Konbanwa!
Sorry it took this long to get this chapter out, everyone. I've been uber-busy lately, though. Suffice to say, it took a sick day to give me time to update.
::goes teary-eyed:: But—but—but—I have reviews! My wonderful reviewers! Thank you so much! ::glomps::
I apologize for the quality of this chapter, if it leads something to be desired. Parts of it were written in an algebra-induced seizure.
Remember—read and review!
"…" denotes speaking.
*…* denotes thoughts
DISCLAIMER: Kenshin would like to say that he belongs to no one—however, he is tied up in my closet right now, and in no mood to object when I say that he is MINE.
Watsuki, however, owns the manga and anime. So no lawsuits, if you please.
This chapter is dedicated to my mother, for giving me encouragement when my Muse was on hiatus.
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Chapter Four
"So what time did you say that the intruder entered your dojo?"
"About half an hour ago…officer." Sanosuke replied, his dislike of police officers surfacing in his surly words.
"And you did not think to call for us at that time?"
Sanosuke's lip curled. "If we did that every time we had an intruder, you lot would spend your entire days camped out in the front yard!" Under his breath, he finished, "For all the good it would do…"
"We were distracted, sir." Kenshin interceded quietly, placing a cautioning hand on Sano's shoulder.
"It certainly seems so." Saito's cold voice cut over the clamor that the rest of the police were making in the investigation. His sideways glance at Kenshin spoke volumes, and none of it was good.
Kenshin returned the look, matching his old adversary's demeanor with an iciness of his own. The accusations against himself, he did not mind so much. But Saito was too close to the porch where Miss Kaoru was still being treated and quietly comforted by Miss Megumi and Yahiko.
If that man gets any closer to her, then vows be damned—I'll throw him in the river if I have to!
Fortunately, Saito seemed more interested in antagonizing him then in seeking the cause of the crime. This was good…yes, this could work out quite nicely to his advantage.
Kaoru was sitting on the porch with her knees tucked beneath her, watching the process going on in her yard with a keen interest. The policemen were very careful about going over every detail and inch of the ground…it'd be so much easier if they just asked direct questions.
Then again…
The bile rose in her throat as her eyes latched onto the pale white sheet that was draped carefully in the middle of the yard. Splotches of blood had stained it red in some parts, just enough to show what the extent of his wounds had been. Since it was still raining the cloth had been saturated, and now it was molded perfectly to Hiroji's form.
Kaoru shuddered. Then again, she was grateful she was not being forced to answer to a policeman's questioning. She doubted if she would be able to speak right now without screaming.
"Miss Kaoru?"
All rising nightmares were banished in those two words. She raised her face to see the red-haired and sopping wet wanderer in front of her, and the misery in her eyes melted into serenity. She gave him the barest hint of a smile, hoping to ease the pain and tension she saw in his eyes. Without a word, she offered him an extra towel that had been resting at her side.
Kenshin accepted it gravely. With a quick movement, he was on the porch a few feet away from her. He shook himself slightly like a dog, trying to remove excess water, and wrung out his hair before wrapping the towel around his shoulder and sitting beside her.
Kaoru's lips quirked up at the corners. "You made a very good effort to not get me wet."
Kenshin winked at her. "I didn't think Miss Kaoru would appreciate a bath." Then he grew serious. "Are you feeling all right? Shall this one ask the officers to leave?"
"Could you just get Saito out?" Kaoru joked, guiltily relaxing in the warm aura that her wanderer was surrounded in.
Kenshin nodded and began to rise.
"Kenshin, I was just kidding. Sit down, I don't need to cause any more trouble than I already have." Again her eyes strayed to the shrouded corpse, and a cloud drew across her brows.
Kenshin saw this. With a gentle movement, he took one of Kaoru's hands and drew it out, cradling it carefully in both of his own. Sufficiently distracted, Kaoru glanced back at him, shock in her eyes. With the most courteous respect he could manage, Kenshin began to lightly run his fingers over her hand, trying to soothe the young woman at his side. Kaoru slowly relaxed, and even went so far as to let her head droop and her shoulders unwind, drawing her close to his body. Kenshin shifted his form, silently offering; she took the invitation, and laid her head down in the crook of his shoulder.
For a moment, the two rested together. There was no thoughts of their mutual integrities or honor or respectability. There was only a complete understanding between two people, pain on one side and compassion on the other. She was hurting, and his help would aid both of them. And for a brief second, they forgot indeed that there was anything wrong in the world.
"Mr. Himura? Sir, the investigation is wrapping up. Would you like us to remove the deceased now?"
With that, the moment was broken. Kaoru leapt surreptitiously away, mentally berating herself for allowing lax. Fool! Would you hurt him, would you tarnish him and demand more than he's already given? Solve your problems on your own—don't hurt them as well!
Kenshin, strangely, had not moved. Nor did he seem all that upset about the possibility of having others see them. Kaoru peeked out at him from beneath his lashes, trying to decipher the calm look on his face. He seemed almost…well, one couldn't say happy, but…more peaceful than he had been, perhaps.
"Thank you, sir. Yes, I believe that we would all like to see the yard cleaned up." Kenshin said politely, half-bowing to the policeman even as he reclined back. Inwardly, he released a long breath. Phew…almost done. Now, if they would just leave without making this any more painful—
The policeman nodded and turned away. "Fine. There's only one more thing then—Lieutenant Fujita would like a few private questions."
Kenshin waited until the man was out of earshot before envisioning what the young man would look like after Sano got through with him. He wrestled with the swiftly rising antagonism. There was no need to be angry at that officer…he was just doing his job…
"Battousai."
However, there were a LOT of reasons to be mad at THIS one.
"Saito." Kenshin growled. "May this one inquire as to why you are doing this?"
"Because we have an unresolved issue, Battousai." The policeman drew in a long drag on his cigarette as he moved to stand on the porch, slightly apart from the others. Kaoru shivered imperceptibly as she watched him lean against her dojo walls—she did not like having Mibu's Wolf anywhere near her family.
"I thought that the issue was done away with." Kenshin returned, rising from his slouch and somehow managing to look much taller than his true, slight form.
"You broke your end of the agreement." Saito smirked down at the red-haired man, not intimidated and uncaring. "An innocent man dead. A dojo disgraced. And an assassin brought back into the light. How's it feel, Battousai, using your rightful sword again?"
"What are you talking about?" Sanosuke snarled, clenching his fists tightly. He had seen the last of the officers off, and now looked like he was spoiling for a fight. He cracked his knuckles and glared at Saito furiously.
"Really, Rooster-head, even one of your excessive stupidity should be able to figure this out." Saito sucked in another whiff of his cigarette and ignored Sanosuke's indignant spluttering. "The Battousai raised his sword to kill—which means that the assassin part of him is ready to come out again, like I always knew he would." He let his eyes scale the ex-assassin almost aggressively. "And that means that we have a battle to finish."
Yahiko, Sanosuke, and Megumi blinked at this new twist. Yahiko's face twisted and he opened his mouth, but Sanosuke managed to shove an elbow into his side before any words escaped. "Let them handle this, kid." He whispered. "If we meddle, it'll do no good."
"Don't call me a kid." Yahiko retorted under his breath.
Kaoru hadn't heard their exchange. Her eyes were riveted on Saito, wide in shock. She hadn't anticipated this. The police weren't even bothering to do any investigating—they were just going straight to what they believed was the most likely culprit! Kenshin's past would follow him everywhere—because of her rash stupidity, he would be suspected of betraying his oath. And if he unwittingly said the wrong thing—no, Kenshin was smart. He would understand what was being implied, and he could tell the truth. He wouldn't have to suffer for her, at least—
Kenshin spoke quietly, hiding his eyes beneath blood-red hair. "Ah. This one understands, Saito. Shall we pick up where we left off?"
Kaoru froze. Her eyes flicked over to Kenshin, and she fought the impulse to scream. He—he was—but he couldn't!
It seemed that he could. As all present watched in stunned silence, Kenshin shifted his sword to an easier position on his hip, then began to move away from the group, not looking to see if Saito was following. He met all their eyes passively, nothing showing on his face. The last person he looked at was Kaoru, and there was a peaceful resignation in his demeanor that made her want to cry. He held her gaze for a moment, then he broke eye contact and turned away, unable to look at her anymore.
You would…you would take my punishment on yourself…you would suffer for my sake?
But if he fought…
Memories of the first fight between the two assassins flared in Kaoru's mind. Swords whirling in the dark, the sound of steel slicing through night air, and Kenshin's eyes, gold as the sun, burning in the shadows.
As Saito began to move off the porch, trailing his enemy, he was suddenly stopped by a person standing in front of him. "What do you want?" He growled, glaring down.
Kenshin froze, his back to the scene. He closed his eyes for a moment, fighting with two emotions that were like to tear him apart. Then his eyes opened again, and with a muffled noise that was almost like a sob, he whirled around.
"Saito." Kaoru said, fighting to keep her voice steady. Her eyes were fixed on the black, polished shoes of the policeman—she couldn't find the resolve to look him in the eye just yet. "Leave him alone."
Saito snorted, and stepped to the side to get past her
Again, he found the young woman in front of him, her arm outstretched to prevent him going around her again. "Leave him alone." She repeated, a hint of steely resolve in her tone.
"Get out of the way, girl." Saito barked, raising a hand and giving her shoulder a push.
Kaoru barely even wavered on her feet. "Saito," And now she was beginning to raise her face, to peer up through black hair. Her fists were clenched firmly at her side, and an almost martyr-like determination was writ in her stance.
Kenshin stared at the young woman, hardly believing what was happening. In the back of his mind, a voice kept telling him that he was a fool to think that Kaoru would accept any sacrifice on his part. He blocked the voice out, willing it to be wrong, opening his mouth to intervene, to call attention back to himself, to stop her—
"Saito," Kaoru said softly. "I'm the one who killed him."
Almost immediately, the policeman smirked. "Nice try, tanuki." He said scathingly, raising a sardonic eyebrow. "I didn't think you would go to such lengths to protect your precious 'Kenshin', but I must admit I expected a more emotional or at least intelligent excuse—"
"Look at me."
Saito stilled instantly, the smirk dropping off his visage. Kaoru's voice was as cold as a winter wind off the ocean. His eyes slowly began to narrow, surprise momentarily erasing cruelty. As his gaze turned intense, Kaoru fully raised her head and looked the policeman straight in the eye.
"I'm the one who killed him." She repeated in the same icy tone, and her eyes were as gold as the setting sun.
Silence.
In that moment, Mibu's Wolf studied Kaoru. Conviction dawned on his face and the dark animosity returned to his eyes and curled his lip.
A despairing sound, half-laugh and half-cry, shattered the stillness. Megumi was holding a hand to her eyes, shoulders shaking as she began to weep. Sanosuke let out a swear that scorched the ears of all present. Yahiko bit his lip and gnawed furiously, trying to keep back the furious tirade building up inside him. Kaoru lowered her gaze, shutting her eyes and sinking back onto the porch floor, cradling herself in a ball.
Kenshin stood on the porch, eyes blazing like purple flames, his hand tight on the hilt of his sword. He gave Saito a look of pure hatred, yearning to smack the man who dared to examine Kaoru as the policeman was now—like she was a particularly interesting specimen on exhibit for his enjoyment.
"Well," Saito said finally, after allowing himself to dwell on the girl in front of him for a few minutes. "Out of all the ones here—Opium Woman, the Pickpocket, the Rooster, and the Battousai—you were the last one I expected this from, Kamiya-san. I wondered if some part of Himura would rub off on you one day."
Kaoru stiffened under his drawling tone, and for a wild moment she wondered if he was mocking her. "Well, what's my punishment?" She asked recklessly, trying to be brave while her anger held her.
Saito raised an eyebrow. "Punishment?"
"For murder." She spat out the hated word, but the taste remained on her tongue, darkening her spirit yet again. "I'm the guilty one, remember?"
"Oh, that." He took in a deep drag on his cigarette and watched her calmly. "Well, technically, your punishment is the police force owing you a favor, taunki."
Kaoru's eyes widened. "Wh-what?"
"A favor." Saito repeated slowly, as if speaking to a very stupid child. "You have done Tokyo a service."
The world was beginning to spin. Kaoru grabbed onto a post, trying to regain her balance. "Explain, please." She asked, her voice shaking like a leaf in an autumn wind.
Saito flicked some of the ash of the end of his smoke. "Well, tanuki, by all accounts you've done nothing wrong." He jerked his head at the bloodstained spot where Hiroji's body had once lain. "This man is a wanted criminal—for the past week he's been wandering through town and assaulting dojo owners, searching for a certain ex-hitokiri." He glanced ironically at Kenshin, who did not stir. "Apparently, he's done quite a bit of damage—critically wounded not a few, and has been charged with several different kinds of assault. Add the fact that he was insane, and the police were given license to kill." The cold smile was not quite present on his face as he stared down at the shaking girl. "Let's just say that you did our work for us."
It took a moment for the thought to sink in.
"You mean…" Sanosuke said, staring dumbly at the policeman. "You mean there's no charge? Jou-chan isn't sentenced to anything?"
"By the police and the law, no." Saito replied, snuffing out his cigarette on the dojo's finely polished floor. "Murder charges are acquitted in light of patriotic duty. And since the weapon wielded was not hers, the police aren't interested in bringing any 'violation of the sword-banning act' complaints against her." Kenshin's hand closed tightly around his sword at this, but he did not move.
Megumi breathed a sigh of relief, and wiped her hand across her forehead. "Thank heavens—we can just return to our normal lifestyle and forget about this."
Yahiko whooped and jumped on Sanosuke in a victory tackle. Sanosuke grinned at Kaoru before turning to wrestle with Yahiko.
Kaoru was not sharing in this merriment. She was staring at Saito, stricken still and silent. Her mind moved sluggishly, trying to understand.
I did a good thing…in killing him, I brought down a criminal. I should feel happy that I'm not being sentenced. I should feel glad that the police are giving me this chance. I should…
But I don't.
Saito was watching her intently, his eyes revealing nothing of what he thought of the situation. She found it disturbing—it was almost as if he cared about what was happening to her. She bit back a hysterical laugh at that part.
So, just because I killed someone that everyone wanted dead, I am held blameless? Since my evil was beneficial, there will be no suffering for my part? That—that can't be right. I've done the unforgivable. I've killed someone. I—I need to suffer for it, to pay repentance for my crime. If they had just let me go to jail, I would feel like I'm doing that…but now…I'm a murderer, and I'm just allowed to walk free?
I need to repent…
Kaoru gave a shuddering gasp, then focused her eyes in on the cold, wolfish face in front of her. Saito was still looking at her, and there was something strange in his eyes.
She wanted him gone. Now.
"Th-thank you, Saito-san." She stammered out, clenching her fists to keep from shivering. "I-I imagine that you have other things to do—so if you'd r-rather leave—I mean, if y-you would…" Her voice trailed away, and she shrugged helplessly at him.
Saito bowed his head slightly to her. "If it's all the same, I think I will leave. There's paperwork to be done at the office before I go home." He made as if to stride past her, then stopped. Kaoru was ready to bid him goodbye, when his cold voice suddenly spoke very close to her ear.
"It won't be that easy to find forgiveness, Kaoru-san."
With a tug of his hat, he was gone.
Kaoru stared after him as he left, despair and confusion warring on her face.
In the shadows a few feet away, Kenshin was studying her as intently as Saito had. And in his dusk-darkened eyes, a flicker of gold was dancing.
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