In the Shadow of the Vampire
By: Psychotic Tanuki
AN: Yay! I'm finished with my finals and regents! Blah…the plot thickens…muahahaha~! )…I've got a really sick mind…or so my friend said when I told her part of my plot idea…oh and the last chapter was actually chapter 1…but I called it chapter 2 by accident…this is the real chapter two… Oh and to everyone who reviewed, domo arigato gozaimasu.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kenshin…( wish I did…
Chapter Two: Sooner Rather Than Later
Aoshi sat in blind rage. His jaw clenched and his teeth were grinding into each other, ice blue eyes twitched with anger. His large frame was bent over and his hands were balled up into fists. This was the way that Okina had found him once he himself had gotten out of his…bindings. The old man stood pensively. They had taken Sayo and Misao-chan from Aoshi and he silently agreed with Misao. It would be most wise as to not tell him of her death. Okina sighed, to have lost such a promising slayer like Misao was a great loss for both the future of the Oniwabanshu and Aoshi's sanity. Silently, he approached Aoshi.
"Why did you let him in?" Okina stopped in his tracks, his okashira had begun to stand, his yukata covered in dried blood.
"I thought you and Himura were friends." Aoshi snorted.
"Work partners, yes. Assassins, yes…" Aoshi walked towards the older man, eyes burning with something insane, and Okina swallowed in fear, "…but we have never been friends. We will never become friends either. Do you understand?" Without waiting for a reply, Aoshi stormed out of the now cleaned room. The four bloody corpses that had previously been strewn across the room had been removed and the floor cleaned, their bodies burned.
To say that Aoshi was pissed was an understatement. He was livid with hatred and cursed the day he had pledged to make Himura's ideal world come true. At least, he thought, Misao is safe in Kyoto. Thank god I didn't let her come to Tokyo. Anger dissolved into relief, and he made his own quiet resolution. This time around, Aoshi would not blindly jump into Himura's ideal world. He would find a way to escape the cycle of abuse. Maybe then, he could stop meditating. Maybe then, he could find peace.
Okina stared after Aoshi. He dared not ask Aoshi what his business was with Himura, but it could not be pleasant. He stared at the floor, it was spotless, shiny and clean. Aoshi had been drenched in dry blood. All he remembered was the cold, piercing voice of Himura before Misao had knocked him out. All he remembered was the utterance of the name "Takani Megumi." Perhaps, that was his only clue as to who Himura was. Perhaps that was she was the key to finding a link to the underground network. Then, and only then, could the killing stop. Okina walked towards his fellow unconscious Oniwabanshu colleagues. It would be a while before they woke up.
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Kenshin stared coldly at the cunning doctor and the stumbling woman who accompanied her. Sano had told him that the stumbling woman was illegally kidnapped from the hospital by Takani Megumi. To risk one's medical career like that, would have to mean that this girl was of some importance. But what threat could a lame, stumbling woman be to him? Still, Aoshi wouldn't have lied, not after he killed those four bumbling idiots as well as threatened the safety of the old, gullible Okina. Thus, he was waiting for Megumi and her patient to reach the door to the Clinic, where he patiently waited.
His fifth attempt at creating his ideal world was going to succeed. Kenshin would not allow another failure but this time, it would be much more difficult. He hated the return of his soul. He had sold it to the devil over 400 years ago, and now he had been cursed to have it come back. He fixed his golden eyes Takani Megumi and her…friend. The Rurouni would object to his plan, the plan to which the kitsune doctor was an essential part of. He then returned his attention to the two bickering women.
They were halfway across the little concrete pathway which led up the hill-like lawn. Both women looked haggled and tired, and he decided that perhaps, he would gain their trust if the Rurouni greeted them instead. Yes, he mused, it would be much easier if a sweet, clueless, all the while 'lovable' idiot greeted them, than a cold, calculating vampire with an agenda of his own.
Kaoru staggered with the help of Megumi to find a scruffy pair of over worn sneakers in the pathway of her vision. She was tired, angry and irritable; all she wanted to do was to plop into a bed and sleep. Why the hell did she ever want to know how to walk again? She didn't care, the only thing standing between her and a bed was the owner of these scruffy shoes. On the other hand, the feeling of dread had miraculously disappeared.
"Oh, excuse me, do you need anything?" Megumi's voice could now be heard asking this perpetrator in an unusually nice manner. Kaoru became suspicious. In the 5 years she had known Megumi, she had never been just plain outwardly nice.
"Sessha was wondering if the job opening you posted was still available." Kaoru's eyes remained fixed on the speaker's shoes. Kaoru determined that while the speaker was a man, it was a womanly man. So Megumi was trying to hire someone? But what for? Did Megumi really think that this womanly man could stop her from escaping into the real world? Now that she was out of the hospital, she had free reign over her life, and it was going to start by getting the hell out of Japan.
"Oh yes, the job is still open! Come inside and we'll talk more." Megumi motioned towards the clinic door and readjusted her grip around Kaoru's waist. "For starters, you can carry her in." Kaoru snapped her head up and glared at Megumi, ignoring Kenshin.
"I don't need to be carried."
"Fine, we'll walk in, and you can crawl your way in from here." Kaoru fumed. If I could, I'd crawl away from here. Kaoru opened her mouth, ready to rebuke the kitsune doctor.
"Maa maa…It's no trouble." That was all Kaoru heard before she was lifted bride style by the womanly man. Oh how humiliating. Kaoru was mortified, here she was, a grown woman at age 25 being carried by a he/she. Decidedly she fixed her glare at her carrier. He had a large bandage over his left cheek and long auburn hair was accented with deep plum colored eyes. His face was sharply defined, yet rounded at the edges, and his skin was a milky white. Just my luck, the first guy I meet in 7 years is prettier than I am.
Kenshin fidgeted, she didn't look happy and under her critical stare he felt inferior. Was he that transparent? Did the Battousai make things too obvious? Was it that apparent that he wanted nothing more than to run away from here and never return? The petite girl then turned her gaze and sulked. He was relieved.
"I'm sorry; I didn't catch your name." Kenshin looked over to the amused doctor and blushed.
"My name is Himura Shinta."
Kaoru snorted. Even his name was girly. Then Megumi opened the door and led them both inside.
Sanosuke watched silently as the Rurouni was led inside the clinic. He hated how his master was reduced to this bumbling idiot, a mere shadow of the vampire. Had the girl glared at the Battousai…hah…the Battousai would've glared back, not fidget like a wimp. He would find a way to restore his master to his former glory. The Rurouni was a threat, because, while he was generally obedient, Sanosuke knew it was only a matter of time before he would rebel. A rebellion would result in setbacks. And while in the past, setbacks were trivial, now they were a hindrance. With both Hajime Saitou and Yukishiro Enishi on the loose, more and more of their armies were getting staked or fried. And then there was Shishio Makoto. The rouge slayer who killed everyone and anyone, regardless of whether they were vampire or human, in times like these, the Rurouni was not needed.
However, his master would be displeased with him if he voiced these opinions and he turned on his heel. Katsu and Tae were working on finding new targets, so it would be a while before he could get any action, and he sighed. He might as well head back towards the hospital and put those miserable patients out of their pain.
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Tae sighed as she read the red letter again. A red letter could only mean that they were back to the underground wars between different aspiring vampires. Declaration of war had been pronounced by the Battousai, and her master had stated "All those who think to challenge me, do so." The first reply was from Shogo Amakusa, and he had been slaughtered immediately. Here in her hands lay the second reply, from Jineh and it was her duty to find out all she could about this man.
She was not concerned about her master's skills. Of course he could beat Jineh. What concerned Sekihara Tae was the woman in the picture that belonged to Saitou. That wretched man would come back to the Akabeko though. Once you found a willing information source, you were likely to come back. By then, perhaps her master would allow her to poison his soba. However, until then, she was stuck in a rut. With the lunch rush hour gone, Tae plopped into one of the nice wooden chairs. She'd have to send Katsu news before sunset, which was only a few hours away.
Jingle Jingle
Tae groaned as she put on a cheerful face to face her new customer.
"Irraishimase!" She bowed and upon standing upright again, noticed her customer to be none other than Yukishiro Enishi. Tae wanted to laugh. Two slayers in one day, and for this one, she did have the permission to poison. She reached into her apron pocket and fingered the small bottle of clear, odorless poison and with a small smile, led him to a table.
Yukishiro Enishi looked through wary turquoise eyes at his waitress, sensing was not right about her. Perhaps it was the way she squinted all the time. It reminded him of his new partner. His partner would always squint to hide those hideous yellow eyes. Removing his mauve colored sunglasses, he massaged the bridge of his nose and his white hair fell in front of his in a mess. Another day of searching for a trace of the Battousai had ended the same way it always did. It had ended in complete and utter failure. Whenever he found a trail, a glimmer of hope, the Battousai would send one of an infinite number of minions to snuff it out.
Tsubame treaded quietly to silent and unhappy customer, cowering behind her tray. Yahiko was outside, getting rid of the garbage and Tae was…she didn't want to think about what Tae was doing. She could feel the hairs on her neck rise as she walked closer to the man.
"Do you know what you want to order?"
Enishi snapped out of his reverie to stare at the little girl. She had big brown eyes and short hair, and would probably someday grow to be very pretty. However, not as pretty as his oneechan, no one could ever be as pretty as his oneechan. Perhaps the only person that was pretty enough was Megumi-san, the person who had taken him in after his oneechan died. He would perform his jinchuu upon the Battousai to avenge both him and Megumi-san.
"Um, sir?" Enishi snapped out of his second reverie and smiled. Tsubame however wanted to run. To run away from this crazy old man with a freaky smile, to run away from the Akabeko.
"No, but I'll be back…sooner or later. Ja."
From the back room, Tae fumed as Tsubame let Enishi leave.
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Kaoru frowned as Megumi had 'Shinta' place her into a room with a small cot, window and books. It was like being in the hospital again. Kaoru silently seethed her hate, she was caged again. Actually the hospital was a lot better. She had moved from one prison to another.
"Well, we'll leave you to get acquainted with your new room. Have fun." Megumi nearly flinched at the pure hate in Kaoru's glare which was aimed directly at her.
With pure amusement, the Battousai's gaze flickered from the lame, hateful patient and the insecure, anxious doctor. He had no work to do as their relationship was already going downhill. He was just a catalyst and would help them hate each other faster. He watched the situation from the Rurouni's eyes and as the Rurouni left the room along with Megumi.
Stop it, stop thinking like that!
Kenshin ignored the Rurouni's pleading and shoved him out of the way. He looked at the inside of the clinic which had once been the headquarters of those who opposed him. He now had free access into the clinic anytime he wanted.
"So, you want this job right?" As 'Shinta' smiled, Megumi felt uneasy. His face had become more angular and his skin had become paler than she thought was possible. As he opened his eyes to look her straight in the eyes, she felt her throat go dry. They were a bright golden color that she remembered oh so very well.
A scream erupted through the Genzai Medical Clinic.
