Author's Note: Hmm...I do have a way of starting out chapters awkwardly and trying to stuff in as many details as possible. But near the middle and end, I get so into my story that I don't bother with the details anymore—everything just flows out of my fingers and onto the computer screen. So I'll do my best to throw myself in on the beginning of this chapter. Trouble is, my writing style has me picture the scene vividly in my head and I just include each and every piece of action that happens. I hope this isn't too confusing :).
Condensed {sob} Review Responses:
(Whisper of Darkness: I try to build up my chapters with emotion, and I'm glad you catching that- GoldAngel2: I'm glad my writing style doesn't confuse you--personally, when I read over my work, I can't seem to process the thought that the words conjure up. Maybe it's just the author's point of view :). Assassinatorgirl: Food-crusted clothes? Trash? Urgh...I'm glad I don't have to do that. Kenshin in a Sims maid outfit?! He needs a little mole near his lip, but otherwise, he'd look so cute! Star0704: Great! I was trying to make the scenario as realistic as I could get it—a corny, cheesy story isn't too realistic...Psychotic-Jessi: I'm starting to fear that my favorites list will be overflowed as well soon....By the way, were you Shadow Hitokiri before? Because I typed up the review responses a few days earlier and I was rereading them later on. Then I looked in my review box to respond to more, and then...I'm confused :). Rurouni madness: The good-bye scene always made me sad as well—that was the part I really looked forward to when I started writing this out...! Thanks for the extra help! Brittanie Love: It's so cool that you keep coming back—I'm glad you like it :) Lil' JJ: Thanks! When I got onto at first, I used it as a procrastination- purpose. Then it actually evolved into something I could use to sharpen my writing skills. I'm glad you're noticing it! Furyou Youkai Houshi: There's going to be such a sappy sweet K/K ending to this that you'll need to rinse out your mouth...XD
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin isn't mine, but the story idea is (except for the whole Kyoto Arc thing, of course).
Quick Recap of Chapter 12: When Kaoru finally awakes from her painful 'gray' dream, she encounters Houji, who had come to bring Kaoru food but discovered the bokken lying underneath her. This leads to a little fight between Kaoru and Houji, as Houji had been trying to take away the bokken without any resistance. Finally, Kaoru is able to render Houji unconscious with her bokken, and she ties him up with strips of cloth ripped out from her kimono.
Then, Sanosuke visits Katsu, and tells him of the unfortunate situation. Feeling that his friend may step into grave danger, Katsu gives Sano a large handful of his bombs.
Lastly, Kenshin leaves the dojo, after having scribbled down a note to Sanosuke and Yahiko explaining why he is leaving without them—he'll just put them all in danger. Then, under the full moon, he stops by the riverside with the fireflies and silently bids his friends goodbye—he's going back to being a rurouni, if it'll keep them out of danger. With a tear trickling down his cheek, he disappears into the shadows, heading for Kyoto.
A Cloak of Protection
Chapter 13: Unexpected Foes
DAY THREE—6:00am
The leaves rustled gently overhead, the dappled light of the rising sun's rays throwing a disco ball of scattered light across the shadowed dirt. The woods formed a cool shelter for the red-haired rurouni that walked the trail alone.
Raising his head slightly to glance in the eastern direction, Kenshin sadly admired the pale red beauty of the rising sun. A cool breeze wafted around him, the loose flaps of his clothing rippling gently. The leafy tops of trees whispered gently, swaying their bushy handfuls of leaves.
He had been walking for quite a while—ever since he had left the moonlit riverside and the radiant fireflies. He should have emerged out from the shady woods by now, but no matter how hard he willed himself to stride quicker, each step had been slow and laborious as he thought about his plan of action.
He would not get to Shishio's for quite a while, he knew. As desperate as he was to get Kaoru-dono out of there before further harm could be done to her, he had to wait. He had to wait for the perfect opportunity, when their chances were high. Shishio had to also be taken down a notch or two. Shishio himself didn't know how powerful he was. And with Kaoru-dono at stake, Shishio would be practically invincible.
Kenshin had to prepare for that. If he, Kenshin, could just lower Shishio's power...there would be a much better chance of getting Kaoru-dono back unharmed.
The wooden stick thrust through the tie knot of his travel bag was starting to cut into his right shoulder. Kenshin adjusted the horizontally placed stick on his shoulder, and his small purple travel bag thudded against his back.
His light footsteps crunched among the dry twigs and leaves that littered the dirt trail. With a downward glance at them, Kenshin felt his lips pull up into a rueful smile. Little by little, his sandals were starting to break down—the strap was gradually fraying. Soon it would snap altogether-- he would have to get new ones soon. In Kyoto, he would.
Throwing his head back up, his fiery red hair catching the rosy light of the rising sun, Kenshin focused his attention back on the trail. Then he paused, and his heart thudded an extra beat.
Up ahead, the dirt road finally forked. The left turn pointed to deeper, shadier woods.
The right turn pointed to the way to Kyoto.
As Kenshin strode toward the fork in the road, he clutched his traveling bag over his right shoulder tightly. As the red-tinged sky started to gradually fade into a clear blue, unseen birds started to add their sweet, high voices to the silence of the peaceful woods.
Licking his dry bottom lip, Kenshin veered right, his sandals whispering across the dirt ground.
The view of a sleeping town rose up before him, as he walked further down the path. Slowly, the tall shady trees thinned out, drawing away their cool shadows.
Kenshin stepped into the sunlight, squinting a bit. As he walked further down the road, his quiet, dry footsteps turned to scuffing footsteps. The dirt path had turned into a concrete road.
No, he wasn't in Kyoto yet; this was a town between Tokyo and Kyoto. At the rate he was going, he would reach Kyoto in a few days or maybe more.
He took another step, breathing in the fresh, clean air. It would get even hotter later on, so Kenshin would have to stop soon at a nearby inn.
As Kenshin walked slowly down the concrete road, the scuffing of his footsteps almost drowned out the sound of someone lazily clearing his or her throat. But then the rough sound came again, and Kenshin paused, turning his head in the direction where the sound had come from.
The sight made him draw back and narrow his eyes.
Saitou Hajime leaned casually against the base of a tall oak tree off to the side of the road. He looked as if he were merely resting against the tree; his arms and legs were lazily crossed. A slim cigarette protruded out from between his thin lips, not yet lighted. He still wore his dark blue police uniform, with the sleeves slightly rolled up.
Saitou pushed himself off the base of the tree with one foot and stepped toward Kenshin, lifting a gloved hand up to his mouth and withdrawing the unlit cigarette. "I knew you'd come."
Kenshin didn't know what to say to this; he remained silent, violet eyes narrowed. How did...?
As if reading Kenshin's mind, Saitou calmly replied, "I followed you for some time since you left that dojo—did you not suspect? And you're supposed to be the great Battousai." His lip curled.
The red-haired rurouni drew in a harsh breath. Saitou continued, the sneer hanging about his lips. "When you and Okubo were talking about Shishio Makoto, I listened at the door. You two never knew I was there.
"The hesitant way you agreed to wait for Okubo—like you were about to leave him hanging. The pained way you spoke about that girl—like you were about to get her anyway, but didn't want to resort to killing in order to get her back. In other words, your mind was a mess, crammed with pain, guilt, confusion, and indecision.
"So, you sorted it all out. Your original plans of beating down Shishio without killing him wouldn't work, if you intended to get back that girl. But to get her back, you would have to kill him. Which violates your vow.
"And now," Saitou continued, staring down Kenshin with a smirk visible on his lips, "you don't know what to do, do you? Going to go along the lines of your original plan?"
Kenshin snapped his head furiously back up, fiery hair flying everywhere. He opened his mouth to say something, but Saitou interrupted. "That's why I followed you. You see, Battousai, yesterday, I waited. I waited for your move. All of you unsuspectingly thought I had left with Okubo and Kawaji. Truth is, I lingered behind, in hiding."
Saitou paused to reach into his pocket and withdrew a worn book of matches. With one gloved hand, he flicked open the cover and pulled out a red- tipped match. In a quick movement with his gloved fingers, the match was ignited and quickly brought to his cigarette. Kenshin tensely waited.
Taking a long drag of his cigarette and exhaling the suffocating smoke through his nostrils, Saitou drew the smoking cigarette back down and resumed his explanation. "Then nightfall came. When the moon was at its highest, you came walking out of the dojo with your travel bag and a grim expression on your face. I knew I was then correct. You were going to Kyoto to try to take down Shishio yourself and get back that girl—with no help. You didn't even bother to wait for Okubo to give him your answer, or to wait for me, who would accompany you. Such an ego."
Kenshin interrupted, his narrowed eyes flashing. "You had no excuse to listen to Okubo-dono's and my conversation. As for leaving the dojo without any help or explanations, I did not want anyone else in this. They could get hurt, that they could."
Saitou's lips thinned even more. "So you were just being your typical rurouni self. Well, then, if it's settled.
"You can get to Kyoto even quicker if you go by ship—instead of trudging along at the pace of a dead snail. And" –his eyes quickly skimmed the skimpy bulge of Kenshin's travel bag and he sneered once more—"the government will pay for your ticket, so you won't go broke, if that's what you're afraid of."
Kenshin gripped the stick stuck through the tie knot of his travel bag tightly. "As a matter of fact, I'd rather not. Shishio Makoto seems to have eyes and ears everywhere. The ship could be attacked and more innocent people will be hurt. I'd rather go by foot."
Saitou brought the slim white cigarette up to his lips again and took in a long draw. Dark cigarette smoke rose from his nostrils, and he narrowed his eyes against the smoke. "Suit yourself. I'm going on the ship. But first I'm heading back to Tokyo—this slight detour threw me off track."
Kenshin gave Saitou a small nod. "I understand," he replied, eyes narrowed.
Saitou lowered the cigarette from his lips and dropped it to the ground. With the right heel of his shiny shoe, he ground it into the concrete path, leaving a dark, ashy mark behind. "I'll meet up with you later, Battousai."
And they parted ways, Kenshin heading down the concrete path as the sun rose higher, and Saitou disappearing into the dark, shady woods.
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7:30 am
The lit candle at the other side of the room had sputtered out again, blanketing the large, luxurious room in darkness. Kaoru got up, clutching her bokken tightly in her right hand, and felt her way toward the fallen side table where she had made a mess making her bokken.
She was getting to know her way around this room pretty well. After being in here for so long, Kaoru knew where practically everything was. In the deafening silence, she could hear Soujirou's gold-rimmed pocket watch ticking away near the double wooden doors at the front of the room, where she had thrown it in a fit of pain earlier. The steady ticking sound came from her left, which meant she was facing the way of the collapsed side table and the strewn unlit candles.
When she felt she had gotten near to the mess, she bent down and fell on her hands and knees. With her right hand, she felt around the green- carpeted floor, searching for the book of matches and a candle.
Her fingers collided against the hard wood of the side table, and a little ways past that, she found the book of matches. Crawling closer, she awkwardly pulled open the cover and felt among the harsh heads of the matches until she extracted one out.
Now came the part she always dreaded the most when using matches.
Clutching the match and the tiny book in her right hand, she reached out with her other hand for a candle. A thick, smooth cylindrical object brushed against her fingertips, and she closed her fingers around it.
Kaoru opened her blue eyes as wide as she could, trying to see through the thick darkness. The only light came from a thin crack from the closed double doors at the front of the room, but that wasn't nearly enough.
She turned back to her unseen task, and set the candle with its dish on the carpeted floor. Now to light the match.... without seeing it.
Her fingers felt around the book of matches until she felt the harsh strip on the back. Keeping her thumb on the edge of it, she positioned the match over the strip and drew it quickly over the strip.
Nothing happened. Kaoru grimaced and pulled the match over the strip again, though with more force. The flimsy match bent in half in her fingers.
Kaoru closed her eyes in frustration and threw the spent match into oblivion. Dusting off her hands, she flipped open the cover of the book of matches again and took another one out.
This one she held tightly in her fingertips, and as quickly as she could, she scratched the rough strip with the head of the match.
Kaoru almost dropped the tiny match as a flame burst from the tip of the match, filling the dark room with dim light. Quickly, she transferred the flame to the nub of the candle before her.
She needed more light than this.
Looking around her for another candle, Kaoru grabbed one and held the lit match to it. Soon both candles were burning merrily on the ground in their little dishes, and Kaoru stood up, task accomplished. But she would have to be careful—if the candles fell over, the room would be filled with suffocating flames.
She turned her attention to the still unconscious man sprawled out on the yellow couch, his wrists and ankles bound. He still hadn't woken up yet, although Kaoru had been waiting for hours.
Kaoru hoisted her bokken back into her hand and headed over to the ticking pocket watch over by the double wooden doors. Kneeling down, she picked it up and observed the face of the watch.
7:55.
Was it morning or night? Kaoru thought back on the hours she had spent here. But even her reasoning wouldn't be accurate, as she had fallen unconscious or asleep many times...without knowing how long she had lain there.
Kaoru drew in a deep breath. She felt so tired and disoriented, not knowing if it was morning or night, or what day it was. There were no windows in this room whatsoever, so she couldn't tell. At least Soujirou had helped her confusion by loaning her his gold pocket watch.
A faint noise from the direction of the yellow couch made Kaoru still, her heart thudding painfully fast. She stayed there, kneeling on the ground, sapphire eyes wide, not moving. In her right hand, she gripped her bokken tightly.
A deep groan echoed through the room, and Kaoru heard the rustling of clothes as the green-coated man struggled to sit up. Then, hoarsely, he let out a colorful string of curses as he noticed his bound wrists and ankles.
Kaoru slowly stood up, bokken grasped in both her hands, and walked toward the yellow couch on which the man was heavily sprawled. He was thrashing his entire body, teeth clenched angrily, flapping like a fish stranded on land.
As Kaoru stood directly in front of the man, he opened his hooded eyes and saw her. "You--!"
"Me," Kaoru replied calmly, her initial panic gone now that she was sure she had bound the man tightly enough. She raised the bokken threateningly, and the man hastily flinched back a bit. Perhaps he was still remembering the heavy blow she had delivered to his head before.
Kaoru seated herself next to the man, laying the bokken across her lap. Turning her head to glance at him, she was startled to see him glaring at her with anger and fury in his shadowed eyes.
Well, she thought, regaining her composure quickly, she had conked him pretty hard on the head. No doubt he was feeling the aftereffects.
Settling herself more comfortably, she started to question him.
"Who are you?"
The man turned his head away angrily, and Kaoru heard him swear furiously under his breath.
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Houji hated this. He absolutely, truly, deeply despised this.
Who'd have thought that this slender girl—Kaoru—could render him unconscious and truss him up like a chicken? The thought was deeply despicable. It infuriated him that Kaoru could treat him like he was the captured one, instead of the other way around. He had to bring her down to her true level. After all, he was Houji, Shishio's own advisor. He could think of an immensely good plan to get out of this unfortunate situation.
Just not at the moment.
Why not answer her question? What would she do with the information? Nothing. The result at the end would still be the same. She would be too slow to do anything with the information. He would answer her questions, and Kami see if she could make anything of it.
Not likely.
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The man turned his head again toward Kaoru, and a slightly defiant look in his eyes gleamed. "Houji. My name is Houji. I work for Shishio-sama."
Kaoru clenched her teeth together. Of course he worked for Shishio. But now she knew his name—Houji.
She took a deep breath, and continued. "Tell me why exactly Shishio's doing this." She clenched her hands tightly in her lap and waited for the answer.
Houji's lids lowered in disbelief. Wasn't it obvious? "Power. Money! Of course."
Kaoru winced again, and played with the bokken in her lap. Was everybody nowadays power hungry? It seemed to be all about conquering something.
"So he wants to... take over Japan?"
"Correct."
"What else?"
"Shishio-sama wants to be the best. Or should I say, the best hitokiri of them all."
"Is that why...Shishio...Kenshin...?" Kaoru let her sentence trail off, knowing that this Houji would understand.
"Hai."
"So I'm basically bait for Kenshin? For Kenshin to come?"
"Some of it."
Kaoru frowned. What else was she going to be used for?
She voiced her question. "What else do you want to use me for?"
There was a long pause. Kaoru tensely waited. Finally, with a cold glare up at her, Houji answered. "That I cannot say."
Kaoru sat there, shocked, for a few moments. So Shishio's gang had something planned for her...if Houji had been willing to answer her earlier questions, though a bit reluctantly, then this question must have been diving in even deeper into Shishio's plan.
Then she fired another question at Houji. "Shishio said I was going to hurt Kenshin in some way. How am I going to?" Perhaps Shishio meant only her kidnapping. She hoped so. But if it was something else...
Houji paused again. Then his hooded eyes flickered, and he replied, "That question is related to your previous question. I'm not answering either one."
Kaoru pushed herself up from the couch, away from the sprawled Houji. She heatedly grabbed her bokken in her left hand and stepped away, feeling his cold, dark eyes on her back.
Then she whirled back around, feeling her eyes flash in pent-up emotion. "Why?" she suddenly screamed angrily at Houji. "Why is Shishio tearing Kenshin and me apart just to gain power? And why are you assisting him in this terrible task? Is it because you want power as well? Do you want to profit from the power Shishio might gain from doing this? Don't you realize that you're tearing apart happiness, in order to get what you want?"
Kaoru drew in a deep, angry breath and continued. "No, you don't. No, you don't, you bastard. You're so feeble that you have to follow after Shishio-sama to get your power. In order to get it, you have to trample all over people's feelings. Now that is a true sign of weakness."
Furiously, Kaoru turned her back on the man and stalked to the front of the room, before the closed double wooden doors. She leaned forward and rested her hot forehead against the wooden doors, shaking in suppressed fury. In her hands, she tightly gripped the handle of her bokken.
Behind her, Kaoru could hear Houji cursing under his breath. There was rustling as he struggled to sit himself up on the couch, and barely muffled groans of pain.
Kaoru felt like whacking him on the head once again, but she forced herself to remain still. Angrily, she bit her bottom lip, and gripped her bokken tighter in her grasp.
There were more rustling sounds and thumps as Houji struggled to sit upright, swearing under his breath. He was taking an awfully long time, Kaoru thought, as unfit as he was. But when he finally got up, he would be very angry with her—for insulting him, for knocking him out, and for tying him up.
Kaoru didn't feel like facing him right now. Instead, she remained resting her forehead against the semi-coolness of the wooden door, feeling herself calm down. Her grasp on the bokken loosened slightly.
Suddenly, there was the dry sound of cloth tearing behind her. Kaoru, still leaning against the door, felt her sapphire blue eyes widen in panic.
Quickly she turned around to face Houji, midnight-black hair flying everywhere, and her heart skipped a beat.
Houji had somehow gotten his bound wrists in front of him, and had torn away the strip of binding blue cloth with his teeth. Now his hands were free.
Through Kaoru's mind rang chaos. Oh no...oh no...oh no...oh no... her mind screamed at her. Why hadn't she secured Houji's bounds more tightly?
Houji plunged his right hand into the interior pocket of his long green coat and drew out a shining, black handgun. "This time, you're getting it, girl." In his eyes shone fury and determination, as he lifted up the handgun and pointed it straight at Kaoru, positioning his finger over the trigger.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Note: You know the day number and time before each scene? Like, DAY THREE, 6:00am? Are they even helpful? I don't know, it seems a bit strange...Ah, one more thing. When you go to read an updated chapter of someone's fic and they haven't updated in a long time, do you feel disoriented and confused--because you forgot everything that happened? The Recaps right before the story should help :). It's like a TV episode--first you get the credits and disclaimer, then you get the recap, then the title screen, and then the rest just follows. :)
-Twilight Sky