Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Rurouni Kenshin. They rightfully
belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki-sensei so don't sue a poor girl like me. I
wrote this stuff for entertainment purposes only.
Author's greetings: Hello! So, what do you think of Chapter 4? Did you review? Hope you did. I hope you'll like this chapter. So just read on and enjoy!
Rating: PG-13 (though ratings may vary as the plot unfolds)
Second Chance
Chapter V: Meeting Imizuki
A groan escaped Kenshin's throat. Even the slightest move seemed to kill him. Every muscle in his body felt useless. He forced himself to shift to his right side.
"Kenshin… " he heard her say.
Kenshin's eyelids fluttered open. He forced himself to smile up at her. "Kaoru-dono…" She was kneeling beside his futon, dressed in her usual night yukata.
Kaoru smiled back at him. *That SMILE. *
He forced himself to sit up. That's when he realized that his gi was missing.
"Daijobou des'ka, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked him sweetly, cocking her head to the side like a curious child.
Kenshin smiled slightly at her. "Daijobou des', Kaoru-dono…" he replied. He looked around the room. *Wait, this isn't my room… * He thought. It was quite plain. No furniture at all. "What time is it?" He asked her softly.
"It's already morning, Kenshin." She replied.
*Chotto matte. * He thought suddenly. *What is she doing with me in this room?! I have to ask her. What in the world happened? *
He shifted his attention back to her and eyed her suspiciously. "Are we in the Kamiya Dojo?"
Kaoru looked down to her hands, which was set on her lap. She didn't answer.
"Kaoru-dono?"
"Not exactly." She replied at last.
"Of course we aren't, ne…" Kenshin once again looked around his room, trying to figure out where in the world he was.
"Kenshin…?" He heard her say.
"Hmmm?" He replied without looking at her.
"Kenshin, I want to…" her voice trailed off.
Kenshin compelled himself to kneel and face her. "Hai? Is there anything you need, Kaoru-dono?"
In response, Kaoru began removing the tie of her yukata. Kenshin frowned faintly.
He turned his head and began getting up. "If you want to change, Kaoru- dono, I better leave the room." He was saying.
Just then, her delicate hands tugged gently on his hakama twice, stopping him from getting up. Kenshin sat down, quite impatiently. He never got impatient around any of his friends before, especially Kaoru-dono.
"What is it, Kaoru-dono?" He asked her. "And please, what are you doing inside my room?"
Kaoru smiled. Then she suddenly pressed herself against his bare chest. Kenshin began breathing heavily and nervously. He began moving away from her inch by inch, but she just kept moving closer and closer. He wanted to push her away but his hands seemed frozen.
Her smile became seductive all of a sudden. "Kenshin, love me…" she said softly to his ear.
Kenshin's eyes narrowed to tiny slits. *Who the hell is this woman? * He was now certain this isn't his Kaoru-dono. Compared to the Kaoru-dono he knew who was chaste and moderate, this slut is definitely dirty and wild.
Kenshin began to heat up that it melted the numbness of his hands. He pushed her away forcefully. "GET AWAY!" He stood up shakily and walked to the other side of the room… as far as possible from her and eyed her angrily. "Who are you?"
The woman stood up, walked towards him and stopped two feet away from him. She looked at him with this really worried look on her face. "Aren't you happy to see me?" She asked him desolately.
Kenshin kept his stare on her. "Who are you?"
The woman eyed him from head to toe. "You definitely aren't happy to see me, ne?" They stared at each other for several minutes in silence.
Finally, the woman let out a chuckle, then a hysterical laugh. Kenshin stared at her like as if she'd lost her mind. She covered her face with her right hand.
She took a transparent mask off her face. Kenshin gasped. She looked so much like Kaoru, except that she must be seven to eight years older than Kaoru though. The mask made it possible for her to look kind of young. And her hair is only two to three inches shorter than Kaoru's. She looked at him disdainfully.
"I thought she was your wife. But I was mistaken." She told him scornfully.
Kenshin's right eye blinked slightly in annoyance. "Who are you? What do you want?" Kenshin asked.
"You ask too many questions. But I'll answer them. I'm Takami Imizuki." She said.
Kenshin kept silent. *Takami Imizuki. Must be the daughter of the Takamigumi's daimyo. *
She laughed. "Nice to meet you too. Well… I sent for you. Forgive my loyal samurai, Shinru for being quite… impolite when he – fetched you." She smirked at him.
"A woman for a daimyo?!" Kenshin asked skeptically.
She laughed once again. "Why not?"
Kenshin remained doubtful. "Why did you pretend you were Kaoru-dono?"
"Oh… nothing. I just wanted to know what she was in your life. Shinru told me how you reacted when he used your Kaoru-dono as bait that I began thinking she was your sweetheart or something. But after what happened, I should say she was nothing to you." She shrugged the idea off. "But if she was something to you, I'd say you don't deserve her." Imizuki sneered at him.
Kenshin faced her squarely. "I may not deserve her… but I will protect her with my life. I promised her I'd be back."
Kenshin fell to his knees, grasping his belly. Imizuki had punched him there and her punch had been so strong for a woman her size.
"Bastard!" She shouted at him. "You promised her what?! Don't you understand, Battousai? The minute you agreed to come with Shinru three days ago, you have agreed to work with us! It seems you have not understood the consequences that will follow if you refuse."
Kenshin stared at the floor, still grasping his belly. "Enlighten me then. But tell you what. What I promised her is what I promised her."
"Stupid! Let me tell you one thing, Battousai. Promises? They're made to be broken. And what you promised that Kaoru-dono? You're just making her wait for nothing. She doesn't deserve some shit like you!" She turned her back and exited the room heatedly, leaving the auburn-haired man deep in thought.
@@@
*STUPID! * Hot tears welled up in Imizuki's eyes. *It's entirely his fault. Making a promise he can't fulfill. * She began walking briskly towards her room.
*Promises… what are they? They mean nothing at all. *
Ten years ago, when she was only sixteen, she remembered how she lost three of the most important men in her life: her father, her twin brother and her fiancée.
Takami Yoshiko was a powerful daimyo during the Bakumatsu, a true loyalist of the Tokugawa government. He had gone to Kyoto with his son, his daughter's fiancée and his student, Himitsu, to check up on their faction, which was situated there.
Unfortunately, Takami Yoshiko's group was attacked by a band of hitokiris and the only one who survived was Himitsu. According to Himitsu, Takami- sama had shielded him with his body that the hitokiris thought that he was dead himself. After the hitokiris left, Himitsu had hidden in a nearby village and had accompanied merchants traveling from Kyoto to Kamakura. Three days after Himitsu arrived in Kamakura and told his story to Imizuki, she sent a search party to Kyoto. They found three corpses in the woods, almost rotting. They brought it back to Kamakura and Imizuki ordered they should be buried with much reverence.
She mourned for days. Himitsu told her that the hitokiris who ambushed her father, brother and fiancée were from the Ishinshishi, who happened to have a faction at Kyoto too. From that day forth, she had etched in her mind only one thing: REVENGE. *They shall pay. * What she knew is that the death of her father was the final downfall of the Tokugawa government.
After finding out that Hitokiri Battousai presently lived in Tokyo, she made up her mind that using a true royalist of the restoration to bring down the present government was the major plan. *I didn't kidnap him; I just recruited him. Too bad for him… I immediately found his weakness. *
One thing she also got angry about is the promise her fiancée had made to her before they left for Kyoto. Hot tears began falling down her cheeks. *He promised to come back to me, to marry me, to love me. Where is he now? He made me wait for nothing… * She wiped the tears away from her eyes.
She suddenly turned around, sensing that somebody was behind her. "Any information, Shinru?" She faced her loyal samurai.
"Hai, Imizuki-sama. Two nights ago, I had ordered Himitsu to stay around the dojo to find out what Battousai's friends are planning to do. He found out that his woman had decided to bring the group out of Tokyo for a vacation. They planned to leave this morning." Shinru filled her in.
Imizuki smirked. "How lightly they're taking this, ne?" She crossed her arms across her chest and bit her lower lip. Shinru stared at her. "Where are they vacationing?"
"Imizuki-sama, I think that's the problem. Himitsu heard they're going… here, in Kamakura." He said.
She froze. Then a small smile formed in her lips. "Perfect."
TBC
Author's notes: I wasn't able to update earlier. Sorry. It's actually because only four guys reviewed and I was real sad. But I tried my best to drag myself to the computer and type like mad to finish this chapter. Tell me if you liked it, okay? Aishiteru.
Till next time.
REMINDER: PLEASE REVIEW, I'LL BE LOOKIN' FORWARD TO IT.
lieveit1 '^-^'
Author's greetings: Hello! So, what do you think of Chapter 4? Did you review? Hope you did. I hope you'll like this chapter. So just read on and enjoy!
Rating: PG-13 (though ratings may vary as the plot unfolds)
Second Chance
Chapter V: Meeting Imizuki
A groan escaped Kenshin's throat. Even the slightest move seemed to kill him. Every muscle in his body felt useless. He forced himself to shift to his right side.
"Kenshin… " he heard her say.
Kenshin's eyelids fluttered open. He forced himself to smile up at her. "Kaoru-dono…" She was kneeling beside his futon, dressed in her usual night yukata.
Kaoru smiled back at him. *That SMILE. *
He forced himself to sit up. That's when he realized that his gi was missing.
"Daijobou des'ka, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked him sweetly, cocking her head to the side like a curious child.
Kenshin smiled slightly at her. "Daijobou des', Kaoru-dono…" he replied. He looked around the room. *Wait, this isn't my room… * He thought. It was quite plain. No furniture at all. "What time is it?" He asked her softly.
"It's already morning, Kenshin." She replied.
*Chotto matte. * He thought suddenly. *What is she doing with me in this room?! I have to ask her. What in the world happened? *
He shifted his attention back to her and eyed her suspiciously. "Are we in the Kamiya Dojo?"
Kaoru looked down to her hands, which was set on her lap. She didn't answer.
"Kaoru-dono?"
"Not exactly." She replied at last.
"Of course we aren't, ne…" Kenshin once again looked around his room, trying to figure out where in the world he was.
"Kenshin…?" He heard her say.
"Hmmm?" He replied without looking at her.
"Kenshin, I want to…" her voice trailed off.
Kenshin compelled himself to kneel and face her. "Hai? Is there anything you need, Kaoru-dono?"
In response, Kaoru began removing the tie of her yukata. Kenshin frowned faintly.
He turned his head and began getting up. "If you want to change, Kaoru- dono, I better leave the room." He was saying.
Just then, her delicate hands tugged gently on his hakama twice, stopping him from getting up. Kenshin sat down, quite impatiently. He never got impatient around any of his friends before, especially Kaoru-dono.
"What is it, Kaoru-dono?" He asked her. "And please, what are you doing inside my room?"
Kaoru smiled. Then she suddenly pressed herself against his bare chest. Kenshin began breathing heavily and nervously. He began moving away from her inch by inch, but she just kept moving closer and closer. He wanted to push her away but his hands seemed frozen.
Her smile became seductive all of a sudden. "Kenshin, love me…" she said softly to his ear.
Kenshin's eyes narrowed to tiny slits. *Who the hell is this woman? * He was now certain this isn't his Kaoru-dono. Compared to the Kaoru-dono he knew who was chaste and moderate, this slut is definitely dirty and wild.
Kenshin began to heat up that it melted the numbness of his hands. He pushed her away forcefully. "GET AWAY!" He stood up shakily and walked to the other side of the room… as far as possible from her and eyed her angrily. "Who are you?"
The woman stood up, walked towards him and stopped two feet away from him. She looked at him with this really worried look on her face. "Aren't you happy to see me?" She asked him desolately.
Kenshin kept his stare on her. "Who are you?"
The woman eyed him from head to toe. "You definitely aren't happy to see me, ne?" They stared at each other for several minutes in silence.
Finally, the woman let out a chuckle, then a hysterical laugh. Kenshin stared at her like as if she'd lost her mind. She covered her face with her right hand.
She took a transparent mask off her face. Kenshin gasped. She looked so much like Kaoru, except that she must be seven to eight years older than Kaoru though. The mask made it possible for her to look kind of young. And her hair is only two to three inches shorter than Kaoru's. She looked at him disdainfully.
"I thought she was your wife. But I was mistaken." She told him scornfully.
Kenshin's right eye blinked slightly in annoyance. "Who are you? What do you want?" Kenshin asked.
"You ask too many questions. But I'll answer them. I'm Takami Imizuki." She said.
Kenshin kept silent. *Takami Imizuki. Must be the daughter of the Takamigumi's daimyo. *
She laughed. "Nice to meet you too. Well… I sent for you. Forgive my loyal samurai, Shinru for being quite… impolite when he – fetched you." She smirked at him.
"A woman for a daimyo?!" Kenshin asked skeptically.
She laughed once again. "Why not?"
Kenshin remained doubtful. "Why did you pretend you were Kaoru-dono?"
"Oh… nothing. I just wanted to know what she was in your life. Shinru told me how you reacted when he used your Kaoru-dono as bait that I began thinking she was your sweetheart or something. But after what happened, I should say she was nothing to you." She shrugged the idea off. "But if she was something to you, I'd say you don't deserve her." Imizuki sneered at him.
Kenshin faced her squarely. "I may not deserve her… but I will protect her with my life. I promised her I'd be back."
Kenshin fell to his knees, grasping his belly. Imizuki had punched him there and her punch had been so strong for a woman her size.
"Bastard!" She shouted at him. "You promised her what?! Don't you understand, Battousai? The minute you agreed to come with Shinru three days ago, you have agreed to work with us! It seems you have not understood the consequences that will follow if you refuse."
Kenshin stared at the floor, still grasping his belly. "Enlighten me then. But tell you what. What I promised her is what I promised her."
"Stupid! Let me tell you one thing, Battousai. Promises? They're made to be broken. And what you promised that Kaoru-dono? You're just making her wait for nothing. She doesn't deserve some shit like you!" She turned her back and exited the room heatedly, leaving the auburn-haired man deep in thought.
@@@
*STUPID! * Hot tears welled up in Imizuki's eyes. *It's entirely his fault. Making a promise he can't fulfill. * She began walking briskly towards her room.
*Promises… what are they? They mean nothing at all. *
Ten years ago, when she was only sixteen, she remembered how she lost three of the most important men in her life: her father, her twin brother and her fiancée.
Takami Yoshiko was a powerful daimyo during the Bakumatsu, a true loyalist of the Tokugawa government. He had gone to Kyoto with his son, his daughter's fiancée and his student, Himitsu, to check up on their faction, which was situated there.
Unfortunately, Takami Yoshiko's group was attacked by a band of hitokiris and the only one who survived was Himitsu. According to Himitsu, Takami- sama had shielded him with his body that the hitokiris thought that he was dead himself. After the hitokiris left, Himitsu had hidden in a nearby village and had accompanied merchants traveling from Kyoto to Kamakura. Three days after Himitsu arrived in Kamakura and told his story to Imizuki, she sent a search party to Kyoto. They found three corpses in the woods, almost rotting. They brought it back to Kamakura and Imizuki ordered they should be buried with much reverence.
She mourned for days. Himitsu told her that the hitokiris who ambushed her father, brother and fiancée were from the Ishinshishi, who happened to have a faction at Kyoto too. From that day forth, she had etched in her mind only one thing: REVENGE. *They shall pay. * What she knew is that the death of her father was the final downfall of the Tokugawa government.
After finding out that Hitokiri Battousai presently lived in Tokyo, she made up her mind that using a true royalist of the restoration to bring down the present government was the major plan. *I didn't kidnap him; I just recruited him. Too bad for him… I immediately found his weakness. *
One thing she also got angry about is the promise her fiancée had made to her before they left for Kyoto. Hot tears began falling down her cheeks. *He promised to come back to me, to marry me, to love me. Where is he now? He made me wait for nothing… * She wiped the tears away from her eyes.
She suddenly turned around, sensing that somebody was behind her. "Any information, Shinru?" She faced her loyal samurai.
"Hai, Imizuki-sama. Two nights ago, I had ordered Himitsu to stay around the dojo to find out what Battousai's friends are planning to do. He found out that his woman had decided to bring the group out of Tokyo for a vacation. They planned to leave this morning." Shinru filled her in.
Imizuki smirked. "How lightly they're taking this, ne?" She crossed her arms across her chest and bit her lower lip. Shinru stared at her. "Where are they vacationing?"
"Imizuki-sama, I think that's the problem. Himitsu heard they're going… here, in Kamakura." He said.
She froze. Then a small smile formed in her lips. "Perfect."
TBC
Author's notes: I wasn't able to update earlier. Sorry. It's actually because only four guys reviewed and I was real sad. But I tried my best to drag myself to the computer and type like mad to finish this chapter. Tell me if you liked it, okay? Aishiteru.
Till next time.
REMINDER: PLEASE REVIEW, I'LL BE LOOKIN' FORWARD TO IT.
lieveit1 '^-^'
