."

The girl's eyes widened in surprise and almost fear. "Battousai?..demo....ah...nevermind... Kigadeki Kimiko..des."

The hitokiri looked at Kimiko curiously. The name Kigadeki triggered another sense of recognition within him, but once again, he could not place it.

"If you don't mind...Battousai-san.. may I ask where you're headed?"

He shook his head. "I don't know."

"I'm looking for my sister.. KigadekiHebi... perhaps you would come with me? I wouldn't like another run in with a man like him," she gestured toward the limp body of the burly man who had attacked her, "and you would have someplace to go."

Battousai thought this over for a few minutes. She was right.. it would give him some sort of destination- a goal.. perhaps an answer to the blur in his mind....

"All right... I will go with you."

She smiled, and the two set off for Akuma Inn, one searching for a runaway sister, and the other, for his memory.