Standard disclaimers apply. Despite my continued delusions, I still don't own Rurouni Kenshin.
*Lines with-in the stars (*) are thoughts*
Shadow's return - Chapter 7: Recovering
"You will lay back down," Megumi orders, "Or I will lay you back down." She waves her fist before Tengoku's face.
The night has given way as the sun creeps higher in the sky. Megumi had spent several hours that night working to save the mans life.
"My dear lady," he says as he lays back, "I think you spent too much time with the tori-atama."
Megumi chuckles flirtatiously. Tengoku may have a few years on her, but he was still quite handsome. "Hai." she said. "I think you're right."
Sudden pain runs through his body as a fit of coughs takes hold. He calms after a few moments.
She looks over the bandages over his chest. "You're lucky to be alive. If the blade had gone a couple centimeters to either side, you wouldn't have lived long enough to have been brought here."
"Oh?" Tengoku said interested. He had never known Taiyoryu to slip like that when killing someone.
"Hai. It missed your heart on one side, a major artery on the other. As it is, it grazed your lungs. You're out of action for a while."
"Very expertly done." he murmurs. Noticing the woman doctors confused look, he explains. "He basically told me that I was in his way."
Her eyes go wide. "He did this to you to keep you out of his way? I thought he was your friend!"
He laughs. "He is. I'm still here." He quickly regrets the laugh, though, as another fit of coughs rack his body.
Megumi shakes her head. *I'll never understand these people.* she thinks, referring to the warrior caste, the group that constantly put themselves in harms way. Just when she thinks she has them figured out, some strange new rule of 'honor' seems to surface. *'He didn't succeed in killing me, so he's still my friend.'*
"Hai. And you had better still be here when I get back with more bandages. If you get any fool idea about running off," she looks pointedly at Kenshin, who was sitting over in the corner, "I'll have to come find you and drag you back here."
"My dear," a bright smile plays across his face, "How could I refuse such gracious care?"
Megumi walked out of the room, half muttering, half laughing. She wasn't sure whether to be infuriated by the man, or interested. She stops short when she realizes that this is the same effect that Sanosuke has on her. *Well, there goes my good mood.* she thinks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I guess I screwed up, eh, Himura?" Tengoku ends his sentence coughing. Blood accompanies his coughs this time, though. "Ouch."
"Perhaps not." Kenshin says softly, after Tengoku stops coughing. "It seems that Taiyoryu knows something we don't, and he doesn't seem inclined to share it.."
"That wouldn't be the first time." the larger man mutters. "What brings you to that conclusion?"
The red-haired warrior pauses, considering what he saw as he carried Tengoku out of the shrine. "A woman who looked similar to Taiyoryu, another Akumu Minzoku, I would guess, grabbed the artifact."
The former leader of the Akuma Ryoshi cursed under his breath.
"Taiyoryu, though," the battousai continues, "only seemed to make a token attempt to stop her."
The wounded man's jaw works for a moment, nothing coming out, completely at a loss. A moment later, Megumi returns with fresh bandages.
"Welcome back, my dear." Tengoku says, a smile wide on his face.
"Damaru." she replies in an angry tone. The large man looks over at Kenshin, a surprised look on his face. The battousai could do little more than shrug.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She sits in the darkness, sensitive fingers working their way across the artifact. She could feel the magic radiate from it, but it was a much weaker feel than she had expected. Closer her eyes, she wills it to do her bidding, to release a small amount of it's energy in the form of a bolt of energy.
She can feel the power welling up with-in the small disc, engraved with Shinto symbols. *Yes.* she thinks, *Toratsuki is as good as dead, then I will lead the Akumu Minzoku.*
Suddenly, she realizes that there's something wrong. *It's still building!* she thinks, referring to the energy from the disc. Pushing her will at the disc, she orders it to release the energy.
"NOOOOO!!!" Her voice rips from her throat as the energy suddenly pulses forth.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I want the control piece found." Toratsuki is deceptively small. Standing well under five feet tall, her slender body is framed by her long, thick white hair.
"Hai, Toratsuki." The chorus rings loud in her ears from her dozens of warriors. They had sifted the remains of the building destroyed when an ambitious priestess tried to access the power of the artifact. Of course, Toratsuki knew what the young woman was going to do and had allowed it. After all, some one else had to test the artifact to make sure that it was safe to use.
Once the artifact was found, they promptly disappeared into the surrounding area before the local police force could arrive. She had meditated on her problem for several hours. The answer came to her with a suddenness that nearly drove her to the floor.
Himura Kenshin was the last to fight Atarashiikami, the one to defeat him. Atarashiikami would have had the artifact on him. Of course he had it. It was the only explanation of how he defeated her warriors days before.
"Himura Kenshin." she said softly to her captain. "He has the piece."
"Demo, Mistress..." the warrior stutters. "He already defeated several of our warriors. He is too powerful to attack straight on, especially if he has the artifact."
Normally, she would have had the man killed, slowly and painfully, for his insubordination. However, she found he was right. "Then, target his loved ones." she answers coldly.
"Hai, mistress." her forces reply in unison.
A dark smile plays across her ebony lips. "Start with the woman doctor, the old man, and the children."
*Lines with-in the stars (*) are thoughts*
Shadow's return - Chapter 7: Recovering
"You will lay back down," Megumi orders, "Or I will lay you back down." She waves her fist before Tengoku's face.
The night has given way as the sun creeps higher in the sky. Megumi had spent several hours that night working to save the mans life.
"My dear lady," he says as he lays back, "I think you spent too much time with the tori-atama."
Megumi chuckles flirtatiously. Tengoku may have a few years on her, but he was still quite handsome. "Hai." she said. "I think you're right."
Sudden pain runs through his body as a fit of coughs takes hold. He calms after a few moments.
She looks over the bandages over his chest. "You're lucky to be alive. If the blade had gone a couple centimeters to either side, you wouldn't have lived long enough to have been brought here."
"Oh?" Tengoku said interested. He had never known Taiyoryu to slip like that when killing someone.
"Hai. It missed your heart on one side, a major artery on the other. As it is, it grazed your lungs. You're out of action for a while."
"Very expertly done." he murmurs. Noticing the woman doctors confused look, he explains. "He basically told me that I was in his way."
Her eyes go wide. "He did this to you to keep you out of his way? I thought he was your friend!"
He laughs. "He is. I'm still here." He quickly regrets the laugh, though, as another fit of coughs rack his body.
Megumi shakes her head. *I'll never understand these people.* she thinks, referring to the warrior caste, the group that constantly put themselves in harms way. Just when she thinks she has them figured out, some strange new rule of 'honor' seems to surface. *'He didn't succeed in killing me, so he's still my friend.'*
"Hai. And you had better still be here when I get back with more bandages. If you get any fool idea about running off," she looks pointedly at Kenshin, who was sitting over in the corner, "I'll have to come find you and drag you back here."
"My dear," a bright smile plays across his face, "How could I refuse such gracious care?"
Megumi walked out of the room, half muttering, half laughing. She wasn't sure whether to be infuriated by the man, or interested. She stops short when she realizes that this is the same effect that Sanosuke has on her. *Well, there goes my good mood.* she thinks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I guess I screwed up, eh, Himura?" Tengoku ends his sentence coughing. Blood accompanies his coughs this time, though. "Ouch."
"Perhaps not." Kenshin says softly, after Tengoku stops coughing. "It seems that Taiyoryu knows something we don't, and he doesn't seem inclined to share it.."
"That wouldn't be the first time." the larger man mutters. "What brings you to that conclusion?"
The red-haired warrior pauses, considering what he saw as he carried Tengoku out of the shrine. "A woman who looked similar to Taiyoryu, another Akumu Minzoku, I would guess, grabbed the artifact."
The former leader of the Akuma Ryoshi cursed under his breath.
"Taiyoryu, though," the battousai continues, "only seemed to make a token attempt to stop her."
The wounded man's jaw works for a moment, nothing coming out, completely at a loss. A moment later, Megumi returns with fresh bandages.
"Welcome back, my dear." Tengoku says, a smile wide on his face.
"Damaru." she replies in an angry tone. The large man looks over at Kenshin, a surprised look on his face. The battousai could do little more than shrug.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She sits in the darkness, sensitive fingers working their way across the artifact. She could feel the magic radiate from it, but it was a much weaker feel than she had expected. Closer her eyes, she wills it to do her bidding, to release a small amount of it's energy in the form of a bolt of energy.
She can feel the power welling up with-in the small disc, engraved with Shinto symbols. *Yes.* she thinks, *Toratsuki is as good as dead, then I will lead the Akumu Minzoku.*
Suddenly, she realizes that there's something wrong. *It's still building!* she thinks, referring to the energy from the disc. Pushing her will at the disc, she orders it to release the energy.
"NOOOOO!!!" Her voice rips from her throat as the energy suddenly pulses forth.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I want the control piece found." Toratsuki is deceptively small. Standing well under five feet tall, her slender body is framed by her long, thick white hair.
"Hai, Toratsuki." The chorus rings loud in her ears from her dozens of warriors. They had sifted the remains of the building destroyed when an ambitious priestess tried to access the power of the artifact. Of course, Toratsuki knew what the young woman was going to do and had allowed it. After all, some one else had to test the artifact to make sure that it was safe to use.
Once the artifact was found, they promptly disappeared into the surrounding area before the local police force could arrive. She had meditated on her problem for several hours. The answer came to her with a suddenness that nearly drove her to the floor.
Himura Kenshin was the last to fight Atarashiikami, the one to defeat him. Atarashiikami would have had the artifact on him. Of course he had it. It was the only explanation of how he defeated her warriors days before.
"Himura Kenshin." she said softly to her captain. "He has the piece."
"Demo, Mistress..." the warrior stutters. "He already defeated several of our warriors. He is too powerful to attack straight on, especially if he has the artifact."
Normally, she would have had the man killed, slowly and painfully, for his insubordination. However, she found he was right. "Then, target his loved ones." she answers coldly.
"Hai, mistress." her forces reply in unison.
A dark smile plays across her ebony lips. "Start with the woman doctor, the old man, and the children."
