Silence is Steel Grey

A Rurouni Kenshin FanFic

by jerjonji

Summary: The next chapter in my A/U RK world. Aoshi has just become the Okashira, balancing school and his first big task, when a beautiful “Fox” interferes with his concentration.

Chapter 1: Invisibility 101

The tall, mature-for-his-age teenager was invisible and that was the way he liked it. Nobody noticed him, nobody bothered him, and nobody talked to him, and he was fine with that. A good day was when he made though the entire school day without one person speaking to him. This was happening more regularly, convincing him that all his effort was paying off. He had practiced being invisible until even the teachers would look right through him, as if he didn’t really exist.

He’d discovered a few rules that the process of fading in the background demanded: dress like your surroundings and blend in, enter the class with the horde, sit quietly, speak only when spoken to, offer no opinions but answer any question asked directly, turn in homework done just well enough to satisfy the basic requirements, smile when smiled at, challenge nothing, never let them see how smart you are at any time, and give off an aura of average-ness at all times. The trick was not to be a mystery, an enigma, a puzzle that someone would take an interest in solving. That would put a real kink in his plan of being invisible.

He’d been so successful that at the end of the semester, not one of his teachers had a mental picture of him and had to rely on his seat location to grade him. He’s a good kid. Never causes trouble. Always does his work on time. Wish I had a whole class like him, they thought, giving him a C on his report card.

It takes a lot of work to earn straight C’s, he thought, satisfied at the successfulness of his plan, a tremendous amount of self-control went into those grades. It’s good discipline. He watched his classmates out of the corner of his eye, careful not to show his distain for their juvenile behaviors, but because in order to be unnoticed, he had to know the lay of the land.

His life really began after the last bell rang at 3:05 and he grabbed the first city bus home. On the way home, he’d check his phone for messages and begin the task of administering the largest gang in the city. Although it was one of the largest, only certain people knew it existed. Sliding off the bus a stop early, he moved through the city streets with a sense of purpose and bearing. He nodded at the homeless, with their tattered cardboard signs and blue Grecian coffee cups with people’s spare change accumulating in them. Their eyes lit up when he walked by, but not a word was exchanged between them. Occasionally, he’d drop a folded dollar bill into a waiting cup and nod at the expression of appreciation.

The bell over the door of the ancient hotel rang gently as he opened the door and approached the desk. The old woman behind the desk handed him an old fashion room key with a smile. “Good afternoon, Okashira,” she greeted him, her eyes drinking in the self-possessed young leader in front of her. “Jiya’s waiting.”

He leaned over the desk and grabbed a stack of messages by the phone, skimming them quickly. “Everyone ok, Neet?” he asked. This was the hardest part of the day for him, waiting to hear that his people were safe. He knew intellectually that Jiya would call him if there was an emergency, but until he heard the words from Neet’s mouth, he didn’t believe it. Actually, it was the second hardest part. Having to force himself to get out of bed and leave his world behind for the artificial world of high school was the worst part of living in two worlds.

She nodded, “Ol’ Joe got arrested for exposing himself in the park again, but Jiya said he’ll let him sleep it off and they’ll let him. Jenny’s having her baby this week.”

He nodded. “Give her a hug from me when you see her.” Jiya was right letting the old homeless man sleep it off. Ol’ Joe had been in and out of the welfare system for years and knew the ropes of surviving better than the rest. He probably needed new teeth or new shoes and the quickest way to get them was to play with the system for a week or two. A little too much drink, a slightly lewd act, and you got a warm bed and three squares.

He shoved the messages in his pocket and opened the manager’s door, dropping his book bag by the door, and slipping off his shoes. There was nothing about the appearances of the apartment that even hinted at the power behind the door. It had the same worn out, mostly abused look of the rest of the hotel. The living area and kitchenette was one space, and it took three of his long strides to cross from the door to the kitchen sink. The carpet used to be a dark blue but had faded to a dull gray over time. The furniture looked about forty years old- not antique, just well-used. The sofa bed had mysterious stains and lumps that made sitting on it a challenge, and the kitchen table had a pink laminate top with metal legs showing their rust. Even the art work hanging on the walls was generic hotel art: an elk paused on the mountainside in the fall as if listening for the hunter’s fatal shot, a snow-covered mountain with a stream trickling past the trees and fallen leaves. There was nothing that gave a hint about the inhabitants of the apartment. If they left tonight in the middle of the night, the next office manager would be able to move right in.

Jiya was waiting for him. They’d fallen into the same routine since he started high school. He opened the fridge and grabbed the carton of milk, drinking half of it without pausing. He wiped away the milk mustache with the back of his hand, and searched for the box of cereal on the counter. He picked up one and shook it. “We’re almost out of Life,” he said, opening the box.

“There’s another one in the pantry.” He nodded, turned the metal kitchen chair around, and leaned against the back, tipping it forward on its back two legs. Jiya poured a cup of tea and set it in front of the serious young man. “Much homework?” he asked, observing the teen carefully.

It had been a long time since he’d seen any laughter in the teen’s eyes and he worried about the mantle of responsibility the kid was carrying. He’d wanted to wait to pass on the leadership position, but he’d been outvoted. Aoshi had not had a normal childhood, being groomed for the position since he was a toddler, their great hope, the lifeblood of the organization. He had started chaffing last year when he turned fourteen, feeling overly-prepared and being left sitting on the shelf while Jiya ran things. Things came to head when Jiya’s heart went out of rhythm and he’d had to spend a few days in the hospital getting it jumpstarted. By the time he came out, Aoshi had assumed the role of leader and had things under control, and the people loved him. They’d died for him if he asked them to do so. Jiya felt a sense of pride in the boy growing inside him.

Aoshi nodded no. He tipped back the box, pouring the cereal directly into his mouth.

“You know, Aoshi. We do have bowls and spoons.” Aoshi swallowed and took a swig out of the carton to wash away the taste.

“And glasses,” Jiya added dryly.

They’d had the same conversation every day for years, and Aoshi didn’t even reply. He just tipped back the box, letting the rest of the crumbs slide down his throat. He got up, threw the box away and began rummaging through the pantry for the other box Jiya had promised existed.

“Thought you said there was another box here?” he asked frustrated, and he chided himself for hearing it in his voice.

“Look behind the chips,” Jiya recommended, amused by the sign of childhood still in the young almost-adult. “Neet tell you Ol’ Joe was arrested again?”

Aoshi finally found the box, and returned to the table. “Any thing else?”

“There’s a new job offer that came in today. It’s a protection role.”

“Think we should take it?” Aoshi asked. “Who’s it for?”

“Kanny’s got a shipment arriving any day now and he wants your personal oversight of its safe arrival and dispersement.”

Aoshi frowned. “That man’s scum.”

Jiya shrugged. “It’s up to you. You’re the one that will have to work with him.”

Aoshi put the mostly empty milk carton back in the tiny fridge and leaned against the counter, his movements so casual that only an insider could see the tenseness in his shoulders. Jiya watched him processing the information, his eyes still and cold. “What’d you tell him?”

“If you’re interested, you’ll contact him.”

The young leader nodded. “We have some guys getting restless. This may be just the job for them. Make the arrangements for us to meet later tonight. Anything else?”

“That’s the big thing. Jamie will be here to work out with you around eight, he said. And Neet’s taking a few days off because her new grandchild is due any day now.”

Aoshi picked his book bag from where he dropped it, pulled on his shoes, opened the door, and looked back at the older man who had raised him as if he was his own child. “Thanks,” he said, shutting the door quickly and moving down the hall to his own room. Jiya had insisted that if he was old enough to be the Okashira, then he needed his own space. Aoshi hadn’t seen the need at first, but it grew on him. He greeted the other residents he met in the hallway before stopping at room 101 and unlocking the door.

Next

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