Depend On You
by Hotaru
Author's Notes: Hi guys, here I am again for the next chappie!!! Sorry about the other chapter which was not intended as a repost of "Dangerous Minds." Got careless uploading what was supposed to be the replacement of that chapter, hence the duplication.
Also, I want to apologize to Jason M. Lee and Akai Kitsune. Yeah, I'm paranoid, as my e-mail shows (if you didn't receive it, well, so much the better!!!) I actually thought I lost my chapter—geez, shoot me and put me out of my misery!!!—which really got me depressed yesterday, hence the late update.
By the way, I also like to thank my reviewers, namely Nightrain (yeah, I've read Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lackey ten years ago, and the mind stuff did sort of rub off), J, lere, SiLvEr_iris, Ann, Sandy ^_^, Ichigo-kun, Jason M. Lee, kyanos, Akai Kitsune, Linay, and Kyaa-Kyaff. If there's anyone I didn't mention, please wait for the next update, I'm sure you'd find my feedback to your review there. ^_*
Oh, and the details of my heartfelt gratitude and comments to these people will be found at the end of the chapter, so please read on!!!
Now, where was I? Oh yeah, disclaimer and stuff.
Disclaimer: I don't own RRK, and never will. (Aaarrrgh!!!! Just threw a grenade at Sony!!!!)
Ratings: PG 13. Lemons? Not in this chapter, not yet at least. Too early for that, (He he he... this perv likes to keep you in suspense!!!)
Chapter 5: Surreal
Her hand clutches his nape
Like a dead swan
Limp and frail against
Cold skin.
He turns
She looks
Broken glass.
She sees a reflection
On broken glass
On eyes that held
Another's reflection
. . . . . . . . . .
Kenshin felt panic crushing his lungs as he forced his legs to move, training his senses to find a trail, a sign, a hint that the girl was still within the perimeter he had been surveying with agile, hawk-like scrutiny. He hadn't planned on becoming someone's babysitter, but it seems Fate has yet found another way to mock his ego.
He stopped, as the wind carried an unconscious trace of feminine scent to his nostrils. There had yet been no significant interaction between himself and the girl, and yet he had begun to be sensitive to things around her, such as her scent...
Jasmine? he thought hazily, brushing aside the unwanted evidence of his familiarity with the girl, who was a complete stranger to him until the moment their eyes met in the middle of his duel with Enishi. Almost, he could feel a tinge of guilt, knowing that since he had entered the underground military facility, he had only become aware of her gnawing presence, had tried to shake his awareness of her out of his mind by even avoiding to as much as look at her—unnecessarily, that is. Of course, he only knew too well the source of that slight hesitation, and felt a stirring in his chest as his thoughts began to focus on the image of a tall, elegant woman in a gray and white suit and tie, dark eyes hiding beneath uneven layers of smooth, coal-black hair framing a delicate, heart-shaped face ...
After what I did, Tomoe must hate me now... Utterly and irrevocably hate me—just as much as I hate myself for making that possible...
He looked down at his hands, curling it into a fist.
This is all a mistake... Maybe I shouldn't have—
Something in the wind warned him like an unconscious compulsion, breaking his thoughts and forcing him to look deeper into the darkness...
The air vibrated with a strange, pulsating energy, much like a wave spiraling towards a vacuous core...
He raced towards the darkness, his heart throbbing heavily like hard rain against wood.
. . . . . . . . . .
"Himura what?"
"Kenshin Himura."
The man's lips curled into a thin smile. Of course, his expression was lost on her.
"So as it turns out, this is not just a friendly call is it, Megumi babe?"
She breathed a soft curse into his ear, the receiver resting between her shoulder and chin as her brows furrowed in scarlet indignation. "Let me get this straight, you perv!!! First of all, we're NOT friends, and I'm definitely NOT your babe—not in a million reincarnations, get that??? In fact, if I weren't so desperate, I wouldn't even ask YOU to do this for me, Mr. Sanosuke Sagara!!!"
"Hey, hey, where d'you get off calling me that? Only my mother calls me Sanosuke."
"Fine then, Mr. Pig-headed Twerp!!!!"
"Twerp?" he scratched his head. "Wuz that supposed to mean?"
Megumi rolled her eyes. "Never mind. What I'd like to know is if you're up to it. You have all the files of the bureau, and anything else that's not there, well, must be somewhere, right?"
Sano took in the slight, sultry innuendo in her voice and grinned. "You want me to hack their computers ya mean..."
"Why, I've never said such a thing my lovely man, have I?"
Lovely man??? He knew she was playing a dangerous game with him.
"Of course you won't. It's the sort of thing that gets people in jail, right? And you're not willing to go to jail for this, are you?"
"What's the point of asking that?"
"Hell, if this is not worth risking your pretty little head, then don't do it. And I ain't gonna help you put yourself in jail, Takani, even if just the two of us in there is bound to be more than interesting..."
She snorted. "You're sick, Sagara, that's what you are."
"So, is this conversation over?"
"The moment you say yes, it is," she promptly answered, the command in her voice more serious and forceful this time.
He shrugged. "And what do I get from all this trouble, may I ask? You didn't actually think I'd be so noble as to volunteer my services, do you? Even the Vatican ain't that charitable..."
"I had hopes."
"I had my own too."
"Get to your point Sagara!!! All this talk is a waste of my sweet precious breath..."
"Hell, your sweet precious breath is all I need to keep the deal."
"You mean a date? Are you serious?"
"How about sex?"
She heard the hoot of laughter on the other end of the line, making her blush.
"You're really such a fucking asshole, you know that???"
"Hey, so long as I have a hole to do that in..."
"The deal Sagara, before I lose my sanity and kill you!!!!"
"Okay, okay, we have a deal, Miss Megumi Takani. I'll pick you up at eight."
"What do you mean?" She was utterly confused now, her brows raised.
"C'mon, can't I give my clients some incentive at least? Consider it a bonus."
Megumi fumed. "I'm going."
"Bye then, Takani. Remember. Eight o'clock. And wear something earth-shaking. I do love to see those panty lines, ya know..."
She hung up.
. . . . . . . . . .
Panty lines, my behind. The only thing you're gonna see in me is my fist in your gut, you horse shit!!!
Her expression was tightly controlled as Sanosuke led her to a red BMW, his face all smiles and god-knows-what lurking in his imagination...
She turned her eyes away from him as soon as she sat on the seat next to him.
"Oh, let me, Miss Takani.... It would be such a pleasure, believe me..."
She clenched her teeth as Sano fingered the seatbelt and secured it ever so tightly around her waist, his hands lingering on the bodice of her tight-fitting red evening dress.
She slapped his hand away, scowling at the sound of his playful laughter.
"I think you should keep your eyes on the road if you want this evening to have a future..."
He grinned. "If we die together, you'll take me with you to heaven, won't you Takani?"
It was Megumi's turn to grin. "Why yes, so I can shut the door to your face."
He laughed with her this time, pausing as they both fell silent after a while.
The road was smooth, and there are but a few cars that could possibly delay them from reaching their destination. Sanosuke sighed.
"Hmmm??? For a pea-brain, you seem to have a lot on your mind..."
He looked at her sideways, his face thoughtful, the smile completely gone. She had to gaze at him to make sure that she was still seated beside the same person.
Did he give me that look just now?
"Megumi..."
She turned to him, intrigued all of a sudden. He had never, after all, addressed her in such a calm, soothing voice before.
A voice filled with honest concern as well...
"What is it, Sagara? You look like someone who's gonna be hanged first thing at dawn!!!"
Her laughter died quickly when he turned to face her abruptly, his brown eyes shimmering, their lazy depths surfacing like a wave pushing against itself...
"Take my advice, Takani. Stay away from Himura's business, if you don't want to regret anything more than this date..."
. . . . . . . . . .
What's wrong with me...? Kaoru asked, eyes closed, groping in the dark as she slipped from one shadow into the next, her hands grasping anything it could find to steady herself. Getting away from the Battousai wasn't easy. He had speed, agility, and almost as sensitive a ki as hers that would enable him to identify her presence at least twenty meters away. In fact, in her state, she can't even afford to put that much distance between them. No, that would be impossible, as she crumpled to her knees, her breathing labored and heavy. She had opted to put her mental deflector shields up to keep him from tracing her ki with his own, but with the heavy throbbing in her head resuming with full force, she doubted whether those shields can keep him out for long.
Thinking about it now, she could only wonder at the impulse that had overtaken her a few minutes ago—the impulse that told her to stay away from the Battousai and hide. She couldn't understand it altogether. Last night, she dreamt that he was with her, holding her with his eyes, telling her not to let go...But now that he was actually with her, her immediate impulse was to flee and never see him again...
It was all confusing. She grasped her head between her thighs, the strength of the throbbing becoming more intense, twisting her insides until she was almost ready to vomit.
It was then that a powerful arm grabbed her wrist, forcing her up before she could even see behind the hooded eyes that glowered at her futile struggle...
. . . . . . . . . .
Kenshin scanned the vicinity, scowling as the scent of heavy perfume drowned all memory of the trace he had been following until now. The pub was big—extraordinarily huge and well lit, yet, dim and eery, as dancers slithered on a center stage, their calves, breasts, and midriffs showing. It was an underground joint, that much he could see, and it was not unfamiliar. Most of his missions required stealth and suspense, and while, he targeted mostly big-time politicians and syndicates, he knew that no scum could resist a night of wanton pleasure and abandon, making them helpless targets in places such as these, where distractions come so easily.
The seduction of lust... he thought to himself, glaring at a woman who snaked her arm around his neck, almost making him jump—mentally at least. He gave her a cold stare that could have frozen a lake. "Excuse me, but I already have a table..."
She quickly withdrew her hand, pouting as she did. "Why is it that all good guys are already taken?"
He ignored that, moving deeper into the bodies that have begun to collect around the stage, in a massive orgy of lust and obsessive hunger...
She's got to be here somewhere...
He stopped, closed his eyes, and tried to concentrate. The thread of energy was so weak, almost imperceptible, but coming out strong before totally dissipating. The fluctuations were driving him insane, the shockwaves coming to him in measured beats, crashing into his senses like waves stirring and churning the depths of his consciousness.
The irregularity was nauseating, but that was far from his thoughts.
He flexed his hand, his guts telling him something he'd rather push away.
She was in danger.
Because he felt exactly the same way when the man in the alley assaulted her.
If the ribbon of energy indeed, was her signature, it would be a signal that someone, or something was nearby—a potential threat that the girl can attack in self-defense.
And what if the attacker this time is a real threat? Not some nameless scum in a filthy alley, but an armed man?
Make that armed men…
He grasped the hilt of his sword tightly, eyes narrowed as he scanned the room for any face that might be familiar or suspicious…
Then something—or someone bumped his shoulder, collapsing against his torso as he turned rather irritatingly, to see what it was.
"Hey, I told you I had nothing to do with it!!!" the girl—well she looked like one anyway—screamed, pushing herself away from him without even looking.
A man grabbed her collar, shoving her back to the floor even as she struggled to get up. Around them, dancing couples simply moved to make way for them, not in the least curious as to what the commotion was about.
"Look, you do that again and I'll—"
"You'd do what with your puny ass? Ever since you came, we've been losing recruits!!!! I don't even know what the boss sees in you to let you stay here longer, you worthless fuck!!!"
The girl's eyes blazed, blue flames sparking her irises when she stood up and did the unexpected...
Kenshin watched, amused and amazed as the man grabbed his stomach, yelping in pain at the kick that connected with his manhood without warning.
"You watch your mouth, acid breath!!!" she screeched, gritting her teeth. "If you think I'm gonna stand and get screwed by filthy muck like you, well, I won't so you can shove your ass down your throat, you fuckin' slime hole!!! And don't think that just because I let you scream at me you can call me names!!!!"
Kenshin raised an eyebrow, counting all her cuss words. She sure is as wordy as I am...which makes me wonder if...
She turned to him, obviously noticing that she got his attention.
Kenshin met her gaze without hesitation, trying to grasp the uncanny familiarity of her posture.
"And what the fucking hell are you looking at, carrot head???!!!! You some perv who wants your ass licked too???"
Oro!!!
He did not flinch though as her blue green eyes—large orbs that they were and full of strength and spirit—bore into his, laced with a familiar trace of energy he could only, barely, recall.
He was almost certain about it...but then again, a far more urgent compulsion was swaying him, making it difficult for him to concentrate on anything else.
Gomen, Makimachi Misao, demo, I can't stay for a chat...
Kenshin shrugged, turning to leave.
"Hey!!! You lost your tongue or something??? Don't you dare turn your back on me you shit-face!!!!"
Shit-face? Now THAT is amusing. Almost cute in fact.
He turned, his purple gaze resting on her defiant stare.
She stared back haughtily, challenging him to respond.
He turned away, but didn't move.
"You DARE turn your back on me cause I'm a girl??? I can also play hooky you know!!!" her teeth grated, insulting and taunting his ego.
He looked back over his shoulder, this time purple irises narrowing in warning.
"I really have no time for games like these, little miss, so if you'd be so kind as to excuse this shit-face, I'd be more than happy to leave."
She froze, the speech pattern forcing her to recognize an irrevocable truth...
If not for the long red hair which used to be a short crop of chestnut brown, and that cross-scar on the cheek, she would have immediately recognized the young man she had known so long ago... the young man her father introduced to her, when an old friend came to visit. Who was it again? Oh yes, Admiral Hiko—her uncle Seijuro Hiko, the former Secretary of Defense...
She looked deeply into him, wondering why the man seemed indifferent, betraying not the slightest hint of recognition.
Somewhere in the depths of her childhood, an innocent smiled flashed, sadness lurking beneath purple depths.
The physical alterations may be deceiving, but some things, Shinta, can never change...
"That katana..." she began in an ice-clear voice that feigned harshness, eyes reverting to the sheath attached to the raven-clad warrior's belt. "You sure look stupid brandishing that around when guns these days are faster, smarter, and would look better on you."
Kenshin brushed the compliment aside. So, you've noticed, Makimachi-san... Demo, should I question that assumption or let it stay? It would not be to anyone's advantage if our covers are blown. And General Makimachi would turn in his grave if I put you in any danger...
"Hey, aren't you gonna say anything to that?"
He stopped but didn't look this time.
"Killing shouldn't be so easy..."
"What's that?"
"Go figure."
He then resumed his pace, this time ignoring her protests completely.
. . . . . . . . . .
Kaoru had grown accustomed to the darkness since she was seven when they had strapped her to a bed for two weeks, wires and electrodes trailing on her arms and legs. At that time, she had lied to her father about summer camp, everybody taking pains to hide the truth from the man who was supposed to know everything.
Maybe not everything really. She had been in and out of the military research laboratories since then, but not once had her father suspected anything irregular about her activities—her kendo training which went on everyday to hide the fact that some of these weren't really intended for kendo—the anemia which she developed after the tests and which gave the doctors an even better excuse to keep her in bed so they can run their tests indiscriminately, as well as the weekends she would spend with her tutors all day—tutors who drilled her, trained her on a variety of tasks which bear little resemblance to things that normal kids her age do in school...
In other words, she grew up a freak right under the nose of the dearest person to her in the world who will be the last to tolerate her inhumane upbringing...
The worst is, she voluntarily lied to him... because she believed it was for the best.
Now, she no longer have any care what that meant.
The best.
For who?
It didn't make sense. Suffering didn't make sense, when made in the name of the faceless many.
But they aren't faceless. She knew each and every one of them, some even by name...
The people she wanted to protect...
The people who called out to her in those countless nightmares...
One of them had amber eyes...
Don't let go...
She thought of all those children who, like her, carried the potential... who could have lived normal lives if their minds were left unexplored, their gifts untapped...
She closed her eyes, hearing the words that etched themselves in her memory. It was too late to save any of them... too late because the shields were too good, too strong for any of her kind, and before she even detected that such an experimental pre-cog facility existed, too many had already died...
Too many lives wasted, thrown into a maze of insanity when minds were forced to open like that, burned and seared with waves upon waves of electricity that only raw emotions, when drawn violently from within, can generate.
She felt, rather than saw the torture they went through, the same torture they forced on her to determine her limits.
Only one survived that torture... only one was able to escape because she wouldn't let him go...
Unlike the others, he was able to control the insanity, able to channel it into a dangerous advantage...
Unlike the others, he survived the madness... or perhaps it was the madness of the world that allowed him to survive...
The girl could only wonder at what Battousai might feel if he knew all the facts.
If he knew what other things she had actually done and made him do, if only to pay the price of his sanity...
There was a commotion outside the room, and the door burst open, surprising her completely as the darkness gave way to amber...
He stood there in front of her, feet apart, katana in hand, eyes blinking back the darkness as he eagerly searched the room for her presence.
She struggled to stand up, knees buckling beneath her, as her hands slipped from the railing she had grasped for support.
In the next second, he was there beside her, holding her by the waist, eyes reverting back to their deepest purple.
"How did you get here?" he asked, eyes searching her face for answers.
It was a simple question.
She bowed down, unwilling to let him see her guilt.
"I..."
"Yes?"
The question was not for her, but for the figures blocking the doorway, guns ready...
"Take your hands off our property!!!!" one man cried out.
She felt his hand curl tighter around her waist.
"YOUR property?"
As if to emphasize his point, he lifted the girl off her feet and onto his shoulder, his other hand still on the katana, his eyes not leaving the heavily-armed men scowling at him.
She gasped with surprise, Kenshin looking up at her, their attackers momentarily forgotten.
"Are you hurt?"
His voice was etched with worry, his hands feeling lighter on her waist.
If it was a smile, it was a poor attempt, but she smiled anyway.
"I'm alright, Kenshin..."
His eyes widened slightly at that, acknowledging the first time she uttered his name—the name she had used in place of Battousai...
He wondered if the change held any meaning, but pushed the thought away, as the glint of metal drew his attention.
He nodded to her, then looked away, his eyes once more turning into slits of amber.
"I don't think we have any choice for now but to run..."
W--we???
This was the first time they had any real conversation, but already, their togetherness felt uncanny... surreal...
She would have allowed her thoughts to drift farther away, when gunshots filled the room, echoing distantly in her ear.
. . . . . . . . . .
Author's comments:
This story is kinda slow, I know, and though no one yet had commented on the slowness, I want you to know that I REALLY like to get Kenshin's butt moving, I mean, even I think he's SOOOO wordy, and SOOOO brooding. I want more action, but had to take care of a lot of stuff that you guys might need to understand half of what's going on. I need to get that out of the way, before the complications start piling up because there're a lot more to come.
About Kaoru, well, she's still a little shaken, and will definitely be more moody in the next chapters, so please be patient. Don't mistake her passiveness though, for feminine weakness (Hey, in my fic, there's none of those 'take me into your arms' kind of scenes. Kaoru will NOT collapse in anyone's arms, because she's not THAT kind!!! She WILL stand up on her own two feet, even if she loses both, and if Kenshin decides to ever take her, well, that's HIS decision. Sorry for the Kagome fans of Inuyasha out there but that's an important difference between these two characters—Kagome can be so possessive she'd wish Kikyo out of the way for good, can fight bravely one moment, only to come up to her man to tell him she was "so afraid" and, much worse, can do, and in fact, did stupid things to make him worry. THAT is so un-Kaoru. Even if Kaoru did get jealous of Megumi (hey, the woman can be so bitchy sometimes), she had always respected Kenshin's feelings for Tomoe. And about the worrying part, yes, even if Kenshin does worry about her, Kaoru never deliberately tried to make him so. Okay, I'm babbling, make me stop, I'm an Inuyasha fan but I have my reasons for liking one character more than the other, even if from my own limited perspective. Which is why I'm writing for RRK, rather than Inuyasha...isn't that obvious??? ^_^) Anyway, as for this fic, I'll try to put in something to bring out the potential in Kaoru's character, which I think was not sufficiently explored in the manga and the TV series.
Yeah, yeah, guilt is such a pain, and Kaoru has tons of them. Will say more about that next time.
My thanks, by the way, to the following people who continue to inspire sessha:
Akai Kitsune: Yeah, thanks 4 the review!!! Glad you stopped me from flaming this one (hides the flame thrower behind her back). I'll get Kenshin's butt moving in the next few chapters. Here, you don't see much action because it's too soon to have the complications out. And Kenshin's always SO tense. Wish he can be macho here, but I'd hate that (even if I promised an OOC thingie for the fic) because his divine shyness is so appealing!!!! (Blushes ^_^ waahhh!!!!!)
Nightrain: You read Mercedes Lackey? I stopped at "Magic's Pawn" because I got so obssessed with the male-to-male pairing it almost became my standard for romance!!! (Hey, nothing wrong with male-to-male pairings, but to be tied up with just that is just as bad as accepting the reverse--that heterosexual coupling should be the standard, when love does transcend gender and sex... (Somebody just threw a tomato at me!!! Waaahhhh!!!!))
J: How will I manage a K&K pairing here? Go fig, but one thing's for sure—I won't kill Tomoe just to make that possible. Then again... they can end up together too... he, he, he got you there!!!! Please don't stop sending your reviews!!!
lere: You're too kind for this world!!! I'm personally devoting my work to you...
Ichigo-kun: Thanks, but you're much more cool than this fic, sending me a review and all. It makes me smile to know you're out there reading sessha's work...
SiLvEr_iris: I speak Tagalog, since you asked, and I think Linay's "Broken Pieces" is just amazing!!! I really love her writing. Also, thanks for regarding me as one of the best!!! Sessha doesn't deserve it, but it'll make him/her do wonders for this fic—I hope!!! Please keep reviewing and send in your suggestions!!!! ^_^
Ann: Kaoru's been captured by members of the syndicate running the joint where Kenshin later found himself, and Misao. I didn't mention a lot of details about that here, because that's part of the mystery of Misao's involvement in this fic. Oh, and Shinomori will make appearances soon, in connection with Saitoh's curiosity about his work, and something more...
Thanks for the review, and keep on reading!!! ^_^
Sandy: Yeah, Tomoe's so damn obsessive—and as I've explained, it's part of her character in the OAV. Kaoru's love for Kenshin may be just as intense as Tomoe's love for Akira, but can you imagine her actually doing something to kill someone who had killed her beloved? No. Tomoe has her strengths, though I think it is this dimension of hers which—though Kenshin wouldn't admit it bec. he's too kind—puts Kaoru slightly above her. You know what I mean, K&K forever!!!!
kyanos: I won't stop thanking readers like you. You're just so wonderful to me!!! Thanks a million!!!
Jason M. Lee: Please don't be TOO disappointed. It breaks my heart—err...ego. The repost was not intended to confuse readers... I was just too panicky the other day. Will try not to be a first-class klutz next time!!! (How about a second class klutz??? Nah!!!) Thanks for always being there!!!!
Kyaa-Kyaff: I will always be your humble servant. Sessha will always appreciate everything you've done to make this fic possible. Thanks!!!
For the rest of you out there, I'll send my comments on your reviews in the next update. Sayonara for now and enjoy the weekend!!!