Chapter Twenty Two

Battle in the Mountains

Kaoru's POV

The following morning brought about cloudless blue skies, and ushered in a bout of warm weather. The sunrise in the mountains was a magnificent sight that Kaoru found incomparable to anything she had ever saw. As the sun rose gracefully higher into the sky, the valley below the mountain was bathed in a range of vibrant hues. First came a deep purple that made Kaoru fondly think of a certain samurai of hers. Next came a mixture of various oranges and reds, until finally a beautiful display of liquid gold spread across the tree tops before exposing their leafy, green tops.

By the time the sun had stopped high in the sky Kenshin and Kaoru had consumed a light breakfast and were far along the mountain trail. They had mostly traveled in a comfortable silence until they came to the mouth of the mountain pass. The trail they were following lead into a narrow valley that had been carved into the mountain by nature long ago. The entrance to the pass was announced by a crumbling stone archway. The stones were cracked and a heavy layer of moss had begun growing round the edges of the squared stones "Kaoru," Kenshin turned to her with a dead serious expression "Stay close to me. This is a dangerous place." Kaoru nodded her head in agreement. Everything about the path ahead of them whispered danger. Kaoru peered into the pass with a feeling of foreboding. Despite the sun being so high in the sky, the huge walls of rock that lined either side of the path had completely blocked the smallest ray of light from the trail "Let's go."

Within the shadows of the pass the temperature suffered an extreme drop, and Kaoru couldn't help but shiver as she was clad in the cool, damp air. The inside of the pass was much darker than she had anticipated, and a heavy layer of fog clung low to the ground. An eerie chill rose every single hair on the back of her neck and sent a spiral of awareness down her stiffened spine. Something was off about this place. In the corner of her eye Kaoru caught the swift movement of some kind of shadowy figure. Her heart beat was stalled for a count of three seconds before being jump started by another shadow figure in her peripheral vision. Kaoru slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her high-pitched squeak. Meanwhile her other hand had embedded its fingers into the back of Kenshin's dark blue gi. He halted at her contact, and glanced over his shoulder at her. Kaoru looked back with terrified blue eyes. Having received her message loud and clear, Kenshin reached his hand behind him and untangled her fingers from his shirt "I'm right here Kaoru." He murmured in a low, reassuring tone. His hand captured hers, and entwined them together "I won't let anything hurt you." He promised her.

"Thank you." Kaoru replied feeling silly for her irrational fears, but comforted by Kenshin's strong yet gentle hand.

Finally, they could see the end of the pass, and the warm sunlight pooling into the opening. But before they could make it through the exit a tall dark figure stepped into the sunlight, his face shadowed. Kenshin stopped them dead in their tracks and placed his hand on the hilt of his katana "Stay behind me Kaoru." He ordered her in a tone that she didn't dare defy. Seeing him lean forward Kaoru took hold of her makeshift bokken, and prepared herself for the worst. As they advanced toward the potential threat Kaoru ran through every lesson that Kenshin had ever taught her about sword fighting. Her pulse quickened with every step made closer to the end of the pass. They eventually reached their destination, and without warning Kenshin was set into a flurry of motion. Moving fasting than what was conceivable to the human eye he disappeared and reappeared behind the figure with his katana drawn, and angled at the man's thick, corded throat "If you wish to live I suggest you tell us who you are." Kenshin growled. Though she had watched him speak those words, the voice that emanated from his throat was not his own. The man cut loose a low, guttural, manic laugh that caused a coil of uneasiness to tighten in her stomach. There was something unnatural about the whole situation. Nothing was adding up. That man hadn't even tried to protect himself. Kenshin having gained the same insight as Kaoru bounded off the large man's shoulders, and landed silently in front of her "Who are you?" Kenshin asked again.

"I would be less worried about my name and more worried about that girl." The man replied in a gruff, threatening tone. Before either Kenshin or Kaoru had time to find meaning in his words the ground began to shake beneath them.

"It's an ambush!" Kenshin yelled just as Kaoru caught sight of the massive rock slide tumbling down the walls of the pass. In a matter of seconds Kenshin had sheathed his blade, sprung toward Kaoru, and swept her into his arms. She didn't have time to comprehend what was happening when he launched them out of the path of the rock slide. A screen of dirt and dust filled the air as the last of the rocks settled across the pathway. In the wake of the rockslide they soon discovered that they had been trapped. The trail leading into the pass was completely obstructed by a mountain of earth and rock. The dust finally died down revealing a group of rough looking men. Kenshin allowed Kaoru to slide to her feet, and made sure she was steady before he pushed her behind him. An ugly man at the front of the group stepped forward. He was a large, overly muscular man with beady, black eyes, and a sleek bald head. His face and exposed body was covered in a multitude of nasty, gnarled scars that suggested he was no stranger to pain. The man took a few steps forward, bringing his meaty, calloused hands together. The sound of his knuckles cracking left Kaoru feeling physically sick. A disturbing smile twisted up his mouth as he got closer. With every step he took, each of his men took. All of them looked large and intimidating.

They were closing in on them. Kenshin leaned forward with his hand hovering over the hilt of his blade "Kaoru, do you trust me?" He asked suddenly.

Kaoru's every nerve ending was prickling with terror as she realized that he was meaning to take on this entire group by himself. He was going to create her a path to get out "Yes I trust you." Kaoru whispered despairingly. She wanted to be able to help him, but both of them were entirely too aware of the fact that while Kaoru may have a chance with one of these over grown men, twenty more were just too many for her limited skills. Her best chance was to run. Even as she accepted this fact Kaoru was unsure if her body would cooperate with her. Her legs felt weak and unsteady.

"Run Kaoru!" Kenshin yelled as he disappeared in a cloud of dust and reappeared behind the apparent leader of the group. Without hesitation, the Battousai slit his throat. Jarred by the scene of blood misting out of the man's severed vocals Kaoru forced her body to move. In what felt like slow motion she headed into the crowd of men, completely relying on Kenshin's silent vow to protect her. From one man to another he killed every man that posed an obstacle as she ran. But it seemed that there was too many of them and they continued multiplying. Kaoru collided with the solid frame of one of the men, and rebounded backwards. Preparing herself to hit the ground hard Kaoru threw back her arms hoping to cushion the impact. However instead of the ground, she fell against the strong arm of a friend.

Looking up Kaoru was surprised to see no other than Sanosuke Sagara. He gave her that toothy grin that he was so famous for "Long time no see doc." He greeted her before quickly steadying her and pulling free a large spear-like weapon of its bindings. Kaoru scanned over the blade with wide, knowing eyes. Many men had talked about Sano when Kaoru was working in the base. They had called him Zanza, the warrior marked with the character for evil on his back. It was rumored that Sano was an inhumanly strong fighter who wielded the legendary zanbatō, a double edged long sword that belonged to an ancient and powerful war god. She had never been privy to seeing the zanbatō up close and personal, but getting to see it now, in battle, was just as mystifying. The sword had a long spear-like handle that made up less than half of the weapon. The rest was a gigantic blade, finely sharpened on either side. The blade was considerably taller than Sano himself, but it's massive size and weight didn't seem to have no hindrance on Zanza. His movements were smooth and fast as he effortlessly lopped off the head of the man in front of him and turned to his next opponent. The large man that had just been beheaded fell to his knees as his body crumpled and collapsed. Just beyond his huge mound of flesh Kaoru could see a clear path out of the battle.

With a single, fluid leap she bounded over the body and landed lightly on her feet "Kaoru watch out!" Kaoru turned just in time to see the three shuriken embed into the arm of one of them men. He had meant to grab hold of her. Glancing to the left Kaoru caught sight of Misao in her short, blue kimono. She back-flipped off the shoulders of her current opponent and land gracefully in front of Kaoru "Let's get out of here!" Misao yelled as she took hold of Kaoru's hand and cut for an exit. The two girls didn't stop running until they had come to a rickety, old swinging bridge suspended across a small canyon "That should do it." Misao huffed with her hand placed firmly against her knees.

Just as those words left her mouth Kaoru had picked up on a man's aura. Every hair on the back of her neck stood up as she spotted his large frame shadowed by the sun beaming against his back "We didn't outrun all of them." Kaoru gritted her teeth together as she pulled her practice sword from her belt, and fell into a defensive stance with her sword extended and her muscles locked into place. Misao fell into place beside her, her shuriken drawn and ready for a fight.

"How many?" Misao whispered, her eyes never once veering away from the growing figure in the distance.

Kaoru paused before responding with an answer. She expanded her aura, scanning and searching for another presence "Just one." She finally responded. Her hardened sapphire gaze followed Misao's to that looming presence. Breathing in deeply Kaoru ease her heart into a steady rhythm. Her lungs expanded as she took in the air, making her blood pump evenly throughout her body. This moment was what she had trained so hard for. The man closed the distance between them at a sprint. In a matter of seconds, they were engaged in battle. Their opponent bawled up his large fist and went for a downward strike, igniting the fight. The ground splintered beneath his fist, causing Kaoru and Misao to be split up in order to avoid the attack. They moved to either side of the man waiting preparedly for his next move. He turned on Kaoru first, bring down another heavy fist. This time she didn't have time to move, and instead had to meet his attack head first. She brought her sword in front of her. The bamboo absorbed the majority of the impact. Kaoru slid her left foot behind her, stabilizing her stance. Her sword quivered under the force of his sheer weight. Feeling the strength of his body Kaoru quickly came to the realization that she needed to put some distance between them. Misao must have sensed her need to retreat. She shot her shuriken into his hand, her aim was impeccable as she targeted those venerable pressure points in his hand.

"Take that ugly." She yelled trying to draw his attention away from Kaoru. The man turned with an angry grunt as Misao continued to lure him away with taunts. Kaoru took that moment to land a strike from behind. Launching forward she brought down her sword between his shoulder blades with as much force as her small body could muster. It wasn't enough. All her blow managed to do was irritate him. The man circled back on Kaoru and took hold of her bamboo sword. Her skin flushed a ghostly white. She couldn't let go of that sword. It was her only defense. Misao shot forward in a rescue attempt, but was swatted away with a powerful strike from the man's free hand. Kaoru could hear her body collide with a nearby tree, and flinched at the crunching sound it made. She had to have been hurt badly.

As much as Kaoru wanted to, she knew that she couldn't check on Misao. She had to concentrate on the immediate threat. In a last-ditch attempt Kaoru decided to fight dirty. With every last bit of energy, Kaoru swung her leg up with the intentions of grinding her foot into his most venerable spot. However, he caught her leg mid-swing. This wasn't good. Kaoru felt the force and power of his hand as he took hold of her leg and threw her a few feet away. For a few seconds, she was airborne before hitting the hard ground and rolling a few extra feet. When she had come to a stop Kaoru was light-headed and disoriented. Her vision was blurry as she vaguely made out the shape of his feet approaching her. Weakly she pushed herself from the ground, ignoring the sharp shards of pain piercing every inch of her body. Her legs were unsteady as she stood up on them. Kaoru knew she wouldn't win this fight, but she wasn't going down without one hell of a fight. She had to try and survive for Kenshin. She felt the man's large hand take hold of her hair, and choked back the whimper building up in her throat. Her fiery gaze met his cold onyx one defiantly "You don't give up do you bitch?" He chuckled as he brought her closely. That's when she felt it. A faint little prickle at the back of her neck. Kenshin was near. He was coming for her.

A smug smile twisted up the corners of her mouth "You have made a grave mistake." She whispered hoarsely. He didn't have time to process her words when a flash of silver past between them, slicing cleanly through the junction of his elbow. The man squalled out in pain as he stumbled backward, cradling the upper half of his arm against his chest. Kaoru had only a slight idea of Kenshin's abilities on the battle field. She had only ever seen the after effects of his fights. She had never actually witnessed the fight itself. Blood sprayed across the chest of her kimono as the hand that had been entangled into her hair fell to the ground beside her. Weak and filled with relief Kaoru collapsed to her knees. Her legs could no longer support the weight of her body. All she could do was watch Kenshin finish off the man that had injured her. He was mercilessly as he brought his blade through the man's other arm. Another pained screech filled the air as a second limb was severed from his body. Kaoru watched in horror as Kenshin circled the man, injecting hundreds of painful cuts into his flesh. Something in the way he moved, the precision of each cut, the wild, untamed look in his ember eyes told Kaoru that her Kenshin was no longer there. The man administering a slow, torturous ending to her attacker was the legendary Battousai. This was the demon samurai whispered about "K-Kenshin." Kaoru barely got his name passed her lips. She didn't want to see him like this. She couldn't.

For a fraction of a second their eyes met. He seemed to recognize the fear lingering in her gaze, and his entire demeanor changed. Understanding her silent request Kenshin ended his fight quickly. With a single fluid motion, he charged his blade through the man's torso, stopping his heart dead in his chest. Kenshin cleaned his blade, returned it to its sheath, and went to Kaoru. She met him with open arms "I'm sorry Kaoru." He apologized against her ear. The conviction in his voice let Kaoru know that he had scared her, and that he was truly remorseful for that.

She twisted her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, and held him tightly to her "It's okay." She replied softly. She could forgive him easily because she understood Kenshin. The Battousai part of him had scared her, but Kaoru knew that that side of him was necessary. If it hadn't been for that part she might not have been alive right now. And it scared Kaoru more to think that she may never again be able to hold him. For a long while they simply held on to one another, the weight of their situation weighing heavily on their minds.

Eventually Kenshin moved away with a gentle kiss to her forehead "Aoshi and Sanosuke is here." He murmured helping her to her feet.

Kenshin's POV

Kenshin filed away his concern of Kaoru with a footnote that they would have to one day talk about what she saw. Right now, he had to focus on the matter at hand. Sanosuke and Aoshi had made it to the bridge, but they had drug along a friend. Knowing that he would have to be interrogated, Kenshin moved quickly to meet up with the two of them before they made it to Kaoru. The interrogation would be brutal and Kaoru had already seen enough for the day. He asked Sanosuke to take her and Misao on to the base, and insisted on Aoshi staying behind to help with the questioning. A moment of clarity passed between Sano and Kenshin. Without another word Sanosuke took Kaoru and carried Misao on to the base.

Once the three of them had made it across the bridge, Kenshin turned on the prisoner. Aoshi had been the one to subdue the man with a swift break of his legs "What's wrong Mr. Hiruma?" Aoshi hissed venomously "You were certainly the conversationalist earlier." The oniwaban closed in on him, his blade sliding underneath the man's neck, slicing through his thick beard "Why don't you tell the Battousai about who you're working for and why, I'm sure he would appreciate your intel." Aoshi tightened his short blade closer to the man's flesh "Go on Gohei."

Giving into the circumstances of his situation the bandit gave into Aoshi's demands. His voice was horse and gravelly as he spoke "I was hired by a man named Shishio." He admitted through gritted teeth. This had peaked Kenshin's interest as well as his anger. What was Shishio playing at? What was he after?

Aoshi made a thin cut into the bandit's neck "What else?"

Hissing in pain Gohei wrinkled his nose in a snarl "He wanted that bitch you're traveling with." A unquenchable fury blazed darkly within his fiery eyes, and an aura of bloodlust poured from his body in staggering waves. Shishio was after Kaoru, and with their history together Kenshin could only imagine why he sought after her. The inner demon of the Battousai was brought forth as he pulled his katana free. Aoshi barely had time to get out of the way when Kenshin brought his blade through Gohei's neck, slicing through muscle and tendon as though it was butter. The death had occurred so quickly that there hadn't been time for his victim to vocalize a scream. The blow had been so powerful that the severed head had flown into the air landing a good ten feet away from the body. Even the blood had seemed to be delayed in its natural crimson spray—as if the body hadn't registered its death just yet. The Battousai flicked his blade clean and sheathed it. The returning of that deadly sword to its scabbard left the two men standing in his company breathing a sigh of relief.

Kenshin knew that his display of a god-like strike had stunned his companion. Indeed, it was a paralyzing to behold. The strength and power of the Battousai's sword was eerie and unnatural. It was inhuman. No man should possess such deadly abilities. Turning on his heel, facing his back to the him, Kenshin took a few steps forward "Let's get back to the base." He stated flatly, still struggling to re-cage the demonic force that had broken free of its chains "Aoshi." The Battousai's stern tone earned him a quick response from the oniwaban "You should lead the way."

Aoshi responded with a curt "Yes."

A/N: So here is the next chapter. I want to thank everyone that has stuck with me this far. I really appreciate all my readers and reviewers for their support. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I have made a solid outline for the rest of this story. I am estimating that there will be six more chapters to this story, so please continue to stick with me as I draw the story closer to an end.

Thank you so much for reading, and if you have any comments please leave them in the box below! :)