[Fanmix] [Rurouni Kenshin] December - Trust & Betrayal

[athenaltena]

A few people at fst wanted Rurouni Kenshin for requests month, so I delivered! This was in part salvaged from a Tomoe fanmix that never went anywhere, and I realized while composing this that these songs are all very depressing, but given the nature of the story that's probably inevitable. Especially track 10, which is one of the saddest songs ever recorded in my humble opinion.

Enough babbling, music.


Zip on Mediafire






Innocent - Fuel
Satan, you know where I lie
Gently I go into that good night
All our lives get complicated
Search for pleasures overrated
Never armed our souls
For what the future would hold
When we were innocent

No one expects what will happen in the Meiji Revolution, least of all Kenshin, who is only 15 and already an assassin for the Imperialists.

Somebody Else's Song - Lifehouse
Feeling like I'm chasing
Like I'm facing myself alone
I've got somebody else's thoughts in my head
I want some of my own

It starts to take a toll on him, and he begins to turn into a different person.

Trampled Rose - Alison Krauss
I know this rose,
Like I know my name
The one I gave my love,
It was the same
Now I find it in the street,
A trampled rose

Enter Tomoe Yukishiro, a young woman with a reserved character and sad eyes, mourning the death of her fiancée and searching for the man who killed him with her eye on revenge.

Close Up - Frou Frou
Get back, get away from them
It's all wrong
Keep calm for a moment
Look into my eyes
Get back, get away 'cause
This could get ugly
If you think that I'll let you go
You're out of your mind

After he kills a man Kenshin unexpectedly finds himself face to face with Tomoe as a witness, but he spares her. When all hell breaks loose in Kyoto Kenshin has to leave, and Tomoe finds herself playing the role of both his wife and his "sheath" to keep him sane.

Vanity - Yuki Kajiura
As winter melts in the sun
Boys will be out, running and reaching for the light
Oh mother please find me in that place
Before the memories tear us into pieces

But as she lives with him she starts to see another side of him, the side that's still young and idealistic, and her heart starts to warm.

On Fire - Switchfoot
Cause everything inside me looks like
Everything I hate
You are the hope I have for change
You are the only chance I'll take

Kenshin finds his saving grace in her as well, and they start to genuinely fall in love.

Full of Grace - Sarah McLachlan
If all of the strength and all of the courage
Come and lift me from this place
I know I can love you much better than this
Full of grace
Full of grace
My love

Tomoe decides that she cannot kill him and decides to throw his pursuers off, for he's become the second love of her life.

Let it Die - Foo Fighters
In too deep and lost in time
Why'd you have to go and let it die
Beautiful veins and bloodshot eyes
Why'd you have to go and let it die

But Kenshin finds out that she was trying to kill him the whole time, and as he makes his way to her they break down his senses one by one until he's deaf, blind, and unable to feel.

December - Sarah Fimm
There's blood beside the river
There's murder in the minds of all of us
The sign has been delivered
There is no trust above
Only darkness in the things we love

Tomoe is prepared to give her life to save his, but he unknowingly kills her in the process. As she falls back she makes the second mark on his cheek.

The Other Side - David Gray
Maybe I oughta mention
Was never my intention
To harm you or your kin
Are you so scared to look within
The ghosts are crawling on our skin
We may race and we may run
We'll not undo what has been done
Or change the moment when it's gone

Kenshin finds her diary and realizes that he was the one who killed her fiancée, who gave him the first part of his scar.

Cast No Shadow - Oasis
Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say
Chained to all the places that he never wished to stay
Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say
and as faced the sun he cast no shadow

After the war Kenshin becomes a wanderer, vowing to never kill again.

Vienna - The Fray
Maybe in five or ten yours and mine will meet again
Straighten this whole thing out
Maybe then honesty need not be feared as a friend or an enemy
This is the distance
And this is my game face

But there's one thing that's still unsettled - Tomoe's brother, Enishi, who saw his sister die and has vowed vengeance against Kenshin. The next time they meet Kenshin will find another love of his life put in danger, but Tomoe's influence outlives her for the better.

Comments

[aersi.livejournal.com]

DL-ing this for various reasons- my love for RK, my trust in your taste in music/putting songs together, and the fact that a quick glance says these all look good.

[kairi-jaganshi.livejournal.com]

I'm loving this FST already, and I haven't even listened to it! XD

You win for making an RK FST, thanks so much! ♥

[stace-s.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful. It's so depressing to listen to, but in a really good way. I'd never heard most of those songs before and I've definitely fallen in love with "Trampled Rose" XD Great mix, thanks for sharing! =D

ETA: oops, wrong icon! XD

[athenaltena.livejournal.com]

I think Alison Krauss has a perfect voice for Tomoe, so that's why I picked it for her. Glad you agree!

[veleda-k.livejournal.com]

This looks gorgeous, definitely downloading. And now I'm not the only person to have made a Kenshin/Tomoe FST. I have company!

[athenaltena.livejournal.com]

Yay for company! I think most people's exposure to Tomoe was through the OVA, but I think she's more likable and less spiteful in the manga.

[shady-affair.livejournal.com]

Looks like a great fst! Thanks for sharing. Definately Downloading. ;)

[heddychaa.livejournal.com]

Ooohhhhh! :)

[irishmastermind.livejournal.com]

This is gorgeous! You've made me want to go reread the series.

[athenaltena.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I actually reread that particular arc in preparation for making this, and I caught stuff I'd missed before.

[punjab-banks.livejournal.com]

ah this mix is mad good! i'm dling it now. i started getting back into RK, because i'm reading it before i sell my manga. i'd forgotten how much i liked it, lollz.

[solobutterfly.livejournal.com]

Can't wait to listen to this after recently rewatching the OAVs and finishing the series and Reflection

[dreamiflame.livejournal.com]

Downloading. Looks good.

[carlen01.livejournal.com]

Ooh, this looks great. I've never watched the anime, but this arc was one of the most interesting for me when reading the manga because it showed a side of Kenshin we had never seen before. Thanks!