Disclaimer:I don't own RK…
I took a tad bit longer time before uploading because of my now skimpy sched! but hey this has got to be the longest chapter! I guess I got carried away... anyway, I really like it, hope you do too.
See? longer chappie, longer time, actually when I'm uploading a chapter, I'm already constructing "the bones" of next after the next, you know,so there's no delays, besides i tend to erase/replace when something comes along.
I was listening to Linkin Park when I did this. I like "My December". The song "Bring me To life" by Evanescence inspired me with this chapter, I dunno why though
5 Meeting Kotori
Sano and Yahiko *Hungry Group*
"I can't believe this! How many islands have we checked out?!" yelled a very angry Sano, his arms were lanky, there were about 4-5 layers of baggies below his eyes and he does look like an addict.
"Um… so far, we've checked out 5. Feel better?" Yahiko said
"5?! Just 5?! Ferchrissakes! I thought we were checking out the whole of Japan!"
"…"
"I mean, can you believe this s**t?! We've been going around in circles, who knows how many times, and we haven't found a single trace of Jou-chan! Where could she be hiding huh?!" a nerve was throbbing in his temples.
"…"
"Hello?!" Sano begun pounding Yahiko's head. "Am I talking to someone here?!"
"Cut it out! I'm trying to think!"
"Oh! And he has a brain, Ladies and Gentlemen, for the first time my boy here, Yahiko-chan finally discovers the wonders of thinking! Now that's just GREAT!"
"Don't call me CHAN!!!!! You don't even have half a brain!"
"well…" he opened his mouth to shout something back when nothing came. Maybe the boy did have brains.
"Where are Aoshi and the weasel anyway?"
Yahiko just shrugged. "How the hell am I supposed to know?! We're the only ones left here…"
Sano looked around, only the sound of the distant waves greeted him.
Wait a minute, the psycho cop was just sitting by that tree over there, the weasel and Icecube went to check out that cave, and wait,
"Where's Kenshin?"
Yahiko just shrugged. Kenshin left a while ago, not able to stand in one place. The boy was awfully quiet. Only speaking when asked a question or when somebody calls him chan again, even that one was losing its magic touch.
"Hey Sano, it has been almost a year now…"
Sano sat down beside the young boy,
"Yeah, I know…"
they both looked about their surroundings.
~*~
Aoshi and Misao *Missing Group*
Misao can't believe what she's seeing before her eyes, well there was nothing. It was so dark in the cave, the light was already weak when they came in, the sun had barely penetrated the insides of the cave. Oh well, as long as I'm with Aoshi, I know I'll be fine. Speaking of Aoshi, where is he? She can't see anymore because it was too dark. Now where are those matches I had with me?
She felt through her body looking for the matches. Cluck. Oops, there they were. Man. She bent on her knees feeling through the floor for the missing matches. Where is Aoshi? The silence is cracking up her nerves.
"uh… Aoshi-sama?!" she heard footsteps but no one was answering, maybe he's gone ahead. Ahead?! He left her behind? She hurried looking for her matches.
"Just great, almost a year has passed and we still have no clue where Kaoru is." Kaoru. She missed her friend terribly. Whoever took her is doing a good job hiding her. They've searched every island, sometimes they found pieces suggesting that there have been people there. That's why they never lost hope. Especially Kenshin. An unseen frown beset Misao's features. Ever since Kaoru had been gone, Kenshin had been looking for her, no stones unturned, no ground untouched. Nothing. Nothing ever missed her friend's eyes.
He had that haunted look on his face. Almost like the one he had when Enishi faked Kaoru's death. But something was different. Beneath all the sadness, there was a small spark of hope. Small, but it has never disappeared from Kenshin's eyes.
They have tried everything to at least make him feel at ease with the situation. Megumi said that although Kenshin cautiously still keeps himself "intact", someday, his depression would take its toll on him too. She sighed.
"Where are those darn matches." She felt for the ground. She felt something sticky.
"Ew! What could that be?" (hm… what could it be?)
She wiped her hand on her clothes. She begun looking for her matches again. AHA! Now I'm feeling something! Wait! It's too small and thin? Paper? Whatever, she can't have much use of paper now. She was about to throw it when her hand froze in mid-air. Paper? Or whatever it is. She felt it more just to be sure it was no leaf. Definitely something. Now if only I could find those matches, I could see what this is. She begun looking again. When suddenly she felt cold hands against hers.
Aoshi?! She tried not to shriek, he was holding her hands, in the dark! I never knew he was so shy! Wait Misao! Composure! Act Ladylike. She begun counting from one to ten, calming herself.
"Aoshi? Is that you? Are you looking for my matches too?"
So this is how it feels being this close to him. She could feel his ragged breathing against her face, they must be face-to-face now! His hands are so cold. She shivered, she didn't know why. Lovebumps?! (no word like this in the dictionary, just made it up.)
He didn't answer. Instead, his hands begun to slide away from her to the paper she was holding.
"Oh! I almost forgot, I think I found something important. Let's check it out, after we find my matches that is…" she let out a quiet giggle. Why is he so quiet?
His hands squeezed hers. Misao almost jumped for joy. He's squeezing my hand! Then he took the "paper" from her. All in good hands now, Misao mused.
"Misao?" She heard Aoshi's voice.
Aoshi lit one of the matches he found on the ground. He was standing further away
Misao raised her head to look at Aoshi then felt her whole body grow numb, cold brown eyes were looking straight at hers. (creepy ne?)
A shriek escaped her mouth as she tried beating up the crap out of whoever was that guy at the same time putting more distance between her and the guy in front of her. Definitely not Aoshi!
The person ran past her and almost knocked her down while she was shouting. Aoshi ran to wards her.
"Go after that guy! He's gotten something important." Aoshi ran past her too, a few seconds later he came back, a frown marring his features, his brows furrowed.
"Misao," Aoshi said "no one was there. I found these near the end of the cave" he showed her some matches.
He went to help her get on her feet. Misao was still shaky.
"There was someone, he went there. He took the paper from me" she looked at her hands.
Blood! (remember that sticky thing?)
She almost fainted, Aoshi caught her fall.
"Let's find that bastard!" Misao sped off to the direction where the person went.
Blood! This is not good! The worst thing they could find were traces of any violence of some sort! She was getting nervous. Why? She didn't want to think what she could find. (oh Misao, you don't know what you're gonna find)
~*~
Saito and Kenshin *… Team*
Saito was walking ahead a few paces from Kenshin, he was looking at the small waves lightly touching the shore only to pull away and then come back.
"almost a year now…" he thought somberly. He sighed, if only He had stopped her or at least have come with her, then they could be together savoring the beauty of the sea. Now, as he look at it all he could feel was bitterness.
"She's definitely not gonna pop out of the sea, Battousai, so stop gawking at it and get going." Saito was already in front of him.
"Gomen, I was just thinking, if only I was there then I could've prevented all of this from happening." He looked up gloomily,
"Could you have been able to tell? Nobody knows what lies ahead. Why, If I've known everytime I'd bump into you and your group, then I could have done everything in my power to stop that from happening."
Kenshin looked disbelievingly at Saito. Is he trying to give me advice? Comfort? After their talk in the cottage when Misao woke up, he's never done anything to ease them at all.
Saito walked on. This Kurosaki Reiji, everybody thought he was gone, and now, he has to have his "Ultimate Comeback". If only the guy wasn't being hunted down by the police then he could have lain his hands out of all this mess.
Kenshin took something from his gi. That little cloth where he found along Kaoru's shell collection. It had been his source of comfort. Evidence of how deep Kaoru cared for him. Somehow the very thought seem to rejuvenate him. He hid a slight smile at the memories which came flooding his mind. He just hopes that wherever Kaoru is, his love was making her stronger too.
From Misao's recollections, the only injury Kaoru had was that one on the side of her head. She must've been unconscious for awhile but he's pretty sure she could fight off any man who lays his hands on her. His eyes glinted amber at the thought. He shook his head and his eyes returned to its gentle purple.
If what the reports from Saito was true, this Reiji Kurosaki is in his mid-40's already.
"I'm sure Kaoru can protect herself from such a man." He thought to himself.
But what bothered him more was what Megumi has said:
"That injury she had on her head, it could prove much more serious than we thought"
Amnesia.
She said if the boat hit her as hard as Misao told them, she might be suffering from amnesia. She wouldn't remember anything for a long time, sometimes days, maybe even weeks or a few months or worst, years.
Maybe that's why she hadn't come back yet. She must have no idea where to come back to. Without proper care, It would be harder for her to recover her lost memories.
Maybe that's why. He hoped that's all. The thought of Kaoru being clueless to her surroundings made him feel he had to find her. Quick.
Saito turned around again, he was about to check out the bushes near the hill close to what looks like a jungle. The island is the largest they've come so far. He realized that Kenshin wasn't following him.
"What's that baka up to now?" He saw the shifting of emotions on his face. He was about to shout at him when something caught his eye.
He went to look at it. Some part of the bushes were so disoriented, at first it looked like some animal just passed through it. But the marks are bigger than that of an animal's. Damn! It couldn't have been long, if only they've gotten here earlier. He looked closer. His eyes grew wide (if ever that was possible). Footprints. He looked further and deeper some liquid, colored red was on some of the leaves. He reached for it. Smelled it. It was blood.
"Hey you! I think I found something."
Kenshin looked up drawn from his train of thoughts. He went nearer to Saitou. Could it be? He saw the footprints and the blood. They followed the trail, they found themselves getting deeper into the woods. When suddenly the footsteps came to a halt. They were now facing a rock. A really huge rock.
"Now what?" he asked Saito, sounding frustrated. One moment, they were unto something the next, back to zero. Like they always had. He desperately looked for more clues around the rock. No one could just disappear into thin air! And somehow he knew whose footprints he was looking at.
Saito examined the rock too. Something was odd. There has to be something he could find. Suddenly he heard someone laugh.
It was Kenshin. He must have gone crazy. The swordsman was tapping the wood with his sakabattou.
"Step aside, Saito." He did.
Kenshin concentrated all his strength into his sakabattou. It had been long since he used it. He step backwards, giving himself and the rock some distance. Saito was looking at him as though he was mad. He pulled his Sakabattou from its saya and with a quick move split the rock in half.
He hasn't lost his touch, I see. Saito thought to himself, he looked down at the rubble which was the large rock they were looking at before.
Kenshin acted quick. He begun putting away all the rubble. He found what he thought he would find. A hole. He didn't even think twice, he slid into the hole and disappeared from sight.
Saito couldn't believe his eyes. The ex-hitokiri just made a decision right then and there and now he was gone. He at first, thought of telling the baka rooster head about the hole but decided against it. "Oh well… here goes nothing."
Kenshin, full of anticipation quickly slid into the hole. Only after that did he realized that he hadn't told Sano and the others about his discovery. Too late now. Kaoru, I'm coming.
~*~
"Damn that girl!" he thought as he slid the "paper" unto his pocket. He wiped the blood from his mouth. There were blood coming from his wound from last time's practice too. All this running around has opened up the wound. I'll get myself fixed up first. Those bastards are here. He knows sooner or later, they're gonna find him.
"Kotori! Get me some bandages. And do it quick, I've got some news for you."
"Yes Master" then he heard footsteps coming his way and saw Kotori come into full view, bandages at hand.
~*~
Aoshi and Misao *running*
Misao couldn't believe what happened just a few moments ago, they were in a cave and what she thought was her most romantic moment ever turned out to be a nightmare! After all those long hours of search in that cursed cave, all she and Aoshi found was barrels upon barrels of water, food and opium. They met up with Sano and Yahiko, who told them that Kenshin and Saito went to a place near a hill by the shore.
We all went there, only to find no one.
"Where could they have run off to?!" Sano barked. Yahiko was still running towards them.
"Dunno. Man what happened there was way creepy!"
"You're just upset because It wasn't your precious Aoshi-sama" Sano made a painful but precise imitation of Misao jumping for joy, twirling and chirping.
Misao fumed and turned around to see if Aoshi heard that. He was not there, he was checking out the woods.
They followed him, finding nothing better to do. They ended up looking at a pile of rubble.
Without hesitation, Aoshi jumped in. Upon seeing this, Misao was about to jump when a hand stopped her.
"Are you sure that's safe?"
"Aoshi's already gone down there, what am I supposed to do? Just watch?!" Misao turned again, ready to jump. "Besides, Himura must be already down there!"
"I have a bad feeling about this" Yahiko finally spoke for the first time.
"Then you two keep watch. Watch out for any weird guys. You might run into the that creepy guy I met, make sure he doesn't get away! Ja!" Misao disappeared into the hole.
"Well I can't leave you alone here, One's already plenty for our to-find list." Sano patted Yahiko's back. "If someone comes out, just grab him huh?!"
Yahiko nodded and got ready.
End of Part I ~*~
Wait! don't do anything to me yet! Look up! It says End of Part I, it was too long and I tried to fit everything into one chapter, but I'm not gonna torture anyone because, today, I'm uploading 2 CHAPTERS! YAY!!
BUT review this one too, coz MAYBE next time, I would put a nasty cliffie and I'll upload really late. Got it?
After reviewing, you may now see CHAPTER 6!