The characters in the story don't belong to me. Just borrowing them for a
little escapade so lay off with the lawyer's letters.
Things are going to get interesting. This chapter sort of sets the background and the reason why Kaoru will do the things she will be doing later. Sob, sob. Before we get on with the story, I would like to clear up a few questions. The story is set in the present, Rurouni angel, so there's guns and planes. Almost nobody uses a sword anymore except the most staunchly traditional gangs in Japan. And even there, it's more ceremonial.
Anh, there is a reason for Tsubame and Kaoru to be identical twins and you will know why in this chapter. Sammy-chan, I promise there will be less grammatical errors in this chapter. Honestly, I haven't paid attention to tenses since I left jc until you called it into my attention . Macy, I actually got the idea from a chinese novel. The title translated into English is 'Black Snow' and it's by Lui Heng. Arigatou, minna-san for your reviews, questions and suggestions. On with the story.
Japan
Kaoru knelt down in front of the low table. With practiced, graceful movements, she completed the tea ceremony and offered her guest a cup. He picked it up and eyed her over the rim. In her kimono, Kaoru looked the picture of a demure Japanese lady but he knew looks could be deceiving. He recalled the first time when Kaoru came alone to the Brooklyn headquarters to look for him. The spirit and fire in her eyes when she laid low all those who tried to stop her. It must be then that he fell for her.
"Kenshin and Soujiiro had eliminated the fractions that opposed them," Kaoru sipped her tea.
"Sano helped too," he looked around, wary of eavesdropper.
"Don't worry, this is my place and everyone here is loyal to me."
"Jineh has no control here?"
"His tentacles cannot reach here," Kaoru smiled a distinctly feral smile. "In recent years, I've taken charge of more dealings than he realised. The world we live in is a practical one and everyone follows the direction where the wind blows. Now, only those most fanatically loyal to him remains out of my reach."
Because he knew her, he understand that it was only a matter of time before she get rid of those people. "Until when? 'Til you decide to completely topple the entire order and hierachy of the yakuza clans?"
"I've never intended for that,"she took another sip of tea, "I only intend to take over and rule my way." He nodded his head. Kaoru had always known what's she's about. But he curious about one thing.
"Why did you ask me here?"
"Because it's time we all meet. Sano has almost consolidate his hold in Italy. Kenshin and Soujiiro have conqured their territories too. America may have too many small and diverse numbers of gangs for you to eliminate one by one but you are already the undisputed leader acknowledged by the most important gangs. And tonight, I will be setting my plans in motion."
"How did you know all that about us?" he was quietly amazed. Even he did not know how she found out about Kenshin, Soujiiro and Sano four years ago. Kaoru nodded towards the door.
"You forget that I have Aoshi. There's no information that I want that he cannot get for me." She did not tell the whole truth but there was no need for him to know her little secret. It was four years ago when she met a certain red-head at her adulthood ceremony. There was something about him. Something familiar that drew her heart. And when Aoshi came back with the information he collected, she finally knew why. He was one of them. And the one she missed most. Kenshin.
"Then you asked me here to give you a helping hand tonight?"
His question interrupted her thoughts and reminded her of why she wanted him here. "No, I can do that myself. I wanted you here for another reason. Come with me." She stood up and led him down a corridor. They entered a room. Kaoru went to a build-in cupboard and opened. Instead of clothes, a door was hidden in the back of the cupboard. They went through the door and entered another hidden room.
"What is this place?" He asked, frowning. The room was dimly lit and there was the pervasive smell of medicine and mildew. A rattling, rasping sound rose and fell rhythmically along with steady beeps. Kaoru walked towards the dim light. He finally adjusted to the darkness and saw what Kaoru was heading for. A bed. She stood beside the bed and adjusted the light. The light grew brighter and threw into sharp focus the tiny, shriveled figure on the bed. He gasped.
It was Tsubame. He remembered her. She was fond of laughing and she cried easily, for herself and for other people. Kind, sensitive and so sweet. A sweetness of innocence and character. Now, she had neither tears nor laughter. All that she was was trapped inside that broken shell with no escape.
Kaoru's voice floated in the small room. "Can you hear? That's the sound of her breathing and that's the sound of the machine that's keeping her alive." She turned around to face him. "She's the reason for everything I did and what I'm going to do." There were no tears in her eyes. Only a bright, piercing light.
"How long has she been lying here?" His voice was strangely disembodied. He had never thought of her lying here, a lonely and lifeless doll. "Who did this?" His fists clenched. The person who did this must die. He will personally see to it.
"She has been lying here for ten years," Kaoru leaned down and massaged her twin's hands. She looked at the face which was a parody of hers. A pale, drawn face, slightly swollen with water. The limbs, slack and shriveled with lack of exercise.She examined her own heart and found guilt and pain. There was no excuse for her. She promised to be with her sister forever, no matter what. But she broke her promise.
"Jineh did this. In front of me. For the past ten years, I was allowed to see her only once a month. I didn't know that except for keeping her alive, he did nothing else. Two months ago, I bribed her doctor into giving me the key here. He told me Tsubame is brain dead. She will never open her eyes and see me again." Tsubame was not a mirror of her. She was the half of one whole, and the better half at that. Innocent and pure.
He clenched his fist so hard his nails drew blood. He sensed the pain and grief because he felt them himself. "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Just be here." Kaoru moved to the life-support machine and took hold of the wires connected to her sister's body.
"What are you doing!" He rushed forward and caught hold of her hands.
"I'm ending her suffering. No more will she be a puppet, a pawn. She will be freed."
"Let me do it for you and for her."
"No," Kaoru shook her head adamantly. "If I can't even do this, how can I face Jineh down?" She placed her hand over the wires again.
"Do you understand fury? Do you know what kept me going for the past ten years?" She paused, "I've killed for Jineh, did things that turned my stomach. What he had now was built on my pain and on countless bodies. Fury kept me going and greater fury is needed if I am to go on." She closed her eyes for a moment before steeling her heart. With a wrench, she pulled out the wires and felt part of herself died together with Tsubame. She flung herself on her sister's lifeless body and hugged her close, feeling the warmth slowly draining away.
A hand rested on her shoulders. "Let her go," he said quietly. "It's over." Kaoru stood up and faced her sister's body., her eyes dry.
"Open your eyes wide and witness what I'm going to do to Jineh tonight, my friend."
Strong arms encircled her body and she felt his face beside her neck.
"I can't cry for her……" It was a plaintive whisper. She felt wetness against her neck.
"Then let me cry for you, for Tsubame."
"Thank you, Enishi."
That's it for this chapter. Were you surprised by the identity of the mystery man? I've always felt that Enishi has been shortchanged in the comic so I let him be the good guy this time. But then he's not going to win Kaoru. I'm still going for Kenshin. Read and review, please. See you next chapter.
Things are going to get interesting. This chapter sort of sets the background and the reason why Kaoru will do the things she will be doing later. Sob, sob. Before we get on with the story, I would like to clear up a few questions. The story is set in the present, Rurouni angel, so there's guns and planes. Almost nobody uses a sword anymore except the most staunchly traditional gangs in Japan. And even there, it's more ceremonial.
Anh, there is a reason for Tsubame and Kaoru to be identical twins and you will know why in this chapter. Sammy-chan, I promise there will be less grammatical errors in this chapter. Honestly, I haven't paid attention to tenses since I left jc until you called it into my attention . Macy, I actually got the idea from a chinese novel. The title translated into English is 'Black Snow' and it's by Lui Heng. Arigatou, minna-san for your reviews, questions and suggestions. On with the story.
Japan
Kaoru knelt down in front of the low table. With practiced, graceful movements, she completed the tea ceremony and offered her guest a cup. He picked it up and eyed her over the rim. In her kimono, Kaoru looked the picture of a demure Japanese lady but he knew looks could be deceiving. He recalled the first time when Kaoru came alone to the Brooklyn headquarters to look for him. The spirit and fire in her eyes when she laid low all those who tried to stop her. It must be then that he fell for her.
"Kenshin and Soujiiro had eliminated the fractions that opposed them," Kaoru sipped her tea.
"Sano helped too," he looked around, wary of eavesdropper.
"Don't worry, this is my place and everyone here is loyal to me."
"Jineh has no control here?"
"His tentacles cannot reach here," Kaoru smiled a distinctly feral smile. "In recent years, I've taken charge of more dealings than he realised. The world we live in is a practical one and everyone follows the direction where the wind blows. Now, only those most fanatically loyal to him remains out of my reach."
Because he knew her, he understand that it was only a matter of time before she get rid of those people. "Until when? 'Til you decide to completely topple the entire order and hierachy of the yakuza clans?"
"I've never intended for that,"she took another sip of tea, "I only intend to take over and rule my way." He nodded his head. Kaoru had always known what's she's about. But he curious about one thing.
"Why did you ask me here?"
"Because it's time we all meet. Sano has almost consolidate his hold in Italy. Kenshin and Soujiiro have conqured their territories too. America may have too many small and diverse numbers of gangs for you to eliminate one by one but you are already the undisputed leader acknowledged by the most important gangs. And tonight, I will be setting my plans in motion."
"How did you know all that about us?" he was quietly amazed. Even he did not know how she found out about Kenshin, Soujiiro and Sano four years ago. Kaoru nodded towards the door.
"You forget that I have Aoshi. There's no information that I want that he cannot get for me." She did not tell the whole truth but there was no need for him to know her little secret. It was four years ago when she met a certain red-head at her adulthood ceremony. There was something about him. Something familiar that drew her heart. And when Aoshi came back with the information he collected, she finally knew why. He was one of them. And the one she missed most. Kenshin.
"Then you asked me here to give you a helping hand tonight?"
His question interrupted her thoughts and reminded her of why she wanted him here. "No, I can do that myself. I wanted you here for another reason. Come with me." She stood up and led him down a corridor. They entered a room. Kaoru went to a build-in cupboard and opened. Instead of clothes, a door was hidden in the back of the cupboard. They went through the door and entered another hidden room.
"What is this place?" He asked, frowning. The room was dimly lit and there was the pervasive smell of medicine and mildew. A rattling, rasping sound rose and fell rhythmically along with steady beeps. Kaoru walked towards the dim light. He finally adjusted to the darkness and saw what Kaoru was heading for. A bed. She stood beside the bed and adjusted the light. The light grew brighter and threw into sharp focus the tiny, shriveled figure on the bed. He gasped.
It was Tsubame. He remembered her. She was fond of laughing and she cried easily, for herself and for other people. Kind, sensitive and so sweet. A sweetness of innocence and character. Now, she had neither tears nor laughter. All that she was was trapped inside that broken shell with no escape.
Kaoru's voice floated in the small room. "Can you hear? That's the sound of her breathing and that's the sound of the machine that's keeping her alive." She turned around to face him. "She's the reason for everything I did and what I'm going to do." There were no tears in her eyes. Only a bright, piercing light.
"How long has she been lying here?" His voice was strangely disembodied. He had never thought of her lying here, a lonely and lifeless doll. "Who did this?" His fists clenched. The person who did this must die. He will personally see to it.
"She has been lying here for ten years," Kaoru leaned down and massaged her twin's hands. She looked at the face which was a parody of hers. A pale, drawn face, slightly swollen with water. The limbs, slack and shriveled with lack of exercise.She examined her own heart and found guilt and pain. There was no excuse for her. She promised to be with her sister forever, no matter what. But she broke her promise.
"Jineh did this. In front of me. For the past ten years, I was allowed to see her only once a month. I didn't know that except for keeping her alive, he did nothing else. Two months ago, I bribed her doctor into giving me the key here. He told me Tsubame is brain dead. She will never open her eyes and see me again." Tsubame was not a mirror of her. She was the half of one whole, and the better half at that. Innocent and pure.
He clenched his fist so hard his nails drew blood. He sensed the pain and grief because he felt them himself. "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Just be here." Kaoru moved to the life-support machine and took hold of the wires connected to her sister's body.
"What are you doing!" He rushed forward and caught hold of her hands.
"I'm ending her suffering. No more will she be a puppet, a pawn. She will be freed."
"Let me do it for you and for her."
"No," Kaoru shook her head adamantly. "If I can't even do this, how can I face Jineh down?" She placed her hand over the wires again.
"Do you understand fury? Do you know what kept me going for the past ten years?" She paused, "I've killed for Jineh, did things that turned my stomach. What he had now was built on my pain and on countless bodies. Fury kept me going and greater fury is needed if I am to go on." She closed her eyes for a moment before steeling her heart. With a wrench, she pulled out the wires and felt part of herself died together with Tsubame. She flung herself on her sister's lifeless body and hugged her close, feeling the warmth slowly draining away.
A hand rested on her shoulders. "Let her go," he said quietly. "It's over." Kaoru stood up and faced her sister's body., her eyes dry.
"Open your eyes wide and witness what I'm going to do to Jineh tonight, my friend."
Strong arms encircled her body and she felt his face beside her neck.
"I can't cry for her……" It was a plaintive whisper. She felt wetness against her neck.
"Then let me cry for you, for Tsubame."
"Thank you, Enishi."
That's it for this chapter. Were you surprised by the identity of the mystery man? I've always felt that Enishi has been shortchanged in the comic so I let him be the good guy this time. But then he's not going to win Kaoru. I'm still going for Kenshin. Read and review, please. See you next chapter.
