A/N: Congrats to Mallary and Vallary!! They were correct with their
assumption!! You'll find out in this chapter, anyway. Kagome-Inuyasha:
I'm sorry if the last chapter was a little confusing. I hope it will make
more sense in this chapter, or in the next chapters. Thank you pointing
this out and for reviewing!! Thank you to EVERYBODY who r/r my fic! It
means a lot to me.
~*~*~*~*~CHAPTER 5~*~*~*~*~
Jira trudged up to the Kamiya dojo. He ran a finger down his scar. It stretched from the corner of his left eye to his right cheek, across his nose. It was once blood red, but over time it had partially healed. It was now a tanned brown, the same color as his scruffy ear-length hair. He ran a hand through it now. Jira stopped in front, his green eyes searching the building. He spotted Yahiko destroying the wall, Sano staring in space, and Kenshin looking very angry with his amber eyes. Keeping a straight face, Jira cleared his throat to get their attention. No one noticed him and if they did, they didn't acknowledge him. He tried again, but he got the same results. Jira tried a different tactic. "Megumi-dono, Kaoru-dono, and Tsubame-dono are not dead." That caught their attention. Their heads snapped up to look at him, their eyes boring into his head. Impatiently they waited. Jira stepped in. "They have been kidnapped and those corpses are fakes. They are being held in a hut not too far from here, in the woods by the river. Walk along the river until you get to a large willow with pink blossoms. Behind it is the hut. Go rescue them!" He stepped out and walked away. Kenshin stared in his direction, eyes narrowed suspiciously. Sano just stared after him in utter disbelief. Yahiko didn't move and the slightest smile began to creep up on his tear- stained features. Sano suddenly seemed to snap out of his coma and realized something, "If the girls are there, their kidnappers are probably there, too!" He jumped up and started for the door. Yahiko followed suit and ran ahead of his fighting friend. Kenshin let out an inhumane snarl and charged for the door, hand on his sabakatou. Sano and Yahiko looked at each other, then at Kenshin, and nodded. Sano held onto Kenshin and dragged him back to a pole. Yahiko tied him up there as tight as he could. Sano grabbed the reversed-blade sword and tucked it in a corner. Sano and Yahiko then ran off towards the hut. They were so crazed by the thought of seeing their loved ones again, it blinded them, and not once did they stop to consider the probability of a trap. Night began to weight heavily upon the land, but the two boys stumbled onward through the forest. Back at the dojo, Kenshin was struggling, and finally beginning to succeed in escaping. Kaoru's face loomed within his mind, and he was dying to see her again. He was crazed by the thought of her and the ropes slowly began to tear.
Jira had taken a shortcut and he arrived in front of the cottage before his captives' rescuers. Without hesitation, he unlocked and opened the door to find the three girls freed from their bonds. A look of surprise briefly crossed his face, but he quickly hid it away. Looking behind him, he nodded and his blonde assistant came out from behind a thick tree. "We shall get back at them. They shall witness their loved ones' fates. I have led them here, and they shall see these girls' lives run through their fingers like sand. Mwahahahahaha!" His assistant guffawed evilly along with his leader until he stopped. "You get the boy's girl and I'll get the fighter's girl. Save the Battousai's girl to me." They both smirked and separated. The blonde man started mercilessly beating Tsubame. She couldn't move for fear and her crying sobs filled the air. Jira went after Megumi, beating her just as cruelly. She refused to cry out. No, she wouldn't give him that satisfaction. Just letting him kidnap her was bad enough. The two hit tender skin and bruises alike. Megumi tried to run, but her weak legs failed her as he kicked them with a hard-heeled boot. She gasped, but it was the only sound she uttered. Jira scowled as he began to get annoyed. He smirked, though, at the sight of her pained face, as hard as she tried to hide it.
Sano and Yahiko found the willow at last and behind it, like the man had said, was the hut. The two smiled for the first time in a while and opened the door to find a terrible sight had met their eyes.
Kenshin twisted himself expertly and undid the ropes holding him prisoner. Picking up his sword, he left the dojo alone and unattended and headed for the cottage in which Kaoru was being held captive. His amber eyes glowed like a cat's in the twilight. His sakabatou was held out in front of him and it slashed all vegetation and other obstacles out of his way before they could obscure him. It was only Lady Luck's smiling down upon Kenshin that no human stepped out in front of him.
Sano and Yahiko rushed their way into the structure as Megumi and Tsubame were being beaten to their deaths. Jira and the blonde assistant had only just started, so at the moment, the two girl sported only terrible bruises and bloody cuts as well as a possibility of broken bones. Neither held any chance of death. Sano ran to Megumi's side, "Megumi-koi!" He held off her attacker with a crazed rage. Yahiko stomped over to Tsubame, "You get away from her you big jerk. How dare you hurt her like that! You will now have to fight me. And I assure you, I'm not as helpless as she." The blonde-haired man smirked and whipped out a long bokken made of a harder wood than Yahiko's. But he wasn't to be intimidated. Yahiko jumped up and hit the man on the head, then jabbed the tip of the wooden sword into the man's gut, causing him to clutch it in pain. The wind was knocked out of him for a moment, but he stood up again and snarled as he lashed out repeatedly. Yahiko dodged all the blows, parried a few and kicked the man in the knee. As the man fell over, he brought the bokken down on his head, his stomach, his legs, anywhere he could get to. The man moaned in pain, but Yahiko didn't stop his onslaught of torture. Finally, Tsubame's whimpers and suppressed sobs of pain brought him back to the present. He looked over to her and stopped. "That should teach you to hurt innocent young girls. Especially Tsubame." The said girl nearly fainted at the last comment. Yahiko held her upright until she could breathe normally again. The beating had taken its toll on her. Meanwhile, Sano had punched and kicked the man with amazing force that could have only surfaced within his anger. Regardless of the man's bokken striking back every blow, Sano continued, managing to hurt Jira more than Jira could hurt Sano. Suddenly, he had an idea. He pretended to suddenly weaken, and made a show of his knees buckling beneath him, and his breath coming in gasps. Sano stopped trying to kill him with his bare hands when Megumi placed her hands around his waist and held on for dear life. Sano stopped in surprise and stared at Jira's battered body in satisfaction. Kicking his body, he muttered, "Stupid piece of scum. Doesn't deserve to live, but he's not worth my time." Looking down behind him, he realized whose hands were around him, and his eyes widened. "M-Megumi-koi? Megumi- koi, is that really you?" he stuttered. She nodded with tears forming in her eyes. He laughed and knelt down, pulling her into his arms. "I-I thought you were." "Baka chicken. I wouldn't die without you. Not now, not ever." She whispered softly into his ear. He grinned at this and pulled her closer. While Tsubame and Yahiko were contented, holding hands and smiling into each other's eyes, and Sano and Megumi were holding each other close, Jira picked himself up quietly and snuck over to Kaoru's silent body. He grinned with an evil glint in his eye and Kaoru cowered further into her corner. She knew what he was going to do, and she silently begged for Kenshin, calling out to him with her mind. She closed her eyes and fervently wished him to appear.
Kenshin ran on and on, determined to find his wife. Trees, bushes, tall grasses, everything was cut in half as he slashed his way through the forest. He feared what he'd find when he arrived, but he willed himself to push the thought away.
Jira forced down a laugh, and snickered quietly instead. He lifted his bokken and began to beat her, the couples did not notice, as they were too absorbed in each other. Kaoru took a leaf from Megumi's book and refused to say a word or utter any sound to show her pain. Her straight face frustrated Jira. He beat her harder. Finally, he brought the tip to his free hand and lifted it off the rest of the wooden frame save for the handle fell off like a pipe, leaving a gleaming sword in its place; a sharp, deadly katana. He nicked her neck playfully, and she winced as a red raindrop fell from it. He smirked, satisfied and continued to tease her. Finally he placed the flat blade against her arm and blood began to pool slowly around it, very little at first, but it began to grow. He pulled it away as she yelped. Sano and Tsubame looked up. Sano's eyes widened and he let go of Megumi. Tsubame gasped and grabbed Yahiko's shoulder. "Yahiko, bring Megumi-koi and Tsubame-chan to safety. Bring them to the clinic so Dr. Genzai can treat them. Hurry!" His voice was hard, but gentle. He appeared calm and collected, though Yahiko and Megumi knew otherwise. His body was tense and his voice was struggling to remain unclipped. Yahiko nodded, "Sure, Sano. Will you be all right? The guy's got a real Japanese sword, just like that Saitoh guy," his tone was worried, but not panicked. Sano nodded this time, "I'll be fine. Tsubame-chan and Megumi-koi are what matters. Their strength is failing fast. You've got to save them. When you get to the clinic, I want you to stay there and wait with them. I'll be with you guys soon. Watch Megumi for me." His tone was that of a leader, but his tone had softened distinctively at his last comment. Yahiko helped Megumi up and then Tsubame. "I'm fine, Yahiko-chan. I can walk," she commented. Yahiko looked at her disbelievingly, but did not argue. Instead, he picked up Tsubame and held her bridal-style. Megumi giggled. "Yahiko-chan, I can walk," she said, struggling, "You'll hurt yourself. Please put me down." Her indignant features were so cute that Yahiko blushed. "But, Tsubame-chan, I can carry you, no sweat. Besides, you're hurt. I couldn't let you walk if you were hurt, now could I? Just let me do the work and you relax. Sleep if you can, alright?" He beamed gently at her, and she smiled back weakly. "Thanks, Yahiko-chan," she whispered.
Sano leapt up and grabbed the sword. Blood dripped from his hands as the sword dug in, but he didn't care. He threw the sword into the far corner. Next he began yet another onslaught of fiery torture with his angry fists. The man was beaten as badly as his captives. "This is for hurting Tsubame, because she's too young. This is for hurting Kaoru, because she's too innocent. And this is for hurting Megumi, because she doesn't deserve the pain you put her through!" He punched out the words of his last sentence. And the man fell to the floor, unconscious. Sano ran over to Kaoru, who sported many bruises, the possibility of broken bones, and some nasty cuts. "Kaoru-chan! Are you all right? Do you think you can stand?" He helped her up and steadied her as she began to lean over. "Watch it, tanuki." She smiled at the use of her nickname. He grinned back at her, but it faded as she fell down, grabbing her shoulder, which had a shallow gash that had not yet stopped bleeding. "It hurts.so much. I don't know what he was thinking. At least I haven't died yet," she gave a nervous giggle, "Sano, where's Kenshin? You'd think he'd be the first here." Realization hit her and she winced, "He didn't, did he?" Sano nodded and she hung her head. "Where is he now?" Sano looked her in the eye for a moment before answering; "Yahiko-chan and I tied him to a pole." "That's not going to hold him. You know him," chastened Kaoru, "He's not normal. To keep him down you'd have to kill him or hit over the head with a metal club. He's probably loose by now." She sighed. Who knows what he'd do now that he's loose and not himself. Sano hugged her like the true friend he was and she collapsed in his arms. "Hope he's okay," she whispered. Sano smiled down at her, "This is Kenshin we're talking about. Of course he's okay."
As if on cue, Kenshin yanked the door open with such force, his hair flew out behind him for the wind. His eyes widened at the sight of Kaoru in Sano's arms. In his normal state of mind, he would have understood the situation, but because his mind had been taken over by the Battousai that had awoken inside him. "Sano." he said, quietly, but angrily. Sano quickly let go of Kaoru, who slumped against the wall, clutching her shoulder. "How could you.?" he trailed off in his fury. Sano stood up to defend himself, "It didn't mean anything. Both you and I know she's yours and only yours. Kenshin, get a hold of yourself." Kenshin took a few deep breaths and his eyes began to darken, but they snapped back to their amber hue when he spotted pearls of tears trailing down Kaoru's pain-filled face. His anger was raised once again. "It was you, wasn't it?" Sano shook his head repeatedly, but by the actions of his hand, Kenshin obviously didn't believe him. The swordsman's hand trailed down to its favorite spot, on the hilt of his sword. Sano began to back up, an expression of pure fear across his face. Kenshin gave a fierce yell and pulled out his sakabatou, and jumped into the air. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style, Ruitsuisen!" He brought his sword down and.
~*~*~*~*~CHAPTER 5~*~*~*~*~
Jira trudged up to the Kamiya dojo. He ran a finger down his scar. It stretched from the corner of his left eye to his right cheek, across his nose. It was once blood red, but over time it had partially healed. It was now a tanned brown, the same color as his scruffy ear-length hair. He ran a hand through it now. Jira stopped in front, his green eyes searching the building. He spotted Yahiko destroying the wall, Sano staring in space, and Kenshin looking very angry with his amber eyes. Keeping a straight face, Jira cleared his throat to get their attention. No one noticed him and if they did, they didn't acknowledge him. He tried again, but he got the same results. Jira tried a different tactic. "Megumi-dono, Kaoru-dono, and Tsubame-dono are not dead." That caught their attention. Their heads snapped up to look at him, their eyes boring into his head. Impatiently they waited. Jira stepped in. "They have been kidnapped and those corpses are fakes. They are being held in a hut not too far from here, in the woods by the river. Walk along the river until you get to a large willow with pink blossoms. Behind it is the hut. Go rescue them!" He stepped out and walked away. Kenshin stared in his direction, eyes narrowed suspiciously. Sano just stared after him in utter disbelief. Yahiko didn't move and the slightest smile began to creep up on his tear- stained features. Sano suddenly seemed to snap out of his coma and realized something, "If the girls are there, their kidnappers are probably there, too!" He jumped up and started for the door. Yahiko followed suit and ran ahead of his fighting friend. Kenshin let out an inhumane snarl and charged for the door, hand on his sabakatou. Sano and Yahiko looked at each other, then at Kenshin, and nodded. Sano held onto Kenshin and dragged him back to a pole. Yahiko tied him up there as tight as he could. Sano grabbed the reversed-blade sword and tucked it in a corner. Sano and Yahiko then ran off towards the hut. They were so crazed by the thought of seeing their loved ones again, it blinded them, and not once did they stop to consider the probability of a trap. Night began to weight heavily upon the land, but the two boys stumbled onward through the forest. Back at the dojo, Kenshin was struggling, and finally beginning to succeed in escaping. Kaoru's face loomed within his mind, and he was dying to see her again. He was crazed by the thought of her and the ropes slowly began to tear.
Jira had taken a shortcut and he arrived in front of the cottage before his captives' rescuers. Without hesitation, he unlocked and opened the door to find the three girls freed from their bonds. A look of surprise briefly crossed his face, but he quickly hid it away. Looking behind him, he nodded and his blonde assistant came out from behind a thick tree. "We shall get back at them. They shall witness their loved ones' fates. I have led them here, and they shall see these girls' lives run through their fingers like sand. Mwahahahahaha!" His assistant guffawed evilly along with his leader until he stopped. "You get the boy's girl and I'll get the fighter's girl. Save the Battousai's girl to me." They both smirked and separated. The blonde man started mercilessly beating Tsubame. She couldn't move for fear and her crying sobs filled the air. Jira went after Megumi, beating her just as cruelly. She refused to cry out. No, she wouldn't give him that satisfaction. Just letting him kidnap her was bad enough. The two hit tender skin and bruises alike. Megumi tried to run, but her weak legs failed her as he kicked them with a hard-heeled boot. She gasped, but it was the only sound she uttered. Jira scowled as he began to get annoyed. He smirked, though, at the sight of her pained face, as hard as she tried to hide it.
Sano and Yahiko found the willow at last and behind it, like the man had said, was the hut. The two smiled for the first time in a while and opened the door to find a terrible sight had met their eyes.
Kenshin twisted himself expertly and undid the ropes holding him prisoner. Picking up his sword, he left the dojo alone and unattended and headed for the cottage in which Kaoru was being held captive. His amber eyes glowed like a cat's in the twilight. His sakabatou was held out in front of him and it slashed all vegetation and other obstacles out of his way before they could obscure him. It was only Lady Luck's smiling down upon Kenshin that no human stepped out in front of him.
Sano and Yahiko rushed their way into the structure as Megumi and Tsubame were being beaten to their deaths. Jira and the blonde assistant had only just started, so at the moment, the two girl sported only terrible bruises and bloody cuts as well as a possibility of broken bones. Neither held any chance of death. Sano ran to Megumi's side, "Megumi-koi!" He held off her attacker with a crazed rage. Yahiko stomped over to Tsubame, "You get away from her you big jerk. How dare you hurt her like that! You will now have to fight me. And I assure you, I'm not as helpless as she." The blonde-haired man smirked and whipped out a long bokken made of a harder wood than Yahiko's. But he wasn't to be intimidated. Yahiko jumped up and hit the man on the head, then jabbed the tip of the wooden sword into the man's gut, causing him to clutch it in pain. The wind was knocked out of him for a moment, but he stood up again and snarled as he lashed out repeatedly. Yahiko dodged all the blows, parried a few and kicked the man in the knee. As the man fell over, he brought the bokken down on his head, his stomach, his legs, anywhere he could get to. The man moaned in pain, but Yahiko didn't stop his onslaught of torture. Finally, Tsubame's whimpers and suppressed sobs of pain brought him back to the present. He looked over to her and stopped. "That should teach you to hurt innocent young girls. Especially Tsubame." The said girl nearly fainted at the last comment. Yahiko held her upright until she could breathe normally again. The beating had taken its toll on her. Meanwhile, Sano had punched and kicked the man with amazing force that could have only surfaced within his anger. Regardless of the man's bokken striking back every blow, Sano continued, managing to hurt Jira more than Jira could hurt Sano. Suddenly, he had an idea. He pretended to suddenly weaken, and made a show of his knees buckling beneath him, and his breath coming in gasps. Sano stopped trying to kill him with his bare hands when Megumi placed her hands around his waist and held on for dear life. Sano stopped in surprise and stared at Jira's battered body in satisfaction. Kicking his body, he muttered, "Stupid piece of scum. Doesn't deserve to live, but he's not worth my time." Looking down behind him, he realized whose hands were around him, and his eyes widened. "M-Megumi-koi? Megumi- koi, is that really you?" he stuttered. She nodded with tears forming in her eyes. He laughed and knelt down, pulling her into his arms. "I-I thought you were." "Baka chicken. I wouldn't die without you. Not now, not ever." She whispered softly into his ear. He grinned at this and pulled her closer. While Tsubame and Yahiko were contented, holding hands and smiling into each other's eyes, and Sano and Megumi were holding each other close, Jira picked himself up quietly and snuck over to Kaoru's silent body. He grinned with an evil glint in his eye and Kaoru cowered further into her corner. She knew what he was going to do, and she silently begged for Kenshin, calling out to him with her mind. She closed her eyes and fervently wished him to appear.
Kenshin ran on and on, determined to find his wife. Trees, bushes, tall grasses, everything was cut in half as he slashed his way through the forest. He feared what he'd find when he arrived, but he willed himself to push the thought away.
Jira forced down a laugh, and snickered quietly instead. He lifted his bokken and began to beat her, the couples did not notice, as they were too absorbed in each other. Kaoru took a leaf from Megumi's book and refused to say a word or utter any sound to show her pain. Her straight face frustrated Jira. He beat her harder. Finally, he brought the tip to his free hand and lifted it off the rest of the wooden frame save for the handle fell off like a pipe, leaving a gleaming sword in its place; a sharp, deadly katana. He nicked her neck playfully, and she winced as a red raindrop fell from it. He smirked, satisfied and continued to tease her. Finally he placed the flat blade against her arm and blood began to pool slowly around it, very little at first, but it began to grow. He pulled it away as she yelped. Sano and Tsubame looked up. Sano's eyes widened and he let go of Megumi. Tsubame gasped and grabbed Yahiko's shoulder. "Yahiko, bring Megumi-koi and Tsubame-chan to safety. Bring them to the clinic so Dr. Genzai can treat them. Hurry!" His voice was hard, but gentle. He appeared calm and collected, though Yahiko and Megumi knew otherwise. His body was tense and his voice was struggling to remain unclipped. Yahiko nodded, "Sure, Sano. Will you be all right? The guy's got a real Japanese sword, just like that Saitoh guy," his tone was worried, but not panicked. Sano nodded this time, "I'll be fine. Tsubame-chan and Megumi-koi are what matters. Their strength is failing fast. You've got to save them. When you get to the clinic, I want you to stay there and wait with them. I'll be with you guys soon. Watch Megumi for me." His tone was that of a leader, but his tone had softened distinctively at his last comment. Yahiko helped Megumi up and then Tsubame. "I'm fine, Yahiko-chan. I can walk," she commented. Yahiko looked at her disbelievingly, but did not argue. Instead, he picked up Tsubame and held her bridal-style. Megumi giggled. "Yahiko-chan, I can walk," she said, struggling, "You'll hurt yourself. Please put me down." Her indignant features were so cute that Yahiko blushed. "But, Tsubame-chan, I can carry you, no sweat. Besides, you're hurt. I couldn't let you walk if you were hurt, now could I? Just let me do the work and you relax. Sleep if you can, alright?" He beamed gently at her, and she smiled back weakly. "Thanks, Yahiko-chan," she whispered.
Sano leapt up and grabbed the sword. Blood dripped from his hands as the sword dug in, but he didn't care. He threw the sword into the far corner. Next he began yet another onslaught of fiery torture with his angry fists. The man was beaten as badly as his captives. "This is for hurting Tsubame, because she's too young. This is for hurting Kaoru, because she's too innocent. And this is for hurting Megumi, because she doesn't deserve the pain you put her through!" He punched out the words of his last sentence. And the man fell to the floor, unconscious. Sano ran over to Kaoru, who sported many bruises, the possibility of broken bones, and some nasty cuts. "Kaoru-chan! Are you all right? Do you think you can stand?" He helped her up and steadied her as she began to lean over. "Watch it, tanuki." She smiled at the use of her nickname. He grinned back at her, but it faded as she fell down, grabbing her shoulder, which had a shallow gash that had not yet stopped bleeding. "It hurts.so much. I don't know what he was thinking. At least I haven't died yet," she gave a nervous giggle, "Sano, where's Kenshin? You'd think he'd be the first here." Realization hit her and she winced, "He didn't, did he?" Sano nodded and she hung her head. "Where is he now?" Sano looked her in the eye for a moment before answering; "Yahiko-chan and I tied him to a pole." "That's not going to hold him. You know him," chastened Kaoru, "He's not normal. To keep him down you'd have to kill him or hit over the head with a metal club. He's probably loose by now." She sighed. Who knows what he'd do now that he's loose and not himself. Sano hugged her like the true friend he was and she collapsed in his arms. "Hope he's okay," she whispered. Sano smiled down at her, "This is Kenshin we're talking about. Of course he's okay."
As if on cue, Kenshin yanked the door open with such force, his hair flew out behind him for the wind. His eyes widened at the sight of Kaoru in Sano's arms. In his normal state of mind, he would have understood the situation, but because his mind had been taken over by the Battousai that had awoken inside him. "Sano." he said, quietly, but angrily. Sano quickly let go of Kaoru, who slumped against the wall, clutching her shoulder. "How could you.?" he trailed off in his fury. Sano stood up to defend himself, "It didn't mean anything. Both you and I know she's yours and only yours. Kenshin, get a hold of yourself." Kenshin took a few deep breaths and his eyes began to darken, but they snapped back to their amber hue when he spotted pearls of tears trailing down Kaoru's pain-filled face. His anger was raised once again. "It was you, wasn't it?" Sano shook his head repeatedly, but by the actions of his hand, Kenshin obviously didn't believe him. The swordsman's hand trailed down to its favorite spot, on the hilt of his sword. Sano began to back up, an expression of pure fear across his face. Kenshin gave a fierce yell and pulled out his sakabatou, and jumped into the air. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style, Ruitsuisen!" He brought his sword down and.
