Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Here is the first part to my story that I've been talking about. I figured if I was talking about it I might as well post it. Although you may not like it b/c you don't know Maki's past. Oh well... I wasn't planning on talking about her past too much anyway.

Maki Through Time

Maki knocked the man that stood in her way to the ground. “Maki! Do you see Kenshin?!” Kaoru yelled from behind her. Maki scanned the field. She shook her head she didn’t see the red head anywhere. She gave a look down at Blank who was already sniffing for the Rurouni’s sent. Suddenly the dog’s head jerked up and he let out a loud bark and ran off.

Maki sprinted after her beloved pet as Kaoru shouted that she couldn’t keep up. Maki ignored her knowing that Kaoru could take care of herself. She had seen Kenshin get injured earlier and was worried about him.

Just up ahead she saw him. He was high in the air and his target was standing ready to deflect his attack. Maki ran pass Blank as Kenshin started his call. “Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryù…” Maki watched eyes on Kenshin but suddenly there was a flash of light. Maki put up her arm to shield her eyes but kept running. She had never seen this happen before. Could this be a Hiten Mitsurugi attack she had never seen?

Maki suddenly felt the earth disappear from under her but she didn’t feel like she was falling. Everything was white and it was so bright that it stung her eyes. Then she was falling and fast. She gasped for air as the brightness dimmed then she could see stars began to form. Suddenly she found the ground again. She slammed into something hard, sturdy, and cold.

Maki’s head and chest throbbed as she struggled to get the air that had been knocked out of her back. She tried to sit up but her head swam and she fell back and lost conciseness.

* * *

“Kenshin!” Kaoru yelled when she came up to him. She smiled when she saw that he was fine. Then she looked from side to side. “Where’s Maki?”

“Oro?”

“I thought I saw Maki headed toward you.” Kenshin shrugged. He had been too occupied by his attacker to notice much. “Then where is she?” They both looked around the field but neither saw her.

* * *

Maki could feel that she was moving. Slowly she halfway opened her eyes. Her head throbbed as she looked around her. She was lying on a blanket and it was dark. There was a ceiling over her. She could tell that she was moving fast and she noticed that too their were windows all around and that trees were passing rapidly. Watching the trees made her sick. She gave a slow blink, what had happened?

She could remember that they had gone after a group of men that had stolen money from the Akabecko. Kenshin, something had happened to him. He had gotten hurt, not bad, but she remembered being worried. Then that light.

Maki reached down to touch her sword but couldn’t find it. Her whip was also missing. She felt all around her but all she felt was the cold walls that felt like metal. She sat up. “Where are they?!” She yelled frantic. Her head swam again but she fought of the feeling of fainting. She was trapped in a closed area and was unarmed making her feel very vulnerable.

She head strange sound come from behind her. “Stop the truck dad! She’s up!” It sounded like a boy’s voice but Maki couldn’t understand what was being said. Suddenly whatever it was she was in stopped and Maki skidded into a wall. She hissed as her side smacked into the wall sending a course of pain through her body.

She saw two bodies walk on either side of her prison and her muscles tensed. She heard a creak and the back of her prison was opened and there stood a man with a beard and a boy just a head shorter of the man. “Who are you?” Maki asked keeping her voice smooth and calm. The two looked at each other as if they hadn’t understood her. She repeated herself slowly. “Who, are, you?” The two began to speak to each other.

“What if she doesn’t speak English?” The shorter one said to the taller.

“Well, I don’t know what she is trying to say.” Was the other’s response. “Do you speak English?” The man asked to Maki. Maki slanted her eyebrows as she tried to figure out what the man had said. Her face told the man she didn’t and he let out a disappointed sigh. “You okay?” Maki gave him a blank look. “Ow.” The man said pointing to his head.

“Ow?” Maki repeated confused. The man nodded and pointed to his head again. Maki touched her own head and shook her head. She didn’t want them to know she was hurt.

“Live?” The man said next. Maki blinked at him. “Do you live around here?” Maki still didn’t understand.

“I told you we just should have left her dad.” The other said.

“I wasn’t just going to leave her lying in the middle of the road. Look at her, I think she is a tourist and is lost. We’ll drive her to the police station and they should be able to help her.” Maki heard a slam from behind her and saw another head move on her right. The head peered around and Maki saw this one was a girl with long brown hair.

“Can’t we just drop her off here? She kinda scares me.” The girl said.

“Elizabeth she doesn’t know where she is.” The father answered although the kid in the back of his truck also made him feel nervous.

“Are you hungry?” The boy said with a hint of broadness in his voice. Maki crocked her head and the boy jumped up into the truck with her.

“Josh get down!”

Josh ignored his father’s order and crawled his way to Maki. He sat cross legged in front of her and put his hand on his stomach. “Hungry.” He then touched Maki’s shoulder with a finger. “You.” He put his hand on his stomach and moved it in a circle. “Hungry.” Maki was starting to understand.

“Hai.” She said truthfully as her stomach growled in unison.

Josh smiled. “Now where getting somewhere!” He turned to his dad. “Let’s go to McDonnell’s!” He turned back to Maki. “You.” He pointed to her. “Stay.” He pointed to the truck. Maki stared at the spot he had pointed at not fully understanding. “We.” He said motioning to himself and the other two. “Get food.” He pretended to eat something. Maki was still partly confused as Josh crawled back out of the truck. The doors were closed and Maki was left alone.

The truck started and Maki fell forward bumping her chin on the floor. She wasn’t sure what was going on but these people didn’t seem bad so she decided to go along with whatever they were doing.

* * *

Elizabeth held Maki’s sword in her hand. “Why would she carry these things?” She asked anyone who would listen. “She dresses so weird.”

“I don’t know.” Her father answered as he pulled into a parking place. “But she definitely isn’t from around here.” He said as he listened to Maki as slide around in the back. “Let’s eat.”

Maki hopped down from the truck and gazed with amazement around her. She had noticed that the trees had slowly begun to disappear and that it seemed to be getting brighter but during the ride she had been more occupied at keeping her balance than were she was.

The group entered the fast food restaurant and ordered. Maki did receive a couple stares from the few people inside but after hanging out with Kenshin they were easily ignored. Maki was amazed by the cash register with each beep it rang out. The father took the food and together the four of them sat at a booth. He handed Maki a hamburger which she stared at.

“What’s this?” She asked puzzled as the thing crinkled in her hand. She took the wrapper off and found that some kind of food was inside. Maki held it questionably in front of her and watched the others eat. Maki copied them and lifted the hamburger to her mouth and bit it. It was pretty good. As the meal continued Maki noticed that the others would reach to the container in front of them and suck on the thing sticking out of it.

Curious Maki reached for the container in front of her and copied them again. A bubbly liquid hit her tongue. Maki made a face like she had eaten something sour and quickly put the cup down. The taste was still on her tongue so she started to rub it against her teeth.

Josh watched the whole thing and laughed. “I don’t think she likes soda Dad.” His dad let a smirk and got up to order a cup of water.

Maki was weary when the new cup was placed before her and the other thrown away. She looked at it questionably but the boy kept making jesters for her to drink. Reluctantly she sipped it again but was please to find that it no longer held that bubbly liquid.

* * *

Maki had gotten use to riding in the truck now and didn’t slide around this time. She was still amazed by all the glittering lights. Maki followed the family up the steps and into a large building.

Inside Maki felt unnerved by all the evil feeling ki filling the place. She, for the millionth time, whished for her weapons to be at her side. There were men dressed in blue uniforms that reminded her of Saito’s uniform.

The officer sitting at the desk eyed the strange group suspiciously as they approached. The man and the tow kids at his side looked normal enough but the girl dress in the funny clothes made him a little uneasy. “How can I help you?” He asked as the man stopped in front of him.

The man sighed as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. “We found her lying unconscious in the middle of a road.” He began pointing to Maki who stood glaring at a man who had just been brought in handcuffed. “I couldn’t just leave her and I don’t think she speaks English.”

The officer leaned a little out of his seat. “Oh great.” He thought. It was near the end of his sift and he wanted to go home. “Do you speak English?” He asked to Maki.

Maki looked at him knowing full well he was talking to her. She had no idea what he had said. “Do you speak Japanese?” She asked him.

The officer leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his right temple slowly. “Dose anyone her speak Chinese?”

Josh scuffed. “She’s speaking Japanese. Can’t you tell the difference?”

“Great, a smart-aleck kid too.” The man thought annoyed. “Alright.” He yelled to anyone who could hear him. “Dose anyone speak Japanese?” No one answered. “Alright we’ll have to keep her here.” The man sighed more complications for him to take of before he could leave.

“You’re just gonna lock her up in a cell like a criminal!” Josh yelled at the officer.

“Look kid.” The officer said a little annoyed. “We don’t have much choice. No one can talk to her; we have no where else to put her so she’ll have to stay here.” Josh scowled. “Did she have anything with her when you found her?” The officer asked hoping for some sort of identification.

“Just these.” Elizabeth said handing him a long bag.

The officer opened it and took out Maki’s sword and whip. “What the…”

“My sword! My whip!” Maki yelled upset that they had them the whole time. “Those belong to me give them back!” She yelled holding out her hand and pointing to herself hoping they would understand her.

The officer was not happy with that latest outburst. A kid in strange clothes walking around with a sword and a whip that speaks a langue he doesn’t understand. He could picture his wife as she yelled at him for getting home so late.

Josh saw the officer’s frustration and quickly came up with an idea. “What if she spent the night at our house?” His father and the officer both gave him a questioning look. He didn’t care. He had gotten intrigued by trying to find a way to communicate with the girl they had found in the middle of the road.

“Well I don’t see why not if you want to take the risk of bringing a stranger into your home.” The officer said quite hopeful that these people would take the ‘burden’ to their house so he could go home.

“Please dad!” Josh pleaded with the looked that had made the father take the two fishing earlier that day.

The father sighed. He didn’t like the idea of abandoning the girl here alone but he didn’t want to bring some girl with a sword into his house either. “You can tell your mother.” Josh smiled.

Again don't forget to read my other Kenshin fanfic Kenshin Lost at Sea at http://www.fanfiction.net/~xzigzagx

Comments (3)