Silver Cross Chapter 23: Science, a rurouni kenshin fanfic

A/N – Sorry. I updated two and a half hours after May 25th was over.

Disclaimer – I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Chevy.

Silver Cross

Chapter 23 – Science

Puh
Why'd you do that?
I can see my spit go all the way down.
People are walking down there.
Eh, they'll think it's spray from the waterfall. Come on, try it.
Fine….Puh
See?
It goes down so slow. I would've expected it to be faster than that….Puh
Puh

"Hi, Himura."

He knew from the tone of her voice. Kaoru was gone. Maybe, he hoped, maybe Kaoru hadn't come back to the apartment at all. If he'd been wrong about that, there was still a chance he could get to her first.

"Misao, Aoshi." He nodded to each in greeting, forcing himself not to have any emotions.

"She's gone, Battousai," Aoshi said. "We found signs of a struggle in the kitchen and forced entry through the window by the fire escape."

"Shit." Ken strode past them to the bedroom, slipping in the open door. He flicked the light switch. Her opera dress was lying in a heap across the bed. One of the dresser drawers was slightly open. He left the room and entered the bathroom. The inside of the shower was still wet. She'd come here, taken a shower, and then what? Gone to the kitchen for a snack and been jumped. Ken left the bathroom and went back to where the Shinomoris waited in the living room.

He sat down on the couch and took a deep breath. Letting his anger take over wouldn't solve anything. He'd have plenty of time later to blame himself for not coming in time. There was only one thing to do, only one place to go. Ken focused his eyes downward, at the carpet. Damn Myojin for not telling him the location of Juppongatana headquarters. Sure, he had a couple hunches, but he knew nothing for sure, nothing that would get him there before Kaoru ran out of time, before she wasn't useful to the dark one any longer.

"What next?" Misao broke into his thoughts. The usual cheer was missing from her tone. So she knew then, what would probably happen to Kaoru.

The carpet fibers were really very intricate. He didn't think he could look up yet, not without losing control. "We follow the dark one's example and head to the Juppongatana. Kaoru will show up eventually."

"So he is attacking tonight," Aoshi said. "What else do you know, Battousai?"

"I talked with Tsukayama Yutaro, one of the dark one's spies. Anji is the dark one's personal guard and Sanosuke Sagara is mixed up in all this. It doesn't matter. I don't know where Juppongatana headquarters is located. We'll have to follow vampire ki, and I don't know how long that's going to take."

"Aoshi and I know," Misao spoke up, surprising Ken. "We asked for the address when Myojin requested our presence. We'll come with you. But, Himura," she paused. "How can Sano be involved? He's dead."

"It must be something he did before he died," Ken rationalized.

"Something that wasn't important until now?" Aoshi asked skeptically. "It would have been Sekihoutai business. That organization is only just starting to get back on its feet after its defeat. They have no role in this fight."

Ken stood from the couch, his eyes still downcast. He knew what Aoshi was implying. "Sano wouldn't have betrayed the Sekihoutai and joined with any other organization before he died, especially after his team was killed by the dark one. It has to have something to do with the Sekihoutai." Rationalizing was easy. Rationalizing kept his mind off Kaoru. Where was she? What were they doing to her? What would she look like when he saw her next? Would he recognize her? Would he ever be able to look up from the damn carpet?

"Let's go." Ken drew his mind from the subject of Kaoru with difficulty. "We'll take your car since you know where headquarters is. Who's driving?"

"Aoshi will. I'm better with directions."

Ken nodded. Kaoru may have been taken, but he could get her back. He didn't know where she was now, but he knew where she had to end up. And for a twenty year old almost junior in college, she was strong. The attack was imminent. There wasn't any time for them to try and break her. No time. If only he could lie to himself. He'd never been able to lie to himself. There wasn't much time, but there was enough for them to do whatever they wanted with her. And then she'd be different, changed, not the Kaoru who'd left him at the symphony. But she'd been changing all along. All along and he still needed her.

He met Misao's eyes. "How long will it take?"

My life! My life! What happened to my life?
I don't know. What happened?
Finals! All I do is wake up, eat, study, and sleep. What happened to the nights when I actually did stuff? Life used to be so good.
You did it to yourself. You didn't have to take six courses at once, or any courses at all.
I know. I just needed a distraction. I needed something a little boring and normal. You'd think night classes would do that, right? I went way too overboard.
How is it even possible to take six classes at night?
I think finals period is teaching me that it isn't possible.

"Wake up. Are you alright? Hey! Can you hear me? Missy! Wake up!"

And then she was awake.

And she was not happy.

"Are you awake? Come on, wake up! Don't die on me!"

What was that annoying voice talking about? She wasn't going to die. She wanted to go back to sleep. She'd been having a nice dream. Kenshin had been in it. They'd gone somewhere, maybe an amusement park. Some place with a lot of people. And it had been a beautiful sunny day. But Kenshin couldn't go outside. He was a vampire. And he didn't have time for amusement parks. He was too busy trying to track down the dark one.

Kaoru lifted her eyelids, suddenly awake. She was staring up into a pair of brown eyes.

"You're awake!" the owner of the eyes said, relieved.

Kaoru backed away from the man as fast as she could on her elbows, since she'd discovered she was lying on her back on the floor. "Where's that woman?" she asked frantically, amazed she could have forgotten for even a few moments. What would Ken say?

"I was worried you had a concussion," the young man continued. "I didn't want you to slip into a coma."

"Where is she?" Kaoru practically shrieked, still backing away. Her head bumped against the wall behind her. The impact was enough to make her see stars as her vision temporarily darkened. She struggled to stay conscious. She must have hit her head on the same spot she'd been hit before. She felt her body being pulled up to a standing position. The stranger shook her a little and the dimness receded to the corners of her vision. A few blinks and it was gone.

"Thanks," Kaoru murmured, really looking at the stranger for the first time. An easy grin played across his mouth, his hair was spiky, and the brown of his hair matched the brown of his eyes exactly. His tanned skin was slightly darker than hers, which made sense since most people on the California coast had darker complexions than her. He was a lot taller than her, at least a foot, and his thin build resembled Saitou's. They both had the same broad shoulders. He was dressed as casual as her in sneakers, jeans, and a t-shirt.

"No problem, Missy. You want to sit down? You still look a little pale. And what woman were you talking about?"

The questions were asked easily. Speech flowed from his tongue. He seemed at ease, but there was heaviness to his manner, as if he'd carried a weight a long time and it was only his determination that prevented him from collapsing. He looked beyond tired, as if his body really was on the verge of collapsing. The dark circles under his eyes had probably been there for a long time and his complexion under his tan was the palest ivory. Sure, he'd dragged her to her feet when she'd almost blacked out, but Kaoru had a feeling that had taken more will power than strength. She felt bad and wished he could heal from whatever sickness plagued his body, but all the same she was relieved. If he tried to overpower her, she could definitely fend him off.

Kaoru let her eyes move from the stranger to travel around the room. Correction, concrete cell. The only part that wasn't concrete was the door, and that was metal. A dim bulb hung from the ceiling, the cell's one source of illumination. The only things in the room were a toilet and sink in the far corner. There was no bed or chair to speak of, and no where to sit but the floor.

"Did you see who brought me here?" she asked him, done with her perusal of the room. She'd spotted no tools to help her escape. There were no windows to pry the bars from and not even a handle on the door, so there was no lock to pick. The only way she was getting out was if the door opened. Or perhaps if the walls were thin. If she could break off a part of the sink or something maybe she could hammer her way through the concrete and dig a hole big enough to crawl to freedom. She'd seen that in a movie once. But it had taken the main character ten or twenty years to dig his way to freedom. She probably had about an hour, depending on how long she'd been unconscious.

He hunched over a little and coughed into his hand, drawing her attention back to him. "I was napping in the corner when they threw you in," he said, standing straight once again. "All I saw were black figures, probably men. You messed with the wrong group of vampires, Missy. I'm surprised. You look like a good girl."

Kaoru couldn't help but laugh a little. "You'd think so." A wave of dizziness swept through her and she swayed.

"You do need to sit down," he observed, grabbing her elbow and helping her sit so her back was against the wall.

"Thanks," Kaoru said as he took a seat next to her. "You don't seem so bad. How'd you end up here?"

He shrugged and stared across the room. "Hell, it seems like I was born in the wrong place, wrong time. It must have started then." He shook his head. "Must have. At this point, I'm not feeling much but tired. You, Missy?"

Kaoru shook her head and tried to breathe slowly and regularly. "There's too much stuff to do before I start feeling tired."

He laughed. "I used to be like that, not too long ago. But I had a lot more going for me then. You have family, Missy?"

Kaoru nodded. She hadn't thought of her parents in what felt like forever.

"Well I hope you see them again. They must love you."

"Is your family gone?" she couldn't help asking.

He nodded. "A long time ago, my girlfriend too. But still, I had found a new family. I guess it just wasn't meant to work out."

Kaoru didn't say anything. What was there to say?

"You have a boyfriend, Missy? I hope he's looking for you."

Kaoru waited a long time to answer. "I don't know," she said.

"You don't know if you have a boyfriend, or you don't know if he's looking for you?" He still wasn't looking at her. Was the other side of the room so very interesting that he couldn't give her the common courtesy of making eye contact?

Kaoru shrugged and decided she my as well stare at the other side of the room as well. "Both, I guess."

He snorted. "You're not one of those chicks who plays hard to get are you, who likes messing around with guys' minds?"

It was Kaoru's turn to snort. "No. It just feels weird to call him my boyfriend. And I won't unless he wants me to."

"He doesn't hit you, does he?"

"No," Kaoru exclaimed, staring hard at the sink on the other side of the room. "He wouldn't ever do that! Our relationship is different, that's all."

"Different? How can it be different? You either love each other or you don't."

"Why am I having this conversation with you? I should be trying to get out."

"It's safer in here than out there."

Kaoru shivered. "Where are we anyway?"

"A cell in Juppongatana headquarters." He started coughing. Each cough racked through his whole body and bent him further towards the cement floor. He was having trouble breathing when the coughs started to subside. He wiped the hand he'd been using to cover his mouth on his jeans. Kaoru tried to ignore the dark smear of blood on his jeans when he rested his hand on the ground beside him. Sitting there, waiting for him to stop gasping and gain control of his breathing, the implications of his words dawned on her.

She hadn't been captured by the dark one. Myojin had done this to her. She was going to kill him when she got out! But the woman with the poison had said she worked for the dark one. Had she and whoever she'd been working with been captured by the Juppongatana and taken to their prison? Maybe they'd thought she worked for the dark one and it was all a big misunderstanding.

"The Juppongatana are being infiltrated literally from the bottom up," the man continued. He'd gotten his breathing under control fairly quickly. Something told Kaoru he'd been sick for a long time. "Apparently, we're both worth something to them. When the time is right you'll be brought up to the battle scene to play your part in aiding the dark one's victory."

"Then they've already gotten into Juppongatana headquarters," Kaoru realized.

He nodded. "They've taken control of this bottom level as of a half hour ago. They freed all the Juppongatana prisoners and replaced them with people like us, people they can use. Is your boyfriend an influential Juppongatana member?"

"No," Kaoru answered softly. "But he'll fight for them."

He let out a low whistle. "He must be pretty important. You must love him a lot, considering he's a vampire and you're not."

Kaoru was glad the dim light covered her blush. "How'd you know he was a vampire?"

"The dark one wouldn't waste its time on a human."

"Then why's it wasting its time on me?"

His chuckle was hoarse from the coughing. "You've got a point. But my theory is proved once again, since you're the means to an end. I wonder who it could be. He'd have to have been around when I was touring the world twenty years ago, or he wouldn't be strong enough to bother with. I've probably met him."

"Maybe," Kaoru said.

"Not even one clue for me, Missy? Just 'maybe'?"

Kaoru shrugged. What would it matter if he had met Ken at some point? "His name starts with a K," she said, just to appease him a little.

"That's not much of a clue," the man grumbled. Vampire, Kaoru corrected herself. He's a vampire. She shrugged off his grumbling and gingerly reached back to touch her head, feeling for the lump she knew must be there. "What are you sick with?" she couldn't resist asking.

"It's just chronic bronchitis and a couple other things mixed in. I've handled it for a while. I'm a vampire. It won't kill me."

"How are you even sick if you're a vampire?" Kaoru asked.

"Viruses aren't too picky and my body is weaker than a human's as a result of the strain put on it on a regular basis. Don't worry about it. There's nothing you can do anyway. So, Katsu? Komaji?"

"What?" Kaoru asked in confusion.

"The boyfriend. Is his name Kabuto? Kiba? Kei? Kakashi? Kaioh? Katsura? Kajiki? Kenji? Kanryu? Ke-"

"Kanryu!" Kaoru broke in. "He attacked me the other night! Are you associated with him?" If he was, she was going to have to change her opinion of this stranger.

He looked surprised. "That weasel's still around? I thought for sure someone would have killed him off by now. Nah, Missy. Just naming the few K names of people I've run into over the years."

He sighed and stood. "It's been nice talking to you though."

"What?" Kaoru asked, confused.

"They're coming for one of us. Considering the shape you're in, I hope it's me."

Kaoru scrambled to her feet. "What about the shape you're in?" He didn't answer. She would have preferred a fighting stance, but she had to settle for a hand against the wall. She was still unsteady. "Whatever happens," she stated, "I'll remember you."

His eyes widened for a moment before his face adopted that same easy grin. "I'll remember you too, Missy."

A key turned the locks in the door and it swung open. Two bulky male vampires stepped inside. "Come, Sagara."

So that was his name. Something about it seemed familiar. It wasn't common. Where had she heard it before? He winked at her and ambled across the room. As he stepped between the two guards, they each grabbed one of his arms and twisted it behind his back.

"His name's Kenshin," Kaoru said to her ex-cellmate. She didn't see his reaction, but she hoped it held a little satisfaction. He looked like he deserved something. The lock sounded in the door and Kaoru sat down to wait.

I can't find my belt.
Is this it?
Oh yeah. Thanks.
Hmm. Looks like you're gaining a little weight. This belt hole looks worn, but the one after it is worn even more.
Give me that! And couldn't that just mean I've lost weight?
Um. No.

"It's the green Chevy, right?" Misao asked.

"Yeah," Aoshi answered. "For the past ten minutes. Keep an eye on it for me, will you?"

"Sure thing," Misao trilled brightly.

"Have you found something you like yet, Battousai?"

For the past ten minutes, Ken had been sitting quietly in the backseat, deciding which weapons would suit himself and the Shinomoris best of the couple's small arsenal. His suit and tie weren't the best clothes to fight in, but he'd have to make due.

"The katana has always suited me," Ken answered. "And a handgun for my pocket should be sufficient. I'd like to bring Kaoru a weapon, but I don't see any small enough."

"Pass me the pouch of kunai, will you, Himura?" Misao asked, reaching an open hand behind her in Ken's general vicinity.

He handed it to her silently.

"You'll have to toss her the handgun when we find her," Misao advised. "We don't have anything else small that a novice could use. She's no master with senbon is she?"

"No," Ken answered. Memories of his encounter with Tomoe and her senbon needles flashed across his mind before he suppressed them. "Kaoru has never fought with senbon. I think she's only used a bokken and I don't know if she's accurate with a gun or not." Ken was starting to realize how much he didn't know about Kaoru. Hopefully he'd be able to remedy that once the night was over. He hadn't been joking when he'd said he wanted to meet her parents. They held the keys to so many memories. What was like as a child? He wanted to know the events that shaped her into the person she was now.

"Hopefully she won't have to do much fighting then," Misao said. "Are you sure you'll be alright with a katana? How long has it been since you used one?"

"A few nights." Since he'd gone to kill Tomoe.

Misao was silent for a moment. "I won't ask. Well good luck with it. You'll probably have to use it as soon as we get there. Question, Aoshi. Kill or wound?"

"Kill unless it's someone important," Aoshi answered without even the minutest pause. "How many more blocks?"

Misao consulted the map as Ken drew Aoshi's kodachi from the pile of weaponry. "Two. You can park in that garage."

Aoshi slowed the car as they approached a large office building, about twenty stories tall. So that was it. Hidden in plain sight.

"Looks like we have company," Misao observed as they entered the deserted parking garage at ground level. Two women were leaning against the doors that let directly from the garage to the building. Ken expected guards, but these women wore no uniform. Had the dark one's forces already gained control of the ground level of Juppongatana headquarters?

Aoshi parked the car thirty feet away from the women. Ken handed him the two kodachi once all three of them stood outside the car and reached into the backseat to retrieve the katana before shutting the door. Behind them, the green Chevy pulled into the garage and parked, successfully blocking the entrance. The driver of the car turned off the engine, but the headlights remained on, even as the figure emerged from the car. In the light, Ken could only make out the tall, bulky form of a man. He could sense the vampire ki rolling off the figure in waves. Whoever he was, he was powerful.

"Identify yourselves, strangers," one of the women yelled across the parking lot.

Misao glanced at Aoshi, who nodded so slightly that Ken almost missed the action. Misao stepped forward a couple paces from Aoshi. "We're members of the Oniwaban. We've come from New York to aid the Juppongatana."

"You've come too late," the woman answered, bending down and picking up something from the ground. "My name is Shurra and I work for the dark one. You cannot pass."

She'd picked up a pair of nun chucks. She was probably very good with them if the dark one had left only her and one other woman to guard the door. Ken did not have time to fool around with a woman stupid enough to get in his way.

The other woman placed a hand on Shurra's arm, stopping her from striding forward. "Which one of you is the Battousai?"

Ken blinked in surprise. Misao and Aoshi exchanged a glance.

"What makes you ask that question?" Misao asked.

"The man behind you was instructed to find the Battousai and bring him here alive. He wouldn't return without the successful completion of that mission."

Ken stepped forward, even with Misao. "It's me. Let us through."

The woman's laugh echoed across their level of the parking garage. "You are as difficult as described. I'm Yumi, the dark one's head chemist. If what I've heard about you is accurate, you'll be very interested in my latest work. The late Yukishiro Tomoe was on my team of scientists. Perhaps she told you of the project before her death?"

Ken remembered his last conversation with Tomoe.

"Who betrayed Sano to the dark one? Why are you working for him? How long will he stay in L.A.?"

"They'll be here in ten minutes," Tomoe whispered. "Go." Her whole body writhed in his hands as she suppressed a bought of coughing. "It has something you want. Don't fight tonight."

"What does the dark one have that I want? Tomoe? Tomoe? Tomoe?"

Yumi obviously knew what Tomoe had been speaking of. Tomoe had known him well at one point. She would know what would interest him. But a scientific discovery? What could he possibly use it for?

"Aoshi," Ken said to the vampire waiting behind him. "Don't kill her if you can help it."

Hearing his words, Yumi drew her sword. "I have always wanted to fight such a worthy adversary, Shinomori-san. Your double kodachi against my tai chi. This fight shall me memorable."

"I doubt it," Aoshi replied.

Yumi laughed softly. "My tai chi narrow blade sword requires ten years of practice before basic instruction can even be started. I had thirty. I have excellent chi control and I have been fighting with this sword for one hundred years."

"Stop your bragging," Misao commanded, drawing a kunai from the pack tied securely around her waist. "You're no match for Shinomori-sama. You can never be his equal."

"I expected those words from a doting wife," Shurra spoke. "Himura, the man behind you should spark your interest. His name is Anji. Haven't you been searching for him?"

Ken turned his body sideways so he could watch the man caught in the headlights and the two women at once. If what they said was true, he had a big interest in Anji.

"Enough," Yumi yelled, annoyed. "Let's get started. Shurra, you'll do better against the kunai."

"Cover me," Shurra yelled as ran forward to attack Misao.

"Don't worry about them, Himura," Misao said, fist full of kunai. "Go after Anji."

Ken nodded and sprinted away from the Shinomoris, towards the man still standing calmly by the car.

Too much of a good thing.
Come on, just eat one more bowl.
No!
Just one more and you'll win.
I don't know why I agreed to this bread pudding gorge-fest, but I am not eating another bowl!

She hadn't been happy when he'd left her behind, but Soujiro didn't think there was anything else he could have done. Suzume would have only gotten in the way at Juppongatana headquarters. Sou knew he was already in the way. To have her along, tagging after him, would have only made it worse. He'd made sure she was reunited with her aunt, Ayame, who didn't seem so bad, even though she didn't like Kaoru, and told her he was leaving. Maybe he wouldn't have felt so bad if she hadn't accepted it. Hanging around Kaoru and his older sister, Atsuko, he'd been used to loud, volatile protests, to screaming, stomping, and arguing. All Suzume had done was stand there, crying noiselessly. He felt horrible.

"Soujiro," Tsubame said. "Snap out of it and help me look."

Tsubame had received intelligence on a project of the dark one's from Ayame in return for returning her niece. They'd sped to the library at Juppongatana headquarters to do some research on genetic mutations in vampires.

"For what exactly," Sou asked. Tsubame was being uncharacteristically frustrating and secretive with the information from Ayame. "I don't know what to look for if you won't tell me anything."

Tsubame seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of telling Sou, before sighing and slowing her furious scanning of book titles. "Fine, but you're not to repeat this to anyone, not even my husband."

Sou nodded.

"I'm second in command, head of the security division, after my husband and Saitou, but only because I was head of the science branch of the Juppongatana beforehand. As head scientist, I was kept informed on all projects being carried out."

Sou hadn't known Tsubame was also a scientific genius.

"Thirty years ago we had a brilliant scientist named Yumi. She'd been involved, over the years, with a vampire who resented his state of being. He wanted to be human again. He was the person who inspired Yumi to try to find a method to turn back a vampire's bodily clock, back to the time when they were human."

Sou hadn't thought that was possible. In all the vampire movies he'd seen on television, there had never been mention of a vampire turning back into a human. Didn't a human have to die to become a vampire? In some books he'd read, their hearts had completely shriveled. Surely they couldn't be used again! Tsubame must have seen the doubt on his face, because she began to explain.

"In theory, a vampire's heart is capable of working on its own again. Yumi also believed that the aging process can be restarted at the point where the individual became a vampire, maybe even before. This vampire and Yumi worked for years to develop a medication, a liquid that would revert the subject to his or her human form. Something big happened, thirty years ago, and he died."

Tsubame paused, clearly thinking of that event thirty years ago.

"Yumi was desperate without him," she continued, "and I didn't feel she was emotionally stable enough to continue her work. I requested she take a year off. She refused. One night she turned traitor and abandoned the Juppongatana, destroying all data she couldn't carry with her. We tried to search for her, but had no luck. The next time I heard of her, she'd joined the dark one and become his head chemist."

That was definitely an interesting story, but Sou still didn't see what it had to do with him and Tsubame searching around a library at three in the morning. "What did Ayame tell you?"

"Yumi finally found a way to turn vampires back into humans, some combination of rare chemicals. She just needs a test subject. She wants to use the Battousai. Yumi started her theory from the books in this library. If I can get even the slightest idea of her theory from them, maybe I can stop her."

"But what if he wants to be human?" Sou asked. For Kaoru's sake, he wished it was possible for the man to become human again.

"I know he does," Tsubame said, surprising him.

"Then why stop him?"

"I don't want to, but he's a huge asset to the Juppongatana. If he were to become human, much of our advantage over other vampire groups would be lost. Also, the dark one isn't aware of the chemical formula Yumi has developed. It uses her for her tai chi skills and merely indulges her scientific pursuits. If the Battousai becomes human, the dark one would kill him. Plus, Yumi needs him as her test subject, she doesn't know if the chemical will work for sure. As his colleague, I can't allow him to ingest the chemical until the dark one is destroyed."

Tsubame's gaze grew worried. "If he knew, he would take it the first opportunity he had. I have to stop him."

Myojin burst through the double doors at the entrance to the library, slammed them shut behind him, and locked the doors with the security pad just inside the library.

Sou stared at him.

"Yahiko?" Tsubame asked, her hand resting on the pack tied around her waist. Soujiro didn't know what was in that pack, but he had some ideas.

"Damnit!" Myojin swore. "Security's down. We'll have to fight."

"What's going on?" Soujiro asked.

Myojin strode to meet them. "We've finally been invaded by the dark one. The lower levels are already taken over. Soujiro and I will provide a distraction. Tsubame, I want you to escape, find a secure location, and call the hunters. We'll need their aid. Then scout the building and judge whether you can be of some service to our forces. Don't get caught."

Tsubame nodded. "Stay strong, Yahiko."

Someone began pounding on the door.

Soujiro realized he wouldn't last very long without a weapon. Nope. Not very long at all.

"Alright. Tsubame, hide and wait until they're all in to make your escape, but kill one on the way out. Seta, hide with Tsubame and follow her as she makes her charge. Use the weapon of the first one she kills."

The door wasn't going to last much longer.

Tsubame grabbed his hand and started moving behind the stacks of books. "Come on, Soujiro."

Just as she'd dragged him away from the sight of the door, Sou heard it break down with a crash, and then the sound of yelling as the vampires charged towards Tsubame's husband.

"The slow one," Tsubame whispered, letting go of Sou's hand to grab a shuriken from her pack as she ran silently forward. Sou followed, grimacing as he watched her throw the star shaped dagger. The shuriken spun through the air and caught the man in the neck. He dropped without a cry. The rest of the men didn't realize one of their comrades was down. Sou reached the fallen vampire and grabbed the katana from his spasming fingers. He glanced towards the door in time to see Tsubame's heel disappear around the corner. Luckily, Sou was talented with katana, talented enough to stay alive anyway. He turned to where Myojin was fighting with his own katana, only to discover the attacking vampires had spotted him and were already charging forward.

Your stapler looks like a shark.
No it doesn't!
I think I'll call it Sharky.
What? You idiot. It doesn't look like a shark.
Can I borrow Sharky real quick?

The sounds of fighting inside the building were now audible, but Ken had to get past Anji to get inside. The man had proved to be a suitable opponent. He fought with a naginata, a shafted weapon known for its use by Buddhist monks. He used the naginata as an extension of himself and wielded it with sweeping, circular motions. Anji had obviously been fighting with it for many years.

Ken would have been intimidated by the naginata's two foot long blade if he'd had any time to be intimidated. But his mind was too full of questions concerning Tomoe, Yumi, and Sano. And there was always Kaoru hovering in the back of his mind. It was all he could do to focus on what Hiko had taught him and keep his mind entirely on the fight. He no longer cared about Anji, knowing all his answers could be found inside. Anji had ceased to be the vampire who betrayed Sano. He was now only a means to an end.

I don't like the sound of clean dishes.
What?
When you pick up a plate from on top of the other clean ones, it sounds squeaky. It's gross.
Do you prefer your dishes dirty then?
No. I just don't like setting the table.
What happens when you live alone and you have to sit the table?
That's not going to happen. I'm not going to live alone.
Sure.

If she wasn't so scared she'd be bored. The cell was obviously sound proof for humans, because she hadn't heard anything since they'd taken Sagara away. After he'd left, she'd tried again to find a way to escape, but it was hopeless. No windows, nothing hard and sharp that she could use and nothing to hit even if she did have something to hit it with. With no noise but her breathing, the silence was getting loud.

Kaoru wondered where Ken was. Even if he was somewhere above her, defending Juppongatana headquarters, it could take him hours to find her. Only three hours until sunrise. He'd probably have to wait until tomorrow night. She'd be hungry by then. And even if he did help defeat the dark one's men, they might take her with her in their retreat. Would they keep her until it was time to try again?

Kaoru wondered where Soujiro was. He'd said he was going to stay at the safe house with Suzume, but she doubted Tsubame would leave him there. The Juppongatana needed him in case the hunters showed up and started to turn on them. Was he somewhere above her too? She hoped he was at the safe house, but if he was in Juppongatana headquarters, she hoped he fought well. Soujiro had trained with a katana his whole life. He wasn't a pushover. Wouldn't it be ironic if Sou, a human, was the one to defeat the dark one? Ken probably wouldn't be very happy, but he'd have to get over it.

Kaoru wondered where Sagara was. She'd developed a liking for the sick vampire at some point in their short conversation. It was probably his teasing and his smile that had done it. He'd made her feel at ease in his presence, even with his probing questions about her boyfriend.

"Different? How can it be different? You either love each other or you don't."

He was right. And she loved Kenshin. So why hadn't she told him? Because all this had happened in an insanely short time and she didn't want to rush things. And it was hard to randomly rush up to him and say 'I love you'. If she did that she'd probably sound ridiculously cheesy and then he'd laugh and tease her. So why hadn't she told him? Because she'd felt guilty about ditching Soujiro. Because her parents hadn't met him. Because he was a vampire and she wasn't. Because it was hard to start something when she knew it couldn't be permanent.

But she needed to face the facts. She'd already started something.

You spilled the pixie stick candy.
What? No I didn't.
It's right there on the floor.
What?
Don't rub your shoe in it!
Oh yeah. It is there.
At least it's not carpet.

Together with Myojin, they'd taken out fifteen vampires, but there were too many. Soujiro was beginning to see that now, and he had a feeling Myojin had known even as he'd entered the library. That was why he'd sent his wife away. And Soujiro was confident he hadn't been sending his second in command away. He'd been sending his wife away. He wondered if Tsubame realized yet.

"Seta," Myojin yelled. "After we kill this wave put your katana down. If we're going to die, we're going to do it in front of the dark one."

It was the only way to live a little longer, Sou realized. The dark one obviously wanted the leader of the Juppongatana under his control. He'd have ordered his men to bring Myojin to him, dead or alive. Sou hoped he was as valuable to the dark one as Myojin was. Ducking low, he brought his katana slicing across his opponent's chest, effectively defeating his foe. He glanced to Myojin. His opponents were down as well.

"Alright," Sou answered the vampire leader, throwing his katana across the library. Myojin did the same and walked over to where Sou stood.

"Just stay calm and keep your hands raised in the air so they know you're not armed. Once we identify ourselves, they'll realize how much we're worth and take us to wherever the dark one is waiting," Myojin instructed, raising his arms in the air and facing the door as the first few of the dark one's vampires entered in warily.

Sou did as he'd instructed. It turned out there was no need for them to identify themselves.

"Myojin," the leader of the group said with a smirk. "I'd heard there was some trouble on this level so I came down to end it. I should have known it was you. I guess you heard I was coming since it appears you're ready to surrender," the stranger gloated.

"Tsukayama Yutaro. I heard you'd joined the dark one," Myojin answered, keeping his arms raised in surrender as the group of vampires drew closer to them. "I'm surprised you're still alive. I'd been hoping the Battousai killed you."

"I knew it must have been you who set him on me," Tsukayama said almost happily. "It feels so nice to be right." He sighed. "The Battousai could have finished me off, but when I let the news leak out that the Kamiya girl was going to be captured, he left in a hurry. He only knocked me unconscious."

"You captured Kamiya Kaoru?" Soujiro blurted out. Oops. Myojin would probably kill him for that later.

"She's downstairs in a holding cell actually. The dark one plans on using her in his confrontation with the Battousai. He'll probably kill her to get the vampire angry, but I have to admit, I'm not exactly sure. Who are you, human?"

"He's Seta Soujiro, nephew of Makoto Shishio, the hunter," Myojin answered.

Tsukayama shrugged. "I guess he can stay alive then." He gestured and four men came forward to bound Myojin and Sou's hands behind their backs. Sou didn't resist, but he found the whole thing disturbing. It felt like he was getting arrested. Randomly, he wondered what his mother would think if someone took a photo of this moment and mailed it to her. And what would Atsuko think? Soujiro cringed mentally. The wrath of his sister was not something to be trifled with. He frowned when the smart bastards decided to bind his feet loosely. At least they hadn't attached a cannonball to the chains. That might have been too much for Sou to handle.

"Well, we're off," Tsukayama said brightly. "Maybe you and I can have an exhibition match for the dark one while we're waiting for the Battousai, Myojin."

"I'd like that," Sou heard Myojin say from in front as they were led from the library. Insane, that's what he was. Sure he'd saved Sou's life back there in the park, but that didn't change the fact that he was nutty. The Juppongatana leader better have developed some equally crazy plan that seemed like it would never work but actually wound up working out better than Sou could have ever imagined. Yeah. He better have.

What! But Van can't be a double agent!
No one ever said he was.
What else could he have been talking about when he said his real name wasn't Michael Van? And just when he was going to marry Sarah!
It's the season finale. They had to throw in a twist.
But things were so perfect! Sure it was cheesy, but it seemed like everything was going to be alright for once. Sarah's dad and her mom finally know the truth about each other too. It's been sixteen years for them!
I think you're a little to obsessed with this show.
And did Sarah and Van's car have to crash just when he was going to tell her the truth about his past? I bet that was an enemy spy that crashed into them! He ruined their perfect moment of happiness. They were going to elope!
Are you… crying?

Ken had to give the hunters some credit, they'd arrived just when he was beginning to discover his fight with Anji was going to take longer than he preferred. Enishi had jumped in and distracted Anji without a word, giving Ken time to escape towards the door to Juppongatana headquarters. But he hadn't gone in, because of Shishio and Yumi.

"You are not coming with me," Ken stated flatly to both of them. Aoshi waited silently a few feet behind Yumi. Their battle had worn both sides.

"My nephew is inside," Shishio told him. "You're the only one who can get past the dark one's forces. I'm coming with you."

"We can't attack the dark one until we free the samples from my lab," Yumi said forcefully.

Ken decided to deal with Yumi first. "I don't have time to go to a lab," Ken told her, still not exactly sure why she'd defected from the dark one and was begging him to help her.

"I infiltrated this building a few weeks ago and performed the last of my experiments here so the dark one wouldn't discover what I was working on," Yumi explained. "I need your help to get it. My discovery will change the world for vampires, Battousai."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Shurra and I are the ones who brought Kaoru here from your apartment. After I stop by my lab, I'll free her and escort her safely away."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

Yumi smiled. "Let's see if I remember right. She'd just gotten back from a mission with Tsubame Myojin, who we saw drop her off along with two unidentified humans. She came upstairs, changed out of her elaborate dress, and took a shower. She headed to the kitchen for a snack. I confronted her. She was about to attack me with a rolled up magazine when Shurra knocked her unconscious. She's wearing silver cross earrings. She's about twenty. Her voice is light and high, even for a woman. From the stance she adopted when she almost attacked me, she's been exposed to some form of Japanese martial arts. She has straight black hair, waist-length,-"

"I believe that part of your story," Ken acknowledged. It sounded too much like Kaoru to be a lie, especially the part about her trying to attack someone with a rolled up magazine.

"I saw the magazine on the floor," Aoshi confirmed calmly from behind Yumi.

"Fine. Aoshi, go with Yumi. Shishio, I'll let you come on the condition that Enishi works with Misao Shinomori to command your hunters in their infiltration of Juppongatana headquarters."

Shishio glanced at one of his waiting hunter lackeys, who ran off, presumably to give Enishi the orders. "It's done, Battousai."

"Good. Stealth only, Shishio," Ken warned.

He slipped inside first. In contrast to the echoing noise of the parking garage, the building's silence carried a dead aura.

"The dark one is on the top floor, Battousai. Take the stairs on your left." Yumi whispered. She ran lightly down the hallway, tai chi blade drawn. Aoshi followed with his double kodachi. They disappeared around a corner.

Ken turned behind him to Shishio. The hunter's gun was drawn. Ken nodded towards the stairs and started moving.

Hey, that's really cool. Where'd you get it?
One of my contacts. Her parents sent a whole box to her.
Wow. I wonder how they do that.
I know, I've tried to figure it out, but I guess you have to work for the rubber band company to know how they do it.
How long did you have it around those index cards?
Over a year.
Wow. And it still goes back to its animal shape!
This rubber band's a hippo, but she had some giraffes and lions and stuff too.
So cool, man!

Kaoru scrambled to her feet. "Tsubame," she exclaimed incredulously, hurrying over to the woman who stood in the open doorway of her cell. "How'd you know I was here? Did the Juppongatana defeat the dark one's vampires?"

Tsubame shook her head. "I escaped from an attack on the tenth floor. I called the hunters to our aid, but I'm not sure if they've arrived. I was freeing the dark one's prisoners. I didn't expect you to be here. You're the last one."

Kaoru slipped out the door of her cell and into a dimly lit hallway. Tsubame let the door fall shut behind her. The bodies of guards littered the floor, in various states of decomposition.

"My shuriken are coated with a special powder I've developed," Tsubame explained quietly. "It's basic light. An ordinary shuriken won't kill a vampire, but mine will. All Juppongatana weapons are tipped with the substance. Please ignore the bodies, Ms. Kamiya."

Kaoru picked up a dagger from the ground at her feet. "I guess I'll have to fight with this."

"No offense, Ms. Kamiya, but I'd rather extract you from the building. The Battousai would not be pleased if you hung around."

Ha! As if she was going to leave without Kenshin walking right beside her. She had to know he was alive. "He's here, Tsubame," Kaoru said to the other woman. "I'm going to find him. I'm going to be there when he avenges Sano's death. It's too big a moment in his life for me to miss. It's going to change him, and I'm going to be there. Where is he?"

She could see Tsubame thinking it over. The petite woman's gaze drifted from Kaoru's eyes to someone else, someone who wasn't in the dark hallway.

"He'll show up where the dark one is, somewhere on the top floor."

It was all coming to a head too fast for Kaoru. "How do I get up there?"

"Yahiko's up there," Tsubame informed her. "I'm coming with you. Even though the security system is down, the dark one will know we're coming. We my as well take the elevator."

That meant getting captured for sure. Then she'd be used as a pawn for the dark one. Kaoru sighed. There was no way to avoid it then.

Tsubame placed a hand on her shoulder. "We won't be captured. We'll take the freight elevator on the other side of the building. There won't be many guards on that side and the elevator is defensible until we kill the ones in the immediate area. I can get you out Kamiya. Are you sure you want to go up?"

She was sure alright, just scared. Wimping out sounded excellent right about now. But she'd hate herself if she left Ken. She'd never be able to stop feeling ashamed of herself if she did that. But she wasn't a baby and she shouldn't be afraid of a little pain at her age. Twenty! She was supposed to believe she was invincible at twenty, and here she was, letting a bunch of vampires as old as dirt run around and save the world while she hung around in the basement. She was a disgrace, that's what she was. A wuss. How disappointing to live for twenty years and only just now find out. Kaoru sighed again. She was doing a lot of sighing lately.

"Lead the way," she said, hoping she wouldn't trip and stab herself with the dagger. Her mom had always told her not to run around with scissors. Her roommate in college didn't even want her walking around with a toothbrush in her mouth. This was an excellent opportunity to prove to them she wasn't that clumsy.

Tsubame turned and ran lightly down the hallway.

Kaoru gathered herself together and started after the vampire. She sure was fast for her age. Kaoru jumped lightly over a sprawling dead body. No tripping. No tripping allowed.

A/N – I have finally finished my sophomore year at JHU and my GPA is high enough to keep my scholarships. Boo-yah! I plan on finishing Silver Cross this summer. I can see the end now, which is saying a lot. This story is now three hundred something pages, single spaced, in Microsoft Word. I'm just grateful you've read this far.

Aryanne