Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The beauty of life ❯ the beginning ( Chapter 2 )

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It was morning. Elena had slept somewhat peacefully without disturbance. She did occasionally wake up from her nightmares and the visions of the women being slaughtered by the men last night. She quickly pushed it out of her mind, only bearing the thought that her parents might’ve been killed.
She slowly pried herself out of the thorns that clung to her dirty kimono and found the main pathway that they traveled on.
Just ahead of her was the wagon. She avoided it, as the bodies of the elderly lay dead. She walked ahead.
More bodies.
She stepped over the corpses and searched around for her father.
She found him in a trench. He was dead. Blood stained his shirt, most of it old and dry. She looked around once more and found her mother lying nearby.
She too was dead.
Elena sat on the ground. It was no use crying. She didn’t want to attract attention. Instead, she grabbed the katana and wandered down the path, sliding off to a narrower path.
It was late morning. Elena hadn’t stopped moving. She was still deep in the forest with no sign of a town or a village. But she pressed on.
She was hungry and tired and her legs ached from last night. The katana she held dragged at her side, bringing up dirt and mud. It was heavy and it weighed down her tiny body. Her arms began to ache.
She used it to cut at the branches that blocked her path and continued on.
At last, she found a clearing with a small pond. She fell to her knees on the shore and bent down.
She took a long suckle at the fresh, clear water and wiped her mouth. She washed her feet and washed her sandals.
She sat for a while, wondering what she should do. She picked up her katana and looked for a path. She stopped to listen when she heard a loud rustling in the bushes behind her.
She turned, determined to defend herself, she raised the katana and stood by the pond, waiting.
A man draped in a white cape appeared. He had a stern look on his face that took a minute to take in the surroundings. He looked at her with interest and came slowly, towards Elena.
Elena stared defiantly at him.
The man smirked.
“ It’s no use for you to use that against me. You lack the skill to meet up with mine,” He said.
Elena swallowed. He too carried a sword. It was longer than hers.
She dropped her sword and rushed into the bushes.
“ You don’t have to run. You’re from the group, aren’t you?” The man asked.
Elena crouched in the bushes, watching him intently.
The man didn’t move.
“ It’s all right. The men have disappeared. You can come out,” He said.
Elena frowned.
“ Did you kill them?” She asked.
The man didn’t answer. He looked in her direction and adjusted his cloak.
“ It’s no use to keep a grudge against them. It’ll only bring you misfortune. Come here,” He said, gesturing for her to come out.
She came out tentatively and stood just a few feet away from him.
She was angry and defiant, and her hands were clenched in fists.
“ Are you a killer too?” She asked.
The man nodded, but smiled, “ But not the ones that you speak of. At least I try not to be. Are you alone?” he asked.
“ Did you kill them?”
“ Where are you headed?”
Elena grew irritated. He was deliberately avoiding her question.
“ Don’t avoid it. Did you kill them?” She persisted.
The man rubbed his forehead, “ They were imperialists. I don’t know why they were here, but they committed deeds that were wrong .So I killed them. Does that satisfy you?” He replied calmly.
Elena nodded. She turned her back on him and started for the forest once again.
“ Where are you going?” The man asked.
Elena turned at his question. She stared at him with a hint of weariness and exhaustion. She no longer held the anger and rage in her eyes. She was too tired to hold a grudge against the man. She heaved a low and empty sigh.
" I don't know."
She could hear his feet padding across the terrain, towards her. She turned and looked at him with little curiousity. He smiled at her. She thought his smile as weak and pathetic. But all smiles seemed to look like that. She could feel him walked past her.
" It's no use going on your own. You will be killed. Come this way. I'll take care of you," He said.
Elena hesitated, wondering if he was serious and if he could be trusted.
But its not like she had anywhere to go. She might as well go with him for now. She followed him through the bushes and onto another main road. She began to feel nervous, looking behind her and listening carefully for any footsteps that didn't belong to her. She looked at the man, who had the same expression when they first met.
Then it occured to her that she didn't even know his name.
Neither did he.
" What's your name?" Elena asked.
The man didn't stop. He didn't answer for a moment but answered calmly.
" Seijuro. Hiko Seijuro," He replied, " Yours?"
" Elena," She said.

Hiko's house was small, in a large clearing in the forest. It was far away, miles away from a village. From where she stood, she could see the mountains and miles down. She followed Hiko into the house where he lit a fire.
Elena took a seat on a mat by the fire and held her hands out at the fire to warm her hands.
She looked up at Hiko, then to his sword.
" Do you work for the government? Father said they were bad people," She asked.
Hiko shook his head.
" They're not bad, but they're not good either. I choose not take part in the fight," He said. He took a seat on his cot and pulled out a jug that contain what Elena knew as sake. He drank, then poured some more, then repeated.
" Can you teach me?"
Hiko looked at her, " What?"
Elena stared at the fire. She put her hands down in her lap and looked at Hiko with the same defiance. She wanted to learn how to fight. She wanted to avenge her parents.
" Father said that samurai have different sword techniques. But father didn't because he hated swords. But you have a sword, I bet you're powerful. So can you teach me?" She asked eagerly.
Hiko put down his cup beside him, his gaze dark and serious. He cleared his throat and shut his eyes.
" You want to learn so you can avenge your parents am I correct?" He asked.
Elena nodded, " My parents shouldn't have died last night. It's not fair," She said.
" Even if you learn the hiten mitsurugi ryu technique, no good fortune will come to you, " Hiko said sharply.
Elena began to protest, " I dont care what happens to me, the men shouldn't have killed my parents. It's just not right," She snapped.
" And you think you can change the world by killing people? I hardly call that right," He retorted calmly.
Elena fought for words to say. She gripped her dirty kimono and wiped away the tears.
" Then why do you do it? You've killed them too," She said.
Hiko stood up, wandered to the window and stared at the mountains covered with clouds. At the corner of his eye, he could see Elena staring at him with fierce determination.
" You're no better than him. You're going down there to fight. You think that by using a sword, you're going to do something good? The hiten mitsurugi kenjutsu is a technique for protection people with its godlike speed. There is no other kenjutsu that can match it, but in the end it's just the tool of mass murder. You can't hope to avenge someone by murdering some more," He said.
Elena tried to understand what he was saying. Being so young, she didn't know things that adults did. She stared at the fire, watching the flames dance and die away and then dance some more.
" But still. Even if that's what it is, I don't care. I want to learn either way," She said.
Hiko sighed. He bowed his head in dismay and tapped his finger.
" I'll teach you, but don't think any good will come of it," He said.
Elena grinned and nodded. She turned back to the fire with high hopes in her head.