Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ In Due Time ❯ Voices from Nowhere ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I own nothing Ruroken (as usual). I hope you enjoy my dabbling in Watsuki-san's excellent universe, though...

 

In Due Time

Kenshin sighed contentedly, closing his eyes, and feeling the warm breeze finger through his flame-colored hair. He tilted his head back to allow the late summer sun to reach his face, illuminating it, erasing the darkness. He had no need for shadows anymore. And even if it was a bit too naïve even for him, it was nice to think that his demons could be banished so easily, just by bathing himself in the light.

Two years ago, he would never have dreamed that Kyoto could be a place of such peace for him. But for the first time in ages, he was starting to feel like he could be free, even here. Free from the labels he'd placed on himself, and the judgment of the outside world. He had Kaoru, now. And Sano, Yahiko, Megumi-dono... Misao and the Oniwaban... He was no longer alone. They had helped to heal him, but it wasn't only that. The fact that his past hadn't destroyed his ability to make friends was equally important. People would still come to him. He wasn't so lost that others sensed the blood on him and kept away.

The redhead opened his eyes and stared out over the impressive view from the top of the waterfall, smiling a little. Soon he would have to go back down to visit his shishou as he'd promised. But he'd wait a little while longer. No reason to destroy the peace of the day any sooner than he had to.

He watched the heat ripple off of the trees, giving everything an otherworldly feel. It hadn't been this hot in Kyoto in a very long time. Longer that even he could remember, honestly. Kenshin relaxed. It was so quiet. So peaceful. His eyes drifted shut just as he heard a shout.

“Get away from me!”

The rurouni's eyes snapped open, looking for the source of the voice.

“I'm warning you! Step away!”

It sounded like a young boy, and he wasn't far.

Kenshin was on his feet in moments, running to the trees in the direction of the voice. He broke through into a small clearing only to find it empty. All was still. Even the ground hadn't been disturbed. Kenshin dropped his hand from the hilt of his sakabatou. What was going on? This didn't make any sense at all. He was certain that this was where the voice had been coming from.

He circled the clearing. Nothing. Kenshin's brow furrowed as he leaned up against one of the trees, trying to think.

As his eyes scanned the small, wooded area, a mark on one of the trees caught his eye. Kenshin walked over and knelt beside it, running his hand along the trunk. Cuts from a sword. But they were old and had been here a long time. Probably years. He glanced around. A few other trees had similar cuts.

Suddenly, there was an angry shout followed by the sound of footsteps and the cracking of branches suddenly, breaking into his thoughts.

“Kuso!" the voice swore. "Get that little bastard! He's going to pay for that!” It was a man's voice this time.

Kenshin took off without a thought. He could wonder about the clearing later. It sounded like that boy was in trouble.

The forest was thick here, and Kenshin had a hard time breaking through the undergrowth. “What is going on here?” he thought. “This isn't right. A path should have been partially cleared by those people...”

He broke through the last branches only to find that his path ended abruptly at a cliff's edge. Kenshin skidded to a stop, catching himself on a post of wood before he could fall. The loose earth beneath his feet shifted and Kenshin backed up a step. There had been a bridge here once, although it was long gone now.

The redhead looked around, starting to feel chilled despite the hot summer air. Something was definitely not right. Voices from no one. Footsteps leading nowhere. Kenshin had never been one to be afraid of ghosts and spirits. He'd seen to many real horrors for that. But this was starting to be too much even for him. He looked back toward the forest behind him, as though he'd find an explanation there.

“Got you now, kid. How good are you at bridge fighting?”

Kenshin's lavender eyes widened as he turned back to the empty gap where the man's voice had come from. “It's not possible,” he whispered. But even as he was standing there, he could hear the clash of metal against metal. A boy crying out and a man laughing.

“Is anyone there?” Kenshin called.

The sounds stopped immediately, and all he could hear in the crashing silence was his own echo.

Kenshin shook his head and took a wary step backwards, still straining his eyes to pick up what his ears had sensed. He didn't noticed the ground at the edge of the cliff shift again until rocks and soil began sliding out from beneath his feet.

Kenshin tried to jump away, but it was too sudden, even with his speed, and he slipped, falling from the cliff edge to the rocks below.