As always, sorry for delay. And I also apologize for the shortness. But hey, at least the updates aren't years apart this time, right?
Desert Rose
By Lady Calliope
Chapter 18: Battle Cries
Battousai smirked. "Then let me end the wait."
Steel clashed and sparks flew to the marble floor as the two engaged. No more words were wasted, both warriors too engaged in the battle to notice little else around them. Not even when Shishio emerged from his hiding place did the two take their eyes off each other: hate was a powerful blinder. Still, there was no sense in letting a perfectly good—and helpless—bargaining chip get lost in the fray. There was still a way to work this to his advantage if he bided his time and let the two children kill each other. After all, it would mean less work for him.
With that in mind, Shishio grabbed Megumi from the floor and she, nearly unconscious with pain, could do nothing to stop him. As engaged in the battle as the other two were they wouldn't notice his presence or his absence: until he wanted them to, of course. He would have to stash the girl for now and wait, but that posed no problem for him.
Shishio was nothing if not patient. He'd already waited three years for this.
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It was not hard to track the army's trail to their current location. Under Souzo's guidance, the Hitokiris found themselves matching ranks with the Kahaktrian Army in a matter of hours. Saitoh was less than pleased to see them, but returned their pledge of temporary alliance with a grudging nod. Truthfully they could use all the help they could get.
However, it did not take long for the men to notice something was out of place. Either they were all going mad collectively, or there was some gypsy trick at work. Because at that moment, Aoshi Shinimori appeared not only to be alive, but in rather good condition and riding at the front of the formation. Some of the men wasted no time in galloping to the "apparition's" side desperately hoping that, for once, the desert heat wasn't deceiving them. Unfortunately, Aoshi seemed lost in thoughts of the upcoming battle. Misao wasn't quite so preoccupied.
"Aoshi."
No response.
"Aoshi."
"Mm." A grunt.
"Aoshi!"
Yelling always got his attention. "What?"
"They're staring at you."
"Who?"
"Them." She pointed to his left side, where currently about ten men were riding with their mouths wide open and eyes unblinking. Aoshi returned their stares with one of his own. He had not been expecting this.
"Shini…mori?" One of them had decided he'd had enough: he had to know if this was a hallucination.
"Seiichi."
"You remember! But you…you're dead. Why aren't you dead?"
Aoshi was silent. What was the best way to explain to your comrades how you miraculously found yourself alive and breathing after experiencing the complete draining of your life blood? There was no simple way to put it, and there was no time to explain it at the present moment.
"I think, perhaps, that's a story best saved until after we've won this fight."
Seiichi could do nothing but nod. Misao, feeling sorry for the poor man, offered him some water from her satchel. At the moment, though, he felt more like a stiff drink.
Their second-in-command was back from the dead. Perhaps this wasn't such a grim-looking battle after all.
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As much as Kaoru loved animals, horses in particular, she couldn't bring herself to care how hard she was pushing her steed at the moment. Kenshin had a good one hour head start and the experience required to get to the palace by shortcuts. All Kaoru had to rely on were her wits and training, but the sun was sinking lower every minute and, with it, her guiding light. She had to reach Sumaktra before the sun touched the western horizon.
Thankfully Kenshin's tracks were still visible in the sand—barely. The winds had not been blowing quite as fiercely as normal that day: perhaps one of the gods really had taken a fancy to her. As soon as this whole mess was over, Kaoru vowed to offer said god prayers and tribute for the rest of her life. If she lived through this ordeal, that is.
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Sanosuke had never experienced a more ruthless headache in his young life. Stronger than any hangover, it almost felt as if someone had—
The scrape of metal on metal recalled the afternoon's events to him. Enishi—bastard! He had called both Sano and Megumi to meet with him in the throne room, which was odd enough because Sano had never known to his brother to set foot in the place since Tomoe died. As soon as Enishi had smiled at them, though, Sano's gut had wrenched in warning. They needed to get out and fast. But before he could even grab Megumi's hand someone had smashed his temple with the hilt of a sword. The last thing he remembered was a flash of white bandages and Megumi screaming…
Megumi!
Frantically he swept his eyes over the room—he stopped short at the sight on the other end. Enishi was smiling the coldest, most twisted smile Sano had ever seen on the face of a human being. And there was something off about Kenshin. As soon as the redhead turned Sano had a full view of his face. The young king felt his blood freeze in his veins.
That wasn't Kenshin. That was Battousai, and he was raging.
Suddenly another movement caught his attention. There was a man standing in the corner opposite Sano watching the battle. A man Sano had never seen before. A man completely covered in white bandages. Another sweep of the room confirmed that Megumi was nowhere to be seen. Sano looked back to the stranger—and noticed spots of red on his hands and chest. Megumi!
He moved as fast as he ever had in his life. In an instant he had the man pinned to the wall, one hand squeezing the stranger's throat. The man's eyes widened fractionally, but seemed more amused than afraid. Did he think this was funny?
"Where. Is. She."
In response the bandaged man laughed, a sound that too closely resembled Enishi's cackle for Sano's liking. "And if I don't tell you?"
"I'll crush your spine."
"Interesting offer," he replied. Then suddenly he was gone. "But I've got a better one."
Sano ducked just in time to avoid a sword in his neck. How did he get behind him? The king swung his leg in a backwards kick and connected with nothing but air. The stranger simply stood there, grinning like this was nothing more than a child's game. Sano drew the sword that hung at his side at all times—it wasn't his preferred means of fighting, but if this man could disappear and reappear at will, a close-quarters fight was the last thing Sano wanted to find himself trapped in.
"I see you're beginning to catch on. Maybe this won't be so boring after all."
And with that, the second fight to the death in the throne room had begun.
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She didn't even bother to tie the reigns when she arrived at the front entrance to the palace. Moving with a speed she didn't know she possessed, Kaoru soon found herself standing in the grand entrance with adrenaline racing and no idea of where she could find Kenshin. The palace had hundred of rooms and even more hallways, how was she ever going to—
Battle cries and sword clashes decided her direction for her. Without a further thought she took off towards the throne room. Hopefully, she wasn't too late. Hopefully, Megumi and Sanosuke were still alive. Hopefully, Kenshin's soul hadn't been completely obliterated by the demon trapped within him. And though she may be shaken, hope was one thing Kamiya Kaory never gave up on.
She was in such a hurry to navigate the hallways and stairs that stood between her and the others that she nearly crashed into something—something that had quite suddenly appeared in her path. And not just any something, a man: a man who, even if she had crashed into him, she doubted very much it would even move him, let alone knock him down. Then she noticed something even more startling than the man's size.
Megumi was in his arms, and she was bleeding.
"Megumi!" She reached out to her best friend but was stopped short by a voice that sounded strangely familiar, a voice that she just couldn't place.
"She is fine, but she needs to be put somewhere safe. The man who did this to her may come looking for her again."
Kaoru's thoughts broke off and her mind raced. She couldn't think! Her eyes drifted to a curtained alcove. Megumi would kill her for the unseemliness of it, but it was hidden and one of the last places anyone would look before checking the rooms. His eyes followed hers, giving a small nod when he saw where she was looking. Quickly and with a gentleness his large bulk belied, he placed Megumi safely on the ground behind the curtain and drew it closed. Nodding his head at her, he made to leave.
"Wait! Who are you?" she shouted as he started off in the opposite direction.
He paused. For the first time in the fading light the man looked her straight in the face. Kaoru's heart stopped. Of course! With his size and voice…but he was dead…long dead…
"King Hiko!"
"Now is not the time for explanations, Kaoru. That fool son of mine is in over his head and Battousai is free. You must help them."
"Where are you going!"
"To stop a war."
A moment later he was gone. Had she just hallucinated that? Was all this chaos finally affecting her brain? Shaking her head, she decided to push it to the back of her mind. Her friends needed her and she had no time to ponder the state of her mental faculties. With one last look at the alcove where Megumi lay hidden—please forgive me!—Kaoru ran the rest of the way to the throne room.
The sight that greeted her upon throwing open the doors was grim. Sanosuke was bloodied and bruised and facing off against a man covered in bandages, and Kenshin was…
"Kenshin!"
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