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
Kaoru,
eyes wide, the blue nearly obscured by pupils dilated by fear, peered through
the growing shadowy gloom and wrapped her slender arms around herself in an
attempt to hide her body’s trembling.
The sun was setting, sinking beneath the distant horizon, a blood-red
ball of fire, illuminating the scene with spotty patches of rich orange light
as the clouds scuttled across the rapidly darkening sky. Suddenly the dark clouds gathered in one
place and released their load, drenching the unsuspecting earth in torrents of
wind driven rain. All was silent save
for the steady rhythm of falling rain.
Kaoru pulled back into the relative shelter of a nearby doorway and
shivered in the chill, eyes darting around the darkened street frantically,
searching for the cause of her uneasiness.
“It’s the perfect night for an
assassination.” She whispered, then
blinked, startled by the odd words. She
stared up at the night sky, the moon concealed behind the clouds, enabling
anyone in the streets to blend with the shadows. “The sound of the rain will mask my steps…” With a gasp, Kaoru
bolted from her hiding place and ran into the night. “What’s wrong with me?”
She whispered desperately as she stumbled through the rain, tripping on
a loose stone and nearly falling. After
catching her balance again she continued her headlong flight up the deserted
street. Ahead, she saw a shapeless form
looming out of the shadows and, frightened, she ducked down an alley, finally
coming to a skidding halt, bent double with her hands braced against her knees
as she drew in deep gasping breaths of the heavy, rain-drenched night air.
Sensing that she wasn’t alone, she
straightened and searched the gloom surrounding her in the alley, ignoring the
assailing odors emanating from the heaps of unrecognizable piles pushed up
against the walls. Suppressing a
shudder of revulsion, she strove to ignore the movements clearly defined by the
illuminating flashes of lightning and the glow of beady eyes close to the
ground. She hated rats. The next flash of lightning had her
staggering back, the back of her hand pressed against her mouth as she bit her
knuckles in an effort to keep her scream silent. Before her, looming up out of the stygian darkness was an
apparition so terrifying as to appear almost demonic.
The next bolt of lightning forking
across the sky glinted off of something metallic, revealing the blade of a
sword. Kaoru’s eyes widened in shock as
the next explosive burst of light revealed a second sword, slightly shorter
than the first. The man was dressed in
dark clothing, including a long knee-length cloak that hid details of his form
from view, though he seemed vaguely familiar to her. Standing before the cloaked figure was a large man holding a
revolver in a hand shaking with fear and cold.
Kaoru shook her head sharply.
“This is ridiculous.” She
muttered under her breath as she took a slow step closer to the two drenched
forms before her. Nobody faced a gun
with only a sword. It just didn’t
happen in the modern world. The next
instant Kaoru staggered back a horrified cry torn from her as the darkly clad
man with the swords moved with inhuman speed, the steel of his blade arcing
through the air, lightning reflected in its cold mirror-like surface before
plunging into the other man’s chest to emerge from his back.
Stumbling, Kaoru fell and in her terror
she began to pull herself back frantically, eyes never leaving the form of the
killer, her breath coming in ragged pants as the rain plastered her dark hair
to her neck and cheeks, the blue ribbon from her high pony-tail coming loose to
fall to the muddy ground. With growing
panic she used both her hands and heels to propel herself back, away from the
spreading rivers of blood seeking her out.
She couldn’t allow it to touch her…she just couldn’t!…but no matter how
fast she tried to move, it continued to inch towards her, rapidly closing the
distance, stretching out red fingers towards her feet. Sobbing with fear and desperation, Kaoru
pulled her feet away from the seeking redness and screamed when her back hit a
wall, signaling the end of the alley.
“No!” She cried breathlessly. It was a dead-end!
Slowly the man with the bloodstained
sword turned to face her, features hidden by the fall of his hair and the
driving rain in the darkness of the storm ridden night. Kaoru pressed herself against the wall and
prayed for a miracle that would cause him to forget about her and make him
leave. A soft whimper escaped her trembling
lips when he took a slow step towards her as he lifted his sword, blood
dripping from the exposed blade.
Seemingly of their own volition her eyes moved from the bloodied sword
to his face. Kaoru recoiled in fear and
revulsion as her gaze felling on the blood splattered across his face,
apparently forgotten. His face was a
cold mask, utterly devoid of mercy or any other gentle emotion, seeming as if a
smile never lifted the corners of his lips.
The features were both young and old at once. The smooth, wrinkle-free appearance of youth a startling contrast
to the weariness only the aged can know.
It was the face of one who had known too few joys and too many griefs.
He wiped the blade clean with a cloth he pulled from inside his
cloak and slid it into the sheath at his side, carefully pulling the edges of
his cloak closed, concealing the deadly weapons he wore with casual ease. Kaoru blinked rain out of her eyes and
continued to examine the man slowly approaching her, his steps sounding loud
over the driving rain in the close confines of the narrow alley. She cringed back when he stopped before her,
close enough she could reach out and grasp the edges of his dark cloak. She gasped when he suddenly crouched down
and grasped her chin with strong, blood-coated fingers. Kaoru felt her stomach rebel at the sight,
and then squeezed her eyes shut tight as she felt a morbid urge to taste the
blood. “What are you doing here?” She jumped at the harsh tones sounding loud
in the empty passage, echoing off the walls surrounding them like a
canyon. She tried to shake her head,
opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out and his grip allowed no
movement. He shook her slightly. “Answer me.” The command was unmistakable.
Hesitantly Kaoru opened her eyes and found herself trembling
anew. His eyes…they were both cold and
merciless, yet heated with a fierce possessiveness as he stared at her. Who was this man? The question sounded loud and desperate in her mind. “I-I..”
The words wouldn’t emerge and she found herself stammering, her gaze
locked with the smoldering amber depths so close that she almost felt the heat
of his stare. All seeing, all
knowing, judging the victims moves before even he is aware of what he’ll do,
seeing into the depths of his heart and mind…She swallowed, then licked her
lips nervously as his head bent closer to hers. “Wh-who are you?” She
whispered, leaning closer, afraid he would answer; afraid he wouldn’t; but even
worse was wanting to close the distance entirely. She found herself mesmerized by the frightening intensity of the
golden gaze.
“You should not be here.”
With those harsh words, Kaoru found herself flung back almost violently,
her head hitting the hard concrete of the wall behind her. “Leave!”
She jerked forward, a hoarse cry being torn from her as she awakened
abruptly from the nightmare. Lifting a
shaking hand, she brushed her damp hair out of her eyes and let out a ragged
sigh. “A nightmare. It was just a nightmare…again.” Leaning over she switched on the bedside
lamp, taking momentary comfort in the soft, muted glow of the underwater
patterns reflected on the ceiling of her bedroom before the terror of the
nightmare reasserted itself once again.
Shivering, she pushed her blankets off and swung her legs off the low,
pine futon, bending forward, letting her head rest between her knees, eyes shut
tight as she drew in deep breaths in an effort to calm herself and settle her
roiling stomach. For a moment she
thought it wasn’t going to work as she felt her stomach heave, then it settled
again and she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead slowly.
The frequency of the nightmares was increasing dramatically. Every time it was the same…someone always
died and it was always the same man who killed them…a man who was frighteningly
familiar, yet she couldn’t name him, neither in the dream, nor in
wakefulness. She just knew that they
were somehow connected. Slowly she
stood and reached for her comfortable robe, tying the frayed belt tightly
around her waist before quietly opening the door and peeking out. When she didn’t see Misao, she tiptoed into
the kitchenette. Reaching up, she
opened a cupboard door and pulled out a chipped glass and leaned on the counter
as she turned on the cold water tap, watching the clear liquid flow down the
drain of the dull stainless steel kitchen sink, idly dipping her fingers into
the steady stream, testing the temperature.
After drinking her fill, she rinsed the glass and returned it to the
cupboard before crossing to the large window overlooking the unlit parking lot.
She felt odd, almost detached from herself, as she stared out into
the night. Everything seemed so clear,
the darkness of the moonless night lighter than it should be. Her eyes moved over the wet, puddle ground and
she shivered. How was it that she could
see with such stunning clarity in the middle of the night? Leaning her forehead against the cool glass,
she closed her eyes, and feeling the sting of unshed tears she wrapped her arms
about herself and silently wept. Please…She
thought brokenly. What’s wrong with
me? She gazed up at the sky, eyes
moving over the feeble pinpricks of light as the stars tried to shine through
the dispersing clouds. I don’t want
to be alone… She drew in a
shuddering breath and reached up to swipe at the tears on her pale cheeks, then
froze, her eyes going round in shock.
Clearly, distinctly, in her mind, she heard a soft voice, the
masculine tones gentle, so tender and warm, she felt immediately
comforted. You are not alone…Never
alone…
**To Be Continued…**
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