Disclaimer: don't own, don't sue!
A/N: I am so sorry that it took this long, I would have had this up right after hitsuzen but :cough, cough: I was grounded (long story).
And my constant apology for bad grammar and missed punctuation... I am editing old chapters now and fixing things up so this one will be fixed eventually too. No more waiting, here it is the next installment to Bitter Cold!
"I can't believe that I am doing this!" Kaoru exclaimed again straightening her red wig. "Saitou you are going to pay for this once everything is all over."
"You're idle threats scare me about as much as Battousai's," Saitou grumbled as they exited the shrine.
"You know what? You can shove it up you're a-"
"Shut up, if they hear us talking you will be screwed, and there is no way I will help you out of it." The wolf growled under his breath, his threat however completely untruthful.
Saitou was still trying to figure out how Battousai was able to deal with this woman day in and day out. Maybe this was the man's real penance for his damned past... either that, or he was a masochist.
His threat had effectively worked it had gotten Kaoru to shut up, but it didn't stop her from glaring daggers under her faux red bangs.
0-0-0
Misao paced the Inn nervously, how were they going to pull this off? Kaoru was supposed to be coming here dressed as someone else. Aoshi didn't tell her who, but he did say that he had to drug Kenshin because the rurouni would freak if he found out, or something like that.
Why would Kenshin freak out? What were they dressing her up as? She was so confused!
"Hey weasel, where's Kenshin?" Yahiko had just walked out into the courtyard to find a nervously pacing Misao, it wasn't until that moment that he had realized, he hadn't seen Kenshin all day.
"I think he said something about taking a nap." Misao replied absent mindedly, she didn't want to hear what the boy had to say if she told him that they had drugged his hero.
"I was just up there, Kenshin is out cold." Sanosuke said chewing on a fish bone, "Are you sure he's just asleep?"
"What else would he be?" Misao's voice seemed to jump up an octave "It's not like anyone would drug him! I mean come on, he would know about it before it happened." Misao was fidgeting as Sano stared at her skeptically for a minuet; Oh please let them buy it.'
"True." Sanosuke said dismissing the weasel's odd attitude. "Do you have any gambling money?"
"Go away!"
0-0-0
Night had completely fallen as Kaoru and Saitou made their way to the Aoiya in silence. Standing outside the Inn Kaoru hesitated on stepping inside. If she crossed the threshold then that would mean she would be bringing everyone else further into her little battle. She would be putting her life in front of theirs, she couldn't do that to them. She took a step back, ready to run away.
"I don't think so." The next thing Kaoru knew she was hurled through the door with the wolf glaring behind her. "Idiot! You could have ruined everything just then, you can't hesitate like that!"
"But-"
"Shut up, I don't want to hear you talk, the Oniwabanshu are waiting for you. I have my job to do so get going." The wolf lit up a cigarette before slamming the gate shut, leaving Kaoru sitting on the ground feeling very much alone and helpless.
"Who's there?" Yahiko walked out from a room on the bottom floor. "Kenshin? I thought you were-"
Silence. Yahiko just stared, he was in shock, the boy's face drained of all color, whatever he was expecting it wasn't this.
"Yahiko..." Kaoru began but was interrupted by a cough.
"Would you two not stand out in the dark like a bunch of crickets and come in here?" Okina was standing at the door of the dinning hall he was impressed he didn't think that they would have been able to pull it off this far.
As soon as the shoji snapped shut Kaoru was greeted by a screeching Misao and a laughing Sanosuke. She felt bad enough impersonating Kenshin as it was, and Aoshi's smirk was not helping!
"Welcome back Miss Kamiya." Aoshi said respectfully.
"Thank you, I think..." Kaoru replied looking around the room, "Excuse me but where is-"
"He's asleep." Sano said rolling his eyes. He never thought he would see the day where the rurouni would sleep through something like this. Oh but Sanosuke if you only knew.
"He's not sleeping," Misao said her face turning a soft shade of pink. Time to let the cat out of the bag.
"What?" Now Sanosuke was confused, he had walked by the room a few minuets ago and he could have sworn he heard snoring.
"We erm... well you see its just that we thought it would look a little weird if the police spies saw Two Kenshin's walking around the Aoiya so you see we umm..."
"You drugged him!" Yahiko exclaimed.
"And put him in a room that is unable to be observed by those bastards." Misao replied motioning to the walls outside the Inn.
"Miss Kamiya," Aoshi said looking directly at Kaoru. "You are going to go in there and wait for him to wake up and take his place."
"So what you are saying is that I am under house arrest?"
No one replied, maybe because it was the truth.
"I see." It was better than some places she had been, "Well someone better show me the way, I don't want to stay out in the open longer than necessary."
"I'll take you up there." Misao said standing up beckoning her friend to follow into the darker corners of the large Inn.
0-0-0
The old priest watched as Kaoru disappeared into the darkening city. 'Be safe child, I cannot protect you this time.' Sighing dejectedly he walked into the temple to meditate, little knowing that he would have a visitor waiting for him in the shadows.
Old age must have affected him, he did not sense the presence at first, but as he sat cross-legged in front of the alter his brows furrowed. "I would not expect to find you here."
"She was here?" Asked the shadow perched like a cat in darkened corner of the room.
"And if she was?"
"The elders would not approve." The voice was bland holding little emotion, but one thing was for certain, the person who spoke was a girl.
"They do not approve of me either, I am nothing more than a failure to them. If you were to be seen with me now they would surely be cross." The priest named Kai faced the intruder, "Why are you here?"
"Can't a girl visit their father?" the shadow crooned.
"You have not acknowledged me as such in years Nadeshiko..."
"Do not call me by that weak name!" She barked, "I gave it up years ago."
"That's right Raven. How could I forget a flower is not the name of a murderer," The old priest spat acidly. "A plant is too weak, it is after all 'an organism that is dependent on the elements,' that is what you told wasn't it?"
"Do not act so hateful to your only child." Raven was starting to regret her evening visit.
"I have no child."
"Father..."
"She died years ago the moment you picked up a sword and slue her with your first victim."
"You have no room to talk, you are no better than I am!"
"No I'm not." He would not deny it.
Raven smirked from her perch. "What is she like? What is the one who is taking the blame for me like?"
"She doesn't deserve the hell she was given because of you."
"My elders would have to disagree with you on that, they don't seem to like her very much, nor her philosophy, and apparently her friends aren't something to be desired."
"Battousai could be very handy when dealing with you."
"Were those spiteful words meant to hurt me?"
The priest just smirked at the girls mocking tone. "If you hurt her anymore than you already have I will kill you myself."
"You would kill your own daughter to avenge the pain of a nobody?"
"Nobody to you... but you can never understand this type of thing Raven, you do not have enough of a heart to even begin comprehending it."
"They want me to kill Yamagata." This news was new, it seemed quite a leap from the 'jobs' she had done before.
"And will you?"
"It is an order."
"And after that?"
"My job will be done." Raven stood from her perch, "And you know what must happen after that."
"I cannot convince you out of this then?"
"I will not disobey them."
"And of the girl? You are going to let her take the blame for this? She has suffered your sentence already, are you going to damn her for the rest of her life."
"She was damned the moment she was born."
"Nadeshiko..." He used her real name, "You are in pain aren't you? They have corrupted your mind and now you are wondering if this is right, is this the answer?"
"Shut up old man! What do you know!"
"They sent you here to kill me tonight didn't they?" Kai concluded looking at the girl standing in the corner, "The run down old priest finally got in the way of their plans did he?"
"You're wrong."
"Am I?"
The priest never got his answer, Nadeshiko, or Raven as she is called now disappeared into the night. Where she went no one can really say, but one thing is for certain in whatever bowls of the night she sat in she had some things to think about.
To be continued...
A/N: I know it's so not like me to only set in what is there only like three parts to this chapter? But at least they should give you some new questions to ponder over. So any more guesses on who the priest is now?
I completely stole Nadeshiko's name from CCS but sad to say she's nothing like Sakura's mom, nope not even close.