Misao sat crouched on the ground, surrounded by a large group of bushes, one of which she was currently peering through. She studied the expensive looking manor that stood on the other side. After a moment she slowly pulled back, glancing over at her leader.
"How do we get in there?" she whispered. "Or even find Kaoru in that place. Its huge!" She waved her arms, trying to give Aoshi an impression how big it was, despite the fact he could clearly see it. "Trying to find her and Himura in that place is going to be a problem. I knew we should have called for back up," she moaned, resting her head against the black fence.
"We don't have time for that." Aoshi glanced towards her for a brief moment. "The security system is weak here, we won't have a problem getting in as long as no one physically spots us from the windows. Stay close and keep quiet." He emphasized the last word, hoping the point would sink into her mind.
"Got it Boss," she grinned, starting to scramble up the fence without waiting for him. Aoshi sighed, following after her, things were going to go horribly wrong, he just knew it. They leapt down the other side, dashing quickly towards the manor.
They reached the house, pressing up against one of its walls. Aoshi slowly peered in through a window, scanning the empty room before he declared it clear. Misao nodded, hopping up to the window and with practiced ease had it open within seconds.
She disappeared inside, making Aoshi sigh. She wasn't cautious enough and that was just asking for trouble. He grabbed the ledge, pulling himself up.
He just gotten his upper body inside when a voice, that didn't belong to Misao, spoke, "It's about time you Oniwaban people showed up."
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Kaoru. He had to get to Miss Kaoru. Kenshin forced himself to keep moving, even though it felt like his body was on fire, his stomach rolling with each step he took. He had to keep going. All that matter was getting to Miss Kaoru and protecting her. His head was pounding terribly, left arm almost useless.
He tried not to think about what he'd almost done. He could still feel the boy's neck in his hands. His stomach heaved, making him fall to his knees. For a long moment he thought he was going to be sick. He wasn't even sure if there was anything in his stomach that he could throw up. Thankfully though it passed after a while, leaving him shaky, as he sat there, gulping air in greedily. He wasn't going to be any help to Miss Kaoru like this. Her ribbon fell over his shoulder, the end dangling in his vision.
His hands curled into fists, as he forced himself up again, ignoring the flare of pain in his left arm as he did so. He swayed slightly before he slowly began to move forward again. He had to find Miss Kaoru. He winced as his ribs protested again, Inui had really done a number on him.
Before he realized it, he'd reached the end of the hall. He stopped before the double set of doors that led to the library, heart pounding wildly in his chest. This was it.
He pulled the door open, slipping silently inside. The library was eerily quiet, setting him farther on edge. He slowly crept along, watching his surroundings as he proceeded. He was currently on the balcony of the library, Kaoru had to be up here somewhere. He dashed quickly between the shelves, using the bookcases as cover.
He wouldn't be surprised if more of Enishi's goons were in here, meaning he had to be extra careful not to linger anywhere. He needed to be on guard incase they were up here and be careful not to get too close to the railing, otherwise an enemy could spot him from the bottom floor.
He kept his eyes peeled as he moved farther into the bookshelves, steadily moving towards the back where a staircase led to the first floor. Where was Miss Kaoru? She had to be up here.
All too soon he'd reached the back of the library where a staircase led down to the main floor, he stopped several meters away, staying close to the book shelves. The entire area before him was completely exposed. Miss Kaoru wasn't here.
Kenshin gritted his teeth, anger bubbling up in his chest. This didn't make any sense, Kaoru should be here. Unless… unless Inui tricked-
He winced as something pierced his skin, sinking into his calf. He whipped around, facing where the attack had come from, heart pounding. He hadn't even noticed anyone there. He studied the dimly lit bookshelves but he couldn't see anyone.
"Who's there," he demanded. There was no point staying quiet anymore, they knew he was here, they'd even managed to catch him by surprise. He mentally cursed, where were they?
His eyes caught sight of something glittering from between the bookcases just to his right. He gasped, instincts kicking in. He snatched a book off a nearby shelf, blocking the projectile before flinging the text at the figure. He shot away from his place, screeching to a halt just short of the staircase down to the lower library. He wheeled around, facing the shelves that stood several feet away.
"Come out, coward," snarled Kenshin. There was a low chuckling laugh before a person stepped out into the small clearing. Kenshin's eyes narrowed. "Jin-e."
The man laughed at him, the right side of his face starting to bruise from where Kenshin had hit him with the book. The Jinchu member grinned viciously at him, eyeing the blood seeping down the teen's leg.
"Hard to believe that you, of all people, didn't even notice I was there. Doesn't matter, it'll make killing you all the more easy."
"Where's Miss Kaoru," demanded Kenshin.
"I don't have to tell you anything. What's the point? You're not going to be walking out of this room alive." Jin-e leveled him with his bloodthirsty gaze. A cold feeling crept over Kenshin, his heart pounding in his throat. "You're going to need that to defend yourself, Battosai." The man grinned viciously as he pointed to the teen's leg. Without looking Kenshin gripped the object imbedded in his calf, yanking it out without batting an eye. He lifted it before him, studying the small knife that was covered with his own blood. Kenshin flicked the blade, making the crimson liquid fly off it. "Well what do you know, the little coward knows how to deal with pain."
Kenshin's hand tightened around the weapon. He couldn't let himself get psyched out. He had to focus. He was already distracted enough as it was. If he wasn't careful he might end up killing someone, like he'd almost done with Inui. His control was slipping and that was scaring him more than he liked to admit.
He swallowed hard, his heart beating faster than ever. He didn't care. He didn't care, he berated himself. Kaoru's life was more important, not some silly promise he made. But the cold feeling that had taken over his chest, he knew it was fear. He gritted his teeth, he couldn't fight like this, not when he was scared about Miss Kaoru's safety and-
"What's the matter Battosai, afraid?" teased Jin-e. "If you are, then you're not even worth my time. How about I make you a deal then, how about I just let you go? As simple as that, and you can walk away with your pathetic skin." Kenshin stared at him, wondering what the catch was. "But in exchange for allowing you to keep your pathetic life, you've got to leave that girl behind, not that it would be to difficult for you to do."
Kenshin felt his temper boil. He growled, glaring at Jin-e with the utmost hatred. "I would never leave Miss Kaoru behind!"
Jin-e tsked, waggling a finger at him. "But from what I've heard, you've already done that several times. No matter what you say, she mustn't be very important if you treat her like that." Kenshin couldn't take anymore, with a yell, he charged at the man, the knife in his hand ready to strike.
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"It's about time you Oniwaban people showed up."
Misao whirled around, throwing her knives towards where the voice had come from. She heard the thunk of her blades sinking into wood as she faced the person who'd spoken. Aoshi scrabbled into the room, joining her side, sword in hand.
They both glared at Tanbe who was casually leaning against a wall, not at all perturbed about the knife that was imbedded an inch from his skull. The boy sighed, raising his hands before him. "You didn't have to do that, I come in peace, you know, we are still allies after all, unless you've changed your minds," he regarded them with an utterly calm look.
"Tanbe what have you done with Himura," demanded Misao, a new set of knives in her hands.
"You mean Shinta?" he asked innocently. "I do believe he's around here somewhere, though his exact location escapes me at the moment. Oh, how I loath my poor memory sometimes."
"Then think hard and quickly," growled Misao. "We don't have much time."
"Now you realize that?" he commented. "My, took you long enough, even after all those blatant hints I left you behind. You really are just playing at being spies, and you're much worse at it then I thought. I'm surprised Shinta is still alive with all the incompetent friends he has."
"Where is he Kiri?" demanded Aoshi coldly.
Tanbe made a humming sound but otherwise looked quite bored. "You figured that out as well, I see. Or should I say, finally managed to stitch it together. You never did think of asking that Tsubame girl for any answers about who I was. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to manipulate you lot just due to your shire stupidity, I had to practically hit you over the heads with information to get you to do anything. I'm surprised your group is still around even, you have no power and yet somehow you've ended up as one of the second most powerful groups in the Black Maze. I'm surprised that no one has called your bluff yet."
"Enough," hissed Misao. "Where's Himura? Answer before I get impatient." She raised the knives threateningly.
Tanbe seemed thoughtful for a moment. "You do realized that if you kill me, you'll never find him in time, this place is very large and a Jinchu member would find you before you got much farther then this room. You're actually quite fortunate that you ran into me." He gave a large smile. "That aside, come this way and I'll lead you to your bony friend Shinta." He trotted over to the door. "Coming, dear friends?"
Misao looked over at Aoshi for help. "We don't have much of a choice," he answered, turning to Tanbe. "Lead on and no funny business."
"Funny business me? Would never dream of it," he replied lightly, heading out the door, back turned towards them, thus hiding the smirk that had appeared on his face.
He led them down the hall, the two Oniwaban members trailing several paces behind him. He couldn't blame them for their suspicion, but they were being overly obvious about it. He stretched his arms, tsking mentally when both of them tensed, the girl almost making him into a pincushion.
They were far too jumpy for this line of work. He continued strolling down the hall, giving them the belief he was completely oblivious to their blatant unease. He stepped into the main entrance, heading towards the base of the stairs. Sometimes he thought he would do a much better job at playing spy then they did, he almost laughed out loud at that thought.
"Kiri!" He paused, casually turning his gaze to the person sitting on the stairs, acting for all the world as though he didn't care that a Jinchu member was sitting there.
"Inui," he responded with a bored tone. He didn't bother to check on the Oniwaban members who were hiding just out of sight in the corridor behind him. If the idiots couldn't even hide themselves, then they were of absolutely no use to him and he refused to babysit anything that was a decrement to his carefully thought out plan. "What are you doing here, you're suppose to be watching the girl." He glowered at Inui who was grinning like the idiot he was.
"No need for that anymore," laughed Inui. "That idiot Battosai was just here." Tanbe's expression didn't change in the slightest. "He actually believed me when I told him that girl was in the library!"
Tanbe cursed mentally, he'd told Shinta to keep Enishi talking and now he was no doubt duking it out with Jin-e. This changed everything.
"You do realize," Tanbe began, a deadly note entering his voice. "Enishi gave me specific orders to keep Jin-e away from Battosai."
Inui shrugged, rising to his feet, completely oblivious to the deadly tone Tanbe had taken on. "Not my problem, I was only ordered to keep him away from the girl."
Tanbe wanted to throttle- his sharp eyes caught sight of the bruises forming around Inui's neck. "Battosai tried to strangle you."
"What's it to you?" retorted Inui.
"You're lucky to still be alive," answered Tanbe coolly. He strolled passed Inui, leaning up against the banister, casually glancing back at the hallway he'd come out of. "I'm done, please do take care of him."
Inui stared at him like he'd grown an extra head. "What are you talking-" He gasped as a blade narrowly missed him.
Heya!" Inui stumbled backwards as he was kicked in the stomach. He coughed loudly, trying to catch his breath.
"You little-" he wheezed, glaring at the weasel like girl before him. He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as the girl launched another attack at him. Misao grinned as she ducked under his wild swing, slamming her fist into his nose before spinning around to follow up with a roundhouse kick, only to have her blow deflected by one of his gantlets.
She easily bounced out of range when he took a swipe at her with his metal glove. She spat her tongue out, dancing out of the way of his next blow. He gave an infuriated yell, charging blindly at her only to find her give a graceful sidestep, allowing him to charge harmless passed her before delivering him a swift kick on his rear end.
His vision went red as he twisted around, ready to lunge at her again only to have Aoshi descend upon him from behind. With a quick flick of his hand, Aoshi knocked Inui out cold. Misao grinned triumphantly at her leader, giving him an exaggerated thumbs up. "And victory goes to the Oniwaban, take that Jinchu!" Aoshi ignored her, his expression darkening, Tanbe was gone without a trace.
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Kenshin dashed through the bookshelves on the second level of the library, adrenaline numbing his left arm. He grabbed a book off the shelf as he passed, dashing into another row, eyes alert incase Jin-e leapt out at him from somewhere. His right leg felt numb where the knife had gotten him, the small weapon now in his left hand. He frowned as he rounded a corner, something was wrong with his leg.
He gasped as he ran head long into Jin-e.
"Found you Battosai!" shouted the man, attacking the teen with his knife. Kenshin ducked, shoving the book into the man's weapon before diving forward with his own knife. He never got close as Jin-e landed a kick on his already bruised ribs, knocking the wind out of him.
Kenshin gasped for air, clutching his side with his left hand, as he was sent tumbling backwards several paces. He struggled to his knees, trying desperately to catch his breath. He didn't get the chance as Jin-e barreled down on him again, flinging the book off the knife as he did so. The man swiped at the teen with the blade.
Kenshin rolled to the side, out of the aisle of bookshelves. He scrambled to his feet, his own weapon held tightly in his left hand as he whirled around to face Jin-e. His lungs were starting to burn, something Kenshin knew wasn't normal. Kurogasa lunged at him, extending his reach too far.
Kenshin switched the knife to his right hand, stabbing the man's arm. Jin-e winced, giving Kenshin a chance to lunge closer. He had to end this battle quickly. But just as he was about to strike, Jin-e grabbed his wrist, stopping his attack. Before Kenshin had a chance to react, Jin-e swung him around back into the aisle, slamming him into a shelf.
Kenshin's head connected with a wooden shelf, making stars spring into his vision. He blacked out for a second, coming back a moment later only to find Jin-e holding him aloft by his throat. Kenshin choked, struggling to breathe as the hand crushed his windpipe. A voice in his mind shouting, something was very wrong with his body.
His vision had cleared slightly, though that was quickly changing as he was starved of oxygen. Jin-e was grinning viciously up at him, clearly declaring himself the victor. There was a promise of death in those eyes, one that was absolute.
Kenshin clawed at the hand, trying to force it to release him. His lungs were burning, he couldn't breathe. His ribs were on fire, the strain Jin-e was putting on them too much for him to handle. But beneath all that there was something else that was adding to the burning in his lungs. It was then he realized he couldn't feel any pain from the knife wound in his calf.
Jin-e shook him roughly, making his mind spin. "Having fun Battosai?" he teased, holding a knife up with his free hand. "I could kill you right now you know." He traced the blade lightly across the teen's throat. Kenshin didn't even shudder at the motion. "Oh, what's this? Putting on a brave face? I heard from Kiri that you made some silly promise that you would keep living."
He pressed the tip of the knife against Kenshin's chin. "Shouldn't you be afraid then?" He dragged the point across his skin, leaving a thin red line in its wake, the man drew it down his neck before sinking it into Kenshin's right shoulder. The only reaction the teen had was a slight tensing in his facial features.
"Tell me Battosai, do you fear death?"
Jin-e had it all wrong, he wasn't scared of dying, even after promising Tomoe that he would keep living. What he did fear was going that one step to far and unlike before now, he knew he was dangerously close to crossing that line, that was, if he hadn't crossed it already.
Jin-e's hand tightened around his throat. Kenshin gritted his teeth, he wasn't going to win like this, not with so many distractions in his mind. He had to protect Miss Kaoru, even if doing so led to his death. What good was keeping a promise if it cost Miss Kaoru's life?
Kenshin kicked out at the man, landing a heavy blow between Jin-e's legs. The man grunted, his knees buckling out from under him. He fell to the floor, releasing Kenshin as he did so. The teen stumbled as he landed, his right leg not supporting him properly. He didn't wait for himself to recover though. He instantly launched himself into another attack, kicking Jin-e brutally in the ribs, knocking the man over onto his back.
"Where is Miss Kaoru," growled Kenshin, readying his right foot for another blow. Jin-e merely sneered at him, refusing to answer.
Kenshin's expression darkened, ignoring the spreading numbness in his right leg, he took another swing at Jin-e.
The man caught his ankle before he hit, pulling the teen off balance. Kenshin tumbled over, his left shoulder slamming into the floor, stealing his breath away. He gritted his teeth, struggling to hold back a yell of pain. A hand grabbed his throat, forcing him onto his back.
"I grow tired of this, Battosai," hissed Kurogasa, anger visible in every line of his face. "It's time you left this world for good." Through his blurry eyes, the teen saw Jin-e raise the knife into the air. The blade glittered brightly in the old library fluorescence as it was lifted upward.
It was strange… when he'd lived in this place, the library had been a refuge for him and now…
Was he really going to die here? The knife paused as it reached Jin-e's full extent. The teen's mind screamed, yelling at him to move but Jin-e held him fast. He couldn't take his eyes off the glittering blade that was starting to fall back towards his heart. Was he scared? The blade dove towards him. He never did find out the answer to who really killed Tomoe.
"Kenshin!"
His eyes went wide, was he imagining things? That had sounded like- but that wasn't possible, she was dead. She was-
Smoke and flames made it almost impossible to breathe but neither one of them let it show. They slowly spiraled around each other, each a predator waiting for the pray to show weakness. Their swords glittered brightly in the wild fire that consumed the warehouse as they continued their slow deadly dance.
Then in a flash he'd lunged at his opponent, allowing their blades to clash. It was a blur of noise and sensations after that, until a pained cry sounded as a body fell against him, clutching him tightly with trembling hands. That was how Tomoe had died…
Tears had filled his eyes, the first he'd shed since before he could remember. She raised a shaking hand than, drawing the point of a small bloodied knife across his skin, completing the scar on his cheek. He'd hardly been able to find his voice to say the last word he ever said to her.
"Why?"
She'd smiled at that, as though the answer was so obvious. Her very life was draining out of her but she wasn't scared in the slightest. "Promise me you'll live… I wan..t you.. t…o…… K…" Her voice had trailed out, dark eyes fluttering shut, as the last of the life in her left, leaving her face as pale as the snow she loved so much.
But the question still remain… did he kill her?
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Kaoru tensed as the door to the room she'd been locked in, suddenly sprang open. She glared defiantly at the person standing there. "What do you want?" she demanded.
"You're to come with me," came the calm answer.
"Make me," she retorted, anger burning in her eyes.
The other made an exasperated sound. "We don't have time for this."
Kaoru continued to scowl at him. "You think I care?"
"Fine then, it will be on your head if your boyfriend kills anyone."
She froze, staring at the person leaning on the doorframe. "You're not serious."
"I am."
"What did you do to him!" she yelled, taking a menacing step forward. Her eyes flashed dangerously, her loose hair swaying around her as she moved. "Answer!"
"I don't have time for this. If you want to find him, go to the end of the hall. Otherwise get out of here before Enishi decides to kill you."
"Who?"
"Tomoe's older brother, no doubt he's already going after Battosai, I wouldn't be surprised if he was already there by now." She took a sharp intake of breath. Without a moments hesitation she shoved him out of the way, rushing down the hall towards the library.
Tanbe silently watched her go, Shinta truly had some loyal friends now. He rose off the wall, slowly heading the opposite way. All the balls were in motion now. All he could do was hope they would fall the way he wanted them to.
He smiled coldly to himself, pausing to turn and look back down the empty hallway. "And that's checkmate, I win," he fell silent, turning away before he slowly began to make his way towards the exit of the house. "I win…"
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Whoo, this took a while to get posted. Been crazy busy what with getting settled into Collage but I have not forgotten about my wonderful FanFics. Not really sure what to say about this chapter, I did have fun writing it though, especially the part where Kenshin kicks Jin-e (hee) More kick butt action next time as Enishi arrives on the scene, uhoh…
Anyway, huge thanks to my reviewers!
MoonFlower '93: Not a problem, things have been hectic around here too. Wow, sounds like you're a lot busier than I am. Though I have all the added joy of cooking, doing my own laundry along with school work so that's been keeping me quite busy. I'm glad you liked the last chapter, I put quite a bit of effort into it. Enishi definitely needs therapy, Kenshin going to really have to teach him a lesson, a sword would be very handy right about now, yay violence! Evil question indeed and one I'm keeping my mouth sealed on the answer to. (hee) I really like that line about Megumi to, popped right into my head when I was thinking of way to describe how mad she was. Yes, it's odd that Jinchu contacted Hiko but that will explained, that it will. I have to say, I did a really good job painting the deck and most of the paint is gone by this point too, huzzah! Eeh, I don't like wasps or bees either, I don't have a problem with spiders though. My roommates are completely freaked by them, so I'm the one who ends up having to throw the spider outside since they won't go near any. Snow's pretty but I really don't like the cold, lucky for me school is now a five minute walk away from my dorm, which is a big improvement, no chance school getting canceled for a snow day though (sigh)… It takes me a while to get around to things as well, like getting this chapter posted. Thanks for wishing me luck with my HP story, and don't worry, I won't take offense if you don't get to it for a while, and like I said before, there's absolutely no obligation to read it if you don't like it. Yay FMA series! The end of the series is mind bending! The villain whatever her name was could have been better, when she arrives in Ed's world she just became really lame in my opinion. I really feel sorry for Winry who's left all by herself at the end of that. TT.TT It's not fair! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for the review.
Michika-chan: Thanks, I put a lot of work into the last chapter. I've only read the first couple manga in the Jinchu arch, hence why I'm using Inui, since he's one of the first members introduced. I agree with you about Kaoru, she should have been a lot stronger in the anime. Ah yes, I've recently discovered the "joy" of alarm clocks… ugh… Don't worry, no way I'm ruining the ending for this, I'm still trying to work the kinks out of it currently. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter, and thanks a bunch for the review.
Till next time!