Just when Sano, Yahiko and Aoshi were at their wits' end, watching Kaoru and Misao who were only capable of resisting feebly, the locked door splintered open to reveal a slanty-eyed man wielding a sword while smoking placidly. As the former captain of the Shinsengumi's 3rd division, Saito Hajime certainly lived up to his reputation of a party-crasher. Only this time, for once, his presence came as a pleasant surprise to some.
Saito Hajime! What could HE be doing here? Everyone visibly started except Sano and Aoshi who had half-expected it. Taku and Kagura recovered their senses in a remarkably short time. "Who the hell are you? And what the hell are you doing here?" They glowered at him, but still unwilling to let go of their victims.
"My…my…what manners…It's no wonder you don't get many visitors around here." His tone heavy with sarcasm, Saito didn't even bother looking at them, much less attempt to answer their questions. Instead, he took a long drag at his cigarette and scrutinized the blade of his katana carefully.
"Why…you…! Let's give him a lesson he'll never forget, Kagura!" Taku snarled as they both dashed forward simultaneously, clumsily reaching for their katanas. Saito nonchalantly tossed his cigarette aside and assumed his Gatotsu stance, his hand resting lightly on the tip of his blade. "Feh…" With a burst of speed, he suddenly disappeared before their eyes and the first swing of his blade landed on Taku's back squarely. He was sent sprawling across the dusty floor, unconscious even before he hit the ground. Kagura charged at Sano with sword raised high, letting loose a bloodcurdling cry but another swing of Sano's sword and he was out cold as well, his katana clattering from his numb fingers.
"Ignorant fools……" Saito muttered. In a blink of an eye, the others were freed and they set about rubbing their wrists and ankles vigorously to restore the blood circulation while Sano casually lit another cigarette. "What are you doing here, Saito?" Sano demanded, voicing the question which everyone was dying to ask.
"Saving your lives, that's what I'm doing here," He puffed out smoke right into Sano's face. "Kenshin Himura came by the station a couple of hours ago, asking me to drop by this area in case of complications. But don't think I came because I felt obliged to, curiosity got the best of me. Who would have though I'll find all of you chained up and as helpless as newborn babes," He smirked at the recollection. "Speaking of him, where is Himura anyway?"
A long silence ensued. "Kenshin….Kenshin…." Kaoru's voice faltered and she collapsed into Misao's arms, shaking with convulsive sobs. "That idiot!" Sano slammed his fist into the wall, visibly frustrated. "How could he have done that!" He noticed that Yahiko looked pale and drawn, obviously not yet recovered the great shock. It was Aoshi who answered for them all. "Jin-eh forced Himura to kill himself by threatening to harm Miss Kaoru." He was not one to waste words. "Himura did it, and they took his body away."
"Well, well….I never thought the end of Battousai would turn out this way," There was a brief sympathetic pause. "Jin-eh…the past hitokiri who Himura rendered useless by severing his tendons? Indeed…..a man of vengeance. So Kenshin already expected something of this kind to happen." Saito paused awkwardly. "May his soul rest in peace."
"But he's not dead yet."
"Everyone practically goggled at Aoshi, their mouths hanging wide open. It seemed impossible, and yet Aoshi had spoken with conviction. "Whatever are you talking about?" Misao sounded breathless. "He plunged that sword straight into his heart! I saw him! We all saw him!"
"He twisted his sword at the very last moment so that it'll miss his heart….by inches. It's an old skill, formerly used by olden warriors to escape inevitable death by hara-kiri. It's a barely imperceptible move, even I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't suspected anything."
Nobody knew what to say. All of them just stood stock-still, as if rooted to the ground. "Kenshin's not……not dead?" Kaoru spoke unbelievingly. "You…you mean he's still alive somewhere?" She started weeping again, but this time, the tears were tears of happiness.
"But where is Kenshin?" Yahiko spoke up for the first time. "How are we ever going to find…..wait a minute…." His glance flickered towards the two unconscious figures "Time for these sleepyheads to wake up!" Sano volunteered by kicking them roughly in their ribs while Misao took pleasure in tugging their hair and twisting their ears until they were on the point of dropping off. But to no avail. The 'sleeping' duo 'slept' on.
"Hang on…I think I got it," Disappearing out the door in a flash, Yahiko reappeared, lugging 2 heavy buckets filled with icy cold water. "These should do the trick," Freezing water sloshed down upon the two unsuspecting victims, waking them up with a jolt as they choked and spluttered. They sat up with bewildered expressions. Sano went straight to the point without wasting time.
"Where's Kenshin? Where did you take him?"
"Eh?"
"Kenshin….Kenshin….you know, the guy just now."
"What?"
Sano gritted his teeth with growing impatience. "What a couple of idiots!" He drew a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. "The red-haired guy, the Battousai…..Jin-eh told you to get rid of him….now, where is he?"
"OHHH…..you mean THAT guy," Taku brightened considerably and was about to spill everything when Kagura nudged him sharply and threw him a furtive look. Dumb as he was, Taku immediately understood. A flash of suspicion and determination crossed his face. "Wait a minute, what makes you think that you're getting anything out of us?"