Hey everyone, this is Nicky9. I have decided once again to continue writing my fics. You can say I receive inspiration from a very good friend, who wouldn't give up on me. Deseray in the meantime decided to focus more on school. I will only continue to update my fics when I update others. I will try to write most and update most of them at the same time. If anyone has comments, questions, or suggestions, please leave them in your review. Thank you for those who supported Deseray. I don't take flames.
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Rurouni Kenshin. But I don't. : (
The Shades of the Prey
Chapter three
A young girl no older then thirteen walked over to the sink to rinse her hands from the onions she helped her grandfather cut. Slowly peering over her small shoulder, her green eyes inspected the small table behind her. She wanted everything to be perfect. A pile of garlic cloves was neatly arranged in a small dish. Next to it was a bundle of spinach leaves, her grandfather planned to fry down. However, before frying it down, she had to stop off at the grocery store around the corner of her block to pick up a special item, an item known as basil.
"Ayame, here is the money for the basil. Come home on time. It is getting dark outside," said her grandfather with a serious tone.
Ayame nodded her head. She put up her light brown hair in a quick ponytail, got the money her grandfather handed her, and headed out the door.
Outside, New York streets were always crowded. People, who lived at the Lower East Side, lived in small crowded tenements, which cooped more then one family per tenement. Most of the people living in tenements were immigrants who traveled to land of freedom known as the United States of America. Here was the talk of equality, the talk of freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion, which rumored throughout the urban life. Families came here for a better life, yet, none of these things happened. Many crimes took place at the Lower East Side. Because the people who lived in this side were poor, justice could not prevail so easily.
Ayame struggled to pass through the crowded of people. Each of them swarmed her direction, nearly knocking her small frame to the floor. Her destination to the grocery store was almost near her, when a group of men literally knocked her small frame to the floor. At first she thought the intentions of the men were kind, but only when her green eyes peered the messy light brown of her hair, did she see something in their eyes she did not wish to see.
With haste, her senses calling to her run from the thugs, Ayame got to her feet. One step went after the other as she turned another direction. Her body screamed for her to run. Her throat dried up, could not form any words. One of the large men grabbed her around her small waist, and practically picked her off her feet. She tried with all her might to fend off the large bulky arms, which squeezed the very air from her lungs, only to fail. No one noticed her being kidnapped. No one cared. They only cared about themselves. There was no compassion in their soul for a helpless stranger.
A sudden urge to fight, to flee from the thugs who now held her captive took over her. She bent her small frame low, bit the thug's left arm so hard, she could taste the bitter liquid of blood in her mouth.
"You bitch!" cried a voice. The last she could remember was feeling a hard knock against her head before everything went blank
Amongst the shadows in one of the dark alleyways, there was a stranger who cared. With his chocolate brown eyes fixed on the thugs who threw the limp girl in the carriage, he promised retribution. Those thugs were going to pay with their very lives.
Kaoru sat before her idle, her God, mediating her ancient beliefs. Then a quick sudden shift of her insides, her blood flowing hotly through her veins, caused her to cease praying to her lord. Instead she raised one fisted hand over heart, as she heard her heartbeat thundering throughout the room. She had one of those visions again, except this one wasn't bloody. Oh no it was not. It was a vision of a young girl who was taken in broad daylight. She felt fear running through the girl emotions in her vision, the need to run away, to go home into her sanctuary place. Kaoru felt the air running low through the girl's lungs, how she fought to keep conscious; to get someone to noticed her. But no one did. The place was too crowded, and no bothered to observe their surroundings or to help the defenseless girl. No one.
As fast as Kaoru tried to get her vision out of her head, the more it came at her causing her anguished, causing her to cry out in such pain. She balled her fists at her temples, as she banged her head on the floor. No one noticed the helpless, no one cared. There was not one who gave a damn, about the souls who were born in such ranks, and could not afford to protect themselves in such dark events that happened all over the world.
Just then, she felt a small hand clutching her face, trying to stop her from hurting herself even more. She looked through her long dark lashes to see a beautiful face looking at her with such concern in the ember eyes. Kaoru knew the woman, for she worked as a servant at the Kamiya's residence for quite a while. She was the best worker of all the maids, and Kaoru's best friend.
"Kaoru, please calm down! You are going to attract attention up here, and your mother would not like that idea," said the young maid with a concern tone. The maid carefully wrapped her arms around Kaoru, and helped her stand up.
Kaoru was so weak, her mind swirled in endless circles. Her head throbbed so much, yet the impact of the vision did not leave her in peace. Its remnants still haunted her very soul
"Did you have one of those visions again Kaoru?" asked the maid beside her, as she helped her walk her into her room.
"Yes Misao, I did have one of those visions, and this one was not pleasant as the last one," said Kaoru carefully. Her throat was all dried up, so her words came out croaky.
"What was this one about?" By the time Kaoru got to her bed, she didn't seem notice anything else but the soft western bed, the soft mattress beckoning her to sleep. The grand golden shades of the canopy welcomed her senses, indulged her to fall asleep. This was the only luxury her stepmother could not take away from her. She took away everything else, her home, her clothes, her rich food, her education, but she could not deprive her of her luxury room, and her sprit. Not when her biological father was still alive.
"Are you sure you want to know Misao?" She closed her eyes, to give herself away to her dreamland.
"I want to know and I demand you tell me this instant," pointed out Misao.
Kaoru opened her eyes, and let the remnants of her vision take over her. Slowly it consumed her whole body, taking over her personality. With a strange voice Misao did not recognize Kaoru whispered, "Another innocent girl has been kidnapped."
In the dimness of the offices, the hearings of rattling papers, the voices of men in distances, Battousai passed them all. He didn't have time to observe his surrounding, not after the distress telegram he received from candidate Katsura who reported a next abduction.
His quick strides led him to the corner of the building he was in. At his right, he saw Katsura stranding before his window. His back turned away from the door. Battousai with keen senses, felt worry in the atmosphere, he even felt doubt. One of his special gifts of sense was being able to determine the atmosphere of a room. His teacher, taught him that a very good fighter must rely on his senses to know about their opponent, or they die from not knowing anything at all. After all death was the ultimate punishment. The main theme was to kill, or be killed.
Battousai entered the office. He saw a pile of folders laying on the table, dimmed candles that were lit, flickered with the little fresh winter breeze that escaped from outside.
"I was wondering when you were going to get in. Abduction has happened again. An old man, came here to report his grand daughter went missing in the afternoon," said Katsura lightly. However, his body posture spoke differently from the tone of his voice, Battousai observed. "He sent her to buy something at the grocery store and she never came back."
"Do you know where I could find this man who claimed his grand daughter to be missing?" asked Battousai. Just after asking his question, he felt another presence behind him, waiting to be found.
Slowly Battousai whirled around to see the old man staring at him. His eyes held so much grief. His old, faded clothes spoke of his social class. His wrinkles on his face, the puffiness of his cheeks, the redness under his eyes, spoke of all the waiting, all the stress he went through for his grand daughter. And then another small figure appeared. It looked like a young girl no older then eight. Her red hair was tied in pinky tales, her innocent light brown eyes looked directly at Battousai. He saw no hint of fear, just laughter, like she knew nothing happened to what he assumed to be her older sister.
"You don't have to look very far. I waited here for your arrival to tell you all I know about my grand daughter's disappearance," said old man with a rough voice. His eyes seemed to sadden much more, when he mentioned the disappearance of his grand daughter.
"Exactly what can you tell me about this case?" Battousai walked closer to the old man who did not flinched by his action, however, the girl who was once beside the old man, moved behind him.
"I found an eye witness who saw everything of what happened to my grand daughter."
