chapter | part eight: possessed
[Kaoru had put in a lot effort into cleaning the place up as well as buying a lot of groceries on her way back from meeting with the new visitors earlier. Aoshi was still out along with Misao, and Yahiko was still helping out at the Akabeko.]
Kaoru: Mou........... Kenshin...... I understand that they were nice, but did you have to invite them over? It's tough enough on me that we already have three guests staying with us, plus Yahiko still comes over to eat dinner with us when he's not with Tsubame. There were ten of them, you don't think that all ten will be coming over do you?
Kenshin: Now now, Kaoru-dono. Sessha made the invitation to one person, not all of them, and if they all come, there's always us to help you out - de gozaru.
Sanosuke: Oy! You leave me out of this!
[Kaoru gave a glare at Sanosuke and clenched her fists at this.]
Kaoru: Like I'd count on you to help me out!
Kenshin: Besides, sessha thinks that if we really want to find out about what's going on around here, it wouldn't hurt to ask the ones who seem to have more information then we do.
[At that moment, a figure appeared at the door unnoticed by the others except for Kenshin as they were talking among themselves. Sensing danger, Kenshin swiftly gets in between where this figure was standing and the others. Sanosuke follows suit.]
Sanosuke: Heh... And I thought today was going to be another drawn out boring day, with no action.
[Kenshin hits the hilt of his sakaba upwards a little bit so that it was in sight and at an easy angle for him to pull it out of its sheath if need be. Sanosuke cracked his knuckles and smirked. The person just stood there with his face downwards so that the person's expression was hidden in shadow.]
Sanosuke: Hey, are you looking for a fight, or you just going to stand there like an idiot?
[The figure then raised his head to face the crowd. It was then realized that it was one of the warriors that they had previously fought. He just stood there with an evil smirk across his face. Kenshin's eyes narrowed downward, but they kept a constant view on the guy until he noticed something. There was something evil about his eyes, almost as if he wasn't there. It was as if he was possessed or something.]
Kenshin: Sano.... Look at his eyes..... He's not himself.
[Sanosuke takes a look into the guys eyes and sees this as well. That was when the guy had lunged forward at Kenshin, but Kenshin takes a sidestep to avoid this and the guy just stumbles down right onto his face. He gets up and brushes the dirt off from his face and faces Kenshin again.]
Sanosuke: Hey, you didn't forget me now did you?
[Sanosuke rushes him and punches him in an attempt to throw him from his balance, but he remained solid. The punch did not even affect him. Sanosuke, shocked to see this, steps back a bit from the guy but not quick enough. The guy rushed Sanosuke and punched him in his face hard enough to knock him to the ground.]
Kenshin: Sano!
Sanosuke: Heh... [wipes his mouth] That was more of a punch then I expected, but is that really the best you got?
[Kenshin, seeing this as the best opportunity to catch this guy off guard, rushes him and unsheathes his sakaba. Just as he was about to swipe him with it and knock him unconscious, the guy dodges the swing and grabs Kenshin. He looks straight into Kenshin's face with only a few inches away from his nose, and there seem to illuminate the same dark eerie cloud that was seen hovering over the two warriors as they fought with each other previously. This cloud seem to try and enter into Kenshin as the other guy held him near. Kenshin tried to fight to get out of the hold this guy had him in, and he would have succeeded as well if it wasn't for the fact that this guy was not holding him with his normal strength but that of a man who was definitely possessed.]
Kaoru: Kenshin!!!!!!!!!!
[Sanosuke rushes the man again, but this time the guy, without even looking at his assailant, grabs Sanosuke's fist with his free hand and with the sound of bones breaking, tosses him to the ground. Kaoru, the one who normally holds back from fighting because someone else was always there to take care of the fights, rushes over to Kenshin to help him. However, she couldn't break Kenshin from the grip of this guy. So, instead she looks at Kenshin who seemed to be nodding off, and she looks down at his sakaba in his hands. She places her hands over Kenshin's hand which was still clenching the sakaba. Kenshin opens his eyes long enough to see Kaoru eyes filled with tears, and then he loosens his grip around his sakaba. She takes the sakaba in her hands and looks at Kenshin's seemingly lifeless body. She had almost forgotten how heavy a real sword was in her hands as she takes the sakaba and swings at the possessed warrior.]
Kaoru: Let go of him!!....... Kenshin please don't die on me just yet!
[Kaoru hits on him as hard as she could on his shoulder to get him to release his hold on Kenshin. Kenshin has once again opened his eyes just enough to see what was going on around him. In response to the hit she landed on him, he turned to her and grabbed her arm as she was making her second pass at him. Then he flings her into the air and back into the ground with just one arm.]
Warrior: [finally speaks in that same sinister tone of voice] Why you little impudent wench.
Kenshin: [in a weakened voice] Ka-o-ru-dono........
Kaoru: Ken....Shin......
[Kaoru reaches out with her left hand towards Kenshin and the other still clenched on the reversed blade sword. Shortly after, her hand fell limp as she fell unconscious.]
Warrior: Battousai, just give into your fate.
[Kenshin turns back to the warrior with a gleam in his eyes. Without the other guy realizing it, Kenshin smoothly removes the sheath from his waist. With one swift movement of the wrist, Kenshin ran the end of the sheath into the side of the warrior, kicked off from him, and escaped his hold. He started to rush over to where Kaoru had fallen with his sheath in hand, and he was only an arm's length to her. But the warrior didn't let him get to her and put himself between Kenshin and Kaoru. Kenshin takes his stance, and his hand gripping the sheath even tighter.]
Kenshin: I don't know who you are or what you mean by my fate, but I no longer hold any ties to the name of Battousai.
Warrior: Can you just imagine, Battousai...... Your strength along with my will. We would be unrivaled against anyone in the universe.
Kenshin: I have no desires of worldly domination nor of the universe.
Warrior: I see.... [he turns ever so slightly to face Kaoru] Is it because of her? After she's gone....
[The warrior didn't even get to finish his sentence. Kenshin with a speed undetected managed to reach out to Kaoru's right hand where her lifeless hand was only placed over the hilt of the sakaba. Just as the warrior was about to react to this speed, Kenshin was already up in the air and came down fast and severe on the unsuspecting warrior with the reverse blade sword in both hands.]
Kenshin: Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu Tsui Sen*.
(*note to non-Kenshin fans: this is one of Kenshin's attack techniques - as described before he says it.)
[The warrior fell down to the ground, and was knocked unconscious. Kenshin was just about to turn to face Kaoru, who was still knocked out as well, when a strong presence of evil was felt in the air. Kenshin readies his reverse blade once more, and he turns around to see this evil aura once again. This time the aura seemed to be leaving the person, and steadily rising towards the sky above and out of sight. Kenshin finally replaces his sword back into its sheath at his side, and goes over to Kaoru. At the moment Kaoru was still unconscious, so Kenshin ever so gently lifts her up into his arms. After being lifted from the ground and a few steps, Kaoru started to come to only to look into Kenshin's face. A feeling of relief fell over her when she saw Kenshin.]
Kenshin: Don't worry, everything's alright, Kaoru-dono. Are you able to stand on your own? Sessha would like to take a look at this guy- de gozaru.
[Kenshin carefully puts her down on her feet, and walks over to where the man seemed to lie lifeless. He places his hand over to his face to feel that he was breathing, and then he tries to see if he could stir him awake.]
Kenshin: Hey...... Excuse me....
[Sanosuke comes from behind unexpectedly and gives a kick to the man. Kenshin's eyes popped out a bit to see how Sanosuke was treating an unconscious victim and after being beaten up as well.]
Kenshin: Oro!
Sanosuke: Oy, get up! This is not a free inn here!
Kaoru: Like you would know about paying fees.
[The man started to come to. Kenshin, with caution, goes a little more closer to him.]
Kenshin: You took quite a fall there. Are you alright - de gozaru?
Warrior: Huh? What happened here? How did I get here?
[The fallen guy makes an attempt to stand at this point but falls back down.]
Warrior: Ouch. I feel like I was run over by some horses or a train.
Kenshin: Perhaps it's a good thing that you don't remember, but perhaps sessha better go and get a doctor. You took a bad hit to the head there.
[Kenshin gives a friendly smile, and heads off to get Megumi. It was at this moment Aoshi and Misao walk into the dojo along with Saitoh. Aoshi quickly sums up the area and notices that whatever battle was going on was already dealt with.]
Misao: Hey, what happened here?
[She looks over to the guy that was lying sprawled out on the ground.]
Misao: Wait a minute..... I know you!
[Misao stands ready to fight with her fists up. The poor guy just laid there looking at her in confusion.]
Saitoh: Feh.... Don't bother trying to whip a beaten dog..... Hmmmm you look much better when you're not under the influence of evil, Akinori.
Kaoru: Akinori?.... You know him Saitoh?
Saitoh: Of course. Akinori here used to be a lowly samurai during the Bakumatsu. However, he is bitter about the government. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I have heard about him back then.
Kaoru: Eh? So he's an ex Shinsen Gumi?
Saitoh: [with a bit of a laugh] Feh..... We would never have accepted the likes of him among us. He's to weak to be in the same class of fighters that Kenshin, Aoshi, and myself are in. He's lucky he survived that era.
Sanosuke: You forgot to mention me in that list.
Saitoh: I didn't aho.
Akinori: That's a lie! I'm a changed man now.
Saitoh: Working an underground ring of thieves, smugglers, and low class hit men. I should have killed you when I had the chance to. Perhaps I should take my chance now, before you luck your way out of this.
[Kenshin returns with Megumi behind him, and at the end of Saitoh's sentence, he shakes his head. Saitoh lights up a cigarette.]
Saitoh: It's a waste of my time right now, anyway. Even the weasel girl or the tanooki girl here could take him on.
Kaoru: What was that?!?
[Misao was right behind Kaoru flaming with rage.]
Kenshin: Akinori, you have a second chance here. Take it, and live a better life.
[Sanosuke gets right in his face this time, and gives a sly grin.]
Sanosuke: You better take his advise otherwise I just may have to have another round with you.
[Megumi bends over and takes a look at him.]
Megumi: I'm surprised you didn't take him to see me sooner. What if these blows were fatal, then what?
Saitoh: One less cockroach in the world.
Megumi: Anyways, you should be able to stand on your own. It only seems to be a lot of bruising, scratches, and hmmmmm [she reaches over his forehead] looks like a concussion. Looks like you won't be doing much fighting for the next few days. Just take it easy, and you should be fine.
[Megumi turns to face Kenshin and Kaoru. Akinori gets up and takes a look at the crowd. He knew he was already outnumbered when he looked at the others. Then when he saw Saitoh's face and Kenshin's face, he knew he didn't even have a prayer. So he stumbles his way out of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo without looking back. Megumi then goes over to look at Sanosuke's hand, and wraps it up.]
Megumi: And here I thought I had left Aizu for a little relaxation and a bit of fun. I should have known better when I'm around you guys..... Ken-san, how are you feeling?
Kenshin: I'm alright - de gozaru.
Megumi: That's good to hear Ken-san.
Kaoru: Ahem..... Well.... If you guys don't mind. I have a ton of cooking to do tonight. Ummm.... Saitoh, I guess if you would like you could join in. One more member wouldn't be trouble.
[Behind Kaoru's back there was Sanosuke, Misao, and Megumi all waving their hands, shaking their heads no, and making faces to the thought of Kaoru actually cooking. Saitoh saw this and raised his eyebrows.]
Saitoh: Another rain check on that, Kaoru.
[At this Saitoh takes his departure from the dojo as well. Aoshi and Misao have retired back into the confines of the dojo. Megumi packs up her medicine box and also heads towards the door shortly after.]
Kaoru: Megumi-san? You're leaving too?
Megumi: Yes, Dr. Genzai might be worrying since I left in such a rush. I'll visit when I have some free time on my hands. He's been so busy lately with patients that I have taken over looking after Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan.
[With that Megumi was out the door.]
Footnotes:
This unplanned chapter was created solely for the fan's amusement.
Specifically Amara, who requested "more Kenshin.... and more action...."
I don't know if I delivered on the requests. 0=)
Actually, I thought I had a good mix of both RK and SM.
I do have more action planned, but I also need to build a storyline.
Plus real life gets in the way of my writing.
To FireSenshi and Mi, my first reviewers on the first day I posted!!... Hope I haven't scared you off yet.
Hopefully I haven't scared off any of my lurking fans either.
Assuming there are more then three people -still- reading.
Actually I would love to hear more comments if you could take a few minutes to post.
Besides giving me ideas, they also encourage me.