Ciao!!!

Oh well- the Week from Hell is over, and I am finally allowed to touch my laptop again, what with my cousins around I didn't dare to do so for fear of them playing around with my programs and settings. They imagine they're good with computers so they try out their 'skills' on any harmless innocent technical wonder they get their hands on. Those 'skills' mainly are how to play stupid egoshooter games and maim others' programs… fortunately my twin's got a few friends with real skill who helped me reconstruct (and protect) my system after my cousins once got a hold of my old desktop- those guys are amazing programmers! They even wrote a security program for me which is by now running on my laptop! Thank you!!!

Aside from family terror I also had to make my decision on whether or not to skip another grade. I'm going to do so, even though neither my parents nor my twin are entirely happy with this. They think studying at 16 years of age is too young… but they also say it's my decision, and they'll help me carry it through. Well, the schoolyear's finished, and I have two weeks of holidays before Summer Science Camp  (a really fun activity I've been doing for the past two years. You get to go to a university, attend lectures on the subject of your choice and also have laboratory courses… I'm into biochemistry this year, hope it turns out all right). I guess I'll be able to write lots during those two weeks! At least that's the plan… Hmm, today's Sunday, and I didn't finish that chapter yet- shame on me… there go my good intentions! Well, it's setting the scene for the next one, which will be the real important one,and it isn't easy to write. I am afraid it is a bit hastened…

OK, I guess I am rambling too much again. It's a hobby of mine… I hope you'll still enjoy the story!

Notes: As for Kaoru having a strong ki- I went on the information from the Manga, where Jin'eh says something along the likes of for her to be able to break his Shin-no-Ippou she has to possess a stronger kenki than he does, and since she was able to escape his hold I just assumed she had this strength. But since she couldn't do so without being worried about Kenshin I concluded she doesn't really know how to control it. I don't know if this is correct, but I couldn't find any other source of information on the matter.

Jinei Udo: I don't know how to spell his name. It's different in every language (as far as I know) and in every scanlation. There's Jinnei, Jinneh, Jyneh, Ji'neh, Jin'eh, Jin-ne, Jin'ne… I decided on the one I thought looked best! If anyone knows the correct spelling please, please tell me!!! I'd honestly like to know how this guy's name's spelled! As for the color of his eyes: I only know the German manga illustrations. If it is different in the US or in the anime I'm sorry!

And now… on to the show! (uh, I mean story)

Disclaimer: I do in no way own any rights, moral or others, to Rurouni Kenshin, its characters or plot. Characters other than the characters from Rurouni Kenshin bearing any resemblance to persons living or dead are purely coincidental. I do not intend to make any profits out of this story, it's written for entertainment purposes only and any attempt by persons natural or legal to make money from it in any way is not in accordance with this author's express wishes.

Chapter 3 Storm

"How long since you've last seen him?" Megumi's voice was laced with worry. Kaoru sighed and scrubbed furiously at a really persistent mudstain on her work uniform. Her head bowed low she desperately clung to the rough fabric.

"Three days. It's been three days. And nobody has seen him. I've talked to Sanosuke once today. He and that green-eyed madman seem to have vanished from the face of the Earth. Sano's worried he might have been killed."

"If that is so then there's nothing we can do about it," Megumi said coolly. Her brown eyes showed her worry and fear, however. If Himura was suspected to be a spy…

"I know," Kaoru replied, downcast.

"But I trust Ken-san. He will be alright!" Kaoru couldn't share the optimistic view Megumi displayed. Her heart ached at the thought of the red-haired man being put through what the Camp managers called an 'interrogation'. Why? she asked herself, why am I worried about him? I don't even know him! But fact was, her heart had been stolen the minute she had seen him guide the children, lightening their day with a simple smile. Only she wasn't very good at admitting the facts… she had never been. Why else would she be in the Camp? If only she had been more careful, if only she had listened to the suggestions of Kihei and Gohei Hiruma, if only she hadn't been stubborn enough to want to defy the Regime and its cruel 'laws', if only she were one to bow down and accept her fate, if only she were more brave… she could continue the list endlessly in a spiral of hopelessness. It was her fault that Kenshin had been taken, her fault that she was ruled by childish fears, her fault that the green-eyed man's eyes were able to stun her into submission. She was like a helpless infant. If Yahiko and Kenshin hadn't stood up for her she would have…

I am useless, a coward, a little girl, she berated herself. Pessimism accelerated the spiral towards depression, she knew that, yet she was caught in it and nothing she could do would…

I will get out of here one day, she promised herself, and I will take back what's rightfully mine! Her spirit was the only thing that refused to be caught in that spiral, breaking it with a mighty effort at optimism.

Admit to the facts: You're helpless, you're weak, you're afraid, you don't have any means to escape, you don't have a plan to escape, and you don't know where you will go should you manage to do so despite the odds. That's harsh, but it's reality. Somehow, her inner voice of dark realism refused to listen to what she wanted to think. "And I will not admit you're right, pessimism," she growled, earning strange looks from both Yahiko- who had somehow managed to trade places with someone else so he was close to Megumi and Kaoru- and Megumi.

"That's great to hear, Kaoru. I feel like an attitude like this will aid Ken-san a lot." Megumi said dryly.

Ken-san? When had the doctor come up with that endearing nickname for her Kenshin? Ah- she remembered hearing it as far back as their second encounter! Kaoru was a little annoyed at the older woman's antics… Ok, more than a little.

Since when has he become your Kenshin, Kaoru? she asked herself absently, but her mind mostly ignored the useless question. He had been so from the beginning. After all, I saw him first. I have every right to call him mine!

"As will your comments!" she snapped in response. Megumi raised an eyebrow at her.

"My, my, someone's overprotective of her crush."

Blushing and stuttering Kaoru wanted to deny that, but all her actions elicited from Megumi was a ringing suave and artificial-sounding laughter.

"I- no, I don't-" Megumi only chuckled, the sound of laughter too likely to attract a guard. Kaoru sighed. Now, what had she been thinking about Kenshin?

You're hopeless, Kaoru! she continued to clean her garment.

He was awake. At least he thought he was awake, since he was aware of the numbness. But perhaps he wasn't awake, and the fact that he was aware of the numbness was just a dream? He didn't know, and to be honest, his tired brain didn't even want to find out. For the moment he only wanted to rest. After all, it was pitch black around him, perhaps a hint of gray at the edges of his vision but otherwise darker than the darkest night. He thought about that, and decided that if it was night he most definitely was dreaming.

Don't be silly, he told himself, if you can think and imagine you're dreaming you must be awake!

He mulled this over for a second. It held a true ring to it. So, if he was awake he should be moving. If he didn't move he was certain the guards would make him move, which was something he didn't really want to experience. Gathering his wits together he tried to overcome the numbness by sitting up. Something restricted him, and he tried harder to move.

He was rewarded with a pain so blinding it forced the air out of his lungs, the hissing sound of air rushing past his clenched teeth painfully loud in his ears. His body didn't react like it was supposed to, a heavy sluggishness permeating each muscle, and his arms not moving more than a few inches from their position behind his back. His feet were bound, too, and he was lying on his side on the floor, as he found out a half-second later. Ignoring the pain, he futilely struggled against his bonds.

"Ah, you're awake again."

Of course, it was green-eyes, the strangely light pupils unfocused. He really did look like a maniac, lacking the white of his eyes, them being a solid turquoise green with light white-green pupils. The man was half-crazed, or perhaps he had been born crazy, Kenshin didn't know. He assumed it was the latter, his mind, still affected by the haze of agony churned with unnecessary thoughts while at the meantime reprimanding itself for doing so. The leering face of green-eyes boring down on him didn't help the matter either. After threatening the Kaoru girl had provoked Kenshin's mistake green-eyes had been quick to focus his attention on the agent. Fortunately he hadn't had any inkling that Kenshin might be an infiltrator- the agent had a lingering suspicion that the interrogation would not have gone the way it had had that been the case.

"Well, you certainly seem to break a lot of rules for having been here only such a short time," green-eyes continued.

Kenshin had had no qualms about admitting to what he had done while in the Camp. Freely telling all of his crimes after having been… persuaded to do so he had wanted to seem meek and obedient when confronted. He had wanted to make the flare of his ki nothing but an erratic phenomenon even he didn't know how it came about. In all of his tales, he had made sure, however, to leave out the names of his acquaintances and especially that of Agent Takani. His act had been convincing- he hoped.

"I… am sorry," he gritted. His act was going well, he believed. Even though green-eyes was still looking at him suspiciously. It was nothing, he convinced himself. Just a reflection of the light at the ceiling of the 'interrogation chamber' he had been placed in. No suspicion at all.

Laughter rang from green-eyes' throat, destroying Kenshin's hopes. "And you want me to believe you? Your ki was stronger than that- and you've not yet shown it to me again. Your body seems to be strong enough to take the punishment- but what about the girl?"

Kenshin's heart froze. The man had been playing with him for the past three days. Allowing him to get his hopes up. Allowing him to relax. Making everything seem less dangerous and painful, even though he inflicted pain upon him. Kenshin knew he was strong enough to survive, but even though the young girl possessed more ki than the average person did he couldn't submit her to the torture that was sure to await her. A torture different from the one he had been through.

Amber flickered through his eyes as his own spirit reacted to the threat instinctively. His mind screaming at him to stop the nonsense, to not provoke the green-eyed Regime official any more, but his instincts wouldn't hear of it. His ki rose challengingly before he could dampen it again.

"Ah, finally we're getting somewhere. Now I see. You're a real opponent for Jinei Udo when you're like that."

Kenshin clenched his teeth as the handle of the whip green-eyes- no, Jinei- was carrying that day connected with his midsection lighting the fires in his ribs anew. Judging from the grating feeling at least one of them was cracked or broken, most likely during those beatings he had had to endure in the first few hours after they had started to 'interrogate' him. He had not told them anything- not until he had been unconscious three times and other means were being used on him. Were they back to Stage 1, beat the prisoner up, again? Kenshin held his breath as a second blow almost spiraled him back into the blackness. Carefully drawing in a hesitant, painful lungful of air he contemplated the situation.

Why is he telling me his name? He didn't do so for the past… I guess it has already been more than two days, that I do. They don't normally start with electric current until the second day. And I think they are finished with that by now, that I do. Why else would he be using that thing on me again?

"I consider myself lucky to have found a challenge," Jinei continued after watching the helpless Camp 'worker' struggle for breath, "there're few enough- most of you happy Campers are just shells. Annoying. Whining. Weak. You're different. I guess… no, I know I'll fight you. A little distraction for Udo Jinei in his boring work of inspecting the Camps."  

Fight me? What is this guy thinking? He is running into certain death! The voice of his emotional side was ridiculing the mere idea of somebody fighting him. But I am injured, that I am. I won't be as fast as I use to be, reason intervened. And what does he mean by 'fighting'? Kenshin's eyes nonetheless lit up at Jinei's words.

"Yes. A nice little fight with this strong little guy. It will raise my spirit. I will kill you, boy, so don't get your hopes up. But if you fight well enough I might just let you live… and if you kill me you'll be let free in the Camp again, how's that? Have we got a deal?"

"I won't fight you, that I won't!" Kenshin refused.

"Then I will have to ask that little girl of yours what happened…" Jinei chuckled. "Or even better, I'll collect all of them. All of those who were with you at that time, and I'll interrogate them. And you- you will watch as I get to make that blue-eyed girl scream. Or have we got a deal?"

Kenshin's eyes glittered with an excited mixture of violet and amber. "We have," he answered, his voice a little darker than usual, more threatening, deeper.

"I heard he got back that morning." Sano stood directly behind Megumi and Kaoru, who were once again squatting side by side in front of the mud trough. Kaoru perked up at his words.

"Really?" She asked, blue eyes shimmering hopefully in the afternoon light. For once, the rain had stopped revealing the harsh beauty of the tundra.

"I overheard the guards speaking about it. Apparently he's pretty busted, so he won't work again until tomorrow."

"Busted?" Megumi cocked an eyebrow at the tall spiky-haired man. Although her tone was light and teasing Sano overheard the underlying uneasiness.

"I think he's gonna be OK. Little guy's tougher than anyone I've ever met. He'll pull through." He answered the unspoken question.

Kaoru gave a small cry of anxiety, and Sano reassuringly squeezed her shoulders while giving Megumi a lopsided grin. Foxy-woman haughtily stuck her nose up in the air, debonair and aloof as always even under the worst of circumstances.

"If he has got problems, I'll be able to help him," she said, her cultured voice surprisingly warm. Sano nodded thanks at her. Foxy-woman might act as though she didn't like him and found him too rough around the edges, yet he was certain she was as attracted to him as he was to her. It was the way she acted, the way she moved differently when he was around. Sano was very perceptive where those things were concerned. Now if only Megumi would see what he saw…

Kenshin was surprised he had actually been allowed a day of rest in the bug-infested hut they called a hospital. His left shoulder, which had been pierced by Jin'eh's katana had been roughly wrapped into rags serving as bandages. A grimace marred his face as he got up from where he had been lying down on a roughly hewn plank covered by a blanket. His battered body, which had been forced through a fight for life or death, protested his action. Still, he followed the guard who was sent to retrieve him wordlessly. He was given a scarce meal of oatmeal and a cup of water before the guard led him out of the hospital towards the shack in which the workers' clothes hang to dry. Kenshin followed him blindly, he was weaker than he had thought.

The guard gestured with his bludgeon. Kenshin understood the meaning behind the action and complied with the order. Dressing in his work outfit which was still as damp as it had been three days prior he waited in front of the dining hall for the rest of the workers. Most of his face was hidden beneath his hair, his eyes, one of them slightly swollen shut, were studying his surroundings. The Camp was bleak and dreary as usual, from time to time the emaciated figure of one of the workers too weak to go to the mine and instead forced to do 'domestic duties' at Camp shuffled past. The horizon was tinted with streaks of flying angry violet gray, so dark it was frightening, speaking of the storm to come. The speed at which the clouds flew across its expanse spoke of the forces the wind possessed. Kenshin tried to estimate the time then storm would reach the Camp. The only conclusion he could draw, however, was that it would be much too soon, yet too late. He guessed it would be just when the workers had settled into their stations.

And this means they will just force us to ride it out. he concluded. An erratic gust of wind whipped his clothes around his painfully thin body, sending shivers along his spine. Kenshin endured the cold stoically, even though he was more affected by it than usual.

The guard seemed to be unnerved by his silence. Kenshin barely moved out of the way of a bludgeon thrown at his injured shoulder. If the guard was disappointed that his 'accidental' hit had not connected he didn't show it. Kenshin was grateful for that. If the man had gotten angry and decided that Kenshin had to be taught a lesson… he was not up to it yet. He had to admit as much to himself. The last days had taken a toll on him and his body. Sleep deprivation, malnourishment, physical pain, those three had weakened him. If his body were to be submitted to more of this he would not be able to stand it. Feeling a little nauseated he leaned his back against one of the supporting struts, not caring that the rain that collected on the roof dropped onto his shoulders, thoroughly soaking his clothes.

His eyes snapped open as soon as he heard the rustling sound of the men inside the dining hall getting up. The guard noticed a moment later when men started filing out of the building. He prodded Kenshin with his bludgeon, and the agent got in line, trotting with the others towards a day of work.

Kenshin noticed within the first few minutes of walking that it would be a challenge not to collapse. His steps were carefully controlled, but every one of them sent a jolt of liquid fire through his ribs. He was breathing more shallow than usual, which left him breathless and exhausted when climbing the hill. Slowly, he fell back from his position in the middle of the colonna until he was near the very end, just because he couldn't walk as fast.

Sano stuffed his hands into the waistband of his work trousers. He had been issued a new set of clothes since his old ones had already been a dirty white from the wear and ready to tear at the seams, but he was anything but happy with them. His first action had been to rip open the shirt, as it was too narrow in the shoulders to fit his lanky but still muscular frame. Then, he adjusted the trousers which were too wide and too short for him as always. He had to bind them tightly about his waist, using s strip of cloth that used to be the sleeves of his old work shirt. Perhaps they would shrink over time, as had his old ones, but for the moment he had to put up with the inconvenience. At least his headband's twin ends fluttered proudly behind his head- some things stayed!

Turning scowling chocolate eyes into the gale that gave the impression it wanted to make up for the fairer weather of the last two days by pelting everyone outside with icy raindrops made into something like bullets by its speed Sano tried to see whether a familiar red-headed figure was among the colonna of workers. He was walking close to the front, as he always did since his long legs made the pace set by the guards already almost unbearably slow. Kenshin had always been up front as well. Today, however, he wasn't. Sano didn't think they had allowed him to rest more than a day, after all, he had been in interrogation less than a week and from what he had learned from his own experiences with interrogations it wasn't considered necessary to slack off any longer if you weren't seriously injured.

Whatever they classify as 'seriously injured', he mused.

His eyes stinging from the weather's onslaught he returned them to the path in front. The rain had increased in the past few minutes, ever since they had started walking towards the mine, and by now everything outside a fifteen foot radius was invisible behind a curtain of icy droplets. I guess Kenshin's somewhere back there. Gonna catch him later…

Huddled over Kaoru took a second to breathe some warmth into her lifeless fingers. Today had to be the worst ever. Never before had she felt this cold, never before had she had to endure such a weather out in the open. The field in which the troughs were situated offered the wind free passage, increasing its velocity. Pelted by raindrops and whipped by the sharp, freezing gale the females and children cowered at their places. Yahiko looked like he was about to collapse next to her, and even Megumi's composure faltered. The guards pulled their raincoats and pelts tighter around their bodies, their orders barely audible over the howling wind. Hell seemed suddenly a much more attractive place to Kaoru- at least it's fires offered warmth.

She wiped the rain away from her face with the back of her hand, however futile that gesture was as the next second new rivulets of near-freezing water ran into her eyes. Her hands couldn't feel a thing anymore, even if she saw one of the stones she was supposed to find she couldn't grasp it anymore.

"I think they will order us back soon," Megumi shouted, the words torn from her lips as soon as she uttered them. Kaoru nodded. It didn't make sense to leave the workers out during a rainstorm in the tundra.

"Kaoru?" Kaoru had more sensed than heard her name being called. Turning her head to the side she saw Yahiko clinging to the trough, his face a chalky white. "Kaoru, the wind's too strong!"

A moment later the girl realized what he had been talking about as the wind caught in her clothes and almost lifted her from where she was squatting. Her hands caught the edge of the trough in a death grip, knuckles shining white through the reddened skin.

"Megumi, watch out!" she called. Yahiko had twisted his body around so that he now faced her. Reaching out with one hand she grabbed hold of the boy, steadying him despite his protests that he could do so alone. Megumi, taller and slightly heavier than Kaoru, scooted closer to her and Yahiko before joining the chain of hands by grabbing Yahiko. Together, the three of them waited for the call that would allow them to escape to safety.

Sano squinted the moisture from his lashes. He was atop the hill, exposed to the elements, buffered by the howling winds, assaulted by the merciless rain that was turning into hail as he stood there. His search for Kenshin had so far proved futile. The flash of his hair was nowhere to be seen, his slight figure presumably too well hidden in the chaos the weather produced. Resisting the forces of the storm Sano tried to look into the distance, but any attempt at doing so was thwarted by a new sheet of rain mixed with hail. Right and left of Sano, workers were losing the battle, their bodies to weak to withstand the pressure exerted upon them. Their cries drowned by the sounds of the storm they tumbled down the hillslope, towards the women or the mine. Sano gritted his teeth- if only he could help! But it already took all of his strength not to be pulled from his feet himself while carrying two bucketfuls of mud.

I guess those are expendable now. After looking at his load he released the ledger resting on his shoulders, sending the two buckets tumbling after another unfortunate worker who had lost his footing on the treacherous path. Sano sighed. Perhaps he should go searching for Megumi, Yahiko and Kaoru rather than spend his time looking for an elusive man he called his friend ever since he had met him. At least he had the hint of an idea where those three might be, as opposed to the other… Squaring his shoulders Sano began the precarious journey down the hill, towards the two women and the child.

His eyes narrowed again. Hadn't he just heard his name being called? It had to be his imagination. Sano shrugged. The wind produced the weirdest sounds when hitting the barrier of the mine hill after having traveled freely across the expanse of the field. There- there it was again. Sano wiped his eyes clear of muddy water and tried to penetrate the semi-darkness and the veiling rain.

"Sano!"

There, now he had clearly heard it. It had come from below…

Balancing himself and gripping some of the coarse grass that by a miracle had survived the harsh climate he peered down the steep hillside beside the path. Except for darkness and a few wind-swept, crippled bushes looming out of the shadows he could discern nothing at all. Sano was about ready to write what he had heard off to his vivid and colorful imagination when his gaze caught onto something that was strangely out of place in the dark and muddy landscape. A sliver of white, no more than two feet from his right hand. A sliver that split into five smaller entities.

A human hand. And where there was a hand it had to be attached to an arm and a person- unless Sano had treated the owner of that hand to a special treatment with his weapon, the Zanbatou, back before the time in the Camp. Logic held true- from the hand sprouted an arm, caked with mud, the garment once covering it having long since slid back and bunched up at the shoulder, effectively hiding the person's face from view.

"Sano, please, help me!"

The voice was desperate and full of pain. And it was a voice Sano knew. The wind blowing back the shirt's sleeve and revealing a flash of red hair confirmed his suspicion. "Kenshin?"

"Sano!" The pain was almost unbearable now. Kenshin felt blackness creep along his vision as he struggled to hold on, not to let go and fall into the darkness of the mine opening up beneath his feet. The wind had found an easy target in his light form, and due to his injuries slowing down his reflexes he had not managed to hold his balance, toppling over the side of the hill right where the ledge was narrowest. He didn't know how long he had hung there, ribs afire, the strain on his arms almost too much to endure, until he had finally sensed Sano coming along. "I'm here!"

Sano stretched his long arms to their utmost extent. Thankfully, his fingers immediately brushed against Kenshin's cold, clammy arm. Closing his hand around the thin wrist he heaved, pulling the slight and light form of his friend towards the safety of the ledge. Kenshin was breathing in shallow gasps, his eyes were closed, his face deathly pale even in the darkness of the storm.

"We… we have to find… Miss Kaoru… and Miss Megumi, that… we have," Kenshin gasped, struggling to upright himself. Sano gripped him underneath his shoulders and pulled him to his feet.   

"I was on my way already," he informed the exhausted agent. Kenshin nodded.

Fighting pain and nausea threatening to overwhelm him he carefully picked his way along the path that was rapidly turning into a river with the amount of water falling from the skies. Sano's presence behind him reassured him. He knew the other would not let him fall again, which made it a little easier to walk.

Later, Kenshin would not be able to tell how long it took for the two of them to reach the bottom of the hill. More than once he had slipped, and only thanks to Sano's steadying hands did he not make contact with the water and soil beneath his feet. His every step was a nightmare of agony, muscles screaming in protest against the strain they were put under, tendons tense to the point of tearing, bones aching and weary where they were not an agonized flare of their own. However, he managed to find his way onto the field. Now it was only a matter of walking across the open in the raging storm, to find three people in the middle of mayhem and to somehow return everyone to safety.

Sano held Kenshin by the shoulder before walking past him, offering what little protection against the storm he could. The red-head was in trouble walking, he had realized as much from the way he carried himself and how he flinched whenever his body was touched, besides, he also didn't know where exactly the women were. Counting off rows of troughs, unnoticed by the guards milling around mindlessly while trying to herd their workers to safety and evading the occasional bucket thrown around by the winds Sano led the way to where he had last seen Kaoru and Megumi, Kenshin following doggedly in his wake.

"Almost there!" he shouted, his words never reaching Kenshin's ears.

Actually, Kenshin had already noticed for himself the group of three clinging desperately to one another and the heavy trough in front of them. Grateful that they were safe he momentarily forgot his suffering.

"Miss Kaoru! Miss Megumi!"

The women couldn't hear him, but he guessed they had seen the moving shadows in the rain. "Sano! Kenshin! We need to find shelter somewhere!"

The men acted at once. Grabbing one woman around the wrist each while Yahiko was held between Kaoru and Megumi, they hauled them to their feet and stumbled off through the rain.

"The guards have lighted torches to signal where we should go, and we heard there is shelter somewhere at the edge of the field," Megumi's voice made itself heard even through the noises the storm produced. Kenshin nodded. Stretching out with his senses he soon caught the rough presence of a guard nearby.

"This way!" He turned right at an angle and led them out into the field.

Soon, an orange light reflected upon the raindrops was seen, and a few seconds later they had actually reached the two guards and the pitiful group of people huddled at their feet. The men exchanged glances, their uniforms soaked through despite the protective raincoats they wore. Another torch was lighted, then one of them started walking away, followed by the stumbling handful of workers, both male and female, who had collected at his side.

It didn't take long to reach the shelters, barracks like those at the camp, only bare any furniture and in even worse shape. The roofs had holes, the walls were offering next to no protection against the wind, yet it was a little calmer and warmer in there than outside, and Kenshin was grateful for every bit of that. Very few people had been fortunate enough to find their way to the shelter, and after a quick glance at the bedraggled handful the guard left them again, once more braving the storm.  

Dropping down against the far wall of the barrack Kenshin tried to catch his breath and regain a minimum measure of control over his trembling body. The pain had become so intense it had faded, leaving him dully aware of his surroundings and his desolate state. Sano, Yahiko and the women were sitting next to them, shivering and gasping for air as well. His heart was thumping against his ribs, sending erratic bursts of pain out from them. His pulse hammering in his ears Kenshin almost didn't hear his name being called. Forcing his tired eyes open he found himself face to face with concerned blue orbs.

"Kenshin?"  

He tried to smile. "I'm… O…"

Then there was only blackness.

To be continued… Am I cruel or what? I managed another cliffhanger *grins*! But it isn't such a bad one as last time, is it?

Anyways, I have got absolutely NO time right now-  my friends are coming over to watch 'Legally Blonde' with me, and in English, too!- so I'll just say thanks for reading, 'til next time, oh, and pleasepleaseplease leave me a review!!! I am desperate for them!

Cya!!!

Chibi