Ripples In Time
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A/N- Sorry about the long wait, but I'm finally back.
I do hope you enjoy the updates to the story! Really I do!
Disclaimer- I don't own RK but I do love playing with the characters! Yay!
'Thoughts'
Enjoy the flick!! ^^
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Chapter Two: The Hunt Begins
Kaoru sat in the cafe, her head leaning back as she played with a small toothpick, 'Misao is late again.'
A waitress placed a bowl of soup before her; Kaoru smiled and mumbled her thanks as she tested the soup. Finding it to her liking, Kaoru began eating, she was about halfway through it when a woman slipped into the seat across from her.
Kaoru smirked as she turned her attentions on that woman. She was small, had black hair in braids and deep emerald eyes, a mischievous look was on her face.
"Well, I'm glad you finally graced me with your appearance, I was just about to leave too." The woman stuck her tongue out and dropped a manila envelope onto the table with a slight 'bang.'
"Well excuse me! It's not my fault that the client just gave me the identity and info on the target. I haven't even gotten to take a peak," the woman crossed her arms and looked away angrily.
Kaoru simply shook her head, "if it's that big of a deal Misao, then open the damn thing, unless you just want to sit here staring at the thing all day."
Misao growled and snatched the envelope, an angry scowl on her face. With one quick tear the envelope was open and Misao dumped its contents onto the table.
There was a package that apparently held pictures and a few sheets of paper talking about the target. Misao picked up the packet of pics and opened it, she pulled out one and whistled, "Man, this one is a hottie. It'll be a real shame to kill this one off, haven't seen much men like him around, werewolf or not."
Kaoru rolled her eyes and glanced out the window, 'typical Misao...always thinking every guy I'm after is hot.' "Really, what's the name?"
There was a slight sound of ruffling papers and then a loud gasp filled the air. Kaoru's head immediately whipped about and her eyes locked on Misao, the woman had a pale face as she stared at the paper in her hands.
"Who is he Misao?"
Misao shook her head to clear her mind and a shaky hand slid the paper over to Kaoru. "He... he...he is..."
Kaoru frowned at her friend’s strange behavior and picked up the paper. Kaoru's confusion only deepened when she read his name aloud, "Battousai? Who the heck is he?"
Kaoru looked back to Misao and found her shocked, "You don't know? I thought everyone knew about him..." Kaoru glared, telling her to just answer the question.
Misao gulped and shifted in her seat, uncomfortable, "he is the strongest werewolf there has ever been. They used to call him a manslayer, he was the most feared man in all of Japan for at least twelve years. One day he just upped and disappeared, taking a few of his kind with him. He's really dangerous...no one who's faced him as an enemy has survived, ever. I find it hard to believe that he is really back, I'm going to have to watch my back more."
"So, he's some kind of invincible being or something, hah. I'll believe that when I see it. Hand me one of the pictures Misao, then call up the client and tell them that I accept."
Misao nodded her head shakily and handed over a picture, she then pulled out her cell and began dialing a number. Kaoru flipped the picture and studied the figure on it, 'hmmm...Misao is right, this guy is a looker.'
In the picture the man was standing near a tree, his eyes glaring towards the one who took the picture. He had a small stature and a muscular frame, a fighter’s frame. His hair was blazing many shades of red and was pulled into a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck, it was long and a few stray hairs were sticking out here and there.
His features were almost feminine but that only made him more appealing, his slim fingers were hanging loose at his sides while his tail was nowhere to be seen. His violet shirt was snug and allowed his muscles to be seen through the thin material, his pants were black and hung loosely on his hips.
But the one feature that caught Kaoru's attention, were his eyes. They seemed to flash from bright amber to deep violet, depending on the lighting and held an intensity that Kaoru had never seen before.
Just as Misao hung up her cell, Kaoru started reading over all the info they had on him, but it wasn't much. It mentioned that he had a real name, though no one knows what it is.
Then there was a small blurb on him having friends, they were all werewolves except for one, a female and she was a vampire. That fact Kaoru found rather interesting, 'he has a vampire on his side, they are bitter enemies though, I guess that didn't matter though.'
It went on to mention the places where he could be found most of the time, all were public and most had to deal with gardens or parks. 'Guess he likes nature...what's this?'
The next piece of info confused Kaoru, so much that she read it out loud, "never chosen a mate, rumored to have been betrayed by the one he had planed on taking. That sucks, being betrayed like that by the one you love, that must have really hurt. All right, Misao, you can head home now. I'm expecting payment for one of my last jobs."
Kaoru put all the info and pictures back into the envelope, placed a few bills for the soup and got to her feet. "Hey, where are you going?"
Kaoru simply smiled, "to say hello."
The park was slightly crowded, there were families everywhere. Kaoru soon found out that there was an event being held, it was a family event too. The parents and children were to work together and whoever won would win a trip to a cool theme park in America, some place called 'Disneyland.'
Kaoru shook her head as she walked through the park, dodging a few people here and there. Reaching the small pond in the center of the park, Kaoru began her search for her target. An hour passed and she had still failed to find any sign that he was there, let alone going to show up.
Deciding to look at the next place that was mentioned, Kaoru began walking back towards where she had come from. A small child was running nearby, Kaoru gave him a brief glance before continuing, but she failed to notice that the child tripped and flew at her.
Kaoru swayed on her feet and prepared herself for her impact on the ground when a strong arm wrapped about her waist, catching her right before she hit.
This same person helped her to her feet and removed their arm, "are you alright miss?"
The voice was gentle and soft, but all male, Kaoru could hear the slight humor in his tone and let a smile cross her lips as she turned to look at him.
"I'm alright, thank..." Kaoru froze when her eyes met gentle violet ones, the person automatically registered in her mind and Kaoru tensed her body, the smile disappearing from her face. "You."
Confusion flew through the man's eyes as he looked back calmly. "What?"
Kaoru steeled herself and ignored the slight urge to touch him. "Battousai, I see the roomers were true, you must be an avid nature lover." The man's eyes flickered slightly, tints of amber seeping into the violet. "How do you know me and what do you want?"
Kaoru felt a slight shiver run down her spine as his voice turned hard and unfeeling, 'this one is definitely going to be a challenge.'
Kaoru tilted her head before glancing at the playing children and their happy families, this was no place to fight, someone might get hurt or in the way. Kaoru turned her eyes back to the Battousai's her eyes clashing with his, "I will explain in due time, for now, I suggest that we move this conversation elsewhere."
Kaoru didn't even wait for a reply as she walked away towards a more deserted part of the park; it was closer to the street, but not close enough to do any damage. Kaoru could feel the Battousai's presence behind her, he was glaring holes into the back of her head.
Kenshin had been enjoying the day thus far, even if Sano had told him not to go, lest he might get caught. But Kenshin wanted to go and no one could stop him when he wanted to do something, or just wanted something.
The Battousai always got what he wanted, there was no one who could stand up to a glare from him, so that made taking things all too easy. His journey to the park had been uneventful, but when he reached his favorite spot, he was surprised at what he saw.
There was a woman, a human by her scent, walking along the edge of the pond. She had her back to him and seemed to be looking for something, or someone. But that wasn't what had drawn his attention to her, she was absolutely beautiful.
Kenshin had seen many beautiful women in his lifetime and some even more beautiful than she, but for some strange reason he felt drawn towards her. It was like she was calling out to him, Kenshin felt his tail twitch against his leg, it would have been wagging if it were out. Kenshin took a few steps towards her, all he could make out was her long raven hair, her figure and her pleasing aroma.
'Hmmm...Sakura blossoms and apples.'
She began moving towards the way she had just come, turning to glance at a running child before continuing. Kenshin followed, when that same child ran into her, almost knocking her off her feet. She swayed and began to fall, suddenly Kenshin moved, wrapping an arm about her back and preventing her from falling.
'Why did I just do that?'
Making sure she was steady on her feet, Kenshin stepped away and asked her if she was fine. He watched as she turned her head as she spoke, "I'm alright, thank..." she trailed off when their eyes met. Kenshin couldn't breathe for a moment, his eyes glued to her brilliant sapphire ones, he felt everything but her melt away. Then she suddenly spoke, "You."
The look in her eyes worried him and hardly anything could worry him. "What?" He watched in complete confusion as her eyes turned stone hard and her body tensed, "Battousai, I see the roomers were true, you must be an avid nature lover."
Kenshin felt something stir within him, immediately his emotions towards this woman recoiled and he turned to his well-known icy persona. That was what those who didn't know the real him would see, nothing but a cold-blooded killer, no matter how far from the truth that was. But that didn't answer the next question that ran through his mind, 'who is this woman?'
"How do you know me and what do you want?" The woman simply tilted her head and looked about, not caring. Kenshin was confused but her next words confused him further. "I will explain in due time, for now, I suggest that we move this conversation elsewhere."
It took a moment as he followed her before it clicked in his mind, 'she doesn't want these people to watch us fight, she's afraid that they may be harmed. Interesting...' He glared at her back as he tried to figure out who she was and what she was doing here.
Her voice snapped him out of his own thoughts, "Stop staring at me like that." Kenshin felt his eyebrows lift, 'she wasn't frightened? It's like I don't even phase her,' "You haven't answered my question yet."
The woman stopped and turned to face him her eyes were hard and cold, it did something no one else ever had, it sent a shiver down his spine. "The answer is simple, I was hired to hunt you down and kill you."
Kenshin was shocked, 'this woman...she is a hunter for hire? If so, who hired her?' "I see, may I ask who hired you, miss?"
Kenshin didn't know why but he wanted to know her name, she intrigued him and apparently wasn't frightened of him, which was a rarity in itself.
"I make it a rule to never ask who hired me, as long as I complete the assignment and get paid, I could care less. Why do you want to know?" Kenshin was pleased that she had a little bite to her, that made her all that more enticing.
"So I know who to personally, 'thank' for sending such a pretty human to do me in." The woman growled at his words, this made Kenshin smirk, "Really, well this 'pretty human' has better things to do than talk all day. So why don't we get on with this already, Battousai."
Kenshin felt his body shake at how she said 'Battousai,' it made him long to touch her. Shaking away his wayward thoughts, Kenshin readied himself. "You still haven't told me your name, woman." The woman smirked and slipped into her own stance, "The names Kaoru, I'll make sure you remember it, for what little time left you have."
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A/N- That's this chapter, I do hope you'll stay with me until the story is complete!
Until next time!
Ja Ne! =^..^=
