Failure
Kaoru walked slowly down the rag-tag worn down streets of the lower downtown district. The buildings had become dilapidated over time and the streets were littered with broken lamp posts, garbage bins and trash. She'd been walking for a few minutes, her hair strategically disheveled by Megumi before she left and her clothing purposely torn and tattered in places. She'd decided to dawn what else but a black fitted shirt, black straight legged pants and a black trench coat that hit at her knees.
The clothing seemed to match her mood, murderous as it was. She thought momentarily about the last words Kenshin spoke to her before she left.
"I won't be far from you so be strong when you see him. Don't give him any indication that you know who you are exactly. I know your heart will want to exact your revenge as soon as you see him, but you must be tactful. I'll be close by."
He'd kissed her and then promptly turned to leave as she prepared to step out of his protective arms and into Saitou's den. At this point all she carried was a concealed dagger at her side as she continued on her way. "Tactful" she sneered to herself, "How can I be tactful when I'll be face to face with that asshole?"
She'd asked of them to drop her off at the edge of the city where she remembered running from Saitou that night. Now she was circling around wandering and trying to find the very fiend she'd been so afraid of her entire life.
Rage and hatred filled her heart at the thought of the man. She clutched the dagger as she imagined over and over plunging it into his him. Gritting her teeth and narrowing her gaze at the mental image, she faintly heard a few footsteps coming from behind her.
Turning around, she saw two young men approaching her. They were dressed in dark clothing and seemed as much out of place with the surroundings as she was. There gazes were focused squarely on her and instantly she recognized the scent and aura around them.
"He's found me" she thought and smiled inwardly. She wasn't afraid to face him.
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He took a long thoughtful drag of the cigarette as he looked at her through the cloud of smoke. Her wide blue eyes looked up at him expecting some sort of response to the story she'd told him. His eyes narrowed to the exposed flesh of her neck, checking for bites or markings. She no longer seemed to squirm under his stone-faced gaze held solely over her body. He'd always enjoyed making her uncomfortable around him, it kept her in check. Now she seemed to be capable of matching his unforgiving stare.
They sat in the underground belly of an unsuspecting old building where she'd been led. He'd dismissed his guards and sat quietly at the small wooden table as she recited her story. The room was dark save for the light hanging over their heads. The furniture was tattered and torn; a couch against the wall, a table and some chairs in the middle of the room and a single door leading out, no windows.
He took several long puffs of his cigarette before speaking, "So tell me again how you escaped a house full of vampires after they held you against your will?" His tone seemed indifferent and uncaring as he spoke.
Kaoru took a breath before revisiting the events, "Like I said, after I regained my memory and figured out they were vamps, I just made them think I was on their side until I gained more of their trust. Then I managed to sneak out, I mean they didn't have me under lock and key or anything but I knew I couldn't fight them all on my own."
She waited for him to say something and when he didn't, she continued, "Saitou we have to get everyone together. I know where they're holed up and we can finish them there while they're there."
"Oh really?" Saitou echoed her excitement only his tone was drenched in sarcasm.
"Uh yea…" she responded wondering if her acting abilities were betraying her.
After another few moments of his puffing, he finally replied, "You know what Kaoru I think you're absolutely right."
She looked at him a bit taken aback by the response.
"Yes, I think we should strike those vermin down where they stand. They're backed up in their pathetic hole and it's a perfect opportunity. I shall give the word for everyone to reconvene shortly."
Kaoru's heart soared at the words. She was relieved to find that he wasn't questioning the cloudy events of her supposed escape and instead concentrating on inadvertently falling into their trap. Smirking to herself over his idiocy, she was taken off guard as he rose from his seat and neared her.
Pulling her up from the chair and dragging her close to him, she flinched under his harsh smelly grasp. He delicately held the side of her face and brushed her skin with his fingers.
"I really did worry for you Kaoru" he recited softly. His nicotine breath filled her nostrils and the bile rising in her stomach threatened to overflow through her mouth. He had his filthy hands on her, his filthy mouth was near hers, and he kept whispering nonsense at her with his filthy breath touching every part of her.
"I-I'm fine Saitou" she squirmed uncomfortably and tried to pry herself away from him.
He held fast though and wouldn't let her budge, "Yes but in order to believe that you've not been tainted by them, I must inspect you my dear."
She locked eyes in shock with the man, "What? Inspect?"
He started to peel her trench from her shoulders and she resisted trying desperately to get away from him. At the same time she thought about Kenshin's words and how badly their plan would fall apart if she were to loose her temper.
"Wait!" she insisted and he stopped his advance, "I'll do it myself" she spat and finally pulled from his arms.
Pulling her coat down, she threw it on the chair and stretched the v neck of her top down slightly from her throat, exposing it to him. "See" she turned her face from side to side, "Nothing!"
Saitou smirked as he dragged the chair in front of her and sat down. He pulled another cigarette from his pocket and lit it, "Take off your shirt as well."
She looked at him and wished that she hadn't given up her only weapon earlier, although she could probably ripe him apart with her bare hands at this point. "What? Why?" she glared angrily at him.
"Kaoru, you know full well why" he smirked, "You've been exposed to them for so long, it's only routine for me to personally inspect for you for any bite marks or any other of their nasty little traits."
She continued to glare at him, barely able to control her angry trembling. He was enjoying every second of anxiety and misery he caused her. The only consolation she had was knowing that this moron wasn't aware of her ability to regenerate. Kenshin had instructed her to cover the marks from his kiss on her neck and even helped her focus on how to do it.
"Unless there's something you're hiding?" he asked his tone all too carefree. His eyes narrowed on her, "You wouldn't be lying to me would you Kaoru?"
She swallowed hard and willed her body to calm, she willed her brain to stop the murderous thoughts it was automatically projecting in her minds' eye. "Son of a filthy bitch…" she wanted to coat her hands with his blood. "Of course not" she managed to reply.
"Good" he continued musing over his seemingly delicious nicotine stick, "now please don't be shy" he smirked. "I've seen you naked before. After all, you were only a small child when I took you in and saved you."
Her nerve nearly slipped at those words, "You god-damned, filthy fuckin' sonnuva bitch! You bastard! You…" her voice trembled even in her mind, "…bastard!"
Her fists unclenched and she soundlessly removed her shirt and stood facing him in her bra. The expression on her face was stoic and she didn't allow him the pleasure of seeing or feeling her true discomfort. She willed the fear out of her eyes as she stood there, her hands fisted at the sides, her eyes never leaving his probing yellow-stained ones.
What could only be described as a malicious smirk cut across his hardened face as he took his time to scan her form, "Your pants next."
She was mildly surprised at the request and only kept imagining how beautiful it would look as the blood would gush from his mouth after she'd take her revenge. The crimson would spurt from the many wounds she'd crave into his pathetic body, and she would stand over him and stare into his eyes smiling as the last of the life force bled out.
A few seconds later, and she stood in front of him clad only in her black undergarments.
"Turn" his words slithered from his despicable tongue and violated her ears causing nausea to nearly take over. Rigidly she turned and stood again facing him, all the while planning out his slow and excruciating death.
"If we're done here…" she dryly commented and went to grab her clothing.
"Wait" he instructed and rose from his chair, closing the distance between them. "There's just one more thing I need to be sure of."
"If he even thinks about anything else, I'm sorry Kenshin but I'll slit his throat here and now" she paled as his hands came to her shoulders and his rancid breath wafted down to her exposed skin.
His callused digits skimmed up her skin and went to the base of her neck. Slowly he gathered and lifted her hair up slightly behind her neck and brought his face to inspect the area. Taking his time, he ensured that they were only centimeters apart from each other. It was ten times more painful than any physical torture she could go through. She was willing to take any beating, whipping and slapping; anything but this.
Finally he released her hair and both hands returned to resting on her shoulders. She wanted to snap his wrists and remove those hands that violated her so, but forced her expression to remain calm. Her skin crawled onto itself under his touch as he held her.
He glided a finger against her throat and pushed her chin up to make her face him. "I missed those beautiful blue eyes" he gazed down at her and enclosed her in a hug. "I'm so happy to see you back where you belong."
She tried with every bit of self control she possessed to not knee him in the groin and punch the smirk off of his face. "Did you happen to gaze into my mother's eyes before you killed her you sick freak?" she venomously thought.
She said nothing and instead wondered if calling out to Kenshin right about now would be a terrible idea. "Of course it is, be strong Kaoru you're not a weakling …" she chided herself.
His hands brushed down her back and touched every bit of her skin. She felt utterly filthy and her mind screamed for her body not to tremble in his arms. A faint pool of tears gathered in her eyes as she kept rigidly still in his arms, her glare fixed on an empty spot of the wall where she saw his reflection lending her some strength, "Kenshin…"
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His eyes snapped open and glowed with rage from the vision that still pervaded his mind. A growl simmered from the depths of his chest as his grasp on the hilt of his sword hardened.
His world was shrouded in darkness and he waited for the moment to strike, like the prey stalking its hunter. Clad completely in black, his patience was steel and his mind focused. Kenshin willed his anger to subside for the time being.
"I will take those hands Saitou" he glared at the invisible point ahead of him.
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"When will they be here" Kaoru asked, trying not to sound so impatient.
"It's a matter of hours" Saitou smiled back, as he sat back in the chair.
They were in the main room of the facility it seemed. Kaoru carefully studied every entrance and exit. She made sure to count and look at every guard and henchman posted strategically in different areas. She could only hope that her telepathic abilities were reliable enough for Kenshin to receive the images and messages she was relaying.
She desperately wanted to see him and even more so; she wanted to finish the task at hand. Looking over at Saitou perched in his worn arm chair sucking on a cigarette she yearned for the moment she could leave this hole. The windowless, damp, dark rooms seemed to close in on her and she struggled to keep her calm demeanor intact.
"You seem anxious Kaoru."
She snapped out of her thoughts and looked towards him. The words were more of an accusation than a question.
"No, I'm fine. I just want to do this already" she replied.
"I'm sure" was his only response.
She sat back and waited for the inevitable. First those closest to their location would arrive, followed by the rest. Next she would lead them out of their little hiding place and have them follow her back towards the estate. The battle would take place there. Kenshin had been adamant about not caring about the trinkets left behind at the estate, as he planned on abandoning it afterwards anyhow.
From there she was assured that between the wolves and his clan, she could exact her revenge on Saitou. Smirking to herself over how many ways she would make him scream in agony, Kaoru heard the announcement that the first few of the group had already arrived.
"It won't be long now Kaoru" he looked over at her.
She nodded and turned away, "No you bastard, it won't be long at all."
"There's something I'd like you to see before we're on our way. And since it seems like we have time until the rest of them arrive, why don't we take care of it?"
Kaoru gave him a quizzical look before finally nodding, "What the fuck is he up to?"
"Come this way" he rose and walked towards a doorway guarded by armed men.
They two passed through the doorway and descended a seemingly endless amount of stairs. Kaoru wondered where he was taking her and carefully made diligent mental notes of every step she took, every corner she rounded, and every door they passed through.
"This is something I've been developing for quite some time now Kaoru and I think you'll find it very interesting."
"Mind games" she fumed to herself, "he's playing fuckin' mind games with me! What that hell is he up to?"
The house was just supposed of have been a dilapidated old building, where she could go in and out of easily. And yet, it held so much more and she was being ushered further and further away from her freedom. Her body tensed for a second wondering if Saitou knew she'd been lying this whole time. She'd managed to bitch enough to get her dagger back, which she was now reaching for quietly behind his back.
Her mind screamed at her to just sink the blasted thing in his back and step back to watch the expression of shock on his face as he would collapse at her feet. "Too easy" she thought darkly, "I want him to squirm."
"What is this?" she snapped her anger and short fuse getting the best of her.
"Patience Kaoru" he chided as if he were talking to a five year old.
"Bastard" she cursed back liked a disobedient child.
The two walked through a final steel door and into an oversized room. It was more of a chamber than a room and they stopped in the middle of the floor. There was no furniture; in fact the entire chamber seemed bare.
"Kaoru you know what makes me so damn strong and powerful even against my seemingly immortal enemies?" he bragged and kept his eyes pinned on her.
She shook her head and said nothing.
"It's the ability to anticipate what my enemy will do before they even know it" he smiled. "That and I've learned to recognize a good opportunity for advancement when I see it."
Kaoru took one step back and looked up at him, "Something's not right. Damnit…" she began to panic but quickly calmed herself. "No, no, he's not a mind reader, just stay calm and get through this. As soon as they're all here you can cut out his heart and squish it in your hands."
Her expression turned from sour to confusion as she knitted her brows and tried to make sense of his words. Saitou in the mean time paid no mind of her visible anxiety over his little game and walked casually over to the wall and pressed a button there.
"There's someone here I think you'd be very excited to meet" Saitou turned and smiled smugly towards her as the very walls receded back.
Through the opening a petite, brown-haired green-eyed girl stepped out. Her grin was toxic and she looked at Kaoru with amusement, "Hello Amaya, miss me?"
"Ninna?" was all Kaoru could mutter and stare at them in disbelief.
She took a few steps back and unsheathed her blade not tearing her gaze away from either of them. "What the hell is this? What's she doing here?" Kaoru hissed.
"Amaya?" Saitou grinned, "What an adorable name for such a stupid little girl!"
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"Something's not right" Kenshin stood facing the rest of the group.
"What's wrong, wolf-boy backed out?" Sano sneered.
"No" Kenshin snapped back, "It's Kaoru, I've lost connection with her just as something was troubling her."
"What was she able to relay so far?" Aoshi asked.
"He's staying in a building not too far from where she was dropped off. But it's entirely underground and he's got it well fortified and guarded."
"Horse-shit, we can take em. What the hell Kenshin, what's with all this tactful planning" Sano stood up and cracked his knuckles, "I say we go in there tear a few heads off some shoulders. The rest'll go running for the high hills where wolf-boy can finish em off."
"How very crude of you" Aoshi replied.
"Well its better than sitting here like a bunch of little bitches wondering if the big bad hunter will come and get us. Fuck that…" Sano glared back.
"Silence both of you" Kenshin intervened. "There's no resolution if we fight each other."
Both men quieted down and heeded their leader's warnings.
"Kenshin's right" Megumi added as she placed a hand on Sano's shoulder.
"So now what?" Misao inquired.
"I think Sano has a point" Kenshin started as all eyes went to him and no one dared to interrupt. "We can't put Kaoru in danger especially if Saitou has caught on. It's time we face him directly."
"Ha!" Sano cried valiantly.
"BUT" Kenshi continued, "that doesn't mean we're jumping into this head first either. Saitou isn't stupid and one should never underestimate their enemy."
Kenshin went to the phone atop the table and pressed a single button as the intercom came to life, "Battousai"
"We're ready, there's been a slight alteration of plans however" Kenshin responded.
"Oh?" came a hearty chuckle over the line. "This just becomes more and more amusing."
"Freak" Sano mumbled under his breath earning a hard stare from Kenshin.
"We'll be taking this fight directly to him" Kenshin responded, "Are you ready?"
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"You ASSHOLE!" Kaoru erupted. "You knew this whole time, you were just playin' me for a fool" her anger swelled.
"Of course we knew you idiot" Ninna chided. "You were stupid enough to walk right into this."
"And you're a big enough bitch to turn on your own family" Kaoru spat back.
The three stood in the middle of the room. Saitou and Ninna stood facing Kaoru who still had her dagger drawn towards them.
"Family?" Ninna sneered, "They were never my family. You think I'd have blood ties to the likes of those fools?"
"What the hell are you doing here anyhow?" Kaoru demanded. She turned her attention to Saitou who was happily reaching for another cigarette. "I thought you hated everything that even smelled like a vampire?"
He took a puff and answered, "You already forget what I said Kaoru, I take every opportunity for my advancement."
"Get to the fuckin' point" Kaoru glared.
Saitou laughed at her rising anger, "So the little kitten has claws now? I suppose you already found out about you being a half breed and all?"
Ninna sneered at her, "Filthy tramp."
"You're one to talk you traitor" Kaoru replied.
"I think I'll just tear her head off now" Ninna replied nonchalantly as she stepped towards Kaoru.
Saitou grabbed her by the wrist and flung her away from Kaoru, "Not quite yet. We still need this one." He then turned his attention back towards Kaoru, "I haven't wasted this much time in keeping her."
"What did you mean by that?" Kaoru questioned.
"Kaoru you're quite an anomaly to the rules of human development, and even evolution if you will. A half breed; uniting genes between humans and vampires. Your blood has exceptional potential for those that understand its true value. Imagine a hunter that has all the skills to match its prey and yet had no need for blood? A soldier that is every bit immortal as those it hunts? Imagine the war that can be waged and the masses that will be forced to bow down in front of such a super-race!" His yellow eyes bulged at his own excitement and his tone became fanatical.
"You're a sick fuck. What the hell does this any of this have to do with me?" Kaoru asked.
"Do you know how long I've been on this earth Kaoru?" Saitou snickered, "how long I've hunted the likes of who you've been bedding with these past few weeks?"
If it weren't for her anger, Kaoru would've probably turned bright red at the accusation. "Get to the god-damn point!"
"The point is my dear, I've had to survive by utilizing the powers and abilities of the same dark magic I despise, but it's a very complicated business we're in."
"Yea because it's full of hypocrites like you two snakes!" she bit back.
He ignored her and went on, "I've had to keep myself alive throughout the centuries in order to fight. Potions and serums quickly replaced by one new maddening drug after another. I need immortality to fight my enemies; I need strength to contour what nature has cruelly bestowed on their species and passed on mine."
"Potions, serums and drugs? Are you insane? There's no such thing as the fountain of youth" Kaoru screeched.
Saitou chuckled, "One of your kind shouldn't be so quick to dispel such things. Even today the majority of people can't even fathom a vampire or werewolf or any creature being a part of their reality. Science, evolution and a dash of the unknown has given rise to such species. Such species like you. So why can't dark forces be used to for such desires as immortality? Before their precious science, humanity used to believe in such presences."
"And what's the price for immortality? You sell your soul to the devil?" she asked cynically.
"Not quite but close enough" his eyes gleamed towards her.
"Where the hell do I fit into all this?" Kaoru demanded.
"Why you're the very reason for this facility Kaoru" Saitou motioned to the emptiness of the room.
Kaoru was beside herself with anger, "What facility? All I see is an empty room!"
"Patience Kaoru-chan" Saitou cooed.
She growled to herself in agitation.
"My entire existence I wandered looking for better and more effective ways to get rid of my enemies at the same time ways to become more powerful. Dealing with witchcraft and such left my body substantially starved and demanding more power. Then as science improved and the possibility of cloning and genetic engineering came into view, I contemplated the possibilities. And why not?" his voice boomed with excitement, "Scientists are busy creating super plants and in some cases animals, why not join the race for perfection?" He paced back and forth, flailing his arms about wildly.
"He's absolutely insane" Kaoru thought.
He stopped as if sensing her dissention and narrowed his gaze on her, "Then one day I came upon a little family." Her eyes locked on his, "With a wife who was so devoted to her dark lord and a tiny baby girl whom they dotted after" he chuckled.
Kaoru said nothing.
"Such a damn abomination. First went the husband who I personally handled" he continued, "Then the filthy whore of a woman that would actually bed down with him."
Kaoru's fists tightened and she gritted her teeth.
"But what to do with the pretty little blue-eyed girl that was left behind? A bastard species, what good was she to me? Well I'll tell you" he smiled. "She would be used to cultivate the perfect soldier for me. Her DNA would be the building blocks for a new race solely obedient to me! But the vampire genes don't completely mature and you were much too young at that time. So I kept you safely near me and waited. And now my pretty little soldier, it's time to reap my rewards."
Kaoru's anger ignited as the final images of her tortured mother flashed through her mind. "You are a fuckin' lunatic and I'm going to make sure you don't hurt anyone else" she seethed.
She lunged towards the man full force. Saitou couldn't entirely dodge her attack and took a gash to his face from her blade. The man pushed back and landed a few feet away from her, but Kaoru went for him again.
Her anger blinded her to everything that was going on or she would've noticed the impending attack from Ninna. The young vampiress stalked behind Kaoru as she was attacking Saitou. Kaoru's speed and agility had increased substantially even from what Saitou could remember. But her over powering rage prevented her from keeping her attention on the second foe.
Ninna landed a swift punch to the back of her head and Kaoru turned as she fell to the floor. The attack immediately immobilized her and Kaoru remembered her error.
The green-eyed girl stood grinning over her fallen form, "Never turn your back bitch." She raised her own weapon and was set to plunge the blade into Kaoru as she lay on the floor.
"Wait" Saitou shouted, "we still need her." He strode towards the two women fingering the slash across his cheek.
Ninna hissed at him with anger, "Why can't I just finish her?"
Saitou sighed thoughtfully and with his own blinding speed he slapped the young woman clear across the face. Ninna's head snapped back to look at him hatefully.
Saitou only smirked, "Don't ever question me again."
Kaoru growled from her spot on the floor as she faced the tip of Saitou's blade. He looked down at her triumphantly, "You've gotten better kitten."
She only glared back at him and then at Ninna, "Why the hell are you helping him anway?"
Ninna stared back at her, "We've come to mutual understanding. He needs something and so do I, for the moment we have the same goals."
"Traitorous bitch!" Kaoru cursed back.
"Yes, but a smart one at that" Saitou countered, "And if you have half a brain, you'll think twice about another of your little outbursts."
"WHAT COULD YOU EVER HAVE IN COMMON WITH THIS FREAK?" Kaoru bellowed to Ninna.
"We both want Kenshin's head" the girl replied, a twisted smirk gracing her features.
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Kenshin, Sano, Yahiko, Aoshi and Misao arrived at the city's outer limits. Megumi had stayed behind as a point of contact at the hidden facility. They group met up with Soujiro at the preplanned destination.
Kenshin approached him, "You're ready then?"
Soujiro only smiled back as he was meeting an old friend for a lunch, "Of course Battousai."
"We'll go in first with some of your men and I'll let you know when to send the rest in. We can't do this blindly, his facility is underground and quite massive" Kenshin instructed.
Soujiro only nodded in response and gestured for a few men to join Kenshin's group.
"Damn that smirk of his is really annoying eh?" Sano quipped silently to Misao.
The little ninja didn't respond and only focused on the figure of the red head leading them.
Sano shrugged his shoulders and kept walking. The group made their way to the building, the sun setting ominously behind them. As the entered, Kenshin quickly slashed through the first few guards with no exertion at all.
He turned to face his small team, "I'm going after Kaoru since Saitou will undoubtedly be with her. Split up in groups of no less than two and stay on guard. Those that are flushed out of the building will be met by Soujiro, if you need help just let the others know." His eyes glowed fiercely and his voice was stone, "Finish them all."
With that he disappeared into one of the many rooms alone. The rest of the group split up as Misao went with Aoshi, Yahiko charged forward foolishly disregarding Kenshin's orders, and much to Sano's chagrin he was stuck with one of the wolves.
An alarm was sounded at the intruder's entrance and they all started their way through the old building.
Sano turned to his temporary partner, a young man that looked no older than 20. "Hey you look a bit unseasoned for this sort of stuff pup."
The dark haired young man shot him a glare, "We'll see about that."
The pair was face to face with a dozen or so heavily armed men. Sano took his stance in front of the young man, "Let me show you how a pro does it" he smirked. He charged the group full force at blinding speed and took on at least 6 of them at once. A hush of punches, kicks and slashes was heard among the many bullets fired. None of them hit their marks as the vampire was nothing more than a series of flashes and blurs before them.
The young man just stood back and watched in amusement and shook his head, "Cocky bastard."
In no time Sano stood amid a myriad of bodies on the ground, wiping the blood away from his fists. "Damn" he huffed, "I wait for weeks to get my hands on these assholes and I didn't even work up a sweat."
He looked back at the rest of the men who were pointing their weapons at them. The young man stepped out from behind him and removed his coat and shirt together, letting them fall to the ground. He looked back at Sano through his peripheral vision, "Now you watch big man."
Sano watched in disbelief as the young mans' body pulsed and every vein became visible under his skin. His hands outstretched and warped into claws as his head and jaw stretched into menacing razor sharp teeth. His body grew five times in size and mass as he growled menacingly at the group of men ahead of him.
No matter how many times Sano had seen the transformation over the years, it still left him befuddled. "Sick sons of bitches" he muttered under his breath.
The remaining group of armed hunters promptly opened fire on the beast standing before them. Every shot hit its mark, but the dark haired wolf still stood howling in his original place. He looked at them through glowing red eyes and lurched forward.
Sano watched at the glory scene and sickening crunch of bones as his 'partner' ruthlessly cut each one of them down in a few seconds. Claws, teeth and sheer brute strength overpowered each hunter as they went down in agonizing screams.
Just as quickly as he'd transformed, the wolf turned to Sano again in his human form. He walked back calmly wiping the blood from around his mouth and picked up his discarded clothing.
"Nice trick, do any others?" Sano grinned.
"Misao remember to be careful" Aoshi silently reminded.
Misao mentally sucked her teeth at the overtly overprotective tone, "I know Aoshi!"
The two made their way into one of the levels of the underground facility following the hum of electrical generators and other machinery. They stealthily crept their way down the hallway, as each one took on a different set of guards at a time. The muffled sounds of blood gurgling to each one of the fallen hunter's mouths from their slit throats was the only indication left behind of their presence.
They opened a room door that hid several switchboards and control panels, all powering some part of the facility.
"What now?" Misao asked looking towards the tall man.
Aoshi searched out Kenshin, "Battousai, we seem of have come across a main electrical control room. What are your orders?"
He silently heard the response and there was no more contact. Misao turned to him and smiled, "Let's get to work then!"
Yahiko ran faster down the staircase towards the familiar smell. There was no mistaking it he could feel her aura for sure. At first he had every intention of following Kenshin's orders to the tee, but as soon as he'd entered the building he recognized the familiar scent.
Looking around he saw that no one made any indication of sensing what he did so he kept the discovery to himself. As soon as Kenshin had departed he started his own search. Periodically he would come face to face with a few hunters and in no time would run past their slumping bodies. "Keh, chumps" he smirked as he ran towards the familiar aura.
In no time, he descended several stories into the facility and cautiously made his way through. "I know she's here."
"Of course I am Yahiko darling" came the syrupy sweet voice. Yahiko spun around and came face to face with her.
"Ninna!" he smiled.
Kenshin tested the air around him for Saitou's and Kaoru's ki.
He silently melted in with the shadows of the facility, easily striking down everything that stood in his way. He could sense the urgency that filled Kaoru's aura and made his way silently down the various hallways and passages.
Finally, he stepped into a rather large room and stood perfectly still in the middle, sword at his side sheathed.
"You can stop hiding now Saitou" came Kenshin's baritone voice, slicing through the thick dark air of the room.
Yellow eyes glowed ahead of him and finally the beady-eyed man came into view under the few lights. "Battousai" he smirked "How nice of you to join us."
"Where is she?" his voice was filled with hatred.
"Who ever do you mean? Oh could you mean Amaya or Kaoru?" Saitou asked.
Kenshin could still feel her near them, but he wasn't sure if it was the lingering aura or her true one. Saitou, as expected, was using every trick up his sleeve to try and drown out the vampire's super-sensory skills.
Saitou's erratic laughter filled the room, "What's wrong vampire? Can't you find her with all your skills and gifts? She's near you know. Very near, but you can't even see her can you?" he laughed again. "It's a little special batch I had cooked up just for you."
Amber eyes glowed with fury and Kenshin seethed with rage as he allowed the hunter to keep talking for just a bit longer.
"Well" he stopped and looked at Kenshin with eyes glowing, "I'm in an exceptionally generous mood today so I'll tell you what. I'll let you meet your little princess one more time before I send you straight back to hell where you belong."
"Bring her in here" Saitou bellowed and turned his smirking gaze back on the red head.
Kenshin stood perfectly still, his hand resting on the hilt his sword, eyes never leaving the hunters'.
"Don't look so angry Battousai. I've kept her comfortable" Saitou snickered, "For the most part."
Kenshin's gaze was averted to the opening in the wall. A few seconds later two guards came in with Kaoru standing between them. Her hands were chained behind her and they held their blades to her throat, ready to slice through at a moment's notice. The trio walked in and stood at Saitou's side.
Kaoru's eyes never left the red head before her. She looked at the sight of him, splattered with blood to match his hair as he held the hilt of his sword. He wasn't taller than Saitou and yet she could feel the shivers that ran through the guards as Kenshin bore into them with those fiery eyes. To say she was glad to see him was an understatement, but she felt so worthless over the failed plan.
"Gentlemen" Kenshin's smooth voice broke into her thoughts, "I suggest you drop your swords and step away from her."
Kaoru could feel the slight trembling of the blades positioned at her neck. She towards Kenshin and thought, "He's probably half their size and yet he can make them practically shit in their pants…"
"I think not Battousai" Saitou broke in and the guards composed themselves again. Their blades remained on her.
Saitou unsheathed his katana and she saw that in one fluid movement, more like in the blink of an eye, Kenshin had drawn his as well.
Kenshin's brows furrowed as the two men made direct eye contact, weapons drawn. "I suppose it's no use telling you to leave her out of this since this is between you and me?" Kenshin asked dryly.
"She's mine Battousai, and after I take your head as my trophy she'll be joining you in hell. But only after I get what I want from her" the man hissed back.
That's when she saw it, from the depths of his eyes she could see the anger rising steadily. But none of that rage spilt across on his ever-perfect features, he was focused.
"Today is the day that you cease to exist Saitou."
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Hehe, shorter chapter than the rest huh? Well sorry about that, but I just need you guys to hold on a bit longer for the final battle between Batts/Ken and Saitou.
Don't kill me for the cliffy…I love you guys…really! smirks
Please leave a review and let me know how it's going so far… hugs
3NAJ you're an angel! Love ya lots! Hehe…
LATERZ!