D/C: None of the Rurouni Kenshin characters belong to me…not Kenshin, not Kaoru, not Sano...sniff…not one!!
HI! Sorry for the long wait (three weeks, right?), but I was doing my exams and couldn't finish the chapter (besides, I also was stuck in the chapter and couldn't get my ideas together), but exams (and school…finally!!) are over now so I've got lots of time to finish my fics.
Anyway…wow! Some of you got really close with their hints and suggestions…I'm not saying who, but some of you got close. Well done!! Oh, and Lazy Hop, you mentioned something about food …you know, I had fun picking out the meals when I was writing…but it also made me real hungry!!
Anyway, I'll stop babbling now and let you get on with the chapter. ENJOY!!!
CHAPTER 10: Cool as Ice
Kaoru pulled her black coat tightly around her and hugged herself. She shuffled her feet together and pulled up the mackintosh she had wrapped around her neck so that it covered half her face. None of her attempts, however, were able to block out the chilling cold of winter. Snow fell heavily on them and around them. Within minutes of the start of the snowfall, the ground was covered with a thick blanket of white snow. Gales of cold wind rushed against their bodies and chilled them to the bones. The sky was also immensely gray; gray to match her mood and the mood of all those who had come to Captain Sagara's funeral.
Kaoru still had trouble believing that the Captain was dead. When she was informed of the terrible news, all she could do was stare, frozen, into empty space. She went immediately to check on Sano, and found her best friend in an awful state; his eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, his expression was pale, tears stained his face, and, surprisingly enough, his hair which usually defied gravity now had drooped down.
Just seeing him like that made all the emotions Kaoru was holding inside burst out and she had started crying, while Sano held her as she did. She had come over to comfort him, but he ended up comforting her instead. When she had gone there, she had also found Sano's suitcases by the door, and when she asked about them, he told her he was moving out.
'What? Why?' she had asked, surprised.
'I can't stay in the house, it reminds me of the Captain a lot…' he had said, quietly, his face between his hands. 'I'm probably going to return to it later…but now, I'm gonna rent an apartment downtown and stay there.'
'Where are you going to stay till you find one?' she asked.
'No big deal, I'll just ask a friend of mine or something,' he answered. Kaoru scowled at him and folded her arms against her chest, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. He frowned at her. 'What? What did I do wrong?'
'I'm a friend of yours!' she said impatiently. 'Why don't you ask me?'
'I can't possibly stay at your place! You're already shacked with a roommate! I don't want to crowd you!' he told her.
'It's alright! I don't mind! And I don't think Misao will mind either,' she insisted. 'Besides, do you seriously think I'll let you go stay with some one other than me?'
Sano had then smiled at her. 'Guess not,' he said softly. 'You're too stubborn.'
'Good, then it's all settled,' she said briskly.
But as she looked up into his face now, she saw no smile. In fact, she saw no sorrow as well. All she saw was anger, and that made her recoil slightly. She had never seen her best friend this angry before, and it scared her. His eyes were ablaze with anger and hatred, and she knew why; Kenshin. Sano was probably thinking of revenge. Kaoru felt slightly panicked; if Sano was going to hurt Kenshin then she had to warn him…but how?! Kenshin wouldn't give her his phone number just in case she came across Shinta one day.
Truth was, she was thinking of taking revenge herself…from Shinta. Yes, she had had her sour moments with Captain Sagara, but he was still her captain, and she admired him a lot. He had helped them a lot and offered them lots of advice. What more, he was the one who had trained them hard enough to gain their respectable positions in the Agency.
Promise or no promise, she had to tell Sano about Shinta…but what then? What will she do? What will Sano do? Sano will probably go after Shinta, and Shinta…he will kill Sano, he won't even give him the chance to defend himself, he'll kill him just like he killed Hiko Seijuro and the Captain. And then he'll probably come after her…
'…he'll hurt you…' Kenshin had said.
Kaoru shuddered and wrapped her arms even more tightly around herself. She looked down at Captain Sagara's tombstone. The Captain had always warned them about acting rashly, and here she was, thinking of doing the exact opposite. She couldn't just go and tell Sano…what if he didn't believe her in the first place? What if accused her of siding with Kenshin? No, she had to think this over. She had to discuss this with Kenshin.
Kaoru touched Sano's shoulder. 'Sano…' she said softly. 'I think we should go now, everybody's left.'
'No,' he said shortly.
'But…' she started.
'You go on without me,' he told her. 'I'll catch up with you later.'
'Are you crazy?' she demanded. 'It's nearly five degrees out here! You'll freeze to death!!'
'You think I care?' he muttered. Then he heaved a sigh. 'Go on, leave…I promise I won't stay here long.' Kaoru looked at him skeptically, like she didn't believe him. Sano sighed in exasperation. 'I promise! Don't you believe me?'
Kaoru held out her hands in a surrender gesture. 'Ok, ok, I give,' she said. 'But I'll be waiting for you, alright?'
Sano nodded silently. Kaoru sighed and trudged along the snowy ground to her car.
-
A screech of tyres as a car went around a corner told Sano that Kaoru had left and he sighed heavily. A single tear trickled down his cheek; he had been holding back his tears ever since the start of the funeral. He had never cried in front of anybody, and he wasn't planning on doing so now.
The Captain meant the world to him; he didn't know where he would've been by now if it weren't for the Captain…and to lose him so suddenly…Sano didn't expect that coming. He was counting for the Captain being there for him for the rest of his life, and his sudden death had disrupted all his fantasies and dreams.
He stared down at the tombstone and his eyes traveled on the words which had been engraved on it.
Here lay the remnants of Captain Souzu Sagara
A friend, a guardian and a father
May his soul rest in peace
1976-2004
Sano felt his tears becoming frozen on his cold face, and his hands and legs felt like they were about to get a frostbite, but he didn't care. So what if he died freezing? Then he'll be able to go after the Captain, he'll be with him again…
But what would the Captain say? Sano didn't think the Captain would be too pleased. And what about Kaoru? He couldn't just leave her behind…and Sayo and Megumi…and Himura… . The thought of Kenshin Himura filled him with anger and hatred. Himura killed the Captain, therefore Himura had to die. If not for the Captain, Kaoru, Sayo and Megumi…Sano would stay alive to kill Himura.
Suddenly, the cell phone in his pocket started vibrating. Sano had a good mind not to answer it, he didn't know why he even bothered to bring it along, but now it was ringing with such urgency that he felt compelled to answer. He pressed the TALK button and pinned the phone to his ear. 'Hello?' he said hoarsely.
'Sano? Is that you?' came Megumi's voice on the other end.
Sano frowned. 'Megumi, what is it?' he said, slightly confused.
'I know I shouldn't be calling you now, but this is important,' she said quickly.
'Did something happen to Sayo?' he demanded, hoping he didn't sound too fearful.
'Well, yeah, kind of,' she murmured.
'What happened? Did she wake up or something?' he said urgently.
'No…not exactly' she replied.
'What happened then?' he cried.
'I can't explain on the phone, you'd better come quickly though,' she told him.
'O-ok, I'll be there as fast as I can' he agreed, and ended the call. He stuffed it back into his pocket. He took one last look at the Captain's grave, threw the white he was holding onto its surface, and then hurried to his car. First the Captain…and now Sayo…what will happen next?
-
'I'm here, Megumi, what is it?'
Sano leaned against the wall as he tried to catch his breath; he had practically ran to the hospital from the parking lot.
'Follow me' she said quietly, and marched off in the direction which led to Sayo's room.
Worry rising in his chest, Sano followed Megumi down the corridor. What could've possibly happened to Sayo? He wanted to know. If she hadn't woken up, then could she have…died? He didn't even want to consider the leeway. But what if she really was…?
'Mr. Amakusa! I told you to wait!'
Megumi's voice drew Sano away from his thoughts. Mr. Amakusa? He looked up and saw a tall, broad-shouldered man with long brown hair which he had tied back into a ponytail, pushing a movable bed bearing Sayo with the help of a male nurse.
He frowned and straightened up when he saw her. 'I'm sorry, doctor, but you have no right to tell me what to do, and I'm taking Sayo away from here,' he said coldly.
Taking Sayo away from here? 'Who the hell are you?' Sano demanded, angrily. 'And where do you think you're taking Sayo?'
The man looked coldly at him. 'The name's Shogo Amakusa, Sayo's brother,' he answered. 'And I'm taking Sayo back to Europe with me.'
So this was the brother Sayo told me about, the one who left for University. 'What? You can't do that!' Sano cried. 'Sayo's in a coma, she needs medical attention! You can't take her away while she's like this!'
'But that's exactly why I'm taking her to Europe,' Shogo replied. 'I want her to be treated in Europe, it's much better for her…I think medicine in Europe is the best.'
'What the hell are you taking about?' Sano shouted. 'Medicine is great here! You won't find a doctor better than Miss Megumi Takani here, for instance!'
If Sano had looked back at Megumi at that moment, he would've seen her blushing; Sano had said she was the best doctor around…and he had called her Miss Megumi Takani…Miss…
'It's none of your business what I do,' Shogo snapped. 'I want to take Sayo to Europe so I could keep an eye on her from the first place, but the Captain wouldn't let me…he was our guardian, and I couldn't say anything against him then…but now he's dead, and I can do whatever I want and…'
'You bastard!!' Sano screamed, clenching his fists.
'Sano…' Megumi said, sounding alarmed.
Shogo didn't loose his cool. 'Excuse me?' he said.
'How dare you talk about the Captain this way?' Sano said, outraged.
'Talk about the Captain in what way?' Shogo inquired, his eyes narrowed.
'Like he was a burden on your chest or something! Like you couldn't believe that he's dead now and you've finally rid of him!' Sano hissed. 'Heck! You sound glad he's dead! You might as well have been the one to have killed him!'
Shogo laughed. 'Don't be ridiculous! Me? Kill the Captain?' he said, and laughed again. 'That's a joke if I ever heard one.'
'Yeah? I wonder if you'd still think it was a joke if you saw how the Captain was cut and open like a fish ready for gutting' Sano said coldly.
Shogo's features hardened. 'Listen here, Sano…is that your name? I'm sorry about what happened to the Captain, but it's over, we can't do anything about it…he's dead, and unless there's a way of bringing people back to life, he won't be coming back,' he said quietly. 'And I want Sayo to live, and that can't be done if she doesn't receive proper medication…'
'She's getting proper medication here!' Sano bellowed.
'It's not the kind of medication I like,' Shogo said. 'I'm putting Sayo in a private hospital in France and that's the end of it…you don't have a saying against it…I'm her legal guardian now, she's in my custody, I do whatever I want…I think you'll find that in your manual or something…and unless they have invented some new rules, then I think that I shouldn't be even having this conversation with you.'
Sano gritted his teeth and glared at Shogo. The bastard is right; I can't do anything about it, he's the one who can make Sayo's decisions here…not me…
Shogo smirked. 'Thought so,' he said softly.'Well, I have to be going now, don't want to be late for my flight…c'mon, Mark.'
And with that, he and the nurse wheeled Sayo's bed away from them, down the corridor and towards the exit door. Sano clenched his fists so tight his knuckles became white, and his muscles tensed. Megumi put a comforting hand onto his arm, and he looked down at her.
'It's going to be okay,' she said soothingly.
Sano shook his head. 'No, it's not,' he muttered, watching Shogo's back as he left the building with Sayo. 'Nothing's gonna be okay.'
-
Darkness. His life had always been engulfed in darkness, and it never bothered him. But now, it felt like it was closing in on him, suppressing him…choking him. His hands gripped the arms of his chair for a moment, before he relaxed his grip with a weary sigh.
'Stop sighing and tutting! You're driving me crazy!'
Kenshin looked up and glared at the dark figure sitting on the table across from him. 'You shouldn't have done it, Shinta,' he said hoarsely.
'Done what?' Shinta snapped. He snickered. 'Bought that blue shirt? I know it isn't your taste, but I like it!'
Kenshin scowled. 'Don't play games with me, Shinta,' he hissed. 'You know perfectly well what I'm talking about.'
Shinta stuck a piece of steak he was cutting in his mouth, started chewing it and looked at his brother. 'Oh, get over it,' he said, with his mouth full. 'I've done it and there's nothing you can do to change it.'
'You shouldn't have killed the Captain!' Kenshin said angrily. 'It was just unnecessary bloodshed! You mustn't go killing people like that!'
'I got bored, I needed some excitement,' he said, faking a yawn.
'You killed sensei a week before it, you bloody bastard,' Kenshin growled.
'Sensei?' Shinta repeated, and laughed scornfully. He pointed the fork at his brother. 'Oh, for God's sake! Are you still calling him that? The old fool knew nothing of his word-fighting skills when I met him…he was just another old man.'
'You killed him when he was armless, you jerk' Kenshin snapped. 'Sensei would never have let you out of that fight without some fatal wounds, and you perfectly know that'
'I had to kill him, his very existence was a threat to me, he had to go,' Shinta replied, coolly. 'Armless or loaded with weapons, I had to kill him…if it comforts you in any way, he died quickly…a quick, simple death.'
Kenshin gritted his teeth. The way his brother talked about the people he killed unnerved him and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He watched as he stuck another piece of steak in his mouth, and downed it with a gulp from his wine glass.
'Mmm…this meal is excellent, I must congratulate the cook on his work…what do you think, Ken?' he said cheerfully. Kenshin let his fork and knife drop to his barely-touched plate, and pushed it away from him. He folded his arms against his chest and continued to glare at his brother. Shinta pouted. 'Ow, don't be like that, Ken…you've barely eaten anything in those past few days! It isn't good for your health! You must eat something!'
'Stop acting so calmly!!' Kenshin shouted, banging his fists against the surface of the table. Shinta's eyebrows shot up in surprise. 'Don't you know what you've done? You've created a feud here by killing the Captain!! Now his son and the rest of the Agency are gonna come after us!! You think they'll leave us alone after you've killed their Captain? Why, they could be on their way here this very moment!'
Shinta put down his knife and fork, crossed his fingers underneath his chin, and smiled at his brother. 'Kenny, relax…' he said softly. 'I'd have known if the Agency were doing anything now, Sagegawa would've told me immediately.'
Kenshin snorted. 'That spy you put in the Agency? Is that his name?' he said.
Shinta nodded. 'Yep,' he said, looking really proud of himself. He sliced another piece of steak and placed it in his mouth. He watched his bother carefully. 'And besides, how would they know where we are? You haven't gone and told Kaoru anything, have you?'
'That's Kaoru-dono to you,' Kenshin snapped.
'Kaoru,' Shinta repeated. 'She let me call her that way.'
'You mean, she let me,' Kenshin retorted. 'She let Kenshin, not Shinta.'
Shinta smiled. 'But we're the same person, Ken…remember?' he said sweetly. Then his features hardened suddenly. 'You haven't answered my question yet…have you told her anything about our little secret, have you? She wouldn't happen to know that I exist, now, would she?'
'No, she wouldn't,' Kenshin said coldly. 'And I haven't told her anything.'
Shinta smiled. 'That's good…because, well, you know, I hate to remind you of the consequences of you ever telling anything…and when I say anything, I mean about me, our past…everything…understand?' he said.
'Yeah,' Kenshin muttered.
'You didn't tell her about me, did you?' Shinta demanded.
'No, dammit! I didn't!' Kenshin lied.
'Good…because, you know, I had the feeling you did it…like last time, remember?' Shinta said, starting on his steak again.
'How can I ever forget?' he said softly, touching his scar.
'Of course, you wouldn't want the past repeating itself, would you?' Shinta said. 'I mean, I know it was horrible first time…I can still remember the…'
'Enough already!!' Kenshin said heatedly.
'Ok, ok…' Shinta agreed. 'I'm just reminding you…because I would seriously hate to have to kill Kaoru…she seems like she's such a sweet person, isn't she?'
'If you ever…' Kenshin started.
'You just stay silent, alright?' Shinta snapped. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I want to finish this steak in peace.'
Kenshin didn't say anything.
Silence.
That's something he's always been good at…
-
A/N: Ok! How was it? Yeah, I know, kinda short, I'm sorry, but my mind's still kinda numb after those exams (well, your mind would be numb too if you were doing exams for three weeks, and you had three exams per subject, and you had six subjects), but I promise longer chapters later. Anyway, if you did like this one, you can always go on and review. I bet all SXM fans are really happy now that Sayo's out of the picture…well, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but she's gonna show up later…not soon, though.
Below is a list of people I'd like to thank for reading and reviewing my story. Thanks!!
Adelaide MacGregor, LazyHop, skenshingumi, Strawberry'd, Crystal Winds, Aldailyn, BlueberryStain, royal blueKitsune, Clueless Girl, Grace 07, deal-with-it, Jisusaken, kenshinlover2002, gabyhyatt, half-breed-demon-fox, Brittanie Love, Neko-Yuff 16, SaPpHiRe AmBeR, Crewel, loveywhatever, Via X Infinito, Reignashii, jeez, kawaiimeeh, Hikari-Kawaii, blood rose, All Knowing One 412, Valaroma, Mizz-Clumsy, Blessed.
Well, wait for my next chappie!
-ZEN.