Disclaimer:Yawn: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, sadly. ('cept in the form of a plushie)
I know the updates are getting really spread apart but it's hard to do so many things in a weekend! But hey, I'm not going to stop till I'm done, so no matter the wait, there will always be a next chapter until the end (or unless I say so). So don't fear! Also, I'm thinking of changing the rating to M. Just a heads up. Let me know what you think.
Sims are awsome: Did I update sooner? I dunno. At least I updated all together! BTW, this chapter is longer.
AuburnMoonlight: Aren't we authors so lazy? Lol, and it's alright you didn't know. I forgive, and anyway, you still reviewed. :)
Final Genesis: Thanks! Sorry to take so long.
Shannen: Then you are granted permission to do fan art. Just tell me where it's posted when you're done.
Eternal Star Mist: Like the new pen name! And as I said, I'm still going until this is done.
Lady Dark Angel: Thank yous. Hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Running From The Light: You are also permitted permission to do fan art. I don't care what kind of artist you are, just the more fan art the better. Just inform me of the site it's on and you're good. It was intended to be a cliffie since the readers wanted an update. I try to do a lot of cliffies cause it grasps hold of people and then they want more. Enjoy the new chapter!
midnite cherry blossomz: Lol, basically, Enishi kidnapped Kaoru. And they will get together again soon. Soon.
XxAznLadyXx: Here's the answer, we'll all hope Kenshin to play the hero thought, right? Thank you and enjoy!
starfairy14s: Lol, I got that quite a few times. Sorry, it was really just so there could be some fluff before the 4 chapter separation period. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.
Skenshingumi: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! You gave me 9 straight reviews! All I can say is thank you! Btw, about the foreshadowing, I reread the chapter, and you are quite right about everything you said in the review. That stuff sometimes gets implanted without even me knowing it. It takes a good writer to spot that kinda thing. A+ for you! Thank you so much, and enjoy the new chapter!
Rurouni Kenshin: The Whispers of Insanity
Chapter Eleven: Cruel Lessons
By: DJ Baka-chan
"Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all."
-William Goldman, from "The Princess Bride"
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Kaoru was only semiconscious yet she could tell how deathly cold and arid her surroundings were.
"Can I slit her throat yet? I'm getting sick of waiting." The hissing, unused voice echoed. She didn't dare to move after hearing that.
"Patience, patience." Tomi's calm voice said. "Yukishiro-san wants to deal with her personally. We've no right to interfere in his matters anyway." Kaoru then tried to observe her surroundings without her sight. She was sitting, obviously bound to what ever it was the she was sitting on. Judging from the lack of sound, she must be underground, in a dungeon of sorts. Of course, Enishi being a mafia boss must have more than one dungeon. A hand grabbed her hair pulling her head back. She tried to protest but could not speak through the gag in her mouth. She could only mutter in stifled whimper.
"This is the girl he was going to have kill the Battosai? That must have been an insult to such a great hitokiri." The raspy voice spoke again. The hand let go and another one, rough and calloused, grabbed her chin.
"Beauty can be alluring to even the most hard-core killers." A new voice spoke. This one was calm, like Tomi's, but lacked the cocky air. It was, similar to Kenshin's. It was the voice of a seasoned killer. "And this girl, is what you call a true beauty." His head was next to her ear now. "I know you're awake jou-chan." He whispered. The man let go of her chin and Kaoru, snapping her eyes open, glared up at him. His black hair was tied, messily, into a high pony-tail, his eyes a steely blue. He had scars streaked across his face and a frown set upon his mouth. He carried two duel katana, tethered together with a chain of over 5 feet at the hilts. He observed her again then turned to the man with raspy voice.
"No wonder Yukishiro-san chose her. I'd hate to kill someone as striking as her. I have a true appreciation for woman jou-chan." He grinned, his comment now directed at her. Kaoru grunted and glared ever still.
"I don't care for woman like you Gekitsuu. All I care about is the pleasures of killing my enemies." Kaoru looked to man with raspy voice. He was tall, with dark hair, and piercing yellow eyes. He wore almost all black. This man was defiantly an onmitsu. Tomi stepped forward.
"Gekitsuu, Desu, I ask of your leave. Let me with Kamiya-san for a bit." Tomi smiled at the two men, hopping they understood.
"You're the one who said not interfere but I don't care as long as I'm next." Gekitsuu said with a smirk. He walked off, towards the exit. Tomi turned to the dark Desu.
"And you?" He inquired. Desu turned towards the other cells, the shadows and his hair still hiding his face.
"I told you I was sick of waiting. I'll go take out my irritation on the other captives." He stalked off, not waiting for Tomi's reply. Tomi sighed then turned to Kaoru as she tried to inch away.
"Don't worry." He sighed. "I'm not going to do anything. I just wanted to talk. Now, if you be quite and stay still I'll take that gag out for you." She looked at him, wondering what the hell he wanted to talk to her about. He frowned, his eyes dim and she bowed her head down towards the ground, not wanting to see those eyes. Tomi's eyes had always scared her, so gray and cold, as if he had no emotion. They were so similar to the way Kenshin's amber embers held only rage. His rough hand reached to her cheek and grabbed the cloth bound around head. He pulled it out and let it rest around her neck. Tomi returned to place he had been standing before and leaned back against the wall.
"There's one think I want to know…" He looked at Kaoru to make sure she was paying attention. Her head was bowed down in the same fashion it had been before. He wanted to know why she wouldn't look at him number one. What was it the scarred her so? "Why didn't you kill Battosai?" She looked at him, a fire in her eyes. Tomi knew that only reason Enishi had her restrained was because if she wanted to, she could escape. She was strong and Enishi didn't want much resistance out of her. "Not going to say anything are we?" Kaoru didn't move, she just grit her teeth and continued to glare. Tomi saw a glimmer of light behind Kaoru and smirked.
"Maybe you can tell me…" The cold voice whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened. She wanted to scream so much at that moment, just let it all go. His green eyes held the pleasure of her pain, twinkling with a certain delight.
"Kaoru-san, afraid are we? Let's see if you can stand your ground, girl." A knife slashed through the bonds holding her to the chair, only her wrists remained bound. The chain was pulled back as she stood, and Enishi stepped into the light, his glasses glimmering in the slim amount of light. Kaoru stood to face him, keeping hold of her vow of silence. He was so fast she couldn't see it. She only felt his entwined hand slam down on her neck. She buckled forward but remained standing. Pivoting, she saw Enishi lunge forward, his eyes raging infernos. She avoided the punch aimed at her head but he grabbed her jaw with his other hand, a sickly crack echoing through the air.
"Tell me, why didn't you kill him? Do that and I'll spare you." Enishi held her jaw in his hand, his grip firm.
"No." She breathed and a fist launched it's self into her gut. He let go her jaw and he threw a hammer fist into her side splitting open the large gash residing there. Kaoru backed up, her feet firmly planted on the ground. Enishi bit his teeth down, a spurt of blood coming from his mouth.
"Tell me!" He screamed as he slammed her back into a stone support. Kaoru looked devilish with trails of blood running down her face from multiple wounds on her head and the fiery glare that she still withheld. She grinned, baring her teeth like a wolf ready to kill.
"Never, you sick bastard. How many times must I tell you?" She spat in his face. Enishi pushed her and himself harder on to the pillar, her collar bone beginning to crack. He was breathing down her neck now. The crazed tension was evident in the air, his grin just as wicked as hers. He chucked then bent his head down and bit into her shoulder. Kaoru screamed as Enishi bit the skin away, almost reaching bone. He chewed for a moment, the spit the remains out, her blood streaming from his mouth. Kaoru grimaced at the wound, a little white showing how deep he had reached.
"The blood tastes good, Kaoru-san." Enishi said with his crazed smile. Kaoru shuddered at the thought of drinking her own blood.
"TELL ME!" He screamed without warning. Kaoru's eardrums vibrated with the echo of his voice ringing around the room. She could barely take anymore of this, if she refused any farther, he'd kill her.
"Because…" Enishi's ears perked up at this. "I…fell in love." Her voice was only a whisper.
"What?" Enishi didn't to hear that. That was the lat thing he ever wanted to her out of her mouth.
"I love him, bastard, and there's nothing you can do about it." She said with a glare. In a second she was on the ground, his foot planted on her throat.
"Bitch!" He screamed. Kaoru squirmed, gasping for air. He kicked her onto her stomach as she let the air rush back into her lungs. "I might as well let you burn in Hell." He assumed with malice. "Tomi, tie her back up." As Tomi finished, Enishi gave him the rest of his orders. "Take her back to the dojo, and burn it to the ground. Bring some men with in case anyone tries to interfere." Kaoru, whom was slung over Tomi's back, cried in protest through her gag.
"Put me down, you asshole!" She tried to scream, but it came out more like a bunch of grunts and mumbles. There was no stopping it, she thought. This is the end.
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Holy crap! We're finally back in Kenshin's POV!
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I awoke when a burning singe was upon my forehead. My eyes snapped open to see Saito pressing his cigarette against my forehead. (The burning end, might I add.)
"What in hell are you doing!" I shouted and he gave me one of his wolfish grins.
"Waking you up, baka." He threw the cigarette to the ground and snuffed it out with the heel of his boot. When I tried to stand, I felt my knees buckle beneath me and coughed up some blood.
"What…did you…do?" He frowned as I looked up at him, biting down my pain. My neck was throbbing and the pain tingled all down my spine into my legs.
"I hit you in wrong place in the neck. You're probably going to be weak for the next hour. And anyway, you need not go yet. The reason you're here is because I need to ask you about something." I looked at him again. He was serious. He fought me, threatened me, because I'd come no other way. Slowly, I rose to my feet.
"Himura that Battosai, can take anything pain this small." I bragged with a smirk, to his surprise. "What do need, anyway?" I wasn't being friendly; I just wanted to get out of here.
"Where is Yukishiro Enishi's stronghold? I know what happened after the Bakumatsu and I know you were in his dungeons." I looked away from him. It was a subject so hard to talk about; I hardly even remembered it unless reminded.
"All I remember…was that it's on Okinawa. He didn't want to be in Tokyo where he'd be reminded of his sister and he didn't want to be in Kyoto to be reminded of his sister's…" I couldn't, I couldn't say it.
"Murder." Saito finished for me.
"I didn't kill her on purpose!" I snapped at him. Then more softly, "It was an accident…" I looked to the ground.
"Battosai, you were young. I have wife, I understand how hard it is. But she knew that danger she was putting herself in marrying you. She chose that life, because she loved you." That was the most helpful thing I'd ever heard Saito say to me. And I'd always remember it, because it was one of the things that helped me heal.
"So, are you going back to Tokyo?" He asked out of the blue.
"No." He turned to me. "I left Kaoru because if I stayed, she'd only get hurt more." Saito took me by the collar.
"Idiot, what did I just tell you? No matter what you do, she is tied to you in every way. Your enemies will always use her as a weak point if you don't stand and fight. The Kamiya girl is in just as much danger if you're not living at her dojo as if you were. It's make more sense to go back then to keep running." My eyes widened in surprise. What he said stabbed into my chest like a thousand knifes.
He was right.
Kaoru, why did I leave? Was I not thinking…? Why…is my mind so clear now…? It's like someone lifted this great big weight off my chest…
My eyes felt softer now, it was odd the way I felt. I could not explain it.
"Then I'm off to Tokyo." I said with a grin. Saito released me.
"Good, I'll head back with you; I need return to the police station anyway." The two set off onto the rising sun, not thinking of what will await them when theyreach Tokyo that afternoon.
Finally! Here is your lovable Chapter 11. Kenshin and Kaoru reunite next chapter finally and we'll soon get some incite on Battosai's altered past. Now review my faithful readers, review! I'd really like to get 100! The 100th reviewer gets a bunch of little Battosai plushies!