As a rule, everyone makes sure I own nothing that makes me money so I don't take over the world. I don't own RK.
Year: ??
Ixil moved forward as if to warn Kaoru, or jump into the pool to shield her, but the mouse man stopped him quickly. Ixil protested, "But I might want her!"
"Don't worry! I told you she was good… watch."
Kaoru waited until the last second to dodge, so that the person couldn't pull back their hit with the heavy nun chucks. They hit the bed she had wept on so hard that they made a small hole.
Quickly Kaoru rolled and used her upper body strength to bound to her legs fluidly. Another glance to the right and the left, and her long wooden candleholder became her primary weapon.
Her opponent was heavily clad in a dark blue cloak that draped over his body and partly covered one eye and the bottom half of the face. She concluded that this person had something to hide about their looks and watched for a weakness in the form of disability or sight. They measured each other up and adjusted footing before the next attack.
The opponent was good… Kaoru could tell, but she knew that she was better. This person left too many openings when he lunged, which was what the next attack proved. The mystery person lunged with a very powerful swing. Kaoru held up her staff horizontally and stepped back, expecting it to break, which it did immediately. Because of all the force put into the blow the person followed through with the swing and stumbled slightly, wide open.
Kaoru used her left hand, with the more conveniently placed stick, to step into her harmless and open fallen attacker and deal a blow to the gut. She felt as the air escaped from her attacker's body and the person was pushed back by her own attack, tripped over the elaborate robe, and fell in his ass.
While the person struggled to regain his breath, and coughed, Kaoru allowed herself to stand over him and indulge in playing cop. "Well, just what might you be hiding, ne?" With a sweep of her hand and back she took the cloak in her hand and yanked.
She wasn't really very surprised to see that her pain-in-the-ass attacker was a woman. In fact, it should be expected, and besides, Kaoru was in disguise as a man as well. Her attacker made to protest the removal of the cloak, or perhaps bitch about it, but either didn't have the air, or thought better of it.
Instead Kaoru received a hate-filled leer, and a chide, "If you want to die so much, why didn't you just let me kill you, I'd be happy to do it!"
Kaoru almost blushed in embarrassment that this girl had caught her sobbing weakly about her desire for death. "Thank you, and I'm sure you mean well," she added sarcastically, "but no. I think I'd rather die by my own hand, when I see fit."
"All you have to do is call."
"Who says you'll be alive when I'm ready to die?"
"A little bird told me you were attacking the pirates, which entails death and torture, how do you feel about torture? No extra charge."
"Maybe I'll keep you as my jester."
"Maybe you'll eat those words." Shura had been buying time to get her breath back and presently swept her foot around the back of Kaoru's knee and they both fell in the process. Kaoru heard a crack and needed to reorient herself through the stinging pain in the back of her head before she could think to block oncoming nun chucks by making her two sticks an X above her.
Shura lost that battle of strength and power, but had the overall advantage of movement. She was standing above Kaoru, inhibiting her movement with her two feet placed on either side of the fallen girl. She dislodged the nun chucks and prepared another swing.
Unfortunately for her, that preparation left her wide open for a stick to crack wickedly against her kneecap. White flashed before her eyes and she yelled in pain as she collapsed and was pushed to the side.
Kaoru plodded her way to her feet dizzily and looked down at Shura with some pity, but apprehension. She hadn't wanted to injure her in such a painful and crippling way, but she was left with no choice: it was either that, or have a really "neat-looking" hole in her head in the shape of a nun chuck.
First things first, "Why have you tried to kill me?"
Shura's eyes gleamed with determination, and all too present hurt. "No matter what they say- my father started the pirating business, and when he died it became my responsibility to keep everyone in line but-" She seemed to consider whether or not she was going to say anything.
"If you don't tell me, you will have to die," Kaoru responded with the honest truth flatly, and not wanting to hear herself say it.
Shura gathered her breath and spat out, "-But I was a bad leader, and Genji took over. In a way its partly my fault that the business is being handled despicably- which makes it even more my responsibility to kill you. I know you're planning to take us over, and I might not lead us, but I know that as long as its my people at the wheel there's hope I can turn them around and reclaim out respect. I won't let someone like you destroy what we have left."
Kaoru was shocked, and tried not to show it, but failed. Ironic, we have the same goals… ironic and a pity. "You should give up your pretense that everyone will be willing to follow you without a drug profit," she repeated the words she had had to drill into her head to carry through with her plans. If she didn't believe those words, she wouldn't have come as far as she did, or stooped as low as she did, and she knew that if she ever stopped believing in those words… she really would kill herself.
Shura was too shocked and offended to speak for the moment.
"I don't want to kill you, I just… don't know what else to do with you," Kaoru gave her a sideways glance that was immediately misinterpreted.
"Don't lay a hand on me you despicable evil scum!"
At first Kaoru was taken aback, then she was angry at the name calling that was striking cords in her that screamed they were the truth, but her third reaction, and the one that showed, was to laugh out loud.
Hahahahahaha! She thinks I'm a boy! I forgot! Haha!
Shura only gave her a strange look, as if she was insane. This made Kaoru sober, and she became serious toned. "Anata no onamae wa?"
"Shura…"
"Shura-san, I think I have found a way around killing you for your attempted assassination. You are now my personal servant, and I am your mentor, got that?" Kaoru crossed her arms and looked down at her "student".
"No way! I'll never settle for being a servant, and I absolutely refuse to do whatever you say! You have nothing to teach me and I'll never work for the likes of you!"
"Jeez, can somebody say, 'thinly-veiled-mercy'?" Ixil commented.
"Yeah, get a mitt and catch a clue!"
Normally, or, well, "normally" Kaoru would have argued with Shura about her insults, but nowadays she knew that they were true, and no one with a conscience would work for her. That knowledge was what allowed her to keep her precariously balanced temper. "Shura-san," she addressed through clenched teeth, "It's the best I can do." Her voice changed pitch to show her anger quite nicely.
Shura had been revolted at the thought… but now that she thought about it, this woman had no need for her as a servant, she was much better than Shura and could help the younger improve her skill, and she was showing the slightest chance of having sense beyond greed, and mercy. Shura started to reconsider, and really, all she needed was something to tip the scale…
"Do you want to die, Shura-san?"
"Konban wa Sensei!"
"Aw, what a heartwarming scene. I'm not sure I can stand it! But I'm thinking, I definitely want to keep that Kaoru in mind, can you bookmark it?"
The rat-boy looked around and pulled down a mic from his station, "Bookmark Case: 0116572. I thought this would be one of your main choices."
"Yes, well, as time progressed, it was easier to see that she held many of the traits that the original does- did- does. Where's Sano?"
"Just another bitter gangster. I bet you 10 schigs that he and Kaoru get together in this universe."
"No way… I'll take that bet." Ixil handed him 10 chigs.
The money was pocketed, "Look at it this way, with him being a very powerful gangster, and her in the position that she is, they are very likely to meet. And you've seen plenty of clips of their life, as well as Sano's reaction to her death, they could very much so could have been a great pair… if Kenshin hadn't been around, which he isn't here. And they both have good hearts."
"You're a fool, mouse. Sano never was very well tempered about loosing people, he holds grudges, he wanted revenge, and he acted as he always acted: like Kaoru was his sister. Had he lost his sister the reaction would have been the same, what made is worse than the others (besides Kenshin) was probably Kenshin's reaction. I think its more like if Kaoru didn't exist, Kenshin and Sano might have had something."
There was a long pause…
"You kid, right?" the mouse man asked.
Ixil paused for effect, "Yea… like that would ever happen!" Then the two had a good laugh at the very idea that Kenshin and Sano would ever be gay… and together.
"Speaking of Sanosuke… I need to find one of those…"
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And that is as far as I indulge myself in this fic… I got no returns on the first chapter, and I don't really feel like writing more right now, so I am content to say that I will post this, and if people want me to continue it, I will, if not, I can live without writing it, and that's that. ^.^ Read Kenshin in Space, and oh, www.megatokyo.com the fact that I'm going to Otakon has revived my love for this comic ^.^
-MJb
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