Disclaimer: Ooodles of joy!! You should be jealous. I own the Kenshin
series. Really!! I'M NOT LYING!! I have it on DVD!!!!
Author's Notes: The first story I updated last time. The last story I started on. I'm a horrible authoress and an even worse student. I gave up on my Geometry homework and stopped doing my Chemistry homework, which has about 40 or so more questions to go. :: sighs :: And to top it all off, I'm cold. :: crosses arms :: Just my luck, huh? :: sighs :: Well, here's your ultimately horribly written chapter. Hope you can stand it. OH!! I have 'unneeded fact' for the day. I had too look up a word today, compelling, and I looked it up in our dictionary. Our 2,323 pages long dictionary, that is. 4 ¾'' inches thick. BIG DICTIONARY. ^__^
~Silhouettes of Shadows~
***Chapter 11- Battousai's Rebirth***
Crunching leaves irritated his senses, and Kenshin growled. His anger was immense to the situation. He'd had to cut across the woods to find his way back to the trail he was supposed to take, and now he was losing valuable time. Kenji was going to need Kaoru back home--- he was going to need Kaoru. There was no time for him to spend dawdling in the woods. He had to find her.
If he was correct, Jineh had a spell... one that would paralyze his victims. He didn't care if they were man, woman or child, he just enjoyed the sight of their blood and their screams of pain. And with everything Kaoru had already been through-Saitou, his kidnapping of her, Shishio and Enishi--- she would fight back with him. She wouldn't give in, and that was only going to make the outcome worse.
His hands clenched together, anger in his veins and coursing throughout his body. He'd been able to keep his bloodlust intact for a while--- he couldn't even remember a time he wanted to see blood as much as he did now. If he killed Jineh tonight, that wouldn't be his last victim. The next one on his list was Katsura Kogoro.
The sakabatou was prepared for drawing. Kenshin decided, for Kaoru's sake, he'd use the reverse-blade first. Then, if times demanded, he'd have the katana ready to slice Jineh like a fish ready to fillet. He'd hate to have Kaoru witness more slaughter, but when times called for it, he'd do anything to get her out of this predicament.
She was strong, he knew this. Jineh's Shino no Ippou could probably be broken with her willpower if she tried or understood what was going on. But that didn't mean that she held the upper hand. Jineh still possessed other skills, and the chances were that if anyone were to be injured in a battle between the two, it would be her. And the injury would be her life. Jineh killed to see blood, and if he wanted to kill Kaoru, he'd kill her slowly.
He just hoped she could handle the pain Jineh was bound to give her.
************ ************
Kaoru lay near a tree, her hands and feet bound in a hog-tied fashion. She forced herself to kneel as she glared at the man before her. Today wasn't turning out to be a good day for her. First she had an argument with Kenshin. Then Gohei came and attacked her in the bathhouse. Next, she thought she had killed him because she had used Kenshin's discarded katana. The shock had forced her to sleep. And now, she was kidnapped.
Again.
If she could move, Kaoru was positive she would be able to beat her way out of this. But with her limps completely bound. She couldn't.
Then she had an ingenious idea.
She could roll away! She waited to see if he would look away from her for a minute. She didn't care if she got cut with branches and thorns--- if she rolled away, maybe she could find some way to get help for self. Or maybe she could cut the ropes on a jagged rock and run away. She had to hope for something.
The man turned his sight from her, and Kaoru rolled herself into the woods. Taking her wrists and finding a good stone, she slowly began to cut through the ropes. Her attention was completely on the rock and the ropes that she was breaking to get away from this, to get back to Kenshin. She heard a snap, and prepared to pull her hands back in front of her.
Pain seared through her skull as she was yanked up into the air by her ponytail, the man she had been running from staring her straight in the eyes.
"You truly are the Battousai's woman, trying to get away like that. I underestimated you."
Kaoru spat in his face. "Let me go."
"I don't believe you are in a position to be telling me what to do, you do realize this, right?" Jineh grinned, and it looked like his face would split.
Kaoru spun around, despite the pain it sent to her scalp. Her legs, still tied together, landed roughly against Jineh's manhood. He dropped her and fell back, crashing in a tree while he hissed in pain. Kaoru rolled away, blood running down her arm where a branch punctured her skin. She was going to have fresh new bruises along her back and right side from the fall, but she didn't care. It didn't matter. She had to get out of here.
She was surprised to see that her hands had become untied, and she removed the rope from her legs, finally able to stand again. Her yukata was slipping. She had been sleeping when Jineh took her, but she ignored the fact she showed him much more than he deserved to see. She just wanted to get out of here.
She looked around for something she could use as a weapon. A branch caught her attention and she took it, holding it as her new makeshift bokken. She'd used so many makeshift weapons since meeting Kenshin that she was used to this. She walked backwards to keep her eyes on Jineh, and her weapon was held before her in the first stance of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Jineh straightened his standing and then looked at Kaoru.
He grinned.
She straightened herself and prepared for his to come lunging at her. She prayed her branch was thick enough to take the weight of the blow, and she prepared herself. Jineh withdrew his wakizashi and stared at her menacingly.
"So, you wish to fight, huh? Well, I'm sure your head will make a good gift for Battousai, now won't it?" Jineh stated, rushing at her.
Kaoru skillfully caught his blade's broadside with her twig. "He's put up with so much because of me. And I'm sure you can't beat Shishio's trick of a heart. He gave him a heart, claiming it was mine. The day you beat that will be the day that hell engulfs earth."
He grinned. "I can do better, because I'll be giving him your headless corpse." He said, swinging upward to hit her chin with the wakizashi. She parried again and jumped back away from him, glaring as she fell into a low stance.
"Try me."
His eyes flashed momentarily, and Kaoru found her body unable to function. She couldn't even wiggle. Her mouth dropped open as he rushed toward her. She used her strength, the spirit she had used so many times to get her through the trails of her life, and she parried again. Jineh appeared to be shocked.
"You possess quiet the swordsman's spirit. You're well trained. But, that cannot save you." He stated, drawing back. "Ahh... Battousai, you came."
Kaoru turned her head slightly to see Kenshin standing behind her, watching her with soft eyes.
"You've done well, Kaoru, now step back and let me take over." Kenshin demanded, brushing past her. "You've done enough today."
Nodding Kaoru stepped back, and turned to glare at Jineh.
"Well, I think it's time this fight got interesting." Jineh cackled, and then turned again to look at Kaoru. His eyes flashed one more time.
Kaoru fell to her knees, clawing madly at her neck. She couldn't breathe. Kenshin side glanced at her, his anger taking over again. He moved his hand from the hilt of the sakabatou to that of the katana.
"Jineh." He stated. "Prepare to die."
Jineh drew his katana and waited. Kenshin disappeared, twisting through the air to attack. Jineh blocked the first attack with ease, and moved farther way.
"Prepare to die, huh?" Jineh laughed. "We'll see about that. You are still dull. And you're not using that sakabatou of yours. How quaint."
Kaoru didn't try anything else. She just lay there, trying to keep herself upward as she watched the match take place before her eyes.
********** **********
Misao looked up from the dojo's roof. It was so quiet around here that it was starting to cause paranoia on her part. Megumi and Sano had left with Kenji a short while ago to bring him to the clinic and away from the possible battle that would be taking place.
"Misao, get down from there." Aoshi demanded.
"Aoshi-sama, I'll be fine. I'm not going to fall off the roof." She assured him. "You worry too much about me."
Taking his hand and running through his hair in frustration, Aoshi glanced back up at Misao. "Don't you wish to eat?"
"Only if Ochika and Omasu made it."
"You don't trust my skills?"
Misao grinned. "Aoshi-sama, do you remember what happened the last time you cooked something? I'd rather have Saitou cook me food, I'm sorry to say."
Aoshi gave her a grin. "I'd never let him cook for you. The guy doesn't even eat meat."
"True." Misao stated, staring back at the sky. "I'm just keeping watch, don't worry, okay Aoshi-sama?"
"Yahiko would like to take over. You've been up there since Himura left."
Misao glared down at him, the scowl on her face priceless. "Aoshi- sama, you do realize he's only been gone for 15 minutes, right?"
He went to say something but Misao's eyes flew up quickly. "Aoshi- sama. They're coming."
Aoshi turned and saw what she as speaking of. A young boy, a woman with a scythe, a giant of a man and one that appeared to flying were headed toward the dojo. "Misao..."
"No. You've kept me out of the fighting long enough. Call Yahiko and Saitou out, and I'll send messenger pigeons to get Sanosuke and the rest of the Oniwabanshu. I'm fighting this time if you like it or not."
********** **********
Slice.
Dice.
Slash.
Clank.
The swords were constantly in motion, and Kaoru was having a hard time keeping up with the pulsating in her skull. Would the fight ever end? She attempted again to breath. It wasn't working.
Jineh jumped back. "You do know, Battousai, I placed an advanced version of the Shino no Ippou upon her. She can't breath. I guess she has less than two minutes left now. The only way you'll save her is to kill me."
Kenshin drew back, sheathing the katana and stepping into his stance. Jineh grinned and rushed forward, and Kenshin twisted.
"Amakekru Ryu no Hirameki!"
Kaoru's eyes went wide. She couldn't even see what was happening, it was going on so fast. Was this the final attack? She choked.
She could breathe again. Then.... Everything in her minds eye went dark with one final realization.
Kenshin killed him.
The dust clear as Kaoru fell forward, and Kenshin turned to see her lying face down in the ground, no movement. His eyes went wide as he dropped the bloody blade of his katana, the golden color that surrounded his pupils now fading into a blue shade.
He hadn't been fast enough.
Author's Notes: Yes. I know. Bad. I have such horrible writers block, it's not even funny! I REALLY NEED HELP! So if you could help me, I would be MOST thankful. PLEASE! :: prays :: I know I haven't updated in like a month, but the writers block was so bad I couldn't help it! I APOLOGIZE! :: pouts :: Please help me out, though.....
Love and hugs,
Crystal Renee
Author's Notes: The first story I updated last time. The last story I started on. I'm a horrible authoress and an even worse student. I gave up on my Geometry homework and stopped doing my Chemistry homework, which has about 40 or so more questions to go. :: sighs :: And to top it all off, I'm cold. :: crosses arms :: Just my luck, huh? :: sighs :: Well, here's your ultimately horribly written chapter. Hope you can stand it. OH!! I have 'unneeded fact' for the day. I had too look up a word today, compelling, and I looked it up in our dictionary. Our 2,323 pages long dictionary, that is. 4 ¾'' inches thick. BIG DICTIONARY. ^__^
~Silhouettes of Shadows~
***Chapter 11- Battousai's Rebirth***
Crunching leaves irritated his senses, and Kenshin growled. His anger was immense to the situation. He'd had to cut across the woods to find his way back to the trail he was supposed to take, and now he was losing valuable time. Kenji was going to need Kaoru back home--- he was going to need Kaoru. There was no time for him to spend dawdling in the woods. He had to find her.
If he was correct, Jineh had a spell... one that would paralyze his victims. He didn't care if they were man, woman or child, he just enjoyed the sight of their blood and their screams of pain. And with everything Kaoru had already been through-Saitou, his kidnapping of her, Shishio and Enishi--- she would fight back with him. She wouldn't give in, and that was only going to make the outcome worse.
His hands clenched together, anger in his veins and coursing throughout his body. He'd been able to keep his bloodlust intact for a while--- he couldn't even remember a time he wanted to see blood as much as he did now. If he killed Jineh tonight, that wouldn't be his last victim. The next one on his list was Katsura Kogoro.
The sakabatou was prepared for drawing. Kenshin decided, for Kaoru's sake, he'd use the reverse-blade first. Then, if times demanded, he'd have the katana ready to slice Jineh like a fish ready to fillet. He'd hate to have Kaoru witness more slaughter, but when times called for it, he'd do anything to get her out of this predicament.
She was strong, he knew this. Jineh's Shino no Ippou could probably be broken with her willpower if she tried or understood what was going on. But that didn't mean that she held the upper hand. Jineh still possessed other skills, and the chances were that if anyone were to be injured in a battle between the two, it would be her. And the injury would be her life. Jineh killed to see blood, and if he wanted to kill Kaoru, he'd kill her slowly.
He just hoped she could handle the pain Jineh was bound to give her.
************ ************
Kaoru lay near a tree, her hands and feet bound in a hog-tied fashion. She forced herself to kneel as she glared at the man before her. Today wasn't turning out to be a good day for her. First she had an argument with Kenshin. Then Gohei came and attacked her in the bathhouse. Next, she thought she had killed him because she had used Kenshin's discarded katana. The shock had forced her to sleep. And now, she was kidnapped.
Again.
If she could move, Kaoru was positive she would be able to beat her way out of this. But with her limps completely bound. She couldn't.
Then she had an ingenious idea.
She could roll away! She waited to see if he would look away from her for a minute. She didn't care if she got cut with branches and thorns--- if she rolled away, maybe she could find some way to get help for self. Or maybe she could cut the ropes on a jagged rock and run away. She had to hope for something.
The man turned his sight from her, and Kaoru rolled herself into the woods. Taking her wrists and finding a good stone, she slowly began to cut through the ropes. Her attention was completely on the rock and the ropes that she was breaking to get away from this, to get back to Kenshin. She heard a snap, and prepared to pull her hands back in front of her.
Pain seared through her skull as she was yanked up into the air by her ponytail, the man she had been running from staring her straight in the eyes.
"You truly are the Battousai's woman, trying to get away like that. I underestimated you."
Kaoru spat in his face. "Let me go."
"I don't believe you are in a position to be telling me what to do, you do realize this, right?" Jineh grinned, and it looked like his face would split.
Kaoru spun around, despite the pain it sent to her scalp. Her legs, still tied together, landed roughly against Jineh's manhood. He dropped her and fell back, crashing in a tree while he hissed in pain. Kaoru rolled away, blood running down her arm where a branch punctured her skin. She was going to have fresh new bruises along her back and right side from the fall, but she didn't care. It didn't matter. She had to get out of here.
She was surprised to see that her hands had become untied, and she removed the rope from her legs, finally able to stand again. Her yukata was slipping. She had been sleeping when Jineh took her, but she ignored the fact she showed him much more than he deserved to see. She just wanted to get out of here.
She looked around for something she could use as a weapon. A branch caught her attention and she took it, holding it as her new makeshift bokken. She'd used so many makeshift weapons since meeting Kenshin that she was used to this. She walked backwards to keep her eyes on Jineh, and her weapon was held before her in the first stance of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Jineh straightened his standing and then looked at Kaoru.
He grinned.
She straightened herself and prepared for his to come lunging at her. She prayed her branch was thick enough to take the weight of the blow, and she prepared herself. Jineh withdrew his wakizashi and stared at her menacingly.
"So, you wish to fight, huh? Well, I'm sure your head will make a good gift for Battousai, now won't it?" Jineh stated, rushing at her.
Kaoru skillfully caught his blade's broadside with her twig. "He's put up with so much because of me. And I'm sure you can't beat Shishio's trick of a heart. He gave him a heart, claiming it was mine. The day you beat that will be the day that hell engulfs earth."
He grinned. "I can do better, because I'll be giving him your headless corpse." He said, swinging upward to hit her chin with the wakizashi. She parried again and jumped back away from him, glaring as she fell into a low stance.
"Try me."
His eyes flashed momentarily, and Kaoru found her body unable to function. She couldn't even wiggle. Her mouth dropped open as he rushed toward her. She used her strength, the spirit she had used so many times to get her through the trails of her life, and she parried again. Jineh appeared to be shocked.
"You possess quiet the swordsman's spirit. You're well trained. But, that cannot save you." He stated, drawing back. "Ahh... Battousai, you came."
Kaoru turned her head slightly to see Kenshin standing behind her, watching her with soft eyes.
"You've done well, Kaoru, now step back and let me take over." Kenshin demanded, brushing past her. "You've done enough today."
Nodding Kaoru stepped back, and turned to glare at Jineh.
"Well, I think it's time this fight got interesting." Jineh cackled, and then turned again to look at Kaoru. His eyes flashed one more time.
Kaoru fell to her knees, clawing madly at her neck. She couldn't breathe. Kenshin side glanced at her, his anger taking over again. He moved his hand from the hilt of the sakabatou to that of the katana.
"Jineh." He stated. "Prepare to die."
Jineh drew his katana and waited. Kenshin disappeared, twisting through the air to attack. Jineh blocked the first attack with ease, and moved farther way.
"Prepare to die, huh?" Jineh laughed. "We'll see about that. You are still dull. And you're not using that sakabatou of yours. How quaint."
Kaoru didn't try anything else. She just lay there, trying to keep herself upward as she watched the match take place before her eyes.
********** **********
Misao looked up from the dojo's roof. It was so quiet around here that it was starting to cause paranoia on her part. Megumi and Sano had left with Kenji a short while ago to bring him to the clinic and away from the possible battle that would be taking place.
"Misao, get down from there." Aoshi demanded.
"Aoshi-sama, I'll be fine. I'm not going to fall off the roof." She assured him. "You worry too much about me."
Taking his hand and running through his hair in frustration, Aoshi glanced back up at Misao. "Don't you wish to eat?"
"Only if Ochika and Omasu made it."
"You don't trust my skills?"
Misao grinned. "Aoshi-sama, do you remember what happened the last time you cooked something? I'd rather have Saitou cook me food, I'm sorry to say."
Aoshi gave her a grin. "I'd never let him cook for you. The guy doesn't even eat meat."
"True." Misao stated, staring back at the sky. "I'm just keeping watch, don't worry, okay Aoshi-sama?"
"Yahiko would like to take over. You've been up there since Himura left."
Misao glared down at him, the scowl on her face priceless. "Aoshi- sama, you do realize he's only been gone for 15 minutes, right?"
He went to say something but Misao's eyes flew up quickly. "Aoshi- sama. They're coming."
Aoshi turned and saw what she as speaking of. A young boy, a woman with a scythe, a giant of a man and one that appeared to flying were headed toward the dojo. "Misao..."
"No. You've kept me out of the fighting long enough. Call Yahiko and Saitou out, and I'll send messenger pigeons to get Sanosuke and the rest of the Oniwabanshu. I'm fighting this time if you like it or not."
********** **********
Slice.
Dice.
Slash.
Clank.
The swords were constantly in motion, and Kaoru was having a hard time keeping up with the pulsating in her skull. Would the fight ever end? She attempted again to breath. It wasn't working.
Jineh jumped back. "You do know, Battousai, I placed an advanced version of the Shino no Ippou upon her. She can't breath. I guess she has less than two minutes left now. The only way you'll save her is to kill me."
Kenshin drew back, sheathing the katana and stepping into his stance. Jineh grinned and rushed forward, and Kenshin twisted.
"Amakekru Ryu no Hirameki!"
Kaoru's eyes went wide. She couldn't even see what was happening, it was going on so fast. Was this the final attack? She choked.
She could breathe again. Then.... Everything in her minds eye went dark with one final realization.
Kenshin killed him.
The dust clear as Kaoru fell forward, and Kenshin turned to see her lying face down in the ground, no movement. His eyes went wide as he dropped the bloody blade of his katana, the golden color that surrounded his pupils now fading into a blue shade.
He hadn't been fast enough.
Author's Notes: Yes. I know. Bad. I have such horrible writers block, it's not even funny! I REALLY NEED HELP! So if you could help me, I would be MOST thankful. PLEASE! :: prays :: I know I haven't updated in like a month, but the writers block was so bad I couldn't help it! I APOLOGIZE! :: pouts :: Please help me out, though.....
Love and hugs,
Crystal Renee