Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Surrounded By Shadows ❯ Crimson Corruption ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Welcome to the revamped (no pun intended) version of Surrounded by Shadows. Hopefully it'll have some better grammar and flow easier, so thanks for your patience. Luff ya all, later!

Summary: In the year 3501 F.A, a normal 10-year old girl makes the mistake of walking out after dark…10 years later, the past comes back to haunt her...

10-year-old Kaoru Kamiya turned the corner and began to walk down the street, her sapphire eyes wide with fear as her hands tightened around the hilt of the battered sword at her waist. Flinching at the slightest sound, the little girl began to run, her worn runners smacking against the pavement as tears pooled in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she paused and hesitantly voiced out a small call,

"M-Misao? A-are you there? This isn't funny anymore!" The last words were spoken clearly, the anger behind them evident. As fear of the dark melted away, a burning hot anger took its place. "Misao! Stop it! Aoshi's gonna kill me if mama doesn't first!" A whisper of cloth sounded from behind her and Kaoru spun around, unconsciously moving into a fighting stance, her hands leaving her sword. "Stop it” her words were harsh, “I know you're out there and this is getting to feel like a game of cat and mouse!"

A large shadow darted out of the alley and lunged at the small girl. Eyes narrowing, Kaoru ducked and punched upwards, landing a solid hit in her attackers' stomach. Not pausing for a second she crouched down and did a quick roundhouse kick, tripping the hulking man. As he fell forward Kaoru brought her knee up and smashed her elbow on his back, while his ribs were pressed forcefully against her knee. Delivering one last blow to a very specific part of the male body, Kaoru began running again, heading into the darker areas of the streets, looking for her wayward friend.

She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and out of habit, sniffed to clear her stuffed up nose. Her eyes shot open and she hurried took another whiff of the air. Even Kaoru could smell the telltale traces of blood and urine; the stupid man had probably wet himself after getting beaten to a pulp by a 10-year old girl. Pathetic. As the stench of blood grew thicker, Kaoru began biting her lower lip in worry, her fears racing through her mind. If she could smell the blood clearly, they would be able to scent it as well…and then, they would come. Bracing herself, she straightened up and ran back the way she came, heading towards the comforting glow of the lights in front of her house. Hurtling over the groaning figure, she widened her strides as she heard the ominous footsteps echoing behind her.

Taking deep breaths, Kaoru abandoned all attempts to be quiet knowing that the thing behind her had already discovered her presence. Fumbling with the sword at her waist, she bent her head down trying to gain as much speed as she could. A flash of red was all the warning she had before she ran smack dab into someone's chest. Eyes wide she stumbled back and drew the sword, switching into her stance. Amber glowed in the darkness ahead of her and she bit her lip again, drawing a small amount of blood. Quickly the girl ran her tongue over her dry lips, briskly wiping away the single drop of blood.

Its control snapped.

Kaoru lunged forward feeling the shock of her sword colliding with another's. Not pausing a second, Kaoru darted away, keeping to the bright patches of moonlight cast by the eerie full moon. The creature that was chasing her was a creature of the night, trying to hide in the shadows would do nothing more than put her at a disadvantage. The bright lights of home were only meters ahead, and her gaze immediately focused on the small blue square next to the door. Reaching out a hand Kaoru's outstretched fingers grazed the fingerprint scanner, and a small burst of hope bloomed in her chest a small smile gracing her lips. A clawed hand lashed out, and grabbed the back of her shirt, throwing her to the ground and ripping apart her momentary hope of escape. As the hand snapped sharply on the back of her skull, she blinked furiously trying to maintain consciousness. As her azure eyes closed, a sharp pain in the side of her neck was her last conscious feeling before she succumbed to the darkness that she had so vainly tried to evade

~ 10 years later ~

"KAORU! HURRY UP!" The ever-energetic Misao began pounding on her roommate's door, "WORK! WE HAVE WORK!" Giving an aggravated sigh, the perky- princess of sugar (a.k.a. Misao), opened the door to Kaoru's half of the apartment. Rolling her blue eyes impatiently, the short girl walked into the bedroom, her heels muffled against the navy carpet on the floor. Finding the huge queen-sized bed empty, the girl frowned but grinned when she heard water running. Breezing into the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom, Misao's grin grew even wider. Smiling with that evil smirk that meant some torturous thought, Misao walked over to the toilet and 'slipped' her fingers pressing down on the lever, flushing the toilet. If her grin could have gotten any wider, it would have when Kaoru's scream echoed throughout the apartment.

"DAMMIT MISAO! YOU'RE GONNA BE A SQUISHED, DECAPITATED AND THROUGHLY INJURED WEASEL WHEN I GET DONE WITH YOU!!!" Snickering, Misao merely flushed the toilet again and ran into their shared kitchen as screams of outrage came, yet again, from the bathroom.

Misao continued to grin as she sat down at the table, pouring herself a cup of coffee. The two girls had been friends as long as either of them could remember, and when they had both accepted into collage together, they had gotten an apartment and lived as roommates ever since. The two had been inseparable, pulling pranks, graduating, getting boyfriends (although they DID go on separate dates), and finally getting jobs at the local advertising agency.

Jobs they were going to be late for if Kaoru didn't hurry her butt up Misao thought with an exasperated sigh. Finally she put down her empty cup and strode into the bedroom, the shower still running in the bathroom.

"KAORU KAMIYA! IF YOU DO NOT HURRY YOUR BUTT UP THIS INSTANCE, I WILL...I will...umm...ummmmmmmm..." she trailed off thinking of an adequate threat. At that instance Kaoru stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her lean frame.

"I'm here, give me 5 seconds to get dressed, drink coffee, and go 'k?" Misao glared at her and stalked over to her roommate's sparse wardrobe. Reaching in, the girl brought out the only thing that actually looked clean and presentable. Sweat-dropping comically, Kaoru took the outfit and pushed Misao out. "Coffee or I'll bite your head off" When Kaoru mentioned coffee she was serious. Misao gulped and ran to the machine, pressing the button with a brightly painted nail. Watched as the dark brown liquid poured out, she sighed and tilted her head to the side before commenting dryly,

"You know Kaoru, we should really get a new coffee machine...this ones practically is an antique..."

"It IS an antique Mi, from 2001. I just don't feel like wasting money on a new one when this works perfectly fine." Kaoru had just entered the kitchen, her blue hair up in the everyday high ponytail. Misao walked over and tugged gently on a strand of hair framing her friend's face.

"I don't see why you don't put it up into a braid or something... its so...loose" Kaoru grinned and yanked Misao's own foot long braid.

"'Cause I like my hair loose, now come on...you wanted to go, let's go" Laughing the pair exited the apartment, unaware of the glowing crimson eyes that watched their every movement.