Finally another chapter! It's been almost a week since my last update. I didn't mean to take so long but life just caught up with me. You can't believe what a crazy busy week it has been! Getting this chapter done was an ordeal! Not just because I was struggling with partial writer's block but also because I had to do a lot of other stuff. The chapter isn't that good. Too many obstacles were in my way. My creative juices just weren't flowing in the right way.
Isn't it funny how teachers seem to conspire and tend to give you tons of work at the exact same time?
But I did get my chapter finished and I will let you go on and read it.
Please read the bottom part at the end of the story. I got some things to say to people.
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In a perfect world I would, but I live in the real world…and sadly I ain't got no money…so, it's utterly useless to sue me…but for good measure: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, but Nobuhiro Watsuki and a bunch of other people do…
Let the madness continue.
Promises from the Past
Her very last thought before she finally sank into oblivion was That damn wolf was right
Rescues and Directions It already had been more than half an hour since Sayuri went outside to get some fresh air. Kenshin had this nagging feeling that something wasn't right.
Earlier, he thought he saw a horse running beside the train. When he looked again, the horse was no longer there. It must have been in his imagination.
Why he would imagine a horse running along side the train, he could not explain.
Just like this nagging feeling that told him something was wrong. Knowing that the feeling wouldn't go away until he made sure everything was okay, he decided to look for Sayuri.
He slipped out quietly, so as not to disturb his still sleeping companions and headed towards the back, since that was where Sayuri had said she was going.
When he arrived there, he saw that Sayuri wasn't there.
Odd, I thought she said she was going to the back Kenshin decided to go to the other end, in hopes that Sayuri would be there. When he did, he found that she wasn't.
The nagging feeling intensified.
She could be somewhere else on the train Kenshin knocked on each compartment door to inquire if they had seen Sayuri. He knew that the people whom he asked must have been thinking he had lost his mind, but his instincts told him that Sayuri was in trouble. And his instincts were seldom wrong.
Having searched all the compartments and still not finding Sayuri, he went back to the rear of the train car. Why he did, he didn't know, just that he felt he had to go there again.
When he opened the door to step outside, he saw something on the floor that he'd missed earlier. Picking it up, he saw that it was a hair comb.
Sayuri's hair comb.
He was sure that it was hers because this morning, Kaoru had admired it and Sayuri had given her one just like it as a gift. Kaoru had been delighted and shown in to Kenshin.
The question now was 'Where is Sayuri?'
Kenshin saw something else on the floor. A white cloth. As he picked it up and held it closer to inspect it, he could smell the faint odor of chloroform.
There was no longer a doubt in his mind that something was wrong. Sayuri had been kidnapped.
And he had to go rescue her.
Going back inside to inform the others of what had happened, Kenshin opened the door to their compartment with such force that it banged against the outer wall.
The sleeping occupants awakened with a start. By the look on Kenshin's face, they knew something was wrong. Then they realized that someone was missing.
"Where's Sayuri?" Sano asked roughly.
Kenshin looked at him and said, "She's been kidnapped."
"Shit!" Sano said forcefully.
"But how…" Kaoru looked at Kenshin, worry and fear in her eyes.
"I don't know. But I have to find her," Kenshin said.
"If you're leaving, I'm coming with you," Sano said in a voice that brook no argument.
Kenshin knew that Sano would come even if he said no, so he nodded towards Sano, "It'll be good to have you with me."
Kenshin never had the intention to leave Sano out of this. Sano would be a good ally to have if things became rough.
"If he's going, then I am going," Yahiko said to Kenshin.
Kenshin turned to him and shook his head, "It'll be better if you stay here with Kaoru-dono."
"But…" Yahiko started to argue.
"No buts, Yahiko. You and Kaoru need to stay on the train to take care of our luggage," Kenshin said.
"Kenshin, how can you think of luggage in a situation like this?" Kaoru asked him exasperatedly.
"Our luggage is going to Kyoto, and the Oniwabanshuu is there. If there's no word from us after two days, ask them to help. They got connections, maybe they'll find something to lead us to her," Kenshin explained calmly.
Kaoru understood the logic behind Kenshin's explanation. If they reached Kyoto, their spy friends could help them find Sayuri.
"Okay," Kaoru said to indicate that she accepted the plan but she wanted to know one thing, "How are you going to get off the train?"
***
Kenshin and Sano were standing on the train's roof, ready to jump off the train. Then they would backtrack to the place where Kenshin thought he saw the horse. He no longer thought the horse was a figment of his imagination. With Sayuri gone, it became real.
Kenshin readied himself to jump off the train, when Sano said, "You do realize that this is crazy…"
Kenshin looked at him, "Why?"
"Because what we're doing borders on the suicidal…" Sano explained.
"We have to find Sayuri. In order to do that, we have to get off the train," Kenshin explained calmly.
"Alrighty then, after you," was all that Sano said.
Kenshin went into position and jumped. He landed on the ground and rolled away from the train. Kenshin stood up. He was covered in dust, but seemingly unharmed.
Well, we can't all be Masters of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu Sano thought right before he jumped. He landed a little less gracefully and had the misfortune to roll unto a gravelly section, where the tiny rocks made it uncomfortable.
When Sano finally stopped rolling, he looked up at the sky and said "The woman's trouble with a capital T!"
Then he stood up and shook the dust from his clothes and turned in the direction where Kenshin had been. He saw the rurouni already walking towards the spot were he said he had seen the horse. Sano ran to catch up with him, but he noticed that his muscles were feeling a little sore.
It's not like I'm not used to that he thought.
Catching up with Kenshin, he noted that his friend was in a somber mood.
Almost like he'd gone Battousai… Not killer mode but serious. The kidnapper better watch out, because Kenshin meant business.
Sano too was feeling like he could do some harm to those guys… gladly in fact. Sayuri better be okay when they find her or the guy who took her wouldn't be walking for a long, long time. Sano would make sure of that.
Kenshin walked back to the place where he thought he had seen the horse. He could remember it well because it had been at a bend, and the woods were very near to the train tracks.
He was angry. Angry at the kidnapper for taking Sayuri.
But mostly he was angry at himself, for letting it happen. His instincts had told him to go with Sayuri, or at least shadow her. Because he had ignored them, Sayuri was gone.
He had to find her. He owed it to Sayuri. He owed it to Ran.
***
Yahiko was fidgeting on the bench. Kaoru shot him an annoyed look.
"Stop fidgeting! You're making me more nervous than I already am," Kaoru said to him.
Kaoru wasn't just nervous. She was worried and she was afraid.
Kami-sama, let Kenshin and Sano find her. Let her be okay. Watch over them all and keep them safe Kaoru offered this prayer to the gods, hoping that they would hear her plea.
As if Yahiko had heard her prayer, he stopped fidgeting and said confidently, "Kenshin and Sano will find her. I know they will."
***
Kenshin and Sano were inspecting the ground. It showed evidence that a horse had been here. The tracks also indicated that the horse had headed for the woods.
"What do you think he wants her for?" Sano asked, as they followed the tracks.
"I don't know. There are too many possibilities. But what I do know, is that we have to get her back," Kenshin said in his Battousai voice.
They ran, following the tracks.
Their plan was to follow the tracks, in hopes that they would lead them to Sayuri. Of course, Kenshin and Sano knew that the kidnapper must be far away by now, since he had been on a horse and had had considerable time to get away. They knew that their plan was flawed.
But under the circumstances, any plan was better than no plan.
***
He'd known from the start that Sayuri would turn out to be trouble. A woman who insisted on traveling alone couldn't be anything else but trouble.
Though he had to commend her for having stayed out of it this far.
But now that Sayuri was in trouble, she was really lucky that he had decided to follow her.
Unknown to Sayuri, he had boarded the same train going to Kyoto, to keep an eye on her. His foresight had paid off. After he had spotted the rider and horse, he made his way through the train to investigate.
Unfortunately, he arrived too late. The man had already jumped off the train with Sayuri, gotten on his horse and ridden off.
Following instinct, he had jumped off the train to follow them. He wasn't an idiot that he couldn't realize that the man had an obvious advantage over him, since the kidnapper had a horse and he was on foot. But he knew that it just took a little patience and lots of perseverance and even the most cunning bad guy will be caught.
He had tracked them for almost two hours now, and the sun was beginning to set. Actually, it had been very easy to keep track of where the kidnapper had gone. There was only one path wide enough for a horse to run through. And even if the rider would have chosen to go in a different direction, the broken foliage would have given them away.
He was feeling confident that he would find them soon. It was getting dark. It would be much more difficult to ride in the dark. The foliage of the woods was dense enough to make it difficult for moonlight to shine through. The kidnapper had to be careful so that his horse would not be injured. There were enough potholes on the road that could make traveling in the dark dangerous.
***
Kenshin and Sano had followed the tracks for almost three hours. Soon it would be too dark for them to see anything clearly.
The logical thing for them to do was to stop for the night. But they could not afford to do that.
The only thing they could do is go on, in the hopes that the kidnapper had stopped for the night.
And if he did, they wanted to find him and make him pay.
***
Sayuri slowly awakened from a long slumber. Coming into consciousness gradually, she found it odd that she had fallen asleep bent over. What was odder was that her bed felt like it was galloping. Why would her futon be galloping?
Her senses picked up the smell of horses. Why would she be smelling horses on her futon?
Then a horse neighed, and the fuzziness that had lingered in her mind disappeared. She finally could make sense of it all.
She had been kidnapped!
Her head ached and she was feeling nauseated. Being blindfolded didn't help, for she could not see who kidnapped her, where they were going or what time it was. She had no idea of how long she had been unconscious.
But what she did know was she had to get away. How, she didn't know. But she would get away.
Suddenly, the horse neighed loudly and stumbled. Sayuri was almost thrown off the horse's back. She heard a man cursing.
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"
She felt the man get off the horse and swear some more.
"This damn beast had to stumble into a freaking hole in the road! Worthless creature!" the man said loudly.
The horse neighed again and started to prance backwards. Sayuri tried hard to stay on the horses back. But it was difficult with her hands tied as well.
"Great! Now the beast is lame! Totally worthless!" the man was saying, between other vile words.
Sayuri wondered what would happen next, when she felt herself lifted off the horse's back. For the mean time Sayuri felt it would be better to pretend like she was still unconscious.
The man propped her against a tree trunk, and Sayuri flopped over like a rag doll, since she was supposedly still out. The man slapped her on her cheek, hard enough to make it sting, but Sayuri used all her will power to not react.
"Shit! The woman's not out of it yet! He said it'll wear off in about an hour or so!"
Apparently, the man was checking if Sayuri was still breathing, for he came really close. Sayuri could smell his breath, and compared to the slap earlier, this was worse. Sayuri tried very hard not to gag.
Just when she thought she could hold it no longer, the man drew away. She heard him mutter something to the horse but it was to low for her to hear clearly. Then she heard him move around but she could not make sense of what he was doing.
Suddenly, she felt something warm and heard some crackling, so she realized that he had been gathering wood to make a fire. This meant that they were settling for the night. At least now Sayuri had a sense of what time it was.
If it was already dark, then she had been out for more than just a couple of hours. And if she had been on a horse, it would mean that she must have traveled quite a distance now.
Kenshin and the others must be worried by now There was no doubt in her mind that Kenshin and the others were searching for her. It was the kind of thing they did. They would never let friends down.
But Sayuri was worried that they wouldn't find her. Not soon, anyway. This meant she was on her own. And she had to find a way to get out of this on her own.
Until she had a plan, she would pretend she was still unconscious. At least that would keep the man away from her. And if he did try something, she always could magically awaken and fight him off.
But for now, it was waiting. After all, haste led to mistakes. Be patient… let the shadows be your friend.
***
It must be close to midnight the man thought as he continued moving in the darkness. His eyes had adjusted and aided by the faint light of the moon shining through the tops of the trees, he could make out the road. He had been tracking for hours, and there was still no sign of the kidnapper or Sayuri.
He was getting tired. And although he was very strong, he knew that sleep would aid him better. But he had to go on. He felt that he was very close.
Then he saw a faint glow in the distance. Moving towards it stealthily, he saw that it came from a fire. When he was close enough to see who was there by the fire, he smiled in satisfaction.
Got you!
Then in a swiftness acquired by years of practice and actual fighting, he withdrew his sword and attacked the kidnapper.
***
Sayuri sensed that someone was nearby. Someone familiar. Then she felt than actually heard someone attacking, saying something that she recognized. Then she could hear the hiss of a sword as it was drawn from a sheath, the clang of two swords connecting and then nothing.
The only sound that Sayuri could hear was the crackling of the fire as it burned. She couldn't hear anything from the two people who apparently had been in a sword fight.
She felt someone drawing close. Not knowing if it was friend or foe, she continued to pretend unconsciousness.
Then she felt someone touch her face and pull the blindfold away.
An amused voice said, "You're not fooling me…"
Sayuri gasped and opened her eyes that she had closed when the person had pulled her blindfold away.
Her vision was a bit blurry and she blinked. When she finally could see the person clearly, she gasped again.
"You…but I thought you were in Tokyo…" she said in bewilderment
Then she leaned forward and threw up.
***
Kenshin and Sano had been walking for hours, and they were beginning to get tired.
It was around one in the morning according to Kenshin's estimation. Still no sign of Sayuri. Soon they would have to take a break. They both were strong but even the strongest needed to rest.
Only the thought of finding Sayuri kept them going. Maybe they would get lucky.
Throughout their search, Kenshin and Sano had thought of who could have kidnapped Sayuri. The possibilities were endless.
Though Sano had one prime suspect in his mind. Earlier, he had discussed it with Kenshin
"Do you think that Akira guy is been behind all this?" he had asked Kenshin.
Kenshin thought about it for a moment before saying, "I don't know. What makes you think that he is?"
In a serious tone, Sano replied, "I don't know, but there was just something in the way he looked at Sayuri back at the station. It was really intense…possessive even…"
Kenshin had noted that too, so he said, "Maybe you're right." Then they both had lapsed into silence.
Kenshin sensed something or someone somewhere to his right. And as he turned in that direction, he saw a warm glow.
"Sano," he whispered, " maybe we are going to find out who it is sooner than we thought."
***
Sayuri was now sitting by the fire, opposite to the man who had rescued her.
When she finally had finished with throwing up, the man had untied the ropes that had kept her wrists together. As soon as the ropes were loose enough, Sayuri had pushed him away and gotten out of the ropes herself. She had glared at him, unreasonably angry for being rescued by him. The man had chuckled in amusement and that had made Sayuri even more furious.
Now, he was sitting by the fire, looking completely relaxed.
Sayuri wanted to scratch that serene look off his face, she was feeling so angry.
But she knew that the real person she was angry at was herself. She couldn't believe that she had gotten herself kidnapped. If her grandfather heard about this…when was more likely…when her grandfather would hear about his, he most probably would give her a lecture that would basically say "I told you so".
Her grandfather had been opposed to the idea of her traveling alone from the start. That she could get kidnapped was his primary argument.
But Sayuri had thought it totally laughable…illogical even…when she thought of what her grandfather had 'asked' her to do in Kyoto.
Her grandfather had been adamant, but she had been more stubborn. Ultimately, he had agreed to it, but only to send two bodyguards to shadow her. Those two had proven to be useful…right. She could blame her two idiot bodyguards for this, but she knew that ultimately she was at fault.
She had been aware of the dangers, yet she had been reckless. She had allowed her emotions to get in the way.
Yet even as she acknowledged her own fault, it was easier to be venting her anger at someone else. Her rescuer was the perfect target.
Sayuri glared at him more fiercely. If her ki would have been any stronger, it would have been choking the man right now.
"There's no point in being angry at me…you were aware of the dangers," the man calmly pointed out.
Sayuri contemplated walking over and choking him physically, instead she asked surly, "What are you doing here anyway?"
The man looked at her and said in a sweet-innocent voice, "Shouldn't you be thanking me? After all, I did save you from that scum over there," he pointed towards the kidnapper, tied to a tree, unconscious.
Sayuri had been relieved to find out that he hadn't killed her kidnapper. Death was never the solution…only a sad reality of life. She didn't want that man's death on her conscience.
As if the man had read her thoughts, he said, "If it were up to me, I'd have killed him…but if I did, then he could no longer tell us who ordered for you to be kidnapped…so I didn't save him because of some strange attack of conscience but because it would be more convenient to have him alive."
Sayuri scoffed, and asked in a mocking voice "Playing the detective now?"
But before the man could reply, a voice behind him said, "Move and you'll regret it."
The man could feel the tip of a sword pressed against his neck. Instead of feeling alarm, he relaxed even more and said, "Go on…Battousai…let us see if you still have it in you…"
The man moved with such swiftness, standing up and facing Kenshin. He had his sword drawn.
Kenshin went into Hiten Mitsurugi stance, looking the man straight in the eye and saying in a steely voice, "I don't need to kill you, to beat you…Saitou."
***
The two were facing each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.
Sayuri had been paralyzed for a moment. When Kenshin had arrived, she had gasped in surprise. But what was even more surprising had been the steel in Kenshin's voice as he addressed Saitou. It was totally different from the Kenshin she had gotten to know.
This was the man who had lived during her mother's time in the Bakumatsu. This was a fierce opponent.
Saitou seemed to enjoy provoking Kenshin. Then again, the ki coming off him was just as fierce as Kenshin's.
The air had gone still, and Sayuri knew that one of them would make his move.
"Stop this!" she screamed. The two figures ignored her.
Sayuri knew that it was only a second before one would strike, so she did what she could.
Stepping up to Saitou with such swiftness that the policeman had no time to react, she touched a part of his shoulder.
To Saitou and Kenshin's surprise, the policeman's sword arm went slack. Saitou tried to lift it, but there was not enough strength left in his arm to do so. He tried to turn towards Sayuri but it was difficult.
"The two of you, put your swords back in their sheaths. This is a misunderstanding!" Sayuri said, authority in her voice.
Kenshin hesitated. He looked from Saitou to Sayuri.
Sayuri looked at him and explained, "He isn't the kidnapper…he rescued me from him," she nodded towards the still unconscious kidnapper.
Glancing at the man, Kenshin realized that it had been a mistake. He sheathed his sword.
"If you promise to do the same, I will let go of your shoulder," Sayuri said to Saitou.
Saitou looked at Kenshin, smirked and said, "Okay, I promise."
Kenshin didn't trust Saitou for one bit, so he kept himself ready. Sayuri let go of Saitou's shoulder and the policeman was able to use his arm again.
Saitou hesitated for a moment and Kenshin already felt his hand move towards the hilt of his sakkabatou, but Saitou then sheathed his sword.
Relieved that the crisis had been averted, Sayuri wanted to lecture the two about how stupid they had been acting. But before she could start, something or someone came crashing through the woods.
Sano had tried to keep up with Kenshin, who had been using his legendary god-like speed. But running through the woods in almost complete darkness wasn't easy. Branches and other things got in the way, so Sano had arrived a little bit later than Kenshin.
Seeing Saitou and Kenshin standing off with Sayuri behind, Sano's first conclusion was the same as Kenshin's.
Sayuri, already familiar with the workings of Sano's mind, stepped in and said, "Before you do anything stupid, Officer Fujita isn't the one who kidnapped me."
Sano stopped and looked somewhat disoriented. Not because of Sayuri's explanation, but because Sayuri had addressed Saitou differently. 'Officer Fujita' sounded strange, when Sano knew what and who Saitou was.
Satisfied that she had stopped Sano from doing whatever he would have been doing, Sayuri turned to the two other people to give her lecture.
"You two are behaving like idiots!"
She turned to Kenshin, "Although I realize that you two have a history together, jumping to conclusions is unacceptable. I can't believe that you didn't stop to analyze the situation."
Kenshin blushed in embarrassment. Saitou smirked at him. Sayuri saw that and turned to him.
"And you! You knew well enough that Kenshin had gotten the wrong impression, but instead of correcting him, you jump in and encourage the fight! I can't believe how childish you are acting."
To Kenshin and Sano's surprise, Saitou looked slightly embarrassed. Satisfied, Sayuri turned to Sano.
Thinking that she would now be lecturing him, he blurted out, "What did you do to Saitou earlier?"
"What did I do earlier?" she asked him.
"You know the thing with his shoulder. I saw you, and you did something to his sword arm."
"Oh that," she said when she understood what he was referring to, " It's called Butterfly's Touch."
"Butterfly's Touch…" Sano repeated.
Sayuri explained, "It's a technique that uses pressure points to weaken the enemy. Applying pressure to a certain point will disable a part of a person's body. It's called Butterfly's Touch because it doesn't require much strength to apply the pressure, only knowledge on how to do it. In fact, a person can barely feel it when he is touched by someone who's using the technique."
Sano was impressed, "Is it deadly?"
Sayuri nodded, "Yes. You can kill a person in five seconds flat, if you know how to do it."
"Do you know how to do it?" Sano wanted to know.
Sayuri didn't reply, just smiled vaguely.
"You could have used that technique on your kidnapper," Saitou pointed out. He had been surprised that Sayuri had been able to stop him with something as insubstantial as her light touch. The woman was indeed trouble. And a mystery that got more mysterious.
Sayuri sighed, knowing well that Saitou had a point, but before she could reply, Kenshin answered.
"A person needs to be in a certain position for the technique to work. If you and your opponent are in non-optimal positions, the technique will fail…Sayuri couldn't use it because the kidnapper had taken her by surprise. If she would have been aware of him, we all would still be on the train."
Sayuri was surprised that Kenshin knew about the technique. It had been handed down their family line through the female side. She looked at him to inquire how he found out about it, when Kenshin answered.
"Ran-dono told me. She had used it on me a couple of times."
Sano couldn't believe that someone as slight as Sayuri had made Saitou ineffective. His respect for the woman went up a notch. So did his conviction that the woman was trouble with a capital T.
Before they could talk more about this, somebody groaned. They all turned towards the kidnapper, who was waking up. Seeing the real reason behind Sayuri's disappearance, Kenshin and Sano's anger flared up.
Saitou crouched in front of the man and slapped him on his cheeks, "Wake up! It's time to confess."
The man looked up at Saitou and for a moment looked disoriented. His bewildered eyes wandered to Sano and Kenshin, who had scowls on their faces. When they landed on Sayuri, his eyes flew immediately back to Saitou.
Letting out a foul curse, he said to the policeman, "You! It was you who attacked me! You piece of shit!" He tried to get loose from the ropes so he could get his hands on Saitou.
But Saitou just smirked superiorly, took out a cigarette and lit it. Inhaling and exhaling slowly, Saitou savored his first draught from it.
He looked at the kidnapper and said, "You know, I haven't had one of these since I started looking for the woman."
"You shouldn't be smoking anyway, it's a filthy habit and bad for your health," Sayuri said in a prim voice.
Saitou chuckled, "I didn't know you cared…" Sayuri stuck out her tongue at him.
That made him chuckle even more. The kidnapper then said something that got Saitou to pay attention to him again.
"Who are you calling an asshole, asshole?" Saitou said to the man. The kidnapper just glared back.
Saitou continued, "Since you seem to be in a talkative mood, why don't you tell us who hired you to kidnap the woman."
The man remained silent, glaring at Saitou.
The policeman shrugged, "Fine, we can do it the easy way or the hard way…Guess what? You just made your choice…and the hard way it is."
Dropping the cigarette and crushing it with his boot, he drew his sword out of its sheath and went into Gatotsu stance.
"Do you know what my motto is?…It's Aku. Zoku. Zen. Consider yourself lucky that I didn't just follow my instincts earlier and cut you up in little pieces."
The kidnapper gulped but defiantly said, "You won't kill me…because if you do, you won't find out who sent me."
Saitou straightened and put his sword back in its sheath, "True…but you see that guy with the red hair? Do you know who he was? He used to be the Hitokiri Battousai…"
Recognizing the name, the man looked at Kenshin. Noticing the menacing amber glow in Kenshin's eyes, the man gulped harder and he broke out in cold sweat.
But he still insisted, "He won't kill me either…"
With a feral smile, Saitou said, "Maybe he won't…but he doesn't have to kill you to make you suffer…"
The man looked at Kenshin again and saw the same menacing gleam of amber in his eyes. He looked at Sano, who was cracking his knuckles, as if spoiling for a fight.
Saitou saw him glance at Sano and said, "And the other guy could crush your bones with just a little tap of his fist…so ask yourself if you have been paid enough to go through all the pain we can inflict on you or spare yourself the agony and tell us right now."
The kidnapper looked from Saitou, to Kenshin, to Sano and then finally looked at Sayuri.
Ina nonchalant voice, she said, "I think he wants to go through the agony…why don't you accommodate him."
The three men advanced on him, menace and the promise of violence on their faces.
Knowing that he would not survive it if the three became serious, the man blurted out, "Hirano Hotaka!"
"What?" Sayuri exclaimed.
The three men turned to her. Sayuri knew the guy. Who was he?
Seeing that the men were looking at her questioningly, she explained, "Hirano Hotaka, or Hentai Hotaka as I like to call him, fancies himself as my fiancé. Never mind that I told him time and time again that I am not interested in him whatsoever. He thinks that I would make him the perfect trophy wife. Grandfather's wealth would all pass to me, and he as my husband would have access to all that money. He tried to get my grandfather to force me to marry him but my grandfather, thank the gods, told Hentai Hotaka that I had the choice of who my husband is going to be."
Sayuri sighed, "When mother died, he came to visit me, trying to convince me that he would be the perfect husband for me. Right. Then the slime tried to compromise me. We were in the dining room, waiting for Grandfather, when he attacked me. Of course, before anything could happen, Grandfather walked in. You could almost see the gleam of triumph in his eyes, thinking that my Grandfather would now insist that I marry him."
Sayuri was remembering the scene and burst out laughing, "But you should have seen his face when Grandfather calmly said 'Thank you for assisting Sayuri, she lately acquired the habit of fainting.' Hentai Hotaka was livid. Of course he couldn't insist that he had been attacking me, that would only incite Grandfather's anger. You don't want my grandfather angry at you. Hentai Hotaka then left the next day. I thought that was the last I'd see of him"
Sayuri suddenly went somber, "I guess I was wrong. The promise of Grandfather's money was just too irresistible to pass up."
The kidnapper snorted, "Hirano had some strange illusion of grandeur. If you ask me, the guy is nuts!"
Saitou, who had lighted another cigarette, exhaled some smoke and observed, "If you think the guy is nuts, why'd you take the job?"
The kidnapper looked at him, "Because he is a nut who pays well."
Kenshin finally spoke, "But apparently not well enough, since you so eagerly gave up his name."
The kidnapper looked at Kenshin warily. Of the three men, he was most wary of Kenshin. He had heard stories of the Hitokiri Battousai. Most stories affirmed that he was ruthless and could kill you with a single slash. The way Kenshin was looking at him, the kidnapper figured the stories were all true.
"I know when to cut my losses," he said to the group, sullenly.
"Great! Now we can't even beat him up!" Sano exclaimed, feeling let down after he had hyped himself up for a fight.
Saitou looked at him, "What makes you think we can't have a little fun with the scum here?"
But Sayuri, who never had been a fan of violence, said, "Enough. There will be no fighting here. We're going to take this man here to Kyoto and hand him over to the police."
Turning to Saitou she said, "Officer Fujita will handle the details when we get there, won't you?"
Saitou studied her for a moment with an unreadable expression his face, then said, "Of course. As an officer of the law, it will be my pleasure."
Sano snorted, and Saitou glared at him. That didn't stop Sano at all. Even Kenshin tried to bit back a grimace. Points for Sayuri.
Sayuri asked the kidnaper, "What's your name?"
Startled by her question, he asked, "Why are you asking?"
Sighing with exasperation, Sayuri said, "Because you and I are going to be traveling together to Kyoto and I would like to know what I should call you."
"How 'bout 'ahou'?" Sano suggested.
Sayuri glanced at him briefly, then looked at the kidnaper expectantly.
"Ueno Hideaki," the man replied.
"That was easy, wasn't it, Ueno-san," Sayuri replied.
"I don't see why she has to be so polite to him, "Sano muttered. Saitou quietly agreed with him.
Kenshin had another question that had been bothering him, so he asked the man, "Where were you supposed to take Sayuri-dono?"
Having realized that cooperating was the best way for him to stay alive, Ueno answered, "To the next town. Hirano said that he'd be waiting for me there."
"Anybody with him?" Kenshin asked further.
Ueno shook his head, "No. He wanted to have as little people as possible involved in this. According to him, it would be easier to control the variables this way."
Saitou smirked, "I guess he wasn't counting on us as variables."
Sano was studying Kenshin who had gone thoughtful, then he said, "Oi Kenshin! Why don't we pay a guy a visit in the next town. I'll bet we have lots to talk about with him."
Kenshin looked at Sano and smiled, "I think that's a good idea," then he looked at Saitou.
"I guess the side trip isn't going to hurt anybody," the policeman said, taking a draught from his cigarette.
Sayuri sighed, knowing well that she couldn't stop the three men from doing what they thought they had to do. All she could do was make sure that things didn't get out of hand.
In truth, she was eager to see Hentai Hotaka herself and give him a piece of her mind, and maybe a piece of her fist right in his nose as well.
"I guess we'll better rest for the night," she said to the group.
***
The group had walked to the next town to pay Hirano Hotaka a visit.
Ueno's hands had been tied behind his back, and he had walked between Saitou and Sano. Kenshin had walked beside Sayuri. At first the men had insisted that she ride on the horse, but Sayuri declined, knowing that the horse was still injured.
Arriving at the town, Ueno led the group to a seedy little inn. He showed them to a private room in the back. Saitou took the ropes off his hands.
Knocking a prearranged code, Ueno with the others standing to the side waited for someone to open the door.
The door slid open and a man appeared.
Seeing Ueno, he asked, "Where's the woman?"
"The woman's right here, Hotaka-kun," Sayuri said in a sugary sweet voice.
Hotaka looked at her in surprise and finally noticed the other three people standing behind her. He looked back at Ueno
"What's this?" he sputtered in surprise and anger.
"Oh, this is just a friendly visit, Hotaka-kun," Saitou said, smirking at the man.
Bewildered, Hotaka looked at Saitou, Sano, Kenshin and Sayuri. Finally he turned to Ueno and grabbed him by his gi.
"You betrayed me, you piece of scum!" he hissed at Ueno.
Sano grabbed Hotaka by his collar, and in surprise the man let go of Ueno. He tried to get his hands on Sano but Kenshin stepped in.
Hotaka looked at the small red-haired man. At first glance he didn't look like a threat but when he looked at Kenshin's eyes, he knew that the impression was wrong. Kenshin's eyes glittered amber.
"A little advice, boss, the one you should be most afraid of is the red-haired guy…he used to be the Hitokiri Battousai after all," Ueno said in a mocking tone.
Hotaka gulped, recognizing the name. Looking at Kenshin, he noted the menace and unleashed violence in his ki. This wasn't a man to play swords with.
Sayuri saw Hentai Hotaka breaking out in sweat. He was afraid of Kenshin. Sayuri smiled.
"Sano, you can let go of him now," she said. Sano was reluctant at first but saw something in Sayuri's face so he did.
Sayuri stepped up to Hotaka and smiled sweetly, "If you ever do a stupid stunt like this again, I will personally make sure that you will never ever have children, is that understood?"
Unable to accept defeat, Hotaka boldly said, "Hah! I almost succeeded, didn't I? What makes you think that the next time I'll fail again?"
Kenshin spoke up, "If there's a next time, I promise you we will meet again…and not as friends, you can be sure of that."
At the tone of Kenshin's voice, Hotaka knew that it was time to give up. The man formerly known as the Hitokiri Battousai wasn't someone he wanted to deal with.
"Fine, have it your way, bitch," he said to Sayuri contemptuously.
In a flash, Kenshin's sword was drawn and Sano's hand was around Hotaka's neck.
"I suggest you take your words back and apologize to the lady," Kenshin said.
Saitou smirked, enjoying the scene. Apparently Kenshin's Battousai side was getting some exercise today. He decided to play along.
To Hotaka he said, "You better do as he says. He's crazy, you know."
The amber gleam in Kenshin's eyes gave credence to Saitou's words, so Hotaka hastily said, "I'm sorry."
Sano tightened his gripped on Hotaka's neck. In a panic, Hotaka looked at Saitou for guidance.
Saitou shrugged, "He's crazy too."
So Hotaka hastily stammered, "I mean, I'm sorry for calling
you bitch…"
"And?" Sano prompted.
"And for having you kidnapped."
Sayuri, who wasn't a big fan of violence, was actually enjoying this. Then again, it was Hentai Hotaka squirming.
She almost felt sorry for the guy. Almost. But he had been a jerk, so he kind of did deserve this.
"You know what, Hotaka? You can apologize all you want but I'd still consider you a jerk. I just hope you have learned your lesson," she said to him.
***
Hotaka and Ueno were now sitting in a cell in the town's jail. Saitou had delivered them personally. He informed the local police of what happened. Sayuri gave a statement and the police promised to take action.
All was well for now. All they had to do was go on to Kyoto. How they would get there, was still a matter of debate.
"We can't let Sayuri walk to Kyoto," Sano argued.
Saitou exhaled some smoke, "What do you suggest we do then? Carry her?"
Sano glared at the policeman.
Kenshin muttered irritably, "I don't see why you have to come with us."
Saitou apparently had heard him because he said, "In case you forgot…Battousai…I was the one who rescued Sayuri."
Kenshin gritted his teeth. He hated to be called by that name. Although, earlier the name had been useful. But now that it was over and dealt with, he didn't want to be reminded by Saitou of his past. It wasn't as if the wolf had a white as snow past himself.
"I don't see why that gives you a reason to come to Kyoto with us," Sano pointed out.
"And why were you on the train to Kyoto in the first place?" Kenshin inquired.
Saitou took a long draught from his cigarette. Exhaling upwards, he studied the smoke.
Then he nonchalantly answered Sano, "It gives me a reason because I happen to be with the police," Sano snorted, "and I want to make a report to headquarters in Kyoto that there are prisoners in this town that they have to pick up. Kidnapping is a serious offense."
Turning to Kenshin, he said, "And I was on the train to Kyoto because I have some business to take care of there."
Kenshin didn't trust Saitou but let it go for the moment as Sano started their previous argument again.
"I still say we can't let Sayuri walk all the way to Kyoto."
The argument was in full swing, when a coach stopped in front of them. The three stopped to look at the coach. The door opened and Sayuri stepped outside.
"What's that?" Sano stupidly asked.
"A coach, duh!" Sayuri answered Sano.
Sano rolled his eyes, "I know that. But what's it doing here?"
Sayuri smiled, "It's going to take us to Kyoto!"
"What?" Kenshin and Sano exclaimed. Saitou just continued smoking.
"It's going to take us to Kyoto," Sayuri repeated.
Kenshin and Sano continued to look at her stupidly, so Saitou said, "And what did you have to do to get a coach to take us to Kyoto?"
"Well, Officer Fujita," Sayuri smiled at him sweetly, "all I had to do is show some genuine money and the good people who own this coach agreed to lend it to me."
Saitou cocked a brow at her but remained silent.
"Where did you get the money, Sayuri-dono?" Kenshin wanted to know.
But Sano replied for her, "The woman's got money hidden all over her body."
Sayuri beamed at Sano, "That's correct. One of my grandfather's mottos is 'With a little money up your sleeves, you can get the world turning your way.'"
Sayuri turned to the driver of the coach, "Thank you for bringing me here. I will deliver the coach to the Golden Duck Inn in Kyoto when we get there."
The driver nodded, said goodbye and left.
Sayuri turned the three men, "Let's go." She stepped inside the coach, but stepped out again when a thought occurred to her.
"Does anybody know how to drive this thing?"
Kenshin went "Oro", Saito smirked and Sano sweat dropped. But Sano volunteered.
"I have some experience with these kind of things."
Saitou looked at him skeptically, so Sano said defensively, "I do."
Saitou shrugged and stepped inside the coach. Sayuri followed. Kenshin didn't want to sit inside with Saitou, but neither did he want to leave Sayuri alone with him. Unsure what to do, he glanced at Sano.
Apparently, Sano understood Kenshin's hesitation, for he said, "Go on in, Kenshin. Someone's got to keep an eye on the wolf."
Kenshin stepped inside. He didn't want to seem so forward as to sit beside Sayuri, so he sat beside Saitou. But he tried to get as far away from his archenemy as he could.
Sano stepped up to the driver's bench and took his seat. Taking the reins, he took a deep breath and flicked them to urge the horses on. The coach started rolling.
***
They had been traveling for almost an hour or so. Saitou, Kenshin and Sayuri kept their silence. No one felt inclined to strike up a conversation.
Saitou studied Sayuri who was looking out the window thoughtfully. Once they'd arrive in Kyoto, Saitou was going to the police station to make a report about the kidnapping. Contrary to popular opinion, he did take his job seriously…sometimes.
Sayuri was thinking of everything that had happened in the past two days. And of the things that would happen once she was in Kyoto. Life had become complicated.
Kenshin was studying Sayuri. For someone who appeared small and delicate, she sure knew how to stay cool in a crisis. Just like her mother.
Saitou happened to glance outside the window and noted something strange. There was something wrong.
Opening the window, he shouted to Sano, "Stop the coach, ahou!"
Sano didn't hear him and continued driving the coach. Saitou yelled again, but Sano still didn't hear him.
This went on for a while, until Saitou opened the door and climbed out of the moving vehicle to the driver's seat.
Sensing that someone else was up there with him, Sano turned his head and was surprised to see Saitou sitting on the roof.
"What are you doing up there?" he asked the policeman.
"Smoking," Saitou replied sarcastically.
Sano just looked at him.
"I told you to stop," Saitou said to him.
Sano frowned, "Why?"
"Why?" Saitou mimicked, "Because you're driving in the freaking wrong direction!"
"No I'm not!" Sano replied indignantly.
"Yes you are! Kyoto is about 60 miles that way," he pointed to the direction from which they just came from.
Sano finally stopped the coach and said, "No shit…"
Saitou shook his head as if questioning his own sanity, "Why did I agree to let a tori-atama with no sense of direction drive me to Kyoto?"
To be continued…
___
I hope that satisfied you. The next chapters will be up soon. I just want to tell you that I won't be updating as promptly as I did before because I really got a lot of stuff to take care of. But I promise to update within a week. That's manageable for me. Besides, I really want to continue with this story…I hope you want it continued as well.
To Houndingwolf: In case you still want to know, the episode before the one were Yahiko plays the prince is the one about the Legend of the Firefly Bend. I think some translate the title of the episode as Legend of the Fireflies. It was the one with that old fisherman whom Kenshin and the girls met at the river who made the origami swans for Ayame and Suzume. Then he told Kenshin his story, which was about recognizing love when it was right in front of you and to never take it for granted (at least I think it went that way, my memory isn't the best you know) and the episode after was the one with that big dog, whom Sano rescued. The dog had the funny habit of climbing on Sano's back and he ate all the food and he slept with Sano in his bed and he had the nasty habit of burying stuff he found, like Kenshin's laundry and even his sakkabatou! I think the episode was about the key that Notarou (I think that's the dog's name) hid. The key opened a box (or something) that held evidence of corrupt officials (or something). Anyway, I hope I gave you enough information. And if it turns out to be wrong, well…I'm only human…Anyway, thank you for faithfully reading and reviewing my story…My brother Herbert * looks over her shoulder at someone 'What?'* My brother Herbert hopes that you'll be able to watch the episode. No that you missed much of the RK saga if you didn't or will never be able to…As a fan he just hopes that you will…
To Fireruby: My brother Herbert * glares at someone looking over her shoulder 'Okay, okay, so I'll tell them…' * My brother Herbert who now wants to be called Rurouni Tensai * looks at Herbert, uhm, Rurouni Tensai. Rurouni Tensai beams. * agrees with you about the thing you said about me being mean * tries to push Rurouni Tensai out of the way 'FYI, this is my fic! Let me type my stuff…' * Okay, I guess I was being mean to him, but he was being mean to me first! Anyway, I love my brother * gets a hug from Rurouni Tensai 'Stop it! You're choking me…' * and he wanted me to tell you that he thinks that you're really nice for being there from the start. He read your reviews for every chapter I wrote. And he told me I should thank you, so here goes "Thank you!"
Thanks for reading and please don't forget to review! Reviews make bad days more bearable.
Besides, the spiffy little convertible is still on the line…
So go on, make my day!