Catharsis
fray
.:chapter six:.
The sun peeked over the horizon with its usual bright cheerfulness, bathing the world in a light-hearted glow. Clouds dotted the sky and a gentle breeze curled around the tiny boat, cooling the anxious passengers on board. Yahiko barely noticed. He was too distracted by the woozy feeling building in his gut to care.
The waves were making him sick. The constant rise and fall, the smell. Normally, he liked the ocean. Traveling by ship was actually somewhat of a treat for him. It was fun. The motion of the waves was something he enjoyed.
But not today. For the first time in his life, Yahiko was feeling seasick.
Not that he would admit it to anyone, but part of the reason why he felt so queasy was because of his nervousness. This was the first time he ever walked into a battle without Kenshin or Kaoru. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders and it was making him nauseous. Once they boarded the dingy that would take them to shore, that sensation only got worse. If they didn't hit land soon, Yahiko was certain he'd lose his lunch.
With a groan, the boy samurai closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. He breathed deeply and tried to force his muscles to relax as he cleared his mind, just as Kaoru taught him, but the exercise did little to help settle his stomach.
"You okay?" a usually perky female voice asked.
Brown eyes peeked at the ninja girl through thin slits. "Fine."
"You don't look 'fine,'" Misao observed.
Yahiko grunted and covered his eyes with his arm, "Shut up."
"You look like you're going to throw-up."
"I said, shut up," Yahiko growled.
Another wave hoisted them up. "It's not that bad!" Misao shifted her body with the waves. "You've got such a weak constitution, Yahiko-chan."
At that, he pushed himself up into a seated position and glared at her. At least he tried to glare at her. The expression was muddied by the blanch that preceded his urge to purge. With an undignified heave, Yahiko watched his breakfast disappear into the salty waves.
Sano grimaced as the boy spit over the side of the boat. "Damn, Yahiko, you better get over that soon."
"I'm fine," he insisted, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. Settled once again into his previous position, Yahiko stared at the shore and wondered if his sensei was even on the island. And if she was, he wondered if she was still alive. Jaw clenched and fingers hugging his shinai, the image of Kaoru with a cross scar on her cheek and a sword through her chest flashed through his mind. For Enishi's sake, she better be okay. There better not be one damn scratch on her.
'If he hurt her, I swear I'll kill him...'
Yahiko felt angry tears sting his eyes. He swallowed hard and quickly diverted his mind from the negative. Kaoru was too stupid and ugly to get herself killed. She was fine and would be coming home with them.
Enishi would be dealt with. Yahiko was confident of that. After all, he didn't travel all this way and just puke his guts out to lose to some white-haired freak. He came here to win, to get Kaoru back, and then kick her ass for getting herself kidnapped to begin with. If everything went according to plan, by this time tomorrow they would be ready to enter Tokyo Harbor and Kaoru would be with them. And after Buso recovered from her ass-kicking, she could then go kick Kenshin's ass.
After that, everything should be normal again. No more of this depressing Rakuninmura-funeral-mourning-bullshit. He was tired of it.
"What... what are those?" Misao asked suddenly, her voice belaying her bewilderment.
Aoshi peered at the objects floating just below the surface of water a few feet ahead of them. "Mines."
Yahiko leaned forward to get a look. All he saw were dark spots hovering just a few centimeters under the surface of water.
"Mines, huh?" the girl ninja grinned, preparing to throw a kunai. "Leave it to me!"
Misao studied the location of the mine, trying to discern its exact location when Aoshi's voice sounded behind her.
"Distance 61.5, 29.7 degrees to the right."
Eyes narrowed as she focused on her target.
"Don't try to look underwater," Aoshi continued, "concentrate on the disturbances in the waves and you'll see them. Now throw."
She did and the mine exploded. Her joyful laughter matured into a satisfied grin as she destroyed every mine that came into view. As the route to their destination slowly began to clear before them, Misao finally had a moment to look at the shore.
Five men were watching their progress from the sandy beach, waiting for them to arrive.
• • •
Enishi approached the group soundlessly, eying each of them with a predatory gleam. It was obvious who the strongest of the group was and he studied the veteran of the Revolution intently.
Saitou Hajime. Otherwise known as Miburo. Faithful believer in the justice of 'aku, soku, zan.' His weapon of choice is a nihontou and he is a master of Mizoguchi Haiitou Ryu. One of the greatest fighters during the Revolution, his trademark move is the gatotsu. A devastating maneuver. That is, unless one knew its weakness.
A smile forced lips to part, revealing rows of white teeth and causing turquoise eyes to twinkle anxiously. Defeating Saitou would be a challenge, but Enishi was confident the policeman would be fairly easy to kill.
Then again, killing a police officer often caused more trouble than they were worth. His organization certainly had enough political influence in Japan to take care of the problem, but sorting through the red tape wasn't an overnight affair. It took a good month, at least, to close a case, reshuffle personnel and effectively bury a crime. He didn't know if he could wait a month. While the fact that Battousai was still sitting in Rakuninmura was pleasing, his sister had yet to smile for him. If Enishi had to return to Japan, specifically Tokyo, in the near future it might be best to leave Miburo alive.
At least, for the time being.
After Hajime, Aoshi Shinomori was the next challenge. A prodigy leader of the Oniwabanshu, Shinomori would be an interesting opponent. But he, too, would fall.
Out of the five, those two posed the greatest "threat" to his plans. The other three were no threat at all. In fact, two of the three were children. Once again, Enishi was reminded of the selfish cruelness of Battousai. Befriending children, allowing a woman to develop an attachment to him when he knew he was being constantly hunted... and then when the time came to pay for his crimes, he left them to fend for themselves.
Kamiya's plea echoed in his mind as he watched the group dispatch Heishin's bodyguards. 'Please don't kill them...'
Enishi clenched his jaw in annoyance. As much as it angered him that Battousai had not come and these people wanted to interfere with his plans, he had no real desire to kill anyone. Not if he didn't have to. Maiming... well, that was another matter entirely. Why go to the effort of killing someone when they could return home in pain and further ignite the guilt within Battousai?
Killing them would be too easy. Battousai deserved to see the suffering he caused.
• • •
Eyes squeezed tightly shut, Kaoru tried to ignore the onset of morning. Grogginess demanded darkness so she pulled her blanket up over her head and moaned. She was so tired. Too much time had been spent tossing and turning in worried agitation before sleep finally claimed her. Much to her displeasure, the sun continued to shine. Even under a blanket with eyes tightly shut, the late morning light penetrated her sleep. She grimaced and hugged her pillow to her face.
Then realization hit.
Today was the day. A ship had been spotted not far off shore late yesterday evening, alerting Enishi and Heishin of the arrival of her friends. Due to the quickly fading daylight, they weren't expected to attempt to make landfall until morning. Worry kept Kaoru up late into the night and now she feared the worse.
She slept too long. Her friends had already arrived.
Blankets flying, legs moving, Kaoru sprung to life. She quickly changed into a freshly washed bathrobe, secured her hair into a high ponytail, and opened the door. Or at least, she tried. 'Why is it locked?!' she thought, rattling the door on its hinges. 'It's never been locked before!'
Dread sucked the moisture from her mouth as she stared at the door. Was it over? Had Enishi already confronted them? Were they... okay?
Swallowing hard, she lifted a tight fist and thumped it against the door as hard as she could.
"Hey!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Enishi! Where are you?!"
Bang!
"Let me out of here!"
Bang! BANG!
"You jerk..!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Hand beginning to bruise and tears threatening, Kaoru's frustration peaked. "Damn it, Enishi!"
Kaoru pressed her forehead against the door and breathed deeply. She was getting too worked up, she had to calm herself. Panic wouldn't help her now. She simply didn't have time for it. She had to figure out a way to get out of the room and find Enishi.
• • •
Yahiko breathed hard as sweat poured down his face. Using his sleeve as a towel, he wiped the excess blood from the cut over his eye and winced. The cut didn't hurt when it was inflicted, but now it stung and throbbed as his sweat trickled into the wound. It probably needed stitches, but that could wait. For now, Yahiko was content to stare at his fallen opponent. Pride lifted the corners of his lips into a smile as he stood to his full height.
They won. Three unusually large men lay sprawled out across the beach with the fourth laying at his feet. The victory was a welcome taste in his mouth after his embarrassing defeat only days before.
'Too bad buso didn't get to see it,' Yahiko mussed as he eyed the broken weapon. The hawatari was useless against Genbu's strangely flexible staff, so the young swordsman had to improvise. Now the staff was busted and Genbu fell quickly once he was disarmed. Buso may have missed seeing the fight, but she wouldn't miss hearing about it. Bragging would be fun. At least, for him.
With the last of the Su Shen defeated, the Chinese man who claimed to be the "number one" guy in the organization staggered backwards. His voice was shrill and his eyes wide. The group watched him as he lamented the inconceivable overpowering of his bodyguards, and then the threats for vengeance began.
"I'll kill you all myself! Like animals!" he promised moving backwards, his eyes shifting wildly. "I have foreign weapons on this island! Enough to kill you all!"
With that, he turned to flee, only to run face to face with the man he feared most.
Brown eyes grew wide and glassy with fright, Heishin didn't even see the punch coming. His vision turned dark the instant Enishi's fist struck his face, breaking his nose and orbital bone. Blood spurted from his nostrils as Heishin fell to the ground in a heap.
"Piece of shit," Enishi muttered, eying the unconscious and slightly twitching form of his former second-in-command. "I'll kill you later."
"That's... Enishi?" a timid female voice asked, eyes unblinking as she absorbed his appearance. No one answered her as everyone stood to attention. Yahiko was the first to break the stillness as he boldly approached his enemy.
"Where is Kaoru?"
Enishi peered down at the child standing before him, his shinai extended in challenge. He said nothing has he observed the child, noting the fierceness in his eyes.
"Is she on this island?" the boy asked, chin held high.
Jaw tightly clenched, the boy glowered at the continued silence as his shinai began to tremble. Turquoise eyes examined the shivering weapon in an exaggerated gesture, alerting the boy to his unconscious movements. Teeth bared, Yahiko tightened his grip on the hilt and pointed the shinai at Enishi's throat. "If she's dead," he whispered, eyes growing dark, "then I won't hesitate to kill you."
A smirk tugged at Enishi's lips as he looked at the child. The ten-year-old meant what he said. The anger was true, the promise was sincere. Enishi recognized the look in his eyes. It was pain mixed with anger and righteous determination.
The boy reminded him of himself.
"You stupid brat!" Sano slapped a heavy hand on Yahiko's head as he kept an eye on Enishi. "Look at you! You can barely stand after all the fighting you've done in the past few days."
Yahiko growled, but the street fighter ignored him. His hand squeezed Yahiko's head as he pushed the boy back a step.
"Besides," Sano continued, "you're a student of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. The sword that protects life and all that shit."
The young samurai was about to protest when he saw the way Sano was looking at Enishi. Violence shined from his eyes as he gave their silver-haired opponent a chill smile.
"For that reason," Sano grinned, his fist raised and ready, "I'll kill him myself!"
Enishi regarded him silently, one eyebrow raised.
"So how 'bout it, you obsessive freak?!" Sano yelled, stepping in front of Yahiko. "Where the hell is Jou-chan?!"
Pushing his glasses up with one finger and maintaining his somber expression, Enishi said, "She is under my protection."
Yahiko and Misao both blinked in confusion as Aoshi and Saitou simply observed the drama unfold before them.
Sano bristled. He didn't like the sound of that. It implied a possessiveness that was more than a little disturbing. With hands clenched at his sides, he demanded, "What the fuck does that mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like it means," Enishi replied, his eyes slowly wandering to each of the men waiting to fight with him. Saitou exchanged a measured look with him as they each sized the other up in a matter of seconds. Biting back a feral grin, he repeated his earlier statement, "Kamiya is under my protection."
"I want to see her," Yahiko said, immediately earning the attention of the man he hated most.
Turquoise eyes settled on the boy once more as Enishi's lips curled into a smirk. "Then you should have brought Battousai with you. I won't let her go until my Jinchuu is satisfied."
A snort sounded, quickly followed by a sarcastic remark. "You won't have too long to wait."
Enishi looked up to see Saitou watching him intently as he nursed his cigarette. Exhaling a plume of smoke, the yellow-eyed police officer continued, "Battousai is as good as dead. He hasn't truly been 'Battousai' since the Revolution."
Enishi said nothing. 'As good as dead' was not dead. Battousai was getting the punishment he deserved. If they had patience and allowed Jinchuu to run its course, such a confrontation would not be necessary.
"I don't care about your grudge with Battousai," Saitou continued, "nor do I particularly care about the Kamiya girl."
"Aku, soku, zan?" Enishi asked as Saitou took a step forward and dropped his finished cigarette to the ground.
Saitou answered him by unsheathing his nihontou in one smooth motion and preparing himself to strike. Enishi unsheathed his tachi and the two locked eyes. The samurai boy was pulled back by the street fighter as space was cleared for the two men. The air grew thick with tension as each man waited to see who would make the first move.
With a slightly maniacal smirk, Enishi surprised everyone by being the first to strike.
AN: So, what do you think? I know it's taking a while to get to the whole "pairing-romance" thing, but it wouldn't be believable if I just jumped into it without giving them something to work with first. Don't worry though, you'll get your tender moments soon enough. In fact, you'll get a pseudo tender moment next chapter...
Anyway, thanks for reading! I appreciate all of the review so far and I'm hungry for more. Feedback is good, even if it's critical. I'm a big girl, I can take it (just ask Thunk). On a side note, anyone here draw fanart? Like, Enishi/Kaoru fanart...? hehehehe.
Okay, onto the business at hand. I used some terms in this chapter that some of you may not be familiar with OR maybe you just need a reminder about them, so I'll define those terms here.
Su Shen - Heishin's bodyguards which are named after the four points of the Chinese compass; Genbu represents the North and his weapon is a long, flexible, jointed (and expanding) staff that can be used like a normal staff or twirled around like nunchakus
Hawatari - The Kamiya Kasshin Ryu attack succession technique where the user forms an X above the head and twists their wrists. If used right, it can be a killing technique. Yahiko alters the move against Genbu by grabbing the end of the staff and preventing it from flexing
Nihontou - Saitou's sword; Japanese katana (Relative Size 26-30 inches)
Tachi - Enishi's sword; combines a Chinese hilt with a Japanese blade (Relative size 30 inches and over)
Aku, soku, zan - Slay - evil - immediately (I'm sure most of you know that one already)
The Let It Burn website is an excellent resource for all things Rurouni Kenshin.