"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death." - Harold Wilson (1916-1995)
Jasmine: Well hello again, my reviewers, and welcome to another chappie of What A Flamin' Spirit!
Saito: …I hate…you all… (Tied to a chair)
Jasmine: (Grins) Wolfie-chan and I are here to respond to ya'll, so here we go! Oh, and by the way…I'm changing the genre of this fic. It's not going to be romance/humor, anymore…it's going to be romance/general. Another thing, watch out…there's blood and gore in this chappie. Now, Wolfie-chan, respond to my lovely reviewers!
Saito: …Feh…
To Kiwigrl89-sama: …You sadistic girl… (Twitches)
To GreenEyedFloozy-chan: Where the hell did you get that crazy idea? Mental institute…don't forget what I said last time…
To Lexi-Teniro-chan: "Go with Saito, even though he's old."? …I AM NOT OLD! And…WHAT THE HELL? NO WAY!
To JuppongatanaGurl-sama: Umm… (Twitches) …I guess…I should…thank you?
To GamerElite-sama: …Would you happen to be SoulCali508? Oh, and Jasmine is very flattered. …Thank you…
To Amanra-sama: …Poor Ahou. He has no fan girls, anyway. Oh yay, another one to add to my group. It just proves how much better I am than the Battosai. And…YOU WOULDN'T DARE!
Jasmine: YAY! I love you guys! I hope you enjoy this blood-filled chappie! It isn't for the faint of heart!
Saito: …I despise you.
¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥
What A Flamin' Spirit: Chapter 8 - Crimson-Colored Snow
(With Tae, 9:25 pm)
A…knife? Dear Kami-sama above…not a knife…please, no…Ah cain't dah here…not now…"Stop struggling, dammit!" The voice sounded young, albeit extremely raspy. The man didn't appear to be much older than Tae herself, from what she could see. Not that she was paying much attention to that, at the moment…
The pan dropped from her hands and to the icy ground with a resounding clang as she started to fight back with a vengeance. Her long nails dug deeper into the strong, brawny arms, causing streaks of blood to appear. She bit down hard into the hand and refused to let go.
The man growled, threw her from him, and viciously struck out with the small tanto.
Tae could see the streak of silver from the knife before it hit her. The blade sliced down the inside of her left arm, and she couldn't help the scream of agony that followed.
And then, in the blink of an eye, the man was gone. There wasn't even the sound of footsteps running away. He was…just...gone…
The waitress blinked and sank to the cold, wet ground, her breathing uneven and quick. What…the hell…jus' happened? She gripped her injured arm with her right hand and attempted to stop the relentless gush of blood. It flowed through her fingers in a sluggish stream, staining them crimson. Realizing that she wasn't helping any by doing this, she let go with a wince and wiped her sticky hand on the bottom of her kimono. Dammit…what do Ah do, now? Oh! Ah know… Tae reached up and plucked the white handkerchief out of her hair. "This should do the trick…at least, fer the moment..." She gently folded it in half and slowly wrapped it around the wound, being careful to not tie it too tight. "There! That should beh okay…Ah'll have ta' wash it out later, 'o course." Yeah, she was talking to herself…but hell…she had just been attacked by a freaky guy, gotten her arm sliced up, and had been scared half to death. Wouldn't you be talking to yourself, too?
Now, to get back to the point…what had that assault been about? Why the hell had that guy attacked her? Was there…something he was…hiding…in that alley?
The waitress rose shakily to her feet, determination evident in the set look on her face. Yes, her nosiness got the better of her. "If there is somethin' down there…Ah better check it out." This would be the second stupid thing she'd done that day, but she didn't care. Curiosity didn't always kill the cat, after all...really, it didn't! And, besides, she wasn't a cat!
Tae sighed heavily, collected herself, and proceeded down the alley, searching around herself warily for any sign of something to show that all wasn't right. The stone walls were damp with snow and ice, and the ground wasn't much better off. The waitress looked up at the sky, taking a moment of solace in the never-ending gray. For some reason, her heart was pounding furiously in her chest. Why was she afraid? Surely...there wasn't anything to be afraid of…
And then she hit a patch of ice.
Tae squeaked and threw her uninjured arm out, desperate to try and keep her footing…
The second her hand touched the slick, gravelly wall, she knew something was deadly wrong.
A sort of…rusty smell hung in the air. It pervaded her senses, causing her to choke. And…why…is the wall…slimy? What…the hell…is goin' on?
As soon as she was positive that her balance had been restored, she brought her hand back and pulled a loose chestnut bang behind her ear, deep in thought. Ah know…that smell…Wait. Oh, no. No, no, no.
Blood.
It was…blood.
Blood…covered the wall.
And it was on her hand…on her face…oh…oh, it was in her hair, too…
The waitress shivered and backed up quickly, not wanting to see where the blood had come from. No, she had to get away, had to-
...Slip…
…And fall…
...On the exact same patch of ice…
Her back hit the ground with a resounding thud, and the breath was temporarily knocked from her.
Once again, she encountered the dull, gray sky.
But this time, something was different.
This time, something was soaking through her kimono.
And it sure as hell wasn't water.
Tae suppressed the urge to vomit and sat up swiftly, her eyes widening at the gory scene before her.
There, lying on the ground a few feet away…was…the body of a man. Blood dripped lazily down from a repulsive wound across his torso, staining the snow beneath him a violent crimson-red. His head had obviously been hacked off...the stump of a neck proved that...and had been casually tossed aside like a discarded toy. The eyes - what was left of them, anyways - were wide and glazed…not to mention utterly and completely terrified. His tongue lolled from the gash of a mouth, creating a sardonically comical air about him. Blood covered the ground, the walls, the man...to Tae, the whole picture looked almost like a painter had gone a bit crazy with the scarlet paint...
"N-no…nooooo…oh Kami…dear Kami-sama..." The waitress covered her mouth and gagged. Tears forced their way to her chocolate-colored eyes. Oh…oh…oh, no…
She pushed herself from the ground and staggered backwards, even as her stomach rebelled. Her poor lunch…it had been a good lunch, too…
The po-lice…that's where Ah gotta go…ta' the po-lice station…Tae didn't know how they'd react to her being covered in blood, but she didn't give a shit at the moment. Her stomach heaved again. She just had to get away from there…maybe...maybe Chou would be at the police station…maybe he would be able to help her…
¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥
(With Chou, 10:07 pm)
Chou's eye narrowed as the voices came closer. He focused in on the barely discernable shapes in the gloom: one tall and skinny, the other a bit on the short side. Damned bastards…attackin' a little girl…baka cowards… He growled and shifted his stance slightly, allowing it to become a bit weaker. Okay, enough was enough. Letting them charge him would be the easiest course of action…plus, it'd be a helluva lot more fun… "Come on, come on, Ah don't got all day…er…night! Git over here, ya' bastards, an' lemme beat ya' up real good like!" Heh heh...this would be amusing, indeed…
A few feet away in the dark, icy alley, Fumeiyo's bald head whipped up at the sound of a freaky, Kansai-accented voice. "Who's there?" He barked menacingly to try and scare away the speaker. Chou wasn't frightened, or even intimidated, for that matter. These men were going to be a piece of cake…
Oh, the Katana-gari was enjoying this. "Eh, jus' some guy that wants ta' beat the shit outta ya', s'all. So, what's it gonna beh? Do ya' want meh ta' come over there and destroy ya', or do ya' wanna come over here and trah ta' double-team meh? S'ya're choice…" Chou used his best, creepiest, and most deadly sounding snarl he could muster. Ah, yes, this proved that he had definitely spent too much time around Saito…
Janen nudged his shorter partner in the ribs with a well-placed, shaky elbow. He swallowed hard and tried to ignore the fear that had numbed his legs. "…F-Fumeiyo? Wh-who is that?"
The man with the crooked teeth couldn't answer him, though, for he didn't have any clue, either. But, whoever it was would sorely regret slowing them down. "Hey! You've made a huge mistake, bastard! I'll kill you!" And so, predictably, he charged.
Ah, what...an…idiot…
The Katana-gari grinned widely and shot forward with his left arm, lunging with the sheath of the katana and catching the stampeding Fumeiyo right in the stomach with it. The said man made a guttural, choking sort of noise, clutched his injured gut, and then slid to the snow-covered ground, unconscious.
Chou smirked at Janen, who was eyeing his fallen companion with uncontrolled terror. "Well, that guy was an idjit. He shoulda known better'n run at meh in the dark." The Katana-gari shrugged and gave a huge, sarcastic sigh. "…Lackeys are gittin' stupider an' stupider these days, Ah reckon."
Janen backed up a step, nearly slipped on the ice, and stared at Chou with wide, petrified gray eyes. "Wh-who…who a-are y-you?" He squeaked, shaking his head from side-to-side. "Who the hell are you?"
The broom-head smirked evilly and leaned the katana back on his shoulder. "They call meh Katana-gari no Chou…sword-collector extraordinaire. But ta' ya', Ah'm jus' a po-lice off'cer out lookin' fer leads 'bout a drug-smugglin' ring…" There was a pause as Chou brought the sword back down and pointed it at the quivering man, grinning all the while. "…Ya' wouldn't happen ta' know anythin' 'bout it, would ya?"
The gray-eyed man visibly blanched. "SHIT! It ain't worth it!" He screamed (A very feminine scream, I should add) and took off past Chou, his feet making huge dents in the snow as he went. Maybe if I go fast enough, I'll lose him…that's right…just go faster…why'd I ever agreed to do this, anyways? Baka Fumeiyo! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!
Chou's eye followed the form of the retreating man, and he sighed again. What a baka… "Heh heh heh…pathetic…HEY! Ya' aren't tryin' ta' git 'way from meh, are ya? Why, that'd beh a right stupid thing ta' do!" He set the katana by his side. "Are ya' sure ya' wanna do that? Ah'll give ya' 'nother chance ta' git back here!"
There was no way in hell Janen was going to do something that stupid. And, besides, what could the broom-headed policeman do to him from way back there?
"All right, suit yerself!" Chou swung the katana forward, using centrifugal force to send the sheath flying towards the unsuspecting man. There was a loud, sickening crack as it came in contact with the back of Janen's head. Then, he too crumpled to the ground like his companions before him, though he managed it with a bit more dignity.
The Katana-gari smirked and chuckled quietly to himself. "Heh heh…too easy...s'too bad...Ah almost feel like a bully…" The leer widened. "…And then, the feeling passes..." Chou slowly trudged over to the fallen Janen, and (just as a precaution to see if he was awake, of course…not to inflict any more bodily harm, or anything), kicked him hard in the side. The man groaned, but otherwise didn't move an inch. "Aww…poor guy…Ah musta hit 'im too hard..." There was another pause as the Katana-gari bent down to retrieve his sheath. He slowly slid his sword into it and shoved it back into his belt. "…Oh, well…he'll live…hopefully."
It only took him a few seconds to grab Janen's collar and drag him over to the unconscious Fumeiyo. Once there, he seized the backs of their gis firmly in either hand and swung them up and over both of his shoulders, stumbling back slightly at the sudden weight. "Ack! Argh…damn, they're heavy!" After Chou was positive that the weight was evenly distributed, he started off down a random road. It wasn't until he reached a crossroad…
…that he remembered…
"Oh, shit! Ah don't know where the hell Ah am!"
Well, going left was always a good option…
¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥
(With a random policeman named Kinben-who-isn't-important-enough-to-have-a-first-name, 10:15 pm)
Kinben the policeman yawned widely and rearranged the mess of papers on Inspector Sawagejou's desk languidly. How many times had he nodded off, now? Ugh…what he really wanted to do was go home and sleep…but no, the bastard broom-head had ordered him to stay at the station until he came back. Che. He leaned back in the Western-style chair and propped his feet up on the desk, purposely rubbing off as much dirt as he could on it. Stupid broom-head…if only Kinben could take one of those swords and shove it-
The police station door suddenly slammed open with a bang, revealing Sawagejou Chou himself. Except he wasn't alone…
"Dammit, Kinben! Help meh out, here! AND GIT YER FEET OFFA MAH DESK!"
The policeman yelped, tipped too far in the chair, and fell backwards in an undignified heap upon the wooden floor. Without missing a beat, he flew to his feet, dusted himself off, and saluted the Katana-gari. (A/n: Did that partially rhyme?) "Y-yes sir, sorry sir!"
Chou growled in annoyance, an anger mark evident on his forehead. Dammit…now Ah know how boss feels…Ah'm surrounded by incompetent fools… "Jus' take these two bakas and throw 'em in a cell! Let 'um rot down there fer a day bafore we question 'um…an' hurry up 'bout it!" The broom-head swung the deadweight from his shoulders and dumped the two men upon poor Kinben.
The said policeman squeaked and nearly flopped to the ground, but obeyed Chou's orders nonetheless. He disappeared down a flight of stairs, stumbling all the while. This left the Katana-gari in the room alone.
"Whew…Ah can't balieve Ah made it…was another lucky guess, Ah s'pose…" He sighed and ran a hand through (up) his hair, dislodging a few strands in the process. "…Ugh…now all Ah gotta do is find mah inn, where Ah can fahn'ly git ta' sleep…"
And then there was the sound of running feet behind him, and of a body slamming hard into a doorframe. Chou spun around, only seeing a blur of red before something crashed into him and nearly knocked the poor broom-head to the ground.
"CHOU! THANK KAMI-SAMA YA'RE HERE!" Sekihara Tae wrapped her arms around the startledKatana-gari and burst into relieved tears. She buried her face into his shoulder, unable to quell the hysterical sobs that erupted from her throat.
Chou blinked down at her, shock evident on his face. "…TAE? Tae, what the hell're ya' doin' here? Ah don't see why-"
And then he noticed something that caused his heart to skip a beat.
The waitress was covered from head to toe…
…in blood.
¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥
Jasmine: Well, there you go! I hope you liked it! (Grins) And, even if you didn't, the next chappie should be better. Let me just say that it involves fire. Lotsa fire. Muah-hah hah.
Saito: …I should arrest you, you freaky little pyromaniac.
Jasmine: (Smirks) Me lurvie da' fah-lames… (Pokes the Fire-sama)
Saito: Someone, get me out of here…look, I'll even say please. See? I said it.
Jasmine: (Ahem) ANYways, I've found another mistake I've been making… (Sad face) Nobody told me that I've been spelling "Kansai" wrong! I've been spelling it "Konsai"! ARGH! Curse my brain! It's almost as bad as the mistake in chappie one! (Damn you, Lexi!)
Saito: …Feh…I need a cigarette…
Jasmine: Well, 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier and Hajime-chan, signing off!
"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"
R and R!
Japanese Words:
Chou: Butterfly
Battosai: Manslayer
Hajime: Begin
Kenshin: Devotion/Sword Heart
Kami: God
Fumeiyo: Dishonor
Janen: Vicious Mind
Katana-gari no Chou: Sword-hunter Chou (Butterfly)
Kinben: Diligence (Ironic, ne?)
Tanto: A small knife that samurai used to carry with them
Katana: A Japanese curved sword – the main weapon of a samurai
Kuso: Shit
Yarou: Bastard
Baka: Idiot
Kansai: A Japanese dialect. Speakers are usually from Osaka or Kyoto. In the anime, they have southern accents.
Gi: Basically the shirt-like thing most of the guys in RK wear. Kenshin's is pink.
-chan: Adding it to the end of a name means "little". Also used frequently between friends.
-sama: Adding it to the end of a name means "lord". In this case, "Kami-sama", means "Lord God", or something along those lines.
