From: Chibi-Chiriko OK, I'm on a roll here. ^^;; Second fic posted this weekend -- and I've been ignoring my homework calls just to get this done. Hope you enjoy, and don't worry 'cause now I *am* off to do my homework. ^-^; ~*~ DISCLAIMERS: Rurouni Kenshin (c) Nobuhiro Watsuki, Jump Comics, Shueisha, Fuji TV and SPE Visual Works. The song "Velvet Underworld" (first OP of Weiss Kreuz ^-^x) (c) its respective owners/singers. No copyright infringement intended. NOTES: Nowadays I don't use anime songs for my songfics but this time, I_just_couldn't resist! "Velvet Underworld" is an awesome song, just as Weiss is an awesome anime (okay, I'd better stop before I get booted off this ML for discussing stuff other than Ruroken fics). This'll mostly center on Saitou, Sano, Battousai (Take note: I said *Battousai.*) and maybe a little Soujirou, Shishio and Yumi? With any luck, this fic'll have the same "rhythm" as the song itself. Forward all C & C, love letters, almonds, bacon servings, hate mail, death threats (wow, wouldn't it be exciting to receive one!), flames, etc. to tranquiltwilight@yahoo.com VELVET UNDERWORLD by: Chibi-Chiriko Winds whisper as they roll across the fields, making every tiny, gleaming blade of grass bend as they skirt past. Clouds part, and a round, pearly white moon shines through. [music interlude] A solitary red rose flutters in the air. As its stem slowly falls upon the placid surface of a dark lake, ripples fold the once flat face of the water, scattering the moonlight into a shimmering profusion of colors. All at once, the petals swirl in the wind, blocking off the starlight as they stray into the darkness. [Like a world in full carpet with all these flowers] A wisp of cigarette smoke disappears off a tree as a lone, lean figure stands atop a hill, gazing out at the beautiful, shining night sky. Amber eyes narrow with the slightest hint of disturbance ... [That darkness flows down -- from that place giving birth to sorrow...] ... as a distant, almost forgotten memory makes its way to the peak of his consciousness. Once again, a short, scrawny little boy running from the world, running from himself, running from the slave traders chasing him down the bridge. [Ah.. could this heart not even be true...?] Leaves and cherry petals float off a tall, gnarly old tree -- [Only one can decide his own way...] -- and settle upon the clothes of a tall, lanky young man. Dark, chocolate eyes peer through stray strands of brown bangs, a streaming band of red flutters in the wind behind. He, too, stands alone, bandaged hands in his pockets. He doesn't look very happy, he has the face of a man whose last resolve had been whisked away by fate, not so long ago. The scene dims. [Only for holding someone in his arms] Soft, powdery snow replaces the darkness. Snow in its icy fury, its merciless breath of death. [All for the sake of protecting the little ones] The battered figure of a mere child wearily trudges on, in his arms the bloody bundle of a body that was once living. Tears streak his handsome, young face, tracing the still fresh slash across his cheek, marking the cross scar that sentenced him to the harshest grief that was living in spite of everything. [Someone is shouting out this day... And giving up even this life,] Angry, jagged lines divide the scene into five concurrent panes. Scenes flash across in rapid succession: a maddened boy whose hair turns silvery white as the snow falling, a young man whose blue eyes betrayed anguish as he coughed into his hand, a head chopped off a lean, dark-clad body, the red bandanna still streaming behind the dusty hair, streets littered with dismissed corpses, screams filling the night. [Burning on within time --- And within that moment’s kiss...] The gleaming, naked blade of a kodachi slices through, revealing a dashing young man fighting off an assassin on the turrets of Edo Castle. [In this greedy city there’s just a wind blowing to the sky...] Storm clouds move across the sky, shielding the comforting glow of the moon from the crying world. Thus pass the years, and the world turns, the sun rises and sets, night comes and goes... [Love’s trampled on, and only those tears remain in this hand…] A fiery, orangey beam of sunlight glints off an untarnished blade as it describes a perfect arc in the air. A calloused hand reaches out, and catches it by the hilt. The golden-scarlet rays of the setting sun reflects the blunted tip of the sword in a pair of pansy-purple eyes. [Ah... so even a smile could be snatched away...? Everyone has their own broken heart...] As the pink-clad young man walks away from the sun, scuffling footsteps trodding upon the grass wet with dew, lightning sears the scene, shifting it to an eerily quiet night. Blood spills forth as a defeated man falls, clutching at the part of his face that once held his eyes. [The poor ones kneeling in prayer now -- These I want to protect,] A man wrapped in bandages slowly saunters out of the shadows, followed by the figure of a small boy drenched with blood, yet with a bright, emotionless smile on his angelic little face. As they walk on, the fog clears away, and soon, hundreds of sulking figures follow the lead of the burnt man in bandages. He throws back his head, and lets out a braying, chilling laugh. [Carving for them the sign of the cross on my chest... This unstoppable something,] A young man stands alone, staring out at the vast, starlit sky, the expression in his eyes carefully concealed by a pair of glasses. In his head dances the image of a beautiful woman, with dark, raven locks and large, sad eyes. He chuckles softly, and buries his head in his arms, laughing eerily, until his shoulders heave with sobs. [This spirit unrestrained -- These only I want to believe... Forever...] So falls the night... [instrumental] The sound of heated conversation, piercing battle cries and clashing swords can be heard above sobs and pleas. Within the four walls of the Kamiya Dojo, the Hitokiri Battousai and the Captain of the Third Unit of the Shinsengumi duel it out, resurrecting the darkness within. Patches of cloth and blood speckle the wooden floor. [The cloud shimmers away...] A gush of water from the waterfall floods the scene, transporting the red-haired wanderer to a cliff, where a tall, broad-shouldered man takes a swig of sake as he toys around with the hilt of a sword. [The star appear...] Three concurrent scenes: the dragonlike arc of a blade sworn not to kill sending the former Oniwabanshuu no Okashira into the air, the blow that whips reality into the mind of a disillusioned young man, the fire that swallows evil and undying love in the open-aired fighting quarters at Mt. Hiei. [The wind ceases... The bird sing...] Momentary peace in Kyoto. A clear azure sky seems to stretch endlessly over a city sparkling with morning dew. Flowers sit comfortably before a solitary grave. [The ocean sparkles… The skies melt… The night ends… Feeling you…] Brilliantly shining whiteness envelopes the scene. [Only for holding someone in his arms All for the sake of protecting the little ones] A silvery-white-haired man gnashes his teeth furiously at the bloody, panting rurouni across him. The scent of fresh blood, and the distant fragrance of white plums mingle with the sweet ocean air. [Someone is shouting out this day… And giving up even this life,] Memories of love, hate, bitterness and forgiveness wrestle with the primal beasts within. [Burning on within time -- And within that moment’s kiss...] From a distance, through the soothing screen of leaves and falling sakura petals, the figure of a weary wanderer can be seen setting his hand on the shoulder of a grieving brother. [The poor ones kneeling in prayer now -- These I want to protect,] The leaves and petals scatter across the scene, framing a dark autumn night. The shadow of a wolf overlaps the shadow of a man with his back turned, walking toward the dark edge of existence, leaving behind a faint trail of smoke and fading footprints. [Carving for them the sign of the cross on my chest... This unstoppable something,] The red and brown leaves swirl about in a blur of colors as a horse gallops through the forest, sitting on it a bearded man with long, dark brown hair streaming behind him. The vibrant red bandanna still adorns his auburn crown, a symbol of that which adorns his memories, and will adorn the rest of his life. [This spirit unrestrained -- These only I want to believe... Forever...] And the footsteps of a killer long put to rest still sings its melancholy song, resonating haunting echoes in the tranquil night. Look hard enough and you might still see the ghost of a boy turned man too soon, running his sword through a hapless victim, then leaving a flower behind. Fresh red blood drips to the ground from an old scar on his cheek. [music ends] OWARI 2/6/00 Do you know how *hard* it is to fight off a tenacious fic idea that just_won't_let go of you? ^^;; This fic was sort of a spur of the moment fic. I enjoyed writing it at first, then I had to stop 'cause it was time for my forty winks (I tend to write my best when it's late at night ^^;) Then when I resumed working on it, I didn't have the proper frame of mind to work on it (plus, I still had some homework to do) BUT I knew that if I put it off now, chances are I'd've put it off forever. So I just had to plunk my butt down on this chair and *force* myself to work on it. The middle and later parts were the hardest to write! *gulp* And I know one shouldn't pressure themselves to write without inspiration but I guess I was desperate. *bites lip* Anyway, onto the explanations: The part where Saitou recalls his past -- I seriously doubt that was the actual truth. There's not that much info on his childhood, though I'd like to think that whatever happened to him when he was a kid had a profound effect on him for the rest of his life, thus making him the Saitou Hajime we know and love now. ^.^ I call Kenshin 'a child', 'cause hey -- he *was* only fifteen. And I know they probably considered 'fifteen' the age that marks the transition from childhood to adulthood, but deep down, he's really just a child. Hey, in the OAV, he still likes spinning his top! The part after Kenshin receives his sakabatou from Shakku abruptly shifts to the scene where Shishio blinds Usui. That's what I meant when I said, 'a defeated man falls, clutching the part of his face that once held his eyes.' And the rest is pretty much self-explanatory. ^-^;; I'm not really that satisfied with this fic, but hey, at least I finally got it off my chest, right? Obsessions *can* be exhausting when you're not careful. If I was inconsistent in some parts, or if I made some mistakes somewhere, please, please, please tell me! I don't memorize everything that's taken place in the RK storyline! Besides, this fic was strictly just meant to be a songfic. Kinda like an alternative RK OP/ED theme. Y'know, if you could replace the original themes and animation sequences and come up with your own, that sort of thing. Well, this is what I came up with. ^.^ Ja, and God bless! Take care, minna! ** Translations for "Velvet Underworld" were snagged from this link ~ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- Don’t buy your Valentine a Gift by clicking here. Click Here ------------------------------------------------------------------------