All right Just to let y'all know.this is not a new chapter.I just moved
it to make way for the " Missing Chapter" So If you wish, go bat to
chapter three and read the chapter I forgot to post.Thanks ^_^x
A/N * is about ready to hang herself*..Ok..sorry this was a little late.but being who I am , I lost the next two chapters and had to type it all over again. -_- AND THEN I noticed that I completely skipped a chapter.how the heck did y'all understand it..?!?!?!? this is chapter four, but is supposed to be chapter five..* falls over* @_@ this story is just not going good for me. * sigh*.anyway In the chapter that I skipped. They take Tanako to the dojo and she helps with dinner 'cause Karou was hurt. She met Yahiko and Sano. Tanako recognized Sano and Sano recognized her. Sano was the one who figured out that Tanako was a gang member that goes by the name of Tanto because of her skills with a dagger.
Kenshin then realized that Tanako was running from a past that she was ashamed of.that she wanted to stop killing. he then vowed that he would help her, and Karou insisted that she stayed with them and become a member of the family
Well that's about it in a nutshell.* bangs her head on the table*.So sorry that I skipped that chapter..dumb baka me.* sigh* anyway..thanks to every one who reviewed.-_- why didn't you tell me that the third chapter was strangely out of place?!?!?.oh well
Devotion
by
Melissa -_-x
Chapter 5
Tanako looked around the room now that she was all alone with her thoughts. The room was sparsely furnished but cozy all the same. Striping out of her Gi she decided to sleep only in her hakama pants and bindings until she was able to get respectable nightwear. She kept her dagger near at hand as she silently crawled under the blankets and went over the days events in her head. So much had happened that day, and who knew that she was going to meet up with such nice people?
Rolling to her side, Tanako tried to forget the words that Karou had said that almost caused her to burst into tears. 'Thank Kami for whoever it was that gave you your chance to escape.' Her chance, the person who gave her a gift more precious then one she has ever known.
`Flashback`*******************
Looking up she saw standing before her, a boy of eight, maybe nine. He stared silently at her with piercing ice blue eyes, and he had impossibly straight chocolate brown hair tied up in a warrior's ponytail, and was wearing the same pale yellow gi as the other gang members.
` End Flashback` ************
Who would have known that the young boy who had brought her into the gang those years ago would be the person who helped her be free of that gang.
` Yet another Flashback`***********************
" Toshiki, Tanto!" Sasorie called as he stormed into the main lobby of his manor. The leader weaved his way around the many members, though most of them were quick to get out of his way before he reached them. The two said persons where sitting quietly together, repairing and cleaning their weapons. They got to their feet and bowed respectfully to their leader.
Sasorie got right to the point. " There is a shipment of gold that is on its way to Tokyo. I want you to take your best men at retrieve it." The Onozawa gang had other ways of financing their way of life. But with jobs becoming few and far between the Leader had opted they stoop to thievery in order to keep themselves up. And much of the time that used stealing had proven much more worth their time.
Toshiki and Tanako looked at each other for a moment before Toshiki finally spoke up. " But Leader, we captured a good amount of Jade and other precious stones last week. I do not think that they would risk another troop so soon." Tanako nodded her agreement. Sasorie gazed up at the younger man, for he was a full head taller then his leader. With a voice much stronger and a body obviously more able, everyone wondered why Toshiki didn't take the leadership for himself.
" You will gather your best men and bring the gold back to me." Sasorie said in a voice that ended all argument, and turned on his heal and left the two.
Sighing, Tanako looked up at her partner. " He will be the death of us one of these days you know." She had meant it only as a jest, but Toshiki rounded on Tanako, his eyes flashing.
" No Tanto, it will be our own foolish mistakes that will get us killed." He said in a booming voice that caused Tanako to bow her head in shame of her words. But then the young man's features softened and he smiled. " Though, he may just have a hand in it." he added gently. Tanako looked back up at her partner who was a full foot tall the she, and gave him a playful shove. " Come, let's gather the men." He ordered as he whipped back around, smacking Tanako in the face with his long chocolate hair and disappeared in the crowd of gang members. Tanako quickly gathered her weapons and followed the young man though the crowd.
******* Tanako crouched silently in the shadow of a tree and gazed out at the road in front of her. This was the road that the troops where planning on using to deliver their shipment of gold. Out in the shadows were five of their best men, ready for the fight that was about to come. Suddenly Tanako felt a presence behind her, but before she could turn around, a body crouched down near her, slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her warning call, and in a flash, grabbed her wrist to prevent her from reaching her daggers.
" Getting a little jumpy are we?" Toshiki said as he let the girl go after making sure she was not about to gut him open.
" Toshiki!" Tanako hissed as she tuned back around to face the road. " What do you think your doing sneaking up on me like that?"
" You seem nervous," he whispered as he slid up against Tanako's back to get a better look of the road. Tanako was suddenly very thankful that she had a hood covering her face and that she was so bathed in shadow that she became a shadow herself. It would not do the have the group leader see his second in command blushing at him.
" I feel...like something is going to go wrong." she whispered back as she edged closer to the tree to give Toshiki some room. But much to her shock, the young man edged closer as well, pinning her between the tree and his body.
" You haven't felt that way in years Tanto." He whispered against her neck as he kept his eyes glued to the road. Tanako suddenly lost her train of thought as Toshiki teased her. The young warrior loved to tease her in ways such as that. Tanako found the flirting rather annoying in her younger years. Yet it didn't take long for her to get trapped in his ice blue eyes. And she silently cursed the queasy feeling in her stomach and the blush that came to her face when Toshiki teased her.
" I know." Tanako forced her mind back on the task at hand and tried to ignore the fact that he was all but pressed up against her back. " But this night is different.I can feel it in the air." Toshiki was just about to answer her when the soft call of an owl reached their ears. The two gang members fell silent and crouched lower in the shadow of the tree. That was the warning call of one of their scouts.telling everyone that the troop was spotted and getting very close.
" Alright Tanto.you know what to do." Toshiki whispered to her as he got out of the way. Tanako nodded and silently slid out from the tree's shadow and darted though the forest. The troops of the past wound stand and fight if they were attacked. But a select few.those carrying the valuables.would dart ahead to keep from being caught. Tanako's job was to wait further up the road to intercept the small band. The others would take care of the armed troops.
Tanako stepped silently over the forest floor, taking care of where she put her feet and where she was going. The sound of the marching troops grew louder as they approached and Tanako sped up to get further ahead of them. When she was sure she was about a quarter of a mile away from where the main fight would happen, Tanako stepped out of the cover of the trees and stood in the middle of the road to wait for those who tried to make a run for it with the gold.
Suddenly the sounds of battle where heard and Tanko got in her fighting stance with her daggers in her hand and waited. The battle raged on but there was no sign of any troops coming her way. Where were they, they should have been there by now. She grew nervous and paced the road to try and keep herself calm and she shoved away all of her worries.
Then suddenly in the middle of the battle a shrill whistle cut though the air. Tanako froze gazed up at the road. That was Toshiki's signal to pull back.something had gone wrong! Diving back into the cover of the forest, Tanako sprinted back to the battle, not caring at all about the noise she was making. When she heard the troops, Tanako leaped up to the nearest tree by the roadside and sat silently as she waited for them to leave. After a few minutes the troops had gathered their dead and helped the wounded to their feet, and left..with the gold.
When she was sure that everyone had left, she jumped down and burst out of the forest and onto the road. Just as she did so, a cloud moved and uncovered the moon. Pale light flooded the road and unveiled the horror before her. Pools of blood were everywhere but only five bodies graced the road. Running up to each of her fallen gang members, she confirmed her worst fears..they were all dead.but as she looked, she saw that Toshiki was not one of them. The thought that he may still be alive brought great joy to her, then great shame for her to feel such a way about her fallen friends. After saying a fast prayer to her gang mates, she sprinted off back into the forest to meet Toshiki at the designated meeting spot.
The girl never slowed as she hopped logs and dodged branches. A pain started in her side as her lungs worked harder and her legs where screaming for rest. But she would not slow until she reached her destination three miles away. But before she was even halfway there, a sound caused her to skid to a stop.
" You....make to much.noise when you run." Came a voice out of the darkness. Turning around Tanako gasped as she saw Toshiki sitting on the ground, his back against a tree, he was cut and bruised, and had a dagger buried up to the hilt in his flesh.
" Toshiki!" Tanako crouched down next to him, panting for air. " What happened?" Was all she could ask. The pale group leader looked over at his friend, his hair, now wild from battle, was covering half his face.
" There was .three times... as many as we.. thought there would be." breathing pained him and speaking was not making the pain better for him. Tanako grew upset, this was all her fault. If she had stayed with her group instead of running off ahead then they might have had a chance to escape. And now her dear Toshiki was sitting on the dark forest floor looking as though he was on the edge of death.
Seeing her tears Toshiki sat up and stared wide-eyed at the girl. " Are you crying?!" he demanded.
Tanako wiped away the tear, " your hurt.this is all my fault.the others are dead.I could have helped them."
" I'm not as.. hurt as you think my dear." Toshiki said with a wink as he turned and showed that the dagger only grazed him and that only a few inches of the blade was in his flesh. The movement sent shafts of pain though the young man and he hissed in pain. "Hurts like the devil though." He gazed at his partner as she tried to calm herself. " So the others...are dead are they." he said to himself. Suddenly his face grew stern and he took Tanako by the hand to make her look at him. " Tanto.now is your chance.I want you to go back to the road.and run away."
Tanako was shocked.she had only once tried to run away when she was a child.but that proved to be the worst idea she ever had. She had never tried to run again after that.and now the second most powerful man in the gang wanted her to run away!?
" No Toshiki, I will not leave you like this." she argued.
" You have to go.look at what you've become." Toshiki argued back more gently. Tanako looked down at herself, her midnight blue cloak caused her to be nothing more then a shadow.a night killer..a murderer. But she would not leave Toshiki the way he was alone in the forest.
" No!.I will not leave you-"
" Tanako!!" Toshiki interrupted, calling her by her real name. He climbed to his feet bringing Tanako along with him. " You must leave.this is not the life for you. You deserve a real home..a real family. This life here.it's not for you." Toshiki paled at the pain the movement caused him and he leaned up against the tree to ease it. He carefully pulled his hair from his face and reached out to move away the lose hair that had fallen onto Tanako's face as well. " Tanako..." he said softly as he let his hand rest on the side of her face.watching as her eyes grew wide and sparkled with unshed tears. " I brought you to this gang many years ago..I have never forgotten that night..let me make it up to you.let me give you this chance to leave." He let go of her and gently pushed her away.
" No Toshiki."
" GO!. go now.that's a order." he shouted. Tanako took a few steps back, her tears now blurring her sight. " Go...and don't look back Tanako.never look back!" With those words, Tanako turned and fled toward the road.running just as fast as she came, not caring that her tears made it impossible to see.
`End Flashback`********************
Tanako's sight blurred again and she rolled on her back and pounded the floor and cursed her weakness. That was a week ago, she had run till she thought she would pass out from exhaustion. She didn't know if Toshiki was still alive..or if he had died there in the forest, cold and alone. The more she thought about it.the more she wished she had stayed. She loved him..she should have stayed...Wrapping the blanket around her tighter, Tanako cursed herself until sleep finally took her.
**************************************************************** A/n And there you go.a nice new RETYPED chapter. gah.never again..Anyway. sorry about all the typos.but if I looked at this chapter one more time I'm going to throw the computer on the floor!!..Ahem.sorry ..Anyway I hope you guys review and I'm really sorry about skipping the chapter.* slaps the computer* baka computer.^_^x
A/N * is about ready to hang herself*..Ok..sorry this was a little late.but being who I am , I lost the next two chapters and had to type it all over again. -_- AND THEN I noticed that I completely skipped a chapter.how the heck did y'all understand it..?!?!?!? this is chapter four, but is supposed to be chapter five..* falls over* @_@ this story is just not going good for me. * sigh*.anyway In the chapter that I skipped. They take Tanako to the dojo and she helps with dinner 'cause Karou was hurt. She met Yahiko and Sano. Tanako recognized Sano and Sano recognized her. Sano was the one who figured out that Tanako was a gang member that goes by the name of Tanto because of her skills with a dagger.
Kenshin then realized that Tanako was running from a past that she was ashamed of.that she wanted to stop killing. he then vowed that he would help her, and Karou insisted that she stayed with them and become a member of the family
Well that's about it in a nutshell.* bangs her head on the table*.So sorry that I skipped that chapter..dumb baka me.* sigh* anyway..thanks to every one who reviewed.-_- why didn't you tell me that the third chapter was strangely out of place?!?!?.oh well
Devotion
by
Melissa -_-x
Chapter 5
Tanako looked around the room now that she was all alone with her thoughts. The room was sparsely furnished but cozy all the same. Striping out of her Gi she decided to sleep only in her hakama pants and bindings until she was able to get respectable nightwear. She kept her dagger near at hand as she silently crawled under the blankets and went over the days events in her head. So much had happened that day, and who knew that she was going to meet up with such nice people?
Rolling to her side, Tanako tried to forget the words that Karou had said that almost caused her to burst into tears. 'Thank Kami for whoever it was that gave you your chance to escape.' Her chance, the person who gave her a gift more precious then one she has ever known.
`Flashback`*******************
Looking up she saw standing before her, a boy of eight, maybe nine. He stared silently at her with piercing ice blue eyes, and he had impossibly straight chocolate brown hair tied up in a warrior's ponytail, and was wearing the same pale yellow gi as the other gang members.
` End Flashback` ************
Who would have known that the young boy who had brought her into the gang those years ago would be the person who helped her be free of that gang.
` Yet another Flashback`***********************
" Toshiki, Tanto!" Sasorie called as he stormed into the main lobby of his manor. The leader weaved his way around the many members, though most of them were quick to get out of his way before he reached them. The two said persons where sitting quietly together, repairing and cleaning their weapons. They got to their feet and bowed respectfully to their leader.
Sasorie got right to the point. " There is a shipment of gold that is on its way to Tokyo. I want you to take your best men at retrieve it." The Onozawa gang had other ways of financing their way of life. But with jobs becoming few and far between the Leader had opted they stoop to thievery in order to keep themselves up. And much of the time that used stealing had proven much more worth their time.
Toshiki and Tanako looked at each other for a moment before Toshiki finally spoke up. " But Leader, we captured a good amount of Jade and other precious stones last week. I do not think that they would risk another troop so soon." Tanako nodded her agreement. Sasorie gazed up at the younger man, for he was a full head taller then his leader. With a voice much stronger and a body obviously more able, everyone wondered why Toshiki didn't take the leadership for himself.
" You will gather your best men and bring the gold back to me." Sasorie said in a voice that ended all argument, and turned on his heal and left the two.
Sighing, Tanako looked up at her partner. " He will be the death of us one of these days you know." She had meant it only as a jest, but Toshiki rounded on Tanako, his eyes flashing.
" No Tanto, it will be our own foolish mistakes that will get us killed." He said in a booming voice that caused Tanako to bow her head in shame of her words. But then the young man's features softened and he smiled. " Though, he may just have a hand in it." he added gently. Tanako looked back up at her partner who was a full foot tall the she, and gave him a playful shove. " Come, let's gather the men." He ordered as he whipped back around, smacking Tanako in the face with his long chocolate hair and disappeared in the crowd of gang members. Tanako quickly gathered her weapons and followed the young man though the crowd.
******* Tanako crouched silently in the shadow of a tree and gazed out at the road in front of her. This was the road that the troops where planning on using to deliver their shipment of gold. Out in the shadows were five of their best men, ready for the fight that was about to come. Suddenly Tanako felt a presence behind her, but before she could turn around, a body crouched down near her, slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her warning call, and in a flash, grabbed her wrist to prevent her from reaching her daggers.
" Getting a little jumpy are we?" Toshiki said as he let the girl go after making sure she was not about to gut him open.
" Toshiki!" Tanako hissed as she tuned back around to face the road. " What do you think your doing sneaking up on me like that?"
" You seem nervous," he whispered as he slid up against Tanako's back to get a better look of the road. Tanako was suddenly very thankful that she had a hood covering her face and that she was so bathed in shadow that she became a shadow herself. It would not do the have the group leader see his second in command blushing at him.
" I feel...like something is going to go wrong." she whispered back as she edged closer to the tree to give Toshiki some room. But much to her shock, the young man edged closer as well, pinning her between the tree and his body.
" You haven't felt that way in years Tanto." He whispered against her neck as he kept his eyes glued to the road. Tanako suddenly lost her train of thought as Toshiki teased her. The young warrior loved to tease her in ways such as that. Tanako found the flirting rather annoying in her younger years. Yet it didn't take long for her to get trapped in his ice blue eyes. And she silently cursed the queasy feeling in her stomach and the blush that came to her face when Toshiki teased her.
" I know." Tanako forced her mind back on the task at hand and tried to ignore the fact that he was all but pressed up against her back. " But this night is different.I can feel it in the air." Toshiki was just about to answer her when the soft call of an owl reached their ears. The two gang members fell silent and crouched lower in the shadow of the tree. That was the warning call of one of their scouts.telling everyone that the troop was spotted and getting very close.
" Alright Tanto.you know what to do." Toshiki whispered to her as he got out of the way. Tanako nodded and silently slid out from the tree's shadow and darted though the forest. The troops of the past wound stand and fight if they were attacked. But a select few.those carrying the valuables.would dart ahead to keep from being caught. Tanako's job was to wait further up the road to intercept the small band. The others would take care of the armed troops.
Tanako stepped silently over the forest floor, taking care of where she put her feet and where she was going. The sound of the marching troops grew louder as they approached and Tanako sped up to get further ahead of them. When she was sure she was about a quarter of a mile away from where the main fight would happen, Tanako stepped out of the cover of the trees and stood in the middle of the road to wait for those who tried to make a run for it with the gold.
Suddenly the sounds of battle where heard and Tanko got in her fighting stance with her daggers in her hand and waited. The battle raged on but there was no sign of any troops coming her way. Where were they, they should have been there by now. She grew nervous and paced the road to try and keep herself calm and she shoved away all of her worries.
Then suddenly in the middle of the battle a shrill whistle cut though the air. Tanako froze gazed up at the road. That was Toshiki's signal to pull back.something had gone wrong! Diving back into the cover of the forest, Tanako sprinted back to the battle, not caring at all about the noise she was making. When she heard the troops, Tanako leaped up to the nearest tree by the roadside and sat silently as she waited for them to leave. After a few minutes the troops had gathered their dead and helped the wounded to their feet, and left..with the gold.
When she was sure that everyone had left, she jumped down and burst out of the forest and onto the road. Just as she did so, a cloud moved and uncovered the moon. Pale light flooded the road and unveiled the horror before her. Pools of blood were everywhere but only five bodies graced the road. Running up to each of her fallen gang members, she confirmed her worst fears..they were all dead.but as she looked, she saw that Toshiki was not one of them. The thought that he may still be alive brought great joy to her, then great shame for her to feel such a way about her fallen friends. After saying a fast prayer to her gang mates, she sprinted off back into the forest to meet Toshiki at the designated meeting spot.
The girl never slowed as she hopped logs and dodged branches. A pain started in her side as her lungs worked harder and her legs where screaming for rest. But she would not slow until she reached her destination three miles away. But before she was even halfway there, a sound caused her to skid to a stop.
" You....make to much.noise when you run." Came a voice out of the darkness. Turning around Tanako gasped as she saw Toshiki sitting on the ground, his back against a tree, he was cut and bruised, and had a dagger buried up to the hilt in his flesh.
" Toshiki!" Tanako crouched down next to him, panting for air. " What happened?" Was all she could ask. The pale group leader looked over at his friend, his hair, now wild from battle, was covering half his face.
" There was .three times... as many as we.. thought there would be." breathing pained him and speaking was not making the pain better for him. Tanako grew upset, this was all her fault. If she had stayed with her group instead of running off ahead then they might have had a chance to escape. And now her dear Toshiki was sitting on the dark forest floor looking as though he was on the edge of death.
Seeing her tears Toshiki sat up and stared wide-eyed at the girl. " Are you crying?!" he demanded.
Tanako wiped away the tear, " your hurt.this is all my fault.the others are dead.I could have helped them."
" I'm not as.. hurt as you think my dear." Toshiki said with a wink as he turned and showed that the dagger only grazed him and that only a few inches of the blade was in his flesh. The movement sent shafts of pain though the young man and he hissed in pain. "Hurts like the devil though." He gazed at his partner as she tried to calm herself. " So the others...are dead are they." he said to himself. Suddenly his face grew stern and he took Tanako by the hand to make her look at him. " Tanto.now is your chance.I want you to go back to the road.and run away."
Tanako was shocked.she had only once tried to run away when she was a child.but that proved to be the worst idea she ever had. She had never tried to run again after that.and now the second most powerful man in the gang wanted her to run away!?
" No Toshiki, I will not leave you like this." she argued.
" You have to go.look at what you've become." Toshiki argued back more gently. Tanako looked down at herself, her midnight blue cloak caused her to be nothing more then a shadow.a night killer..a murderer. But she would not leave Toshiki the way he was alone in the forest.
" No!.I will not leave you-"
" Tanako!!" Toshiki interrupted, calling her by her real name. He climbed to his feet bringing Tanako along with him. " You must leave.this is not the life for you. You deserve a real home..a real family. This life here.it's not for you." Toshiki paled at the pain the movement caused him and he leaned up against the tree to ease it. He carefully pulled his hair from his face and reached out to move away the lose hair that had fallen onto Tanako's face as well. " Tanako..." he said softly as he let his hand rest on the side of her face.watching as her eyes grew wide and sparkled with unshed tears. " I brought you to this gang many years ago..I have never forgotten that night..let me make it up to you.let me give you this chance to leave." He let go of her and gently pushed her away.
" No Toshiki."
" GO!. go now.that's a order." he shouted. Tanako took a few steps back, her tears now blurring her sight. " Go...and don't look back Tanako.never look back!" With those words, Tanako turned and fled toward the road.running just as fast as she came, not caring that her tears made it impossible to see.
`End Flashback`********************
Tanako's sight blurred again and she rolled on her back and pounded the floor and cursed her weakness. That was a week ago, she had run till she thought she would pass out from exhaustion. She didn't know if Toshiki was still alive..or if he had died there in the forest, cold and alone. The more she thought about it.the more she wished she had stayed. She loved him..she should have stayed...Wrapping the blanket around her tighter, Tanako cursed herself until sleep finally took her.
**************************************************************** A/n And there you go.a nice new RETYPED chapter. gah.never again..Anyway. sorry about all the typos.but if I looked at this chapter one more time I'm going to throw the computer on the floor!!..Ahem.sorry ..Anyway I hope you guys review and I'm really sorry about skipping the chapter.* slaps the computer* baka computer.^_^x