Author's note : Okay… next chapter is up. Mou, between all the fighting, I can't seem to get in any romance but at least I got a bit of humor in the mix. Well, I think I've set the premise of the story up by now and I have few things planned so maybe things'll change soon.
I know Sayo, Shouzo et al aren't popular but… they sort of fit the premise of this story soooo well. Sorry ^_^ And all the rabid Megumi/Sano fans, don't worry. Besides, I have something special planned for those two ^_~ (shh… no telling, Stacy…)
And yes, yes, jet lag. I know all about jet lag. I do however come from the harsh school of 'hit the ground running' meaning that when I travel, I just force myself to stay away until it's time to go to bed in their country usually by sightseeing all day. Of course, there's some pretty choice moments that were the result of that theory…
The last fight… that was on my list of things I wanted to see in the actual series ^_^ Too bad it was so short. Ah well… there's always next chapter.
* * *
"So that was a wash," Kaoru said, using a piece of tissue paper to wipe off the excess make-up.
"Not completely," Misao replied with a smile.
Kaoru stopped what she was doing and looked over at the younger girl. "What do you mean?"
"Well, before you went into Tekken mode, I sort of slipped something into that Hiruma guy's pocket."
"A microphone?" Kaoru asked.
"No, tracking device. Just as good." Misao buttoned the last bit of her shirt. "So are we…"
Misao trailed off, finally getting a good look at Kaoru. The other girl blinked and looked down, seeing the faint lines of the surgery scar on her chest, suddenly visible now that the make up was gone. Kaoru put a hand there and sighed.
"Does it hurt?" Misao said softly.
Kaoru shook her head, she said quickly pulling on the blouse. "Not anymore." More like not in a way that would make sense, she added to herself.
Misao nodded. "Do you miss him?" she added softly.
Kaoru looked down at the ground a bit sadly. "Of course." She shook her head. "Anyway, we should get moving if we want to catch up with Hiruma."
Misao paused. "Kaoru… I don't know if it's a good idea for you to go."
Kaoru blinked in surprise. "Are you turning into Aoshi?"
"No!" Misao protested. "But I'm thinking that maybe he was right. You should probably…"
"Misao," Kaoru interrupted, placing her hands on her hips. "You are the first person in half a year not to treat me like a porcelain doll. Do you have any idea of what it's been like? I've been taking care of myself for years and now they won't even let me walk down the street without an escort. It's horrible! I fell like I've been caged ever since I got back from the hospital. Please… please don't change on me now. I'm fine and I will be fine, I promise."
"Then we'd better get moving." Kaoru and Misao turned towards the door at the new voice. Aoshi stood there, arms crossed against his chest.
"Aoshi…" Kaoru said.
"I can't stop you," he said. "So I'll feel better if I'm with you. Both of you," he added in Misao's direction. "Besides," he added, "I owe you one too." Kaoru smiled, nodding her head in agreement over his early explosion at the hotel.
"Then let's do this," Misao said reaching into her bag and pulling out a small CD case. She flipped it open, revealing the display screen and keypad hidden inside. The trio leaned over and examined the small screen.
"He stopped moving," Aoshi noted.
"Right," Misao said, "but if it's in a building, that might mean he didn't find the bug. Let's see…" she said, bringing up a map of Las Vegas and superimposing it on the radar screen. "Okay… he's at the Venetian, at the casino and… woah."
"What?" Kaoru asked.
"He's in the Baccarat room," she said. "The $10,000 opening bid baccarat room."
"Well he must be meeting someone," Kaoru said. "He's not exactly the $10,000 type."
Misao looked down at the chronometer at the bottom. "He's been in this location for ten minutes. If we move quick we can catch him."
"And how are we getting in there?" Kaoru said. "I am not wearing any more…" she trailed up looking at Aoshi, switching to an innocent smile.
"Don't worry," Misao said. "This time, we're going all out." And showing Okina exactly what happens when you stick agents in economy and not first class.
* * *
Down in the lower class part of Las Vegas, two figures walked in opposite directions down a street. Both seemed so lost in their thoughts that neither realized the other was there until they collided in the center.
"Sano?"
"Kenshin? What are you doing here?"
"… it's a long story."
"I bet." Sano paused and looked around. "Do I get to know who the chick was?"
Kenshin paused. "And old acquaintance."
"Ex-girlfriend?"
If Sano was not so concentrated on the open road around them, he might have seen the brief paleness take over Kenshin's face as the ex-assassin remembered what happened to the last guy that tried something with Tokio. They were still finding pieces of him.
"No."
"Ah… then that sort of acquaintance. Figured, what with this being Sin City and the yakuza liking to stick their noses in anything illegal." Sano paused and looked back at Kenshin. "Come on, just a name."
"You really want to know?"
"Yeah, I think after all the years as…"
"Saitou Tokio."
There was a pause. "Saitou… as in Saitou, I'll Aku-Soku-Zan your ass back to hell?" Kenshin nodded. "Sister?" He shook his head. "Cousin? … Mother?"
"Sano," Kenshin sighed, "be serious. It's his wife."
"No way," Sano said with a laugh. "Oh man, you had me going there. But that freak… no way someone would ever marry him. Especially a babe like her."
Kenshin looked up at Sano. "Have I ever lied to you?"
Sano paused and looked down at the shorter man. No, lying was not Kenshin's strong suit. But… but… Saitou… and that woman… and…
"Come on Kenshin."
"Where are we going?"
"I need to get drunk…really, really drunk."
* * *
"Dr. Takani?"
Megumi turned around, careful not to spill the champagne in the class on her nice black dress. "Doctor…" she returned in English, struggling for the name of the white haired man in front of her.
"Von Strasbourg," he supplied.
"Ah… I am sorry to have forgotten it," she said looking at the elderly man.
"It's quite all right. I only remembered yours because it was attached to that spectacular lecture I attended earlier this afternoon on emergency trauma procedures in an urban setting."
If Megumi were the blushing type, this would have been more than enough to set her cheeks flaming. But she settled for the more professional reply. "Thank you. I hope you were able to learn something that will benefit your studies."
"I most definitely did," he replied.
"I'm sorry but what was your field of specialty?"
"Burn trauma," Von Strasbourg replied. "We've developed some very interesting techniques on restoring skin and muscles, even after third degree burning."
"Of course," Megumi said with a slight smile. "Your lecture is tomorrow. I should have realized earlier."
"It's quite all right," he replied, looking over her shoulder. A man there nodded at him and the old doctor turned to Megumi. "I'm sorry but I just saw someone I've been trying to meet. I really would like to discuss more things with you. Are you free for dinner tomorrow?"
"Yes," Megumi said with a nod, "I think we have information relevant to both of our fields." They briefly exchanged information before Von Strasbourg hurried off to meet the tall man with long black hair.
Megumi dropped the empty glass onto a tray of a passing waitress and looked at the time. Feh, the others were probably out celebrating their time in Las Vegas. From the way things were going she was going to be stuck either in formal functions like this or going to dinner with her colleagues.
Still, now that she had placed the man with his specialized field, she was rather excited at the chance to speak with him.
"Takani-san."
Megumi turned, relieved to hear native Japanese. She bowed slightly at the man behind her. "Mitsui-san," she said. "Did you trip to Las Vegas go well?"
"Why yes, first class was simply wonderful, wasn't it?" Megumi's eyebrow twitched slightly. "Tokyo University certainly spare no expense in sending us here. Only, I heard you got one of the largest suites in the hotel. It must be nice to have all that space to yourself." Her eyebrow twitched slightly again but she turned away.
"Do you know who that is?" Megumi said, changing the subject. Mitsui followed where she had just looked with his eyes.
"Von Strasbourg?"
"No, the man he's with."
Mitsui frowned. "Of course I do. Amakusa Shougo, the self-proclaimed master of genetics. I've had the displeasure of working him on several accounts."
"Really?" Megumi said with surprise. "He's a problem to work with?"
Mitsui sighed. "I won't lie about his abilities. He really is a genius in what he does. They say that he's perfecting a procedure that might be the cure-all we've been looking for. It's too bad he's so damn arrogant. Do you know he won't let anyone see his work? Claims that he needs to perfect it before it is released, lest it be used for evil purposes. I don't believe him. Neither did any of the facilities in Tokyo. Which is why he's living here now and working for the Americans. You'd think that would have lowered his ego, but he still struts around like he's a god."
Megumi frowned. "That's too bad," she said. "I think what he's working on would be most interesting to learn about."
* * *
By eleven o'clock that evening, each group was fully engaged in what they were doing. Megumi was out with some of her colleagues at a piano bar, regaling them with tales of working in Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital. Kenshin was trying, rather unsuccessfully, to convince Sano that maybe he had had enough to drink for one night. At least his friend's antics were working to ease the troubled ex-yakuza's mind.
And as for the other group, Misao had kept her word. No more cheap bunny costumes. This was Las Vegas after all, a city that lived to take your money. And the Venetian had a few stores that Misao had only heard about in fashion magazines.
So ten minutes after they had arrived, the trio walked down the promenade of the Venetian next to the pseudo canals, creating a wake of stares as they did. Not for the girls, but at the man with them.
Of course, Aoshi was always something to be stared at, but tonight was different. If Misao ever met this 'Giorgio Armani', then he was going to get a hug for full filling at least half of her dreams. A black Chinese style jacket that fell below the knees and slacks to match, a pair of wire rimmed glassed on his nose… Aoshi looked like the Japanese version of James Bond.
The only problem was… he didn't act like the British spy at all. Misao sighed, letting herself smile at a more happier thought… the sound Okina would make when he saw the credit card bill they were about to wrack up.
The trio made their way towards the casino and split there, letting Aoshi walk towards the Baccarat room while they headed towards the bathroom to monitor the situation in privacy. Kaoru grabbed the maintenance sign and locked the door while Misao quickly set up the computer on the ground of the marble tiled bathroom.
As Aoshi walked down the plush carpets, the well-dressed man broke a few hearts, ignoring any offers that were made with perfect coldness, though a couple would have made most men blush. The man at the door of the Baccarat room looked at him with a critical eye before Aoshi held up the Platinum card. The guard took it, swiped it through at a machine, taking a look at the credit limit. The man nodded and gave Aoshi back the card.
Aoshi walked in and scanned the room, passing over the well-dressed group that occupied the fairly large room. The gold-laced chips at the tables only added to the air of richness in the room. A thin cloud of smoke hung around the area and if Aoshi had ever smoked something in his life, he might have recognized it as the smoke from Cuban cigars.
Okay… Misao voice crackled through the small piece in his ear, that's Hiruma at the table in the far end of the room. He's not playing, just waiting… good that must mean someone's going to meet him. There's any empty space next at the table next to him. Just play your hands slowly. It's been thirty minutes since he got here. Whoever he's meeting is going to have to show up soon.
Aoshi took a seat and silently handed over the card to the dealer, asking for 100 grand. Ten hands… he'd just have to spend a lot of time thinking before making decisions. He didn't know how much more money the credit card would give him.
Next to him, Hiruma shifted uncomfortably, motioning for a drink. Aoshi shifted to one side, letting the tiny mirror on his lenses catch the scene next to him.
Great, I can see him too… oh, don't move, someone's sitting next to him.
Aoshi concentrated on his cards, trying to remember exactly how he was supposed to play the game. The look of concentration was enough to make the dealer sit back and wait for him to move.
Aoshi stole a glance at the mirror again, looking at the balding man with a fur trimmed jacket sitting next to Hiruma. He didn't recognize him at all but he knew that Misao was taking a picture of him and comparing it against the JIA database.
Hang on a second longer… oh boy.
Aoshi's calm never broke as he waited for the startling revelation that Misao had just uncovered. He just casually stared in the mirror, concentrating on the figure so he would remember what he looked like.
The man with Hiruma is Sodojima Hoji, a ranking member of the Juppongatana. In fact, I think Yumi's the only one who might be higher than him. He's been working in Las Vegas for a few years, funneling a lot of money and trying to amass wealth to… Oh SHIT! Aoshi, get out of there right now!!
The yell took him off balance and Aoshi almost broke the concentrated look. Instead he slowly let his eye roll to the other lens of his glasses to see if Misao had just seen someone walking in that…
Aoshi slowly laid down his cards and began to casually reach for the gun strapped to his ankle. In a few seconds he was going to need it.
* * *
"Then you know… know what she said to me?"
"Yes, Sano, you've told me this about five…"
"Peace be with you. What the hell is that? When has… peace ever been with me?"
Kenshin sighed and shook his head. The first time, he had gotten the general idea of what had happened to Sano. The second time, he understood why his friend was so lost in though. But this… the fifth time, was about all he could take.
"Heh… she was kind of cute, not a looker like…"
Kenshin's eyes opened widely and he slapped a hand over Sano's mouth just as the drunken man mumbled out Saitou Tokio's name. All right, that was enough of that.
It was a bit amusing to watch Kenshin struggle with the full weight of Sano on him. In fact a couple of people had to stop and laugh at the image. Kenshin just ignored them and tried to concentrate on getting his friend home.
Suddenly Sano pitched over to one size and Kenshin realized that he was either going to have to let Sano drop or fall with him and get crushed by the larger man. Lucky for him, someone managed to grab Sano's other side and right him again.
"Thank you," Kenshin said quickly in English looking around to see who it was.
"What the hell did this idiot go and do this time?"
Kenshin frowned at Megumi. It probably wasn't a good idea to aggravate a drunken man… a drunk Sano especially.
"Oi… you! Why aren't you with your fancy doctor friends talking?"
Megumi glowered. "Oh, I thought the company of a brain-dead drunk would be more amusing."
"Eh?" Sano said. "What's that suppose to mean?"
"Megumi-dono," Kenshin said, trying to calm her down.
"I mean it is more fun to watch you make a complete ass of yourself in public," the doctor replied.
Sano stood up and looked down at the doctor, suddenly looking rather sober. "This is what I was talking about Kenshin. Completely different from Magdaria. She's a girl with grace and class and nice to everyone she…"
"Who?" Megumi asked.
"Maa maa," Kenshin said, motioning frantically as he walked the growing group of onlookers. "Don't you think that…"
"Magdaria," Sano repeated, "a woman who obviously has more warmth and kindness in her little finger than you do in your entire body." Well, he didn't know that it was true but even in few moments he had met her, Sano had a feeling Magdaria was everything he said.
Kenshin cringed. This was going to be bad. But for some reason, Megumi just shook her head and turned away. "I'll go get a cab. There's no way we can get him back to the hotel."
"Ah… okay," Kenshin said, watching her retreating form. Was Megumi actually offended by that? He shot a glance at Sano but the man looked just as confused as he did.
A short and silent trip back to the hotel later, Sano waved off their help and went into one of the bedrooms. Megumi dropped her purse and grabbed a glass, walking into the bathroom to fill it with water. As soon as Sano was out of earshot, Kenshin walked up to meet Megumi, almost being plowed over as she came out of the bathroom.
"Megumi-dono… are you all right?"
Megumi looked at him with a smile. "Of course, I'm just… tired from all the walking today. Here," she said handing the glass to Kenshin. "Sano should probably drink this before he goes to sleep. Good night," she said, leaving him there holding the glass.
Kenshin paused for a moment and then shrugged, walking into the bedroom where Sano had almost passed out.
"Hey, drink this," Kenshin said holding out the glass.
Sano opened an eye and looked at the water before sitting up and taking the glass.
"Is anyone else here?"
Kenshin shook his head. "No but Aoshi's most likely with him and he's not the type to get into trouble."
Sano nodded and paused or a moment. "So… Megumi's…"
"Just tired," Kenshin answered, guessing the question. "I'm not surprised, it was a long trip and she's been working all day."
Sano nodded and took a deep drink of the glass. The gears in Kenshin's head kept turning. Megumi did look tired but… he hadn't known he to ever give up a fight so easily, especially with Sano. It just didn't… Kenshin's eyes snapped open as he suddenly realized what was happening. But by then it was too late.
"Oi, Kenshin… this water tastes weird. And what it's this white stuff at the bottom?"
Kenshin turned slowly and looked at the glass seeing the last remnant of a medical pill at the bottom. He looked up at Sano and even in his drunken state the other man suddenly realized what was going on. The only question was… what exactly had Megumi given him?
* * *
Saitou Hajime pushed by the guard, sparing the man a cold glance before turning his attention back to the room. He walked slowly and deliberately, the blue fabric of his suit barely making a sound he did, and headed towards the table in the back, not noticing the most of the people behind him were scattering and quickly leaving the room.
Hoji looked up in mid-sentence from Hiruma to who was approaching. His eyes locked onto the man walking next to him and the side of his mouth twitched. His mind was doing the math and realizing that he had made a major miscalculation. Saitou Hajime should not be here yet. His plane wasn't due for another two days. There was supposed to be enough time for Hoji to set things up, get his defense prepared for the tsunami that Tokyo would send his way for what he had done. It didn't matter if his men had succeeded in taking Tokio out or not. Either way, Hoji's fate was clear. He was about to be sliced into tiny little pieces unless…
"Just stop right there," Aoshi voice called, filling the empty room. He held the gun low and steady, pointing it directly at Saitou.
Saitou paused and looked over at Aoshi, a faint glimmer of recognition in his eyes. There was a flash of light and Aoshi blinked, watching as the front end of the gun slowly slid off the back part, completely sliced in two.
Something in Aoshi's mind cried fowl. That shouldn't be possible. Unless Saitou's blade was sharpened to an atom-thin point and the man possessed an incredible amount of strength… Looking over at Wolf, Aoshi knew it was true. Saitou slowly lowered the blade and brought it down on top of his extended hand.
"Still playing with toy knives," Hoji called, pulling out a gun from his shoulder holster and pushing a cowering Hiruma behind him. "I found something much mo…"
Saitou moved before Aoshi could blink an eye, sending him back over the back of a table and Hoji diving for cover. The full force of the Gatotsu Ishiki hit one of the Bacarrat tables and reduced it to splinters, revealing a cowering Hoji there. The man fired with his gun but the Wolf was already on the move, circling around the room for another attack.
Hoji tried to follow him but the other man's movements were too quick. There was an audible click as the gun clicked empty. Hoji paled and reached for a clip in his belt but Saitou had stopped moving and was slowly walking towards him.
"Come on now," Hoji started, trying to buy time. "It was business you know. It's not like I targeted her before she was your wife. Nothing personal or anything…"
Hoji trailed off, hand with the new clip right at the base of the gun. Saitou moved the blade forward, letting the metal slide between the man's neck and his jacket. It tore through the fabric and Hoji felt the blade pulling upward, forcing him to stand on his feet.
"Now… there's got to be an amount that we can reach…" Hoji started.
Saitou's golden eyes locked on his. While the face displayed no emotion, the eyes told a different story. They told Hoji he was about to meet death… rather painfully.
"Aku. Soku. Zan." Saitou said evenly.
The blade came back quickly and Saitou's stance never moved. A Gatotsu Zeroshiki. If Hoji had a bit of sanity left, he might have realized that he was about to be dispatched by one of the more infamous moves ever developed. But Hoji was just fine being a quivering pile of fear.
There was a blast and Saitou blinked, looking down at his sword hand, watching a thin trail of blood appeared there.
"I won't say it again," Misao said, holding the gun steady, while Kaoru ran over to where Aoshi was.
"Are you okay?" Kaoru asked.
Aoshi nodded. He stood up with her and unbuttoned his coat, reaching in for the long steel case that he had hidden beneath the folds of the silk white shirt. He was about to tell her to stay down but Saitou moved, leaving Hoji behind for a moment to go after his next target.
To her credit, Misao never flinched. She just fired off round after round and never realized there was no chance she could hit someone as well trained as Saitou. A few seconds later, he was there, blade aiming straight at her as her gun clicked empty.
There was a clash of steel and Saitou looked up, watching Aoshi's steel rod block the move and send up a shower of sparks. The two fell to the left side of Misao, spinning around quickly to face each other.
"You're not the only one who knows where to buy a blade," Aoshi said, grabbing either end of the rod and pulling it apart, letting the damaged sheath fall the ground. Two twin kodachis flashed as the lights above them caught.
Saitou looked at him with the faintest trace of smile. He lunged forward, watching as Aoshi countered with one of the blades and attacked with the other. Saitou ducked, feeling the blade skim just past his shoulder. He pushed his hilt upward, trying to get Aoshi in stomach as the other man attacked but Aoshi counter, blocking it with one sword.
The two combatants spun apart again and Saitou barely had time to blink as Aoshi leapt upward. The six strikes of Kaiten Kenbu Roku Ren were almost simultaneous but six audible clangs echoed in the room. Aoshi completed the spin in the air and turned to face Saitou, knowing he hadn't landed a single blow.
Saitou took his chance and charged, slicing the blade upward and diagonally for the first part of the Gatotsu Nishiki, watching as Aoshi slowly bent backwards to avoid the blow. He brought it down again but got caught as Aoshi brought up his crossed kodachis for a Gokou Juuji.
The two swordsmen clashed and got stuck with each straining to push against the other. There was a soft click next to Satiou's ear, and one next to Aoshi's. Everyone froze and took in the situation.
Hoji had regained some semblance of calm and was currently pointing a gun at Saitou's temple. But from across the steel blades and standing next to Aoshi, Misao had a reloaded gun pointed at Hoji. Hiruma and Kaoru shot each other a quick glance before drawing their own weapons and pointing it at each other. It was a stalemate. The six people were stuck in the middle of a torn up Baccarat room staring at each other, waiting for the first domino to fall.
Suddenly something was thrown into the room. It arced in the air and Kaoru got a quick look out of her eye, taking in what it was.
"Flashbang!" Kaoru cried.
In the few seconds that she called out the item's name and it hit the ground, the situation completely changed. Kaoru ducked and covered, Hiruma fired at empty air. Misao suddenly shot a foot beneath the crossed blades and caught Hoji in a vulnerable place, making the other man fall away in pain. Saitou and Aoshi spared each other a look before pushing apart.
The flashbang exploded and Hiruma was the only one to catch the full effect of it. Momentarily stunned, he spun around, barely seeing the movement around him as people moved through the smoke.
From outside and behind a wall of police shield, Shouzo motioned to the rest of the officers and they charged the room, guns drawn as they searched through the smoky room. But instead of finding dazed criminals they were met with something much stranger.
The room was completely empty.