Ice Assasin

Chapter Five: Poisons and Promises

Author: Setzu

Rated: R

Sweat beads poured down Megumi's head as Sanosuke carefully laid the unconscious Setzu on a nearby mat. Setzu had been unconscious for about ten minutes before Megumi made it outside to see the disaster that had occurred. Setzu's breathing was ragged and shallow, she was sweating up a storm, and her face would occasionally squish up in pain.

"Yahiko, I need you to go get a bucket of cold water and several cloths. Quickly!" The young boy stared at her for a minute before quickly nodding and running off to do as he was told. Kaoru stood off to the side of Megumi, ready to do anything to help her friend with Kenshin behind her hugging her.

"Some one get a light, I don't care who but get it quick," Megumi had on her stern doctor's face as she slowly, gently opened the jacket and slid it off of her bloody shoulder so she could examine the wound closer. She looked at the dagger that was still in the young woman's shoulder, blood was everywhere, and was still pouring from the wound. She needed to close it before Setzu bled to death. Suddenly a lantern was tied above her and she looked up to Sanosuke.

"Sanosuke, I need you to hold her down, even if she's unconscious she might jerk around from the pain. Oh stop blushing, she's still bandaged," Megumi rolled her eyes as she looked at the Sanosuke who was staring at Setzu's bound chest. His cheeks were tinted with a wild blush, even if her chest was bandaged; it was still pretty exposed.

"Sanosuke! Stop looking you pervert!" Cried Kaoru as she smacked him over the head. She glared down at him, her hips on her hands. Sanosuke rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head as he looked up into the scary eyes of Kaoru.

"Heh, sorry little missy. Alright now, to hold her down..." He got into a position right next to Setzu and grabbed her good shoulder with a strong grip, while grabbing her other arm gently but sternly. "I'm ready when you are Megumi."

Megumi nodded and closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and grabbing the hilt of the dagger with a firm grip and pulled. Setzu's body convulsed at the sudden pain and Sanosuke's grip tightened.

"Just a little more," He whispered as Megumi gave a final tug and the dagger was out. More blood began to gush from the wound right as Yahiko skidded in with a bucket of cold water and many, many cloths. Immediately Megumi used the cloths to clean the blood away before bandaging the deep wound. She placed a cold cloth on her head and relaxed slightly, wiping some sweat away from her face.

"I think the worst is over," She sighed and looked up to Kaoru, Kenshin, Yahiko and Sanosuke, before returning her gaze to the pale Setzu. She couldn't help but feel she was missing something, that there was still something wrong with Setzu, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Kenshin gave Kaoru's shoulder a gentle squeeze in hopes it would help comfort her. It was easy to tell that Kaoru was blaming this on herself. Her fists where clenched and she was staring at her friend with haunted eyes. With out warning Kaoru shoved Kenshin's hand from her shoulder and stormed from the room. No one was surprised when it was Kenshin who followed to find the young lady.

Sanosuke groaned and rubbed his temples before letting his gaze turn to Setzu, determined to stay with her till she woke up. He wondered at the sudden feeling of protectiveness over her but just shrugged it off as he turned to Megumi and began talking about her condition.

Kaoru bursts through the doors of the dojo and out into the yard where the battle had taken place. She glared down at the body of the man who had hurt her friend, her eyes were their icy color as she ruthlessly kicked the dead mans body. She kept muttering curses, kicking harder each time until a pair of arms pulled her away and into a deep hug. She struggled for a few minutes before calming down a little and burying her face into the man's chest and letting her tears out.

"It's not your fault Kaoru, that it isn't," He tried to soothe in a soft voice as he smoothed some of her hair back.

"But it is!" Was her muffled reply as she brought her face away from his chest, "It's because of me this is happening. It's ME they want dead. If only I had gone with my mother in that damn fire, none of this would have happened, none of you would be in danger!"

"You're not the only one who drags danger where ever you go, you should know that! Remember all that we've been through because of MY old enemies and me! We cannot control the past that we cannot, so we must accept it and deal with it! I know this is hard for you Kaoru, but you don't need to be afraid, we are all here for you, I am here for you," Kenshin smiled fondly down at Kaoru as he cupped her cheek, the most intimate action he had ever done to her before. He stared down into her lovely blue orbs that had finally calmed down and held a few tears that slowly slid down her cheek. He brushed his thumbs across her soft cheek and wiped them away with a single stroke.

"Never shall you have to fight alone."

"Oh Kenshin…" Kaoru stared up at him with happy tears. So close, they were so close. She had never seen this kind of affection come from Kenshin before. Of course she knew he cared for her, she just didn't know how deep those feelings went, and she wanted to know, so badly.

"Kenshin, how, how do you feel about me?" She asked nervously, but determined. Kenshin's eyes widened at the question, taken-back.

"I, um, well..."

"Stop the lovey-dovey moment you two! Something's wrong with Setzu, but Megumi doesn't know what it is!" Kenshin and Kaoru turned bright red before racing after Yahiko who had a smug look on his face as he headed back to the room with Setzu.

Kaoru once again bursts through the doors of the dojo as she passed Yahiko and ran into the room with Setzu. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw how pale her figure was and the way her body was moving, as if she was having seizure.

"What's wrong with her Megumi!" She cried frantically as she tried to help Sanosuke keep Setzu down.

"That's the problem, I don't know! It's some kind of poison, but one I've never seen. Here, the dagger smells odd to me, so I'm guessing the smell is the poison but..."

"Give it to me!" Kaoru all but grabbed the dagger from Megumi's hands as she examined it. She sniffed it as Megumi did earlier, her eyes widening as she stared at it in horror.

"Black panther poison."

"Black panther poison?"

"Not now later, now where is it..." Kaoru grabbed Setzu's jacket and began searching through any pockets or item holders that there were. She growled when she didn't find what she was looking for and tried looking in her pant pockets as Sanosuke held Setzu as still as he could. Everyone looked at her oddly, wondering what she was looking for when suddenly she pulled a small bag from one of Setzu's pockets. It was a small bag that was filled with some type of yellowish powder.

"Cup, I need a cup!" She hissed out dangerously. Without hesitation Megumi gave her the cup she had been drinking out of that was filled with water. Kaoru immediately poured the substance in and had Sanosuke tilt her head as she forced Setzu to drink it.

"What is that stuff?"

"I'm not really sure myself Yahiko, but I know it will help with the poison, it did last time."

"She's been poisoned with this before?"

"Yes Megumi, back during the Bakamatsu. The Onigumi were known for the odd poisons they could make or find," Koaru set the cup down and sat back as Setzu stopped twitching and her breathing slowly began to return to normal. She sighed.

"This specific poison is VERY hard to obtain due to that it comes from another country, America I think. I'm not really sure, but I know it comes from two plants, one known as Black Locust, and the other called Panther. Each are poisonous as is, but when mixed together the effects are pretty much immediate. Normally it would kill someone in twenty minutes or so, but since she's been poisoned with it before, I suppose it took a bit longer. Her body knows a little more how to deal with it." They all stared at Setzu in wonder. Twenty minutes? It had been at least forty minutes since they brought her in when she was stabbed.

"I suppose that is all we can do, we'll just have to wait for her to wake up. Why don't we get some sleep?" Suggested Megumi, she could tell everyone was tired, even she was. She turned to usher Sanosuke out but was surprised when he gave a hard stare and gently nudged her out of the room.

"I'll watch her, I'll get you if something happens," He promised as he took his previous spot next to Setzu. Megumi smiled and nodded as she turned and left.

Kaoru laid down in her bed and sighed, ready to fall asleep, but not before making a quiet vow to herself. She had wanted to be like Kenshin and not kill, but she didn't know if she could hold back now. She smirked and promised herself that she would find Yugamu and make him pay for what he had tried to do her friend.

"Sir, the Kamiya girl is indeed in Tokyo as we believed, along with that brat Setzu Miyaki, who interfered with our plans.

"Interfered? Is that why Kazuma is no longer with us?"

"I had to eliminate him when she caught him in the dojo grounds, I am happy to relay though sir that I managed to stab her with a black dagger, she is most likely dead." Laughed a cold feminine voice.

"She does not fall so easily Meimi, you should know that. She survived the last time you stabbed her with that poison. I will think her alive as well as Kamiya Kaoru until I see their bodies with my own eyes, am I understood." Hissed the deep voice, obviously unhappy with the way the young woman was so convinced that her enemy was dead. "Never underestimate you enemy Meimi, never."

"Yes my liege," Whispered Meimi as she slowly retreated from the room. The man trailed his eyes after her. She would come in quite handy since she was one of his best warriors, not to mention she had a bone to pick with Setzu Miyaki for the scar on the left side of her face. He laughed as he sipped some sake. He would get what he wanted, he always got what he wanted. He would avenge his brother and make Kamiya Kaoru pay. This he promised himself.