Hiko hesitantly pushed the door open, stepping into the room. Kenshin glanced up at him, a blank look on his face. He'd been ordered back to bed by one of the doctors and been told to stay there. The raven-haired man pushed the door shut, he knew Kenshin had probably only obliged out of courtesy for the doctors rather then thinking of his own health. The redhead had never been one to stay still for very long, Hiko had warned them about that fact, hoping they'd be able to handle the antsy teen.
"How are you doing?" asked Hiko awkwardly, sitting down in the plastic visitors chair beside the bed.
"Alright," answered Kenshin curtly as always.
Hiko glanced around the room. "Where's Kaoru?"
"She left."
Hiko raised an eyebrow. "She did?" Kenshin merely nodded. Hiko sighed, something had happened and the teen wasn't going to utter another word on the subject to him. "How long have the doctors sentenced you here for?"
"A week. Then, this one can… leave…"
"About that Kenshin-"
"This one understands if you don't want-"
"No! No, it's nothing like that. It's just…"
"…I've broken your trust, right."
"Right."
"I've ruined a lot of things, it seems, recently."
"That's because you keep doing stupid things. Try using that brain of yours for once. You know, look before you leap."
"I did," Kenshin answered quietly in a dead serious voice. "This one… never expected to see… them there. It threw me off completely, the perfect distraction just like Shishio wanted." His lavender eyes locked with Hiko's, gauging his reaction to what he'd said. Hiko shifted nervously, Kenshin could almost see the man's mind frantically searching for a topic to sidetrack to.
"What about that message…" Hiko flinched, that had been the first thing that came to his mind.
"Tomoe was… Enishi's little sister. She was… killed, during our first battle in the warehouse."
"Were you two-"
"I'm not even sure now. It's so complicated, we lived under the same roof but we didn't really know each other. We never talked or anything. When I joined the Juppongatanna and became Battosai, I could scare anyone with a look. But she… Tomoe was the first person who wasn't afraid of me. We would never have become close if hadn't been for Shishio. He… sent her to spy on me, gather any information she could. It was then that we actually got to know each other. This one doesn't know what her reasoning was for helping him but in the end… she couldn't betray me. She died right in my arms…" he trailed off for a while staring at nothing. "I wished with all my heart that I'd be able to leave it all behind, to forget that any of it happened… and this one almost forgot her. I'm tied too tightly to the Juppongatanna and they'll never let me get away."
"Why did you go then? I had everything set up to get you out of here. Why did you go after Shishio again?"
Kenshin was silent, staring down at his hands. It was a long moment before he spoke. "A… deal was made, Megumi for me. This one was trying to keep everyone out of this… so they'd be safe, no one was though." He looked up at Hiko. "You have every right to be angry with this one."
"I'm not mad. I'm just trying to understand why you would do something so- like this."
The redhead hesitated, looking away. "I won't do it again, I swear."
"How can I believe you, Kenshin?" asked Hiko quietly. "I want to, but… you broke your word when you went after Shishio. What reassurance can you give me? How can I trust you?"
Kenshin bit his lip, staring out the window. One of the birds was snuggled up in its nest singing out a tune. "Trust…" he murmured the word. "This one thinks we have to try from the beginning again. You have to earn my trust, just like this one has to gain yours."
A smile appeared on Hiko's face. "Okay, only this time you'll talk to me if something's wrong, right?"
"Alright," Kenshin answered awkwardly. He gave a real smile, it was small and child-like but real all the same.
It took Hiko by surprise, making him wonder how much Kenshin had changed in that short span of time. He took a deep breath, moving the chair closer.
"Kenshin," he began in a serious tone. "I need to ask something of you. It would make me feel a lot better if you didn't do too much wandering on your own." He then added quickly afterwards. "You are still recovering after all."
Kenshin stared at him levelly. "This is about Shishio, isn't it."
A test had been given to Hiko to see how he would answer. He bit his lip, brain wheeling over the options. It was a long while before he spoke. "You won't go wondering on your own will you Kenshin? Do you swear?"
"This one swears," he answered quietly. "Shishio got away from the warehouse again."
Hiko sighed. "That's right. Thepolice had enough trouble trying to round up all the Juppongatanna members that were there and… rushing to save both you and Kaoru's life." He hesitated but continued. "You scared me… with that stunt."
"Sorry," whispered Kenshin. "This one has faced death so many times…it doesn't faze me anymore. I… I lost it when… he stabbed Miss Kaoru."
"Don't worry, we'll catch him soon Kenshin."
"Will you?"
"Kenshin, I know there's a lot of history between you two but you have to let go of it. You can't let what happened over power your better judgement."
"This one has accepted what has happened Hiko."
"Have you? Because from where I'm sitting, I swear you want revenge against him."
"I do."
The blatant answer took Hiko off guard. It took several moments for the two words to sink into his mind. "Why?" he asked, the only thing he seemed able to say.
"This one has every right to want revenge. There has been one life and two others that have nearly been taken on his account. He has done nothing but made my life miserable. I have every right to want to-"
"Kill him? Do you want to break the law Kenshin?"
"It would not be the first time, Hiko, that it wouldn't. It is after all, how we met the first time."
"That's not what I'm talking about here Kenshin. You've never taken a life. I'm talking about you right now."
"How is this one any different then I was before?"
"Is that suppose to mean you'd prefer to still be in the Juppongatanna right now? That you were still being called Battosai?"
Kenshin flinched at the name, looking away from Hiko. His hands tightened on the sheets as he stared at the pure white floor on the far side of the bed. "No…" he whispered after a long while. "This one never wants to go back to that."
"Then don't be foolish."
"I thought that fraise was reserved for Sano, that this one did."
"I think it applies to you better at the moment."
"Is that so?" murmured the redhead. "This one seems to have become a fool then."
Hiko opened his mouth to retort but never got a chance as the door flew open. "Sir Ken!" shouted Megumijoyfully, rushing into the room. She practically strangled him with her hug. "Hey Hiko," she greeted over her shoulder. The man merely raised an eyebrow, not speaking.
"Oro!" gasped Kenshin, eyes bulging, surprised by the sudden weight hanging off him. She pulled her arms tighter, squeezing the air out of his lungs. "M-Miss… Megumi you-re cru-crushing-"
"Oh sorry," she laughed, letting him go. "It's good to see you awake, Sir Ken. How are you feeling?"
"Alright," he wheezed, trying to refill his abused lungs.
"I've come to invite you to lunch, and get some exercise." He hesitated, not speaking.
"You should go Kenshin," piped up Hiko. Kenshin gazed at him with uncertainty. Normally the teen would jump at a chance to get out of the hospital bed but right now he wanted nothing more then to stay in it. "Go."
Slowly the redhead pushed the blankets away, rising to his feet. Megumi gave a fox-like grin. "Come along this way Sir Ken." He glanced back once at Hiko, before exiting the room with Megumi. They slowly made their way down the hall towards the staircase.
He didn't speak until they were safely inside the stairwell. "Miss… Megumi," he began. "By now you already know that… this one is…"
She paused, turning to face him. "That's right," she answered in a gentler tone that wasn't normal to her. "I know you're Battosai." He didn't flinch this time at the name. His lavender eyes gazed silently at her. "And I also know that you've given up that name."
"It's not as simple as that Miss Megumi."
"Of course not, nothing ever is. But I'm with Kaoru on this, you're one of the kindest, most considerate persons I've ever met, Sir Ken, and considering all the crazy people I hang out with, that's quite a complement."
He gazed at her a moment longer, reading the expression in her eyes. Then he bowed deeply to her. "Thank you Miss Megumi. This one appreciates it, that I do."
She was slightly surprised at that. "You don't have to bow, Sir Ken, after all you've done for me."
He slowly straitened up, a slight twinkle of a smile in his eyes. "You don't know how much what you've said means to this one."
She laughed at that. "Come along silly, lunch is waiting for us."
They reached the bottom floor, making their way to the gardens that Kenshin had been in earlier. He stopped dead when he caught sight of the bench Megumi was leading him to.
There waiting on the seat was Kaoru along with none other then Sano. He glared at the redhead with rage filled eyes, daring the other to approach any closer. Kenshin shied away, adverting his gaze. Megumi stopped, realizing he wasn't following.
"Sir Ken?" she inquired.
"This one… isn't feeling well," he murmured, turning to go.
"Wait a minute," snapped Megumi, grabbing hold of him. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Please let go, Miss Megumi," he whispered. "Sano does not wish this one to be here, that he does not."
"What?" she glanced over at Sano who was still glaring at Kenshin. Kaoru was sitting behind Sano, a look of hurt on her face at seeing the redhead trying to leave, unaware of Sano's reaction. "What about me and Kaoru then?" asked Megumi quietly.
"Miss… Kaoru is also mad at this one."
"She wanted you here. She's the one who sent me to get you."
"Don't bother him, fox ears," called Sano. "If he doesn't want to stay, you can't make him. He'll use brute force to leave if you press him too much."
"Sano!" yelled the two girls at once. Megumi released her grip on Kenshin, while Kaoru jumped to her feet.
"What the hell was that for?" demanded Kaoru, glaring down at him from where she stood.
"What do you mean?" he asked, leaning back on the bench nonchalantly.
"What do you think? You just made that nasty remark to Kenshin."
"He was here?" he asked with mock surprise, eyes still trained on the redhead. "I didn't see him."
"You looking right at him!" she snapped, pointing towards Kenshin.
"How can you be so calm about this Jou-chan? The only person I see standing there is Battosai." Kenshin felt his blood go cold, as he stepped away.
Kaoru's temper flared. "How dare you say that!"
"How dare I? Wake up Jou-chan! That's Battosai, demon of the Juppongatanna standing right there! Haven't you been listening? He's a cold-blooded beast, there's no way you could trust-"
WHACK!
The sound echoed around them, stunning both Kaoru and Sano. He held his cheek numbly, staring with disbelief at Megumi. She regarded him with cold eyes, filled with fury. Kenshin had bolted farther into the gardens at Sano's words, unable to face what they meant. Her hand was still raised, fingers stinging from the force of the strike.
"How dare you say that you stupid rooster head," her voice was a venomous whisper, adding an extra sting to the words. Her tone was steady through her over powering rage. "That is the coldest remark I've ever heard. You've gone too far this time. Sir Ken has been nothing but kind to all of us and this is how you repay him? By slapping words in his face? How can you even think of doing that?"
His cheek was starting to swell. His brown eyes met her steely gaze. "Because it's true. How much do you even know about him? The Juppongatanna killed my brother, by a group led by their demon. I have every right to hate him."
"Because of something he was?" yelled Kaoru, jumping back into the fray.
"He still is!" he snapped.
"That's bull," she shouted. "When you met him that first day is that what you thought of him? You helped him against those bullies-"
"That same person is a bully, Jou-chan. He's nothing more than a thug."
"Was a thug. He's given that all up."
"Given it up!" laughed Sano hollowly. "That's were your knowledge fails, Jou-chan. You think that just because a bit of time has passed his nature has changed. You didn't see him fight Shishio, Jou-chan, he can't forget what he is, anymore then I can."
"What's that suppose to mean? Just because of a stupid name you're willing to condemn him! He's your friend. We've been through so much together, how can you do that to him? Don't you remember what you said? You use to see Kenshin as a friend and you wanted to help him. You wanted to make sure that no one tried picking on him. You said to me that you wanted to be friends with him. What happened to that? You changed just because of one word, one stupid little name that those idiots at Mizuki High came up with. That's beyond pathetic Sano."
"Don't you dare call me pathetic. You don't understand anything."
"I don't understand anything!" she yelled, temper exploding. "How dare you! I'm not an idiot Sano. I know exactly what's going on. I know more then you on this topic. Don't you dare tell me I don't understand. I'm not some small child who can't grasp the world. I've put up with too many people telling me that. I don't need to hear it from you. I'm sick and tired of hearing that. I've gotten to understand Kenshin, unlike you, you label him as Battosai. It's people like you who make it so that name won't wash away. He trusts me, and I believe in him."
"How can you put your faith so blindly into him! He's a demon!"
"Don't you ever dare say that again. I believe in him as much as I believe in any of my friends. If you can't get that through your thick skull, I won't stand by and listen to you insulting him. If this is how you want to treat Kenshin, go ahead. I won't be one to stick around to hear it and if you even think of hurting him, I swear I'll stand in your way even if it kills me. I won't let you harm him." She held his gaze steadily, taking a deep breath. "I've had enough of this." She turned to Megumi, her expression softening. "Sorry Megumi, I have to go."
"Of course," she smiled. "I understand, you should hurry."
"Thanks," she said. She had made her choice. If this was the way Sano was going to act then their friendship was over, it was that simple. She turned, racing off after Kenshin.
"I won't forgive him," growled Sano.
Megumi pulled her attention back to him. "Then should I forgive you for what you've done as Zanza?"
"What?" he exclaimed. "But I… didn't know you then."
"No you didn't, but I bet there are many people out there who'll never forgive what you've done."
"That's different, those are what you call thugs, fox ears."
"And by your own definition, you're a thug and there for I can't forgive you."
"Go side with him then, see what I care fox ears. I don't need someone whose head over heals for Battosai-"
WHACK!
She regarded him silently with cold eyes. "You truly are an stupid idiotic rooster head," her tone was cold, though he could hear pain in her voice. She was about to say more when a bang sounded from not too far away. She frowned, wondering what the sound was. "What was-"
"Get Hiko," ordered Sano, his demeanor changed.
"What?"
"Hurry!" he yelled, face pale. "Get Hiko now!"
She nodded wordlessly, running back the way she'd come towards the door. It worried her the fear Sano had suddenly taken on at the sound. She glanced over her shoulder to see him charging off in the direction Kaoru and Kenshin had gone. The bench sat by itself, devoid of life. The lunch container resting on its seat completely forgotten as another bang ripped through the air.
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I have to say I really enjoy this chapter mostly because Kaoru has some way awesome lines in it. Arguments are the best! One of my favorite things to write in a story, heck just writing the story is fun!
ATTENTION: One and all I've made my decision and… (drum roll) I'm writing a sequel!! Yay! I've already written the first chapter so I might end up posting the end to this story (which is the next chapter) with the beginning of the sequel called Yesterday's Reckoning. I'll say now though I've never, NEVER written a sequel to a story before so it end up being terrible but I'm giving it the old school try.
Big wondrous thanks to my lovely reviewers:
MikaylaMae: Kenshin can be so silly at times and frustrate other characters to no ends. I'm looking forward to posting the first chapter of sequel hopefully it'll be as good if not better then this story.
Summer Star: I hope you enjoyed the dialog in this chapter, I had a lot of fun getting the argument between Megumi, Kaoru and Sano just right.
Cardinal: Thank you for the wonderful complement. I'm glad you like the way I've modeled it off the original story. As for the sequel I'm just hoping I don't end up making it boring since I think its going to end up being longer then Tomorrow's Day.
Reignashii: Hee so much fun playing with a furious Kaoru in this chapter. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Kristy-chan: Thank you for the complements, hopefully I'll get the next chapter and the sequel posted not to long from now. I hope you enjoyed reading the latest installment.
Well till next time with the final chapter, dun, dun dua!