Becky Tailweaver (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
btailweaver) wrote2005-05-26 06:52 pm
btailweaver) wrote2005-05-26 06:52 pm
it lives!
Ye gods, she's alive! Can we believe it?
*sigh* Well, life goes on. I kinda kick-started the writing a bit by buying myself some new anime (yes, I went and got schnookered by two new series! Sue me!), and getting all re-excited helped a lot. (I would still love to acquire more DC and such, since I'm trying so hard and RT is still suffering flatness syndrome.) So I'm pleased to be writing again, even if it's a bit stilted, but at least it sort of gets the ball rolling.
Just to help convince you I'm indeed alive and not completely out of it, I thought I'd share a bit. It's a crossover, involving Peacemaker Kurogane (which I'm still new-ish at, so please forgive).
Ichimura Tetsunosuke was bored. And he was almost lost. And it was approaching curfiew, and Hijikata was likely to pull his ears off if he didn't show up before the gates closed.
"Ehhh," the short boy sighed to himself, grumbling. "I just know I'm gonna regret trying to find her a present...what do they know anyhow? 'Snot like they have lives outside the squads..."
The street was crowded, which made matters worse. As short as he was--and he loathed it to no end--being in a crowd was like walking through a deep trench; he could never see where he was going, hence the tendency to get a bit lost. Plus, people tended to all but walk over him, which made him annoyed.
Che! I'm a member of the Shinsengumi--haori or no haori--and I don't get a lick of respect! Well...even if I'm not wearing swords...
Tired of dodging large bodies, Tetsu pulled up short in the overhang of a small shop, taking a breather. Scowling, he watched all the people scurry by, everyone from samurai to peasant merchant. For a while, the simple flow of people began to calm his ire, as his hot-tempered thoughts turned to wondering where all these people might be going to and from, if they were relatives to any of his friends, if they were allied with Choshu...if someone they knew had been killed...
Damn rebels. Tetsu's fists tightened. If they didn't start this...if they didn't cause trouble...people wouldn't be...!
Sudden hushed, worried murmurs from the crowd alerted him to the people beginning to draw back from the middle of the street, clearing a path. Mutterings of "Shingsengumi" and "Miburou" made him smile; an evening patrol was likely passing by. Now he could have a clear path!
Pushing off the shop wall, he headed for the middle of the street, trying to shove through the crowd. He dodged around a particularly corpulent individual--
--only to run smack into someone moving in exactly the opposite direction, away from the advancing Shinsengumi, in the same hurried pace. His being the lesser mass--as usual--he was knocked back where he started, falling on his rear and whacking his head on the shop wall.
"Iteee!" he hissed, sitting up to try a glare--through somewhat blurry eyes--at the individual who had struck him. "Why don't you watch where you're--!"
He cut off with a hard gulp the moment his clearing vision gave him a good look at the man staring down at him with icy eyes that gave him shivers the likes of which he hadn't felt from anyone but Okita-san.
Then, in a blink, the terror was gone--and there was only a somewhat irritated teenage boy glaring down at him with a cold, impatient face. "My bad," the stranger stated quietly, simply, offering a hand.
Swallowing again, Tetsu hesitantly took the help up, too startled by that brief glimpse to go for bravado. Once he was on his feet, the stranger ignored him, instead pressing back against the shop wall and glaring out at the passing Shinsengumi troop--men that Tetsu couldn't see through the crowd.
Frowning, the young man stood on tiptoe, then sighed in exasperation. A bit curious now, he glanced over at the youth who'd run into him--blinking in a bit of surprise to find that the stranger wasn't even a head taller than himself; he'd never seen anyone of his age or older who was shorter than Okita-san or Nagakura. It was strange, but it made him feel taller--he just reached the other youth's jaw, if one didn't count his wild hair.
And speaking of hair--Tetsu knew his own sunset auburn mane was unusual enough, but he had never seen anyone with hair like the other boy's; despite the hat and the dim light, he could tell the youth's long hair was as red as blood.
The other boy seemed to notice his stare and turned a brief glare at him; Tetsu gulped for a third time and edged away. "Ano...er...gomen...uh, you...don't like Shinsengumi, do you?"
One reddish eyebrow quirked, ever so slightly. The cold gaze did not change.
Tetsu laughed nervously, eyeing the daisho on the other's waist; if appearances were anything to go by, this other youth had seen combat. His left hand clutched the swords in a firm grip, and the scar on his left cheek was smooth and narrow--made by a blade.
And the silence was damned uncomfortable, especially with those strangely luminous eyes staring at him. Was it just the lamplight, or...?
"No," said the stranger, his voice husky, soft, boyish.
"Eh?" Blinking, Tetsu stared at him, speechless.
Finally, the taller boy seemed to take pity on him, turning those weird, freezing eyes away. "I don't like Shinsengumi," he murmured.
"Oh!" He wanted to tell this other boy off a bit--after all, he'd been run down, and now this fellow had no respect for the Shinsengumi--but his tongue was locked to the floor of his mouth, and something in that cold, burning stare that had been turned his way frightened him.
There was something he could see--something he knew, from the many times he'd seen it in his Shinsengumi compatriots. Something dark and dangerous was in this red-haired boy--something as bloodthirsty as Okita-san could be, but somehow...infinitely more deadly.
Okita-san was friendly...most of the time. This guy...he didn't like Shinsengumi and he...
"I'm not gonna hurt you, kid," said the stranger's voice, quiet, even as the hard gaze followed the last of the Shinsengumi around the distant street corner.
Starting, Tetsu gulped yet again, realizing that something of his fear must have shown on his face. It was...strange...so few people had the power to terrify him with just a look... "Uh...I didn't really mean anything by it...I just..."
A mere glance from those strange, cold-bright eyes silenced him. "Never mind. Sorry for knocking you over."
"Oh...uh, no problem..." Still uncomfortable, Tetsu looked down and away, shifting nervously. "Er, you..."
When he looked back up again, the other youth was gone.
Shocked, Tetsu stared at the place the other red-haired boy had been standing, then gawked around at the nearby crowds. There was no sign of the strange youth anywhere.
A cold chill threaded its way up his spine; that boy had been right next to him, and he hadn't even heard him move.
Then, with a startled blink, he remembered that he was going to be stuck outside after curfew. Yelping curses, he whirled back around and dove through the scattering crowd, headed back to the Shinsengumi headquarters.
He was right; Hijikata was mad about his lateness.
Not long after that strange night, the Ikedaya Affair exploded across Kyoto.
Well, I hope that was entertaining. I only have the first four volumes of PMK anime and have seen about three of the manga continuation, so my facts on events are a bit shaky...but...here's hoping it didn't sound too foolish. There's my little snippet for today...back to work on important things, like seeing if RT will function or if all my RK stuff is dead. *sigh* Brain-chan's always asleeep when I need her. -_-
I'm hoping to catch up with some folks in chats. See you then!
*sigh* Well, life goes on. I kinda kick-started the writing a bit by buying myself some new anime (yes, I went and got schnookered by two new series! Sue me!), and getting all re-excited helped a lot. (I would still love to acquire more DC and such, since I'm trying so hard and RT is still suffering flatness syndrome.) So I'm pleased to be writing again, even if it's a bit stilted, but at least it sort of gets the ball rolling.
Just to help convince you I'm indeed alive and not completely out of it, I thought I'd share a bit. It's a crossover, involving Peacemaker Kurogane (which I'm still new-ish at, so please forgive).
* * * * *
Ichimura Tetsunosuke was bored. And he was almost lost. And it was approaching curfiew, and Hijikata was likely to pull his ears off if he didn't show up before the gates closed.
"Ehhh," the short boy sighed to himself, grumbling. "I just know I'm gonna regret trying to find her a present...what do they know anyhow? 'Snot like they have lives outside the squads..."
The street was crowded, which made matters worse. As short as he was--and he loathed it to no end--being in a crowd was like walking through a deep trench; he could never see where he was going, hence the tendency to get a bit lost. Plus, people tended to all but walk over him, which made him annoyed.
Che! I'm a member of the Shinsengumi--haori or no haori--and I don't get a lick of respect! Well...even if I'm not wearing swords...
Tired of dodging large bodies, Tetsu pulled up short in the overhang of a small shop, taking a breather. Scowling, he watched all the people scurry by, everyone from samurai to peasant merchant. For a while, the simple flow of people began to calm his ire, as his hot-tempered thoughts turned to wondering where all these people might be going to and from, if they were relatives to any of his friends, if they were allied with Choshu...if someone they knew had been killed...
Damn rebels. Tetsu's fists tightened. If they didn't start this...if they didn't cause trouble...people wouldn't be...!
Sudden hushed, worried murmurs from the crowd alerted him to the people beginning to draw back from the middle of the street, clearing a path. Mutterings of "Shingsengumi" and "Miburou" made him smile; an evening patrol was likely passing by. Now he could have a clear path!
Pushing off the shop wall, he headed for the middle of the street, trying to shove through the crowd. He dodged around a particularly corpulent individual--
--only to run smack into someone moving in exactly the opposite direction, away from the advancing Shinsengumi, in the same hurried pace. His being the lesser mass--as usual--he was knocked back where he started, falling on his rear and whacking his head on the shop wall.
"Iteee!" he hissed, sitting up to try a glare--through somewhat blurry eyes--at the individual who had struck him. "Why don't you watch where you're--!"
He cut off with a hard gulp the moment his clearing vision gave him a good look at the man staring down at him with icy eyes that gave him shivers the likes of which he hadn't felt from anyone but Okita-san.
Then, in a blink, the terror was gone--and there was only a somewhat irritated teenage boy glaring down at him with a cold, impatient face. "My bad," the stranger stated quietly, simply, offering a hand.
Swallowing again, Tetsu hesitantly took the help up, too startled by that brief glimpse to go for bravado. Once he was on his feet, the stranger ignored him, instead pressing back against the shop wall and glaring out at the passing Shinsengumi troop--men that Tetsu couldn't see through the crowd.
Frowning, the young man stood on tiptoe, then sighed in exasperation. A bit curious now, he glanced over at the youth who'd run into him--blinking in a bit of surprise to find that the stranger wasn't even a head taller than himself; he'd never seen anyone of his age or older who was shorter than Okita-san or Nagakura. It was strange, but it made him feel taller--he just reached the other youth's jaw, if one didn't count his wild hair.
And speaking of hair--Tetsu knew his own sunset auburn mane was unusual enough, but he had never seen anyone with hair like the other boy's; despite the hat and the dim light, he could tell the youth's long hair was as red as blood.
The other boy seemed to notice his stare and turned a brief glare at him; Tetsu gulped for a third time and edged away. "Ano...er...gomen...uh, you...don't like Shinsengumi, do you?"
One reddish eyebrow quirked, ever so slightly. The cold gaze did not change.
Tetsu laughed nervously, eyeing the daisho on the other's waist; if appearances were anything to go by, this other youth had seen combat. His left hand clutched the swords in a firm grip, and the scar on his left cheek was smooth and narrow--made by a blade.
And the silence was damned uncomfortable, especially with those strangely luminous eyes staring at him. Was it just the lamplight, or...?
"No," said the stranger, his voice husky, soft, boyish.
"Eh?" Blinking, Tetsu stared at him, speechless.
Finally, the taller boy seemed to take pity on him, turning those weird, freezing eyes away. "I don't like Shinsengumi," he murmured.
"Oh!" He wanted to tell this other boy off a bit--after all, he'd been run down, and now this fellow had no respect for the Shinsengumi--but his tongue was locked to the floor of his mouth, and something in that cold, burning stare that had been turned his way frightened him.
There was something he could see--something he knew, from the many times he'd seen it in his Shinsengumi compatriots. Something dark and dangerous was in this red-haired boy--something as bloodthirsty as Okita-san could be, but somehow...infinitely more deadly.
Okita-san was friendly...most of the time. This guy...he didn't like Shinsengumi and he...
"I'm not gonna hurt you, kid," said the stranger's voice, quiet, even as the hard gaze followed the last of the Shinsengumi around the distant street corner.
Starting, Tetsu gulped yet again, realizing that something of his fear must have shown on his face. It was...strange...so few people had the power to terrify him with just a look... "Uh...I didn't really mean anything by it...I just..."
A mere glance from those strange, cold-bright eyes silenced him. "Never mind. Sorry for knocking you over."
"Oh...uh, no problem..." Still uncomfortable, Tetsu looked down and away, shifting nervously. "Er, you..."
When he looked back up again, the other youth was gone.
Shocked, Tetsu stared at the place the other red-haired boy had been standing, then gawked around at the nearby crowds. There was no sign of the strange youth anywhere.
A cold chill threaded its way up his spine; that boy had been right next to him, and he hadn't even heard him move.
Then, with a startled blink, he remembered that he was going to be stuck outside after curfew. Yelping curses, he whirled back around and dove through the scattering crowd, headed back to the Shinsengumi headquarters.
He was right; Hijikata was mad about his lateness.
Not long after that strange night, the Ikedaya Affair exploded across Kyoto.
* * * * *
Well, I hope that was entertaining. I only have the first four volumes of PMK anime and have seen about three of the manga continuation, so my facts on events are a bit shaky...but...here's hoping it didn't sound too foolish. There's my little snippet for today...back to work on important things, like seeing if RT will function or if all my RK stuff is dead. *sigh* Brain-chan's always asleeep when I need her. -_-
I'm hoping to catch up with some folks in chats. See you then!
*grins*
*huggles* Hope we overlap on chat!