Author's note: In thinking about it, I realized I left a bit of a plothole in the last chapter, so I modified some of Kaoru's and Kanryu's conversation and reposted the chapter. And, just so you all know, this is probably going to be a loooooonnng fanfic story. I have a lot more stuff I am just itching to get down, so more chapters are percolating away. And on that note, YOU GUYS ROCK! 100 reviews and counting! That is the most I have gotten on a story so far – keep 'em coming! Hugs and sparkly happy squeals to all!
As the strange hands suddenly grabbed Karou, she lashed out blindly, striking at whatever bit of flesh she could connect with. But as she fought back, a sharp voice hissed in her ears, "I'm a friend! It's okay!" The hands loosened, setting Kaoru free; she jerked back and twisted around to stare at her assailant. It was a young teenage girl even smaller than Kaoru with a thick rope of braided black hair and a strange outfit which left her knees bare. A brace of knives was tucked in her belt, and she had a determined, competent air about her diminutive frame. Leaning closer, she spoke over the clattering thump of the machine they both were crouched behind.
"There's a lot of sailors around here and they're going to start swarming the entire place. This is a bad spot. Follow me, and I'll take you somewhere safer." Turning, she slipped away, beckoning Kaoru to follow.
Kaoru paused, weighing her options. The girl had obviously seen through Kaoru's disguise and clearly knew her way around the ship. Her mannerisms even indicated that she had a general idea of who Kaoru was. The girl could very well lead Kaoru into a trap or she could help her avoid a tight spot; it was hard to tell. Not exactly trusting the girl but beginning to realize that her list of options was becoming exceedingly short, Kaoru cautiously fell in place behind the girl as she followed her lead, moving carefully through the murky light and pounding equipment.
The two young women ducked and wove their way across the room on high alert as more voices and the sound of footfalls make it clear that the room was filling with sailors at an alarming rate. The girl was as agile as a snake and effortlessly slipped across the floor so quickly that Karou almost lost her a few times, but soon they had worked their way to the edge of the room. The girl lifted up a small grate on the wall and motioned to Kaoru, hissing, "Follow me and shut the door behind you," as she disappeared into a dark vent.
Kaoru reluctantly slid in after her. The vent was quite narrow and Kaoru was bigger than the girl in front of her, so she had a little difficulty pulling the grate back in place after she had entered the vent. Inside was completely dark and noisy with the sound of machines and men outside the walls echoing inside the vent. It was also choked with dust, filmy with cobwebs, and Kaoru felt something small and furry brush past her hand. Suppressing the urge to scream, she swallowed a tremor of disgust and flopped down on her belly to crawl forward. However, she quickly realized that it was too difficult to drag her bag of clothing with her, so she left it behind her in the vent with only a slight pang of regret for abandoning the lovely hakama and gi. Safety and getting out alive were currently a much higher priority than vanity.
The girl moved through the vent almost soundless and a few times Kaoru accidentally bumped into her when she lost track of how far ahead her companion was. Luckily there was enough noise from the surrounding rooms that neither teenager was worried about being overheard as they moved through the vent. Although it seemed like a century of time passed while they slid their way forward, in reality it was only a few minutes before the girl pushed aside another grate and a wan light shone into the dark vent.
The girl disappeared and Kaoru followed after her, sliding out of the vent onto the wooden floor of another room. It was dark except for a small oil lamp fixed on the wall and littered with broken pieces of wood, old ropes and other random items, the dusty contents of the room indicating how little it was used. The room was obviously near working machinery because the floor vibrated slightly with the sound of heavy engines working overtime; the noise was strong but not so loud to prevent normal conversation.
Dusty and with bits of cobwebs sticking to her braid, the girl stood with her hands on her hips and whistled softly, "Whew! I always forget how much I hate rats until I get into a vent and feel them running across me!" She gave Kaoru a big smile, "Sorry about that, but vents are the best way to get around this ship undetected. This room's a good spot to hide; no one comes in here much and it's loud enough that we can talk without being overheard."
"Thanks for helping me back there," Kaoru said slowly, eying her new companion cautiously. She was tiny, a thin whip of a girl with an animated expression and a confident, almost brash attitude that belied her diminutive frame.
Whipping her long braid back and forth to knock out a few spiders, the girl rattled out, "I'm Makimachi Misao, by the way."
"Kamiya Kaoru," Kaoru responded. Peering closely at Misao, she said carefully, "Back in that engine room you acted like you knew who I was."
"'Course I do, I've been a spy on this ship for the past two weeks," Misao responded cheerfully. "I saw them bring you in and I overheard you and Kanryu talking earlier today." She grinned widely at Kaoru. "Darn handy, these vents are. Kanryu has several of them around his office and I've heard a lot of things he probably doesn't want me knowing."
"Who are you, then?" Kaoru questioned. "Don't tell me you just like sneaking on board airships for kicks and giggles."
"Close but no sake," Misao giggled. "I'm a ninja. Sneaking around finding out interesting information is what I do. You hungry?" She picked up a sack and pulled out an apple. Kaoru took it gratefully. Dinner had been a few hours away and a poor one at best. The apple disappeared quickly, and Misao took out a few rice balls to share.
Biting into a rice ball, Kaoru thought a moment, then said, "So you're a spy. What exactly are you spying out here?"
"I'm a member of the Oniwaban," Misao replied around a mouthful of rice. "We've been tracking the sale of Spider Web for months and finally narrowed in on the source." She swallowed and a sad, angry expression stormed across her face. "Spider Web has been killing people right and left and once we realized Kanryu was behind it all, we found a lot more shady ventures this guy is controlling. Arms dealing, smuggling, prostitution rings, you name it, he's got his dirty fingers in it. He's a rotten snake and it's time for him to go down."
"Couldn't agree with you more," Kaoru nodded in agreement. "What's the plan?"
"I snuck on broad two weeks ago to scout out the area and get the lay of the land. When the assault happens, we'll have a main attacking ship and several auxiliary gliders to target the weak areas. During the fight, I've got to contact the fighters and lead them to the vulnerable areas of the ship."
"The Oniwaban sent you by yourself?" Kaoru asked in astonishment. "Why didn't you have backup? Wouldn't it have been more effective to have several spies on the ship?"
"It would have been except for Lord Aoshi and the others," Misao said and her look softened.
"Who?" Kaoru questioned.
"Lord Aoshi, the Okashira of the Oniwaban," a girlish grin spread across her face, "and Han'nya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, and Shikijo. They're all Oniwaban and they're on board," the smile faded, "working for Kanryu. If we had more than one Oniwaban member as a spy on board the ship, Aoshi and the others would know. In fact, I'm not entirely sure that they don't know I'm here or at least have a vague sense of it. There's been a lot of close calls. They're ninjas too, in fact, they trained me." She smiled wryly, "It's kind hard getting one up on your teachers, you know. If they ever caught me, they'd probably yell at me for sneaking on board, then yell at me for getting caught."
"Why are they working for Kanryu?" Kaoru wrinkled her brow.
"I don't know," Misao sighed. She flopped down on the floor and crossed her legs. "I don't understand it myself. Lord Aoshi was always there for me, always a part of the Oniwaban. He became Okashira at age 15, that's how good he is. But then one day he and the others left and next thing we heard, they were working for that corrupt bastard Kanryu." Making a fist, Misao pounded her hand on her thigh. "Which means that Kanryu has only gotten stronger. But," she brightened, "when we attack, Lord Aoshi and the others are sure to join us. They won't turn against their comrades."
Carefully, Kaoru asked, "Are you certain?"
"Positive!" Misao leaped to her feet, her eyes shining. "Lord Aoshi would never abandon the Oniwaban! With Aoshi and Han'nya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, and Shikijo, we're sure to pound that idiot Kanryu into the ground!"
Kaoru smiled, "It sounds like you have a lot of respect for Lord Aoshi."
Misao's face could barely contain her grin, "Lord Aoshi is wonderful! He took care of me when I was a kid and he's the best fighter ever. No one could defeat him! He's so smart and strong and he's the best leader the Oniwaban ever had." Flush with enthusiasm, Misao flopped back down again, then bolted impatiently to her feet, too keyed up to stay still.
Kaoru watched her antics with amusement. Whoever this Aoshi is, he's going to have his hands full if Misao has her way, she thought to herself. The teen was clearly infatuated with the man and for her sake, Kaoru fervently hoped that Misao was right about where Aoshi's loyalties lay. For all our sakes, she added.
Misao stopped her capering to fix a wicked eye on Kaoru. "Lord Aoshi could even take on the Battousai and win," she bragged, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.
Kaoru colored a bit at the sound of that name, "I wouldn't be so sure about that..." she began but Misao pounced on her.
"I knew it, I knew it, you are Battousai's woman," Misao yelped in glee, grabbing Kaoru around the shoulders and jerking her around playfully. "I heard you and Kanryu talking. Oh this is just perfect, we're going to need all the firepower we can get!" she squealed. "The Oniwaban, for all the training we do, is better on the ground than in the air, so Battousai would be really helpful when the attack hits."
"And when's that?" Kaoru questioned.
"In about five hours," Misao responded, suddenly serious. "Tonight's the night."
"Five hours!" Kaoru squeaked. Pushing up to her feet, she said, "I've got to get back to Sano and set him free."
Misao pulled her back down. "No, this is perfect," she stated. "They find out you're missing, they'll start tearing apart the ship looking for you and everyone will be distracted. The ship will be in an uproar, and they won't be prepared for an attack."
Kaoru shook her head, "Kanryu's expecting Kens...Battousai to attack at anytime. They'll be on the alert for him."
"They'll be on alert for The Black Avenger," Misao insisted. "Not some ratty merchant ship. Believe me, this will be more of a surprise than you think."
Not convinced and determined to get to Sano, Kaoru shook off Misao's hand and stood to her feet when suddenly an explosion rocked the ship, filling the air with a deafening crash.