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 (me)
were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for
publication or sale.
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by Chiruken
Chapter 14
Girigatai
Kenshin stood at the rail of
the ship staring back towards the docks, wondering if Kenji would ever forgive
him for leaving again and praying that his Kaoru would take care of
herself. He closed his eyes and leaned
forward, resting his head against the cool metal of the railing as he felt remorse
flood through him. “Kaoru…” He whispered
her name softly, feeling tears fill his eyes.
I’m sorry, koishii… Drawing in a shallow breath he straightened
again and turned away from the scene of the rapidly dwindling shore, wishing
fervently that his sense of duty hadn’t been so strong…that he’d been able to
say ‘no’ for once…that he’d refused Yamagata’s urgent request. Now my son will hate me even more… He
thought tiredly.
Hearing whispers off
to his right he turned slowly, expression carefully blank, and caught the
stares of the crewmembers. He sighed
softly and turned away again. What did
he care what they thought? He walked
slowly towards the stern, carefully avoiding the crew bustling about carrying
out their various duties, and nodded when the captain greeted him with a
friendly wave. A slight smile tugging
at the corners of his lips he watched the waves rolling against the hull,
catching the occasional glimpse of large fish swimming alongside the ship. Frowning slightly, his curiosity piqued, he
leaned a little further over the rail and watched as more appeared, each
throwing its body upward out of the water, seemingly racing against the
ship. “Iruka.” Turning quickly at the softly spoken words,
Kenshin found himself face to chest with the captain. Grinning at the smaller man’s wide-eyed look of surprise, the
captain faced forward again.
“Dolphins. Playful creatures,
they are. They follow after ships,
racing and frolicking in the waves.”
“Ahh…I see.” He turned back to watch the dolphins as they
dove in and out of the water, feeling a smile tugging up the corners of his
lips when a few broke away and danced across the waves. He tilted his head to the side and watched,
spellbound, as the creatures propelled themselves across the water, heads
bobbing, as they bounced on their tails.
Kaoru would love to see these delightful creatures… His smile
faded at the thought of his wife, left behind in Tokyo. I’m sorry, koishii…so very sorry…
His sad reverie was
cut short when the captain cleared his throat.
“Himura-san, was it?” Turning
again to the captain Kenshin smiled and nodded. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard much about you.”
Seeing the wariness enter the smaller man’s eyes as the smile slipped
from his face he blinked in surprise, wondering what could cause such a
reaction. “Himura-san? Is something wrong?”
Shaking his head
quickly Kenshin hastened to reassure the friendly captain. “Oh no.
Everything is fine, that it is.”
He forced a bright smile and gestured towards the wide expanse of water
stretching towards the horizon. “I’ve
never been this far out from land before, that I have not.”
“Ahh…” The captain
nodded sagely and grinned with a wink.
“You have nothing to fear, Himura-san.
The ship’s solid with an exceptional crew. I handpicked them myself.”
Kenshin blinked
uncertainly before nodding slowly. The
captain obviously thought he was nervous about being at sea. There was no point in trying to explain the
real reason behind his nervousness.
“Ahh…then everything will be fine, that it will.” He smiled again and gestured towards the
horizon where he could see the clouds beginning to gather in the far off
distance. “Will we be in that,
Captain?”
Following his gaze,
the Captain grinned and shook his head.
“No need to worry, Himura-san. We
should miss that mess by a broad margin.
Come, let me show you to your cabin.”
With a last
lingering look towards the ominous clouds in the distance, Kenshin turned and
followed the tall uniformed man, feeling his uneasiness grow. He hoped the captain was right. With a small wry smile Kenshin shook his
head ruefully at his paranoia. The
captain knows what he’s doing, that he does.
He also knows his ship and what it’s capable of enduring. There is no need to worry senselessly over
this, that there is not. Despite
his thoughts, Kenshin was worried.
Summer always brought terrible storms…always.
“Well, here we
are. I hope everything is to your
liking, Himura-san. If there’s anything
you need…anything at all…don’t hesitate to ask.” Executing a deep bow of respect, the captain turned on his heel
and disappeared back up the steep steps, leaving Kenshin alone with his
thoughts.
Stepping through the
narrow door, Kenshin looked around the small cabin with a slight grimace. The air was stale and the swaying lantern
did nothing to ease the rising feeling of claustrophobia threatening to engulf
him. With a soft sigh he pushed the
uncomfortable feelings aside and stepped further into the room, the door
swinging shut behind him with eerie finality.
Shivering as his thoughts took a turn towards the morbid, Kenshin
allowed his eyes to roam over the various objects strewn around the cabin. A tightly rolled futon rested against the
wall beside a battered chest of drawers.
His eyes fell on his small travel bag set just inside the door before
moving towards the lantern swinging back and forth above his head. It’s more like a closet, that it is. With another soft sigh he crossed to the
futon and studied it for a moment before deciding that he’d be better off
ignoring its existence. It certainly
didn’t smell very clean and as he peered closer he thought he detected movement
along the rolled edges. Shuddering in
revulsion he turned away and grabbed his bag, holding it protectively against
his chest, feeling his breath catching, pain forming and radiating
outwards. Pressing his palm against his
chest he slowed his breathing in a effort to stave off another painful
attack. Slowly it subsided and he
carefully swiped his forearm across his face, wiping away the dampness that had
formed with his silent battle. Turning
for the door again he shuddered and exited the tiny cabin with almost desperate
haste. “It’s better to sleep on the deck
with the elements that to stay in there with the vermin.” He muttered under his breath, the memory of
the squirming things on the futon coming back to haunt him. He’d always been a clean person and seeing
that obvious evidence of filth turned his stomach. He smiled at the captain brightly and pointed to a spot out of
the way of the bustling activity of the crewmen. “I prefer to sleep outdoors, that I do.” Without waiting for a reply he settled
himself against the side of the deck and pulled his legs up against his chest,
wrapping his arms around them while resting his forehead on his bent
knees. It’s going to be a long
voyage, that it is.
***
Definitions:
Mamorigami: Guardian (Deity)
Girigatai: possessed
of a strong sense of duty