Categories > Anime/Manga > Rurouni Kenshin > Tranquil
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the material or characters mentioned in Rurouni Kenshin.
Tranquility
Prologue
Crimson
Snow softly fell from the darkness of the night onto the small shed in which a single swordsman rested. With the occasional cold breeze entering, he slept with his back against the wall of the wooden shed, his sword held close in his arms just in case.
If not for the blood stains on his clothes and the tight grasp he had on the hilt of his weapon, one would believe that he was peacefully at rest but that couldn't be further from the truth. Because of the slaughter and carnage he had seen and frequently was a part of, his senses were sharpen to the point that it was hard to know if he was actually sleeping or lying in wait for his next victim.
The swordsman's fiery red hair swayed as he sneezed and slightly opened his eyes only to close them again drifting back into the nightmares that were sure to come. No one knew how he felt. No one knew how much he endured or how he wielded his blade not only to survive in this era but to create a new one.
I, the one who shared that pain, understood how he felt perfectly as I watched him sleep.
Long ago, I never would have imagined that it would have been like this. Memories of us living together still came to mind every now and then but they were useless to me now... and him as well since we were now in the present.
Despite that, I followed him vowing that even my death wouldn't separate us and I was repaid with my heartache and his pain. I couldn't do anything for him now. The only thing I could do was acknowledge the hurt that made him this way.
And at the very bottom of my heart, I knew this was my fault.
Every tear had my name written on it and every mistake was made with me in mind. It saddened me knowing that I, his wife of all people, put him in this state.
As he sneezed again, I motioned to warm him and reality cruelly reminded me that was not to be as my arm passed through him. I softly sighed as I withdrew my hand knowing that my presence wasn't helping him. I was here on my own accord.
My train of thought derailed as I heard several men approaching. With their heavy footsteps, they were easily noticed and didn't seem to have any secrecy about the matter in the first place.
I heard a shuffle and turned just in time to see a red blur exiting the shed.
I followed Kenshin outside into the night and was grateful for the moonlight that illuminated the snow covered plain. The group of men stood with their swords at the ready, alerted by the sound of the door sliding open.
"It's the Battousai!" One of them yelled, pointing at him for further clarification.
Kenshin's scarlet hair and blood stained clothes were a blatant contrast to soft whites and grays of the scenery outside but he paid the setting of the oncoming battle no mind as he crotched and waited for the attack that was destined to come.
"Escort him to the meeting place!" The largest man called out as he stared at Kenshin. I took a closer look at the man as the other three retreated leaving him alone.
His clothing was light despite the season and I assumed that it was for mobility but the sword he held didn't look at all useable. The blade was thick and blunt... almost like it was made to smash instead of cut.
"So you are the famous manslayer?" He asked in a gruff voice, "That's good because that's a title I was looking for myself!"
With that said, the man rushed forward as his heavy steps left deep imprints in the snow. Before I realized it, he was in front of Kenshin with a smug look on his face as he brought the slab of metal down with ungodly speed despite the size of the weapon.
Thankfully, Kenshin easily avoided it by side-stepping and, with a flick of his wrist, blood was spilled.
The man raised the bloodied stumps that were once his forearms to his face and looked down to see his hands resting on top of the snow, still firmly holding his sword. A nasty cry escaped his lips as he turned to run away, but, like a like a hunter running down its prey, Kenshin appeared in front of the bodyguard before he could even take a step.
Without mercy, his blade sliced him again except this time the blow was fatal. The man stared at Kenshin until he fell to his knees and, finally, head first into the snow as his blood pooled under him.
Making up lost time, he quickly ran in the direction the rest of the group. I followed him, but, even though I was going as fast as I could, I left behind in his haste.
Not long afterwards, the now familiar sound of metal clashing reached my ears and I looked down the path to see Kenshin engaged with one of the men while one lay dead behind him, another cowering behind one of the trees.
"I... I won't fail!" The man announced as he their swords clashed again and again until he felt a slight pain in his abdomen.
I watched as Kenshin walked passed the man who tried to turn but fell into the snow in two pieces.
The hiding man screamed as the silent assassin slowly walked towards him with blood dripping off his sword. Like the first of his bodyguards, the man attempted to flee as the terror of the situation ultimately got to him.
Kenshin's sword diagonally slashed the man across the back causing blood to spray in the air and he fell to the ground in searing pain. His screaming was cut short as the tip of the assassin's blade pressed into the base of his neck and ended up in the snow.
With his mission over, the assassin breathed out a sigh as he walked away. He brushed his fingers across the scar that I left on his face, "I... I killed again Tomoe." Kenshin whispered with the thoughts of the massacre he left behind still fresh in his mind.
I stopped at the mention of my name.
Like the men he just cut down... I was wounded, but not physically. The voice that warmly accepted and greeted me now sounded so unfamiliar but it wasn't so much the tone of his voice that bothered me. The content of his statement and the way his voice cracked as my name rolled off his lips literally made me feel like my heart was breaking.
I stared at his back as he walked away and I pondered how many burdens he carried. I raised my hand and reached out to him, "Will you... ever be at ease?" I muttered already knowing that my words went unheard.
I prattled on about how I understood him but, at the end of the day, it did neither of us any good.
Reality was indeed unkind to us.
I was beside him every part of the night and every single second of the day yet he strived on oblivious to my presence. Aside from that, he carried the burden of living along with the gruesome tasks he was issued every week.
This feeling of hopelessness... I felt it before.
Yes, I felt this way when I watched him before leaving out of the small house we lived in. I watched him sleep knowing that what I was about to do wouldn't go as planned but I went anyway and to this day, I don't know if it was a mistake but the outcome pleased me.
At the cost of my life, the man I loved could continue to live and...
The assassin softly touched the keepsake of the single most important person in his life. Tears threaten to come forward but Kenshin pressed on as he removed his hand from the scarf, not wanting to dirty it with hands any further, "Tomoe..."
Seeing him so forlorn made my chest tighten, but I regained my composure as we went back towards the small shed.
Even in death, I would follow him.
Fin
Author's notes:
I always wanted to write a Kenshin / Tomoe story and I figured I might as well do it now. It's interesting that I wrote it this way though so it's technically not a story with that paring in it but a story that follows Kenshin through the eyes of Tomoe. Who knows, I might even change some of the events that happen. o.o Either way, this is my first time writing a story for this section and this is definitely my first and probably last time writing first person of a woman no less.
I'll post the next chapter in a while friends but I would honestly be thankful if anyone could tell me about some of their favorite Kenshin/Tomoe stories because I've only read one. (It was enough to motivate me to do this though.)
On a final note, many thanks for reading and many many thanks for reviewing.
Tranquility
Prologue
Crimson
Snow softly fell from the darkness of the night onto the small shed in which a single swordsman rested. With the occasional cold breeze entering, he slept with his back against the wall of the wooden shed, his sword held close in his arms just in case.
If not for the blood stains on his clothes and the tight grasp he had on the hilt of his weapon, one would believe that he was peacefully at rest but that couldn't be further from the truth. Because of the slaughter and carnage he had seen and frequently was a part of, his senses were sharpen to the point that it was hard to know if he was actually sleeping or lying in wait for his next victim.
The swordsman's fiery red hair swayed as he sneezed and slightly opened his eyes only to close them again drifting back into the nightmares that were sure to come. No one knew how he felt. No one knew how much he endured or how he wielded his blade not only to survive in this era but to create a new one.
I, the one who shared that pain, understood how he felt perfectly as I watched him sleep.
Long ago, I never would have imagined that it would have been like this. Memories of us living together still came to mind every now and then but they were useless to me now... and him as well since we were now in the present.
Despite that, I followed him vowing that even my death wouldn't separate us and I was repaid with my heartache and his pain. I couldn't do anything for him now. The only thing I could do was acknowledge the hurt that made him this way.
And at the very bottom of my heart, I knew this was my fault.
Every tear had my name written on it and every mistake was made with me in mind. It saddened me knowing that I, his wife of all people, put him in this state.
As he sneezed again, I motioned to warm him and reality cruelly reminded me that was not to be as my arm passed through him. I softly sighed as I withdrew my hand knowing that my presence wasn't helping him. I was here on my own accord.
My train of thought derailed as I heard several men approaching. With their heavy footsteps, they were easily noticed and didn't seem to have any secrecy about the matter in the first place.
I heard a shuffle and turned just in time to see a red blur exiting the shed.
I followed Kenshin outside into the night and was grateful for the moonlight that illuminated the snow covered plain. The group of men stood with their swords at the ready, alerted by the sound of the door sliding open.
"It's the Battousai!" One of them yelled, pointing at him for further clarification.
Kenshin's scarlet hair and blood stained clothes were a blatant contrast to soft whites and grays of the scenery outside but he paid the setting of the oncoming battle no mind as he crotched and waited for the attack that was destined to come.
"Escort him to the meeting place!" The largest man called out as he stared at Kenshin. I took a closer look at the man as the other three retreated leaving him alone.
His clothing was light despite the season and I assumed that it was for mobility but the sword he held didn't look at all useable. The blade was thick and blunt... almost like it was made to smash instead of cut.
"So you are the famous manslayer?" He asked in a gruff voice, "That's good because that's a title I was looking for myself!"
With that said, the man rushed forward as his heavy steps left deep imprints in the snow. Before I realized it, he was in front of Kenshin with a smug look on his face as he brought the slab of metal down with ungodly speed despite the size of the weapon.
Thankfully, Kenshin easily avoided it by side-stepping and, with a flick of his wrist, blood was spilled.
The man raised the bloodied stumps that were once his forearms to his face and looked down to see his hands resting on top of the snow, still firmly holding his sword. A nasty cry escaped his lips as he turned to run away, but, like a like a hunter running down its prey, Kenshin appeared in front of the bodyguard before he could even take a step.
Without mercy, his blade sliced him again except this time the blow was fatal. The man stared at Kenshin until he fell to his knees and, finally, head first into the snow as his blood pooled under him.
Making up lost time, he quickly ran in the direction the rest of the group. I followed him, but, even though I was going as fast as I could, I left behind in his haste.
Not long afterwards, the now familiar sound of metal clashing reached my ears and I looked down the path to see Kenshin engaged with one of the men while one lay dead behind him, another cowering behind one of the trees.
"I... I won't fail!" The man announced as he their swords clashed again and again until he felt a slight pain in his abdomen.
I watched as Kenshin walked passed the man who tried to turn but fell into the snow in two pieces.
The hiding man screamed as the silent assassin slowly walked towards him with blood dripping off his sword. Like the first of his bodyguards, the man attempted to flee as the terror of the situation ultimately got to him.
Kenshin's sword diagonally slashed the man across the back causing blood to spray in the air and he fell to the ground in searing pain. His screaming was cut short as the tip of the assassin's blade pressed into the base of his neck and ended up in the snow.
With his mission over, the assassin breathed out a sigh as he walked away. He brushed his fingers across the scar that I left on his face, "I... I killed again Tomoe." Kenshin whispered with the thoughts of the massacre he left behind still fresh in his mind.
I stopped at the mention of my name.
Like the men he just cut down... I was wounded, but not physically. The voice that warmly accepted and greeted me now sounded so unfamiliar but it wasn't so much the tone of his voice that bothered me. The content of his statement and the way his voice cracked as my name rolled off his lips literally made me feel like my heart was breaking.
I stared at his back as he walked away and I pondered how many burdens he carried. I raised my hand and reached out to him, "Will you... ever be at ease?" I muttered already knowing that my words went unheard.
I prattled on about how I understood him but, at the end of the day, it did neither of us any good.
Reality was indeed unkind to us.
I was beside him every part of the night and every single second of the day yet he strived on oblivious to my presence. Aside from that, he carried the burden of living along with the gruesome tasks he was issued every week.
This feeling of hopelessness... I felt it before.
Yes, I felt this way when I watched him before leaving out of the small house we lived in. I watched him sleep knowing that what I was about to do wouldn't go as planned but I went anyway and to this day, I don't know if it was a mistake but the outcome pleased me.
At the cost of my life, the man I loved could continue to live and...
The assassin softly touched the keepsake of the single most important person in his life. Tears threaten to come forward but Kenshin pressed on as he removed his hand from the scarf, not wanting to dirty it with hands any further, "Tomoe..."
Seeing him so forlorn made my chest tighten, but I regained my composure as we went back towards the small shed.
Even in death, I would follow him.
Fin
Author's notes:
I always wanted to write a Kenshin / Tomoe story and I figured I might as well do it now. It's interesting that I wrote it this way though so it's technically not a story with that paring in it but a story that follows Kenshin through the eyes of Tomoe. Who knows, I might even change some of the events that happen. o.o Either way, this is my first time writing a story for this section and this is definitely my first and probably last time writing first person of a woman no less.
I'll post the next chapter in a while friends but I would honestly be thankful if anyone could tell me about some of their favorite Kenshin/Tomoe stories because I've only read one. (It was enough to motivate me to do this though.)
On a final note, many thanks for reading and many many thanks for reviewing.
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