Glossary: sho-ji=outside door, tabi=split toe socks, ikka=home, bakumtsu=revolution, The Black Webb=Nick-name of the Onniwabanshuu (my own), kuso=bullshit or shit, kirei=beautiful, koishii=dear or darling,
shin-yuu=friend, baka-deshi=stupid apprentice, Otou=father, Aisoku=beloved son,
Chapter 15
Searching the Darkness
The office door slammed loudly as Saitoh shoved it closed. "You want WHAT from me? Are you insane, Hiko? What makes you think I even have what your asking me for?"
"Because you are one of the smartest sonofabitches in Japan, and you would not have let every single copy of that Map get destroyed. You would have kept one because, in your mind, who knew when you might be able to use it to your advantage." Hiko's mouth was turned up in a
knowing sarcastic smile as he watched the look of discomfort cross his friends thin face.
"Alright, maybe I do have one, but what would you need it for?" He hastily lit a cigarette and angrily seated himself behind his desk to glare at the tall black haired man in front of him.
"What do you think I need it for, you idiot?" He sneered. "I want to get in to the prison labyrinth, and then find my way back out." Stupid question.
"I figured that much out for myself, you arrogant clod. What I want to know, Is why you want to go into the prison at all." Fucking idiot.
"Actually, it is not just me who wants to go in. Kenshin, Soujirou, Aoshi, Myself, and perhaps You will be going."
Saitoh's harsh yellow eyes narrowed dangerously as he favored his friend with an icy glare. "Why in the bloody hell would 'I' want to go with the likes of you and that rabble into the bowels of the City? Are we looking for your long lost relatives, Hiko? It is a fact, the largest rats in Kyoto live in the underground tunnels."
Hiko smiled broadly. This was the Saitoh he liked and knew best. Welcome back, Saitoh. "No, not my relatives... Kenshin's. The boy is down there."
"You are insane. All that sake' you drink has finally pickled your brain."
"That could possibly be quite true, but not about this. Kenshin knows he is down there."
Topaz eyes peered at Hiko from beneath thin dark brows. "How?"
"The Man in Black told him himself just before he died and took the directions to the boy's cell with him into hell."
"You really are serious, aren't you." Saitoh raised up and met Hiko's gaze levely.
"Yes I am. Kenshin also ran into Lady Katsura herself who admitted the boy was down there, but she would not tell Kenshin if she knew where he was." An angry frown crossed his stern face. "We do not know if she can reach him or not, but we have to. If we do not... "
"He will suffocate in a matter of hours."
"You know then. You know the danger he is in."
"Yes. It was the only flaw in the design of the prison when the Shinsegumi built it. Otherwise, it was the perfect place of incarceration." Saitoh's face grew angry and strained. "Do you know when the last time anyone was in there?"
"Yesterday morning."
"KUSO!" He swore loudly. "Come on!" He shouted as he bolted up from his desk. "There is not much time left. We have to go NOW!" The bottom drawer of a filing cabinet was roughly torn open and a small flat wooden box extracted, and then the two men quickly left the room. Saitoh came to an abrupt halt as he was greeted by three more serious faces waiting outside.
"Well," He glanced around the stoic group of men. "It would appear we are all present and accounted for." Nodding at Kenshin, he produced the flat black box from his breast pocket. "Shall we be on our way then?"
Kenshin looked at the box as if it were a sacred scroll from Buddha himself, and then turned his grateful gaze to the tall thin policeman. "Thank-you Saitoh." He bowed deeply offering his most sincere gratitude to his once long-time enemy. "You have my deepest gratitude."
Saitoh was shaken more than he wanted to admit. He had never seen the Battousai so humble especially towards him, and it was making him feel very uncomfortable because he did not know how to react.
"Yes, yes of course. Enough pleasantries. We must leave post haste. There is not time to spare for all this drivel when the boy is probably starting to suffocate as we speak. He has had no fresh air exchange since yesterday morning. Even if he is alone down there, it is still a very long time." Long legs carried Saitoh out the front door of the station. "We must go now, and we must go quickly. Come, I know a short-cut that will get us there faster than going through the streets." And in a moment the 5 men had disappeared across the street and around the corner.
"I wish he would stop doing this all the time." Sargeant Izukia heaved a sigh of resigned frustration as he watched his Captain leave once again without explanation. "Just keep everything running, Sargeant." He mimicked Saitoh's sharp sarcastic voice as he returned to his desk and sat down in a huff.
******************
A quiet knock brought Tokio to her sho-ji. She was completely unprepared when she opened the door and found a lovely young dark-haired woman waiting for her. She took in the long raven black hair that was pulled back into a dark purple ribbon that matched the obi tied around the light-blue kimono she wore. Huge sapphire blue eyes, that looked and even darker blue against the pale blue and dark purple silk, regarded her in a kind expectant manner.
"I am sorry, do I know you?" Tokio sounded a bit nervous wondering if this could be someone from one of her painting classes, but she could not place the pretty face.
"No, Hajime-san you do not know me, but I know who you are, and I have come to bring you to spend the day with my friends and myself."
"Ex-excuse me? How do you know my name?" Surprise colored her voice.
"I know Saitoh, and I know Hiko-san."
"You know my husband?" Tokio's eyes narrowed as jealousy gleamed in their brown depths. Who was this woman who dared call Saitoh by his first name without its proper honorific attached?
"Yes, I know Saitoh, but do not worry. I do not have any designs on him. I have a very good man of my own, thank you very much, so I do not need yours. And how I know him, is a story that can wait for another time to be told. Right now I am simply here as your friend to help you
through something very difficult. It is something terrible we have all been facing for some months now, but you have just become a part of it today." Kaoru smiled gently. "It is something you have a right to know, but should not have to bare alone." She bowed her head sadly and the smile disappeared showing her pain. "None of us have been able to bare it alone."
"What are you talking about? What does all of this have to do with Saitoh and I?"
"It has to do with you and Saitoh because right now he is with Hiko-san, my fiancé'Kenshin, our adopted son Soujirou-san, and a very serious ninja named Aoshi, and they are trying to find a way to get into the underground mazes beneath the city."
"Why??" Tokio's face filled with shock and fear.
"Because, a young boy name Myojin Yahiko whom Kenshin and I have also taken in as our son, has be torn from us and locked in the old prison down there, and Saitoh may have a Map of the labyrinth left over from the War so that they can go in and look for him without getting lost."
"Dear Kami-sama, who would do such a thing?"
"A horrible woman. A woman who is determined to take Yahiko's life tomorrow night during the Moon Festival." Kaoru chocked back a sob and covered her mouth. She was still standing outside Tokio's sho-ji. "She believes she can use his spirit-ki to open a doorway to Hell that can stay open forever"
Tokio grabbed Kaoru's wrist and pulled her forcibly through the door and closed it behind her. "Are you insane. My neighbors will hear you." She faced Kaoru's pale face in shocked anger. "This woman you are talking about, Saitoh has the police looking for her, right?"
"No."
"NO?? Why not? She is obviously insane if she believes she can do what you just said. She will be committing cold-blooded murder."
"Yes it will be murder, and it will be in cold blood, but she knows exactly what she is doing and it is very real." Kaoru's voice trailed off into a pain filled whisper.
"Do you know what you are saying?"
"Yes I do. I am saying that there is a Witch right here in Kyoto, and she intends to use my son's spirit energy in some kind of ritual to open a doorway between this world and Hell that will stay open forever. She intends to feed the people of Japan to the Devil, and in return, he will give her anything she wants."
Tokio had begun to shake uncontrollably. "What does she want?"
"Japan itself. She wants to be an Empress over the entire country, and if those men do not stop her from killing my son, she will have it all and the rest of us will be utterly lost."
"You truly believe all of this? How can you believe this?"
Kaoru grabbed Tokio by the shoulders and let her intense blue eyes bore into the other woman's timid face. "How can I believe? How? Because I have witnessed the strangest things I have ever seen in my life since all of this started. I watched Kenshin, Hiko-san, Aoshi, and Soujirou viciously battle a horde of something that was not there, and it was so real that Soujirou nearly died. I saw a man so afraid to go to sleep that he had become nothing more that a quivering mass of nerves and flesh because he believed there was something in his dreams that was waiting to kill him, and it was true. I watched my own beloved captured within the bonds of a nightmare that was also so real I could not wake him up as he thrashed and flailed on his futon fighting for his life." Tears started to slide down her flushed face. "That is how I can believe it. I have seen the strongest men reduced to frightened sobbing mice right before my eyes. How could I have witnessed all of this and not believe??"
Tokio stared into Kaoru's fierce tear filled eyes and read the honesty of her heart within the deep blue pain filled pools. "I am forced to believe you." She whispered. "What can we do?"
"Hope." Was Kaoru's reply. "Saitoh and Kenshin were the first to discover the things this horrible woman has been doing. They know the most about it. The others have attached themselves to the cause because of their own reasons, but the central concern is the life of mine and Kenshin's son. Nothing can happen if she does not have him."
"Are they in danger now?" Worry was evident in Tokio's voice.
"Yes. They are always in danger."
"Oh." She turned and moved to put on her white tabi and sandals. "I am ready to leave." Joining Kaoru at the door, Tokio walked out of her Ikka and the two women headed down the thin dirt road.
"Will you tell me everything else while we walk?" She asked timidly, feeling very embarrassed.
"Of course I will." Kaoru placed a comforting arm around Tokio's shoulders. "By the way, My name it Kamiyu Kaoru. You can call me Kaoru if you would like." She smiled.
"I would like that very much. Please, call me Tokio. It would be nice to have a friend." And she put her arm around Kaoru's waist and laid her head on the younger woman's shoulder. "I have not had one for a very long time."
"Well you are in luck. When we get back to the Aoiya, I will introduce you to everyone, and you will have a lot of friends." An infectious giggle escaped Kaoru's lips and Tokio could not help but laugh a little with her.
"It feels good to laugh again too. Thank-you Kaoru."
"You are welcome, Tokio. It is one of the ways we are coping with all of this. If we cannot laugh at something, we would probably give into our tears constantly. That would not do us or our men any good. We promised to be strong, and we will be."
"Does Saitoh know you have come to take me back with you?"
"No, but he will once Kenshin tells him. I hope he does not get too upset." A wicked grin crossed her pretty face. "Not that I mind much if he does or not."
"Hmmmm. Something tells me you do not like Saitoh very much. Is this true?" Tokio raised her head off Kaoru's shoulder and looked at the girl.
"Well.... I am working on it." They both laughed and continued to walk down the street. That was another subject they could talk about later. Kaoru had promised to explain everything about the current situation to Tokio, and so she did as they walked back to the Aoiya.
By the time they reached the outer sho-ji, Tokio had been completely informed of everything Kaoru knew. She had told her about the witches, the children being murdered as human sacrifices, the General and Lady Katsura's alleged plan to take over Japan, and the stories about the murders that had started the whole thing. She explained about the curse that had been put on Miko Ishida that had finally led to the strange battle with the Horde in the Aoiya courtyard, and she told her the
amazing story of how Aoshi had given up part of his ki to heal Kenshin's damaged one. Then she told her about how Kenshin reached into Soujirou's mind to save him after he was wounded in the battle with the Horde.
Tokio was stunned and speechless with a type of fear she had never felt. "How can so much evil come from one person?" She asked as they rang the bell outside the gate.
"She is a Witch. Apparently she is a Spaniard directly from Spain, and there were some rumors about her having to leave there because of problems with the Inquisition. But I do not really know." The gate opened and revealed a tired looking Misao. "Misao, you look awful. Did you not sleep again?"
"No, not really. Who is this?" She pointed at Tokio questioningly.
"This is who Hiko-san was talking about this morning. This is Saitoh's wife, Hajime Tokio. Tokio this is Misao. She is one of those new friends I was telling you about." Kaoru smiled and patted Misao's cheek affectionately. "She is usually a bit more lively than this."
Misao offered a wan smile. "Hello Tokio-san. Kaoru is right. Usually I drive everbody crazy 'cause I never sit still. So enjoy the boredom while you can." She reached out and pulled the woman inside. "It is really nice to meet you. We were all very shocked to find out Saitoh had a wife."
"So it would seem. It does not sound like you are very fond of him either." Tokio shook her head in amusement. "Am I among friends or cordial enemies?"
"Friends!" Misao sounded indignant. "It doesn't matter how we feel about Saitoh, we accept you with open arms." Suddenly she looked very embarrassed. "That did not sound very good did it?" Tokio burst into laughter followed by Kaoru.
"Oh what a dear girl." Tokio hugged Misao. "I like you already." Misao breathed a sigh of relief knowing she had not offended the woman. She was still having a difficult time accepting the fact that someone like Saitoh had a wife, but now that she had seen Tokio, she could not believe he had such a pretty wife. And she was nice too.
"Forgive us, Tokio." Kaoru began. "But we all met Saitoh under rather extenuating circumstance, and it was not a pleasant meeting for any involved. Including Saitoh. It was not very long ago that we were all enemies."
"All of you? Even with these people?"
"In a manner of speaking, but fate has a way of working things out and now we have become family to each other." Kaoru hugged Misao. "We like it better that way."
"I cannot imagine Saitoh being enemies with people like you." Tokio looked confused.
"Well perhaps it would make more sense if I told you exactly who my fiancé' is and exactly what these people are." Kaoru took Tokio by the hand and led her over to a shaded grassy area where they sat down. Misao sat down next to Tokio. "You see," Kaoru began in a quiet even voice,
"Kenshin came to live at my fathers dojo about six months after he and my mother died. He was a ruroni who happened along and helped me clear my father's name when an enemy would have seen it ruined. Then after that it seemed I started to pick up more wandering souls who came to live at
the dojo with me until I had something like a family, but I am straying away from my own point. Kenshin was always getting us out of trouble or he was getting into trouble because someone was always trying to kill him."
"Good Heavens... Why?" Tokio's brown eyes were wide with shock.
"Well... because Kenshin is not just any Samaria."
Tokio's face register puzzlement. "You never told me he was a Samaria?"
"Didn't I? I am sorry. He is a very strong Samaria, and also a very well known Samaria from the Bakumatsa. Because of that, there always seems to be someone who wants to fight him and try to kill him."
"Why?"
"For the fame. The pleasure. The distinction of being the one to defeat the one who was known to be undefeatable." Kaoru's blue eyes wandered away and looked off into the sky. "It did not matter that he had left those days long behind him and only wanted a life of peace now. They just kept coming. They keep coming. Maybe someday they will stop and let him have peace."
"Who is he, Kaoru?" Tokio put a gentle hand on Kaoru's arm.
"Kenshin was the Hitokiri Battousai. He was the manslayer."
"The manslayer?" Tokio's mind reeled with that piece of information. Saitoh used to talk about the Battousai, and how one day he would be the one to spill his blood on the ground for all the Shinsengumi he had killed. "He was a mortal enemy of Saitoh's."
"Yes, and now they are working together... again."
"Again?"
"They worked together two years ago to destroy Mikoto Shishio, and lately Kenshin has been doing a type of 'spy' work for Saitoh as well. It seems they have come to some sort of an understanding."
"Unbelievable. Saitoh hated the Battousai more than any other man alive. He was sworn to kill him." Her face was pale and full of disbelief. "How can it be?"
"Like I said. Fate has a way of bringing people together. Just like the people who live here in the Aoiya. They are not just simple ordinary people, Tokio. They are well trained deadly ninja, and members of the famed Onniwabanshuu."
"I have heard of them. They are syndicated all over Japan. I have even heard them called the Black Webb because of how they seem to be everywhere all at once. They are some of the most deadly assassins and thieves in the country." Shocked eyes turned to Misao. "You are truly one of these?"
"I am. I am the leader of this branch in Kyoto, but we are not assassins and thieves. We are information brokers and body guards for hire. The days of murder for money are long gone, Hajime-san. Though I cannot deny they did exist." Misao rested a strong friendly hand on Tokio's shoulder. "We allied ourselves with Himura during the fight with Shishio and helped him save Japan from being taken over by a crazy man. Now, we help the Government with our network by providing information they need. At a fair price, of course." A crafty smile crossed her perky face. "You do not just give it away for free you know. Some of the stuff they want is hard to come by."
Tokio was completely dumfounded. "This is the most incredible and outrageous thing I have ever heard. Saitoh working with the Battousai, and the Onniwabanshuu working with the Meiji... willingly. Gosh, the next thing you know, Angel's will be dropping from the sky and handing out wings to the mob." Kaoru and Misao dissolved into giggles and fell over to roll on the grass like little girls. Tokio laughed at them indulgently until all at once she found herself grabbed on both sides and yanked down on the grass with them. Unable to help herself any longer, she gave in and let the little girl giggles bubble over her lips.
She had not felt like this in years, and even though she knew Saitoh and the others were in immanent danger, it felt so good to just let go of all her cares and laugh. And it felt so good to have someone to do it with.
*****************
"KUSO!" Saitoh swore. "There is a huge lock on this door. You might have mentioned that on the way over, Battousai." The heavily laced sarcastic voice floated up the stone stairwell making everyone smile... except Kenshin.
"How the hell was I supposed to know there was a lock on the door?" Kenshin swore in impatience. "We never made it down here. Can it be broken?"
CLINK! CLANK!
"I guess so." Hiko was being his usual helpful sardonic self. In a twisted sort of way, he was enjoying himself. He had never heard Kenshin curse, but lately he seemed to be doing it quite regularly.
"All right, at least we can get through the door." Aoshi growled. He was still suffering from a splitting headache and very bruised pride after being downed by the small green-eyed woman the day before, and his mood was at least as impatient as Kenshin's. Very unusual. Very interesting. Very not Aoshi.
"Everyone be quiet." Saitoh barked in a low voice as he pushed against the old door forcing it open. It scraped against the ground and the rusted hinges squeaked in protest, but eventually the door opened revealing a yawning cavern behind its aged wood. "Well, it is definitely dark in there." Saitoh stated the obvious, Hiko muffled a chuckle, and Kenshin exploded.
"Of course it is dark in there, you blathering idiot. It is under the ground for God's sake. Now move your ass already so we can get going. You are the one who said we did not have much time. REMEMBER!"
"Yes, Battousai I remember." Saitoh was nonplused by Kenshin's angry outburst, and merely turned to hand several matches over his shoulder. "Very well, let us be on our way. Hiko would you be so kind
as to light the torches so we can see our way through this rat infested Hell." He may have sounded nonchalaunt, but he was far from feeling that way. Inside he was very much afraid they would find the boy already dead. In one sense that would be good because that would stop Lady Katsura from using him in the ritual, but on the other hand, the grief it would cause these people would be catastrophic. He opened the flat black box and retrieved the old yellowed parchment, and unfolded it carefully. Printed in intricate detail was a full schematic of the underground tunnels and the prison labyrinth. He studied it intently for several moments until he was certain he knew exactly where they were, and then he began to walk forward into the darkness. "Come," He spoke softly
hearing his voice echo down the tunnel. "This way." And the other four men followed him in single file each carrying his own torch.
"You are certain, Saitoh?" Kenshin asked in a worried voice as the light behind them faded and was lost in the inky black of the tunnel.
"Yes. I am certain." They continued to walk a few more meters and then Saitoh stopped. He turned sharply to the right and raised his torch up to the wall. The others waited while he walked up and down the length of the wall several times studying the contours of the brickwork. Then he walked past them backtracking a short distance.
"Ahhh," He said in triumph. "Here it is."
"Here what is?" Aoshi asked.
"The second door."
"Is there another lock, Hajime-san?" Asked Soujirou from somewhere in the darkness behind everyone else.
"No. The Shinsengumi did not think they needed a lock on the inner door. They never believed any prisoner would ever make it this far." The door swung open easily. "Hmmmm. This door has been well maintained, or recently put to use." He disappeared inside and everyone followed in suit.
The five men found themselves in a very small office-like room that barely fit them all inside. There was one door out to the tunnels, and one door out to the prison. Hiko noted that the door to the prison was left wide open. Whoever was using this place was definitely not worried about their prisoner escaping. Indeed, they were not even worried about anyone finding their prisoner. The arrogance of the situation irked him.
"Where do we go from here?" Kenshin sounded tired, but his determination and pure will would not let him give up until every option was exhausted. Hiko admired him for that, and for his willingness to become responsible and available for the boy and young Seta-san. He was not sure where Kenshin had learned the ability to be a Father like this, but Hiko was forced to admit over and over that he was turning out to be a very good one.
"We step into the maze, Battousai, and we start looking inside each cell and praying. You can start calling the boy's name, and hope he can hear you. It would be helpful if he could lead us to him with his voice." Saitoh met Kenshin's eyes and for a rare moment the two men stood on even ground in their concern over the 12 year old boy wasting away somewhere in the darkness in front of them. "Let's move. Every moment counts. Everyone stays within torch light distance. It would be
very easy to become lost in here."
"Do not worry, Hajime-san." Soujirou's happy voice rose above the group. "I came prepared to help us find our way out as well as your Map."
Everyone turned to look at the smiling young swordsman. He smiled and held up a medium sized white sack tied off with a string. "Geisha beads." He announced happily and Hiko burst out laughing.
"Only you would think of such a thing, Seta-san." He draped a long heavy arm around the smaller man. "Multicolored beads dropped on the ground to show where we have been. Personally, I like the idea. Wish I had thought of it myself." Grinning widely, he hugged Soujirou and then shoved him up next to Saitoh. "There you go, Kid. Do your thing."
Kenshin smiled. The things brothers are willing to do for each other. At least he knew now where Soujirou had disappeared to after they brought Aoshi back to the Aoiya.
"Then let us be on our way. Remember what I said, stay close. If someone gets lost, I am not coming after them." Saitoh checked the Map and then walked through the open door into the darkness of the prison.
Several hours had passed and the men had found nothing in their search except rotted skeletons and over sized rats, but they continued on relentlessly. None of them mentioned the amount of time that had passed. After all, they had left the outer door open so some fresh air was getting in, but each of them knew Yahiko's life was still very much in peril.
"How far have we come, Saitoh?" Hiko pulled up next to his friend and spoke in a very hushed voice.
"We are about a third of the way through. I am not holding out very much hope."
"Why not? He is a very strong boy."
"Yes, I know he is, but Himura has been calling him for hours, and we have heard nothing. Sound always carried very well through the labyrinth. There are holes punched in the walls all over the place. It was how the guards stayed in contact with each other without leaving their posts." Saitoh turned a worried face towards Hiko. "If he is alive and awake, we should have heard him long ago."
"Dammit!" Hiko's glance shot over his shoulder and quickly raked over Kenshin then returned to Saitoh's face. "You know we have to keep going."
"I know. Do not tell him what I have said." Saitoh dropped his eyes back to the map. "He has been through enough. If the worst has happened, it can wait until it is discovered to be made known." Hiko nodded in agreement and walked away to resume his searching of the small cramped cells.
Kenshin leaned heavily against the cold damp wall to rest. It was hard to breath in here, and he found himself wondering how Yahiko could have survived in such a horrible place for six days, or if he had even survived at all. He hung his head low as he realized he may have to face the fact that the boy could already be dead inside one of these small locked boxes. Pain seized his heart as he considered how he would feel if he had to carry Yahiko's body out of this place, and then he
wondered how he would tell Kaoru. He recalled his vehemence in denying to allow Soujirou to die after the battle with the Horde, and how he had forced the young man to come back from the other side of reality. But he could not do that here. Yahiko was not lost in an alternate reality. He was not laying curled up inside of a protective sphere inside his frozen mind where Kenshin could find him and bring him home. He was locked away in the dark inside a filthy cell with barely enough air to breath (perhaps not enough) and rats for companions. Was there enough time left to save him before he suffocated? Or was it already too late?
"Yahiko..." It was a whispered cry of grief from a father's breaking heart. "Please, answer me. Let me know you are alive. I need to know I have not failed you. Please hear my voice and answer me." Kenshin pushed himself up away from the wall and finsihed searching the corridor he was in. He dropped several of the colorful beads Soujirou had given him so he could find his way back, and then walked around the corner. The sight that greeted him stopped him mid stride. His eyes went wide and changed from violet to burning amber gold.
Elsbeth stood half crouched with one arm wrapped around Yahiko's chest holding him tightly against her body while her other hand held a long razor sharp blade pressed into the curve of his throat beneath the chin. There was a thin line of blood trickling along the blade where the tip was stuck into the flesh.
Yahiko was trying to remain perfectly still. His sherry colored eyes looked at Kenshin with a mixture of courage, confidence, and fear. It was plain to see that if he moved the thin edged blade would sink into his throat the rest of the way slicing open the main artery in his neck and killing him.
Kenshin met Elsbeth's wide eyed silver gaze with malevolence. His hatred for this woman was growing by the second as he watched tiny droplets of Yahiko's blood drip off the dagger and fall to the floor. His hand rested threateningly on the hilt of his sakobatou.
"You will let him go, Elsbeth. That you will." The voice that came from Kenshin's mouth was one neither Elsbeth nor Yahiko had ever heard before. Elsbeth felt a primitive shiver of fear race up her spine as the sound he made washed over her along with the threatening power of his ki.
"I do not th-think so." She tried to sound firm, but found herself stammering in the face of his strength. "I will never give him back. I will kill him first, Himura." Yahiko sucked in a breath as she pressed the blade a little farther into his throat. More blood trickled out over the shining steel.
"Release him now, and I will let you go." Kenshin laid his torch on the floor and placed his right hand next to his left along the hilt of his sword, and Elsbeth heard the audible 'click' of his thumb pushing the blade free of the sheath. "Release him or I will kill you, Elsbeth."
"I do not believe you." She whispered and started to back up away from him into the darkness. "It is not within you to kill a woman you once loved, Himura."
"Are you certain you want to put that theory to the test, Kirei?" His voice lowered to a growl as he maneuvered himself into the Battou jutsu, and waited for her to reply.
"You would not...." Elsbeth's eyes darted back and forth looking for a quick escape route, but there was not one available. She had used her copy of the Map to find an alternate entrance to the tunnels, but she had not been prepared for the men to arrive and catch her off guard. A hasty escape had never been a consideration of hers because no one was ever supposed to know about this place or what treasure she had hidden inside of its musty hollows.
"You have a copy of the Map, don't you, kirei? Where did you get it? Did the dear old General keep a copy for himself as a trophy after the War, and you just decided to barrow it for a little while? Is that it?" Kenshin watched the shock dawn on her stunned face. "So, that is how you got here without us seeing you. You used another entrance on the Map to get to his cell. You could not use the usual entrance because you knew it was not secret anymore. My, my, but aren't you a clever little 'devil'." A vicious smile curled his lips giving him an evil look when coupled with his burning golden eyes.
The sound of her screaming intuition telling her to drop the boy and run was ripping through Elsbeth's brain. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head sharply trying to make them be quiet. Then, glaring with malevolent hatred at Kenshin, she spat out a challenge.
"You think you know so much, don't you? Well, you do not know so much as you think. You do know where the doorway is going to be made, and you do not know what hour it is to be done, and there are other secrets of mine that you will never know." Wicked laughter filled the corridor and bounced off the walls throughout the entire prison, and the other four men lifted their heads in response then ran as quickly as they could towards the source dropping colored beads as they went.
"No, I do not know any of those things, but I do know one thing for certain, kirei." Amber eyes narrowed into burning golden slits of hatred.
"What do you think you know, koishii.' She hissed like a cornered cat, her eyes narrow and glowing a silver-green.
"If you do not release my son in the next 60 seconds, I am going to cut your head off." Elsbeth's eyes blew wide open and became massive swirling ponds of liquid silver and her mouth fell open in utter disbelief at the plainly spoken words.
Beneath her blade the pulse in Yahiko's throat began to quicken and his eyes began to burn a dark bloody red as he focused on the pulsing power of Kenshin's spirit ki. He could feel it molding itself around him. Instinctively he pushed his own ki outward leaning into the fierce heat and matched its energy vibrations. The power of the two ki's was being melded into one pure energy force that was being focused into a single purpose inside Yahiko's young body. Elsbeth was so absorbed with Kenshin she failed to notice the rise in the boy's energy signiture until it was too late, but then there was no time to prepare because everything happened all at once.
Four men flew around the corner, swords drawn prepared for battle.
Kenshin crouched down into battou jutsu preparing to draw his sakobato and rush the witch.
Elsbeth snarled and pulled the thin dagger out of Yahiko's throat and flipped it over in her hand with lightening speed as she targeted Kenshin's chest for the throw, hoping to kill or wound him and give herself enough time to disappear into the labrinth with the boy, but Myojin Yahiko was nearly filled to bursting with furious spirit energy. Part his own and part Kenshin's that he had somehow absorbed, and he was afraid, he was tired, but most of all he was angry. He was sick to death of this whole damned thing, and he was sick and tired of 'Her'. Yahiko wanted to go home. He wanted to go back to Kaoru and Kenshin, and he wanted to go NOW. So, as the tension and desire to be rid of her grew in his mind and the fury and rage swelled in his soul, his grip on the enormous energy ball roiling inside of him began to slip, but that was all right with him this time. It was just what he wanted. He was not going to worry about losing control this time. He wanted to lose control. He wanted to get rid of Her once and for all. He wanted to kill Her, so... with the great heaving cry of a young lion, Yahiko just let it go.
The length of the corridor exploded into a brilliant blaze of bloody red light, followed by the scream of something wild and furious; something unnatural and out of control, and wielding a horrific amount of power. The pure force of that power threw everyone back against the walls, and the sounds of a thousand and more steel doors crashing and tearing themselves apart could be heard echoing throughout the prison. Dust filled the air as the walls and ceiling began crumbling, and then the ground began trembling violently beneath frightened feet. Unable to balance on the wildly shifting floor, they all fell to their hands and knees.
"Yahiko?!" Kenshin screamed the boy's name as he tried to stand up on the shifting floor. He could not see through the surging dust and floating debris, but the terror he felt over his son's life was so great that he ignored the danger to himself, and staggered into the lurching self-destructing corridor.
"Kenshin!" Hiko yelled after the red-haired man as he disappeared into the dust. "Kenshin!" 'Oh Dear God, No!' He was trying to stand, and he was trying to help the others as well, but it was next to impossible to find any balance on this cursed ground that would not stand still. All the four men could do was hang onto the walls and each other and pray, and wait. Wait for the world to stand still again, and for the dust to settle. Wait to find out what was happening inside the heaving
hell that was the corridor.
"Otou?!" Soujirou cried as tears started to slide down his face. He watched the last trace of Kenshin's faded pink gi disappear into the roiling dust cloud even as he lost contact with his burning ki. "Little brother?!" 'Nooo! Please, God. Please no.' "Fatthheerr!!"
An eternity seem to pass before the ground started to settle back to its normal solidity, but it was difficult for anyone to stand, and they found themselves holding onto the walls for support until their
equilibrium returned. Nausea and dizziness overwhelmed each of them for several moments, but the feelings gradually disappeared.
Hiko and Soujirou were standing together staring into the slowly settling dust. As the cloud dissipated, all that was left of the cell block was a massive pile of rubble.
Every one of the 10 cells had been utterly destroyed. The walls had imploded in on themselves, the heavy steel doors were twisted and bent into grotesque shapes; some had even been torn into pieces or crushed into unrecognizable balls of jagged metal. Debris was piled high in every direction. Huge jagged blocks of mortar and cement had been tossed across the corridor like tiny stones, and the old wooden framework was littered about the floor like long ragged tooth picks. It looked like a battlefield, and in the midst of this destruction, there was no sign of Kenshin, Yahiko, or Elsbeth. All three of them had vanished. They had obviously been buried somewhere deep beneath the tons of stone, mortar, wood, and steel that filled the devastated area. They were gone.
Hiko laid a comforting arm around the smaller man, whose face was dirty from muddy tears. Both of their faces were masks of loss and sadness. This was not meant to happen.
"Why?" Soujirou whispered. "Why?"
"I do not know, Seta... Soujirou. I do not know." Hiko patted his shoulder. "Just try and remember everything he taught you while he was with you."
"But, it was not long enough, Hiko-san. There was not enough time to say everything that needed to be said." Soujirou looked up at Hiko's stern face. "I was not finished yet. There was so much more I wanted to tell him, so much more I wanted to say. This is not right." His head dropped as more tears slid from his eyes and dripped off his chin and nose. "I did not have enough time with either one of them. That is the trouble with this world." Wiping muddy tears off his face with the sleeve of his blue gi, Soujirou stared hard at the mound of dirt that had become the grave of his father and brother. "There is never enough time for the important things that need to be done like being with the people you love and telling them the things they need to hear you say. Somehow you always believe they will just be there, but then one day something happens and they are gone. Someone you love is gone forever, and there were so many things you did not get the chance to share or say. Why
did I not say those things to him before? Why did I not take the opportunity to tell him when I had the chance?" He sniffled
and wiped his face on the sleeve of his gi again. "I never told him I loved him. I never told either one of them that. Why? Why did I waste the time?"
"Because we never know when the person or people we love are going to be taken away from us, so we never think about the multitude of opportunities that life gives us to tell him what should have been said long ago... until it is too late."
"I think Himura knew how you felt, Seta-san." Aoshi stood next to Soujirou. His face was also covered in pain. "I am glad I had the chance to call him my shin-yuu and my brother."
"I would have enjoyed one more battle with him." Saitoh was brushing the dust off the sleeves of his uniform, and although the comment was completely inappropriate to the moment, the tone of his voice belied its true meaning. "We did our best, My Friends. That is all we could do. I am sorry for this tragedy." He sighed heavily and straightened his narrow muscular shoulders. "Who will tell Kamiya-dono?"
Silence fell heavy and thick around the four men as they all hung their heads in sorrow. Who indeed? Who would be the one to carry the news to Kaoru that not only had she lost the youngling, Yahiko, but, in trying to save him at the last moment, Kenshin had given up his life as
well. Who would tell her that her whole family except Soujirou was gone?
"I will tell her." Hiko stood tall and squared his broad shoulders. "I suppose I am the closest thing to the next of kin Kenshin has. It is my place to carry the news." 'And my broken heart. I must always carry this broken heart now. Kenshin... My son. My beautiful, shining son.
I never told you I loved you, not once. Kamiya-dono was right. I do regret it. With all my heart and soul I regret it. You will never know how much I loved you. I am sorry, My son. My beautiful son. I should have told you long ago. I should have told you. Kami-sama, forgive me,
and take care of my shining boy.'
Hiko took one last look at the pile of devastation that was now Kenshin and Yahiko's grave, and closed his eyes against the terrible pain that threatened to crush the breath from his lungs. Never did he believe this could or would happen. Never in his life had he ever considered the idea that he would stand over the grave of his son trying to find a way to say Good-bye. Kaoru had told him on the Ship that this was a possibility, and he had brushed the thought away scornfully, but here he was doing exactly what she had said he would. Grief and regret battled for supremacy within his tortured soul and ended up sharing the ravaged space equally. Hiko's life would never be the same. The peace he had found in his pottery would be forever shattered now. He would never know peace again.
"Good-bye... Kenshin." He whispered in a small broken voice. "I should have told you." A tear slid down his stern profile as he was consumed by his grief. "I should have told you long ago." He dropped to one knee and lowered his head in sorrow. "I should have told you I loved you, My son, my beautiful shining son. I should have told you." More tears fell as his iron control was lost. "Forgive me... Kenshin. Forgive me... my Aisoku." And he grieved for all the things that should have been but never could be.
********************
Five men had entered the suffocating darkness of the Shinsengumi prison labyrinth, but only four returned, and only those four returned to the Aoiya each burdened with the weight of his grief laden soul and broken heart. They were covered with a layer of heavy dust, and their extreme physical and emotional fatigue was profoundly evident.
Misao rushed to Aoshi wrapping her arm around his waist offering him what support she could, and in his state of shock, grief, and fatigue he put his arms around her shoulders and buried his face in her neck without even thinking about it. She could feel his terrible need for comfort and
security, and it brought tears to her eyes that he would seek it from her. Her strong young arms wound themselves around his tall slim body, and she held him tightly to her.
"Aoshi? What has happened?" He trembled against her and her concern mounted. "Aoshi?" Neither of them noticed she forgot all about the honorifics.
Tokio ran to Saitoh finding him in much the same shape as Aoshi. His eyes were wide and filled with astonishing sadness and guilt, and when she pulled him into her arms, he did not reisit. "Saitoh?" Her voice was filled with anxiety. She had never seen him like this. Her eyes met Hiko's over Saitoh's head. "What has happened, Seijurou-san?"
Before Hiko could speak Kaoru came running towards the group from somewhere near the dojo. She was wearing a gi and hakama and it was evident she had been training. She was slightly out of breath when she reached them, and her eyes were wide with apprehension and fear as she
looked at Misao and Aoshi and then to Tokio and Saitoh. When her gaze came to rest on Hiko, he knew the moment of truth had come, and the taste of bitter gall rose in the back of his throat. 'Kami-sama, help me do this.' He spoke to himself under his breath, and then he slowly and
carefully approached the young raven haired woman he had learned to respect so much in recent weeks.
"Kamiya-dono..." He began gently as he laid a tender hand on her thin fragile shoulder. "I have to something to tell you."
Kaoru stared into his eyes and saw the sadness and the grief. She saw the regret and the turmoil, and then a movement off to her left caught her eye and she turned towards it. Soujirou was sitting down on the grass. His movements were slow and measured almost as if he were some sort of a machine, and the look on his pale face spoke volumes of grief and loss to her. Her heart began to beat at a thunderous pace inside her chest as huge round blue eyes frantically darted around the yard searching for the familiar red-haired figure, but it was not there. She broke away from Hiko and ran out of the Aoiya's front gate into the street where she continued her frantic search, but there was still no sign of the man she desperately looked for.
"Kenshin?!" She called in a voice filled with anxiety and fear. The people milling about turned to stare at her in confusion, then moved on their way.
"KENSHIN??" She cried louder as terror started to bloom inside her heart, and ran farther down the street. Tears were beginning to blur
her vision, and she roughly wiped them away with the back of her hand so she could see.
"KENSHIN??" Kaoru fell to her knees as the inevitable truth caught up to her, and the sobbing cries of her sorrow tore their way free from her delicate throat. "Nooooooo..... Kennsshhinnn...." She threw her head back and screamed her anguish to the empty skies above her. "GOD, DO NOT LET THIS BE!! PLEASE... KENSHIN... KENSHHIIINNN!" And then she was suddenly seized and enfolded inside the fiercely strong arms of Seijurou Hiko who cradled her weeping body against his chest as if she were a small child or a fragile doll. Gently he lifted her up in his arms and
carried her back to the Aoiya where everyone was waiting anxiously for their return. Okina led him to the room she had shared with Kenshin, and Hiko carefully laid her down on the soft futon. Misao and Tokio were at her side instantly pulling a soft quilt over her whimpering and shuddering form.
"This is the worst thing that could have happened." Okina spoke sadly. "Does she know the boy was lost as well?"
"No." Hiko spoke sharply. "That can wait. The shock of losing them both might kill her." He gestured towards her quavering body. "I do not think she can take much more, and I will not be the one to bare that news to her. I have done enough to destroy her life." He lowered his eyes and left the room. "I will not be responsible for causing her any more pain."
"I understand, but someone must stand up for her. Someone must be there for her to lean on during this time of tragedy. Whom does she have?" Okina stepped in front of Hiko and met his pain filled gaze. "Who will be responsible for her and take care of her after she does find out Yahiko is dead as well as Himura? Seta-san will be able to help her a bit, but he himself is torn by the grief of their double loss as well. They both need someone who has the strength to help them stand up and walk forward again." Okina looked deeply into the dark emerald eyes of the large man before him. This was a man who had lived his life alone by his own choice. Could he change his way of life and take care of Kenshin's family in his place?
"I... I do not know if I am capable of doing what you are suggesting, Okina. I never was a very good Father or friend. I tend to be... rather abrasive to people." Hiko managed a ghost of a half smile.
"You of all people should know that God helps us change when we are required to do so. You are not alone, Hiko. You have a multitude of friends here. Himura's friends... his family, and we all need you." Okina laid a firm hand on Hiko's heavily muscled shoulder. "Kaoru-dono needs you, Seta-san needs you, and all of Himura's friends here at the Aoiya will need you as well. But, most of all, I think you need us as well."
Hiko stared in stunned silence at Okina. "Why do you say that?"
"Because, My Friend. You have lost your son today, and the pain in your heart is greater than you can bare alone."
"Does it truly show?" His voice was no more than a whisper.
"Perhaps only to someone who understands what it means to lose someone you love before you ever took the chance to let them know that. I understand your guilt. I too let a loved one die believing he meant almost nothing to me when just the opposite was true. That is a guilt and a grief I will carry with me to my grave."
"As will I." Hiko dropped his head in shame. "I never told him anything. He died believing he was nothing more than my baka-deshi. Forever my stupid apprentice. I never told him how it broke my heart when he went to Kyoto and joined the Bakumatsu and became the Battousai, but I never told him how proud I was of what he did with his life afterwards. How proud I was of all the things he did trying to make amends for all of his sins." He drew in a deep breath and let it out
slowly. "I never told him how much I loved him. How much I still love him."
"Himura was one of the finest men I ever knew, Hiko. I would have been proud to call him my son. I was proud to call him my friend, and even prouder to call him my ally. He was the most selfless man I have ever known in my life."
"Thank-you, Okina."
"You are welcome, Hiko."
shin-yuu=friend, baka-deshi=stupid apprentice, Otou=father, Aisoku=beloved son,
Chapter 15
Searching the Darkness
The office door slammed loudly as Saitoh shoved it closed. "You want WHAT from me? Are you insane, Hiko? What makes you think I even have what your asking me for?"
"Because you are one of the smartest sonofabitches in Japan, and you would not have let every single copy of that Map get destroyed. You would have kept one because, in your mind, who knew when you might be able to use it to your advantage." Hiko's mouth was turned up in a
knowing sarcastic smile as he watched the look of discomfort cross his friends thin face.
"Alright, maybe I do have one, but what would you need it for?" He hastily lit a cigarette and angrily seated himself behind his desk to glare at the tall black haired man in front of him.
"What do you think I need it for, you idiot?" He sneered. "I want to get in to the prison labyrinth, and then find my way back out." Stupid question.
"I figured that much out for myself, you arrogant clod. What I want to know, Is why you want to go into the prison at all." Fucking idiot.
"Actually, it is not just me who wants to go in. Kenshin, Soujirou, Aoshi, Myself, and perhaps You will be going."
Saitoh's harsh yellow eyes narrowed dangerously as he favored his friend with an icy glare. "Why in the bloody hell would 'I' want to go with the likes of you and that rabble into the bowels of the City? Are we looking for your long lost relatives, Hiko? It is a fact, the largest rats in Kyoto live in the underground tunnels."
Hiko smiled broadly. This was the Saitoh he liked and knew best. Welcome back, Saitoh. "No, not my relatives... Kenshin's. The boy is down there."
"You are insane. All that sake' you drink has finally pickled your brain."
"That could possibly be quite true, but not about this. Kenshin knows he is down there."
Topaz eyes peered at Hiko from beneath thin dark brows. "How?"
"The Man in Black told him himself just before he died and took the directions to the boy's cell with him into hell."
"You really are serious, aren't you." Saitoh raised up and met Hiko's gaze levely.
"Yes I am. Kenshin also ran into Lady Katsura herself who admitted the boy was down there, but she would not tell Kenshin if she knew where he was." An angry frown crossed his stern face. "We do not know if she can reach him or not, but we have to. If we do not... "
"He will suffocate in a matter of hours."
"You know then. You know the danger he is in."
"Yes. It was the only flaw in the design of the prison when the Shinsegumi built it. Otherwise, it was the perfect place of incarceration." Saitoh's face grew angry and strained. "Do you know when the last time anyone was in there?"
"Yesterday morning."
"KUSO!" He swore loudly. "Come on!" He shouted as he bolted up from his desk. "There is not much time left. We have to go NOW!" The bottom drawer of a filing cabinet was roughly torn open and a small flat wooden box extracted, and then the two men quickly left the room. Saitoh came to an abrupt halt as he was greeted by three more serious faces waiting outside.
"Well," He glanced around the stoic group of men. "It would appear we are all present and accounted for." Nodding at Kenshin, he produced the flat black box from his breast pocket. "Shall we be on our way then?"
Kenshin looked at the box as if it were a sacred scroll from Buddha himself, and then turned his grateful gaze to the tall thin policeman. "Thank-you Saitoh." He bowed deeply offering his most sincere gratitude to his once long-time enemy. "You have my deepest gratitude."
Saitoh was shaken more than he wanted to admit. He had never seen the Battousai so humble especially towards him, and it was making him feel very uncomfortable because he did not know how to react.
"Yes, yes of course. Enough pleasantries. We must leave post haste. There is not time to spare for all this drivel when the boy is probably starting to suffocate as we speak. He has had no fresh air exchange since yesterday morning. Even if he is alone down there, it is still a very long time." Long legs carried Saitoh out the front door of the station. "We must go now, and we must go quickly. Come, I know a short-cut that will get us there faster than going through the streets." And in a moment the 5 men had disappeared across the street and around the corner.
"I wish he would stop doing this all the time." Sargeant Izukia heaved a sigh of resigned frustration as he watched his Captain leave once again without explanation. "Just keep everything running, Sargeant." He mimicked Saitoh's sharp sarcastic voice as he returned to his desk and sat down in a huff.
******************
A quiet knock brought Tokio to her sho-ji. She was completely unprepared when she opened the door and found a lovely young dark-haired woman waiting for her. She took in the long raven black hair that was pulled back into a dark purple ribbon that matched the obi tied around the light-blue kimono she wore. Huge sapphire blue eyes, that looked and even darker blue against the pale blue and dark purple silk, regarded her in a kind expectant manner.
"I am sorry, do I know you?" Tokio sounded a bit nervous wondering if this could be someone from one of her painting classes, but she could not place the pretty face.
"No, Hajime-san you do not know me, but I know who you are, and I have come to bring you to spend the day with my friends and myself."
"Ex-excuse me? How do you know my name?" Surprise colored her voice.
"I know Saitoh, and I know Hiko-san."
"You know my husband?" Tokio's eyes narrowed as jealousy gleamed in their brown depths. Who was this woman who dared call Saitoh by his first name without its proper honorific attached?
"Yes, I know Saitoh, but do not worry. I do not have any designs on him. I have a very good man of my own, thank you very much, so I do not need yours. And how I know him, is a story that can wait for another time to be told. Right now I am simply here as your friend to help you
through something very difficult. It is something terrible we have all been facing for some months now, but you have just become a part of it today." Kaoru smiled gently. "It is something you have a right to know, but should not have to bare alone." She bowed her head sadly and the smile disappeared showing her pain. "None of us have been able to bare it alone."
"What are you talking about? What does all of this have to do with Saitoh and I?"
"It has to do with you and Saitoh because right now he is with Hiko-san, my fiancé'Kenshin, our adopted son Soujirou-san, and a very serious ninja named Aoshi, and they are trying to find a way to get into the underground mazes beneath the city."
"Why??" Tokio's face filled with shock and fear.
"Because, a young boy name Myojin Yahiko whom Kenshin and I have also taken in as our son, has be torn from us and locked in the old prison down there, and Saitoh may have a Map of the labyrinth left over from the War so that they can go in and look for him without getting lost."
"Dear Kami-sama, who would do such a thing?"
"A horrible woman. A woman who is determined to take Yahiko's life tomorrow night during the Moon Festival." Kaoru chocked back a sob and covered her mouth. She was still standing outside Tokio's sho-ji. "She believes she can use his spirit-ki to open a doorway to Hell that can stay open forever"
Tokio grabbed Kaoru's wrist and pulled her forcibly through the door and closed it behind her. "Are you insane. My neighbors will hear you." She faced Kaoru's pale face in shocked anger. "This woman you are talking about, Saitoh has the police looking for her, right?"
"No."
"NO?? Why not? She is obviously insane if she believes she can do what you just said. She will be committing cold-blooded murder."
"Yes it will be murder, and it will be in cold blood, but she knows exactly what she is doing and it is very real." Kaoru's voice trailed off into a pain filled whisper.
"Do you know what you are saying?"
"Yes I do. I am saying that there is a Witch right here in Kyoto, and she intends to use my son's spirit energy in some kind of ritual to open a doorway between this world and Hell that will stay open forever. She intends to feed the people of Japan to the Devil, and in return, he will give her anything she wants."
Tokio had begun to shake uncontrollably. "What does she want?"
"Japan itself. She wants to be an Empress over the entire country, and if those men do not stop her from killing my son, she will have it all and the rest of us will be utterly lost."
"You truly believe all of this? How can you believe this?"
Kaoru grabbed Tokio by the shoulders and let her intense blue eyes bore into the other woman's timid face. "How can I believe? How? Because I have witnessed the strangest things I have ever seen in my life since all of this started. I watched Kenshin, Hiko-san, Aoshi, and Soujirou viciously battle a horde of something that was not there, and it was so real that Soujirou nearly died. I saw a man so afraid to go to sleep that he had become nothing more that a quivering mass of nerves and flesh because he believed there was something in his dreams that was waiting to kill him, and it was true. I watched my own beloved captured within the bonds of a nightmare that was also so real I could not wake him up as he thrashed and flailed on his futon fighting for his life." Tears started to slide down her flushed face. "That is how I can believe it. I have seen the strongest men reduced to frightened sobbing mice right before my eyes. How could I have witnessed all of this and not believe??"
Tokio stared into Kaoru's fierce tear filled eyes and read the honesty of her heart within the deep blue pain filled pools. "I am forced to believe you." She whispered. "What can we do?"
"Hope." Was Kaoru's reply. "Saitoh and Kenshin were the first to discover the things this horrible woman has been doing. They know the most about it. The others have attached themselves to the cause because of their own reasons, but the central concern is the life of mine and Kenshin's son. Nothing can happen if she does not have him."
"Are they in danger now?" Worry was evident in Tokio's voice.
"Yes. They are always in danger."
"Oh." She turned and moved to put on her white tabi and sandals. "I am ready to leave." Joining Kaoru at the door, Tokio walked out of her Ikka and the two women headed down the thin dirt road.
"Will you tell me everything else while we walk?" She asked timidly, feeling very embarrassed.
"Of course I will." Kaoru placed a comforting arm around Tokio's shoulders. "By the way, My name it Kamiyu Kaoru. You can call me Kaoru if you would like." She smiled.
"I would like that very much. Please, call me Tokio. It would be nice to have a friend." And she put her arm around Kaoru's waist and laid her head on the younger woman's shoulder. "I have not had one for a very long time."
"Well you are in luck. When we get back to the Aoiya, I will introduce you to everyone, and you will have a lot of friends." An infectious giggle escaped Kaoru's lips and Tokio could not help but laugh a little with her.
"It feels good to laugh again too. Thank-you Kaoru."
"You are welcome, Tokio. It is one of the ways we are coping with all of this. If we cannot laugh at something, we would probably give into our tears constantly. That would not do us or our men any good. We promised to be strong, and we will be."
"Does Saitoh know you have come to take me back with you?"
"No, but he will once Kenshin tells him. I hope he does not get too upset." A wicked grin crossed her pretty face. "Not that I mind much if he does or not."
"Hmmmm. Something tells me you do not like Saitoh very much. Is this true?" Tokio raised her head off Kaoru's shoulder and looked at the girl.
"Well.... I am working on it." They both laughed and continued to walk down the street. That was another subject they could talk about later. Kaoru had promised to explain everything about the current situation to Tokio, and so she did as they walked back to the Aoiya.
By the time they reached the outer sho-ji, Tokio had been completely informed of everything Kaoru knew. She had told her about the witches, the children being murdered as human sacrifices, the General and Lady Katsura's alleged plan to take over Japan, and the stories about the murders that had started the whole thing. She explained about the curse that had been put on Miko Ishida that had finally led to the strange battle with the Horde in the Aoiya courtyard, and she told her the
amazing story of how Aoshi had given up part of his ki to heal Kenshin's damaged one. Then she told her about how Kenshin reached into Soujirou's mind to save him after he was wounded in the battle with the Horde.
Tokio was stunned and speechless with a type of fear she had never felt. "How can so much evil come from one person?" She asked as they rang the bell outside the gate.
"She is a Witch. Apparently she is a Spaniard directly from Spain, and there were some rumors about her having to leave there because of problems with the Inquisition. But I do not really know." The gate opened and revealed a tired looking Misao. "Misao, you look awful. Did you not sleep again?"
"No, not really. Who is this?" She pointed at Tokio questioningly.
"This is who Hiko-san was talking about this morning. This is Saitoh's wife, Hajime Tokio. Tokio this is Misao. She is one of those new friends I was telling you about." Kaoru smiled and patted Misao's cheek affectionately. "She is usually a bit more lively than this."
Misao offered a wan smile. "Hello Tokio-san. Kaoru is right. Usually I drive everbody crazy 'cause I never sit still. So enjoy the boredom while you can." She reached out and pulled the woman inside. "It is really nice to meet you. We were all very shocked to find out Saitoh had a wife."
"So it would seem. It does not sound like you are very fond of him either." Tokio shook her head in amusement. "Am I among friends or cordial enemies?"
"Friends!" Misao sounded indignant. "It doesn't matter how we feel about Saitoh, we accept you with open arms." Suddenly she looked very embarrassed. "That did not sound very good did it?" Tokio burst into laughter followed by Kaoru.
"Oh what a dear girl." Tokio hugged Misao. "I like you already." Misao breathed a sigh of relief knowing she had not offended the woman. She was still having a difficult time accepting the fact that someone like Saitoh had a wife, but now that she had seen Tokio, she could not believe he had such a pretty wife. And she was nice too.
"Forgive us, Tokio." Kaoru began. "But we all met Saitoh under rather extenuating circumstance, and it was not a pleasant meeting for any involved. Including Saitoh. It was not very long ago that we were all enemies."
"All of you? Even with these people?"
"In a manner of speaking, but fate has a way of working things out and now we have become family to each other." Kaoru hugged Misao. "We like it better that way."
"I cannot imagine Saitoh being enemies with people like you." Tokio looked confused.
"Well perhaps it would make more sense if I told you exactly who my fiancé' is and exactly what these people are." Kaoru took Tokio by the hand and led her over to a shaded grassy area where they sat down. Misao sat down next to Tokio. "You see," Kaoru began in a quiet even voice,
"Kenshin came to live at my fathers dojo about six months after he and my mother died. He was a ruroni who happened along and helped me clear my father's name when an enemy would have seen it ruined. Then after that it seemed I started to pick up more wandering souls who came to live at
the dojo with me until I had something like a family, but I am straying away from my own point. Kenshin was always getting us out of trouble or he was getting into trouble because someone was always trying to kill him."
"Good Heavens... Why?" Tokio's brown eyes were wide with shock.
"Well... because Kenshin is not just any Samaria."
Tokio's face register puzzlement. "You never told me he was a Samaria?"
"Didn't I? I am sorry. He is a very strong Samaria, and also a very well known Samaria from the Bakumatsa. Because of that, there always seems to be someone who wants to fight him and try to kill him."
"Why?"
"For the fame. The pleasure. The distinction of being the one to defeat the one who was known to be undefeatable." Kaoru's blue eyes wandered away and looked off into the sky. "It did not matter that he had left those days long behind him and only wanted a life of peace now. They just kept coming. They keep coming. Maybe someday they will stop and let him have peace."
"Who is he, Kaoru?" Tokio put a gentle hand on Kaoru's arm.
"Kenshin was the Hitokiri Battousai. He was the manslayer."
"The manslayer?" Tokio's mind reeled with that piece of information. Saitoh used to talk about the Battousai, and how one day he would be the one to spill his blood on the ground for all the Shinsengumi he had killed. "He was a mortal enemy of Saitoh's."
"Yes, and now they are working together... again."
"Again?"
"They worked together two years ago to destroy Mikoto Shishio, and lately Kenshin has been doing a type of 'spy' work for Saitoh as well. It seems they have come to some sort of an understanding."
"Unbelievable. Saitoh hated the Battousai more than any other man alive. He was sworn to kill him." Her face was pale and full of disbelief. "How can it be?"
"Like I said. Fate has a way of bringing people together. Just like the people who live here in the Aoiya. They are not just simple ordinary people, Tokio. They are well trained deadly ninja, and members of the famed Onniwabanshuu."
"I have heard of them. They are syndicated all over Japan. I have even heard them called the Black Webb because of how they seem to be everywhere all at once. They are some of the most deadly assassins and thieves in the country." Shocked eyes turned to Misao. "You are truly one of these?"
"I am. I am the leader of this branch in Kyoto, but we are not assassins and thieves. We are information brokers and body guards for hire. The days of murder for money are long gone, Hajime-san. Though I cannot deny they did exist." Misao rested a strong friendly hand on Tokio's shoulder. "We allied ourselves with Himura during the fight with Shishio and helped him save Japan from being taken over by a crazy man. Now, we help the Government with our network by providing information they need. At a fair price, of course." A crafty smile crossed her perky face. "You do not just give it away for free you know. Some of the stuff they want is hard to come by."
Tokio was completely dumfounded. "This is the most incredible and outrageous thing I have ever heard. Saitoh working with the Battousai, and the Onniwabanshuu working with the Meiji... willingly. Gosh, the next thing you know, Angel's will be dropping from the sky and handing out wings to the mob." Kaoru and Misao dissolved into giggles and fell over to roll on the grass like little girls. Tokio laughed at them indulgently until all at once she found herself grabbed on both sides and yanked down on the grass with them. Unable to help herself any longer, she gave in and let the little girl giggles bubble over her lips.
She had not felt like this in years, and even though she knew Saitoh and the others were in immanent danger, it felt so good to just let go of all her cares and laugh. And it felt so good to have someone to do it with.
*****************
"KUSO!" Saitoh swore. "There is a huge lock on this door. You might have mentioned that on the way over, Battousai." The heavily laced sarcastic voice floated up the stone stairwell making everyone smile... except Kenshin.
"How the hell was I supposed to know there was a lock on the door?" Kenshin swore in impatience. "We never made it down here. Can it be broken?"
CLINK! CLANK!
"I guess so." Hiko was being his usual helpful sardonic self. In a twisted sort of way, he was enjoying himself. He had never heard Kenshin curse, but lately he seemed to be doing it quite regularly.
"All right, at least we can get through the door." Aoshi growled. He was still suffering from a splitting headache and very bruised pride after being downed by the small green-eyed woman the day before, and his mood was at least as impatient as Kenshin's. Very unusual. Very interesting. Very not Aoshi.
"Everyone be quiet." Saitoh barked in a low voice as he pushed against the old door forcing it open. It scraped against the ground and the rusted hinges squeaked in protest, but eventually the door opened revealing a yawning cavern behind its aged wood. "Well, it is definitely dark in there." Saitoh stated the obvious, Hiko muffled a chuckle, and Kenshin exploded.
"Of course it is dark in there, you blathering idiot. It is under the ground for God's sake. Now move your ass already so we can get going. You are the one who said we did not have much time. REMEMBER!"
"Yes, Battousai I remember." Saitoh was nonplused by Kenshin's angry outburst, and merely turned to hand several matches over his shoulder. "Very well, let us be on our way. Hiko would you be so kind
as to light the torches so we can see our way through this rat infested Hell." He may have sounded nonchalaunt, but he was far from feeling that way. Inside he was very much afraid they would find the boy already dead. In one sense that would be good because that would stop Lady Katsura from using him in the ritual, but on the other hand, the grief it would cause these people would be catastrophic. He opened the flat black box and retrieved the old yellowed parchment, and unfolded it carefully. Printed in intricate detail was a full schematic of the underground tunnels and the prison labyrinth. He studied it intently for several moments until he was certain he knew exactly where they were, and then he began to walk forward into the darkness. "Come," He spoke softly
hearing his voice echo down the tunnel. "This way." And the other four men followed him in single file each carrying his own torch.
"You are certain, Saitoh?" Kenshin asked in a worried voice as the light behind them faded and was lost in the inky black of the tunnel.
"Yes. I am certain." They continued to walk a few more meters and then Saitoh stopped. He turned sharply to the right and raised his torch up to the wall. The others waited while he walked up and down the length of the wall several times studying the contours of the brickwork. Then he walked past them backtracking a short distance.
"Ahhh," He said in triumph. "Here it is."
"Here what is?" Aoshi asked.
"The second door."
"Is there another lock, Hajime-san?" Asked Soujirou from somewhere in the darkness behind everyone else.
"No. The Shinsengumi did not think they needed a lock on the inner door. They never believed any prisoner would ever make it this far." The door swung open easily. "Hmmmm. This door has been well maintained, or recently put to use." He disappeared inside and everyone followed in suit.
The five men found themselves in a very small office-like room that barely fit them all inside. There was one door out to the tunnels, and one door out to the prison. Hiko noted that the door to the prison was left wide open. Whoever was using this place was definitely not worried about their prisoner escaping. Indeed, they were not even worried about anyone finding their prisoner. The arrogance of the situation irked him.
"Where do we go from here?" Kenshin sounded tired, but his determination and pure will would not let him give up until every option was exhausted. Hiko admired him for that, and for his willingness to become responsible and available for the boy and young Seta-san. He was not sure where Kenshin had learned the ability to be a Father like this, but Hiko was forced to admit over and over that he was turning out to be a very good one.
"We step into the maze, Battousai, and we start looking inside each cell and praying. You can start calling the boy's name, and hope he can hear you. It would be helpful if he could lead us to him with his voice." Saitoh met Kenshin's eyes and for a rare moment the two men stood on even ground in their concern over the 12 year old boy wasting away somewhere in the darkness in front of them. "Let's move. Every moment counts. Everyone stays within torch light distance. It would be
very easy to become lost in here."
"Do not worry, Hajime-san." Soujirou's happy voice rose above the group. "I came prepared to help us find our way out as well as your Map."
Everyone turned to look at the smiling young swordsman. He smiled and held up a medium sized white sack tied off with a string. "Geisha beads." He announced happily and Hiko burst out laughing.
"Only you would think of such a thing, Seta-san." He draped a long heavy arm around the smaller man. "Multicolored beads dropped on the ground to show where we have been. Personally, I like the idea. Wish I had thought of it myself." Grinning widely, he hugged Soujirou and then shoved him up next to Saitoh. "There you go, Kid. Do your thing."
Kenshin smiled. The things brothers are willing to do for each other. At least he knew now where Soujirou had disappeared to after they brought Aoshi back to the Aoiya.
"Then let us be on our way. Remember what I said, stay close. If someone gets lost, I am not coming after them." Saitoh checked the Map and then walked through the open door into the darkness of the prison.
Several hours had passed and the men had found nothing in their search except rotted skeletons and over sized rats, but they continued on relentlessly. None of them mentioned the amount of time that had passed. After all, they had left the outer door open so some fresh air was getting in, but each of them knew Yahiko's life was still very much in peril.
"How far have we come, Saitoh?" Hiko pulled up next to his friend and spoke in a very hushed voice.
"We are about a third of the way through. I am not holding out very much hope."
"Why not? He is a very strong boy."
"Yes, I know he is, but Himura has been calling him for hours, and we have heard nothing. Sound always carried very well through the labyrinth. There are holes punched in the walls all over the place. It was how the guards stayed in contact with each other without leaving their posts." Saitoh turned a worried face towards Hiko. "If he is alive and awake, we should have heard him long ago."
"Dammit!" Hiko's glance shot over his shoulder and quickly raked over Kenshin then returned to Saitoh's face. "You know we have to keep going."
"I know. Do not tell him what I have said." Saitoh dropped his eyes back to the map. "He has been through enough. If the worst has happened, it can wait until it is discovered to be made known." Hiko nodded in agreement and walked away to resume his searching of the small cramped cells.
Kenshin leaned heavily against the cold damp wall to rest. It was hard to breath in here, and he found himself wondering how Yahiko could have survived in such a horrible place for six days, or if he had even survived at all. He hung his head low as he realized he may have to face the fact that the boy could already be dead inside one of these small locked boxes. Pain seized his heart as he considered how he would feel if he had to carry Yahiko's body out of this place, and then he
wondered how he would tell Kaoru. He recalled his vehemence in denying to allow Soujirou to die after the battle with the Horde, and how he had forced the young man to come back from the other side of reality. But he could not do that here. Yahiko was not lost in an alternate reality. He was not laying curled up inside of a protective sphere inside his frozen mind where Kenshin could find him and bring him home. He was locked away in the dark inside a filthy cell with barely enough air to breath (perhaps not enough) and rats for companions. Was there enough time left to save him before he suffocated? Or was it already too late?
"Yahiko..." It was a whispered cry of grief from a father's breaking heart. "Please, answer me. Let me know you are alive. I need to know I have not failed you. Please hear my voice and answer me." Kenshin pushed himself up away from the wall and finsihed searching the corridor he was in. He dropped several of the colorful beads Soujirou had given him so he could find his way back, and then walked around the corner. The sight that greeted him stopped him mid stride. His eyes went wide and changed from violet to burning amber gold.
Elsbeth stood half crouched with one arm wrapped around Yahiko's chest holding him tightly against her body while her other hand held a long razor sharp blade pressed into the curve of his throat beneath the chin. There was a thin line of blood trickling along the blade where the tip was stuck into the flesh.
Yahiko was trying to remain perfectly still. His sherry colored eyes looked at Kenshin with a mixture of courage, confidence, and fear. It was plain to see that if he moved the thin edged blade would sink into his throat the rest of the way slicing open the main artery in his neck and killing him.
Kenshin met Elsbeth's wide eyed silver gaze with malevolence. His hatred for this woman was growing by the second as he watched tiny droplets of Yahiko's blood drip off the dagger and fall to the floor. His hand rested threateningly on the hilt of his sakobatou.
"You will let him go, Elsbeth. That you will." The voice that came from Kenshin's mouth was one neither Elsbeth nor Yahiko had ever heard before. Elsbeth felt a primitive shiver of fear race up her spine as the sound he made washed over her along with the threatening power of his ki.
"I do not th-think so." She tried to sound firm, but found herself stammering in the face of his strength. "I will never give him back. I will kill him first, Himura." Yahiko sucked in a breath as she pressed the blade a little farther into his throat. More blood trickled out over the shining steel.
"Release him now, and I will let you go." Kenshin laid his torch on the floor and placed his right hand next to his left along the hilt of his sword, and Elsbeth heard the audible 'click' of his thumb pushing the blade free of the sheath. "Release him or I will kill you, Elsbeth."
"I do not believe you." She whispered and started to back up away from him into the darkness. "It is not within you to kill a woman you once loved, Himura."
"Are you certain you want to put that theory to the test, Kirei?" His voice lowered to a growl as he maneuvered himself into the Battou jutsu, and waited for her to reply.
"You would not...." Elsbeth's eyes darted back and forth looking for a quick escape route, but there was not one available. She had used her copy of the Map to find an alternate entrance to the tunnels, but she had not been prepared for the men to arrive and catch her off guard. A hasty escape had never been a consideration of hers because no one was ever supposed to know about this place or what treasure she had hidden inside of its musty hollows.
"You have a copy of the Map, don't you, kirei? Where did you get it? Did the dear old General keep a copy for himself as a trophy after the War, and you just decided to barrow it for a little while? Is that it?" Kenshin watched the shock dawn on her stunned face. "So, that is how you got here without us seeing you. You used another entrance on the Map to get to his cell. You could not use the usual entrance because you knew it was not secret anymore. My, my, but aren't you a clever little 'devil'." A vicious smile curled his lips giving him an evil look when coupled with his burning golden eyes.
The sound of her screaming intuition telling her to drop the boy and run was ripping through Elsbeth's brain. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head sharply trying to make them be quiet. Then, glaring with malevolent hatred at Kenshin, she spat out a challenge.
"You think you know so much, don't you? Well, you do not know so much as you think. You do know where the doorway is going to be made, and you do not know what hour it is to be done, and there are other secrets of mine that you will never know." Wicked laughter filled the corridor and bounced off the walls throughout the entire prison, and the other four men lifted their heads in response then ran as quickly as they could towards the source dropping colored beads as they went.
"No, I do not know any of those things, but I do know one thing for certain, kirei." Amber eyes narrowed into burning golden slits of hatred.
"What do you think you know, koishii.' She hissed like a cornered cat, her eyes narrow and glowing a silver-green.
"If you do not release my son in the next 60 seconds, I am going to cut your head off." Elsbeth's eyes blew wide open and became massive swirling ponds of liquid silver and her mouth fell open in utter disbelief at the plainly spoken words.
Beneath her blade the pulse in Yahiko's throat began to quicken and his eyes began to burn a dark bloody red as he focused on the pulsing power of Kenshin's spirit ki. He could feel it molding itself around him. Instinctively he pushed his own ki outward leaning into the fierce heat and matched its energy vibrations. The power of the two ki's was being melded into one pure energy force that was being focused into a single purpose inside Yahiko's young body. Elsbeth was so absorbed with Kenshin she failed to notice the rise in the boy's energy signiture until it was too late, but then there was no time to prepare because everything happened all at once.
Four men flew around the corner, swords drawn prepared for battle.
Kenshin crouched down into battou jutsu preparing to draw his sakobato and rush the witch.
Elsbeth snarled and pulled the thin dagger out of Yahiko's throat and flipped it over in her hand with lightening speed as she targeted Kenshin's chest for the throw, hoping to kill or wound him and give herself enough time to disappear into the labrinth with the boy, but Myojin Yahiko was nearly filled to bursting with furious spirit energy. Part his own and part Kenshin's that he had somehow absorbed, and he was afraid, he was tired, but most of all he was angry. He was sick to death of this whole damned thing, and he was sick and tired of 'Her'. Yahiko wanted to go home. He wanted to go back to Kaoru and Kenshin, and he wanted to go NOW. So, as the tension and desire to be rid of her grew in his mind and the fury and rage swelled in his soul, his grip on the enormous energy ball roiling inside of him began to slip, but that was all right with him this time. It was just what he wanted. He was not going to worry about losing control this time. He wanted to lose control. He wanted to get rid of Her once and for all. He wanted to kill Her, so... with the great heaving cry of a young lion, Yahiko just let it go.
The length of the corridor exploded into a brilliant blaze of bloody red light, followed by the scream of something wild and furious; something unnatural and out of control, and wielding a horrific amount of power. The pure force of that power threw everyone back against the walls, and the sounds of a thousand and more steel doors crashing and tearing themselves apart could be heard echoing throughout the prison. Dust filled the air as the walls and ceiling began crumbling, and then the ground began trembling violently beneath frightened feet. Unable to balance on the wildly shifting floor, they all fell to their hands and knees.
"Yahiko?!" Kenshin screamed the boy's name as he tried to stand up on the shifting floor. He could not see through the surging dust and floating debris, but the terror he felt over his son's life was so great that he ignored the danger to himself, and staggered into the lurching self-destructing corridor.
"Kenshin!" Hiko yelled after the red-haired man as he disappeared into the dust. "Kenshin!" 'Oh Dear God, No!' He was trying to stand, and he was trying to help the others as well, but it was next to impossible to find any balance on this cursed ground that would not stand still. All the four men could do was hang onto the walls and each other and pray, and wait. Wait for the world to stand still again, and for the dust to settle. Wait to find out what was happening inside the heaving
hell that was the corridor.
"Otou?!" Soujirou cried as tears started to slide down his face. He watched the last trace of Kenshin's faded pink gi disappear into the roiling dust cloud even as he lost contact with his burning ki. "Little brother?!" 'Nooo! Please, God. Please no.' "Fatthheerr!!"
An eternity seem to pass before the ground started to settle back to its normal solidity, but it was difficult for anyone to stand, and they found themselves holding onto the walls for support until their
equilibrium returned. Nausea and dizziness overwhelmed each of them for several moments, but the feelings gradually disappeared.
Hiko and Soujirou were standing together staring into the slowly settling dust. As the cloud dissipated, all that was left of the cell block was a massive pile of rubble.
Every one of the 10 cells had been utterly destroyed. The walls had imploded in on themselves, the heavy steel doors were twisted and bent into grotesque shapes; some had even been torn into pieces or crushed into unrecognizable balls of jagged metal. Debris was piled high in every direction. Huge jagged blocks of mortar and cement had been tossed across the corridor like tiny stones, and the old wooden framework was littered about the floor like long ragged tooth picks. It looked like a battlefield, and in the midst of this destruction, there was no sign of Kenshin, Yahiko, or Elsbeth. All three of them had vanished. They had obviously been buried somewhere deep beneath the tons of stone, mortar, wood, and steel that filled the devastated area. They were gone.
Hiko laid a comforting arm around the smaller man, whose face was dirty from muddy tears. Both of their faces were masks of loss and sadness. This was not meant to happen.
"Why?" Soujirou whispered. "Why?"
"I do not know, Seta... Soujirou. I do not know." Hiko patted his shoulder. "Just try and remember everything he taught you while he was with you."
"But, it was not long enough, Hiko-san. There was not enough time to say everything that needed to be said." Soujirou looked up at Hiko's stern face. "I was not finished yet. There was so much more I wanted to tell him, so much more I wanted to say. This is not right." His head dropped as more tears slid from his eyes and dripped off his chin and nose. "I did not have enough time with either one of them. That is the trouble with this world." Wiping muddy tears off his face with the sleeve of his blue gi, Soujirou stared hard at the mound of dirt that had become the grave of his father and brother. "There is never enough time for the important things that need to be done like being with the people you love and telling them the things they need to hear you say. Somehow you always believe they will just be there, but then one day something happens and they are gone. Someone you love is gone forever, and there were so many things you did not get the chance to share or say. Why
did I not say those things to him before? Why did I not take the opportunity to tell him when I had the chance?" He sniffled
and wiped his face on the sleeve of his gi again. "I never told him I loved him. I never told either one of them that. Why? Why did I waste the time?"
"Because we never know when the person or people we love are going to be taken away from us, so we never think about the multitude of opportunities that life gives us to tell him what should have been said long ago... until it is too late."
"I think Himura knew how you felt, Seta-san." Aoshi stood next to Soujirou. His face was also covered in pain. "I am glad I had the chance to call him my shin-yuu and my brother."
"I would have enjoyed one more battle with him." Saitoh was brushing the dust off the sleeves of his uniform, and although the comment was completely inappropriate to the moment, the tone of his voice belied its true meaning. "We did our best, My Friends. That is all we could do. I am sorry for this tragedy." He sighed heavily and straightened his narrow muscular shoulders. "Who will tell Kamiya-dono?"
Silence fell heavy and thick around the four men as they all hung their heads in sorrow. Who indeed? Who would be the one to carry the news to Kaoru that not only had she lost the youngling, Yahiko, but, in trying to save him at the last moment, Kenshin had given up his life as
well. Who would tell her that her whole family except Soujirou was gone?
"I will tell her." Hiko stood tall and squared his broad shoulders. "I suppose I am the closest thing to the next of kin Kenshin has. It is my place to carry the news." 'And my broken heart. I must always carry this broken heart now. Kenshin... My son. My beautiful, shining son.
I never told you I loved you, not once. Kamiya-dono was right. I do regret it. With all my heart and soul I regret it. You will never know how much I loved you. I am sorry, My son. My beautiful son. I should have told you long ago. I should have told you. Kami-sama, forgive me,
and take care of my shining boy.'
Hiko took one last look at the pile of devastation that was now Kenshin and Yahiko's grave, and closed his eyes against the terrible pain that threatened to crush the breath from his lungs. Never did he believe this could or would happen. Never in his life had he ever considered the idea that he would stand over the grave of his son trying to find a way to say Good-bye. Kaoru had told him on the Ship that this was a possibility, and he had brushed the thought away scornfully, but here he was doing exactly what she had said he would. Grief and regret battled for supremacy within his tortured soul and ended up sharing the ravaged space equally. Hiko's life would never be the same. The peace he had found in his pottery would be forever shattered now. He would never know peace again.
"Good-bye... Kenshin." He whispered in a small broken voice. "I should have told you." A tear slid down his stern profile as he was consumed by his grief. "I should have told you long ago." He dropped to one knee and lowered his head in sorrow. "I should have told you I loved you, My son, my beautiful shining son. I should have told you." More tears fell as his iron control was lost. "Forgive me... Kenshin. Forgive me... my Aisoku." And he grieved for all the things that should have been but never could be.
********************
Five men had entered the suffocating darkness of the Shinsengumi prison labyrinth, but only four returned, and only those four returned to the Aoiya each burdened with the weight of his grief laden soul and broken heart. They were covered with a layer of heavy dust, and their extreme physical and emotional fatigue was profoundly evident.
Misao rushed to Aoshi wrapping her arm around his waist offering him what support she could, and in his state of shock, grief, and fatigue he put his arms around her shoulders and buried his face in her neck without even thinking about it. She could feel his terrible need for comfort and
security, and it brought tears to her eyes that he would seek it from her. Her strong young arms wound themselves around his tall slim body, and she held him tightly to her.
"Aoshi? What has happened?" He trembled against her and her concern mounted. "Aoshi?" Neither of them noticed she forgot all about the honorifics.
Tokio ran to Saitoh finding him in much the same shape as Aoshi. His eyes were wide and filled with astonishing sadness and guilt, and when she pulled him into her arms, he did not reisit. "Saitoh?" Her voice was filled with anxiety. She had never seen him like this. Her eyes met Hiko's over Saitoh's head. "What has happened, Seijurou-san?"
Before Hiko could speak Kaoru came running towards the group from somewhere near the dojo. She was wearing a gi and hakama and it was evident she had been training. She was slightly out of breath when she reached them, and her eyes were wide with apprehension and fear as she
looked at Misao and Aoshi and then to Tokio and Saitoh. When her gaze came to rest on Hiko, he knew the moment of truth had come, and the taste of bitter gall rose in the back of his throat. 'Kami-sama, help me do this.' He spoke to himself under his breath, and then he slowly and
carefully approached the young raven haired woman he had learned to respect so much in recent weeks.
"Kamiya-dono..." He began gently as he laid a tender hand on her thin fragile shoulder. "I have to something to tell you."
Kaoru stared into his eyes and saw the sadness and the grief. She saw the regret and the turmoil, and then a movement off to her left caught her eye and she turned towards it. Soujirou was sitting down on the grass. His movements were slow and measured almost as if he were some sort of a machine, and the look on his pale face spoke volumes of grief and loss to her. Her heart began to beat at a thunderous pace inside her chest as huge round blue eyes frantically darted around the yard searching for the familiar red-haired figure, but it was not there. She broke away from Hiko and ran out of the Aoiya's front gate into the street where she continued her frantic search, but there was still no sign of the man she desperately looked for.
"Kenshin?!" She called in a voice filled with anxiety and fear. The people milling about turned to stare at her in confusion, then moved on their way.
"KENSHIN??" She cried louder as terror started to bloom inside her heart, and ran farther down the street. Tears were beginning to blur
her vision, and she roughly wiped them away with the back of her hand so she could see.
"KENSHIN??" Kaoru fell to her knees as the inevitable truth caught up to her, and the sobbing cries of her sorrow tore their way free from her delicate throat. "Nooooooo..... Kennsshhinnn...." She threw her head back and screamed her anguish to the empty skies above her. "GOD, DO NOT LET THIS BE!! PLEASE... KENSHIN... KENSHHIIINNN!" And then she was suddenly seized and enfolded inside the fiercely strong arms of Seijurou Hiko who cradled her weeping body against his chest as if she were a small child or a fragile doll. Gently he lifted her up in his arms and
carried her back to the Aoiya where everyone was waiting anxiously for their return. Okina led him to the room she had shared with Kenshin, and Hiko carefully laid her down on the soft futon. Misao and Tokio were at her side instantly pulling a soft quilt over her whimpering and shuddering form.
"This is the worst thing that could have happened." Okina spoke sadly. "Does she know the boy was lost as well?"
"No." Hiko spoke sharply. "That can wait. The shock of losing them both might kill her." He gestured towards her quavering body. "I do not think she can take much more, and I will not be the one to bare that news to her. I have done enough to destroy her life." He lowered his eyes and left the room. "I will not be responsible for causing her any more pain."
"I understand, but someone must stand up for her. Someone must be there for her to lean on during this time of tragedy. Whom does she have?" Okina stepped in front of Hiko and met his pain filled gaze. "Who will be responsible for her and take care of her after she does find out Yahiko is dead as well as Himura? Seta-san will be able to help her a bit, but he himself is torn by the grief of their double loss as well. They both need someone who has the strength to help them stand up and walk forward again." Okina looked deeply into the dark emerald eyes of the large man before him. This was a man who had lived his life alone by his own choice. Could he change his way of life and take care of Kenshin's family in his place?
"I... I do not know if I am capable of doing what you are suggesting, Okina. I never was a very good Father or friend. I tend to be... rather abrasive to people." Hiko managed a ghost of a half smile.
"You of all people should know that God helps us change when we are required to do so. You are not alone, Hiko. You have a multitude of friends here. Himura's friends... his family, and we all need you." Okina laid a firm hand on Hiko's heavily muscled shoulder. "Kaoru-dono needs you, Seta-san needs you, and all of Himura's friends here at the Aoiya will need you as well. But, most of all, I think you need us as well."
Hiko stared in stunned silence at Okina. "Why do you say that?"
"Because, My Friend. You have lost your son today, and the pain in your heart is greater than you can bare alone."
"Does it truly show?" His voice was no more than a whisper.
"Perhaps only to someone who understands what it means to lose someone you love before you ever took the chance to let them know that. I understand your guilt. I too let a loved one die believing he meant almost nothing to me when just the opposite was true. That is a guilt and a grief I will carry with me to my grave."
"As will I." Hiko dropped his head in shame. "I never told him anything. He died believing he was nothing more than my baka-deshi. Forever my stupid apprentice. I never told him how it broke my heart when he went to Kyoto and joined the Bakumatsu and became the Battousai, but I never told him how proud I was of what he did with his life afterwards. How proud I was of all the things he did trying to make amends for all of his sins." He drew in a deep breath and let it out
slowly. "I never told him how much I loved him. How much I still love him."
"Himura was one of the finest men I ever knew, Hiko. I would have been proud to call him my son. I was proud to call him my friend, and even prouder to call him my ally. He was the most selfless man I have ever known in my life."
"Thank-you, Okina."
"You are welcome, Hiko."