Merging of the Worlds (Athene & Silverknight's 1x1)

Lub dub

It was weak and very abrupt. But sure enough, Tayuya's mind and body began to register it; her pulse.

.. Huh? The fuck? Wait a second. Why?

Her most recent memories hinted that she had been - well - dead. That goddamn blonde bitch made far too many trees fall upon her. The worst part? She'd almost had that Nara bastard! She'd almost won her fight! She probably would have were it not for the outside interference.

Lub dub

There it was again. Another beat of her heart. Her hands trembled before Tayuya felt her fists weakly clench.

Why? Why is this ... ??

Her eyes quickly shot open as an unnerving and terrifying thought entered her mind.

"No!" she hissed. "No! No, no, no ... agh! That ... fucking snake bastard ... nu-uh! He's not ... ungh!"

Her lungs ached, dear gods did they hurt! Even the usually simple task of breathing was .. a chore. She probably had a rib or two - if not more - still broken. But now that she took the time to examine herself, Tayuya finally saw for herself she hadn't gone insane just yet. She still didn't understand why or how but she was definitely alive. Sore, bruised, incredibly weak, famished and ... older?

" ... I've got a fucking chest?" she mused, blinking as she also noted her words were very true. She'd gone from barely having any breasts to seeming having grown to a good C cup or so. She felt herself flush slightly before shaking her head.

"That doesn't fucking matter right now. You got more important shit to do ... agh!"

Not even realizing that somehow, her outfit had also changed, she began shakily pushing herself up to her feet, wincing and hissing in pure agony. Each movement made her gasp and struggle to gain more oxygen. She felt herself accomplish her goal and stand up on her feet ... only to collapse a few seconds later.

"Fuck," she muttered. As the urge to cough overcame Tayuya, she raised a hand instinctively. When her hand moved away, she saw a bit of crimson and knew perfectly well what it was; blood.

"Heh. Of all the times I actually kinda miss Four-Eyes, of course ... it'd be ... now when I need him. Son of a bitch .... "

Beginning to look around once more, her face paled as yet another revelation hit her roughly. She wasn't in the Forest of Death. She was ... well, Tayuya wasn't sure. But this was not at all her home.

"Great! Just ... fucking lovely! You're alive under strange circumstances and alone! Fucking lovely ...." Another coughing fit dominated the now seventeen year old musician as more blood fell on her hand. A weak whimper elicited as a rare but genuine sense of fear began to surge through her.

"You're about to die ... again. And this time, you're not coming back .... "

Her head shook frantically from side to side, the mere thought angering her. Little more than raw adrenaline mixed in with the terror as she tried desperately to push herself up once more, wanting anything but to die again. Finally, she had a chance at starting a new life, one that didn't involve that creepy snake bastard. If she gave up now .... she would lose the opportunity plus her life. If Tayuya was really going to perish, she didn't want it to be due to raising her arms and mentally screaming 'Fuck this! I'm done!'.

Kenshin Himura was walking back from town,he was in Edo, there to help out some people mostly Miss Megumi who he had helped safe from a man not that long before. He had meet many interesting characters in his time in Kyoto, but he lived by himself, having turned down the offer from one young woman to move in with her, and help her personally. It just wasn't something he wanted to even think about. He could help people, but at a school that taught swordsmenship. No, that was far to close to his former life the one that he was trying his damn hardest to avoid as possible. Still he had his little fights against Aoshi for example which had been more then a bit troublesome.

This night he was heading home from a night of being around Sanosuke and his friends, it was a good night and he figured that the small house he got from the mayor for his work in the village would be nice to rest in. He was walking down the street towards his home on the outskirts of the village when he saw her, laying there. The red hair stood out so clearly, as it was uncommon for a woman to have such hair, especially around this part who wasn't wearing western clothing. He moved up quickly upon the woman as he looked down at her. "Well, miss, it seems you need help, that it does," he said politely as he knew the situation was rather serious just from looking at her.

"Now, I will help, that I will. Just relax, and I will get you to a doctor as fast as possible, that I will," he said as he carefully lowered himself down and picked her up. He knew her injuries were to serious for him to deal with and he had nothing to use at the moment. She was heavy, but he didn't have a choice, he had to carry her to see Megumi as fast as was possible. He knew where she was too. Luckily it was close by at Gensai's place. He put her down as the old man came out to check on her with Megumi as well. He knew that there was not that much he could do at that moment. If anyone could help her it was these two as they knew more about medicine then anyone else that he knew. He knew that they were both very capable.

Kenshin sat on the room, out of the way as the two worked, wondering what had happened, and how the young woman had gotten hurt , who she happened to be, and where she was from. She really stuck our a great deal in comparison to the normal people who were in town. This and how he found her, made her something of a mystery for him and he was sure that there was more to her then meet the eye, and there was the possibility of trouble as well given her state when he found her.

Tayuya had been in the middle of her third attempt in trying to stand up when she heard footsteps. Her senses weren't nearly as keen as the swordsman who came into view, albeit she didn't yet know just how good they were. Still, it was enough that she had definitely heard him even if only barely. Among the former Sound group, she had been one of the stronger people ... probably second or third in ranking. Kimimaru was definitely more powerful than her ... and maybe she would admit the same was true with Kidoumaru. But that was a huge maybe, one that she didn't want to think of and not just because the timing was wrong. The memories were not at all pleasant and they caused the red haired flute player to grimace.

... And then, another wake up call hit her.

"My flute! Son of a bitch!"

She winced and panted as she patted herself down and felt her heart sink even further. It probably got a bit scratched while it fell lower into her chest. But ... she didn't care enough. Her only weapon and one of the few things that had kept her sane throughout the years was gone, probably still buried and crushed under all the trees.

"That bitch," she muttered in between struggling breaths, "I ... I'm gonna ... ngh ... "

Even if Tayuya could have protested - verbally or otherwise - she at least understood the last thing she could do was fight back. Hell, she hadn't gotten to her feet on her own. So even if she was definitely unsure about this new man suddenly arriving and insisting he would help out, she had no real choice but to accept. For now. However, this did not mean she wouldn't fully trust him. Just enough that he was at least keeping his promise and taking her to some doctor.

Which ... bothered her. More than it should. A twinge of guilt began to swim through Tayuya. But she had to know. So .... she spoke her mind.

"You ... ngh ... barely know me. Why? Is .... there some .... sorta catch I don't ... know of yet?"

It was just something she wasn't used to, plain and simple. The last time that Tayuya had been 'wanted', it had been by Orochimaru and Kabuto. Of course, they only took her in at the cost of forcing her to give up her freedom. She hadn't officially been a slave. Thinking back on it though, she may as well have been. Tayuya had complied with every goddamn wish and whim, obeying orders without any real question. Even when she was asked to retrieve the Uchiha brat, she'd still complied. And she had done so despite feeling unsure about the mission.

.. Heh. That ... should have been your warning signal, huh? she mused. She'd tried to maintain some control over her body, even if the gesture was merely keeping her head lifted a bit. But, in the end, it failed and soon, she felt her head fall against Kenshin's chest. Every new breath caused a labored and very desperate sound, only getting worse as her lungs scratched ever-so-slightly against her ribs. The sensation alone made her terrified to breathe. But ... she couldn't just hold her breath either.

So she tried to keep her inhaling and exhaling at a relatively steady pace, not wishing to make things too bad if it could be helped.

Tayuya was ... not quite sure how to feel. The reassurance of being able to get medical help was definitely nice. But .. after that? Then what? Her mind once again went to the thought of just starting over. But would it really be that easy? Part of her hoped it would be and at the same time, some portion in the musician's mind knew it wouldn't be.

After all, when has life ever been easy for ya? Nah. There's always gotta be some bullshit you need to worry about. Tch.

He could tell that there was something that was rather bothering this redhaired woman, that there was something rather negative that had happened to this woman before he came in contact with it. It wasn't time to question her or figure out what it was as that would be counter produtive but he knew that the situation was on that he should keep an eye on even after this woman was healed. He waited calmly as he looked at the old man and the raven haired woman work to help this woman out. He had not answered her as they traveled as he sat there watching carefully staying out of the way to the two trained doctors.

A hour or so later, the two were done, as they had wrapped up the young woman with bandages and had her situation stablized as she was now laying down quietly as he looked at her. "Now, how is she Gensai," he asked as he walked up to him outside of the room to talk to the old man. He knew that the old man would know the situation well.

"She is stable and should be fine with rest, I have to admit, we don't see many people injuried like her much, makes one wonder wheres she is from. Still you finding a beautiful woman and helping them, seems to be your thing recently," he said kidding Kenshin mostly about the situation with him saving Megumi from a moment earlier. "She is a remarkable woman, we don't see many who look like her, and she is much stronger then one would thing, plus she had old injuries that were healed by someone who knew what they were doing, so this girl has some type of odd past," he reasoned based on what he saw from her.

Kenshin nodded his head as he wondered about this woman, she was a true mystery that he knew nothing about. He did know that she would need a place to stay if she had none. He knew that he never saw her around, so perhaps she was new. He knew thought it was possible she was just traveling though and would want to go to her would be destination. He slipped back in to find the young woman resting on the mat still. "Well, you have a clean bill of health as long as you rest up, that you do," he said to her calmly as he sat down. "May I ask, what do you remember, it might be a bit important, that it might."

Even without his almost godlike senses, Tayuya had spelled out that there was much more to her than he immediately saw with his eyes. The random mumbling about some woman and a flute would definitely have aided out though there was also the simple fact of she really did seem ... out of place somehow.

Every now and again, her eyes would shift between opening and closing, sometimes slipping into REM cycles and sneaking brief naps in. The main signal to Kenshin that she was alive and well enough were weak groans which passed her parted lips, usually followed by hisses of pain from having breathed at all. By the time the medical treatment was finished, she was slowly starting to come to once more, fueled on primarily by quite the number of bad flashbacks.

Most somehow included Orochimaru. The man had been eerie beyond any and all realms of normality. But the saddest had been the gut instinct which screamed to her Kimimaru wouldn't complete the mission to get Sasuke back. He had been too sick. The desire to obey and please that goddamn snake bastard by not failing had been the only fire keeping his life lit and - ironically enough - was true in a very literal sense.

"Kimimaru ... " she muttered, whimpering softly. "Don't go. You don't .... no ..... "

As quickly as her mind had formed the image of her former comrade, it was soon replaced by the medical doctor she used to know. But it wasn't only Kabuto which made him that much more stranger. He seemed ... paler. And his eyes. Those were most certainly not his. No, they were Orochimaru's.

"The fuck?" she murmured, barely above a whisper.

All the while, she was semi-conscious. It was more like talking in her sleep than anything but she was conscious enough to start realizing these were but images, thankfully.

It wasn't until the formerly fused version of Kabuto tried to actually reach down and grope her. Tayuya's eyes shot open as she swung her hand through the air, panting and gasping quickly.

"I ... ummm .... fuck." Her head turned away as she felt her cheeks darken slightly. Poor Tayuya was downright mortified that Kenshin had seen her react in a very aggressive and unorthodox manner and had likely heard her speak. Tayuya gripped her lower lip with her teeth before slowly gazing up at the new face and made contact with the foreign violet orbs above her.

"You definitely won't believe me ... ngh. But that's okay. Quite frankly, I'm ... having a hard time believing this myself. But the last thing I recall ... was my last few minutes alive before I was crushed to death. I'd been sent out on a stupid ass mission snake yaro had me and some others go out on. Fucking Uchiha brat wasn't even worth it ... but .... " A defeated sigh passed her lips, "He was the only one who even took any of us in. We'd all been orphans. So ... saying 'no' wasn't really an option back then. But .... I was also fourteen. Now I'm ... older somehow."

Tayuya paused, allowing the swordsman to register that not only was he speaking with someone who used to be deceased but younger. Clearly, some source of magic had aided in her revival and aging processes. And pretty strong magic at that rate.

"I don't know why I'm here ... let alone where exactly this. I ... heh ... I'm sorry. Like I said, crazy shit huh? Fuck!"

Kenshin looked down at the redhaired woman, he knew that if he had not found her, that she would most likely be dead at this moment. He felt good about that, being able to help people was something he greatly enjoyed. Now he could tell that she was coming to, from whatever trace like state she had been in. He knew that he didn't know anything about her, who she was, where she was from anything. He figured he might as well start slow. He figured she wouldn't need to be bugged to much or bothered as it would trigger something bad, such as bad memories perhaps. He saw her hand move a bit and just missed him as he backed away from her, moving a safe bit back. He wouldn't of predicted such a reaction, but he guess whatever dream she was having or had, was not a rather nice one to wake up from or one you really did want to wake up from.

Kenshin looked down at the redhead pausing for a moment as he looked into her eyes, trying to get a read from her of some kind as he blinked. Curse words were nothing new to him, he had been in battle and warrior. In Kyoto it was very common to hear such words a great deal of the time. He remained quiet as he listened to her, talk, about some mission and then something about a snake, an Uchiha, and her being a orphan with the others as well being an orphan. Most of it he didn't understand other then the fact she admitted to being an orphan, granted he was one too. He had been found by someone better then most, and he guessed based on her words, that whoever found her was not the type of person you would want to find you ever.

"Well, I don't know if I can help you with any of your questions, that I don't," he said calmly as he looked at her, "your in Tokyo, Japan, that you are. This is the house of doctor Gensai, the man who took care of you and helped you, that he did," he said as he looked at her with a smile, "Now, there aren't any Uchiha clan or any people like this snake you talk about around here, that there are surely not," he said firmly as he looked at her, "Now your story does seem a bit odd, given the time of peace we are in and well, the death and getting older part, but maybe it is just a chance thing that has happen to you, that it is," he said as he had no clue who she was, or how she got there, "Honestly, now I know not to ask you those question of where your from, but I do want to know who you are, that I do."

Truthfully, it would have been more of a miracle if Kenshin had understood her story. Not that Tayuya doubted his intelligence. But it would never make complete sense unless he had seen everything happen while in her world. But somehow, she had been removed from the nations, far away from Otogakure and everything she used to know. Now, she was - apparently - in Tokyo, Japan. She stayed silent, clearly taken aback and a bit shocked. Now there was more than just needing to try to heal up that he would have to wait for and that would come in the form of adapting to this new life and way of life.

"I ... hardly know what to say." She finally admitted, sighing as the musician subconsciously pulled the covers just a bit higher and hiding more of the kimono. "I mean ... I would have tried to leave, yeah. But not quite like this. Nor would it have involved cheating Death. But ... if this really isn't Otogakure then ... " Her head slowly shook from side to side. "I'm being stupid. I get that. I should be embracing this chance. Still, I can't help but feel ... kinda uneasy. Probably because ... I shouldn't have it."

There was no point in sugarcoating the truth nor was it her style, something that was blatantly clear from how she had been speaking.

Even while the silence continued to hover over them, Tayuya found her mind racing frantically. She was glad and relieved he didn't accuse of her being insane. She wouldn't have blamed him. But it made things easier to know this man wouldn't just turn away from her due to having heard a seemingly impossible story. That was when it hit her though.

" ... Tayuya. My name's Tayuya. You .. are ... ??"

While waiting to hear the answer, her stomach clenched then growled, making her head turn again as Tayuya's cheeks darkened, turning a deeper shade of red. " ... I suppose it has been a hell of a while." She mused to herself, realizing tat if she truly had been deceased for some number of years, she hadn't eaten since before her death.

Kenshin sat there listening to her talk about wanting to leave, he guessed she was in a bad situation based on how she talked about it, but he knew nothing about that situation and he was guessing that he would understand it ever from the story that she was telling. He put it aside, it didn't matter if he did or didn't understand her story, that was just her background. He knew more then anyone that sometimes people needed a fresh start, a new beginning or simply just a second chance to live ones life how one wanted to live it. He knew that Miss Megumi was like that too, having made drugs for a evil man before he had saved her from that fate. Kenshin figured that she needed a second chance herself, and this was most likely going to be the only one that she ever got. He figured he should help her as much as he could in this attempt.

"My name is Himura Kenshin, or just Kenshin, that it is." he replied as he looked at Tayuya, it was a normal name for a Japanese woman as he figured that her culture where ever she was from most likely wasn't all that different then his own culture. He heard her stomach as well, it was loud, impressively so, as he heard her admit that she has been hungry. "Yeah, that is fine, it isn't a problem, that it won't" he commented as he went and found some left over onigiri that was from the meal early and brought that back to her so that she could at least have something to eat. Who knew how the change in her body would effect her hunger too, if she did change as she said, it was possible that could impact it greatly.

"Here you go, eat up, I am sure it isn't the best but it is food and well all there is around, that it is," he said as he gave her the food putting it on one side of her before moving back to give her some space. "What was your job back in this Otogakure, which I must admit is a funny name, that I must," he said as he looked at her. Village hidden in the sound, what a odd name to call something. Why would anyone hide sound or hide anything in sound it was impossible to do both really, or so he figured at least. Still that was the meaning of the name for some reason.

"Kenshin ... " Tayuya repeated the name softly, making sure to remember it. She then took the time to look up and better study the swordsman in front of her. Just as he had noticed red hair was relatively rare to see, this was mostly true with Tayuya also. She had never known anyone else who had red hair. And even from the ninja cards that Kabuto used to have, none of the shinobi or kunoichi had red hair which was ... interesting. So to see someone else with a very rare hair color was intriguing. His eyes were gorgeous and rather mesmerizing. Just those alone could make anyone forget he was a ronin, or some sword user as the blade attached to his hip suggested.

O-Oi! The fuck are you going on about?! Don't be stupid like that ...

"Well ... I don't usually need saving or help of any kind. But ... thanks anyway. I definitely would have been left to die without a second thought if I were back home."

It was a rather grim and depressing truth but she knew it was just that; an honest to gods fact. No one would have tried to help her. Definitely not the blonde bitch who caused her demise in the first place, not the lazy Nara prick, no one. And yet with that being said and done, it helped her know the new life was something she desperately needed as opposed to merely wanting.

When Kenshin left the room to get food, Tayuya embraced the brief silence that surrounded her. She took a few seconds to pat herself down, wondering if by some miracle her flute had reappeared in this new kimono that she definitely had not recalled dying in. Then again, it was a much better change than the ugly ass outfit Orochimaru used to make her and the others wear. So she definitely wouldn't complain.

Of course not ... she inwardly cursed, sighing as she felt the flute was gone. Her teeth gripped her lower lip nervously. Her only weapon and real means of self-defense ... gone. Now what?! Argh!

While it was true that she had insisted on starting anew, she would have preferred to do so with her flute. It wasn't something she often did but Tayuya did know how to normally play it without using genjutsus. That had been her original plan but now even that was ruined.

A soft, defeated sigh passed her lips as Kenshin entered once more, this time with food. "Thanks ... " she muttered softly, sitting up so she had better access and the ability to better reach the onigiri. Gripping it in one hand, she raised the treat up and took a bite. It wasn't anything overly fancy but Tayuya was definitely not about to be picky. Food was food and she would count her blessings that she was able to eat let alone breathe. Granted, it was still a bit painful. But at least she could do so all the same.

Waiting to finish swallowing her bite first, Tayuya paused, trying to figure out how to explain what she used to be. "Well," she stated simply, "I was a kunoichi." Now came the much more technical and difficult part. "One who specialized in genjutsus or as you may better know them, illusions. Because of that though, I'm not good at melee combat like I'm guessing you are due to your weapon. The man who took me in - Orochimaru - made me one of the members of an elite squad known as the Sound Five. Our role for the longest time was to simply exist and train, all while keeping our existence hidden away from the other nations. When the right time came though, he forced us to retrieve the youngest surviving member of the Uchiha clan."

An amused smirk now crossed her face as she realized the next set of information that had crossed her mind was true, "I have no fucking idea if that mission even succeeded honestly. It'd be ironic if it didn't .. but really? Even if it did, the brat didn't seem like he would end up being ... cooperative with him. I'm guessing it was a lose-lose either way."

Tayuya gave a small shrug, "But I'm fine with that. Even if I shouldn't be ... I never cared for Orochimaru much. And the same was true the other way around. I saw it even if no one else did. He didn't care for any of us. We were just ... pawns. That's it, really. And that last mission was plenty of proof for that alone." As curious as she found herself about Kenshin, she couldn't muster the courage up to inquire about his background. Besides, she would likely need to finish eating first and focus more immediately on rest instead of pestering Kenshin with questions.

Still, she wouldn't try to avoid any other questions he may have so she waited to see if Kenshin wanted to know anything else, eating in between the new pause that lingered within the room.

He had to use her words to try to picture together what he old home looked like, but from everything that he had gathered, it was not a nice or pleasant place, it kind or reminded him of his own world in his younger days, when he was an assassin in Kyoto. He remembered the days very well of course, when he was a man slayer, he could compare those days with the world that she was talking about in a lot of ways. A cold and dangerous world filled with people who would use others for their own benefit, that was what he was guessing that her world was like based on his own experience, a world of endless death and violence. He could tell that there were endless differences between them just in the things that he didn't and knew would most likely never would understand about the world that she was talking about with its odd named towns.

"A ninja you say, that is a profession that was still in this world, though it is one that is somewhat dying off due to the state of technology in the world. In fact it wasn't that long ago I fought against the group of ninja who were working for a drug dealer, and back in the day I had battled my share of them as well, " he said as he looked at the redhead, thinking about that battle in that mansion. "Well, ninja here do not use flutes, but then they don't have the ability to create illusion other then doing small tricks like wearing stripes to make it so that you miss measure the length of their arms. Here most ninja fight similar to samurai, though there are those who are more like spies and work to gather information to pass on to other people and share the information to plan out attacks, there were those type too."

He blinked at hearing the name Orochimaru and shook his head, "are you sure you are not mixing your past up with a folk story, or perhaps you were at the drama house watching the play before you were attacked. "Orochimaru, snake man, are you sure that this is the one your talking about," he said as he looked at her, he had no clue who the Uchiha clan were but he had heard of Orochimaru in a way, well he wasn't real but he was still a character. The one from Jiraya Goketsu Monogatari, the tale of the gallant Jiraya," he asked as he looked at her, "cause Orochimaru in that play is a snake man who battles the hero Jiraya, and his beautiful wife Tsunade," he mused as he looked at her, this was strange, that this guy would have the same name as the villian in the story was odd, and that he had the same control over snakes made him curious to know if this woman was perhaps was mixed up, or maybe even somehow from some folk tail her self.

"Heh. Dying off, huh? Very interesting to hear. That's pretty much what my world focuses on ... well, used to since I'm not there anymore I suppose. But yeah, pretty much everyone lived and died as a shinobi. There were few other lifestyles, not enough for me to name any others."

Which was something to say given she no doubt appeared more like a geisha, concubine, or something more elegant while clad in the pink kimono. It definitely wasn't a kunoichi. Though, to be fair, the Nara brat and his blonde haired companion had also said she didn't look like much from a first glance .... which she would only agree on back then because she had been much younger. Now though? Well ... she supposed it didn't matter that much anymore.

Mentally dismissing the matter for the time being, it appeared that the name Orochimaru actually wasn't foreign which also made Tayuya cringe and blink slightly. But with the way he worded it, it also sounded like he was speaking of a... story?

"N .. no. I'm very certain. We never had theaters ... none I saw at least. He was ridiculously pale, creepy as all hell, had amber eyes, long black hair. He was very real. Had an actually competent medical shinobi beside him all the damn time, Kabuto Yakushi. Oh yeah, and he had a huge serpent that he could summon. Manda, I believe. But ... really? You know the name?"

Had she been alive back in her world, the other names would have rung very familiar bells. But as it was, neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade were familiar to her. Despite having been along the bastard for many years, he only really revealed any of his past to Kabuto. As such, she didn't know that those same names were actually very relevant - eerily so - to him.

Either way, her interest in both Kenshin and this world had increased a good ten fold in a matter of seconds. It had likely been subconsciously done, but she finished the onigiri off faster than she had originally intended to do so. Needless to say, she was very willing and eager to hear if anything that she'd described matched the version of Orochimaru he knew about.

"Yes, the way of the samurai has came to an end as well, it is the times, people use these things called guns to fire and kill each other in greater numbers then any day of the samurai and ninja, guns that can fire so fast, that they can kill men by the dozens even, that they do" he said as he remembered the gatling gun that had been used to kill off the ninja that he had encountered. It was not even a fight, if it had been a fair fight none of them would of ever died and they would of all returned to their homes, but sadly all gave their lives to defeat a machine gun, a event which seemed to have a horrifying effect upon their leader. He refocused on the moment as he let the memory past and listened to Tayuya and was surprised that in her world it was as she said. "Well, then it is a rather different world, ninja and ninja clans have never been that big here well at least since the days a few hundred years ago, that it was."

"Well in all plays, all characters are white he is one such character and yes he does have long dark hair, and he does have a lot of snakes as well. He can also turn himself into a large snake too. The rest I am unsure, the thing about the story or play, is that it is actually pretty incomplete as no one dies in the end of the story, and they are all there ready to fight each other once again in the future in a untold upon story. Well, we can go and watch the play when it comes to down if you wish, there is little trouble, and it isn't pricy to go to the theater and watch some performance there, that it isn't" he informed her as he could tell that she was very much interested in the subject matter.

"Now, you have a couple of options, on where you stay till you get a job and a place to live, you can either stay here with the doctor, and Miss Megumi, or you can come with me and stay in my small little place, either way is fine, and you have till you feel well enough to decide and you can just not decide and remain here, which is fine too, that it is," he said as he sat there not that far from where she was giving her some room so that she would need to rest and he didn't want to bug her, as he knew that she was still adjusting to this new world to her at least the whole while.

"Guns, huh?" Tayuya mused, moving her head from side to side. "That's .. new to me also. I think the fanciest thing I saw were any of the techniques that anyone used, really. Or if anyone used an actual weapon, it was usually a kunai. Even then, I never saw anyone actually perish." Which was a bit of an odd thought, mainly because of whom she'd been raised by. She knew Orochimaru wouldn't have had any qualms taking lives. Even Kabuto probably wouldn't if given the order to go through with it. And yet, neither had resorted to those measures, at least not while she'd been around them. Ah well. Maybe it was one of those things that was also for the best.

Either way, things were definitely getting more and more interesting.

... A hundred years ago? Hold up. So I not only shifted worlds but time frames also?

That was ... incredibly weird. But at the same time, it did make her feel a bit better. Although Tayuya didn't know everything about Orochimaru, she did know how his Edo Tensei worked. It merely revived people. It did not, however, mess with time. So ... this couldn't have been his doing. It was, it seemed, the source of another divine entity or ... something. Either way, it hadn't been who she originally feared. Suddenly, the possibility of being able to start anew truly did feel much more realistic which caused her to sigh softly in relief.

"Understatement of the year. I'm quickly seeing just how different this is. it's .. umm ... quite the eye opener."

As was the fact that the Orochimaru Kenshin described eerily similar to the one she'd known. Hopefully, however, that much was coincidence. Trying to merely shake it off for the time being, she nodded a few times before hearing a much more vital question being offered to her.

"Well ... if you don't mind, probably you."

There were a variety of reasons, including that it seemed like - should she need protection - he would probably be more likely to offer it. There was also the fact she didn't know anyone else really. And while it was true that she hardly knew Kenshin, Tayuya was usually good with figuring out if a person was being sincere or not. Even before she'd joined up with Orochimaru, she'd felt him giving her a bad aura of sorts. But at the time, she also had no ability to be picky. Here? This was very different. She had a lot more choice. And she was feeling ... very safe around this new man. So she'd accept a better and much more positive emotion while it remained.

So ... this is change huh? It felt so foreign but simultaneously rather good. At least so far it did for Tayuya.

"No, I do not mind that you stay with me, it will be a nice change, as my house is normally quiet and I do live alone, that I... do" he said as he looked at her, and then got up and brushed himself off as he looked at her, and smiled, "Well at least you do not have to worry about taking any clothes, or items with you, that you don't," he said putting the idea that she had nothing but the clothes on her back in the best possible lights, as he knew that her having nothing would be troublesome in some ways, and that they would have to find ways to get her things like clothes and such before to long, as they were generally needed a great deal in the world. "Well, there are no snakes in my home either or around town the last time I checked, at least not any big snakes around town, that their aren't."

"Well, when you feel up for it, we can head that way, but we can wait till tomorrow too and I can come back and pick you up and you can stay here tonight and rest up and when your feeling better we can take you to my small home and perhaps see what things you need too, that we can" he commented as he figured she would want to rest there for the rest of the night. He figured that if she were to rest there, that it would best for him to head back and get some sleep in his own home before the following morning that he would come back and pick her up and led her the way to her new home, and then perhaps use some of the money he had made from running choirs for others to pay for her clothes. He figured that if she needed clothes she could pick up some of her own choice with the money that he would give her. He stood there waiting for her reply, not wanting to push her at all, letting her relax as she sat there and think things over, knowing that she wasn't in the health at that moment of course. He leaned against the wall as he crossed his arms and looked out on the outside and saw that it was pretty dark outside.

Some part of Tayuya supposed she shouldn't be too amazed that he lived alone. Kenshin did seem like the kind of man who could take care of himself fine. Probably more than just 'fine', in fact. Still, the word 'alone' also implied he was ... single? That was what made Tayuya amazed. He was really handsome and .... what? Her age about? Early twenties? Definitely not too much older than herself ... or at least she didn't think so. Then again, the former Sound kunoichi had no idea of her own age in the first place so it was hard to guess the difference between them.

"I ... suppose that is kinda true. Eventually though, I'll ... need at least one more outfit. But um yeah. Otherwise, it does sound like a relatively simple move and whatnot."

That ... will be new as all hell.

Tayuya had been so used to staying in one place for years. The mere thought of moving was powerful, almost like someone had slapped her as she realized just how strong every alteration she was undergoing truly felt. It wasn't bad, thankfully. But it was definitely quite the wake up call of sorts. Her hands subconsciously moved out from under the sheets that had concealed most of her kimono as they fell upon her lap.

.... You're really going through with all of this huh?

To be fair, it would be stupid to decline any of the offers. Where would she go? What in the fuck would she do? When no answer came to her, she knew this was indeed the right thing to do.

"Tomorrow ... might be best." She replied gently, speaking in a slightly slower tone than usual. She was merely double and triple checking herself as she replied, just to be 100 - if not 1000 - percent sure she wanted to go through with this. Tayuya remained silent, contemplating this a bit longer before nodding a few more times.

"Yeah ... alright. I'll .... try to get some rest. Thanks for ... well .... everything."

Taking a soft breath, she moved her hands right underneath her breasts as Tayuya lied back down, wincing slightly. Her ribs ached but nothing too bad, definitely not compared to when she'd "woken up" for sure. As her eyes slowly shut, she exhaled once more and finally attempted to drift off to sleep just as she'd insisted to Kenshin she would try to do.

Kenshin couldn't agree more, in her condition he knew that she would need some rest, and that the next day, most likely late afternoon would be the best time to come and check up on her and see how she was doing. "Well then, it will be tomorrow, then when we see again, sleep well." He waited a moment and saw how fast that she had fallen asleep, who knew how long she had been up, and based on her story, the days before she came to this world were long days and had kept her extremely busy. He got to his feet quietly as he moved out of the room, making sure to not make any sounds at all as he made his way out of the room, and headed back to his own small little home down the street.

His home was small with two small bedrooms, a washroom, and then the kitchen and a bit of storage as well, it was his home though, and he was glad to have this home. He walked in and found his room and laid down on the mat. This had been a eventful night, one that had caused him to run into a rather interesting woman who was very mysterious. He was curious about Tayuya, and wanted to learn more about her, when he could. He was sure that she was going to need help in her adapting of this new world. He was sure that this world was different then whatever place she happened to be from.

The next morning he got up and headed out to do some choirs to help people, this kept him in shape, allowed him to help people around town, but also earned him the money that he could live on and buy his own food with, when he wasn't given food as payment for the favors that he did. He didn't go over to check up on Tayuya that morning at all figuring that she was most likely going to be sleeping still. He headed down to see her after he had his own lunch. He was sure that she was awake and Miss Megumi had helped Tayuya in that morning and maybe given her a outfit or two given they were nearly the same size, he would guess. He walked up to the home of the good doctor and talked with him for a moment.

Seconds after Kenshin confirmed he would return tomorrow, he would see her chest rise and fall in a gentle, rhythmic pattern which suggested poor Tayuya had passed out very quickly. A combination of her new revival and any physical or mental fatigue had easily aided out in her succumbing into a deep sleep. During the time Kenshin remained and stayed to watch over the new redheaded woman, he would note she didn't appear to have as much trouble breathing compared to when she had first been found.

For once, Tayuya would sleep through the entire night uninterrupted by her past or any source of pain. It was definitely a nice change of pace for sure. She only awoke to a gentle set of hands checking her vital signs. They belonged to the Megumi friend that Kenshin had hinted about. Tayuya remained stationary, allowing the elder woman to do any check ups that were needed. She took the verdict to heart, making sure not to forget them.

"Don't put too much strain or over exert yourself. If you can follow this, the ribs should stay where they are rather than threaten to pierce any vital organs. But if those get wounded too badly anytime soon, you'll very likely need to undergo surgery."

Although it had been recommended that she remain mostly in bed until Kenshin arrived, Tayuya couldn't just do that. It literally didn't sit well with her. She became too restless and after a bit, she found herself at first wandering around. Upon seeing the new guest was unable to stay still, Megumi teased about her helping out. Unfortunately, Tayuya took the joke rather literally and rather eagerly assisted in completing the daily chores that needed to be completed around here.

By the time Kenshin arrived, she had finished sweeping the rooms and was eating her own lunch. Her head lifted as she registered the sound of Kenshin's voice. Raising her cup of tea, she hid a smile behind the glass.

.... The fuck is just the sound of his voice making you smile so much?

She wanted to believe it was as simple as the fact that she really did owe him. So it would be natural to enjoy hearing hints of her rescuer nearby ... wouldn't it? So .. why did it feel like so much more?

Her head shook as she set her cup down and finished off the last bites of her lunch.

Kenshin was not sure what he would find when he found her that morning, he knew that could be doing a number of different things, which among those things that she was doing was unknown to him though as he walked towards the house. Walking in, he noticed her working around the house, doing house work. This was not what he figured she would be doing, but he knew that there was a nervous energy perhaps. He figured she was used to working and doing stuff at all hours of the day most likely. Well, that was his guess anyway from what he was observing at that moment in time. He walked by her and went into the garden and talked to Gensai about the young woman and her condition and found out that she needed to rest to recover but how his assumption about her was correct.

He walked back in and saw her eating. "Well, now, good morning, Miss Tayuya, it is a beautiful morning, that it is," he said with a kind and friendly smile as he sat down near the redhead. "I hear from Doctor Gensai that you have been rather busy this morning and such. "Well, I came to collect you, I had to fix up my home and get everything set and ready for your arrival, but there is plenty of room, and the other room was cleared out and fixed up so that you can move into it without any problems, that you can," he informed her as he let her eat the rest of her food. "Now, I must admit the room is rather plain and simple, so if there is anything you need, you can get some of it, as long as the prices are within reason," he informed her knowing they were going to do that in a moment or two.

"There are a lot of new foreign goods, as well as naive good in the market, I am sure you can find some deals on most things right now," he informed her, with the opening of the railroad, the price of goods had gone down and they were easier to get deals on. "Now, whenever your ready to go, we can head out into the city," he informed her.

Needless to say, Kenshin's guess was almost dead on. Everyone in Otogakure worked ... well ... all save for Kimimaru who had the minimal amount of work thrust upon him. Yet even then, he continued to do his best, right until the very end. Even though he knew it wouldn't end well for him. The memories made Tayuya grip her lower lip tightly, releasing it quickly as Kenshin's voice now registered once more. This time, though, he was in front of her instead of out in the halls like he had been earlier. Her head bowed politely as she set her hands gently down upon the table and chuckled softly.

"Yeah, that is true. I haven't forgotten to avoid overworking myself. But ... gah. It just didn't feel right after a bit."

Tayuya realized there probably wasn't a need to explain herself in the end. But that was yet another habit she seemed to transfer with her from this world. Her hand gently raised ever so slightly off of the table then waved through that air, "That's fine. Simple is probably better, anyway and even then, I've never needed much."

Which brought her back to the one thing besides clothing she was still missing; her flute. Would there even be such instruments out and about? Maybe. As far as she knew, Otogakure had been in some part of Japan. The name at least suggested as much. If she'd had a flute since back then, it was perhaps a possibility.

"Just ... the basics mainly. A few additional outfits and .... " She paused, feeling herself wanting to flush. It was stupid, really. Of all the things she could say, a flute was but a tame item. Then again, it was also how she used her jutsus. So it was probably connected to that fact.

You're no longer a kunoichi, remember?

Still, would it really be the worst idea to have a way to defend herself? Not that she didn't trust Kenshin. But Tayuya didn't want to rely on him all the time. And she was relatively sure it was true the other way around.

"Well, I suppose we'll see once we get there."

Offering little more than a slightly nervous smile, Tayuya stood up as she finished the last bits of her lunch and nodded. Exhaling softly, she counted down from five in her head before looking up into the violet eyes, "Alright. I'm .. as ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

Kenshin raised an eyebrow, this woman was unique and different, that was both endearing and just different overall. He looked at her as he smiled, this was a interesting situation that he happened to be in at the moment. He listened as he walked with her towards the stores ,he knew that it would be good to find some good deals period. He walked and opened the door for Tayuya letting her walk out of the house before he left the house himself.

"We seems like a quiet day out today, that it does," he mused as he noticed how it was quiet as he looked at the roads, it was not that packed outside with few people walking around as he walked down the road. He walked towards the stores which happened to be on one main road, each with a western style storefront with good to be seen. There were stores for clothes, stores for foreign goods, all sorts of things that happened to be around for a person to want to get.

Inside one store was a number of music instruments, that had been brought to the city, there were a few different flutes among the goods in that store. It was not that uncommon anymore that they would be found there, the flue was both western and eastern origins. The stores also had both western style clothes as well as the traditional eastern to serve both the people who wanted to act more western and those who happened to be traditional.

"Well led the way, I will follow, this shopping trip is about you and getting you the things you need after all, that it is," Kenshin commented kindly.

Within a matter of moments, the two had gone from merely talking about shopping to walking through the streets and beginning to pursue finishing said task. Tayuya easily noticed the lack of people and found herself both relieved and just a bit nervous. She tried to convince herself that it really was just a quiet day as Kenshin had said. Still, empty streets like this tended to represent that something or someone was preventing people from wanting to be out in public. Or maybe that was just something that happened in her world?

Hopefully that's just it ... she mused, her thoughts seeming to strengthen a bit more as she found that at least the store owners were out and about still. Her mouth opened as she began to speak but noticed the music store first. It was incredibly tempting to head there first. But clothing would not only take more but it was what Tayuya needed before her instrument.

Besides, there's no guarantee it'll work here.

It was a grim possibility. But it would be stupid for Tayuya to expect her old ways and traditions to work, especially when the jobs of samurai here were all but vanishing. Speaking of, that had been one thing she'd been wondering. And so, as she walked into the store and began looking through various kimonos, the red haired woman finally spoke up.

"So .. you said the need for samurai and shinobis are dying out? Why? I mean ... when all is said and done, isn't that something you should be deciding for yourself? It is your path after all, not theirs. Then again, that may just be the way things went in Otogakure. We may as well have followed the mantra 'Live by the sword, die by the sword' by heart given there weren't many other occupations to take."

Kenshin just felt that she needed to let Tayuya do her thing, let her find her direction. Kenshin wasn't sure much about her, and he didn't know what type of thing that she like to do. She was from such a strange world, and was unsure what she would be doing with what she would do or what she would think about the things she could get even in the town. Who knew, maybe in her own town, she would of been able to get far more then she could get in his town. Maybe this home she was from had something magical, or crazy, anything was possible, but honestly he wasn't sure what what her home was like. He was sure that it was very different then his own home, that her world was way different then his own just based on the reactions that he saw from her up till that point and time.

"Well, guns, weapons, people have guns which take no pratice, they are weapons that can kill easily and that anyone can use, and they can kill from a long way a way. There isn't a need for a person who can fight with a sword when they can teach a person in so much less time and be far more deadly. I know I have my own goals, which are rather simple, that it is," he explained as he looked over at her. "I will continue to use my sword, to protect those who I care about and are important to me, that I will," he replied as he looked over at her walking with her giving her room to look at the Kimonos, he paused as he looked at one thought about it and smiled as he was sure he needed to say something to Tayuya, as soon as he could. "This one, here, I think it will look very good on you," he said as he picked out one that was mostly red but also had just the right amount of green in it as well."