Disclaimer: I do own Sapphire and all the dunce bucket Yakuza members that I named, but I do not own any of the original characters.
The Secret Kept From Yahiko
Chapter Ten
From Last Time:
Meanwhile, back at the Yakuza's new hideout, the black haired child was waking up from his restless sleep. With a groan he rolled over so that he was sitting up with his back leaning against the wall. He wasn't quite sure what had awoken him, and he longed to go back to sleep after the memories of what had just happened came rushing to him.
Kenshin's on a goose chase and Kami knows where he is right now! Probably nowhere near where I am if Gasuke had anything to do with it, the boy thought, of course, he probably did I mean he is the leader now, he added as an after thought.
Out loud the little samurai said just barely above a whisper, "Please hurry Kenshin, I'm scared."
Kenshin and Kaoru arrived at the train station in Kyoto in record time. The station was bustling with people; parents trying to get children loaded onto the train, merchants trying to sell their wares to the passengers, conductors and train personnel trying to take tickets, get people seated, and get all the original travelers off the train.
"It sure is busy here, isn't is Kenshin?" remarked Kaoru as she looked around and tried to get every sight taken in in one glance. "I feel so small, like we could get lost so easily here, how in the world are we supposed to find the inn in this mess?"
"Kaoru-Dono," commented the ex-hitokiri, "how many inns could one town have that we wouldn't think to go to? We are probably looking for either a very dirty one, or something in the middle. How many could there be?"
"I knew that much Kenshin. Do you have any idea how many inns there are in Kyoto? This is a large city Kenshin, just like Tokyo. And we don't have time to go around and search every single one! We need to get it right on pretty much the first try, and I have no idea how we are going to do that. What do we do, just walk up to the desk and ask if they are holding a ransom note?"
"That would work quite well Kaoru-Dono," the red haired man said hopefully taking Kaoru by the arm and starting to bring her away from the crowd and down a road that led to the center of town. "Why don't we just look around for awhile and see what we can find?"
"All right Kenshin," she replied, "but I'm just so worried about Yahiko, I don't want him to get hurt. Do you think that they will really kill him if we don't get there in time?" At this the raven haired girl turned her eyes to the sky and said a quick prayer to Kami that Yahiko would be okay until they got there.
"I honestly do not know Kaoru-Dono, for all I know they really do want him dead, but would like some money instead. We just have to hope that he stays safe until we can find him. He is a strong willed child Kaoru-Dono, I am sure that he will be just fine."
"Oh I do hope that you are right Kenshin," answered Kaoru, "come on, let's keep looking for an inn, there has to be one around her somewhere."
Yahiko had been staring at his knees and counting seconds for the last two hours. It was the only thing that was keeping him occupied and from thinking about the predicament that he had gotten himself into. "How do I always manage to get pulled into these thing?" he muttered to himself.
He had been sitting quietly for another 3 minutes and 23 seconds when the door banged open and a dim figure stood in the doorway. Yahiko pressed himself against the wall hoping that whoever it was couldn't see him from where he was standing. The figure glanced around the room and didn't seem to see the boy who was actually just to the side of the door. With an exasperated sigh, the figure left the room with the door slamming behind him.
Yahiko let out a small sigh of relief somewhat surprised that he had actually been holding his breath. "Take that you filthy scum," he said to the darkened room even though he knew no one could hear him and his threat was somewhat hollow, "you're too scared to even come in. Scared of the dark are you?"
Twenty-nine seconds later the door opened again, this time light stepping into the room along with the man. 'Damn,' thought Yahiko, 'he brought a lantern with him, he'll find me for sure.'
'Not if you try to stay out the light's way,' said a little voice inside his head.
'Thanks Sapphire, I can try that,' replied the Tokyo Samurai, knowing that his Guardian Angel was trying to help him. As the light went around the edge of the room, the man, who Yahiko could now see was Honya standing in the middle, turned with the light. And the light was getting nearer to Yahiko's hiding spot.
Yahiko deftly rolled silently to the opposite side of the room, holding his breath the whole way across. 'Please don't let him see me' the boy begged to himself. 'I have to stay hidden. If I get caught now, I don't know what is going to happen.'
In the flickering light of the lantern Yahiko could see a puzzled expression cross the man's face when he did not spot the boy anywhere in the room. Honya leaned down and set the lantern on the ground, and then quickly exited the room at a fast pace. Yahiko could only guess that he was going to get Soji and the others to let him know that he had 'escaped.'
Yahiko quickly rolled over to the lantern and knocked the top of it off, wincing slightly when it made a clatter that sounded much to loud to the young samurai's ears. But no one came running to see what was wrong and the child let out a small sigh of relief.
He held his bound wrists above the flame hoping that it would catch fire enough to burn the rope that was holding his hands together so that he could get away. Yahiko knew that he had caught on fire when hot sharp pains began to grow where the rope was. He ignored the pain and the burn marks he was sure to get, but none of that mattered now, he had to get out.
To his relief, he was able to break the rope before Honya came back. He was in the process of untying his feet when he heard pounding footsteps of many men headed towards his prison. Yahiko jumped to his feet and ran and hid behind the door. The door was roughly opened and men flooded into the room.
"Wh-what? The lantern top, it isn't on anymore," gasped Honya, "but how can this be? He wasn't here when I came in, I'm sure of it."
"Well it looks like you were wrong, doesn't it Honya," sneered Soji. "The brat is in here spread out and search, he can't escape us in this small room."
'Wanna bet?' thought the bronze skinned boy as he started to edge around the door towards the exit. He very and ever so carefully slipped through the crack in the door and closed it behind him. And then, just for fun, he slid the bolt in place locking in all of the Yakuza members.
"Did the door just close?" questioned Honya.
"Who closed the door?," demanded Soji, "open it we need more light in here if we want to find the brat."
"Uhhh Soji?" we have a small problem said a different member trying the door.
"What is it now?" said the exasperated man.
"We are locked in. Someone locked us in."
Mumbles started to go around the room as Soji made his way to the door and shouted through it, "Gasuke! Come let us out! We are stuck in here!"
Yahiko, who had been listening at the door, took a quick intake of breath. Gasuke was not in the room, and was probably being alerted of his syndicate's predicament from the ruckus that they were making in there.
He turned tail and started to silently run down the hall in the direction that he hoped was the exit when he crashed into something quite solid. With a small oomph the boy fell down hard on his backside and looked up glaring to see what obstacle he had crashed into.
Yahiko looked up to see a very angry Gasuke glaring down at him. "Whoops," squeaked the boy, "I'll be taking my leave now. Nice talking to ya." Yahiko dived around Gasuke's legs and started to head down the hall again when a strong arm cut him off and picked him up from the back of his shirt.
"PUT ME DOWN!" Yahiko bellowed at the top of his lungs as he started to twist and turn, anything to get Gasuke off of him. That included biting so the mini warrior was quite proud of himself when he bit Gasuke's finger on his opposite hand all the way to the bone. One could see that the samurai had very sharp teeth.
Gasuke flung the boy across the hall and Yahiko crashed through the rice paper wall to land in a room that had wooden siding on the three sides that did not include the side Yahiko had just made his very undignified landing.
The leader of the Yakuza stepped through the now gaping hole towards his old pickpocket who was sitting in the middle of the floor looking very dazed from having gone through head first. Gasuke then backhanded Yahiko across the face with such force that Yahiko went sailing back through the whole he had made to land in an ungraceful heap in the center of the hall.
"Now stay there for a minute Brat," the man growled and went to the door where Yahiko had locked the rest of the gang in. After Gasuke had unlocked the door and the members had filed into the hallway Gasuke turned to them. "How is it possible that a ten year old child was able to outsmart all of you? He turned the tables on you. He locked you in. How did this happen?" Gasuke was fuming now.
"Well Sir," spoke up Honya, "I was going to get him just as you requested me to. When I got in, I couldn't find any trace of him. So I went back out and got some help. While we were all searching he must've slipped out and locked us in."
"Why," said Gasuke in an icy tone, "did you leave a lantern in there Honya? Did you ever stop to think that that was how he got out?"
"No I didn't Gasuke-Sama, is that how he got out? But how?"
"This is how you fools," Gasuke snarled as he went back over to Yahiko who was sitting on the floor. Gasuke grabbed the rope from around the boy's neck dragging Yahiko in front of the men. Gasuke then leaned over and picked up one of the boy's wrists. "See these," he spat out pointing to the burn marks, "he burned the rope so that he could get out. And you bakas just let him walk out and then put you in disgrace. What kind of Syndicate are you?"
Yahiko pulled his wrist back to himself and snarled at the men. "Since he is out," said Gasuke why not see how his skills measure up?" Gasuke gave an evil grin and then dragged Yahiko back though the hole. He then went over to a wall and pulled down a shine and tossed it to Yahiko. "Get ready Brat, you are going to die today." With that, Gasuke lunged at Yahiko with his own weapon, a bokken intent on killing the boy where he stood. Yahiko was helpless to do anything as the weapon came soaring at his head.
"We've been all over the city Kenshin! My feet hurt, I'm tired and hungry, and we only have 23 minutes before our time is up." Kenshin and Kaoru had been scouring the city and stopping at each inn, but still had not found the one that they were looking for.
"Do not worry Kaoru-Dono. Seesha is sure that we will find the correct inn soon, that I am." Kenshin continued walking down the busy street and walked right into a young girl carrying a bucket of tofu.
Before Kenshin could even apologize for running into her, the girl had a set of ninja kunai on her fingers and was waiting for Kenshin to make his move. "No one knocks over Makamichi Misao and gets away with it." the girl faltered off as she looked at Kenshin's red hair and cross shaped scar on the left cheek. "You're... You're the Battousai!" Misao stepped a few paces backwards.
"Do not be alarmed Misao-Dono, Seesha will not hurt you. Gomen for running into you. May Seesha buy you some new tofu?" Kenshin required seeing as hers was all over the ground in a little puddle. The tofu sitting on top and already starting to dry out.
"That'd be great Himura!" the ninja girl exclaimed as if Kenshin and her had been best friends forever. "And who's this?" she asked looking at Kaoru.
"My name is Kamiya Kaoru. Kenshin, we don't have time. We need to find the right inn."
"Inn? Do you mean the Aoiya? That's where I live! Maybe you should come with me! It's just down a ways!" The ninja girl immediately started running down the road with her long black braid flying out behind her.
Kenshin and Kaoru shrugged at each other, this was an inn that they hadn't yet stopped at, and they ran to catch up with Misao. Misao ran down the street for about two minutes and then burst through a door yelling at the top of her lungs, "Jiya, I'm home!"
A man with a white beard came out of the back room and said in a calm tone, "Misao, what have I told you about yelling in the house? There are guests here!" And where is the tofu?"
"Himura knocked me over, he said he'll buy some for me. But him and Kaoru are looking for a specific inn in Kyoto. A note wasn't left for them was there?" the girl responded while playing with her thick braid.
The man looked shocked. "Misao, you don't mean Himura the Battousai? Do you?"
At that moment, Kenshin and Kaoru walked into the inn, and Okina, after taking one look at Kenshin's scar, pulled out a set of kunais just as her granddaughter had done just minutes ago. "Yes Jiya. But he is quite harmless, I promise."
"The Battousai harmless?" the elder man scoffed, "he is very deadly Misao. Stand back. Let me handle this. Okina took Misao by her shoulder and brought her around so that she was standing behind him.
Kaoru spoke up. "We don't want any trouble Sir, we are just looking for a small boy who was kidnapped from my dojo. A ransom note was told to come to an inn in Kyoto. Has anyone been here with a boy of ten, bronze colored skin, and spiky black hair? Please tell us, time is running out."
Okina went around the room along the wall until he reached a desk and started sorting through a pile of papers. "These are all the notes that were left here in the last 2 days that have not been claimed yet. You wouldn't happen to be Kamiya Kaoru, would you?" he continued as he rifled through the letters and picked one out of the pile.
"Yes that's me! They did leave something then? May I see?" Okina handed Kaoru a letter and she took it and undid the seal. It read:
So, you managed to find the correct inn if you are reading this. Congratulations. As for what you are to do now, you will want to kill me for saying it, but we are not in Kyoto. That previous note was just to get you out of our way. By the time you read this and try to locate us, Myojin Yahiko will be dead to the world.
Author's Notes:
So, everyone has met Misao. I tried giving you guys the hint about an inn in Kyoto. Do you think Yahiko is going to be dead when Kenshin and Kaoru get back??
It would be really great if all of you could press that little purple button at the bottom of the page, the reviews are greatly appreciated! Also, if you read anything by Tamora Pierce, especially the Circle of Magic series, could you take a looka at my newest story Not Where I Belong? Until next time, Abayo!
Reviewer's Comments:
IcyPanther: Glad you updated! And Yahiko's break time is over! He has a bokken aimed for him! Hehe! See you next chapter!
tocole: Glad you updated FOL even though it got deleted. But I am enjoying reading the new and improved version! It is very good!
StarofFoam: Well, you go your guess right! It was Misao!