Author's Note: And now I will update, after taking a much-needed rest of one month. Th' truth is, I've been feeling a little sore about my writing—ever since I printed out 'A Cloak of Protection' to read over. Is it possible to flinch so much as you're reading a bunch of words printed on a large sheaf of papers? Corny writing, OOC characters, and much more. I don't know—that's just my opinion. (Or maybe that's just how the author feels while looking through his or her stories...)
For violence and gore, this chapter is rated R. This is just a warning, but if you have a weak stomach, try to skim over the parts, okay? The next chapter will also have gore and blood—just a warning...(but the storyline of Rurouni Kenshin is so riddled with gore and violence already, this shouldn't be a problem to you guys).
Disclaimer: I have no claim over Rurouni Kenshin whatsoever, but this story plot is mine (not counting the events of the Kyoto Arc).
Review Responses:
GoldAngel2: For the soundtracks, I have the Vol. 1 original soundtrack and the Rurouni Kenshin Theatrical soundtrack. The latter has such beautiful, soft music and I recommend that to a high degree. :) You can buy these online. And even though I keep saying this, I'll try to find the time to read your sequel and the main story. Thanks!
Assassinatorgirl: Really? I wasn't too sure about the fight and whether they were in character or not. Thanks! And, um... Houji x Shishio?? Holding hands and running through a field of flowers? Just a little hard to imagine... ;) Well, here's the next update! (Will you write another fic?)
Lady-Kenshin-Himura: I'm glad you like this story! Yeah, Kenshin's one of my fave characters as well...
Chai Girl: I wasn't sure if this fic had a good storyline or not, but you've helped quell my fears. :) And about your question about whether Misao, Aoshi, and the Oniwanbanshuu will make an appearance: yes. Yes, they will—in future chapters. In fact, Misao and Aoshi are coming up in the next few ones. One person asked if Misao would make an appearance—that's about similar to your question, so I guess... yes, the question has been partly asked already. :) Don't worry!
Namaida: It's great that you enjoy this fic! Here's the next update!
Rurouni madness: Hmmm...Houji trying to kill Kaoru? You're partly right—I did use it for action and emotional drama. ;) However, there are other explanations for this unlikely behavior, which you will read about in this chapter. They might not explain the whole picture—of why Houji attacked Kaoru—but there you go, I'm really just a beginner :). Well, thanks for the awe-inspiring comments!
Lachwen: Really? That makes me so happy :). Darn, I can't stop throwing around smiley faces. Here's the next chapter, and let's hope you think it's as good as the previous chapter...
Whisper of Darkness: Emotional action scenes will take up a great deal of space in this fic—I'll just warn you right now! :)
WhiteRabbit5: Yeah, I agree a lot of the characters are OOC—after reading through my own fic. Don't worry about hurrying to read; there'll be about 40 more chapters to trudge through before we reach the end of this particular path ;). Thanks for reading!
Kiche: Wow—my writing doesn't seem corny and bad to you? Well, all of that aside—I'm glad you think the plot's awesome!
Last Chapter: (I'm sorry! The author notes are really long for this update, but it's been so long since I last updated that you all probably forgot what happened in the previous chapter—though it would be better if you read it again, because I throw around little tidbits of information that are crucial to note later on in the story.)
Sanosuke walks back from Katsu's home to the Kamiya dojo, only to find Kenshin's farewell note and a distraught Yahiko. Angrily, he runs off, first to the Akabeko to furiously inform Tae and Tsubame of what had just happened, and then bolts out of the door again to who knows where. Meanwhile, Yahiko searches for Sanosuke...
As all of this is happening, Kaoru and Houji are engaged in a major showdown—Houji armed with his gun, Kaoru with her bokken. And the victor hasn't been decided yet...
A Cloak of Protection
Chapter 15: A Candle Flame Extinguished
DAY THREE—9:00am
The scenery whizzed by beyond the open window set into the wall of the carriage. He could glimpse a blur of green leafy trees and, occasionally, the earthy colors of the townspeople's clothes, as the carriage rolled by, rattling and bouncing on the crunchy gravel road. This carriage was heading to Himura's place, where Okubo would get his answer on whether or not Kenshin would head to Kyoto to finish Shishio off.
Okubo sat himself up straighter on the carriage's bench and drew in a breath of the warm air inside the carriage. His large, warm hands knotted themselves together as his thoughts turned to Himura Kenshin once more. The fate of Japan is riding on Himura-kun's shoulders alone, he thought tensely, firmly laying his nervous hands on his lap in an effort to calm them. He alone has the ability to stop Makoto Shishio, given his past as the Hitokiri Battousai.
Himura-kun must think of the people of Japan, and consider his answer wisely. He mustn't answer rashly, for Japan is at stake, what with Shishio about to unleash his awesome power upon us.
Without his knowing, his entwined fingers had started fiddling nervously again, and a small drop of cold sweat trailed down the side of his left temple, disappearing into the coarse hair of his brown beard and mustache. In an attempt to calm down, he thought to himself almost desperately, Saitou Hajime also has incredible power; he just falls a few steps short of Kenshin-kun's awesome ability.
Then why did Okubo still have this uneasy feeling boiling up inside him? It was almost as if he were back in the Bakumatsu, where everywhere you went, you felt cool murderer eyes on the back of your head, assessing you for a potential kill. This was enough to keep the hair on the back of your neck standing permanently on end, and for your palms to constantly sweat with fear.
Okubo trained his steady gaze onto the solid wall of the carriage before him, where on the other side, the driver guided the horse to Himura-kun's residence. A jarring jolt shook the tiny carriage as the rolling wheels bounced over a particularly large rock, and Okubo had to grasp the sides of the carriage for balance.
A cold breeze wafted through the window at that second, and after the carriage had stopped rattling so violently, Okubo stretched out a hand to pull the blue window curtain closed. Turning, he proceeded to do the same to the other window. Now the carriage was filled with a dim, bluish light, enclosing Okubo in the loneliness and containment of the carriage.
Trying not to mind the rattling of the carriage, Okubo let out a tense sigh and diverted his mind from Himura and the possible fate of Japan. His hands loosened in his lap and finally they lay calm, as he cleared his mind. Soon they would arrive at Himura's, and he would have nothing to worry about. Of course Himura-kun would take down Shishio permanently, if for the sake of Japan and for the young maiden he seemed to care so strongly for.
The clicking noise of the door handle turning brought Okubo alert, thinking that the carriage had finally arrived at Himura's home and the driver was opening the carriage door for him. But—he then registered this with a sharp jolt—the carriage was still rattling and moving over the gravelly path...they hadn't arrived yet...!
But then—!
A childish voice rang through the tiny carriage, stopping Okubo's frantic thoughts. "Now, don't struggle, and this will end quickly and with as little pain as possible for you." At the end of the sentence, the voice's pitch seemed to rise, as if the speaker were smiling.
Smiling!
Okubo jerked his head to the side of the carriage where the voice was coming from, but before his chin had even moved two centimeters, a slender hand had grabbed it and clamped callused fingers over his mouth.
As the fingers with the calluses tightened, digging into his skin, Okubo thought, I know of these types of calluses—calluses formed from handling swords!
Before he could focus his eyes, something that felt thick and wide ripped through his stomach and plunged out of his back, sticking into the carriage wall behind him.
It took a few seconds for the pain to reach him.
The world filled with a flaming red, exploding with waves of red fire. Distantly he felt himself gag as hot blood filled his mouth and gushed out beyond his parted lips.
The suffocating, blinding red filled his eyes until the harsh glare was almost unbearable. Then, blessedly, the red sank away into the coolness of darkness, and he knew no more.
9:15 am
The screeching of the horse pulling the carriage and the driver's panicked yells filled the now empty street, as Soujirou clicked open the door handle and easily leaped out to the ground. Taking a last look behind him, he flicked a few drops of blood off the blade of his sword and exhaled, feeling a smile light up his face. He had taken care of Okubo Toshimichi, at Shishio-san's command.
Their plan actually was very complex, Soujirou thought, as he walked away from the carriage. Shishio-san's main goal was to acquire the feared title of the greatest and most powerful creature there was. Himura-san stood in his way, already bearing the title.
However, Soujirou mused, Shishio-san also had another reason to get rid of Himura-san. If Shishio-san were able to climb to the very top, Soujirou knew Himura-san would find a way to bring him back down, knowing Himura-san's rurouni ways. Spying on the former hitokiri and public officials who knew Himura-san had certainly aided in his overall knowledge of him, added to Shishio-san's knowledge of him as well. That was how they were able to base their plan on wounding Himura-san, by first taking the girl he seemed to care for a lot.
It would be a long, rocky road set for Himura-san, Soujirou thought. They had a few...surprises... in store for him, all of which Soujirou was betting Himura-san would not enjoy very much.
Himura-san would not be particularly happy to hear of this certain surprise, either. From what Soujirou had heard, Himura-san seemed to respect Okubo Toshimichi a great deal. But they had to kill Okubo—it was a grave warning to Himura-san that he mustn't interfere with their other plans for Japan, other than fighting against Shishio-san.
Soujirou would have to get that piece of warning to Himura-san, soon.
Then a sharp cry rose Soujirou from his thoughts. He noticed that while he had been thinking about Shishio-san's plans, he had been standing dead still near the path for who knew how long. Calmly stepping away from the carriage that had Okubo Toshimichi's corpse sitting inside, Soujirou stole a quick glance behind him.
The driver of the carriage was now a good distance away from the carriage. No doubt he had gotten a good look at the warm, crimson blood dripping from the end of Soujirou's sword, and hastily ran off.
The ends of Soujirou's mouth curled upwards, and he flicked the blood off his blade before sliding it back into the sheath. With another glance behind him, he stepped off the gravel, hearing more people coming up the road.
9:30 am
The small group of disgruntled ex-samurai trudged up the road, crunching in the strewns of gravel lying on the path. They had nowhere to go, nothing to do...they were broke and without jobs. The only time they could get jobs was when they were hired to kill someone, or to stand as warriors for an important figure. But all of these jobs leaned on the criminal side of the line. Whenever any one of them got caught whilst doing his job, he was sent without questions to the jail. It was as simple as that.
And it was as simple as starving.
Up ahead, an abandoned carriage sat lonely on the road, horseless and driverless. Marked for the important heads of Japan, it was a strange sight to see this regal carriage so carelessly abandoned on the path.
The group of ragged sword carriers plodded their way slowly up the road, dragging their feet tiredly and bitterly wishing that the reform had never happened—at least they had had jobs and money, and with that, nourishment.
A few moments later, they had reached the carriage and were passing it. Curious, one samurai tilted his head to glance beyond the thin blue cloth of the window curtain. The silhouette behind the blue curtain made the samurai stop in his tracks and squint his eyes for a better glance, sure that he must be mistaken.
He would know that man's shape and profile anywhere—it was embedded forcefully in his mind, burning with a red-hot hatred. The one that had helped the reform to pass. The one that had taken away all of the samurai's jobs. The one that had rendered them weak and almost useless in this peaceful time.
Okubo Toshimichi. Sitting upright in the carriage. Defenseless.
The samurai gripped the shiny handle of the carriage door and whipped his head around to yell at his fellow samurai. "It's Okubo Toshimichi! It's him! At last, an opportunity for us to kill him for what he did to us samurai!"
The others halted in their tracks and turned, surprise lifting their faces. Then, as the ex-samurai at the carriage made to jerk down the door handle, vengeful gleams danced in the others' eyes and they sped back to the abandoned carriage, reaching with rough hands for their swords.
With a loud click, the samurai whipped the door open and prepared to leap inside. But just as he was about to swing himself around the door and into the carriage, something large and heavy toppled out and struck the gravelly ground with great force.
The group of men gasped as Okubo's bloody corpse stared up at them all. The dead eyes were wide open, revealing the pearly whites. A thin river of red liquid trickled from the slightly parted lips into the trim, brown beard.
Ghastliest of all was the body's internal muscles and guts peeking out from beyond the two sliced flaps of abdominal skin—all bathed in dark blood.
The samurai who had initially discovered Okubo felt dark fury building up in him. Just when they were about to kill him—when someone had gotten to him first!
"Someone else killed him!" the small group of ex-samurai yelled, their eyes fixed on the corpse collapsed on the ground. "And not too long ago at that!
"Then let's just say we killed him, for the sake of all the starving, jobless samurai!" the small group roared as one. In unison, the men lifted their swords and ran to the corpse lying on the ground.
The horrible sounds filled the air—thuds of blades thrusting into skin and then being pulled back out to once more slice into the corpse of Okubo Toshimichi. The smell of hot, flowing blood wafted along the men's nostrils, and the bloodlust made them only pound even more relentlessly at the body that lay helpless to their merciless slaughter.
At last, the group stepped back, each man splashed with droplets of scarlet and panting from exertion. Thick, heavy streams of dark red blood trickled all along the road, and huge puddles of it swam at their feet.
The source of all the blood lay in the middle of the group. Torn flesh all along the bloody body revealed exposed, shining muscle; slivers and chunks of broken white bone jutted out from the skin; dark, gleaming guts spilled from the stomach area. The remains of Okubo Toshimichi's body were virtually lying in a bloodbath.
Satisfied, the blood-spattered men turned away from their kill and left their most hated man to lie in his own blood and guts. "Served him right!" one of them murmured, cleaning the blood off his blade with one rough, dirty finger...
10:00 am
"Found you," Houji snarled, raising his gun.
Without missing another beat, Kaoru unthinkingly flung herself to the side just as another smoking shot rang through the room. Landing on her left side, she held her bokken above her head and rolled out from behind the couch to spread out the impact. A line of rapid bullets followed her, zooming dangerously over her head and burying themselves into the walls.
No exit, no place to escape...Kaoru raised her chin to glance in every direction. And there was nowhere to run to, either.
As Kaoru scanned the room, her gaze fell on the velvety red curtains draped in front of the secret passage door. If only that door were unlocked...
Another whizzing bullet flashed by her, and Kaoru ducked out from it just in time. As she hastily darted out from another one, the slight whispers of a plan began to form in her head. If only...
Then she had to get it unlocked. If some more of those bullets that Houji kept firing at her were aimed at the lock of the door, destroying it, maybe the door would crack open for her.
Once the door was open, Kaoru would dart into its passage and to whatever it led to. She just hoped she wouldn't be ending up in a dead end, or...
She closed her eyes for a moment. She would not think negative for now. That would just bring her down. But first, she had to get Houji out from behind the couch, so that she could safely (well, the least dangerous way she could manage, given the circumstances) enter the area near the secret passage door and set her plan into motion. By her hurried observations of him, he seemed to be a pretty good gunman, but he were to be wielding a sword instead, he wouldn't stand a chance against her and her bokken.
If he could aim, that was all for the better. Kaoru was depending on his aiming skill for her 'plan' to work.
Another jarring gunshot made her jump and move quickly away from where she had been standing earlier. Turning her head to the left, she saw Houji run out from behind the yellow couch and limp toward her, aiming the gun straight at her heart. A horrible smile was pasted on his face—a triumphant smile.
Kaoru almost scoffed at him. How could he still think he would triumph over her, after all of his failed attempts and her whacks at him? He was definitely not cut out to be a swordsman. Perhaps she herself would teach him.
With a slight smile, Kaoru dismissed the thought. He wasn't worthy of her teaching, she decided, if you counted in his endless greed for power and money. Kamiya Kasshin Ryu wasn't fit for this power-seeking man.
Clicking his finger over the trigger of the smoking gun, Houji prepared to shoot another bullet at her again. "Stop causing trouble for me and just stay still!"
10:10 am
Bitch.
Houji knew she was trouble from the very start. That was why he was trying to wound her now—he wanted to wound her seriously enough so that she wouldn't be so troublesome.
It seemed as if all she did was meddle in their carefully constructed plans. Tying him up, treating him as the one being kidnapped—surely they had to squash her down, reduce her to where she really stood among their plans. She was only useful for that Battousai to come and fight against Shishio-sama for the ultimate title. Otherwise, Battousai probably wouldn't even think of coming.
Oh, Houji wouldn't think of killing that pesky raven-haired girl, who stood in front of him now, panting and readying her wooden sword in both hands. That would completely go against Shishio-sama's plans for her. No, he had to keep her alive. But surely he was allowed to push the plans a little. He would keep her alive—barely. Battousai would still be enraged—it would create the same result he and Shishio-sama both wanted.
And another benefit of wounding her? She would stay quiet and think twice of doing stupid things like tying him up. No, that wasn't smart at all. That wouldn't do.
He would have to teach her a lesson.
10:15 am
Breathless and cheeks tinted pink from running, Yahiko dashed up the gravel road to where a huge crowd was gathered around a carriage. What happened? Why's everyone standing here? What's that carriage doing there?
As Yahiko got closer, handfuls of people near him were sobbing into each other's shoulders or wiping streaming tears from their eyes. What happened?! Why are those people crying?
As Yahiko strode purposefully toward the crowd around the carriage, a hand reached out and took hold of his yellow, black-checked gi. "Don't go over there, boy," a man said hoarsely. "'Tis a horrible sight for a young 'un to see."
'Young?!' Impatient, Yahiko tugged his sleeve away and kept striding forward, until he reached the tight ring of people around the carriage.
Yahiko shoved his way through the shocked and murmuring crowd, and squeezed his way past two enormously large women, until he got to the center of the crowd.
And what he saw wasn't pretty.
Several policemen were directing the crowd to back up and leave the area, but Yahiko stood there, his feet frozen to the gravel ground. A few yards in front of him, something bloody lay underneath a mat. A hand that looked vaguely familiar poked out from under the mat, fingers and nails lined with red blood.
Yahiko couldn't wrench his eyes away from the bloody sight. As he stared, a couple behind him murmured to each other, "The poor man. Okubo-kyo...they said he was stabbed countless times..."
Yahiko's eyes snapped open. Okubo? Okubo...Toshimichi? The man that had come to the dojo to break up the fight between Saitou and Kenshin? Later on, Kenshin had mentioned something about this Okubo guy—that he was going to come to the dojo again the day after to find out what Kenshin's decision was.
Had he been on his way to doing that just this morning?
Yahiko swallowed back a huge lump in his throat. His coming to the dojo had not been needed—but he had been murdered nevertheless...
He had seen enough. As a police officer waved an arm at him to go, Yahiko dazedly turned and shoved his way back through the crowd.
It wasn't until he had walked past the group of sobbing mourners that someone knocked into him—hard. Yahiko would have stumbled and fallen had he not caught himself abruptly.
Indignant, the spiky-haired boy whirled around and started to yell, "Hey, what th'—" but was stopped by a hand clamping down onto his shoulder.
The hand belonged to a guy around his height, dressed in a blue gi with a dark blue collar and billowing dark blue hakama. On his face he wore a huge grin that stretched from ear to ear, and his smiling eyes were crinkled in laughter.
Yahiko couldn't believe it. All of these people crying for Okubo's death, but this guy was just standing there smiling at him? It pissed him off. "What th' hell do you want?" Yahiko curtly asked the smiling boy. "I do have somewhere to go, ya know."
The boy tightened his hand on Yahiko's shoulder until Yahiko couldn't move. "You should really take a moment to listen to the people around you," the boy smilingly informed him. "And what I have to say will take only a moment."
Impatient, Yahiko tried to shrug away the boy's hand, but succeeded in only wrenching his shoulder and neck. Aw hell, this guy's strong!
"Know this, I was the one who killed that last member of the Ishin Sanketsu. And—" The boy cut himself off abruptly at Yahiko's confused expression. Then he gave a warm chuckle. "Okubo Toshimichi—he was involved with your Himura-san."
Yahiko's mind lurched, and he could only stare straight ahead as Okubo Toshimichi's killer continued speaking.
"Are you wondering why we killed him? It was a warning to Himura-san, a warning not to interfere with any of Shishio-san's plans except for the fight planned for him. Otherwise, more people will get hurt." The boy paused for a second, and then added thoughtfully, "Even you, you know. If you try to foil Shishio-san's plans as well, the same thing will happen to you. None of Shishio's enemies ever end up alive, in the end."
Yahiko's chin tightened. "And why are you telling me this buncha crap?" he questioned the smiling boy. "How didja know I was gonna—"
The boy gave another warm chuckle. "Remember this—we have eyes everywhere," he answered with a wink. "Pass on this message to anyone else that might try to interfere with our plans. They will get hurt."
The pressure on Yahiko's shoulder suddenly lifted, and he turned to see the boy striding happily off, a spring in his step.
What the hell was that all about? Was that guy...one of Shishio's men?
Gingerly reaching up a hand to rub his shoulder where the boy had clenched it, Yahiko noticed something moist on his fingers. Bewildered, Yahiko brought his hand back down to see what it was.
Smudges of bright red blood gleamed on his fingertips. Okubo Toshimichi's blood. So that guy was telling the truth. When he killed the guy, he probably got blood all over his hands.
So his other warning was also true.
Suddenly the air felt very, very cold.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Note: Not much happening in this chapter—only Okubo Toshimichi's death and a little bit of what's happening at the Temple of Six Arches. Hopefully, I'll tie that up by the end of the next chapter.
A little note: Constructive criticism is being asked again! Throughout the last couple of chapters, I got so bigheaded that my writing faltered, so now I'm keeping myself in line. So, constructive criticism from all you guys will be highly appreciated, and now I'll shut up to type the next chapter :). Hopefully, this chapter wasn't too bad...
-Twilight Sky