I don't own Kenshin.
Aw, you guys make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I'm glad you like the story, and I'm sorry for not updating but you know how "spending time with family" goes. This is a little rushed, but I wanted to get it out for you. Hope you like.
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BLADE OF THE PAST
Chapter 13
He didn't think of the son he'd left behind in the dojo. He didn't think of the many questions he'd left unanswered. Kenshin ran at top speed through the streets, his ears picking up the sounds of police whistles and telling him which direction to go. He paused at an intersection. The night was quiet. Drawing in a deep breath, Kenshin waited. He waited for a sound or a clue to tell him where to go next. He thought of nothing but her.
***Flashback***
He stood still, his blade halfway through her neck. Her eyes blinked closed, then opened slowly. She dropped her own blade, the sound lost to Kenshin's ears as a sudden clash of thunder drowned out everything around him. Her hands shook as she reached up, lightly wrapping her fingers around the blade through her neck.
Kenshin shook his head, his hand still glued to the hilt of the sword. His sword. Tomoe's sash wrapped around the hilt was now stained dark red as Isabelle's blood ran down the blade and over his fingers. Her eyes looked at him, sad and clear. She blinked slowly again.
An inch to the right and he would have cut the life-carrying vein of her jugular. She would have bled to death within moments, the dark crimson liquid of her blood leaking from her neck. Or a fraction of an inch to the left and he would have stabbed her directly though her windpipe. She'd be choking on her own blood and unable to breathe. Dead within moments of his steel crushing her trachea.
But he'd missed. His sword was lodged somewhere between those two life-ending parts of her neck. Kenshin watched as her eyes grew more cloudy. It was fitting for him to have to suffer through her long death. He deserved to watch her struggle as her eyes blinked closed and stayed closed. He deserved the worst sort of death for killing the woman he loved, again. How Tomoe would frown at him!
Kenshin's hand shook. He let go of the hilt, and she fell to the ground and curled on her side, the sword still in her neck. Her breathing slowed and stopped. Kenshin left his sword there. He didn't want that blade at his side. He never wanted to see that blade again…
***End Flashback***
Footsteps were coming up from behind. Kenshin didn't have to turn around to know it was Sano, Kaoru, Yahiko, and probably his son. They had an uncanny ability to follow him anywhere. And right now, Kenshin only wanted to run away. He wanted to find her.
But she was dead. He'd done it himself. His very own blade pierced her neck and killed her. He watched her last breath. He smeared her blood on his face when he'd moved to wipe away his tears. Isa couldn't be alive.
But his son lives, so she couldn't be dead. Nothing made sense anymore.
"Kenshin?"
Miss Kaoru sounded worried. He felt bad for running. He felt bad for lying. He felt bad for even living. He'd caused her so much pain in these few years. Maybe it was best for him to leave tomorrow. Or tonight.
"Kenshin?"
"Yes, Miss Kaoru?"
"What's wrong?"
Kenshin was about to answer when a new voice shouted from far off.
"We've got her sir!"
He didn't turn around to see if they'd heard. Kenshin just took off running, trying to find the voices.
"Keep her still so we can tie her!"
Kenshin ran faster. No! Don't hurt her!
"There, sir. She's immobile."
He nearly plowed into the crowd that had formed. Even this late at night, people heard the whistles and came outside to see what the police were doing. Kenshin shoved people aside, aware of the smaller presence directly behind him and following him. He managed to make it through the crowd.
It was where they performed the executions and punishments. A thick beam was tied across two supporting posts. The prisoner was tied to the beam, her wrists bound to the beam parallel with the ground. But it was too tall. Her feet did not touch the ground as she hung there, her head bowed. A dark trail of a braid fell behind her, moving like something alive in the strong winds blowing in from the port.
Kenshin felt Shinta push him aside, wanting to see.
She was alive.
Saitou watched as she hung there, her shoulder no doubt aching in protest to the too-tall beam they'd strapped her too. He wasn't known for being a torturer, but she'd ruined too much of his pride for her to simply be executed for current crimes. He held a deep-rooted hatred for this foreigner, this woman foreigner who somehow managed to gain as much respect as he during the Revolution. It was insulting.
And she now dared to increase the insult by killing the very diplomats from her own country that would trade with his. Inconceivable.
Saitou was about to speak when a young desperate voice screamed from the gathered crowd.
"MOTHER!"
Her head snapped up, looking in the direction of the voice. Saitou, too, looked to the side where a young boy was running through the policemen he'd had holding the crowd back. A young boy with red, eerie eyes just like hers. A young boy with shaggy red hair just like…
Saitou's eyes searched the area where the boy'd come from. Himura stood there, worry in his eyes and … was that anger?
With a twitch of his eyebrow, Saitou turned back to his prisoner. The boy was in his way, arms outstretched to protect the traitor.
"Get out of the way, boy," Saitou said, pulling a cigarette out and lighting it.
"No! I won't let you hurt my mother!" the boy screamed back, shaking with fear and trying to act manly even with tears streaming down his face. His eyes were puffy and red, suggesting he'd done a lot of crying lately.
Well, he'd said "mother" twice, so it wasn't a fluke the first time. Saitou frowned and took a drag from his cigarette.
"You mean this is your mother?"
"Yes!"
Saitou's gaze traveled up from the boy, resting on his capture again. Her blood-red eyes didn't have that lack of luster resulting from defeat any more. They were hard and cold…and angry. Saitou had only seen this intense look in her eyes during battle, when she killed fifteen men without getting a single scratch.
He decided that provoking her was a bad idea.
Saitou took another drag. The kid had red hair. Himura had red hair. He took another drag. The leader of the Yukiryu was on the opposite side of the Revolution from the Battousai. How in the HELL did this kid get red hair!?
"There's something you never told us," he said smoothly, blowing smoke down in the boy's face. He ignored the kid's coughing. "There is something very big that you never told your shogun."
She simply glared.
Saitou was beginning to get frustrated. He wanted to take that black sash around her neck and just tighten it until she couldn't breathe. He wanted to beat her over the head until she talked. He wanted to…
Her eyes weren't on him anymore.
Saitou watched closely as she looked over his shoulder, her eyes scanning the rooftops. And he knew, in that moment that her eyes flicked away from his face and back again, that something dangerous was on the roof. He took a step back.
"Alright, kid. I won't hurt your mother."
Kenshin blinked as Saitou stepped back, giving Shinta room to breathe and allowing Kenshin to release the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He was about to step forward and demand to know what crazy idea was going through Saitou's head when he saw it.
Isa tensed. Her shoulders twitched as she shifted her support. Kenshin took off running for her, not caring why she was moving but knowing that something was terribly wrong.
She pulled her legs up, catching Shinta in the side and pushing hard. The boy was thrown to the side furthest from Kenshin, too stunned and breathless to react quickly.
Kenshin heard the whistle of air as darts flew toward her. He pulled his sword and swiped managing to knock two away with nothing more than the force of air around his blade.
He heard the swift intake of breath behind him. Isa! Kenshin turned to see the dart in her shoulder, leaking dark red blood. He pulled the dart out immediately, throwing it hard to the ground. He didn't have to inspect the tip to know it was poisonous. The faraway look in Isabelle's eyes told him.
Two seconds had passed since he'd seen her tense against her bonds. And in those two seconds, Kenshin had lost her all over again, and he was powerless to stop it.
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R&R! Thanks to all my reviewers. You really keep me liking this story and wanting to write more!
SSJKakarott – Tomoe is kinda half-way remotely involved. She'll be mentioned by Ken sometime soon.
Calger459 – I guess you can survive with half a sword in your neck ;) In my world you can, anyway. Did I explain it ok? Does it seem feasible?
Spiritblade – sorry about short chaps. Like I said before, I post them as I write them and if they're overly short I try to post two in one day. I would have made this chap into two, but just for you I put them both in one chapter!
Crystal – I know, poor Shinta! He has absolutely no clue what's going on and he doesn't know who to blame and he's just kinda lost. And it doesn't get any better for him! *sniff* things will get better eventually!
Mistress Maxwell – HA HA! Another cliffhanger just for you!
Mae – stay tuned, there'll be some more family conflict soon!