Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me. Akemi, Mitsuko, Ran, Katashi and Kiyoshi however do belong to me. Thank you for your positive feedback everyone. I'm glad you're enjoying this. ^_^ And to think, this is my first Kenshin fic too. I still think this is rushed, lol. My apologies if this is confusing anyone. Like I said, it was rushed. *sigh*
What A World
By, BurningEmber
~Chapter 11~
With Ran sitting in the same corner for three days straight, she couldn't help but feel sore. She got up and walked around, just to get the feeling back in her legs.
"They forgot about me…how could they?" She asked herself, actually believing herself when she said something like this. Right now, the only person she could believe and trust was herself. All she could think about was getting out of there and of Yahiko. She thought he had forgotten, like he just didn't care about her anymore. Which could never be. For Yahiko cared about her more than life itself. "Yahiko..." She could feel tears in her eyes just at the thought of him. "I love you…I love you so much." When she sat back down, she hugged her knees tightly and curled up in a ball, looking like a tiny ball of fire that was to burst at any moment. Katashi would often look at her as she cried, mainly at night. His heart couldn't bear to strike her, unlike his brother who struck her whenever she opened her mouth. Even if it was a simple question, like to use the restroom or something. Kiyoshi was cruel, Katashi had to admit that. They may have looked alike, but personality wise Katashi felt as if he didn't know his brother. Like there was just no connection in blood line. Every time Katashi would look at Ran, another bruise would appear. He winced as he just simply watched the young child be beaten till she whimpered in pain. But never would she cry in front of him. She kept a straight and solid appearance. Like nothing ever bothered her. Her eyes would sometimes give that cold look, like her fathers would when he used to be the Hitokiri Battousai.
"Ran, come," Katashi said. Ran quickly obeyed, she was hungry and she was dirty. Looking as if she hadn't bathed in days.
"What do you want of me?" She asked sadly.
"I'm going to get you something to eat," Katashi said, not daring to make eye contact with her. Ran looked down, her small smile remaining cheerful as she was taken into the room Kiyoshi was in.
"Katashi, what would you like?" Kiyoshi asked. Katashi took a few pieces of bread and fish off of the table, handing them to Ran in a bowl.
"Go ahead," He said and watched her walk back to the room she remained in. Kiyoshi glared at his brother.
"You know we want the Battousai to find his child in some sort of agony. Then this so called "Rurouni" can flee back and make way for the Battousai within him to come out," Kiyoshi said, taking a sip of the rice wine.
"Kiyoshi, you cannot merely starve the child, you'll kill her before he even gets here," Katashi said, taking a small sip himself.
"Kill the child. I don't care. As long as the Battousai in him comes out. That was our goal from the beginning, remember? When we killed her mother?" Kiyoshi asked.
"Yes, I remember," Katashi said.
"Come to think of it, I want you to threaten the brat, hold the sword to her neck and make her cry out in pain, draw very little blood though," Kiyoshi directed, sipping on some more rice wine. Katashi didn't like the sound of this, he didn't want to hurt little Ran. He wouldn't have a problem doing it to an older man, but this was a child his brother was directing him to harm.
"Brother," Katashi began. Kiyoshi looked up from his newspaper.
"Yes?" He asked.
"I can't do it," Katashi said.
"Come again?" Kiyoshi inquired.
"I can't do it," Katashi repeated. "It's like asking me to harm a baby."
"Katashi, you'll do this. And you'll do this with a grin. Do you understand me?" Kiyoshi asked with a cold, stern voice.
"Kiyoshi…" Was all that came out of Katashi's mouth. Kiyoshi didn't have time for this. He walked out of the room and into his bedroom. There he wrote a letter to a few other men that wanted Battousai's head. They would be sure to get it.
~*~
"We're almost there," Kenshin said to Yahiko as Kaoru slept peacefully on his lap.
"You know, she really likes you," Yahiko said.
"And Ran really likes you," Kenshin said, smiling. "That she does." Yahiko blushed a light red.
"H-Hey! Who said anything about me liking her?!" He asked.
"She can't stop thinking about you, that she can't," Kenshin said, giving a small chuckle. Yahiko's blush deepened as he looked down, not another word was said. Kenshin smiled and gave Yahiko a pat on the back.
"You better tell her soon, before you lose her," Kenshin said, thinking of Akemi. How he wished just to see her for one final time. Just to see her bathed in the moonlight. How Ran reminded him so much of her. She may have had his eyes and hair, but also had her mother's beauty. Akemi, to Kenshin, was like a beauty beyond compare. Sure, many men said that about their women. But, Kenshin had seen many in his life, and none could compare to his Akemi. She had shut her mouth just to protect him, although she was clueless as to where he had gone to. He would never forget her, no matter how many women walked into his life. Except for Kaoru. The one woman he loved just as much as Akemi. Could Kenshin love Kaoru more than Akemi? He didn't want to think such a thing, but it was better he thought of this now, then never.
He looked down at Kaoru and brushed a stray hair off of her face as he rode the horse. The woman who was always there for him, the woman who will always be there for him no matter what the circumstance was. No matter how dangerous, she would risk her life for him. Kenshin wanted to tell Miss Kaoru Kamiya how he felt for her, but just couldn't come to finding the right words. Like both his daughter and Yahiko about one another. Breaking all thought, he heard gun shots, more like something being shot from a canon. They were in Yokohama. Kenshin gently nudged Kaoru and smiled warmly at her as she awoke.
"We're there?" She asked.
"That we are," He said and got off the horse, helping her off and catching her as she tripped on her way down. Yahiko, Sanosuke and Mitsuko followed Kenshin and Kaoru as they made their way through town. Many people staring at him because he carried a sword. Just like Kyoto. They reached a dojo just on the outskirts of the quaint town of Yokohama as the young male that was of Katashi guarded it.
"State your business," He said, then looked at Kenshin's scar. "Oh my…you're him!" He ran in the dojo to get Kiyoshi. Kenshin wasted no time as he ran inside to see where his daughter laid. When he saw her, instead of Katashi, Kiyoshi stood with a small knife pressed against the tender flesh of her neck.
"Hitokiri Battousai," Kiyoshi grinned. Kenshin's cold violet eyes seemed to grow colder by the moment as Ran whimpered for him to help her.
"Ran!" Yahiko shouted.
"Yahiko!" She screamed, but the blade was pressed ever close to her throat, causing blood to draw.
"Stop hurting her!" Kenshin growled, getting ready to withdraw his sword.
"Lets settle this outside, shall we?" Kiyoshi asked, showing him his sword.
"Just stop hurting her," Kenshin said, his voice firm, but pleading at the same time. Kiyoshi took the knife off of Ran's neck and sent her to Kenshin, who held her tightly in his grasp.
"Come on Battousai, it's now or never," Kiyoshi said.
"We might as well," Kenshin said, fingering the handle on his Reverse Blade Sword.
Continue? Yes? No? Review! Please! I love hearing your reviews!
What A World
By, BurningEmber
~Chapter 11~
With Ran sitting in the same corner for three days straight, she couldn't help but feel sore. She got up and walked around, just to get the feeling back in her legs.
"They forgot about me…how could they?" She asked herself, actually believing herself when she said something like this. Right now, the only person she could believe and trust was herself. All she could think about was getting out of there and of Yahiko. She thought he had forgotten, like he just didn't care about her anymore. Which could never be. For Yahiko cared about her more than life itself. "Yahiko..." She could feel tears in her eyes just at the thought of him. "I love you…I love you so much." When she sat back down, she hugged her knees tightly and curled up in a ball, looking like a tiny ball of fire that was to burst at any moment. Katashi would often look at her as she cried, mainly at night. His heart couldn't bear to strike her, unlike his brother who struck her whenever she opened her mouth. Even if it was a simple question, like to use the restroom or something. Kiyoshi was cruel, Katashi had to admit that. They may have looked alike, but personality wise Katashi felt as if he didn't know his brother. Like there was just no connection in blood line. Every time Katashi would look at Ran, another bruise would appear. He winced as he just simply watched the young child be beaten till she whimpered in pain. But never would she cry in front of him. She kept a straight and solid appearance. Like nothing ever bothered her. Her eyes would sometimes give that cold look, like her fathers would when he used to be the Hitokiri Battousai.
"Ran, come," Katashi said. Ran quickly obeyed, she was hungry and she was dirty. Looking as if she hadn't bathed in days.
"What do you want of me?" She asked sadly.
"I'm going to get you something to eat," Katashi said, not daring to make eye contact with her. Ran looked down, her small smile remaining cheerful as she was taken into the room Kiyoshi was in.
"Katashi, what would you like?" Kiyoshi asked. Katashi took a few pieces of bread and fish off of the table, handing them to Ran in a bowl.
"Go ahead," He said and watched her walk back to the room she remained in. Kiyoshi glared at his brother.
"You know we want the Battousai to find his child in some sort of agony. Then this so called "Rurouni" can flee back and make way for the Battousai within him to come out," Kiyoshi said, taking a sip of the rice wine.
"Kiyoshi, you cannot merely starve the child, you'll kill her before he even gets here," Katashi said, taking a small sip himself.
"Kill the child. I don't care. As long as the Battousai in him comes out. That was our goal from the beginning, remember? When we killed her mother?" Kiyoshi asked.
"Yes, I remember," Katashi said.
"Come to think of it, I want you to threaten the brat, hold the sword to her neck and make her cry out in pain, draw very little blood though," Kiyoshi directed, sipping on some more rice wine. Katashi didn't like the sound of this, he didn't want to hurt little Ran. He wouldn't have a problem doing it to an older man, but this was a child his brother was directing him to harm.
"Brother," Katashi began. Kiyoshi looked up from his newspaper.
"Yes?" He asked.
"I can't do it," Katashi said.
"Come again?" Kiyoshi inquired.
"I can't do it," Katashi repeated. "It's like asking me to harm a baby."
"Katashi, you'll do this. And you'll do this with a grin. Do you understand me?" Kiyoshi asked with a cold, stern voice.
"Kiyoshi…" Was all that came out of Katashi's mouth. Kiyoshi didn't have time for this. He walked out of the room and into his bedroom. There he wrote a letter to a few other men that wanted Battousai's head. They would be sure to get it.
~*~
"We're almost there," Kenshin said to Yahiko as Kaoru slept peacefully on his lap.
"You know, she really likes you," Yahiko said.
"And Ran really likes you," Kenshin said, smiling. "That she does." Yahiko blushed a light red.
"H-Hey! Who said anything about me liking her?!" He asked.
"She can't stop thinking about you, that she can't," Kenshin said, giving a small chuckle. Yahiko's blush deepened as he looked down, not another word was said. Kenshin smiled and gave Yahiko a pat on the back.
"You better tell her soon, before you lose her," Kenshin said, thinking of Akemi. How he wished just to see her for one final time. Just to see her bathed in the moonlight. How Ran reminded him so much of her. She may have had his eyes and hair, but also had her mother's beauty. Akemi, to Kenshin, was like a beauty beyond compare. Sure, many men said that about their women. But, Kenshin had seen many in his life, and none could compare to his Akemi. She had shut her mouth just to protect him, although she was clueless as to where he had gone to. He would never forget her, no matter how many women walked into his life. Except for Kaoru. The one woman he loved just as much as Akemi. Could Kenshin love Kaoru more than Akemi? He didn't want to think such a thing, but it was better he thought of this now, then never.
He looked down at Kaoru and brushed a stray hair off of her face as he rode the horse. The woman who was always there for him, the woman who will always be there for him no matter what the circumstance was. No matter how dangerous, she would risk her life for him. Kenshin wanted to tell Miss Kaoru Kamiya how he felt for her, but just couldn't come to finding the right words. Like both his daughter and Yahiko about one another. Breaking all thought, he heard gun shots, more like something being shot from a canon. They were in Yokohama. Kenshin gently nudged Kaoru and smiled warmly at her as she awoke.
"We're there?" She asked.
"That we are," He said and got off the horse, helping her off and catching her as she tripped on her way down. Yahiko, Sanosuke and Mitsuko followed Kenshin and Kaoru as they made their way through town. Many people staring at him because he carried a sword. Just like Kyoto. They reached a dojo just on the outskirts of the quaint town of Yokohama as the young male that was of Katashi guarded it.
"State your business," He said, then looked at Kenshin's scar. "Oh my…you're him!" He ran in the dojo to get Kiyoshi. Kenshin wasted no time as he ran inside to see where his daughter laid. When he saw her, instead of Katashi, Kiyoshi stood with a small knife pressed against the tender flesh of her neck.
"Hitokiri Battousai," Kiyoshi grinned. Kenshin's cold violet eyes seemed to grow colder by the moment as Ran whimpered for him to help her.
"Ran!" Yahiko shouted.
"Yahiko!" She screamed, but the blade was pressed ever close to her throat, causing blood to draw.
"Stop hurting her!" Kenshin growled, getting ready to withdraw his sword.
"Lets settle this outside, shall we?" Kiyoshi asked, showing him his sword.
"Just stop hurting her," Kenshin said, his voice firm, but pleading at the same time. Kiyoshi took the knife off of Ran's neck and sent her to Kenshin, who held her tightly in his grasp.
"Come on Battousai, it's now or never," Kiyoshi said.
"We might as well," Kenshin said, fingering the handle on his Reverse Blade Sword.
Continue? Yes? No? Review! Please! I love hearing your reviews!