Title: A New Beginning
Rated: PG-13 (Violence & Language)
Author: charismatic angel
Email: charismatic_angel@msn.com
Chapter Date: July 26, 2003
All the stuff you do not want to read but I have to say:
* sighs * I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Someone else owns the rights and characters to this series. You know the rest…(Please don't sue me)
Chapter 26:
Hotel In New York:
Aoshi has drugged Misao since their arrival in America. Over time the drugs weakened her body. The young ninja girl, no longer had any strength to fight back.
Aoshi sat on the bed next to Misao's half unconscious form.
"Wake up Misao. It is almost time." He said gently shaking her shoulder.
Misao's heavy eyes slowly opened, as she tried to focus on her surroundings.
"Aoshi." She whispered
Aoshi leaned over Misao and took her hand in his and pulled her into a sitting positon. Misao's upper body wobbled back and forth, almost as if she were too weak to support herself.
"Do you think you can walk?" Aoshi calmly asked.
'Damn! He's really going to go through with this. I have no strength left to fight him back. I should have known he'd stoop so low as to drug me. I have to find a way to stop him….i just got to!' Misao thought to herself.
"Aoshi, you don't have to do this." Misao whispered.
"I have to there is no other way." He said, turning his face from Misao.
Misao used all of her strength to move closer to him. She leaned her cheek against his back and put a hand on his shoulder.
Aoshi's body tensed, feeling the warmth of Misao's cheek through his shirt.
"Please reconsider, I don't want you to do this." She said as tears streamed down her face.
Aoshi sat still and said nothing. He had thoughts of turning around and comforting the poor girl but decided he would lose all nerve to go through the assignment if he were to do so.
Aoshi stood up and moved to the other side of the room. He tightened the leather weapons belt around his waist and put on his trench coat. He slung their bags over his shoulder and walked back to the bed.
"If you cannot walk, I will carry you." His eyes were shadowed by the black wisps of hair covering them.
Misao's head sunk in defeat, as Aoshi gathered her into his arms.
They headed to the parking garage where his black rental Lincoln town car was waiting.
*******************
Kenshin dangerously weaved through traffic as he made his way back to the apartment.
'Damn! This is all my fault. I should have never left. What was I thinking?!' He silently thought to himself as he hit the steering wheel.
He took a few more wild turns until he came to a sudden halt in front of the building.
He jumped out of the car and looked around for Sano.
"He isn't here yet?"
In the distance a pair of headlights could be seen. They seemed to be drawing near at a fast pace. In almost an instant the yellow cab screeched to a halt, beside Kenshin's vehicle.
Sano raced out and handed the driver a handful of bills. The driver sped off as Sano turned to see Kenshin standing in front of him.
"How the hell did you get here so fast?" He gave Kenshin a puzzled look.
"Never mind, we need to find out where she went." Kenshin said urgently.
Wasting no more time, both Sano and Kenshin raced into the building. In no time they were on the second floor. At the end of the hallway, stood a very annoyed looking Megumi.
Sano stopped in his tracks along with Kenshin.
"Where have you been?! I've been here for almost 45 minutes!" Megumi shouted.
Sano scratched the back of his head and gave her a slight grin.
"Glad to see you could make it." Sano said
Megumi gave him an annoyed look.
"Sano, do you have the key to Miss Kaoru's apartment?" Kenshin interrupted.
"Uhh, ya I do." He said fumbling around in his pockets until he found a set of keys.
Sano forced the key into the lock and opened the door. Sano walked in first turning on the light. Kenshin pushed his way past Sano not wanting to waste anymore time.
"We need to find out where she's going first. Sano you check out here for any clues and Megumi call the airport and find out all the flight times that leave for Japan. I'll check the bedroom." Kenshin said, as began his task.
Kenshin started with her dress drawers, pulling out all of their contents and discarding them on the floor. She didn't take much from what he could tell because the drawers were packed full of clothing.
Finding nothing useful there he went to the other side of the bedroom to look in her nightstand. He opened the drawer to find nothing in it. He narrowed his eyes and slammed the drawer shut.
A small crack of light coming from the bathroom caught his attention. Instantly, Kenshin was drawn towards it. He gripped the door handle as his heart pounded wildly.
'Could it be…..that she is here?' He hoped
Kenshin turned the handle and swung the door open.
The bathroom was empty. He scanned the area looking for something that might lead him in the right direction, when a small plastic garbage can caught his eye. A white box stuck out from the top of the can. Kenshin stooped down and picked it out of the garbage.
He flipped the box over to read what it said. A look of shock washed over his face as he read the words "Home Pregnancy Test." His eyes widened and the breath caught in his throat.
He reverted his gaze back to the garbage can and saw a plastic white stick, which he guessed was the tester. Hesitantly, he removed the stick from the can. Kenshin examined the stick seeing that it had two pink lines. He looked back at the box and read the results for two pink lines.
'She's pregnant!?'
His heart raced and he felt as if all the wind had been knocked out of him. His violet eyes became filled with sadness and regret. He gripped the contents of his hands, scared to let them go.
His world was falling apart before his very eyes. In other circumstances he would have been happy to hear the news but this made him angrier. He was mad because he wasn't there to stop her from getting hurt; he was upset because she never told him, but most of all he was angry with himself for letting her go.
Megumi called for Kenshin as she raced towards the door of the bathroom.
"Sir Ken, Sir Ken…there is two flights going to Japan. One leaves at 6:30am and the other leaves at 2:00pm. " She yelled.
Megumi came to a sudden stop when she saw Kenshin kneeling on the floor. From what she could tell he was holding a home pregnancy test. Megumi gasped, wishing he didn't have to find out like this.
Shortly after Megumi's interruption Sano came bursting in saying he had found a matchbook on the coffee table, with a place and time written inside. He towered over Megumi as he saw the same scene she did.
'Is that what I think it is? Is missy….pregnant?!' Sano thought to himself with a look of shock.
"Sano, did you know about this?" Kenshin asked in a low voice.
Sano nervously scratched the back of his head.
"No, I never knew." He replied
Megumi let out a sharp intake of breath as she put her hand to her mouth.
"Miss Megumi, you knew didn't you?" Kenshin asked, not turning towards her.
"I….I….." she mumbled, not being sure what to say.
"I need to know Miss Megumi. Is she pregnant?"
"I promised her I wouldn't say anything." She said looking sadly towards the floor.
"It's important that I know. She may be in danger and even more so if this is true." He said, trying to fight back all the emotions that were going through his head.
"She was pregnant when I talked with her but…as of now I am not sure." Megumi said turning her head away in shame.
"What do you mean, '[you] are not sure?'" He said, his voice becoming gravelly.
"I tried to talk her out of it. I told her she should talk to you before she did anything, but she wouldn't listen." She said with tears forming in her eyes.
Sano put a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it. Megumi turned around to see Sano give her a sympathetic look.
Kenshin dropped the items and slowly got to his feet.
"We don't have much time. Sano I need you and Miss Megumi to go to the airport. I will go to that place and try to stop her before it's too late."
"Kenshin, I don't think it's wise of you go alone. There's no telling how dangerous that man can be, if she is with him." Sano shot in.
"I don't wish to get you involved anymore than what you are now." Kenshin said turning around.
His eyes were a violent amber color, which made his hair look like crimson blood.
Sano and Megumi's eyes widened, noticing the sudden change in their friend.
"If I should fail to bring her back, I want you to head them off at the airport. You are my last hope." Kenshin said with a new edge to his voice.
Sano nodded and understanding what he meant.
Sano handed Kenshin the matchbook. They silently exited the bathroom, moving forward with their mission.
***************
Kenshin jumped into his vehicle and sped off. He had no time to lose. The time stated in the matchbook was 2am. He had a little under 15 minutes to find her before it was too late.
Once again, he felt himself slip into the life he had tried so hard to forget. No matter what the cost he had to find Kaoru. Even if that mean he had to return to being a manslayer.
***************
Kaoru was a few feet away from destiny. She could make out the familiar figure of Aoshi Shinomori in the distance. Her time had come and there was nothing else she could do. Kaoru's only option was to accept the fate that lay before her.
She took slow measured steps as she neared. The place of meeting was a small park in the middle of the city. Not many people would be around there this time of night, which made the location ideal.
With every step she took, she was one step closer to Enishi. Aoshi spotted her some ways away but decided to stand still and let her come to him. He could see the slight hesitation in her steps. He hoped that she would be smart and come willingly. The sooner his task was finished, the sooner his friends would be set free.
Misao apprehensively sat in the car, hoping Kaoru would not show tonight. She would take whatever punishment Aoshi threw upon her. In her heart, Misao knew that Aoshi wouldn't be able to hurt her, like he said.
Through the tinted windows, Misao's eyes widened in fear as she saw her friend draw near.
'No Kaoru, don't come any closer! Run!' Misao panicked.
Misao saw the defeat in Kaoru's face and instantly knew what her decision was. She was going to sacrifice herself to Enishi. Misao knew she didn't have much strength left in her but she had to do something. At one last attempt she rolled down the window to the car and stuck her head out.
"Kaoru don't do it! Don't give up! You can't go back!" Misao shouted
Kaoru's head turned to Misao's cries. She was relieved to see that she was all right.
'Misao! He's really got her! Hold on Misao, I won't let him hurt you.' Kaoru thought
Kaoru picked up her pace and started to jog towards the car where Misao was.
"Misao! Misao!" Kaoru cried.
She was about to run past Aoshi when his arm came out to block her. Kaoru bounced back with a look of surprise.
"Let me see Misao!" Kaoru spat angrily
Her sapphire eyes bore into his cold expressionless ones.
"I see that you have come. It was wise of you to do so." Aoshi coolly stated.
"You better not have done anything to her!" Kaoru said, giving him a defiant look.
"Misao is fine. If you come willingly she will stay that way." He said, giving her an expressionless look. "I believe you have made your decision."
Kaoru tilted her chin high in the air and looked him straight in the eye.
"In order to protect my friends, I will go with you back to Japan."
"Hmmm, I see. Well, if that is your answer we must be going. Our flight back to Japan leaves at 6:30am. I must have your word that you will come willingly, without any trouble." Aoshi added.
"You have my word." Kaoru said solemnly.
"No Kaoru! Don't!" Misao shouted
"I'm sorry Misao, but I can't let him hurt you or my friends. It's better this way." She said sadly.
Aoshi grabbed Kaoru's wrist and began to lead her to the car.
"No….." Misao said with tears running down her cheeks.
The wind picked up and suddenly shifted to the north. The leaves swirled around Kaoru's form and blew around her head. Aoshi noticed the sudden change of the wind and stopped.
"You will let her go now." A steely voice called from the distance.
'That voice! It can't be.' Kaoru panicked.
"Kenshin, don't do this. I've made my decision." Kaoru said trying to fight back tears.
Aoshi stood in place, not bothering to look back at whom the voice came from.
"Stay out of this if you know what's good for you." Aoshi spoke.
"This is not between you and her. This is between you and me, so leave the girl out of it." Kenshin said as he drew closer.
"You have got that wrong Battousai." Aoshi said as he turned around to face his opponent.
Kaoru turned around with him. She was half surprised to see him standing there. He looked and sounded different from his normal self. Instead of the gentle violet eyes, he had glowing amber ones that danced in the blackness of the night. His red hair was a blood red color that pooled down the length of his neck and back.
"Battousai." Kaoru whispered.
'How, why is he calling Kenshin Battousai? It can't be true, Battousi is dead.'
"Let her go Aoshi. I don't want to fight you."
Kaoru noticed the gleaming metal reflecting off the handle of his sword.
'A sword!? He's carrying a sword!?' She was puzzled
"I've warned you Battousai. I never thought of the day when I would have to go against my predecessor. This shall be quite interesting." Aoshi said, as his face darkened.
Misao sat in the car shocked beyond belief. Who was this red-haired man and why was he trying to protect Kaoru? Could it be the Himura guy she was talking about?
'Why is Aoshi calling him Battousai? And what about this talk of him being Aoshi's predecessor. I am so confused.' Misao silently thought.
"Miss Kaoru, please step aside." Kenshin ordered.
"Kenshin." Kaoru whispered.
"Do as I say." He said, shooting his amber eyes towards her.
The fiery glare caught her off guard and she felt as if she would sink to her knees. This wasn't her Kenshin.
Aoshi let go of her wrist, freeing her to move aside.
"Do as he says." Aoshi demanded. "He was very foolish to come here tonight."
Kaoru silently moved to the side, not knowing what to expect. Her eyes were filled with fear as she watched the two men stare at each other with contempt.
"Aoshi Shinomori." Kenshin whispered
"Himura, the Battousai." Aoshi replied.
"If you want the girl, take out your sword and I will answer you with this." Aoshi coolly said pulling back his long trench coat to reveal two Kodachi's.
Kenshin's eyes widened and then narrowed as he watched Aoshi unsheathe his weapons. Kenshin put his hand on his sword and the other on the sheathe. He clicked the hilt of the sword with his thumb brining an inch of metal into the light.
"Your Katana is no match for my two Kodachi's." Aoshi shouted as he made the first attack.
Kenshin stood still and watched as Aoshi advanced towards him. In the last moment Kenshin dodged the attack by using his speed to move aside.
"I see that you still have your god-like speed." Aoshi retorted. "Your speed alone will not be enough to defeat me."
Aoshi made another attack and Kenshin blocked it with his sword.
"You are weak Battousai. Have your skills gotten so rusty?"
Kenshin growled and broke the stance they were in.
"I may not have held a sword in ten years but my skills and speed are still here." Kenshin bit.
"Show me." Aoshi taunted.
The glow in Kenshin's eyes burned even more. His eyes looked as if they were on fire.
With god-like speed Kenshin advanced on Aoshi. "Ryu Sou Sen!" he shouted, landing blows to the vital parts of Aoshi's body.
Aoshi staggered back and forth as a trickle of blood ran down the corner of his mouth.
"You will have to do a lot better than that to defeat me." Aoshi said, as his cold eyes turned to blue steel.
"Give up Aoshi." Kenshin growled.
"Never." Was Aoshi's reply.
Aoshi sped towards his opponent and leapt into the air.
"Kaiten Kenbu Roku Ren." Aoshi shouted as he spun around and attacked Kenshin from all directions.
The slashes penetrated Kenshin's whole body. The attack took most of Kenshin's strength and the pain was unbearable. He stood there with slashes all over his body and blood seeping out of them. It seemed like forever but he finally fell.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru cried from the sidelines.
She had been watching the whole fight with awe. Kaoru never knew that Kenshin was such an excellent sword fighter or that Aoshi was just as skilled. She had a hard time following Kenshin's moves due to his god-like speed. Everything seemed to be going in Kenshin's favor until Aoshi did his Kaiten Kenbu. A look of horror washed over her face as she watched Aoshi cut Kenshin to ribbons.
Aoshi advanced towards his opponent with cat like steps. He was going to finish him off, once and for all.
Kaoru couldn't let this go on any longer. Kenshin wasn't getting up he was too badly hurt. It was all her fault that he was here in the first place. She had to do something before it was too late. Kaoru rushed to Kenshin's fallen form.
"Kenshin! Kenshin!" she shouted as tears escaped her eyes.
Kenshin looked up at her, gasping for breath.
"You must run away….go hurry!" Kenshin choked.
"No, I can't leave you." Kaoru cried, watching him writhe in pain.
Aoshi hovered over them and stared down at the two with is cold uncaring eyes.
"Move." Aoshi ordered.
Kaoru stepped in front of Kenshin and shielded him with her own body.
"No! I can't let you do this! Please, leave him alone and take me. Don't hurt him!" she pleaded.
"I will not ask you again. Move." Aoshi said a little more authoratively.
"No!" Kaoru shot back defiantly. "I won't let you hurt him!"
Kenshin lay on the ground wondering why she would risk her own life for his. She had nothing to gain by it, not after what he did to her. He couldn't let her get hurt, so he used all the strength he had left and forced him to get up.
He winced in pain as his wounds opened up more. The blood ran down his body in steady streams and his clothing was torn.
"Miss Kaoru." Kenshin said, gently putting his hand on her shoulder. "I am all right now, please stand aside."
Kaoru looked up at him with tear filled eyes, not believing that he was able to get up and fight again.
"Oh Kenshin! Please don't do this! He will kill you!" she tried to plea with him.
"I will not let him hurt you Miss Kaoru, that I won't" Kenshin said giving her a caring glance.
She noticed the amber in his eyes was gone and his kind violet eyes were staring back at her.
Kaoru silently nodded her head, putting her faith into him.
Kenshin propped himself up with his sword and groaned in pain as he got into a battle stance.
"You cannot defeat me Battousai. You should have stayed down. Your death would have been less painful." Aoshi said as his eyes glinted.
"Shut up and fight me." Kenshin said in an even toned voice.
"Very well." Aoshi replied.
Aoshi got into his battle stance.
"I will show you the true technique of the Oniwabanshu." He said throwing his other Kodachi to the ground.
Aoshi madly spun around Kenshin, giving him no definite opening. It made it difficult to see where he was going to strike. Aoshi did this for a few more minutes, taunting the Battousai.
"Ryuusui no Ugoki!" Aoshi shouted before he attacked.
At the last moment Kenshin saw Aoshi's move. He saw the split second where Aoshi switched from a defensive stance to an offensive stance. Kenshin caught Aoshi's sword in one and thrusted it upwards into his throat.
'This can't be!' Aoshi panicked as he felt the blow.
Aoshi flew through the air and landed roughly on his back. From the looks of it, he seemed to be unconscious.
Kenshin narrowed his eyes and picked up his sword, moving towards his fallen opponent.
"Your life as a swordsman is over and so is you life." Kenshin spat as he raised his Katana over his head ready to strike.
"No!" Kaoru screamed.
Kenshin was knocked out of his conscious state when he heard Kaoru's voice.
Police sirens filled the air and the lights reflected off the buildings indicating they were getting closer.
Kenshin slowly brought his sword down and resheathed it.
Aoshi lay on the ground as he tried to recover his breath.
"You should have killed me. This is not over." He said gasping for air.
Kenshin turned his gaze to Miss Kaoru. She looked as white as a ghost. Her face was full of worry. Worry for him?
"Miss Kaoru, we must go before the police come." Kenshin said running towards.
He grabbed her hand and raced towards his SUV.
"Kenshin, we can't just leave him there. What about Misao?" she said looking back.
"Don't worry about them. We need to get out of here." Kenshin spoke.
They got to the SUV and hurried inside. Kaoru watched from a distance as Aoshi struggled to get up. Slowly, but surely he did. She watched as he grabbed his two Kodachi's. His moves looked painful and slow as he walked back to the car. She saw the face of Misao disappear as the two vehicles parted ways.
Kenshin sped out of the area like a bat out of hell. He took wild turns and weaved in and out of traffic. He wasn't too sure if Aoshi would follow them. He had to keep Miss Kaoru safe.
As soon as he felt that the danger was over, Kenshin turned onto the road, which would take them to his house.
"Hand me the phone in the glove compartment." Kenshin asked Kaoru.
Kaoru did as he said and handed him the phone. Kenshin dialed the numbers on they keypad and put the phone up to his ear. There was a slight pause before he began to talk.
"I've found her. I need you and Miss Megumi to come to the house as soon as possible. Tell her to bring her medical supplies as well…No, she is all right…I'll see you there, bye." He said flipping the phone closed.
He handed the phone back to Kaoru, which she put back in the compartment. The rest of the journey was spent in complete silence. She wasn't sure what to say to him after the fight. There were so many questions on her mind but she wasn't sure if now was a good time to ask.
She noticed the wounds on his body and became concerned for his well being. He looked as if he'd lost a lot of blood. Most of them seemed to be surface wounds, but she couldn't help but feel that it was all her fault. He should have never been involved.
They turned onto the gravel road that led to his house. Kaoru watched in the distance and wondered if this is where he was staying all along. Kenshin pulled into the driveway across from his house.
The two sat in complete silence neither moving nor talking. The sound of their breath was the only things to be heard. Kaoru's heart pounded in her chest, she wasn't sure what to do.
'Does he want me to say something? Should I get out?' She worried to herself.
Kenshin looked as if he was waiting for her to say something. She could tell that his eyes were still fiery amber. His read hair framed his face and a few strands stuck to his forehead with sweat.
Not know what else to do, Kaoru made a move to open the door.
"Why?" Kenshin whispered.
Kaoru removed her hand from the door and gently set it into her lap.
'Here it comes. He wants to know why I lied to him.'
Kaoru wasn't sure what to say or where to start. Her voice caught in her throat.
She found it hard to speak.
"I…I…didn't mean to get you involved." She said with a shameful look on her face.
"No, not that." Kenshin replied in an even tone.
"Why did you kill our baby?" He said, as his eyes glowed fierce amber.
End of Chapter 26
Okay, I know, I know! I am a very wicked lady for leaving you guys hanging like this! Don't you just hate cliffhangers?
So we finally had a battle after what…..26 chapters lol! Oh my!
Anyways, I am so sorry for the update delay. This week has been a living hell for me. Among other things, everyone in my department decided to take vacation at the same time, leaving me by myself. I am literally exhausted! I could have written another chapter, but my heart wasn't into it at the time. I hate writing when I am rushed. There's proof of the last chapter. The day I wrote chapter 25, everyone and their dog decided to bug me. I was like Jesus Christ people! I am trying to write a story! Lol
Thanks to all of those who have pointed out my grammar mistakes. I know I am not perfect, but I like the constructive criticism. I have taken your comments into consideration. I.E. especially after the last chapter. I hope to improve! ^_^
Anyways, hope you liked this chapter. As you see, I haven't completely left Enishi out of the picture for a fight. Maybe Aoshi will return to finish what he started…who knows. I am thinking there might be a little more Misao/Aoshi romance, for those who like the pairing. Tell what you think *_^
I hope that you are enjoying your weekend and thank you for reading!
~*Charismatic Angel*~