Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, it's characters, storyline, or anything else. All I own is this story I wrote borrowing the characters and the world. I'm definitely not making money, and I'm certainly not worth suing (that I most certainly am not).
Warnings: eventual Sano/Ken shounen-ai
Authors notes: This is an edit and repost of the first few chapters, due to my going through them sequentially and finding they don't read straight through very well. There are significant differences to the text, though not much to the actual storyline. Thank you to my readers, and my beta Hitokiri Elf Slayer.
Time to WanderChapter 1:
It feels as if time has frozen. Things are quiet, in fact excitement has become difficult to find around the Kamiya dojo. Not that I mind, that I most certainly do not. My life has consisted of far too much excitement, so for me, the calm is welcome. Some of my housemates, however, have become bored, and their constant arguing is enough to drive a man mad. So I found a place, outdoors behind the rosebush in the far corner of the garden, and as of yet no one has thought to check for me there. I've been lying on the ground watching the cerulean sky, and contemplating my stay at the dojo.
I've stayed here longer then I intended, long enough for me to consider this home and its occupants my family. Imposing on the good Miss Kaoru, despite her objections that it's nothing, integrating myself in their lives further each passing day. When I have the time to consider it, I find myself wanting to move on, traveling around Japan in this new Meiji era, learning how to adapt. I wish to leave, but how can I explain wanderlust to those who never seem to desire more then what occurs at home?
There was muttering several feet away gently tugging the red haired gentleman back to attention. He was slipping his sandals back on when an impatient young voice called out, "Kenshin? Are you out here?
Hoping to easy the note of panic he heard, he quickly stood up, waving. "I'm over here Yahiko." With a sharp bounce he was over his thorny barrier and on his way over to meet the searchers. Spying Sanosuke as well, he apologized, bowing, "I am sorry if I have worried you, that I am.
Sanosuke threw his arm around Kenshin with an air of laziness that almost reached his eyes, "Of course we're worried. You didn't even touch the laundry.
Standing on his tippy toes Yahiko added his input as well, "You really are thoughtless aren't you? What are we supposed to think when we come outside to check on you, where you're out of sight, and the basket unruffled? Sheesh.
"And it isn't like we don't have just cause to worry. It's been awful still lately for having you around. You do have a habit of attracting the worst kinds of trouble, ya know," finished Sano.
"You're right he does." The irritated female behind them caused them all to start violently. Her face was set, her blue eyes surrounded by worried creases and a vein twitched wildly on the left side of her forehead. She was trying desperately hard not to show her fingers fiddling with the lengthy sleeve of the lemon and tangerine kimono she was clad in, keeping her facial features straight, and trying not to appear overly worried. Her presence amongst the other three had jumped them back a foot or so as she waited impatiently for an explanation, "Well?
Hoping to veer off her notorious temper Sanosuke offered her the truth, "He dozed off behind one of the bushes in the corner, that's all.
Yahiko nodded vehemently in agreement as Kenshin fixed his eyes on the grass nearest his feet. All of this because I wanted a small portion of time to myself, he considered. I need to get out of the here more often, that I do.
The vein on Kaoru's temple bulged viciously. "Uh oh," muttered Sano under his breath, taking a slow deliberate step backwards. He winced and his fleeing image before the oncoming barrage was "Here it comes
The expressionless mask she'd been trying to hold disappeared and in an instant she was hitting the three males in any part of them she could reach with her kendo stick shouting, "Stupid! What do you think you were doing? I was worried sick inside!" Heading off any sort of complaint from the two she'd sent out looking, "And you aren't any better! You should have told me when you didn't see him, I thought you were in trouble too!
She continued along that line for a few minutes before she had expended both her anger and her energy. Panting and huffing she looked at the damage she'd wrought on her companions, and was rewarded with three bruised, lumpy faces cringing away from her. Landing a final solid whack on Kenshin before relinquishing her weapon she calmly told them, "I suppose it doesn't much matter now, does it? You look in perfect health to me and you all have chores to finish." Glaring pointedly at Kenshin she added, "Like the laundry. If you start right now the clothes might be dry before bed. You'd just better pray it doesn't rain." Motioning to the other boys she stalked back toward the house, followed reluctantly by Yahiko and Sano. Both of them made I-told-you-so faces toward the rurouni as they passed him, leaving him with a disgusted feeling as he watched their retreating figures.
An hour, that is all I wanted, he thought as he made his way over to the washtub, and began halfheartedly throwing articles of dark clothing in. Why is it I must be watched over day and night to the point where I can't even think to myself without a search party being called in? He left his stormy gaze on the offending bucket, eying it evilly until Kaoru yelled at him through the sliding door, "Kenshin, get a move on it already, I think it's supposed to storm later.
He scrubbed out the hakama before hanging them on the line to dry, hardly noticing the cold water, and a breeze whipped in releasing tendrils of his hair from the confines of his ponytail. With each clothespin he put up he could see more of the past he had walked, night fading the sunset on the horizon, reminding him of the life he'd had in which he had been only responsible to himself for a time. I wonder if that period is so far gone from me that it is redundant to try and bring it back, if only for a little while. Finishing, he emptied the water and carried his supplies back toward the house, leaving the night wind to take care of the drying, and letting the weighted emotions rummage on through his head.
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to be continued