Chapter 2: Love is blind?
Author: Suzaku no miko
Disclaimers: Rurouni Kenshin and characters sadly do not belong to me....*wah* So please don't sue....Sakura is mine, though. And please....R&R!!!! I live on feedback!
****Chapter 2****
Everything became silent. Nothing moved nor wanted to move. Everyone was completely still. "Why not? Why can't I take off his mask?" Kenshin asked, puzzled by her sudden reaction. Sakura slowly shook her head no. "We want to know what we're dealing with here. Are you hiding something we don't know?" asked a very concerned Sanosuke. "Uh...guys..." Yahiko whispered, nudging Kaoru's side. "What's wrong, Yahiko?" Kaoru asked, turning to face the young boy.
Everyone then turned around to find that Kage was gone! "Nani?!" Kenshin wondered aloud. "Dammit! Where the hell did he go?!" Sanosuke cursed. "Sano-san..." whispered a very sleepy Sakura still in his arms. As everyone searched the area around them, Sanosuke began to feel very weak. 'What's wrong with me?' the tall fighter thought to himself as he began to fall forward. "Daijobou ka?" Kenshin asked, noticing his dazed look. Sakura did her best to hold him up, but his weight brought them both onto the floor. "Sano-san!"
Later, that day
"Is Sanosuke going to be all right?" a very worried Sakura asked. "Yes. He just needs to eat more and get some rest." Megumi explained, washing her hands. "He was so worried about you when you were badly beaten up that he stayed up all night and did not eat a single thing!" Kenshin explained. "Yeah, but don't worry...that guy will be up before you know it." Yahiko assured her. "Now, don't you go and do what he did to himself when you were in bed." warned the Fox lady. "Of course not. I have to be ready. I can't let Kage get what he wants." replied a much confident Sakura. "We should let him rest in peace. Let's go." Kaoru suggested.
Outside
'If what Kage said is true...then...' the samurai thought to himself, resting his head against the side of the house. "Kenshin?" a voice asked, breaking him out of his thought. "Kaoru-dono! Did you want something?" he asked, startled. "Nothing...just wanted to know why you're in a daze. Is something wrong? Are you thinking about what Kage said?" she replied, sitting next to him.
"I just want to know how he knows all of this...I don't even know if he's telling the truth." he answered.
"What do you mean you don't even know if he's telling the truth? Kenshin?" she asked, getting annoyed.
"I know exactly what he's talking about...and that is why I can't stay here... Sayonara... Please take care of Sanosuke when he wakes up..." Sakura answered for him, suddenly appearing in front of them.
Kenshin looked up to find Sakura trembling, keeping her gaze to the floor. "Sakura-chan..." Kaoru said in a almost silent whisper. "You see...they don't even care about you. I'm the only one you can trust...Come to me." a haunting voice told the female samurai. Before anyone could protest, Kage appeared and wrapped his muscle-bound arms around Sakura. "Sakura-dono!" Kenshin yelled as the evil one slowly floated above the ground, holding onto Sakura tightly.
"What are you going to do with her?" Kaoru demanded, getting into a fighting stance. "She'll be staying with me for a while...Ja!" Kage replied, slowly disappearing.
"Damn that Kage!" Kenshin swore, making tight fists in his slender hands. "Did you just notice something? She didn't even put up a fight to get away! Do you think she was planning to go with him? Kage also talked to her like he had talked to her just recently." Kaoru explained, suddenly realizing what happened.
* * *
"What do you think it means?" Megumi asked, wiping Sanosuke's forehead with a damp cloth. "I don't know...let me go get Kenshin and see what he thinks!" Yahiko replied, quickly getting up. 'I just hope nothing is wrong...' the Fox lady thought to herself, soaking the small cloth. "Jo-chan..." a sleeping Sanosuke suddenly gasped.
* * *
"What's wrong, Yahiko?" Koaru asked, suddenly noticing the young boy. "Sano just broke out into a sweat! We also heard some screamin' out here! Is something going on? Where's Sakura?" Yahiko wondered. "Kage has her...that was what all of the screaming was about..." Kenshin replied, rushing into the house.
"Is Sanosuke okay?" Kaoru asked, out of breath. "Damn that fuckin' asshole!" Sanosuke suddenly cried, sitting up. "Sano?" Yahiko asked, startled. "Where's Sakura?!" the gangster demanded. Kenshin made the attempt to tell Sano what happened, only to back away when he saw the hurt in his friend's eyes. "Kenshin...tell me!! Wait....shit!!" he cursed, suddenly realizing what happened.
"What should we do?" Megumi asked, trying to break the silence. "She wanted to leave...so we wouldn't get hurt.. Now look what happened..." Kaoru began, staring at the floor. "I thought I told him to stay away from her! What does he want from her anyway?" Sanosuke wondered aloud. "Well, if we are going to do something...he'll be expecting it if we try to rescue her right away." Kenshin confirmed, gripping the handle to his sakaba sword.
"Kenshin's right. You'll have to wait for the right opportunity." a voice suddenly added. "What the..." Yahiko cried. "Don't you have anything else better to do than annoy the hell out of people?" an annoyed Sanosuke asked, watching the figure step into the light. "Aoshi!" a startled Kaoru exclaimed. "I'm surprised that you know so little about Kage, Sano. Both of us being from gangs, we should both know a lot about him." Aoshi stated. "Why should you know everything about him? What does being from gangs have to do with anything?" Kenshin asked, entering the conversation.
"That's right! I didn't realize it!" Sanosuke exclaimed. "Realize what?" a confused Megumi asked. "Everybody knows that gangs gotta' protect themselves. Especially from other gangs. So you gotta' know everything about the other gangs...and then..." Sano replied, suddenly realizing what he was saying. "Exactly. That's the only reason he knows so much about you! He sent a freakin' spy!" Aoshi exclaimed.
"So what you're saying is that Kage still has a gang. He sends a spy over here to get all the info. he can about us. Is it because of Kenshin?" Sanosuke questioned the older man. "I think so... Remember, Kenshin was the Hitokiri Battousai. Everybody knows there's still guys who would love to see him dead." the man in the trenchcoat continued. "Then who's the spy?" Yahiko asked, still not sure.
"I hate to tell you this...but I got a hunch... That girl that lived with you just recently...Sakura... Wasn't it kind of coincidental that she came here before Kage ever showed up?" Aoshi said, slowly. "What the hell are ya' sayin'?!" Sanosuke cried. "All that she told you...being Kenshin's sister and everything like that... It could've been just a ploy to get her to spy on you for Kage!" Aoshi yelled back at the younger fighter. "How the hell do you know all about this?" Yahiko interrupted.
"This gang that Kage has is somewhat new, I had to find out a little about it...safety precautions.... I sent out a couple of spies to find out what were his intentions. That's why I was surprised that Sano didn't know everything I knew. But then I realized..." Aoshi began to explain.
"Sanosuke isn't in a gang anymore. He gave all that up years ago." Kenshin finished for him. "Why should we listen to him? He never helped us before! What's the sudden change, Aoshi?! You're probably gonna' get somethin' out of this, that's why! This is all part of your little plan so we can confront Kage and get killed!" Sanosuke yelled, getting angrier, as he moved towards Aoshi.
"Guys...please calm down..." a nervous Kaoru said. "Hey! I'm just trying to help out 'cause you guys tried to help me. You're always one to question, Sano! Who the hell do you think I am?!" Aoshi defended himself. "You're a fuckin' dickhead! All right?! I don't know where you come with this shit about Sakura bein' the bad one!" a very angry Sanosuke yelled back.
"Why don't you open your eyes?! Sorry if I busted your bubble, but I don't think you guys should trust her!" Aoshi continued, in Sano's face now. "You know what...go to hell! 'Cause I know all that shit is a lie! Look...I love her and there's nothin' you can do to stop me!" Sano cried, turning to walk out of the room.
"Sano, where are you going?! You're still not in full health!" Megumi yelled after him. "Relax, I'm fine. I'm going to find her myself. Apparently no one wants to help me. Ja!" Sanosuke waved, not turning around, as he walked out of the door.
"Let that ass go! If he doesn't want to listen and he just wants to die, then let him go ahead!" Aoshi huffed. "That's not the point! You both acted like little kids! And it doesn't matter whether Sakura is evil or not, we still have to rescue her...and Sanosuke! And if you don't want to help, that's okay with me. But I'm going to help them both!" Kenshin annnounced, already making his way for the door.
"You're not going by yourself, Kenshin!" Megumi, Kaoru, and Yahiko all cried, running up to the samurai. "Minna..." Kenshin whispered, looking back at them. "We're all friends and we have to help each other, ne?" Kaoru asked, winking at him. "That's right!" Yahiko agreed. "Arigatou...demo...I can't let you come..." Kenshin replied, sadly.
"What do you mean?" Megumi wondered. "Someone is going to get hurt. If we all go, I won't be able to protect all of you. I have to go alone. Just wait here for me when I get back Sanosuke and Sakura. Please take care. And take care of Kaoru-dono..." Kenshin explained, looking deeply into Kaoru's dark eyes.
Kaoru gently walked up to Kenshin. With every step she took, her heartbeat became faster and faster. What Kenshin did next very much surprised her. His soft, warm lips embraced hers as he held her close to his body. She did not even see him move and now, he was kissing her passionately.
'They would do all this for someone they hardly even know?' Aoshi wondered, in awe. Kaoru made a small whimper when Kenshin slowly broke the kiss. "Oh man...mushy stuff!" Yahiko complained, covering his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll come back...with the others, too. We have to come back." Kenshin assured her, slowly stepping out of her embrace. "Be careful, Kenshin!" Kaoru yelled after him. 'Love is such a beautiful thing...especially for Kenshin and Kaoru...but for Sano....it could be so blind, even cruel...' Megumi thought to herself, watching Kenshin step out into the night.
*~*~*End of Chapter 2*~*~*
Author: Suzaku no miko
Disclaimers: Rurouni Kenshin and characters sadly do not belong to me....*wah* So please don't sue....Sakura is mine, though. And please....R&R!!!! I live on feedback!
****Chapter 2****
Everything became silent. Nothing moved nor wanted to move. Everyone was completely still. "Why not? Why can't I take off his mask?" Kenshin asked, puzzled by her sudden reaction. Sakura slowly shook her head no. "We want to know what we're dealing with here. Are you hiding something we don't know?" asked a very concerned Sanosuke. "Uh...guys..." Yahiko whispered, nudging Kaoru's side. "What's wrong, Yahiko?" Kaoru asked, turning to face the young boy.
Everyone then turned around to find that Kage was gone! "Nani?!" Kenshin wondered aloud. "Dammit! Where the hell did he go?!" Sanosuke cursed. "Sano-san..." whispered a very sleepy Sakura still in his arms. As everyone searched the area around them, Sanosuke began to feel very weak. 'What's wrong with me?' the tall fighter thought to himself as he began to fall forward. "Daijobou ka?" Kenshin asked, noticing his dazed look. Sakura did her best to hold him up, but his weight brought them both onto the floor. "Sano-san!"
Later, that day
"Is Sanosuke going to be all right?" a very worried Sakura asked. "Yes. He just needs to eat more and get some rest." Megumi explained, washing her hands. "He was so worried about you when you were badly beaten up that he stayed up all night and did not eat a single thing!" Kenshin explained. "Yeah, but don't worry...that guy will be up before you know it." Yahiko assured her. "Now, don't you go and do what he did to himself when you were in bed." warned the Fox lady. "Of course not. I have to be ready. I can't let Kage get what he wants." replied a much confident Sakura. "We should let him rest in peace. Let's go." Kaoru suggested.
Outside
'If what Kage said is true...then...' the samurai thought to himself, resting his head against the side of the house. "Kenshin?" a voice asked, breaking him out of his thought. "Kaoru-dono! Did you want something?" he asked, startled. "Nothing...just wanted to know why you're in a daze. Is something wrong? Are you thinking about what Kage said?" she replied, sitting next to him.
"I just want to know how he knows all of this...I don't even know if he's telling the truth." he answered.
"What do you mean you don't even know if he's telling the truth? Kenshin?" she asked, getting annoyed.
"I know exactly what he's talking about...and that is why I can't stay here... Sayonara... Please take care of Sanosuke when he wakes up..." Sakura answered for him, suddenly appearing in front of them.
Kenshin looked up to find Sakura trembling, keeping her gaze to the floor. "Sakura-chan..." Kaoru said in a almost silent whisper. "You see...they don't even care about you. I'm the only one you can trust...Come to me." a haunting voice told the female samurai. Before anyone could protest, Kage appeared and wrapped his muscle-bound arms around Sakura. "Sakura-dono!" Kenshin yelled as the evil one slowly floated above the ground, holding onto Sakura tightly.
"What are you going to do with her?" Kaoru demanded, getting into a fighting stance. "She'll be staying with me for a while...Ja!" Kage replied, slowly disappearing.
"Damn that Kage!" Kenshin swore, making tight fists in his slender hands. "Did you just notice something? She didn't even put up a fight to get away! Do you think she was planning to go with him? Kage also talked to her like he had talked to her just recently." Kaoru explained, suddenly realizing what happened.
* * *
"What do you think it means?" Megumi asked, wiping Sanosuke's forehead with a damp cloth. "I don't know...let me go get Kenshin and see what he thinks!" Yahiko replied, quickly getting up. 'I just hope nothing is wrong...' the Fox lady thought to herself, soaking the small cloth. "Jo-chan..." a sleeping Sanosuke suddenly gasped.
* * *
"What's wrong, Yahiko?" Koaru asked, suddenly noticing the young boy. "Sano just broke out into a sweat! We also heard some screamin' out here! Is something going on? Where's Sakura?" Yahiko wondered. "Kage has her...that was what all of the screaming was about..." Kenshin replied, rushing into the house.
"Is Sanosuke okay?" Kaoru asked, out of breath. "Damn that fuckin' asshole!" Sanosuke suddenly cried, sitting up. "Sano?" Yahiko asked, startled. "Where's Sakura?!" the gangster demanded. Kenshin made the attempt to tell Sano what happened, only to back away when he saw the hurt in his friend's eyes. "Kenshin...tell me!! Wait....shit!!" he cursed, suddenly realizing what happened.
"What should we do?" Megumi asked, trying to break the silence. "She wanted to leave...so we wouldn't get hurt.. Now look what happened..." Kaoru began, staring at the floor. "I thought I told him to stay away from her! What does he want from her anyway?" Sanosuke wondered aloud. "Well, if we are going to do something...he'll be expecting it if we try to rescue her right away." Kenshin confirmed, gripping the handle to his sakaba sword.
"Kenshin's right. You'll have to wait for the right opportunity." a voice suddenly added. "What the..." Yahiko cried. "Don't you have anything else better to do than annoy the hell out of people?" an annoyed Sanosuke asked, watching the figure step into the light. "Aoshi!" a startled Kaoru exclaimed. "I'm surprised that you know so little about Kage, Sano. Both of us being from gangs, we should both know a lot about him." Aoshi stated. "Why should you know everything about him? What does being from gangs have to do with anything?" Kenshin asked, entering the conversation.
"That's right! I didn't realize it!" Sanosuke exclaimed. "Realize what?" a confused Megumi asked. "Everybody knows that gangs gotta' protect themselves. Especially from other gangs. So you gotta' know everything about the other gangs...and then..." Sano replied, suddenly realizing what he was saying. "Exactly. That's the only reason he knows so much about you! He sent a freakin' spy!" Aoshi exclaimed.
"So what you're saying is that Kage still has a gang. He sends a spy over here to get all the info. he can about us. Is it because of Kenshin?" Sanosuke questioned the older man. "I think so... Remember, Kenshin was the Hitokiri Battousai. Everybody knows there's still guys who would love to see him dead." the man in the trenchcoat continued. "Then who's the spy?" Yahiko asked, still not sure.
"I hate to tell you this...but I got a hunch... That girl that lived with you just recently...Sakura... Wasn't it kind of coincidental that she came here before Kage ever showed up?" Aoshi said, slowly. "What the hell are ya' sayin'?!" Sanosuke cried. "All that she told you...being Kenshin's sister and everything like that... It could've been just a ploy to get her to spy on you for Kage!" Aoshi yelled back at the younger fighter. "How the hell do you know all about this?" Yahiko interrupted.
"This gang that Kage has is somewhat new, I had to find out a little about it...safety precautions.... I sent out a couple of spies to find out what were his intentions. That's why I was surprised that Sano didn't know everything I knew. But then I realized..." Aoshi began to explain.
"Sanosuke isn't in a gang anymore. He gave all that up years ago." Kenshin finished for him. "Why should we listen to him? He never helped us before! What's the sudden change, Aoshi?! You're probably gonna' get somethin' out of this, that's why! This is all part of your little plan so we can confront Kage and get killed!" Sanosuke yelled, getting angrier, as he moved towards Aoshi.
"Guys...please calm down..." a nervous Kaoru said. "Hey! I'm just trying to help out 'cause you guys tried to help me. You're always one to question, Sano! Who the hell do you think I am?!" Aoshi defended himself. "You're a fuckin' dickhead! All right?! I don't know where you come with this shit about Sakura bein' the bad one!" a very angry Sanosuke yelled back.
"Why don't you open your eyes?! Sorry if I busted your bubble, but I don't think you guys should trust her!" Aoshi continued, in Sano's face now. "You know what...go to hell! 'Cause I know all that shit is a lie! Look...I love her and there's nothin' you can do to stop me!" Sano cried, turning to walk out of the room.
"Sano, where are you going?! You're still not in full health!" Megumi yelled after him. "Relax, I'm fine. I'm going to find her myself. Apparently no one wants to help me. Ja!" Sanosuke waved, not turning around, as he walked out of the door.
"Let that ass go! If he doesn't want to listen and he just wants to die, then let him go ahead!" Aoshi huffed. "That's not the point! You both acted like little kids! And it doesn't matter whether Sakura is evil or not, we still have to rescue her...and Sanosuke! And if you don't want to help, that's okay with me. But I'm going to help them both!" Kenshin annnounced, already making his way for the door.
"You're not going by yourself, Kenshin!" Megumi, Kaoru, and Yahiko all cried, running up to the samurai. "Minna..." Kenshin whispered, looking back at them. "We're all friends and we have to help each other, ne?" Kaoru asked, winking at him. "That's right!" Yahiko agreed. "Arigatou...demo...I can't let you come..." Kenshin replied, sadly.
"What do you mean?" Megumi wondered. "Someone is going to get hurt. If we all go, I won't be able to protect all of you. I have to go alone. Just wait here for me when I get back Sanosuke and Sakura. Please take care. And take care of Kaoru-dono..." Kenshin explained, looking deeply into Kaoru's dark eyes.
Kaoru gently walked up to Kenshin. With every step she took, her heartbeat became faster and faster. What Kenshin did next very much surprised her. His soft, warm lips embraced hers as he held her close to his body. She did not even see him move and now, he was kissing her passionately.
'They would do all this for someone they hardly even know?' Aoshi wondered, in awe. Kaoru made a small whimper when Kenshin slowly broke the kiss. "Oh man...mushy stuff!" Yahiko complained, covering his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll come back...with the others, too. We have to come back." Kenshin assured her, slowly stepping out of her embrace. "Be careful, Kenshin!" Kaoru yelled after him. 'Love is such a beautiful thing...especially for Kenshin and Kaoru...but for Sano....it could be so blind, even cruel...' Megumi thought to herself, watching Kenshin step out into the night.
*~*~*End of Chapter 2*~*~*