CHAPTER 12: Neko?
Saito opened his eyes and groggily stood up. His clothes had dried, which meant that he had slept for a while. Taikan's body was floating at the top of the bloody water. Saito nearly got sick from seeing the sight. He looked down at himself and realized that his clothes were in tatters. His gi was hanging off of one shoulder; the other sleeve was torn off completely. The hakama that he was wearing was torn in many places and was nearly hanging off of his hips.
Saito walked to the small room at the end of the springs and pulled out a new gi and hakama, both blue. He peeled the bloody clothes off of his thin frame and dropped them on the floor. It was only then that he noticed all of his wounds. If Tokio saw him like this, he'd be bedridden for nearly a week. Saito thought for a minute. Tokio... he needed to save her. He didn't bother bandaging his wounds and quickly dressed in the new clothes. He grabbed the katana from the wall where it had managed to get stuck and limped weakly to the tunnel where he crawled in and back to the main base. He hoped he wasn't too late... to save both Tokio and Gimmei.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Gimmei gave another whimper, feeling the man's fingers on her bare skin. She craned her neck and bit one of his fingers and he pulled his and away, yelping in pain.
"That's it!" one of the ninjas yelled, grabbing her and pulling her up. She felt his hands wrap around her and she gasped, trying to escape. The ropes on her ankles stopped her and she fell on her face.
"Nooooo..." Gimmei groaned. "I hate this!" Then, quieter: "Saito! Where are you?" As if to answer her question, there was a loud scream from outside the door and it was suddenly tossed open.
"Drop her," a cold voice commanded. "NOW." The ninjas turned and gasped.
"The wolf!"
"He's still alive!"
"What about Taikan?"
"He can't kill him!"
"NO WAY!"
"This is insane," the ninja holding Gimmei spat. "Kill him." Gimmei struggled to get free, but the man struck her behind the head and she slumped forward in a daze. The ninjas attacked the figure in the door only to be skewered by his Gatotsu.
"I said let her go!" the figure in the door said. The ninja dropped Gimmei unceremoniously on the floor and faced his opponent.
"You're remarkable, but not enough to defeat---"the sword was shoved into his heart. "—Me..." the ninja finished, choking on the word. He fell to the floor with the others. Gimmei's body was shaking.
"S-S-S-Saito..." Gimmei sobbed. Saito walked over to where she was sitting on the floor and tossed her some clothes.
"Found these outside and I thought you'd need 'em," Saito said. Gimmei sniffed in reply. Saito turned away as Gimmei got dressed.
"Thank you," Gimmei mumbled. She sat on the floor, trying to wipe away the never-ending river of tears. Saito kneeled next to her.
"Neko?" Saito asked. Gimmei held back another sniff. Saito sighed. She was, after all, only a thirteen-year-old girl. He was about to stand when Gimmei turned and sniffed again, looking at the floor.
"I was... so... scared..." Gimmei burst into tears again. Saito stared at the weeping girl. It was almost like her outburst when he admitted to killing her father.
"Neko?" Gimmei said nothing. Instead, she crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around his stomach. It startled Saito so much that he dropped his sword. Gimmei buried her head in his chest and cried. Saito sat for a minute, wondering what to do.
Tokio was always better at this than I was, Saito thought to himself. Let's see... what would she do if she were in my position right now? Saito thought long and hard on the subject and finally came to the conclusion that Tokio would... he gulped... HUG the girl. Saito was about to push the thought aside and throw Gimmei off, but then realized that it wouldn't help the situation any. He gave a small sigh and wrapped an arm around Gimmei's small, trembling body. Gimmei hugged him tighter, not quite ready to let go. And Saito let her, waiting for her tears to stop.
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A/N: Saito was a little OOC in this chapter. There isn't much else to say, but the story will be finished soon (I think). Thanks for reading!!
REVIEW RESPONSES:
Kairi7: You're such a faithful reader!! Thank you!! I'll try to continue hurrying... ^____^
MissBehavin: You know... punching him might not help... ^______^ Okay, so Kenshin hasn't fought yet, but he will soon!! I hated him for knocking out Saito-sama's tooth, too! It must've hurt... Hope you liked this chapter!! Thanks for everything!!
Saito opened his eyes and groggily stood up. His clothes had dried, which meant that he had slept for a while. Taikan's body was floating at the top of the bloody water. Saito nearly got sick from seeing the sight. He looked down at himself and realized that his clothes were in tatters. His gi was hanging off of one shoulder; the other sleeve was torn off completely. The hakama that he was wearing was torn in many places and was nearly hanging off of his hips.
Saito walked to the small room at the end of the springs and pulled out a new gi and hakama, both blue. He peeled the bloody clothes off of his thin frame and dropped them on the floor. It was only then that he noticed all of his wounds. If Tokio saw him like this, he'd be bedridden for nearly a week. Saito thought for a minute. Tokio... he needed to save her. He didn't bother bandaging his wounds and quickly dressed in the new clothes. He grabbed the katana from the wall where it had managed to get stuck and limped weakly to the tunnel where he crawled in and back to the main base. He hoped he wasn't too late... to save both Tokio and Gimmei.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Gimmei gave another whimper, feeling the man's fingers on her bare skin. She craned her neck and bit one of his fingers and he pulled his and away, yelping in pain.
"That's it!" one of the ninjas yelled, grabbing her and pulling her up. She felt his hands wrap around her and she gasped, trying to escape. The ropes on her ankles stopped her and she fell on her face.
"Nooooo..." Gimmei groaned. "I hate this!" Then, quieter: "Saito! Where are you?" As if to answer her question, there was a loud scream from outside the door and it was suddenly tossed open.
"Drop her," a cold voice commanded. "NOW." The ninjas turned and gasped.
"The wolf!"
"He's still alive!"
"What about Taikan?"
"He can't kill him!"
"NO WAY!"
"This is insane," the ninja holding Gimmei spat. "Kill him." Gimmei struggled to get free, but the man struck her behind the head and she slumped forward in a daze. The ninjas attacked the figure in the door only to be skewered by his Gatotsu.
"I said let her go!" the figure in the door said. The ninja dropped Gimmei unceremoniously on the floor and faced his opponent.
"You're remarkable, but not enough to defeat---"the sword was shoved into his heart. "—Me..." the ninja finished, choking on the word. He fell to the floor with the others. Gimmei's body was shaking.
"S-S-S-Saito..." Gimmei sobbed. Saito walked over to where she was sitting on the floor and tossed her some clothes.
"Found these outside and I thought you'd need 'em," Saito said. Gimmei sniffed in reply. Saito turned away as Gimmei got dressed.
"Thank you," Gimmei mumbled. She sat on the floor, trying to wipe away the never-ending river of tears. Saito kneeled next to her.
"Neko?" Saito asked. Gimmei held back another sniff. Saito sighed. She was, after all, only a thirteen-year-old girl. He was about to stand when Gimmei turned and sniffed again, looking at the floor.
"I was... so... scared..." Gimmei burst into tears again. Saito stared at the weeping girl. It was almost like her outburst when he admitted to killing her father.
"Neko?" Gimmei said nothing. Instead, she crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around his stomach. It startled Saito so much that he dropped his sword. Gimmei buried her head in his chest and cried. Saito sat for a minute, wondering what to do.
Tokio was always better at this than I was, Saito thought to himself. Let's see... what would she do if she were in my position right now? Saito thought long and hard on the subject and finally came to the conclusion that Tokio would... he gulped... HUG the girl. Saito was about to push the thought aside and throw Gimmei off, but then realized that it wouldn't help the situation any. He gave a small sigh and wrapped an arm around Gimmei's small, trembling body. Gimmei hugged him tighter, not quite ready to let go. And Saito let her, waiting for her tears to stop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Saito was a little OOC in this chapter. There isn't much else to say, but the story will be finished soon (I think). Thanks for reading!!
REVIEW RESPONSES:
Kairi7: You're such a faithful reader!! Thank you!! I'll try to continue hurrying... ^____^
MissBehavin: You know... punching him might not help... ^______^ Okay, so Kenshin hasn't fought yet, but he will soon!! I hated him for knocking out Saito-sama's tooth, too! It must've hurt... Hope you liked this chapter!! Thanks for everything!!