Rurouni Kenshin, and related characters, do not belong to me.
*Lines with-in the stars (*) are thoughts.*
Shadow's return, chapter 12:
"What do you mean, the police are already here?" Kaoru asks as she looks around. "I don't see any police."
Taiyoryu smiles briefly before looking at Kenshin, who sat quietly with his eyes closed. With-out saying a word, Kenshin stands and walks to the nearest door that leads to the tobira, opening it quickly.
"Konnichiwa, battousai."
"Saitou." Kaoru gasps.
The former Shinsen gumi ignores the girl, as usual, and stares, instead at the strange creature, eyes wide. His mouth hangs loose, threatening to dump his cigarette onto the dojo floor.
"This is the first time I've ever seen Saitou surprised." Sanosuke says softly. Then, to Saitou, he adds, "What's the matter Saitou? You've never seen a demon before?"
Shaking his head, the assistant inspector finally regains his composure. "How did you know I was there?" he asks. "Did my kenki give me away? Maybe some noise or movement?" It's obvious that the man isn't used to being found when he intends to stay hidden.
The strange creature merely shakes his head and walks quietly up to the man. With a movement fast enough to startle Saitou, he snagged the cigarette dangling from his mouth. "If you are going to continue sneaking around in the shadows," the says softly, "You may wish to quit this habit. You smell worse than the breath of a kappa."
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"How did you get past the Akumu Minzoku?" Kaoru asks, staring dumbfounded at the police officer.
He glares at her from the corner of his eyes for a moment. "I walked." he says, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"They wanted him in here." the creature standing next to the battousai said softly. He looks at Saitou, his eye glowing bright red, literally, with intensity. "They see you as a threat, so they seek to remove you with the same attack that they intend to remove us with."
The former Shinsen gumi still has a hard time meeting the creatures glare, though. He had read Meiyomi's report, of course, but it had not prepared him for what was standing before him. Standing shorter than even the battousai, the creature before him wears the embroiders silk, gray and black in colour, of the mainland. The dark ebony skin of his face is framed and contrasted by the stark white of his long hair, which hangs loose around him. Despite the intensity that surrounds him, Saitou couldn't feel the creatures kenki, his sword spirit. According to Meiyomi's report, he was an expert swordsman.
*Could it be he learned to conceal his kenki, to keep himself hidden, as I have been training to do?* Saitou wonders. *Or is his kind just so different from humans that we can't sense them? Are they able to sense humans?* These thoughts, and a hundred more, enter the mind of Saitou Hajime in the blink of an eye.
The sudden snap of fingers before his face brings his mind back to the problem at hand.
"Saitou?" Himura was trying to get his attention. Shaking his head, forcing himself to look away from the strange creature, Mibu's wolf faces the red-haired warrior.
"You stepped in it this time, battousai." he says. "I slipped past at least two dozen of what ever those things are."
"Akumu Minzoku." Tengoku tells the former Shinsen gumi. "Among the most feared creatures in existence."
"You don't say." The assistant inspector sounds completely unimpressed now. Looking to Kenshin, he adds, "Forget Saitou for now. Remember, I'm known as Fujita Goro now."
"Yare, yare, Saitou." Sanosuke says, louder than necessary.
"Be careful, ahou." Saitou's voice is low and threatening. "We've discussed your.... skill before. Do you really want to be that embarrassed again?"
Sano clenches his jaw angrily. "I'm still waiting for my rematch, psycho."
"Maa, maa." Kenshin says, stepping between Sanosuke and Saitou. "We have more important things to worry about right now." The battousai turns to Mibu's wolf. "Can you get back out?"
Saitou sends his mind back through his trip in. There were several times that he thought he had been seen, yet the strange warriors did nothing to acknowledge his presence. "I'm not so sure. I think I was seen coming in." he admits finally.
The Akumu merely nods, then smiles toothily and Saitou could feel his heart trying to crawl out his throat. As he begins to chant softly, the dark warriors hands move in an integral pattern. He ends the motions by touching the Shinsen Gumi on the arm lightly. A pulse of light courses across the man, then he begins to fade from view.
"Say nothing." the strange warrior instructs quickly. "If you speak, you will break the spell. If you fight, you will break the spell. If you move quickly, you will break the spell. In short, act as if you were merely trying to sneak out with no aid. If you do this, you should not be caught, barring stupidity. Once outside, organize the military here for a strike. When you start your strike, so will we."
With that, Taiyoryu turns from the now invisible man, opening the sliding door to the outside. He steps out, leaving the door open behind him. Looking around, he finds the location of two warriors of his kind, watching the door for movement. Turning back to the door, he whispers harshly.
"Be careful, baka. If you make my job more difficult by getting killed before you complete your mission, I will bring you back from the dead and kill you slowly."
With that, the dark creature returns through the door and closes it behind him.
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Saitou crouches at the door, listening as the tobira hisses shut. He can feel the eyes on him, even though he can't even see himself. Moving with slow precision, the warrior takes more than twenty minutes to clear the courtyard. He moves with a silence that impresses even himself.
He comes dangerously close twice to being caught. Only his reflexes for silence saved him. First, as one strange warrior looks right at him, staring hard for several seconds before looking away. The other as he rounds the corner of the gate and nearly walks right into one of the warriors. A quick turn and spin gets him out of the way of the moving creature. He worries briefly about the spell ending from the fast movement, but seemingly unnecessarily.
A smile cracks his rigid face as he exits the unmitigated darkness that surrounds the Kamiya Dojo to find a large force of the army waiting for some idea of what to do. A quick look at himself shows that he is still not visible. Glancing around, he finds Commissioner Kawaji pacing, trying to decide what course of action to proceed with.
A second smile crosses his unseen face as he walks quietly up to the man who is his boss.
*Lines with-in the stars (*) are thoughts.*
Shadow's return, chapter 12:
"What do you mean, the police are already here?" Kaoru asks as she looks around. "I don't see any police."
Taiyoryu smiles briefly before looking at Kenshin, who sat quietly with his eyes closed. With-out saying a word, Kenshin stands and walks to the nearest door that leads to the tobira, opening it quickly.
"Konnichiwa, battousai."
"Saitou." Kaoru gasps.
The former Shinsen gumi ignores the girl, as usual, and stares, instead at the strange creature, eyes wide. His mouth hangs loose, threatening to dump his cigarette onto the dojo floor.
"This is the first time I've ever seen Saitou surprised." Sanosuke says softly. Then, to Saitou, he adds, "What's the matter Saitou? You've never seen a demon before?"
Shaking his head, the assistant inspector finally regains his composure. "How did you know I was there?" he asks. "Did my kenki give me away? Maybe some noise or movement?" It's obvious that the man isn't used to being found when he intends to stay hidden.
The strange creature merely shakes his head and walks quietly up to the man. With a movement fast enough to startle Saitou, he snagged the cigarette dangling from his mouth. "If you are going to continue sneaking around in the shadows," the says softly, "You may wish to quit this habit. You smell worse than the breath of a kappa."
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"How did you get past the Akumu Minzoku?" Kaoru asks, staring dumbfounded at the police officer.
He glares at her from the corner of his eyes for a moment. "I walked." he says, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"They wanted him in here." the creature standing next to the battousai said softly. He looks at Saitou, his eye glowing bright red, literally, with intensity. "They see you as a threat, so they seek to remove you with the same attack that they intend to remove us with."
The former Shinsen gumi still has a hard time meeting the creatures glare, though. He had read Meiyomi's report, of course, but it had not prepared him for what was standing before him. Standing shorter than even the battousai, the creature before him wears the embroiders silk, gray and black in colour, of the mainland. The dark ebony skin of his face is framed and contrasted by the stark white of his long hair, which hangs loose around him. Despite the intensity that surrounds him, Saitou couldn't feel the creatures kenki, his sword spirit. According to Meiyomi's report, he was an expert swordsman.
*Could it be he learned to conceal his kenki, to keep himself hidden, as I have been training to do?* Saitou wonders. *Or is his kind just so different from humans that we can't sense them? Are they able to sense humans?* These thoughts, and a hundred more, enter the mind of Saitou Hajime in the blink of an eye.
The sudden snap of fingers before his face brings his mind back to the problem at hand.
"Saitou?" Himura was trying to get his attention. Shaking his head, forcing himself to look away from the strange creature, Mibu's wolf faces the red-haired warrior.
"You stepped in it this time, battousai." he says. "I slipped past at least two dozen of what ever those things are."
"Akumu Minzoku." Tengoku tells the former Shinsen gumi. "Among the most feared creatures in existence."
"You don't say." The assistant inspector sounds completely unimpressed now. Looking to Kenshin, he adds, "Forget Saitou for now. Remember, I'm known as Fujita Goro now."
"Yare, yare, Saitou." Sanosuke says, louder than necessary.
"Be careful, ahou." Saitou's voice is low and threatening. "We've discussed your.... skill before. Do you really want to be that embarrassed again?"
Sano clenches his jaw angrily. "I'm still waiting for my rematch, psycho."
"Maa, maa." Kenshin says, stepping between Sanosuke and Saitou. "We have more important things to worry about right now." The battousai turns to Mibu's wolf. "Can you get back out?"
Saitou sends his mind back through his trip in. There were several times that he thought he had been seen, yet the strange warriors did nothing to acknowledge his presence. "I'm not so sure. I think I was seen coming in." he admits finally.
The Akumu merely nods, then smiles toothily and Saitou could feel his heart trying to crawl out his throat. As he begins to chant softly, the dark warriors hands move in an integral pattern. He ends the motions by touching the Shinsen Gumi on the arm lightly. A pulse of light courses across the man, then he begins to fade from view.
"Say nothing." the strange warrior instructs quickly. "If you speak, you will break the spell. If you fight, you will break the spell. If you move quickly, you will break the spell. In short, act as if you were merely trying to sneak out with no aid. If you do this, you should not be caught, barring stupidity. Once outside, organize the military here for a strike. When you start your strike, so will we."
With that, Taiyoryu turns from the now invisible man, opening the sliding door to the outside. He steps out, leaving the door open behind him. Looking around, he finds the location of two warriors of his kind, watching the door for movement. Turning back to the door, he whispers harshly.
"Be careful, baka. If you make my job more difficult by getting killed before you complete your mission, I will bring you back from the dead and kill you slowly."
With that, the dark creature returns through the door and closes it behind him.
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Saitou crouches at the door, listening as the tobira hisses shut. He can feel the eyes on him, even though he can't even see himself. Moving with slow precision, the warrior takes more than twenty minutes to clear the courtyard. He moves with a silence that impresses even himself.
He comes dangerously close twice to being caught. Only his reflexes for silence saved him. First, as one strange warrior looks right at him, staring hard for several seconds before looking away. The other as he rounds the corner of the gate and nearly walks right into one of the warriors. A quick turn and spin gets him out of the way of the moving creature. He worries briefly about the spell ending from the fast movement, but seemingly unnecessarily.
A smile cracks his rigid face as he exits the unmitigated darkness that surrounds the Kamiya Dojo to find a large force of the army waiting for some idea of what to do. A quick look at himself shows that he is still not visible. Glancing around, he finds Commissioner Kawaji pacing, trying to decide what course of action to proceed with.
A second smile crosses his unseen face as he walks quietly up to the man who is his boss.
