A/N: ACK! It's been nearly a month! I'm so VERY sorry everyone! I hate taking forever to update, but it just couldn't be helped. I thought after midterms the homework would slow enough so I could write… but nooooooooooooooooooooo they had to keep giving it. If anyone wishes to 'take care of' my History 122 teacher, I promise I'll update faster! That and I've been practicing really hard for my second degree black belt in Taekwondo, so I'm say sorry a million times to you, my loyal reviewers. I'm going to try not to take this long to update again, but I still have five weeks of classes left. -cries- Good news! I'm already a quarter of the way done with the next chapter. I shouldn't been this slow about updating again!
And please, remember to thank (AND POKE!) Nekotsuki for the beta work on this chapter!
IluvKenshin - Sorry it took so long to update! But here is the next chapter!
Anime#1Fan - Sorry to make you wait so long! But at long last! Here is chapter five! Right now the three are planning on taking Kenshin to the Shogun base, if the Shinsengumi are there they probably will hand Kenshin over to them.
InTheCrimsonRain - YAY for another fan of Kenshin torture! Yay!
enchantedsleeper - Yes, Nekotsuki's story rocks! All must go read Tanabata Jasmine! And I'm on the author alert? Yay! I feel loved!
Wistful-Eyes - Well wonder no more how things are going to go from here, because here is the next chapter!
Dark - Thanks for the praise!
Semisomna - I'm glad you find my fight scenes are easy to follow! I try so hard to make them that way!
tsumesgirl05 - I'm sorry this took so long! Glad to hear things are going well with your story!
Elliot Damion - A sadist huh? -laughs evilly- That's me alright!
Nekotsuki - I CAN STILL POKE YOU HERE! -POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE POKE! POKE! POKE! POKE!-
Kenshin'sorrow - Hope I don't make you think any less of Reizo, but it actually wasn't his idea to look for the body. It was the commander's idea. I'm glad you're liking my C2! And sorry this took me so long to post!
lolo popoki - Yes, thank-you. I am the torture master! BUW HA HA HA! Although… is that something to really be proud of? I THINK IT IS! BUW HA HA HA!
Night-Owl123 - Sorry I couldn't update faster!
InTheCrimsonRain - Hey, why stop at Kenshin? I can torture my reviewers by leaving evil cliff hangers! BUW HA HA HA!
Shadow Wolves - I never said I wasn't obsessed with torture. I'm am probably the MOST obsessed with torture. -grins- That's why I started my C2! So I can share my obsession with the rest of the world! And… could you please call off your wolves? They make it hard to update! I mean… running away and updating is rather difficult after all.
Streetwise Girl - Thanks for the review! Sorry this took me so long!
Chapter 5 - Flee
Shuhei took his shift after Keigo; so far, the Battousai had slept through everyone's shift. Daylight was starting to pierce the murky darkness; it was time they got ready to move out. Rising from where he had been sitting, he gave Keigo and Hitoshi a nudge with his foot to wake them up.
"Keigo, get breakfast ready. Hitoshi, pack up the blankets." He gave his orders quickly and went to rouse their prisoner.
Bending his knees to get eye level with the sleeping man, he reached out and gave Kenshin's head a slight slap. "Oi, wake up Battousai."
Kenshin's head merely swung a bit from the force of the blow; he did not stir other than that. Shuhei moved to hit him again but stopped, noticing the bruise starting to form on the right side of Kenshin's jaw.
Looking back to his two companions, he tried to figure out which one had done it. Keigo would have been the obvious one, with his quick temper and general hatred for all Ishin Shishi, but he couldn't overlook Hitoshi. The tall man was standing very still, trying - and failing – not to look over at him as he studied their captive. Shuhei knew who had beaten their prize; he stood and calmly walked over to Hitoshi.
Hitoshi tensed. He had screwed up last night - in his anger, he had struck an area that would noticeably bruise. He went back to his forgotten task of picking up their travel blankets as Shuhei came closer to him. Hitoshi secretly hoped he would blame Keigo; anything to keep him out of trouble.
Hitoshi's heart jumped into his throat when he felt Shuhei's hand on his shoulder. "Let me finish this," he said, talking about the blankets. "I don't want you to have to carry him again; you and Keigo take him to the river and wake him up.
"Hai," Hitoshi said, handing the half-folded blanket over to Shuhei.
Keigo stopped with breakfast and grabbed a bucket. "Might as well get some water while we're down there," he explained, not waiting for Hitoshi and heading off towards the river.
Hitoshi walked over and picked up Kenshin's limp body. As he swung him over his shoulder Shuhei spoke again. "And Hitoshi…"
"Hai."
"Just don't kill him."
"H…hai. I understand," he answered nervously, before running off to catch up to Keigo. Shuhei knew, and he didn't care.
The two walked in silence as they made their way to the river. "He wants us to wake him up," Keigo said softly, a malicious grin on his face.
Kenshin was dimly aware that he was moving. His head was swinging with the motion of being moved, but he wasn't walking. He tried to get his thoughts straight through the haze in his brain. He cracked his eyes open slightly and stared down at the moving feet underneath him; they weren't his, but he couldn't figure out who they belonged to.
As his mind tried to work out what was going on, his brow furrowed in confusion as the feet stopped along the edge of some water. As he felt himself stop, there came annoying laughter from two different voices. Suddenly it felt like he was flying through the air; the fog evaporated, he knew what was happening. He let out a surprised yelp just before he crashed through the water's surface.
As he resurfaced in the shallow water, gasping for breath, he could hear Hitoshi and Keigo laughing at him. His lips trembled as the icy water dripped from his bangs, running down his face, and a shiver went up his back as the water slid down his spine. The water had yet to be warmed by the morning sun; the crisp cool air blew through the trees and past the shaking redhead, freezing him even more.
"How's that for a wake up call?" Keigo sneered, mockingly. He reached down and began to fill the bucket with the clean, fresh, bone-chilling water. Kenshin pulled his legs underneath himself and started to push out of the water, when a hand pushed against his back, knocking him back under.
Sputtering, Kenshin pulled his head back up to hear the two of them laughing at him once more. He gave the two the deepest and furious glare he could muster; their response was more laughter and Keigo pouring the bucket of water on his head.
"Calm down Battousai!" Keigo teased. "You really need a bath." He snickered happily to himself. He grabbed the shoulder of Kenshin's gi and hauled him up out of the water. "Enough fooling around, we have things to get done." Pushing Kenshin down onto the bank, he refilled the bucket with water.
Kenshin's teeth chattered slightly as pushed himself up onto his feet. Hitoshi watched him as Keigo finished gathering the water. His legs were tense, ready to run; he was sure he could outrun the two of them - at least, under normal circumstances. His legs were stiff from sitting for so long and he was having trouble just standing at the moment. With the condition he was in and with Hitoshi watching his every move, Kenshin knew better than to try to run. He wouldn't get far even if he tried.
It wasn't long before the bucket was filled again, and with a violent shove, Kenshin was ordered to move. Keigo hurried ahead of Kenshin to walk in the lead while Hitoshi hung back to make sure Kenshin didn't try to run while their backs were turned.
They returned to the makeshift camp that Shuhei had managed to get packed up while they had been gone. He smirked at Kenshin as water continued to drip from him. "Glad to see you're awake now, Battousai," he sneered, closing the pack he had just finished filling with a variety of things.
Kenshin didn't respond. Hitoshi led him back to his tree, put a hand on his shoulder and shoved him to the ground. "Sit. Don't move." Once more Kenshin didn't respond but did as he was told; he was unable to think of any good that could come from upsetting the three of them in his current condition.
So he sat where he was as he watched the others sit around the warm fire, eating. He shivered slightly, but he wasn't cold; on the contrary, he felt like his skin was on fire. He panted slightly, just sitting. Even his cold clothes that were still saturated with water, clinging to his burning skin, couldn't cool him.
After the three around the dwindling fire had finished their simple meal of rice, they began to finish packing up their camp. As Keigo put the fire out and Hitoshi checked to make sure everything was packed, Shuhei decided they should feed their prisoner.
Kenshin watched as he approached, a small bowl in his hand. Shuhei squatted down next to Kenshin to be eye level with him. He showed the dripping redhead the contents inside the bowl. "You hungry, Battousai?"
He eyed the rice carefully; they had just been eating it so Kenshin doubted they had done anything to it. Still, he doubted they would untie him to eat, and he didn't blame them for that. Nevertheless, without his hands, there were only two ways he could think of that would get the food from the bowl to his mouth. One, Shuhei could leave the bowl on the ground and he could place his face in the bowl to eat, or Shuhei himself would have to put the rice in his mouth. Neither option was something Kenshin wanted to experience. He turned his head away from Shuhei, choosing not to answer.
"Suit yourself, Battousai." Shuhei stood and walked away with the rice, dumping it within Kenshin's sight, but too far away for him to get to it. "Alright you two, let's get going! We've still got a long way to go!"
Before Kenshin even had time to think, he felt someone's hands once more on his shoulders, dragging him to his feet. "Get going!" he heard Keigo's voice command from behind him.
He stood firm; he wasn't going to go willingly. Of course, he wasn't expecting them to leave him there just because he refused to walk. A forceful shove came from behind him making him trip and stumble forward. "Move it!" came Keigo's command as he pushed him again.
At first, Kenshin thought about staying with his original plan, but with each shove the world spun and his stomach threatened to give out on him. Walking was starting to look more inviting. With a sigh, Kenshin followed, although unenthusiastically, behind Hitoshi who followed Shuhei. Keigo brought up the rear, making sure Kenshin couldn't run while their backs were turned.
For what seemed like a never ending trek through the woods, passing trees that looked alike, Shuhei lead his little band of men. Even sick, Kenshin could feel the distrust coming from Keigo. "Do you know where you're leading us!" he would shout from time to time. Shuhei would never answer him; he just kept walking.
At long last Shuhei ordered them to stop. "We'll rest here and have some lunch." The three men took off their packs and slung them to the ground. Kenshin felt Keigo's hand on his shoulder. With the command to sit, Kenshin was shoved to the ground.
Kenshin sat and watched as his three captors got ready to have a simple meal of some dried fish they had gotten from their packs. He struggled a few moments with the ropes that hugged him tightly, but to no avail. He stopped when it became clear the ropes would not yield; he would need to conserve his strength. Bide his time. He knew how to be patient, but he knew he couldn't wait too long. With each step they took the farther from safety and closer to… well, he wasn't sure if death would greet him right away, but he was sure it would come eventually.
He shivered. His clothes had long since air dried, but he could still feel the chill of the water. His fingers were ice cold from lack of proper circulation; he curled and uncurled them in an attempt to loosen the stiffness he felt in them. He didn't have long to dwell on the quake of his body as he was once more dragged to his feet. Lunch was finished, and he hadn't been offered any.
Onward the quartet traveled through the forest. Shuhei leading, then Hitoshi, then Kenshin with Keigo bringing up the rear. They walked for hours. Kenshin could feel his strong legs slowly getting stiff and sore. They felt like they were burning, and they grew stiffer as they marched on. The only comfort Kenshin could seem to find was he was not the only one growing weary. Hitoshi's shoulders sagged and Keigo was constantly calling out ahead about his sore feet.
"Let's rest, Shuhei! I think my feet are bleeding!" He didn't really believe that, but he was so tired. Keigo could feel his pack weighing him down more and more, his head dropping, and his mind was focused on every little discomfort, rather than where he was stepping.
A stray tree root, slightly lifted above the ground, threatened to trip whoever dared to cross its path. Kenshin was careful to step over it, not wishing to injure himself any further. He continued on, the root quickly forgotten, until a loud slam quickly followed by an annoyed 'oof' came from behind him. He didn't even bother to turn around to look to see what had happened.
Keigo grumbled angrily as he picked himself up off the ground. Now, along with his sore feet the palms of his hands burned from when he had tried to catch himself. It took him a moment to realize what the flash of red had been, another moment to look up and find only two people ahead of him, and one more to yell. "HE'S RUNNING AWAY!"
Keigo's call only gave Kenshin more energy to run, and fast. He could picture in his mind Shuhei and Hitoshi turning around to stop his escape. He could feel his legs pumping faster, any fatigue he felt earlier vanished, the hope of freedom pushing him on.
Running with his arms pinned to his sides and behind his back was a bit awkward, but he was still faster then those three. He had to be, or he would never escape. He had to get away, he couldn't die now; he still had to fulfill his promise to her. He had to live so that he could atone. If he let them take him again, he couldn't do that. He ran faster, his promise to Tomoe pushing him on.
Keigo picked himself off the ground as Hitoshi and Shuhei ran past him. Shuhei was faster then Hitoshi and soon pulled ahead of the taller man, but he couldn't make much ground on the fleeing redhead. Keigo took off at a sprint to catch up, he flew by Hitoshi and it didn't take him long to catch up with Shuhei. He was able to run ahead of Shuhei, getting closer and closer to their target. He was the fastest sprinter among the three.
Even so, he couldn't keep up his speed for very long and as he grew slower, Battousai grew faster. He gasped for breath, desperately trying to keep up with the supposedly sick man. It wasn't enough. Kenshin pulled further and further ahead of him, and soon Shuhei passed him.
Anger burned through his body. If they didn't catch him again, then Hitoshi and Shuhei would blame him for Battousai's escape. It wasn't fair! Shuhei wouldn't stop, he had been alone in the back, it's not like he meant to trip, and Battousai was just too fast! His frustration bubbled up into a yell as he bent over and picked up a rock, never faltering in his steps. It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair! Then, without even thinking about it, he flung the rock as hard as he could.
Kenshin was running on will alone. His body ached mercilessly and his stomach seemed to pitch and sway so violently, that it was going to rush up his throat and out of his mouth - although, at that moment, he would welcome getting rid of his stomach. It sent blinding cramps through his body. His head spun wildly, ridding him of any clear thought except the need to get away.
When a sharp sting suddenly bit his leg, he stumbled slightly, nearly falling to the ground. He wasn't sure what had hit him. Did his captors have guns? Were they shooting at him? Was he shot? He couldn't think about that, he had to get away. Again he ran.
Shuhei was surprised when he saw the rock fly past him out of the corner of his eye. It rushed by so fast that he didn't even know what it was until it stuck Kenshin in the back of his leg. He watched the redhead as he stumbled and paused a moment, like he didn't know what had happened, before he took off once more. Shuhei had been able to gain some ground with that uncertainty. It wasn't much, but he was closer, and Battousai was tiring.
"Good idea!" he called to whoever had thrown the first rock, then bent down and picked up one for himself. "It slowed him down!" Without slowing, he threw the rock in his hand. Soon all three were throwing whatever they could get their hands on at the escaping man.
Kenshin winced at each new sting. The ones that hit his back sometimes took his breath away, the ones that hit his legs made him trip and stumble, the ones to his head threatened to knock him out. He could feel blood slowly trickling down his neck from the last vicious stone. He couldn't stop, not now. He ignored the pounding from his broken blood vessels, as they made fresh bruises under his skin. He ignored the ache in his head, the stitch in his side. He only thought about running, and getting away.
Hitoshi could feel panic gripping him. Battousai was running like a madman, the rocks didn't even seem to affect him anymore. If he got away, then they would have nothing to overshadow their flight from battle. Hitoshi feared that they would be ordered to commit seppuku. He couldn't do that. He didn't have anyone else he would want to second him except Yoshinori, and that asshole up there had killed him. Panic slowly turned to rage as he remembered watching Yoshinori die, his blood staining the ground. He would not let that man get away with killing Yoshinori.
Reaching down he grabbed a fallen branch. It wasn't a thick branch, less than an arm's length, and only about a finger thick. Chucking it as hard as he could, he was disappointed as it flew past his intended target. He had thrown it too far.
Kenshin didn't even notice as the branch bounced to the ground just ahead of him. He just kept running. The branch bounced up and smacked Kenshin's legs. He stepped on one end as the other tangled in his legs. It all happened so fast that Kenshin didn't even realize he had fallen until the ground stole his breath away.
He was still on the ground for a moment, as his brain registered that he was no longer running. The trees above him spun around him, dizzying him further. Weakly he sat up, he tried to work his feet that were curled underneath him. They didn't want to listen to him, and without his hands he found it difficult to rise.
He pushed himself up to his knees, clenching his teeth shut, afraid of what would come out if he opened them. He steeled himself for the nausea he was sure would come from standing. As he pushed himself up...
Crash.
He couldn't help but let out a surprised gasp as someone's body slammed into his. Kenshin fell once more to the ground. Shock gripped him as his brain rapidly tried to figure out what had happened. He knew someone was on top of him, pushing his head into the ground. He felt a hand grab his shoulder and flipped him onto his back. Blinking, Kenshin found himself staring into Shuhei's face.
"Good try, Battousai. But you're not going anywhere."
Kenshin tried to glare, but he knew it was futile. With Shuhei now sitting on top of him, he wasn't going anywhere. All the adrenaline that had been created as the hope of freedom grew more and more, vanished in a second. All the aches and pains he had been overlooking burned with a new intensity, as if punishing him for ignoring them. His stomach folded in on itself, his face burned, and his head spun. With a defeated sigh, Kenshin stopped fighting the blackness on the edge of his vision, allowing it to take him away from the pain.