Rurouni Kenshin - "That Which Lingers" (Parts 5-8) by Madamhydra
This story is set in my own ALTERNATE REALITY universe which I've called "The Nightwitch Tales" -- think of it as Rurouni Kenshin mixed with various supernatural and paranormal elements. Other stories in this alternate reality are: "Night Visitor"; "All in the Family"; "Romancing the Wolf"
WARNING: This story is "semi-dark" -- it has dark elements (violence, profanity, etc.) but it's not a darkfic! Actually, there's quite a bit of romance in it.... ^_-
This story takes place after the end of the Kyoto story arc. After that, it takes a sharp left turn into its own world. Elements of the Revenge story arc may or may not show up later on in the story. The Kenshin Gumi already know that Saitoh survived the destruction of Shishio's stronghold.
As always, C&C is greatly appreciated! ^_^
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THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
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Part 5: Two Hearts As One
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Disclaimer
All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties. The characters of these series are used WITHOUT permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit. Original portion of the fiction included here is considered to be the sole property and copyrighted to the author.
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Text Conventions
( ) are character thoughts
* ----- * ----- * marks the start and end of flashbacks
[ ] denote visual or time notes
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[the present, 11th year of the Meiji period, late summer]
The people gathered in the main room of Dr. Genzai's clinic -- Kaoru, Kenshin, Sano, Yahiko, Megumi, Misao -- stared blankly as Tokio calmly put out another place setting for her husband.
Through the open doorway, Saitoh Hajime could see Shinomori Aoshi sleeping in the adjacent room. He glanced at Misao and said, "I heard you were looking for him. I see your hunt was successful."
Misao clenched her right hand and gritted her teeth, but said nothing.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sano asked irritably.
Saitoh raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "Idiot. My wife left me a message."
As Tokio handed her husband a cup of tea, Kenshin watched curiously as Saitoh reached out to take the cup from her hand.
(Why didn't he wait for her to put it down? That doesn't seem like Saitoh at all...) Kenshin suddenly realized that that oddly intimate act was actually just a cover for Saitoh's real gesture. With a subtle flick of the fingers, Saitoh brushed back Tokio's sleeve, exposing her wrist... and the clear band of darkening bruises around it.
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, then glanced up at his wife. Tokio patiently returned her husband's gaze and continued to set out his dinner. Except for Kenshin, no one else seemed to notice the brief interchange between husband and wife.
(Bruises? Where did she get... oh, no... Sano.) Kenshin felt a definite twinge of uneasiness. (If Saitoh finds out that he left those bruises....) Although Saitoh had not expressed any sign of marital affection -- either by word or deed -- instinct told Kenshin that it was NOT because of any lack of feeling on Saitoh's part.
As he calmly began to devour the fish Tokio placed in front of him, Saitoh said, "Perhaps you'll be interested in knowing that Mr. Honami -- the man who decided to kill himself by smashing his brains all over the street -- was being pursued by the police. It appears that some neighbors caught him in the act of slaughtering his entire family with a sword. He was shot several times, but he still managed to elude them."
Misao whispered, "Then... you've caught the murderer... the person who's been killing all those people recently...."
"No," Saitoh calmly corrected.
"WHAT!?" everyone shouted.
"He definitely killed his own family, but he couldn't have killed the other five families. We had his whereabouts checked," Saitoh said as he casually stole the fish off Sano's plate.
Kenshin stiffened. "You mean to say...."
"Yes. "He is a murderer, but not THE murderer... if there is a single killer."
"You think there's more than one?" Kenshin said.
"There's at least two killers and perhaps more. There's a pattern in this madness. The trick is to figure out what it is."
Kenshin murmured, "All these deaths... they're totally random, but at the same time, they're not random at all."
Sano slammed his rice bowl down and said, "I don't understand what the hell you guys are trying to say!"
Saitoh snorted and said, "Of course you don't." With his chopsticks, he leisurely started putting peas in six separate heaps on the table.
"Assume that each pea is a death. There have been six distinct groupings of murders." He pointed at a single heap of peas. "Everyone within a group is related somehow -- by blood, marriage, or close friendship -- but no group is related to any other group. They have virtually nothing in common. The groups don't have mutual acquaintances and they don't have similar social, economic, or political affiliations. Do you get that much?"
Sano glared furiously at Saitoh. "Of course I do! What do you think I am? An idiot!?"
Misao muttered, "Don't answer that."
Saitoh continued, "There are only three things that all six groups have in common. First, all these people are dead. Second, they all died the same way."
Kenshin quietly said, "Killed by a highly skilled swordsman."
"Exactly."
Kenshin glanced curiously at Saitoh. "But what's the third thing?"
Saitoh carefully put a piece of bright orange carrot in each heap of peas.
"Third, there's a suicide associated with each group of deaths. Again, the suicide is related to the murder victims by blood, marriage, or friendship. Curious, isn't it?"
"'Curious' is not exactly the word I would use, Saitoh," muttered Kenshin.
"Now I get it," said Yahiko, staring at the little heaps of vegetables scattered across the tabletop. "Random in some ways, but not random in others."
Saitoh smirked at Sano. "Well, if the brat can understand what I'm talking about, surely YOU can."
"Why you...!" Sano growled as he started to get to his feet.
Megumi yanked him back down onto his cushion and snapped, "Hush! This is getting interesting!"
As Sano and the doctor started yelling at each other, Kaoru asked, "But why are you involved? Murder, even mass murder, doesn't seem to be a matter for the secret police."
Saitoh gave them a chilly smile. "On the contrary. When expert killers suddenly show up and start slaughtering people in my jurisdiction, then I consider it my business. Even more so when I end up being a prime suspect in these murders, at least initially."
"There were traces of Shinsengumi-style swordwork," Kenshin replied.
"Hmph. I don't argue that."
There was a soft groan from the next room.
"Aoshi-sama!" Misao tried to get up, but nearly fell over because of the stiffness in her muscles.
Megumi gave Sano a last angry look and hauled herself to her feet. She patted Misao on the shoulder. "You stay put. I'll take a look at him."
Just as Megumi left the room, Tokio came from the kitchen and looked around. "Where's Megumi-san?"
Sano muttered in a sulky voice, "She's checking on Aoshi. He finally decided to wake up."
"Thank you." Tokio headed off as Misao started yelling at Sano.
Over the noise, Saitoh put a piece of red pepper on the table. "Assume that this is the killer. Or rather, the killers." He added a few more red pepper chunks.
With his own chopsticks, Kenshin replaced the carrot cube in one heap of peas with a piece of red pepper. "But we know that the unfortunate Mr. Honami is both the suicide AND the murderer associated with this group of people."
"Yes. Which makes me wonder about the other suicides...," said Saitoh. With his chopstick, he thoughtfully nudged a carrot chunk in one of the other heaps of peas.
As they all stared at the neatly arranged vegetables, Kaoru said, "But how does Misao fit into this picture?"
Saitoh shrugged. "No idea. So is someone going to tell me what happened between Shinomori and the Weasel Girl?"
Misao stopped arguing with Sano and glared angrily at Saitoh. "Will you stop calling me that!?"
Sano plunked down a chunk of onion on the tabletop, away from the other vegetables. "Say that this is Misao." He then placed a single, tiny grain of rice beside it. "And this is Aoshi...."
"What!? You jerk! How DARE you use a measly piece of rice to represent Aoshi-sama!?"
Yahiko butted into the conversation by saying, "No way! He should be a piece of cold fish!"
Misao squeaked in outrage.
As she, Yahiko, and Sano got into a heated three-way fight about the virtues and faults of Aoshi, Kenshin sighed wearily. "I think they're taking your demonstration a bit too seriously."
Saitoh uttered a malicious chuckle, then said, "So what happened? The Weasel Girl's no match for Aoshi, even if the fool was holding back."
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In the ward room in the clinic, Tokio glanced at Aoshi, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully again. Megumi was standing at the far side of the room. With her back turned, the doctor seemed unaware of Tokio's presence.
"Do you have any more soy sauce? You appear to be out...."
Megumi murmured, "I can't decide who should be first. That idiot Sano or Ken-san...."
Tokio cocked her head slightly and said, "Excuse me? I didn't quite catch what you said...."
Megumi turned around, black sword in hand and a wicked glint in her eyes.
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As Kenshin finished giving Saitoh the general overview of Misao's encounter with Aoshi -- discretely omitting any mention of the more personal moments -- Saitoh raised an eyebrow and said, "So, the Weasel Girl is blaming it all on the sword?"
"That sword's EVIL, I tell you!" Misao protested.
"What, are you going to start telling me stories of demons and ghosts, now?" Saitoh said. "Or are you suggesting that the thing's somehow cursed?"
(He... doesn't sound like he's entirely joking,) Kenshin realized with astonishment.
Misao yanked her hair and shouted, "Why am I wasting my time? You obviously don't believe a word I'm saying! That damn weapon was probably MADE for someone like you!"
"Oh ho. Now I'm curious. So, where is this diabolical sword?"
Kaoru said, "I don't know. I think Kenshin had it...."
They all turned to stare at him. Kenshin glanced around in bewilderment, then suddenly frowned.
(Yes, I did have it... so where did I put it?) He was a little startled to realize that he couldn't quite remember where he had left the sword.
Saitoh smirked, "Going senile already, Battousai?"
"HAJIME!!!"
The next instant, Saitoh was on his feet, his sword half-drawn. Through the open double doorway leading to the main sickroom, both he and Kenshin saw Tokio hastily throwing herself over Aoshi's bed in a desperate attempt to evade the dark blade slashing toward her. Saitoh's wife rolled off the bed and landed on the floor with a thud. Scrambling to her feet, Tokio hastily backed away as Megumi jumped effortlessly over the bed and cornered her at the other side of the long ward room.
The doctor burst into a vicious snicker, then held the sword parallel to the floor. Her other hand was extended before her, hovering just above the blade, and she crouched slightly. It was an instantly recognizable stance.
A stunned Kenshin thought, (That's a form of the Gatotsu! What is Megumi doing!) He started as he heard a soft growl beside him. That faint sound, along with the narrowed eyes were the only signs of Saitoh's tightly controlled fury. But even as the former Shinsengumi captain started to move, Megumi lunged toward Tokio.
(We're not going to reach them in time!), thought Kenshin.
With no place to go, Tokio grabbed the first thing she could in a desperate attempt to shield herself. Amazingly, there was no fear or panic on her face... only grim determination. In that instant, Kenshin caught a glimpse of what must have attracted Saitoh to an apparently helpless woman like Tokio.
(A soul of steel... total dedication... two kindred spirits....)
A wolf and its mate....
Megumi's powerful thrust drove the black sword right through the metal basin in Tokio's hands. By some miracle, Tokio somehow managed to deflect the path of the blade just enough. The tip of the sword missed its main target and and ripped open the sleeve of her kimono. Tokio didn't make a sound as she clung desperately to the basin. It was the only thing which kept Megumi from cutting her to pieces.
Kenshin yelled, "Megumi! Stop!"
Amazingly, she did. She turned to stare at Saitoh and Kenshin. Saitoh inhaled sharply and Kenshin felt an eerie chill run down his spine at the look of almost unholy joy that suddenly appeared on Megumi's face. It was an expression of almost elemental recognition.
"Battousai... and Saitoh...." Megumi's smile widened even further. "Both of you... I've found you, at last!"
As Megumi attempted to wrench her blade free from the metal basin, Saitoh took instant advantage of the opening and launched his own attack.
"HIYAHHH!!!"
"SAITOH!!!" bellowed Sano as he threw himself at Saitoh. He had no real idea what was going on. All he knew was that Saitoh had every intention of killing Megumi.
Saitoh caught a glimpse of Sano's charge from the corner of his eye. With his right fist, he viciously punched Sano aside without even slowing. But that instant of distraction was more than enough for the doctor. Unable to pull her blade free in time to deflect Saitoh's attack, Megumi grabbed Tokio's sleeve and yanked the woman in front of her....
....right into the path of Saitoh's Gatotsu.
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Saitoh's only thought was, (Too close!!!)
He could see Tokio turning... trying to get out of the way... but it wouldn't be enough.
Too late to stop... and no way to miss her....
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To Kenshin, it was if time stood still... an icy winter's day....
....the pale blur that was a woman's hopelessly vulnerable back....
....the smear of darkness that was blood....
....images he would never forget....
"NO!!!" Kenshin leapt over Sano's sprawled body and lunged with every bit of speed he had.
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Saitoh's desperate but futile attempt to stop was the only thing that gave Kenshin enough time to intercept him. His battou-jutsu attack slammed Saitoh's blade aside just before he crashed into his old enemy and the two of them collided with Tokio and Megumi.
With bone-jarring force, they all ended in a great heap... four people, three swords, and a perforated metal basin.
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(end of part 5)
******************** Author's Notes ********************
Next part: More of the Dinner Show! ^_^
Gee, I've been feeling an uncontrollable impulse to write a lemon sidestory with Saitoh and Tokio. ^_^;;;;
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THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
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Part 6: A Few Intimate Moments
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[the present, 11th year of the Meiji period, late summer]
There was a long silence, broken only by the sound of various people panting or gasping.
A weak voice said very clearly, "GET... THAT... SWORD... AWAY... FROM... HER...."
"Aoshi-sama!" Misao ran to his side as he struggled to sit up. "Don't move! You'll start bleeding again!"
He shook his head violently as he tried to stay conscious. "Misao! Do it NOW, while she's stunned!" But before she left his side, he grabbed her wrist. "Whatever you do, DON'T TOUCH IT."
The ninja girl turned pale and nodded slowly. With less than her usual agility, Misao staggered over to Megumi who was at the very bottom of the pile of bodies, with Tokio, Saitoh, and Kenshin all lying on top of her. The doctor was obviously dazed from the impact of two grown slamming her into the wall, but she was still struggling to move. Before she could free her sword, Misao hastily kicked the blade out of Megumi's weakened grasp. The weapon skidded across the floor, coming to a stop against the far wall.
Once he saw that the sword was safely out of Megumi's hands, Shinomori Aoshi quietly passed out again.
Saitoh ruthlessly heaved Kenshin off of him and slowly rose to his feet. He stared down at his wife where she lay quietly panting... and bleeding.
Kenshin's desperate move had worked... just barely. Blood seeped from a long, wicked gash that ran just above Tokio's breasts across her entire chest. But she was appeared otherwise unhurt. Kenshin had managed to deflect Saitoh's sword a few vital inches... inches that made the difference between a relatively minor cut and a fatal impalement on her husband's blade. Fortunately, his sword had also missed Megumi by the smallest of fractions.
Saitoh knelt down beside his wife. He didn't say anything or make any move to touch her. He merely watched as she gingerly examined the long slash on her chest.
As for Kenshin, he sat numbly on the floor where Saitoh had dumped him. Still clutching his sakabatou, he bowed his head and covered his face with his free hand as he took deep, gasping breaths.
Alarmed by his reaction, Kaoru walked toward him and quietly said, "Kenshin?"
By this time, Sano had staggered back to his feet. Rubbing his throbbing jaw, he glared at Saitoh and shouted, "You bastard! You nearly killed Megumi!"
Saitoh slowly rose to his feet and turned to face the enraged Sano. As he calmly flicked Tokio's blood off his sword, Saitoh spoke with exquisite care in a frighteningly even voice.
"She tried to kill my WIFE."
"Look who's talking! YOU'RE the maniac who was about to cut down his own wife...."
Nearly everyone jumped as Kenshin's hand hit the floor with a tremendous bang.
"SANO." Kenshin's voice was low and freezing cold....
Kaoru's eyes widened. (Just like... the Battousai....)
As Sano flinched and took an involuntary step backward, Kaoru whispered, "Kenshin...?"
He took a few deep breaths, shook his head, then slowly got to his feet. In a much more normal voice, Kenshin quietly said, "Saitoh."
There was a long pause as the two men stared at each other, then Saitoh abruptly shrugged.
"Hmph." He sheathed his sword and turned his attention to his wife. Tokio was taking the opportunity to check on Megumi, who was now uttering an occasional moan.
After such a close encounter with death, one might have expected a husband to pick his wife up or at least put his arms around her. Saitoh did none of these things. He merely extended his hand to her. It was a typical Saitoh-type gesture -- arrogant and demanding -- and yet there was something both courtly and possessive about his actions.
The apparent coldness of his peremptory gesture didn't seem to bother his wife at all. Without hesitation, Tokio took her husband's hand and he effortlessly pulled her to her feet.
Releasing his grip, he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. As she carefully dabbed at the still bleeding cut on her chest, Saitoh silently walked over to one of the clinic's smaller side rooms and flung open the door. Without the slightest expression on his face, he stood by the doorway, clearly waiting for his wife to join him.
Tokio obediently headed for her husband. At the door, she turned toward the others and said, "I'm afraid Megumi-san hit her head against the wall quite hard, but I don't think she has any other serious injuries, aside from a lot of bruises. And Kaoru, you lost quite a bit of blood this morning. You really shouldn't be out of bed at all."
Finally, Tokio turned toward Kenshin and gave him a profoundly deep bow. "Thank you, Himura-san, for my life and for my husband's sake."
Kenshin returned the bow in full measure. "Thank you for taking such care of Kaoru-dono this morning," he replied simply.
Saitoh watched the entire scene impassively, without so much as a single smirk or a mocking twitch of an eyebrow.
Tokio made a graceful nod of acknowledgment, then stepped into the room. Saitoh followed his wife and silently shut the door behind him.
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Saitoh leaned back on the closed door and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. Tokio stood placidly by, still holding his bloody handkerchief.
He stared at his wife for a long moment, then a wry smile appeared on his face. "That's not an experience that I would like to repeat, Tokio."
"I'm sorry for being so clumsy," she murmured.
Saitoh reached out and gently ran his fingers just above the slash on Tokio's chest. "This will be the second scar I've given you," he said thoughtfully.
Tokio uttered a soft chuckle. "Now I have a matching set, Hajime. One in the front. One in the back."
He cradled his wife's face between his hands. His thumbs -- callused from years of wielding a sword -- gently stroked her cheekbones.
"Don't remind me. And now I owe the Battousai for saving your life," he muttered irritably.
Saitoh rested his forehead against her soft, silky hair and quietly inhaled her delicate scent. Tokio lifted her hands and delicately intertwined her fingers with his.
He looked at her hands, then at her. Demure... dainty... fragile-looking... yet this woman was strong enough to save his life on more than one occasion... strong enough to let him go his own way and still welcome him home without reservation.
His wife....
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After they moved the unconscious Megumi onto a bed, Kaoru shooed an anxious Sano away. He paced back and forth at the other end of the room for a few moments. Suddenly, he stopped and scowled at the closed door behind which Saitoh and his wife had gone.
He muttered, "I still can't believe it. How can a cold-blooded bastard like Saitoh possibly marry a sweet-tempered, helpless little lady like Tokio...?"
"Sweet-tempered, maybe. But helpless? No. And she's definitely not harmless," Kenshin quietly said from behind Sano's back.
Sano jumped in surprise, then turned around. "Oh... it's you."
"I wanted to apologize for yelling at you."
He grinned at Kenshin and waved his hand. "Hey, it's no big deal. You just startled me. But why did you...."
"I know you're very upset about Saitoh's attack on Megumi, but I needed to stop you before you said anything else about... THAT... particular topic." Kenshin looked away for an instant.
"Oh... you mean about him nearly killing his wife?"
Kenshin nodded. (Sano, you can't imagine how it feels....)
"Do you think he really cares about her? Tokio, I mean." Sano looked a bit skeptical about the idea.
"Yes. Probably more than you can imagine."
Sano scowled. "Well, Saitoh has a hell of a way of showing it. I mean, she nearly got killed right before his eyes and he barely said a word to her!"
"Saitoh would hardly display his innermost feelings to US. And he has no need to show Tokio that he cares. She already knows."
"You sound almost... envious."
Kenshin sounded a bit wistful. "Maybe I am. I think she understands him better than anyone else in this world. More importantly, she knows and accepts him for what he is. It's a rare gift and Saitoh knows it."
Sano thought for a minute, then said, "But what do you mean about her not being helpless or harmless?"
Kenshin smiled faintly. "Sano, do you really think that someone like Saitoh would ever consider marrying an ordinary woman? Tokio may not be trained in physical combat, but she has intelligence and a will that matches his in every way. Saitoh Tokio is a kind, sweet-tempered lady... but in matters regarding her husband, never underestimate her."
Staring at some distant point, Kenshin quietly said, "If Saitoh is the Mibu's Wolf, then Tokio is the she-wolf...." He glanced at Sano. "And she has teeth, even if she doesn't choose to show them."
"Uh... aren't you exaggerating a bit, Kenshin?"
"I don't think so."
Kenshin's gaze drifted over to Kaoru as she kept an eye on Megumi. He thought of the many things he hadn't told her... memories and secrets of a bloody past. Would she be able to truly accept him for what he was and who he had been? But even as his thoughts turned to Kaoru, something nagged at him. He had forgotten something important... but what?
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After Saitoh helped Tokio bandage her injuries, he leaned against the wall and watched her make a few repairs to her torn kimono. As she stitched, Tokio murmured, "Do you think that sword is really cursed?"
"If you had asked me that during the Bakumatsu no Doran, I would have laughed in your face. But after what happened to the two of us at the Wolf Shrine...." Saitoh gave his wife a sour look. "I think I'll defer judgment for the moment."
As he absently rubbed the scarred patch on his left shoulder, his thoughts drifted back to a certain night over seven years ago and the inexplicable events that occurred in a lonely mountain shrine. He knew from painful first-hand experience that such things as curses indeed existed.
(But is a curse involved in all these murders and today's events? That remains to be seen.... Is there a more mundane explanation for all these bizarre occurrences?)
But he couldn't forget the eerie flash of recognition in Megumi's eyes when she had caught a glimpse of both him and Himura. And then there were those last few ominous words....
'Both of you... I've found you, at last!'
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As Kaoru attended to Megumi, Misao kept a careful eye on the still unconscious Aoshi. She hoped that he would wake up again, but she also dreaded that moment.
(What could I say? I nearly killed him. I accused him of unforgivable things. He should hate me... but... but he said he cared about me....)
"Aoshi-... Aoshi-sama...," she whispered.
He slowly opened his eyes. There was a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth that seemed to hint at a smile. "Misao."
"I... I... so... sorry.... The things... the things I said...." Tears blurred her vision as she struggled to find the right words to express herself.
"Misao...." Aoshi quietly repeated. He too was searching for the right words to comfort the girl sitting beside him. There were things that both of them desperately wanted to say, but with five other people in the room, the situation could hardly be considered private. As Aoshi groped for something to say, he glanced away from Misao... then stiffened in alarm.
Without warning, he pulled himself upright, ignoring the tearing pain in his side. Shoving Misao aside, he grabbed the pitcher from the bedside table and hurtled it.
The pitcher hit Yahiko on the shoulder and sent the boy sprawling on the floor... away from the black sword lying so innocently on the floor.
The sound of smashing pottery grabbed everyone's attention. In an instant, Kenshin was kneeling beside a stunned Yahiko. He gave Aoshi a hard look and said, "What's going on?"
"DON'T TOUCH THAT SWORD!" panted Aoshi as he collapsed back onto the bed, clutching at his side. Misao was horrified to see fresh blood start to seep through the bandages on Aoshi's side.
"Aoshi-sama! Kaoru, help me!"
In the meantime, Yahiko was rubbing his aching shoulder and muttering, "What the hell's going on? Ouch!"
Kenshin worriedly asked, "Are you all right?" as he helped Yahiko sit up.
The boy grimaced and muttered, "Yeah... but what did he do that for?"
"He was trying to stop you from picking that sword up." Kenshin glanced back at the weapon only to see Kaoru reaching down to pick it up.
"No! Kaoru-dono! STOP!"
She seemed oblivious to Kenshin's frantic warning and continued reaching for the sword's hilt. He did the only thing he could. Kenshin threw himself across the floor and snatched the blade out right out from under her grasping fingers.
Kaoru suddenly blinked as her hand closed on empty air.
Everyone froze as Kenshin rolled gracefully to his feet, black sword in hand.
He looked down at the dark weapon he was now holding and gave it a superficial examination. Kenshin then glanced up to see everyone staring at him with anxious and slightly horrified expressions on their faces.
"You picked up that... that THING!" Misao exclaimed, shuddering slightly.
Kenshin quietly said, "I had to. Kaoru-dono was about to touch it...."
"Yeah, but now YOU'RE touching it!" Sano shouted.
"And you... you don't sense anything... wrong with it?" said Aoshi in a very weak voice.
They all twitched nervously as Kenshin shook his head and propped the weapon against his shoulder. "No. As far as I can tell, it's a superbly made sword with a unusual matte black finish on the blade. And that's about it."
"And you're not feeling any urge to start attacking people?" Misao asked suspiciously.
Kenshin said very empathically, "No! Of course not!"
Kaoru stared at her hand in bewilderment. (I don't understand. For a moment there... that sword seemed to be the most beautiful thing in the world... I just couldn't stop myself from picking it up....) Her vision started to go dark and she started to sway.
"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin dropped the black sword and grabbed her before she could topple to the floor.
With Misao fully occupied with getting Aoshi's bleeding under control and with Kenshin tending to a semi-conscious Kaoru, no one noticed that Yahiko and Sano seemed irresistibly drawn to the weapon lying in the floor.
They both grabbed for the sword, just as the door to the side room abruptly slid open. In their haste to get a hold of the blade, neither Sano nor Yahiko was paying attention to what the other guy was doing. They collided abruptly with a loud thud. As Sano and Yahiko landed on the floor clutching their skulls, Saitoh whisked the weapon away from right under their noses.
"Saitoh!" protested Kenshin and several other people.
"I'm out of sight for a few minutes and look what happens. Breaking pottery... hysterical females... bleeding bodies.... I'm feeling left out of all the fun."
Kenshin noted that Saitoh sounded quite like his normal sarcastic, irritating self again.
While everyone nervously watched him for any suspicious or unusual behavior, Saitoh held up the weapon and took a careful look at it. "So this is the evil sword that's supposedly causing all the problems. Hmph."
Tokio quietly moved over to Aoshi's side, freeing Misao to confront Saitoh.
"Don't tell me that you can't sense anything strange about that sword either!" the ninja girl shouted.
Saitoh murmured, "Either?"
Still holding a barely conscious Kaoru in his arms, Kenshin gave Saitoh a harried look and said, "Whatever's wrong with that blade, it doesn't seem to be affecting me."
"Ow, my head!" groaned Sano.
"Why don't you watch where you're going, you jerk!" yelled Yahiko.
"Me!? You're the one who got in my way!"
"I was going to pick it up first."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
With a casual sweep of his free hand, Saitoh smacked both Sano and Yahiko in the head and said, "Shut up."
Sano jumped to his feet. "You can't tell me to shut up!"
United by a common enemy, Yahiko said, "Yeah, give it to him, Sano!"
The ninja girl glared at Kenshin and Saitoh. "I can't believe that both of you can't detect anything weird about that damn blade!" Misao then turned angrily toward Sano and Yahiko. "And I can't believe that both you idiots are arguing about who's getting first dibs on a cursed sword!"
Sano blinked and muttered, "Now that you mention it...."
"....why was I trying so hard to pick that stupid sword up?" Yahiko mumbled in bewilderment.
As Kenshin carried Kaoru to the last unoccupied bed in the room, he said apologetically, "Sorry, Misao, but I really can't sense anything strange about that sword."
Saitoh snorted and said, "If it wasn't for the Fox-woman's recent bout of homicidal behavior, I'd say that you were imagining things, girl."
Misao snapped, "Well, if you're so sure about that sword being harmless, why don't you just hand it over to your wife and let her play with it?"
Kenshin winced and muttered, "Misao...."
Saitoh turned and gave the ninja girl a long, silent stare. She clapped her hands over her mouth and instinctively retreated toward Aoshi's comforting presence.
(Oops. I think that was the wrong thing to say....)
At that moment, there was a brilliant flash of lightning, followed almost immediately by a tremendous crack of thunder. A cold wind howled through the clinic, sending papers and loose items flying. A few seconds later, the storm began.
-----------------------------------
(end of part 6)
******************** Author's Notes ********************
Next part: Things start to get creepy. ^_^
======================================================================
THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
======================================================================
Part 7: Times Gone By
======================================================================
[the present, 11th year of the Meiji period, late summer]
The pouring rain came down in torrents and the howling wind seemed to scrape the skin raw. As Saitoh stared outside, Kenshin walked up beside him and said, "It doesn't look like you're going anywhere tonight... not in that storm."
Saitoh flicked a quick glance at his wife before he slammed the front door shut. The black sword still in hand, he walked over to Aoshi's bed and stared down on the injured man.
"So Shinomori, it seems that you know some important things about this sword. Why don't you tell me how you happened to get that information?"
Tokio had successfully managed to get the former Okashira's bleeding under control, but the extra blood loss left him hovering on the edge of consciousness. Aoshi dazedly replied, "Han...," before he realized what he was about to blurt out in front of everyone. He abruptly fell silent.
Misao stared at him. (Was... was he about to say... Hannya!?) Her mind flashed back to that moment in Kyoto, when she had been lying nearly unconscious on the roof of the Aoiya. (Hannya told me that Kenshin had succeeded... that Aoshi-sama was coming back to me....)
Saitoh raised an eyebrow and said, "Yes? You were saying?"
Aoshi sighed and said in a weary voice, "I don't really know anything about that sword."
"Then why all the warnings to not touch it, hm?"
"When Misao attacked me, her behavior was so... extreme...."
She turned white at the memory. The horrible things she had said... the pain and bewilderment on his face....
Aoshi continued, "There had to be something wrong. I made a wild guess that the strange sword she had was somehow responsible... so I gambled and took it away from her."
Sano muttered, "Pretty serious gamble if you were willing to break her arm over it."
Aoshi quietly said, "I didn't have time for gentler methods. But it seemed to work. She started to act normally almost immediately after she dropped the sword. I think one could reasonably assume that the weapon was the cause of her... unusual behavior."
It was clear that there was a lot more going on, but it was equally clear that Aoshi wasn't about to discuss the subject any further. Saitoh debated pressuring Aoshi for answers, but Kenshin and others were bound to object strenuously. He wasn't in the mood for a pitched battle... at the moment.
They all tensely waited for Saitoh's reaction to Aoshi's blatantly vague reply. To their surprise, Saitoh shrugged, but they all knew that he would never give up so easily. Saitoh Hajime would be back for more answers.
In the meantime, Saitoh glanced at his wife and said, "You're the collector of old stories and legends."
His wife bowed her head respectfully. "There are many legends about cursed weapons. In some stories, the curses are subtle and take generations to manifest. But in other tales, evil spirits are said to take up residence in certain weapons and drive men to instant murder. It is improbable, but the sheer number of stories would indicate that such things could happen."
"Hmph."
Sano yelled, "Is that all you can say? So what are we going to do about it?"
"Nothing at the moment."
"What do you mean 'nothing'!? Shouldn't we get rid of it?"
"And how do you propose to do that, you idiot? Leave it out in the street for some fool like yourself to pick it up?"
"Whaddya mean by that!?" shouted an outraged Sano.
Saitoh smirked evilly. "There was certainly enough evidence to suggest that there's something abnormal with this sword, but that didn't stop you or the brat from fighting over it, hm?"
From her bed, Kaoru said quietly, "He's right. There's just something about that sword that makes you want to pick it up."
Yahiko muttered, "Maybe we could... bury it?"
"Once there was a man who threw a cursed sword into the sea. A few minutes later, a great shark surged out of the waves and landed on the deck of his ship at his feet. Piercing the shark's body was the very same sword which had been so recently cast away," Tokio recited in a gentle voice as she started to pick up the remains of their long neglected dinner.
Saitoh apparently ignored his wife's comments and said, "This sword is an important piece of evidence in several murders...," he glanced at Misao and the still unconscious Megumi, "and attempted murders. I'm not about to drop it into a hole and leave it for any stray dog to dig up and steal."
Kenshin thought, (Saitoh's not scoffing at the idea of a cursed sword. Tokio says that it's quite possible that there really is something 'wrong' about that weapon. He definitely respects her opinion, even on such a strange matter. That's understandable. So would I.)
Aloud, Kenshin said, "Since we can't get rid of it at the moment, what do you suggest we do with it?"
Saitoh casually tossed it in Kenshin's direction. "Try not to misplace it THIS time."
"Oh, so you're dumping that thing on Kenshin, now? What, are you scared of it?" taunted Sano.
"I'm not the one frightened of it."
"Are you saying that I'm chicken!?"
"Roosterhead."
"ARGHHHH...!"
Kenshin hastily grabbed a hold of Sano's jacket and said, "Sano, please calm down! At the moment, there's only two people who seem to be able to handle this sword without being overcome by murderous impulses. It's either me or Saitoh. Take your pick."
"Sheesh... since you put it that way...."
Tokio approached Kenshin with a blanket in her hands. "Since the scabbard is missing, you can use this to wrap the sword."
"Thank you, Tokio-dono."
She smiled at him and said, "Everyone really needs some rest, especially Misao, Shinomori-san, and Kaoru."
Yahiko yawned conspicuously, "Gee, I feel exhausted!"
Sano muttered, "How can you feel exhausted!? You didn't DO anything!"
"Whaddya mean I didn't do anything? I was helping Megumi all afternoon!"
Tokio murmured, "He was a great help. The child that was in here earlier wasn't as badly injured as Megumi first thought. We were actually able to send him home."
Yahiko yawned again. "Yeah, otherwise we would've had the entire family hovering around here like a swarm of angry bees!"
-----------------------------------
Everyone eventually found a place to spend the night. Aoshi, Megumi, and Kaoru occupied the beds in the clinic's wardroom, while Kenshin and Sano ended up on the wardroom floor. Tokio shared Dr. Genzai's room with Yahiko. There wasn't any place in the wardroom for Misao, so Tokio gently coaxed the ninja girl into taking Megumi's room.
As for Saitoh, he prowled around the now silent clinic for a few minutes. Passing the wardroom door, he saw Kenshin sitting against the wall, his sakabatou in its familiar place against his shoulder and the black sword -- carefully and thoroughly wrapped in a blanket -- lying on the floor right beside him.
They looked at each other for a long moment, then Saitoh walked away. He took up a carefully selected position in the clinic's main room, and settled down for the night. Like Kenshin, he had no plans of sleeping.
So much for good intentions....
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
Megumi found herself wandering through dark, unfamiliar streets.
(What am I doing out here in the middle of the middle of the night? And where am I?)
A faint shuffling noise came from nearby. She looked around frantically, but the street was still deserted.
The shuffling sound got louder... came closer.
"Who's out there!?"
There was no answer, but she saw something move. She backed away, her heart starting to race.
The shuffling continued to approached... and then she heard the hoarse breathing. The stench of decay and corruption clogged her lungs.
Then she saw it... a patch of murky shadow that seemed to swell and grow as it headed in her direction.
Megumi spun around and ran for her life.
-----------------------------------
(What the...!?)
Misao stared around her in astonishment. She knew these streets. She had played in them since she was a child.
But what was she doing back in Kyoto... and at night?
She sensed a sudden presence behind her. Misao turned and jumped away just as something large and dark sprang from the shadows and struck the spot where she had been standing.
It looked like a huge paw... but not from any beast she had ever seen.
She retreated as she grabbed for her kunai. Her attacker followed. She couldn't see who -- or what -- it could be, but she could easily sense the malevolence that hovered around its shadowy form.
/ You were mine once... you shall be again.... /
"You wish! KAN SATSU TOBI KUNAI!!!"
The blades pierced the darkness... and were swallowed without a sound.
/ All mine, pretty little hellcat.... /
The hunger in the eerie voice made her knees shake. Then she felt something... tugging at her... somehow trying to suck her into the shadowy mass that shambling after her.
Misao did the only thing she could.
She ran for the Aoiya.
-----------------------------------
Sano abruptly sat up when he heard a woman's terrified screams.
"Jo-chan!!!"
He jumped to his feet, but was stunned to realized that he was no longer in Dr. Genzai's clinic. Instead, he was standing on a deserted street that he had never seen before.
It was nighttime. The moon was up, but instead being the usual pale silver, the moonlight seemed to contain an unhealthy reddish hue.
(As if it's tainted by.... blood.)
Another piercing scream echoed in the night, but no one appeared to notice. The neighboring buildings stayed quiet... their windows remained dark.
As he ran in the direction of scream, he could hear a woman begging and pleading.
"Please don't kill me! I had to do it! They threatened to destroy my family if I didn't!"
An appalling familiar voice coldly said, "You lie. You spied and betrayed us for money alone."
"No! That's not true! I was paid, but... but the money was not for me. It was for my brother!"
"To pay gambling debts and his drug supplier," the icy male voice stated.
"I have some of the money left! Take it! You can have whatever you want!" Her voice turned coaxing and seductive, "I'll do anything for you. Just let me liv.....agggGHHHH!" Her voice abruptly choked off into a muffled scream.
Suddenly, a few houses away from Sano, a door slid open and a man walked out. Pausing briefly to flick the blood from his sword, Saitoh Hajime stepped into the street. But it was a Saitoh that Sano had never seen before... a man with long, flowing hair held back by a headband and a high set ponytail... a man dressed in a blood-flecked light blue jacket whose sleeves were edged with a pattern of white triangles.
"Saitoh!!!"
But the captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi didn't answer. His gaze seemed to skim over Sano as if he wasn't even there. Saitoh then turned and walked away, a cold smile of satisfaction on his face.
Sano ran over to the house and looked inside. He stared in shock. In the blood-splattered hallway was the body of a dead woman. She lay just inside the doorway with her guts spilling from her slashed belly.
"Saitoh, you murdering bastard! You're not getting away THAT easily!"
Sano didn't know what the hell was going on, but he was going to find out from Saitoh... one way or another.
-----------------------------------
Shinomori Aoshi stood in the middle of a street which was both familiar, yet eerily different. He wasn't certain how it was different, but something was definitely wrong.
How could he be standing in a place that was at least a five days' travel away?
How could he be standing in a darkened street of Kyoto?
Even as he struggled with those questions, he heard the sound of running footsteps. He turned just as a woman with long black hair bumped into him hard.
He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away, then stared in astonishment.
"Takani Megumi!?"
The doctor had been staring over her shoulder, a frightened look on her face. But when she heard her name and turned to see who was talking to her, her expression became even more terrified.
She wrenched herself free of his grasp and staggered back a few steps.
"Shinomori... Aoshi.... No... it can't be!" With those words, she dashed toward his left and tried to run past him. He reached out to stop her but mysteriously, she eluded his grasp. Even as he watched, she bolted down the street and abruptly disappeared into the shadows.
He ran after her, but she was gone without a trace.
"What's going on!" he muttered to himself. Suddenly, a man shouted nearby. The sound was swiftly followed by several screams and groans, then some thumping noises.
Aoshi emerged from the alleyway to a scene of carnage. Even as he watched, there was a single flash of silver... the unmistakable sound of steel slicing flesh... then two men crumpled to the ground. They joined six other men who lay in great pools of gore. The lone swordsman left standing wiped the blood from his blade, then let the stained sheets of paper flutter away in the frail night breeze... then he turned.
But even without looking at his face, Aoshi already knew the identity of the swordsman. Even the pale moonlight could not wash out the telltale redness of the long hair, bound up in a high ponytail and flowing around his face like the mane of a great hunting beast.
Staring into the cold golden eyes that gleamed with a nearly primal fire, Shinomori Aoshi finally confronted the man he had hoped to challenge for the title of 'Strongest'... and felt the faintest twinge of dread.
The master killer of Kyoto....
"Hitokiri Battousai."
The name came out as the faintest of whispers, so quiet that it was drowned out by the sighing of the wind.
The Battousai suddenly froze, then turned to look down the street.
...then Aoshi's heart nearly stopped as he saw Misao running toward the red-haired swordsman, frantically shouting, "Himura! Himura!"
(No, Misao! NO!!!)
The Battousai took a two-handed grip on his katana and started to move in her direction.
Aoshi grabbed for his kodachi but his hands came up empty. He was unarmed.
Misao stumbled to a halt and gave the Battousai a bewildered look when he didn't respond to her cries.
"Himura...?" she whispered, even as the Hitokiri's pace accelerated and his sword -- definitely no sakabatou -- prepared to strike.
Aoshi erupted from the alley into the street and skidded to a halt in front of a startled Misao.
"Aoshi-sama!?"
He took a defensive stance and prepared to meet the Hitokiri Battousai with his bare hands. His only hope was to delay the Battousai long enough to give Misao to get a good headstart.
"Run, Misao!"
She was now only realizing this was not Himura Kenshin charging toward her. This was the TRUE Hitokiri Battousai... and he made the person who had taken out Cho of the Jupon Gatana with a single sword stroke seem like the palest of imitations.
"No! No, I won't!"
There was no time to argue. The Hitokiri was upon them.
Aoshi prepared himself -- futilely perhaps -- as the Battousai and his blade plunged toward him....
"AOSHI-SAMA!!!"
....and went right through him.
A stunned Aoshi stood, completely untouched and unharmed. He stared blankly at his body. There were no pain... no blood. It was if the Battousai hadn't even been there.
"Uhhhh...."
"Misao...!" Aoshi spun around just in time to see her collapse on her knees, stupefied by both shock and relief. He grabbed her shoulders and frantically looked her over. She appeared completely uninjured, just like him.
He glanced over her shoulder and froze at the battle raging just a few yards away. She turned to look, also, and saw the Battousai fiercely battling his way through a group of uniformed swordsmen wearing headbands and pale blue jackets.
Aoshi softly whispered, "Shinsengumi...."
Misao clutched at his shoulders even as she stared at the fighting going on in front of her. Himura... no, the Battousai methodically cut down every single of his opponents with a bone-chilling combination of efficiency and grace, the likes of which she had never seen before.
All his opponents dead or dying, the Hitokiri Battousai flicked the blood off his katana, and sheathed it as he disappeared into the darkness.
Misao huddled against Aoshi's body for comfort as she whispered, "I... I don't understand.... What's going on!?"
Aoshi had finally put it all together when he had seen the Shinsengumi.
"Misao, we're not here."
"Wha...?"
"We're not really here. This isn't real."
"Are... are you saying that... this is a... this is all a dream!?"
"Yes, I think so."
-----------------------------------
Kaoru stirred restlessly, then finally opened her eyes. She sat up carefully and looked around Dr. Genzai's clinic. Aoshi was sleeping in the bed to her right and Megumi was lying on the bed to her left.
(What... what woke me up?)
There was something nagging at her. A thought... a feeling.... She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it had something to do with....
"Kenshin."
She got out of bed and slowly walked over to him as he sat against the wall, his head bowed. As she approached, Kenshin didn't move at all.
(Is he really asleep?)
She reached out to touch his shoulder when her eyes focused on the blanket-wrapped bundle lying on the floor beside him. She stared blankly at it for a minute, then slowly reached down.
A door quietly slid open.
"Kaoru? What are you doing out of bed?" said Tokio.
Kaoru stood up suddenly, then nearly passed out from the painful twinge in her stomach. Tokio quickly grabbed her around the waist and helped her back to bed.
"Is there something you needed?"
"I just... Kenshin...," Kaoru muttered.
"Do you want me to get him for you?"
"Oh no. It's... nothing."
"All right. Just lie down and close your eyes."
As Tokio gently stroked her forehead, Kaoru drifted into a peaceful sleep.
When she was certain Kaoru was unconscious, Tokio walked over to her husband. Like Kenshin, he seemed to be so deeply asleep that he didn't react to her approach.
Tokio knelt beside her husband and put her fingers on his neck. His pulse was strong and steady, but he still didn't wake up. She got back to her feet and gave him a long, thoughtful look before returning to her own bed.
-----------------------------------
Aoshi and Misao stood together on a bloodstained, corpse-filled Kyoto street that wasn't really there.
"If this is a dream, then... what are we both doing here? Why would either of us be dreaming of Himura? I've got much better things to dream about...." Misao blushed furiously.
Aoshi looked at her. He wasn't actually smiling, but there was a faint curve to his lips that hinted that he might. However, his voice remained quite serious.
"I don't know. Maybe this isn't a dream. Maybe... it's a memory."
"Uh.... Aoshi-sama?"
"Yes?"
She suddenly threw her arms around a startled Aoshi and sobbed, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I said all those horrible things to you and I'm sorry I hurt you and I don't know why I did it and please forgive me and you probably now hate me and...."
Aoshi was ruefully grateful that in this dream at least, he wasn't injured... otherwise, her fierce hug would have really hurt. He gently put his hand over Misao's mouth to silence the flood of incoherent apologies, then gently held her shoulders.
"Yes, those things you said to me hurt... much more than any of the physical injuries you inflicted." He felt her flinch and he gripped her a bit tighter. "But your words hurt because they were mostly true."
"No!"
"It's only fair that you should be angry with me for what I've done... what I've put you and the others through. You're quite correct. I was a selfish, traitorous coward in the past. And now... I'm still selfish and still a coward."
Misao mutely shook her head in denial.
Perhaps the certainty that this was all a dream gave Aoshi the courage to say things he never would have said while awake.
"So much of what I've done... so much of what I have NOT done... it's all because of fear and pride." He looked away. "I envy your strength, Misao."
She stared up at him in confusion.
"You're brave enough to wear your heart in plain view and you don't care if you appear foolish when you do so."
"Aoshi-sama...."
"You and Himura...." He felt her shiver and quickly shook his head. "Not the Hitokiri Himura Battousai... I'm talking about Himura Kenshin. You've both shown me that it's not the strength in my sword arm or body that's the most important. No, it's the strength of the mind and the heart."
He uttered a soft, bitter laugh. "You two have taught me this so clearly... and yet, I find that I can't follow your example. I don't have the courage... maybe I don't have the ability to so."
Tears started to flow from Misao's eyes as she said, "Don't say that! You have as much heart and feeling as anyone! The Oniwabanshuu don't just respect you... they love you! And Hannya and the others... why do you think they were willing to die to protect you? They won't do that if they couldn't sense how much you cared about them in return!"
Aoshi opened his mouth to protest, but Misao quickly added, "You might have wandered into darkness for a while -- just like Himura Kenshin did -- but that doesn't mean that you've lost the right to be happy! Everyone deserves a second chance!"
She sniffled and wiped at her nose.
"The most important lesson I learned from Kenshin, Kaoru, and the others is to... to trust in the people who care about you! You've hidden away your laughter, your smiles, your feelings for so long. If you can find these things and set them free yourself, that's fine. But if you can't, then let someone help you! Let ME help you...," she finished in a soft whisper.
And even as the street around them started to fade into mist, Aoshi stared into Misao's bright blue eyes and thought that maybe... just maybe... she was right.
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
Kenshin awoken with a start, then glanced around. Everyone still seemed to be asleep. He rubbed his eyes blearily, dutifully picked up the bundle containing the black sword, and trudged off to get some cold water.
Still half-asleep, he managed to wash his face and tidy himself up by sheer force of habit.
(When we get back to the dojo, I need to take a quick bath.)
-----------------------------------
Sano woke up as someone prodded him ungently in the ribs. He rolled over and found Saitoh staring down at him with his usual infuriating smirk.
Sano leapt to his feet and grabbed Saitoh by the collar.
"You bloodthirsty bastard! How could you kill that woman!?"
Saitoh's only response was to slam his fist into Sano's stomach. As the young man crumpled to the floor gasping for air, the policeman gave him an irritated look.
"Wake up, you dumbass."
Sano sat there on the floor a moment as he tried to sort things out. "Huh. Must have been a dream...."
"Idiot."
Sano scrambled to his feet and glared accusingly at Saitoh. "Oh, since you're not satisfied with making every one of my waking hours hell, now you have to invade my sleep, too!"
"If it wasn't for the fact that my wife was the one who cooked dinner, I'd say that your brain's rotted from food poisoning.... what little brains you have, that is."
"Why you....!"
Saitoh glanced away, uninterested in Sano's little temper tantrum. The former Shinsengumi abruptly stiffened as he caught sight of Kenshin coming through the clinic's back door. Saitoh's hand went reflexively to his sword.
"Saitoh?" Kenshin said in a startled voice.
The only response he got from Saitoh was a long, searching stare. Sano gave the policeman an angry, but befuddled look, then he glanced at Kenshin himself and gaped in surprise.
Sano had never seen Kenshin wear his hair up like that before. Instead of being tied back at the nape of the neck as usual, his long red hair was pulled up in a high ponytail which somehow gave a surprisingly fierce edge to Kenshin's appearance.
"Hey, Kenshin!"
"Yes, Sano?" he absently replied.
"Why do you have your hair like that!?"
"Like what?" Kenshin looked even more confused than before.
"Like that!" Sano made a wild pointing gesture.
Kaoru entered the room, assisted by Tokio and exclaimed, "What did you do to your hair?"
"Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin nervously patted his head, but as soon as his fingers encountered the ponytail, he froze. Both Kaoru and Sano watched in both confusion and worry as a tense, dismayed expression appeared on Kenshin's face.
-----------------------------------
(end of part 7)
******************** Author's Notes ********************
Next part: The creepiness continues! ^_^
======================================================================
THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
======================================================================
Part 8: The Past Revisited
======================================================================
[the present, 11th year of the Meiji period, late summer]
-----------------------------------
Kaoru smiled slightly and said, "I've never seen you with your hair up in a ponytail like that.... You know, it really suits you, Kenshin."
The pale, tense look that came over his face made her wonder, (What's wrong? Why does he look so unhappy?)
Kaoru took a step in Kenshin's direction, but her knees abruptly buckled. In a flash, Kenshin scooped her up and put her back in bed. As Tokio felt Kaoru's forehead and checked her pulse, Kenshin said, "Tokio-dono. What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure. She seems to be getting a bit feverish. I need to check her wound and make sure it hasn't gotten infected."
Sano said, "By the way, how's Megumi doing? Shouldn't she be awake by now?"
"She did regain consciousness sometime during the night, but she was badly confused. I've been waking her up at regular intervals to make she hasn't lapsed into a coma. Yahiko?"
The boy stumbled in and sleepily muttered, "What?"
"I think Kaoru should stay here at the clinic for a little while longer. Could you go back to her house and get her a change of clothes?"
"Oh... sure thing."
Tokio smiled and said, "Thank you. And I'll have breakfast ready when you get back."
Sano got up and drawled, "Come on."
"Just where do you think you're going?" complained Yahiko.
"It was a pretty nasty storm last night. I want to see how the dojo's doing. And I can't stand being around HIM," Sano jabbed his thumb in Saitoh's direction, "any more."
Slinging his shinai over his shoulder, Yahiko muttered, "Fine." Turning to Tokio, he said, "We'll be right back!"
After Sano and Yahiko left, Kenshin turned his attention back to Kaoru.
"She's feverish? How bad is it?"
"It's just a mild fever at the moment. Hopefully it won't get any worse...."
At that moment, Misao burst into the room.
"Aoshi-sama... eek!" Her throat suddenly went very, very dry as both Saitoh and Kenshin whirled around toward her and went for their swords. For an instant, the two men stared at her with narrowed, wary eyes,... then they both suddenly relaxed.
Saitoh snorted quietly as he slid his half-drawn sword back into its sheath. Kenshin hadn't drawn his sakabatou, but his hand had been firmly gripping the hilt.
(Why did I...?)
"Kenshin? What's wrong?" whispered a badly worried Kaoru.
Misao could barely keep her knees from shaking. Facing an apparently hostile Saitoh Hajime was bad enough, but facing him AND Kenshin was almost more than she could take at the moment.
When Kenshin turned to respond to Kaoru's question, Misao got the first good at his hair. With a squeak, she blurted out, "Your hair! Why are you wearing it up like that!?"
"Like what?" Kenshin said in a distracted voice as he fretted over Kaoru's pale, drawn appearance.
"Like the way you wore it when you were the Hitokiri Battousai... eep!" Misao suddenly clamped her mouth shut.
As Kenshin stiffened, Kaoru's eyes widened. (Is that it? Is that why he was so unhappy when I said that wearing his hair this way suited him? Oh, Kenshin... I'm sorry!)
He glanced curiously at Misao. "How did you know that? How did you know how I wore my hair in Kyoto all those years ago?"
"I... I...," stuttered Misao. (I can't tell him that I saw it in a dream!)
"Hmph. It really brings back memories. Doesn't it,... Battousai?" Saitoh gave Kenshin a distinctly malicious grin.
"Saitoh...." Kenshin glared back at his old enemy.
The ninja girl hastily said, "Uh, guys. What's wrong with Kaoru? She's not looking too good."
"Well, thank YOU, Misao," snapped a peeved Kaoru.
Tokio said, "It's possible that her wound's gotten slightly infected.... That black sword could have been contaminated by dirt...."
"Or it could be poisoned," Saitoh murmured with almost ghoulish relish.
"WHAT!?" screamed Misao.
"Oh dear...," Tokio murmured.
"Saitoh!" Kenshin gritted his teeth and watched the ninja girl with considerable misgivings.
"Poisoned!? Then... then...." Misao gave Kaoru a horrified stare. "That... that...."
"Misao, we don't KNOW the blade's poisoned...." Tokio gave her husband a mildly reproachful look. He shrugged nonchalantly in return.
The ninja girl was too upset to pay any attention whatsoever to Tokio's reassurances. She glanced wildly around the room, then her gaze zeroed in on the still figure of Shinomori Aoshi.
"That means.... WAHHHH!!!" Misao burst into tears and flung herself over Aoshi's bed.
"No!!! Please don't die! After all we've been through, you can't die now...! I want to hear your laughter...!"
Aoshi slowly awoke from a very deep sleep only to find Misao laying on top of him and weeping hysterically.
In a soft, but perfectly clear voice, he said, "Misao,... you're getting my bandages wet."
-----------------------------------
It was only a short walk from Dr. Genzai's clinic and the Kamiya Dojo. On their way back, Sano muttered, "Jo-chan's going to throw a fit when she sees all the damage that storm last night caused."
"I hope you realize just who's going to be fixing all those holes and stuff!" snapped Yahiko.
"Oh, don't remind me."
There was a brief period of depressed silence as they both thought about all the work Kaoru was sure to dump on them.
"Hey, Sano."
"Yeah."
"Tokio-san is some lady, huh? With both Megumi and Kaoru pretty much out of commission...."
"I know. But when you think about it, it makes sense. Saitoh doesn't make allowances for anyone. There's no way he'd marry a woman that needs to be coddled. Heh. Talk about strong females."
"But she's so sweet and nice about it, you really can't tell her no when she asks you to do something."
"Kinda scary, isn't it? But I know what you mean."
They turned the corner and stopped dead. Sano looked around him in bewilderment.
Yahiko muttered, "Uh... where did all these houses come from?"
The scene in front of them was completely unfamiliar. Instead of the familiar stone-walled compounds, the street was lined with tall wooden buildings. They turned and ran back around the corner, only to see more wooden houses.
"What the hell!?"
The street was deserted and gloomy. The sky was filled with dark roiling clouds which foretold the coming of another storm.
"Where are we!?" shouted Yahiko.
"I don't KNOW! So why are you yelling at me!?" snarled an increasingly irritated and uneasy Sano.
"Because there's no one else to yell at! You've managed to get us lost somehow!"
"Whoa! There's no way you can blame this on me! I...."
Both Sano and Yahiko caught a flicker of movement down the street. They both turned just in time to see the briefest glimpse of long red hair -- a very familiar shade of red hair -- swirling in the breeze before disappearing into a side alley.
"Duh?"
"What is Kenshin doing wandering around here? I would've thought he'd be sticking close to Kaoru since she was feeling so bad...," muttered Sano.
"And why is he still wearing his hair up like that?" added Yahiko.
They stared at each other, then charged off after Kenshin. Considering how fast their friend could move, it wasn't surprising that they nearly lost him several times amid the narrow streets and alleys.
Sano abruptly grabbed Yahiko and pulled the boy to a grinding halt just as he was about to burst out of the alleyway into a fair-sized street.
"Wha...?"
Sano clamped his hand over Yahiko's mouth and uttered a soft, but emphatic, "Shhhh!" They stood in the shadows of the alley listening to the conversation in the street.
A weak, tired man's voice said, "Himura-san!" He sounded greatly relieved.
"I'll take care of it. Get moving."
Yahiko barely managed to smother a gasp. It was Kenshin speaking,...and yet it wasn't. The voice was familiar, yet unspeakably different. There were no old-fashioned formalities... no polite 'if you please' phrases.... His speech was cold, precise, and left no room for argument. He had heard that voice before... during Saitoh's and Kenshin's battle in the dojo.
The voice of the Hitokiri Battousai....
The boy gave Sano a shocked and frightened look. It was clear from Sano's expression that he recognized exactly who was speaking. The two of them peered out of the alleyway and watched Kenshin, dressed in a dark blue jacket and hakama, confront a group of swordsmen. It was clear from their anxious expressions that they knew how dangerous their opponent was, even if they didn't know his name. They drew their swords as their leader shouted, "Stand aside!"
Yahiko turned white as a sheet, then bolted into the road before Sano could stop him. There was an instant of stillness, then the scene erupted into deadly motion as Kenshin... no, the Battousai charged.
The gloomy street was now filled with flashes of red... the red of the Battousai's hair, the high ponytail lashing through the air like the tail of a hunting cat... the red of blood flung from steel and pouring forth from gaping wounds....
And then there was only two men left standing... the Battousai and the leader of the obliterated squad of swordsmen. The squad leader wavered on his feet even as his sword fell from a nearly severed hand. Unarmed, he looked up and stared bravely at the killer in front of him.
"NO!!! NO!!!" screamed Yahiko. But his cries went unacknowledged as the Hitokiri Battousai mercilessly decapitated his helpless opponent with a single efficient stroke.
Sano rushed to Yahiko just as the boy sagged to his knees.
"No... it can't be... NO!!!"
The Battousai seemed oblivious to the commotion behind him as he flicked the blood from his sword, then wiped it clean.
"Yahiko, what's wrong!?" Sano was appalled to see tears pouring down Yahiko's anguished face.
"No... not him... anyone but him...," sobbed the boy.
The red-haired swordsman sheathed his weapon. Only then did Sano realized that the killer in front of him was not carrying the familiar sakabatou, but rather the traditional daisho -- a pair of swords comprising of a katana and a wakizashi.
The Battousai turned and stared in their direction with cold, golden eyes just as Yahiko rose to his feet, grabbed hold of his shinai and charged.
"Yahiko!" cried Sano.
The hitokiri made no apparent move to fend off Yahiko's attack, but Sano knew just how meaningless that lack of motion was. The man in front of them was a master of battou-jutsu... a killer capable of cutting a trained opponent down in less than a blink of an eye.
(That's why they call him the Battousai....)
Yahiko didn't seem to care that he was charging into certain death. With a final scream, he swung at the red-haired killer in front of him... and hit absolutely nothing.
It wasn't that the Battousai evaded Yahiko's attack. He hadn't moved at all. Yahiko's shinai had passed right through him.
(Like attacking a cloud of smoke... or a ghost....) Sano felt a distinct shiver of dread.
Even as the boy stumbled to a halt and spun around, the Battousai calmly walked down the street, past a stunned Sano, and disappeared around a corner.
"Holy...," whispered Sano. He turned to see Yahiko stumble over to the side of the street. The boy fell to his knees and stared at the squad leader's head which now rested in the gutter.
"Yahiko...?"
The boy slowly reached out his hand. Just before he could touch the head, it wavered and disappeared... just like all the unfamiliar wooden buildings surrounding them. Sano and Yahiko found themselves standing -- or kneeling -- in the middle of a now familiar street, barely a block away from the clinic.
Sano started yanking on his hair and shouted, "What the hell's going on!?"
Yahiko remained motionless, staring blankly at the exact spot where the decapitated head had been.
"Yahiko... Why did you...? I mean, did you know... that guy?"
The boy's answer absolutely floored Sano.
"He's... he WAS... my father...."
-----------------------------------
(end of part 8)
******************** Author's Notes ********************
I would like to express my greatest thanks and appreciation to Julie Farel, the author of the terrific RK fanfic called "Friendship", for providing the inspiration for the encounter between Yahiko's father and the Hitokiri Battousai! You can find it in the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu RK fanfic archive at:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/7767/
Next part: Evil things are lurking.... ^_^
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madamhydra@aol.com /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E
http://www.geocities.com/madamhydra/
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