Usual disclaimer still applies.
A/N: Well, I decided to do a little research on the geology of the area Saito and Kenshin are in right now. Needless to say, it was not a small project and I ended up with more information than I needed.
I must say thanks to my friend Ann for helping me out with the project while she was studying for finals!
Saito's POV
I walked in front of the Battousai and checked the opening of the passageway for ice. The black rock was making it hard to tell, but I was sure there was no ice, so I took a step forward. The Battousai walked close behind me, practically on my heels.
"Scared of the dark?" I asked glancing over my shoulder at him. He glared at me but said nothing. "The ground is uneven and the rocks on the right side are razor sharp, so don't fall."
"I wasn't planning on it." He snapped, stepping back without looking and slipping on a small patch of ice. The Battousai landed on his ass just inside the entrance and he dropped his torch, which went out. He looked up at my snort. "Don't say a word."
I offered him a hand and he stared at me suspiciously. I waited until he took my hand and I pulled him to his feet. I bared my teeth in pain as the tugging action pulled on my broken ribs and the Battousai let go of my hand quickly. I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him.
"I told you that I won't hurt you Battousai." I said starting down the path slowly. The torch light helped but the ground was rougher than I remembered so I put my left hand on the wall for balance. "Try to stay behind me. The path splits a few times further ahead. And don't bother lighting another torch, there's enough light from mine to see by."
Kenshin's POV
I watched Saito feel his was along the wall. It was obvious that it was going to be a long trip to the next cave if the path was this uneven. My arm and back were already aching from that slip on the ice and I could tell that Saito's ribs were giving him trouble. I walked directly behind Saito, making sure to stay a few steps back so he didn't complain. I glanced around; the shifting shadows were beginning to bother me. We walked along the path for almost an hour in silence; my whole body was aching from the unevenness of the ground.
"Saito, I need to stop." I said resting my back against the wall. Saito stopped and looked over his shoulder at me; his gold eyes reflecting eerily in the torchlight. He made his way back to me and stood over me. "I'm sore and I can tell your ribs are bothering you."
"There is a hot spring a little further ahead." Saito said glancing in the direction we had been traveling. "It isn't used much, but I've been told that the heat does wonders for sore muscles. Do you think you can walk for another ten minutes?"
I nodded and we started back down the treacherous path. We had only been walking for about five minutes when I smelled it; the smell of old blood and death. The muscles in my back began to tighten and I could see that Saito had smelled it too. He stood almost motionless ahead of me, reminding of a predator that had just sensed that prey was nearby.
Saito's POV
The Battousai was right, my ribs were hurting badly. The hot springs had been in a few reports that I had read about the area and I could use a good soak to get the dried blood off anyway. I took the lead again and we hadn't walked far when I began to smell blood. It was faint, barely there at all, but I could smell it. The further we walked though, the stronger the smell. I felt the Battousai tense behind me and then the smell of death hit me hard. I stopped and stood still; there was something else in the tunnels with us. I could feel it watching us. Could sense it stalking us silently through the darkness; a predator hunting its perceived prey.
"Where is it?" The Battousai asked quietly. I heard the sound of a sword being drawn from a sheath and turned slowly to look at him. He hadn't drawn the sword completely from the sheath. I didn't remember him having it when we started into the tunnels. The Battousai arched an eyebrow at me. "Forgot I had this, did you?"
"It's watching us from beyond the torchlight." I answered feeling the predator in me rise to the surface. Whatever was hiding in the darkness would find us harder to kill than it expected; even wounded, the Battousai and I were more than capable of handling ourselves. "It thinks that we are prey Battousai. It thinks that it will be able to handle the two of us without a problem."
"But what is it?" The Battousai asked stepping within touching distance and hesitantly letting go of the hilt of the sword to hold out the small blade he had palmed earlier. I took it, accidentally brushing my fingers over the back of his hand. He pulled his hand away, but said nothing about it.
"An Ezo wolf, I think." I said quietly. "We should keep going. It will not attack us here. There's no room for it to maneuver. Move slowly and stay close."
"I've never heard of an Ezo wolf this far south before." The Battousai whispered keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword in case he had to draw it.
"Some idiot thought it would be a good idea to bring the Wolves a pair of actual wolves as a gift." I murmured watching a lean, grey form padding silently next to us. I glanced back at the Battousai and noticed him watching as well. "Okita had them released. I wondered what happened to that idiot, Hayate Nakamura. Now I guess we know."
The Battousai gave me a questioning look and I pointed to the bones lying against the wall about four feet ahead of me. The bones had been completely stripped of flesh. I noticed Nakamura's sword and slowly crouched down to pick it up. As I stood, I noticed another skeleton.
"At least he didn't die alone." I muttered showing the Battousai the wolf skull next to Nakamura. I stepped around both skeletons and there was a low growl to my right. I saw a blur of grey lunging from the darkness and side stepped just as the wolf's jaws snapped close where my right arm had just been. The wolf was quite large, but it was emaciated; I could count each of the wolf's ribs.
Kenshin's POV
I pulled my sword the instant the wolf jumped out of the shadows at us, but I didn't have a chance to swing. The wolf snarled at Saito as he dodged out of the way of the wolf's jaws. Saito stepped back and let out a hiss of pain as his heel connected with the razor sharp rocks that line the path. I drew my sword and slashed at the wolf's exposed flank, but had to jump back because it turned faster than I thought it would.
"Stay back." Saito snarled at me. "This is my fight."
I noticed the feral look in Saito's eyes again and took a step back down the path. Saito drew his sword, dropping the torch, and attacked the wolf. The wolf and the Wolf of Mibu seemed to dance in the flickering torchlight. Dodging, slashing, snapping; each trying to find the others weakness. Blood splashed the stone at my feet as Saito's sword bit deep into the wolf's right flank. The wolf let out a snarl of pain and sunk it's fangs into Saito's left calf. The froze, neither wanting to give up the ground they had gained. I shifted my weight slightly, drawing the wolf's attention for only a moment. But that moment was all the time Saito needed. He reversed his grip on his sword and drove it through the wolf's body. The wolf released Saito's calf and dropped to the ground. Saito's sword had pierced its heart and had killed it instantly. Saito took a step back, leaving the sword buried in the wolf's body.
"How deep are your wounds?" I asked drawing his gaze back to me. His eyes still looked a little wild, but he was starting to calm down again. I picked up the torch and moved closer to Saito so he could inspect his wounds.
"It isn't very deep. We should get to the hot spring to wash it out though." Saito answered bending over slowly to check the bite mark. There was a small blood pool forming around his foot. Saito pulled his sword out of the wolf and used the edge of his sleeve to wipe off the blood. I reached into the small pack for some bandages but Saito shook his head. "We should just wait until it's clean instead of wasting bandages."
"How much further?" I asked putting the bandages back. Saito pointed to a branch in the trail about fifteen feet ahead of us. "Do you want me to go first?"
"If you wish. The springs should be on the left about thirty feet down the trail." Saito said wincing as he straightened. I nodded and walked around the wolf's body carefully. I stepped off the main path and down the side trail; Saito following close behind me. About ten feet down the path, I found another patch of black ice. I slipped backwards and fell into Saito; who was following closer than I originally thought. We went down hard in a tangle of arms, legs and sword sheaths. Luckily the torch didn't go out when it fell to the ground.
"Get….off…" Saito wheezed, his mouth right next to my right ear and his left arm cradling my broken one. I turned almost as red as my hair at the sensation of his breath on my ear and his body pressed closely against mine. I tried to stand up and slipped on the ice again, landing on Saito's lap. Saito sighed and wrapped his left arm around my waist. I squirmed, trying to get him to let go. "Stop moving. I'm trying to help you up."
Saito shifted to his knees and kept me held close to him. I got my feet beneath me and Saito let me go before climbing back to his feet. I picked up the torch and turned away from him before he could see how flushed I was at the incident. I continued down the trail, making sure that I watched for ice. I felt the heat of the hot spring before I saw it. Saito reached around me to grab the torch, his arm brushing against my shoulder. I gave him the torch and let him lead. Saito checked all of the crevices around the medium sized pool and settled the torch into a crack in a large boulder.
"It's safe. There is an area behind that boulder if you want to strip down for the spring." Saito said pointing at a nearby boulder before disappearing behind another boulder. I walked cautiously behind the boulder, not wanting to slip again.
TBC…..
Thanks for reading. I know it took awhile, but I'm back.
Reviews are craved.
