Disclaimer:.....you know that I don't own anyone right? RIGHT?! good..well except for a few people that I will make up in the beginning!
Chapter 10: What Webs We Weave when We Decieve
~*~*~
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take
~*~*~
It was freezing cold where ever he was. Shinta's limbs were all sore and blood caked. Of course, he couldn't see anything because of a makeshift blind fold over his eyes, but he felt the crustiness of the blood as well as its taste. His head was pounding almost unbearably as he tried to move to try and find where he was at least by touch. All he saw was a void of blackness before him but he felt the hard, cold concrete beneath his torn skin. He tried moving his legs, but found immediate pain shot up his calf and knees each time he tried. His legs, as he felt them, had been broken or at least severely damaged.
'Shishio....you'll....pay for this,' he thought weakly. His arms were behind him, tied by a tight wire, which was cutting into his skin. It was then he felt all hope leave his aching heart, there was nothing he could do now. A dark wave of depression filled him then as he lay there slowly bleeding, thinking of how he failed his beloved sister. Hope left his tear-ridden eyes; his soul and will dying.
There was nothing here for him anymore, he didn't even know if she was dead already or not. He couldn't do anything, with his legs as they were, with his being here and not at Hiko's. The photographs he had left in the car, stuffing them underneath the driver's seat before he even started out. But, they were sure to be found and destroyed. He started to cry empty tears, because he couldn't do anything else. There were so many unanwsered questions Shinta had for Hiko.
'It's not like he'd answer them anyway,' he thought despairingly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Saitoh lit his sixth cigarette in his second pack, muttering obscenities as he fought the with the lighter. As soon as he saw the green light, his foot pushed the gas pedal all the way down, speeding his black 2004 BMW Z4 Roadster forward.
'Where the hell did you run off to now, you moron?' Saitoh thought as he narrowed his eyes in anger.
Shishio, as he knew him, would probably be going after the next important item besides Urako herself; the journal of the Himuras. Saitoh had never seen the journal himself, always trying to sneek glances around the old dojo whenever he was around. Urako had not said a thing about it, which was smart on her part, but eventually was her undoing.
Urako, as Saitoh came to know, was a very resourceful girl, making dummy-copies of important information whenever she went out to steal something. Saitoh had a feeling that Urako had made a dummy copy of the journal and had hidden it somewhere where no one would find it but is obvious to the human eye. She was always so secretive and mysterious when it came to her treasures. Always thinking like her enemies, which in this case, made her so easy to trap.
He had agreed to be with her when he signed a treaty contract with Shishio, letting Saitoh settle things with her. But, Shishio seemed to be impatient as he sent his three spies into H.M Corp. to take her away. Though it seemed Shishio's plans yet again back fired as she unintentionally started up the time machine. Unless, that was Shishio's plan all along. Picking at her until all her feathers were gone and then sending her away. She was being used without even knowing it.
Saitoh was playing both sides, which he could get away with it, being the cunning wolf as he was. He got information and money, enough to use as blackmail if something didn't go well with him. He knew his enemies even better than he did his friends, then again, he didn't have many friends.
Once he fooled this Urako that he loved her, he would then manipulate her into using her rumored hidden power to rule over Japan. True, he did love to fight with her, seeing the blood lust in her eyes was intoxicating, but that was about it. She was about as cunning as he was, except that she trusted him a little too much. She let him know her life and her powers as a seer, even though he knew a little bit about that. He pretended to be surprised, which was hard work since he had to look straight into her blue and amber eyes and not show any signs of hesitation. Once she had confessed her love to him, it was all falling perfectly into place. He announced their engagement to her brother and to Hiko, for that was all the people she would visibly allow. Shishio had already known that was to occur.
Saitoh had already known of Tomoe and what she had wanted Urako to do. Spotting Tomoe as Urako's weakness, he waited with his men, the Mibu Wolves, in the darkness until Urako had let her guard down. Disguised as men from Shishio's guard, the Wolves attacked Tomoe in front of the helpless Urako. Saitoh watched the horror, loss, and hatred race across Urako's face. He smirked in appreciation as he watched his own men drown in their own blood after Urako sliced through them. Knowing that vengence was a strong emotion, branching off from hatred, he decided to channel it through their fights. Knowing that she would eventually break from the strain of having to keep up a barrier, he told her a few fake depressing things about himself so that she would "find peace within herself".
To be able to manipulate a person's emotions was an impressive thing to do, and it took practice and harsh discipline.
But, he had also grown attached to her presence, her energy, and her strength. Damn his pathetic emotions. They always seemed to be getting in the way, messing up perfectly organized plans. True, he didn't love her, but he felt protective of her for some reason. His emotions were just about as mysterious as Urako herself. What he had done to get Urako in her current state was not eating at him as one would think, just more respect for Urako seemed to be taking it's place. Which was why he was currently looking for her damn brother.
'If he dies then I die,' he thought sardonically. If Urako came out of this whole mess alive only to find her brother dead, then there would be not point in harvesting her power for it would be gone. Her power, as he learned from Hiko, was at its strongest when her emotions were involved. To take away her brother wouldn't do any good, and Saitoh hoped that Shishio knew that.
Saitoh learned at an early age that evil was more prosperous in the world if tamed and harnessed in your favor. Urako to him was innocent, just begging him to taint her with his false happiness. Molding her into something tamable to increase his power over the Underground Gangs, Corps. and Companies. Using fear to control the weaker minded, daring any to threaten him. Of course, nothing went as smoothly as he had planned. But, so far so good, and that was what mattered to him most of all. Shishio's mind worked in the same fashion and so was easy to predict and understand when it came to wanting power.
'Shishio will be moving his primary base, and if he has that boy with him he will surely place him in a temporary prison that is stationed nearby his next destination,' thought Saitoh, as he turned a corner. The gray skies moved unbearably slow against each other, creating more light rain to dampen the asphalt.
Saitoh needed to get to Shishio and quick, if he wanted to save the boy's and Urako's life and importance. He looked at the clock, it was nearing 12:30 p.m. Shishio would be leaving in one hour. He gritted his teeth and headed towards Shishio's estate.
~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~
Megumi rubbed her temples and headed down to the snack area to pick up some Aspirin. The day was hell, to say the least. Her patients were banged up pretty badly, the male suffering from a mild concussion, some cuts and bruises on his upper body, a fractured wrist, and a shattered ankle. The female companion sported a broken arm, several deep lascerations across her face from the shattered glass, and a few bruises on her torso. But, both would heal and would live, thank the heavens. Megumi had seen too many fatal car accidents and was relieved to prevent their deaths.
As the blinding white lights of the hospital increased her headache, she quickly payed for the Aspirin. She walked quickly to the ladies bathroom, got some water and downed the two pills quickly. She sighed deeply as she leaned her body on the white porcealin sink.
'I think I know those two patients....Hmmmm.... Well, I can always make sure by checking their records,' Megumi thought as she stared at her reflection in the smudgy mirror.
She quickly exited the bathroom and headed back down to where the two were located. The white walls and pastel paitings of Japanese Art, or whatever it was, passed by her in a blur. The mindless chatter and the drone of the female voice on the P.A system swirled around in her mind, lost in the black abyss of Megumi's brain as she focused her mind on getting those files. Meditation lessons from Aoshi were actually paying off. She'd have to thank him someday for that.
'Room 502,' she thought as she pushed open the heavy white oak doors.
The constant rhythmic beeping of the life support machines entered her ears as she spotted the both of them lying peacefully on the hospital beds. She headed for the male's records first at the foot of the bed.
'Sagara, Sanosuke.....age 17...no education?...no work? I think I've heard his name mentioned by Aoshi... Hmmmm...if that is the case then he probably works for Aoshi.... Then I have to call him!' she realized, hitting her head for her stupidness.
She reached for her cell phone at her hip, grabbed both files hurriedly as she raced out of the hospital, and dialed Aoshi's cell phone number.
She heard the phone ring at least twice before an emotionalless voice answered, "Speak."
"Aoshi, it's me Megumi. Do you know a Sagara, Sanosuke?" Megumi asked quickly.
"Yes, he is friends with Shinta Himura. He leads one of the popular gangs that works undercover for me, called the Sekihó. Why?"
"He's here at the hospital because of a car accident,"
"I see, was there anyone with him?"
"Yes, a young girl," Megumi replied as she look back over to the young girl's file.
"What's her name?"
"Makoto...Makoto, Kaoru! Aoshi!!" Megumi gasped as her eyes widened.
"Makoto? You sure?"
"Yes-yes...I'm positive! If she is here and not at her brother's private clinic..then ..-"
"Then she was targeted by her brother....shit... Megumi, are they alright for transportation?"
Megumi bit her lip in hesitation though answered, "Yes, they'll be fine as long as it isn't strenuous on them."
"Good, prepare them for transportation quickly. It's 12:40 now, expect a team in 10 minutes," Aoshi explained quickly and hung up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Aoshi closed his cell phone and glanced back over to where Misao lay, stilling fighting her dreams. Aoshi sighed deeply, worry creased his features. He looked back down to his cell phone and thought, 'I need Okon and Omasu to get Sano and Miss Makoto back here safely.'
He narrowed his eyes in determination and walked briskly out the door. The wooden steps seemed to take forever to go down, as Aoshi's mind swirled with worry. He needed to straighten his mind out before he did anything; he needed to meditate.
"Okon! Omasu! I need you to do a pick up for me!" he shouted loudly in the seemingly empty halls of the Aoiya. He needed a different code name for retrieving people, that one just seemed so corny to him. He sighed as he waited for the heavy foot falls of the Oniwaban women to enter his ears.
Since this establishment also served as a restaurant, the group occansionally used code names referring to deliveries when they needed something 'picked up'. It was easier to work that way and no one suspected anything.
Okon and Omasu hurried in the Hall where Aoshi was silently waiting, worry and slight anger crossed their features.
"Lord Aoshi, we are here, what do you need picked up?" Okon asked as she bowed respectfully.
"A rooster and a young woman," he whispered quickly to them, "At the Hospital."
They nodded in agreement.
"Good, Megumi will tell you the rest. Now go," he said before retreating back up stairs.
"Lord Aoshi...is-" Omasu began.
"She'll be fine," Aoshi clipped and continued back up the stairs without looking behind him.
Omasu nodded slowly and followed her partner out the door of the Aoiya.
"She'll be fine..." he whispered to himself as he pushed open his door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shishio's red eyes burned with anger as he watched his men interrogate the young boy. The boy, Shinta Himura as he knew, had not even spoke since he got here. It was as if all hope died in his eyes. He didn't fear anything, not even death.
Shishio narrowed his eyes as he looked through the tinted bullet-proof glass towards the stoic form of Shinta. He had used all methods of torture to get the kid to talk; from needles- to burn torture- to injecting all sorts of drugs into his system.
The cracked concrete that made up this little secret basement in Shishio's estate, spanned underground for about one mile in every direction. He had made it in secret with an unknowing contractor, and killed him the minute it was finished. Even his own sister knew nothing about this. He growled in annoyance at the thought of her.
'Kaoru...if I ever see you again, I will kill you. To betray me is to betray the family; it also spell out your death,' he thought as he fisted his hands in anger.
"Lord Shishio, if I may have a word with you?" Hoji asked as he bowed respectfully.
"What is it Hoji?" he rumbled irritably.
"Why do we keep this boy alive if he serves no other purpose? He isn't giving us any leads, and is a thorn in our side that we cannot afford to have," he explained smoothly.
"Very true Hoji. He is a thorn, but I believe a very important key to the whole puzzle that is Urako Himura,"
"What is that Lord Shishio?"
Shishio grinned evilly and looked over to Hoji and replied, "Soon, you will see the true power that has been locked within the body of Urako Himura."
Hoji gasped in anticipation, his form trembling with excitement.
"Come, we must see my primary base to it's new location Hoji," he said easily as he turned and walked down the stoney corridor.
"Yes, Lord Shishio!" Hoji exclaimed as he bowed delightfully and followed Shishio.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Misao's eyes opened slightly, feeling sore muscles and pain from her right arm and left foot. She groaned and moved her left hand to massage her right shoulder because of the pain that burned in her.
An ice cold hand stopped her in her tracks and her eyes shot open to look into fridged orbs. She saw the worry that flashed across his depths before he hardened his expression once again.
"Thank you...Lord Aoshi," she whispered hoarsly, turning her hand around to grasp his own.
Surprise glinted over his eyes as she spoke to him, her voice warming his heart. Misao smiled a little at that and continued, "I'm alright Lord Aoshi, I'm O.K."
Aoshi seemed to be relieved to hear this as Misao saw his eyes were no longer guarded. With a sigh he seemed to be holding earlier, he pulled his hand away. Misao frowned at the lost contact but quickly replaced it with a smile.
"Misao, I need to know what happened to you," Aoshi stated as he sat down in a nearby chair.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~~
Megumi returned to the ever busy hospital, and sat near her patients. She placed the files back in the slots at the foot of their beds. She sighed deeply, this was a deep pile of shit they landed in. If rumor served her correctly, then this action made by Shishio is one not to be taken lightly. If anyone helped his sister escape her death then they, too would die by her side. The Oniwaban would have to be discreet with this kind of retrieval mission and handle it carefully.
Megumi bit her lip in anticipation and walked over to the emergency phone used by doctors and nurses. She picked it up and waited to hear the secretary at the main desk in the lobby.
"Yes?" a cracked feminine voice asked.
"I need two transport beds for patients 01554 and 00788 stat," Megumi said authoritatively.
'When Okon and Omasu show up, they'll need an alibi to cover this up,' Megumi thought as she waited for affirmation.
"Of course, I'll send in the beds now Dr. Takani," the secretary said, some shuffling of papers were heard in the background.
"Thank you," Megumi said quickly before hanging up.
'Two transport beds for room 502, two transport beds for room 502 please!' the scratchy voice called over the P.A system.
'Okon and Omasu should be here by now...I know that they speed all the time,' Megumi thought as she paced the room. She looked at her digital watch-it was almost 12:50 p.m.
Shuffling of feet and squeaky wheels entered her ears and Megumi turned to look who was there.
"You needed transport beds doc?" a young girl asked, fidgeting with her scrubs.
"Sorry it took a while, Kitsune," another young woman said with a smirk.
"Sorry my ass, you girls! You want to give me a freakin' heart attack?" she screetched.
Megumi glared at them as they readied the beds for the patients. Megumi grumbled and helped lift Sanosuke up and onto one of the transport beds.
"Just be careful! We can't afford to be caught now, understand me?" Megumi hissed as she disconnected the cables monitering the heart and pulse of the patients.
"Here, Megumi use this," Okon whispered as she brought out a sleeping rabbit from her bag.
"It's so no one comes in here-now hurry!" Omasu explained to the dumbfounded Doctor.
Megumi nodded vigorously and said, "Ok! Alright!" She restrapped the cables and tubes to the little rabbit, and watched as the the heart monitor and pulse monitor returned to normal.
Megumi pulled out the water tube inserted in Sano's arm and covered him in a white sheet.
Okon and Omasu worked quickly on Kaoru, disconnecting tubes and cables and then reconnecting them to the rabbit on the other bed. Once all the tubes were gone from her arms, Okon looked around for any further needed medical treatments.
"Do any of them need anything else to help them heal quicker?" Okon asked hurriedly.
"Just daily doses of everyday pain killers and some cotton swabs and bandages for the deep wounds," Megumi said as she gave her patients a once over.
"Alright then-Megumi give me your arm," Omasu said.
"We don't want you fired from here because you let a few patients be taken, so we're injecting you with a high dose of morphine. It should be enough to knock you out, no more," Okon said, as she got some rubbing alcohol from Megumi.
"I understand," Megumi answered as she gave them her arm.
"Sorry Kitsune," Omasu said as she hit Megumi across the face, knocking her out.
Megumi fell to the floor, the cut on her cheek bled and stained the tiled floors.
"But it can't look like a set-up either," Okon said apologetically as she injected the morphine into Megumi's blood stream.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Wolves, the Mibu Wolves," she said as she sniffled. Misao sat up and clenched her fists tighter in anger. She should have been able to fend them off. She felt so weak, how could Aoshi even look at her?
"They ambushed the informant and me from the shadows. They killed him before I could do anything and they beat me up pretty badly. But I left them with a few broken bones as well," Misao grounded out. Her cheeks became red with shame and she didn't even look up at Aoshi.
"I..I'm so sorry Lord Aoshi," she said as she shook with self loathing for what she couldn't prevent.
Aoshi felt his heart break at the sound of her tears and the self hatred that he detected in her voice was so unlike his energized and happy Misao. Aoshi felt anger at the Mibu Wolves, to break that contract that the Oniwaban had with them. It was disgracing for him and his Organization to be suddenly attacked.
But, they had not killed Misao. The Mibu Wolves were always said to never let one person escape their wrath, so she must be just a warning.
"Misao, I do not blame you for the informant's death nor for your lack of preparation for an attack. The Mibu Wolves violated a contract that we have with them. And as such, any Wolves that you see are a potential threat," Aoshi explained smoothly as he kneeled beside Misao.
Misao gasped in shock, her eyes widened with wonder. 'But...I couldn't help him..' she thought as she shook with tears.
"Misao, I'm just glad that they didn't kill you,"Aoshi said quietly, fisting his hands tightly on the wooden floor.
"But-"
"Misao...I..I can't lose you," he whispered as he tightly closed his eyes.
Misao looked up at Aoshi, her heart fluttering with unsaid emotions. With her good arm, she reached over to where Aoshi kneeled and touched his hand. Aoshi immediately took it and kissed it lightly.
"Aoshi...I can't lose you either," she said as she choked on her tears.
Aoshi smiled lightly into her hand and held it to his face, as he wept. 'So close, I will never allow you to be in danger again Misao. My Misao...' he thought, caressing her hand with his lips and hand.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~
The dull violet colored eyes stared emotionalessly out the barred windows, or what served as his windows. His mind blank, Shinta felt nothing of pain, pleasure, or happiness. He felt empty; his soul was in a forever state of depression and nothingness and no one could save him now. He only existed because no one wanted him dead yet, or that was what he was told. Like he cared anyway. He couldn't do anything in his state to help anyone; he felt so usless.
His skin had been torn, burned, and mutilated by torture made to make him tell where the journal was. His arms were covered in tiny needle holes, where needles were stuck in his veins to inject him with dozens of different kinds of drugs. His hair had been pulled was now caked with his own blood. They were threatening to scalp him next.
All these threats were empty and pointless to him, for he no longer cared. His strength was failing to keep him sitting every second. He fell slowly on his side, his head hitting the hard mattress. He slowed his breathing, barely even aware of it now, and closed his eyes.
~*~*~*~*BEGINNING OF DREAM~*~*~*~*~*~*
Light pink petals floated around his being, from where, he didn't know.
He felt a lightness in his chest, a feeling of peace.
"Do you remember what I used to say, Shinta?" Urako asked, her voice gliding on the air from behind him. His eyes widened and watered and felt an overpowering need to hug and embrace his sister.
"Y-Yes. Yes, I do," Shinta replied, as he rushed over to her.
Urako smiled weakly, and asked, "Tell me...tell me brother, what did I say?"
Taken aback at her question, Shinta took a moment to collect himself and replied, "You used to say that it's the darkest before dawn, which gave me hope."
Shinta looked down, he felt shame now. He had lost hope that he would ever see his dear sister again.
Urako smiled again, and looked over to Shinta saying, "Do not lose hope dear brother. We will see one another again, I promise you."
Shinta was filled with hope then, a bright smile and happy tears fell from his eyes. He looked back to his sister, and saw that she was crying as well.
"You were right brother....I love you Shinta and we will meet again," she replied as Shinta felt his eye lids grow heavy with sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~END OF DREAM~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shinta awoke in tears as he replayed his dream in his mind again. He must do as Urako requested, he must have hope. But, there lingered in his mind a question; why was she crying, too?
"I will...Urako, I will," he said to himself, "I will keep hope alive."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Saitoh growled impatiently. This was one of the things he hated when going to 'visit' Shishio. His guards took forever to find him, thus making Saitoh wait. Saitoh glanced back at his Rolex watch and saw that it was 1:00 p.m. already.
'Shit...' he thought as he paced outside the Makoto gates.
The front door to the Makoto residence slammed open and shut quickly and two pairs of footsteps were heard walking towards the gate. Saitoh exhaled, blowing smoke in the air. Saitoh leaned against his Z4 Roaster and glared at the two men behind the gates.
"You grace us again with your presence Saitoh, to what may I owe the honor?" Shishio asked as he pushed a button to open the large gates.
Saitoh gagged inwardly, though replied, "You want to use her power, right Shishio?"
"So quick to the facts Wolf. Yes, I plan to use her. Why? You falling in love with her?" he asked smugly.
Saitoh spat on the ground and responded gruffly, "Like hell you walking inferno. If you want her to exercise her power to it's full potential, then I'll need her brother back in Hiko's custody."
"Don't talk to Lord Shishio like that! Show re-"
"It's alright Hoji. Saitoh....What assurances do I have that you'll deliver her with her blood full of power?" Shishio interrupted quickly.
"A Wolf is always true to his word, Shishio," Saitoh said as he inhaled the toxic smoke and gracefully blew it out.
"So I hear Saitoh. But I must ask you, what's in it for you?" Shishio asked as he smirked.
Saitoh narrowed his eyes as he flicked the ash from his cigarette with his forefinger and replied, "To test my skills against Urako Himura with sword and mentality."
"You always did enjoy a good challenge, Wolf. Alright, he will be released into your custody. But, if you ever cross me....."
"I'll be burned alive and made to eat my eyes as drugs are pumped into my system. I know the drill Shishio," Saitoh confirmed as he flicked his cigarette and crushed it under his boot.
"Good, I'll be seeing you around then," he smirked and walked away from Saitoh, Hoji in tow.
'Ass.....,' Saitoh growled in his mind, and waited for Shinta to be released to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shinta felt overly tired as well as extremely cold. He was getting sick that he was. He sniffed again, feeling his sinuses beginning to get congested. He sighed deeply. As long as he was alive, he could do something. By not telling Shishio's men where the journal was, was doing something. Not that he actually knew where it was. Even he questioned the actual existance of the so-called journal, for he had never laid eyes on it.
Shinta sighed again, trying to come up with an escape plan. He brought his hand up to the left side of his face and felt the cross-shaped scar that now was engraved into his face. It burned immensly, having been ripped open by a rusty and dull blade. Dried blood flaked off his face and attached itself to his fingers. The scar ran in the same direction that Urako's did.
Harsh banging on his prison door brought him abruptly out of his thoughts as the guard shouted, "Get up kid! Shishio don't want shit like you no more!"
Oh no....they were gonna kill him...Now what could he do? Him being in his drugged up state as well as his broken legs-he couldn't do much. Depression threatened to overwhelm him again, but he fought it with Urako's last words to him in his dream.
'But how?' he cried hopelessly in his mind.
"Hey, kid!" the guard yelled again, opening the door, "Let's go."
The guard walked over to where Shinta lay on the mattress and picked up his limp form. The guard hefted his weight over one shoulder and walked out of the enclosed room.
'I need to live...I need to LIVE!' Shinta screamed in his head. His eyes frantically searched his only mode of transportation for anything sharp or pointy. His eyes then fell on a flat blackjack, not rounded like it usually is. Shinta inhaled deeply and made a grab for the flat blackjack.
"I wouldn't do that, Mr. Himura," a clear child-like voice chimed.
Shinta's head snapped up and he faced two blue orbs, his hand frozen in place.
"Sou....," Shinta drawled sorrowfully. Hope once again cracked as he stared into Soujiro's eyes.
'How...how could he do this to me?' Shinta thought dismally. They had been friends, Shinta trusted him with everything. Up until a few years ago, when he learned of Sou's death. Though he appeared to be happy and healthy standing in front of him now.
Shinta felt deep loathing and hatred for his 'best' friend who stood before him now.
"Why did you do it? Why did you lie to me? What happened to you Sou?" Shinta asked, tears streaming down his face.
"Mr. Himura, your face shouldn't be shedding unnecessary tears. I can only survive by lying. The time I spent with you and knowing you and your lovely sister, was memorable and I will always think of it to make me smile," he replied, smiling.
"I-I don't-I don't understand Sou! It doesn't make any sense! How can you live with yourself? Was our friendship that disgraceful to you to make you think it should be considered a lie?" Shinta asked harshly, as he fisted his hands.
"Sir, I need to transport him immediately-Shishio's orders," the guard interrupted quickly.
Soujiro nodded and smiled boyishly, waving his hand as Shinta was again being taken away.
"Bye Mr. Himura! It was a pleasure to see you again!" Soujiro shouted as Shinta's body and the guard disappeared behind a corner.
'This is harder than I thought,' Soujiro thought as he sighed and fisted his hands at his sides. Soujiro looked glared menacingly down at the concrete floors, tears falling from his pained eyes. What he had to endure to get to this point was not something he wanted to remember. He had done it to protect his friends; his only friends. The whole place was bugged so even Soujiro had to work hard to cover his voice with intended innocent malice.
'What webs we weave when we decieve," Soujiro thought painfully as he composed himself and went into another adjoining room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Shinta shook with a hollow feeling in his already torn heart. Tears had stopped once he had turned that corner, but it didn't settle the fire of anger that raged inside soul. He noticed his face was burning when a cold wind suddenly glided across it. He glared sightlessly at the ground, mind blank with the exception of anger against Soujiro.
He didn't even feel the pinprick of a needle inserting a sleeping drug into his system, for his mind was on getting revenge on Soujiro.
~~**~*~~*~
'Damn it....,' Saitoh thought, sighing again as he looked at his watch, '1:10 p.m. I'd rather not be waiting all day for a drugged up kid.'
The doors opened and slammed shut again, and Saitoh looked up expectantly. A guard carrying a body walked stiffly towards his tall and imposing form.
'Packaged delivery....thanks so much Shishio,' Saitoh thought cynically as he lit another cigarette.
Saitoh walked to his BMW Z4 Roadster and opened the car door for the tired out guard. The guard nodded and placed the numbed and sleeping Shinta in the black leather backseat of Saitoh's car. Saitoh grimaced at the thought of someone's saliva staining the interior of his car.
Saitoh nodded curtly to the guard and walked briskly to the other side of his car, opening the door and quickly getting in. He pulled out of the long driveway and pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Hiko's number.
"Did you get him?" Hiko asked forcefully.
"Of course, you old man," Saitoh replied smoothly.
"Where was he?"
"A few of Shishio's men got to him. He looks pretty beat up, but other than that, he's alive,"
"Good, one less thing to worry about,"
"I'll drive him to Mud Row then,"
"Wolf, he was probably attacked and we need those pictures to make a duplicate of the time machine. When he wakes, ask him where he left them,"
"Sure thing,"
Hiko hung up then, causing Saitoh to growl and mummble obscenties.
'Not like I wouldn't have asked him anyway," Saitoh growled in his mind as he placed his phone back in his pocket.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Now what?" Okon asked, her eyes narrowed and determined.
Okon and Omasu had brought in the sleeping forms of Sanosuke Sagara and Kaoru Makoto just a few hours ago. After telling Aoshi quickly what they did to cover their tracks, they quickly saw Sano and Kaoru to their respective rooms. The importance of Kaoru was just as high as the Oniwaban's risk at bringing her here. She, they were certain, had much information on Shishio's whereabouts as well as plans for Kyoto.
"We double our spies in the slums of Kyoto. The Wolves are cunning and will use any amount of force to bring us down. We need to be one step ahead of them. They surprised us this time, but we will not be so easily caught the next," Aoshi explained, his stern face serious as he paced his office.
"We need our spies to get deeper into their dealings, we need more than what they are recieving!" Okina supplied hastily.
"That will be hard to accomplish, once Shishio knows that Kaoru is being kept safe here," Omasu replied.
"Well, the time that Shishio doesn't know about it should be used accordingly. We should tend to Ms. Makoto. From what we know now, Shishio had found out her dealings with us. But, he doesn't know that she is in our care now. So, even though we are in Shishio's sights to be destroyed, I think we should make the most of the time," Misao said as she shifted her weight on the leather chair.
"What Misao says is true, we must get as much information as we can out of Kaoru and from her many leads will be opened up to us. Shishio is way to powerful for comfort, and should be taken out," Okon stated as she lay back in the black leather couch.
"Easier said than done," another member murmured.
"The Oniwaban haven't failed before, and we sure as hell aren't going to fall to Shishio!" Misao yelled protectively. To say that the Oniwaban couldn't achieve something was like directly insulting the Leader; her Lord Aoshi.
Aoshi smirked a little at Misao's firm statement on his behalf and thought, 'Hell seems to have risen up and swallowed us. And the cause of it all lay in Urako's hands; the thieving seer.'
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A/N---I have a past Soujiro so I thought-'Well I need a present one, too!' And I know.....Saitoh....is an ass.....but I needed some deception damnit! You knew that something like that was gonna pop up right?? Well...I'll let you think on that....and yea..a reminder--I'm going for all the genre's....I have a poem in there....now i need that other ones....parody, horror, and spiritual...but yea ^_^ I have so far...romance, humor, action, adventure, angst, poetry...supernatural....drama...sci-fi, suspense, mystery, fantasy, and tragedy. I need spiritual...horror...and parody! ^_^ Have fun with reading ^_^ and reviewing ^_^!
Koishii Sweet- More Chappies are to come my fun reviewer! And now as you promised, you must update your fic ^_^
Lara-chan: ^_^ Loved your review!!! *bows* it's a honor that it is ^_^ And yes--tears of laughter were streaming down my face when I wrote and read that!! ^_^ Metallic Monsters from HELL!!! ^_^ *laughs uncontrollably* That just seemed to fit him so perfectly!
Kaoru:That was funny wasn't it, Lara-chan?
Kenshin: Oro That was quite funny that it was! ^_^
Lara:that was one of my fave parts!!!
Misao: It was really funny! But I loved, loved, loved, LOVED the fluffiness between Lord Aoshi and me! *dreams*
Megumi: settle down you Sugar Induced Weasel!
Urako:*bows* Thanks a bunch Lara!! Check out my baby pic on Dove of Night's website ^_^ as well as my bro's (Shinta) soo cute ^_^
Saitou:You scare me at times....
Sano:...You scare everyone all the time!
LittogrrlStephie: *sniffles* Come back soon you hear? I miss you soooo much it hurts my heart*chuckles* yea, just wanted you to know that--b/c you're important to me and I fear for your safety. *slaps self* I promised myself that I wouldn't moan n' groan about your departure--so I'm looking forward to seeing you again ^_^ much love my sister ^_^
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