Tears welled up in Kaoru's eyes and she collapsed over Kenshin. "Oh, Kenshin." Surprised and slightly startled, Kenshin was nearly squished under her embrace, but he did not protest. He simply sat there and let Kaoru cry over him, even though he was already burning up and felt sick to his stomach. "Kenshin, i…it's horrible," she said arms around him, face buried in the side of his neck. "You just collapsed in the street, and…and we brought you back here, to the clinic and…and…" she trailed off into even more tears, burring her face even further down on his neck over his shoulder, holding him tighter in her shaky arms. Kenshin tore his gaze away from the sobbing Kaoru and forced his eyes to focus in the dark room. At first he did not recognize it, then his eyes shot open and he saw the true wreckage that the room was really in. Kenshin was so shocked that he tried to stand up, but Kaoru held him down firmly.
"K…Kaoru Dono? What of Dr. Gensai and Megumi? Where are they? What hap…pen…ed….." Kenshin cut himself off starting to cough violently. Kaoru released Kenshin and sat him up some more, letting him rest on her for a prop. She rubbed him on the back and kept him from falling over until he could stop coughing. When he finally did stop he looked up and over at Kaoru. His eyes were trying hard to keep open, he was breathing heavily through his mouth, and his face was red. Her eyes were large and watery, she was biting her lower lip, and her face was pale. Kenshin's head went limp and rested on his chest. He leaned his full body weight into Kaoru nearly causing her to topple over. "K…Kaoru dono?" he managed to breathe out after a while, "W…what happened?"
"K…en…shin…" Kaoru pouted. She looked down at his face resting on her, "They're….. there gone. I don't know what happened, but they're definitely gone. And it seems like there was a fight. I don't know what but…. this note was left, ……..here," she said grabbing the note off of a table and putting it in front of Kenshin's face. He reached up and grabbed it. As his eyes moved up and down the page Kaoru felt his body tense and begin to shake. Kenshin clenched his fist around the paper, crumpling it. His knuckles were white and he was shivering with remembrance. He snapped his hands up to his face and ran them harshly through his hair, dropping the slip of paper which floated slowly to the floor. Kenshin, sweat poring off his face, slid off of Kaoru's lap, back on to the cot, and propped himself up with one arm while his other hand was clutching his forehead. Kaoru looked at him very worriedly.
"Kaoru Dono, how long have I been out…?" Kenshin questioned, never taking his eyes away from a fixed point on the paper.
"One and a half to two hours. And we had only been at the Akabeko for about thirty minuets…….. it's really not that late.. even though it looks so dark…. It's just raining." Almost immediately it lightninged and thundered as if reminding her not to forget that this was a thunder storm. The light and thunder were less than a split second apart and were loud to the point of deafening. The door to the outside opened up and a slightly wet, very startled Sano and Yahiko stepped into the room with their hair standing up more than usual. Kaoru turned and looked over at them with big worried eyes. Kenshin was still looking in disbelief and shock at the piece of paper. Sanosuke and Yahiko, noticing that Kenshin was awake now, both gave out a sigh of relief, but then a more solemn look appeared on their faces when they saw what he was looking at. Thunder cracked and Sanosuke stepped closer toward Kenshin and Kaoru. Kaoru had now turned her gaze back to Kenshin, who's eyes had still not moved. They were studying the characters trying to make them change before his eyes and mean something else. Sano knelt down beside Kenshin and put a hand on his shoulder which snapped him out of his daze. He turned a shocked face up towards Sano (who was smiling) as if he had just noticed that he was in the room with them.
"Sano….. Yahiko…" he stuttered out, then he bent back over clutching his head as if he had a headache and clenching his teeth. Kaoru put a hand on his back and he settled down a little bit. Yahiko came over and sat down beside Kenshin. He was crying. A tear found its way down the grove of his scar and dripped off of his chin landing on the slip of paper leaving a wet spot. Then Kenshin spoke up, "….I…I'm ……I'm sorry!!" he said shedding another tear, "it seams that I have put everyone in danger…….. again…." He doubled over…… Why…… why did people always have to go after his friends? Why do people put so many others in danger just to get revenge on one person?? WHY? …. with people like that…. who knows….. if Megumi and Dr. Gensai were even still alive. And who knows if they would start to attack even more of his friends. Yahiko,… or Sanosuke could be next………..or………..his eyes opened wide as he felt a hand gently touch him below his shoulder and he turned his head away from the paper and looked with those large eyes over towards……….. "K..a..o..r..u." Her eyes were teary and worried, her body was trembling. She was even more scared now because Kenshin was scared, and Kenshin was scared mostly because, knowing that he was sick, it would be hard for him to protect his friends. He didn't want Kaoru to be worried like that so he sat up the best he could and gave Kaoru a very comforting look while putting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, …. I'm sure that Dr. Gensai and Megumi will be fine, that I am." Kaoru tried to smile for a second, but this not working, she covered her face with her hands, got up and ran to the other side of the room where she sat back down and started to cry uncontrollably. This hadn't been the reaction Kenshin was expecting so he sat there looking over at Kaoru blinking, worried and confused. He wanted to get up and go over to her… but he was to weak and could not. So he just sat there blinking, looking sadly over at Kaoru who was weeping in the corner.
Lightning flashed outside and everyone turned their gaze there, except for Kaoru. Kenshin's eyes went wide when he saw a shadow lurking across the windows. He looked over at Sanosuke and Yahiko who had evidently seen the same thing, because their faces were wearing the same shocked expression. Then they all turned to look at each other and nodded to as the thunder boomed loud in the air. Sanosuke and Yahiko stood up quietly and silently slipped over to the door. The shadow was approaching the door and it seamed like it was getting ready to open it. The two held their breath. They grabbed the handle of the door and slid it open fiercely as another whip of lightning and crack of thunder burned through the sky. They heard a very loud shrill scream and saw a very startled Tae fall to the floor in front of them…. Sano and Yahiko let out a pent up sigh, and then smiled slightly.
"Sorry, Miss, you startled us," Sano said squatting down to apologize to Tae.
Breathing heavily in and out, eyes wide, and clutching her chest where her heart would be she looked angrily up at Sano (who was sweat dropping) and nearly yelled, "YOU WERE STARTLED??!!??!! I was just wakin by comin to see what was wrong and you two lugs jump out at me startlin the bejebers out a me and you say YOU were STARTLED!!???!!?" Yahiko and Sano scooted away from the raging Tae. Kaoru over in the corner wiped the tears off of her face the best the she could and went over to great Tae.
"I'm so sorry about that Tae," Kaoru said smiling down at her offering her a hand up, "but we do have good reason to be startled," Kaoru gestured at the room with her other hand. Tae's eyes shot wide open.
"Oh My!!!!" she gasped putting a hand to her mouth looking around the room. "What ever could have happened?"
"We don't know, Miss Tae, it was like this when we got here," Sano said looking over at the spot of blood on the desk. Then he walked over to Kenshin where he picked up the green piece of paper and brought it to Tae. "It seams that someone's after Kenshin again." (Kenshin falls over in background) Tae's face twisted into that of even more shock. She looked from the slip of paper to Kenshin, back to the slip of paper, and back to Kenshin. Tae dropped the paper and rushed over to Kenshin where she looked closely at him.
"…. You're sick again……." She stuttered out. Kaoru walked over to where Kenshin and Tae were and sat down to the side and between them.
"He collapsed in the street on our way home from the Akabeko. He only recently woke up. We saw you outside of the Akabeko on our way back here……….. By the way, how did you get over here Tae… I mean shouldn't you be back tending to the Akabeko?"
"Well as soon as it started to rain most of the customers left saying that they needed to get home before it started to get serious. I waited till the rain started to clear a little bit and left Tsubame in charge, such a capable young thing, then I hurried over here. I guessed I assumed this was where you were going, seeing Himura being carried by Sano in this direction, and it was so creepy outside that I couldn't bring my self to rush in here so carelessly."
"So instead of you jumping in and startling us,… we jumped out and startled you? Is that it?" Sano questioned looking semi amused.
Tae nodded, "Yes that's pretty much it. Now what ever could have happened to Ken San? He was doing so much better when I last saw him. …(suddenly becoming worried)…..You don't suppose it could have been something in the food that could have upset him… do you?" Tae said, hands over her mouth, all worried that it might be her fault.
"Oh Tae, I'm sure that can't be it,… otherwise we'd be sick as well," Kaoru said reassuringly. Tae relaxed a little bit but still looked worried.
The storm was clearing up a little and the sun was actually beginning to come out again. The clinic was lighting up enough that you could see the inside without the candle. It was actually getting bright in there. Sano got up and went over to blow out the candle. "Well since it's clearing up we should probably head back to the dojo. Kenshin needs some rest in a …. less wrecked environment. I'll help bring Kenshin home then I'm gona go to the police and report the mess at the clinic…. see what they can do about it." Sanosuke said walking over to where Kenshin sat.
"I agree. We should get back. The sooner the better. I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing," Kaoru agreed. She stood up and went into the other room and grabbed her kimono which was now dry. "Hey, boys, your cloths should be dry by now. I suggest that you get them back on so we can leave the clinic cloths here. Tae and I will stay in this room over here. … Tae come on," Kaoru said motioning for Tae to follower her into the other room. Tae got up from where she was near Kenshin and she went into the other room. Kaoru slipped behind a curtain and put her kimono back on. Then Kaoru and Tae waited patiently while the three guys got dressed. Kaoru grabbed the three used pieces of clothing and folded them, along with hers, and sat them back on the floor in the closet where she had found them. Kaoru went back into the other room to help Kenshin get up on Sano's back. She was bending down to help Kenshin up when she heard someone approaching from the street. She shushed everyone to be quiet. The distinct sound of sandals could be heard heading toward the clinic. They hit the porch and made a mad dash to the door which slid open furiously. With a teary scream, a very bedraggled Yuri (*the new Akabeko worker) looking fairly beat up and exhausted ran to and embraced Tae screaming and crying. She was mumbling something incoherently. Tae grabbed her by the shoulders sternly, trying to get her to calm down and tell her what was wrong.
Her large green eyes snapped open for a moment, watery with tears, and looked straight up at Tae. "THEY TOOK HER!! She's gone!!! And they ruined half of the Akabeko!!! It's horrible!!!! Th… they tried to take me…. but I ran!!! I ran!!! I'm so ashamed!! I RAN!! And left them there… b…bbbut they got her!!!! They got her!!!" She cried sinking to the ground clinching the bottom of Tae's kimono in her fists.
Tae looked very startled and confused. She bent down so that she was eye level with Yuri. "Who was taken, Yuri? And who took her?"
Yuri looked very confused about her not knowing who it was, "I…it's, it's Tsubame!!! They took her……..they…they where wearing green coats t…they had on black gloves….. and were carrying swords… I was scared!!!!!!!" she cried.
Sanosuke's eyes widened….. that nearly perfectly described the people that had attacked him oh the bridge. "Tell me, where their belts black, and did they wear black head bands with two black beads dangling off the front?"
Yuri looked up at Sano, eyes glittering with tears. "Y…yes, I think so!" she pouted out. Sano turned to look at Kaoru and Kenshin.
Kenshin looked very shocked. … They had taken Tsubame. … It was all his fault. He gritted his teeth and his eyes got angry. He snapped back and looked at Tae who was shaking from shock, and Yuri who was crying in her lap. She opened her large green eyes and looked around at everyone, hurt and confused. Those green eyes… green… eyes.. Kenshin suddenly caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his face to see Yahiko dash out of the door. "YAHIKO!!!" Kenshin yelled as Yahiko ran away towards the Akabeko. He tried to get up but he fell over nearly twisting his leg. Kenshin pulled himself up off his stomach and yelled out after Yahiko, "NO, YAHIKO, STAY!!! DON'T GO!!!" but it was too late. Yahiko had already disappeared down the street.
"I'm going after him!" Kaoru said starting out the door.
"KAORU DONOOO!!!!!!!" Kenshin yelled standing up. Kaoru stopped in her tracks. "Stop, Kaoru," Kenshin stumbled forward, putting an arm between Kaoru and the door, "I'm sure Yahiko can handle this himself," he breathed out heavily. "I don't want you going to!" He turned to look at Kaoru, who looked worried. "Let's go home and wait for Yahiko there. Ok?" he smiled at Kaoru. She smiled, and after a moment lowered her head and nodded. At that Kenshin fell back to the ground. He was totally worn out. Kaoru bent down and looked at Kenshin. Sanosuke walked over to them and grabbed up Kenshin and slung him on his back.
He then turned to Tae and Yuri who were still on the floor, "Your two better stay here for a little while before going back to the Akabeko. I'll come back with the police and help you out to…..never thought I'd be going to the police like this" Sanosuke said and then turned out the door. Kaoru got up and followed Sano and Kenshin down the street and began their long walk home.
…TO BE CONTINUED…