Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Rurouni Kenshin, any movies, books, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.
Notice to Readers: To understand certain parts of this story, you'll have to read the other stories before this one. It is recommended by not required.
Gundam Wing and Rurouni Kenshin
The Gundamslayer
Chapter 2: The Hole in the Wall
*
It was only the night before when those ninja's had descended upon the Kamiya Kasshin Dojo. The real mystery about it still stuck with most of the residents there, Kenshin, Yahiko, Sano, and Miss Kaoru. None of them could quite figure out why all of this was happening. To add onto that, Saito didn't have the slightest clue about it either. It truly was confounding to all of them. Even Kenshin whose mind was wandering about this situation as he did the chores around the dojo, he had that look in his eye, that serious look like there was even more going on in that mind of his then what was happening at the dojo. Kenshin would never know that across time and space there would be another man who would turn out to be very much like him.
As he finished up the wash in the small wooden bucket he took it to another part of the dojo to dry it all out. Along his way he passed by Sano who was sitting on the steps of he main hall just relaxing away and chewing on his fish bones.
"Kenshin" He called
"Yes?" Kenshin answered
"Do you think those guys who attacked us are after you?"
"It would stand to reason, that it would." Kenshin began, "So many people have come after me wanting to fight me and take my life as if it was some kind of prize. I'm starting to think if I'm a burden to Miss Kaoru because of the dangers that I'm imposing here."
"I wouldn't talk like that Kenshin. After all, the little missy needs you as do a few other people."
Kenshin smiled and continued about his work. It seemed a little bit out of character for Sanosuke Sagara to be speaking out of such concern and compassion. Then again that was Sano for you, he was very kind, but he also seemed to walk around with chips on both of his shoulders; an attitude that said that he was angry with the rest of the world. On the other hand who could blame the poor man? That his father figure and captain of the Sekihoutai, Captain Sagara was killed and branded as a traitor by the very government that he served. He had a right to be angry about it, but he wasn't about to be like those cruel men that Kenshin faced; the ones that were going to try and mercilessly slaughter innocent people. No, that would make him even worse than the men that killed Captain Sagara.
Kenshin walked off to take care of his chores while Sano laid back lounging on the steps of the dojo, chewing on his fish bones, and basking in the afternoon sun. The rest of the day continued onward like it had so many times before until later at night. Inside Kenshin and Kaoru's bedroom, they shared the same bed or mat (whichever you'd like to call it). Love between them was always so sweet and full. All those months of them being together and the absolute denial on Kaoru's side of her love for Kenshin, it built up to the love that they shared in each others arms.
That night the two of them couldn't sleep, both of their minds were occupied with the situation that has fallen upon them at the Kamiya-Kasshin Dojo. They had only managed to distract each other from these worries through the act of love with each other. The two of them throwing the covers of their bed aside and rolling upon their mat across the floor. Sometimes Kaoru on the top and other times it would be Kenshin, but sometimes it would be on their sides. The two of them could only see each other with the fullness and the white glow of the moon pouring into the room illuminating each others bodies.
They were never rowdy in their act of love. Only a soft moan here and there from time to time. Until that climax when miss Kaoru had let out a sharp gasp and fell onto Kenshin. Thus the two of them held each other feeling the sweat that they both had accumulated. Kenshin couldn't help but still admire Miss Kaoru in her truest of forms. He long black hair flowing over her shoulders, back and sides, each strand splayed out and shinning with the moon like her sweat covered skin.
They had to make sure that they didn't make too much noise. After all, if they did scream a lot then Sano and Yahiko might wake up and want to know what's up. Well, at least Yahiko would want to know. Sano would just want a small peak into what was going on behind those closed doors.
With Miss Kaoru lying against Kenshin with her head upon his chest, the samurai stroked her long black hair, but kept staring out the windows above him. Looking out to the moon and remembering to that shooting star that he saw, that feeling that sometime big was going to happen still lingered like a burnt smell in a kitchen, but he also felt that it wasn't this ninja attack. Some might call it intuition or perhaps paranoia.
Without Kaoru's soft moaning and sweet voice whispering into Kenshin's ear, he could only hear the Cicada's chirping in the night.
CRACK!
A twig snapped, Kenshin's attention snapped and he was drawn to what was going on outside. Feeling the pressure, warmth, and breathing of Miss Kaoru, Kenshin tried very cautiously to move her off of him so that he could see what was going on outside. He moved to the window and looked down upon the grounds outside the house of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo. There, with his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the night and with the soft white glow of the moon, Kenshin saw them. He saw several figures moving into the dojo. They came over the walls like grasshoppers leaping from one leaf of grass to the next. At first Kenshin was about to dodge for his sword and get his clothes on to go outside to do battle with them, but he stopped when he looked at their movement. None of them were coming close to the houses of the dojo. They were all concentrating their movements upon a singular tree in the corner of the dojo. They all moved towards it like ants coming back to their hill. Yet, there were a few standing guard.
Kenshin also noticed that they were carrying crates, two ninja's per crate as they came over the walls and down to that tree. He watched in amazement that they marched in a single file line towards the tree. Yet, there were no ninja's coming out. It was as if there was…a hole…a hole in the wall that they were going through.
It made no sense to Kenshin, despite his intelligence, sharpness, and cleverness. None of this made sense to him. It was a visual contradiction, an absolute impossibility. He went back through the room and quickly gathered his clothes and got dressed to go outside. As he got his clothes on, he kept making sure that he wasn't going to wake up Kaoru. After all why should such an evening filled with such joy in the arms of the man she loved be spoiled by this? Getting his sandals on, Kenshin grabbed his sword and headed downstairs to face the ninjas.
Kenshin came quietly down the stairs and came to the sliding door. His ears became super sensitive as he listened to the events that were going on outside. He could hear the soft footsteps of the ninjas marching across the dry top soil and the occasional landing of one of the pairs carrying those crates. With all the footsteps he heard and the landings, he heard no talking, no dialogue, not even a whisper in the dark. He reached out and slid the door open, but he didn't fling it open exposing himself to the enemies outside. By opening it up by a crack his eye could peer out into the grounds of the dojo.
The same visual paradox was going on, three ninja's guarding the tree in the corner with a line of ninja's, two to each crate, all of them heading toward the tree. As Kenshin squinted it looked like they were going into the tree. With all those crates he thought back to that rumor that Sano told him.
About a week ago, a group of ninja's had hijacked train shipment of gold from Kyoto to here. This gold was part of the national reserve for the Meiji government.
"Why is it here?" Kenshin asked himself
From behind him, Kenshin heard a great yawn, "Hey, Kenshin, what'd you doing out of bed?"
Kenshin's heart seized and he looked behind him to find the enormously tall Sanosuke Sagara. He watched still seized in his heart as well as the muscles in his body with fear. The fear that the ninja's outside might have heard him. Kenshin wanted nothing more than to slap his hands around Sano's mouth and keep him quiet, but he was just too scared to think, like seeing a fist coming too fast for you to react to it.
"Did you hear that?" A voice from the outside asked
Kenshin's muscles tightened even further as he reached up to slap his hand on Sano's mouth. Being that Sano was taller, Kenshin brought the tall Sekihoutai's head down to his level as his ears perked up to hear the coming footsteps of the ninja's.
Kenshin didn't waist any time, he took his stance and placed his hand over the hilt of his sword with his fingers splayed like the legs of a spider. With his eyes well adjusted to the darkness of the night, he could see the faint glow of the moonlight coming through the paper windows of the sliding doors. Upon those doors he saw the shadows of the ninjas coming through. As he saw the shadows coming within distance of the doors, he gripped the hilt of his sword while Sanosuke took his stance getting ready to use his techniques of Futae no Kiwami.
The doors opened and there stood the ninjas. There must have been at least three or four of them, all of them dressed in the same attire as any other ninja with their black suits that covered them from head to toe. Their weapons of a straight edge sword, throwing stars, and all manners of weapons all about them and within a matter of seconds they descended upon both Kenshin and Sanosuke faster then snakes upon their prey. Yet, they underestimated Kenshin and Sano with their techniques. Two of them came from above, which were taken by Kenshin who used one of his own techniques.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Style!" He called out as he jumped up at the ninja's as he drew out his sword, "Ryu Shou Sen!"
The blade of the Reverse Blade sword hand hit the chest of the ninja (even though usually the chin or the neck is targeted for this move) and that ninja fell to the ground faster than a heavy stone. While Kenshin was still in the air and the other ninja in his sight he got ready for the next attack. So too did the ninja who brought out his straight edge sword and was about to use it against Kenshin, but he was already too slow for Kenshin's speed. Kenshin brought his sword down upon the collar bone of the ninja as he was descending. Hearing a great crack as the sword made contact, Kenshin knew that he had broken the ninja's collar bone, and he too fell to the ground.
Sanosuke on the other hand was using his Futae no Kiwami, a technique that he learned form a fallen priest named Anji. He had learned this technique in only a matter of seven days, while under the pressure that Anji would kill him if he didn't learn it. Thanks to training this technique, Sanosuke had learned to do more with it. Still, there was the old fashioned way that he always liked to do it.
Seeing the ninjas come after him, Sano made the charge against them bringing his fist way back. Then forcing it forward against the first one that came closest to him, he could feel the power coming from his fist as he made the attack.
"Futae no Kiwami!" Sano called out as his fist landed in the ninja's chest thrusting the poor schmuck back against his cohort and out the door from which they forcefully entered. Sanosuke looked back to Kenshin with a smile on his face knowing that his technique was getting better. Kenshin himself was sheathing his sword as he heard more ninja's coming. He dashed to the door to see how many were coming. As quickly as a rabbit going down into his hole, Kenshin's eyes saw three ninja's coming. He was about to draw his sword, but then from out of nowhere came a whistle. With that singular sound, the ninja's stopped dead in their tracks like automatons. All three looked back to the tree in the corner of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo and dashed away into the shadows. Kenshin was quick to act as he dashed from the doorway to the shadows where the ninja's had vanished to. It still made no sense at all to his mind, that so many ninja's could disappear into a wall. It seemed like some kind of magic or trickery. Then Kenshin came closer to the singular tree, at first he had his hand upon the hilt of his sword to do another attack of the Hiten Mitsurugi style, but his hand fell away and his pace slowed down to a crawl when he saw it. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, it seemed so impossibly unlikely that Kenshin wanted to believe that it was all a bizarre dream. He saw upon the surface of the concrete wall behind that tree…a hole…a hole in the wall.
Kenshin walked closer to it and looked inside it. He expected to see the streets outside of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo. Yet, what he saw was very different than what he was hoping to see. Inside that hole he saw the inside of some…great building. Like the inside of some great temple. Yet it wasn't a temple, for he saw shops built into the walls with signs above their doorways. He saw that it was split into several levels like the inside of a beehive. There were stairs that moved…stairs that moved, Kenshin had repeated to himself. Each moving staircase was brining people to the next level and taking them to another. It seemed so incredible that Kenshin's mind in its 19th century mindset wanted to think that this was some kind of devil's work, making him much like Sanosuke when it came to new technology (such as trains).
Kenshin pulled himself away from the hole in the wall and headed back into the house. In heading back, he knew that there was something going on that required his intervention…his assistance. It became clear in his mind what was going on, the omen that he saw in the sky and this event concerning the ninjas with the hole in the wall…it made perfect sense. Yet, he needed help for it.
Climbing the steps he met up with Sanosuke, "What is it, Kenshin?" He asked, "It looked like you were gonna run down those guys but then you stopped."
Kenshin looked up to the enormously tall Sano with a face of extreme concern, "Sano, wake up, Yahiko. I'll get Miss Kaoru."
"What?" Sano asked, "What's going on Kenshin."
"I'm going to need all the help I can for what is about to come."
Sano scratched his head, because usually when something big comes along, Kenshin marches on to meet it on his own never asking for help in it. Somehow, in a very miniscule way, Sano understood. After all, they had gone through a lot and the importance of friends as well as family (in the loosest sense) was needed for Kenshin. Sano headed upstairs to Yahiko's room, while Kenshin headed back to his room where Kaoru was still sleeping.
Kenshin softly opened the door and saw Kaoru lying upon the bed with the sheets pulled back. He stepped closer to her, kneeling down and admiring every part of her. The silkiness of her hair flowing over the gracefulness of her curves, her back, her hips, and legs. Yet, he only gazed at that part of her for a second, his eyes kept looking back to her face. Kaoru's peaceful face of hers as she lay there asleep, possibly dreaming of such peaceful futures, and thinking about that made Kenshin feel guilty. Guilty that he knew that he had to wake her up and that he might get her involved in something that he should handle on his own, just like that time with Shishio and Kyoto. He reached down to brush a few strands of her hair away from her face and saw that it looked like she was smiling. Perhaps she was dreaming of those times of pure happiness, but Kenshin brought himself back to the reality that existed outside in the wall of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo.
He reached down to Kaoru's shoulder and gently shook her.
"Kaoru" Kenshin called, "Kaoru."
Kaoru slowly stirred, then stretched out across the mat, as she opened her eyes. "Hmm…" she purred, "Kenshin, I was having a wonderful dream. What are you doing up so late?"
"Something happened."
Kaoru sat up immediately giving no thought to her natural state, "What happened?"
"The same group of ninjas attacked us. But I found out why they've been coming to our dojo."
"Why?" She asked
"Please." Kenshin asked as he laid his hand upon her shoulder, "Get dressed and I'll show you. I think fate has chosen us to fight once again."
Kaoru did as Kenshin asked; she saw that same look in his eye. That sad distant look that he had when he was leaving for Kyoto, she got up and dressed herself as Kenshin watched. It seemed funny that in the past, such intimacy wouldn't have been allowed. Mostly Kaoru would have probably bashed Kenshin over the head with one of her wooden swords. Yet, as lovers as well as husband and wife, they were allowed to be this close. As she got dressed she thought back to when Kenshin had said goodbye to her when he left for Kyoto to do battle with Shishio. There was so much that was unresolved back then that was soon resolved when Kenshin came back to her. In the situation that she was in, she felt that it was different. She felt that she would be involved because Kenshin…had asked her.
* * *
Outside in the moonlight, Kenshin had assembled his friends, his family, and his comrades; Miss Kaoru, Yahiko, and Sanosuke. All four of them stood at the base of that singular tree in the corner of the dojo, looking at what Kenshin had discovered. Each one of them had Kenshin's similar reaction of looking into a place that seemed so human and yet so alien as well. Stairs that moved, shops built into walls, people wearing clothes that they had never seen except by westerners. Sanosuke had that predictable reaction that he felt that it was some kind of Devil's work that was causing this.
"You saw the ninjas go through here?" Kaoru asked
"They came to the tree and vanished into the shadows." Kenshin answered as he continued to gaze into the hole, "I'm sure that they have gone into that place taking whatever was in those crates."
"What was in those crates?" Kaoru asked
"This." Sano answered as he held out his hand and in the pale moonlight, everyone could see what Sanosuke Sagara had. It was a large gold bar, shimmering in brilliance of its metallic properties.
"Is that what I think it is?" Kenshin asked
"It's just as I thought, Kenshin. Those ninja's are the very same people who stole the gold from the Meji government. No doubt they have something planned for it."
"So what are we going to do?" Yahiko asked
"That's why I brought all of you here." Kenshin answered, "We're going in."
"Are you stupid, Kenshin?" Sano asked with great sarcasm, "This has to be the work of the devil. Nothing like this can happen naturally!"
"Whatever it is, we have to follow them." Kenshin proclaimed, "I can't explain it, but for some reason I feel drawn into this."
"Well, looks like there's no changing your mind." Kaoru said, "Let's go then."
"I'll be the first." Kenshin said as he made a small jump into the hole as if he was jumping from one river stone to another.
Next was Miss Kaoru, who because of the constriction of her dress fell through the hole instead of just jumping into it like Kenshin. Then there was Yahiko who dashed into the hole, but he grabbed Sanosuke and pulled him into the hole. As all four of them had gone through the hole in the wall, it closed behind them like a door into another room leaving the Kamiya Kasshin dojo to be as quiet as a ghost town.
* * *
"Sir" A voice called out to Kenshin, "Sir."
Kenshin was in darkness, and yet only a few moments ago he was standing at the hole in the wall of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo. He tried to remember what happened after he stepped through the hole. It became clear like his vision as he thought about it. He fell and landed upon a floor that was as cold as stone. Kenshin slowly opened his eyes, looked and saw someone in a uniform standing over him. As his eyes came into focus he saw that the uniform was much like a policeman. The all blue shirt and pants, much like the policeman that patrolled the city of Tokyo. Yet, there was something different; he wasn't wearing a cloak like those policemen and the weapon at his side. It wasn't a sword, it was shaped much like those rifles that many soldiers used during the Meiji Era, but smaller…much smaller.
"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you and your friends to get up. We don't allow sleeping here."
Kenshin slowly got up and felt a slight soreness in his side. That was when it became clear that he had fallen upon that side when he came through the hole. The next thing that came to his mind was to check upon his loved ones. He looked to his left and his right to where he found Miss Kaoru, Sanosuke, and Yahiko all lying down on the floor. Kenshin looked back up at the officer.
"Don't worry" he said, "We'll be on our way. That we will."
The officer gave Kenshin a very cold glare as he went back onto his patrol duties. Kenshin himself went to aid his friends in getting off of the floor.
"Man, that was some fall." Sanosuke said as he stood up, "Where are we?"
Asking that question in, Kenshin looked around and saw that it was unlike any place that he had ever been in. Yet, despite its unfamiliar surroundings, the activity itself was very familiar. It was like those times of the carnivals when there would be shops of all kinds and people going from here to there buying whatever they wanted and having the greatest time of their lives. That place was just like it, yet the design of it all was so vastly...alien.
"Oh my god, Kenshin! Look!" Sanosuke said as he pointed up.
Kenshin, Yahiko, and Miss Kaoru looked up to the ceiling where they saw glass. Yet, what was beyond the glass was unlike anything that they had ever seen. In the distance hey saw something like the moon hanging in the sky, yet it wasn't the moon at all. It wasn't gray and white, it was blue, green, and white. Kenshin had seen a globe of the Earth once and now he was seeing the Earth in its absolute reality from the distance. That was when his 19th century mind had made the connection.
"We're on the moon..." Kenshin said
"How's that possible?" Sanosuke asked, "The moon is too small to stand on."
"It seems impossible..." Kenshin said "but I think that's where we are."
As the Kenshin gumi pondered upon their current situation, another small mess was already starting to happen; for there were two young men passing by them who happened to notice their clothes. The old style clothes from that time in Japan before the Westernization of it all. Of course these young men were the wise asses of their generation. The kind that have to make fun of the people who don't conform to t heir way of living and thinking, their eyes were set upon the Kenshin gumi and started to make a little trouble.
"Hey, check out the guy in his pajamas!" One of them called out as he pointed out at Sanosuke
Sano heard them loud and clear, and in his state of panic being in an unfamiliar place made him even more agitated.
"You wanna start something smartass?" He asked holding up his fist
"Oh look, he's gonna get all gay on us by using his scary karate..." yes, one of those types who love to use the word gay to describe pretty much everything he didn't like, "I'm so scared."
"You asked for it pal!" Sano said as he took his fist and drove down to the concrete ground, "Futae no Kiwami!" As his fist made contact with the floor the force of his attack had sent a wave to those two boys. Of course, Sano didn't want to hurt them...he just wanted to scare the living shit out of them. And the wave from his Futae no Kiwami had passed by them sending out its pieces of debris as it pummeled through the concrete floor.
"Holy shit..." one of the kids gasped let's get out of here.
As the two boys scattered, Kenshin turned to Sanosuke, "What do you think you're doing, we don't want to get into trouble with the police around here."
"Hey you!" A voice called out
Kenshin looked and saw that very same security guard that had woken him up when he came through that hole. he saw in that man's eyes that he was not pleased...not at all. He had agitated look that any officer has when they're about to take down a criminal. The officer reached for his side arm and made his orders.
"Lay down your weapons on the ground and put your hands up."
To be continued…