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.
Thought I'd be concentrating on Hiko but hit a very big obstacle. Going to tear my hair out over him. Soon, I'd be bald. Anyway, exams are over and I should be looking for a job. Wish I was still a student.
Only Selene agreed with me about the guy looking like Sano (Pout). Never mind, Selene, obviously we have more discerning eyes. Chibi Angel, I think you are right. Thanks for the reminder. It's now a PG for the violence. If you think it should be changed, please tell me cos I'm not quite sure about these things. And about Aoshi, don't worry. It will all come right in the end.
Chapter11
A silence had descended upon the church as Usui's voice rang out. The guests watched on with interest. It seemed that the very …stimulating scene at Jineh's manor was about to be repeated. Chaos and violence followed the Shinzuku's new leader like moths to flame, resulting in death and destruction. Who would be the victor this time?
Kenshin's muscles tensed and he made a move towards them. But Enishi stopped him with a light hold on his arm and a whispered, "Wait and see." Although Kenshin stayed where he was, Enishi could feel him straining to exert tight control over his desire to rush over and protect Kaoru. Sano stepped forward to stand beside him. "Megumi will protect her. Don't worry." Sano's words were spoken confidently but in his eyes, there was a trace of anxiety. Even he could not be sure if it was for Kaoru or for Megumi.
Stopping just one step away from Kaoru, Usui gave her the once-over. She looked stunning, was his only thought. He should have taken her while she was still in his charge. Too bad he missed out on the taste of her. This delectable bitch.
Meeting Usui's gaze squarely, Kaoru could read all the nasty, dirty thoughts he no longer bothered to conceal. The hate and lechery he felt for her was evident. Keeping a lid on her disgust of him, Kaoru asked, "To give me away? That's so kind of you. I never know you still think of me as your daughter." Her voice was calm and impassive. No one could tell what she was thinking.
"I'm not just here to give you away, Kaoru," Usui's expression was smug and filled with barely contained glee. This time, nothing would go wrong. He would prove to Shishio Makoto that he, Usui of Kobe, has the ability to conquer Japan's underworld on his own! "I prepared your dowry too."
"My dowry?" Kaoru raised an eyebrow. Over at the other end of the aisle, Kenshin's eyes glowed. He could hear clearly the menace in Usui's voice as well as the oily undertone. He lusted for Kaoru.
"Yes, two million US dollars. To recruit the number one killer in the world, Lupus. Only the best for you, my daughter. He should be arriving any minute now." He gloated.
On hearing that name, an excited murmur rose from the guests. All of them had heard of Lupus. The name was synonymous with death. And perfection. Three years ago, he single-handedly destroyed the drug-ring in Thailand. In the secret headquarters hidden in the mountains, he killed all thirty-eight men and three women, including the politician in collusion with the drug lord and four buyers. When the police arrived after receiving a tip-off, they found the whole mansion filled with the dead. Even the veterans had never seen such cold-blooded massacre. The amazing thing was that all the victims died of a single shot to the heart with minimum bleeding. The very accuracy of the shots sent shivers down their spines. It seemed that a robot had carried out the execution, not a human.
Ever since then, his fame, or rather, infamy had spread. He no longer accepted mass deals like the one in Thailand. Rather, he went for single projects. Just one target. He could only be contacted through an information web called Remus, set up online. For the right price, one could even find out what the American president had for tea to whether there were really yetis in the Himalayans. But getting the information from that website was not cheap. Still, there were buyers. Only, those who wanted to contact Lupus with an assignment were sworn to secrecy. Divulging this secret meant death.
Amidst the whisperings, Kaoru made an imperceptable sign only Megumi could read. Leaning close, she said in a low voice, "Security is watertight. I checked everything personally." On hearing Megumi's assurance, Kaoru cast her eyes down, shielding her thoughts. Lupus had never failed in any of his mission before. That meant Megumi must have overlooked some little details. For all they know, he could be here now, with his gun aimed at one of them.
"Whose life did you commission him to kill?" Her's or Kenshin's? She looked up, pinning Usui with a glare. Her very aura had changed. Now, she was the huntress and the protector, ready to fight for her loved one.
Strangely, the hostile energy that Kenshin projected had died down. But in the midst of the shocking revelation by Usui, nobody noticed. Everyone's attention was on the confrontation between Kaoru and Usui.
"Why, are you worried? The great Hayashi Kaoru of Shinzuku, worried? For your man or for yourself?" He smirked. The insult she dealt him, she would now pay in full.
Without warning, Kaoru's hand snaked out and closed over his throat, her nails digging into the vulnerable flesh there. Usui's eyes bulged as his windpipe was squeezed close abruptly. He did not expect her to attack him so openly. He forgot what he learnt at Jineh's birthday. Hayashi Kaoru was not one to let the presence of witnesses stop her from doing what she wanted to do. He clawed at her hand frantically, breaking the skin and leaving thin trails of blood. Her fingers dug in deeper, oblivious to his struggles and indifferent to her own pain.
Misao stared, transfixed by the scene unfolding in front of her.The brutality and violence of the underworld hit her like a ton of bricks. This woman, Hayashi Kaoru. When she first entered the church, Misao could not believe she was the leader of Shinzuku. She was too small and she looked too much of an innocent to be the preson she was reputed to be. But now, her fist clenched around the throat of that toad, Usui, Misao was convinced that she was fully capable of what she was suspected of. Yet even in this act of killing, there was nothing coarse about her. Instead, she looked like an avenging angel.
"Should we act now?" A voice came through the earpiece.
Misao tore her attention away from Kaoru and scanned the church. Himura Kenshin had shaken his friends loose and was heading for his bride. But there was nothing threatening about his stride. In fact, he was strolling as though going for a walk. Misao narrowed her eyes. Something was not quite right here.
"Wait first." If Usui died, they would be rid of a human scum and could also charge Hayashi Kaoru with murder. Two birds with one stone. If not, well, assault was a charge very easy to wriggle out of and the superintendant did tell her to go easy on Hayashi.
"Kaoru, let him down," Kenshin laid his hand on her shoulders. Kaoru cast him a glance. He looked relaxed. The beast seemed to be under control. She loosened her fingers and withdrew her hand. Limply, Usui slid to the floor, wheezing and clutching his neck. Tears had escaped from his eyes, unbiddened as he gasped for breath. Kaoru stared coldly as he struggled to breathe and gulped in huge mouthful of air. Beside her, Kenshin ignored the crumpled, trembling form of Usui. He reached for Kaoru's hand and held it close, inspecting the scratches and claw marks that drew blood. Wordlessly, he licked away the tiny pearls of blood that welled up against the pale, broken skin.
Still holding Kaoru's hand gently, he nudged Usui with the toe of his shoe. "Get up. I've a few questions for you," His voice was soft and pleasant.
Hands stroking his throat gingerly, Usui staggered to his feet. Eyes filled with loathing and more than a touch of fear, he rasped defiantly, "There's no need to answer your questions. You'll be dead soon enough." He had Lupus. Therefore, he had nothing to be scared of.
"Then don't answer. Just listen," Letting go of Kaoru's hand, he stepped closer to Usui. "You paid a million to the information web, Remus, to find out how to contact Lupus," He smiled but did not wait for the answer. "With that information, you contacted Lupus. Probably left a message on one of the thousands of noticeboards online together with your number and you waited for him to answer," On seeing Usui's face blanched, Kenshin's smile widened a fraction. "Just a lucky guess. He replied. You wanted me killed and offered him a million dollars for the job. He agreed and you deposited the one million into the account he stated. Am I right so far?"
Usui could not speak. It seemed that he knew every step of his plan. Sweat broke out at his forehead. He wanted to swallow the saliva that pooled in his mouth but could not. His throat hurt too much. He could feel his heart beat erratically as he stared at the face in front of his. So friendly. Like a demon's.
"I wonder," that calm, conversational voice again, "Why Lupus hadn't appeared. To shoot down all your enemies. Take revenge for you. Do you think," now the voice actually sounded worried for him, "That he lied to you? Let you come here all alone to die?"
"No…I paid! I paid him!" Instead of clutching his throat, Usui had his hands fisted in his hair. Pale and sweating, his eyes wild, he looked as though he had gone mad. Images seemed to swim in front of his eyes. The raspy voice of Shishio Makoto filled his head. "You are useless now. Useless! Ha ha ha…" "You're a fool, Usui and you cannot change your fate…" Mocking voices, jeers. They all looked down on him. So scornful, filled with contempt. No, no!
The voice of a child interrupted uncertainly, "'scuse me, is there a Mr Usui here?" A pair of round eyes peeked out from outside the church door. Hesitantly, he moved forward a step. It was a child of about ten, skinny, grimy and in patched clothings that spoke of poverty.
Usui turned to stare at the boy. There was a desperate gleam in his eyes. A wild hope. The boy shrunk back from him. Bravely, he spoke up, "I have a message. For Mr Usui."
"I'm Usui," He smoothed his hair and tried a smile. It came out as a grimace. He licked his parched, dry lips.
"Al'right, the message is this," the boy closed his eyes and recited from memory, " 'I am here as agreed. But your one million is only enough to buy my presence, not my bullet. Lupus.'" The boy opened his eyes. "That's it. That's all the strange man said. And," the boy drew himself together, "He said the man with red hair would give me a hundred dollars for it."
"He said that, huh?" Kenshin shook his head with amusement. He reached into his pocket for and motioned for the boy to come. The odd, stifling atmosphere in the church scared him. But a hundred dollars…He pushed down his appprehension and tried to walk confidently forward. He skitted around the man he was to pass the message to. He seemed to have been dealt a big blow. As though the stock market had crashed and he was now a bankrupt. He reminded him of his father just before he jumped down from their apartment on the twelfth storey. Averting his eyes, he stopped in front of the red- haired man.
"What's your name?"
He was about to retort that it was none of his business when he looked up and into those amber eyes. He swallowed the retort at the tip of his tongue and answered sullenly, "Yahiko."
"Well then, Yahiko-chan, here's your hundred dollars. And stay away from strange men next time. They could be dangerous."
Grabbing the money, Yahiko turned and ran away. At the door, he stopped, knowing that he was far enough from the man's reach should he get angry. He turned back and yelled, "My name is Yahiko, not Yahiko-chan!" With that, he disappeared.
Smiling and not the least bit offended, Kenshin turned his attention back to Usui. "Well, your plans have come to naught. You sold off all you owned to buy my life but it was not enough. You are nothing now."
Dismissing him, he deliberately turned his back on him and took Kaoru's hand. With Megumi flanking her other side, they moved down the aisle together.
Driven pass the point of sanity, Usui remembered the gun he had in his waistband. He had no time to reach for it just now when Hayashi Kaoru had her hands on his neck. Now, he would use it to kill them. Prove to everybody that he was not a failure, he was not useless! With one trembling hand, he drew out the gun but before he could fire, Kenshin whirled around and kicked the gun away.
"You are so predictable that you are pathetic," Kenshin said coldly.
Seeing his last hope vanish, Usui crumpled to the floor once again. This time, he would never be able to stand up.
The whole church was silent. They had seen Hayashi Kaoru destroy Jineh. Now, they witnessed Himura Kenshin tear down Usui piece by piece. This two person, both ruthless and powerful on their own. What would their union bring?
An odd smile playing about his lips, Kenshin said in a voice that reached everyone, "Will the police kindly clean up this piece of offal. I believe possession of firearms in Japan is illegal."
With a curse under her breath, Misao stepped down from the side stage and motioned to her group members. Together, they cuffed the babbling Usui and bagged the gun, their actions swift and efficient. While her team mates did their work, Misao stood in front of the couple, her eyes steely. "Miss Hayashi, Mr Himura, you are to come down to the station. We need to take your statements."
"Officer, we are the victims here, not the criminal. We would, of course be glad to assist the police. But today is our wedding day. If it is convenient, tomorrow, we would drop by the station in the morning." Kenshin answered. Although polite, his tone suggest that this was the best offer she would get.
Scowling, Misao waved to her team mates. Within minutes, they took off.
As they watched the team disappeared around the corner, Kaoru broke the silence. With a narrow eyed glare at Kenshin, she hissed under her breath, "You have a lot of explaining to do, Himura Kenshin."
Blinking, the cold air that surrounded him dissipated. "Maaa ma, Kaoru. Today's our wedding. We'll keep the interrogation for later. Let's complete the ceremony before our priest faints from too much excitement."
So saying, they moved down the aisle again. This time with no interruptions. By now, the number of guests had dwindled to a handful. Most of them had left one after another together with the police. And all the tittering choir girls begged to be released from today's job. All in all, the ceremony that was about to commence was a small, solemn affair.
The priest was a man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Hair combed back neatly and bookish spectacles in place, he looked like a congenial, godly man.
After signing the documents that listed the belongings of both Shinzuku and HongXing and the agreement between the two tribes, the priest announced benignly, "I now pronounced you, man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
The hard barrel of a gun was suddenly pressed to Kenshin's temple.
This chapter is finished. Yeah! Usui was just the appetitizer. The main course's just coming up. You don't think I was going to let them off so easily, do you? Hee hee. Guess who's holding the gun.
What do you think? Jineh died and Usui went mad. Fitting ends for them. Finally settled them. From now on, it would be them against Shishio Makoto. No other bad guys. Reviews, please.
Thought I'd be concentrating on Hiko but hit a very big obstacle. Going to tear my hair out over him. Soon, I'd be bald. Anyway, exams are over and I should be looking for a job. Wish I was still a student.
Only Selene agreed with me about the guy looking like Sano (Pout). Never mind, Selene, obviously we have more discerning eyes. Chibi Angel, I think you are right. Thanks for the reminder. It's now a PG for the violence. If you think it should be changed, please tell me cos I'm not quite sure about these things. And about Aoshi, don't worry. It will all come right in the end.
Chapter11
A silence had descended upon the church as Usui's voice rang out. The guests watched on with interest. It seemed that the very …stimulating scene at Jineh's manor was about to be repeated. Chaos and violence followed the Shinzuku's new leader like moths to flame, resulting in death and destruction. Who would be the victor this time?
Kenshin's muscles tensed and he made a move towards them. But Enishi stopped him with a light hold on his arm and a whispered, "Wait and see." Although Kenshin stayed where he was, Enishi could feel him straining to exert tight control over his desire to rush over and protect Kaoru. Sano stepped forward to stand beside him. "Megumi will protect her. Don't worry." Sano's words were spoken confidently but in his eyes, there was a trace of anxiety. Even he could not be sure if it was for Kaoru or for Megumi.
Stopping just one step away from Kaoru, Usui gave her the once-over. She looked stunning, was his only thought. He should have taken her while she was still in his charge. Too bad he missed out on the taste of her. This delectable bitch.
Meeting Usui's gaze squarely, Kaoru could read all the nasty, dirty thoughts he no longer bothered to conceal. The hate and lechery he felt for her was evident. Keeping a lid on her disgust of him, Kaoru asked, "To give me away? That's so kind of you. I never know you still think of me as your daughter." Her voice was calm and impassive. No one could tell what she was thinking.
"I'm not just here to give you away, Kaoru," Usui's expression was smug and filled with barely contained glee. This time, nothing would go wrong. He would prove to Shishio Makoto that he, Usui of Kobe, has the ability to conquer Japan's underworld on his own! "I prepared your dowry too."
"My dowry?" Kaoru raised an eyebrow. Over at the other end of the aisle, Kenshin's eyes glowed. He could hear clearly the menace in Usui's voice as well as the oily undertone. He lusted for Kaoru.
"Yes, two million US dollars. To recruit the number one killer in the world, Lupus. Only the best for you, my daughter. He should be arriving any minute now." He gloated.
On hearing that name, an excited murmur rose from the guests. All of them had heard of Lupus. The name was synonymous with death. And perfection. Three years ago, he single-handedly destroyed the drug-ring in Thailand. In the secret headquarters hidden in the mountains, he killed all thirty-eight men and three women, including the politician in collusion with the drug lord and four buyers. When the police arrived after receiving a tip-off, they found the whole mansion filled with the dead. Even the veterans had never seen such cold-blooded massacre. The amazing thing was that all the victims died of a single shot to the heart with minimum bleeding. The very accuracy of the shots sent shivers down their spines. It seemed that a robot had carried out the execution, not a human.
Ever since then, his fame, or rather, infamy had spread. He no longer accepted mass deals like the one in Thailand. Rather, he went for single projects. Just one target. He could only be contacted through an information web called Remus, set up online. For the right price, one could even find out what the American president had for tea to whether there were really yetis in the Himalayans. But getting the information from that website was not cheap. Still, there were buyers. Only, those who wanted to contact Lupus with an assignment were sworn to secrecy. Divulging this secret meant death.
Amidst the whisperings, Kaoru made an imperceptable sign only Megumi could read. Leaning close, she said in a low voice, "Security is watertight. I checked everything personally." On hearing Megumi's assurance, Kaoru cast her eyes down, shielding her thoughts. Lupus had never failed in any of his mission before. That meant Megumi must have overlooked some little details. For all they know, he could be here now, with his gun aimed at one of them.
"Whose life did you commission him to kill?" Her's or Kenshin's? She looked up, pinning Usui with a glare. Her very aura had changed. Now, she was the huntress and the protector, ready to fight for her loved one.
Strangely, the hostile energy that Kenshin projected had died down. But in the midst of the shocking revelation by Usui, nobody noticed. Everyone's attention was on the confrontation between Kaoru and Usui.
"Why, are you worried? The great Hayashi Kaoru of Shinzuku, worried? For your man or for yourself?" He smirked. The insult she dealt him, she would now pay in full.
Without warning, Kaoru's hand snaked out and closed over his throat, her nails digging into the vulnerable flesh there. Usui's eyes bulged as his windpipe was squeezed close abruptly. He did not expect her to attack him so openly. He forgot what he learnt at Jineh's birthday. Hayashi Kaoru was not one to let the presence of witnesses stop her from doing what she wanted to do. He clawed at her hand frantically, breaking the skin and leaving thin trails of blood. Her fingers dug in deeper, oblivious to his struggles and indifferent to her own pain.
Misao stared, transfixed by the scene unfolding in front of her.The brutality and violence of the underworld hit her like a ton of bricks. This woman, Hayashi Kaoru. When she first entered the church, Misao could not believe she was the leader of Shinzuku. She was too small and she looked too much of an innocent to be the preson she was reputed to be. But now, her fist clenched around the throat of that toad, Usui, Misao was convinced that she was fully capable of what she was suspected of. Yet even in this act of killing, there was nothing coarse about her. Instead, she looked like an avenging angel.
"Should we act now?" A voice came through the earpiece.
Misao tore her attention away from Kaoru and scanned the church. Himura Kenshin had shaken his friends loose and was heading for his bride. But there was nothing threatening about his stride. In fact, he was strolling as though going for a walk. Misao narrowed her eyes. Something was not quite right here.
"Wait first." If Usui died, they would be rid of a human scum and could also charge Hayashi Kaoru with murder. Two birds with one stone. If not, well, assault was a charge very easy to wriggle out of and the superintendant did tell her to go easy on Hayashi.
"Kaoru, let him down," Kenshin laid his hand on her shoulders. Kaoru cast him a glance. He looked relaxed. The beast seemed to be under control. She loosened her fingers and withdrew her hand. Limply, Usui slid to the floor, wheezing and clutching his neck. Tears had escaped from his eyes, unbiddened as he gasped for breath. Kaoru stared coldly as he struggled to breathe and gulped in huge mouthful of air. Beside her, Kenshin ignored the crumpled, trembling form of Usui. He reached for Kaoru's hand and held it close, inspecting the scratches and claw marks that drew blood. Wordlessly, he licked away the tiny pearls of blood that welled up against the pale, broken skin.
Still holding Kaoru's hand gently, he nudged Usui with the toe of his shoe. "Get up. I've a few questions for you," His voice was soft and pleasant.
Hands stroking his throat gingerly, Usui staggered to his feet. Eyes filled with loathing and more than a touch of fear, he rasped defiantly, "There's no need to answer your questions. You'll be dead soon enough." He had Lupus. Therefore, he had nothing to be scared of.
"Then don't answer. Just listen," Letting go of Kaoru's hand, he stepped closer to Usui. "You paid a million to the information web, Remus, to find out how to contact Lupus," He smiled but did not wait for the answer. "With that information, you contacted Lupus. Probably left a message on one of the thousands of noticeboards online together with your number and you waited for him to answer," On seeing Usui's face blanched, Kenshin's smile widened a fraction. "Just a lucky guess. He replied. You wanted me killed and offered him a million dollars for the job. He agreed and you deposited the one million into the account he stated. Am I right so far?"
Usui could not speak. It seemed that he knew every step of his plan. Sweat broke out at his forehead. He wanted to swallow the saliva that pooled in his mouth but could not. His throat hurt too much. He could feel his heart beat erratically as he stared at the face in front of his. So friendly. Like a demon's.
"I wonder," that calm, conversational voice again, "Why Lupus hadn't appeared. To shoot down all your enemies. Take revenge for you. Do you think," now the voice actually sounded worried for him, "That he lied to you? Let you come here all alone to die?"
"No…I paid! I paid him!" Instead of clutching his throat, Usui had his hands fisted in his hair. Pale and sweating, his eyes wild, he looked as though he had gone mad. Images seemed to swim in front of his eyes. The raspy voice of Shishio Makoto filled his head. "You are useless now. Useless! Ha ha ha…" "You're a fool, Usui and you cannot change your fate…" Mocking voices, jeers. They all looked down on him. So scornful, filled with contempt. No, no!
The voice of a child interrupted uncertainly, "'scuse me, is there a Mr Usui here?" A pair of round eyes peeked out from outside the church door. Hesitantly, he moved forward a step. It was a child of about ten, skinny, grimy and in patched clothings that spoke of poverty.
Usui turned to stare at the boy. There was a desperate gleam in his eyes. A wild hope. The boy shrunk back from him. Bravely, he spoke up, "I have a message. For Mr Usui."
"I'm Usui," He smoothed his hair and tried a smile. It came out as a grimace. He licked his parched, dry lips.
"Al'right, the message is this," the boy closed his eyes and recited from memory, " 'I am here as agreed. But your one million is only enough to buy my presence, not my bullet. Lupus.'" The boy opened his eyes. "That's it. That's all the strange man said. And," the boy drew himself together, "He said the man with red hair would give me a hundred dollars for it."
"He said that, huh?" Kenshin shook his head with amusement. He reached into his pocket for and motioned for the boy to come. The odd, stifling atmosphere in the church scared him. But a hundred dollars…He pushed down his appprehension and tried to walk confidently forward. He skitted around the man he was to pass the message to. He seemed to have been dealt a big blow. As though the stock market had crashed and he was now a bankrupt. He reminded him of his father just before he jumped down from their apartment on the twelfth storey. Averting his eyes, he stopped in front of the red- haired man.
"What's your name?"
He was about to retort that it was none of his business when he looked up and into those amber eyes. He swallowed the retort at the tip of his tongue and answered sullenly, "Yahiko."
"Well then, Yahiko-chan, here's your hundred dollars. And stay away from strange men next time. They could be dangerous."
Grabbing the money, Yahiko turned and ran away. At the door, he stopped, knowing that he was far enough from the man's reach should he get angry. He turned back and yelled, "My name is Yahiko, not Yahiko-chan!" With that, he disappeared.
Smiling and not the least bit offended, Kenshin turned his attention back to Usui. "Well, your plans have come to naught. You sold off all you owned to buy my life but it was not enough. You are nothing now."
Dismissing him, he deliberately turned his back on him and took Kaoru's hand. With Megumi flanking her other side, they moved down the aisle together.
Driven pass the point of sanity, Usui remembered the gun he had in his waistband. He had no time to reach for it just now when Hayashi Kaoru had her hands on his neck. Now, he would use it to kill them. Prove to everybody that he was not a failure, he was not useless! With one trembling hand, he drew out the gun but before he could fire, Kenshin whirled around and kicked the gun away.
"You are so predictable that you are pathetic," Kenshin said coldly.
Seeing his last hope vanish, Usui crumpled to the floor once again. This time, he would never be able to stand up.
The whole church was silent. They had seen Hayashi Kaoru destroy Jineh. Now, they witnessed Himura Kenshin tear down Usui piece by piece. This two person, both ruthless and powerful on their own. What would their union bring?
An odd smile playing about his lips, Kenshin said in a voice that reached everyone, "Will the police kindly clean up this piece of offal. I believe possession of firearms in Japan is illegal."
With a curse under her breath, Misao stepped down from the side stage and motioned to her group members. Together, they cuffed the babbling Usui and bagged the gun, their actions swift and efficient. While her team mates did their work, Misao stood in front of the couple, her eyes steely. "Miss Hayashi, Mr Himura, you are to come down to the station. We need to take your statements."
"Officer, we are the victims here, not the criminal. We would, of course be glad to assist the police. But today is our wedding day. If it is convenient, tomorrow, we would drop by the station in the morning." Kenshin answered. Although polite, his tone suggest that this was the best offer she would get.
Scowling, Misao waved to her team mates. Within minutes, they took off.
As they watched the team disappeared around the corner, Kaoru broke the silence. With a narrow eyed glare at Kenshin, she hissed under her breath, "You have a lot of explaining to do, Himura Kenshin."
Blinking, the cold air that surrounded him dissipated. "Maaa ma, Kaoru. Today's our wedding. We'll keep the interrogation for later. Let's complete the ceremony before our priest faints from too much excitement."
So saying, they moved down the aisle again. This time with no interruptions. By now, the number of guests had dwindled to a handful. Most of them had left one after another together with the police. And all the tittering choir girls begged to be released from today's job. All in all, the ceremony that was about to commence was a small, solemn affair.
The priest was a man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Hair combed back neatly and bookish spectacles in place, he looked like a congenial, godly man.
After signing the documents that listed the belongings of both Shinzuku and HongXing and the agreement between the two tribes, the priest announced benignly, "I now pronounced you, man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
The hard barrel of a gun was suddenly pressed to Kenshin's temple.
This chapter is finished. Yeah! Usui was just the appetitizer. The main course's just coming up. You don't think I was going to let them off so easily, do you? Hee hee. Guess who's holding the gun.
What do you think? Jineh died and Usui went mad. Fitting ends for them. Finally settled them. From now on, it would be them against Shishio Makoto. No other bad guys. Reviews, please.
