The Assassin's Curse
Author's Note: Hello! It's me again! - I just wanted to thank all of my faithful reviewers! I love you all! I wasn't even sure I was going to get reviews for my first chapter, but you all proved me wrong! Thank you so much for all of your suggestions, they really helped me write this chapter. Well I hope you enjoy this as much as the first! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I, once again, don't own Rurouni Kenshin. It rightly belongs to the great author Nobuhiro Watsuki.
Into the Dragon's Lair"Now, I want you to lunge for my shoulder, I'm going to try and block it, and then I want you to move your attack to the opposite side," Kaoru instructed as beads of sweat rolled off her brow.
Since she and Yahiko had missed a practice earlier that week she had doubled their training for today. The sun was nearly down and they had been working since noon with Sano coming in to check on them every once in a while. Though Kaoru was perspiring a great deal from practice, she wasn't nearly as bad as Yahiko who's clothes were stained and soiled by his body's own reaction to the workout. His tongue was partially dangling from his mouth and his stance was weakened due to exhaustion though he still maintained that undying fury in his eyes. Yahiko was still building his endurance, but he wouldn't give up that easily, it wasn't in his character.
As Kaoru had commanded him to do he lunged in one swift motion for her right shoulder. When he saw her movement to block he swung his blade to the left and nearly hit when he felt something solid connect with his abdomen. The unexpected attack combined with his weariness caused him to collapse to the floor. Kaoru ambled over to her bruised apprentice, made sure her attack hadn't damaged him to much, then she knelt down to help him to his feet.
"You almost had it perfect that time. Your offense was precise. But when you move your attack you have got to remember to keep your weapon low so to keep yourself protected from counterattacks like that," she advised referring to her charge.
Yahiko, having the air knocked out of him, could do nothing but nod his acknowledgment to her, showing he understood.
"But, overall that was much better than when you first tried that. We'll continue on that next practice. Assuming, of course, you won't skip," she winked, knowing after this session he wouldn't dare skip without asking to again.
He just glared his response to her, the fire still in his stubborn eyes, and he muttered, "You really are evil to me."
"It's only 'cause I love you so much, Yahiko-chan," she emphasized the 'chan' just to push his buttons.
"Hey, you two almost done out there? Sun's goin' down," Sano reminded from his spot by the wall.
"Hai, we just finished in here. Yahiko, we'll practice again tomorrow so we can perfect that attack," Kaoru turned to her trainee and he took that as her signal for him to go to bed.
"Fine," he grunted and wearily walked out of the training hall not bothering to slide the shoji shut.
"Hey, Jou-chan, I'm going to bed, too," Sano added as he also stalked out of the practice area.
Kaoru now left alone in the hall scanned the empty room with her tired gaze. She walked toward the opening, stepped out and slid the shoji shut. When she turned around to move toward the living section of the dojo she halted herself. She found herself inspecting the foliage she had come to face with when she turned. She had a sudden uncanny sense that she was being watched. She hadn't detected it before, but now she could feel an eerie gaze lurking upon her slumped form. Although her mind told her otherwise, her heart and feet would not listen.
Kaoru took a cautious step forward toward the dense trees and bushes that bordered the perimeter. Gradually her unsure steps quickened till she was halted at the edge of the brush. She stretched her arm out and reached with her fingers when a gentle breeze picked up and woke her from her trance. She shook her head and blinked her starlit eyes a few times and her mind regained control over her body. She remembered what she was doing originally as she stepped back and ushered her feet to carry her back to her house.
She went over to the bath in her house finding water in it which she assumed Sano put there for her. Though warm when it was first put in it was now chilled from sitting there awhile. Kaoru didn't mind, nor did she have the strength or patience to go heat it up again. She shed her soiled clothing and slipped into the cool water as she cleared her mind of any and all previous thoughts.
The amber-eyed boy hidden in the bushes heaved a noiseless sigh of ease as he eyed the girl's retreating figure. Though he was an assassin feared by all men and was used to lurking in shadows at night, he was not used to being caught. And he had almost been caught just now, and by a mere woman of all things. He wasn't sure how she could've detected his presence from within the dense foliage, but she had. To calm his mind he assumed it was just by curious instinct.
Battousai had been looming in the shadows of the trees for some time now. Watching and studying his target to be sure she was the correct girl. While watching his mind hadn't consciously registered it but his subconscious did. The girl was surprisingly beautiful, with ebony hair darker than any night he'd witnessed and stunning sapphire eyes. And he knew that underneath her attire were well-toned muscles from years of training in sword arts. Had his conscious mind noticed this he probably would have run himself through with his short sword on the spot. Battousai did not allow that kind of attraction, nor any emotion at all for that matter, into his life.
But right now he had a mission to complete and the time to fulfill it was nearly at hand.
When Kaoru was done bathing she just put on a fresh gi and a clean pair of hakamas. She couldn't find her sleeping yukata and assumed it needed to be washed. She was really lagging behind on the laundry she thought to herself as she walked out of her room and down the hall to check on Sano and Yahiko. And to her benefit she found them both in a deep slumber. She smiled shyly to herself at the thought. Who would've ever imagined this would have become her family.
She silently tip-toed back to her own room and pulled the shoji opened. She laid down in her comfortable and desired futon and pulled the soft, gentle blanket over her form and fell into a fitful sleep.
What was probably in actual hour and a half seemed like minutes to Kaoru as she abruptly woke up thrashing at the covers with sweat dripping down her face, eyes wide with terror. She couldn't recall what she had dreamt and, by surveying her trashed surroundings, she wasn't sure she wanted to. Her blankets appeared to have been violently thrown off her and were now mutilated and in a heap by the corner. Her clothes were tightly twisted around her body, her hair was sprawled all over her face and pillow. It looked as though a battle had been raged here in her room.
Her ragged breathing began to steadily slow as she gathered her bearings. She figured it would be best if she go outside to calm her nerves with the fresh air. She hastily pulled her hair into her traditional ponytail and tied it with an elastic.
She crept out of her room and then made her way to the porch, still dressed in a day's attire. She stood on there silently, the cool breeze brushing through her raven hair as it slightly rumpled her clothes. It was chilly, but it felt comforting on her sweating skin.
She hugged her arms to her chest and breathed in the night air.
"Hmmm…"she hummed peacefully standing there.
Then she felt it. She'd forgotten about it up till now. Another presence, she felt it creeping closer. She prayed dearly that it was just an animal. Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes now open and alert she snaked around the corner of the porch and into the shadows. She moved along the wall till she reached the foliage where she'd previously felt the presence. She couldn't sense ki, but sometimes it did seem like she had a sixth sense.
Kaoru inched closer to the edge of the woods, and then she halted abruptly only to come face to face with piercing amber orbs, glowing in the light of the moon.
Battousai eyed her wary steps as she approached his hiding place and he figure it as good a time as any to make his move. In one swift motion he appeared before her as he bore deep into her stunned eyes.
He twisted his arm under her shoulder and then over her mouth to stifle her screams. She wriggled violently in his grasp. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a folded cloth with he knew would knock her unconscious. Katsura had told him to force her to breath in the odorless fumes and she would sleep.
And so, with his free arm he brought the cloth up to her nose.
As soon as her vision captured the sight of the white cloth, she knew what he was planning to do. 'He doesn't intend to kill me, he's trying to kidnap me!' She thought frantically of a way to get herself out of this tangle. She wouldn't let herself go down that easily.
Kaoru kicked out her leg and managed to catch him off guard and knock the man to his feet. She didn't even think of turning around to see if the man was down for good. She followed her instincts and she scrambled to her feet and just ran. But, before she knew what happened she was once again in the grip of her assailant.
Battousai was enraged, that girl had managed to catch him by surprise, something that rarely happened. Faster than the eye could see he was to his feet chasing after her. And in less than a moment she once again was a captive.
He wasted no time in administering the poison. He once again raised his hand to her nose and held the cloth there as she struggled to overcome her attacker. She wrestled there for a few moments longer, but gradually the poison took effect and her violent thrashing came to a stop as she fell limply into his arms.
Now all he had to do was get back to headquarters before dawn with the girl intact. He hauled her away from the dojo, away from her home, to a carriage waiting for them on the outskirts of the city. If he were anyone else he would not have been able to make it that far with another person in the dead of night. But, he was Battousai, so he was capable of such tasks. They reached the carriage where a driver already awaited there with the door ajar. Battousai dragged her into the carriage and set her on the seat across from where he sat down.
With them inside the driver clicked the door shut and then rode off, away from anything Kaoru had ever known.
Hours went by and Kaoru's eyelids began to lift open slowly and bring her back to conciousness. The first thing she noticed was the darkness which still lingered telling her she hadn't been out so long that days had past. The second thing that registered in her mind was that she didn't know where the hell she was. She began to panic and then the previous events of night came flooding back into her head. And slowly her nerves began to calm until they were back to normal, or at least as normal as they can be in situations like these.
When her eyes were nearly fully adapted to the shadows she noticed the man sitting across from her, her kidnapper, his katana resting across his shoulder. The only thing that she caught sight of earlier that night were his eyes, his golden, glowing eyes. So she had no idea what he looked like, except that he was a man, though feminine in appearence at first. And now in the darkness of night and shrouded by the shadows in the carriage she couldn't see him much better. It appeared he had long hair, though she wasn't sure what color, and he was a small man, which was deceiving to her. An opponent would try to take advantage of that, and from what she witnessed and felt that evening, he was much stronger than he first appeared. 'Just goes to show first impressions aren't always true.' Kaoru snorted at the thought.
As she studied him she noted he appeared to be sleeping. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even. Kaoru stretched out her hand and sealed the gap between them as she brushed a strand of his hair away from his face. As soon as her fingers made contact she felt a strong grip on her wrist and forcefully pushing her hand back to her.
"What were you doing?" Her kidnapper hissed, breaking the silence of the night.
"Uh-um," Kaoru stuttered.
"Well?" He demanded.
"Um, I don't know," Kaoru withdrew, embarrassed and taken aback.
"Well, don't do it again," he commanded.
"And who are you to instruct me what to do? You kidnapped me!" She barked back, feeling the fire rise up in her.
"And that gives me every reason to command you," he countered, his mind gawking at her idiocy in the situation.
"And if I don't listen?" Kaoru shot back, stubbornness engraved in her eyes.
"Then you will be forced to," he smirked in the darkness at her obstinance.
"Yeah right," she grumbled under her breath. He pretended not to here her.
There was an uncomfortable stillness between them. This time it was Kaoru's turn to break it.
"Who are you?" Kaoru inquired.
Battousai had expected this question, but he didn't expect it so soon, so his face gave an expression of mild surprise. But, he decided he'd better answer her question now or she'd probably continue asking, "Battousai."
At Kaoru's sudden intake of breath he assumed his answer caught her a bit unprepared.
"Ba-Battousai," she whispered, just barely audible. She'd heard of the rumors of him before, and it stunned her. Though she wasn't scared, or at least not too scared.
Battousai was used to hearing these kinds of reactions by now, from comrades or rumors. And so he asked her, "Are you scared?"
"No," came her plain, blunt reply, no fear evident in her voice.
'No?' That actually shocked him to some extent. His entire life he knew his name to strike fear into people's hearts. But not this girl, no, this girl was different than the rest.
"So I ask again: What's your name? Battousai is a warrior name if I'm not mistaken," Kaoru repeated more confidently than she felt. He frightened her to a point, but she wouldn't let him know that.
"That's not important," he responded, his voice not once changing its pitch or tone.
"Alright then, if you won't answer that then at least tell me why I'm here. Tell me why you kidnapped me," she demanded irritably.
This was more the type of question he expected her to ask and so he was prepared, "You'll find out soon enough. So don't pry."
"I've just been abducted and you expect me not to pry about why that is," Kaoru stated rather than asking, gawking at his stupidity in the situation. After all what kind of captive wouldn't want to know why they were stolen from their home.
"Like I said, you'll find out soon enough," Battousai sat, gazing into the distance.
"Okay fine, then tell me who hired you," she directed.
"You'll meet him in due time," he answered once again.
"Ugh! Are you just going to keep dodging all of my questions with you indifferent answer!" Kaoru asked huffily.
He couldn't help but smirk in the darkness at her impatience with him, of all people.
"No," came his simple reply.
"You're impossible," she murmured to herself.
And with that as last words the rest of the flight was spent in utter silence.
'That was so weird,' Kaoru's mind wandered. 'That could've almost been a normal conversation, despite the fact that it was with my kidnapper. Why do I feel so unafraid around him? And he's Battousai!' As though she just realized what she'd done her mouth made the motion of a silent gasp. 'Battousai! I just argued with Battousai! I might as well just seal my death contract!' She thought sarcastically. She knew this wasn't right she knew that she should try to escape or something but it just didn't feel right and she didn't know why.
From behind the curtain cover of carriage window that shielded them from the outside world Kaoru noted that light began to pour over the horizon. The curtains, however, still kept the carriage dark. Though Kaoru knew it was dawn, the sun was rising. Then abruptly, the carriage came to a halt.
Suddenly, everything seemed to slow, almost as if time had stopped. She could hear the incredible pounding of her heart in her chest. The driver's footsteps as he strode over to the carriage door echoed in her eardrums. She could feel her breathing become raspy. The sounds of the door opening drummed against her soul. Sunlight spilt through the doorway illuminating the dim carriage and blinding Kaoru in the process. She was more petrified now than she had ever been in her life before. For beyond the light awaited her fate.
To be continued…
Well, I really hoped you liked that! I know it probably wasn't as good as the first chapter, but hey I had to get her kidnapped sooner or later. And I promise the next chapters will be better. Once again I'd like to thank all of my reviewers(you guys were my first ever):
Kean: Thank you so much for the suggestion, I couldn't remember how to spell 'no' in Japanese, so thank you so much for pointing that out! - You're awesome!
Bradybunch4529: I feel loved! You're review was so great and I'm so glad you like the story, I'm sorry this chapter didn't have many twists. But I promise there will be some in chapters to come. You're too good to me! - Thank you so much!
gabyhyatt: I'm so happy you took the time to review my story, not many people do that anymore, thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I dearly pray you will enjoy the next! - You're great!
Onyx Dawn: I love you! (in a sister/best friend sort of way) Thank you so much for your suggestions, all of them. Every author can use some constructive criticism. I tried to use fewer commas when they're not needed, I hoped you noticed! And I apologize for the cliché, but sometimes it can't be helped! - You are so faithful, thank you!
To all my reviewers, you guys are so wonderful to me. And I will try my best to keep you satisfied! - Well, until next time! Buh-bye!
P.S. I know I've asked this before but...if there is anyone out there who's read the Harry Potter books and likes them I suggest you read a fic by my friend Onyx Dawn titled Guilty as the Arctic Winds. It is really good but no one is reading it so I hope maybe some of you who read this will also read hers! Arigatou! -
Once again, Buh-bye! - -