IMPORTANT HISTORICAL NOTE: This fic, "Paths Cross" revolves around The Opium War, a historic war that took place in China during the 19th century. Unfortunately, had history worked to my advantage, The Opium War would have taken place after the Tokugawa Revolution and Meiji Era the Rurouni Kenshin series is based around. In reality, The Opium War occurred at around the 1830s to roughly 1860s, well before the time of Kenshin and company. (For example, Sanosuke was born in 1860...I think...).
In this fic, I am just making it out to be that The Opium War did occur after Japan's Meiji Era. Please keep in mind that the Opium War IN REALITY did not occur after the Meiji Era. I am writing this fic with the time period in mind, meaning the setting of China IN THIS FIC is how it would have been during the Opium War.
The events and reasons that caused the Opium War will be touched upon in this fic. I will attempt to keep this fic informative, while at the same time, not cause a snore fest. If you feel the need to research more on the Opium War, please feel free, but it is not necessary.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic is alsowhat I would like to call a continuation of my previous RK fic, "Memories." Lucky for most readers, you don't have to read "Memories" in order to understand this fic. However, if you are interested in "Memories," please feel free to read it!
WARNINGS: There isa reason why this fic is rated R... Also, this fic revolves around Sanosuke and Megumi as a couple, so if you, for some reason or another, have a serious problem with this couple, I would not advise you to read any further.
Please enjoy, and reviews are always welcome!
Paths Cross
prologue: criminal
Kenshin stood in the disappearing clouds of the long-gone storm, his feet planted sturdily on the wooden planks of the entrance to the Aoiya. The storm had finally lifted, and little by little, color was returning to Japan, although the water still remained. But Kenshin did not feel this relieving color within him...inside he remained grey.
His thoughts were interrupted by muffled footsteps from behind him, and Kenshin glanced back to find Sano standing there, a solemn expression pasted on his face, and a bag made of sturdy material slung over his shoulder.
"Yo Kenshin," Sano greeted Kenshin, and slowly moved next to where Kenshin was standing, his eyes tracing the Kenshin's gaze, watching the clouds move with him.
"What's wrong, Sano?" Kenshin asked. The uncomfortable silence signaled everything to Kenshin.
Sanosuke's lips formed a straight line in a grim expression as he faced Kenshin. It was then Kenshin realized how tired Sano looked.
"I'm not going to lie or anything Kenshin," Sano started, "I'll just get straight to the point."
Kenshin nodded.
"I got word that I'm wanted as a criminal now. What they've got on me, I don't really know. All I know is that I can't put any of you guys in danger, especially with the police and what-not. So I'm off," Sano sighed, "Somewhere where it'll be hard to track me, ya know? I'm thinkin' China. Always wanted to see the place...maybe it'll..." Sano trailed off.
Kenshin still did not speak.
Sano continued heavily in a husky voice, "Kenshin...I really doubt I'll be coming back, so...well...China's gonna be nothin' compared to you guys, and I'm not runnin' off 'cuz of all of you...I..."
"What about Megumi? Have you said good-bye to her?" Kenshin interrupted, turning to Sanosuke with a questioning glance.
The fighter paused as he stared down at the ground, seemingly fighting an inner battle, "...No...I haven't. I think it'll be easier this way though...If she asks where I've gone Kenshin...Tell her...tell her..."
Sano could not find the words, and Kenshin made no move to supply them. He merely nodded as he whispered quietly, "I understand Sano. Sagara Sanosuke...thank you for everything you've done for us, and good-bye. Stay safe."
Sanosuke shook his head with a stubborn bitter sweet smile on his face, "No Kenshin...I should say thanks."
Sano turned his back, the Aku symbol twisting and turning in the breeze, his voice carrying on that wind in a hushed voice, "Arigato...gozaimasu."
Kenshin watched Sanosuke disappear on the horizon...Watched until the dully bright light blinded out the Chinese symbol, erasing it into the plains, forevermore...
chap. 1 - unexpected
Waters of turmoil washed up on the grey shore, muddied waves flowing and ebbing, drifting back and forth from river to land. The sky hung in an overcast, and cloudy swirls of mist curled about her ankles as she stood gazing into the horizon.
Megumi sighed tiredly. Time and the happenings of the era had erased the energy and jubilance she had once had. All that remained now was the sadness of the life that she now lived. More often than not, she deeply regretted the choice she had made, but she knew she could no longer turn her back on the decision she had staked.
However, she did not have long to brood, for a deep, hoarse whisper from behind her penetrated her thoughts,
""Scuse me, miss, but would you know of the location of Fox Eyes?"
Megumi turned around, and smirked at the man, "Depends who's looking for her."
"Please...please, Fox Eyes, I have brought the required amount. You promised, so let's make the switch," the man's voice went from cowardly to demandative in simply a few heartbeats.
Megumi stared at the dishelved man for a few more seconds, "Eyes of a fox..."
"And claws of a wolf," the man returned, "Yeah, yeah, sorry, I forgot to mention the password."
Megumi shook her head, a smirk on her face as she retrieved something from inside her kimono's sleeve. The small packet brushed against her skin, and she extended her hand for a handshake.
The man returned her smirk, and shook her hand, allowing small pieces of metal coins to slip between Megumi's fingers while she let the packet slip between his.
"Pleasure doing business," he said, smiling in the most disturbing way.
Megumi kept a monotonous expression on her face as she nodded.
He turned his back and began to walk away, leaving Megumi to examine the coins. The exact amount.
Megumi sighed, and allowed her serious, stern composition to melt away, giving way to the fragile, delicate face of Megumi Takani.
Not long afterwards, Megumi walked back into town, her feet shuffling the dirt beneath her. Her shadow hung long on the ground, the blood red color of the setting sun lighting her path, flinging shadows at her feet. She slowly made her way towards a familiar building, and walked inside.
Inside, the smell of alcohol and rotting wood reached her nose, and inwardly, she gagged at the smell. But she had learned to get used to it, and placidly made her way to one of the back rooms.
She slid the fusuma open, allowing the thin paper door to shut behind her as she stepped into the room. Inside, there was only her, and the shadows formed from the flickering candle in the middle of the room.
She sat on a cushion, and waited. In her mind, she wondered what she was waiting for, but she sadly laughed those thoughts away.
I'm waiting for someone...that someone that left me. But no...I don't think he'll be coming back. That's why I'm here. Alone; no one at my side.
How long she sat there, she knew not. But not long afterwards, she heard a deep voice yell from the entrance she had walked in not moments before. His voice was muffled, and the words were unrecognizable from where she was seated.
She stood up, and the paper door of the room was literally ripped down as a man entered. He had a red bandana around his forehead, with the Chinese character for "bad" printed upon the center. It took Megumi a few seconds to realize that he was wearing a sort of uniform, and suddenly, his expression went maniacal, a wild grin creeping at his mouth.
This smile scared Megumi, and she felt herself stepping backwards, wanting to create as much space as she could between her and this man...this soldier...
Outside of the room, she could hear chaos, and the yells of men erupting into what, as Megumi figured, must have to be a sort of brawl. But who was this man? And could it be possible that there were more soldiers of his kind outside? Were they even soldiers?
The man advanced, his voice a growling tone,
"My, my, you're so pretty. What's a beauty like you doing in a shitty place like this?"
Megumi chose not to respond as she frantically attempted to calculate a way out of the room. But before she could realize it, she found herself cornered into one of the dark shadows of the room.
"You talk?" the man smirked unpleasantly.
Megumi felt a disgusted expression crawling at her face, and before she could stop herself, she spat at his face.
He looked mildly surprised, but the expression wiped away as he lifted his hand to clean Megumi's spit off his face, "Feisty, aren't you?"
He lifted that same hand to her face, and Megumi flinched at the touch. His finger was rough and calloused, and it was no sense of comfort as he traced his finger the length of her face.
Megumi felt her heart beating rapidly, and unconsciously, her hands gripped at the wall's corners, wanting to fling herself out of the room, as far away as she could from this man.
Suddenly, she felt something on her mouth, and it took her a moment to realize the man was actually shoving his mouth on hers. His breath reeked of sake and old tobacco, and he smelled of mud and the dirt beneath her feet. Her stomach retched at the taste of his mouth, and she frantically attempted to push him away with her hands, but he roughly deepened the kiss, shoving her hands off of him. Megumi kept her lips clenched against the kiss, then she lost grip, and received his thick tongue through between her teeth. He pulled away, and smirked.
What disgust she had felt had disintegrated, and the only emotion pumping through her veins was fear. She wanted so badly to scream, but she couldn't find her voice.
"Like that?" the man asked, his tone laced with an indescribable tone.
"You bastard!" Megumi found herself saying, "Get the hell off me!"
A slap went hard against her face, and she felt the pain tingling at her skin.
"You'll get something more painful than that, the next time you struggle."
Megumi gasped, and she fought as hard as she could as he shoved his mouth on hers again; she punched and hit as hard as she could, but they were proving to be no help. He pulled away again, and lifted her up by the kimono, slamming her back against the wall.
She felt her breath escape through her lungs in one monstrous gasp, and she struggled to breathe; his mouth was now moving away from her mouth and he was now working his way down. He kissed at her neck, and more than anything, she wanted to find a way out. She was being humiliated in more ways than she thought possible. The walls seemed closer than usual, and she felt like the room was closing in. She was covered in disgust that she could not wash away.
Her breathing came ragged in fear as he tore at her kimono.
"Get the hell off me!" she screamed as loud as she could, only to be silenced by a hard punch across her cheek.
"Shut up," he breathed, "You're making this harder than it should be. You should be enjoying this."
If she could, Megumi would have snorted in disgust, and in truth, she was. She was beyond appalled and she felt reality detached, swirling around in her eyes in a confusion she couldn't straighten.
He returned to ripping at her kimono, and she felt it fall away, her shame exposed to him. He left a trail of sloppy wet kisses down her, and Megumi pushed at his head, attempting to push him away. Maybe...maybe if she could get him away for a second, she could get away, and he wouldn't get any further.
"BITCH!" a roar bellowed from behind the man, and a fist contacted with the man's face as he fell to the ground in front of Megumi.
Her rescuer continued to beat the man, punches flying at mad angles and kicks landing perfectly. Blood flew, and splattered at the walls, drops of red staining the shadows. It wasn't long before the man lay unconscious on the floor, his eyes rolled upwards, the whites bloodshot, and blood dribbling from his open mouth. Megumi's rescuer turned his back, and Megumi gasped as she saw the character written on his back.
"You okay?" he said gently, bowing his head and closing his eyes, allowing her privacy.
"I..." Megumi stammered, shakily returning her kimono on her shoulders, and tightly tying the knots at the front, "I'm...f-fine..."
"You dressed?"
"Y-yeah..."
The man turned to face Megumi, and she still continued to gape in astonishment, despite what had happened. His face, weather-worn and rugged, had not aged at all, but had matured into a sad, handsome expression. A small stubble of a beard was growing at his chin, apparently left unattended.
Megumi almost couldn't stammer out his name, but it left her lips in shaky syllables,
"S-Sanosuke..."