As I'm sure you all know, I don't actually OWN Rurouni Kenshin, or related characters. Demo, that doesn't stop me from putting them through hell for no profit on my part.
*Lines with in the stars (*) are thoughts.*
Chapter 13:
"So, what's the strategy?" Yahiko wonders aloud, turning to Kenshin.
"Tengoku-san, what can you tell us about these Akumu Minzoku?" the battousai-turned rurouni asks the strange warrior. Tengoku, in turn, looks to Taiyoryu, an Akumu Minzoku, himself.
Taiyoryu looks around briefly, then begins to speak.
"My people tend to have problems with light." he starts, then is interrupted by Sanosuke.
"A lot of good that does us!" the former fighter-for-hire snorts.
Taiyoryu looks up, and up, at Sanosuke, irritation crossing his face. "Be thankful you are not in my homeland." he says. Though his voice is soft, there is a definite threatening undertone to it. "One would find themselves skinned alive for such an interruption... If pity was given to you and they stopped there..."
Tengoku places a hand on the shoulder of his smaller companion, sending a look that told him that he had just crossed a dangerous line with humans. "You always were a sweet talker, Taiyoryu."
Instead of apologizing, the Akumu merely continued with his plan
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"Ohayo."
The word is spoken softly, just shy of Kawaji's ear. The commissioner jumps, turning and seeing nobody. That's when a faint shimmer, for the lack of any better way of putting it, appears in the air before him. Narrowing his eyes, the man stares into the non-shape, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. As his hand drifts to the sabre, the form of a man begins to appear. The clothing of a police inspector forms briefly, then fades back into non-existance. Forcing his mind over what he had briefly seen, he tries to decypher what was before him. The inspectors uniform spoke little, Tokyo has several. That's when he realizes the one minour detail, barely visible through the shimmering effect, that made the uniform stand out.
"Fujita, report!" he demands.
"Hrmph."
The form of Saitou Hajime appears almost instantly to the commander, the only inspector allowed to carry a katana over the European Sabre.
"There are several dozen citizens held with-in the Kamiya dojo. Himura is there, as well, with the rest of his little group. We had formed a plan before I slipped out, but on the way out, I made some changes to it...."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night rolls into early morning. Though the sun was not up yet, the streets were filled with activity. Carriage after carriage arrives outside the strange darkness. The area had been cleared of all stray citizens, even those still inside their homes. Even many of the police had been moved back. What was inside the carriages were among the governments best hidden secrets, even though they had only been so for six months. Saitou walks to the first of the carriages, opening the door. Leaning in, he speaks slowly, but with authority.
"Your mission is simple. Destroy anything with-in that darkness that is not human."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*What is taking so long?*
Toratsuki paces slowly on the roof-top of a nearby building. She wasn't overly concerned about an attempt on her life. She had enough protective spells placed on and around her to stop half of Tokyo. Still, the longer this attack takes, the more likely that something would go wrong. Her people were not equipped for a siege.
*But I need the last piece to the artifact, or it will be useless....*
Looking down over the school, she utters a curse that would make even her fellows blush.
"Gohei." she starts, speaking to the wizard to her side. "Have you found a way dispel their protection yet?"
"Gomen nasai, Toratsuki-dono." he says, bowing his head to her. "The protective wards seem to be from a geomancer, yet I cannot find a way around it."
Toratsuki trembles with rage. *This will simply not due.* Her hand grips her whip ready to kill the spell-binder for his failure, when something to her right seizes her attention. Even through her spells that cast a deep darkness around the area, a ray of reddish light could be seen.
"Kuso!" she spat. "The accursed sun is rising already!"
The clash of metal on metal draws her attention from the offending light. With eyesight that is keen, even in such darkness, she could see the humans that were outside the dojo attacking her troops back-line in an attempt to break her troops siege. As much as she wanted to laugh, she dared not. Despite the fact that her troops were generally better trained than these humans, as well as more experienced, the humans had anger and numbers on their side.
*And the damned sun.* she notes, seeing that some of her troops were having problems seeing in the bright light that the humans just shrug off. This combined with the fact that they were defending their city just might be enough to even the odds. Her light-sensitive eyes completely miss the smaller, even more numberous forms, mixed in with the police...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Now."
The word was barely more than a whisper as it escapes Taiyoryu's mouth. That whisper, though, was enough to send Kenshin moving at full speed from the dojo, hand on the tsuka of his sakabatou. With Sanosuke to his right, Tengoku to his left, Himura Kenshin charges through the fading darkness, created by the Akumu Minzoku, dispelled by the sun. Kaoru and Yahiko flanked either side of Sanosuke and Tengoku, forming a wedge to cut their way through the troops.
As he enters the mystical darkness, he can hear the metal on metal of combat, punctuated by booming explosions of gun powder. A grim smile crosses his face as what was now the back-line of the force, the strange warriors turning to face Saitou's forces attacking them from the other side, comes full into view.
*It is odd how this almost makes me reminisce for the Bakumatsu.*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An evil grin crosses Toratsuki's face as her force begins to finally gain a foot-hold against the onslaught of the humans. She had drastically underestimated the humans and it had cost her dearly. From her vantage point at the top of a nearby building, she counted nearly a dozen of her warriors down. Her wizards, though, have done better.
They have completely turned now, facing the on-coming threat from the local peace-keepers.
"Nan di?" She looks to her right as sounds of combat rise to meet her. A wordless scream of anger rips from her lips as she sees her wizards fall to a fresh attack from the dojo, which has become the back of the field. Suddenly, her troops are caught between two fronts and badly outnumbered. With no aid from her wizards, her warriors are as good as lost.
*The piece I need MUST be in that dojo....* she thinks. *I must find it while my warriors are still distracting the others.*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The small, dark figure rummages through the school as the battle outside rages fully. Long, flowing white hair frames her lithe body, barely covered by her silken garments. Only through force of will, is she able to withstand the urging of the buildings protection to flee. Between the dull pressure of the wards and her frustration, she looses a short shout.
"It must be here somewhere." Toratsuki growls.
"It is not."
The words were spoken softly, barely more than a whisper, but easily heard by the sharp ears of the Minzoku. Spinning quickly, her sharp eyes search the darkness of the dojo for the speaker.
"I will make it easy for you...." There was a definite taunt to the words now. The brief stir of air to her left spoke of subtle movements. Turning, she finds a dark figure, leaning against the wall as if there was no war mere feet from him. Glancing up to her, he shakes his head ever so slightly.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You have been too long from the darkness." he says softly. "Your eyes burn."
Only then did Toratsuki realize that, indeed, her eyes were giving a faint red glow in the darkness, a tell-tale sign of using her peoples innate ability to see in the dark.
"You will not find the artifact here. It has already been removed." The figure makes a quick gesture with his arms and Toratsuki suddenly finds herself assaulted by bright light. The pain of the sun reaches her eyes, burning her skin. She can feel splintered wood and shattered stone under her feet.
Covering her eyes, the leader of the Minzoku army forces herself to look up to the male before her, who could only be the betrayer, Taiyoryu. Holding his hand before him, he shows the priestess a small, unassuming stone.
"What do you plan to do with that?" she asks, a weak attempt to sound as if she was still in control of things.
A grin crosses his lips, a curve so dark it makes even Toratsuki's blood chill.
*Lines with in the stars (*) are thoughts.*
Chapter 13:
"So, what's the strategy?" Yahiko wonders aloud, turning to Kenshin.
"Tengoku-san, what can you tell us about these Akumu Minzoku?" the battousai-turned rurouni asks the strange warrior. Tengoku, in turn, looks to Taiyoryu, an Akumu Minzoku, himself.
Taiyoryu looks around briefly, then begins to speak.
"My people tend to have problems with light." he starts, then is interrupted by Sanosuke.
"A lot of good that does us!" the former fighter-for-hire snorts.
Taiyoryu looks up, and up, at Sanosuke, irritation crossing his face. "Be thankful you are not in my homeland." he says. Though his voice is soft, there is a definite threatening undertone to it. "One would find themselves skinned alive for such an interruption... If pity was given to you and they stopped there..."
Tengoku places a hand on the shoulder of his smaller companion, sending a look that told him that he had just crossed a dangerous line with humans. "You always were a sweet talker, Taiyoryu."
Instead of apologizing, the Akumu merely continued with his plan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ohayo."
The word is spoken softly, just shy of Kawaji's ear. The commissioner jumps, turning and seeing nobody. That's when a faint shimmer, for the lack of any better way of putting it, appears in the air before him. Narrowing his eyes, the man stares into the non-shape, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. As his hand drifts to the sabre, the form of a man begins to appear. The clothing of a police inspector forms briefly, then fades back into non-existance. Forcing his mind over what he had briefly seen, he tries to decypher what was before him. The inspectors uniform spoke little, Tokyo has several. That's when he realizes the one minour detail, barely visible through the shimmering effect, that made the uniform stand out.
"Fujita, report!" he demands.
"Hrmph."
The form of Saitou Hajime appears almost instantly to the commander, the only inspector allowed to carry a katana over the European Sabre.
"There are several dozen citizens held with-in the Kamiya dojo. Himura is there, as well, with the rest of his little group. We had formed a plan before I slipped out, but on the way out, I made some changes to it...."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night rolls into early morning. Though the sun was not up yet, the streets were filled with activity. Carriage after carriage arrives outside the strange darkness. The area had been cleared of all stray citizens, even those still inside their homes. Even many of the police had been moved back. What was inside the carriages were among the governments best hidden secrets, even though they had only been so for six months. Saitou walks to the first of the carriages, opening the door. Leaning in, he speaks slowly, but with authority.
"Your mission is simple. Destroy anything with-in that darkness that is not human."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*What is taking so long?*
Toratsuki paces slowly on the roof-top of a nearby building. She wasn't overly concerned about an attempt on her life. She had enough protective spells placed on and around her to stop half of Tokyo. Still, the longer this attack takes, the more likely that something would go wrong. Her people were not equipped for a siege.
*But I need the last piece to the artifact, or it will be useless....*
Looking down over the school, she utters a curse that would make even her fellows blush.
"Gohei." she starts, speaking to the wizard to her side. "Have you found a way dispel their protection yet?"
"Gomen nasai, Toratsuki-dono." he says, bowing his head to her. "The protective wards seem to be from a geomancer, yet I cannot find a way around it."
Toratsuki trembles with rage. *This will simply not due.* Her hand grips her whip ready to kill the spell-binder for his failure, when something to her right seizes her attention. Even through her spells that cast a deep darkness around the area, a ray of reddish light could be seen.
"Kuso!" she spat. "The accursed sun is rising already!"
The clash of metal on metal draws her attention from the offending light. With eyesight that is keen, even in such darkness, she could see the humans that were outside the dojo attacking her troops back-line in an attempt to break her troops siege. As much as she wanted to laugh, she dared not. Despite the fact that her troops were generally better trained than these humans, as well as more experienced, the humans had anger and numbers on their side.
*And the damned sun.* she notes, seeing that some of her troops were having problems seeing in the bright light that the humans just shrug off. This combined with the fact that they were defending their city just might be enough to even the odds. Her light-sensitive eyes completely miss the smaller, even more numberous forms, mixed in with the police...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Now."
The word was barely more than a whisper as it escapes Taiyoryu's mouth. That whisper, though, was enough to send Kenshin moving at full speed from the dojo, hand on the tsuka of his sakabatou. With Sanosuke to his right, Tengoku to his left, Himura Kenshin charges through the fading darkness, created by the Akumu Minzoku, dispelled by the sun. Kaoru and Yahiko flanked either side of Sanosuke and Tengoku, forming a wedge to cut their way through the troops.
As he enters the mystical darkness, he can hear the metal on metal of combat, punctuated by booming explosions of gun powder. A grim smile crosses his face as what was now the back-line of the force, the strange warriors turning to face Saitou's forces attacking them from the other side, comes full into view.
*It is odd how this almost makes me reminisce for the Bakumatsu.*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An evil grin crosses Toratsuki's face as her force begins to finally gain a foot-hold against the onslaught of the humans. She had drastically underestimated the humans and it had cost her dearly. From her vantage point at the top of a nearby building, she counted nearly a dozen of her warriors down. Her wizards, though, have done better.
They have completely turned now, facing the on-coming threat from the local peace-keepers.
"Nan di?" She looks to her right as sounds of combat rise to meet her. A wordless scream of anger rips from her lips as she sees her wizards fall to a fresh attack from the dojo, which has become the back of the field. Suddenly, her troops are caught between two fronts and badly outnumbered. With no aid from her wizards, her warriors are as good as lost.
*The piece I need MUST be in that dojo....* she thinks. *I must find it while my warriors are still distracting the others.*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The small, dark figure rummages through the school as the battle outside rages fully. Long, flowing white hair frames her lithe body, barely covered by her silken garments. Only through force of will, is she able to withstand the urging of the buildings protection to flee. Between the dull pressure of the wards and her frustration, she looses a short shout.
"It must be here somewhere." Toratsuki growls.
"It is not."
The words were spoken softly, barely more than a whisper, but easily heard by the sharp ears of the Minzoku. Spinning quickly, her sharp eyes search the darkness of the dojo for the speaker.
"I will make it easy for you...." There was a definite taunt to the words now. The brief stir of air to her left spoke of subtle movements. Turning, she finds a dark figure, leaning against the wall as if there was no war mere feet from him. Glancing up to her, he shakes his head ever so slightly.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You have been too long from the darkness." he says softly. "Your eyes burn."
Only then did Toratsuki realize that, indeed, her eyes were giving a faint red glow in the darkness, a tell-tale sign of using her peoples innate ability to see in the dark.
"You will not find the artifact here. It has already been removed." The figure makes a quick gesture with his arms and Toratsuki suddenly finds herself assaulted by bright light. The pain of the sun reaches her eyes, burning her skin. She can feel splintered wood and shattered stone under her feet.
Covering her eyes, the leader of the Minzoku army forces herself to look up to the male before her, who could only be the betrayer, Taiyoryu. Holding his hand before him, he shows the priestess a small, unassuming stone.
"What do you plan to do with that?" she asks, a weak attempt to sound as if she was still in control of things.
A grin crosses his lips, a curve so dark it makes even Toratsuki's blood chill.
