Okies!!! Here's the next chapter!!! I got my paper written and I did all
my reading and I'm hangin out at school w/some crazy people and for free
time, I'm updating. YAY!!!!
So here it is!!!!
STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY!!!!
PS-I'll try not to make this chapter so damn depressing . . . because that's what this story is! It's depressing!!!!
************ ******* ************** ********************* **************
Kenshin sat outside the shoji of Kaoru's room, listening to the faint sounds of sobbing and the whisper of voices. Megumi had been in with her for almost an hour, and the afternoon had transformed into early evening. Kenshin had tried to keep out of the doctor's way, knowing that the other woman would help Kaoru. Megumi had spent enough time as a member of Kanryuu's organization to know how to deal with this type of event. Megumi herself had even alluded to something like this on a few occasions when she and Kenshin had been speaking amongst themselves.
"Oi, Kenshin," came the sound of Sano's rumbling voice.
Kenshin turned his head to the left and watched as the gangster sat beside him on the porch. After settling himself, the sounds of Kaoru once more filled the quietness and Sano's tone sounded strangled.
"How's she doing?" he asked softly.
"Sessha does not know, that I do not. Megumi-dono has been speaking with her though," Kenshin replied, equally as quiet.
"I just . . ." Sano faltered. "I, uh, came to . . . well, I wanted you to know what happened to Yahiko and me, before you found us. . . . Kenshin-"
"It's okay, Sano," Kenshin told his friend. "Sessha believes you were taken by surprise, that he does. Sessha is not angry . . ."
"Damn it, Kenshin! I should have been there!! It doesn't matter how many people got in my way, I should have been there for Jou-chan! It's my fault it happened, you left me with the responsibility of taking care of her, and I failed you! I-"
"Iie, that's enough." He said, his voice suddenly cold. Kenshin's lavender eyes met the guilty brown eyes of Sanosuke and the younger man could have sworn there had been a hint of amber only a moment before.
"Kenshin," he said after a pause. As he opened his mouth, the dojo gate opened. Kenshin got to his feet immediately, Sano following a moment later, both turning to face the on-coming visitor. A tall, dark figure stepped out of the eclipse of the sun and they got an excellent view of who exactly had come to see them.
"Saitoh," Sano hissed.
"Aa," agreed Kenshin beside him, his voice still cold.
"Battosai," Saitoh addressed him, that ever-present hint of hatred tingeing his tone. "We need to speak immediately."
"Very well, we will go inside," Kenshin informed the policeman, leading the way into the kitchen.
*********** ****************** ************************* ****** ********
*She's finally asleep,* Megumi sighed, closing the shoji quietly on the sleeping form inside. *That poor tanuki, what a thing to happen to her. They didn't even hurt her, but I think what was worse was that she'd never been touched in that manner. The poor child,* Megumi heard voices rising from the kitchen, and made her way down the hall way.
*Even Kenshin didn't know what to do with her, but he was right to bring her to me. Once she wakes, she'll be feeling a lot better.* Megumi turned the corner and found herself completely caught off guard.
Kenshin and Sanosuke were seated across from one another, and next to Kenshin at the head of the room, sat . . . Saitoh Hajime.
*What is he doing here?!?! And why do they all look like . . . like someone's died?*
Before Megumi could open her mouth, Saitoh rested his glare on her, speaking in a snide tone.
"How is the girl?"
"Like you care!" she returned defiantly. "What's going on here? Ken-san?"
"Megumi-dono?" he questioned silently, asking without words Saitoh's question.
Megumi sighed. "She'll live," she replied flatly. "Just shaken up about what happened."
"May I speak with her?" he asked, a small hint of his guilt betrayed by his eyes.
"She's fallen asleep; she'll need to rest a while. I'll leave you with some pills in case she has trouble sleeping."
"Aa, arigato, Megumi-dono," Kenshin told her softly. Megumi nodded her head once, then rested her eyes back on Saitoh's evil glare.
"So what have you come here for?" she questioned, suffocating in the tension of the room.
The room remained dead silent. She looked to Sano, but he just avoided her gaze. Looking to Kenshin, he had his head bowed, his eyes hidden by the red curtain on his head. Finally she drew her eyes back to the policeman.
"The man he fought today on behalf of the Kamiya girl is dead."
"How?" she asked with surprise.
"He died of wounds inflicted by Battosai's sakabato sword."
Megumi was speechless. "Are you saying that Kenshin killed him?"
"Aa, that is exactly what I'm saying."
************************** ************** ********************** Tada!!!!! Hope you liked it!!!!
-Maeve
PS---Forgot to add Review Response:
Crystal: Thank you for the kind words . . . I'm glad you're enjoying the story!!!
Mae: Here's what I was thinking as far as the "Sessha" thing went . . . he doesn't really want to fight this guy and even though he's angry, that part of him that is the peace-loving rurouni doesn't want to kill him like the hitokiri does . . . thus the moment of weakness and the "Sessha" If you still think I'm wrong, I can change it, though. Let me know!!!!! But thanks for the review! And you certainly have written an awful lot of fan fic!!! YAY for you!!!!!! ::smiles::
So here it is!!!!
STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY!!!!
PS-I'll try not to make this chapter so damn depressing . . . because that's what this story is! It's depressing!!!!
************ ******* ************** ********************* **************
Kenshin sat outside the shoji of Kaoru's room, listening to the faint sounds of sobbing and the whisper of voices. Megumi had been in with her for almost an hour, and the afternoon had transformed into early evening. Kenshin had tried to keep out of the doctor's way, knowing that the other woman would help Kaoru. Megumi had spent enough time as a member of Kanryuu's organization to know how to deal with this type of event. Megumi herself had even alluded to something like this on a few occasions when she and Kenshin had been speaking amongst themselves.
"Oi, Kenshin," came the sound of Sano's rumbling voice.
Kenshin turned his head to the left and watched as the gangster sat beside him on the porch. After settling himself, the sounds of Kaoru once more filled the quietness and Sano's tone sounded strangled.
"How's she doing?" he asked softly.
"Sessha does not know, that I do not. Megumi-dono has been speaking with her though," Kenshin replied, equally as quiet.
"I just . . ." Sano faltered. "I, uh, came to . . . well, I wanted you to know what happened to Yahiko and me, before you found us. . . . Kenshin-"
"It's okay, Sano," Kenshin told his friend. "Sessha believes you were taken by surprise, that he does. Sessha is not angry . . ."
"Damn it, Kenshin! I should have been there!! It doesn't matter how many people got in my way, I should have been there for Jou-chan! It's my fault it happened, you left me with the responsibility of taking care of her, and I failed you! I-"
"Iie, that's enough." He said, his voice suddenly cold. Kenshin's lavender eyes met the guilty brown eyes of Sanosuke and the younger man could have sworn there had been a hint of amber only a moment before.
"Kenshin," he said after a pause. As he opened his mouth, the dojo gate opened. Kenshin got to his feet immediately, Sano following a moment later, both turning to face the on-coming visitor. A tall, dark figure stepped out of the eclipse of the sun and they got an excellent view of who exactly had come to see them.
"Saitoh," Sano hissed.
"Aa," agreed Kenshin beside him, his voice still cold.
"Battosai," Saitoh addressed him, that ever-present hint of hatred tingeing his tone. "We need to speak immediately."
"Very well, we will go inside," Kenshin informed the policeman, leading the way into the kitchen.
*********** ****************** ************************* ****** ********
*She's finally asleep,* Megumi sighed, closing the shoji quietly on the sleeping form inside. *That poor tanuki, what a thing to happen to her. They didn't even hurt her, but I think what was worse was that she'd never been touched in that manner. The poor child,* Megumi heard voices rising from the kitchen, and made her way down the hall way.
*Even Kenshin didn't know what to do with her, but he was right to bring her to me. Once she wakes, she'll be feeling a lot better.* Megumi turned the corner and found herself completely caught off guard.
Kenshin and Sanosuke were seated across from one another, and next to Kenshin at the head of the room, sat . . . Saitoh Hajime.
*What is he doing here?!?! And why do they all look like . . . like someone's died?*
Before Megumi could open her mouth, Saitoh rested his glare on her, speaking in a snide tone.
"How is the girl?"
"Like you care!" she returned defiantly. "What's going on here? Ken-san?"
"Megumi-dono?" he questioned silently, asking without words Saitoh's question.
Megumi sighed. "She'll live," she replied flatly. "Just shaken up about what happened."
"May I speak with her?" he asked, a small hint of his guilt betrayed by his eyes.
"She's fallen asleep; she'll need to rest a while. I'll leave you with some pills in case she has trouble sleeping."
"Aa, arigato, Megumi-dono," Kenshin told her softly. Megumi nodded her head once, then rested her eyes back on Saitoh's evil glare.
"So what have you come here for?" she questioned, suffocating in the tension of the room.
The room remained dead silent. She looked to Sano, but he just avoided her gaze. Looking to Kenshin, he had his head bowed, his eyes hidden by the red curtain on his head. Finally she drew her eyes back to the policeman.
"The man he fought today on behalf of the Kamiya girl is dead."
"How?" she asked with surprise.
"He died of wounds inflicted by Battosai's sakabato sword."
Megumi was speechless. "Are you saying that Kenshin killed him?"
"Aa, that is exactly what I'm saying."
************************** ************** ********************** Tada!!!!! Hope you liked it!!!!
-Maeve
PS---Forgot to add Review Response:
Crystal: Thank you for the kind words . . . I'm glad you're enjoying the story!!!
Mae: Here's what I was thinking as far as the "Sessha" thing went . . . he doesn't really want to fight this guy and even though he's angry, that part of him that is the peace-loving rurouni doesn't want to kill him like the hitokiri does . . . thus the moment of weakness and the "Sessha" If you still think I'm wrong, I can change it, though. Let me know!!!!! But thanks for the review! And you certainly have written an awful lot of fan fic!!! YAY for you!!!!!! ::smiles::