Support Stacie Fic: The Feather and the Mountain -- for The Shadow Proclamation
In celebration of my first professional sale of fiction, here's the next chapter, both late AND early.
Title: The Feather and the Mountain (3/11) [Chapter Two: The Dojo at the Edge of the Hill]
Author: ladychi
Graphic: amyxaphania
Rating: Older Teen
Characters: Ten/Jack/Rose
Summary: Written to the prompt "Ten, Jack and Rose figure out how to have a relationship together". Just after Children of Earth, Ten, Jack and Rose must heal their individual wounds and come together.
Author's Note: This chapter brings in some characters from a beloved anime series, "Rurouni Kenshin". This is mostly because it amuses me, but you have no need to know anything about those characters or the series in order to read and enjoy this. Everything is self-explanatory, except for this one thing.
In the manga, Himura Kenshin (Or Kenshin Himura, if we're using English nomenclature), uses an antiquated form of "I": "Sessha". I've gone with a loose but more symbolically correct translation. Therefore, Kenshin will always refer to himself as "this humble one" or "this lowly one".
Previous Chapters: Prologue | Chapter One
Chapter Two: The Dojo at the Edge of the Hill
The sun rose over Japan, but the little dojo at the edge of the hill was already bustling with activity. In the yard, a determined young boy practiced his forms over and over again. A girl tied her hair and marched outside to assist him, and in the building proper, a red-haired man pushed a brush over the wooden floors on his hands and knees, humming a nonsensical song under his breath as he cleaned the worn planks. His sleeves were tied and so was his hair, but he stood to his feet with alarming quickness when he heard a sound unlike anything he'd heard before in his life.
**
“Kyoto!” the Doctor was saying as he danced around the console. “Bustling metropolis, cultural Mecca, and only just opened to the outside world. It's November about... oh, 1879, and... neither one of you is paying any attention to me.”
Jack was standing at the door, his arms over his chest. “Feeling a bit nostalgic, Doctor?”
Rose worried at her thumb. Ever since Jack had woken up, he'd been like this. Distant, irritable... prickly. Not especially towards her, but towards the Doctor. Something, she knew, was grating at him.
“Doesn't matter. We didn't really get to see it last time, right? Got snatched up by the... thing and then it was all Daleks and...”
“Right! We didn't get a proper chance to see Japan last time, Jack!” The Doctor whirled his coat around his body and buttoned it, pushing past the Captain to open the door. “Allons-y, right?”
“It's Earth,” Jack said, and didn't move. “I said anywhere but Earth, Doctor.”
“Weellll,” the Doctor drawled, swinging his body outside the door. “I guess the TARDIS didn't take you seriously.”
“The TARDIS should stop pushing me,” Jack said lowly. “I wouldn't mind punching the TARDIS in the nose right now.”
“All right, that's enough.” Something inside Rose snapped. They'd been fighting like this since she'd woke up, and she was at the end of her rope. “Jack, you can't punch the TARDIS. Or the Doctor. Doctor, stop poking at Jack. Now, we're going to go on a walk, and the two of you are going to be nice to each other, or so help me God, I'll punch both of you in the nose.” She marched in front of the Doctor and Jack, hands in her jean pockets.
She had expected the noise and sights and sounds of a city just waking up, but instead she found herself on a dirt path which wound itself around a hill in one direction, and in the other, led to little houses with patched roofs. She paused, breathing in through her nose and struggling to find some calm inside of herself.
Jack came up behind her, still sullen, his eyes firmly fixed on the road. “Which direction?”
“Let's climb the hill,” Rose said. “It's a nice day for a walk, yeah?”
“Sure, why not?” Jack didn't look at her, just strode off in that direction. Rose found herself clenching her fists and grinding her teeth.
“He's a bit grumpy this morning,” the Doctor said, shrugging as he offered her his arm.
“I wonder why,” Rose snapped, and followed Jack.
“Oi! What's that supposed to mean?”
Rose shook her head. The Doctor wasn't a stupid man, and he was by no means socially retarded. If he couldn't see what he'd done to irritate Jack, it was because he was choosing not to, and that was almost as infuriating as a Jack Harkness who wasn't himself.
The last time they'd been in Kyoto, they'd walked the streets. Rose remembered trying on kimonos and admiring silks, so young and so sure that everything would be fine with her two best friends beside her. Nineteen seemed so far away as she walked over land just as foreign to her as any alien planet. She'd traveled the world, she'd crossed dimensions. She'd been in universes where Jack had lived and the Doctor had not, and in realities where the opposite was true. She'd been a ghost, a voice of reason, a saint, a minor deity.... a murderer. She'd stood at the center of Time itself and brought the Emperor of the Daleks to his knees. She should know how to handle these two men, now, who'd overwhelmed her then, but still she shook a little at the idea.
Jack couldn't die. The Doctor would surely live much longer than she would, as his companions didn't have long life expectancies. They would have each other for much longer than they would have her, and yet they stood at this... impasse, seemingly blocked, none of them willing to move forward. Rose wanted both of them and would sacrifice neither for the other. Jack ran hot and cold... one minute pressing kisses to her throat and whispering promises in her ear, the other going cold at the mention of black and white movies or the proper way to make tea. The Doctor still couldn't believe she was here, and seemed to think anything physical would break the spell.
It was tempting to yell her frustration as they hiked up the hill, stepping over rocks and making mild observations of obstructions so none of them would get hurt with no real conversation taking place. It was tempting, but...
“One! Good, Yahiko. Again. One!” A woman's voice rang out over the hill. “With strength this time. Again. One!”
Her interest piqued, Rose stepped off the path and followed the voice, ignoring the Doctor and Jack's cautions. She came to a gate and stepped through it, smiling at what she saw. It was a boy, probably about thirteen, with wild hair, holding a stick and striking at the air with it. Next to him, her hand on her hips, a woman studied his form and made minute adjustments. “Again, Yahiko.”
“Kaoru!” Only now did the boy's voice get whiny, but the woman was immovable.
“Again,” she said, more firmly.
“Miss Kaoru correctly believes that repetition will lead to better muscle memory, Yahiko,” a man's mild voice stretched effortlessly over the yard. “Again.”
“I always wanted to do this,” Rose said under her breath to Jack, who stood behind her. “Nessa, in school, she took karate. Mum couldn't afford it but I always thought...”
“The Time Agency trained us in hand-to-hand combat,” Jack said, and Rose started. Jack used to give parts of himself away like candy - sweet little morsels that she held on to, but now he'd gotten more like the Doctor, who wouldn't talk about the past unless he absolutely needed to. “I don't recognize this form, though.”
“It's the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu,” the man said. “This humble one is Himura Kenshin. My friend Miss Kaoru owns this dojo.”
“Rose Tyler,” Rose said, reaching out her hand to shake the red head's. “This is Captain Jack Harkness, and the Doctor.”
“Hello!” the Doctor said cheerfully. “You're ginger, that's absolutely wonderful. I've always wanted to be ginger. Mind you, this hair's a lot better than last time.”
Kenshin's eyes widened, but he smiled politely. “This humble one thanks you.”
“Are you travelers?” Kaoru crossed the lawn and laid a gentle hand on Kenshin's shoulder. “You look like you might be from the west.”
“You could say that. We're just passing through.”
“We were about to stop for breakfast,” the Doctor said, sticking his hands in his trouser pockets and rocking back on his heels. “Could you point us in the right direction?”
Kenshin bowed politely. “You must join Miss Kaoru and this humble one for breakfast.” He gestured inside the dojo. “It would be our honor.”
“If you insist,” the Doctor said cheerfully, and stepped off ahead of Jack and Rose.
“Is it just me,” Jack began, “or is he in a mood this morning?”
It was all Rose could do to bite back a scream of frustration.
**
“Are you all right, Miss Rose?” Kaoru asked, as they sat themselves down for breakfast. Rose contemplated the ground for several minutes before she sunk to her knees, the Doctor immediately there to ease her way.
“I think maybe my blood sugar's a little low or something,” she said quietly. “I'm just feeling a little --” she gestured - “woozy.”
“It is a long walk from the city for so early in the morning,” Kenshin said. “This humble one thinks that perhaps you should have broken your fast in Kyoto.”
“It's a bit of a long story, but we've not actually been to Kyoto yet,” the Doctor said. “This rice is amazing!”
“Kenshin is an excellent cook,” Kaoru demured.
“Good thing or we'd all starve,” Yahiko said dramatically. “Kaoru could burn water.”
“Yahiko,” Kenshin said mildly, but the reprimand was clear. The youth sunk back, embarrassed.
“What do you plan to do in the city?” Kaoru leaned forward, her eyes bright with interest. “Have you ever been to Kyoto before?”
“Once,” Jack said, reaching for the cup of water in front of him. “That was a lifetime ago, though.”
“It's boring,” Yahiko said. “I don't know why you'd ever come back.”
“On the contrary,” the Doctor said, “Kyoto is a fascinating place, with a long and varied history.”
Kenshin raised his eyebrows. “This humble one wonders what kind of Doctor you are, if you take such an interest in Japanese history.”
“Oh, a little of this, a little of that.”
“Our friend Megumi is also a doctor,” Kaoru piped up. “She's much more annoying than you are.”
“There you have it!” the Doctor crowed, looking at Rose. “I'm not the most annoying Doctor around!”
“I don't think they've known you long enough to make that call,” Rose said, but with a smile that indicated her heart really wasn't in the teasing.
“You know, I've got an itch to test the muscles,” Jack said. “Miss Kaoru, would you be interested in sparring with me?”
“You have training?”
“It's been a while, but I'm sure I could convince these old bones to move in ways they remember.”
Miss Kaoru nodded. “Yahiko, will you take the dishes to the kitchen? Mr. Harkness, you can come with me. Kenshin, you should rest now.”
“Yes, Miss Kaoru.” He smiled and bowed his head.
The Doctor followed Kaoru and Jack out the door and left Rose and the timid man in the same room. “She's lovely,” Rose said, gesturing out the window.
“Miss Kaoru?” Kenshin's eyes were far away. “Yes, very lovely.”
“Did you hurt yourself?” Rose asked, her shrewd eyes noticing the way Kenshin moved, as though his body ached.
“Many times, and many months ago,” Kenshin said with a smile. “My ribs are still tender. Miss Kaoru worries.”
“So you're a swordsman too?”
“After a fashion. This humble one rarely practices anymore. Miss Kaoru is much more suited to passing the art on to the next generation than this humble one. Her hands are much purer.”
Rose leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table. “So you think swordsmanship should be taught by people with pure hands?”
“This humble one does not elevate himself to think of how the world should be,” Kenshin said softly but firmly, “only what is best as it relates to this humble one. My discipline will not be passed on.”
Rose sighed and closed her eyes. “The Doctor would understand more than me, I think.” The room was spinning slowly, and so she swallowed. “Mr. Himura....”
“Yes, Rose?”
“I don't feel very well.”
He rushed forward and caught her as she wobbled on the seat, helping her to a mat in an adjacent room. “This humble one insists you lay down, Miss Rose. I will fetch your Doctor.”
“Thank you,” she muttered, closing her eyes once again, and falling asleep.
Title: The Feather and the Mountain (3/11) [Chapter Two: The Dojo at the Edge of the Hill]
Author: ladychi
Graphic: amyxaphania
Rating: Older Teen
Characters: Ten/Jack/Rose
Summary: Written to the prompt "Ten, Jack and Rose figure out how to have a relationship together". Just after Children of Earth, Ten, Jack and Rose must heal their individual wounds and come together.
Author's Note: This chapter brings in some characters from a beloved anime series, "Rurouni Kenshin". This is mostly because it amuses me, but you have no need to know anything about those characters or the series in order to read and enjoy this. Everything is self-explanatory, except for this one thing.
In the manga, Himura Kenshin (Or Kenshin Himura, if we're using English nomenclature), uses an antiquated form of "I": "Sessha". I've gone with a loose but more symbolically correct translation. Therefore, Kenshin will always refer to himself as "this humble one" or "this lowly one".
Previous Chapters: Prologue | Chapter One
Chapter Two: The Dojo at the Edge of the Hill
The sun rose over Japan, but the little dojo at the edge of the hill was already bustling with activity. In the yard, a determined young boy practiced his forms over and over again. A girl tied her hair and marched outside to assist him, and in the building proper, a red-haired man pushed a brush over the wooden floors on his hands and knees, humming a nonsensical song under his breath as he cleaned the worn planks. His sleeves were tied and so was his hair, but he stood to his feet with alarming quickness when he heard a sound unlike anything he'd heard before in his life.
**
“Kyoto!” the Doctor was saying as he danced around the console. “Bustling metropolis, cultural Mecca, and only just opened to the outside world. It's November about... oh, 1879, and... neither one of you is paying any attention to me.”
Jack was standing at the door, his arms over his chest. “Feeling a bit nostalgic, Doctor?”
Rose worried at her thumb. Ever since Jack had woken up, he'd been like this. Distant, irritable... prickly. Not especially towards her, but towards the Doctor. Something, she knew, was grating at him.
“Doesn't matter. We didn't really get to see it last time, right? Got snatched up by the... thing and then it was all Daleks and...”
“Right! We didn't get a proper chance to see Japan last time, Jack!” The Doctor whirled his coat around his body and buttoned it, pushing past the Captain to open the door. “Allons-y, right?”
“It's Earth,” Jack said, and didn't move. “I said anywhere but Earth, Doctor.”
“Weellll,” the Doctor drawled, swinging his body outside the door. “I guess the TARDIS didn't take you seriously.”
“The TARDIS should stop pushing me,” Jack said lowly. “I wouldn't mind punching the TARDIS in the nose right now.”
“All right, that's enough.” Something inside Rose snapped. They'd been fighting like this since she'd woke up, and she was at the end of her rope. “Jack, you can't punch the TARDIS. Or the Doctor. Doctor, stop poking at Jack. Now, we're going to go on a walk, and the two of you are going to be nice to each other, or so help me God, I'll punch both of you in the nose.” She marched in front of the Doctor and Jack, hands in her jean pockets.
She had expected the noise and sights and sounds of a city just waking up, but instead she found herself on a dirt path which wound itself around a hill in one direction, and in the other, led to little houses with patched roofs. She paused, breathing in through her nose and struggling to find some calm inside of herself.
Jack came up behind her, still sullen, his eyes firmly fixed on the road. “Which direction?”
“Let's climb the hill,” Rose said. “It's a nice day for a walk, yeah?”
“Sure, why not?” Jack didn't look at her, just strode off in that direction. Rose found herself clenching her fists and grinding her teeth.
“He's a bit grumpy this morning,” the Doctor said, shrugging as he offered her his arm.
“I wonder why,” Rose snapped, and followed Jack.
“Oi! What's that supposed to mean?”
Rose shook her head. The Doctor wasn't a stupid man, and he was by no means socially retarded. If he couldn't see what he'd done to irritate Jack, it was because he was choosing not to, and that was almost as infuriating as a Jack Harkness who wasn't himself.
The last time they'd been in Kyoto, they'd walked the streets. Rose remembered trying on kimonos and admiring silks, so young and so sure that everything would be fine with her two best friends beside her. Nineteen seemed so far away as she walked over land just as foreign to her as any alien planet. She'd traveled the world, she'd crossed dimensions. She'd been in universes where Jack had lived and the Doctor had not, and in realities where the opposite was true. She'd been a ghost, a voice of reason, a saint, a minor deity.... a murderer. She'd stood at the center of Time itself and brought the Emperor of the Daleks to his knees. She should know how to handle these two men, now, who'd overwhelmed her then, but still she shook a little at the idea.
Jack couldn't die. The Doctor would surely live much longer than she would, as his companions didn't have long life expectancies. They would have each other for much longer than they would have her, and yet they stood at this... impasse, seemingly blocked, none of them willing to move forward. Rose wanted both of them and would sacrifice neither for the other. Jack ran hot and cold... one minute pressing kisses to her throat and whispering promises in her ear, the other going cold at the mention of black and white movies or the proper way to make tea. The Doctor still couldn't believe she was here, and seemed to think anything physical would break the spell.
It was tempting to yell her frustration as they hiked up the hill, stepping over rocks and making mild observations of obstructions so none of them would get hurt with no real conversation taking place. It was tempting, but...
“One! Good, Yahiko. Again. One!” A woman's voice rang out over the hill. “With strength this time. Again. One!”
Her interest piqued, Rose stepped off the path and followed the voice, ignoring the Doctor and Jack's cautions. She came to a gate and stepped through it, smiling at what she saw. It was a boy, probably about thirteen, with wild hair, holding a stick and striking at the air with it. Next to him, her hand on her hips, a woman studied his form and made minute adjustments. “Again, Yahiko.”
“Kaoru!” Only now did the boy's voice get whiny, but the woman was immovable.
“Again,” she said, more firmly.
“Miss Kaoru correctly believes that repetition will lead to better muscle memory, Yahiko,” a man's mild voice stretched effortlessly over the yard. “Again.”
“I always wanted to do this,” Rose said under her breath to Jack, who stood behind her. “Nessa, in school, she took karate. Mum couldn't afford it but I always thought...”
“The Time Agency trained us in hand-to-hand combat,” Jack said, and Rose started. Jack used to give parts of himself away like candy - sweet little morsels that she held on to, but now he'd gotten more like the Doctor, who wouldn't talk about the past unless he absolutely needed to. “I don't recognize this form, though.”
“It's the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu,” the man said. “This humble one is Himura Kenshin. My friend Miss Kaoru owns this dojo.”
“Rose Tyler,” Rose said, reaching out her hand to shake the red head's. “This is Captain Jack Harkness, and the Doctor.”
“Hello!” the Doctor said cheerfully. “You're ginger, that's absolutely wonderful. I've always wanted to be ginger. Mind you, this hair's a lot better than last time.”
Kenshin's eyes widened, but he smiled politely. “This humble one thanks you.”
“Are you travelers?” Kaoru crossed the lawn and laid a gentle hand on Kenshin's shoulder. “You look like you might be from the west.”
“You could say that. We're just passing through.”
“We were about to stop for breakfast,” the Doctor said, sticking his hands in his trouser pockets and rocking back on his heels. “Could you point us in the right direction?”
Kenshin bowed politely. “You must join Miss Kaoru and this humble one for breakfast.” He gestured inside the dojo. “It would be our honor.”
“If you insist,” the Doctor said cheerfully, and stepped off ahead of Jack and Rose.
“Is it just me,” Jack began, “or is he in a mood this morning?”
It was all Rose could do to bite back a scream of frustration.
**
“Are you all right, Miss Rose?” Kaoru asked, as they sat themselves down for breakfast. Rose contemplated the ground for several minutes before she sunk to her knees, the Doctor immediately there to ease her way.
“I think maybe my blood sugar's a little low or something,” she said quietly. “I'm just feeling a little --” she gestured - “woozy.”
“It is a long walk from the city for so early in the morning,” Kenshin said. “This humble one thinks that perhaps you should have broken your fast in Kyoto.”
“It's a bit of a long story, but we've not actually been to Kyoto yet,” the Doctor said. “This rice is amazing!”
“Kenshin is an excellent cook,” Kaoru demured.
“Good thing or we'd all starve,” Yahiko said dramatically. “Kaoru could burn water.”
“Yahiko,” Kenshin said mildly, but the reprimand was clear. The youth sunk back, embarrassed.
“What do you plan to do in the city?” Kaoru leaned forward, her eyes bright with interest. “Have you ever been to Kyoto before?”
“Once,” Jack said, reaching for the cup of water in front of him. “That was a lifetime ago, though.”
“It's boring,” Yahiko said. “I don't know why you'd ever come back.”
“On the contrary,” the Doctor said, “Kyoto is a fascinating place, with a long and varied history.”
Kenshin raised his eyebrows. “This humble one wonders what kind of Doctor you are, if you take such an interest in Japanese history.”
“Oh, a little of this, a little of that.”
“Our friend Megumi is also a doctor,” Kaoru piped up. “She's much more annoying than you are.”
“There you have it!” the Doctor crowed, looking at Rose. “I'm not the most annoying Doctor around!”
“I don't think they've known you long enough to make that call,” Rose said, but with a smile that indicated her heart really wasn't in the teasing.
“You know, I've got an itch to test the muscles,” Jack said. “Miss Kaoru, would you be interested in sparring with me?”
“You have training?”
“It's been a while, but I'm sure I could convince these old bones to move in ways they remember.”
Miss Kaoru nodded. “Yahiko, will you take the dishes to the kitchen? Mr. Harkness, you can come with me. Kenshin, you should rest now.”
“Yes, Miss Kaoru.” He smiled and bowed his head.
The Doctor followed Kaoru and Jack out the door and left Rose and the timid man in the same room. “She's lovely,” Rose said, gesturing out the window.
“Miss Kaoru?” Kenshin's eyes were far away. “Yes, very lovely.”
“Did you hurt yourself?” Rose asked, her shrewd eyes noticing the way Kenshin moved, as though his body ached.
“Many times, and many months ago,” Kenshin said with a smile. “My ribs are still tender. Miss Kaoru worries.”
“So you're a swordsman too?”
“After a fashion. This humble one rarely practices anymore. Miss Kaoru is much more suited to passing the art on to the next generation than this humble one. Her hands are much purer.”
Rose leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table. “So you think swordsmanship should be taught by people with pure hands?”
“This humble one does not elevate himself to think of how the world should be,” Kenshin said softly but firmly, “only what is best as it relates to this humble one. My discipline will not be passed on.”
Rose sighed and closed her eyes. “The Doctor would understand more than me, I think.” The room was spinning slowly, and so she swallowed. “Mr. Himura....”
“Yes, Rose?”
“I don't feel very well.”
He rushed forward and caught her as she wobbled on the seat, helping her to a mat in an adjacent room. “This humble one insists you lay down, Miss Rose. I will fetch your Doctor.”
“Thank you,” she muttered, closing her eyes once again, and falling asleep.