Author's Note: Sorry again for the delay… Anyway, no one's stopping me now. I put my blood and sweat into this, you better believe it! … … … all right, I'm exaggerating. But really, I worked harder on this one for all of you so I hope you like it. It might be a little bloody though. hahaha!! Just check it out, will ya? -_-x
Chapter 5: "Swordplay"
Accept it when it's there…
"Ha… hanase!! Hanase yo!!" Three ninjas dragged an enemy to add to their captives which are locked up in their lair. Chaos was still in the air. The screams were ear-bashing as the clanks of swords and weapons and the thudding rumble of that rainy night blankets every sound. Their feet sank in the muddy grounds while the rain blocks their view. By the minute, the men clad in red bands were decreasing. Blackness seems to slowly dominate the fields.
"Kuso teme!! I said let go!!" The man struggled to break loose of their grip but they were just too strong. He could have easily jabbed any of them if only his arms were untied. He desperately tried to look for a way to get loose. He called out to his allies on the fields but his captors were hitting him to shut up. Every hit changes his sight from hazy to blur. He could see figures of people beside him on the mud as he looked from left to right. He was dizzy; his world was dark, confusing, painful yet sad. He could hear screams and pleads for help and mercy, and one by one those cries are silenced by a slash of a sword. Next to it was the sound of a thud on the ground and the splashing of the puddles of mud formed by the rain. Though the man wasn't blaring and drawing attention, he knew that it's not very long 'til he feels that blade on his skin. Nevertheless, he wasn't even close to giving up. He tried with all the energy he had left to stand up and sneak his way out, but he didn't realize that there were ninjas all over the place and they just kept on hitting him back down on his knees. Despite all his efforts, a silhouette of a ninja, with a sword in his hand, came up in front of him.
"Aren't you gonna plead, maggot?! Still want to try and escape? Well maybe you didn't notice but your troop's being washed out. There's no way you'll be getting out of my sight alive, that's why I think this would be the best time for you to cry for your dear life!!"
The man kept a straight face while the ninjas were laughing at him. He didn't pay much attention on what they were saying. He was busy analyzing his surroundings and watching out for his other companions who still might be alive.
"Hey fucker! Where are you lookin'? Your killer's right here!" The ninja slapped him in the face and the others just kept on laughing. Suddenly, the killer changed his mood and gripped his sword much tighter as he raised it above him.
"Let's end this…" The ninja let out a battle cry as he was about to swing his sword to the ground. The man, admitting defeat, closed his eyes and waited for the pain…
"Yamero!!!" Setsuka bolted up from her sleep with sweat dripping from her face. She was panting so hard it's almost as if she was running her whole life. She's been having the same dream almost every night and it's scaring the shit out of her even after a long time it has happened. She has already accepted that her brother is dead, but she couldn't help but feel guilty that she wasn't strong enough to help him. Setsuka looked towards the window and saw that the sun wasn't out yet. The memory of the message she got the night before rushed into her. She knew what she had to do then so she got dressed and picked up her sword. She carefully treaded the hall towards the kitchen door, where she would be facing opposite the streets, so as not to wake up anyone. She looked at every direction making sure that no one will see her nor follow her. With the assurance that the coast was clear, she shut the door behind her then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After repeating in her mind what she had to do, she opened her eyes; gripped her sword tight at her waist; and dashed towards the middle of the woods.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Come out! I'm here! There's no need for you to involve anyone else!" Setsuka spotted and went to the said clearing in the forest which appears to be empty. Despite the silence and the seemingly absence of anyone other than herself, she's expecting and anticipating an ambush at any moment.
"Come on! Are we gonna settle this or not?!" Setsuka took one turn to scan her every side for anything suspicious then stood still to sense their presence.
"Did you know that ninjas are more likely to do a job done than a samurai?" A low voice answered her in the dark. She turned her head slightly to the right while her attention was at the person she sensed at her far back behind the trees.
"My, my, my… I didn't think this would be so easy. We've been chasing after you for quite some time now and I got to admit that you put up a very good fight. But I wouldn't have thought that a simple note can cease our chase and make you come to us." Still with her back to him, Setsuka retorted to that familiar voice with a smirk.
"Well, I wouldn't be stupid enough to come to you if that simple note didn't have any threats for people other than me. But don't get me wrong Kisho, I'm not here to surrender." Then, the man behind her decided to come out and she turned to face him.
"Don't you see? Look around you. You don't have to say whether you're surrendering or not… you're already dead!" Setsuka slightly lifted her sword with her left thumb as she ready it to be drawn. She felt more and more ninjas emerging from the shadows with all their weapons ready to be lashed at her with just a sign from their leader, Kisho. She tried to know her stand in that outnumbered situation while the man just kept on talking.
"Oh… right! You're here to be a savior, a hero to your friends!! That's bullshit, honey. You should know better than to think we keep our word."
"Who said I did?" With that, she charged at them with full force. She would appear to be overpowered but the first strike blew three of them to the ground. She back-flipped out of the hurdle to get some room then she spun 2 times with her blade at the torso level in the first spin and down to the knees on the second. Then, she thrust her sword forward and pierced 2 of the men in their stomachs. The ninjas shrieked in pain as she turned the blade clockwise then cut them from middle to top. All the while, Setsuka drew a dagger and used it to fend off others who were behind her. Nevertheless, she still has cuts here and there. She just doesn't appear to be affected by it. And because she's getting really pissed off, one had his hand chop off not long before his head was; the other desperately tried to stop the bleeding from his eyes; and some are frantically struggling to save what's left of their body. They must have been going at each other for a few hours 'cause now the sun's halfway out. But nobody seems to be showing any signs of stopping, despite the pain and exhaustion. It was really a brutal sight. As the scene gradually presented the upper hand to be hers, Kisho commanded his other troops to finish their mission and head to the dojo.
"Finish them off. I'll keep this bitch preoccupied. And make sure you get the job done! I don't want any witnesses!" Setsuka, now her blade and hands are splattered with blood, noticed another batch of thugs ran right past her towards the direction of the dojo.
"Hey!! Where are you going?! It's me you want, come get me!!"
"Shut up bitch! We're just trying to preserve our beliefs, and to achieve that, we don't need anyone meddling with our plans… including your friends." Kisho watched as Setsuka struggled with her anger and confusion.
"Chikusho! But they don't know shit!!" Setsuka couldn't hold it any longer. She made one huge swing around her ending up cutting everyone within the sword's reach. Then she immediately dashed towards the dojo, hoping to catch the thugs before they get there. All the while worrying herself that Yahiko and the others might be put to danger.
'They mustn't know… they mustn't know… Shinta mustn't know who I am!!'
~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey, Kenshin. Is Setsuka up yet?" Sanosuke asked right when he arrived that morning. Kenshin was about to speak when Kaoru walked by to the kitchen.
"Wow. No 'What's for breakfast?' today?" Kenshin just smiled knowing that this could be a start of another argue.
"Well, guess who woke up at the wrong side of the bed… Wait a minute, do I even say that? I must be crazy if I'm looking for food you cooked." Then a knife came flying from the kitchen window towards him. He managed to move out of its way but it sure did scare him quite a bit. Kenshin was also surprised.
"Whoa, lady! I was kidding!" Sano then looked at Kenshin for answers. Kenshin just scratched his head and smiled as always when he didn't know what to say. From behind him, Yahiko approached them groggily.
"What's all the noise about?" The boy glanced from Kenshin and Sano then to the kitchen.
"Is she preparing our breakfast?"
"Afraid so…" Sano replied, obviously annoyed.
"Where's Setsuka anyway?" Yahiko said getting worried.
"Maybe she's just in the bathroom."
"No one's there." Yahiko immediately answered.
"Isn't she in her room?" replied Kenshin.
"I wouldn't know.."
"You shouldn't…" Sano looked at the kid with a bad stare and a sarcastic smile. Well, so did Yahiko.
"Okay, okay… Relax you two. I'll go check on her, I'm sure she's there." Kenshin said turning to go to her room.
"What?" All three of them, Sano, Yahiko and Kaoru said in unison as they looked at the halted Kenshin. Kaoru released a sigh of exasperation and left her apron by the sink.
"I'll go check on her." Kaoru left the kitchen and went straight to Setsuka's room. Kenshin turned around and saw that Yahiko and Sano were staring hard at him with an aggravated expression.
"Um… What did I do?" Yahiko and Sano just sighed and looked away. All of a sudden, Kenshin had a bad feeling. He felt something approaching from outside. The trees at the back started rustling so he knew it would be coming from there. He suddenly looked tense and he instinctively held on to his sword.
"What is it Kenshin? What's wrong?" Yahiko had a puzzled face.
"Something's coming… or someone." A moment later, ninjas came out from the bushes and the trees. There were a lot of them and each one is armed.
"What the…?" Sanosuke took a good look around and it didn't take him too long to know that they're surrounded.
"Hey! Who are you people?! Are you sure you're in the right house? The Yakuzas are in…" Kenshin touched Yahiko's shoulder and silenced him.
"Assassins don't make mistake on people they are out to kill, Yahiko." Kenshin paced forward to face them all.
"Who are you after? Who sent you?"
"Kenshin, Kenshin!! I can't find her anywhere. She's…" Kaoru ran from inside the house then fell to her knees when she saw all the black suited ninjas outside. "…gone."
The ninja in front readied his weapon.
"Yes, and soon you will be too…"
~~~~~~~~~~
"Well if you're after me, let's take this elsewhere. None of my friends should be involved in this." It was a distant voice behind the wall Setsuka was trying to get to as fast as she could. She recognized it… it was Shinta's.
'Dammit! They're already there!'
Setsuka entered the front gate and ran to the back. She has sheathed her sword; slipped it behind her baggy clothes and hid her hands in her gi. Her hair was already quite an unruly-led-down-hair and she had shallow cuts seen from her clothes. It was their first time to see Setsuka wear a gi and hakama (just like what Kaoru wears during her sword practices) and it didn't look bad. She doesn't normally wear those when she's fighting so she feels a bit awkward in them. Anyway, she was panting so hard when she stopped in front of the ninjas that she didn't have the energy to speak straight.
"Stop… this. They don't… know… anything. You… have to fight… someone? Fight me!" Setsuka didn't know how to explain all these to Sanosuke and the others at that time but somehow she will find a way… eventually. While she was reasoning with them, despite her efforts to conceal traces of her previous fight, Kenshin and the others saw blood splats on her sleeves. And blood was also dripping from her side, which made them assume she was injured in her arm.
"Setsuka, you're—" Yahiko was about to rush to her and help her but Kenshin raised his arm cut him off.
"Wait… the blood's not hers. Look…" They all glanced up at where the blood was dripping from, and they saw the end of a scabbard.
"Didn't you hear the boss?? He said ninjas are more likely to get a job done… and we tend to keep it that way!!" With that, the first man in front charged at Setsuka. Kenshin and Sanosuke were alarmed when they finally started attacking. The two guys were about to go and save Setsuka but saw that she very much didn't need help. Setsuka just tried to avoid the first few strikes but not long after did she realize that there's no point in hiding things any further, and besides, she figured she won't be able to defeat them if she won't use her sword. So she flipped backwards and drew her bloodied sword out, watou-jutsu style. Daggers came flying from the back of the fleet while punches and chains came from the front. She managed to dodge the ones in front of her while she hit the daggers with her sword. Defense was the only thing Setsuka is thinking about now. So she then tried to lure them away from Yahiko and the others but it didn't seem to be working. Very soon Setsuka realized that these men weren't after her… they were after the others.
Sanosuke didn't want to admit it but he thought Setsuka was really good. Maybe even at Kenshin's level. She moved fast and smooth and her style of fighting was different from anything he's ever seen before. He and Yahiko were stunned to see her fight while Kenshin was trying to find an opening where he could help. Kaoru couldn't believe her eyes. She guessed that they all probably have the same reaction going through their heads.
"A s… swo… sword?" Kaoru muttered.
"Blood…" Kenshin said looking at her sword and dreaded to know where it came from.
"Sh…She…"
"…kills?" Sanosuke finished Yahiko's statement.
"No…" Kenshin whispers to himself thinking it shouldn't be true. Sano wanted so badly to get Setsuka out of there so he went and tried to fight his way to her. Yahiko followed as well.
"No…" Repeatedly, Kenshin tried to convince himself not to go to conclusions. It's really not like Kenshin to just stand and watch but the sight of blood on a sword triggered his mind and instincts to go back and recall the way he once was. He closed his eyes and tried getting the brutal thoughts out of his system. Setsuka just kept fending them off and giving them kicks and punches that would slow them down. However, after some time she knew she couldn't hold them off forever. She tried to look for another way to defeat them but all she can think of was slice them to death. With all these thoughts in her head, she didn't notice right away that Sanosuke and Yahiko were with her in the fight. Then she started to panic.
"Dammit Sano! Get out of here! Yahiko, don't risk your life!!"
"We're not going anywhere…!" Sano has knocked down already a bunch of them but Yahiko can't seem to handle this much. Setsuka was frantically signaling for Yahiko to move away but he won't listen. Setsuka really didn't intend to kill anyone but when she glanced over Yahiko, she saw a ninja coming from behind him and it pushed her to head that way. God knows she'd rather have herself hurt than Yahiko. Kenshin opened his eyes just before Setsuka can make her slash.
"Noo!!" Kenshin frenetically shouted to stop her from killing anyone. As Setsuka heard him, she immediately held back her swing. She pulled out her scabbard with her left hand simultaneously to hit the enemy with it instead. Yahiko got a shallow cut on his shoulder but the man was down. He stood clear and ran towards her.
"S… Setsuka are you all right? Y… you saved me. Arigatou!" Setsuka just stared at the ground with her hair overshadowing her face. She was trembling as she held the scabbard in her left hand and her sword on the other. Sano was handling himself fine despite his bruises, but he can't maintain the control he has since the other ninjas are starting to rise up again.
"Get out of here, Yahiko…" Setsuka had a serious tone there that just made Yahiko freak out. He didn't even think of arguing because he knew her patience was really getting thin. He then ran back to a safer place. Setsuka prepared herself for more action and raised her sword together with her scabbard at the other hand. Kenshin began to walk towards them intending to help but then a voice came from the trees. The same low voice that greeted her in the forest.
"There is no need for that anymore." All their enemies stopped and moved back, recognizing from whom it came from.
"You can fight till sun-down for all I care, but you know as well as I do that nothing will come out of this. Well, not unless you plan to kill every one of us. Oh… but I forgot. You're here to be a hero, right?! You can't even make my men bleed now because they're all watching!!" Kenshin and the others stopped at their tracks as they watched Setsuka's sword tremble. She wasn't moving, just looking at the ground while Kisho continued his scandal.
"What?! Did you forget already the 27 men you killed back there?!" Kisho pointed at the forest to remind her of their fight prior to the present. Kaoru flinched at the thought and suddenly felt scared. To think that she's been acting bad around her, Kaoru finally realized that she's lucky she didn't get Setsuka pissed. Yahiko's image of her also changed. Now he has a new level of respect to her and fear as well. But the surprise was biggest to Sano. Considering they were friends before, he couldn't have thought she would be the type that could kill just like that. Kenshin and Sano didn't really plan on knowing what happened to her just before she came to Tokyo, but now it seems that it's something they SHOULD know.
"Oh look! Your sword's getting clean… why not covering it up again?!" Without even looking at her sword, Setsuka already knew what he meant. All the blood on her was gradually lessen with her every swing. She didn't mind that, she didn't even react or move… she just wanted this to end.
"Set… Setsuka-san, what's going on?" Kenshin began with a question. She did nothing.
"Ha! I don't have time for this. You might as well be talking to a knife. It kills but it doesn't talk. Besides, I have other means of getting my job done. Perhaps I should deal with Shun first. I'm sure he knows how to fix this." Kisho motioned to his men to move out. Setsuka, on the other hand, abruptly winced and looked up at Kisho when he mentioned the name Shun. She had a flabbergasted expression on her face, but the weird thing was… so was Sanosuke.
"Wh… What did you say?" Setsuka, just as sudden, now had a pleading tone. Kisho didn't mind her though.
"I'm still on to every one of you, don't forget that. This meeting isn't the end." Then he turned around.
"Wait!! Did you just say 'shun'?" Kisho didn't answer her question, he just glanced back at her with a smirk before he leaped away and left.
"No wait!!" She wanted to go after him but she knew it was too late. She was at the verge of crying but she fought it back. She couldn't believe what she heard. She wanted to process all these thoughts, nevertheless, she still had something to do. All she did was pull the tears back; make a mental note and decide to deal with that later.
"Whew! What did just happen? And who are those guys?!" Yahiko dropped down to his knees in relief.
"Kenshin, who's Shun?"
"… I have no idea Kaoru-dono. Anyway, I think it's better if we tend to their wounds first." Setsuka's really feeling exhausted but deep inside she's thinking not to break down now. She was standing still. Sano called her a couple of times but she wasn't moving. Then they started to worry.
"Set… Are you all right? About Shun, I thought he was—" Setsuka cut off Sano as he was coming close to her. She halted him by raising her sword in front of him without looking. Setsuka turned around and faced Kenshin still with her sword at Sano. The Zenkens might be gone, but she knew there's more to deal with than them.
"Hey, put the sword down. Take it easy!" Kaoru interrupted, now worrying some more. Setsuka dropped her sheath at the side then shifted her position into a stance.
"…but I've killed so many. What's one more?"
"Wait a minute. What are you talking about?"
"Set, what's the meaning of this?"
"Don't do anything stupid."
"I don't understand, what's wrong?" All of them showered her with questions simultaneously which totally piqued her more than she already is.
"Damare!" Setsuka silenced them all for the last time. She positioned herself to make a sword dance with her stare and sword pointing at Kenshin.
"This fight's not over yet…!"
----------End of Chapter 5----------
Author's note: Yes it's brutal and I might have ruined Setsuka's image forever but I guess it's all just part of the story. So… what do you think? Don't be mad at me, ok? Kenshin will turn out--- great/ ok / bad / battered--- you choose. Hehe. Reviews, reviews, reviews please! -_-x Thanx.
Chapter 5: "Swordplay"
Accept it when it's there…
"Ha… hanase!! Hanase yo!!" Three ninjas dragged an enemy to add to their captives which are locked up in their lair. Chaos was still in the air. The screams were ear-bashing as the clanks of swords and weapons and the thudding rumble of that rainy night blankets every sound. Their feet sank in the muddy grounds while the rain blocks their view. By the minute, the men clad in red bands were decreasing. Blackness seems to slowly dominate the fields.
"Kuso teme!! I said let go!!" The man struggled to break loose of their grip but they were just too strong. He could have easily jabbed any of them if only his arms were untied. He desperately tried to look for a way to get loose. He called out to his allies on the fields but his captors were hitting him to shut up. Every hit changes his sight from hazy to blur. He could see figures of people beside him on the mud as he looked from left to right. He was dizzy; his world was dark, confusing, painful yet sad. He could hear screams and pleads for help and mercy, and one by one those cries are silenced by a slash of a sword. Next to it was the sound of a thud on the ground and the splashing of the puddles of mud formed by the rain. Though the man wasn't blaring and drawing attention, he knew that it's not very long 'til he feels that blade on his skin. Nevertheless, he wasn't even close to giving up. He tried with all the energy he had left to stand up and sneak his way out, but he didn't realize that there were ninjas all over the place and they just kept on hitting him back down on his knees. Despite all his efforts, a silhouette of a ninja, with a sword in his hand, came up in front of him.
"Aren't you gonna plead, maggot?! Still want to try and escape? Well maybe you didn't notice but your troop's being washed out. There's no way you'll be getting out of my sight alive, that's why I think this would be the best time for you to cry for your dear life!!"
The man kept a straight face while the ninjas were laughing at him. He didn't pay much attention on what they were saying. He was busy analyzing his surroundings and watching out for his other companions who still might be alive.
"Hey fucker! Where are you lookin'? Your killer's right here!" The ninja slapped him in the face and the others just kept on laughing. Suddenly, the killer changed his mood and gripped his sword much tighter as he raised it above him.
"Let's end this…" The ninja let out a battle cry as he was about to swing his sword to the ground. The man, admitting defeat, closed his eyes and waited for the pain…
"Yamero!!!" Setsuka bolted up from her sleep with sweat dripping from her face. She was panting so hard it's almost as if she was running her whole life. She's been having the same dream almost every night and it's scaring the shit out of her even after a long time it has happened. She has already accepted that her brother is dead, but she couldn't help but feel guilty that she wasn't strong enough to help him. Setsuka looked towards the window and saw that the sun wasn't out yet. The memory of the message she got the night before rushed into her. She knew what she had to do then so she got dressed and picked up her sword. She carefully treaded the hall towards the kitchen door, where she would be facing opposite the streets, so as not to wake up anyone. She looked at every direction making sure that no one will see her nor follow her. With the assurance that the coast was clear, she shut the door behind her then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After repeating in her mind what she had to do, she opened her eyes; gripped her sword tight at her waist; and dashed towards the middle of the woods.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Come out! I'm here! There's no need for you to involve anyone else!" Setsuka spotted and went to the said clearing in the forest which appears to be empty. Despite the silence and the seemingly absence of anyone other than herself, she's expecting and anticipating an ambush at any moment.
"Come on! Are we gonna settle this or not?!" Setsuka took one turn to scan her every side for anything suspicious then stood still to sense their presence.
"Did you know that ninjas are more likely to do a job done than a samurai?" A low voice answered her in the dark. She turned her head slightly to the right while her attention was at the person she sensed at her far back behind the trees.
"My, my, my… I didn't think this would be so easy. We've been chasing after you for quite some time now and I got to admit that you put up a very good fight. But I wouldn't have thought that a simple note can cease our chase and make you come to us." Still with her back to him, Setsuka retorted to that familiar voice with a smirk.
"Well, I wouldn't be stupid enough to come to you if that simple note didn't have any threats for people other than me. But don't get me wrong Kisho, I'm not here to surrender." Then, the man behind her decided to come out and she turned to face him.
"Don't you see? Look around you. You don't have to say whether you're surrendering or not… you're already dead!" Setsuka slightly lifted her sword with her left thumb as she ready it to be drawn. She felt more and more ninjas emerging from the shadows with all their weapons ready to be lashed at her with just a sign from their leader, Kisho. She tried to know her stand in that outnumbered situation while the man just kept on talking.
"Oh… right! You're here to be a savior, a hero to your friends!! That's bullshit, honey. You should know better than to think we keep our word."
"Who said I did?" With that, she charged at them with full force. She would appear to be overpowered but the first strike blew three of them to the ground. She back-flipped out of the hurdle to get some room then she spun 2 times with her blade at the torso level in the first spin and down to the knees on the second. Then, she thrust her sword forward and pierced 2 of the men in their stomachs. The ninjas shrieked in pain as she turned the blade clockwise then cut them from middle to top. All the while, Setsuka drew a dagger and used it to fend off others who were behind her. Nevertheless, she still has cuts here and there. She just doesn't appear to be affected by it. And because she's getting really pissed off, one had his hand chop off not long before his head was; the other desperately tried to stop the bleeding from his eyes; and some are frantically struggling to save what's left of their body. They must have been going at each other for a few hours 'cause now the sun's halfway out. But nobody seems to be showing any signs of stopping, despite the pain and exhaustion. It was really a brutal sight. As the scene gradually presented the upper hand to be hers, Kisho commanded his other troops to finish their mission and head to the dojo.
"Finish them off. I'll keep this bitch preoccupied. And make sure you get the job done! I don't want any witnesses!" Setsuka, now her blade and hands are splattered with blood, noticed another batch of thugs ran right past her towards the direction of the dojo.
"Hey!! Where are you going?! It's me you want, come get me!!"
"Shut up bitch! We're just trying to preserve our beliefs, and to achieve that, we don't need anyone meddling with our plans… including your friends." Kisho watched as Setsuka struggled with her anger and confusion.
"Chikusho! But they don't know shit!!" Setsuka couldn't hold it any longer. She made one huge swing around her ending up cutting everyone within the sword's reach. Then she immediately dashed towards the dojo, hoping to catch the thugs before they get there. All the while worrying herself that Yahiko and the others might be put to danger.
'They mustn't know… they mustn't know… Shinta mustn't know who I am!!'
~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey, Kenshin. Is Setsuka up yet?" Sanosuke asked right when he arrived that morning. Kenshin was about to speak when Kaoru walked by to the kitchen.
"Wow. No 'What's for breakfast?' today?" Kenshin just smiled knowing that this could be a start of another argue.
"Well, guess who woke up at the wrong side of the bed… Wait a minute, do I even say that? I must be crazy if I'm looking for food you cooked." Then a knife came flying from the kitchen window towards him. He managed to move out of its way but it sure did scare him quite a bit. Kenshin was also surprised.
"Whoa, lady! I was kidding!" Sano then looked at Kenshin for answers. Kenshin just scratched his head and smiled as always when he didn't know what to say. From behind him, Yahiko approached them groggily.
"What's all the noise about?" The boy glanced from Kenshin and Sano then to the kitchen.
"Is she preparing our breakfast?"
"Afraid so…" Sano replied, obviously annoyed.
"Where's Setsuka anyway?" Yahiko said getting worried.
"Maybe she's just in the bathroom."
"No one's there." Yahiko immediately answered.
"Isn't she in her room?" replied Kenshin.
"I wouldn't know.."
"You shouldn't…" Sano looked at the kid with a bad stare and a sarcastic smile. Well, so did Yahiko.
"Okay, okay… Relax you two. I'll go check on her, I'm sure she's there." Kenshin said turning to go to her room.
"What?" All three of them, Sano, Yahiko and Kaoru said in unison as they looked at the halted Kenshin. Kaoru released a sigh of exasperation and left her apron by the sink.
"I'll go check on her." Kaoru left the kitchen and went straight to Setsuka's room. Kenshin turned around and saw that Yahiko and Sano were staring hard at him with an aggravated expression.
"Um… What did I do?" Yahiko and Sano just sighed and looked away. All of a sudden, Kenshin had a bad feeling. He felt something approaching from outside. The trees at the back started rustling so he knew it would be coming from there. He suddenly looked tense and he instinctively held on to his sword.
"What is it Kenshin? What's wrong?" Yahiko had a puzzled face.
"Something's coming… or someone." A moment later, ninjas came out from the bushes and the trees. There were a lot of them and each one is armed.
"What the…?" Sanosuke took a good look around and it didn't take him too long to know that they're surrounded.
"Hey! Who are you people?! Are you sure you're in the right house? The Yakuzas are in…" Kenshin touched Yahiko's shoulder and silenced him.
"Assassins don't make mistake on people they are out to kill, Yahiko." Kenshin paced forward to face them all.
"Who are you after? Who sent you?"
"Kenshin, Kenshin!! I can't find her anywhere. She's…" Kaoru ran from inside the house then fell to her knees when she saw all the black suited ninjas outside. "…gone."
The ninja in front readied his weapon.
"Yes, and soon you will be too…"
~~~~~~~~~~
"Well if you're after me, let's take this elsewhere. None of my friends should be involved in this." It was a distant voice behind the wall Setsuka was trying to get to as fast as she could. She recognized it… it was Shinta's.
'Dammit! They're already there!'
Setsuka entered the front gate and ran to the back. She has sheathed her sword; slipped it behind her baggy clothes and hid her hands in her gi. Her hair was already quite an unruly-led-down-hair and she had shallow cuts seen from her clothes. It was their first time to see Setsuka wear a gi and hakama (just like what Kaoru wears during her sword practices) and it didn't look bad. She doesn't normally wear those when she's fighting so she feels a bit awkward in them. Anyway, she was panting so hard when she stopped in front of the ninjas that she didn't have the energy to speak straight.
"Stop… this. They don't… know… anything. You… have to fight… someone? Fight me!" Setsuka didn't know how to explain all these to Sanosuke and the others at that time but somehow she will find a way… eventually. While she was reasoning with them, despite her efforts to conceal traces of her previous fight, Kenshin and the others saw blood splats on her sleeves. And blood was also dripping from her side, which made them assume she was injured in her arm.
"Setsuka, you're—" Yahiko was about to rush to her and help her but Kenshin raised his arm cut him off.
"Wait… the blood's not hers. Look…" They all glanced up at where the blood was dripping from, and they saw the end of a scabbard.
"Didn't you hear the boss?? He said ninjas are more likely to get a job done… and we tend to keep it that way!!" With that, the first man in front charged at Setsuka. Kenshin and Sanosuke were alarmed when they finally started attacking. The two guys were about to go and save Setsuka but saw that she very much didn't need help. Setsuka just tried to avoid the first few strikes but not long after did she realize that there's no point in hiding things any further, and besides, she figured she won't be able to defeat them if she won't use her sword. So she flipped backwards and drew her bloodied sword out, watou-jutsu style. Daggers came flying from the back of the fleet while punches and chains came from the front. She managed to dodge the ones in front of her while she hit the daggers with her sword. Defense was the only thing Setsuka is thinking about now. So she then tried to lure them away from Yahiko and the others but it didn't seem to be working. Very soon Setsuka realized that these men weren't after her… they were after the others.
Sanosuke didn't want to admit it but he thought Setsuka was really good. Maybe even at Kenshin's level. She moved fast and smooth and her style of fighting was different from anything he's ever seen before. He and Yahiko were stunned to see her fight while Kenshin was trying to find an opening where he could help. Kaoru couldn't believe her eyes. She guessed that they all probably have the same reaction going through their heads.
"A s… swo… sword?" Kaoru muttered.
"Blood…" Kenshin said looking at her sword and dreaded to know where it came from.
"Sh…She…"
"…kills?" Sanosuke finished Yahiko's statement.
"No…" Kenshin whispers to himself thinking it shouldn't be true. Sano wanted so badly to get Setsuka out of there so he went and tried to fight his way to her. Yahiko followed as well.
"No…" Repeatedly, Kenshin tried to convince himself not to go to conclusions. It's really not like Kenshin to just stand and watch but the sight of blood on a sword triggered his mind and instincts to go back and recall the way he once was. He closed his eyes and tried getting the brutal thoughts out of his system. Setsuka just kept fending them off and giving them kicks and punches that would slow them down. However, after some time she knew she couldn't hold them off forever. She tried to look for another way to defeat them but all she can think of was slice them to death. With all these thoughts in her head, she didn't notice right away that Sanosuke and Yahiko were with her in the fight. Then she started to panic.
"Dammit Sano! Get out of here! Yahiko, don't risk your life!!"
"We're not going anywhere…!" Sano has knocked down already a bunch of them but Yahiko can't seem to handle this much. Setsuka was frantically signaling for Yahiko to move away but he won't listen. Setsuka really didn't intend to kill anyone but when she glanced over Yahiko, she saw a ninja coming from behind him and it pushed her to head that way. God knows she'd rather have herself hurt than Yahiko. Kenshin opened his eyes just before Setsuka can make her slash.
"Noo!!" Kenshin frenetically shouted to stop her from killing anyone. As Setsuka heard him, she immediately held back her swing. She pulled out her scabbard with her left hand simultaneously to hit the enemy with it instead. Yahiko got a shallow cut on his shoulder but the man was down. He stood clear and ran towards her.
"S… Setsuka are you all right? Y… you saved me. Arigatou!" Setsuka just stared at the ground with her hair overshadowing her face. She was trembling as she held the scabbard in her left hand and her sword on the other. Sano was handling himself fine despite his bruises, but he can't maintain the control he has since the other ninjas are starting to rise up again.
"Get out of here, Yahiko…" Setsuka had a serious tone there that just made Yahiko freak out. He didn't even think of arguing because he knew her patience was really getting thin. He then ran back to a safer place. Setsuka prepared herself for more action and raised her sword together with her scabbard at the other hand. Kenshin began to walk towards them intending to help but then a voice came from the trees. The same low voice that greeted her in the forest.
"There is no need for that anymore." All their enemies stopped and moved back, recognizing from whom it came from.
"You can fight till sun-down for all I care, but you know as well as I do that nothing will come out of this. Well, not unless you plan to kill every one of us. Oh… but I forgot. You're here to be a hero, right?! You can't even make my men bleed now because they're all watching!!" Kenshin and the others stopped at their tracks as they watched Setsuka's sword tremble. She wasn't moving, just looking at the ground while Kisho continued his scandal.
"What?! Did you forget already the 27 men you killed back there?!" Kisho pointed at the forest to remind her of their fight prior to the present. Kaoru flinched at the thought and suddenly felt scared. To think that she's been acting bad around her, Kaoru finally realized that she's lucky she didn't get Setsuka pissed. Yahiko's image of her also changed. Now he has a new level of respect to her and fear as well. But the surprise was biggest to Sano. Considering they were friends before, he couldn't have thought she would be the type that could kill just like that. Kenshin and Sano didn't really plan on knowing what happened to her just before she came to Tokyo, but now it seems that it's something they SHOULD know.
"Oh look! Your sword's getting clean… why not covering it up again?!" Without even looking at her sword, Setsuka already knew what he meant. All the blood on her was gradually lessen with her every swing. She didn't mind that, she didn't even react or move… she just wanted this to end.
"Set… Setsuka-san, what's going on?" Kenshin began with a question. She did nothing.
"Ha! I don't have time for this. You might as well be talking to a knife. It kills but it doesn't talk. Besides, I have other means of getting my job done. Perhaps I should deal with Shun first. I'm sure he knows how to fix this." Kisho motioned to his men to move out. Setsuka, on the other hand, abruptly winced and looked up at Kisho when he mentioned the name Shun. She had a flabbergasted expression on her face, but the weird thing was… so was Sanosuke.
"Wh… What did you say?" Setsuka, just as sudden, now had a pleading tone. Kisho didn't mind her though.
"I'm still on to every one of you, don't forget that. This meeting isn't the end." Then he turned around.
"Wait!! Did you just say 'shun'?" Kisho didn't answer her question, he just glanced back at her with a smirk before he leaped away and left.
"No wait!!" She wanted to go after him but she knew it was too late. She was at the verge of crying but she fought it back. She couldn't believe what she heard. She wanted to process all these thoughts, nevertheless, she still had something to do. All she did was pull the tears back; make a mental note and decide to deal with that later.
"Whew! What did just happen? And who are those guys?!" Yahiko dropped down to his knees in relief.
"Kenshin, who's Shun?"
"… I have no idea Kaoru-dono. Anyway, I think it's better if we tend to their wounds first." Setsuka's really feeling exhausted but deep inside she's thinking not to break down now. She was standing still. Sano called her a couple of times but she wasn't moving. Then they started to worry.
"Set… Are you all right? About Shun, I thought he was—" Setsuka cut off Sano as he was coming close to her. She halted him by raising her sword in front of him without looking. Setsuka turned around and faced Kenshin still with her sword at Sano. The Zenkens might be gone, but she knew there's more to deal with than them.
"Hey, put the sword down. Take it easy!" Kaoru interrupted, now worrying some more. Setsuka dropped her sheath at the side then shifted her position into a stance.
"…but I've killed so many. What's one more?"
"Wait a minute. What are you talking about?"
"Set, what's the meaning of this?"
"Don't do anything stupid."
"I don't understand, what's wrong?" All of them showered her with questions simultaneously which totally piqued her more than she already is.
"Damare!" Setsuka silenced them all for the last time. She positioned herself to make a sword dance with her stare and sword pointing at Kenshin.
"This fight's not over yet…!"
----------End of Chapter 5----------
Author's note: Yes it's brutal and I might have ruined Setsuka's image forever but I guess it's all just part of the story. So… what do you think? Don't be mad at me, ok? Kenshin will turn out--- great/ ok / bad / battered--- you choose. Hehe. Reviews, reviews, reviews please! -_-x Thanx.