Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the character just my OCs.
"Kenshin! Which one is it?!" Sanosuke demanded jumping down from the rooftop.
"The only one that's ready to set sail!" Kenshin barked out.
"What should we do?" Kyoka grumbled, fiddling with her new blade.
"We can just approach the vessel and then attack from the hull-."
Sanosuke cut Kenshin off, "Wait. I have something better."
"Grenades?" Kyoka hissed, "You were carrying that around the whole time?"
"Are you stupid?" Saito growled.
"WHAT?!" Sanosuke was off on another tangent.
Ignoring him, Kyoka tugged at Saito's jacket, "Teach me how to do this."
Saito narrowed his eyes, "Just hold it tight and swing like a normal person."
"Normal?" She frowned, "Are you trying to get me killed?"
"Figure it out." He grunted.
Suddenly Shishio's ship exploded, "What was that?!"
"Kyoka-dono?" Kenshin turned to the one with the best senses.
She narrowed her eyes to see through the smoke, "Shishio's ship shed off a layer or something."
The smoke faded away, giving the less sharp a chance to see Shishio's new ironclad ship.
Kyoka's nose twitched, "Gunpowder?"
"Well duh… I'm kind of holding grenades…" Sanosuke waved the bombs before her.
"No! Gunpowder!" Kyoka slammed her elbow into Sanosuke's side, sending him flying a few feet back before jumping out of the way with the smarter members of the group.
The three ran along the dock until they could go no further. Kyoka sighed, "What now?"
Saito's hand flew to her lower back and lifted her over his shoulder, "Change of plans."
"Oh no…" She didn't have time to protest. Saito flung her as far as possible with his inhuman strength. With cat-like agility she landed on the deck. Kenshin and Saito followed soon after. With graceful speed, the three fought Shishio's men until they ran away or were knocked overboard.
Shishio let out a triumphant growl, "I knew it! Gatling gun, Fire!"
All eyes snapped to Sanosuke, who had thought it would be smart to just run across the water. Kyoka let out a panicked squeak, before charging for the man at the Gatling gun. Her fear of artillery hadn't subsided and she drew her blade and killed the man with her familiar motion. Just like she had done during her time with the Oniwabanshu, three swift slashes across the man's neck.
Shishio let out an evil cackle, "The Black Cat of the Oniwabanshu? I knew you had a special aura about you!"
She turned to glare at the man, "What did you say?"
"Whoa. Look at the blood on her face." Soujiro, who stood beside Shishio, carried his usual smile plastered onto his face.
Takahisa had joined Shishio on the deck sometime during the action, "It makes you all the more attractive, dear."
The ship rocked as Sanosuke's grenades made contact with the back of the ship nearest the engine room. Kyoka felt the blood trickle down her face, a familiar feeling to her after she had killed so many before. Shishio cackled again, "I didn't know the Black Cat was a woman. It was my carelessness that ruined my plan, you were even able to get out of my lair alive."
Kyoka snorted, "That had nothing to do with me… You just assumed I was Aoshi-sama's…"
Saito's glare burned into her back, earning silence. And it's a good thing she hadn't finished her sentence, Saito was in a fighting mood.
Shishio announced his challenge, "I'll fight you Battosai. Just not here."
"Our lovely Kyoka-chan knows where our lair is on the side of Mt. Hiei. She will lead you there and we'll take you on. The entire Jyuppongatana will be waiting." Takahisa finished for him, blowing a kiss in her direction.
Just then Saito put himself between the two, threateningly holding up his sword, "I think three on three would be more reasonable. He's mine."
"Oh dear. It appears that I have incurred the wrath of Saito Hajime… Such an obvious display of anger and jealousy is cruel." Takahisa swooned dramatically, "It seems the lovely Kyoka has the cold-hearted Saito's love."
Kyoka instinctively slid back, feeling the cold twitch of Saito's ki, "Saito… He was kidding…"
Saito turned his glare on her for a second before turning it full force onto Takahisa. He growled, "Who's jealous? There is still time before the ship sinks. Let's do it."
Kyoka smiled but regained her natural face quickly. At least Saito hadn't denied that he loved her, what a good godfather. Kenshin stopped the man with one arm, "Wait. Mt. Hiei sounds fine to me."
Shishio turned to leave, "Come at me whenever you're ready."
"Why would you do that?" Saito spat.
"If we fight now there will be casualties. Only Shishio's most loyal men are on this ship. If we fight they will wait to see the ending and some of them wouldn't make it off this ship in time." Kenshin was rigid.
Kyoka frowned, "One person didn't make it off."
Saito patted her lower back as he made his way to the body. She could've sworn that he had mumbled, "Aku soku zan."
Just then Sanosuke leaped onto the deck screaming, "Never fear, Sagara Sanosuke is here! Bring it on Shishio!"
The three who were already on board glanced toward the retreating rowboats far out of range, "Shishio's over there."
Sanosuke screamed and shouted for Shishio to come back.
Saito snorted, "Idiot."
"Saito… Sano is more dependable than you think." Kenshin sweat dropped.
"I know that much without being told." Saito grumbled, his back to the two fighters, "But it doesn't change the fact that he's an idiot, like most boy's his age."
Kyoka frowned, she knew that last bit was aimed at her, "Saito… You're a genius."
He smirked over his shoulder, "The first battle is a victory for us."
On the carriage ride back, Sanosuke rode in the carriage with them. He was complaining non-stop, "I'm hungry…. Let's stop for something to eat."
"Shut up." Saito commanded for the thousandth time.
Kyoka's stomach growled despite her struggle to hold it in. Her knuckle flew to her nose to cover the light blush that was beginning to flare on her cheeks, "Uhh…. That wasn't me."
Sanosuke chuckled, "I told you I wasn't the only one!"
Kyoka yawned quite uncharacteristically and once again her knuckles flew to hide her blush, "Wasn't me…"
"Kyoka-dono…" Kenshin had spoken to her for the first time in a few hours, "You must be tired… Why don't you take a much needed nap?"
"Pitiful." Saito's insult wasn't appreciated.
"Monster." Kyoka stifled another yawn, too tired to feel embarrassed any more.
Saito let out a grunt, glaring over at the girl beside him. Kenshin's tired chuckle revealed his carefully hidden weariness, "Kyoka-dono, this one will wake you when we arrive so rest your eyes."
Sanosuke cracked his knuckles, "I don't believe we let Shishio get away, though!"
"Random isn't he?" Kyoka's eyes drooped as she laughed.
"We didn't let him get away." They knew what Saito was implying.
Kenshin didn't feel guilty, he believed that he'd done the right thing, "You were the famous Black Cat."
He obviously wasn't asking and she wasn't in the mood to answer any questions but she felt bad for killing someone in front of the pacifistic warrior, "Yeah."
"According to the papers, you killed so many people." Kenshin's voice revealed his sadness.
She was feeling too sleepy to defend herself against his disappointment. Good thing Saito was feeling kind, "Don't act like you haven't killed anyone."
"This one wasn't denying it."
"It's one death. Let's just let it be." Saito snorted, probably wishing it was him that got to taste blood.
"It's one LIFE, that it is." Kenshin shook his head, "You and I have taken too many lives already, that we have. We should not be encouraging killing."
"I didn't tell her to do it." Saito's voice sounded amused, like he didn't care even if he was the one who told her to.
"Saito."
"Battosai." The officer was in a teasing mood, probably happy the destruction of Shishio's plan.
"She shouldn't kill any more."
"You're talking about her like she's not here." Saito snorted.
"And you're talking like it's okay for a sixteen year old girl to kill someone!" Sanosuke growled.
Saito lifted an eyebrow, "You moron, even the Battosai killed before he turned sixteen."
"That doesn't make it right." Kenshin reprimanded the cynical officer.
"You speak like this is her first time." Saito's proud tone was unappreciated and Kenshin's questioning glare gave him room to continue but he didn't, instead he made time to take in Sanosuke's rare quiet moment. He observed the boy with disdain. Sanosuke's interrogating glare was focused on the former Shinsengumi Leader, begging him to continue with just the eyes. Saito wasn't even sure that the boy was aware of the look he was giving him. Saito tensed when a soft weight fell onto his shoulder and instantly turned his attention to the new weight. He snorted, they were talking about her and she fell asleep. He took it as a right to continue, after all, she wouldn't have fallen asleep if she didn't want them to keep talking, "Her first time was long ago. During the Revolution, she lifted a sword for the first time and killed a man."
The shock was obvious on the faces of both Sanosuke and Kenshin. The Revolution had ended ten years ago and she was only sixteen, the oldest she could've been would be six, "So young."
Saito's voice didn't betray the slight regret in his heart. His insult was directed to only one man, "You probably need a brain to understand. She was born into a low-class samurai family. She might as well have been a peasant with that kind of social class but she claimed to be happy the way she was and one day her father couldn't do what a samurai should be able to do."
Saito's bitter tone and vague words made Sanosuke growl impatiently, "You're not making any sense."
"I told you, you need a brain to understand." Saito's eyes snapped to the red-haired man to check for understanding.
Kenshin locked eyes with the Wolf, "She was forced to kill a man."
"Her father ran out of strength half way through and his wife was pregnant." Saito's bitterly harsh tone showed his hateful feelings for weak samurai but there was a mysterious spark in his eyes, "She did well to protect her father."
"And her mother? And the baby?" Sanosuke resembled a child who continued to ask for more detail in a bedtime story.
"Ahou ga. Obviously, both survived that night. You know the child her mother was pregnant with at the time."
"Huh?"
"Yahiko." Kenshin reminded the boy.
"Oh yeah." Sanosuke leaned back, realizing he had been a little too curious. "I forgot they're related."
Saito never missed a chance to insult the younger man, "Ahou."
Kenshin cut in before Sanosuke could complain, "And how do you know this?"
Saito paused, and thought about it. He knew who it was but he wasn't sure if the girl wanted him to carelessly tell them. He decided to remain silent.
"She's a strong girl, that she is." Kenshin complimented, realizing that she had listened to their entire conversation, "Kyoka-dono, you're a responsible child."
Saito tensed slightly, trying to hide his surprise. He could feel his jacket grow slightly heavier, "If you were awake you should've told the story."
"My father was to fight in the Battle of Ueno with the Shinsengumi…" She admitted, "He died from the wound he suffered during the battle… Along with Harada who came with Saito to see us before the battle and saw the attacker…"
Saito grunted as if he was remembering something unpleasant, "Harada was a crazy moron…"
"Harada?" Sanosuke's eyebrow was raised.
"Harada Sanosuke…" Kenshin nodded, slowly beginning to understand more than just the girl's past. If she knew Harada Sanosuke who was a member of the Shinsengumi, there must be a reason for her constant refusal to call Sanosuke by something other than Zanza.
She hid her face behind his shoulder, a motion to which Saito did not protest, "Saito…"
He sighed, trying to make it appear less apologetic than he meant for it to be, with a slightly frustrated tone. Sanosuke's fist clenched, "What's wrong with you? You're irritated after telling us her personal story without permission?"
Saito smirked arrogantly, "You'd be irritated too if she was clinging to you."
He felt her smile into his shoulder. Kyoka could never expect Sanosuke to understand Saito, they had gotten off on the wrong foot to start with. She mumbled an apology into his shoulder before swiftly rubbing her eyes and putting some distance between them. Her knuckles covered her nose to cover the pink that appeared when she realized that she had left wet spots on Saito's jacket. Her free hand clenched his shoulder in attempts to cover the spots. He snorted, "Too late for that."
"I'm sorry…"
"Better be."
She smiled, "It's nice to know you remember…"
Kyoka knew his annoyed tone was just a cover up, his true feeling were always hard to spot, "How could a person forget how ridiculous you looked after killing the man."
Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "And I won't ever forget how stupid you looked when you first met Takagi-san."
Saito glared at her. If looks could kill she might've died ten times over in just that moment.
Sanosuke blinked at the two in a curious manner, "Who's that?"
Kyoka laughed, "She's a beautiful woman."
To Kenshin and Sanosuke it might've looked like Saito was still glaring but to Kyoka's trained eye, he was giving them a 'damn-straight' kind of look. She wanted to ask if they had gotten married but she didn't like the idea of being scolded with another glare. The slightly sad, nostalgic look in Kenshin's eyes didn't go unnoticed but no one dared to ask. Saito shrugged his shoulder out of the girl's grasp, peering over to check the damage. Kyoka scooted as far away from the man as possible, "Sorry…"
It was going to be a long trip back to Kyoto.