AN:Sorry for taking such a long time to update this. But now school is over, and summer vacation has come! I will be updating more frequently, not waiting a month to get around to starting an update.
DISCLAIMER: *sigh* I do not own Kenshin or Kaoru or Battousai (as much as I would love to own him~) or any of the characters mentioned.
Look And See Chapter 11
By BRI-C123
"Gein?" Kaoru asked.
"His company isn't so wonderful. You might even come to hate him. But I would suggest you do whatever he asks. It isn't fun when you argue with him. He's horrid when he gets angry." Banjin shuddered.
"Well, would you like to be the example for her? I'm sure after she watches you, she'll be more compliant."
"N-no thanks man. You can have her now. I'm going. Bye!"
While it did irritate her that Banjin just left her, she was also a bit wary. The man that was now standing at the doorway of her new "room" didn't seem normal like Banjin was. Banjin had reminded her of the rooster head Megumi claimed was her boyfriend. That was a relief for her. It was almost comforting. But the man named Gein was not one she would call comforting. The mask he wore screamed "mentally unstable." She slowly backed away. "Gein, I assume?" She raised her chin and tried to put up her strong front.
"You assume correctly. And you, I assume, are the woman Banjin called Kuramiko? The one who always tries to escape, despite being caught every time, and refuses to talk to Banjin about anything relating to Hiko and his group."
Her eyes narrowed. "I know nothing about Hiko nor anything about his group. Nothing you do will make me suddenly know anything. My friends, if they even are my friends, have done nothing. I am held captive here with no reason what so ever. In fact, this is kidnapping and I have every right to sue all of you once you let me out of here."
He seemed amused, although it was hard to tell with the mask and all. "Really now? Are you sure about that?"
"That is the truth. Now let me go."
"Oh no. I don't think you really are telling the truth. Not from what I hear, Kamiya-san." She froze. "Surprised? I wasn't. You do look like a Kuramiko so its easy to see how Banjin blindly believed you. Although Kaoru does seem to fit you much better." He grabbed her by the chin. She struggled but his grip was hard, unbreakable. "What other lies are you telling me?"
"I have told no other lies." She muttered.
He smirked at her stubbornness. "We shall see about that." He threw her to the floor and licked his lips. He always liked this part of his job best. The ability to bring his victims to the brink of death while testing out any new weapons he has. To hold them prisoner and do as he pleases while getting paid. That was the life, that was his life.
It has already been a month. There is still no sign of Kaoru anywhere. Kenshin was going crazy. That woman had been pulled into his line of work. He wondered how she would be feeling right now. Is she hurt? Did they torture her for information? Of course they did. But she was strong in her own way. She didn't know anything. He had been hoping she would be returned soon but it never happened. He hardly slept anymore. He was haunted by nightmares of her bloodied body lying mangled in the streets. It was so frequent, that he stopped sleeping. He knew he would only wake up a few hours later with painful memories of the dream. He devoted that time to drinking lots of coffee and continuing his search for Kaoru.
The others were starting to give up. There was no sign pointing anywhere to whoever had taken her. He was to the point of obsessing over her. Her apartment was left exactly the way she had it. He still stayed there, going over the moment she was taken from him.
Hiko had seen his eyes. They were bleeding gold. The man knew Kaoru meant something to him. He too liked Kaoru a lot. She had that innocence that no one but Misao really had in his company. Her character was strong.
Megumi always worried over her. She would tell no one why. A patient's privacy should have no effect in such desperate times, but that is what she always said and she would not give in to anyone. Even with Sano working on it, she never spilled anything. Although Sano easily caves in to Megumi's will.
But not even Misao, who easily snuck into everyone's privacy, could get her hands on Kaoru's records. Megumi was hiding something from them all. But if she insisted that it has nothing to do with where she is, then no one pushed it too far.
At night, as Kenshin is out looking for any signs of Kaoru's whereabouts, Megumi sits in her room long after Sano falls asleep holding a bottle of pills in her hands. On the label is the name Kaoru Kamiya.
Kaoru lay on the floor by the bed. The cold hardness kept her awake through the pain. "What, Kamiya-san? Can't take anymore? Shall I stop for the day?" She didn't say anything and tried to keep her head together. "I'll stop if you tell me more about Battousai."
She slowly turned to face Gein. "I will tell you again. I. Know. Noth-" She gasped as another one of his thin needles slashed her arm again. She whimpered.
"I still don't believe you. But seeing as you might die too soon, I'll stop for the day. I expect to have more fun tomorrow Kamiya-san." He turned and walked away from her bleeding body. The door was shut and locked behind him.
She stayed where she was long after he left. When she finally found the strength to move, she crawled her way to the bathroom. She made her way into the shower and turned on the water. The water made her cuts sting, causing her to hiss in pain. She let the blood slowly wash off the rest of her body and clothes. The wet cloth fell to the floor, forgotten and no longer useable. The soap stung even more but she continued to wash herself. She had to get away soon.
There was no more feeling in her body except numbing pain. She collapsed onto the bed, ignoring the change of clothes that was laid out, and passed out.
Kaoru awoke some time later. The light coming from the window was darker than what it was before. She knew it was getting late into the night. She quickly changed, wincing at the sore spots on her body. She quietly opened the door and snuck out. There were no guards outside her room like the last time. She found it easy to get outside the house. She got back to the tall gates again and glanced around. It was surprisingly quiet. She shook off the hesitation and ran to a corner where she could climb the gate. She almost reached the top when a chill went down her spine a split second before she started bleeding. Her hands suddenly went clammy and she was no longer near the top.
She dropped to the ground, clutching her arm. "Well, I am going to have more fun sooner than I thought." Her eyes followed Gein as he slowly walked forward. "We released the guards here because we thought you were smart enough not to try escaping after you went through me. Apparently, we thought wrong. We already let the guards go, but I have no problem keeping you here by myself." He lifted his hand she whimpered at the sharp pain of his thread cutting her skin again. "I was going to wait until tomorrow, but since you've made me angry I'll speed up my schedule. Did you know I made puppets? Yes, they are great things. I can even make you. I am a master at it. But let's get to the interesting part, shall we?" At his sudden movement, she saw something come out from the shadows. She stared in horror at the thing that came out.
It was more than three times her height. It looked sinister, and ready to eat her alive. She backed up a little bit and swallowed. "What's with the overgrown toad?" she asked. It was hard to keep her strong façade up.
"Not the most beautiful face. No, but its beauty lies on the inside." He touched the thing, petting it as if it was a loving dog. "Ah yes, my beautiful puppet. I've yet to try it out in any real fight yet. I will give you the pleasure of being the first." She was tossed a short sword. The heavy weight of it made her arms ache a bit. "Give it your worst Kamiya-san." He disappeared inside the body of the "puppet." She stood on shaky legs. Sleepless nights, haunting nightmares, and a month without her medication was taking its toll on her. She just barely lifted the sword to face her opponent. "You are a weak thing. Where is that fire the boss saw in you? There is no reason he should keep you alive." The puppet stood. "But I suppose I should be grateful too. It was amazing how you managed to stay alive for this long. And now I get a new test subject. Now fight!"
An arm swung towards her. Reacting on instinct, she dodged and rolled quickly to the right, closer to the wall. He swung the arms some more, and she dodged until her back hit the wall. She was now trapped.
"Tch." Her mind fought to work like it used to. She saw the arm coming towards her and blocked with her sword. She pushed it back and stood straight. "I was taught by my father, master of the Kamiya Kashin Style. You will not take me down easily."
"That is what I wanted to hear." The dance began. She blocked everything but was only able to do that, block. There was no time for her to advance before he struck again. When he finally stopped, she leaned against the wall for support while she evened out her breathing. A real sword was heavier to wield than a shinai. "Tired, Kamiya-san? Oh, that won't do. I haven't even used the fun parts of my puppet yet. Shall we continue this tomorrow?" She didn't answer. Her breathing was not back to normal yet. "Very well." He turned around. She took this chance to jump for a surprise attack. Her sword met the puppet head on, but the shell did not break. It was not even pierced. She fell back and watched it turn back to her. "Do you like it? Its made of elastic, so thick that nothing can get through it. It's a real beauty, isn't it?"
"Its an ugly toad" she repeated. She held her head high and brought her sword up, ready for another attack. "You hide behind gimmicks, not able to fend for yourself. All your weapons hide your weakness."
"Do you not hide behind a weapon yourself? That sword you carry is a weapon, is it not? Do not speak to me like you know all."
"Kamiya Kasshin Style has Jujitsu. We are able to protect, with or without a sword." To prove it, she rushed towards the head and gave it a flying kick. She bounced back and landed on her feet. She started swinging the sword again. When Gein did not strike back, she struck harder with more vigor, hoping to break through the puppet and get to the man.
He stayed still, letting her have her fun and waste her energy. When she stopped for breath, he was quick to act on it. He swung the arms far, disengaging the mechanics inside and letting the arm stretch out to roughly throw her to the wall again. She choked back her scream of pain. It came out as a pain filled gasp instead. "How interesting. But it matters not. I'm here only to get information and my entertainment out of you. Tell me now, Kamiya-san, what is Battousai planning?"
She gasped for air. When he eased back to let her talk, she coughed. "I know nothing." She tried to pierce the skin again. It was stretched, thinner than before and she managed to make a small cut, but not enough to draw out the man. He flung her towards the house, which she hit. She dug the sword to the ground, using it to help her get up.
"You cut it." A large hand knocked her again. "You made an imperfection in my masterpiece!" He swung the large hand again and she was knocked unconscious. "The bitch!" He stepped out of his puppet to examine the damage. "Nothing that can't be fixed, but damn." He turned to the unconscious girl. "I suppose I can't get anything out of her either. I've used my best and she still won't talk. Perhaps a game with someone new will change her mind." He turned and left with his now imperfect puppet. He did not care to stay and play anymore. He had work to do.
She was left on the ground outside. She slept without a single dream or nightmare, just the perfect darkness of unconsciousness.
Kenshin sat up straighter in his bed. A sudden chill went down his spine. He quickly dressed and stepped out of the apartment. There was nothing there to disturb him. But that chill…
He was outside the building in a flash. He looked around, looking for any sign of a threat. He quickly scoured the whole neighborhood, but there was nothing. He sat on a rooftop, slowly closing his eyes. Part of him felt relief but another part felt crushing defeat. "Damn" he said to himself. Damn it all to hell. From that chill I had thought….
He had thought he was going find Kaoru's dead body.
I hope you enjoyed this update~ I tried my best not to get too angst-y (if that can be considered a word) but its hard when you're in a situation like Kaoru's, I guess. Please forgive the OOCness of this. I tried my best to stay within character but sometimes it's a bit hard.
Well, until next time! (which will hopefully be soon)
Kokoronagomu: I would say Kaoru was much better off in the manga than in my story. At least she had the power of knowledge there, like you said. Thank you, as always, for reviewing.
Kenjustsu2Princess: Thank you for reviewing! I hope Kaoru isn't too OOC in this story for you~ She is also my favorite, for her strong sense of character when it comes to kenshin~ Ahhh such young love~
