"Love your enemies…it confuses them!" – Unknown
Jasmine: (Gah-rinning) Hiya all, and welcome to the amazing seventh chappie of What A Flamin' Spirit! Here is your host, Sawagejou Chou! (Clapping)
(Moment of silence)
Jasmine: Shit…Where the HELL did he go? I'll bet Tae still has him…ah well…Okay! Here's your temporary host, Saito Hajime! (Clap clap)
Saito: …? (Blink blink) …Why the hell am I here…?
Jasmine: (Sweat drops) 'Cause Chou can't come to the phone right now, so please leave a message after the beep, bye! (Takes off)
Saito: …(Pushes the answering machine button)
Answering Machine: If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, all the guys would wear tight muscle shirts and black leather pants! ('Cept Raijuta…and Shishio…and Iwanbo…ANYways…) But, sadly, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, so I shall never get to see my dream come true…(SIGH)
Saito: …Well…I presume I'm that I am expected to tell all you reviewers thank you…(Lights up a cigarette) …But I'm not going to. Hn…if you have a problem with that, either deal with it yourself, or deal with it on the end of my katana. Your choice.
To Amanra-sama: Yeah, yeah, Jasmine likes that thing a lot. It's too bad…I'd enjoy Aku. Soku. Zan-ing it. Oh, and the Ahou deserved that…it's his own fault that he let his guard down.
To Ladie Galadriel-sama: Hn. Jasmine has a tendency to use words that don't exist. Take "kayko", for instance. In her mind, that means, "okay". Don't ask.
To GreenEyedFloozy-chan: I'm not even going to comment on this one…all I can say is: check yourself into a hospital, pronto. (Takes out another cigarette and lights it)
To Lexi-Teniro-chan: "Precious"? Hn. The Ahou's idiotic actions are everything but precious.
To Kiwigrl89-sama: Be warned. Things will get worse here on in. You should have escaped while you still had the chance. (Takes a puff of the cig) Oh, and please don't make Jasmine that excited again…when she saw your review, she nearly snapped one of my katanas.
To JuppongatanaGurl: Run away. Run far away.
Saito: Okay, I'm done. Just read the stupid chapter so I can get out of here.
P.S.: I'll be using the word okashira in this...it means "leader", or "boss", just like in the Oniwabanshu episodes…but not the same person, of course!
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What A Flamin' Spirit: Chapter 7 – The Calm Before The Storm?
(With Tae, 9:00 pm)
Sekihara Tae was, horribly, indescribably lonely. It was closing time at the Akabeko, and she was utterly alone…no customers, no Chou, no Tsubame…no one. It had been a few hours since the Katana-gari had left, and she'd felt strange ever since…almost…like something was missing. Now, even the little waitress had gone home. It just wasn't fair. Sure, Tae had lived on her own for a long time, but…but at the moment…she didn't like it. Why? Why was there this sudden change in her mood? Solitude had been her thing for a while…she had always loved being by herself…
"What's wrong with meh? Ah'm jus' bein' silly, is all…yeah, that's it…Ah'll jus' go inside an' read fer a bit…mebbe that'll make meh feel better…" It was getting cold, anyway. Tae closed her eyes and leaned back against the doorframe of the Akabeko, wondering the reason for the sudden quietness in the frigid air. Why was she outside, in the first place? Ah yes, she had seen Tsu-chan off…that was it…
She sighed, wincing slightly as she saw her misty breath. Damn, it was freezing…there were a numerous amount of snow banks covering the ground…and, by the look of the darkened, gray sky, it seemed that more of the nasty white stuff was to come. Ah hope…Chou hasn't gotten lost again…that…idiot… Tae grinned and forced down the laughter that threatened to explode out of her. The waitress would forever remember this day…oh, damn, was it memorable…
…The broom-head was certainly going to remember it, that she was sure of. The look on his face had been absolutely priceless…
Tae was startled out of her thoughts by a jarringly loud clanging noise, followed by a thump. She blinked. "The hell…? Hey, is someone there? Hello?" The waitress walked a few feet away from the wooden door and peered around the corner of the restaurant, down one of the murky alleys. "…Hello?" There was definitely some freaky vibes emanating from that alleyway…that the waitress was sure of. She reached into the front of her uniform and pulled out her trusty pan. "Please, if someone's there, come out…if'n ya' need some help, Ah'll help ya'…" Sure, not the smartest thing in the world to do, but hey, Tae wasn't afraid…she was the daughter of Sekihara Mokushi, after all!
That all changed when red eyes suddenly appeared out of the gloom, glaring at her with an almost animalistic intensity. She sucked in a frightened breath as they moved closer…slowly, ever so slowly. The waitress backed up and tightened her hold on the pan, desperate to keep away the numbing terror that threatened to engulf her. There was no time to be afraid…fear caused you to slip up, to do stupid things. Tae wouldn't let herself be overwhelmed by something as trivial as that. The waitress glared determinedly into those disturbing eyes…into their flatness, their dullness…their deadness. They were lifeless eyes, and as scarlet and cold as dried blood.
Then, suddenly, they were right in her face. Tae felt brawny arms wrap themselves around her slim throat, choking her, cutting off her air. She barely had time to scream before wide, strong hands covered her mouth…hands that were calloused and rough…swordsman's hands. She squeaked and dug her nails into the arms that were holding her, furiously trying to get away…knowing that she had to get away no matter what the cost.
"Foolish little wench…stop struggling…" A man's barely discernable voice hissed out, and Tae heard the sound of metal-on-metal. He had a sword…or a knife. It didn't matter…both would be able to kill her…
…Both could cause her untimely demise…
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(With Tsubame, 9:37 pm)
Sanjo Tsubame swallowed hard and backed up a few more feet, hitting the wet, slimy alley wall behind her with a final-sounding thump. The poor girl had never felt so frightened in her life…
"Come on, girlie, what're you 'fraid of? We're not gonna hurt ya'…much." Short, nauseating laughter followed that statement. Tsubame felt sick to her stomach.
The little waitress's eyes widened, and she struggled to get her voice to work. She coughed a few times before words would come. "…N-no…please…d-don't hurt me…p-please…" Tsubame begged, trying her best to back-peddle as far away from her pursuers as possible. What were they going to do to her? Surely there was no reason for them to be doing this…
She was surrounded…with no escape…none at all. Three men…three…had cornered her in an alleyway. The little waitress had ran for all that she was worth, but…it hadn't been enough…and…and now…
What were they going to do to her?
The man on the left smirked at the girl and licked his lips, displaying his misshapen teeth to the general public. "…Well, I guess if the Okashira wants ya', then we have ta' get ya'…though, I don't see why the Okashira would want a little girl like you," More laughter. Tsubame wanted to throw up. Preferably on their feet. "There don't seem to be much use to ya'!"
The little waitress searched desperately for a way out of this mess, all the while thinking about what Tae had told her to do if she ever got into a bad situation. Was it kick, then run? Or scream, slap, and run? Shoot…if only she could remember where to kick…
"…Okay, this is getting boring…can we just grab the stupid wench and go? I'm starving…" The man to the right murmured, managing to look extremely uninterested and uncaring despite the situation. He ran his hand through his disheveled, oily black hair, causing it to stick up more than usual.
The tall guy standing in-between the two crossed his arms and glared down at his companion with gray, sparkling eyes. "…You take all the amusement outta these jobs, Kyoei! You're no fun at all!"
Kyoei shrugged, still not giving much of a damn. "…I'm not sick, like you two. I don't enjoy scaring little girls half to death for my enjoyment." He darted forward and grabbed at Tsubame, managing to latch his hand around her upper arm. Ignoring her squeal of startled pain, he proceeded to drag her bodily back to the entrance of the alleyway. "…Now, if you two blundering oafs are done with your idiocy, we can bring her with us and get back to the base before the night is over with." He mentally sighed and counted down from ten.
Tsubame struggled wildly, but to no avail. Kyoei was too strong for her… "P-please…please let m-me go…please…" Tears began to flow down her face. "P-please…wh-why are you d-doing this?" She dug her heels into the ground, trying unsuccessfully to slow her captor down. Yes…she had to kick first…that's what Tae had said…
But where? Where did she have to kick him?
The men that had been left behind were completely baffled for a second, before realizing what Kyoei's words had actually meant. Boy, they are stupid, ne?
"…Fumeiyo, did he call us what I think he called us?"
"…Yeah, Janen, I think he did…"
There was a long silence.
"KYOEI, YOU BASTARD!"
"GET BACK HERE, KYOEI!"
And then the sound of rapid, angry footfalls on stone.
The said man rolled his eyes and tightened his grip upon Tsubame, once again ignoring her pained yelp. "You morons finally got it, eh? Didn't take you as long as I thought it did, though…I only got to eight this time," he sighed, shrugging slightly. He looked up at the sky. "Dear Kami, what did I ever do to deserve having to work with these brainless idiots? The world may never know…"
Fumeiyo bared his crooked teeth at Kyoei's dark, retreating form. "GET BACK HERE, YA' COWARD! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"As if you could, imbecile…as if you could." The sarcasm ran thick.
To say that Tsubame was getting extremely dubious as to the sanity of her captors was a huge underestimation.
Well, insane or not, that did not stop her from doing what she could to get away. She hoped, prayed, that she would hit the guy in the correct spot.
Without hesitation, the little waitress brought her knee up…
…And slammed Kyoei right in the crotch with it.
Let us pause to allow all the guys in the audience to squirm.
Kenshin cringed, oro-ing sympathetically. Sano cringed, mentally happy that he hadn't been the victim of such a brutal attack. Saito cringed, twitching slightly. Katsu cringed, wishing that Kyoei were a patriot. Chou cringed, wondering exactly where Tsu had learned how to do that in the first place. In hell, Shishio cringed, knowing fully well the pain that Kyoei was going through. Every guy in the world cringed and edged away from their wives and girlfriends slowly, not liking the scary glints in their eyes…
…Okay, enough of that, back to the fic.
The man made a strange, half strangled, half extreme-pain sound in the back of his throat. He let go of Tsubame's arm, clutched at his now wounded manhood, and crumpled to the dirty stone below, whimpering softly.
The little waitress stared down at the quivering mass that was Kyoei, shocked at two things: what she had done…and his reaction to it. "…W-well…that a-actually worked…g-good thing…T-Tae-san told m-me what to d-do…" She decided to think about thanking Tae later, for she could hear the other men swiftly approaching. What to do? It was so dark outside; Tsubame could barely see six feet in front of her face! Oh, what was she going to do? Run…yes, that was the only thing to do now…run away…
And, without further thought, she took off down the long, narrow alley, yelping every time she blindly stumbled over rocks and holes or slipped on ice. She just needed to get as far away as possible…just needed-
Tsubame abruptly slammed into something hard and bounced off of it, screaming as she tumbled towards the unforgiving, cold ground. The thing she had hit cursed and grabbed her, successfully keeping the poor little waitress from smashing her head into the hard-packed snow.
"Hey! What the hell? Are ya' okay, girl? Ah hope Ah didn't hurtcha…"
It took Tsubame a few seconds to steady herself, and even longer to recognize the familiar Konsai drawl. "S-Sawagejou-san? Sawagejou-san, it's y-you!" She launched herself at the broom-head and hugged him fiercely. "P-please help m-me! Th-there are men after me and I don't know why and they were trying to take me somewhere and oh you must help please help me…" She babbled on and on, but she was so relieved that she didn't care.
Chou blinked down at the black-haired waitress in surprise, getting a bit confused at her words. "…Tsu-chan? Eh? What's goin' on, here? Men? Wha'?"
The footsteps stopped unexpectedly. "HEY! Kyoei? KYOEI? Janen, the girlie's gone!"
"SHIT! That little BITCH!" Fury was evident in both voices, and the little waitress shivered with dread.
The Katana-gari threw his head up, bright green eye narrowing in sudden understanding. Tsubame had been attacked! Damn…it was a good thing that he'd gotten lost and had accidentally wandered down this way… "Ah…oh, Ah git it, now. Tsu-chan, git behind meh…"
Tsubame readily complied. She edged around him and clutched nervously at the back of his worn red jacket. "…Wh-what…what a-are you going to d-do?" Was he going to kill them? His swords hadn't gone unnoticed by her, either…they all looked as though they had been used a numerous amount of times. Tsubame wasn't one that liked to see blood, though…
Chou turned his head and grinned companionably at her. "Eh, course not! Ah'm gonna need 'um fer questionin', now won' Ah?" He winked. "…But that won't stop meh from causin' some bodily harm…they'll git what's comin' ta' 'um fer tryin' ta' hurt one o' mah little pals!" He laughed and drew a katana from his belt, sheath and all. "Git on home, Tsu-chan, and leave 'um ta' meh, 'kay? Run home…lock yer doors…don' let no one inside, all right? Can ya' do that?"
What? He wanted her to leave him there, alone? She supposed that she wouldn't be able to help him at all if she did stay, but still… "Y-yes, Sawagejou-san, I-I can d-do that…" The little waitress nodded for emphasis, even though she still had some misgivings. "Just…just stay s-safe, okay?"
The Katana-gari stared, somewhat shocked. "Erm…'k-kay…Ah can do that…" Did she actually care if he got hurt or not? Well…this was a strange feeling… "Yeah, Ah'll beh fahn, Tsu! Now, go on and git…Tae would have mah head if'n Ah were ta' let somethin' happen ta' ya'!" He waved his arm for dramatic highlighting. "Go on."
"O-okay…be careful." The little waitress let go of the jacket and fled into the night, only glancing back once to wish luck tothe lone, broom-headed figure in the darkness. Stay safe...for Tae-san's sake…
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(With Chou, 10:04 pm)
Sawagejou Chou smirked and got into the Gatotsu stance, waiting for his intended victims to show themselves. He spread his right hand over the end of the curved sheath and tensed his left arm, making sure that he was absolutely ready for any kind of assault. Attack a defenseless little girl, would they? Well, he'd just have to explain to them kindly that people do not do such things…
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(With Kenshin, 10:05 pm)
Across town at the Kamiya Dojo, Himura Kenshin stepped out into the dark, cool winter air and immediately stiffened up. There was a hissing noise as he drew his sakabato from its metal sheath and held it out in front of him defensively. He watched with detachment as it glistened silver in the brilliant moonlight. All is not right tonight, that it is not…something…something is lurking in the darkness… Yes, things had definitely been set into motion. Exactly what kind of things…Kenshin could only speculate.
All he knew was that he had to protect Kaoru and anyone else from whatever was happening, no matter the cost.
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Jasmine: (Poofs back in) Whoa…this…was a helluva long chappie…
Saito: (Cigarette-ness) …That's all fine and grand, but may I go now?
Jasmine: Hell, no! Chou isn't back yet, and I have nobody else to talk to! So, you're staying! (Sticks out tongue)
Saito: …What happened to that plushie thing?
Jasmine: (Sweat drops) …Something…
Saito: …Flame her, people. Flame her to the bowels of hell. PLEASE.
Jasmine: HEY! You big meanie! Well, you're just a crotchety old man, anyways! FEH
Saito: (Anger mark) …Old…(Glares)…man?
Jasmine: Yeah! You got somethin' to say about that, GRANDPA?
Saito: …Actually, yes.
Jasmine: (Sah-mirks) And that is…?
Saito: (Draws katana) Aku. Soku. Zan.
Jasmine: (Sweat drops) Eh-heh…well…er…hopefully 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off…
Saito: …for the last time
"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"
R and R!
Japanese Words:
Aku. Soku. Zan.: Swift Death To Evil
Kyoei: Vanity
Fumeiyo: Dishonor
Janen: Vicious Mind
Chou: Butterfly (NOT KIDDING, EITHER!)
Kenshin: Devotion/Sword Heart
