Author's Note: Another chapter! I'm updating whenever from now on. As soon as I finish, I'll most likely update. Though it'll probably only be on weekends though.
Chapter Fifteen: Delays
The air was filled with tension as Soujiro clenched his fists together, his eyes set in hard determination.
"We're almost there Soujiro, calm down," said Aoshi, as he watched his twin walk back and forth on the jet for the past hour.
"I can't help it," said Soujiro as he finally sat down.
"I know that it's hard to wait to save a person that's close to us, but we have no choice," said Aoshi calmly.
Soujiro could only nod.
Aoshi closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Truth be told, he was worried beyond reason for Misao. She was always near by, and her being this far away was kind of new.
Could I be falling for her? Thought Aoshi.
The 24-year-old shook his head. We're just friends, that's all we've ever been, and all we'll ever be.
Though something within him felt wrong with that statement. He sighed and just wanted all of this to end.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru woke up to the feel of the wind against her skin. She moved around to find her source of heat, but it was gone. Kaoru bolted up right, and covered herself in the bed sheets, as she looked around the room for Kenshin.
She looked around and spotted Kenshin dressed in all white, and looking through his suitcase, that was by the window. He looked up at her with a smile.
"Are you cold?" asked Kenshin; he had opened the window for a bit of fresh air.
Kaoru shook her head as she wrapped herself in the bed sheets before getting up and walking over to him.
"It's only 3, you should go back to sleep," said Kenshin as he placed the suitcase down.
Kaoru shook her head as she sat in his lap and he wrapped his arms around her lithe frame. He placed his head on her left shoulder, as he hugged her closer to him. How much he would miss her when he left.
Kaoru leaned back into him, and slowly fell into a slumber again, as she felt Kenshin's familiar aura wrap itself around her protectively, and possessively.
Kenshin only shook his head as he lifted up his love, and walked back toward the bed. He slowly eased her down, and watched as she curled up into a ball in the sheets.
He smiled as he moved a lock of stray hair from her face.
Suddenly his cell phone rang.
He slowly made his way back to his suit case and flipped open the phone.
"Hello?"
"Himura, have you any idea where my little sister Magdaria is?" asked a concerned voice.
Kenshin finally remembered that she was kidnapped by the Juppon Gatana, but he wasn't about to tell that to Shougo. He might actually go there and ruin the plans that Aoshi most likely made.
"I don't know," lied Kenshin calmly.
"Are you sure? Yahiko told me that she didn't come back last night, and Sano was probably too drunk to even remember. He said that he dropped her off at home," came Shougo's worried voice.
Kenshin was a bit shocked. He never heard Shougo sound so concerned before. The two were two of the best manslayers there were, and Shougo was always so shadowed, if not more than himself. So to hear him like this, was odd.
"You're her brother, so you have a right to know the truth," said Kenshin solemnly.
"What do you mean?" asked Shougo confused.
"Your sister was kidnapped by the Juppon Gatana, and are holding her hostage with Misao at an abandoned warehouse in Kyoto. Aoshi and the others are going there to get them back," said Kenshin.
The other end fell silent.
"Don't worry, she's going to come back in one piece," said Kenshin reassuringly.
"Thank you for the information," said Shougo, his voice seemed to show that he was pale, as he hung up.
Kenshin felt sorry for the guy. Though if Kaoru were the one that was kidnapped, he'd have been at the warehouse by now and have slaughtered the Juppon Gatana.
"Kenshin," came Kaoru's voice in a moan.
The manslayer turned around, and couldn't help but grin when he saw that Kaoru was dreaming of him. It was amazing how such a little thing like that from her, would make him forget everything else.
~*~*~*~*~
Misao struggled to try and get the chains off, but it just wasn't working.
"Damn, these chains won't come off," said Misao angrily.
She looked over to Magdaria who was beginning to black out.
"Magdaria! What's wrong?" asked Misao concerned, as she turned to her friend.
Sayo looked up at her friend, and looked up to her chains.
"You're bleeding."
Blood was slowly tricking down the chains from her wrists to the chains.
"You're loosing too much blood," Cried Misao. She was worried, and her friend wasn't going to make it if she lost too much blood.
I have to do something. Thought Misao. She began to swing herself back and forth, until she had enough momentum to swing upward.
She was able to wrap her legs around the long steel line that was above her. Now she was hanging upside down, and had to use most of her strength to make sure that her legs were wrapped around the chains enough.
Magdaria looked at her in shock, as the smaller girl began to try and take off her chains at her wrists.
Taking major caution, she careful took one hand and reached into her hair.
The metal line that she was on began to swing a bit, and she felt like her she was on a roller coaster. Closing her eyes, she froze waiting for the line to stop moving.
Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Magdaria smiling at her weakly.
She pulled back her hair and flung out a bobby pin. Carefully she threw the pin to her face, and tried to catch it with her teeth, but the pin dropped to the floor. Her eyes went wide as the pin dropped to the floor, and she could swear that she heard the ringing of the pin dropping to the floor clearly in her ears.
Magdaria looked at her worried.
Taking in a deep breath, she slowly took out another one, and then great diligence, she pushed her head back and whipped another bobby pin at her mouth, and this time she caught it between her teeth. She sighed in relief, and began to work on her wrists, but made sure not loosen her leg grips on the line. The last things she wanted was to fall back down in the chains, and having pulled a muscle in her hand from falling like that.
When the first cuffs came out, she made sure to keep herself tightly around the line, before taking out the other cuff with her now free hand that had turned purple from the lack of circulation.
She smiled brightly when both hands were free.
"I'm free. I'll have to lower myself down to the floor, and then use the machine to get you down. Hang in there okay." Misao looked at Magdaria who weakly nodded; she was loosing too much blood, too quickly.
Misao then crossed her legs around the string, as if she were a monkey, and pulled herself up to a sitting position on the line.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly made her way to the top. There was always a switch at the top so that the line could go toward the ground.
Just a few more meters. Thought Misao, as she struggled to get climb the metal line.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Soujiro was out the plane when they landed, as he raced down the steps of the jet. They were Kyoto, and it would take about an hour to get to the warehouse. He was going to save Misao, and that was that. Those Jupon Gatana were going to pay dearly if they laid a finger on her.
Aoshi had to jog to keep up with his twin, they were stuffed into a limo, as Soujiro yelled at the driver to step on the gas to the warehouse. When the old man objected because of the speed limit, Soujiro pushed him aside and drove them there with an average of 95 miles per hour.
The old man was holding onto the seat belt for dear life at Soujiro's relentless driving. Though Aoshi, use to Soujiro's driving for they both drove this way, he calmly sat up straight and calm as the old man was swerving all over the back seat of the limo.
It was pretty shocking that Soujiro had out raced ten cop cars and was still headed straight for the warehouse without a ticket, and not heading toward the jail for breaking over 15 laws already.
When they arrived, the old man had turned white as a ghost, as Soujiro hopped out of the car, and Aoshi calmly walked up to the warehouse.
Both only protected by their swords, walked smoothly toward the warehouse.
The place was rusting from age, and the door creaked like nails on a chalkboard as it opened for them.
Both twins looked around, and didn't see anything. The whole place was empty.
They were in a huge metal area, and it was empty. It was all metal, there were no machines, weapons, or anything at all. It was completely empty.
*CREAK*
The metal walls began to move push forward at the two Oniwanbanshu warriors, and threatened to squash them into pancakes. It didn't take the two long to realize that they were set up, and why the whole place was empty.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"My head," said Sano as he finally woke up.
He found himself on the chair of the Sakura Blossom, and he finally saw that Katsu was lying on a chair across from him, a beer bottle still in his hand.
Touching his spinning head, he had stop and lay back before he vomited his drinks from last night. His stomach felt like it was about to burst and the worst part was the fact that the world wouldn't stop spinning and his head felt like someone slugged it with a sledge hammer.
"Stupid hang-over," cursed Sano, as he tried to get back up to his feet, but he found out the hard way that his feet were jell-o.
He barely stood when his feet gave way, and he fell face first on the floor.
Groaning, the assassin got to his hands and knees.
There's something I was suppose to remember. But what the hell was it? Thought Sano. He remembered a phase that someone or something was missing.
He shook his head as if he were trying to stop his world from spinning and blurring. Sano banged his head on the couch, trying to remember what he was suppose to be worried about.
I know I was suppose to be worried. But about what?
Suddenly his cell phone rang again.
Slowly, and carefully this time, he got to his feet and went back up on the chair, and answered.
"Why didn't you follow Magdaria home, and make sure no one was following?" asked a cold voice, that woke him immediately. He seemed to have gotten his vision and feelings back.
"I was with Katsu. We made sure she was in the house with the kid, and then we left. We heard the door lock. There was no screaming," defended Sano, his memory seemed to come back after hearing the Hitokiri's cold words.
"Yahiko, her little brother, said that she left," said Kenshin.
"Then she must have left after we did, because we didn't see her come back out," said Sanosuke.
"Did you know that the Jupon Gatana captured her and Misao? Cho went back to them, and Shura's missing. I have a feeling they caught her too. The way my uncle put it that she wasn't going to join us in the line of battle, gave too many suspicions," said Kenshin calmly as ever.
"That creep of a broom! I should of known about that little traitor. What about Enishi and Takasugi, have you talked to them?" asked Sano.
"I'm moving out in a month with the Oniwanbanshu to a man named Okina's and into his dojo. It's another one of the inns that we've got. It's most likely you'll be joining me," said Kenshin.
"Takasugi can't go, then Aoshi will figure out that something was up. He was the one that gave them the instructions to go to Midnight Street," said Sano, as he thought about it.
"After last night, I thought you'd have forgotten," said Kenshin; Sano could have practically see the man's grin.
"How do you know that I got drunk?"
"You went to the Sakura Blossom. You always get drunk when you go to a brothel."
"GRRR. I don't always!"
"Really? Then tell me when you haven't been drunk in some way."
Sano growled, he didn't like the way Kenshin sounded so confident. He hated admitting that the man was right, it was just wrong in his book.
Suddenly Sano could have sworn that he heard a moan from a woman. He looked around for any signs of a woman, but found that all the girls were still asleep and drunk. Cocking an eyebrow in confusion, he noticed that there were no one close enough to him so that he could hear a moan.
Sanosuke grinned and looked at the phone.
"So. How was last night?" asked Sano, grinning from ear to ear.
"Shut up," said Kenshin annoyed.
"OH! So you did! Who did you screw up?" asked Sano with a grin. It had been forever since he last recalled his friend with another woman.
"Shut up Sanosuke Sagara!" came the coldest and darkest female voice he had ever heard, it caused a shiver to go down his spine.
"Hold up! You and Missy? Damn! I didn't think you had the balls," said Sano in shock.
"You little bastard!" came Kirei's voice; the voice held an indisputable death threat in those words.
"Dang girl! Did you wake up on the wrong side of Kenshin?" asked Sano as he let out a bellowed laugh, that made everyone else in the Sakura Blossom groan or twitch.
"When I get my hands on you..." began Kirei darkly, but it seemed that Kenshin was shushing her, and trying to get her to calm down.
"Sano," came the full cold and dark voice of Battousai dangerously.
Gulping the man blurted out an apology.
"I was just joking," defended Sano.
"Then joke when something's funny," came the cold reply.
"So you want us to get ready for the move?" asked Sano, hoping to get the two off the previous chapter.
"Yes, those are Hiko's wishes," said Battousai calmly.
"All right then. See you then," said Sano, as he quickly hung up.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he stood up and went to get Katsu so that they could get out of here, and get ready. It was better to follow orders. Especially when it came from a mad assassin that can kill you in an instant.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"That creep! I can't believe him," said Kirei angrily, as she pounded her hands in her blanket angrily.
Battousai only looked at her with a grin.
"Why are you so happy?" asked Kirei angrily, as she glared at him.
"Nothing. Just enjoying the view," said Battousai with a grin.
Kirei looked down and realized that the blanket had fallen into her lap, and that her chest was bare to his eyes. She blushed and quickly covered herself.
"Now, now koishii. I've already seen and touched every single dip, curve, and smoothness of your body, so why hide?" asked Battousai; his voice deep, dark, and rich. It sent a delicious shiver down her spine, as his red eyes advanced on her blushed face.
He was on the bed, and before she could protest, captured her arms in his wrists and pinned them over her head.
"Battousai," complained Kirei as she pouted.
"Yes?" came the question, as he kissed her jaw line.
"Mou! We need to get up. Omasu might get suspicious that we didn't come down for dinner," came Kaoru's voice.
Battousai looked up, and noticed that her eyes were thinking just like he was, as she put on a frown.
He kissed her on the lips passionately before getting up.
Kaoru quickly got up and rushed to the bathroom as he waited for her to change.
We're going to battle too soon. Thought Battousai.
~For once I agree.~
{At least she'll be safe. That's all that matters.}
Yes, and then she'll fully be mine.
~Ours.~ Corrected Shinta.
Yours is Kanna. Kirei is all mine.
{They're one in the same as we are. We might be different in personality wise, but we are still one in the same being.} Stated Kenshin.
His other two sides agreed. Whether they liked it or not, they were one, and that can never change.
~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: THE WAR IS ALMOST HERE! I think that you'll all enjoy it, and you all know Kaoru, so something's going to happen.
BEWARE OF THE DARKNESS AND OTHER CRAZY STUFF THAT I'M GOING TO DO!!!