Korai Rumikashi: Well, here's what you've all been waiting for, the second
chapter. Please review, because I've not received very many from the first
chapter either. Happy reading. (I don't own anything in this story but the
plot!)
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Chapter Two
Riddle of Tears
Sanosuke clenched his fists, and looked out the open door. His eyes met Kenshin's. "Well? Your cousin? Would you mind explaining what he's doing here, and why he's just taken off with the mistress of this dojo?"
Yahiko, who had slipped in just as Sainon had taken off, drew his wooden sword, "Kenshin, I want to hear the story. Why has he taken off with the closest thing to a sister I've ever had!?" Yahiko was breathing heavily now, and apparently was trying to control himself.
Kenshin turned back toward the open door, and closed his eyes. "Sainon is my cousin, from my mother's side. We were both trained at the same dojo when we were little. Sainon was always slower, and was always more distracted when it came to learning sword techniques. So, later, he joined a new dojo, and we went our separate ways. Fifteen years ago, our dojo and his collided in battle. They challenged us, and we gladly accepted. We slaughtered everyone, except Sainon, and his master. Sainon's master begged for death rather than shame, but Sainon swore then, and there, that he would one day find my weakness, and use it to cause me as much pain and anguish as he and his master had once had to writhe in. Five years after that, the revolution came about, and he had not had a chance to fulfill his oath. Now.I fear years of hate and revenge might bring him too far."
"In other words.Kaoru's in extreme danger, isn't she?" Yahiko was shaking now.
"What do you think we can do?" Sano asked, trying to be reasonable. "I assume, that he'll leave a note or something."
Kenshin nodded, "Let's hope that she'll be safe tonight."
-IN SAINON'S PLACE-
Kaoru opened her eyes. She had blacked out somewhere between the dojo, and this strange place she was now sitting in. looking around, she found herself in a room full of clocks. Each one ticked noisily. Slowly, Kaoru began to recall the past events. As she reflected on that hideous face, the man himself walked in through a hidden door.
"Hello, missy, awake now aren't we?" he ran his tongue over his pointed teeth, "Oh, you have no idea how fun this is going to be!"
"How much fun is what going to be?" she asked backing up into the corner defensively. "Kenshin won't come after me.just you wait, he's not going to let you use me against him."
"Come now, missy, you and I both know he'll do anything to keep you safe and sound. And he'll pay for what he's done to me." he walked over to her, and took her hand, "I've devised a set of rings, and traps that he will encounter that will cause him pain enough. Of course, in the end, he'll have witnessed so much, that he'll wish that he'd never been born!" He crunched her fingers and twisted her arm. Kaoru grimaced at the pain, but made no sound. While she was unable to move her arm, he slipped a black ring on her finger. He smiled maliciously, and walked out the door.
Kaoru clutched her throbbing arm, 'Kenshin.'
-DOJO-
Yahiko silently scrubbed the dishes that he'd normally have thought of every excuse to avoid. But now that Kaoru was gone, he felt a sense of duty as the only student of the Kamiya Kashin.
Sano was cracking his knuckles in front of the lake, while Kenshin skipped stones across it.
The quiet breeze was interrupted by a dart that flew right in front of Sanosuke's face, and landed in the bark of the tree right next to him. Sanosuke turned, and pulled out a long thin stream of paper that read:
She lies in the castle of Hitein Kaorugi. If you wish to see her alive again, then you must prepare yourself with means besides the art of the sword.
Kenshin snatched it, read it a few times, then pocketed it. "Get Yahiko, we're leaving."
*** *** *** *** *** ***
By the time Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko arrived, the sun had begun to set once again. Yahiko looked quietly into Kenshin's eyes, and saw they weren't the placid eyes that normally accompanied his face, but they were the fierce eyes that only blazed when Kenshin was angry, or worse, when he was turning back into the Batosai.
Yahiko touched the tall iron-gate that guarded the castle walls, and immediately jumped back as though he'd been burned.
"Ah! Don't touch it, it hurts!" Yahiko said, and Kenshin bent over to touch Yahiko's hand. He looked and saw that a black band had appeared on Yahiko's finger.
"What's this?" Kenshin touched the black band, and one appeared on his finger too. "Hmmm."
"Looks like the only way in is the gate.allow me," he pulled on the gate, and it opened enough for them to get in, but he grimaced afterward as he too had a ring on his finger.
"C'mon, Kaoru's in there some where, and it's up to us to get her out of there!" Yahiko shouted.
As they approached the entrance hall, they noticed with dismay, that it forked into three different passageways.
"Let's split up, it might be easier to find her that way," Kenshin stated. Taking the central hall, as the others took the left and right.
Kenshin walked for about three minutes, before he found the end of the hallway. And when he did, he wished they'd all stayed together. Sanosuke and Yahiko were tangled in some sort of mass of vines. It looked as though it was constricting as they moved, and strangling the air from their lungs.
"Sano.Yahiko! Hold on." Kenshin looked around the room, and saw Sainon in the corner.
"Tsk, tsk.you can't help your friends now. You, them, and your dear missy are all bound by the riddle of tears!" He pointed to Yahiko's finger.
"Hey! I'm the only one that can call her missy!" Sanosuke said breathlessly.
Suddenly, Kenshin felt his chest tightening, pulling the air from him. He looked at the ring. It glowed slightly, then dimmed, and the pain went away.
"With those rings, I can make anyone of you feel a splinter of the pain of one of the others wearing it, or, I can multiply it by large sums. All it takes is the tap of a finger." He pointed at a white ring on his finger. "Now, Himura, touch me, and your friends could get seriously hurt. Endure the pain, and they might make it home in one piece.what will it be?"
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~. Will Kenshin be able to defeat Sainon without hurting his friends? If you're interested see chapter 3! .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Korai Rumikashi: Well Folks, that's all I've written so far, and I don't know what I'm going to call chapter three, so don't fuss (just be patent). Chapter three will come out soon, so, read this until then! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! The little button down there that says 'go' click it! NOW! Okay, I'm open to suggestions, and constructive criticism if you just click the 'go' button. Are you still reading? Well if you had pressed 'go' you wouldn't be!
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Chapter Two
Riddle of Tears
Sanosuke clenched his fists, and looked out the open door. His eyes met Kenshin's. "Well? Your cousin? Would you mind explaining what he's doing here, and why he's just taken off with the mistress of this dojo?"
Yahiko, who had slipped in just as Sainon had taken off, drew his wooden sword, "Kenshin, I want to hear the story. Why has he taken off with the closest thing to a sister I've ever had!?" Yahiko was breathing heavily now, and apparently was trying to control himself.
Kenshin turned back toward the open door, and closed his eyes. "Sainon is my cousin, from my mother's side. We were both trained at the same dojo when we were little. Sainon was always slower, and was always more distracted when it came to learning sword techniques. So, later, he joined a new dojo, and we went our separate ways. Fifteen years ago, our dojo and his collided in battle. They challenged us, and we gladly accepted. We slaughtered everyone, except Sainon, and his master. Sainon's master begged for death rather than shame, but Sainon swore then, and there, that he would one day find my weakness, and use it to cause me as much pain and anguish as he and his master had once had to writhe in. Five years after that, the revolution came about, and he had not had a chance to fulfill his oath. Now.I fear years of hate and revenge might bring him too far."
"In other words.Kaoru's in extreme danger, isn't she?" Yahiko was shaking now.
"What do you think we can do?" Sano asked, trying to be reasonable. "I assume, that he'll leave a note or something."
Kenshin nodded, "Let's hope that she'll be safe tonight."
-IN SAINON'S PLACE-
Kaoru opened her eyes. She had blacked out somewhere between the dojo, and this strange place she was now sitting in. looking around, she found herself in a room full of clocks. Each one ticked noisily. Slowly, Kaoru began to recall the past events. As she reflected on that hideous face, the man himself walked in through a hidden door.
"Hello, missy, awake now aren't we?" he ran his tongue over his pointed teeth, "Oh, you have no idea how fun this is going to be!"
"How much fun is what going to be?" she asked backing up into the corner defensively. "Kenshin won't come after me.just you wait, he's not going to let you use me against him."
"Come now, missy, you and I both know he'll do anything to keep you safe and sound. And he'll pay for what he's done to me." he walked over to her, and took her hand, "I've devised a set of rings, and traps that he will encounter that will cause him pain enough. Of course, in the end, he'll have witnessed so much, that he'll wish that he'd never been born!" He crunched her fingers and twisted her arm. Kaoru grimaced at the pain, but made no sound. While she was unable to move her arm, he slipped a black ring on her finger. He smiled maliciously, and walked out the door.
Kaoru clutched her throbbing arm, 'Kenshin.'
-DOJO-
Yahiko silently scrubbed the dishes that he'd normally have thought of every excuse to avoid. But now that Kaoru was gone, he felt a sense of duty as the only student of the Kamiya Kashin.
Sano was cracking his knuckles in front of the lake, while Kenshin skipped stones across it.
The quiet breeze was interrupted by a dart that flew right in front of Sanosuke's face, and landed in the bark of the tree right next to him. Sanosuke turned, and pulled out a long thin stream of paper that read:
She lies in the castle of Hitein Kaorugi. If you wish to see her alive again, then you must prepare yourself with means besides the art of the sword.
Kenshin snatched it, read it a few times, then pocketed it. "Get Yahiko, we're leaving."
*** *** *** *** *** ***
By the time Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko arrived, the sun had begun to set once again. Yahiko looked quietly into Kenshin's eyes, and saw they weren't the placid eyes that normally accompanied his face, but they were the fierce eyes that only blazed when Kenshin was angry, or worse, when he was turning back into the Batosai.
Yahiko touched the tall iron-gate that guarded the castle walls, and immediately jumped back as though he'd been burned.
"Ah! Don't touch it, it hurts!" Yahiko said, and Kenshin bent over to touch Yahiko's hand. He looked and saw that a black band had appeared on Yahiko's finger.
"What's this?" Kenshin touched the black band, and one appeared on his finger too. "Hmmm."
"Looks like the only way in is the gate.allow me," he pulled on the gate, and it opened enough for them to get in, but he grimaced afterward as he too had a ring on his finger.
"C'mon, Kaoru's in there some where, and it's up to us to get her out of there!" Yahiko shouted.
As they approached the entrance hall, they noticed with dismay, that it forked into three different passageways.
"Let's split up, it might be easier to find her that way," Kenshin stated. Taking the central hall, as the others took the left and right.
Kenshin walked for about three minutes, before he found the end of the hallway. And when he did, he wished they'd all stayed together. Sanosuke and Yahiko were tangled in some sort of mass of vines. It looked as though it was constricting as they moved, and strangling the air from their lungs.
"Sano.Yahiko! Hold on." Kenshin looked around the room, and saw Sainon in the corner.
"Tsk, tsk.you can't help your friends now. You, them, and your dear missy are all bound by the riddle of tears!" He pointed to Yahiko's finger.
"Hey! I'm the only one that can call her missy!" Sanosuke said breathlessly.
Suddenly, Kenshin felt his chest tightening, pulling the air from him. He looked at the ring. It glowed slightly, then dimmed, and the pain went away.
"With those rings, I can make anyone of you feel a splinter of the pain of one of the others wearing it, or, I can multiply it by large sums. All it takes is the tap of a finger." He pointed at a white ring on his finger. "Now, Himura, touch me, and your friends could get seriously hurt. Endure the pain, and they might make it home in one piece.what will it be?"
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~. Will Kenshin be able to defeat Sainon without hurting his friends? If you're interested see chapter 3! .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~ .~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Korai Rumikashi: Well Folks, that's all I've written so far, and I don't know what I'm going to call chapter three, so don't fuss (just be patent). Chapter three will come out soon, so, read this until then! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! The little button down there that says 'go' click it! NOW! Okay, I'm open to suggestions, and constructive criticism if you just click the 'go' button. Are you still reading? Well if you had pressed 'go' you wouldn't be!
