Megumi tensed against the large hand clamped around the base of her neck as the stainless steel elevator silently ticked through the floors. The hand held firm, limiting her movement. As the floors ticked up, dread trickled into the pit of her stomach, a slight nausea mixed with a sense of inevitability.
The doors slid open and she saw him standing at the end of the hall, straight and solid with his ice cold eyes. She searched his face for a change of expression, guilt, affection, recognition, some softening?
"Aoshi" she whispered under her breath.
No response. It was as if she wasn't there at all, he looked through her. A cold sensation settled across her chest. That was it. There was nothing here for her, nothing outside, nothing at all.
Guiding her to the end of the hall, Hannya released his hold on her neck. She swayed on her feet. No steadying hand appeared. Megumi walked past Aoshi and back into her lab. She stared across the work tables at the rows of carefully organized and labeled glass. Briefly she considered a grand gesture of sweeping every delicate piece onto the floor in a rain of shattered sound and chemical, but the rage wasn't there. She was empty. Her body felt heavy. She turned her eyes back towards Aoshi who was watching her from the door. Her mind slipped into her memories. Was it only a month ago she had clung to him in the dark?
Working in isolation, she had been drawn immediately to the silent, handsome man. At first she thought him just another man in uniform sent to protect the security of the lab, but as she watched she noticed how the other guards avoided him, gave him extra space, stopped talking when he came into the room. Like they did with her. He was special then.
He watched her. Things began appearing around the lab before she could order them, chemicals that were running low, a replacement centrifuge before she could even report hers broken, a hundred small things that made her work easier, faster, and more efficient. She had thought it a sign of affection, a silent admirer. Her stomach clenched. How stupid she had been.
She remembered the first night she decided to run, the night half of her mice died foaming at the mouth and twitching in pain. She had wrenched a piece of jagged metal from the cages, intending to use it as a weapon that night, a makeshift shiv, against any guard who would prevent her from walking out the lab doors. She didn't get very far.
He was there, solid. He wrapped his arms around her in an embrace, softly prying the shiv from her grip. A bitterness rose in Megumi's throat; how stupid to think the embrace had been born of affection rather than control. She had leaned into the embrace, burying her cheek against the soft collar of his long coat. He hadn't said a word. He carried her gently back to her living quarters attached to the lab. He hadn't waited for an invitation, but came in directly, setting her down gently in front of her bathroom and handing her a soft towel from the shelf.
He was still sitting on her couch when she emerged from her steaming shower that night. She had tugged on his sleeve and he had followed her to her bedroom. She didn't turn on the light. The glow from the city through her narrow window shimmered against his pale coat as he slid it from his shoulders and folded it, setting it gently on the chest at the foot of her bed. She reached toward him to unbutton his shirt, but he caught her wrists, stilling her hands, and removed his shirt himself. He didn't make any declarations of affection. He made no sighs, or moans, or sounds of pleasure. Beyond his breath that rose as they came together, he made no sound at all, but his body had been warm and she had taken her comfort from him. She wasn't stupid. She knew he didn't love her, but something in his eyes, a loneliness, that they had in common. She had thought it would be enough. She had thought it would grow into affection. How stupid.
Megumi brought her thoughts back to the present moment, regarding Aoshi whose eyes missed nothing. How could she have hoped. It had always been about control.
"I won't finish it. I'll kill myself first." She said softly, knowing he would hear every word.
"If you must, I won't stop you." Aoshi slid a familiar ragged shiv from his waist and set it on the table in front of her. He leaned forward to speak softly in her ear: "If you do, the unstable version will be shipped."
The rage came. Images of what would happen if people took that formula, the seizures, the pain, the death. Megumi grabbed the handle of the shiv and swung it towards Aoshi with a scream. He easily stepped back out of range. She swung her arm across the table, swiping the beakers, vials, and tubes to the floor. Her vision went white as she struggled to control her breath. When she opened her eyes again, he was gone.
...
Sano blinked rapidly as a bleary face came into view, soft and round, with flowing dark hair.
"Ah!" Sano jolted back toward the headboard. Kaoru sprang back, nearly toppling the chair she had pulled toward his hospital bed. Sano eyed her wearily.
"Missy, you didn't, like, kiss me or nothing while I was out did ya? I know it was probably distressing and all, and I know it's hard to keep your lips off me, but I ain't that easy to get rid of." Sano smirked.
Kaoru hit him upside the head with the plastic covered water cup from the bedside table.
"Your snoring stopped. I just wanted to make sure you were still breathing." She snapped. "I'll go get Kenshin." Kaoru muttered as she stormed through the door.
As the door closed, Sano took a breath and a moment to feel his body. Weaker than normal. He flexed his fingers first, than shook out his legs. His throat was dry. He picked up the slightly cracked plastic water mug and took a long sip through the bendy straw.
Kenshin stepped through the door, placing a hand gently on Sano's shoulder to keep him from getting up.
"What happened man?" Sano asked.
"The doctors say you were hit with four projectiles containing an, as yet, unknown sedative. You've been unconscious for the last six hours, but there would not appear to be any permanent damage. Although, they will be keeping you here overnight for observation to monitor your liver functions and send your toxicology report to a specialist."
"But did you get the bastards?"
"The man with the darts was arrested and taken by the police. When I went to the station to get more information, they informed me that he was transferred to a specialized unit. I put a call in to the chief, but he was unable to give me further information. I suspect that he has been removed entirely from police custody."
"Damn it. By who?"
Kenshin shrugged lightly.
"And the other one?"
"He left with Dr. Takani. I was...unable to track him." Kenshin lowered his chin to his chest.
Sano pulled his hand through his hair. "Well damn it. It's not like we don't know where they took her. We'll just have to go get her back."
Kenshin pressed into Sano's shoulder a little harder.
"Sano, one cannot just break into the Unity building, the security..."
"Break in? We're breaking in? Where are we breaking in?" Misao's chipper voice came from the doorway as she pressed through with a collection of potato chips and canned soda.
"Um...Ms. Makimachi..."
"Here. Sprite and Sun Chips for you Kenshin." She pressed the snacks into his hands. "Coke and two bags of Ranch Doritos for the Rooster. You're welcome. Kaoru told me what happened. Now, where are we breaking in?" She grinned.
"The Unity building." Sano returned her grin.
Kenshin stepped quickly back to the door and closed it with a sharp snap.
"No." A hit of steel laced the soft word as Kenshin turned toward his friends.
"The Unity building has military security protocols in place for contractors. Guards are likely armed and breaching those protocols would likely be considered an act of terrorism." Kenshin spoke softly, but Sano saw the glint of amber in his eyes.
"There are more appropriate ways to come to the assistance of Dr. Takani..."
"Dammit Kenshin. If they can pull a guy out of police custody that fast, there is no way you're getting fucking official channels in to help. They'll kill her before the cops even get close." Sano slammed his fist against the side of the hospital bed.
"Sano. I don't believe that they wish harm to Dr. Takani. I am returning now to the station to see what further assistance we may find."
The door clicked shut behind Kenshin.
Misao slurped her soda.
"Ok... So, Unity building. I've been scoping that place for weeks. Which floor?" Miso asked, pulling out a notebook.
...
Kenshin spotted Kaoru heading towards him from the nurses' station at the end of the hall. He noticed that her face held the small crease bellow her eyebrows that she got when she worried. His hand itched to smooth it out.
"Kenshin! I was just looking for you to let you know Sano woke up."
"Yes. I've just been to see him and I believe that now Ms. Makimachi is plying his appetite with vending machine fare."
"Oh." Kaoru paused uncertainly outside of the room door. Her stomach grumbled audibly.
"Would you care to join me for some dinner in the cafeteria Ms. Kaoru?" Kenshin's face remained neutral, save a slight crinkle near his eyes.
...
Instead of eating in the busy dining room, Kaoru and Kenshin took their wrapped sandwiches to the outdoor patient garden, abandoned now that the sun had set. They found a small bench in an alcove blooming with jasmine. They ate silently for several minutes, enjoying the quiet and adjusting to the low light in the garden.
"Kenshin, I won't pretend to know exactly what is going on, but..."
Kenshin set the remains of his sandwich down and slid closer to Kaoru, gently wrapping his arm around her back and nudging her head toward his shoulder. Kaoru leaned in, wrapping her arm gently across his chest.
"I will protect you Kaoru." Kenshin whispered into her hair.
His fingers gently smoothed a soft lock that had come loose of her pony tail. He traced the strand of hair down her cheek, across her neck, into the soft dip of her collarbone. Kaoru tilted her chin up to meet his lips, soft and warm. She felt the charge shoot through to her core. His arm curled around her, pulling her across his leg and partially into his lap. Kaoru could feel his body heat through his shirt. His tongue touched her lips softly. She opened her lips to feel the warm slide of his tongue across her own. She traced his cheek, feeling the slightly raised scar tissue. Her fingers pushed back across his scalp, loosening his hair to fall lightly across his shoulders. His hair was softer than she had imagined, a thick mass of fine hair that slid gently across her fingers. She felt more than heard the groan come from deep in his chest. He deepened his kiss. She felt a rising hardness press against her thigh.
Kaoru scrambled up to her feet, flushed and embarrassed. Kenshin's arms tightened than released her as if he'd been burned. She saw a flash of amber in his eyes before he tilted his chin down, hiding his eyes behind his bangs.
"Ms. Kaoru, I apologize..." His voice came out hoarse. He raked his hair back, tying it back into the low tail he wore.
"Ah. No. Kenshin, it's fine. I..." Kaoru waved her hand helplessly, deep crimson staining her face.
"I should return to the station." Kenshin stood, moving toward the parking lot. "I'll call if I find out anything further."
He paused at the edge of the garden, watching to make sure Kaoru made it safely back inside the hospital.
...
Author Notes:
I feel that interest is waning in this story, so, I'm looking at wrapping this up in a few chapters. I'm always open to critical feedback if folks have thoughts on how to improve the writing, story pacing, etc.
Always RuroKen: Thank you for the review. :)
Thank you to all readers for taking the time to read this story.
