DISCLAIMER: I do not own nor will I ever own Rurouni Kenshin. I am making no profit from this and I will remove this if requested to do so for any legitimate reason.
WARNING: This story is rated R for violence, so if you do not like graphic depictions of people dying I suggest you find something else to read.
Author's Notes: Late, very late… wait that sounds familiar. Anyway, yes this is late but I have been very busy and have barely written anything. That's no excuse however, since I have had this chapter finished for a while, I have just been too busy to finish it. Another reason is that I don't think this chapter is as good as it could have been but it's come to a time where I just need to move on. I also have a couple of more chapters on my hard drive and I'll try and get them out before the 22nd.
Why the 22nd? I'll be leaving for Japan on that day. Unfortunately, it will probably also mean a further slow down in my work. I want to finish this story, so you'll have to be patient because I don't know how much time I'll be able to put into writing. You can probably guess by what I'm saying that I'm not just going for a holiday but nothing is certain at the moment.
Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and hopefully they'll keep coming. I was going to say something about the next chapter but by the end I guess you'll know what's coming. Till next chapter then.
The Last Battle of the Bakumatsu
Chapter 22
"It is of no concern to us, as you suspected. We should leave," Aoshi's cool voice interrupted the silence.
Saito didn't respond immediately. They had been out following their own leads and had met nearby to see if there was anything else they could follow up. That had been when they heard the first disturbance and Aoshi had decided to investigate. He had followed only because he had nothing better to do. When Misao had burst out of the bar and clinically taken out three men, Saito had seen Aoshi waver in what to do. When he had acted she had glared at him with intensity that was unnatural for the Weasel girl.
The former Shinsengumi captain had figured out what was going on. He had been keeping tabs on Sano and he knew about the training sessions in the field by the river. Also, she wasn't a person who would initiate such an attack. She had to be following orders from Sano. That was the problem for him at the moment. He hadn't decided whether or not he could use Sano in his plans but the more information he gathered, the more he would be useful. He started to follow after Misao but Aoshi didn't move.
"She said it was none of our concern," Aoshi reiterated but Saito continued to move, tossing away his cigarette butt.
"I never said I was concerned, only interested." He didn't hesitate any further and turned the corner to follow after Misao. Aoshi decided to follow him. He was also interested and if needed he would protect her, despite her desire to distance herself from the Oniwabanshu and himself.
The pair walked the maze of streets and alleyways that made up the harbour area of Tokyo. They were travelling at a steady walking pace and had no chance of catching up with her. In fact they had little chance of finding her. Aoshi had to wonder if Saito knew where they were going. They were walking with no apparent direction or destination but the ninja started to notice that he was homing in on something. The police inspector soon came to a stop after turning a corner. He remained in the shadows as they both stared out into the open area that lay before them.
On the right was a row of buildings and warehouses that went from their location to the end of the wharf. Opposite the buildings was the edge of the wharf, where several wooden boats had been pulled from the water for repairs. At the far end of the dock was a foreign looking boat where a large group of men were gathered. They had unloaded several boxes and at the present moment a woman appeared to be discussing business with a suited man. The rest of the men were mulling around away from them. Some of them were guarding the alleyway entrances while others just seemed to be relaxing. The suited man pulled out a rifle from one of the boxes and examined it. The women then appeared to be instructing the man how to use it.
"There's two riflemen on the roof and several of the others also appear to have pistols. Shouldn't you intervene?" Aoshi glanced at Saito to see him smirking as he pulled out another cigarette. He struck his match and brought it up to the cigarette in his mouth. A gentle breeze carried the cries of consternation from some of the men guarding an alley. The breeze then intensified, blowing out the match as a loud guttural roar echoed through the wharf.
The two men watched as a cloud of dust and destruction travelled right across the wharf from one of the alleyways destroying several of the wooden boats. As the dust started to rise a shadow of a tall man could be seen. Some of the men who attempted to approach the shadow fell back in fear as he swung his huge zanbatou around. It tore up the concreted wharf and threw debris at the men who had dared to approach him. The swing also cleared the dust that obscured Sano from view. His appearance caused quite a stir among those who were familiar with his last attack on them a few years earlier. However most of the panic seemed to be about the zanbatou that was now resting on his shoulders.
"Very interesting," Saito murmured as he lit another match and successfully ignited his cigarette.
"He obviously doesn't know about the men on the roof," Aoshi whispered, a hint of distaste putting a sharp edge on his words.
"The Weasel is not one to act on her own." Saito smirked, an act missed by Aoshi who was looking for the riflemen on the roof. He stared at the last place he saw them but they were nowhere to be seen. As he looked harder, he was able to make out Misao's slim silhouette in the shadows before she disappeared to the opposite side of the roof. "This just might prove to be entertaining," Saito muttered around his cigarette. Aoshi chose not to comment.
Sano brazenly stood in the open in front of about thirty men. He counted ten with the red armbands that marked out the gun carriers. A couple more were unconscious along with half a dozen more that had been caught in his attack. He could also see a few more edging toward the guns that had been for sale a moment ago. The men had gone from shock and horror to anger but those who knew ex-gangster were still looking for an escape. The suited man was also looking for an escape while his bodyguards made sure he was well protected. Sano only cast momentary glances over them instead focusing on the woman in charge.
Sia Chiu wore finely tailored men's clothes under an elegant silk robe. The robe let her maintain some feminine style while hiding four pistols around her waist. Sano had told Misao all about how she adored her beauty and overrated her skills. He told her that the easiest way to win would be aim for her face and anger her. She was known for a short temper and it meant she would act rashly.
She was watching him now, displaying a charming smile as she acted like she was in complete control. She stepped forward a few paces but made sure that he couldn't get to her easily. "Well if it isn't Sagara Sanosuke," she spoke fluent Japanese but his only reply was a short nod of his head. Her eyebrow twitched, she hated to be ignored or dismissed. "If I recall I said that I'd kill you the next time I saw you," her attempt at a menacing voice did little to intimidate him.
"I seem to remember you saying that no one lives after insulting you. I'm still alive and you're still a stupid, old whore." He smirked as she tried to contain her anger and stop her face showing her rage. "If you keep looking at me like that, you'll get wrinkles." There was also a small cry of dismay from her men since they held her in high regard. Her enemies tended to die from her preferred method of execution, slow acting poisons. She also had a habit of taunting her victim in front of her men as they slowly died.
"How dare you," she vehemently screamed but Sano started to snicker.
"You know, you're about as scary as a worn boot but I doubt the boot has seen as much action as you have." Sano chuckled as she became flustered. She seemed at a loss as to what to do but she started to worry as he became serious. "Well now that your men on the roof are down and you can't get to your boat, it's time to get to business." Sano slammed the zanbatou's handle into the ground, crumbling the concrete. There were several loud, panicked cries as some of the men realised that the boat had been cut loose and was drifting out into the harbour. A couple of the men ran to the edge of the dock and jumped in to swim after the ship.
"I would suggest you start swimming but you don't know how, do you?" His taunting remark was the last straw for her as her face twisted with rage.
"Will someone shoot him NOW!" Her screeching voice snapped the men's attention back to him. He calmly waited for them to make the first move. He knew in a straight out fistfight he was more than a match for them but he was still wary of the ten possible guns that still posed a risk. The men with the red armbands were spacing themselves so that they were evenly spread. The remaining men surrounded him as he continued to look unconcerned with their actions.
He noticed Sia Chiu say something to one of her men and he then headed for the crates sitting on the edge of the wharf. The street fighter wasn't worried since he seemed to be the only one who had noticed the shadowy figure hiding behind the crates. Deciding not to wait any longer, he tossed the zanbatou straight up in the air with effortless ease. The distraction of the sword going up was just the opportunity he wanted.
He dashed into the crowd of men and grabbed the nearest gunman by the throat and throwing him into another with enough force to take both of them into the water. He continued to attack, ducking and weaving through the men to use them as shields until he could get a hold of one of the gunmen.
Watching on, Sia Chiu finally got frustrated enough to turn and fetch a rifle. She had forgotten that she had already sent a man to do it for her and he was no longer in sight. She reached to grab a rifle from inside the crate but the lid was slammed shut by a sandaled foot. She looked up just in time to avoid the incoming fist that had been aimed at her face. She span away from the attack, removing the silken robe to reveal the gun belt with four guns tucked into it. She hesitated as she noticed a red tint to the glimmering sword in her attacker's hand.
A few men who had seen her attack their leader quickly confronted Misao. She smirked at they as they charged at her without thinking and she readied herself to finish them quickly. She ducked under the first man's club, slashing diagonally across his chest with her sword before sweeping his legs with a swift kick. Continuing the spin of her kick, she stabbed the kodachi into the second man's thigh before kicking him in the chest. The man fell back screaming and she forcefully stomped on his chest so she could pull her kodachi from his leg. A deadly glare gave the other men thinking of attacking her second thoughts.
She then turned and walked towards Sia Chiu. She watched her with a triumphant smile, her guns were trained on the Japanese woman as she slowly walked in her direction. She still couldn't remove the image of the bloodied blade from her mind. She replayed Misao's first attack, the left fist coming at her face followed by the cool breeze across her skin. For a reason she didn't understand the cooling wind felt different until she realised that the sword had been in her left hand. In a panic, she wiped the back of one hand across her cheek and felt the stinging sensation of a fresh wound.
"You little bitch," she stammered as she stared at the blood on her hand. Misao took the opportunity to attack, skilfully sheathing her sword and rushing her. She grasped both her wrists and pulled, adding extra force to the kick to her chest. Sia Chiu gagged as she slid backwards but she didn't fall. With a deranged smile on her face she raised her guns and prepared to fire.
"Time for you to die, Sanosuke's little whore." She pulled the triggers, not noticing the two knives that had been wedged into the barrels. She let out a high-pitched squeal as they both exploded in her hands. Her scorched fingers twitched as they burned with intense pain. Misao hesitated but then three shots rang out. She looked back to see Sano holding a smoking gun and three gunmen collapsing with non-fatal bullet wounds.
"Remember Weasel… NO MERCY!" Sano's roar made his remaining opponents turn white with fear. She then heard a gun being cocked and turned to see Sia Chiu trying to raise one of her blackened hands to fire.
Misao's face hardened with a look of disgust as she took a few steps and then spun. Her heel split the wound on Sia Chiu's cheek open further. She then swung her leg back, hitting her on the opposite side of the face. As the woman stumbled back, she was forced to side step and then kicked her in the throat. As the Chinese woman's head snapped up, she looked at the cloudy sky above. Through the ringing in her ears and the alarmed cries of her men, she heard Misao whisper two words.
"Kaiten-Kenbu," Sia Chiu then felt her stomach burn as Misao's kodachi was raked across it. She blurred as she executed the three spins of the Kaiten-Kenbu before she added a forth spin that lashed out with a powerful kick. She landed softly, staring at Sia Chiu's prone body. She stood there until the only sound she could hear was that of her own ragged breaths.
"I didn't mean to," Sano heard her whisper as he stood over Sia Chiu's body.
"You didn't," he reassured her as he kicked the body over.
"But I…"
"You may have used a finishing move but it wasn't executed properly. First you spun fast but not quite fast enough and second you jumped away when you spun, rather than straight up. In the end you only scored one decent hit, one mild hit and one that would probably count as a miss. Although the kick looked pretty spectacular," she stared blankly at him after his short analysis.
"You were watching me?" she asked in disbelief.
"It's not like they were much of a challenge," he gestured to the scattered piles of groaning bodies that lay around the wharf.
"So I guess that's it then," she stated, still in a mild state of shock.
"Yep, so did you like being feared or did they just laugh in your face?" He chuckled as she stuck her tongue out at him.
"They feared me all right but I don't know if that's how I want to fight."
He nodded as he picked up the zanbatou from where it had fallen. "Guess it would be a good idea to disappear before the police show up."
"It's too late for that idiot," Saito's cold voice momentarily froze them in place. He walked out of a side alley, dragging the suited man behind him.
"Got yourself a souvenir," Sano dryly commented, tensing up with the chance of another fight.
"I just cleaned up the mess that you missed moron." Saito dropped the man, preferring to light another cigarette.
"I was only told to take out the Chinese, he's Japanese and your problem. See you round, you too Shinomori." Sano strode off not paying them any further attention. Misao hesitated not knowing that Aoshi had been hiding in the shadows of the alley. She quickly followed after Sano as he disappeared down a side street.
"He may prove more useful than I anticipated." Saito muttered to himself as Aoshi stepped from the shadows.
"So what's the reason behind the whole, 'Show no mercy and act all evil.' I mean is it really important?" Misao had waited until they were clear of the massing police before asking her question.
"Don't act so naïve," Sano unenthusiastically chided as she walked with the heavy zanbatou over his shoulders.
"I was being serious," she mumbled, feeling a little irritated by his reluctance to answer.
There were a few moments of silence as they strode through the deserted streets. "Did you ever see Kenshin's Battousai stare?"
"You mean that scary look were his eyes turn yellow and they become really narrow." She looked up to see him nod. "Yeah, I saw that when he fought Cho, it was terrifying. So what's your point?"
A thoughtful look on his face as he began to answer. "My point is that when fighting against top class fighters like Saito, Aoshi and Kenshin, a look like that doesn't do anything except hide your emotions. When you fight against weaker opponents, they get intimidated. It then makes it easier to read their moves and they make mistakes because they think they're going to loose."
"But do I have to act like that in every fight?" Much to her annoyance, he started to chuckle.
"It's all about finding your own style, something that suits you. I mean both Aoshi and Saito have that cold dispassionate face that never changes, even when it looks like they're losing. Then there's Kenshin who has that intense, fiery stare that just scares the hell out of people. Either way it's up to you to find the style that best suits the way you want to fight."
She absorbed his words and quietly pondered them as she slowly came to a standstill. She remembered all the fights that she had witnessed, especially the battle on Enishi's island. It had been the first time she had witnessed Sano fight. It had also been the first time she had seen Aoshi fight a strong opponent. "Spirit," she unknowingly whispered as she considered a common theme that made each of them strong.
"Old man Yang used to say, 'A determined mind and a strong heart will guarantee a warrior a powerful spirit.'" He looked back over his shoulder at her.
"That sounds way too philosophical for you."
"You obviously didn't hear that I said that it was old man Yang's saying." He grunted, continuing on home without waiting for her.
"Wait, what does it mean?" She hurriedly caught up to him as he strode away.
He didn't reply straight away, frustrating her by remaining silent. "It means that you don't think you are strong, you know you are. Whenever you fight, you never accept that you are going to lose and you never back down until your body just can't go on. Even if you do get beaten, you just get back up and make yourself stronger. The strength of your spirit is determined by your belief in yourself. To have strong beliefs you need to know in both your heart and mind that you are strong."
"You make it sound so simple." She despondently mumbled, feeling her own task a little greater than she expected. She suddenly found herself lifted off the ground and face to face with him. His dark brown eyes burned into her with a furious intensity that made her mouth dry out.
"If you're going to think like that, then you're wasting both our time." His quiet voice was like the dangerous growl of a wild dog.
She was frightened at first but she quickly understood what he meant and how it linked with everything he had been saying all night. Her features hardened and her eyes darkened to reflect the intense glare that had appeared earlier that evening. "If you think I don't believe I will do this, then maybe it's you who's wasting my time." Her reply matched his quiet but deadly tone.
They continued to stare at each other for several minutes before he started grinning. She copied him as he placed her on the ground and they both started laughing. "It's in your best interests to hide your emotions when you're fighting, just don't do it all the time. If you start acting as cold as Aoshi, I'll have to knock that look right off your face." He chuckled as she deliberately punched the arm she had injured that morning.
"And if you start acting as dark and dangerous as Zanza all the time, I'll…"
"You'll do what?"
"I'll tie you to a chair and force feed you Kaoru's miso soup until you repent your evil ways." She smiled triumphantly as his face became one of disgust.
"You know that'll probably kill me?" They made the last turn and his gate came into view.
"Then I would've freed the world from the wrath of a dangerous gangster," she proudly stated.
"Good to see your showing no mercy," he jokingly responded as he allowed her to enter first.
"Well its time for you to beg for mercy," her voice had dropped to a whisper.
He didn't understand what she had meant until he walked through the gate. At first he had only looked at her but she had directed his attention to the porch. Leaning up against one of the posts was Megumi. She had obviously fallen asleep waiting for him. Lying next to her, with his head in her lap, was Outa. To his side was his shinai that he had been clutching until he had fallen asleep.
"Oh boy," Sano sighed dejectedly. He knew he was going to have to wake her up, explain himself and apologise. Right now however, he just wanted to crawl into a futon and sleep.