Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.
Chapter 2
Kenshin yawned as he walked down the mountain path towards Kyoto, moving his arm in a circle as he rubbed his right shoulder, trying to work the stiffness out of the joint. Why am I so sore? Is it because Shishou was sleeping sitting up? Surely his age isn't affecting him that much...is it? he wondered, absently rubbing his ribs. A feeling of déjà vu came over him as he recalled the last time his thoughts had run along those lines and he smiled at his mistake. That's right! I woke up in master's body this morning and I haven't had any sake yet, he thought, uncorking the container and drinking straight from the jug. Almost before the liquid touched his tongue, the aches and pains lessened, fading away to nothing in less than a minute. The tall swordsman's brow furrowed in a frown. That seemed to work a little too fast... he thought, looking at the beverage critically. He shook his head. Well, this is only the second time I've had to deal with sake withdrawal in Shishou's body and last time I was also suffering from his hangover. Perhaps this is normal, Kenshin decided, setting his concerns aside as he continued towards the city.
The sun was high in the sky by the time he reached the city. He slipped in and out of the crowds, traversing the congested streets with the ease of one long accustomed to traveling their dusty paths. However, he was acutely aware of the attention garnered by Hiko's tall physique, the white mantle doing little to help him blend in. More than a few people paused in their activities to watch as he passed by, not familiar with the hermit who lived outside of town. Kenshin ignored them for the most part, quickly making his way to the train station. He was relieved to find a train was scheduled to leave in twenty minutes. Purchasing his ticket, he boarded the car, amusing himself by observing the people outside his window.
The ebony-haired swordsman heard the engine start, signaling their imminent departure from the station. His mind wandered back to the most recent attacks, pondering who was after him this time. Am I even the one they are after? he wondered, folding his arms across his chest. I know I was the target for the dart yesterday afternoon, but last night the ninja holding Yahiko said something about being there for the girl. Someone may be planning to kidnap Kaoru and use her to get to me-- sadly, it wouldn't be the first time. Or, is she in some sort of trouble that I don't know about? Were they simply trying to eliminate me so they could get to her? That doesn't seem right. I would know if she were in some sort of trouble-- she would either tell me outright or be so bad at lying about it that I would find out anyway. So, perhaps she doesn't know of the danger? But, what would they be after? The only thing she has to her name is the dojo and I highly doubt anyone would be going through so much trouble for a school that is barely managing to scrape by as it is. Although, there is Gohei... He was still in prison the last I heard of him, but he has managed to break out before and he does have a grudge against Kaoru, myself, Sano and even Yahiko. He also has been known to sneak around and use underhanded tricks to accomplish his goal. However, this seems a little too well planned out and executed to be his doing. And the fact that there are skilled ninja involved... I doubt that Gohei --between the money spent on his other attempts at revenge, as well as being in and out of prison-- has enough money to be able to afford to employ, however briefly, ninja with this level of skill. Kenshin shook his head, clearing his mind. So, Kaoru is not the target. They obviously know something about me, as they did not engage me in battle either of the times they attacked. Why have they made no demands? What are they after?
The tall swordsman sighed, leaning back in his seat. His musings were leading him nowhere. He allowed his thoughts to wander to Kaoru and the others, wondering how they were doing. Have there been any more attacks? I think Shishou would have informed me if there were. Kenshin paused, smiling softly to himself. No, Master would simply scoff, making some arrogant, yet insulting, remark about how he was there to take care of things and how, if I was so worried, I should hurry up and get there. Some things never change, he thought, dismissing his concerns. Even so, a feeling of unease settled over him, refusing to leave. Sighing again, he leaned his head against the window, watching the scenery as it rushed past.
. . .
Sharaku looked up from the paper he had been reading as someone knocked on his door. "Enter," he said, watching as the shoji slid open.
One of his men came into the room, bowing down before holding out a rolled up piece of paper. "There's a telegram from Kyoto," he informed the older man, handing the message to the boss.
Sharaku unrolled it, skimming the contents. His eyes widened marginally. "This only just arrived?" he questioned. The messenger nodded.
He scrutinized the short note again. "There was no message sent that I was aware of, and I've had people watching the place all night. So, it was not initiated at this end." He shook his head. "At any rate, it would appear that the timetables have been moved up," he said, tossing the telegram on the table amidst his other paper work. He paused, rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a smile coming to his face. "This may actually work out better for me. Bring me a scribe."
. . .
Consciousness returned slowly and painfully to Hiko. The pounding inside his skull was making it difficult to focus and the haze still lingering in his mind wasn't helping much. His breath caught in his throat at the unexpected pain that erupted in his side, temporarily overriding a number of other complaints from his various wounds. As that faded to a dull ache, he shifted slightly, resisting the sudden urge to gasp as his right shoulder throbbed painfully. He tried to move his arm forward to keep from pulling at the wound, only to find that he was securely bound with rope. He could feel the thick cords binding his wrists together as well as entwining his body, ensuring that he could not move his arms at all. He tried to move his legs, finding that his ankles had been tied, as well. He let his head fall back, groaning as the pounding within it increased as someone yelled at him. "Be quiet," he mumbled, closing his eyes.
/Shishou!/
Hiko recognized Kenshin's panicked mental voice, realizing he would have to respond in kind if he wanted to be heard. /Be quiet!/ he said angrily.
/You're injured-- was there another attack?/ Kenshin asked.
He glanced around the room, studying his surroundings and trying to piece together the events that led up to his current predicament.
/What happened?/ the younger of the two asked, worry and a little bit of pain evident in his tone.
Hiko's brow furrowed as he concentrated on his memories. /We switched bodies...I made breakfast for your friends...and then--/ He paused, bits and pieces of the fight that followed playing itself out in his mind. He closed his eyes, silently cursing his folly.
/What is it, Shishou? What has happened?/ the rurouni repeated, his anxiety mounting. His master was not acting like himself at all.
/I'm sorry, Kenshin/ he said, his voice subdued. For the first time, I was unable to keep my promise to you. That one thought caused him more pain than he'd like to admit. /I was captured. I don't know what happened to the Kamiya girl or the boy./
Kenshin didn't respond, the emotions flowing through their link more than enough to convey his thoughts. The silence stretched between them for several minutes before the younger man spoke again. /You were injured in battle?/ he asked.
/Neither of your friends participated in the fight. They were both unharmed the last I saw of them/ Hiko replied, guessing his deshi's concern. He blinked as the door to his room was opened, flooding it with light. Two figures entered, one standing over him while the other waited in the doorway. /I have to go. Company has just arrived/ he said, cutting the link.
/Shishou--Shishou!/ Kenshin called, the pain he was feeling from his master having disappeared almost instantly. Well, it seems that Shishou has found a way to completely block me from his mind, he thought, glaring out the window. He could see the lights of Tokyo growing rapidly nearer.
. . .
As twilight faded into night, Jotaru paced back and forth in front of the train station, a piece of paper clutched tightly in one hand. Why do I have to be the messenger? he wondered sourly. I've served Sharaku-san loyally for years! There are plenty of expendable men under his command-- why did he send me?!
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud whistle as well as screeching brakes as the train pulled into the station. Passengers began exiting the cars, a tall man wearing a white cape among them being easy to spot in the lanterns' light. A wave of fear washed over Jotaru as he swallowed nervously. He began pushing his way through the crowd, never taking his gaze off the dark-haired man. He was considerably surprised when said man disappeared right before his eyes.
Jotaru looked around, almost frantically searching for the swordsman. Whatever fate awaited him at the ebony-haired man's hand was pure speculation, whereas he knew what Sharaku would do to him should he return having failed in his mission. He pushed his way through the crowded station, cursing his luck with every step he took, hoping to spot a glimpse of the conspicuous white mantle. However, his mark was nowhere to be seen. After several minutes of searching, he was certain the swordsman was gone. He sat down on a bench, dropping his head into his hands as he pondered his next course of action. His head jerked up as an idea came to him and he cursed himself for his stupidity. It's not like I don't know where he's going, he thought, leaving the train station. I'll just deliver it to him there.
. . .
Kenshin hurried through the dark city streets, heading to the Kamiya dojo. He hoped he might be able to find some clue as to what state his friends were in when they were taken. They may have been fine when Hiko last saw them, but the rurouni knew they wouldn't allow themselves to be captured without a fight. His eyes widened as the dojo came into view, feeling several familiar auras within it. Moving quickly, he jumped over the wall, silently maneuvering through the compound until he landed on the roof storage shed, pressing himself down against the cool tiles. He glanced down into the courtyard below, relief flooding through him.
Kaoru was sitting on the porch, clinging to one of the pillars as if that was the only thing keeping her from falling over. She was breathing heavily, obviously just having finished some very strenuous activity. Her eyes closed in annoyance as a voice called her name.
"Kaoru, what do you think you are doing?" Megumi demanded, walking over to the younger woman.
"I'm going to go look for Kenshin," she replied, her determined gaze resting on the gate.
"Oh really," the doctor said, sarcasm coloring her tone.
"Don't try to stop me!"
Megumi moved to stand in front of the assistant master, looking at her sternly. "I don't have to. I told you that you need to rest because the drugs are still running through your system. Look at yourself! You were barely able to walk the short distance from your room to here and already you are exhausted!"
Drugs? the hidden swordsman wondered, his eyes widening slightly. That explains why Shishou seemed a bit out of it when I was talking to him. He's still suffering from the affects of whatever he was drugged with. That could prove to be a dangerous hindrance during any escape he might attempt, or the rescue effort, for that matter.
Kaoru shook her head vehemently. "I don't care! I have to find Kenshin! You saw the amount of blood staining the ground next to his sakabato! He's been injured and he needs our help!"
"I know, and that's why Sano has been out looking for the last few hours. There's nothing we can do but sit here and wait," the older woman said gently.
"But I--"
"No 'buts' about it. Besides, I have to be getting back soon-- I've been gone for too long as it is," she said. "And who's going to look after Yahiko if you leave?"
"Yahiko can look after himself-- he doesn't need a babysitter, and you know it! I trust him enough to leave him here alone for a little while," the assistant master argued, seemingly upset that the doctor was implying Yahiko was incapable of looking after himself for a few hours.
"Normally, I would agree with you, but you seem to have forgotten that you and Ken-san weren't the only ones drugged this morning. Yahiko hasn't even woken up yet. They had no business giving that amount of drugs to a child," Megumi said, muttering the last part to herself. She shook her head, bringing her thoughts back to the topic at hand. "Are you planning to just leave him here alone?"
Yahiko hasn't woken up yet? I suppose that's not too surprising, given that Shishou didn't wake up until half an hour ago and Yahiko is still a child. But, if Yahiko, Kaoru and Megumi are here and Sano is out looking, that would mean that Shishou was the only one taken, indicating that I was the target after all. But, then why did they attack Yahiko and why did they say they were going after Kaoru? Kenshin wondered, gazing at the two women below. In any case, it is good that I opted to remain hidden. It seems that my opponents have no interest in my friends, and I intend to keep it that way. As long as they don't get any leads, they cannot get involved. Which means, they cannot see me in Shishou's body until after this has been resolved. the swordsman was pulled from his thoughts as the two women began speaking again.
Kaoru paused, obviously surprised by the doctor's statement. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "I, I knew that..." she said softly. "I knew Yahiko was still unconscious. How could I have forgotten that?" she asked.
"It's one of the side affects of the drugs, Kaoru," the older woman answered her, patiently. "It makes it very difficult to focus on more than a few things at a time. You know Yahiko is currently safe and will recover, so it's natural that your worry over Ken-san would override any other concerns. But, this is precisely why you need to stay here and rest. Your mental capacity has been severely hindered and you are not currently able to protect yourself. Who knows what could happen to you? You just have to trust Sano to find Ken-san and bring him back safely."
"It's not just that, Megumi," the assistant master said, leaning her head against the post. "It's just-- well, you saw the sakabato. It was covered in blood. What if Kenshin broke his vow? Even if he does manage to escape, he won't come back here. He'll return to his former self and I'll never see him again." She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. "I don't want to be alone again," she whispered.
The doctor sighed, sliding an arm around Kaoru's shoulder. "You silly girl. You're not alone. You still have Yahiko, Sano, Gensai-sama and little Ayame and little Suzume and me. Ken-san will come back-- he always does. It doesn't matter what happens, he'll come back to us. Besides, there were no dead bodies left here and not nearly enough blood to suggest someone had died. I don't think he's broken his vow," she said comfortingly. Standing, Megumi looked back down at her stubborn patient. "Now, leave the looking up to Sano and get back to bed. Ken-san will never forgive me if I let you overexert yourself during your recovery."
Kaoru was silent for a long moment before finally nodding, allowing the older woman to help her up and guide her back inside. Kenshin watched them disappear into building, a faint thwok reaching his ears. Leaving his sake and travel bag on the roof, he went to investigate the noise, soundlessly landing on the road outside the dojo gate. A dagger was stuck in the wooden gate, pinning a note in place. Glancing down the street, he cast out his ki, searching for any sign of the messenger. The road was deserted. Apparently, who ever had left the note had not stayed around to make sure it reached whomever it was supposed to go to. He removed the weapon, carefully holding the paper up and studying its contents in the moonlight. His eyes widened in surprise at the message written therein. One word fell from his lips, the soft but confused sound whispering in the breeze. "Shishou?"
. . .
To Be Continued
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