Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.
Note: Thanks to lovelywhatever for reviewing Chapter One! Also thanks to LegolasEstelstar and reginashii and also to acceberflame! I love reviews!
Dark Wing
Chapter Two
His hands are on her throat, pressing down, choking her. She stares into his eyes, and flinches at the untamed fury that lurks there.
"Where am I?" He snarls, "Tell me or I'll kill you!"
She is paralyzed. Her mouth trembles and she wants to speak, but no words come out. He loosens his grasp on her neck and she managed to speak.
"This…is Venice…" It comes out in a hoarse whisper. "I thought you were dead."
"Venice…." His eyes turn a surprising lavender shade and he slumps over, unconscious once more.
Her hands tremble as they reach to her neck, where bruises have already begun forming. She should just leave. Leave the monster lying there so that the crows will eat at his body while he lies out cold. He tried to kill her, after all. But she remembers the sight of his eyes-the lavender, not the murderous gold…Her mind is torn in half. She shakes her head wildly. It is no use trying to help a monster. Perhaps she should just kill him on the spot-to end both her and his misery. She feels so dirty….
She gets to her feet and walks to the river, where she cleanses her face. The water refreshes her and she makes a decision. She will help him-the monster, the beast, the angel from the sky, that tried to kill her. She will not let guilt play at her mind by leaving his unprotected body at the river. She does not like being caught in Fate's webs, but she is already too deep in to escape.
She walks back to the body-a fraction stronger, a bit more determined. She half hauls, half carries the limp body away from the bridge, hoping no one will see the dried blood on the bank. She tows him farther away from the city, and into the harvested, abandoned corn fields. Her hands ache from the labor, and she wants to drop him and leave, but she continues. Finally, she lets go of him in the middle of the field. She covers him in corn stalks-hoping to keep his cold body warm-and turns around to go back for supplies….when she sees the figure. Cloaked in black, a shadowy form is coming towards her. She wants to run-she is going to run-but she stays, just watching. She notices that his eyes-though downcast-are a shocking shade of silver…
"Good day, my lady." His voice is a soft purr, a vibrating sound that makes her heart thump.
"Yes, good day." She is suddenly aware of her present conditions-the stained clothing, the messed up hair…
"What is such a fine lady doing out in these desolate cornfields?" He murmurs.
"I-I was taking a walk…" Her voice trembles only a little, but her knees are shaking.
His hand brushes gently against her hair. "Aah…And what is this I see?"
In his hand he holds a bloodied feather. Kaoru tries not to gasp, but the only result is a muffled squeak. "It is just……just he feather of the chicken we butchered yesterday for dinner…."
His reply is suddenly filled with venom. "Liar. "
The stranger throws off his cloak. Two large, white wings arch from his back, and his long silver hair hangs askew. He is beautiful, she realizes.
"You are not surprised at my appearance. You have met the battousai." He states.
"I don't know what you are talk about. "
"You saw him, didn't you? And you touched him. You were helping him, weren't you? If he is here, you had better give him up to me." He whispers.
"I-I do not know what you are talking about." She says again, a little less confident, her heart beating faster and faster.
"Don't play dumb with me, girl. You reek of the battousai. Give him up. Now." He commands. He smirks. " Besides…if you give him up now, I promise not to harm him-too much."
She should just give the angel what he wants. She doesn't even want to take care of a patient. She starts to tell him…but a voice at the back of her head suddenly whispers, "Would you really do that to someone who is helpless right now? Feed him to the lions?"
"I do not know what you are talking about. Please leave me." She says angrily.
He face darkens. "You dare….If Heaven had not forbid me to never harm a mortal, I would kill you this instant and take the battousai. But since it is a rule that I may not touch you, I will leave. But mark my words, I will be back…"
She watches him flap his wings and soar into the sky. Her heart thumps. She will protect this man-this man that she found and does not even know. She will defend him from others that wish him ill-because it is her duty. She will heal him so that he may fly out of her life with healed wings. But will she come to trust him? No, will they come to trust each other?
