In response to an anonymous review, "is Ayaka evil?" It's an interesting question really. She isn't necessarily evil, but she ain't a protagonist, at this point in the story. However, she may seem like it in this chapter.I haven't made up my mind whether or not that will change in the nearby future.
Disclaimer: ...I don't own...RK or any of the characters...damn it.
Chapter Eight: Cat Fight and Hidden Connections
Ayaka sighed as she sat down for a much needed rest. All this action was wearing her out. Her usual sleek hair had lost its shine as it was ruffled from the combination of being hiding under a scarf for the majority of the day and perspiration. She thought about the grave faces of the wounded men. It wasn't a pretty sight looking into the face of a man who knew he was going to die.
A young girl sat next to Ayaka. She was the one who gave Kaoru bandages earlier that day. For a while they sat in silence. Neither of them wished to talk about their day. Finally Ayaka spoke. "Did you see Himura-san?"
"What does he look like?" She asked.
"You can't miss him. Red hair with a vertical scar on his cheek." She smiled as she thought of the man she had been obsessed with since she first laid eyes on him years ago. "You should meet him, cousin."
"I saw a man with red hair earlier." She remarked quietly. Ayaka turned to her.
"What? When? Was he hurt?" The younger girl sighed waiting for another turn to speak. "Megumi-san!" Ayaka said threatening. "Answer me."
"He was wounded, but there was a girl with him. I gave her some bandages and they went back to his room." Megumi said knowing the effect it would have on Ayaka.
"Was this girl ugly and wearing men's clothes?" Ayaka asked curtly. Megumi didn't get a good enough glimpse of Kaoru but she remembered her not being ugly. She rolled her eyes at Ayaka's jealously.
"Yes." She said. She didn't believe the first part but she didn't feel it was necessary to mention it to her cousin. Ayaka was no doubt plotting her revenge. Megumi almost felt sorry for Kaoru. She didn't know her, but if Ayaka was getting so worked up…
Ayaka had stood up and ran. Megumi expected her to go to run to Kenshin's room, but she went in the opposite direction. She was heading to the kitchens…
Megumi sighed. She wanted nothing to do with the problems of her cousin she rarely seen. She tracked down her cousin because she was the last of her family she could locate. War had scattered all the Takani. Megumi sighed, of course this was the last place she wanted to go, but she needed a place to stay. Her mouth twisted into a grimace of irony. She came here to avoid war, only to be forced into it without a choice.
Megumi remembered the first time her cousin told about her beloved Himura Battousai. It was less than three years, but the memory was engraved in the young doctors mind. It was also the last time she had spoken to Ayaka until recently. Ayaka had returned from the village with the news of an army of samurai were passing through. It wasn't out of the ordinary, so Megumi had shown no concern.
"Cousin, you wouldn't believe what I saw," she began. Megumi had flashed a fake expression of interest. "I saw my future husband, the most handsome man I have seen!" She was always reaching for what she couldn't have.
"What about that Katashi guy?" Megumi asked quietly. He was the man she was intended to marry, her father's wishes. An only week ago was she saying the same about him. But Megumi knew this was different.
"Katashi cares more about his damn yakuza," Ayaka had said twirling her hair between her fingers. "He doesn't have the heart to care for a woman."
"And this mysterious samurai does?" It seemed like a foolish thing for her to say at the time. Megumi sighed. Ayaka soon found out that he was Hitokiri Battousai, and he had no soul. Ayaka's love was unreturned. But she refused to give up. It was sad in its own way. No wonder, seeing him care for another girl had upset her.
"Shiro is my brother."
Kenshin stared at her in disbelief. He was waiting for her to say it was a joke. But when she fell uncharacteristically silent, Kenshin realized with a deep feeling. She wasn't joking. The man, who wasn't about to hesitant to kill her, was her damn brother.
"Your brother?" He managed to ask.
"Well," She said, "He's my half-brother, but he's still related to me by blood."
"But you said that you didn't have any family left." He said cautiously. Normally she would have snapped back an angry reply. But she shrank lower. Her slight frame was trembling so much it hurt Kenshin to watch. "I am sorry." He said quickly. Kaoru looked at him confused. "I didn't mean to bring it up."
"But you deserve to know the truth." Kaoru said quietly. She looked at him with saddest eyes that were pleading for comfort only he could offer. Kenshin had set her in his lap. Her head rested against his chest and his arms were loosely around her waist. She sighed. "My father first married a woman named Katashi Satsuki. She was Shiro's mother. Satsuki was a plain woman who didn't have much to say. She had introduced my father to the Gouka. My father had joined to impress her. He didn't seem to care that the being apart of the yakuza was for life. Satsuki died of a disease after Shiro was born. Her sister adopted him and nurtured him because my father couldn't do it by himself. She raised him to hate my father.
"Then my father met Akane. She was my mother and she didn't want him to be apart of the Gouka but he couldn't leave. Because of this my mother refused to marry him, but I was still born. That's why there is no record of me being his child." The file that Kenshin was given had said that Kamiya Koshijiro's wife was dead and there was no record of a family. It made sense. He didn't raise Shiro, so he wasn't recognized, and Kaoru was born out of wedlock. "My mother drownednine years ago in the Tokyo harbor. It was just my father and I when Wolfe became the leader of the Gouka. My father and him got in constant fights. I later found out it was because he was scheming to marry me. My father disapproved and finally broke his ties with the Gouka, but they refused to leave us alone. Wolfe still wants me, and I know that I can't escape him for long. He will find me. And I can't run." Kenshin rested his chin on her forehead. His fingers were absentmindedly combing through her glossy black hair.
"I will not let Wolfe get you," Kenshin said. "I would never let him harm you again. Never." Kaoru smiled knowing that he talking from his heart. Kaoru turned in his arms and faced him.
"Promise?" She asked playfully.
"Of course." He said. He kissed the tip of her nose. He pulled back and was ready to dive in again and he heard a knock on the door. He groaned. The moment was broken and Kaoru moved away as Kenshin pulled his gi back over his newly bandaged chest. Kaoru had done a damn near prefect job, he thought. She knew more about medicine then she has been revealing. He opened the door to see Katsura with a pack of papers and Ayaka behind him carrying a tray of food.
"Himura-san," Katsura said. "And Kamiya-san." He added quickly. "I have some more news. Kamiya-san, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to discuss this with Himura alone." Kaoru opened her mouth to protest.
"Anything you had to say, you can say in front of her." Kenshin said fixing Katsura with a glare. Everyone was surprised. Kenshin had always shown respect to his superiors. Katsura swallowed then shrugged. He knew his news would stir Kaoru's infamous temper, and he didn't wish to be hit again. But what needed to be said, needed to be said.
Ayaka was passing out food. She had brought enough food for everyone. Was she expecting Kaoru to be there? When she reached for a plate, Ayaka slapped her hand. "That's for Battousai-san." She said. She grabbed the plate next to that one and thrust it in Kaoru's clumsy hands. "This one is yours." Kaoru couldn't see a different between the two dishes, but she kept that detail to herself. The men didn't seem to notice the hostile exchange between the women.
"We have more information on the Gouka." He said, ignoring Kaoru's startled look. "The leader goes by the name Hitokiri Ookami. But there is little about him." Kenshin looked at Kaoru confused. "Wolfe." She mouthed silently. Then Kenshin knew. Of course he wouldn't go by his real name. "He became the leader nearly ten years ago. The leader before him mysteriously disappeared, probably murdered." Kaoru finished her food and snuck a look at Ayaka. She was pretending to be interested in her fingernails but Kaoru knew she was hanging on it every word. Lines ceased in her forehead, as she looked more intently. She knew something. She knew something, nobody else knew.
"Kamiya Koshijiro joined seventeen years ago. His wife died in childbirth along with the child." Kaoru's eyes glittered furiously. This is what the official story was. She had heard this too many times before. It was all lies. "There is no record of Kaoru-kun ever being born."
Kenshin's jaw clenched. "Where did you get this information?"
Katsura looked at him. "A reliable source. But that's irrelevant. Perhaps Kaoru-kun has better information?" The girl was ready to kill him. She was hunched over hugging her arms around herself.
"The leader before Hitokiri Ookami," she added a world of scorn on the name of the man who defiled her and made her life a living hell. "His name was Hitokiri Karuma. He was the best leader of the Gouka." She added.
"In your opinion." Ayaka interjected. Kaoru looked at her.
"I suppose you prefer Wol- Hitokiri Ookami." She quickly amended herself. "Because he favors whores like you." Kenshin looked at Kaoru shocked. Ayaka slapped Kaoru against the cheek, surprisingly hard. Kaoru staggered backwards and the two men watched in alarm.
"You don't have room to talk Kaoru. You've been his whore since before you were twelve!" Kaoru grew angry, but tried to control herself. "I know who you are, and you pretend to be. It's a pity he won't kill you. You were born worthless and you will never change. Karuma may have loved your little lies, but he has been dead for years. Don't stand there looking down out at my ways when you're dirtier than me!"
Kaoru felt her entire body shake with pure rage. It's been months since she was this furious. She shivered knowing what would happen next. Kenshin reached from his sword. "Stay out of this!" She hissed. Kenshin looked her stunned. He knew something was going to happen. Something very bad.
"Katashi Ayaka. I get it now. You're married to the jackass." Kaoru retorted. "You're married to Katashi Shiro!" Ayaka froze and looked at Kenshin. He refused to look at her. Kenshin didn't think Shiro went by Kamiya, but Katashi? Then he remembered. Kaoru had said that was his mother's family name. Ayaka was married to Kaoru's half-brother. What a coincidence.
Suddenly Kaoru's stomach revolted. She grabbed it and cried in pain. Ayaka's eyes went wide and suddenly she fled the room. Katsura ran after her. Kenshin was ready to follow, but Kaoru swayed dangerously. He caught her, as her world grew dark. "Kenshin?" she said before she passed out.
Bradley Wolfe frowned as he viewed his reports given by his spies. Nothing brought him closer to Kaoru. Not a single goddamn one! He grew impatient. He needed to vent his anger. Grinning, he thought of just the cure. He grabbed a katana and decided to visit an old friend in his dungeon. (Don't ask why a simple yakuza has a dungeon…I don't know.)
He found a cell with iron bars. Inside there was a small figure rolled into a ball against the wall. "Good evening, Karuma-san." He said. The person rolled over and glared in his direction.
"Long time no see. Ookami." His voice was wry and low. He stood up. Wolfe always laughed at Karuma's height, or lack of. He was barely five feet tall.
"You still look like a child." He said.
"I may look like a child, but at least I don't act like one." Wolfe drew his katana and looked up at Karuma. He knew what he wanted.
Karuma was small man with a long blue-black ponytail and slanted light brown eyes. He looked very feminine. Wolfe shook his head. "So this is the great Hitokiri Karuma at his finest. Funny how far you have fallen."
"Not nearly as funny as it's going to be when I shove that shiny sword up your ass. Step in here and that's what will happen." He challenged. "You know you can't fight me. That's why you never tried."
Wolfe wasn't going to argue with him on that. "Still cocky after nine years? Watch out or I will take my frustrations out on your beloved goddaughter, Kaoru."
"If you touch Kaoru again I will personally deliver your ass to hell." Karuma snapped. Wolfe chuckled.
"What can you do in this cell?"
"Who says I'm staying here?"
"You have been saying that for the last nine years. I am still waiting for you to break free like you promise."
Karuma felt silent. I will get out soon. Kaoru-chan, don't worry. I will stop him. I will not fail you again.
Narrator
(Time is run out for Kaoru. If she knew how dark her past was she wouldn't be able to face it. I truly regret leaving you in this world, but what is done, is done. Now that you know that Ayaka is working for the Gouka, what will you do? As much as I wish I could take you away from this horrible deceit, I can't. I can no longer shield you my daughter. Forgive me.)
Wow that's confusing. Basically Ayaka's married to Shiro who is Kaoru's half-brother. And Wolfe imprisoned Karuma, the leader before him. Questions?
Thank you those you reviewed. Forgive me if this chapter is too confusing. Please ask if you don't understand something. I will probably edit this later if everyone has too many questions.
Please Review.
Silent. Midnight. Rose.
