From: "Elienta *" Greetings, everyone ... I've been on this list for one day and I wish I had joined sooner. ^_^ Here is part 2 of my fan fic... ========================================== A Beautiful Hitkokiri by: Elienta ========================================== Disclaimer - Rurouni Kenshin is property of Wastuki-sama... heaven forbid I would claim it as my own. (is that how you write a disclaimer?) ========================================== Part Two - A New Enemy (contains mild obscenity and a tiny tiny bit of violence. I don't think it's enough to insult anyone...) ========================================== Karen took a deep breath of morning air. The day dawned crisp and clear, promising to be fine. Dew still clung to the leaves as she wandered through the bamboo forest, her ninhontou dangling at her side. She stopped in a clearing, gripping the hilt of her blade. "Yah ~!" Karen suddenly, and with amazing speed, drew her sword from its sheath and made a quick slash. Then she gathered her muscles and leapt as high as she could. "Yaht!" With another yell she did a half flip and slashed down as she landed. As soon as her feet touched the ground she swiftly slid the blade back into its sheath, then took on a stance as the bamboo stems started to slide off their bases where she had cut them. With a single movement she took hold of the sheath, pulled out her blade, and again sliced the stems. Following right behind the blade came the sheath, hitting the wood full force. All of it shattered into pieces. Breathing hard, Karen wiped her sweat and looked up at the blue sky. "Karen-dono." She heard Kenshin's voice behind her. "Konichiwa, Kenshin-san," She greeted him. "Do you always wake up this early?" "It's a habit," he shrugged and smiled. "Where did you learn kenjitsu, Karen- dono?" "From my sensei," she said insolently. Kenshin blinked. "^^; oro..." "Practice all you want, Kenshin-san, I'll be making breakfast." Karen pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and started to walk back. "Karen-dono," Kenshin couldn't help asking something he had been thinking in the back of his head since yesterday. "Is ... Is your sensei, by any chance ... Hiko Seijuurou?" "I believe that's *your* sensei." Karen was not to be fooled. "I was taught kenjitsu by my father." Kenshin watched her back until she disappeared. 'Her blade, her skill. ...I'm almost sure it is mine ... but that's impossible. Sensei said he never had any other pupils ... or did he? But I know for a fact he never married and had any children. Is there another form of Hiten no Mitsurugi other than the one I learned?' "Karen-san!" "Konichiwa, Kaoru-san." Karen looked up from the bread she was making. "I hope you don't mind something different for breakfast. It's something I learned from a cook from England." Kaoru sniffed the bread baking on the fire. "It smells fine to me. But you don't have to do this ... you are our guest, Karen-san." "Don't worry, I like doing this." Karen paused from kneading the bread, and her eyes had an unfocused look. "I rarely have the chance to do anything so simple for anyone else..." Kaoru wore an expression of concern, then replaced it with a smile. "Karen-san, will you teach me how to make what you're making?" Karen looked up, then seemed to recover herself. "Of course, Kaoru- san. Here, like this..." Yahiko was busy in the dojo, practicing down-strokes. "...499, 500! That's it for this morning." He wiped the sweat off his face and sniffed the air. "Something smells great." "Morning, people." Sanosuke leaned against the porch as Kaoru and Karen prepared breakfast. He stared at the rolls Karen set on the table. "Whazzat?" "Food," she replied. "Try it - it won't kill you, I promise." "Which ones did you make, and which did the miss make?" he glanced at Kaoru, who returned his glance with a murderous glare. Karen laughed. "^^; We made all of them together. Eat." Sanosuke tore one in half and popped a piece into his mouth. "Say ... thif shuff tashtes great!" he exclaimed a moment later. "Thank you, Sanosuke-san. Yahiko-kun, breakfast is ready." Karen wiped her hands and looked up as both Yahiko and Kenshin approached the table. "Help yourself." Soon all was quite except the sound of contented chewing. Kaoru swallowed what was in her mouth and turned to Karen. "Karen-san, would you like to visit a dojo in the next village with me today? I was planning to visit anyway, and since Yahiko has to work at the Akabeko today, I would love it if you would come with me." 'I would've followed you anyway if you had left the dojo by yourself.' Karen smiled to herself. Aloud she said, "Of course, I would be glad to." On the outskirts of the village, several men were talking together in low voices. "I think they've figured us out," one of them muttered. "Pah!" the man next to him spat on the ground. "Like hell they have. The police around here are slower than snails. All we have to do is get rid of *them*, and everything will be fine." "Any other movements noticed around there?" another one asked. "Someone new moved in yesterday... a girl. All we've found out about her so far is that she's a rurouni." "Are you sure she's not some spy?" "She busted some butts yesterday ... but the Meiji government doesn't use girls to do their dirty work." "Well, keep an eye on her. And be careful not to get caught." "Whatever." "Whew! That was a good workout." Kaoru took a deep breath and lightly bounced her shinai on her shoulder. "Karen-san, I've never met a fellow female kenkaku like you before. Where did you learn such skill?" "My father was a samurai ... although now he spends his days fooling around with dirt." Karen rolled her eyes as Kaoru giggled. "He taught me his kenjitsu." "What is the name of it?" "There is no name ... or to put it more specifically, I developed my own sort of kenjitsu from what my father taught me. Since I am a girl, I had to make a few adjustments in the technique." Kaoru looked at her sideways. "You don't have to answer this question, Karen-san ... but why did you leave your father to wander?" "...I didn't live with him from the beginning," Karen was choosing her words carefully. "I never knew who he was until after my mother died. He came to her funeral and took me to his home, and kept me there for a few years. I left of my own accord." "Don't ... don't you ever wish you hadn't?" Kaoru ventured. "To every person there is his or her path. I suppose I was destined to be a rurouni," Karen said calmly. Kaoru fell silent. Somehow she felt uneasy. 'Is Kenshin's destiny that of a rurouni's?' Suddenly Karen stopped and froze. Kaoru looked at her in surprise. "Karen-san?" Karen unsheathed her blade. "Come out, you cowards, and stop hiding in the bushes." "...!" Kaoru took on a fighting stance. The two girls stood back to back as several men sprang out of the bushes. "Not bad, for a girl," one of them leered. "You think you can take all of us on?" "I do not wish to dirty my blade with such blood, but it seems I have no choice." Karen's voice was cool and detached. "Shall I attack first?" "No thanks!" Five of the men headed straight for Karen, blades gleaming in the sunlight. Kaoru found herself against the other three. Knowing that it would be foolish to fight with a shinai against real blades, she aimed for their legs and arms. With one lucky hit she knocked a sword out of the attacker's hands. Before he had time to recover Kaoru hit him solidly in his midsection. He keeled over. "Not so lucky anymore!" one of the other two left standing swiftly moved behind her. Although she managed to twist and avoid his thrust, she lost her balance and fell back. In a flash she was on her feet, but already the other one had his blade against her throat. Meanwhile, Karen was finishing off her last opponent. 'Not your normal yakuza ... hmph. Who is the bastard and where is he getting these skilled kenkaku?' With a single, deadly stroke she sliced the man's chest. Then she turned to see Kaoru being held at knifepoint. 'Damn...' "You're a government dog, aren't you?" the first man sneered. He had an ugly scar that pulled his mouth up into a sneer. "Or should I say bitch?" "I wouldn't work for the Meiji government if my life depended on it." Kaoru was surprised to hear the bitterness in Karen's voice. "Let Kaoru-san go." "You know about us," the second accused. "I know more about you than you do about me. Are you going to let her go or not? Shall I kill you swiftly or make you beg and grovel for death?" Karen's eyes glowed in the setting sun with a smoldering light. Kaoru felt goosebumps on her spines. 'I've seen those eyes before..' Obviously the men were intimidated. The blade at Kaoru's throat dropped a millimeter. Kaoru instantly turned and kicked the man right where it would hurt the most. With another swift movement she picked up her shinai and brought it down full force on his head. "Ggaa!!!" Kaoru grimaced as Karen did away with the remaining man. Karen heaved a sigh and wiped her blade on the grass. "Well, we've certainly had our share of exercise today." "Are ... are they dead?" Kaoru looked at the bodies in the road. "Mine are, I'm afraid. I usually hit them with the flat or the dull part of the blade, but there wasn't any time to think about it." Karen didn't seem particularly sorry. "Too bad. I meant to get a few answers out of them. These men obviously weren't trained for fighting - they were trained to follow." "Why ... why would anyone want to trail us?" Karen shrugged. "Something's going on. Someone's after you, maybe." "Me?" Kaoru blinked. "But why? How can you be so sure?" "They're certainly not after me. I'm a rurouni, no one remembers me as I pass them by." Again her voice held a shred of bitterness. "But you and your friends are not very popular amongst the villains of Japan." "..." Kaoru bit her lip. Karen put a reassuring hand on her arm. "Don't worry. Kenshin-san and Sanosuke-san are both strong. So is Yahiko-kun. So are you. And so am I. Nothing will happen, because I will not leave until I know for sure your dojo is safe." "Karen-san... we can't ask you to do such a thing ..." "Nonsense, Kaoru-san. You welcomed me into your home when you didn't know a thing about me, or my past." Karen's blue eyes were unusually soft, and Kaoru thought they held pain ... pain and loneliness. "I will forever be in your debt." "Karen-san ..." Kaoru trailed off, not knowing what to say. 'A rurouni ... a person who wonders, never staying, never tarrying in one place for long ... a free but lonely life ... Does Karen-san, like Kenshin, have such a painful past? She is so strong, but her eyes are so sad ...' "Come, Kaoru-san. I think we should hurry to the dojo." Karen quickly smiled. But her eyes were urgent. Kaoru nodded. "Whew!" Yahiko stretched and let out a breath. "What a day. My legs feel like rubber." "There sure were a lot of customers today," Tsubame agreed. "It's been like that lately. A lot of foreigners, particularly." "You did a good job, both of you." Dae gave them both a smile. "Tsubame, will you do me a favor and please follow Yahiko to the dojo? I've packed a few leftovers for Kaoru but there are two bundles. I think you should stay the night, since it's getting dark." "OK, Dae-san." Tsubame nodded. "Good night, Dae-san." Yahiko shifted a bundle on his shoulder and marched out, Tsubame behind him. "Is there really a lady samurai at the dojo, Yahiko-kun?" Tsubame asked with wide eyes. "I don't know if she's a samurai, but she's a kenkaku at least," Yahiko shrugged. "I've never seen her fight, though, so I don't know." "Someone said her sword is too fast to see!" Tsubame told him. "Then it would have to be as fast as Kenshin's sword, and that's pretty impossible," Yahiko said with confidence. "Yes, that's-" "Sh!!" Yahiko suddenly stopped and listened. In an alley nearby, two men were talking in low voices. He could've sworn he'd heard the words, "Kamia Dojo". "... were all defeated by Kamia Kaoru and that rurouni," one of them was mumbling. "Tonight," hissed the other. "Get everyone gathered tonight. And meet at the dojo by midnight." "It'll be a hot time in the old town tonight," snickered the first. Yahiko paled. So did Tsubame. "Yahiko-kun ..." "Tsubame, turn around and go - " he stopped. If she went alone ... "We don't have a choice. Hurry up, we have to get to the dojo quickly!" "Karen-san! Karen-san!" "hm?" Karen looked back to see Kaoru gasping for breath. "Karen-san, don't we, have to, report, the bodies?" Kaoru tried to speak normally. "Bodies?" Karen said vaguely. "Oh, those guys. Don't worry about it - their friends will take care of them. We have to get to the dojo as quick as possible." 'They will be nervous now that there has been an open attack. They might even try something big and put a complete end to this. What will they try, with someone like Himura at the dojo? I'm sure he's noticed something by this time.' Half walking, half running, the two girls made it to the dojo in time to meet Yahiko and Tsubame coming the other way. "Hello, everyone. Did you have a good day?" Kenshin asked cheerfully. "...^^;" All four of them stared. "Oro?" Kenshin blinked. Yahiko spoke first. "This is no time to be saying 'oro'!" he scowled. "I heard some guys talking on our way here ... I couldn't hear very well, but they said something about Kaoru and a rurouni defeating someone, and to gather tonight in front of the dojo. And the last one said, 'It'll be a hot time in the old town tonight'. What does that mean? What's going on?" "That's what I'd like to ask." Sanosuke was leaning against the wooden doors. "Something's going on, and she has something to do with it. Don't you think it's about time we knew?" he glared at Karen. "I've been feeling something around us for awhile now, but it was too unclear to be sure of anything. And it still is. Karen-dono, do you know anything about this?" Kenshin looked at her. "I saw her last night talking with someone outside of the dojo," Sanosuke said accusingly. "Who was it, Karen-san? Did you hire the yakuza to burn us down? I have a feeling you know more about us than we know about you." "Stop it, Sano!" Kaoru suddenly found her voice. "Karen-san ... Karen-san saved my life today! I trust her. Everyone has a past they don't like to talk about. Don't you?" "That's all right Kaoru-san." Karen was as cool as ice. "I'm used to such accusations. But I wish you would save such words until the morning. If Yahiko-kun heard aright, the dojo will be set on fire around midnight tonight. We must hurry if we are to stop it." "Karen-dono is right," Kenshin drew his eyebrows together as he spoke. "We must set up a plan ..." "I already have one," Karen twirled a stick in her fingers and scratched a line in the dirt. "But to follow it, you must trust me. Absolutely. In the case I am with the enemy, this plan will give me the perfect chance to do away with all of you." Her face was expressionless. "And if I am the enemy, believe me, I will do so without thinking twice." "..." Everyone was silent. Kaoru met Kenshin's eyes. Kenshin looked straight at her, and she could almost hear him. 'You trusted a rurouni you knew nothing about once ... a rurouni who had a past drenched in blood.' '...Can I do it again?' Without hesitation, Kaoru put her hand over Karen's. "Karen-san... Kenshin was a rurouni once. He had a past stained with the blood of others. But he saved me, and he helped me stand up again when I was down. So I trusted him. I don't know anything about you, Karen-san. We've only known each other for two days. But you risked your life for me today." "That doesn't mean it is safe for you to trust me," Karen shrugged. "I know," Kaoru nodded. "But your eyes ... your eyes are like Kenshin's ..." She blushed a little. Kenshin and Karen both looked surprised. Then Kenshin smiled and turned to Karen. "Karen-dono, if you were our enemy, you would've done everything you could to make us trust you. But you aren't. You're pushing us away. You are not our enemy, Karen-dono. You are our friend." "I have no idea what the hell you guys are talking about," Yahiko cut in. "But if Kenshin and Kaoru trust you, Karen-san, then so do I." Tsubame timidly nodded her head behind him. Kenshin glanced at Sanosuke. "Hmph! You guys sure are turning me into a big bad wolf," Sanosuke shook his head. "All right! I guess I'll be an idiot like you guys and trust this lady." Karen's eyes widened as the group smiled at her. She bent her head for a second, and her hair covered her face. "...Thank you, everyone." Then she looked up and briefly smiled. "Thank you. Now, listen carefully ..." --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- ONElist: your connection to online communities. ------------------------------------------------------------------------