Don't Play With Fire
-+Chapter Seven+-

Silence.

"Sanosuke Sagara?" Kaoru asked, clarifying if she heard the name right.

Sayo nodded, then held her breath as she watched them one by one, not knowing what to expect. In fact, she didn't even want to think of what to expect, in fear that her expectations would not be met. Her gaze never left the people who were supposed to be Sanosuke's friends… and after a few moments, she had the answer.

The redhead was in deep thought, and his gaze distant, as if he was trying to recall the specific name she had just given out. Yahiko was looking at his sensei for answers, the word "Who?" escaping his lips in a tone of absolute confusion. The expressions on Misao's face could not be sorted out at all. Kaoru, on the other hand, was shaking her head, and she was obviously bewildered.

At that, the Christian woman rose from her seat, her bodyguard rising shortly after. "I'm sorry for having disturbed you. Thank you very much for your time," she apologized with a bow. She then turned to her friend and nodded. "Shouzo, let's go."

"Wait!" the ninja called out, jumping up from her seat and grabbing Sayo's arm to pull her back. Shouzo immediately reacted to the threat, but Sayo held up her arm, signaling him to stop. "You called us over to simply ask us that question?! Listen, lady, I know who you are, and I won't let you get away without you telling us what's going on!"

"Misao---"

"You have no right to threaten Lady Magdalia!" Shouzo snapped angrily, glaring daggers at Misao who was only a short distance away from him. "She only wanted to ask about Sanosuke Sagara! Now would you please let us leave?!"

"Shouzo---"

However, she was a very stubborn young woman, and she was determined to find out what truly was happening. "If you were ordinary people I would let you leave right now. But no, you're not, so I won't let you leave until get answers! You," she pointed at Sayo, "You are Shougo Amakusa's sister. What would someone like you be doing at a place like this? Preparing for your Holy Crusade?"

"Yes, I am his sister," Sayo answered calmly, once again restraining Shouzo who was undeniably mad and ready to strangle Misao at that point. "But I did not come here for him. I came here at my own will, to find Sanosuke Sagara, and that is all."

Kaoru managed to say the next question before the hot-headed ninja could. "But why did you come to us? There are so many people you could go to, but why us?" she asked, glancing at Misao. "I believe that's what Misao is suspicious about, because your brother personally challenged Kenshin here to meet him at Shimabara."

"I am aware of that. I was with him when he gave Himura-san the challenge," the other woman replied, resting her gaze on Kenshin for a few moments before she looked back at Kaoru. "I don't really know how to explain it to you. It's… complicated. I thought you knew who Sanosuke Sagara was, that's why I approached you. But apparently I was wrong." She bowed once again. "We'll be taking our leave now. Thank you for your time."

The four silently followed Sayo and Shouzo with their gazes, and when they were out of sight, Misao turned to her friends and asked in a tone of disbelief, "Complicated? That's a very nice way to explain things!" She frowned. "She's hiding something and I know it."

Kaoru said, "What I want to know now is who that Sanosuke Sagara person is." She looked at her comrades one by one. "Why is it complicated for her to explain what's going on? Why did she think we know him? And how could someone be possibly connected to us and the Amakusas?"

"Whoever he is," Kenshin began, "he'll have a lot of explaining to do to her… and to us. If we find him, that is."