And once again have I tortured my poor little laptop while writing… OK, it's only my twin who accuses me of doing that, but he says I have a very grim expression on my face when hacking the keyboard into pieces (if I have decided what to write I can type pretty fast) *grins* He's also saying I should spend more time cowslaying, so the insanity is equally distributed between the two of us since I'm not interested in that stupid computer game. I want to thank you all at the beginning of this chapter for the amazing reviews you gave me… can't wait 'till down there! But, I still have to say something at the end, so please check the A/N!!! That said, the only thing that remains for now is… Enjoy the story!!!
"…." Denotes talking
….. denotes thinking
*~* means a change of scenery (either temporal or local, I think which one of those will be clear) has taken place
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 4 The group"Kenshin?" Pushing her exhaustion aside Kaoru turned to face the redhead. Shocked, she saw the deathly pallor of his skin and how laboured his breath was. His eyes were pinched shut, arms wrapped around his torso, shaking and trembling with cold and- Kaoru thought- pain. Upon hearing her his breath calmed somewhat. He drudgingly moved to look at her, eyes dark and overshadowed by his dripping wet bangs. For the first time Kaoru could see his face clearly, the dark bruise under his right cheekbone a vivid contrast to his white skin, the eye above nearly swollen shut. A small spark appeared in his violet orbs illuminated by the single torch that lit the shelter.
"I'm… O…." he rasped, trying to force a small smile while Kaoru reached out to touch him. Before he could finish his sentence, however, his body collapsed against her as though he were a toy someone had pulled the plug on.
Kaoru's shrill scream alerted the rest of the group slumping against the wall. Sanosuke jumped over to her and pulled Kenshin's unconscious form from her, Yahiko looked around wildly, trying to make out the attacker in the flickering torchlight and Kaoru, once she had gotten over her initial shock helped Sano to lay Kenshin down on a dry spot on the rough planks of the floor. Megumi was the only one who stayed calm, waiting until the three of them had settled down a little before making her move.
"Out of the way, Rooster-head," she snapped when Sano wouldn't make room for her. With swift, efficient movements she pushed back the sleeves of her work shirt, twisted her hair into a semblance of a braid on her back and shook the water from her hands as far as possible.
"M... Megumi, what are you doing?" Sano asked, stupefied after having been simply pushed aside.
"Trying to help Ken-san, what do you think?" Megumi shot back, accompanying her explanation with a glowering look from her sharp brown eyes.
Sano eyed her suspiciously. "Help him? How? Only thing we can do is try to keep him warm and-"
"Well, didn't you notice he has trouble breathing? That his eyes were glazed and he didn't move like he normally does?"
"Uh… I did, but-"
"No buts! Kaoru, help me. We need to get this shirt off of him. I think he has some internal damage."
"Huh? Oh, sure!" Kaoru blushed and kneeled down besides Kenshin's still form.
"Oy, why would you know that? You got x-ray- eyes?" Sano grumbled, moving to help with the struggle against the clinging wet garment as well.
"I am studying to become a physician after all!" Megumi declared, not without pride, "or have you forgotten that already, Rooster-head?"
"No, no." Sano finally had enough of the futile struggle against buttons hopelessly entangled in wet fabric. A ripping sound ensued, startling all of the inhabitants of the shelter. More than one head turned in their direction, but gazes were quickly averted once they caught sight of the glare Sano threw at them. "Waste of time," he grunted after receiving potent death glares from both Kaoru and Megumi.
Lightning flashed across the sky and shot blindingly through the gapes in the walls and roof of the shelter, stark black-and-white contrasts left in its wake until the eyes adapted to the softer torchlight again. The storm was reaching new heights, the shelter giving off ominous rattling noises whenever a gust of wind hit it. The torch flickered, in danger of going out, and two workers who had recovered enough quickly went and moved it further away from the shelter's entrance. Megumi patiently waited until the lighting conditions were more stable before brushing aside the tattered remains of a Sano-treated work shirt.
The sight that greeted her was an especially ugly one. Kenshin's torso was covered in an array of mottled bruises, some an angry red and violet, some bloody and raw, others slowly fading to green, but it was impossible to discern where one of them ended and the next began. His shoulder was wrapped in once-white rags that were stained crimson from the blood seeping from the wound below his collarbone. Sweat, blood, dirt and rainwater mixed on his skin and dripped to the ground around him. A cut on his arm had gone untreated and was glowing with the telltale signs of infection. To top it all off, he was so thin that his ribs shone through his skin so detailed that even the slight indenture of two of them was recognizable. It was a miracle he had been able to move.
Kaoru gave a soft cry taking in the extent of Kenshin's injuries and buried her face in her hands. Sano gave a grunt of surprise. Yahiko's eyes went wider than before and he moved somewhat closer to Kaoru. Megumi hissed angrily between her teeth but set to work at once. Her touch was feathery light, her hands gliding over the shoulders and down to the ribcage of the unconscious man in front of her checking for broken bones. Her eyes went dark in concentration and fury when she felt how hot his skin was underneath the chill that was induced by the freezing outside air.
"He's running a fever, dammit," she cursed under her breath. "And the first two ribs are cracked. Not broken through, yet. But if he keeps exerting himself like he has they will."
"Is he OK?" Yahiko asked peering down at Kenshin.
"Don't you see that, kid?" Sano grumbled.
"Kaoru, get some wet cloth over here. Take his shirt, as ripped as it is thanks to a certain someone-" she shot a pointed glare into the direction of that 'certain someone', "and just dip into one of the puddles outside. It's not cold and wet enough as it is. We'll have to cool him down. Sano, I need your shirt, too. His ribs and shoulder will have to be bandaged. Yahiko, help Sano tear his shirt into strips. Hurry!"
Megumi's authority wasn't questioned as everyone went about their tasks. It only spoke for how callous all the other Camp inmates had become that not a single one of them offered to help them- or even sent more than a dull, curious glance in their direction. Nobody even protested when Megumi got up and moved the torch closer to Kenshin's position. They were content to sit and watch the display of rain and lightning through the cracks in the wall or the entrance opening, shivering and trying to ward off the cold by themselves.
The young doctor stared ahead angrily. It was interesting how the most dire of circumstances brought out the best or the worst in people- but how much more often it was the worst. The workers were a prime example for that theory: spirits dulled they were so close to losing their humanity, so close to becoming nothing but the expendable tools the Regime saw in them. So few of them managed to keep their spirit alive after the first week, only because those who did usually disappeared… it made her want to retch, to shake those people and yell at them, tell them they were human and not animals… yet she did nothing, knowing she would earn nothing but vacant looks from dead eyes if she tried to wake them up.
"I am different," she murmured, "and I'm not going to change!"
"We don't want you to change, Foxy," Sano smirked, ripping the last of his shirt into strips, in an effort to lighten the mood. His only reward was a bump on the head which he was nursing when Kaoru returned, out of breath because the wind had even ripped that from her, a little more wet than she had been before and carrying Kenshin's tattered and dripping wet shirt.
"Thank you." She handed the cloth over to Sano. "There, you go tear it!"
Sano scowled but very easily tore the piece of cloth into smaller rags. Megumi nodded thanks at him- which elicited another grin from the tall fighter- and handed half of the pieces over to Kaoru.
"Put them onto his forehead and change them whenever they get warm. I will bandage him up."
Kaoru complied, brushing aside Kenshin's bangs she placed the first of the cold, wet compressions onto his glowing face. He stirred lightly, frowning underneath the new weight to his head.
"It's OK," Kaoru said.
At the sound of her voice his eyes shot open. Blazing amber they focused for a split second before he sat up with such force that Megumi, who was in the process of wrapping makeshift bandages around his midsection was thrown back. He winced when the movement caused new slivers of agony to arise. Carefully drawing a deep and painful breath he calmed himself. There was no danger. His eyes lost some of their focus, becoming gradually duller until they were a tired light violet.
"… K, that I am," he said.
He wasn't allowed to do more than that. Before he could even blink he was on his back again with two women fussing over him, dabbing at his injuries, trying to turn him into an Egyptian mummy even though the material they had at their disposal was insufficient for such a project, bonking him on his hammering head when he protested their actions. Finally, the wrapping process was done to Megumi's satisfaction, and he was left free to carefully pull himself into a sitting position. Stretching his left leg out in front of him while drawing the right one to his chest Kenshin relaxed. The storm, at the moment, was outside the shelter, and pitiful as it may be it seemed sturdy enough to withstand the howling winds.
"What happened to you?" Yahiko suddenly asked, his voice so quiet the storm almost drowned it.
"Oro?"
Kaoru looked like she wanted to bonk him on the head for that one, but after a look at his tired face and the strained tightness around his lips and eyes decided against it.
"I would like to know as well," she said instead. Sano nodded vigorously.
"That ain't normal- people coming back from interrogations with sword wounds, that is. You better tell us."
Kenshin sighed. He didn't know if he could trust these people yet, but…
Wrong. You know you can trust them, it's just you're afraid to involve them. They could get hurt if they're involved, he rectified his thoughts.
But what if they want to get involved? When I look at them, I can't see them staying in that place any longer. They're ones who haven't lost their humanity, even the little boy Yahiko is more brave than most of the adults interned. If they stay, they will die. Can you consciously leave people to die? It's the same as killing… His eyes showed sparks of amber at the thought. I'm not killing anyone anymore!
"All right. I'm telling you," he finally relented.
"Then get to it!" Sano was slightly impatient. "Who knows how long this storm will last and we'll be free of guards?"
A wry smile played around Kenshin's lips. It was astonishing him how close that group had become to him in under a week. Ever since their very first meeting each member of the group had sneaked into his heart and made room for themselves there, never to move out again. He suppressed a shiver when a gust of wind rushed through a crack in the wall next to him, mercilessly assaulting his torso that decidedly lacked clothing except for the expertly wrapped makeshift bandages.
"Why do you want to know?" he asked nonetheless.
"Because you're our friend." It was Megumi who had answered. He met her gaze and understood the silent plea in it. His fellow agent needed to know.
"I… Thank you. This unworthy one thanks you a lot." Groans and rolling eyes from the members of the group.
"Come on!" Yahiko urged.
Ignoring the stiffness and the flare of pain in his body Kenshin leaned back more comfortably against the wall before starting to speak with a flat, unemotional voice that hid how much he had been affected, his eyes a deep, dark violet.
"This unworthy one was taken to an interrogation cell. Sano is most likely familiar with them, that he is. They're basically nothing but small rooms bereft of any equipment except for what is deemed necessary for… their purposes, that they are. They left me there for a while before… they began questioning. Procedure was the usual- not worth repeating…. Suffices to say it wasn't… comfortable, that it does."
Sano's eyebrows quirked. "Don't speak in riddles!" he growled. "They beat you to within an inch of consciousness, revived you, and beat you again. No need keeping it secret, we've all seen the damage."
"That is… what has happened, that it is." Kenshin's voice still held no emotion, its bleakness frightening. "Beatings didn't work on this unworthy one, that they didn't. So they moved on… electric current is a great invention, that it is. It even livens the tongue they say… " He had to stop to catch his breath as a shiver wracked his body.
"Damn bastards!" Sanosuke repeatedly beat his fist into the floor until splinters were flying right and left and he was whacked over the head by Megumi. "Goddamn bastards doing that to an innocent. Think they're almighty. Damn them to hell!"
Yahiko looked positively shocked but was holding out bravely. "I'll never forgive them," he swore, his eyes blazing with fury, "how could they do that to Kenshin?"
The subject of their thoughts was currently fighting a coughing fit that would have shook his ribs, forcing a smile through tight lips before shivering uncontrollably at the sudden chill racing through his very bones.
"They… they h- have the p- power, so they use it for bad, th- that they d- do," he forced out between chattering teeth.
"Are you cold?" Kaoru asked, her concerned eyes boring down on him as he slumped weakly against the wall. "We're going to warm you. That is good, isn't it, Megumi?"
The doctor nodded her consent. "The fever is not broken, I think." She said quietly.
Kenshin shook his head. "This unworthy one would like to go on, please. Please don't worry, Miss Kaoru. You shouldn't do that, that you shouldn't." He collected his thoughts for a second.
"Still," Kaoru insisted, blushing furiously and scooting closer to the agent until tentatively their bodies touched, the heat from his fevered skin seeping into her and her warmth offering comfort to him. "We can fight the cold better as a group, right?" The others nodded and joined her, forming a protective circle around Kenshin to ward off the cold. Flanked by Yahiko on the left and Kaoru on the right, with Sano and Megumi kneeling slightly more into the center of the room but still only inches away from him he felt at once constricted yet strangely warm and protected, and he knew he could not disappoint them by dropping down from fatigue. Concentrating on the warmth they were emanating in their ki as well as their bodies he found new strength and could continue speaking without his teeth clattering the rhythm to his words.
"Ie… fed them information on what has been done… that I was trying to talk to the other workers… but I said they were all playing by the rules and not answering, that they were. They didn't believe me, that they didn't… so they sent Jinei, the man with the green eyes, to question me. Jinei was very good at questioning, that he was. Unfortunately, I was not very good at answering…" Purple eyes stared into the distance for a moment, envisioning the leering face of the green-eyed man who had so eagerly tortured him.
"Then… Jinei… wanted to question Miss Kaoru, that he did. He wanted me to reveal my ki to him." Obviously, the group knew what he was talking about as no perplexed looks or startled questions were directed at him.
"If I didn't… Jinei would put Miss Kaoru into the same position I was in, that he would. I had no choice... I showed him what I had shown three days ago."
This time Yahiko couldn't hold back. "What did you do three days ago? I mean, there was green-eyes… Jinei, all over Kaoru, and then your eyes snapped open and the air vibrated and then Jinei was all over you instead. Was that ki?"
"Yes, that it was." Kenshin acknowledged, "and once Jinei had confirmed that the source of the ki had indeed been me… he wanted to fight me."
"He wanted what?" Sano exclaimed, fire in his eyes.
"He wanted to fight me, that he did."
"Damn, why wasn't I there…" Sano grumbled in response but quickly shut his mouth after a patented fox deathglare from Megumi.
"I refused, that I did… but he once again threatened to take all of you, so this unworthy one had to agree. I didn't think he would want a swordfight, that I didn't." Out of the flickering torchlight Jinei's face seemed to leer down onto him, and Kenshin quickly shut his eyes against the image. He couldn't shut out those in his mind, however, nor could he prevent the maniac laughter ringing in his brain as he once again faced off against the Regime official. Leaving the pictures to play against the back of his mind the agent continued, his voice even more bleak than before.
"He lead the way to the officers' training facility, which was empty. Gave me a katana like his own. I… have learned kendo, that I have. So has Jinei. He… told me he was an assassin from Japan and had joined the Regime because it gave him the opportunity to kill, that he did. I wanted to stop him, that I did. He wanted me to become enraged, that he did."
Kenshin shuddered with the rage of the memories flooding him. Jineis laughter, his accounts of how helpless his victims had been. He knew he was driving him into blind rage by telling how he had murdered countless women and children, innocent bystanders to his gruesome acts he didn't want to commit in the shadows in order to be able to kill more. The stench of blood he knew so well assaulted his nostrils, the soft hand he longed for reaching out for him on their last mission in Paris… her voice calling him, she was crying for him… Jinei taunting him…
"I shall kill that little girl just like that!" His long, tainted fingers, tainted like Kenshin's own, snapping in the air… and then his control had shattered.
"JINEI!"
*~*
His mind echoed with his scream like the echo of thunder having just passed by. "And he had success, that he did." Remembering what he had done sent a chill down Kenshin's spine.
*~*
He had rushed the mad assassin without thought, without emotion, just the cold, analytical mindset he knew so well, the rage building inside fueling a cold fire, more destructive than anything Jinei had ever encountered before. It was only his slowness resulting from his injuries that saved Jinei for the moment.
"So you do feel for that girl already?" Laughter, maniac laughter while he escaped his attacks, jumping back out of range. "I will enjoy killing her- after hearing her scream."
*~*
"But I got my mind back, that I did, after Jinei showed me what techniques he had in store…" Kenshin's voice sounded like a recorder, his mind as far away as the storm outside seemed, reliving the fight.
*~*
A flash of ki emanating from Jinei, inhibiting his movements for just a second before he determined what it was and broke free by pitting his own ki against it.
"You think your puny technique can hold me?" A sneer on his face, desperate fight for control, evading the mind-numbing clarity of instinct, sanity beckoning just outside his reach. The fight within just as hard as the fight against his opponent. His sword clashing against Jinei's, a jarring impact for his weak body. Hesitation as control came back. Control and pain went hand in hand, Jinei stabbing at him, slicing his arm because he couldn't twist out of the way due to his ribs screaming bloody murder. His block coming too late, too weak to do any good, the impact sending him flying into the far wall of the training hall.
"Shin-no-Ippou has more than one technique!"
Out of range again, across the training hall, Jinei held his sword horizontally in front of himself.
Self-hypnosis, the thought of it sending a chuckle from his raw throat.
*~*
"I didn't recognize the peril at once, that I didn't. It was what caused the wound Miss Megumi so kindly treated," he didn't know how he could still be talking to the enraptured members of the group while his thoughts were so preoccupied with what had happened two days before, but he didn't stop in his narrative for too long as no one had shaken him to wake him from his absentmindedness yet.
*~*
"You need to resort to this?" Leaning on his katana to catch his breath, his muscles burning in agony, weakness claiming him, but still the sense of superiority associated with the instincts developed so long ago stayed with him. He calmed himself, control now fully established, emotions in check, his mind not a battlefield anymore. He watched Jinei complete his technique. A mistake, as became clear the second later when his attack tore into his shoulder, new pain, blood making the grip of his katana slippery, coppery stench in the air, control slipping again like the sword threatening to escape his grasp. Clinging to both of them he evaded another attack.
"Kch!"
"Not so tough anymore, are you, Himura?" Jinei pressing forward aggressively, the assassins feet dancing the lethal dance of the experienced swordsman as his katana whirled closer.
First time his name was spoken, making him realize he had to finish this fight soon as he warded off Jinei's sword with minimal movements of his own. The ringing sound of steel meeting steel painful to his sensitized ears he nonetheless encouraged it every time he met one of Jinei's attacks with a counter of his own.
"I will now end this, that I will." Voice rough, raw, wavering. Too much energy used already, weakness in the knees, grip on reality slipping with the blood pumping out from the shoulder wound. Coiling his muscles for the technique that would bring certain victory he ignored the warning signals his body sent at him.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryukansen- Arashi!"
Spinning at the opponent with godlike speed, flying just over the ground, a fleeting, intangible blur to the eyes.
*~*
"My first counter was useless, that it was… I had to think of something else." Kenshin's eyes darkened as he spoke. "It was something I had hoped not to have to use." A flash of lightning highlighted his face as he looked up to the ceiling, thinking of what to say next while his mind relentlessly assaulted him with images.
*~*
"No good!" Jinei was laughing at him again, throwing his sword into the path of his flight, forcing him to twist out of the way, his shoulder ripping open wider. His heart now thumping frantically against his ribs, the pain overwhelmingly strong, Jinei virtually untouched he had had but one option.
But you'll kill him! The voice whispering in his brain, the little voice of caution he was relying on.
Not if I aim carefully.
Sliding on the floor, automatically dropping into a familiar stance, feet apart, hunched low, ready to spring into action. One hand around the saya , the other hovering above the grip of his katana. Concentration mounting, calculating the one moment in which to attack.
"Battoujutsu?" Startled fear in Jinei's voice. "Who are you?"
Not waiting for an answer pressing the attack, closing the distance between himself and the opponent in a matter of seconds.
"I can evade your blade, Himura. And then you'll be dead!" Jinei's scream reaching his ears just as his opponent ducked underneath his strike, bringing his sword up to slice into him. He didn't notice the second step of his attack.
*~*
"I shattered Jinei's elbow with the second step of my technique. He was beaten." Kenshin slid his hand through his bangs, his exhaustion by now too great to be hidden and evident in the soft whispering his voice had become. The rain beating down on the roof of the shelter and the drops of rainwater dripping from the holes in that same roof almost overpowered his narrative.
*~*
"You… have won. Now kill me!"
"I will not kill anymore, that I won't."
"You'll sentence me to life like this?"
"Perhaps you'll be more considerate towards those you suppress, that you will." He had tasted blood at that, too weak to suppress the hacking coughs taking control of his body.
"Then watch, Himura!"
He had not been able to hinder Jinei plunging the short dagger he had carried in his uniform's belt into his own heart.
"I… want to… take… your name… with me to… my grave." The gurgling sounds Jinei emitted were horrible to hear. "Tell me… who… you are, Himura. You're… him, aren't you? You're… Battousai."
He had not answered.
*~*
"He killed himself then… asking me my name as he died. Before the fight, he had signed an order I was to be released that day if I were alive, that he had. So, they transported me off to the Hospital, that they did." Kenshin fell silent. The wind howled as if to fill the silence left behind by the absence of his voice.
"Bastard." Sanosuke muttered lamely. Yahiko sat wide-eyed and fascinated.
"You're cool!" he finally exclaimed, earning him a bonk on the head from Kaoru.
"There's nothing cool about being forced to fight a madman for his life!" She seethed.
"But-"
"Miss Kaoru is right, that she is. It was not cool to fight, that it wasn't." Kenshin's quiet voice pitted in to silence the boy. Yahiko looked disappointed and seemed to want to retort, but a look from Kenshin kept his tongue in check.
"But, why did he ask your name?" Kaoru inquired.
"He… had a suspicion who I was, that he had."
"Don't try to evade my question. Answer!" Kaoru's voice was loud enough to attract attention. Kenshin sighed.
After all, I have made up my mind, he reminded himself.
"He thought I was an agent, that he did. An agent who went by the name of Battousai." His voice was barely a whisper.
"Are you?"
"Ask… Miss Megumi, that you should."
All heads turned towards Megumi, who had sat in silence since Kenshin had started speaking.
"Yes, he is an agent. As am I. I think he was sent to retrieve me. I don't know if he's the one they call Battousai, though."
"What is so special about that 'Battousai'?" Yahiko asked curiously. He had been in the Camp for so long he didn't know much of the outside world.
"If what is rumored is true he is the best the Agency has got. A silent assassin of the night, the one agent who completes every mission successfully. None of his targets ever escaped him. He is fastest and most efficient in his kills. And it is said he uses a sword to fight." Kaoru answered.
The group just stared at her, mouths agape.
"Oro?!?"
"Where did you get that information from, Missy?"
"How do you know all that, Kaoru?"
"Oy, Busu, who told you that?"
Kaoru held up her hands defensively. "I… I guess I should tell you. My father not only owned a renowned dojo, he was also a leader of the Resistance Movement against the Regime. Nobody knew for certain, but the suspicion was there which is why I am here now. Anyways, he collected all sorts of information, including that on agents from other countries. The agent called Battousai sparked his interest because of an incident in Paris my father heard about, and he collected every shred of knowledge about him. He didn't get to know how he looked, though. That's how I know." She lowered her eyes to the floor, nervously kneading her hands before brushing them across her eyes in a fleeting movement.
"Your father was a very good man, that he was."
Again people had problems shutting their mouths as they turned to Kenshin.
"You knew him?"
"If his name was indeed Kamiya I knew him, that I did," the agent replied, capturing Kaoru's sad eyes with swirling violet ones. For a moment the world outside those blue orbs brimming with tears ceased to exist, and he had to forcibly withdraw himself from their depths.
"Oy, Kenshin, are you that 'Battousai' guy or not? And what does it mean you came to 'retrieve' Miss Megumi?" Sano interrupted, aiding Kenshin in escaping the spell, however reluctant he was to do so.
"My name is Himura Kenshin, that it is. The Agency gave me the codename 'Battousai', however, that it did… it was the name for the secret assassin, that it was. I am no longer that assassin. So, I am not, as you put it, that 'Battousai' guy, that I am not." He was so very tired- but what was coming now was perhaps the most crucial point in his whole mission.
"I was sent to 'retrieve' Miss Megumi, that I was. This means we are going to escape from the Camp, that we are." He held his breath. If they were Regime people sent to sniff him out they had succeeded. If they decided to rat him out to the guards now was the time to do so. Nobody would question three people accusing him of being a spy. Torture and death were certain. If they wanted to negotiate for their own freedom in exchange for one of the most valuable foreign agents this was their chance. He would hold no grudge against them, that he would not. However… he had built his hopes on that they were free spirits in a cage who would want to help him. Patiently, he closed his eyes and awaited the verdict of fate.
"You better not go escaping without me," Sano drawled.
"I'm going with you." Yahiko said energetically.
"You- you're him. You're the one my father always talked about. I… I want to come with you." Kaoru was suddenly aware of how close she was to Kenshin.
Looking up, he met the gaze of every single member of the group. Lightning flickered and thunder crashed, but his response was still audible to all of them.
"It will not be easy, that it won't. We'll run a high risk of being caught. I will not force you to come with me, that I won't. But if you decide you want to join me… I am thankful, that I am. And I will protect you as good as I can, that I will."
"Didn't you listen? I said I'd not let you go without me. Sagara Sanosuke's been holed up in here long enough!"
"You are here to get me. The risks you have taken… I can't believe I'm worth that much to the Agency. I am indebted to you, and I will help you plan this if I can. I trust you, Ken-san. You'll get me out of here and back home so I can become a doctor. I will follow you."
"You're really weird… but you're cool, and I bet you're a great fighter! I won't be left behind," Yahiko said forcefully.
Kenshin smiled at all of them. They were the bravest group of people he had met in a long time. He would not fail them, and he would not fail… His gaze turned to the last member of the group, the only one who hadn't answered yet.
Crystal tears dropped from her eyes onto his bare shoulders as she simply sat snuggled up against him. Her face was a mixture of fear and joy, not a shadow of doubt clouding her lovely features.
"I… can't believe it. I… I…" she couldn't speak anymore. Instead, she briefly hugged him before withdrawing, blushing furiously.
Kenshin hissed when she touched his right shoulder, but his smile never wavered. "Thank you, Miss Kaoru."
His gaze sharpened, small amber flecks appearing in the depths of his eyes.
"Now, we must plan, that we must."
"Sure as hell we must!" Sano slammed his fist into the floor excitedly, the noise thankfully muffled by the roar of thunder outside. "After all, we're the first group to escape from here!"
"Oro!?!"
"We're a group?" Megumi sounded amused.
"Yeah. We're the…" he trailed off.
"We're the Kenshin-gumi!" Yahiko joined in the game, "and we're the coolest group on the planet!"
"Oro?"
"The Kenshin-gumi… sounds good," Kaoru said with a smile in her eyes and hugged the startled eponym of their little group who didn't seem able to catch the latest developments which were happening too suddenly.
"Orororoooooo…"
"Kenshin! Don't die!"
"That… I… won't. And now… we should plan, that we should."
The group huddled close once again, protected by the storm, leaning on each other and feeling- for the first time in a very long time- real hope.
To be continued…
*grins* No cliffhanger at all this time! The chapter is even longer than the last… how the hell does this happen? Well, I already announced I have something important to say at the beginning of the story, so I better get to it…
Since Summer Science School and my internship are both starting next week I am afraid I will not be able to keep this pace of updating every three to four days… I'll have to switch to once a week, hope you can forgive me for that. I promise in turn to keep the chapters nice and long as they are now. Please, don't be angry with me *puppy dog eyes*- I'm a busy little soon-to-be graduate!
That said I can move on to more exciting topics (at least for me!)- you REVIEWS *happily dances around in her room re-reading all of them*!!! It was a hard fight against myself until I got enough courage to put one of my stories online- I'm very shy and self-conscious when it comes to writing, and your kind words really boast my ego!
Chris: Thanks for reviewing again! Sorry I couldn't do review answers in the last chapter!!! THANKS AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!!!
Koe760: Umm… let's just say this is not the end of the road for my dear Kenshin-kun… *grins evilly* Even though I don't really like him suffering he somehow always ends up doing so… I will write as fast as possible in the future as well!
Natsuko152: *grins* I love having a challenge… and it is words like yours that inspire me to do to the best of my abilities. I love you- thanks!!!
Lebleuphenix: Fight scenes are not one of my fortes… I hope it was OK, though, took me loooong to write! Jinei was a surprise to myself- but I thought I simply had to have the madman here *grins*if only to kill him! He's dead, so no more interference from him! Ugh, I feel so bad for having to slow down the pace of updating if all of you are giving me so much encouragement and support- guess I'll just cut down on sleeping if this continues! THANKS!!!
De Wardes: Even though I always try my best I'm just hopeless at mush… romance is hard enough^^! I am not planning to include any abduction so it's safe to read on :))) Thanks for your review!!!
Fflur: Wow, your name's interesting… where did you come up with it? Hope to keep your interest peaked! Thank you!!!
Tigerlilly: Wow, thank you! You make me feel a lot more confident. As to your question: A certain icy character might make an appearance in the next chapter of two… Misao will come in as well but not for a while yet, sorry. I would not have put the three couples into my summary otherwise *grins*. This story is far from over!
I also have discovered that I'm on the Favorites List of two people! I almost fainted for joy. Now my ego's big enough to be stroked, and it has spurted a muse, too. Hello, Muse Yasai!
Yasai: Hi!
She'll assist me from now on she said… so expect her to be around in the next chapter.
Yasai: *slinks off to haunt Chibi's laptop*
Thank you all! I LOVE YOU!!! *somersaults*
Yasai: *returns having forgotten something* Please leave Chibi a review again! They are my food!
Yes! Please, don't starve my new muse!!! Cya!!!
Chibi-chan