To Reveal All
Chapter 5: Revealing Awakening
By steelphoenix
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters.
Author's Notes: To put you out of your misery… I'll end the cliffhanger! I'll just stick in the last bit of the last scene, to help you remember – just in case! I'll try not to write too many more cliffhangers, promise…
Unfortunately, exams and the internet going down got in the way of my updating this fic, so this is a little late! However, I shall be updating sooner, now that exams are finished.
Tsubame is probably OOC here, because I haven't seen much of her. I'm mostly guessing! Sorry! Gomen nasai!
Fight scene! Yay! My first battle sequence, so I'm not sure how good it is… /sweatdrops/ However, I did enjoy writing it… It was originally just going to be Yahiko knocking out the attacker, and getting Tsubame out safe, but it kinda turned into a bit with Aoshi too…
Yes, Aoshi-sama is a villain. Please don't hurt me… /flees angry Aoshi fangirls/
Thanks, everyone who reviewed! Love you all! Have a squiz at the Review Replies at the bottom of the chapter.
Language Notes: A shinai is a practise sword, made of bamboo.
Kokuryukai means 'Black Dragon Society'.
Gi and hakama are (respectively) the kimono top and loose trousers that Kenshin wears. They are traditional warrior's garb. Here's a site with a good diagram of some traditional clothing: . It's a very pretty picture of Kenshin and Kaoru, and the rest of the site is excellent too.
A kiai is a yell, used in battle to concentrate the emotions, and scare the enemy.
A kodachi is a sword midway between a katana (full-length sword) and a wakazashi (short sword). Roughly 55-60cm (22-24 inches) long, it was favoured by assassins, because it can be more easily concealed than a katana, but has similar handling.
Warnings:PG-13 for sexual situations/scenes and violence in other chapters. No language warnings.
Megumi smiled. I think I've helped her see. She and Kenshin are two that are meant for each other. Much as I'd like him to be mine…
Kaoru smiled in return. It was a brilliant, beaming smile. "Thank you, Megumi. I think I know what my feelings are, now." She leaned forwards, and hugged her friend.
---
As the two women let go, other arms slipped around them, and covered their mouths. Before they had time to react, a quick tap of a knife-hilt to each temple slid the women into silent unconsciousness.
The possessors of the arms slung the two over their shoulders. Sliding silently to the gate, they slid out into the moonlit street, followed by other men, who also bore unconscious shapes over their shoulders.
---
Kaoru groaned, and blinked. Her head hurt horribly, and as she moved to stretch, she was stopped by cords digging coarsely into her wrists. She paused a moment, and appraised her surroundings as much as she could.
She was lying on her side, bound by wrist and ankle with ropes. She was facing a smooth stone wall, the sort that could be found in a temple, shrine, or even an underground cellar. By dint of much writhing and twisting, she managed to roll over, and then sit up. She looked around her, surveying the room. It was lit by a slit window at the top of one wall, and it looked to be early morning from the pale sunlight that filtered in.
The room was quite small, perhaps six strides long, and four strides wide. It was unremarkable except for the fact that curled up on the floor at random intervals were sixteen young women, dressed in kimono, sleeping yukata, or sometimes nothing at all. All were securely roped up, hands in front, and ankles. Megumi was closest to her, and Kaoru had nearly rolled on her when she was attempting to get up.
Kaoru scooted backwards on her bottom, until she was leaning against the wall. Then she poked Megumi with her toe, attempting to wake her friend. Megumi moaned, "Nonowtooearlieeeee…" and collapsed back into a doze. Kaoru rolled her eyes. Megumi was always nearly impossible to wake up, or so her attendant said.
Kaoru poked her again, until the drowsy woman began to move and discovered the restriction of the cords on her wrists and ankles. That woke her up fast. "Aah! Ow! Help! Sano? Kaoru? Kenshin?"
Kaoru grinned, despite her discomfort. She had noticed the order in which Megumi had called to her friends for help. "Megumi. I'm here."
Megumi rolled over, so she was facing Kaoru. Using her hands to push herself up, she shifted awkwardly over to the wall, until she was sitting next to Kaoru.
"So, where are we, and why are we here?" was her first question.
"Your guess is as good as mine," replied Kaoru. "I was unconscious for almost as long as you."
"So, do you remember anything about being captured?"
"Yes. I remember hugging you, letting go, then seeing a shape behind you, but we were both grabbed before I could do anything. I wish I had my shinai!"
"Never mind about that now, Kaoru. Look around. All these geisha are frequent visitors to the 'Red Sakura' teahouse. I want to know why someone would want to kidnap all the geisha associated with the teahouse. They must have a reason!"
Kaoru thought for a moment. "I bet it's got something to do with that gang that's been threatening the manager."
"The ones who wanted to take over the teahouse as part of their territory? The Kokuryukai?"
"Yes, them. They've been threatening to do something radical for a while. I bet this is it." Yes, it makes sense. They've been wanting the geishas under their control for a long time.
Megumi grimaced, looking around the crowded room. "Yes, this is 'radical'. Kidnapping is bad enough, but all of us? That seems… excessive."
"What's interesting, Megumi, is that they've only got the geishas here that use the 'Red Sakura'," said Kaoru, surveying the faces of the women she could see. "They haven't bothered with the geishas or meikos who are of the same okiyas, but don't frequent the 'Red Sakura'. They knew exactly who they were aiming for. They're very well-informed."
"They know what they're doing. But they wouldn't bother with the meikos, anyway. They aren't valuable enough."
"Oh well," sighed Kaoru. "At least they got out of this… we're just going to have to wait for someone to explain this all to us. In the meantime, shouldn't we try waking everyone else?"
"Sounds like a good idea!"
---
Several of the geishas were hard to wake – Kaoru suspected drugs – but eventually they were all relatively alert. Kaoru slumped back down against the wall. It had been hard to move, despite the fact that her hands were tied in front of her.
"Does anyone know where we are?" was the first question she asked. The replies were nothing but negative. This produced a groan from Kaoru. All that effort, and no-one knows…!
"We think we might be in the Kokuryukai Gang's base. They've been threatening to take over the entertainment house for a while, because they want to use the geishas for their own means."
"That sounds right," replied Tae. "If you remember, I was attacked once, and I was told to carry a message from the Kokuryukai."
"What was the message?"
"It was a note, so I didn't see."
"Probably a threat note, Kaoru," said Megumi, with a wry grimace. "But they didn't beat you up, Tae. That would be stupid, and they knew it."
"Smart criminals. This is going to be hard to get out of," Tae put in, grinning at Megumi, reminding her of how mischievous she used to be, and that Megumi had made getting out of trouble almost as much an art as the shakuhachi.
"Well, is there any way to find out –" Kaoru began, but was interrupted by the sound of several people thudding down a set of stairs. The footsteps continued, and came to the door of the room that the geishas were in. A key turned in the lock, and the door swung open.
---
Yahiko groaned, and blinked. Why am I lying on the floor? he wondered, staring at the ceiling's wooden joists. Fuzzily, he picked through his memories.
A man, in dark clothes…
Tsubame, his friend, struggling in the man's arms…
The sound of a sword being unsheathed behind him…
Recollection flooded back. He'd been going to give Tsubame the fan which she'd forgotten when she was talking to Kaoru, and he'd come into her room to find her struggling in the arms of a man dressed in a black gi and hakama, with a loose mask wrapped around his face.
He'd rushed forward, pulling the shinai he carried off his back. The man, seeing his approach, shoved Tsubame away – she hit the wall, and slumped down – and began drawing his sword.
Not fast enough!
Yahiko slammed into the man, his shinai striking in the easily broken area at the point where neck and left shoulder met. The man produced a strangled grunt, and went down on one knee.
Yes! Another hit, and I'll knock him out! exulted Yahiko.
With a stifled kiai, the attacker lunged out of his huddled position, striking at Yahiko's knees. The young man avoided the thrust, barely slipping out of the way before the sword's point made its way through the spot where he had been standing.
Damn! I'm going to have to finish this fast! growled Yahiko to himself. He's got a sword, and I'm stuck with a shinai…
And his friends could appear very soon…
The man clambered to his feet from the lunge, and had barely settled his balance, when a series of lightning-fast strikes swirled in from the left. Barely-blocked, the last two impacted on the man's ribs, giving off unnerving cracking sounds. The attacker gasped, and clutched at his side.
Yahiko grinned ferally. Broken ribs… not good for him, but for me…!
"Yaibasukou!"
The attack sped in, unstoppable, and the seven hits impacted perfectly – head, ear, ear, shoulder, shoulder, chest, back.
Yahiko landed behind the attacker, pivoting in his crouch in case the attacker might have somehow evaded and need more punishment. The man in question, however, wasn't going to be going anywhere fast. He slumped to the ground, an unconscious mass.
Yahiko climbed to his feet, grinning. Tsubame lay where she had fallen. He slipped over, and shook her. She blinked, and shook her head. "Yahiko…"
"It's okay, Tsubame, we can get out of here… but we need to hurry. There's no time!"
The young meiko scrambled to her feet, and then gasped, looking over his shoulder.
Yahiko froze.
Shhhhiiiiss-skiiiiish. The metallic, reptilian hiss of a drawing sword ripped the air, and the young samurai turned to see a tall, dark-haired man, wearing a long coat, standing in the door way, sword halfway out of the sheath. He was flanked by several others who had swords in their hands.
"Who are you?" The man's voice was icy and emotionless.
"Tsubame's friend."
"Is she a geisha?"
"No, I'm a meiko, of this okiya." Tsubame stepped from behind Yahiko, and answered the question.
The man glanced at the young woman, uninterested, and stepped over the threshold. He drew his sword fully, and began strolling towards the pair.
It's a kodachi, thought Yahiko as the man approached. Interesting.
"Are you a swordsman, boy?"
"I'm skilled in the Kamiya Kasshin Style," replied the young man, spreading his shinai to an open position to cover Tsubame from possible attacks by the approaching man.
Suddenly the man dove forwards at an incredible speed. Yahiko barely had time to react before the man was in front of the two.
Yahiko anticipated the man's lunge for Tsubame, and was there in a flash, his shinai parrying the blade, knocking it off course, rather than holding it.
Damn… I can't parry properly, not with a shinai against a true blade…
The stranger's sword continued its arc, and hit the floor, cleaving a slight gouge in the planking. It stuck momentarily. Yahiko took that moment to strike out with his shinai, placing a solid hit on the larger man's chest.
The stranger made a brief snort of approval, backed off, then darted in again, lightning-fast.
What? That hit didn't even slow him down! Only Kenshin could do that…
Yahiko's confusion slowed him just an inch too much. His parry didn't redirect the force of the blade's strike enough, and it came down on the base of the shinai's bamboo blade, shearing it off.
Yahiko desperately struck out with a half-lunge, half-punch, the broken shinai handle still clasped tight in his fist.
It missed, only just grazing the fabric of the stranger's long coat.
The stranger's sword shot out, and with the flat of the blade, he placed a hard blow on Yahiko's ribs. The young man gasped, all his breath shooting out at once. He dropped to one knee.
The stranger then lunged for Tsubame, and struck her temple, again with the flat of the blade. She collapsed, unconscious, in a heap of bright silk.
"That was stupid, boy, but you don't deserve to die. Never challenge me again," said the stranger. He voice was still ice. His blade lifted, and he knocked Yahiko down.
And I lost consciousness… great! Yahiko shook his head, and looked at the space where Tsubame had been when she was knocked unconscious. There was no sign of her. What? Where's Tsubame?
Yahiko's question was answered as the meiko rushed into the room.
"Yahiko! Kaoru and Megumi and Tae aren't here! There's only the attendants and me! They must have been kidnapped by the men last night! We have to find them!"
"Kaoru!" Yahiko's immediate thought was for his sister, but then he thought for a moment. "I have a fair idea where they'll be."
"What? How do you know?"
"The man with the sword last night… I'm fairly sure he was Aoshi Shinomori, the second-in-command of the Kokuryukai Gang… We need help. We need to tell Kenshin and Sano!"
"Yes… They'll help better than anyone else," replied Tsubame. "Let's hurry!"
---
A tall man entered the room, flanked by two others who were obviously guards. He was dark-haired and green-eyed, well-proportioned. He wore a long white coat with yellow lapels, and carried a sword at his side. He smiled coldly as his eyes swept the room.
"Hmmm. Interesting," he muttered, then raised his voice. Its icy tones rang through the room. "I am Shinomori. I have a particular interest in seeing that you geishas are under control. You will all follow my orders. First I want to ask some questions.
"Most of you were drugged or knocked unconscious. You should not be awake. Who woke you all up?"
All the geishas paused, wondering whether it was safe – for them and for Kaoru – to point out the culprit, but Kaoru beat them to it.
"I did, sir," she said, her voice bold and unafraid.
"Who are you, girl?"
"I'm Kaoru Kamiya, sir," Kaoru replied, a puzzled accent entering her voice as she wondered the man's reason for asking.
"For your impudence, you will be punished," said the man. "Stand."
Kaoru wriggled, and strained against the wall. Restrictive though her bonds were, she could just manage to stand, wobbling precariously. That knock on my head must have affected my balance a bit, she thought. She concentrated, and managed to stand still. She looked up at Shinomori, who, during her struggles, had picked his way through the seated geishas to stand in front of her.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know that it was a bad idea to wake everyone up."
"Hmph. Ignorance is no excuse. From now on, you do nothing without my direction."
"Yes, sir."
"You are still to be punished. You will be freely available for use by any man who asks, for the next week." Kaoru gasped. This was indeed a punishment, especially if there were a lot of men. They would all be determined to have their 'share'. And if even one of them was diseased…
I have to get out of here! Soon!
Author's Notes: I'm sorry, all Aoshi fans! PLEEEEZE don't flame me! It's just that he's such a cool bad guy…
No Kenshin or Sano in this chapter /sobs/ It's not fair… but I needed to exclude them for now, to let other parts of the plot develop. They'll be back (and with a vengeance!) in the next chapter, I promise!
I'm sorry if there's any plot holes… When I first wrote this chapter, it seemed like it was one massive plot hole! I tried to patch them up, but if there are any, please review and tell me! I'll fix them!
The Kokuryukai, or Black Dragon Society, were actually a historical group. They were a secret anti-Russian organization of Japanese ultra-nationalists, which started in the early 1900s. The gang I portrayed is not based on them. I used the name because it sounded cool /sweatdropsflees angry historians/.
Review! Please! Onegai!
Review Replies: Thanks to all my reviewers.
half-breed-demon-fox – Indeed… I love being evil… BWAHAHAHA! /coughs/ Anyway… turning out good? Heh. You're not even halfway there yet… /evil grin/
pyramidgirl89 – Don'tcha just love it? Like I said, exams got in the way of updating… ah well, here's the next chapter!
Peachie-Chan – Beautiful? O.o Whoa… Thanks… I'm honoured.
Mika – Yes, I was trying to convey how little Kaoru knows about love. Though she grew up in a loving home, her years as a geisha would have confused her as to what love really is.
miki – Thanks that you think that the story's good! About geishas… from what I've found, they operated primarily in the arts, but even the best entertainment houses were usually involved in prostitution to some extent. /begs/ Please allow me some artistic licence!
Moon&Stars – Updated… late… ah well, you had to wait a little, ne? As for what's going to happen… that would be giving away the plot, that it would! /rurouni smile/
sabella/pan – Interesting, eh? I hope this chapter has hinted that this is going to get even more 'interesting'! /evil grin/
Kao-gurl –I've tried to focus on Kaoru's strength of character, rather than her innocence. Remember, circumstances change people, and I couldn't leave her with the innocence she has in the anime/manga, not when she's a geisha. I think Kenshin would love her no matter the circumstances, though.
HiEi JaGaNsHis FlAmE – Wedding…? No, there's still a little to happen before then… /evil grin/ And don't flame me for the ending of this chapter, it's not as gross as it sounds. Really truly… /sweatdrops/ Good to know you weren't put off, though!
RangerDo'Urden – I really couldn't afford to update sooner than 5-7 days previously – exams are rather more important to me, sorry – but now that it's the holidays, I should be getting chapters out perhaps every 4-5 days. It depends on my Muses, and the dreaded Writer's Block. /shivers in terror/
gaby (hyatt – Thanks!
angelprincess22 – I'll try my best, really!