By lunchtime, however, Tsubame had not yet shown and Tae had had to stop
Yahiko from checking up on her by telling him it was rude. She assured him
she was all right. Sanosuke walked in and Yahiko immediately ran to him.
"Have you seen Tsubame-chan?" he asked desperately. He doubted Sano would
know, but it felt better top ask.
Sano looked down at him and laughed at his concern. Yahiko scowled.
"Don't worry Yahiko-chan. Tsubame-chan, Megumi-koi, and Kaoru-san went on
a Girls Day Out. Your sweet little girlfriend is perfectly safe." Tae
giggled and Yahiko blushed furiously.
"She's. Not. My. Girlfriend." He stated clearly, his face the color of a
beet. Sano laughed and Tae giggled even more but they didn't contradict
him.
"Got it!" There was a nail on the back of the pole that Megumi, Kaoru, and Tsubame were tied to. Megumi had been sawing at it with her rope bonds for the past hour or two. All her work had finally paid off. She stood up, rubbing her wrists where the rope had cut in. At Kaoru and Tsubame's impatient looks, she untied their bonds and they all stood up. "Thanks, Megumi-san!" chorused Kaoru and Tsubame. They smiled and Megumi smirked. "I'm so smart, aren't I? You must admit," she giggled, "Ohohohohohoho!" A pair of tan fox ears popped up in her hair as she placed her hand upon her cheek, next to her mouth that was laughing oh so strangely. Tsubame looked slightly taken aback by her.fox-like behaviour, while Kaoru just looked disapprovingly at her. Suddenly, the door crashed open and two men stood in the doorway, each brandishing a bokken, poised to strike. Kaoru and Megumi instinctively placed themselves firmly in front of Tsubame, blocking her from view. The man on the left smirked, "I see you've freed yourselves. Very clever. But you won't escape." He laughed evilly and started forward. His partner followed suit. Megumi and Kaoru were smashed on the shoulder at the same time. Their cries of pain filled the small cabin. The man on the right brought Megumi down and she lay on the floor, unable to move for pain. He then lunged at Tsubame, who jumped back into the corner and began to cower in fear. After beating her mercilessly, he left, slamming the door behind him. His partner, however, remained, but did not beat Kaoru as badly as his companion had beaten Megumi and Tsubame. Instead, he pushed her backwards until she was against the wall. Then, lifted her shirt to expose her belly and stared at it. "You're pregnant." Kaoru did not like the look he had after realizing this. He let her shirt fall back down and stared at her eyes for a moment. "You have beautiful eyes, you know. Very beautiful." Megumi and Tsubame had fallen unconscious, unfortunately for Kaoru. The man then did the unthinkable. He leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. At first, he did it softly, but it soon escalated into a full-fledged, but one-sided kiss. Kaoru struggled, but the man was strong. He pushed his body against hers and wrapped his arms around her expanded waist. She struggled as hard as she could to escape, but to no avail. The man then forced her mouth open and flicked his tongue inside. Kaoru widened her eyes and bit down, hard. The man yelped, but did not remove his mouth, instead, merely pulling his tongue back into his own mouth. He glared at her and began to kiss her fiercely, as if in punishment. Finally, he pulled his lips away from hers and smirked. "Why didn't you kiss back? It would have been such a deep and lovely kiss if you had." In reply, Kaoru kicked him, hard, right in the knee. He collapsed and snarled up at her. She scowled down at him. The door opened again, and the man scrambled to his feet. He turned and looked at his companion. "I finished the corpses. Everything is going according to plan." The man smirked in pride and left when the man by Kaoru nodded. "What's your name?" Kaoru spat. The man faced her and opened his mouth. "Jira." He said no more, as Kaoru's eyes glittered in hate.
Back at the dojo, Kaoru hadn't returned. The same could be said for Sano at the clinic, and Yahiko at the Akebeko. Kenshin walked into his bedroom, getting increasingly worried, when he stopped. There, lying on their bed, was Kaoru. Except, she looked and smelled differently. Kenshin ran over and realized the difference. Her face was red and she no longer smelled like jasmines. Her face and kimono were satined with blood, and its coppery odour surrounded her. It smelled strange, the blood. Slightly.waxy, but Kenshin didn't notice. His eyes hardened and he screamed, "KAORU!"
At the clinic, Sano had been waiting for Megumi for almost two hours. 'Maybe I'll go check her room,' he thought. He had fallen asleep for a while. Maybe she had snuck in at that point. Knowing she would kill him if she ever found out, Sano tip-toed into Megumi's room. He sighed. She was in her bed. He was about to turn away when something caught his eye. Her face was red. He stepped quietly over and yelled, "MEGUMI-KOI!" Her bloody appearance and blood-and-wax smell were just like Kaoru's.
At the Akebeko, Yahiko had become frantic with worry. He snuck past Tae and ran up to Tsuabme's bedroom. She could be in there. She might have walked in the back way, right into her room, and fallen asleep. Sure enough, there on her futon, was Tsubame. Yahiko tip-toed up to her and smiled at her sleeping form. She was cute, that was for sure. But he'd never admit that. Sano would tease him forever. He smirked, but he knew what Sano thought of Megumi. As Yahiko neared Tsubame, he stopped. Her face was smeared with blood and she smelled of wax and blood. Yahiko slid to the floor by her bed and tears rolled down his cheeks. "Tsubame-chan." he whispered. Tae walked in after a while, wondering where he had gone, and saw Yahiko on the floor, crying. Something he never did. He was whispering her name over and over again, and as she looked to her young friend's body, she understood.and gasped.
Kaoru slid down to the floor, her back still against the wall. The man was staring at the unmoving forms of Megumi and Tsubame. Kaoru pushed herself up again and walked over to Megumi. She was breathing, thank god, and her pulse was steady. Moving to Tsubame, she found the young girl was breathing and had a steady pulse. Kaoru looked at the man for a moment-who was leaving the cabin, when she heard a small moan. Her head whipped around to find Tsubame's eyes fluttering open, and a glimmer of a pain- filled tear appeared, threatening to slide down her pale cheeks. Kaoru picked her up and set her up against the wall so she'd be upright and sat by her. Tsubame opened her eyes and groaned. Her arms, legs, and neck sported dark, plum bruises. Kaoru gasped at the sight of them and ran over to Megumi. Her eyes, too, were beginning to open and her hands were trying to push herself up. Kaoru found Megumi too heavy to carry, and instead she held her up with her hands. Megumi began to cough a little before looking at Kaoru. She tried to say something, but her voice was temporarily gone. Instead, she smiled.
Sano stayed at the clinic, not once leaving Megumi's side. It wasn't until Dr. Genzai had dragged him out to the Kamiya dojo that he showed any signs of life. He refused to eat, couldn't sleep, and just stared into space. No one could help him. Tae would frequently come and offer him a free meal, but each time, it was as if he couldn't hear her.
Yahiko was in a more juvenile predicament. He refused to leave Tsubame's room, until Tae dragged him to the Kamiya dojo and forced him to remain there. But even then, he'd slam his bokken against the wall, as if seeing Tsubame's killer there, and you could hear him mutter Tsubame's name every few minutes and how he should have checked up on her at least once. He would destroy everything in sight, blaming himself and cursing his friend's murderer. No one bother him, but at night when he lay exhausted upon the ground, they would move anything breakable far away from his reach.
Kenshin was probably the worst of the three. He didn't mope, or sit in a trance. As soon as he saw Kaoru's body, he was devastated and slowly, his violet eyes took on an amber hue, and his mind was slowly taken over by the Battousai within. He would wander about the house, blaming himself and swearing vengeance on his wife's murderer. No one dared to go near him, and he was left alone.
Kaoru ran at the door, trying to push it open by force, but it was no use. It was a heavy door, and strong. It was too strong for her. Megumi had tried to unlock it before, but the lock, too, was strong. Tsubame had sat back and watched. She was the worst beaten of the three and her two older friends had insisted she stay put and rest awhile. Kaoru eventually threw herself down next to Tsubame. "It's hopeless. We'll have to wait until one of these guys gets back. Then we can rush 'em and escape," she panted. Megumi raised an eyebrow. Kaoru shrugged, "It might work." Megumi shook her head and smiled.
"Got it!" There was a nail on the back of the pole that Megumi, Kaoru, and Tsubame were tied to. Megumi had been sawing at it with her rope bonds for the past hour or two. All her work had finally paid off. She stood up, rubbing her wrists where the rope had cut in. At Kaoru and Tsubame's impatient looks, she untied their bonds and they all stood up. "Thanks, Megumi-san!" chorused Kaoru and Tsubame. They smiled and Megumi smirked. "I'm so smart, aren't I? You must admit," she giggled, "Ohohohohohoho!" A pair of tan fox ears popped up in her hair as she placed her hand upon her cheek, next to her mouth that was laughing oh so strangely. Tsubame looked slightly taken aback by her.fox-like behaviour, while Kaoru just looked disapprovingly at her. Suddenly, the door crashed open and two men stood in the doorway, each brandishing a bokken, poised to strike. Kaoru and Megumi instinctively placed themselves firmly in front of Tsubame, blocking her from view. The man on the left smirked, "I see you've freed yourselves. Very clever. But you won't escape." He laughed evilly and started forward. His partner followed suit. Megumi and Kaoru were smashed on the shoulder at the same time. Their cries of pain filled the small cabin. The man on the right brought Megumi down and she lay on the floor, unable to move for pain. He then lunged at Tsubame, who jumped back into the corner and began to cower in fear. After beating her mercilessly, he left, slamming the door behind him. His partner, however, remained, but did not beat Kaoru as badly as his companion had beaten Megumi and Tsubame. Instead, he pushed her backwards until she was against the wall. Then, lifted her shirt to expose her belly and stared at it. "You're pregnant." Kaoru did not like the look he had after realizing this. He let her shirt fall back down and stared at her eyes for a moment. "You have beautiful eyes, you know. Very beautiful." Megumi and Tsubame had fallen unconscious, unfortunately for Kaoru. The man then did the unthinkable. He leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. At first, he did it softly, but it soon escalated into a full-fledged, but one-sided kiss. Kaoru struggled, but the man was strong. He pushed his body against hers and wrapped his arms around her expanded waist. She struggled as hard as she could to escape, but to no avail. The man then forced her mouth open and flicked his tongue inside. Kaoru widened her eyes and bit down, hard. The man yelped, but did not remove his mouth, instead, merely pulling his tongue back into his own mouth. He glared at her and began to kiss her fiercely, as if in punishment. Finally, he pulled his lips away from hers and smirked. "Why didn't you kiss back? It would have been such a deep and lovely kiss if you had." In reply, Kaoru kicked him, hard, right in the knee. He collapsed and snarled up at her. She scowled down at him. The door opened again, and the man scrambled to his feet. He turned and looked at his companion. "I finished the corpses. Everything is going according to plan." The man smirked in pride and left when the man by Kaoru nodded. "What's your name?" Kaoru spat. The man faced her and opened his mouth. "Jira." He said no more, as Kaoru's eyes glittered in hate.
Back at the dojo, Kaoru hadn't returned. The same could be said for Sano at the clinic, and Yahiko at the Akebeko. Kenshin walked into his bedroom, getting increasingly worried, when he stopped. There, lying on their bed, was Kaoru. Except, she looked and smelled differently. Kenshin ran over and realized the difference. Her face was red and she no longer smelled like jasmines. Her face and kimono were satined with blood, and its coppery odour surrounded her. It smelled strange, the blood. Slightly.waxy, but Kenshin didn't notice. His eyes hardened and he screamed, "KAORU!"
At the clinic, Sano had been waiting for Megumi for almost two hours. 'Maybe I'll go check her room,' he thought. He had fallen asleep for a while. Maybe she had snuck in at that point. Knowing she would kill him if she ever found out, Sano tip-toed into Megumi's room. He sighed. She was in her bed. He was about to turn away when something caught his eye. Her face was red. He stepped quietly over and yelled, "MEGUMI-KOI!" Her bloody appearance and blood-and-wax smell were just like Kaoru's.
At the Akebeko, Yahiko had become frantic with worry. He snuck past Tae and ran up to Tsuabme's bedroom. She could be in there. She might have walked in the back way, right into her room, and fallen asleep. Sure enough, there on her futon, was Tsubame. Yahiko tip-toed up to her and smiled at her sleeping form. She was cute, that was for sure. But he'd never admit that. Sano would tease him forever. He smirked, but he knew what Sano thought of Megumi. As Yahiko neared Tsubame, he stopped. Her face was smeared with blood and she smelled of wax and blood. Yahiko slid to the floor by her bed and tears rolled down his cheeks. "Tsubame-chan." he whispered. Tae walked in after a while, wondering where he had gone, and saw Yahiko on the floor, crying. Something he never did. He was whispering her name over and over again, and as she looked to her young friend's body, she understood.and gasped.
Kaoru slid down to the floor, her back still against the wall. The man was staring at the unmoving forms of Megumi and Tsubame. Kaoru pushed herself up again and walked over to Megumi. She was breathing, thank god, and her pulse was steady. Moving to Tsubame, she found the young girl was breathing and had a steady pulse. Kaoru looked at the man for a moment-who was leaving the cabin, when she heard a small moan. Her head whipped around to find Tsubame's eyes fluttering open, and a glimmer of a pain- filled tear appeared, threatening to slide down her pale cheeks. Kaoru picked her up and set her up against the wall so she'd be upright and sat by her. Tsubame opened her eyes and groaned. Her arms, legs, and neck sported dark, plum bruises. Kaoru gasped at the sight of them and ran over to Megumi. Her eyes, too, were beginning to open and her hands were trying to push herself up. Kaoru found Megumi too heavy to carry, and instead she held her up with her hands. Megumi began to cough a little before looking at Kaoru. She tried to say something, but her voice was temporarily gone. Instead, she smiled.
Sano stayed at the clinic, not once leaving Megumi's side. It wasn't until Dr. Genzai had dragged him out to the Kamiya dojo that he showed any signs of life. He refused to eat, couldn't sleep, and just stared into space. No one could help him. Tae would frequently come and offer him a free meal, but each time, it was as if he couldn't hear her.
Yahiko was in a more juvenile predicament. He refused to leave Tsubame's room, until Tae dragged him to the Kamiya dojo and forced him to remain there. But even then, he'd slam his bokken against the wall, as if seeing Tsubame's killer there, and you could hear him mutter Tsubame's name every few minutes and how he should have checked up on her at least once. He would destroy everything in sight, blaming himself and cursing his friend's murderer. No one bother him, but at night when he lay exhausted upon the ground, they would move anything breakable far away from his reach.
Kenshin was probably the worst of the three. He didn't mope, or sit in a trance. As soon as he saw Kaoru's body, he was devastated and slowly, his violet eyes took on an amber hue, and his mind was slowly taken over by the Battousai within. He would wander about the house, blaming himself and swearing vengeance on his wife's murderer. No one dared to go near him, and he was left alone.
Kaoru ran at the door, trying to push it open by force, but it was no use. It was a heavy door, and strong. It was too strong for her. Megumi had tried to unlock it before, but the lock, too, was strong. Tsubame had sat back and watched. She was the worst beaten of the three and her two older friends had insisted she stay put and rest awhile. Kaoru eventually threw herself down next to Tsubame. "It's hopeless. We'll have to wait until one of these guys gets back. Then we can rush 'em and escape," she panted. Megumi raised an eyebrow. Kaoru shrugged, "It might work." Megumi shook her head and smiled.
