With Whom it all Began (Valorian/Katara)

[Valorian]

How would this even work? How would she respond? And what if Kenshin was with her? Urgh, this whole thing was just making him nauseous just thinking about it. It was a mistake to come here. To this City, certainly, but to this place specifically.

He'd found the place where she lived. It was simple, somehow that seemed fitting for her, but now he was paralyzed standing outside of it. He waited there for what seemed like hours, but was barely a minute. Finally he called out, his voice nearly cracked from his fear.

"K-Katara?" He asked, the name sounding foreign to his ears. "Is anyone there?" He called again. There was no response...so she wasn't in right now.

Before he could consider this divergence from the plan, he had an incredible desire to flee from this scene. And he turned and would have begun to walk away if he'd had the chance.

[Katara]

Katara walked back to her house, Kirala in tow. The fiery-haired girl walked a bit sloppily, her attention focused on the apple in her hand. Katara had taken her to the market, where she let her pick out her favorite fruit. She thought of Kenshin, off seeing that no trouble was brewing on the plains. She missed her husband, but she knew that it was for the best.

The pair drew upon the humble home and were met by an unfamiliar figure. Katara stepped in front of Kirala and placed a hand on the dagger that was always strapped around her waist. The figure was facing the door, his green hair fluttering in the breeze. She wondered who this man could be, and if he did not know that Kenshin wasn't there. Very few people came to see Katara, and those who did were usually young woman looking for a fencing teacher.

"Excuse me, sir, but is there someone you are looking for?" Katara asked the man, smiling and hoping he was not some kind of outlaw.

[Valorian]

The boy now a man turned sharply when he heard the voice behind him, and stared for a moment. He knew it was rude, but that thought was so far from his mind right now that he couldn't even perceive it. She had aged...seven years was a long time...and she had a daughter. Her hair color made it obvious who her father was, but those eyes...her mother's eyes.

But still, even after seven years, there was no mistaking her. He did note that she had her hand on something on her waist, and realized that she did not yet recognize him. He raised his right hand only, being that the left was not there. He nodded, taking his gaze between the women and her daughter.

"Ah...yes there is. I'm..um..." he paused, and then closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

What did you even come here for?

"I've come looking for the women I wronged seven years ago." He spoke, his brown eyes no longer meeting her gaze.

[Katara]

Katara began to tell the man he was mistaken, but then... She stopped, mid-breath. She knew those eyes. They had changed, they seemed more worldly. The last time she saw them, they were filled with hate. Hatred of life, of Kenshin, but mostly of her. She took a step back, her hand dropping from her dagger.

"Lumino?" She was at a loss for words. Here was someone she thought was twice dead, standing right in front of her. Kirala tugged at her dress, but said nothing. "Ah, where are my manners. Please... Come in. I..." she stopped and adjusted in her tone, trying not the revert back to the breathy, pausing girl she was seven years ago. "If you are who I think you are, then you have quite a tail to spin me. And it is time for Kirala's nap, if you don't mind." she unlocked the door and held it open for Valorian to enter.

[Valorian]

To say he was surprised by her hospitality would have been an understatement, but he declined to comment with her child present. He nodded without another word, and moved into the house. He remained standing while Katat went off with her daughter, who looked back at the strange man curiously.

As they were gone, Valorian released a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding. The first step was down...thank the gods...but it was by no means over. As Valorian looked over the house, he could see the signs of a family living here. Tools for cooking, weaving, even carpentry and such. And of course...her sword. The same sword that had saved his life so many years ago...How had it all come to an end the way it had?

No...it had not come to an end. He was continuing it now. He'd been giving a second chance, and he would use it to set it all right. No more running, no more hiding.

After a few moments more, Katara returned and he nodded to her. "I didn't want to say it with your daughter present, but I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd drawn that blade of yours, considering...the last time we met." he said, his face falling once again.

[Katara]

Katara ushered Valorian in to a seat. "Your eyes stopped me. I remember them being so full of hate, so twisted. Yet seeing you now, your eyes cleansed of such feelings, I knew that you did not wish to harm me. I should have known you were still out there. I do not blame you if you hate me for not looking for you."

Trying to be more hospitable, Katara lit a fire in the hearth and placed a kettle of water in front of it. "I have the most wonderfully smooth tea in these cabinets somewhere, once I find it, you can begin with your story." she said while rummaging through cabinets by the hearth. She stopped once she had found the metal tim and looked back at the man she still knew was Lumino. She smiled and said, "It looks like we have both grown up. I cannot express how happy I am to see you well."

[Valorian]

"Hate..." He said, letting his eyes drift down to the table her sat before. "Jealousy, perhaps a better word. It was the last thing I clung to when...I fought Alan." It was still difficult for him to talk about. He couldn't imagine anyone being comfortable talking about their death though. "It was that feeling that Hargus grasped on to...that he twisted me with. I caused you no end of pain and anguish...and I nearly..." He let his eyes drift down towards her daughters room. "When I awoke...my mind was my own. I changed my name, dyed my hair, hid myself away the only way I knew how...for seven years. I just couldn't face what I had done...still seeing it now." He paused, swirling his finger around the table. "I knew, of course, the one day I would need to come here if I lived long enough. But I...well...there is no place for me in this city you've made."

He heard the kettle boiling and paused his story here. "You've made a good life for yourself. I'm very glad, you deserved no less."

[Katara]

Katara looked down at the table as Lumino spoke. Yes, after that battle so long ago, Katara could hardly contain her sadness. She knew that she had not acted the way a proper warrior would, nor a proper friend. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, and, as if sensing the silence, the kettle started whistling.

She took the kettle from the stove and prepared the tea. A pleasant, almost flowery, aroma, filled the room. She set a mug in front of Lumino and sat down with her own. She took a breath and said, "I am glad you came. I had a cloud of shame hanging over me for so long after that fight. I could have done more. I think of how I killed people those of our company once called friends, and how I... How I close I came to dying. I thought about it a lot over the years. I came to blame myself for what happened. I should have seen your feelings, I should have acted. But then..." she paused, taking a sip of the still-hot tea. "What will you do now? You may think that there is no place for you here, but... Do you still use magic?"

[Valorian]

Lumino held his hand up to her. "Don't." He said, almost pleading. "None of what happened was your fault. I felt that I had the best of intentions when it began, but things spiraled out of control...they always seem to. You showed restraint, your sought to save someone who was trying to kill you...someone who had killed countless others."

And a slight bit of awkward silence took on as she poured the tea. He raised his bup, taking a sip. It was quite good, he hadn't tasted anything like this before, and let the liquid wash away the weariness he felt.

"For a time, I was too afraid of it. I recently moved past that, and I think that was part of what brought me here. I came to realize that hiding from past mistakes will not erase them. I had to come here to...lay it all to rest." He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it was weak at best. "You should not blame yourself. You saved the world, you have a child and I am sure a loving husband, you have earned the right to live out your days in peace without having to be reminded of that time. I, however..."

He paused again.

"That town...those docks...the images are scared into my mind. I have not earned that right, I will never earn that right. If all I can do to make up for it is to help the world through it's present crisis, then that is what will be."

He looked around the house again, and chuckled darkly to himself. "Though with less malicious intent then the last time, I find myself once again envious of what Kenshin has. A loving wife and daughter, a place to call home, the respect and honor of his people. But...wishing for the life of someone else is what caused all of this trouble. I am going out to find my own life, somewhere out there. I just wanted to make sure that I'd finished this chapter, before my time really does come for real."

[Katara]

Katara wanted to hug Lumino, but she knew better. They were both different now, in so many ways. She knew that she would always hold him in her mind as a friend, but his actions under Hargus's thrall were etched in to her mind as well. She could forgive the mage, but she couldn't forget that terrible day. She leaned back in her chair, her mind suddenly full of the good memories of her travels.

"This life is not all fun and sunshine. I love who I am and what I do, but... It is hard. Hard to fight the urge to leave, to go adventuring. I hear so many rumors of the world today, how things are heating up, but I know that I cannot leave." Katara took another sip of tea, gathering her thoughts.

"With Kenshin gone, though I know he has a job to do, I am so very lonely. I would never think of leaving Kirala, or taking her with me on some hare-brained adventure, but... Sometimes I dream of travelling, of meeting new comrades, of adrenaline-pumping battles. Ha, what a fool I am. I would never give up this life for the strife of the road."

[Valorian]

Lumino placed his hand on the table, nodding. "Many times before, I wanted to just give it up. To go on and live a happy life somewhere, to forget about everything. But that isn't in the stars for me any more then returning to the roads is for you. You have something precious to protect, and both of you being here and safe is what gives Kenshin the strength to fight as he does now." He didn't even know Kenshin that well, he'd met him once in all honesty, but she needed to hear this.

"Nobody can deny the things you accomplished. But this is a time for a new generation. If you'd seen what I had, the people who are starting out, much as we did all those years ago." He swirled the tea around the cup for a moment. "Even were I to die tomorrow, I'm not afraid of what the future will bring. I have seen others, their eyes shining with the same hope we all had back then. When the world was turned upside down and it seemed like we had no hope at all. Much like now, and still those from all walks of life heed the call." He looked to the women he had once harbored such conflicting emotions over, glad that he had come here.

"Leave this chapter to us. After all, one day it may be her turn." He said, gesturing down the hallway. "Though I hope such a day never comes, this world always seems to need heroes."

He looked at the now empty cup of tea, and considered it a sign. "I'm glad I came here. It did me good to talk to you, to put everything to rest." He started to get up, feeling that his work here was done. Anything else would likely be bringing more painful memories to the front of both of their minds.

[Katara]

OoC: Let me know if I'm out of line, here.

Katara smiled once more at the sage, as she used to so long ago. She thought about his comment about Kirala, and grabbed his hand as he got up. "My daughter, she... While both of her parents were students of the blade, I've noticed something about her. They say magic shows itself in many ways, at many ages. I've watched her on nights when she was having bad dreams. How could I not, the way her subconsciousness would effect the world? She would reach out, as though to strike a monster, and a spark would fly from her. She almost set the house ablaze more than a few times. The point I am trying to make is, if she has the gift, I would trust no one else to teach her but you."

Katara paused for a moment, and, not wanting to sound like it was urgent, she added, "When the time came, if the world is at peace and your skills are no longer needed to keep it so, would you consider such a favor?"

[Valorian]

When she grabbed his hand he was surprised. He had not expected this from her at all, and eyed her with a confused expression. And then she began to talk...and he slowly began to understand. The girl, her daughter, she was gifted. From her description, he knew that it was so. And she...wanted him to teach her?

He remained silent for a moment. He'd always wanted a student...that was what he always had desired. But now, when the prospect was right in front of him, he hesitated. The first women he ever loved...no that word was wrong, but that didn't matter anymore. She was asking him to teach her beloved child about the art that he had used to kill...and nearly had killed her with.

If this was part of his atonement, then so be it. "Very well." He responded. "I promise to you that I will survive this, and I will return to instruct your daughter in the ways of magic. I swear on the name I have long since discarded."

He turned to glance down the hall where his future student slept, and he felt like for once he had a reason to survive all of this. No, that wasn't true, he had another reason he wanted to survive. But the question became if she felt the same way...?

"I will see you again Katara, when all of this is over." He said, giving her a final smile as he took his leave. He refused to say good bye, after all, they would meet again. He would ensure it.

[Katara]

Katara watched Lumino go, the stress of an unspoken question gone. She tidied up her kitchen, saving the tea leaves for another batch. When she woke up today, she didn't have any idea that what had just happened would. To be honest, she didn't quite believe it just had. She thought back to the days when she thought the mage dead, and eve worse, the ones where they had come close to killed one another. A single tear escaped her eye, landing on the apple she had bought for Kirala. She smiled, thinking of how lucky her daughter will be to have such a good man teaching her.

Then she remembered his last comment, or his promise, as it were. I swear on the name I have long since discarded. What was he called now?