Standard Disclaimers Apply
Author's Notes: Sorry about the long wait! Exams had taken a huge toll on me and I was left for dead! Gak! xx; Anyway, here's chapter 16! Finally! How come I never make long chapters? It's always too short. *sigh*
Omochi -- yes, she has her memories back. Willow -- K&K will be very soon, okay? Here's the update you want! Hitokiri's Woman -- Kaoru does kick @$$ but not very much. I don't know how to make good fighting scenes! SakuraCherryBlossom -- Ah, imouto-chan, I hope you're enjoying this as much as I do! Alana -- the update you asked for. Konton -- Hoshi is a bit stronger, but Kaoru is much more wiser...^___^
--====-- Chapter 16: Deep Blue --====--
"Don't you dare touch him!" Kaoru snarled, jumping down directly from the balcony. She landed on the concrete ground soundlessly and began to charge, drawing her kodachi as she did. Hoshi quickly blocked the attack, katana clashing with kodachi. She jumped back, quickly regaining her footing before she attacked Kaoru.
Kenshin blinked, too stunned to move. Kaoru had come out of nowhere, and she was fighting her own blood. But, earlier, didn't she want to kill him? He had gone as far as to avoid her glare at any possible cost, for her hatred was hurting him. But now, things were turning out better for him.
Rei watched intently on their fight, and was nervous everytime Hoshi got near Kaoru. Her blade inches from his cousin's skin, making him flare with protective instincts to help but his uncle, Honou, was restraining him from doing so. Sanosuke and Yahiko were a bit wounded, and they were certainly no match for Hoshi, so they stayed put to one side.
Hoshi emitted a battle cry, plunging down her sword down towards Kaoru. Reacting quickly, Kaoru blocked furiously, grunting every now and then by the increasing strength that Hoshi was putting in her attacks. Jumping away from another incoming attack, she ran to the sides, her icy blue gaze resting on Hoshi as she followed her lead.
/Good. Let her come./ Kaoru thought, jumping high above the wall of the camp and threw herself into the forest. Hoshi hesitated for a moment, before joining Kaoru into the green canopy.
Hoshi landed squarely on a branch, her green eyes darting back and forth for a slight movement. /How the hell did she regain her memory anyway?/ She asked herself, deeply frustrated. A breeze blew, making it harder for her to spot Kaoru. Suddenly, there was a flash of raven, and she reacted too late. Her shoulder was cut, blood pouring out.
"Are you losing your touch, Hoshi?" Kaoru's voice mocked, echoing. "Am I that fast for you now? Is being beaten by your own cousin too much for you to bear?"
"Shut up, Tsuki!" Hoshi shouted, frantically looking around. Tree trunks were everywhere, and Kaoru was nowhere to be found. /How does she do this? How can she hide?/ Holding the hilt of her sword much firmer, she jumped from branch to branch, quickly scanning for anything colored raven.
Above her, Kaoru narrowed her gaze as Hoshi landed gracefully on a nearer branch. She could see her green eyes darting back and forth, and she could not afford to give herself away. Quickly, she hid herself deeper in the shadows, glad that what she was wearing was pure black.
Finally, Hoshi went to another place, and Kaoru made sure she was gone before she landed on the forest floor. Leaves and twigs were scattered everywhere, and it crunched everytime she stepped on it. Eyes widening, she suddenly jumped to a branch, in perfect timing for Hoshi had attacked, her blade plunging into the trunk. If she hadn't evaded, she would have been skewered alive.
"Don't play hide-and-seek with me, Tsuki," Hoshi said, pulling her sword from the wood. "I know your tricks, we had the same martial arts master. You can't fool anyone."
"Even if we had the same martial arts master, Hoshi, I still know everything better than you do. Do you think I trusted you when I first saw you?" Kaoru snapped. "No, I didn't, so I had to learn everything there is to learn. I read every single page of every book in this camp to finally find your secrets, to learn what is there in the potions. You made me drink a forgetting potion!"
Hoshi smirked. "Of course I had to, how could you listen to me? You're an insolent fool who know nothing about our own clan. The day you despised blood was the day I promised to bring you here and make you drink blood." She laughed coldly. "Didn't you know? I killed our grandmother, so my parents would motivate themselves into targeting you. But no, they were fools themselves; they prefer to leave you alone." Her green eyes glinted, seeing the reaction Kaoru was giving off. "So, throughout my childhood until I grew, I trained hard to capture you, and when my parents gave me the power to rule over the clan, I would hunt you down."
"But then, Rei-chan would always protect me from you," Kaoru realized. "So you decided to try and kill him as well, but always failed since he was much stronger than you."
Hoshi glared at her. "Yes, so I thought I could trick him into drinking a potion that will make him obey me, but he instantly saw it coming and never touched what I had offered." She jumped, her katana targeting Kaoru's throat. "Rei was always stubborn, just like you!"
"Rei understands, that's why!" Kaoru answered back, avoiding Hoshi's blade. She took hold of her kodachi and aimed for her leg. It connected and Hoshi cried out in pain. She landed on the hard ground, a large rock hidden underneath the golden leaves instantly breaking her bone on the knee when she landed.
Kaoru landed beside her, eyes looking on her leg. "Give up, Hoshi. You're defeated."
"Never!" Hoshi hissed. She lifted her sword and planned to stab Kaoru but went off-balanced. It had not connected to her stomach, but the blade plunged through Kaoru's left arm. She bit her lip so she couldn't shout with pain, but a wince couldn't help escape from her mouth. Hoshi stood, dragging her injured knee through the ground, using the saya of her blade as a support.
"I'll kill you, Tsuki." She said. "I'll kill you now. Say goodbye to the world."
Kaoru backed slowly, but the sword hit her thigh and she stumbled. She stopped moving when she realized she was on the edge of a cliff, beside it a waterfall raging downwards. Kaoru's eyes darted back to Hoshi standing before her, a cold and triumphant smile on her lips.
"You have nowhere to go, Tsuki. This is where you'll drop and die." Hoshi laughed.
With her last ounce of strength, Kaoru managed to smirk. "If I fall, I will not be alone in my journey!" She said, quickly holding unto Hoshi's leg and pushed herself off the cliff. Their cry was covered by the loud sound of the raging waterfall.
--==--
"Honou-sama!" One of the vampires frantically cried, pushing his way through the doorway. Honou turned, his hand supporting Sanosuke's bruised body. Kenshin was already treated, but he refused to leave the camp until Kaoru returns.
"What is it?" Honou asked, looking at the frantic face of the man.
"Hoshi-sama...Tsuki-sama...they..." The vampire tried to catch his breath from all the running he did.
"What? What happened to them?" Rei asked, holding the man by the shirt. "Tell me!"
"Hoshi-sama and Tsuki-sama, they dropped down from the steep cliff in the east side of the forest." He stammered. "I don't know if they're alive."
Rei let go of the man and looked at him as if he was insane. Honou closed his eyes, his face to the direction of the sky. Sano and Yahiko stood with disbelief on their faces, but Kenshin's expression was different from them all. He paled, his eyes growing wide. His body went limp and slumped to the floor, his sakabatou clattering to the ground.
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: Sorry about the long wait! Exams had taken a huge toll on me and I was left for dead! Gak! xx; Anyway, here's chapter 16! Finally! How come I never make long chapters? It's always too short. *sigh*
Omochi -- yes, she has her memories back. Willow -- K&K will be very soon, okay? Here's the update you want! Hitokiri's Woman -- Kaoru does kick @$$ but not very much. I don't know how to make good fighting scenes! SakuraCherryBlossom -- Ah, imouto-chan, I hope you're enjoying this as much as I do! Alana -- the update you asked for. Konton -- Hoshi is a bit stronger, but Kaoru is much more wiser...^___^
--====-- Chapter 16: Deep Blue --====--
"Don't you dare touch him!" Kaoru snarled, jumping down directly from the balcony. She landed on the concrete ground soundlessly and began to charge, drawing her kodachi as she did. Hoshi quickly blocked the attack, katana clashing with kodachi. She jumped back, quickly regaining her footing before she attacked Kaoru.
Kenshin blinked, too stunned to move. Kaoru had come out of nowhere, and she was fighting her own blood. But, earlier, didn't she want to kill him? He had gone as far as to avoid her glare at any possible cost, for her hatred was hurting him. But now, things were turning out better for him.
Rei watched intently on their fight, and was nervous everytime Hoshi got near Kaoru. Her blade inches from his cousin's skin, making him flare with protective instincts to help but his uncle, Honou, was restraining him from doing so. Sanosuke and Yahiko were a bit wounded, and they were certainly no match for Hoshi, so they stayed put to one side.
Hoshi emitted a battle cry, plunging down her sword down towards Kaoru. Reacting quickly, Kaoru blocked furiously, grunting every now and then by the increasing strength that Hoshi was putting in her attacks. Jumping away from another incoming attack, she ran to the sides, her icy blue gaze resting on Hoshi as she followed her lead.
/Good. Let her come./ Kaoru thought, jumping high above the wall of the camp and threw herself into the forest. Hoshi hesitated for a moment, before joining Kaoru into the green canopy.
Hoshi landed squarely on a branch, her green eyes darting back and forth for a slight movement. /How the hell did she regain her memory anyway?/ She asked herself, deeply frustrated. A breeze blew, making it harder for her to spot Kaoru. Suddenly, there was a flash of raven, and she reacted too late. Her shoulder was cut, blood pouring out.
"Are you losing your touch, Hoshi?" Kaoru's voice mocked, echoing. "Am I that fast for you now? Is being beaten by your own cousin too much for you to bear?"
"Shut up, Tsuki!" Hoshi shouted, frantically looking around. Tree trunks were everywhere, and Kaoru was nowhere to be found. /How does she do this? How can she hide?/ Holding the hilt of her sword much firmer, she jumped from branch to branch, quickly scanning for anything colored raven.
Above her, Kaoru narrowed her gaze as Hoshi landed gracefully on a nearer branch. She could see her green eyes darting back and forth, and she could not afford to give herself away. Quickly, she hid herself deeper in the shadows, glad that what she was wearing was pure black.
Finally, Hoshi went to another place, and Kaoru made sure she was gone before she landed on the forest floor. Leaves and twigs were scattered everywhere, and it crunched everytime she stepped on it. Eyes widening, she suddenly jumped to a branch, in perfect timing for Hoshi had attacked, her blade plunging into the trunk. If she hadn't evaded, she would have been skewered alive.
"Don't play hide-and-seek with me, Tsuki," Hoshi said, pulling her sword from the wood. "I know your tricks, we had the same martial arts master. You can't fool anyone."
"Even if we had the same martial arts master, Hoshi, I still know everything better than you do. Do you think I trusted you when I first saw you?" Kaoru snapped. "No, I didn't, so I had to learn everything there is to learn. I read every single page of every book in this camp to finally find your secrets, to learn what is there in the potions. You made me drink a forgetting potion!"
Hoshi smirked. "Of course I had to, how could you listen to me? You're an insolent fool who know nothing about our own clan. The day you despised blood was the day I promised to bring you here and make you drink blood." She laughed coldly. "Didn't you know? I killed our grandmother, so my parents would motivate themselves into targeting you. But no, they were fools themselves; they prefer to leave you alone." Her green eyes glinted, seeing the reaction Kaoru was giving off. "So, throughout my childhood until I grew, I trained hard to capture you, and when my parents gave me the power to rule over the clan, I would hunt you down."
"But then, Rei-chan would always protect me from you," Kaoru realized. "So you decided to try and kill him as well, but always failed since he was much stronger than you."
Hoshi glared at her. "Yes, so I thought I could trick him into drinking a potion that will make him obey me, but he instantly saw it coming and never touched what I had offered." She jumped, her katana targeting Kaoru's throat. "Rei was always stubborn, just like you!"
"Rei understands, that's why!" Kaoru answered back, avoiding Hoshi's blade. She took hold of her kodachi and aimed for her leg. It connected and Hoshi cried out in pain. She landed on the hard ground, a large rock hidden underneath the golden leaves instantly breaking her bone on the knee when she landed.
Kaoru landed beside her, eyes looking on her leg. "Give up, Hoshi. You're defeated."
"Never!" Hoshi hissed. She lifted her sword and planned to stab Kaoru but went off-balanced. It had not connected to her stomach, but the blade plunged through Kaoru's left arm. She bit her lip so she couldn't shout with pain, but a wince couldn't help escape from her mouth. Hoshi stood, dragging her injured knee through the ground, using the saya of her blade as a support.
"I'll kill you, Tsuki." She said. "I'll kill you now. Say goodbye to the world."
Kaoru backed slowly, but the sword hit her thigh and she stumbled. She stopped moving when she realized she was on the edge of a cliff, beside it a waterfall raging downwards. Kaoru's eyes darted back to Hoshi standing before her, a cold and triumphant smile on her lips.
"You have nowhere to go, Tsuki. This is where you'll drop and die." Hoshi laughed.
With her last ounce of strength, Kaoru managed to smirk. "If I fall, I will not be alone in my journey!" She said, quickly holding unto Hoshi's leg and pushed herself off the cliff. Their cry was covered by the loud sound of the raging waterfall.
--==--
"Honou-sama!" One of the vampires frantically cried, pushing his way through the doorway. Honou turned, his hand supporting Sanosuke's bruised body. Kenshin was already treated, but he refused to leave the camp until Kaoru returns.
"What is it?" Honou asked, looking at the frantic face of the man.
"Hoshi-sama...Tsuki-sama...they..." The vampire tried to catch his breath from all the running he did.
"What? What happened to them?" Rei asked, holding the man by the shirt. "Tell me!"
"Hoshi-sama and Tsuki-sama, they dropped down from the steep cliff in the east side of the forest." He stammered. "I don't know if they're alive."
Rei let go of the man and looked at him as if he was insane. Honou closed his eyes, his face to the direction of the sky. Sano and Yahiko stood with disbelief on their faces, but Kenshin's expression was different from them all. He paled, his eyes growing wide. His body went limp and slumped to the floor, his sakabatou clattering to the ground.
To Be Continued...