MadiSano: Another long chapter, Beloved. Kudos to the idiot behind the keyboard, ne?
CHICKEN LITTLE (continued)
"Sanosuke!" Megumi yelped, but by then, the fighter had gone. Pausing, Megumi looked about, finding that Snuggles-san was, again, missing. "Snuggles?" Megumi called, turning three-sixty. "Snuggles-san, where are you?"
And then she heard Sanosuke scream.
At the Kamiya Dojo…
Everything was dark, and silent in the spacecraft.
"K-Kenshin…?"
"Hai, Miss Kaoru, this unworthy one is here."
"It's very dark."
"Yes, it is."
"………Do you see a lamp or anything we could use to light up the room?"
"No, Miss Kaoru. It's too dark for this one to see."
"Oh, yeah…"
Kaoru was, obviously, quite frightened. She couldn't see anything, smell anything; the only comforting thing about was that she was again holding onto Kenshin's sleeve. Suddenly, the cloth shifted in-between her fingers, and Kenshin began to stand up.
Kaoru followed him quickly, afraid to lose the rurouni in the dark. "Where are we going now?"
"Sessha is going to look for some sort of light."
Kaoru nodded, though Kenshin couldn't see her do so in the dark. Ohh, Kenshin, please hurry… she begged silently, squeezing her eyes shut as she listened to Kenshin rummaging about for a light.
Suddenly, the craft came to life. Lights flickered on everyplace, revealing metallic walls and floors, dotted with solid rivers of green, red, and blue light. Buttons and tubes covered the walls, giving the whole room a very professional and scientific look; a design that neither Kenshin nor Kaoru had ever dreamt of.
"Oh, Kenshin…" Kaoru mumbled, looking about in awe.
Kenshin nodded in agreement to her amazement, uttering a soft, "Oro…"
After a moment more, Kenshin took Kaoru's hand and led her to the back of the room, inspecting a circular indent in the wall that seemed to be some sort of door. Oblivious to Kaoru's blushing, Kenshin attempted to pry apart the door, only to fail miserably.
"Stand back, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin requested, releasing Kaoru's hand. The dojo master stepped to the side as Kenshin drew his reversed blade; in a flash making a powerful strike vertically down the door.
There was a pause, as Kenshin waited for his attack to make effect, but nothing happened. Kaoru and Kenshin exchanged shocked and confused looks, and Kenshin inspected the area thoroughly of where he had struck. Not a mark was made.
"Not even a dent…" Kenshin mumbled in mystification.
"What do we do now?" Kaoru asked softly.
Kenshin scuffled his feet around a bit, trying to see if any of the floor tiles gave in. Or something. Kaoru wasn't really sure of what he was trying to do.
Suddenly, Kenshin's feet slipped and he banged his head on the metallic wall, crying out—you guessed it—"ORO!"
It just so happened Kenshin's slip-and-fall led him to press a certain button next to the door he was trying so vigorously to open. His forehead made direct contact with that large, should-have-been obvious button, causing the door to open.
While Kenshin lie unconscious, Kaoru peeked into the spacecraft's center curiously. She found that the room and halls were very much like the one she and Kenshin were in now, although the new room contained some new things, too.
A map of a bunch of stars and smaller stars (Kaoru had no idea there were, indeed, so many planets in that exact order, so to her it seemed like some sort of pretty design) covered the front wall, and sky-bound windows opened up to the true sky above.
"This is crazy," Kaoru mumbled, taking a few steps into the large room. She jumped in fright when the door shut right behind her.
Screaming, Kaoru turned around and launched herself at the firmly closed gate. "K-KENSHIN!" she cried, hoping for assistance.
The rurouni awoke to his lady's call, guessing what had happened and quickly standing. He pressed the correct button, causing the door to open with a whooshing noise. Kaoru, unprepared for the sudden release, fell forwards into Kenshin's chest.
"Oof—!" Blushing, Kaoru reeled backwards, muttering apologies.
"Gomen nasai for scaring you, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin chirped, oblivious as usual to Kaoru's scarlet cheeks.
Wandering about the newly discovered room, Kenshin inspected the odd creatures captured in jars on the wall, finding one to be empty. Kaoru kept close to the wanderer, afraid to be separated again.
"I think we should go back and warn Megumi-san and Sanosuke about this," Kaoru voiced, hoping Kenshin would actually hear her say, 'Kenshin, I hate this place and I want to go home. Take me home or I'll clobber you so violently there'll be two and a half of you when I'm done.'
Of course, Kenshin heard nothing of this except for what was orally spoken. "We'll be fine, Miss Kaoru…Sano and Megumi-dono also. What's the worst that could happen?"
Kaoru completely lost it at this point, seizing Kenshin's collar and shaking him angrily. "STOP IT! STOP IT! YOU CAN'T BE KENSHIN, YOU IMPOSTER! KENSHIN WOULD NEVER MAKE ME GO THROUGH THIS ANXIETY WITH SUCH A CAREFREE ATTITUDE! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH KENSHIN!"
"Ororororooooo…" Kenshin replied, spinney-eyed again. "M-Miss Kaoru, Sessha is Kenshin, de gozaru…"
Kaoru slammed the dizzy rurouni into a nearby wall, hissing, "Prove it."
"Oro…" thinking back, Kenshin asked, "Does Kaoru-dono remember the time that this one accidentally walked in on her taking a bath?"
Flushing instantly, Kaoru released Kenshin, mumbling, "I thought you'd forgotten about that."
Kenshin would have said, 'That would be difficult, de gozaru yo,' but he decided that would be a wrong move and he'd have to suffer Kaoru's rock-solid fist. Instead, he replied, "This unworthy one thinks it may be time to move on, de gozaru."
Nodding silently, Kaoru once more tailed Kenshin about the room while the rurouni investigated the odd contraptions of the ship.
At the Oguni Clinic…
A deafening noise was heard, and Megumi was thrown of her feet to the floor. The earth shook, and Megumi curled up into a defensive position, crying out in terror. Loud crashes and the screaming of wind invaded Megumi's ears, and she clapped her hands over them to lessen the sound. It barely worked, and it seemed like seconds but also an entire hour before the chaos had ended.
Megumi lie in terror, undamaged but scared like she had never been before.
"Sanosuke…" Megumi whispered, frightened. She wasn't sure what to do. Megumi was all alone, by herself, terrified and unsure of what had happened. Megumi had never wanted someone's company before so much in her entire life. Technically Sanosuke.
Megumi lie frozen, unsure of whether to pursue her patient or run for help. Surely, one of the neighbors would notice this and come! But utter silence filled the office and nothing came from outside.
Ohh, I HATE HIM! thought Megumi untruthfully, crawling to her feet. She sprinted off shakily in the direction that she had seen Sanosuke take off, looking for him desperately. Stupid man…always getting himself into trouble! Why couldn't Sir Ken be the brainless gangster and Sanosuke be the warmhearted wanderer?
That thought brought disturbing images of Sanosuke with long red hair, and x-shaped scar, and a reversed blade sword—wearing a pink gi and a white hakama. Accompanying that came Kenshin in a white aku-emblazoned jacket, pastel pants, bare-chested with his stomach wrapped in bandages. A red bandanna encircled Kenshin's forehead.
Megumi almost keeled over in horror, promising herself never to think like that again. "Sanosuke!" she called, running to the other side of the clinic, stopping dead in her tracks.
The whole back section of the Oguni Clinic had been destroyed. Not a trace was left; the edges of the remaining wall were blackened and rugged like some giant rodent had nibbled them away. The buildings and trees behind her office had been crushed and charred, and hunks of metal, wood, and earth lie about like bodies in a battlefield.
"Ohh, Kami-sama," Megumi gasped, unsure of what to do.
What scared Megumi greatly was what she found amid the rubble and charred blocks of wood.
Megumi gingerly picked up a bloodstained bandanna, trembling in fear of the possible explanations whirling through her mind. It looked exactly like her Rooster's headband, it felt like her Rooster's headband, and—sure enough, Megumi realized after double-checking—it even smelled like her Rooster's headband.
But it couldn't be her Rooster's headband.
Because Sanosuke wouldn't leave her like that.
…Would he?
"Sanosuke!" Megumi shouted in a hollow, firm voice. She wasn't to believe that stupid Rooster would die that easily! "Sanosuke! Where are you? Sano!"
And then she heard a noise…a very strange, yet familiar sound. Something that sounded along the lines of this: "Uuuuhhhhnnnuuhhhhghh…"
"Sano?" Megumi cried, whirling around to catch sight of Sagara at last.
The fighter had obviously just regained consciousness, trapped beneath a layer of shards of wood and stone. He lifted himself like a cat arising from its nap, but fell back to the earth with a not-so-catlike hiss, hiding his face in his arms like a little boy trying to fall asleep.
"S-Sano…" Megumi knelt down beside him, slowly and with careful hands and eyes removing the rubble confining Sanosuke. It was steady work to lift each shard one piece at a time, and it was a few minutes before Sanosuke had the weight completely lifted from his back.
Megumi went to brush against Sanosuke's shoulder, but immediately withdrew when he winced visibly at her touch, uttering a low groan. Under further investigation, the doctor was appalled to discover that some of the wooden blocks had splintered into Sanosuke's arms and back. Thin streams of dark blood trickled down his skin, making Sanosuke's usually bronzed skin seem pale.
"Oh, Sano…" Megumi muttered, stroking his cheek.
The injured man opened his eyes a bit. "M-My back hurts…"
"It very well should, by the looks of it," Megumi replied. Pausing, Megumi looked up and about. "I…I'm not sure how I'll get you back to your room…I need to get those splinters out of you, before you become infected. Not to mention, I haven't even seen what the other side of you looks like."
"I'll be fine," Sano announced softly, making to get up again.
Megumi stopped him, putting her hands on his undamaged forearms. "No, Sanosuke. If you move, you'll only make it worse. I…I'll have to run and get a stretcher or something to pull you on."
Sanosuke made a doubtful noise, shifting slightly and wincing.
Megumi stood in a daze, but then turned and fled back into the rest of the intact clinic. Her eyes filled with tears; she was frightened. Her protector was now the one in need of protection, and Megumi wasn't confidant that she would succeed.
Not to mention that alien was still missing.
At the Kamiya Dojo…
KSSH-THUCK.
"What was that?" Kaoru hissed, grabbing Kenshin's shoulder and looking about frantically.
Kenshin stood stock-still, muttering, "This one doesn't know."
"M-Maybe we should leave?" Kaoru suggested.
Pausing, it was a moment before Kenshin nodded. "Hai. Let's go, Miss Kaoru."
Kaoru practically dragged Kenshin to the door, relieved that the wanderer had finally decided to go back. After a moment of examination, Kaoru decided on a button to push, hoping that it would open the door from this side.
Seconds before Kaoru's forefinger touched the button, however, the door unbolted by itself, opening to reveal…
"O-ORO!" Kenshin yelped, grabbing Kaoru and leaping backwards in alarm.
Two metallic beings stood in the doorway, buzzing angrily at the sight of the two human invaders. In their claw-like hands, they held a bunch of octagonal pieces, which happened to be the sections of the sky Sano had talked about.
Kenshin drew his sword, holding it abroad in a defensive position to protect himself and Kaoru.
"A-ah," Kenshin stammered. "This one's name is Himura Kenshin, and…and he suggests you let us leave…we have not touched or damaged or stolen anything of yours, and—"
ZAP.
"ORO!"
Kenshin had leapt aside just in time to dodge a beam of light issuing from the alien. Kaoru held on so tight to Kenshin's arm that the wanderer was sure no blood was coursing through it.
The aliens advanced, and Kenshin muttered to Kaoru, "Kaoru-dono, this one will hold off these…creatures, and you must find a way to open the door for us. Hai?"
"O-okay," Kaoru said softly.
Kenshin leapt forward, slashing with his god-like speed at the metallic creatures. They hissed and spat, lashing out at Kenshin angrily. Kaoru ran around them and to the door, slamming on the buttons she found there, and attempting to open the door.
One of the creatures shrieked wildly when it spotted her, turning about to attack Kaoru. She screamed, punching a button with frightened force.
The whole ship began to shake, and when Kaoru glanced out the nearby windowpane, she found that the spacecraft was taking flight.
"AAAH! KENSHIN!" she screamed, slamming on buttons again. "WE'RE FLYING!"
Kenshin sweat-dropped, dodging another strike from a creature.
Kaoru pressed a pretty orange and red button, unaware of its purpose. Suddenly, the floor around her feet melted away. Kaoru screamed and fell through, dropping out of the ship and towards the ground below.
"Miss Kaoru!" Kenshin yelled, jumping after her just before the hole closed up. The angry cries of the aliens were the last thing they heard as Kenshin caught Kaoru in mid-air, landing softly, and tumbling to the grass.
Before either could say anything, they were horrified to see the ship collide with the sky panels above, and explode. Oddly enough, instead of a booming crack, the noise of the explosion wasn't deafening at all. It was loud, but soft compared to the clatter Kenshin expected.
KA-KWAAM!
The flashes of blinding light and the noise predictably awoke the neighbors, for they were coming out of their homes to watch the remarkable sight. As they watched, the octagonal pieces of fallen sky flew up out of the smoke, and like puzzle pieces, sunk into their rightful places.
"Maybe it was a meteor," said one person.
"I doubt that," chided another.
Suddenly, one cried, "Hey, look at that!"
"It looks like it's melting away. But there's that huge chunk of metal!"
"It's falling!"
"It's going to land right in the middle of town!"
"Someone, call the police, and hurry!"
"Yeah!"
Indeed, though the ship was dissipating into nothingness, a limb of the ship was rocketing to the ground, in the center of Tokyo. Kenshin nodded to Kaoru, and without even thinking of Yahiko (who weirdly was still asleep), shot off in the direction of the falling piece.
Because it was heading right for the Oguni Clinic.
By the time Kenshin and Kaoru got to the doctor's office, they were dismayed to find that they were too late. The back of the Oguni clinic had been crushed, and everything behind it had been obliterated.
"Stay here, Miss Kaoru." Kenshin said firmly, and shot inside in search of Megumi and Sanosuke. Kaoru waited, afraid of the results of when Kenshin returned.
Kenshin made his way through the Oguni Clinic, scanning every corner with his unavoidable violet eyes. He called out, "Miss Megumi? Sano? Are you…here?" He wanted to say, 'Are you alive?' but that seemed a bit…inappropriate for some reason.
Kenshin froze at the sound of thudding feet, and yelped when he found himself being tackled in a frightened embrace. Kenshin looked up to find Megumi, tears in her eyes, hugging the little man like he was the last person alive.
"Sir Ken!" she sobbed.
"M-Miss Megumi?" Kenshin stammered, patting Megumi on the shoulder. He was so relieved to find that Megumi was alive. But where was Sanosuke? Kenshin, after letting Megumi's sobs die down a bit, asked her the same question.
Wiping her eyes with her sleeve and letting Kenshin go, Megumi stammered, "I…he's…over…here." She motioned for him to follow. "He's hurt, and I don't know what to do. I am afraid to move him…his back is injured and he refuses to move."
"Take me there," Kenshin asked, and Megumi began walking down the hall. The lady doctor led Kenshin to the back of the Clinic, where Kenshin was horrified to find the damage of the meteor-like section of the ship. The whole half of the Clinic was destroyed, and everything within a half mile of the impact was demolished. It was amazing that the clinic didn't collapse.
Megumi motioned for Kenshin to follow her, and she showed the wanderer his injured friend. Sanosuke had recently fallen unconscious, unmoving, and silent.
Megumi let out a little sob. She was so embarrassed for crying. Takani Megumi never shows her emotions! I am not weak! she insisted to herself angrily.
Then Kenshin turned to face Megumi with sad eyes. "Miss Megumi, I will help you get Sano to a safer place. Go and get your supplies, and you can treat Sano at the dojo."
"But how will—?"
Kenshin smiled knowingly. "I will take care of it, that I will. You can trust Sessha. No?" He gave her a questioning smile.
Sobbing softly again, Megumi ran her fingers though her bangs. She tried not to smile back. "Yes, Sir Ken…be careful…"
Megumi turned to hurry off for her materials, but her face flushed crimson when she heard a low moan from Sanosuke that sounded suspiciously like her name. His voice had an injured, begging tone to it; as though Sanosuke knew even in his sleep, that Megumi was leaving him for a bit.
Turning around to peer back at the wanderer and his unconscious friend, Megumi was embarrassed to find Kenshin glancing back at her with a knowing smile.
That man, thought Megumi, red-faced still as she continued to her office, is really bad for the heart.
Time was Megumi's opponent now.
MadiSano: And I'm sorry to say that Sanosuke does not survive his injuries, gets tuberculosis (SP?)and croaks like that evil Sano-stealing witch named Magdalia in the anime. I seriously have a hate charge for that poor excuse for a human being.
I'm joking. Sano doesn't die.
Anyways, I believe the next chapter shall be the last. I'm pretty sure. I guess you'll have to wait and see, ne?
Read and review, my friends, and make my life worth living--I, I mean, make my stories worth typing. Not that I'd kill myself or anything if you didn't review...(nudge, nudge)...
Lol. I'm twisted. (Runs into a wall.) See ya later--Ja ne! Oro...