CHAPTER 14- BLACK EYES
On the island that day, two huge fights broke out. Megumi, Yahiko, Aoshi, Misao, and Saitoh watched tensely as Kenshin and Enishi locked swords before Kaoru and as Sanosuke struggled to defend himself against the wrath of a furious Jiani. Saitoh couldn't make up his mind over which battle was more interesting.
"HITENMITSURUGI RYU.RYU TSUI SEN!!!!!!!!!" The redheaded girl leapt high into the air and brought her sword crashing down towards him. Sanosuke gathered himself and leapt aside. However, the strike brushed down the length of his arm, sending a spray of blood everywhere. Sanosuke grimaced, obviously in pain.
But Jiani wasn't done. The instant she landed, she whirled around in a half circle and backhanded him across the face. "AUGH!!!" Sanosuke staggered back, his nose bleeding. Still, all he could do was brace himself to dodge her next move. 'No matter what.' he swore in his mind. 'I can't follow my instincts and fight back!'
"HYAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!" Jiani came rushing in once more, swinging her sword into position.
Misao gasped. "She'll cut off his head!!!!!!"
Saitoh put out his cigarette, "Looks that way."
Kenshin paused in his fight with Enishi to peer over his shoulder. "SANO!!!!"
"YOUR GUARD'S DOWN!!!" Enishi drove his sword right through Kenshin's arm!
"Kenshin!" Kaoru cried.
Kenshin staggered back, somehow still able to grip his sword. 'Jiani.stop it!' he thought. 'Don't become what I once was.and what Enishi is now!'
He resumed his stance, beckoning Enishi on. "Come."
To Sanosuke's surprise, the deadly sword paused inches in front of him. Jiani had frozen! He looked up and saw her eyes dilating. "Jiani?"
"AAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Sword falling from her hands, she pulled back and fell to her knees. Clutching her head, she screamed at the skies. "NO!! I CAN'T!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!!"
"It seems her true emotions are trying to break through." Aoshi declared softly.
Sanosuke realized this too and knelt before her. "Jiani! Come on! You have to come out of this!"
She grabbed her head even tighter, as if she wanted to tear it off her shoulders. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her face was turning red. "NO!! NO!! NO!!!"
As gently as he could, he grasped hold of her wrists, causing her to let go of herself. He leaned in close and whispered. "Search yourself, Jiani. This hatred, this desire for revenge against the man you called 'Papa', is it truly there? Do you really wish to kill him for something that you never even were aware of?"
She hiccupped in response. He smiled slightly. "Come on, Jiani. Even if you did hold some kind of resentment for him, it couldn't be enough to make you want to do this. Didn't you say that nothing changed, that you would always stay by his side?"
"Sanosuke." Megumi murmured, stunned by the powerful words slipping out of his mouth.
Trembling, Jiani stopped fighting Sanosuke's grip on her wrists. She lowered her head. "N-No."
"Come back Jiani." He told her. "Come back so we can all go home together. Come back so all of us, me, your dad, even your mom can smile for you again."
She looked back up at him, as if searching his soft brown eyes. The darkness faded from her own eyes and they filled with tears. "S-Sa-Sano- kun?"
He broke into a wide grin. "That's me!"
Choking out a sob, she fell forward into his arms. "Oh Sano." she cried into his torn shirt. "Sano-kun!"
He tightened his arms around her and lowered his head so his chin rested in her hair. "It's okay Jiani.you're fine now, everything's gonna be okay."
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Misao was jumping up and down again. "HOORAY!!! SANO DID IT!!! HE SAVED JIANI!!! YEEEEAAAAHHH!!!"
"."Aoshi responded.
Megumi was wiping a tear from her eye.
"Good for them," Yahiko agreed. "But we can't forget about Kenshin."
On the island that day, two huge fights broke out. Megumi, Yahiko, Aoshi, Misao, and Saitoh watched tensely as Kenshin and Enishi locked swords before Kaoru and as Sanosuke struggled to defend himself against the wrath of a furious Jiani. Saitoh couldn't make up his mind over which battle was more interesting.
"HITENMITSURUGI RYU.RYU TSUI SEN!!!!!!!!!" The redheaded girl leapt high into the air and brought her sword crashing down towards him. Sanosuke gathered himself and leapt aside. However, the strike brushed down the length of his arm, sending a spray of blood everywhere. Sanosuke grimaced, obviously in pain.
But Jiani wasn't done. The instant she landed, she whirled around in a half circle and backhanded him across the face. "AUGH!!!" Sanosuke staggered back, his nose bleeding. Still, all he could do was brace himself to dodge her next move. 'No matter what.' he swore in his mind. 'I can't follow my instincts and fight back!'
"HYAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!" Jiani came rushing in once more, swinging her sword into position.
Misao gasped. "She'll cut off his head!!!!!!"
Saitoh put out his cigarette, "Looks that way."
Kenshin paused in his fight with Enishi to peer over his shoulder. "SANO!!!!"
"YOUR GUARD'S DOWN!!!" Enishi drove his sword right through Kenshin's arm!
"Kenshin!" Kaoru cried.
Kenshin staggered back, somehow still able to grip his sword. 'Jiani.stop it!' he thought. 'Don't become what I once was.and what Enishi is now!'
He resumed his stance, beckoning Enishi on. "Come."
To Sanosuke's surprise, the deadly sword paused inches in front of him. Jiani had frozen! He looked up and saw her eyes dilating. "Jiani?"
"AAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Sword falling from her hands, she pulled back and fell to her knees. Clutching her head, she screamed at the skies. "NO!! I CAN'T!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!!"
"It seems her true emotions are trying to break through." Aoshi declared softly.
Sanosuke realized this too and knelt before her. "Jiani! Come on! You have to come out of this!"
She grabbed her head even tighter, as if she wanted to tear it off her shoulders. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her face was turning red. "NO!! NO!! NO!!!"
As gently as he could, he grasped hold of her wrists, causing her to let go of herself. He leaned in close and whispered. "Search yourself, Jiani. This hatred, this desire for revenge against the man you called 'Papa', is it truly there? Do you really wish to kill him for something that you never even were aware of?"
She hiccupped in response. He smiled slightly. "Come on, Jiani. Even if you did hold some kind of resentment for him, it couldn't be enough to make you want to do this. Didn't you say that nothing changed, that you would always stay by his side?"
"Sanosuke." Megumi murmured, stunned by the powerful words slipping out of his mouth.
Trembling, Jiani stopped fighting Sanosuke's grip on her wrists. She lowered her head. "N-No."
"Come back Jiani." He told her. "Come back so we can all go home together. Come back so all of us, me, your dad, even your mom can smile for you again."
She looked back up at him, as if searching his soft brown eyes. The darkness faded from her own eyes and they filled with tears. "S-Sa-Sano- kun?"
He broke into a wide grin. "That's me!"
Choking out a sob, she fell forward into his arms. "Oh Sano." she cried into his torn shirt. "Sano-kun!"
He tightened his arms around her and lowered his head so his chin rested in her hair. "It's okay Jiani.you're fine now, everything's gonna be okay."
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Misao was jumping up and down again. "HOORAY!!! SANO DID IT!!! HE SAVED JIANI!!! YEEEEAAAAHHH!!!"
"."Aoshi responded.
Megumi was wiping a tear from her eye.
"Good for them," Yahiko agreed. "But we can't forget about Kenshin."