Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic
Rurouni Kenshin & Samurai X
Original Japanese Version © N.Watsuki/Shueisha * Fuji-TV * SME Visual Works
Inc. * Sony Pictures Entertainment
All Fanfics created by Chiruken and
Rurouni Angel were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not
intended for publication or sale.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A collaboration of Rurouni Angel and
Chiruken
Rurouni Heir
by Rurouni Angel and Chiruken
‘Foreign
Heir Sought’…
The memory of her voice reciting the words from the headline in the newspaper echoed though Misao’s mind eerily, fading into nothingness only to return again…the kanji marching behind her closed eyelids like squiggling worms of black ink, haunting her, mocking her and generally driving her crazy. A soft moan emerged from her throat as she flopped onto her stomach and buried her face into the thin mattress of her futon only to flip onto her back a moment later to stare up at the shadowed ceiling of the room she shared with her best friend, Kamiya Kaoru. Smoothing the thin sheets for what felt like the millionth time that night, Misao squeezed her eyes shut tight and forced her muscles to relax in an effort to force herself to go to sleep. A moment later her eyes snapped open and Misao let out a soft sound of intense frustration as she found herself yet again flipping onto her side and then her stomach. She knew what was causing her sleepless night. It was the same thing that had stolen her peaceful rest for the past three nights. The words echoing through her mind bouncing back and forth as they conjured images of what an English Earl looked like. Biting her lip as she stared sightlessly at the ceiling, she wondered how one acted…and what would be expected of an English Earl’s wife. Try as she might she couldn’t quite summon a serious image of the rurouni in such a role. Every time she tried to picture Kenshin in the roll of English lord, she either cringed in horror…imagining him doing something completely typically stupid rurouni…or fought to hold in laughter…picturing a very similar situation occurring.
With a deep
sigh she smoothed the sheets again and closed her eyes, a small smile curving
her lips upwards at the thought of the English lords and ladies and their
reactions to Kenshin’s typical rurouni act.
She wondered how they would react to one of his clumsy acts…or better
yet…his almost unnatural compulsion to wash laundry. Opening her eyes again Misao turned her head and stared at the
closed shouji, trying to push back the images that threatened her
composure…like Kenshin with the sleeves of his gi pulled back to reveal his
muscular forearms as he knelt before the washtub and scrubbed the laundry with
a cheerful smile or Kenshin standing near the back gate to the doujou with the
sunlight casting his hair into fiery radiance as he laughed at something
Sanosuke said or Yahiko did. Shaking
her head sharply to clear her mind of the images of the red-haired rurouni,
Misao let her mind wander back to the events from three days before. Forcing her mind to skip the whole
embarrassing washtub accident, she focused instead on the kiss. Biting her lip with a slightly annoyed
frown, she closed her hands into fists.
We still haven’t talked about that… Even as the thought popped up
she was glad that that particular conversation had not yet occurred. What am
I supposed to say? I don’t even know
what this feeling is…is it love? She
really didn’t know if what she was feeling was love. Sure…I like Kenshin…but that doesn’t mean I love
him…right? Memories of her love
being rejected by Aoshi filtered through her mind and she silently cringed at
the thought of being rejected by another possible mate. No, Aoshi-sama taught me all about that… She
raised her hands and scrubbed her face wearily. Her thoughts inevitably always returned to the main issue at
hand. What do I feel for the stupid
rurouni?
Shaking her
head slowly side to side on her pillow, Misao sighed softly and glanced at the
other young woman sleeping in the room.
Compassion filled her for her best friend. She is probably just as confused as I am… She frowned
thoughtfully for a moment before shaking her head again. No, Kaoru isn’t confused at all. She’s made her feelings clear from the
start. She’s in love with him,
too. She let out a tiny squeak and
hastily covered her mouth, wide eyes moving to Kaoru’s peacefully sleeping form
quickly to make certain that she didn’t wake her up. Kami-sama! What am I
thinking? Too? Blinking her green eyes once, and then
twice, Misao barely resisted the urge to tear her hair out in frustration. The urge to scream or do some serious
violence was nearly overwhelming.
No… She sighed
and forced her hands to unclench from fists at her sides clutching the blanket
with white-knuckled force. No, not
violent…I just really need to let out some steam somehow. Her lips curved up into a mischievous
grin as a sudden thought occurred to her.
I wonder if scrubbing clothes would help relieve this awful
tension. Laughing softly at the
thought, Misao’s imagination suddenly conjured the mental picture of her and
Kenshin sitting side by side doing the wash, sharing the same washtub, smiling
and whispering about this and that, their hands occasionally touching, leaning
closer…pausing…their eyes meeting…their lips touching as they leaned closer to
each other, the laundry forgotten…
Misao
gasped, green eyes widening in shock. Wait
a minute…Kenshin?! She replayed the
little fantasy out in her mind again, feeling her uneasiness grow. There it was, all the evidence she needed to
prove that she was focusing too much on the red-haired rurouni. But it isn’t love…definitely not
love…anything but love…please, kami-sama…don’t let it be love! She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and
pressed her lips together firmly to still their trembling. I can’t be in love with the stupid
rurouni, I just can’t be!
Biting her
lip as she felt tears fill her eyes, Misao had no choice but to admit the
truth. She never lied to
herself…never. She had too much pride
and self-respect to try to be dishonest with herself. Maybe what I feel isn’t love…but maybe it is. She shook her head, closing her eyes
against the stinging of the tears and feeling a few slip out to trickle down
and land softly against the futon. But
I don’t want to love Kenshin! Eyes
snapping open in horror, she felt more hot tears fall as she realized that she
was now referring to the man in question by his first name in her
thoughts. It shouldn’t be so easy to
fall into such an intimate habit! It
shouldn’t be so easy to forget that we’re just friends. Another thought concerning the former
hitokiri came unbidden to her already confused mind. His name is also
Matthew…Kenshin, Matthew, Himura…who is he?
And what is he to me? Misao
felt her despair rise up to engulf her as more tears fell unchecked from her
brimming eyes. Why? Why does he have to be so complicated? So…utterly compelling?
Choking back
a sob, Misao reached up and covered her face with her hands. Why can’t I stop thinking about him? She knew that she was confused and
didn’t really know how she truly felt about him. All she knew was that he meant a lot to her and that she
desperately wanted a chance to discover the true depth and meaning of her
feelings. She wanted to explore the
possibility of getting closer to Kenshin… Matthew. His name is really Matthew!
Kami-sama! What do I call
him? How can I know how I truly feel
about him if I don’t even know how to address him? Slowly Misao curled up into a ball on her side and silently
wept, her tears soaking into the futon beneath her. How is it that I always get myself into these types of
messes? She lifted her arm to swipe
at her damp cheeks. First Aoshi-sama
and now Kenshin! Green eyes
over-bright with tears narrowed in sudden anger as she found herself growling
under her breath. “Stop that! His name is Matthew!” The young woman nodded sharply in agreement
with her statement, knowing it to be true.
But his name is also Kenshin… A small voice whispered within her
thoughts.
She jumped
when a soft, familiar voice called out in the darkness to her, husky with
sleep. “Who’s name is Mat-thew?”
Misao
quickly placed a trembling hand over her frantically racing heart and fought to
steady her ragged breathing. Kaoru! She’s awake…how much did she hear? Biting her lip in worry that she may
have said something to alert the other young woman to her confused feelings
regarding Himura Kenshin, she narrowed her eyes on her friend’s silhouette and
waited for a moment. Finally, when
Kaoru didn’t hurl accusations of betrayal and duplicity at her in the darkness,
she looked away and breathed a soft sigh of relief and fought the urge to
correct her friend’s incorrect pronunciation of the English name. If I do that, she’s bound to get even
more suspicious! With another soft
sigh, Misao shook her head at her foolishness.
If I don’t say anything now, she’s going to just keep asking! I’m so stupid! Moaning at the mess she’d placed herself in, she closed her
eyes, mind racing as she thought quickly on how to backtrack and correct her
slip of the tongue. Thinking only of
buying time, she blurted out the first thing that popped into her head. “I’m sorry, Kaoru! I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
She winced at the too cheerful sounding tone of her voice and cringed
when she heard her friend moving, the sound of her turning on her futon loud in
the silence of the dark room. Drawing
in a quick, shallow breath, she turned to face Kaoru in the darkness, the glow
from the small sliver of moon shining from behind clouds in through the window
casting enough light for Misao to make out the small mound resting on the futon
next to her. A gentle breeze blew,
tinkling through the tiny wind chimes hung in the window, scattering the clouds
enough that more light shone in and reflected off the mirror standing in the
corner opposite from the closed shouji.
Misao found herself staring into the other young woman’s sleepy
expression, her blue eyes twinkling with warmth and affection, a smile lighting
up her face. The young ninja swallowed
with difficulty and forced a smile to her lips stiff with anxiety and
uncertainty.
Kaoru
reached up and brushed a stray strand of dark hair that had escaped from the
loose braid falling over her shoulder behind her ear and covered her mouth with
her hand, stifling a yawn before answering.
“It’s all right, Misao. I wasn’t
asleep anyway.” She sighed softly, a
faraway expression in her expression sapphire blue eyes. “I was thinking on something...” Her soft
voice trailed away into a wistful sigh.
It didn’t take a genius of Aoshi’s
level to figure out what was occupying Kaoru’s thoughts. Misao’s eyes narrowed slightly as she
studied her friend’s melancholy expression, fighter her own surge of jealousy. Closing her hands into fists, she mentally
shook herself hard. There’s no
reason to be jealous! Kaoru loves
Kenshin…everyone knows that…I…I’m just friends with him! Nodding silently to herself, she
breathed a silent sigh of relief that Kaoru couldn’t possibly know what was
going through her mind and thanking all the kami she could think of that it was
dark enough that her expressions were hidden.
But she’s still waiting for an answer, Misao! Quick!
Act innocent! “Oh what were
you thinking about, Kaoru-san?” As
if I don’t already know… She barely resisted the urge to roll her
eyes. Suddenly she tensed, realizing
that she didn’t want to hear Kaoru talk about how much she loved Kenshin and
how she wished that he’d notice her and return her feelings. She didn’t want to offer inane reassurances
to her friend and bolster her confidence and encourage her in pursuing the
rurouni. She didn’t want to pretend
tonight that she wasn’t jealous and that she didn’t care about him, too. Biting her lip, she winced inwardly at the
last thought. She did care about Himura
Kenshin…but in the same way that Kaoru did?
She didn’t know and she was afraid to pursue that thought when the other
young woman was so near.
Kaoru smiled
softly at her friend and slowly stretched an arm over her head, thinking that
it was nice to have a friend to confide in without having to worry about snide
remarks and teasing. Misao was nothing
like Megumi in that respect. “I was
thinking about Ken---”
Desperately
Misao knew that she had to leave before Kaoru could begin. Quickly standing, she offered an innocent
and apologetic smile to her friend and began backing towards the shouji. “I-I have t-to use the senmenjo…” She
whispered before bolting, not caring if Kaoru became even more suspicious. She knew her friend wouldn’t follow, but
she’d have to think of an explanation before she returned to the room because
Kaoru would then demand answers…in her kind and caring way, Kamiya Kaoru could
be as ruthless as an inquisitor conducting an interrogation. Sliding the shouji closed silently, she
paused to lean against the frame and let out a relieved sigh. That was too close… Slowly straightening she nodded silently
to herself. The last thing I need
right now with my emotions so jumbled and confused is to hear Kaoru talking
about her love for Ken—Misao growled low under her breath and pushed away
from her position against the frame of the shouji. I have to end this problem now! I can’t keep thinking about him like this. Sooner or later I’m going to mess up and say
something at the wrong time and then Kaoru’s going to be hurt. I can’t hurt her like that. Nodding to herself sharply, she turned
and stared into the shadows of the hallway.
There’s only one thing I can do… Slowly, silently, she crept down
the hall and halted before the closed shouji to the room she knew was his. Drawing in a shallow breath, she reached out
to slide the shouji open, steeling herself for the confrontation she was about
to instigate. This has to be done…
Misao nearly jumped out of her skin, a soft gasp of shock escaping when a voice sounded close behind her. “If you’re looking for Kenshin…try the well…” Spinning, reaching automatically for her kunai…remembering at the last minute that she wasn’t wearing her uniform and wasn’t given to carrying her kunai when she was dressed in a sleeping yukata…she blushed as she came face to face with Yahiko, who happened to be yawning widely at the moment. Swallowing hard past the lump in her throat, Misao began to step around him, whispering her thanks in a small voice, a wavering smile pasted on her face. As she hurried past him and out of sight, she allowed a soft sigh to escape and her thoughts to center on the rurouni, a small blush creeping up her throat and into her face, heating it. She pressed her hands against her cheeks, feeling the warmth and closed her eyes briefly to shake her head. I need to find him…see him… “Talk to him…” She muttered sternly under her breath. Misao softly padded down the hall in her bare feet, pausing to open the shouji leading outside and stepping through into the moonlit yard of the doujou. Turning to slide the shouji closed again she sighed before stepping lightly off the engawa. Silently she tiptoed around the corner of the house and walked towards the well, blinking in confusion, she caught her lower lip between her teeth and worried it as she turned her sea-green gaze on the well and saw that there was no one there. Where could he be? Yahiko said… Quickly looking around, Misao found that her only company in the doujou’s yard was shadows stretching along the hard packed ground towards her feet.
Suddenly,
the hair stood up on the back of her neck, giving her the eerie sensation that
she was no longer alone. The next
instant she felt warm breath next to her ear.
“I just discovered a most delicious bit of information about you,
Misao-dono…” Sea-green eyes wide, the black pupil nearly obliterating the
colour of the iris, the young woman went rigid. “When you are puzzled or uncertain, you bite your lower lip, that
you do.” She felt his lips moving
against the ultra sensitive skin of her neck, teeth lightly grazing and
followed by the erotically soothing rasp of his tongue.
She couldn’t
hold in a shiver as she finally found the strength to take a half step away and
spin to face him, a soft sound of surprise escaping her parted lips as she came
face to face with the red-haired rurouni.
Pressing a hand against her racing heart she stared at him with wide
eyes. “Eep!” It came out sounding rather choked as she found herself staring
into his oddly direct gaze. “You scared
the hell out of me, Kenshin!” Planting
her fists on her hips, Misao glared at the former hitokiri, allowing her
displeasure to show through her expression and body language. As she met the rurouni’s gaze, she blinked
and mentally shook her head as a new and entirely different look entered his
eyes, causing a shiver of apprehension…anticipation…to run up her
spine. After a moment spent trying to
identify the strange and new emotion reflected in his beautiful eyes, she
finally gasped, her own sea-green eyes going wide at her realization. He’s pleased about something…but what? An instant later she received her answer in
a most startling way when his lips curved upwards into a very un-rurouni-like
smile and his strong arms came around her, pulling her against his chest as
another soft gasp escaped her parted lips, his head dipping down, fiery hair
brushing against her cheek. Her eyes
slid closed, head falling back, as a soft moan worked its way up her throat
when she felt his warm lips moving against the slender column of her
throat. A delicate shiver of pleasure
coursed through her small frame when she felt his teeth nip at the tender
flesh, followed by moist warmth as his tongue swiped against the slight sting,
wetting the sensitive skin. Wrapping
her arms around his lean form and drawing him closer, she allowed her head to
fall back, offering him better access to the pale column of her throat,
silently begging him to continue in his erotic assault on her senses. Moving her hands over the sleek muscles
beneath the familiar and worn gi, Misao reveled in the sensations he was
evoking, awakening a sensuality she hadn’t been aware she possessed. Running her hands up over his shoulders,
fingers glorying in the strength so well hidden beneath his loose clothing, she
moaned again and thrust her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer,
encouraging him to continue. Breath
coming in soft pants, her lips curved upwards into a satisfied smile when she
thought she heard him purr against her throat, his lips moving and tracing a
path to gently nibble on her sensitive earlobe. Allowing her fingers to gently comb through his long red hair,
she allowed her head to loll to the side, allowing him better access as another
soft moan escaped her parted lips.
“Kenshin…” She felt his arms tighten around her, another soft purr
sounding near her ear as he gently nuzzled against her. Laughing breathlessly, she turned her head
and tentatively pressed her lips against his jaw in a shy showing of affection. “Is that what pleased you? Your name?”
She whispered softly, pouting a little as he began to move away, leaving
her feeling strangely bereft without the comforting strength of his arms
wrapped so tenderly around her. As he
slowly stepped back, his arms falling from around her, she fought the
unexpected urge to cry out at the sudden loss of his heated lips against her
skin and tried to pull him back to her in an attempt to feel the delicious
sensations again.
Lips curved
upwards into a sexy half smile, violet eyes darkened to deep amethyst and
ringed with striking amber, Kenshin touched sword-callused fingers to her cheek
in a gentle caress. “You have never
called me by my given name before now.”
He closed his eyes and stepped closer to lower his head, soft breath
tickling against her sensitive flesh.
“Nor have I ever heard such passion contained in one whisper…” Gently
nipping her earlobe again, low voice strangely mesmerizing, he brought his hand
up to cup her soft cheek tenderly in a brief caress before dropping it to her
waist. “Whispering my name…” His
hands tightened against her slim waist and he pulled her against his hard frame
again, lowering his head to nuzzle against her neck, lips moving against the
sensitive flesh, eliciting an immediate response from her.
When she
felt his hands moving lower to grip her slender hips through the thin cotton
yukata, Misao trembled in growing need.
Oh kami-sama! This feels so
right! I don’t ever want it to end…
Her hands came up to clutch at his strong shoulders as he pulled her hard
against him, his hands moving around to cup her rounded backside, half lifting
her against him as his lips moved against her and she felt the occasional sting
of his teeth nipping her sensitive flesh.
She threw her head back, a throaty groan escaping her parted lips as she
gave herself over to the wild abandon coursing through her veins. A moment later she blinked and swallowed
hard, remembering why she’d sought him out to begin with. Biting back another groan, this one of
protest, she gently pushed him away, feeling a moment of disappointment when
his arms fell away without protest and averted her gaze when she saw the regret
in his eyes. Drawing in several deep
breaths in an effort to calm her jangled nerve endings, she took another step
away from him and tugged hard on the long dark braid falling over her
shoulder. “I…” She paused to wet her
lips with her tongue, watching in fascination as his eyes followed the
movement, flaring amber briefly before settling back to dark amethyst. “Kenshin…I-I am so confused!” She finally cried, her hands wringing her
braid until she winced from the harsh tugging.
Her lips curved upwards into a shy smile when she saw his eyes lighten
to a more familiar…and less intimidating…soft violet filled with concern. She shook her head slightly, an odd feeling
fluttering in her stomach at the odd way his eyes changed colour so
frequently. Not now, Misao! Think about that later… She tugged on
her braid again to drive the silent admonition home more thoroughly.
Tilting his head to the side with a gentle smile, the rurouni regarded the young woman with concern reflected in his expression. “Misao? What is troubling you?” He reached out and gently removed her hand from her braid, wincing in sympathy for her poor scalp so mercilessly abused by her sharp tugging. He tried to pull her closer again, back into his arms, but she placed a hand against his chest, stopping his motion. “Misao?” He asked softly, his concern growing as she pushed him away. He allowed his hands to drop to his sides, watching her closely, afraid that she might bolt at any minute. After the incident over the laundry, he’d come to the realization that his feelings for the young ninja, though as of yet unnamed, couldn’t be denied. He felt the pull between them strongly, as if somehow their ki were connected and it drove him to explore the possibilities, though he feared where it may lead. He drew in a sharp breath and reached for her again, intending to only hold her close, preventing her from running away from him. We need to discuss this…before I leave… The thought of leaving this vibrant young woman caused his chest to tighten painfully.
Misao
blinked in surprise, a blush creeping into her face when he pulled her close again,
his strong arms holding her tightly against his lean form, his lips moving
against her hair. A soft sound of
pleasure escaped before she could stop it.
Placing her hands against his chest, she shoved hard and frowned when he
didn’t so much as budge. “Kenshin! Stop it!
The other’s might…” Her admonition was cut short when his head dipped
down and his lips moved closer to her ear, soft breath stirring the tendrils of
hair brushing against her neck.
Growling
near her ear, Kenshin tightened his arms, sensing her desire to push him away
again. Please, Misao…just this
once…let me hold you just this once… “Let them come!” He whispered fiercely, gently catching the
delicate lobe between his teeth and nipping lightly. “But for now we are alone…just you and I…” His lips moved down to
the erratic pulse beating frantically at her throat. “I want to taste you, Misao…” He flicked his tongue over the
pulse and smiled when it jumped, her breath quickening as her hands closed into
fists on the front of his gi. “All of
you…”
Misao
trembled and clutched the faded gi in her fists, her knuckles turning white as
she closed her eyes, breath coming in soft pants as she felt a curios tingling
sensation begin, sensitizing her already sensitive nerve endings. “I want…” She whispered, voice husky with
newly awakened yearning desire. “I
want…” She repeated, her head falling back as his lips moved again, trailing a
path of liquid fire up the slender column of her throat to place gentle
nibbling kisses at the corners of her mouth.
“I-I want…”
“What
is it you want?” He murmured against
her lips, feeling them tremble beneath his own, her soft gasps of pleasure
fanning the flames of his own need. He
drew her bottom lip between his teeth and nipped, releasing it to run his
tongue along it, soothing the small hurt.
“What is it you want, Misao?” Kami-sama! She’s all fire, my little kanja… At the
sound of his low voice he felt her small form tremble against his own, a
delicate shiver moving over her as he lightly brushed his lips against hers
again.
Slowly
Misao’s eyes opened and she found herself gazing up into his eyes, seeing more
amber than violet now. Trembling, she
swallowed with difficulty, feeling her heart beating frantically against her
ribs, making it difficult to breath, realizing somehow that what she was seeing
was a manifestation of a different aspect to the polite rurouni’s shy and
gentle personality…one most people associated with the terrifying hitokiri from
the revolution… “Battousai…” She whispered without thinking, sea green eyes
darkened with desire, needing…something.
Kenshin
paused in his sensual assault, placing on last kiss against the corner of her
mouth, and raised his head to look into he eyes directly, almost afraid that he
would see fear clouding her eyes. Like
every other time I’ve allowed my control to slip… He felt a twinge of
regret for that. People feared this
part of him, even his friends at the Kamiya Doujou. What he saw stole his breath away. Misao’s eyes reflected anything but fear. A small, half smile curved his lips upwards,
amber gaze warm with some unidentifiable emotion resting on her sweetly flushed
features. She isn’t afraid… The
thought, tinged with awe, whispered through his mind. Unable to find his voice he continued to gaze into her upturned
features. Slowly he nodded,
acknowledging that she was correct in her assumption.
Misao
felt herself go limp, eyes moving over the familiar handsome features of the
man she’d called friend and secretly longed to claim as more. This is the side of him that Kaoru
fears. How can she claim to love him
when she can’t accept all of him?
She tilted her head up, pressing her lips against his own. His response was immediate as he answered
with a heated and forceful kiss, deepening it as she gasped in surprise. Reacting instinctively, she pressed herself
against him, feeling a wanton abandon stealing over her, her emotions spiraling
out of control as she met his hunger with her own. She felt herself falling out of control and it frightened her…Terrifies
me!…and she quickly placed her hands on his shoulders, pushing against him,
desperately trying to bring sanity back into the situation. I’m not ready for this! And yet despite her efforts to push him
away, she felt almost as if she were encouraging him, urging him on when he
deepened the kiss further, the warmth of his hands moving over her form,
pulling her closer, burning her, branding her, through the think cotton of her
sleeping yukata. She felt as if she was
being carried away on a tidal wave of glorious sensation and though she didn’t
want it to end, she knew it must.
Suddenly he broke away, his head coming up, eyes narrowed as he stared
towards the house, his breath fanning against her cheeks as she tried
desperately to catch her own breath.
“Kenshin?” She whispered his
name breathlessly, eyes focused on his tight features as she licked her lips
nervously when he didn’t answer immediately.
She waited another moment before trying again to gain his
attention. “Kenshin…” Misao tugged on
the material she still clutched in her hands, finally rolling her eyes when he
continued to stare with narrowed eyes at the house. He doesn’t care about the others, huh? Pressing her lips together tightly, she
growled low in her throat in irritation when she whispered his name a third
time and still received no response.
“Matthew!” She hissed, reaching
up to tug sharply on his red hair to gain his attention. Golden eyes swung back to meet her narrowed
green gaze, his surprise evident.
~~*~~
Definitions:
Senmenjo: washroom; bathroom
Kanja: a spy
Yukata: lightweight summer kimono
Hitokiri: manslayer or assassin (literally people
cutter)
Battousai: nickname roughly meaning “sword-drawer”