CHAPTER 8- DESPERATE BIDS
Tsubame finally made it to Rakuminmura and nervously advanced into the gate. Instantly, all the burly men were swarming around her.
"Get out! You young'uns have no place here!"
"Take another step forward and deal with the consequences!"
Tsubame gulped. "Please! I need to get to---
A gentle hand came to rest upon her head. Looking up, she found an old man. "You're looking for the new guy, eh? All right, he's over there." He pointed to a nearby building where Kenshin sat.
"Mr. Kenshin!"
...........
Elsewhere, Jiani entered the parlor of the huge mansion. Enishi was there to greet her and motioned that she take a seat. Eyes full of distrust, she did so, right across from him. "What did you want to see me for?"
"You speak so coldly towards your uncle."
"You act so harshly to my father."
She was quick, something he took in with a smirk. "You hold the same darkness in your heart as your sire."
Jiani's eyes flashed. "How dare you."
"I rest my case." He folded his hands. "Tell me, surely you know of how your mother was killed."
Why was he asking her this? Still, she nodded. "Hai, and it's not the same as the way you picture it."
"So the question is, which one of us is right.isn't it?" Enishi questioned.
"You can't make me change my mind about what really happened that day." Jiani declared. "My father loved my mother. It was an accident."
"You weren't there, so you wouldn't know that." Her uncle spat.
"What, and you were?"
"Yes, I saw the whole thing."
This was something that caught Jiani off guard. "What?"
He looked deep into her eyes with his own, dark menacing, hypnotic eyes. "I will tell you the truth." He said. "I'll tell you what really happened."
Meanwhile, Kaoru was in the kitchen, struggling to cook for herself. All the while, she wondered what Enishi was talking to Jiani about.
...........
Kenshin looked upon the advancing Tsubame with listless, flat eyes.
All out of breath, she stood before him. "Mr. Kenshin! Come quick please!"
He didn't budge.
Tsubame told him what happened. She explained how Kujiranami had escaped prison and come to destroy Tokyo, but Yahiko had led the way to stop them and was now about to get killed.
By the time she finished, she was crying. "Mr. Kenshin! Please! Help him! Stand up just one more time! I beg of you! Please!"
'Please.Help him.Stand up one more time.' the words echoed through Kenshin's head.
The old man shook his head gravely and took the little girl by the arm gently. "Come, there is nothing that can be done for him." He led her away and this time, she didn't object.
"Please.help." she murmured.
Kenshin lifted his head for a brief instant, watching her go. His hand unconsciously moved towards his sword, but froze. 'No.I'm too tired.'
Still, his body protested. His fingers touched the hilt of the blade.
'If I could protect the people I see before me.' he remembered thinking. 'If I could wield my sword to protect instead of kill in this new era, then perhaps that would atone for my crimes.'
He remembered what the old man had told him. "Isn't it a little early for you to be here? After all, you still have people in your life who care about you."
His hand seized the sword and pulled it free of the chains. By the time the old man came round to check up on him, he was gone.
Tsubame finally made it to Rakuminmura and nervously advanced into the gate. Instantly, all the burly men were swarming around her.
"Get out! You young'uns have no place here!"
"Take another step forward and deal with the consequences!"
Tsubame gulped. "Please! I need to get to---
A gentle hand came to rest upon her head. Looking up, she found an old man. "You're looking for the new guy, eh? All right, he's over there." He pointed to a nearby building where Kenshin sat.
"Mr. Kenshin!"
...........
Elsewhere, Jiani entered the parlor of the huge mansion. Enishi was there to greet her and motioned that she take a seat. Eyes full of distrust, she did so, right across from him. "What did you want to see me for?"
"You speak so coldly towards your uncle."
"You act so harshly to my father."
She was quick, something he took in with a smirk. "You hold the same darkness in your heart as your sire."
Jiani's eyes flashed. "How dare you."
"I rest my case." He folded his hands. "Tell me, surely you know of how your mother was killed."
Why was he asking her this? Still, she nodded. "Hai, and it's not the same as the way you picture it."
"So the question is, which one of us is right.isn't it?" Enishi questioned.
"You can't make me change my mind about what really happened that day." Jiani declared. "My father loved my mother. It was an accident."
"You weren't there, so you wouldn't know that." Her uncle spat.
"What, and you were?"
"Yes, I saw the whole thing."
This was something that caught Jiani off guard. "What?"
He looked deep into her eyes with his own, dark menacing, hypnotic eyes. "I will tell you the truth." He said. "I'll tell you what really happened."
Meanwhile, Kaoru was in the kitchen, struggling to cook for herself. All the while, she wondered what Enishi was talking to Jiani about.
...........
Kenshin looked upon the advancing Tsubame with listless, flat eyes.
All out of breath, she stood before him. "Mr. Kenshin! Come quick please!"
He didn't budge.
Tsubame told him what happened. She explained how Kujiranami had escaped prison and come to destroy Tokyo, but Yahiko had led the way to stop them and was now about to get killed.
By the time she finished, she was crying. "Mr. Kenshin! Please! Help him! Stand up just one more time! I beg of you! Please!"
'Please.Help him.Stand up one more time.' the words echoed through Kenshin's head.
The old man shook his head gravely and took the little girl by the arm gently. "Come, there is nothing that can be done for him." He led her away and this time, she didn't object.
"Please.help." she murmured.
Kenshin lifted his head for a brief instant, watching her go. His hand unconsciously moved towards his sword, but froze. 'No.I'm too tired.'
Still, his body protested. His fingers touched the hilt of the blade.
'If I could protect the people I see before me.' he remembered thinking. 'If I could wield my sword to protect instead of kill in this new era, then perhaps that would atone for my crimes.'
He remembered what the old man had told him. "Isn't it a little early for you to be here? After all, you still have people in your life who care about you."
His hand seized the sword and pulled it free of the chains. By the time the old man came round to check up on him, he was gone.