Tutto A Te Mi Guida
Chapter 5- Adrift
Disclaimers: I do not own RK and its characters. Sole credits would have to be given to Nobuhiro Watsuki for creating these wonderful characters. Except for my own characters, I am merely borrowing them for a few pages. Please don't sue, I'm a good kid.
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Lost in a dream, Aoshi felt adrift.
"Do you promise you'd never leave Misao-chan Aoshi-sama?" asked the chibi as she gazed at the seventeen year old Aoshi who smiled tenderly back down at her. "Of course Misao, I could never leave you," vowed Aoshi.
Aoshi started awake, staring at the darkness of his room. The odd shapes took solid form as he adjusted to the inky darkness. "Another dream," he muttered angrily as he angrily pushed his sheets away.
He swung his feet over the side of his bed, still unused to the elevated mattress the foreigners called, "bed". A futon felt so much better and he didn't have to worry about back pains because a futon is never lumpy.
As he walked over to get a drink, he suddenly felt as if the floor was suddenly pitching and swaying, like the motion of a ship floor. He grabbed a chair, closing his eyes against the nausea he felt rising up in his throat. He head was suddenly spinning and for a brief moment, he could have sworn he felt a strong gust of sea breeze slap across his face.
Immediately his vision cleared and his dark room was the same as before. He found his hand clutching his chest, as if holding on to something tightly. "Kuso!" he exclaimed as he shakily stood up.
"What the hell was that?"
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"I can't believe this is happening!" screamed Kaoru over the loud smack of wind against their ship. A storm had brewed, so fierce it felt as if their ship was being tossed over the water as it valiantly tried to muscle its way out of the storm.
Misao tightened her grip on the locket. Somehow, holding onto it made the fear lessen, as if she was holding her Aoshi-sama's hand. Sometimes at night, she would wake up from a memory-dream, holding onto the locket with tears running down her face.
"Masaka," whispered Misao as another strong wave practically tossed their ship sideways. She braced herself against Sano who looked decidedly green. She quickly backed away when she heard tortured, retching noises.
"This is some trip Kenshin!" said Yahiko as he whooped when the ship crested another huge wave. Kenshin, who looked a little blue replied only weakly, "Oro!"
Kaoru threw herself into Kenshin's arms as she dramatically said, " We're going to die in the middle of the sea, hold me Kenshin!" Kenshin who looked blue earlier turned green and abruptly left their cabin to follow in Sano's footsteps who was retching over the rails.
"Coward!" screamed Kaoru over the loud gusts of wind. Kenshin's exit let a strong wave crash inside their cabin. Wet and miserable, the occupants tried to make the best of their situation. "I should never have left Aizu!" muttered Megumi as she huddled closer to Misao for warmth.
Misao gave her a sardonic smile, "You and me both Takani-sensei." "Kami-sama!" shouted Yahiko as a gigantic wave sent their ship teetering heavily on its left side. It sent the occupants sliding off the floor, dodging the objects that fell on them as well.
Kenshin went back to their cabin, looking like a wet carrot as he dragged Sano back inside. "Sessha thinks this ship is going to sink..." he said grimly as he faced the cranky women inside. Immediately, Kaoru and Megumi pounced on him.
"What do you mean sink? This ship can't sink! I still have so many things left unfinished," moaned both Kaoru and Megumi as they shook Kenshin by his gi. "Orororo!" groaned Kenshin as he got shaken badly.
"Hold on, maybe we can think of something to prevent this ship from capsizing," said Misao grimly as she stood up. Yahiko stood up shakily as well. "Aa, weasel-girl is right, maybe we can think of something," he suggested. Sano looked up, a bit whey-faced as he made his suggestion.
"Why don't you cut loose the cargo?" he suggested before his face turned green again. Megumi and Kaoru let go of Kenshin as the women brightened. "That's right! Now we have a chance!" said Kaoru as a fire burned in her eyes.
"Minna, let's do what we can," said Misao as she tucked her pouch of kunais in her obi and drew her twin kodachis out.
"Hai!" chorused the Kenshin-gumi as the followed Misao's lead, stepping out into the storm-tossed night.
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Misao got a mouthful of sea water as she opened her mouth to scream out a warning when a giant wave hit. Coughing, she opened her eyes against the stinging sensation of rain and sea-water. She was holding on tightly to a ship pipe as they made their way over to the cargo hold.
"Daijoubu ka Misao?" shouted Kaoru as she stood clinging to a huge mast. Kenshin had his arms securely wrapped around Kaoru to hold her against the mast. Sano and Yahiko clung to a nearby cabin. "Daijoubu desu," answered Misao as she released her grip slowly to make her way towards the cargo hold.
"Misao-dono, it's too dangerous de gozaru yo!" shouted Kenshin as he made his move to pull his arms away from Kaoru. A sudden lurch that sent their ship careening nearly made Kaoru lose her hold on the round mast. Kenshin immediately wrapped his arms around Kaoru again, not wanting to risk Kaoru's life.
"Che! Weasel, go back down! It's not safe!" shouted Sano as he began to make his way towards Misao. It was no use though, Misao was already on top of the huge pile of cargo held together by hemp. Cursing, Sano and the rest watched with fear as Misao shakily held onto the boxes, her kodachis drawn out.
"Kenshin! Let me go, help Misao!" said Kaoru as she tried to elbow Kenshin's arms away from her. Kenshin gave her a look close enough to his battousai stare that clearly said, 'I won't ever let you go.' Her eyes blurred by tears, Kaoru whispered against Kenshin's gi as she turned, "Gomen Kenshin."
At his surprised look, Kaoru quickly twisted out of his arms, nearly slipping as a strong gust of wind tossed the ship sharply to the right. "Misao!" shouted Kaoru as she made her way to the cargo hold. "Kaoru-dono!" shouted Kenshin as he tried to go after Kaoru. A sharp turn made the ruruoni fall on his back, nearly sliding to the edge of the ship.
"Kenshin!" screamed Kaoru as she whipped her head back just in time to see Kenshin slide on his back on the slippery deck. "Kaoru no baka!" shouted Misao in frustration as she held on with one hand on the hemp that bound the cargo and the other with her kodachis. She quickly clamped the other kodachi between her teeth, the saya preventing the blade from cutting into her mouth.
The fierce wind whipped Misao's braid in her face, blurring her vision. 'I've got to do this,' thought Misao grimly as she drew the other kodachi she held in her hand out. The ring of steel wove through the roaring wind. Sano's occasional curses would punctuate Kaoru's muffled, terrified sobs. Kaoru was holding onto Kenshin's sleeve as he dangled over the ship's deck.
Misao looked up briefly to gauge the cargo's distance from Kenshin and Kaoru. It would be close but hopefully, Kenshin would be out of the way by the time the cargo would be released from its hold. She blinked the rain away from her eyes, waiting for the right moment to strike. At Sano's exultant shout and Kaoru's exclamation of relief to her right, Misao struck!
Her aim was true and swift. In one efficient slash, the thick hemp rope broke under her kodachi. When she raised her kodachi to deliver the final blow, lightning suddenly struck! A shock of electricity tore through Misao's sword-hand and into her arms, sending shockwaves through her body.
Dimly, she heard Kaoru's scream but as the cargo she was standing on slid off the deck to fall into the sea, Misao felt only a blessed numbness that made the darkness the pervaded her senses all the more pleasant.
Tumbling into the sea, feeling the icy water close over her head and take her breath away, Misao closed her eyes. The turbulence of the sea disappeared as she sank deeper into the water's icy depths. Her fingers were still clutching the kodachis, she belatedly realized.
"Gomen ne Otou-san... sayonara Aoshi-sama..."
And then there was nothing left but the blissful dark.
******
Sipping his coffee in the park, Aoshi suddenly felt an icy chill run down his spine. Goosebumps rose all over his arms and he suddenly shivered as a sense of chilly premonition swamped his senses.
Sayonara Aoshi-sama...
Aoshi started so badly he spilled his coffee at the pristine tablecloth of the cafe. "Misao?" he whispered hoarsely as he stared at the darkening stains. Soledad gazed at him strangely as she looked up from the paper she was reading, "Aoshi are you all right?" she asked.
"No," he answered shortly still staring grimly at the spilled coffee.
"Doushita Misao?" he thought grimly as his hands fisted beneath the table.
TBC
Author's Notes:
A big thank you's to my pre-readers and reviewers. Thank you Tomoe-san! You've been very supportive. The fics here had been wonderful, gomen nasai if I haven't been able to post my annual cookies. Ohayo Misanagi, Mikomi, I love your fics! If I forgot to mention other people, Gomen! Pls. R&R my fic minna, comments are most definitely appreciated.