Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Memories in Kyoto ❯ A Letter ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: It'll be the end of the world before I own Rurouni Kenshin.

A Letter

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A cool breeze blew through the green leaves of the cherry blossom trees. Pink flowers bloomed everywhere, crowding the branches as the petals swayed slowly in the soft wind. They stood gracefully along the dirt roads leading to a distant town. This small town of Tokyo was filled with people dressed in ornate kimonos with bright and colorful patterns, each unique and beautiful. Loud chatters could be heard in every corner, in every street. Small children chased each other in a game of tag, giggling with carefree glee. Shops sold silky ribbons of many colors, fit to catch the eye of any young lady that happened to pass by.

This was so with a young girl. She wore a yellow kimono, dotted with pink petals and a colorful obi wrapped around her waist. Raven hair was tied up in a high ponytail, secured by a pink ribbon. Bangs fell over her sapphire eyes, which shone brightly at the sight of a violet ribbon that lay on the table. A smile curled on her lips as she fingered with the ribbon.

She liked the color. A lot. Lately, she had been attracted to lavender. It reminded her mostly of Kenshin. Who else? She smiled warmly. Suddenly, she stopped, wrinkling her forehead in thought. Speaking of Kenshin… She looked up and turned alarmingly. Where was Kenshin? After all, it was the Cherry Blossom Festival. Where could he be?

She gasped, putting her hand to her lips. Could he have…?

"Hey! Stop spacing out, ugly!" an arrogant voice called out, interrupting her thoughts. She clenched her teeth in irritation and turned toward the sound, her blue eyes narrowed and focused. Tears brimmed her eyes, threatening to fall. A young boy stood there with a shinai strapped to his back, auburn eyes burning with fierce annoyance. Spikes of black hair shot out in all directions, reminding the girl of an overgrown hedgehog. He blinked rapidly, his eyes quickly softening. Something was wrong.

"Kaoru…" he said comfortingly. "What's wrong?" He stepped forward, extending out his hand in worry.

"Yahiko," she began slowly, breathing deeply," where's Kenshin?" She looked at Yahiko, biting her lip for the answer.

He crossed his arms, shaking his head. He gave Kaoru a devious smile and answered," Oh, Kenshin left because he couldn't bear looking at your ugly face anymore."

Yahiko snickered only to receive a punch to the back of his head. A tall man stood next to him, his fist raised slightly from the impact. His brown eyes were skeptical and his jaw was set tight.

"Oi, Yahiko, don't be stupid," he scolded firmly. He turned to Kaoru and giving her a reassuring grin. "Jou-chan, don't worry. Yahiko was just being a baka-yaro," he paused, giving Yahiko a hard rub of his knuckles," Kenshin just went to the Akabeko. He'll be back."

"Thank Kami…" Kaoru whispered, silver tears streaming down her cheeks anyway. "Are you sure, Sano?" When he nodded, she sighed in relief. Kenshin wasn't gone. She smiled then suddenly, frowned. Her eyes narrowed as they locked on Yahiko. Her mouth twitched irritably as she walked threateningly to the young boy, stealing his shinai and giving him a good smack. Yahiko clutched his head painfully, whining as he did so.

"What was that for, Tanuki?!" he insulted.

"Why you little brat…" she muttered just loud enough for Yahiko to hear.

Soon, they were fighting their everyday fights, Kaoru winning as usual. Sano sighed, shaking his head at the sight. He stared on ahead, walking a bit when he saw a familiar red-head weaving through the crowd. He smirked at the sight of the rurouni awkwardly moving his way through the many men and women that ran about. He raised his hand to wave.

"Hey, Kenshin!" he shouted. Kaoru stopped to acknowledge Kenshin's presence. Yahiko didn't seem to notice. He was more focused on hitting Kaoru and winning the fight. Sano turned to Yahiko and walked over.

"Yo, shrimp," he said, causing Yahiko to stop," Kenshin's here."

"Rooster head!" Yahiko retorted and attempted to hit Sano with his shinai. Kenshin interrupted, keeping the determined boy from hurting himself.

"Whoa, Yahiko," he said. Sano smiled wickedly at the sight. Kaoru ran to Kenshin immediately, extremely happy that he was back.

"Hey, Kenshin!" she greeted, happier now than before. Kenshin looked up to meet her eyes, his violet eyes shining happily.

"Hello, Kaoru-dono," he replied. Kaoru soon remembered something.

"Oi, Kenshin, what were you doing at the Akabeko?" she asked, curious. Kenshin's face lit up and smiled.

"Miss Tae received a letter from her sister in Kyoto," he answered. "Apparently, Miss Misao and everyone else wants us to come visit them."

Yahiko smiled at the thought. "Yeah! Let's go!"

Kaoru nodded in agreement. Sano just smiled. They began to walk back to the Kamiya dojo, dodging in between people that were walking by.

"When do we leave?!" Kaoru asked excitedly. Kenshin smiled, his violet eyes glowing.

"Tomorrow morning," he replied. "We'll catch the train at Tokyo Station."

Sano cringed at the thought. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, clenching and unclenching his fists. Kaoru noticed," Sano, the train is not haunted! That's what you thought that last time we took the train to Yokohama."

Sano shook his head. "There is no way that huge machine can run on a little steam!"

Yahiko rolled his eyes as Kaoru began to explain the concepts of steam to Sano once again. Kenshin just smiled at the debate. It was going to be a long trip.