It's modern day. The streets are rife with violence;
corporations are corrupt; assassinations, commonplace. Himura Kenshin, known only as Battousai, is
a shadow assassin for an organization so secret even he
doesn't know who truly runs it. BUT Battousai has an even
bigger secret; one that if it were ever discovered would mean more than his
death...it would end in the total annihilation of his soul. Battousai is not only the deadliest assassin
to ever prowl the dark streets of night...he is also a vampire, one of the
oldest still in existence…and a rarity among his kind.
He has a soul.
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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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Tears of Eternity
by: Chiruken
The mad scratch of pen on paper
whispered through the small apartment, accompanied by soft mutterings. The pen stopped moving. With a sigh, Kamiya Kaoru crumpled the sheet
of paper and tossed it over her shoulder to join the other paper balls
littering the hardwood floor around her.
She stared at the blank sheet for a moment with a frown, then lifted the
pen again, the tip hovering over the lined note pad, a frown of concentration
marring the smooth perfection of her pretty features.
Several minutes passed as she stared at
the blank paper with pen poised and ready.
The ticking of the clock echoed loudly in the silence. She lifted her sapphire gaze and watched the
tail-shaped pendulum of the black and white cat form swing back and forth as
she searched for inspiration in its half-lidded, rotating eyes. Back and forth, to and fro, the eyes shifted
and Kaoru’s followed. “God I hate that
clock.” She muttered under her breath,
tearing her gaze away and returning her attention to the paper spread before
her on the tiny wooden kitchen table.
She touched pen to paper, but instead of
inspired, heart-wrenching, mind-assaulting verse, she produced poorly drawn
sketches across the top of the page and down the sides. Finally, she let out a sound of pure
frustration and threw her pen across the room, eyes sparking blue fire. She glared at the doodled sheet of paper
before her and dropped her dark head onto the table with a moan, ponytail sliding
over her shoulder to pool on the smooth surface of the makeshift desk. She had a deadline to meet and wasn’t
anywhere close to accomplishing it.
What a lousy time to land in a creative slump, she thought in disgust.
“Problems?” Kaoru looked up slowly at the cheerful inquiry and glowered at
her roommate. “You know what your
problem is, Ru?”
Kaoru winced at the longstanding and
hated nickname. “Don’t call me that,
Misao.” The objection was voiced more
out of habit than any actual annoyance.
Makimachi Misao laughed and flopped into
the vacant chair across from her best friend.
“You have to relax, Kaoru.
You’re way too tense.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one with a deadline.” Kaoru sighed and stood slowly, reaching her
arms over her head in a prolonged stretch.
The other young woman leaned back in her
chair, tilting it up on two legs as she tugged her dark braid in careful
consideration, green eyes reflecting a rare moment of seriousness. “You do it to yourself, you know. You could say no to them.” She let her chair tip upright, the legs
landing with a sharp snap. “It isn’t as
if we’re hurting for money. The restaurant
is even more successful than I imagined it could be.”
“I know, but…” She averted her gaze and
stared across the sparsely furnished apartment, seemingly fascinated with the
dishes piled in the sink in the tiny kitchenette.
“Take a break, Kaoru. Go for a walk, check out the new nightclub
downtown…do SOMETHING. Just get out
once in a while. Sometimes I think you’ve
forgotten that you’re alive.”
Kaoru shifted uncomfortably under
Misao’s steady stare. She glanced at
her, then quickly averted her gaze again, blue eyes falling on the hated clock
hung on the wall behind her friend.
“Misao, where did you find that thing?”
She pointed to the black and white novelty clock.
“At that cute little shop a couple
blocks from the restaurant.” She
grinned up at her roommate. “Isn’t it
precious?”
“Precious.” Kaoru repeated flatly, expression carefully neutral. “Oh it’s something all right.”
“I knew you’d like it.” Misao jumped to her feet, her high energy
level asserting itself as she all but bounced across the apartment to the large
windows, missing her friend’s look of mild distaste. “We really should think about moving, you know. This crummy neighbourhood just keeps getting
worse. I mean, how long has it been
since the parking lot lights burned out?”
Kaoru shrugged and began cleaning up her
mess, gathering scattered paper balls and tossing them into the container
designated as Recyclable Materials…another of Misao’s bright ideas, right down
to the happy face painted on the side in bright yellow. “Since we moved in?” She answered distractedly as she searched
for her favorite pen, tossed across the room earlier in a fit of acute and
childish frustration.
“Exactly.” Misao pressed her face against the cool windowpane and peered out
into the night. “You’d think SOMEBODY
would notice and fix the problem. I
mean, really…I can’t be the only one who’s a little nervous with an unlit
parking lot.”
“What are you worried about
anyway?” Kaoru shot over her shoulder
as she reached behind the small stereo set up in a corner and felt amongst the
cables for her pen. “Nobody in their
right mind would even dream of attacking you.”
And it was true. Misao had
developed a reputation for dealing harshly with anyone unfortunate enough to
believe she was easy prey just because she was female…and rather short at that.
“Hey!
What’s that supposed to mean?”
She sent a withering glare across the room. “I thought you were supposed to be my friend.”
“I AM your friend, Misao. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
“Sure.
Whatever.” Misao turned back to
the window and pressed her lips to the glass, blowing hard. A loud, explosive rumbling sound emerged and
she pulled back, giggling, her irritation forgotten.
Kaoru shook her head with a sigh. “There are times I really wonder about you,
weasel girl.” She muttered under her
breath, grasping her pen triumphantly.
“Hmm? Did you say something?”
She frowned past her reflection into the darkness, movement having
caught her attention. A moment later a
sly smile curved her lips, wicked humor glinting in her eyes. “Oh lookie, Ru. It’s your sweetie from down the hall.”
Kaoru looked up startled. “My what?”
A flush of keen embarrassment worked its way up her neck into her face
as she hurried to Misao’s side.
Following her friend’s gaze she saw a familiar figure crossing the lot
with measured strides. “He’s hardly my
anything, Misao. I’ve never actually
met the man.”
“Then
why are you blushing?” Misao grinned at
her red-faced friend. “Come on,
Ru. If you hurry you can catch him in
the hall.”
Kaoru pressed her hands to her flaming
cheeks and shook her head with a nervous giggle. “I don’t think so.” She
turned away from the window and closed her eyes, thoughts of her neighbor
winding through her mind.
“Fraidy-cat, fraidy-cat…” Kaoru
studiously ignored her roommate’s childish taunts with practiced ease. “What’re you afraid of, Kaoru? I doubt he’s the kind of guy who’d bite on
first meeting.” A thoughtful look
crossed Misao’s expression. “Though to
tell you the truth, I don’t think I’d mind.”
Misao laughed, an appreciative gleam in her eyes. “Yummy…“
“Misao!” Kaoru gasped at her friend’s audacity. “What about your precious Aoshi?”
The young woman waved a hand in careless
dismissal. “Hey. I can look. There’s nothing wrong with that. Nothing could ever change my feelings for my
Aoshi.” Kaoru rolled her eyes. “Just you wait, Kaoru. Someday you’ll know what I’m talking about.”
“Yeah.
Sure. I don’t have time for
stuff like that.” Misao shook her head
and crossed to the small kitchenette.
Kaoru sighed and turned to look out the window again. Seemingly of their own volition her eyes
swung back to the shadowed form drawing closer to the apartment building. She’d never admit it to anyone, especially
not Misao, but she felt a fascination bordering on obsession for her secretive
neighbor. She’d tried everything in her
power to learn more about him, short of placing him under interrogation, and
all she’d come up with so far was his name.
“Himura.” She breathed the name
softly and gasped when he looked up, as if hearing her whisper, revealing a
striking amber gaze. Kaoru pressed her
hands against the window and felt time stop as they stared at each other,
transfixed. The moment shattered when
he tore his gaze away and hurried towards the entrance, out of sight.
Kaoru shivered and wrapped her arms
around herself, biting her lower lip in indecision. Suddenly she spun around and crossed the Spartan apartment
quickly. She reached for the doorknob
and froze at the unmistakable sound of a door slamming closed. She let her hand fall back to her side, the
door still shut. “Next time, if you
hurry, you might actually catch him.”
She whirled to see Misao sitting on the counter watching her with an
amused expression in her green eyes.
She held up a slice of toast.
“Snack?” When she shook her
head, the other young woman shrugged.
“Suit yourself.” She jumped to
the floor and reached into a cupboard, pulling out a glass measuring cup, red
letters faded. She turned with a wide
grin and held out the cup. “Here,
Ru. Go borrow some sugar.”
Kaoru threw her hands up in
frustration. “Misao, just give it a
rest, all right?”
“Not a chance.” Misao crossed to her friend and pressed the
cold glass into her hand. “Think of it
as Inspirational Research.”
“Inspirational…” Kaoru blinked, her lips
twitching up into a grin. “You’re
terrible.”
“I know. So get going already.”
She shook her head quickly. “No way, weasel girl, not looking like
this.” She pointed towards her
disheveled hair.
Misao glowered at her roommate. “Who’re you calling a weasel?” She followed Kaoru into her room. “You take it back, Kaoru.”
“Fine, fine. You’re not a weasel.”
Kaoru grabbed her brush off the small dresser and pulled the ribbon from
her hair, letting the long dark tresses fall free. “Down or up?”
“Definitely up.” She flopped down onto the unmade pine futon,
wincing at the feel of the somewhat lumpy mattress. “Have you ever considered getting a new bed, Ru?”
Kaoru frowned at her friend’s reflection
in the mirror. “Why? That one’s still in good shape. And Misao?”
She waited until Misao nodded, indicating that she was paying
attention. “Please don’t call me that,
all right? I really hate that nickname. It would be like me calling you Sao.”
Misao rolled her eyes. “We’ve been having the same discussion for
years, Kaoru. Give it a rest
already. You know and I know that you
don’t really mind. You just like
complaining.”
Kaoru smiled and shook her head
indulgently. “Maybe.” She answered noncommittally as she retied
her blue ribbon. “There. How’s that?” She turned and looked at her friend hopefully.
“You’ll do. Now get going…before he leaves again.” Misao jumped up and followed Kaoru from the bedroom. “Hey!
Don’t forget the measuring cup, Ru.
Remember, you’re supposed to be borrowing a cup of sugar.”
“Got it. No problem.” Kaoru wiped
her suddenly damp palms on her jeans and smiled nervously before taking the
proffered cup. “Wish me luck?’
“Always.” Misao all but pushed her roommate out the door.
Kaoru drew in a deep breath and slowly
tiptoed down the hall towards the apartment she knew belonged to the mysterious
man named Himura. She stopped before
the door and swallowed, wiping her hands again before knocking. She drew in a deep, calming breath and
waited, mentally rehearsing what she would say to him. She bit her lip anxiously as the seconds
ticked by and her mind remained blank.
“Oh God…” She whispered. “What
am I doing?” She took a half step back,
intending to flee back to the relative safety of her own apartment.
The door opened. “Yes?”
**To Be Continued…**
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