Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Third Impressions ❯ Blood And Curtains ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: i-luv-the-cat-sohma52
The more answers they have, the more questions they have. Still, to brave the storm, you have to hang on, whther it rains tears or blood.

Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.20.2007 | Pages: 8 | Words: 13.8K | Visits: 458 | Status: Work In Progress

Author's Note: This chapter is, in part, loosely based off of the parts in the manga where the Kyoto Oniwabanshuu plus Yahiko and Kaoru fight the Ten Swords. Loosely, meaning it's not really based off of it. And no, Hiko does not make an appearance. Not until next chapter.
Third Impressions
Part IV
Deep in the slums of Singapore, a man hid in a run-down hotel, clutching his prize. A cell phone and an international calling card with ten minutes left on it.
If he played this right, he could make his call and contact someone- anyone- who could help him get the hell out of here. Why had he fallen for that free trip scam? Oh, the airfare had been free, but there was no hotel, no food, and none of his luggage had made it. All he had was his backpack, his bokken, and the stolen cell phone. Well, he hadn't stolen it, but the man he'd won it off...that was another story.
`Now, who do I call?'
Rummaging through his bag for his address book, he found an unused calling card with one hundred minutes on it. Fate was with him; now he could definitely reach someone and alert them of his plight.
Quickly finding a likely number, he calculated the time zone differences and decided it would work out.
“Hello, this is Kaoru Kamiya speaking.”
“Hi, Kaoru, this is Ryuichi, help me! I'm trapped in Singapore!”
Several thousand miles away, Kaoru Kamiya sat down on the floor. Hard. Then she ran into the next room and began trying to communicate her problems to Kenshin through sign language.
“Kaoru, what is it?” He asked, grabbing her wildly waving hands.
“Ryuichi just called from Singapore!”
Kenshin told her to keep him talking while he tried to trace the caller.
“Singapore? Ryuichi, is this a joke?”
“No! Why do you think I haven't written to you all this time?”
“You've been in town for the last couple months. I saw you a week ago. How can you be in Singapore?”
“I don't know what's going on! I accepted a free trip to Singapore, which turned out to be a scam, and I've been in the slums ever since. I had to gamble just to get hold of a calling card!”
Kenshin caught her wrist. “He's telling the truth.”
Kaoru didn't waste time asking him how he knew what Ryuichi was saying. Instead she rapidly got his current address and the full story. Pacing up and down the hallway, she wrote down all of his contact information and promised to make sure he was rescued soon.
Finally hanging up, she stared, bewildered, at Kenshin.
“If that's Ryuichi...then who...?”
“I don't know.” Kenshin said grimly. “But we're going to find out.”
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They called him Great One, Truthful One, Almighty Besh. His personal favorite is Master Besh, Emperor of Morals. A noble sounding name that people whispered as he strides through the halls of the Order retreat.
Once, he could have garnered the respect of everyone who passed by. Now he was lucky if anyone would give him the time of day. He Order was shrinking; a truth that only he knew. But soon they would grow. Soon, it would be only the Order, their slaves, and the dead. No nonbeliever, no skeptic, no atheist would exist in their land. The woman of water would make them the kings of the world, and the man of fire would vanquish all who opposed their Goddess.
Lost in his daydream, Besh didn't notice one of his subordinates bowing at the door, waiting for permission to rise. After several minutes of silence, the hapless man dropped his papers.
Besh glanced toward the doorway, where a pale, sickly young man held a messy stack of papers in his arms as he knelt uncomfortably on the floor.
“Speak,” Besh intoned. “Let your words be guided by the Goddess.”
“Sir, I have the latest news of the Battousai.”
“Excellent.” Besh said. He was sure it was news of his death that was being brought to him. When they had found Jineh, he had been a killer already; they had simply plucked out his eyes, replaced them, and put him through several days of brainwashing therapy. By then, he couldn't tell anyone he wasn't Ryuichi, who they'd been forced to relocate to Singapore. He didn't even know it himself. Chuckling to himself at the deception, Besh waited for the inevitable news.
“Ryuichi has been discovered as the Window-Walker, Harold Wormwood is dead, and the woman of water has discovered the location of the real Ryuichi in Singapore. A team is down there, looking for him, as I speak. It is likely Ryuichi will be killed within days.”
Besh felt anger seep over him in waves. Their attempt to murder Battousai had been foiled. Harold, the man in charge of him, was dead. And the idiot woman of water hadn't yet realized her destiny: to serve the Order of Truth for the rest of her days.
`So, they dare to defy destiny? No matter; I will deal with this.'
“Activate the amplifier for Ryuichi and give him orders to kill Battousai. Once he is dead, we must capture the girl.” Besh ordered. “Do not let Battousai live.”
The pale man ran off, not daring to remain in his presence. Besh rose and summoned his servants with a silver bell wrought with magic sitting on his desk.
They came, slowly, staring at him with hate-filled eyes. Their arms and legs were wrapped in chains, carved with symbols to bind them to his will. Stumbling, leaning on each other for support, they approached.
“You will ready me for a trip to see the man of fire.” Besh ordered. “I want a bath, fresh clothing, and a light meal.”
Unwillingly, the women dragged their chain-wrapped bodies away to fulfill their orders. Besh motioned for the youngest girl, whose name, although he had never bothered to learn it, was Tsubame, to come forward. She was wide-eyed and nervous, but he could see tendrils of anger seeping beneath her mild exterior.
“You must be the new girl.” Besh paused, letting her cower for a moment. Then he clenched his fist tightly.
Tsubame collapsed, shivering, body wracked with pain. Tears leaked through her tightly shut eyelids, but she held her teeth together to keep from crying out. She would have to be strong now, the way the other girls were.
Besh left her curled up on the ground, shaking and softly weeping with pain. He had more important things to do then train the servant girls, after all.
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Tae Sekihara was worried sick.
About her friends, Kaoru Kamiya and Misao Makimachi. About her distant cousin by marriage, Megumi Takani. And about her little sister, Tsubame, who had vanished a year ago while staying with her sister. The police had received sightings of her up until a few weeks ago. She had been seen in the north, in the mountain villages, shopping. Witnesses said she'd looked pale and sickly, but otherwise unharmed.
But the constant sightings had ended, and now there was a strong possibility Tsubame was dead. Dead! Her little sister, who she'd practically been a mother to, who'd worked, shyly, at this restaurant since forever. Gone, never to grace the world with that sweet little smile again...
Her current residence was a safe house deep within the city. She'd been dragged out there after being curtly informed that the Window-Walker might be after her. Kaoru had dropped by once, but hadn't really told her anything useful except that this was all to keep her safe. Lying in bed, unable to sleep, she wondered if Kaoru was in danger. From what she'd gleaned from their brief conversation, she had a boyfriend. Was he causing all of the problems? Where did the Window-Walker come into all this? It was patently ridiculous.
And Sae. What about her twin sister? They were so used to consistent contact in the form of phone calls, e-mail, even the occasional letter. Was Sae alright, or was she in danger, too? Was someone keeping her in a safe house?
`Will I lose her, too?'
All she could do was wait, and hope that somehow, everything would be alright. And feed these poor guards, they were living off the most awful food...
Her thoughts lighter, Tae finally found herself in a semi-peaceful slumber.
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Misao Makimachi had a lot of clothes.
It was very difficult for her to travel, since she never could decide what to pack. Vacations usually involved calling Kaoru beforehand to help her pick and choose, then calling Megumi to help her decide on shoes. To say nothing of books! Misao Makimachi wasn't indecisive normally, but when it came to her stuff, less was definitely not more.
Living in the Aoiya, due to her current predicament, was not going well, simply because she did not have adequate closet space. Oh, no, not at all. There was barely enough room for twenty pairs of shoes, for goodness sake! Cramming all of her things into the tiny room had been a difficult task, but she had risen splendidly to the challenge. Granted, you couldn't really walk in the room- there was hardly enough room for her to sleep, but otherwise, it was good. Even if her back hurt from curling up in a ball. Maybe she would try sleeping in one of the huge suitcases. There was enough clothing to simulate a comfy bed...
Feeling a sudden wave of claustrophobia, she left the room and headed down the stairs, careful not to miss her footing as she had done yesterday. The bruises still stung.
“Omasu?” Misao called into the kitchen where her friend was probably working.
“Anything I can do? I'm bored...” No one responded. There was the sound of water running and of food cooking in the kitchen, but no sound of anyone movng around. A feeling of dread crept over her. Rushing down the staircase, Miao raced through the open door to see Omasu collapsed on the ground, her head bleeding and the window above the sink wide open. Leaning through the fluttering curtains, she quickly scanned the area for anything out of order. No sign of anything, but that just meant this attack was orchestrated by someone with skills.
Using the nearby first-aid kit, Misao treated the unconscious girl's wound and found it to be shallow. It wouldn't have been a cause for alarm if the inn hadn't been in lockdown due to Misao's presence. Being a witness to an unholy contract between a madman and a religious representative, her life had been upturned by peril. At least Kaoru got to live with her boyfriend; she was alone in this house. Although Kaoru had to live with Megumi and Sano as well, so maybe the loneliness wasn't all that bad...
Omasu's eyes fluttered open. She looked sleepily at Misao.
“What happened?” Misao demanded, helping Omasu lean against the cabinets under the sink.
“The curtains tried to strangle me. We got into a fight and I cut myself.” Omasu explained.
“The curtains tried to...? But there aren't any bruises on your neck. What did you cut yourself with?”
“A knife. I was cutting vegetables with it...” Omasu looked around herself, scanning the floor. “There was blood on the floor over there, and the knife was by my hand. Where'd it go?”
Misao shook her head. “No blood, no knife, and no evidence? Something here is wrong.”
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Shishio leaned back against his throne. Covered in purple velvet and encrusted with real pearls, it was a chair fit for a king. The prophecy of the Order had confirmed it. He was destined to rule the world, with the woman of water as the catalyst of the new reign. He would rule the dark, and the light- the light of his power- would be brought by the woman of water. Give and be given? He would give the girl her just dues, and she would give him everything.
The only problem was Battousai. Battousai, who interfered at every turn, who killed his men and banned him from the upper levels of society. The demon had turned him into a common criminal. And now he had taken the woman of water.
Someone had to kill him before he found out the prophecy. Knowing the red-haired pest, he would attempt to rail even against fate itself. As though he could even hope to succeed.
Who could kill an assassin? Who was skilled enough or wily enough to do it? The ideal choice, his circle of friends, was intensely loyal to him. He tended to bring out that quality in people. Ryuichi had been discovered, but he was still useful. Battousai would have to hunt Ryuichi before he killed someone else. Could Battousai fight against Ryuichi's mind battle? If he was distracted enough, killing him would be easy. It was just a matter of keeping his mind occupied.
Sipping fine wine in a room originally designed for the king of a lavish empire, Shishio smiled and tugged at Yumi's arm. There was no question about it; Battousai was as good as dead.
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They were all in the living room, working on the problem of the strangling curtains and the missing knife.
Omasu was being tended to by Okon. The rest of the members of the Oniwabanshuu were searching the house thoroughly, for any and all signs of something. Misao was with Aoshi, looking at the curtains.
So far, no one had had any luck. Omasu couldn't remember anything but the strangling curtains; the knife was still missing and there was no trace of blood; and the curtains were just the- curtains.
“Maybe it wasn't the curtains, but something that looked like curtains? Maybe the wallpaper, or a scarf, or a rope wrapped in fabric, or something patterned like our curtains. These curtains are exactly what they seem.” Misao complained.
Omasu frowned, fiddling with her kimono. “It looked like our curtains. Blue, with yellow flowers.”
“Lots of things have that pattern! Even your obi-” The weasel imp stopped, realizing what she had just said.
“My kimono is yellow with blue dots on it.” Omasu protested feebly. “And it was still tied when I came to.”
“Let me see.” Misao said. “We were going to do a full examination of you, anyway. Might as well get it over with.”
The enthusiastic imp, with the help of Aoshi, found an issue immediately.
“This knots not tied right. It looks good, though. Someone redid it with magic, but didn't know how to tie an obi properly.” Okon commented. “if you were suddenly attacked, you might mistake blue on yellow for vice versa.”
“I'm sure it was the same pattern as the curtains.” Omasu insisted.
“Unless it's a trick! They want you to blame it on the curtains, or your obi! To distract from something else...” Misao exclaimed loudly. She started to pace in a frenzy around the room, hr braid whipping like the tail of a caged animal.
“No one found a breach in our defenses. That's not something that's easy to hide!”
Aoshi spoke for the first time. “No previous attack has been so crude. The Order seems to favor mind manipulation, or infiltration.”
Okon nodded, understanding. She smoothed her purple kimono over her knees and stood, joining Misao in her pacing. “No one broke in. The attacker was here, inside the building. This thing with the strangling curtains is a ruse, meant to take our eyes off of the real perpetrator.”
Misao whipped out a notepad and a pen from somewhere. She began to wite furiously in a messy, sprawling hand.
“Omasu, you were preparing lunch, right? Aoshi was out. I was in my bedroom, alone. Okon- where were you?”
“Fetching some rice from our storeroom.” Okon supplied.
“So the most obvious suspects are Okon and I. Everyone else was out, working, with Aoshi. No one can confirm our stories, and it would be easy for us to attack Omasu.”
“If there is a spy within the Aoiya, then their objective was to obtain a blood sample.” Aoshi said.
Misao shuddered. Any magic involving blood was dangerous, since most of it was akin to voodoo dolls and pins. Total control over someone could easily be done with blood.
“I don't understand. Why me?” Omasu asked.
Aoshi thought of the chain theory Saitou and Battousai had proposed. If they were after Battousai, he or Saitou would be ideal links. Omasu in turn was a link to him. But who in the Aoiya would turn traitor?
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He was unnamed and unknown, but e had already caused an uproar.
In his own mind, he secretly called himself the Spy. Spy was the man who had made sure a former Oniwabanshuu member received a mysterious phone call. He was the man who had interfered with the spells within the Aoiya so that the original target had been upstairs and another member had only received minor injuries. He had managed to replace Megumi Takani's birth control with fakes so she would become pregnant (pregnant women were immune to the Window-Walker) and had arranged for all kinds o information to fall into the hands of the people guarding Gem City from Shishio and the Order.
Everything had been for the girls.
The girls! The Order generated most of its revenue from illegal slave trade, primarily that of women and children. The choice beauties and the cutest girls were kept as servants of Besh; a few others were kept as servants available to all Order members. Anyone left was sold to the highest bidder. The girls kept for the Oder and Besh were all either sirens or undines, bound by magic so they could only obey their masters.
Spy had lost his wife, his daughters, his entire family to the Order. Seeking revenge, he had joined up. When he realized the extent of their crimes, he had a new goal.
Bring down the Order and all of its allies.
The current war was a perfect opportunity. By allowing the guardians of Onyx to obtain certain information, he could help insure victory. Already Ryuichi had been compromised. His ultimate goal was to see Besh punished for what he had done to his little girl. To so many little girls and young women. God, how he hated the Order.
The final stage of his plan was unfolding. All he had to do was insure that Ryuichi struck now, and that Battousai was aware of where and when the attack would be. All he had to do then was watch the massacre unfold.
Carefully, he wrote in a thin, fine hand on the stolen paper.
Guardians of Gem City,
You do not know me, but I know you. I am Spy, and we have a common enemy. I have tried to help you up til now, but soon the Order will have me killed. There is very little time.
The Order stole my life from me. Now I return the favor.
Enclosed are the fruits of a long labor, enough information to seal the Order's fate.
You do not know me, but I know you, and I know that as long as the Order is slain soon, I can die in peace with my head held high...
Spy
Placing the letter in a mailbox, with no return address, he knew that when he returned, death would be waiting.
It didn't matter.
`For my wife and children, for my aunts and grandmothers and sisters, for my mother, I would do anything...death is nothing compared to what they have endured...'
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“Idiot. You might want to read this.”
“Read what, Shishou?”
“This letter. Addressed to the guardians of Gem City.”
“Give me that. Where did you find it?”
“Someone mailed it to me.”
“No return address, obviously.”
“Just read it.”
“This explains a lot of things...Aoshi's strangling curtains. Misao's phone call. The fact that an ambulance just happened to arrive at the right time for Tokio.”
“What will you do now? Go out and kill Ryuichi?”
“On his terms? I don't think so. I'll lay some precautions around the attack site and proceed as though I know nothing. If this is planned correctly, and Shishio does what I think he'll do...we should be able to contain this so the majority of the population doesn't get involved...”
“And your woman? She won't let you just walk into a trap.”
“There's no choice. I'm not going to let her endanger herself for my sake, or her sake. She'll have to be somewhere safe.”
“You know perfectly well, idiot, that your woman will insist on fighting. You don't think she can care for herself?”
“I'll discuss that with her.”
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“So, let me get this straight. A bunch of zombies, plus the Window-Walker, plus Shishio's finest are going to attack us. You, and your friends, are going out to fight them. And you actually expect met to stay behind and wait like a good little wife?”
Megumi stopped, pausing to breathe. She turned to Misao, and Kaoru, who were sitting next to her, with identical pissed expressions.
Kaoru agreed. “None of us are useless...except maybe Misao.”
“Hey! I'm not useless! I've had my ninja training!”
“How many real fights have you been in, Misao?” Kaoru asked. “Against people with weapons who weren't drunk?”
“Plenty until the Oniwabanshuu dumped me.” Misao snarled at her. “What about you?”
“I worked with a rogue vampire hunting team for a while back in college, and again two years ago.” Kaoru said.
“Look, I understand that I am a pregnant, puny human, but I have to do something. I can't just sit and wait, hoping you'll come back alive, can I? Could you?” Megumi pleaded. She reached out toward Sano, looking despairingly tragic.
“Look I'll leave you with a monitor you can see what's going on. But it's to unsafe with the baby.” Sano insisted. “Trust me on this one, okay?”
“Fine.” Megumi muttered, refusing to meet his eyes.
“What about the rest of us? We're not pregnant, and we're experienced.” Kaoru protested.
“That doesn't mean it's any safer. If anything happens to you-” Kenshin began.
“If anything happens to you, I will be extremely upset.” Kaoru interrupted. “I'd rather do something instead of sitting and worrying. Besides, it's better that I be out there. It's a lot harder to attack someone in the middle of the city than in a lonely apartment.”
“And I am definitely going. It's my city too.” Misao declared.
“No.” Aoshi replied. “you will stay here.”
“No, I won't! Besides, I'm not one of your subordinates anymore, remember? There's no reason for you to stop me. You can't. I'm going.”
“No.” Aoshi said coldly.
While this argument was going on, Kaoru was still attempting to persuade Kenshin that she could handle herself.
“You're going to go fight an even more homicidal maniac than yourself! Because of me! At least let me do something!”
“The Order's attacks aren't your fault. If I don't fight their pet assassin, who will?”
“I'm not saying you shouldn't fight? I'm saying let me fight!”
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Waiting in the alleyway outside a bowling alley, Ryuichi waited. His superiors had ordered him not to attack Battousai, saying something about a leak, he hadn't really listened. Soon, Koru would be free, free to wed him and be his forever. All he had to do was kill the murderer. What was the phrase his superior had used when giving him the job? Divine justice. Yes, it was divine justice indeed. Under the white, cloudy skies and the tall stone buildings, he lurked. Battousai would come, and meet his doom.
The picture of Kaoru, of her smiling and turning, was tucked into his shirt. He had had it enlarged, so it could cover his chest. Like armor, Kaoru's forbidden love for him would protect him.
At the other end of the block, Kenshin also waited. He couldn't go into a confrontation with the false Ryuichi until he got word from the others that the other battle were ending, or over. If something big happened, he would deal with that first. Time was on their side now; just as he had thought, Ryuichi was already there despite the Order's command to cease. Shishio was till launching his attack, as planned, but with a different strike center: Viper. Again, he'd predicted that and sent some people to handle that.
Kaoru, Misao, and a few others were taking refuge in the Aoiya. Shishio's Ten Swords were going to probably attack there, but Kaoru had laid what she called the Circle of the Goddess around the Aoiya with purified holy water. She had explained that only those with good intentions could pass through. If they could shelter there, they wouldn't have to fight anyone. Just in case, Kenshin had convinced his master to help them out if need be.
The stage was set. All they needed now was for the rest of the players to arrive, and the curtain would rise...
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The Ten Swords of Shishio were preparing for battle. All ten of them weren't going to the Aoiya; some of them had remained with Shishio at their hideout. The ones that had come were confident in their ability to handle the current inhabitants of the inn; an imp, a siren, and a few others. No problem; plenty of time left to enjoy themselves before they went into battle.
However, as insurance, they had brought along a gift from the Order's leader, Besh. He had handed over his newest servant girl, a little sprite named Tsubame, as a hostage.
“Woman,” Shishio had said. “Are weak. Their sentimental hearts will cause them to surrender if you so much as scratch this one.”
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“We're off.” Okon and the other three Oniwabanshuu members said. “Don't leave the Aoiya!”
As they hurried out to fulfill their roles in the coming battle, Kaoru, Misao and Yahiko watched them go. They had been explicitly ordered to not leave the protective circle of the Aoiya. Not that either of them planned to wait inside if a battle opportunity presented it self.
“Men.” Misao muttered. “Let's do something, Kaoru!”
Kaoru nodded. “Let's look at the Ten Swords profiles they left us. We might as well familiarize ourselves with the enemy.”
The two girls and the boy went in and sat down near the window, reading though the files.
“So, we have...Kamatari?” Misao exclaimed. “Since when did Kamatari join crazed zombies in their quests to rule the world?”
“Let me see!” Kaoru said, grabbing the manila folder out of Misao's hands. She read it quickly, eyes darting over the page.
“We have this blind guy, this guy in a puppet, this old guy who works with a giant, a flying bat-person, this Tenken person, a monk, an organizer, a swords-thief, and a cross-dresser. Who's the tenth sword?”
Misao took the folders from Yahiko's hand and began reviewing them herself, answering him in a bored way. “They asked Aoshi to join, but he declined. They couldn't find a tenth sword.”
Kaoru looked confused. “So why didn't they call it the Nine Swords?”
“Ten is a cooler number.” Yahiko insisted. “Who are we gonna end up fighting?”
Misao and Kaoru exchanged glances before going back to their reading.
“Henya, Kamatari, Iwanbo, and Fuji.” She pronounced. “Tenken is supposed to be faster than Kenshin. They'll send him to fight him. Usui is supposed to be second best, so he'll end up with Saitou. I think, I've never done this kind of thing before...but none of them are vampires, at least.”
Misao agreed. “Sano will end up with the monk. It says here they use the same technique.”
A sudden banging outside their window alerted them to presence of visitors. Glancing out side, they saw that the buildings around them were being attacked. Debris was bouncing off the dome of power Kaoru had erected around the Aoiya, but the streets were being littered with glass and stone. At least the civilians had been evacuated. Grabbing their weapons, the three went outside, despite Kaoru's attempt to keep Yahiko inside.
Just as the three had guessed, Henya, Kamatari, and Fuji were waiting amongst a crowd of men in uniforms emblazoned with Shishio's seal. Iwanbo was nowhere to be seen, however.
“So, here we are.” Kaoru said, careful to keep herself behind the line of the circle. They couldn't let the Ten Swords rampage all over the city, not when there were still civilians in some areas. Besides, Shishio's men weren't here by accident. They wanted a fight, and the three were going to give them one.
Kamatari spoke. “Kaoru, Misao. How nice to see you. What did you think of my new fashion line?”
Kaoru stared at him, lips moving silently. Singing at a magical frequency that no one else could hear, she probed Kamatari's mind and soul. What she found relieved her; he was being controlled by someone else. Probably the Order; they seemed to like mind manipulation techniques.
“It was nice, Kamatari, but we're not here to talk about fashion.” Misao said. “You want a fight, I suppose?”
“Exactly.” Henya joined the conversation. “We are being wasted on you weaklings, so we might as well enjoy ourselves.”
“Who are you calling a weakling?” Yahiko asked angrily. He stepped forward, to the very edge of the circle. Unsheathing his bokken, he yelled back.
“I am Yahiko Myojin! And I challenge you!”
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“You cannot win.” Saitsuchi, an old man with a freakishly large head and an odd mustache, said from his perch atop Fuji's shoulder. “Shall I explain to you why?”
Things were looking bad. Kaoru, Misao, and Yahiko were injured; Yahiko was unconscious, and Misao had broken ribs. Their circle had been broken by the dynamite of Henya's, and only Kaoru, with a gi that only covered one side of her chest and revealed the bandaging underneath, and with cuts, bruises, and exhaustion (not to mention no weapon) was left to fight. Even so, she bared her teeth and answered.
“Don't underestimate me because I don't look like I can take you!”
“You believe that you can win. There are several reasons why that is impossible. First, you think that Battousai will come and help you.”
“No, I don't. He has to go kill the Window-Walker, moron. Besides, I'm supposed to be a good little girlfriend and wait in the circle.”
Saitsuchi continued on, only momentarily stymied. “You believe that your strength is equal to mine. Two of your comrades are too wounded to join you.”
“I'm more than enough to take you on.” Kaoru replied. “Was there more?”
“Third, you underestimate the Hagan. There is no way you can defeat him. Observe!”
The great, armored giant moved, more gracefully then Kaoru would have ever guessed he could. He lifted his huge sword. For a moment everything was still, the sun glinting off of the shining sword. Then he struck.
BAM!
A nearby building was gone, reduced to rubble and trash. The stones were smashed into the ground, leaving a crater; the glass from the windows spread over the ruins like diamonds. The sparkling destruction was a testament to the huge man's strength.
“You have no chance!” Saitsuchi yelled gleefully. “You will die!”
Kaoru planted her feet, inwardly reviewing all the training she'd had in self-defense- not just the Kamiya-Kasshin Ryu, but also a variety of siren-style hand-to-hand combat forms, designed for a species that fought in both water and air, and utilized flowing, wide movements.
“Bring it.” She challenged, determined not to show fear to this freak. He was already underestimating her. No amount of armor could defend you against sound. The trick would b to not get hit by that sword. How fast was this guy?
They took her words to heart and attacked furiously. The Aoiya was the first thing destroyed, and Kaoru had to fling herself onto Yahiko and Misao to keep them from being crushed by falling debris. Rolling onto her back and wincing as Misao's knee poked her, she let out an earsplitting shriek that shattered the gravity-propelled wooden and shingles descending towards them. She could feel herself slipping into what sirens called the hearing state, the time when a siren fully utilized the amazing power of their ears. She could hear Saitsuchi's heart rate rising, could hear his breath catch the tiniest bit, and felt a pang of satisfaction.
Stepping over the pieces of the Aoiya on the ground, she approached Fuji again. His armor was hindering him just the slightest bit, a fact she was grateful for. It was hard enough dodging him already. Those bruises were going to hurt later on, but the adrenalin rush was preventing her from feeling the pain for now.
“Attack!” Saitsuchi roared, urging Fuji on.
The giant struck, again and again, trying to injure Kaoru. He was aiming her neck now, obviously hoping to silence her song.
Because Kaoru was attacking as well- in bursts of sound that had enough force to throw Fuji back if he came too near. She didn't think ice would be enough to hold him, so she didn't draw on her natural ability to direct water; instead she used what was called physical sound on him.
A glancing blow slammed the ground, and Kaoru was knocked to her knees by the force of it. Fuji was changing tactics? Fine. So would she.
Wit another scream, she shattered his weapon. The sound of it hurt Fuji's ears- he clutched them and she could see blood pouring down his neck. So he was weak to sounds at that frequency. If she could figure out what range of sounds could harm him, Kaoru might be able to knock him out without hurting him further. Somehow she doubted Saitsuchi was a threat.
Fuji immediately started taking off his armor, having decided to use hand-to-hand combat to settle this. Kaoru considered her options. She couldn't stand up to him physically, but she could repel him. Still, his skull seemed to be thick enough to withstand that. This was starting to look too much like a stalemate for her liking.
Acting fast, she blocked his next punch with a shield of “diamond ice” and cut at him with it, not intending to hit him, only drive him back. A shallow lone of blood opened on his fist, and she drove him back further with an enormous, spiky tentacle of ice that she pulled from groundwater.
`I have to at least cripple him, but his sheer size makes anything I try either too weak or too dangerous...'
Their dance continued; a giant trying to catch a ant; albeit an ant with something more dangerous than a stinging bite.
Trying to avoid a vicious kick, she fled into the remains of the Aoiya. Sliding beneath a sort of hut that had been formed by a boards landing flat on a pile of rocks, she fund an undamaged (miraculously) weapons rack. The only weapon that interested her was the bokken there; a little large for her, but now she had an idea.
Holding the wooden sword out in front of her, she drew an enormous ball of ice up behind her. If she could get on really hard hit to the back of his head, just above the neck, she might be able to take him down. Straightening her sore back, she waited.
`Come on...attack me...'
Just as she had hoped, he came straight at her, hands outstretched to grasp her. She swung at him, hard, using the motion of the bokken to direct the ice. It connected with his head just as he passed her. With a crack, it hit higher than she had wanted it to, but doing its purpose all the same. He fell, facedown, onto the ground, and blood was visible streaming in thin rivulets through his long hair. Kaoru quickly gave him a once-over after climbing onto his shoulder, and satisfied that he was going to be fine, she put him under a magical sleep for a while.
She was about to return to the waiting Misao and Yahiko when she heard something. A laugh, happy yet frightening, as though the source of the laughter was something that wasn't funny. It wasn't coming from anyone in the vicinity; it came from far, far away. Engrossed so deeply in the information coming through her ears, she heard it even though it was in a dark alley across the city.
It was the false Ryuichi's laugh, and she ran, suddenly unable to face the idea of Kenshin facing Ryuichi alone.
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It was time. He had seen Shishio's soldiers fleeing from the shadows and from their terrified babbling gleaned the results of the ending battle. The attack on the Aoiya had failed; despite his and Aoshi's demands, the two girls and Yahiko had fought anyways. Everything was going as planned; no one of Shishio's plans to raze the city had succeeded.
The only loose end was the false Ryuichi. Or, as Spy had revealed, Jineh.
Striding around the corner, he went into the alley, opening the spells that would temporarily seal it off from the outside world. The alley would not exist; would not be visible. Jineh's death would be witnessed by Kenshin alone.
The alley was a dirty, grungy place, with only a rusty trashcan that had been empty for to long in one corner. There was a fire escape against the back wall, presumably where Jineh was hiding. It, too, was rusty, and was covered partially by a plastic tarp.
There was the sound of laughter, and slowly the folding metal staircase unfolded, Jineh coming down it. He was wearing a suit, and carrying a suitcase. Seeing Kenshin's inquiring glance towards it, he smiled even wider.
“Wedding clothes for my Kaoru.” Jineh explained. “So we can get married after you die.” He felt a cold thread of rage at the idea of Kaoru belonging to Jineh. He could still see the expression on her face when she'd dragged herself through his window.
Jineh would never, never have Kaoru. Not while he was alive.
He was wary now, waiting for the inevitable attack on his mind. Neither of them could utilize a bond against each other. All they could do was battle it out until one of them caved.
Jineh tensed and he knew, instinctively, that th fight had began.
Pain- pressure- a vice was closing around his mind and crushing it-
A snake was twined with his inner self and devouring it- but he too was a dragon, burning at the snake-
Pain and hurt and memories he would rather forget and yet needed like air- silver slash of a sword and snow stained red, so very red- a familiar scene and he had made it happen-
There was a distant pull at his side and then everything stopped. He was suddenly himself again. The reason why was apparent immediately.
There was a sword protruding from his chest. Great, Ryuichi had killed him. Shishou was going to rag on him forever about- someone was crying.
He glanced behind him and saw the last person he had expected on her knees. Kaoru.
Her face was that blanched white color he had come to associate with horror and fear, and she was trembling.
He looked away. There would be plenty of time for explanations later.
Jineh was laughing, but his good humor vanished abruptly when he saw Kenshin still standing and drawing the blade from his chest with ease.
“You'll have to do better than that.” Kenshin told him, advancing on the killer. Jineh took a step back and spoke for the first time with out confidence or madness. He was trying to attack Kenshin's mind again, but nothing was happening.
“A corpse has no mind.” Kenshin said softly, in a cold voice that frightened Kaoru far more than the bloody wound she could see on his back where he'd been run through.
“A corpse feels no pain, and no wound you can inflict will stop me from killing you...” Kenshin let Jineh absorb this dreadful knowledge, the knowledge of his own demise. And then he gutted him.
Jineh exploded, a great wave of blood striking Kenshin from the front. He stiffened at the familiar felling of warm liquid covering him, running over his hands like water from a faucet. Behind him, Kaoru waited for a response, an acknowledgement. From her vantage point, she couldn't see the blood.
But Kenshin could feel it. It soaked into every inch of his clothing, and covered him like a second sin. His bangs were plastered to his forehead by it, and it pooled at his feet and soaked his socks. His face was the worst- the scent permeated the air around him, clogging his breath, and the metallic flavor invaded his mouth. He couldn't see for a moment, and there was no blood-free surface to wipe his eyes with.
And worst of all, he knew this feeling an there was a distant, small, monstrous part of him that liked it- that recalled fondly memories of the days when it had always rained blood...
His horrified reverie was broken by a voice.
“Kenshin? Are you alright? There's a hole in your...” She let her words hang. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to admit that Kenshin was dead, and he was; she could no longer hear a heartbeat, even though there was faint breathing. The sound of dripping puzzled her: what could be dripping, unless his sword...or maybe the wound in his heart...
She came forward, trying to walk steadily and failing. She was only inches from him when he turned to face her.
What she saw was eerily similar to legends of rogue vampires she'd read as a teenager. A figure, clutching a bloodied sword and drenched in the souvenirs of battle. It was one thing to know that a man killed, and another to see someone you liked- someone you cared for- gut a man without any hesitation. But when she saw his eyes, she came closer still. Those were not the eyes of a bloodthirsty monster.
They were eyes that had seen too much.
“Kaoru...why are you...?” he didn't finish, waiting for her to run, or scream, or show some sign she recognized that he was soaked in blood.
“I came to look for you...I didn't like the idea of you...fighting him...so I came to see...are you alright? There's so much blood.” She willed him to understand that she need his reassurance, need him to say that he was fine, or at least tell her what was wrong.
“I'm fine. It isn't my blood...Jineh; he exploded when I killed him...”
What else was there to say? The two walked to the entrance and waited, unsure how to leave. Staring at the oblivious world beyond them, Kaoru felt afraid. When had her world spun so utterly out of her control?
“Frightening, isn't it?” Kenshin said quietly. “To be apart from everyone else...”
`You would know...' Kaoru shivered. `Am I apart too?'
“No.” She turned to look at him again, wiping his eyes with her sleeve. “We're not apart...we're together. And we have all our friends too.”
And then she embraced him, despite the blood, despite the fact he was a dead body.
Kaoru felt something at the absence of his heartbeat, but ignored it. Later, he would answer her questions. For now, it was enough. Enough that she held him.
Above them, thunder boomed and lightning cracked, lighting the sky and echoing through the streets. The grey, sad clouds opened, and a cleansing, pure rain fell, wiping the blood from the stones, from his clothes and skin, leaving them as though the battle had never occurred.
And the heavens cried, for joy or for sorrow, they knew not.
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She awoke to an empty bed. The early yellow light of the clock told her it was midnight. The shine of the moon outside was so bright that it seemed a silver sun, come to turn night to day.
Rising from the bed, Kaoru left the blankets in an untidy heap as she left the room. It was silent in the hallway as she quietly tiptoed down to the living room.
As she had suspected, Kenshin was there, sleeping upright against a wall with a sword in hand. His sleep, if he even was asleep, seemed troubled, as though his dreams were haunted by the blood that had figured so prominently in his life. It pained her to think that his nights might always be moonless and dark with blood, no matter how bright the moon was. It hurt to think that his dreams might always be nightmares of past memories. It saddened her to think that he would never sleep without the burden of sin oppressing his slumber.
She knelt down beside him, slowly. Taking his free hand, she whispered, “If you're going to have me live in your house, you should at least keep me warm at night.”
His eyes opened too quickly, with no hint of drowsiness impeding his alertness. So he hadn't been sleeping, or his nightmares had been so terrible that he was eager to escape whatever had plagued his dreams that night. Looking at her with clear amber eyes, he said nothing. She squeezed his hand, leaning on his shoulder.
“Come to bed, Kenshin.” She said, still speaking softly. “It's cold without you there.”
“Are you leaving?” He asked abruptly.
“If I do, will you be sad?” She asked him. That surprised him. Of all the questions to ask...
“Yes, but...” He began. She cut him off as he felt her lips touch his forehead.
“Then I'm staying.” She told him, honesty radiating from her eyes. They didn't speak, only stared at each other for a few long moments, illuminated by the full moon that shone through a gap in the curtains.
“Good.” He whispered, standing. She followed suit, taking his hand again. He led her back into the bedroom in comfortable silence.
Behind them, the door clicked shut.
Silver sun, you make skies so bright
Is it day or is it night?
I cannot tell between the two
It matters not when I'm with you...
Walk with me across the grass
Watch with me as time goes past
Hold my hand as sun and moon
Dance from midnight to high noon
As the rivers of our lives
Flow through worlds deprived
Will our two streams converge?
Can our separate paths merge?
You will never know
I will never know
Unless we try, time and time again
Unless we cry, in our lover's glen
Together we will know the answer
Hold fast to your course towards me
I will rush down the mountain for you
Be with me
Whether night or day
Silver or gold struck skies
Whether or not we see stars. It doesn't matter
I'll be your star, and you'll be my star
Be with me
And icy mountain streams
With rushing desert rivers
Will be in perfect harmony
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Here's chapter four...God I slaved over this. I bled and sweat for this one. The last scene was actually the part I wrote first; then I wrote the beginning. The fight between Kaoru and Fuji/Saitsuchi was the hardest part. And yet it still sucked...if anyone has ideas for improved that one, evil scene...I'd really love to hear them. I really love the last bit though...And yes, I wrote the poem/lullaby at the end myself.
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