A/N: long story short: My computer died... it is currently being revived and I have no clue when I will see it again. I am posting this story from my grandparents house on their Windows 98 dial-up computer x.x I am shocked I didn't kill this one too.
Writers block didn't help either, I believe it was James Joyce who best put it, "Today was a good day, I wrote a sentence."
Unedited... but updated nonetheless!
Aoshi leaned against the wall, waiting, he knew that he would come this way. It wasn't to long before he had been proven correct as the clicking sound of boots echoed off the cement walls and street.
"Saitou." He greeted with an uncaring tone.
"Shinamori." The wolf returned in a similar manner.
"Your involvement in Kamiya's dilemma intrigues me."
"Does it now? And why would that be?" Saitou took a drag of his cigarette.
"You are taking sides against most of your co-workers, and seem especially close to the subject in this matter." Aoshi kept up his usual monotonous attitude.
"The raccoon is a mere tool to lead me to the center of this whole thing. There is a snake that needs rooted out and I intend to do it."
"And what of the other officers? Do you not have a say over their actions?"
"No, there is more here than you are seeing Shinamori, I thought you would be smarter than that."
"It is hard to get information on a subject so meticulously guarded."
"It would be wouldn't it?" Saitou looked the other man straight in the eye, "I would be careful of the things you delve into, there is a time and a place for your digging and this is not one of them."
"So if something were to leak out..."
"People would start to question the stability of their government, this is a new era, and not a very stable one at the moment. If the public found out that their leaders were being targeted from the inside, there maybe a revolt."
"What are you trying to get at?"
"You keep your mouth shut and stop snooping around in my area and I won't disclose a blueprint of your little Inn to those idiots that have followed you here." Saitou motioned to the not so very well hidden men watching their conversation from afar.
"How do I know you're not bluffing?"
Saitou held up a large scroll that did indeed have an exact layout of the Aoiya on it, a particular spot that concerned him was a corridor that was on the lowest level of the Inn and it happened to have a big red circle around it. "Battousai has his job to do, and I have mine, I don't care if he did ask you for help, stop your useless search, it will yield nothing, I will make sure of that."
"..."
Without another word the officer known as Fujita Gorou disappeared in one direction, while Shinamori Aoshi disappeared completely from his stalkers watchful eyes.
0-0-0
"Sasa no ha saara sara
Nokiba ni yureru"
She sharpened her katana. Singing the Tanbata day song her mother had taught her when she was young.
"Ohoshi-sama kira kira
Kin-gin sunago"
She tested the sharpness of her sword; her last assignment. There would be one more death at her hands. She could finally go on in peace after this. She could leave her family behind her, just like her father had done.
Kamiya Kaoru... She would take the fall for her, Nadeshiko, No... Raven could care less. After her last kill nothing, none of it would matter anymore. The one thing she yearned for, freedom, she would finally have it. Two more days, and she would have freedom. Two more days and this will all end.
0-0-0
She was nervous, terrified that what Saitou had planned, whatever it was, would fail. She kept pacing, thinking how she could get out. 'Damn the wolf to hell!' She was cracking under the pressure. She could only find two exits out of the damned corridor the one Misao had used and where Kenshin had come from on that same day. There had to be another one, it was the only explanation she could come up with as to how Saitou himself got in there. Looking out of the room she was in she pondered as to which direction he came.
'Above?'
"I think that's Sano's room" She scoffed at the thought of the wolf going that way.
'West wall?'
"That is where Misao came from."
There had to be another way, one that didn't deal with going through the Inn. There just had to be another way. She slumped against the wall and banged her head against it to shake her brain into some kind of plan.
"You shouldn't bang your head against the wall like that, that you shouldn't"
"Ah but it seems to make things so much clearer you see."
"Oro, always with the sarcasm."
"Kenshin, what's going to happen? How long am I going to be down here? I can't stay like this and you know it, I might do something drastic."
"Don't worry about it, it's being taken care of."
"Don't worry about it? Kenshin this is my life and kami knows how many other peoples and you're telling me not to worry about it?" Kaoru said standing up from her previous position.
"Everything will be fine, I promise you, there is nothing to-"
"Don't say that, you're always down-playing things; why don't you just tell me the truth? Why can't you just tell me what's really going on?" Kenshin looked away from her but did not reply. "I have half a mind to just leave; I can't stand doing nothing for much longer."
"No" instinct had him grabbing her wrist. "You can't leave this corridor, promise me that you will not leave it."
Kaoru stared at him silently, "I can't just sit by and do nothing, I wasn't raised that way."
"Promise me." Kenshin pleaded looking straight into her eyes.
"Kenshin, tell me why, I can't survive here for much longer, I can't be caged and you know it!"
"You can't leave this place, you're safe here."
"No I'm not! I'm not safe here, I'm just hidden, it's only a matter of time before they figure it out! People don't just disappear into walls or closets Kenshin, they're not that stupid." Kaoru looked down at the hand that still gripped her wrist. "Why are you so afraid?" she whispered, she didn't even mean to say it aloud.
"I can't ..." A hand rose to caress her cheek, he hadn't been this bold before, "I won't lose you again."
"You never lost me to begin with Kenshin," She couldn't help herself, the charged energy around them drew her to him as she hugged him close, "I'm right here, standing right in front of you, you never lost me."
"But I almost did," He returned her embrace with a tighter one "I will go through hell and back if it means to keep you alive. You keep me alive."
"Kenshin..."
"I love you, I'm sorry it took me so long, and you had to go through so much without knowing. Just know that I love you with everything that I am, and I'm sorry."
Tears fell from her face, this was the one thing she wanted him to say ever since she met him. "You idiot," she cried while she shook him, "Why are you apologizing when you just said that you loved me?"
"I'm sorry."
"I love you too you baka."
"Kenshin." Aoshi was standing behind them and heard their confessions, but not a single expression of the relief he felt showed on his stony face. 'It's about time.' Was all he could think.
"What is it Aoshi?" Kenshin was not happy with the interruption.
"We need to talk, it's urgent."
"I'll be right there." Kenshin said dismissing the ice man as he turned to leave. "Kaoru," he said deliberately brought her attention back to him. "Promise me that you won't leave."
"To the best of my abilities I will try to resist the urge to protect my own life, that is the best I can promise you."
"Close enough," With a chaste kiss that promised so much more at a future time the red headed man left Kaoru standing alone in the hall.
As she turned around something caught her eye, the ikebana was out of place in the tokonoma. She looked closer she noticed not all was as it seemed, as she moved the flower arrangement out of the way she noticed a trap door on the bottom of the tokonoma. It was her escape.
Promise me that won't leave.
Kenshin's voice rang through her head, soon followed by Saitou's.
If I can get in here undetected then just think what I will do to you if you don't listen to me.
Unhappy Saitou was much harder to deal with than unhappy Kenshin; it was in that moment that Kaoru made up her mind. The raccoon girl looked around to see if anyone was there before she slipped through the trap door and disappeared into the night.
0-0-0
"What is it Aoshi?" Kenshin was now sitting across the stoic man sipping a warm cup of tea.
"They're gone."
"What?"
"The spies left a few hours ago, I think they have something planned."
"What are we going to do about it?"
"We are going to do nothing, you have a meeting at the Sento Palace with a Minister if I'm not mistaken." Aoshi looked over his cup, "Leave the security of this Inn to the people who live here, you have only one concern at the moment."
"Right, and my time is running short."
To be continued...
A/N: HE FINALLY SAID IT!
That's right people our rurouni finally said our three favorite words 'I love you'
And now it's time for the authors crappy apology once again.
Wow... been a while ne? I have been so busy lately... and my computer crapping out on me didn't help either. I should be getting it back tomorrow though.
Okay so here's the translation for that song that creepy little Raven was singing:
Bamboo-grass leaves flowing in the wind
Swinging by the edge of the eaves
Stars are shining
Like fine gold and silver sand
Tokonoma: an alcove found in teahouses and traditional Japanese houses (or in this case Inn's)
Ikebana: flower arrangement.
We're coming to the end, can you feel the climax of the story building... please be kind, leave me a review even if it's a nasty flame for how lousy of an updater I have been lately.