05/06 – Minor clean up of spelling and grammer errors (that I caught...) and reposted. Content remains the same. If you remember the story and care to move on, you won't have missed anything. DoC

Warning, there is some subject matter in this chapter that some readers may find offensive. Violence. The rating has gone up. There is a reason. Heed it.

Chains Required, Whips Optional

A Tale or Rurouni Kenshin

Chapter Four: Hurting People is My Business

The second floor window showed a spectacular view of the ocean, visible beneath the stars of deep night. The moon had long since set; it was perhaps two in the morning. The ex-gangster took quick notice of this as he continued cautiously along the corridor, his eyes scanning all of the closed doors down its length. There was a Samurai suit of amour at either end of the hall and nothing else in the way of décor. He made the passage un-challenged and worked up to the third floor. Again, it was marked by a corridor, a window at the far end and a number of doors down both walls. There was but a single wall scroll, something quite lude at that, between two of the doors. Nothing else, aside from stone walls, was to entertain the observer.

Sanosuke gently readjusted the weight of the child he carried; Suzume still clung resolutely to his neck. As much as danger lurked in these halls, Sano was not inclined to shove the little girl off. She trusted him, he would not betray her that. Aside from the occasional muffled snuffle of his charge, the hall was silent. The young man crept with a grace few associated with him, despite the shackles still attached to his ankles, slowly passed each door, stopping to press an ear to each Western styled swinging frame. Any kid who had spent an amount of time on the Tokyo streets, the east side, knew how to creep and how to eavesdrop. The ex-gangster continued with the air of a cat-burglar. He had certainly seen his fair share of the Tokyo streets.

The young man was well aware that the number of men he had fought in this beast of a place did not yet tally to the number he had seen boarding the long boats. The silence was made all the heavier by that knowledge. Kuromori had indeed raised an alarm; the ambush surely must have proven that. Would that mean extra guard about Jou-chan, or about Kuromori himself? There in was the real question, as the Western dressed kidnapper had proven himself a coward at their first encounter. Did he run toward the other two girls, or off someplace else? Sanosuke sneered to himself as he pressed an ear against yet another silent door frame.

He had no love for cowardly men, and even less so for those who kidnapped lil' girls to use as hostages against a man who did not deserve any of this. True, Kenshin had killed many men, but when all is said and done, those deaths happened in war. Kuromori's vendetta with Kenshin had to have something to do with a death. The guy could not possibly be talented enough with his blade to have a long standing challenge with Kenshin like Saito did. And Kuromori seemed to take it all far too personally to be just resentment for what the Battôsai had stood for.

A wooden plank shanked between stone tiles squeaked beneath Sano's weight, the young man froze instantly. The tiny noise had fairly screamed in his ears, he was certain for a brief moment that the entire fortress must have heard him. Moments passed, nothing with in the corridor moved. The ex-kenkaya let out a breath he had been unaware of holding before continuing on to his next door. Again, to find nothing. He had made his way nearly three quarters of the way down this third story hall when he caught a faint sound that neither he nor Suzume had made.

Voices, muted by a heavy wooden door. Couldn't have been far from where they stood. Sanosuke felt his heart beat speed up and as he stepped gingerly toward the source of the sounds he found a black edge attempting to work it's way into his vision. The young man ground his teeth silently and positioned himself against the wall just to the right of the suspect door. He felt the pricklings of sweat slip from his hair line and down his temples. He was also keenly aware of the blood that slicked his shoulder, and down the right side of his back, soaking through bandages and Aku jacket alike. As well as the mass of agony that was the wound which was causing his distress.

Pain was a thing which Sagara Sanosuke not only knew, but intimately understood. Pain he could work for days with. Blood loss on the other hand, that could take down a freakin' ox.

Sliding up beside the door, Sanosuke forced himself to take a deep breath and calm that racing heart. He then pulled Suzume as gently as he could from his neck and set her on the floor further from the frame. The child looked up at him, bewildered. In response, he placed a finger to his lips and pointed toward the noise before laying his ear against the solid wooden planks. It was muffled, but the nature of the voices if not their intent could be inferred right away.

There was a conversation going on between three men. Somewhat lively. There was ruff laughter, though it did not sound of good humor. There was a sound in the background, something he couldn't determine, but felt decidedly out of place. This conversation carried on for several minutes. And then Sano heard a sound that made his heart leap in his chest, a small voice. A distinctly child like voice. It took a few moments, but Sanosuke soon realized what the other sound was...

Sobbing.

The young street brawler thought for certain that his heart had worked up into his throat by that point. That was Ayame's voice. Kaoru was behind the sobbing. He had no doubt. Further thought on the matter was interrupted by a child's window rattling screech from with in the room and a hoarse, fearful wail from the young woman. There was no more room for though. Only action. It was strictly an unconscious act, his preforming the two-level fist on the wooden door. Emotions had yet to catch up Sano's actions as he stepped into the room and the scattered reminents of wood.

The inklings of terror that may have driven Sanosuke through the door were fast replaced by an emotion the young man had no problem with recognizing. Rage. Undampened, unfettered, and unholy rage.

Before the young man stood three men, all slowly in the process of registering what on earth was going on. In the corner little Ayame huddled on the floor, her arms wrapped tight about her knees and her eyes wide with horror. Against the right wall and on the floor lay Kaoru, pressed tight against the solid structure. The girl was stripped of her Kimono and under wrappings, her upper body bared except for the arms she had tightly crossed above her heaving breasts. Her lower was still covered by undergarments. Her kimono was thoroughly shredded in a pile against the opposite wall. Above Kaoru stood a heavy set man who was apparently in the process of stripping himself down. Behind him were the other two men, gaping at the intruder in shock.

In the red haze that shrouded Sanosuke's vision, if he would have had time to ponder it, there may have been a vague vision of a statue of the god of destruction. A statue just like the one in a certain chamber, a title just like the one a former teacher of his bore. Perhaps, had he the time, the young man could have reflected on the irony in that. However, as the true meaning of the scene before him struck, time and thought lost out to that all encompassing rage.

Plowing forward, Sanosuke grabbed the man who stood over Kaoru. His left hand clasping tightly to the man's face, his loose jowls squeazed tight between fingers. The attacker howled as he was lifted from his feet by his head. Sano turned hard from there, ramming the beast backward with all of his considerable might, between his two comrades. The wall there happened to be a brick section. The skull that struck it may have shattered, but it was struck with such force that the bricks buckled backwards into the adjacent room. The mortar crumbled even as bits of brain and scattered blood seeped into the dry pores.

Hand still clasped tightly to the first man's ruined skull, Sanosuke turned eyes that glinted with a predators fierce power on the two remaining. There was a moment frozen in time. Sano knew he had full control and the captors knew with out doubt that they were outmatched. Abruptly a keening sound escaped one of the men and he bolted for the empty door frame, the second moving hot on his heels. The second man was not fast enough as with brute intent the raging street brawler turned and grasped a hand full of of black hair just as he made it into the hall. Taking a further step into the hall, Sanosuke pulled his prey behind him and with a mighty heave, threw the man left armed down the last of the length of that hall and headfirst out of the small window at the end. There was a faint scream as he plunged the several stories down to the ocean below.

Twisting in place, the young man looked down the hall to where the third captor had run. There was no sight of him to be had. More was the pity.

This time it was perhaps the complete silence left behind that drew Sanosuke from his wrath. Blinking, he looked down to a spot beside the door to see little Suzume with hands clasped tightly about her middle staring up at him. It was a most frightened and pitiful look. Sanosuke was hard pressed to take his eyes from the child's face, however he did. Drawing them up to the shattered window and back down to the child in the hall. The girl had seen it all. Rather, the girls had seen it all...

---------------

The twin horse team panted with each mighty pull forward. Sweat slicked their coats and soaked the yolk about each mighty creature. The driver drove them hard as he had been commanded by his boss; this mission was of dire importance. It had to have been at that. Nothing good ever came out of Matsuo-jo.

Inside of the dark carriage were two benches. Kenshin and Yahiko sat on one, across from them, cigarette between gloved fingers sat Saito Haijime. Kenshin watched the man as he thoughtfully blew out a puff of smoke. "One more time, Himura, from the top. Don't sort the details."

Beside him, Yahiko outright bristled, "He's already told you three times what we know and all of the details!"

"Then it should be a simple matter to go over it a fourth."

Kenshin held up a hand to the boy beside him as he prepared to retort. Kenshin knew what it was that Saito was after. As much as he did not personally like the man, he had been and still was a remarkably astute leader. A leader liked to make sure all of the information was presented and in order. It was frustrating that the man did not believe Kenshin himself had not been precise in the first telling. Perhaps that too was part of Saito's intent. Or, perhaps he was more concerned about a certain rooster head than the officer would like to admit.

"This one and Yahiko were fetching tofu for Kaoru-dono. There was a sensation that something had gone array. We turned and rushed back to the dojo."

Saito puffed on his cigarette. "Just a feeling. You didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary."

Kenshin nodded, they had been over that before as well. "This one had not. When we arrived at the dojo, the gates were thrown wide. There were spots of blood on the ground which we followed to the rear of the dojo. The dirt was much disturbed there, remnants of a skirmish. Also, there were signs where to bodies had fallen. One larger and one smaller. One was Kaoru-dono, one was Sano. From the pattern of steps, I could determine that Sano had done combat with several men, perhaps thirteen or fifteen. What apparently brought Sano and Kaoru down were gunshots."

"Guns are expensive, even if you know the correct dealers," interrupted Saito, "Tell me more of the casings you found. Did you recognize any from more than one type of gun?"

Kenshin sighed, this was new ground. "This one does not know. There were shotgun shells in the immediate area. If other weapons were used from other places, this one would not have seen the casings."

Yahiko groaned. "Why does that even matter? What important is that they were wounded and kidnapped."

"It is good to know what weaponry you face before rushing headlong in to combat, that it is."

Puffing out a breath of smoke, Saito stated. "If you care to keep all of your body parts intact. Continue, Himura."

Kenshin inclined his head. "There was a note attached by shuriken to the outside of the dojo. It was signed by one Kuromori Ichiro. In it he stated his intent in kidnapping was to obtain a duel with this one over his brother. He also claimed he would kill one of them for each day that I had not arrived. The last of the note stated that he was taking his captives the the castle in the sky. From this it was easy to determine Matsuo-jo. Yahiko and this one then ran back to town in search of a carriage."

Saito tapped the ashes off the end of the cigarette. "Indeed, where you ran into me. Good day for you, no other carriage would carry you with no payment, especially not this far. Tell me, of what skill level is Kuromori?"

"This one does not know as this one has never done combat with the elder brother, only the younger."

Saito grunted in acknowledgment as he cast his eyes toward the window. "Obviously the men are of no great skill if the Aho can take on thirteen to fifteen with relative success. Gunshot not included."

"The ground scaring did not make it appear so."

"Comforting. I wonder if that is the lot of this Kuromori's forces. No matter."

Yahiko, who had turned his attention to the window and the dark landscape outside leaned forward and stared intently at something. "Is that the place?"

Focusing on the view himself Kenshin took in the scene of dark rippling ocean with sharp cliffs about it and a pillar of an island out perhaps a mile. Atop it stood a very large building. The shadow and light effects were most eary between the moon and the mirror that was the ocean. "It is. This is Matsuo-jo. It seems to have earned it's name of 'castle in the sky.'"

Yahiko turned and looked at him with quirked eyebrow. "What do you mean 'it seems?' You talked before like you had been here, you knew the place so well."

"This one has not. Matsuo-jo is well known if not often spoke of anymore. Any who have heard of it know it's full reputation, that they do."

"In any case, we are all about to see it now." Saito stated. "We've arrived at the nearest beach."

Leading the way, Saito opened the carriage door as it came to a halt on the soft sand and steeped out into the brisk nighttime air. Kenshin followed him and Yahiko took the rear. Kenshin looked to the beach itself first, as he was well aware that Saito was doing the same. It was apparent that several feet had tread here recently, into six boats. Nothing else was left to shore. Kenshin looked up from his exam and briefly caught Saito's eye. The message was clear. They had very little time to spare.

Yahiko looked about as well, and then out to the great fortress. "There aren't any boats here; how do we get there?"

"I do hope you enjoy swimming." Saito flicked his cigarette butt off into the ocean even as he stated this.

"Swim! I... what was that?"

Kenshin frowned as he had heard and quickly identified the cause and source of the noise. "It sounded like a scream from the fortress, that it did."

Saito grunted. "Whoever it was, they don't have to worry about swimming after falling from that tower. That does not get us there any faster, however."

Kenshin nodded and lead the way into the water. Fears plagued him. He could sense there nearness of his friends, of Kaoru-dono. He could not help but wonder though, if Kuromori had chosen to take a life dear to him earlier than expected. By sending that person off of the great tower that was the isle of Matsuo.

Author's Notes 11/05

Humble apologies go round once again. My delays are intolerable, I agree. I will finish this beast yet! (At this rate, just give me a few years...) Yes, short Chapter. I felt it best to end there. I tried to keep certain detail content to a minumun, but the creative reader could easily infer my intent. The next chapter is started. I also actually wrote myself an outline at this point in order to motivate myself. Like I said I will finish this!

If it is any consolation, this is intended to be a six chapter story, and here you are at the end of chapter four.

Thank you again for the wonderful reviews. They really do help eat away at this author's writer's block. They are always welcome, appreciated, and well taken care of once received.

Chapter five will be a climactic sequence. Chapter six, emotional angst and conclusion. They'll be posted as typed (the usual.)

Doc