Between
the Devil and the Deep
A Rurouni Kenshin Alternate Universe Fic
by Gemini (Gemini 1! I'm Number 1! Woohoo!)
Moonspark: Actually, that's just the number you were assigned by ff.net. It has
nothing to do with popularity or anything.
Me: Damn. Just let me have my illusions, will you?!
Rated R for language
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki, Sony, Shonen Jump and a bunch of other people I can't recall and am too lazy to look up. But, the main point here is that I do not own it, nor am I making any money from this fic! (Ha! If only!)
For Moonspark, who is no doubt thrilled I got off my butt.
Chapter 10: Damsels in Distress?
Tokio was pleased. So far, she had only been forced to knock three of her husband's men unconscious. Sticklers for rules, she supposed. She would have to talk to her husband later about that. There was something fundamentally wrong with men who were more loyal to rules than their captain.
Beside her, Misao was still grinning maniacally, congratulating herself for her handling of her maid, who, at this very moment was trussed up like a turkey, gagged and bound to her berth.
The two women marched down the various hallways towards the brig, Tokio sending any men she came across scurrying for cover. There weren't many about, as most were either up on deck or on the Kami Kaze, and of those who were, only a very few had dared challenge her, much to their regret.
"We're almost there." Tokio said, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Misao, who stopped dead in mid-step and was now fussing with her hair and dress. The older woman couldn't suppress a sly smile. "You'll have to point out your man when we get there." She said.
Misao turned bright red. "He's not 'my man'. I mean, I wish he was, but…"
"He's here, isn't he? That's a step in the right direction." Tokio replied with amusement.
Misao opened her mouth to reply, but Tokio held up an elegantly manicured hand to silence her. Two men were talking just through the heavy wooden door before them. "This leads to the brig. They must be standing guard." She whispered.
"What are we going to do?" Misao whispered back.
"Just watch." Tokio straightened out her robe and assumed a haughty expression before banging open the door.
The two sailors who had reluctantly taken Saitou down to the brig earlier jumped in surprise, afraid that their ship had been overtaken by the enemy. Seeing Tokio glowering in the doorway didn't relieve them at all, especially when they saw the gun.
"You," Tokio barked, startling the one closest to the door, "Put the keys to the cell on the table and get the hell out of here."
The man cleared his throat nervously. "But, Ma'am, we were ordered…"
"You should be ashamed of yourself, betraying your captain!" Tokio scolded.
The man blanched. "But… Madame Saitou…the Commodore…"
"Oh, fuck the Commodore. He's a pompous windbag and you know it. Now put the keys on the table and maybe I'll put in a good word for you with my husband. He may be persuaded not to kill you." Tokio said, waving the gun at the man with the keys. The other sailor nodded vigorously.
"Put the keys on the table!" His partner hissed. "We're already in the shit with the captain; do you really want to make it worse?"
"You have a sensible friend." Tokio said approvingly.
The sailor sighed and nodded, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Yes ma'am." He tossed the heavy key ring onto the table with a thud and backed away.
"Now, go out onto the deck and help your fellow sailors. I'll take it from here." She ordered, scooping up the keys and motioning for Misao to get Saitou's sword, which was propped up against the wall.
The two sailors nodded in unison and rushed out of the room as though they feared for their lives. Perhaps they did. Tokio did look rather frightening.
"That was amazing." Misao whispered, clutching Saitou's sword with wide eyes.
Tokio smoothed her hair. "You just have to let them know who's boss." She said loftily.
Misao carefully filed that information away in her mind for later use and followed Tokio down into the brig, where the men were waiting to be rescued. She grinned at that. She rather liked the idea of Aoshi and Saitou as damsels in distress, while she and Tokio, their knights in shining armor, cut a swath through the enemy to rescue them. Okay, knocking out three guys and yelling at the others wasn't exactly cutting a swath, but she liked the idea anyway.
She had never been in a brig before. It was in the lowest part of the ship, the bilge, and it smelled like stagnant water and mold. She wrinkled her nose and had to suppress a shriek as what was most certainly a rat scurried across her feet. Tokio didn't appear to be bothered in the least. She seemed to be in her element.
The men appeared to be deep in conversation as Misao and Tokio stealthily approached.
"Well, she had hooters the size of…" Shikiju was holding his hands as far away from his chest as his arms would go to illustrate his point, a grin lighting up his scarred face. He was about to elaborate further when Hannya elbowed him in the side and gestured towards where Misao and Tokio stood, eyes narrowed collectively.
"So, you could be thinking of ways to escape, or how to deal with Shishio and here you are, acting like a bunch of teenagers!" Tokio said irritably, her hands resting on her hips and a scowl firmly etched on her face. "Maybe I should leave you in here, let the rats have at you!"
Saitou, looking slightly guilty, rose from his seat. "Darling, what took you so long?" He asked, in what he hoped was a neutral tone.
She scowled deeper. Wrong question. "I'm sorry I took so long, dear, but I was detained by the fact THAT I AM SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT!" She threw the keys at him and huffed. "I shouldn't even be ON my feet, you moron, let alone be on my feet, skulking around your ship, dealing with your men, knocking people out and exhausting myself!" She pointed a wrathful finger at him. "My mother was right about you, Hajime!"
The men in the cell cringed as Saitou hastily unlocked the cell and immediately began damage control. "Darling, I didn't mean it…"
Aoshi found himself strangely relieved to see Misao standing slightly behind Tokio, looking unhurt. She turned to him and when their eyes met, a smile blossomed on her face.
She handed the sword to an increasingly apologetic Saitou and rushed over to Aoshi, whom she immediately wrapped in a suffocating hug. "I was so worried about you!" She whispered into his chest, since she only came up to about his sternum. "I was afraid you would get hurt." She sniffled.
Aoshi was too stunned to do or say anything. He just stared down at her dark head blankly.
"This is all my fault! I should have just married that old fart! Now people are getting hurt and I never wanted that! I just wanted…"
Aoshi blinked and started to come to life again. Gently, he laid his hand on her head and stroked her hair soothingly. "It's all right, Misao. We chose to come here, we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Kaoru was worried about you."
"Were you?" She asked in a tiny voice, her face still buried in his stiff black coat.
Aoshi colored slightly, suddenly aware that everyone was staring at them. Even Tokio had stopped scolding Saitou and they were both looking rather interested in his response.
Hannya gave him a thumbs up and a grin. "We can discuss that later, Misao, in private." He said quietly.
She looked up at him, her expression a mixture of hope and fear. Was he going to reject her? Had she really been so monumentally stupid?
His face was slightly pink but expressionless. But his eyes said a million things that she couldn't wait to hear out loud. Later, in private. She smiled beatifically.
"All right then!" She said, disengaging herself from the stoic navigator. "We should go up top and kick ass!"
"Whose?" Saitou asked irritably.
Misao turned to him with a confused expression. "What?"
"Whose ass should we be kicking, Miss Makimachi? May I remind you that we are on two different sides here? My duty is to my men." Saitou placed his sword back in its rightful place on his belt.
"And our duty is to our fellow crew members, Misao." Aoshi said in a monotone.
"So just whose ass should be kicked here?" Saitou asked again.
"Well…shit." Misao pouted. "I don't know!" She threw up her hands in disgust. "Why can't we all just get along?!"
Tokio nodded. "She has a point." She said, her hands resting on top of her belly.
"I'm sorry? Did I miss it?" Saitou asked. Tokio threw him a dirty look that reminded him that he was not yet out of the dog house and he quieted down.
"We should stop this fighting before more damage is done. Once we have accomplished that, then we can untangle this mess." She replied evenly.
Saitou grunted.
"I'm sorry, dear, what was that?" Tokio asked sweetly.
"I said, good idea." He muttered.
"I thought so." She replied cheerfully.
Kaoru grunted as she fended off another of Shishio's attacks. The wound in her side was protesting mightily to her twists and turns and she was almost certain that at any moment she was going to faint from the pain. Only the adrenaline that coursed through her veins and the firm conviction that as captain of the Kami Kaze she had to defend her ship, kept her upright and fighting.
Kenshin struggled against the two men who held him back. Every time Shishio struck at Kaoru, he felt his heart skip a beat. She was slowing down, the pain evident on her face, but still she kept fighting. He admired her for that, even as he cursed her damned pride and stubbornness.
"Sano, she's going to get killed!" He hissed to the taller man, who stood next to him, his face pale. "Are you going to just stand by and watch?"
"I have to. She'd kill me herself if I interfered." Sano spat back. "Do you think I want to watch this? She's my fucking best friend!"
"Let me go, Sano. I can fight for her. Yes, she'll be pissed, but at least she'll be alive and pissed." Kenshin begged. "I'm not bound to any sort of code like you are. I can save her life…please!"
Sano clenched his fists but did not reply.
"Sano!" Kenshin growled angrily.
Then, Kaoru faltered and barely managed to avoid being skewered by Shishio's sword and Sano's resolve crumbled.
"Fuck it all!" He muttered as he ran his hand through his spiky hair. "She's gonna kill me for this." His shoulders slumped as he turned to the two men who were holding Kenshin. "Let him go." He said roughly.
"But, Sano, Captain said…" One of the men protested.
"I know what she said, asshole!" Sano roared. "But she's about to be sent down to meet her maker and I for one don't think it's time yet! Let him go!"
The two men released Kenshin, who immediately retrieved his sword from where it had fallen when he was taken captive. "Thank you, Sano." He said quietly.
"Fuck that. Just go save her." Sano spat.
Kaoru felt Shishio's sword graze her arm and she winced. She was losing. She could feel her responses getting slower, her strikes weaker. She gritted her teeth and willed herself to continue fighting, even though she was beginning to think that sheer willpower wasn't going to work for much longer.
Suddenly, her vision blurred and she lost her balance, tripping over a coil of rope and landing on her backside. Her sword clattered away and she felt a rush of fear. She had just lost.
She was rather surprised when she felt herself being hoisted to her feet by a strong hand. Kenshin had a firm grip on her jacket and used it to pull her up. His other hand was busy blocking Shishio's strike, which had been intended for her.
"Kenshin…I told you not to interfere!" She hissed, but she lacked the strength to put any force behind her words.
"You can be angry at me later, Kaoru." He responded, as he knocked Shishio's sword into the main mast, where it bit deep.
Shishio cursed and tried to pull his sword out, but it was stuck. Kenshin took advantage of the precious extra seconds this gave him to move Kaoru towards the stairs, where Megumi was waiting with Hiko. The doctor rushed out and took over the burden of holding Kaoru upright.
Shishio, meanwhile, had pulled his sword free and turned to face Kenshin. "Fighting for your ladylove, traitor?" He asked angrily.
"Believe what you want." Kenshin replied with a shrug.
Shishio scowled. "Women are a plague on this earth, Himura. It saddens me to see a strong man such as yourself be felled by one."
Kenshin raised an eyebrow but did not reply.
"I'll spare you the embarrassment of a court martial, Himura. I'll administer justice myself, right now." Shishio grinned maniacally and charged.
Kenshin met his strike and pushed him back, not bothering to taunt his opponent. He preferred to channel all his energy into the fight itself, not into psychological warfare.
His next move put Shishio on the defensive as he struck out, fast and sure. A bit of blood blossomed on Shishio's arm and Kenshin felt a surge of pleasure at the sight. He had to admit that he was enjoying this. He felt himself slip into his fighting mode, a blanket of calm soothing his nerves. He was certain of his abilities and not afraid of the Commodore's.
Things were looking up.
A/N: Wow, Tokio is...scary. Anyway, dearies, isn't it wonderful? Two updates in as many days! Nothing like sending me death threats to motivate me! (You can put the swords down now...) Let's see, have I done as much as I could to make people squeal? Aoshi and Misao moment? Check. Kenshin fighting moment? Check. K&K moment? Damn. I knew I forgot something! But hey now! You try being romantic in the middle of a swordfight! Besides, when Shishio accused Kenshin of fighting for his 'ladylove', he didn't exactly deny it, did he? That will have to suffice for now. She's wounded people! Give her a break! Give me a break! There are wasps all over my house! I have to stop typing every few minutes to kill another one.
More updates soon, I'm in a zone. Maybe it's because of all these wasp-killing chemicals in the air.
A Rurouni Kenshin Alternate Universe Fic
by Gemini (Gemini 1! I'm Number 1! Woohoo!)
Moonspark: Actually, that's just the number you were assigned by ff.net. It has
nothing to do with popularity or anything.
Me: Damn. Just let me have my illusions, will you?!
Rated R for language
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki, Sony, Shonen Jump and a bunch of other people I can't recall and am too lazy to look up. But, the main point here is that I do not own it, nor am I making any money from this fic! (Ha! If only!)
For Moonspark, who is no doubt thrilled I got off my butt.
Chapter 10: Damsels in Distress?
Tokio was pleased. So far, she had only been forced to knock three of her husband's men unconscious. Sticklers for rules, she supposed. She would have to talk to her husband later about that. There was something fundamentally wrong with men who were more loyal to rules than their captain.
Beside her, Misao was still grinning maniacally, congratulating herself for her handling of her maid, who, at this very moment was trussed up like a turkey, gagged and bound to her berth.
The two women marched down the various hallways towards the brig, Tokio sending any men she came across scurrying for cover. There weren't many about, as most were either up on deck or on the Kami Kaze, and of those who were, only a very few had dared challenge her, much to their regret.
"We're almost there." Tokio said, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Misao, who stopped dead in mid-step and was now fussing with her hair and dress. The older woman couldn't suppress a sly smile. "You'll have to point out your man when we get there." She said.
Misao turned bright red. "He's not 'my man'. I mean, I wish he was, but…"
"He's here, isn't he? That's a step in the right direction." Tokio replied with amusement.
Misao opened her mouth to reply, but Tokio held up an elegantly manicured hand to silence her. Two men were talking just through the heavy wooden door before them. "This leads to the brig. They must be standing guard." She whispered.
"What are we going to do?" Misao whispered back.
"Just watch." Tokio straightened out her robe and assumed a haughty expression before banging open the door.
The two sailors who had reluctantly taken Saitou down to the brig earlier jumped in surprise, afraid that their ship had been overtaken by the enemy. Seeing Tokio glowering in the doorway didn't relieve them at all, especially when they saw the gun.
"You," Tokio barked, startling the one closest to the door, "Put the keys to the cell on the table and get the hell out of here."
The man cleared his throat nervously. "But, Ma'am, we were ordered…"
"You should be ashamed of yourself, betraying your captain!" Tokio scolded.
The man blanched. "But… Madame Saitou…the Commodore…"
"Oh, fuck the Commodore. He's a pompous windbag and you know it. Now put the keys on the table and maybe I'll put in a good word for you with my husband. He may be persuaded not to kill you." Tokio said, waving the gun at the man with the keys. The other sailor nodded vigorously.
"Put the keys on the table!" His partner hissed. "We're already in the shit with the captain; do you really want to make it worse?"
"You have a sensible friend." Tokio said approvingly.
The sailor sighed and nodded, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Yes ma'am." He tossed the heavy key ring onto the table with a thud and backed away.
"Now, go out onto the deck and help your fellow sailors. I'll take it from here." She ordered, scooping up the keys and motioning for Misao to get Saitou's sword, which was propped up against the wall.
The two sailors nodded in unison and rushed out of the room as though they feared for their lives. Perhaps they did. Tokio did look rather frightening.
"That was amazing." Misao whispered, clutching Saitou's sword with wide eyes.
Tokio smoothed her hair. "You just have to let them know who's boss." She said loftily.
Misao carefully filed that information away in her mind for later use and followed Tokio down into the brig, where the men were waiting to be rescued. She grinned at that. She rather liked the idea of Aoshi and Saitou as damsels in distress, while she and Tokio, their knights in shining armor, cut a swath through the enemy to rescue them. Okay, knocking out three guys and yelling at the others wasn't exactly cutting a swath, but she liked the idea anyway.
She had never been in a brig before. It was in the lowest part of the ship, the bilge, and it smelled like stagnant water and mold. She wrinkled her nose and had to suppress a shriek as what was most certainly a rat scurried across her feet. Tokio didn't appear to be bothered in the least. She seemed to be in her element.
The men appeared to be deep in conversation as Misao and Tokio stealthily approached.
"Well, she had hooters the size of…" Shikiju was holding his hands as far away from his chest as his arms would go to illustrate his point, a grin lighting up his scarred face. He was about to elaborate further when Hannya elbowed him in the side and gestured towards where Misao and Tokio stood, eyes narrowed collectively.
"So, you could be thinking of ways to escape, or how to deal with Shishio and here you are, acting like a bunch of teenagers!" Tokio said irritably, her hands resting on her hips and a scowl firmly etched on her face. "Maybe I should leave you in here, let the rats have at you!"
Saitou, looking slightly guilty, rose from his seat. "Darling, what took you so long?" He asked, in what he hoped was a neutral tone.
She scowled deeper. Wrong question. "I'm sorry I took so long, dear, but I was detained by the fact THAT I AM SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT!" She threw the keys at him and huffed. "I shouldn't even be ON my feet, you moron, let alone be on my feet, skulking around your ship, dealing with your men, knocking people out and exhausting myself!" She pointed a wrathful finger at him. "My mother was right about you, Hajime!"
The men in the cell cringed as Saitou hastily unlocked the cell and immediately began damage control. "Darling, I didn't mean it…"
Aoshi found himself strangely relieved to see Misao standing slightly behind Tokio, looking unhurt. She turned to him and when their eyes met, a smile blossomed on her face.
She handed the sword to an increasingly apologetic Saitou and rushed over to Aoshi, whom she immediately wrapped in a suffocating hug. "I was so worried about you!" She whispered into his chest, since she only came up to about his sternum. "I was afraid you would get hurt." She sniffled.
Aoshi was too stunned to do or say anything. He just stared down at her dark head blankly.
"This is all my fault! I should have just married that old fart! Now people are getting hurt and I never wanted that! I just wanted…"
Aoshi blinked and started to come to life again. Gently, he laid his hand on her head and stroked her hair soothingly. "It's all right, Misao. We chose to come here, we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Kaoru was worried about you."
"Were you?" She asked in a tiny voice, her face still buried in his stiff black coat.
Aoshi colored slightly, suddenly aware that everyone was staring at them. Even Tokio had stopped scolding Saitou and they were both looking rather interested in his response.
Hannya gave him a thumbs up and a grin. "We can discuss that later, Misao, in private." He said quietly.
She looked up at him, her expression a mixture of hope and fear. Was he going to reject her? Had she really been so monumentally stupid?
His face was slightly pink but expressionless. But his eyes said a million things that she couldn't wait to hear out loud. Later, in private. She smiled beatifically.
"All right then!" She said, disengaging herself from the stoic navigator. "We should go up top and kick ass!"
"Whose?" Saitou asked irritably.
Misao turned to him with a confused expression. "What?"
"Whose ass should we be kicking, Miss Makimachi? May I remind you that we are on two different sides here? My duty is to my men." Saitou placed his sword back in its rightful place on his belt.
"And our duty is to our fellow crew members, Misao." Aoshi said in a monotone.
"So just whose ass should be kicked here?" Saitou asked again.
"Well…shit." Misao pouted. "I don't know!" She threw up her hands in disgust. "Why can't we all just get along?!"
Tokio nodded. "She has a point." She said, her hands resting on top of her belly.
"I'm sorry? Did I miss it?" Saitou asked. Tokio threw him a dirty look that reminded him that he was not yet out of the dog house and he quieted down.
"We should stop this fighting before more damage is done. Once we have accomplished that, then we can untangle this mess." She replied evenly.
Saitou grunted.
"I'm sorry, dear, what was that?" Tokio asked sweetly.
"I said, good idea." He muttered.
"I thought so." She replied cheerfully.
Kaoru grunted as she fended off another of Shishio's attacks. The wound in her side was protesting mightily to her twists and turns and she was almost certain that at any moment she was going to faint from the pain. Only the adrenaline that coursed through her veins and the firm conviction that as captain of the Kami Kaze she had to defend her ship, kept her upright and fighting.
Kenshin struggled against the two men who held him back. Every time Shishio struck at Kaoru, he felt his heart skip a beat. She was slowing down, the pain evident on her face, but still she kept fighting. He admired her for that, even as he cursed her damned pride and stubbornness.
"Sano, she's going to get killed!" He hissed to the taller man, who stood next to him, his face pale. "Are you going to just stand by and watch?"
"I have to. She'd kill me herself if I interfered." Sano spat back. "Do you think I want to watch this? She's my fucking best friend!"
"Let me go, Sano. I can fight for her. Yes, she'll be pissed, but at least she'll be alive and pissed." Kenshin begged. "I'm not bound to any sort of code like you are. I can save her life…please!"
Sano clenched his fists but did not reply.
"Sano!" Kenshin growled angrily.
Then, Kaoru faltered and barely managed to avoid being skewered by Shishio's sword and Sano's resolve crumbled.
"Fuck it all!" He muttered as he ran his hand through his spiky hair. "She's gonna kill me for this." His shoulders slumped as he turned to the two men who were holding Kenshin. "Let him go." He said roughly.
"But, Sano, Captain said…" One of the men protested.
"I know what she said, asshole!" Sano roared. "But she's about to be sent down to meet her maker and I for one don't think it's time yet! Let him go!"
The two men released Kenshin, who immediately retrieved his sword from where it had fallen when he was taken captive. "Thank you, Sano." He said quietly.
"Fuck that. Just go save her." Sano spat.
Kaoru felt Shishio's sword graze her arm and she winced. She was losing. She could feel her responses getting slower, her strikes weaker. She gritted her teeth and willed herself to continue fighting, even though she was beginning to think that sheer willpower wasn't going to work for much longer.
Suddenly, her vision blurred and she lost her balance, tripping over a coil of rope and landing on her backside. Her sword clattered away and she felt a rush of fear. She had just lost.
She was rather surprised when she felt herself being hoisted to her feet by a strong hand. Kenshin had a firm grip on her jacket and used it to pull her up. His other hand was busy blocking Shishio's strike, which had been intended for her.
"Kenshin…I told you not to interfere!" She hissed, but she lacked the strength to put any force behind her words.
"You can be angry at me later, Kaoru." He responded, as he knocked Shishio's sword into the main mast, where it bit deep.
Shishio cursed and tried to pull his sword out, but it was stuck. Kenshin took advantage of the precious extra seconds this gave him to move Kaoru towards the stairs, where Megumi was waiting with Hiko. The doctor rushed out and took over the burden of holding Kaoru upright.
Shishio, meanwhile, had pulled his sword free and turned to face Kenshin. "Fighting for your ladylove, traitor?" He asked angrily.
"Believe what you want." Kenshin replied with a shrug.
Shishio scowled. "Women are a plague on this earth, Himura. It saddens me to see a strong man such as yourself be felled by one."
Kenshin raised an eyebrow but did not reply.
"I'll spare you the embarrassment of a court martial, Himura. I'll administer justice myself, right now." Shishio grinned maniacally and charged.
Kenshin met his strike and pushed him back, not bothering to taunt his opponent. He preferred to channel all his energy into the fight itself, not into psychological warfare.
His next move put Shishio on the defensive as he struck out, fast and sure. A bit of blood blossomed on Shishio's arm and Kenshin felt a surge of pleasure at the sight. He had to admit that he was enjoying this. He felt himself slip into his fighting mode, a blanket of calm soothing his nerves. He was certain of his abilities and not afraid of the Commodore's.
Things were looking up.
A/N: Wow, Tokio is...scary. Anyway, dearies, isn't it wonderful? Two updates in as many days! Nothing like sending me death threats to motivate me! (You can put the swords down now...) Let's see, have I done as much as I could to make people squeal? Aoshi and Misao moment? Check. Kenshin fighting moment? Check. K&K moment? Damn. I knew I forgot something! But hey now! You try being romantic in the middle of a swordfight! Besides, when Shishio accused Kenshin of fighting for his 'ladylove', he didn't exactly deny it, did he? That will have to suffice for now. She's wounded people! Give her a break! Give me a break! There are wasps all over my house! I have to stop typing every few minutes to kill another one.
More updates soon, I'm in a zone. Maybe it's because of all these wasp-killing chemicals in the air.