The metal walkway split in half and curled to either side as Seta attacked. Kenshin's sword was out the second the young boy had taken off. But the sheer strength of the attack threw him off guard. He jumped upward just as the attack should have reached him but looking down, he could not see Seta.
Instincts kicked in at the last second and he blocked the blow coming from his right. The two fighters landed on the remaining catwalk but the metal twisted back and forth, the thin threads that still attached it to the ceiling whining at the pressure. Seta tapped his foot slightly and realized that another Shun Ten Satsu was out of the question unless he wanted to bring down the rest of it.
Kenshin moved quickly, realizing that his opponent had just lost his strongest attack. The swords clashed as the two fought to maintain balance against the precariously hanging metal walkway.
"Why?" Kenshin asked, pushing the blade against Seta's. "Why betray the Hiten? I know Hiko, he wouldn't have done anything that would make you want to betray him."
"True," Seta said, struggling to push the blade against him. "It was never about him, it was about my loyalty to Shishio-sama. His vision is the only true one."
Kenshin pushed forward firmly, sending Seta back. "What vision would that be? Why is he so intent on this satellite?"
"It's just the beginning," Seta said, regaining his balance.
"Beginning of what?" Kenshin said, resheathing his sword and leaning forward to prepare for the next attack.
"Chaos," Seta said simply. Then he took off.
Kenshin's eyes snapped open as the attack came towards him. There was no way the metal walkway would hold. And as expected the last bits of metal finally buckled under the pressure and the walkway went tumbling to the ground.
As it fell, Kenshin realized Soujirou's plan. Flipping backwards to slow his fall to the ground, Kenshin drew his sword the moment he hit the ground and countered Seta's attack. Smart, using the acceleration of the fall to speed up his attack.
They spun apart and Kenshin got a good look around at where they had fallen. It was the belly of the ship, the main cargo area. He saw the big box that contained the satellite, the cracks in the ceiling from where the trap doors would open. But there was one thing missing from here.
Kaoru had disappeared.
* * *
Misao gripped the guardrail and slowly pulled herself up. Looking around, she didn't see anyone. With a quick movement, she flipped over the guardrail and bounded for cover behind a box on the deck of the ship. Drawing the small gun she scanned the area again. There was something not right here. The place should have been crawling with guards.
Aoshi still hung from the side of the boat, realizing that Misao's prolonged silence was not a good sign. Beneath him, the sea rolled by at a slow pace. The wind tugged at his wet clothes and the only sound he could hear were the occasionally sounds of the waves against the side of the ship.
But Misao heard more than that. Standing up suddenly, she bolted across the deck, felling the rapid gunfire trailing her behind. Amateurs, she thought, turning quickly with her gun and firing at the source of the machine gun.
There was a thud just as Misao reached the safety of the other side. One down. How many more could there be?
Someone was calling out for back up. There was a thunder of footsteps followed by the audible clicks of guns. Misao counted and frowned. Okay, so there were a bit more than she had planned.
Looking to the other side of the ship, she saw Aoshi slowly climb upward and moved silently to take cover behind a couple of boxes. Misao looked over at him with a frown. She flashed her palm three times and then held up two fingers. Aoshi nodded. Yeah, he had counted seventeen too.
Misao slowly twisted her back and looked over the top of the box. She ducked quickly as several shots hit the wooden crate. And outright attack wouldn't work obviously, they had their guns trained on her location. But Aoshi… they probably hadn't seen him.
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the three small balls and laced them in her fingers. She looked over at Aoshi and held up her hand to show him. She pointed towards them and held up her gun.
Right, Aoshi nodded. He could cover her. But as for what she was holding up in her hand, he could only guess that they were smoke bombs. He watched her as she held up three fingers. He nodded and began to count. Three, two, one…
He stood up and started firing towards the main group. Misao had been right, they hadn't seen him. While the Juppongatana thugs were distracted by the second enemy, Misao took off. Her hand flicked out and the ball scattered to three directions.
Sliding like a runner at home, she took out Aoshi's legs and sent him tumbling to the ground next to her. Before he could protest, her hand reached on and pushed his head to the ground.
There were three audible metal clicks as the balls rolled towards their source. The thugs pulled their guns back in surprise. But before they could react, the little metal balls suddenly exploded.
The resulting aftershock shook the boat and even created ripples in the water around it. Misao stood up slowly, letting the debris fall from her. Aoshi followed suit and looked over at her.
"Those weren't smoke bombs," he said. Misao shook her head. Aoshi looked over the box carefully but there was no one left standing to return fire.
He got a good look at the destruction. The metal deck was curled up and the wooden crates on the deck were on fire. Alarms began to sound and Aoshi realized that the explosion had caused more than just superficial damage.
"The ship is sinking!" he said. Misao nodded silently. "You knew! You knew those devices would cause this kind of damage."
"I did," she said unhappily. "I couldn't let the satellite reach the shore."
"How long ago did you decide this?"
She frowned. "It was the idea from the beginning, the very beginning of all this."
"So you've just been using Kaoru and I. First to investigate the Hiten, then to get into the DoCoMo building," he said, anger starting to show.
"Yes, but… I didn't think Kaoru would fly us to Osaka. I was just going to leave you two in Tokyo and carry out the plan. We can always build another satellite but we couldn't take the chance that this one would be launched. I needed to know what they were planning so we could prevent it from happening the next time. I didn't want to hurt either of you…"
"You've been using us from the beginning," he said. "To see what the Juppongatana had planned! Kaoru was almost killed!"
"It wasn't my idea!" Misao shot back.
"You fed us enough information," he said, "to keep the department's interest in the case up. We could have just signed off on it as a Hiten hit but all your clues, they kept us thinking that there was more to it, made us dig further."
Misao nodded unhappily. "We could never penetrate the Hiten organization. But we heard about Kaoru and decided it would be our best shot."
"Right, because you wouldn't lose any agents if she failed." Aoshi paused. "Kaoru isn't on this ship, is she?"
"I don't know," Misao said.
"I guess it wouldn't have mattered anyway," Aoshi said standing up. Looking over, he saw something moving from behind the flames. He pulled his gun but recognized the form.
Kaoru bounded from amidst the wreckage, headed straight for the captain's room at the other end of the ship. Aoshi frowned and started towards her. Misao watched him go. She had known this was the inevitable outcome of this job, but it didn't mean knowing about it made it any easier to face.
She looked over at the side of the boat. Okina had told her to evacuate the minute she was done but…
Regardless of what Aoshi thought, Misao had done her best to make sure that no one got hurt because of her plan. And if it meant risking her own life again now, she was going to prove it to him.
* * *
Kenshin tore his eyes away from where Kaoru should have been. She must have just run away to escape the fight. That had to be the explanation.
Seta suddenly disappeared and Kenshin turned his attention to the plume of debris the followed his attack. Seta was fast and Kenshin couldn't read his attacks. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he waited to try to catch a glimpse of the other boy.
In the midst of his attack, Seta smiled. Despite all the worrying on Yumi's part, it was obvious who was the better swordsman. The red headed ex-assassin no longer had the killer instinct in him. But Seta still had it, it drove him in a silent rage that never showed in any of his expressions.
In three short days, Shishio's dream would be realized and Seta would be at his side as they rained chaos on the world. That was the ultimate goal, to sweep away the corrupt leaders of the world and let the people descend into chaos. And from that chaos, the strongest would emerge and create a utopia.
A world where there was no war, where there was no pain. A world where no one would be killed over a few measly dollars in a dark street corner. Where parents wouldn't die and leave their children behind, crying in a pool of their blood.
Seta's smile faltered as he pulled closer to Kenshin, hand wrapping around the hilt of his sword. He pulled close to the other man and drew his sword, striking towards him.
Kenshin had felt the shift in Seta's emotions just a second before and managed to turn against the attack with a drawn sword. The power behind Seta's attack was immense and for a moment it looked like Kenshin's sword wasn't going to be able to hold.
And suddenly, it was like Seta's attack exploded to a higher level. But both combatants were thrown to either side from the explosion. It took Kenshin a few seconds to realize the alarms were not just in his head but were ringing through out the entire cargo bay. There was another sound and Kenshin watched horrified as the water began to pour in from the breached hull.
He stood up, already ankle deep in water and waded over to the stairs. Before he left though, he saw Seta's form, face down in the water and unconscious. Not wasting a moment, he moved towards the younger boy and picked him up, throwing him over a shoulder as he walked up to the main deck.
The damage above the deck was worse than it was below. The ship was on fire in addition to sinking and bodies were strewn all over the place. He put Seta down and looked around, trying to get a grasp on the situation.
Suddenly two figures emerged from the smoke and Kenshin knelt down to attack. But the tall man and short girl were familiar and he relaxed.
"Himura," Aoshi said recognizing the other man.
"What happened?" Kenshin asked. Aoshi threw a glance down at Misao.
The younger girl looked up at Kenshin unhappily. "The ship is going to sink. We need to get off it."
Kenshin looked around. "Kaoru is here. She filled me in one what happened."
"I know," Aoshi said. "I just saw her."
"You did? Where was she going?"
"Towards the Captain's…" Aoshi paused watching the emotions play out on Kenshin's face.
Kenshin frowned. "Why would she go up there? She knows all the Hiten lieutenants are…" Kenshin paused. No, she wouldn't.
Aoshi's calm broke seeing the other man's eyes dilate. "What happened?" he said. "What did you say to her?"
Kenshin looked up at the other man, knowing that this wasn't going to go over well. "I told her the truth about one of the Hiten lieutenants. His name is Yukishiro Enshi." Kenshin paused while Aoshi's face registered the name. "She didn't recognize him but I found out it was the same man who…"
"You told her this?" Aoshi said suddenly.
"Yes."
"She's gone after him then," Aoshi said, suddenly moving quickly.
Kenshin frowned as he took after him. "But Kaoru is smarter than that. She wouldn't try to confront him."
"Yeah," Misao said softly. "She's not the type to seek revenge."
"She's not seeking revenge," Aoshi said angrily. "She's trying to deliver her father's last message."
~~~
A younger Aoshi walked into the small Tokyo apartment, tossing his keys on the table. The police uniform chaffed at his neck, the fabric still smelled new but he was starting to break it in. Still, it would be nice to enjoy the next couple of days off.
He walked towards the refrigerator and pulled out the leftover he had for dinner. On the table in the living room, the cell phone began to ring and Aoshi frowned unhappily. He really just wanted to spend a quiet evening without any interruptions.
But the phone kept ringing and Aoshi finally gave up, walking over and looking at the number. He was a bit surprised to see who it was but opened it up.
"Moshi moshi… Kamiya-san is that you? I thought you were taking Kaoru and Yahiko to Hokkai…"
"Aoshi-chan…"
Aoshi's heart caught in his throat. There was something wrong. Kamiya-san's voice was not the same. And it had been years since he had used chan to address him.
"Kamiya-san… what's wrong?"
"Aoshi-chan… please listen, there isn't very much time now…"
"Are you all right?"
"…I've been hurt…badly and…"
"I'm calling the EMT's right now," Aoshi said, walking towards his main phone and dialing the emergency number.
"No. No, there is no time…"
Aoshi was yelling into the phone, the cell phone limply at his ear hearing the weak voice of his mentor and surrogate father speaking to him.
"Aoshi-chan, please listen…"
Aoshi hand trembled slightly as he gave the address of the Kamiya household and let the phone drop back into its cradle.
"Don't speak, Kamiya-san, the EMTs will be there in a few minutes," Aoshi said grabbing his keys and heading out the door.
"They will not get here in time…" There was coughing on the other end of the phone and Aoshi's eyes were beginning to water.
"Of course they will…"
"No they… Aoshi-chan, I am so proud of what you have become…"
"Stop talking like…"
"Please take care of Kaoru, she'll be all alone now. Tell her…"
"You'll tell her yourself," Aoshi said, breaking out of the building's door and jumping on his motorcycle. "You're going to be…"
"Tell her… tell her I love her and Yahiko and Megumi very much, I loved all of you so much. And tell her. Tell her she must tell Neechi that it wasn't his fault…"
"Kamiya-san…" Aoshi said, gripping the handles of the bike as the tears finally broke.
"… I loved you all so much…so… very… much…"
~~~
Enishi's sword crashed hit Shishio's with a loud clang. He had put most of his strength into the blow but it didn't phase Shishio at all. Stepping backwards, Enishi regrouped and stared at his oppenent.
So it had come to this. Enishi was finally facing someone who he might not win against. But he would buy Hiko all the time he needed. He owed the man that much. Hiko had saved him from the streets, a bleeding shell of a man who had no recollection of his past. Hiko had given him a second life, and if meant losing it to protect him, then Enishi was prepared to do it.
Enishi attacked, watching with disappointment as Shishio easily parried the move. He swung again but Shishio hit his sword away like it was a toy.
"Is that all you can do?" Shishio asked.
Enishi stopped and turned, facing his opponent. No, it wasn't all he could do, Enishi thought with a smile. He shuffled his feet and prepared for the next attack. But before he could do anything, an explosion rocked the ship and everyone in the room fell to the ground.
Sano got up first, pulling Megumi up with him. He motioned for the door, realizing it was their last chance but Yumi was suddenly there, gun drawn and shaking her head. Sano stepped back with a frown.
Shishio got up next. "What happened?"
Yumi still trained the gun on the two hostages before looking out the window. Her eyes opened in surprise. "The ship! It's on fire."
The klaxons began to sound then and everyone there realized it was much more serious than a fire.
Enishi stood up and laughed. "Looks like your plan just failed."
Shishio frowned and turned angrily to the other man. He was right, there was no way the satellite would reach the space center without rising supicions.
"Shishio-sama," Yumi said, "we need to leave."
Shishio looked over Enishi, anger blazing in his eyes. "This is your fault. If the Hiten had not gotten involved, we would have had no problems."
"Sorry to disappoint you then," he replied, pushing the white hair away from his face. "But we like things the way they are, except now, we get the added bonus of a world without you."
Shishio's eyes narrowed. "Well then, I should be the one apologizing to you, since I won't let you live to see it."
Shishio attacked and Enishi fell back, suddenly finding a sword blade in his shoulder. His legs collapsed and Shishio stepped forward, planting a foot on Enishi's chest and pulling the sword out.
"Pathetic," Shishio said, rounding his prey for the kill shot.
There was pain, a lot of pain, Enishi realized. He saw the blood dripping down his arms and legs from the wound. And suddenly, he realized that this had happened before. The lock on his memories was starting to break but he still couldn't see it, he still had no answers as to what had happened to him before Hiko had found him.
Suddenly the door swung open and she was there, gun drawn. Something in his mind snapped, and he knew he had known her from before. It was Matsuda Hana, that girl from the bar that had attracted him. That he wanted so he could hurt Kenshin but… no, there had been something more. It was something more than just the girl at the bar. He had known he before too. How… how had he known her?
"Megumi!" Kaoru cried out seeing her friend and Sano there with Yumi's gun pointed at them.
"Kaoru," Megumi said softly, so no one could hear her. Yumi had not been lying.
"Drop it," Yumi said. "Or I'll shot the girl dead right now."
Kaoru hands wavered and she dropped the gun. This was not going as planned. She had thought she could catch them by surprise but they were the ones who had surprised her.
"Well," Shishio said, "this just keeps getting better. I take it you are responsible for all this trouble."
Kaoru turned and looked at who was speaking to her. Her hands came up to her mouth as she recognized the reputed yakuza boss. This was definitely not going as planned and she realized she was in a lot of danger. She stepped backwards but found only a metal wall as Shishio approached, slashing the sword in the air.
"I'm going to thank you personally for that."
It happened in the blink of an eye. The door flew open and Kenshin, Misao and Aoshi were suddenly there. Megumi was calling out at Kaoru, knowing it was too late. Kaoru's eyes snapped shut, waiting for the inevitable strike.
But it never came.
She opened her eyes and saw the blade, just below her belly. It had been stopped and looking up she saw the reason why.
He didn't know why he had moved but something in his mind had told him to protect her. Enishi's eyes locked on hers with a mixture of confusion and pain, the long blade of Shishio having impaled him through the stomach.
Shishio pulled the blade back and Enishi collapsed forward into Kaoru's arms. She let him fall softly to the ground and turned him, so he would face her, head nestled in her lap. His eyes were frantically searching her face, still trying to decipher who she was.
"Neechi?" she said softly. Enishi's eyes widened as the flood of memories suddenly deluged his mind. His eyes started to water and Kaoru smiled slightly. "Neechi, you remember me?"
"Kaoru… I didn't… I couldn't remember but…" Suddenly images of the gun and Kamiya-san flashed through his mind. "I didn't want to remember," he said. "What did I do?"
Kaoru reached forward, gently brushing his eyes and whipping away the tears. The colored contacts in his eyes followed suit, and Kaoru found herself looking into the familiar soft brown eyes of her old friend.
"Neechi, it's all right now," Kaoru said.
"I didn't want to remember," he said, cringing his face in pain. "I didn't want…"
"Neechi, I wanted to tell you this but you disappeared," Kaoru started softly.
"I had to run away," he responded. "I had to forget because I… I…"
"Yes," Kaoru said. "You did shoot him but… he wanted me to tell you that he never blamed you for it. That it was only an accident." Enishi sobbed slightly and Kaoru carefully took his hand in hers. "If only I could have found you before…"
"It was too late," he said. "It was too…" His body spasmed, the blood pouring out of the wound.
"Neechi…"
"We had fun, ne? At the prom?"
"Yes," she replied. "You were a wonderful dancer."
"I had wanted… I had wanted to ask you," he said, trying to fight through the pain, "if you would visit me at the university."
"Of course," she said sadly. "You know I would have."
His eyes clouded with tears. "I had nothing to give you. No money, no family except Tomoe…"
"It never mattered to me," Kaoru said.
"The only thing… I could have given you… the only thing I wanted to give you… from the moment…"
"Shhh," Kaoru said, patting his hair slightly.
"From the moment I met you…" he said the loss of blood slowly stripping away his conscious, "…my heart was yours…"
His eyes slowly closed as unconsciousness settled in. The rise and fall of his chest was slowing now and in Kaoru knew he was not going to wake up. The room was silent, the people assembled there staring in shock at the scene that had just played out. Even Yumi's eyes flickered with a bit of emotion but it quickly disappeared as Shishio looked over at her. She nodded slightly.
"So this is the famous Kamiya Kaoru," Shishio said. "Soujirou told me that you were very important to this little group," he said motioning around. "But I didn't realize how deep it ran." Kaoru looked up, locking eyes with the yakuza boss. "I might be jealous of the way you have stolen all their attention away from me. But then I am not that sort of a man."
Three gunshots broke the silence and Kaoru blinked in surprise, having felt something push against her chest. Looking down, she saw three patches slowly wetting down the black shirt she wore. Yumi pulled back her gun and reloaded it before turning back towards Megumi and Sano.
"Too bad, Yumi is not as forgiving," Shishio said with a small smile as Kaoru collapsed forward onto Enishi.