Chapter 6

Trap!

A dark figure slinked against the wall and slowly opened the door. With catlike illusiveness he snuck up on the man sitting at the table in the middle of the room.

"You're back." The man said with little enthusiasm or eye contact with ninja in the shadows. "Where is she?" He continued. "We got her sensei to talk. She's in Tokyo. She's found her brother." The ninja spoke in a low commanding voice. "Hmm. He could be trouble." The man's forehead crinkled in dismay. The ninja chuckled, "Don't worry. I've taken the liberty of taking care of him. He'll be arriving in Kyoto shortly. While he's away his sister is alone, we can grab her then." "Excellent." A wicked smile spread across the man's face.

He looked over to where the ninja was still crouching, "I knew you were good the moment I saw you, Akio Matsuaso, but I never thought you could be this good." "And I you, Lord Toshi Tojirro." "Bah!" Toshi waved his hand in the air. "Flattery can only go so far. Go finish the job and bring Kaiya to me!" "Yes, my Lord." The ninja snuck out of the room as quietly as he had came.

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Menacing dark clouds rolled across the sky, threatening rain. Kaiya stood in the doorway to her room. She shivered in the cold wind. Silently she slid the door shut and hobbled over to her futon. She glanced over to where Suzume and Ayame were napping. Kaiya reached down and patted the futon under her. Her hand felt the hardness of the dagger. "Good it is still there." She told herself.

Kaiya leaned back against the wall and rested her eyes, not daring to sleep. She knew they'd be after her and if not for her broken ankle she would have been on the move. But now all she could do is wait and defend herself and the others around her. She sighed, thinking back to a few years before.

They had adopted her and sent her to a school for ninjas. In return for saving her from off the streets they had made her promise that she'd learn the ways of the ninja and then work for them. "And do all their dirty deeds", she'd thought. So when it was time for them to come and take her to work for them she had gone away from the school.

"I promised myself I wouldn't stay anywhere for very long and I would get attached to no one," Kaiya told herself, "But I've found my brother and I am happy here." She looked over to where doctor Gensai's grandchildren were blissfully sleeping. "But these people treat me like family." Her eyes widened. Her sensei's family had treated her that way too. "And who knows what Lord Toshi has done to them now that I am gone." Kaiya studied the floor. She knew what she must do, but did she have the courage to do it?

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Kenshin starred out the train window at the moving scenery. He felt like something was gnawing at the back of his brain but he couldn't put a finger on it. Why had he acted so rash? Going to Kyoto suddenly without thinking through the letter? He shook his head. What if there was no reason to go? Why did he feel so bad about leaving Kaiya?

His mind replayed the scene when the letter had arrived. Just before then he had been sitting in Kaiya's room where his secret had been revealed. He saw her brushing her hair and setting the comb down. Wait! He remembered something. The futon was bulging slightly, as if something where hidden underneath it. That shape.was it? Kenshin's eyes widened. Suddenly he realized that he and Kaiya needed to have another talk about their secrets. But right now there was nothing he could do but follow the train tracks to Kyoto.

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Kaiya reached underneath her futon and withdrew her dagger. She sensed the presence of a ninja. She knew that he was sent from Lord Toshi. She looked down at Suzume and Ayame who were awakened by her movements.

"What's going on?" Suzume rubbed her eyes. Kaiya shushed Ayame's echo with one clasping motion. "Be very quiet." She whispered in their ears. They looked up at her, wide eyed with fear and curiosity. "Now listen to me." She continued. "When I tell you to, I want you to run to your grandfather's clinic as fast as you can. Got it? No turning back. Just keep on running no matter what." "But why?" Suzume questioned. "No questions. Just do as I say." Kaiya hushed.

With that she rose with the aid of her crutch. Her eye's darted back and forth, looking for any motion at all. She took in all of her surroundings, listing for any sound at all. Rain had started to fall and every drop that hit the ground was like a clock ticking. "Plop. Plop. Plop." Counting off the seconds. Thunder boomed and lighting flashed, illuminating a shadow through the wall. Suzume and Ayame screamed. Kaiya shouted above the noise, struggling to be heard. "Run!"

The girls wasted no time in running out of the opposite side of the dojo. Slipping in the mud they ran with all their might, hoping against hope that Kaiya knew what she was doing.

In that split second the ninja lunged through the wall at Kaiya. Though fighting with a broken ankle is not ideal, Kaiya used the disability to her advantage. She swung around and whacked the ninja hard with her crutch, flinging him across the room. He was instantly on his feet and ready to attack. He came running at her, Kaiya readied herself. Right before her dagger made contact with him, he disappeared. All of a sudden Kaiya felt a powerful blow from behind that sent her through the wall and sprawling into the mud.

The rain fell heavily as Kaiya tried desperately to get up, but to no avail. The ninja crept ever closer to her. She quickly reached for her dagger, but it was to late. She stared in fear up at a face that she did not recognize. The next thing she knew she was being thrown over his shoulder and carried away. "They may have gotten me, but at least Suzume and Ayame are safe." She told herself as she slipped away into the shadows with her captor.

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Kenshin gave Karou a hand as she dismounted the train at the Kyoto station. +

"Where should we go first?" Yahiko asked. "We should check with Misao and see if she knows anything." Karou answered totally confident of herself. "What do you think Kenshin?" Kenshin, who was looking very distant, snapped back to reality. "I think this was all a trap. We should return to Tokyo, that we should." "Wait, Kenshin," Sano said, facing the small samurai, "You mean to tell us that you say we should come here and then as soon as we arrive you say you're wrong and we should go back? You dragged us all here for nothing?" He fumed. "Now Sano." Kenshin backed away his angry friend. "Kenshin you're really starting to get on my nerves." He yelled.

"Okay." Yahiko said, watching the scene before him. "I think I'll go with Karou." "Yeah, me too. We might as well do something while we're here." Sano agreed. Kenshin sighed. What choice did he have but to comply? "I just hope Kaiya is all right." He thought to himself.

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a/n: sry that it took so long to get this chapter up. I hoped you enjoyed it. plz review. thanks! p.s. im open for suggestions and spelling corrections. ^_^