A/N: Sorry for the long update, I've had a few problems lately. First it was all the finals I had (er… about a month ago) I did fine on all of them, but it took a lot of time and studying to get them done. Then I got hit with some bad news. The Taekwondo school I went to had to close down. I've been going there for a long time and I was sad to lose my friends. Sorry to say, I wasn't really in the mood to write for a bit. Then this was just a really annoying and hard chapter to write. So yeah… sorry for the delay. The last chapter should come much quicker and easier. A BIG thanks to Nekotsuki who without this chapter would suck even more then it already does.
Reviewers!
Anime#1Fan - Here's the update! Sorry it took so long!
WolfDaughter - You'll get plenty of Hitoshi and Kenshin action in this chapter! Hope you enjoy it!
Wistful-Eyes - I'm glad you've been enjoying the story thus far!
tsumesgirl05 - Yay for Kenshin torture!
CHIBIKenshinta-chan - Yes, Hitoshi was thinking about Tomoe when he said he was thinking about a girl. And yes, I won't ever leave a story unfinished… unless… I die or something horrible like that.
Chibi Binasu-chan - Sorry, no more delusional Kenshin, and sorry for not updating faster. -gets whipped- AH! ATTACKED BY MY FAVORITE WEAPON!
skenshingumi - Hope you enjoy what I plan to do to poor widdle Kenshin!
omasuoniwabanshi - Sorry it wasn't longer! And this isn't my normal length either, but I'm trying to update faster. WHY WON'T LIFE LEAVE ME ALONE!
Kenshin'sorrow - I guess to find out what happens next you'll have to read this and the next chapter! -grin-
AthrunZallaLover - Yay! Kenshin plushie! -takes it and practices torture methods on it. Gets horrible looks from others- What? What did you people think I would do? Hug it?
AuburnMoonlight - Sorry about the dead link thing. It sucks when fanfiction(dot)net doesn't work right.
kawaii meeh - Sorry for the slow update.
Nekotsuki - ALL MUST LOVE BOB! Bob the guard is the best! Go get him Bob! Go get that redhead! -nameless guard runs past Bob to get to said redhead first- NO! Not you nameless guy! You'll never make it! -watches him get killed- Told you, you need a name to even stand half a chance.
moeru himura - I'm glad you're liking Hitoshi!
enchantedsleeper - Yes. The forest is very important. I don't think you want to read this story if you haven't gotten to Tomoe yet. I give spoilers. If you don't care, by all means, keep reading.
Hitokiri Musei - What do you mean it was fun to torture him while it lasted? I'm not done with him yet! -grin-
Crystal Snowflakes - More between Kenshin and Hitoshi in this chapter!
lolo popoki - Thanks! The finals went great! As for the conversation you were hoping Kenshin and Hitoshi will have…
Streetwise Girl - Yes, you must stay tuned to find out how Kenshin escapes, if I let him that is.
Shadow Wolf of the Blue Moon - A Kenshin crossover slave fic? Well.. I've never heard of a show/book/movie called slave or do you mean Kenshin as a slave fic. I was confused by what you meant so I don't know what to tell you about that. And of course Hitoshi's grudge didn't just 'fly away' as you put it!
Starknight - It made me VERY glad to hear you say that you thought my OCs were very developed!
Night-Owl123 - Yes. I know how long my story will be. Want a hint how long it will be? Read my A/N carefully.
pyramidgirl89 - Sorry I didn't update sooner!
IwuvMyKenshyPoo - Yup! That's right. A Kenshin Torture C2
Insane Chipmunk - Thanks for the review!
Chapter 8 - Trickery
By the next day, Kenshin was walking again on his own. The others had to give him credit; he was an amazing healer. They walked in silence, everyone tired of walking, Shuhei pushing them on, claiming that they were close to home. This news did not pick up everyone's spirits.
They had been walking onwards. Like any other day, Keigo held the rope attached to Kenshin's neck, Hitoshi behind them, with Shuhei in the lead. Shuhei went a little way up ahead. As he moved out of sight, the others quickened their pace. When they caught up to him he was grinning.
"What is it?" Keigo snapped, half thinking Shuhei had finally lost his mind. "What are you grinning for?"
"Simple." Shuhei held out his hand. "Give me the rope and go take a peek around that bend."
Keigo was hesitant a moment, before handing over the rope. He shot a glance to Hitoshi who returned an unsure shrug before heading around the bend. The others waited for him to get back, Shuhei was still smiling, which made Hitoshi curious. Kenshin stood, just trying to keep his balance and his head up. Keigo returned shortly, grinning brightly. He hurried towards Hitoshi. "There's a village!"
Kenshin's head snapped up. A village? Had they arrived? He looked towards Hitoshi, but he didn't seem very pleased.
He stood, his hand rubbing his chin, eyebrows wrinkled in thought. "A village?" he repeated. "But, we can't be that close to home yet. Nothing here looks familiar."
"I never said it was home," Shuhei said calmly. "It's a village, which should have an inn."
Hitoshi was surprised by Shuhei's stupidity. "We don't know who they support!" he snapped at the two of them. "What if they support the patriots?" His hand shot forward and grabbed the back of Kenshin's neck. "What are we suppose to do with him!"
Keigo's joy vanished. "He's right." Shooting a glare at Kenshin, he became very angry. "He might have allies there, for all we know. We can't take him into the village. Which means no inn, no warm beds, no fresh food, no nothing." He snorted in disgust at Kenshin.
Kenshin ignored him and kept silent. He wasn't quite sure where they were, but wherever they went, there wouldn't be many people willing to help him, even if they were patriots. People were just too afraid of him. So he kept silent as Hitoshi and Keigo explained all the reasons they couldn't go into the village while they had him prisoner.
He kept his eyes on Shuhei, the man's actions confusing him. Shuhei was a clever man; Kenshin was surprised that he would suggest going into a village that they didn't know. It was foolish. He had to have a plan.
Shuhei simply let his companions yell at him for a while; he had expected this. He waited until they stopped coming up with reasons why it was a bad idea. When he finally spoke, his tone was a manner of a teacher explaining to his students the error of their ways. "I'm not planning on just walking into town with Battòsai on a leash. I have a better idea, but we'll need a few things first."
Kenshin had been forced to the ground as Shuhei had whispered his plan to the others. Kenshin hadn't been able to pick up what he was saying, but by the eager face on Keigo it couldn't be good. He didn't really care. Right now, he thought they were all idiots. It was stupid of them to even think of going into that village they figured out which side they supported. Three unknown soldiers walking into a random, out-of-the-way, village wearing old and dirty shogun uniforms, with a trailing prisoner was going to turn heads.
Now, if he was lucky, they would be supporting the revolution. Then word would get around. Why would three men being taking the trouble for just one prisoner like himself unless he was important? Perhaps word would travel enough that he could be rescued, or maybe if the villagers were radical enough they would attack his captors and rescue him on their own. Highly unlikely. If he was unlucky, and he was, the village would support the shogun and he would get put to death faster. He didn't care. Either way things would be over sooner. He was tired of feeling sick, and he was tired of looking at these three idiots.
Keigo grabbed their bundle of supplies; he pulled out three cloaks they had brought for wet or chilly days.
Shuhei grinned to himself as Hitoshi bit his bottom lip before speaking. "This is a bad idea. We can camp out again, it's much safer."
Keigo nodded his head in agreement. "I'm tired of sleeping on the ground and I miss the good food, but we're not too far from base. A few more nights outside won't kill us."
"You don't think my plan my plan will work." Shuhei's voice was steady and even, but dipped with such a boiling rage that Hitoshi found himself taking an involuntary step back. "It will work and you'll do as I say. How dare you question me!" No one spoke for a long while. Kenshin watched the men with a dull interest, slightly curious about what Shuhei's plan was.
"We aren't sure they're loyal to the patriots, right? Maybe they haven't taken a side. There's nothing to go on! We're sticking to my plan!" he shouted angrily, grabbing a pack of supplies from Keigo. Kenshin watched as he dug out a few sets of civilian clothes and threw them at his two companions. "Get changed."
Watching them change, Kenshin wondered if he could make a break for the town. He didn't try; by the sounds of it they were heading that way anyway, and besides, someone always had an eye on him. So he waited for them to change out of their uniforms and into the clothes Shuhei had thrown at them. He smirked slightly when he saw that Hitoshi's clothes were a bit too small for the tall man.
When they were changed into their civilian clothes Shuhei gave the rope around Kenshin's neck a tug. "On your feet." Kenshin obeyed without much protest, too tired and sick to care. Shuhei slowly ran his hand up the length of rope until he was a just an inch away from Kenshin's neck. He gave it a quick jerk, snapping Kenshin's head back. "Now you listen carefully, Battòsai." He spat the name out like it was a curse. "We're going into town. You're going to do everything I say. You're not going to say anything. You understand?" Kenshin resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Shuhei snapped his head again and repeated himself louder. "Understand!" Kenshin gave one quick, sharp nod to get Shuhei to stop shaking him.
With a grin, and to Kenshin's surprise, Shuhei reached up and untied the rope from his neck. There was a pinkish, red lines running along his neckline where the rope had rubbed constantly against his skin. For the first time since the blasted rope had been put on, Kenshin could breath easy.
Experiencing normal breathing for the first time in days, Kenshin gasped for air. His surprise grew when he felt something heavy fall over his shoulders. Looking to his left he found Shuhei draping a earth tone cloak over him. He lifted the hood over his head and Kenshin watched mesmerized slightly as he tied the cloak tightly around him. Slowly it dawned on Kenshin what he was doing. He was hiding the ropes that bound him and his hair. He was planning on sneaking him into the village.
Everyone except Keigo put on a matching cloak. The worry on Hitoshi and Keigo's faces was clearly visible, and Kenshin didn't blame them. This was stupid, this was crazy, but at least if anything went wrong he was likely to either benefit or be killed quickly. The knife poking painfully into his spine told him it would be very quick if he misbehaved.
"Remember, Battòsai." Shuhei hissed in his ear as they started towards the town. "One word or anything funny and you're history." Kenshin did roll his eyes this time. Shuhei really believed that this act would work. As they came closer to town, Kenshin found himself wondering how secure Shuhei really was. He always had to prove his power and superiority; perhaps if Kenshin lived through this, he could use that against Shuhei. He made a mental note of this to himself.
So they entered town, Kenshin's cloak pinned all the way shut with his hood pulled far down over his head to hide his face. Shuhei kept a death grip on his left arm, the knife poking uncomfortably into his back, his large cloak hiding the blade. Hitoshi and Shuhei kept their hoods down as they made their way into town.
Kenshin had to admit, he was furious about being marched through town like this, but he would never let Shuhei realize that. Long before they headed into town, he had been able to pick up that Shuhei was doing this to show his power over his prisoner. He kept quiet as they passed by some of the villagers. A few gave a small smile or a small greeting before passing on, never giving another thought to the four men they had just passed.
The inn would be the hard part, and he knew Shuhei was getting nervous as they came closer. The knife pressed deeper and deeper into his skin, nearly breaking it. They marched inside and the act began. Hitoshi casually made his way to the innkeeper and asked for a room for the four of them.
The innkeeper was a young man, his black hair cut neatly around his face. He was of average height, but standing next to Hitoshi made him look smaller. He walked up to the group with a smile. "You need a room? Well we have the finest rooms around! And the cheapest!" He turned and gave a wave of his hand. "Follow me please, follow me!" As he led the group to their room he made idle chit-chat, mostly speaking about the fine accommodations of his inn.
He led them to their room and stepped off to the side so that they could enter. "Here you are gentlemen," he said with a bow.
Hitoshi gave quick thanks as they moved to enter the room, but they were stopped when the innkeeper put his hand on Kenshin's arm. Immediately, Kenshin felt the knife dig into his skin as everyone froze, waiting to see what the man would do. "Excuse me young sir," the man started, speaking softly, "but you are very pale. Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?"
The silence that followed the innocent question hung thickly in the air. Kenshin wasn't sure what Shuhei would do if he answered or not. Did he need a doctor? The question alone made Kenshin want to laugh, had the situation been different. "Iie," he answered at last, the knife jamming into his back; it was pulled back when the man's offer was refused. Kenshin could feel a small trickle of blood run slowly down the curve of his back.
The man removed his hand, but was still hesitant; he looked at Kenshin with a critical eye. Shuhei decided to take control of the situation. "He's already seen the doctor," he explained hurriedly. "That's why we're in need of a room, the doctor said he needs a good night's rest." He shot the man an annoyed glare. "Now will you let him do so? Or should we find a room elsewhere?"
The man bowed hastily. "Forgive me, good sir! I did not mean to offend you! I shall leave you now so your friend may rest." He bowed once more before scurrying away. Kenshin couldn't help but let out a small groan when the man had called his captors his friends, which resulted in the knife being pushed painfully into his back again.
He was pushed into the room and the door was shut. A round of sighs were exhaled as Shuhei yanked Kenshin's hood from his face. "You had me worried there for a moment." He spoke with a sneer as he removed a long cloth from one of his pockets. "I told you no talking, I nearly killed you." Kenshin remained silent, his impassive mask never once slipping out of place as the cloth was tied roughly around his mouth and he was shoved to the floor. "Now stay quiet."
"This is stupid!" Keigo hissed. "We're going to get caught! How could I have let you talk me into this?" he spat angrily.
Shuhei ignored him, instead clapping Hitoshi on the back. "How about we check out what kind of bars they have here? Keigo, you stay and watch Battòsai." He began to turn Hitoshi towards the door, Keigo fuming behind them.
"How come I have to stay here! I don't want to stay here with… him!" he pointed towards Kenshin. "Why do I have to stay here? I want to go!" To Kenshin, Keigo was very good at impersonating a little kid whose parents wouldn't let him go outside and play.
Shuhei turned and faced Keigo. "You will do as I say. Stay here and watch over Battòsai." Keigo opened his mouth to retort, and a fight would have broken out had Hitoshi not stepped in.
"I'll watch him!" he snapped, quickly putting himself between the two. "Thanks for the offer Shuhei, but I'm tired and I just want to stay put. Keigo doesn't, I'll stay so he can go."
Shuhei couldn't find a good argument against that. "Fine, Hitoshi will stay here. Keigo and I will go out." He turned and left the room without another word, Keigo followed shortly after.
With a tired sigh, Hitoshi sat down across from Kenshin and shut his eyes. Kenshin considered the man sitting there, thoughtfully. He really didn't know what to make of Hitoshi. Shuhei was easy enough, and so was Keigo, but Hitoshi was different. Before the man had held a deep and unending rage towards him, with good reason, Kenshin couldn't really blame him for his hatred. However, since he had woken up, that rage had abated a bit. What was it that made him change?
While he tried to figure out what could have changed in Hitoshi since then, the man in question opened his eyes and looked over at him. He smirked. "Upset," he paused, the smiling growing, "Kenshin?"
He couldn't help it, he flinched slightly. How did he know his name?
Hitoshi got up from where he sat and calmly walked over to Kenshin. He grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him to his feet. "You seem surprised. That's your name, isn't it, Kenshin?" This time Kenshin didn't move, the mask back in place. "I have questions to ask you, but not here. We're leaving."
Kenshin's heart beat just a little faster. Leaving? Why would he risk going out in public again? Alone even. What kind of questions did he want to ask? How did he know his name? Questions of his own raced through Kenshin's mind, but his face remained calm as the gag was removed and he was told to keep quiet. Hitoshi pulled his hood up and spun him around. Another dagger was pressed into his back as they marched quickly out of the inn.
They hurried past the pesky innkeeper who was too busy with someone else to notice their departure. Hitoshi pushed Kenshin as fast as he could go, Hitoshi knew it was reckless to leave the inn after what had happened trying to get in, but he didn't want to run into Shuhei or Keigo. That, and he didn't need the innkeeper to worry if he heard something. He knew he was being foolish. Taking such a risk to answer unimportant questions, but once he was curious he just had to know the answers.
He managed to get Kenshin out of town without trouble; he would worry about getting him back after his questions had been satisfied. He took Kenshin far from the town, far enough so that no one would hear if they made any noise.
Once more Kenshin was pushed down to the dirt; he was getting rather tired of this. Hitoshi knelt down beside him, whispering into his ear. "Now this is how it's going to work. I have questions, and you're going to answer them."
Kenshin couldn't help suppressing a sigh. This was going to be a long day.
Hitoshi stood. "First. Your name's Kenshin, right?" Kenshin didn't answer. He shut his eyes, trying to ignore Hitoshi; what did it matter if he knew his real name or not? Although he was curious how he came to know what his real name wa- ow! Kenshin's thoughts were interrupted as Hitoshi reached forward and gave his right ear a twist. "Right!" He repeated angrily.
Kenshin winced as Hitoshi twisted his ear harder. He was really serious about this. "Hai!" he snapped angrily, wanting Hitoshi to let go of his ear.
He did. "Did you change your name?" Now Kenshin was confused; he looked up at Hitoshi with a blank look. "What I mean is… well…" he trailed off, trying to figure out the best way to put it, before trying again. "What I mean is, who named you Kenshin? Weren't you once Shinta?"
It took all of Kenshin's willpower to keep his mouth from dropping. How did he know that? Knowing that his name was Kenshin was one thing, but the only people who should know that name were Hiko, or they were long dead.
Hitoshi knew he had surprised the hitokiri, just by the look in his eyes. He was surprised, frightened even. Hitoshi smiled; he was the first person to know this man's name had once been something as innocent sounding as Shinta.
"It was, wasn't it? It was Shinta." He pressed on, trying to get Kenshin to agree.
"How do you know that?" Kenshin said in a low, threatening voice that made Hitoshi take an unintentional step away from him.
"You told me yourself," he answered with a smug smile. "When you were sick. You told me your name was Shinta and that your Shishou named you Kenshin."
Kenshin's heart stopped. He had told him? He had said that? How much had he given away? Had he told them where Katsura could be found? Had he given away any plans? Any of the Ishin Shishi weaknesses? What had he given away while sick?
Hitoshi loved the brief look of panic that crossed Kenshin's face. He continued, bending low, to be face to face with his friend's killer. "Who's Tomoe?"
Kenshin's wasn't expecting that. His breath caught in his throat. Tomoe. Why'd he have to bring her up? Fresh injuries from that day emerged as he felt his heart tearing. He couldn't tell this man what he had done to Tomoe. He would not!
"Who's Tomoe?" he repeated. "What happened to her?" Kenshin remained silent, his face impassive. "Answer me!" Hitoshi shouted. "Answer me or I'll-"
"Or you'll what?" Kenshin sneered. "Kill me? Shuhei wouldn't like that. Besides, what do you think is going to happen once you hand me over? They're going to kill me anyway."
"Iie. Not kill you." Before Kenshin could guess what was happening, Hitoshi had reached around him and had grabbed one of his fingers on his right hand. "You'll tell me, or I'll take your swordsmanship away from you."
Now Kenshin was furious. "Why do you care?" he snapped, trying to twist his finger out of Hitoshi's grasp.
"I want to know. You confuse me." A sneer slowly crept across Hitoshi's face. Deep down, he really didn't want to break Kenshin's finger. He really didn't feel the need to cause any more pain to this man then he already had, but he needed a threat he thought Kenshin would listen to. He had to act like he'd go though with that threat. He had to go through with the threat if necessary, or Kenshin wouldn't take him as seriously.
"I don't like being confused," he growled, giving Kenshin one more chance to answer. You're supposed to be a cold blooded killer! But, when you were sick… A quick shake of his head and Hitoshi returned to his current task. "Tell me."
Kenshin kept his mouth shut, until there was a snap and a throbbing pain raced through his finger. He shut his eyes, a soft hiss escaping from between his teeth. Hitoshi reached for the next finger. "Answer me!" When Kenshin still refused to speak, he broke that finger as well.
Another hiss of pain; he refused to speak. Bones could heal and he only had ten fingers. He would wait; he would not give this man what he wanted. He glared at Hitoshi through his pain. It would take more than breaking his fingers for Kenshin to give in.
Hitoshi glared back, unfazed by Kenshin's stare. He was in control, and he would not rest until his questions were satisfied. However, he could tell just by looking in Kenshin's eyes that what he was doing would not be enough. "You will answer me, Battòsai," he spoke softly, reverting back to Kenshin's nickname. He held up the dagger he had pressed into Kenshin's back as they had made their escape from the town. "You will answer my questions, or I'll cut your fingers off."
Kenshin's stomach flipped as he thought of his life, fingerless. Would it be worth it? He felt the cold steel press up against his knuckle. His voice didn't betray him as he spoke smoothly and calmly. "Shuhei will notice."
"Shuhei doesn't care," came the equally calm response. "Who is she?"
Leaning his head back slightly, Kenshin shut his eyes. "She was a girl who worked at an inn." The knife moved away from his finger.
"She was important to you."
"She was someone who worked at the inn."
Hitoshi let out a slow, annoyed sigh. He wouldn't press the issue, happy he wasn't forced to go through with the threat… and it was clear she meant something to him. "What was her job at the inn?"
Now it was Kenshin's turn to sigh. "Why does this matter? She did… inn… stuff." He knew what Tomoe did while she worked at the inn, but most men wouldn't know what a single woman did at an inn. If he wanted to avoid more questions, he'd have to act ignorant.
"She didn't work in a garden?"
Once more, Kenshin's heart froze. Otsu. Their garden. He felt a shiver start to run up his spine, memories running with it. He repressed them and shrugged, trying to give an air of uncaring. "She did arrange flowers."
Hitoshi stopped for a moment, considering. "What about a forest? You said she couldn't go into a forest. What forest? Why couldn't she go in there?" He waited for an answer. None came. Kenshin sat very still; his face seemed a bit paler then it once had.
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He could see it happening again. The Barrier Forest, the ninja, the explosions, the red snow. He tried speaking again, saying each word carefully. "There were wolves in the forest, that's why she wasn't supposed to go in there."
Again Hitoshi was silent for a bit, taking in what Kenshin said. Wolves, he had said wolves. Did he mean real wolves or could he have meant the Shinsengumi? "She went into the forest, didn't she?" He waited to see if Kenshin would answer before going on. "She went in and didn't come out, am I right?" Again he waited, and again Kenshin didn't answer. Hitoshi didn't need to hear the answer, he could tell from the way Kenshin's voice had changed the more he spoke about this Tomoe, what the answer was. He stood up; he didn't need to know anymore. He understood now. This man had loved someone, and she had died. He wasn't a demon, he was just a man. Just barely a man, but a man still, fighting for his beliefs. He understood the pain of loss. That was enough for him. Yoshinori's killer wasn't heartless and somehow, that made all the difference for him.
Without a word, he reached down and gently pulled Kenshin to his feet. "We're going back."
The trip back to town was as uneventful as when they'd left, just not as rushed. The innkeeper greeted them on their return, and suggested that Kenshin get more rest. Back inside their room, Hitoshi picked up the gag and put it back on before telling Kenshin to sit quietly in the corner. Hitoshi sat down near the opposite wall, his back to Kenshin. Both men sat quietly, both remembering those they had lost.