A/N. If anyone's still reading this, for their benefit I do not own RK.
Lady Galadria here, over and out.
Chapter 5 - Forced.
Sanosuke gulped down another bottle of raw sake. At the rate he was drinking, it wasn't long before he was drunk. He glanced around at the few others left in the bar. All were drunk, and at almost 2 AM, he wasn't surprised. Why he was there himself he didn't know, except he felt he fit right in.
"You there, shouldn't it be time for you to run on home to your girlfriend, there's time left in the night yet." The bartender asked, shining a glass with a mischievous grin.
Sano's frown deepened and he remembered what he had been trying so hard to forget. The woman he loved, (or thought he loved) was a murderer, a liar, and on top of all that, was cheating on him with another man.
"Heh. Why should I? Its not like she wants me back anyway. She's found herself another." Sanosuke replied sullenly, glaring at the 15 huge empty sake bottles in front of him. Unfortunately it took a lot to get him drunk.
The man raised an eyebrow and set down the glass. He leaned onto his elbows on the counter. "Look, I don't think you should make any judgments. I don't know much, but I know unless a woman openly rejects you in public, with words AND actions, she still cares. Don't throw it away."
Sano smirked. "Sometimes all it takes is action. It doesn't require words."
"I'm just givin' you a bit of advice before I kick you out. Besides, I'm out of sake." The man left the counter and opened the door. "Out. And do something about your problems. I don't care what it takes, but I don't like seeing a man like you drunk. You're probably wrong anyway."
He growled under his breath but didn't have the strength to resist. So he sullenly got up and left the bar, wandering the streets like he hadn't done it a long time.
"Please Saito, let her go. She's answered as many questions as you should need and so have I. It is late that it is and you should release us." Kenshin said quietly as he watched Saito walk out of his office sternly with a very upset looking Kaoru.
Kaoru glanced pleadingly to Saito. The man was ruthless. "Please."she whispered.
Kenshin's heart was saddened at seeing Miss Kaoru in the state she was in. But he had had no choice, and when Saito questioned them again and again, he could do nothing but follow along. To do anything else would end with men hurt, and him in jail. Poor Miss Kaoru.
Saito grimaced, but it truly was late. "Go. But I may call on you once again in the morning. I have questions to ask yet."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on Kenshin. It will be an unusually long walk to the dojo tonight."
Kaoru took a step and was surprised when she felt herself stumble, and Kenshin catch her as they left the police center.
"What does he search for?" she asked Kenshin when they were outside and well on their way.
The poor rurouni shrugged, and his face wore a very unhappy look. "I don't know Miss Kaoru, but whatever it is, it will drive that man mad."
Megumi rubbed her eyes sleepily and tried to figure out where she was. The room was dark and cold, and it was raining outside. So sad the rain made her feel.
The memories came flooding back to her, as little she wanted them.
".Love cannot die!" the terrible man's words echoed in her mind, as well as the conversation after.
"Konrato."she remembered whispering, her voice trying so hard to keep from trembling, and not from fear.
Konrato smiled, his eyes glinting in the low light evilly. "Very good Megumi, you recognize me. I should hope you did, after everything we shared."
She swallowed and her lips tightened. "Shared?" she laughed. "You were a friend of my father's Konrato, one that in the end helped kill him. What do we share?"
The proud, handsome man infront of her raised an eyebrow, as if expecting more. " A friend of your father's? No love, I was more than that."
She gasped, as shocked by this admission of love now than she was earlier with the episode with Sanosuke. How dare he?
"You are a murderer, and a man who wishes and searches for more than he could ever have." She scoffed. "You are a man who makes his bargain with whoever bids the highest price, whether he be good or evil, alive," she paused, "or dead."
"Be careful of your tongue girl. I have loved you since the moment I set eyes on you, but even love can be put behind when there is a large price at stake. Such as your talents with the making of opium."
The candlelight flashed, and made strange shadows dance across the room. The silence seemed to dance as well, but in a more dangerous way.
"You don't need me. You have killed enough people with what you have." Megumi said angrily, her voice low and hard.
This caused laughter. Evil laughter, filled with greed and lust. "You can never have enough of a money, fox." Konrato said smiling.
She bit her lip at his use of fox. That was Sanosuke's name for her, and she wouldn't have any other man use it like that, though at the moments she was going to use all her powers of woman hood and cleverness to save her. It seemed that Sanosuke wouldn't anytime soon.
"We need to you to finish the project that you started under the guidance of Kanryu. I need you also." He whispered, crouching down before her. She flinched, and stared angrily at the wall behind Konrato as his face neared hers. "I need you."
Suddenly he pressed his lips to hers and her eyes sprang open. Before she knew it, she reached up and slapped the fire out of him.
"You.!" he spluttered, leaping backward, his hand to his sword.
Megumi's heart was pounding. He had kissed her! And what was worse, she had felt that man's evil intentions the moment his skin touched hers. She had done what she had too in order to escape that which she dreaded.
Konrato resumed his calm composure moments later, his hair only slightly out of place, though his eyes were full of fire, passionate and angry. "So you treat me Megumi Takani. But I warn you, you will work for me whether you will it, or not, and I will have you as my own, whether you are forced or act of your own will. Believe me, the former will not be pleasurable. Think deeply."
Her had stung, but she stared him hard in the face. "So be it." She muttered harshly. "But your deepest desires cannot be fulfilled."
The ruby eyed man stormed out, and she heard the turn and lock of a key as the door slammed.
So was the night before. It had been awful, but Megumi felt she had done what needed to be done. Konrato had not visited her since those earlier hours of the night, and she was honestly surprised that she did not feel defiled that morning. She would not put such an act past such a desperate man.
There was a knock on the door. Megumi took a deep breath and sat up from the floor where she had slept. "Come in."
Surprisingly it did not seem like she was being treated like a prisoner. The door opened, and a small, kindly looking old man with dark, clouded eyes walked in. "Good morning Miss Megumi. I trust you slept well?"
She could've laughed, but she did not. The eyes could be deceiving also, and she swore not to trust this man until proof was brought to her. "As well as could be expected when being kidnapped." She said slowly. "Who are you?"
The man smiled. "Perhaps. I am Zakon, here to transport you to your lab, where you will be meeting with the master shortly."
Her lab? Megumi closed her eyes unhappily. And a meeting with Konrato to boot. This would not be a good day. Hopefully she would be able to escape, for unless she was mistaken, their would be no Kenshin-gumi rescue for her this time. All she had was herself. Still maybe the letters she had left behind might level the minds of her old friends in Tokyo.
She noticed a fresh, if low cut kimono lying next to her pallet and she sighed wearily. "Tell him I'm coming."
Sano slowly crawled out of bed the next morning, still feeling the aftershock of his drinking fest the night before. He had to get out and do something, or else he might as well wallow in self-pity. Which wasn't his favorite thing to do either way. Slowly he slipped his clothes on and splashed his face, trying to wash away his night mares from his sleep.
He was running faster and faster from some unseen enemy. Every so often he would feel a searing hot flames stretch across his bare back and he would run harder. The path he took never seemed to end either. He ran for what seemed like years, and centuries, until finally saw a giant tower reaching into the sky. At the top, he saw a unmistakable figure, with a strong, beautiful face and long black hair flowing in the wind. The figure teetered on her perch, and fell, plummeting down.
A scream ripped from his throat before he could think, and his speed escalated to super speed. It wasn't moments before he reached the tower, only to find the woman in the arms of a man with the face of a devil. Yet she seemed completely besotted with the inhuman freak.
His scream echoed through the dream again, but this time it was a scream of pain and anguish deeper than any heard in the mortal realm.
Sanosuke shook his head roughly again, trying to forget. He took a deep breath and stepped out into the street, looking this way and that for a decent place to eat. Walking quickly he spotted a small diner, much like the Akabeko. Right before he stepped into the resteraunt, he glimpsed something out of the corner of his eyes. There was a beautiful woman, walking slowly with her head down, surrounded by two or three men with swords. Sano's breath caught in his throat. "Megumi.?" he whispered.
A/N Good? Bad? Ugly? Please let me know if you want me to post my next chappie!
Chapter 5 - Forced.
Sanosuke gulped down another bottle of raw sake. At the rate he was drinking, it wasn't long before he was drunk. He glanced around at the few others left in the bar. All were drunk, and at almost 2 AM, he wasn't surprised. Why he was there himself he didn't know, except he felt he fit right in.
"You there, shouldn't it be time for you to run on home to your girlfriend, there's time left in the night yet." The bartender asked, shining a glass with a mischievous grin.
Sano's frown deepened and he remembered what he had been trying so hard to forget. The woman he loved, (or thought he loved) was a murderer, a liar, and on top of all that, was cheating on him with another man.
"Heh. Why should I? Its not like she wants me back anyway. She's found herself another." Sanosuke replied sullenly, glaring at the 15 huge empty sake bottles in front of him. Unfortunately it took a lot to get him drunk.
The man raised an eyebrow and set down the glass. He leaned onto his elbows on the counter. "Look, I don't think you should make any judgments. I don't know much, but I know unless a woman openly rejects you in public, with words AND actions, she still cares. Don't throw it away."
Sano smirked. "Sometimes all it takes is action. It doesn't require words."
"I'm just givin' you a bit of advice before I kick you out. Besides, I'm out of sake." The man left the counter and opened the door. "Out. And do something about your problems. I don't care what it takes, but I don't like seeing a man like you drunk. You're probably wrong anyway."
He growled under his breath but didn't have the strength to resist. So he sullenly got up and left the bar, wandering the streets like he hadn't done it a long time.
"Please Saito, let her go. She's answered as many questions as you should need and so have I. It is late that it is and you should release us." Kenshin said quietly as he watched Saito walk out of his office sternly with a very upset looking Kaoru.
Kaoru glanced pleadingly to Saito. The man was ruthless. "Please."she whispered.
Kenshin's heart was saddened at seeing Miss Kaoru in the state she was in. But he had had no choice, and when Saito questioned them again and again, he could do nothing but follow along. To do anything else would end with men hurt, and him in jail. Poor Miss Kaoru.
Saito grimaced, but it truly was late. "Go. But I may call on you once again in the morning. I have questions to ask yet."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on Kenshin. It will be an unusually long walk to the dojo tonight."
Kaoru took a step and was surprised when she felt herself stumble, and Kenshin catch her as they left the police center.
"What does he search for?" she asked Kenshin when they were outside and well on their way.
The poor rurouni shrugged, and his face wore a very unhappy look. "I don't know Miss Kaoru, but whatever it is, it will drive that man mad."
Megumi rubbed her eyes sleepily and tried to figure out where she was. The room was dark and cold, and it was raining outside. So sad the rain made her feel.
The memories came flooding back to her, as little she wanted them.
".Love cannot die!" the terrible man's words echoed in her mind, as well as the conversation after.
"Konrato."she remembered whispering, her voice trying so hard to keep from trembling, and not from fear.
Konrato smiled, his eyes glinting in the low light evilly. "Very good Megumi, you recognize me. I should hope you did, after everything we shared."
She swallowed and her lips tightened. "Shared?" she laughed. "You were a friend of my father's Konrato, one that in the end helped kill him. What do we share?"
The proud, handsome man infront of her raised an eyebrow, as if expecting more. " A friend of your father's? No love, I was more than that."
She gasped, as shocked by this admission of love now than she was earlier with the episode with Sanosuke. How dare he?
"You are a murderer, and a man who wishes and searches for more than he could ever have." She scoffed. "You are a man who makes his bargain with whoever bids the highest price, whether he be good or evil, alive," she paused, "or dead."
"Be careful of your tongue girl. I have loved you since the moment I set eyes on you, but even love can be put behind when there is a large price at stake. Such as your talents with the making of opium."
The candlelight flashed, and made strange shadows dance across the room. The silence seemed to dance as well, but in a more dangerous way.
"You don't need me. You have killed enough people with what you have." Megumi said angrily, her voice low and hard.
This caused laughter. Evil laughter, filled with greed and lust. "You can never have enough of a money, fox." Konrato said smiling.
She bit her lip at his use of fox. That was Sanosuke's name for her, and she wouldn't have any other man use it like that, though at the moments she was going to use all her powers of woman hood and cleverness to save her. It seemed that Sanosuke wouldn't anytime soon.
"We need to you to finish the project that you started under the guidance of Kanryu. I need you also." He whispered, crouching down before her. She flinched, and stared angrily at the wall behind Konrato as his face neared hers. "I need you."
Suddenly he pressed his lips to hers and her eyes sprang open. Before she knew it, she reached up and slapped the fire out of him.
"You.!" he spluttered, leaping backward, his hand to his sword.
Megumi's heart was pounding. He had kissed her! And what was worse, she had felt that man's evil intentions the moment his skin touched hers. She had done what she had too in order to escape that which she dreaded.
Konrato resumed his calm composure moments later, his hair only slightly out of place, though his eyes were full of fire, passionate and angry. "So you treat me Megumi Takani. But I warn you, you will work for me whether you will it, or not, and I will have you as my own, whether you are forced or act of your own will. Believe me, the former will not be pleasurable. Think deeply."
Her had stung, but she stared him hard in the face. "So be it." She muttered harshly. "But your deepest desires cannot be fulfilled."
The ruby eyed man stormed out, and she heard the turn and lock of a key as the door slammed.
So was the night before. It had been awful, but Megumi felt she had done what needed to be done. Konrato had not visited her since those earlier hours of the night, and she was honestly surprised that she did not feel defiled that morning. She would not put such an act past such a desperate man.
There was a knock on the door. Megumi took a deep breath and sat up from the floor where she had slept. "Come in."
Surprisingly it did not seem like she was being treated like a prisoner. The door opened, and a small, kindly looking old man with dark, clouded eyes walked in. "Good morning Miss Megumi. I trust you slept well?"
She could've laughed, but she did not. The eyes could be deceiving also, and she swore not to trust this man until proof was brought to her. "As well as could be expected when being kidnapped." She said slowly. "Who are you?"
The man smiled. "Perhaps. I am Zakon, here to transport you to your lab, where you will be meeting with the master shortly."
Her lab? Megumi closed her eyes unhappily. And a meeting with Konrato to boot. This would not be a good day. Hopefully she would be able to escape, for unless she was mistaken, their would be no Kenshin-gumi rescue for her this time. All she had was herself. Still maybe the letters she had left behind might level the minds of her old friends in Tokyo.
She noticed a fresh, if low cut kimono lying next to her pallet and she sighed wearily. "Tell him I'm coming."
Sano slowly crawled out of bed the next morning, still feeling the aftershock of his drinking fest the night before. He had to get out and do something, or else he might as well wallow in self-pity. Which wasn't his favorite thing to do either way. Slowly he slipped his clothes on and splashed his face, trying to wash away his night mares from his sleep.
He was running faster and faster from some unseen enemy. Every so often he would feel a searing hot flames stretch across his bare back and he would run harder. The path he took never seemed to end either. He ran for what seemed like years, and centuries, until finally saw a giant tower reaching into the sky. At the top, he saw a unmistakable figure, with a strong, beautiful face and long black hair flowing in the wind. The figure teetered on her perch, and fell, plummeting down.
A scream ripped from his throat before he could think, and his speed escalated to super speed. It wasn't moments before he reached the tower, only to find the woman in the arms of a man with the face of a devil. Yet she seemed completely besotted with the inhuman freak.
His scream echoed through the dream again, but this time it was a scream of pain and anguish deeper than any heard in the mortal realm.
Sanosuke shook his head roughly again, trying to forget. He took a deep breath and stepped out into the street, looking this way and that for a decent place to eat. Walking quickly he spotted a small diner, much like the Akabeko. Right before he stepped into the resteraunt, he glimpsed something out of the corner of his eyes. There was a beautiful woman, walking slowly with her head down, surrounded by two or three men with swords. Sano's breath caught in his throat. "Megumi.?" he whispered.
A/N Good? Bad? Ugly? Please let me know if you want me to post my next chappie!