A.N.: Hello! I finally finished chapter four! I'm sorry if I updated a little longer than the last ones. It wasn't easy while taking exams. Thank you very much to those people who reviewed!! You probably don't know it but you helped me a lot. Even if my grammar was terrible, sorry about that! I hope you'll like this chap.
Just answering some reviews…
Omochi: I guess it's really not the same as killing people because…there's no blood? Buffy doesn't seem to have a problem with it, does she?
Mitchy: School and work must be very hard to manage. Thanks for understanding and I wish you good luck too.
Standard disclaimer apply
Chapter 4: Taka Returns
"Vampires! Is this a joke?" Yahiko exclaimed, the hairs at the back of his neck standing.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Saitoh glared at Yahiko.
Kaoru Megumi and Misao visibly paled.
Sano looked like he remembered something, "You know, it wasn't that impossible. I've heard rumors and sightings of vampires before but this time it looks like there've been more."
Saitoh smirked, "Rooster head has more brains than I thought."
"What did you say?" Sano raised his fist.
But Aoshi interrupted him, "So, are you saying that you need our help to fight these vampires?"
"Very good Shinomori," Saitoh replied, "but there's another thing. All of the victims who survived an attack from the vampires say that three persons helped them. According to them one of these people is very skilled and the vampire disappeared into dust whenever he or she struck it with a dagger. The other one healed their wounds miraculously."
Kaoru shifted uncomfortably then asked, "Uh, did they recognized these people?" she asked, praying that they didn't.
"No," Saitoh answered, "they said that it was very dark and they were a bit dizzy because of the beatings they received so they couldn't see these people clearly."
"So what do we need to know about these vampires? We need to go and guard at night. They might hurt someone, and to meet the strangers who were killing them. See if they are our allies or foes." Kenshin said. He would not let such creatures go around hurting people even if they are vampires. They just need to know the right information.
Misao was fidgeting. Kaoru has a relieved look on her face, probably because the victims did not recognize them. Megumi looked at both of them 'Let's get out of here and figure out what to do.' They understood her look and slightly nodded.
Saitoh began telling them the results of his research about vampires when Megumi suddenly stood up. "Excuse me, but I'll pass. Vampires give me the creeps."
"I'll come with you." Misao declared and also stood up.
Kaoru followed their gesture. "Me too."
"Girls! Too coward to handle scary vampire stories." Yahiko commented as the three girls exited the room.
Aoshi eyed them suspiciously. This being afraid of vampires doesn't fit right. Are they escaping? If so, why?
Kenshin didn't think anything about it. It's better that they stay out of something this dangerous.
Sano just shrugged, "As you were saying Saitoh?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru, Megumi and Misao went to Kaoru's room.
"I should've known that these attacks wouldn't go unnoticed by the police." Megumi said as she sat down next to Kaoru.
Misao was pacing angrily, "And of all the police officers to be involved, it has to be Saitoh! Couldn't he put us out of it?"
Kaoru agitatedly watched Misao, "He probably know that he couldn't handle vampires by himself. He did say that he had seen one."
Misao was still pacing. "But we're already here! We're already handling these vampire problems. We're the only one who could kill vampires."
Megumi shook her head, "They don't know that, Misao-chan. Even if they already know that there's three people who's been killing vampires, they're still in doubt if those persons…which is us… are good or evil."
Misao stopped pacing and sat down in front of them. "So, what should we do?"
Kaoru took a deep breath, "They might stop us if we try to go with them. We'll be stuck in here. And they'll probably leave Yahiko to watch us."
Megumi smiled, a plan forming in her head. "I have an idea."
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Near midnight, everyone at the dojo was getting ready for a night of vampire hunting.
Kenshin saw Kaoru and Misao in their fighting clothes coming near them. He shook his head and sighed. This is going to be hard.
Sano appeared beside him also looking at the two girls, "Should we let them come?"
"No," Kenshin answered, "it's too dangerous. These are not common criminals that they could fight."
"I definitely would not let Misao come." Aoshi who's sitting at the front porch announced.
Sano sighed, "Good luck."
Kaoru and Misao stopped before them smiling innocently.
"Shall we go?" Kaoru asked.
"I'm ready for some vampire fighting." Misao added bringing out her kunai.
"I'm sorry Misao-dono, Kaoru-dono but I can't allow you to come with us." Kenshin said carefully, afraid of their reaction.
"WHAT?!" Kaoru and Misao shouted angrily.
Aoshi walked behind Misao. "Please Misao. It wouldn't be good for you in your condition to go out in a cold night."
Kenshin turned to Kaoru. "And Kaoru-dono this mission is very dangerous. Saitoh told us that vampires can't go into another one's house uninvited so you'll be safer here. I won't forgive myself if anything happens to you."
Both men were ready to beg the girls if they insist on coming with them, but they were dumfounded to see them just smiled.
"Oro?"
"Ok!" Kaoru chirped, "I don't like vampires anyway. Be careful."
"You don't want to vampire dinner, don't you?" Misao added.
Kenshin and Aoshi nodded suspiciously. Kaoru and Misao went back inside.
Yahiko appeared beside them, "They're up to something."
Kenshin nodded again then looked down at the boy. "Yahiko-kun, I need you to stay here with the girls. They might follow us or things might happen while we're gone."
"Aww, Kenshin…" Yahiko started to protest.
"I trust you Yahiko-kun."
Yahiko sighed, defeated, "Alright," he said then started to go where the girls went.
Saitoh came in, "Let's go," he looked around "Where's rooster head? He's not chickening out, is he?"
"You're making me laugh Saitoh." Sano suddenly appeared from inside the house. "I just checked on Megumi. She just came from the clinic to tell Dr. Gensei she'll be spending the night here."
"Whatever." Saitoh ignored him. "Come on."
*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Are they gone?" Megumi asked while preparing a tea for Yahiko.
Kaoru nodded.
"Is it ready?" Misao asked, watching Megumi put some powder into the tea and then stirred it.
"Here." Megumi gave the tea to Misao. "This will make him sleep deeply and would probably wake up late this morning.
Misao took the cup. Kaoru was feeling impatient. "Let's get this over with. The guys may already be in trouble. We need to get ready."
Megumi and Misao nodded. Both were worried about the others because they know what they are fighting with.
They found Yahiko at the front porch staring at the gate.
"Yahiko," Kaoru called. Yahiko looked up at the two women suspiciously.
"If you're thinking I'm going to let you follow them, you're out of your mind. So you might as well go back to sleep. I'll tell you when they come back." He scolded them and went back on staring the gate.
Kaoru and Misao sat at either side of him. They smiled sweetly. Hiding their anger at being scolded.
Misao spoke first, "Who told you we want to follow them? We were just going to give you some tea while you wait."
"Yes, it's going to be a long night." Kaoru commented. She was forcing herself not to shove the tea to Yahiko's mouth so they could go after the boys already.
"Uh, thanks." Yahiko chuckled taking the tea from Misao, "I just don't want to break Kenshin's trust."
Misao shifted, feeling guilty. She looked at Kaoru who also has a guilty look on her face. But they both know that they can't back down. She jut reassured herself that no one will know that they broke their promise.
They left Yahiko after he finished sipping his tea. After a few minutes they heard his loud snore.
"He's asleep." Megumi whispered. "We could go now but we should be here before the men."
Kaoru and Misao nodded.
Megumi reached for the dagger hidden in her kimono. "Where's yours?" she asked.
Kaoru and Misao showed their daggers.
After that, the three of them were on their way out of the dojo when they found someone blocking the gate.
"Taka!" Kaoru gasped.
"Who?" Megumi asked.
Misao remembered her first vision when she came to the Kamiya dojo. About the three of them talking to a black haired man and that vision is happening now.
"You're the man from my vision." Misao whispered to no one in particular.
Taka gave them an evil grin.
"Will somebody tell me who this man is?" Megumi asked annoyed that she seems to be the only one who don't know this visitor.
Kaoru was glaring at Taka. "His name is Taka and he's not a man, he's a vampire! He tricked me so he could enter the house anytime he wants." Kaoru answered.
Misao and Megumi gasped as realization came to them. They got ready to fight if he tries to attack them.
"Good evening, Vampire Slayer." Taka greeted with the sly grin still on his face.
The three girls tensed.
"How did you know?" Kaoru asked angry and a little nervous as to what he wants with them.
Taka looked at Misao, "I know who the Slayer's eye is so I followed her knowing she will lead me to the Slayer." He explained.
Misao gritted her teeth. Why didn't she notice that someone's been following her?
"What do you want?" Megumi demanded.
Taka's deep, green eyes looked at them until he catch Kaoru's eyes. "I want to know how good you are, slayer. Fight me or I'll order the other vampires to go kill your friends who's currently playing hide and seek in the forest with my comrades."
Kaoru growled, "Don't you dare hurt them."
He smirked, "Then follow me." He turned and jumped over the gate.
Kaoru and Misao were about to follow him when Megumi stopped them. "This might be a trap."
Kaoru paused for a moment and considered Megumi's warning. Then she remembered Kenshin, Sano, Aoshi, Saitoh and Taka's threat. "Misao-chan, Megumi-san you go ahead and look for the guys. I'm going alone." And before Misao or Megumi could protest she leaped over the gate to accept Taka's challenge.
"Kaoru!" Megumi yelled.
"Kaoru-chan! Wait!" Misao also yelled but Kaoru was already gone. "Stupid girl." She muttered under her breath before she faced Megumi. "What now?"
Megumi was still staring at the spot where Kaoru leaped. "Let's go find the others. It's no use to follow her now. Besides, she is the slayer she could take care of herself." She said half trying to convince herself that her words are true.
At the time they were out of he dojo, Megumi noticed Misao swayed backward with he eyes tightly closed and hands clasping her head. A vision. She ran to her side and catch Misao before she hit the ground. After a few seconds Misao opened her eyes. Fear was clearly written on her blue eyes.
"What is it Misao?" Megumi asked worriedly feeling scared herself.
Misao immediately stood up from Megumi's arms. "Aoshi-sama is in danger!" She took her dagger out and run at the direction she saw in her vision, headache forgotten. Megumi followed her.
What Misao saw terrified her more than the vision she saw. The vampire's fangs are already buried in Aoshi's neck. He looked limp against the vampire. She felt rage and adrenaline cursing in her body. She ran and before the vampire could react she struck the dagger at his back. The assailant gave a final scream before bursting into dust. Misao catch a half conscious Aoshi.
"Aoshi-sama, are you alright?" She asked although she already knows the answer.
"Misao?" Aoshi whispered before loosing consciousness.
"Megumi!" Misao panicked.
Megumi kneeled beside Aoshi. She held her hands over Aoshi's neck and immediately healed the vampire's bite. "He's going to be fine. Don't worry." She said smiling at Misao.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Taka led Kaoru in front of the cave where they first met. By the time she got there Taka was nowhere to be seen. She looked around getting ready if ever he attacks from behind, but still feeling a little scared every moment. What if it really is a trap?
"Scared slayer?"
Kaoru turned around and faced Taka. She really doesn't have time for this. Her friends need her.
"Hai!" Kaoru cried, lashing out a right jump kick.
Taka jumped backward and expertly dodged the strike. He gave her an amused smirk.
You could do this Kaoru! She screamed at herself. The next instant Kaoru feinted with her left hand then arched her right fist into Taka's ribs. There was a sharp intake of breath and he quit smiling. But before she could give another attack, Taka spun in a circle. He was a blur of arms and legs. Before Kaoru knew it, she found herself being flung to the ground. The back of her head struck the earth. A white flash exploded in front of her eyes. And then the pain.
Get up! She commanded herself. She rolled then sprang to her feet. She felt her fear rising. Taka is obviously not an ordinary vampire. He's very skillful and strong. But still why is she called the Vampire Slayer for if she can't do this? Kaoru took her dagger out.
Taka gave another smirk. "Don't think that your little toy could help you."
"We'll see." Kaoru hissed. She immediately thrust the dagger and it hit Taka's left side. But he was still smiling down at her. She pulled out the dagger and watched the wound she made, closed. A terrible realization was creeping through her mind. Not only Taka strong and skilled but also the dagger, the only thing that could kill the vampires, is no use against him.
Taka smiled again, sensing Kaoru's bewilderment.
"Who are you?" Kaoru found herself asking.
Taka launched a powerful side kick that landed at Kaoru's gut and knocked her off her feet. She tasted blood from her mouth. She looses her hold on the dagger and it fell a couple of feet from her. He picked it up.
"I'm Taka as I already told you. I am the right hand of Yue, queen of the vampires. If you are this weak then you're not a threat for the rise of Yue as I thought." Taka answered her earlier question.
Kaoru blinked, grimacing and clutching her stomach.
Taka kneeled down at her, still holding the dagger. "But don't worry, I would not kill you now. That would be too easy. I'll just see you again." With that he stood up and disappeared into the shadows.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru's eyelids fluttered open. At first she wasn't sure where she was. She felt utterly drained. There's a dull ache at her stomach --- And then she remembered. Taka had pretty much beaten her. She was lucky to be alive. She remembered trying to walk home praying to see Megumi on the way to heal her wounds but no such luck.
"Kaoru-chan?"
Kaoru turned and saw Megumi and Misao walked in. By the time they had a good look at her they gasped.
Megumi instantly kneeled at her side and put her hands over her wounds. "Kaoru-san! What happened?"
Misao was just looking at her worriedly.
Kaoru sighed, feeling the pain starting to fade. "Taka almost killed me. He is not an ordinary vampire. He's more skilled and stronger than me and the dagger is no use against him."
"What? How could that be?" Misao asked. "The daggers are the only weapons we have against vampires."
"I don't know." Kaoru answered. When Megumi healed all her wounds, she sat up. Her gi was stained with her blood. "Oh no. I shouldn't let Kenshin wash this." She said then looked at Megumi and Misao. "What happened to you?"
Megumi answered after glancing at Misao. "Aoshi-san was attacked. Fortunately, we got there just in time. He's now sleeping in his room."
Kaoru frowned "We're the others with him? Did he recognize you?"
Misao shook her head. "We didn't saw the others, but I'll probably have a vision if something happened to them. And I don't know if Aoshi-sama recognized us. He did call my name."
Kaoru sighed again. "Do you think we should tell them the truth?" she suddenly whispered.
Megumi and Misao stared at her in shock. Megumi was the first one to recover.
"I-I guess sooner or later we should tell them the truth."
"But we should tell them one step at a time." Misao suggested. "So we wouldn't trouble them or something. There's a chance that they might get angry."
"Ok," Kaoru agreed, "then we'll tell them about the Slayer, The Eye and The Healer. We could connect it with Aoshi's condition."
Megumi and Misao nodded in agreement.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin, Saitoh and Sano came back to the dojo at dawn. After breakfast, the three men asked Aoshi why he suddenly disappeared.
"I was attacked by a vampire." Aoshi answered. "I used my kodachi but his wounds would immediately close. And he was fast and strong. The next thing I knew, I'm already here at the dojo."
Kenshin frowned. "Did you recognize the people who helped you?"
Aoshi shook his head, "No, I didn't saw their faces. I was almost unconscious when they came. All I could remember was… there were two of them and they're girls." He took a quick look at Misao.
Misao fidgeted, Megumi sat uneasily and Kaoru tensed when Kenshin turned to them.
"Did you saw who helped Aoshi-san come back?" Kenshin asked.
Aoshi was eyeing them suspiciously. He didn't mention to Kenshin that he had seen a vague image of Misao catching him before he lost consciousness. If Misao has anything to do with the mysterious girls, he'll make sure that her life is not in danger.
Kaoru took a deep breath and spoke, "We met them. They talked to us after we put Aoshi-san to his room."
"Who are they? What did they tell you?" Saitoh asked.
Everyone looked at the three women expectantly. Kaoru was the first one to answer. "There were three of them. Three girls. They only told us that they're called the Slayer's Eye, The Healer and The Vampire Slayer."
"They told us that it's their mission to stop the vampires from attacking people." Misao joined in. "They are the only one who could kill vampires."
"They are not our enemies." Megumi added. "They are here to help."
"Good morning!" Chris appeared at the door.
"Good morning Chris-san." Kaoru greeted. She was really planning on talking to Chris about her fight with Taka.
Chris looked around, sensing that there was a serious discussion going on. "I'm sorry, I must've interrupted something. I just came to talk to Kaoru-san, Megumi-san and Misao-san."
Kaoru, Misao and Megumi stood up.
"Please excuse us." Megumi bow down and went to Kaoru's room with Misao and Kaoru.
After Chris and the three girls left, Sano voiced out his thoughts. "I don't know about you guys but I don't trust their secret meetings with that Chris guy. I smell something fishy."
Kenshin and Aoshi nodded both thinking the same thing.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru, Misao and Megumi informed Chris what happened yesterday evening. He was particularly concern about Kaoru's encounter with Taka than the police knowing about the vampires.
"He must one of the vampires the council told me about." Chris said.
"What did they say?" Misao asked.
Chris sighed, "They told me that a stronger vampires are existing to organize the welcoming back of their queen, Yue. Unfortunately, your daggers are no match for such vampires."
"I know. But –" Kaoru started but Chris raised his hand to stop her from continuing.
"There is still something that could help us. The council just discovered the Slayer's Sword. It's a powerful sword that could kill these powerful vampires even their queen. Only the Vampire Slayer could use it. The problem is the whereabouts of the sword. We only know that it is here in Japan."
"Great." Megumi muttered. "We have a solution but we cannot find it."
"I would try to ask my gang members if they know anything about it." Misao suggested.
Chris nodded, "That would be a lot of help. Let's just pray that we find it as soon as possible. Before these powerful vampires attack again."
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, inside the cave where Kaoru first met Taka is an entrance to the mansion hidden inside the mountain. The dark hallways only light are the candles that adorned the walls. This is where Taka lives with the other vampires. In a large room, an opened coffin is placed at the center. A beautiful young woman with long black hair lay inside wearing a white silk kimono.
Taka quietly watched the sleeping girl. "Wake up soon my queen. I already found out that the Slayer is not a threat. I've hurt her but you could break her more than I can, physically and emotionally."
To be continued…
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