A/N Gah!! Ok I tried three, count them, THREE times to try and fix my
last chapter. But alas, I struggle in vain. * curses her lack of computer
knowledge.* If y'all know a way I could fix my last chapter I would be
forever grateful if you could tell me in your review.
Hmmmm strangely, this is a longer chapter, but took me only took me a few days to do @_@. I'm feeling much better and I hope things will speed up. Ok I want to thank Everyone for their reviews. Kagome-kogas-dream-date- I love that name!, Babykarou-sama- Thanks! Your opinion is greatly appreciated, MercuryBubbles8, Tecnkuno Meiou, Brittani Love, and Koishii Sweet. I love Y'all for your reviews. ^_^ * many hugs *
IF!!!!....IF this chapter up-loads wrong...PLEASE do me a favor and curse my computer to tech Hell. ( ok enough dramatics and on to the story)
Devotion
By
Melissa ^_^x
Chapter Nine
Dinner was over and the night was growing late; however, Kenshin was not going to let the night pass without finding out all he could about Tanako. Yahiko was already sound asleep when he checked on him on the way to Tanako's room. As he silently left the room he was not surprised to find Karou waiting for him in the hall way. He thought this would be the only time he would get a chance like this to apologize to her for making her feel so bad about herself. He stood in the hallway, going over the words in his head as she stood there looking at him. However, the light of the lantern she was holding cast dancing shadows across her face and again he was taken back by the beauty she had. The thoughts of what he had learned that day temporary faded away as he beautiful gazed at the creature in front of him. He had always felt that he was the luckiest man in the world to have such a lovely creature, and no matter how many times he thought about it, he still could not believe that she was his.
"Karou....Karou-dono, about this morning,....I wanted to apologize for what I said." He looked down into her sapphire eyes and added, "I do not think-"
"Please Kenshin." Karou interrupted in a whisper and bowed her head to get away from his alluring and sad eyes. "Please, don't ask for forgiveness, you did nothing wrong. I was the one who should beg for forgiveness, I said such horrible things to you." A lock of her hair fell on her face and she pulled it back behind her ear and continued to keep her eyes to the ground. "I didn't mean anything I said, I'm sorry I called you such awful names and I'm sorry that I yelled at you so."
Kenshin reached out and gently took hold of Karou's chin and tilted her face to look back into her eyes. "Karou, please don't feel that you have to be perfect at everything to impress me. I know you try to keep face when you do something wrong in front of me, that I do. I don't care about little things like cooking, Karou...to me, you are perfect, just how you are. My perfect Karou"
Karou was lost for words, she could only close her eyes to fight back the tears and nod her head. Karou's emotions where going all over the place. First she felt just awful and then Kenshin does something to lift her back up on her cloud. The day had been nothing but up and down emotions. She was tired; however, like Kenshin, she was not going to rest until she knew that Tanako was alright.
"Are we going to talk with Tanako?" She asked. Kenshin shook his head.
"No Karou, I'm going to talk with Tanako alone." He replied.
"Nani?!" The warm feeling Karou had, suddenly fled. But unwilling to jump to conclusions, she allowed Kenshin to explain.
"I think that Tanako will have an easier time talking about what she has gone though if I was the only one there with her. She seems to have enough trouble coming to terms with it herself, I think that the less people there the better she will be." He explained.
"So why not let me be the one to talk with her?" Karou wanted to know what had happened with her as much as Kenshin did, and yes there was a slight hint of jealousy behind her motives.
"Because Karou, I do not intend to let these people get away with what they did. This gang appears to be rather violent and cruel. And the less of these type of people are out there the better Japan will be." He smiled down at Karou, "You are tired, and being that Tanako and I will be in your room, you can share my room with Yahiko. I have a feeling that I'm not going to get much sleep tonight anyway, that I do not. Digging up ones past is never easy, and I'm sure I will be haunted by the things I will learn tonight." Karou nodded silently and closed her eyes and Kenshin leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek. Despite the grim mood she was in, the kiss brought a smile to her face.
"Goodnight Kenshin." She whispered to him. Kenshin nodded and headed up the hall to her room and silently slipped in. Karou turned and was about to enter Kenshin's room when she paused. There was no way she was not going to find out what had happened with Tanako, she wanted to know just as much as Kenshin. She knew she was passing up a great chance to curl up in Kenshin's bed but knew that was a sacrifice she was going to have to make. So she slipped silently into Kenshin's room, blew out the light of the lantern and placed it on the floor, and slipped almost as silently out the window and started to make her way around the dojo to get at her room window.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenshin silently slipped into Karou's room and was not at all surprised to see Tanako staring off into the light of the lantern. He heard Karou slip into his room and was glad that she listened to him. Tanako did not seem to have noticed that she was not alone in the room anymore, and she jumped when Kenshin placed a hand on her shoulder and kneeled in front of her. Kenshin moved the lantern to face both himself and Tanako. He wanted to make sure he caught every emotion that she had. Tanako finally sighed and looked up at the ever so patient man.
"I'm sure you're not going to rest until I tell you everything." Tanako stated flatly. Kenshin's eyes softened in sympathy, though he knew that his sympathy was the last thing she was looking for.
"No Tanako, I will rest, but I won't rest easy. It is not my place to dive so deeply in your life, but I do wish to know what had happened." He replied softly.
"I told you, they were punishment, must you bring back my shame?" Tanako cried, though she knew it was futile to fight him. Kenshin's compassionate gaze was already causing her to prepare for her confessions.
"We all have things in our past that we wish to forget." Kenshin stated and he kept his eyes locked onto the young girl. "Things we are ashamed of and hoped that no one would ever find out." Tanako knew that Kenshin was referring to himself. Trying to live a normal life with all the lives he had stolen held over his head. Knowing that any day now, she would come to realize all the lives that she herself had taken. "All I ask," Kenshin continued. "Is that you share your story with someone who feels equal shame of his own." Tanako knew she had lost, she could not hold back the information Kenshin wanted. She knew that he meant well by his intentions, but Tanako couldn't help but feel slightly bullied by the much stronger man.
Tanako sighed and nodded; she ripped her eyes from Kenshin's and fixed them firmly on the floor as she prepared herself to tell her story. Kenshin waited silently and patiently for the young girl to grab hold of her bearings. Finally, Tanako was ready and she looked back up at Kenshin but kept her eyes adverted.
"I had only been with them for a few months." She started and the memory flooded back to her and replayed in her mind as she told Kenshin everything she could.
`flashback`~~~~~~~~~~
Sasorie had spotted her wondering off in the middle of the ceremony, Tanako had found the gathering to be rather boring, and now that she looked back, she couldn't even remember what it had been about. All she knew that the leader was not at all happy with her. Sasorie had sent Toshiki after her; Toshiki knew the girl was in for a punishment, and she deserved it too. The young boy half dragged the six and a half year old back the mile she had wandered and straight to the leader's chambers.
There, Tanako was told of her misdeed; that she brought shame upon herself for wandering off in the middle of such a sacred moment. The young girl knew she did wrong; she bowed her head as she was chastised for her stupidity. Then she heard that punishment for her crime was twelve "lashings" she had never heard of the word before and was confused. Sasorie knew she knew nothing of what he was talking about, he took pity on her young form and lowed the punishment to six.
Sasorie leaned over and whispered to his second in command and pointed to the black chest in the back of the room. The man nodded and left to retrieve whatever it was the leader wanted. The white haired leader then stepped up to the girl and lifted her in his arms and carried her outside. Tanako was even more confused then she had been before, she asked what he was doing, but he gave her no answer. Her leader took her to what she had always thought to be a ruined bathhouse. All that there was, was a tiny wooden platform raised slightly off the ground with two beams on each side.
She was placed on the wooden platform and was stunned to see a gathering of more then half the gang and their wives. They all looked at Tanako with grim faces, some looked rather happy, others looked extremely upset. But with all the attention she got, Tanako knew that nothing good was going to happen. Then the second in command returned and handed Sasorie two small loops of red stained rope. Tanako thought it was rather strange to have a rope that was stained red, she was about to ask what the rope was for, but she never got the chance. For Sasorie turned her around and tied one rope to her wrist and then the other. He then wrapped the rope around two hooks high on the wooden beams; Tanako had not noticed the hooks but she didn't have time to dwell on them. She shouted in surprise when two young men walked up and took hold of the ropes and pulled; Tanako's arms where raised up above her head. She was forced almost on her toes, because they where pulling her arms so high.
Half the crowed gasped, some had suspected that their leader surly did not mean to harm the young girl child. Their hopes however, where dashed when another man handed Sasorie the long black coil. Tanako's back was to the leader and never saw the coil he held in one hand, she had no idea what was coming. All the young child knew was that she was getting very uncomfortable standing there with the ropes biting into her skin. She suddenly heard something sing though the air and a sharp cry from one of the wives in the crowd. A split second later she felt as though someone had set her back on fire. Tanako wailed in pain and surprise, but it was cut short when the whip had another taste of her flesh. Again she screeched in pain and lost her footing; however, the tight red ropes prevented her from falling. The child struggled to get her feet back under her when she heard the whip sing though the air again, this time biting across the small of her back.
Many in the crowd had fallen silent; most could hardly stop from flinching as they saw the girl's tiny body jerk when she was struck. The wives and some of the men silently cursed Sasorie to Hell and back for what he was doing to the child. It seemed like hours, but the six lashes where over in half a minute. The ropes where loosened, and the child fell to the wooden platform, her clothes in ribbons and her back a bloody mess. Tanako had fainted after the third strike and she had to be carried to the Onozawa gang's doctor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tanako panted for breath as she kept her eyes bolted to the man on the floor in front of her. Tanako was fifteen years old, and had long earned the nickname Tanto. She had just returned from taking a much needed bath after a rather long mission, only to find that Kudo, a man Tanako despised greatly; had made himself at home in her tiny room. Harsh words where thrown back and forth and Kudo attacked the teenager. Hearing the man's snide and suggestive remarks as he held Tanako to the floor, only angered the girl more. There was a struggling match and Tanako was able to take hold of one of her famous daggers and in a second it was over.
Now she stood alone in her room, covered in blood and the body of her gang mate on the floor before her. Her heart was still pounding wildly from the fight and she knew she was in trouble. However, Tanako was not going to run away from her punishment, she knew what she did was wrong and she would not cower away and shame herself. With adrenalin still running though her system, she took hold of the dead man's uniform and dragged him out of her room and the ten yards to Sasorie's meeting room. She threw open the door, stalked in, and all but flung the dead man towards Sasorie and his group.
All fell silent in the room as the men gawked at the sight before them. Eighteen year old Toshiki spoke up first.
"Tanto, what happened, are you alright." he asked, worry and shock written all over his face. Tanako nodded and told them what had happened. How the man had hidden away in her room to wait for her return form the bath house, how he attacked her and the things he had said. Tanako told them she had killed him in self defense.
"God's teeth woman, do you know what you have done?!?!" Sasorie shouted as he leapt up from the table he was sitting at. The dozen men he was sitting with also leapt to their feet. "You killed your own brother! A fellow member of this gang!" The men shouted treason and called for her death, but Toshiki also leapt to his feet and came to Tanako's aid.
"Leader!" he shouted, his voice boomed over the shouts and everyone fell silent to the more powerful voice. "Tanto has been a member of this gang for over nine years. Not once has she ever done anything like this before. She killed this man because he attacked her. Had Kudo lived, he would have been the one sentenced to death." Toshiki's words rang true in the ears of the leader, Tanto had taken it in to her own hands to kill Kudo for the crime he wished to commit. But in self defense or not the woman had killed a member of the gang and the men were not going to stand for it. Sasorie stalked up to the teen and calmly lectured her on the dishonor she had just brought to herself. Tanako couldn't fight the years of teaching and she was not surprised when she felt her head bow as she was scolded. She accepted the dishonor and wanted nothing more then to remove it. She watched as Kudo's blood drip from her body and stain the wooden floor as she listened.
Toshiki almost had to force himself to lead his friend to the wooden platform. He thanked the gods that it was the middle of the night and hardly anyone was out and around, for fear the crowd would get unruly and take her punishment into their own hands. The red stained ropes were brought out and Tanako stood calmly as she was tied and lifted to her toes. She had known the taste of the whip well, for she always seemed to get in trouble. Her old wounds would have hardly enough time to heal before she was strung up again.
Toshiki held tight to one of the ropes, knowing that he would have to stay and witness the entire thing. In the past he had simply turned away; but now that he was strong enough to hold up the bodies of those who had succumbed to the pain and passed out before it was all over, he was recruited for almost every whipping there was. Tanako stood silent as the whip lashed at her. She lasted for twenty-three lashes before her body slumped. She gave into the pain and fainted. The whip tasted her back twenty-seven more times before it was over. Toshiki has long shut his eyes and gritted his teeth to keep on holding the rope, cursing Sasorie with every crack of the whip. Toshiki took it upon himself to rush Tanako to the doctor. Her back was completely raw and she was bleeding faster than water running down hill.
She held a fever for a week and a half, and she didn't wake up for a week after it broke. By that time everyone had heard about what had happened. Many where happy with the punishment, some where not and thought she should have lost her head for what she had done; however; everyone was surprised that she has survived. Toshiki stayed by her side the whole time, and took a few lashings himself for not obeying an order from Sasorie to leave her sick bed and head out with the other men. It took a two month for Tanako to fully recover. It took twice as long for her to relearn her skills. For the massive wound she has received severed many nerves and the scar tissue restricted her movement. However she did not give up and after the whole thing was said and done she became even more skilled then before.
` End Flashback` ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenshin sat in silence as Tanako told half a dozen stories of what she had done to deserve the punishment of a whip. The countless times she was strapped to that wooden platform and few times she hung on the edge of death. By the end of the stories, the night had past it's mid point and Tanako was exhausted.
" I want to thank you Tanako, for telling me this. I understand how it would be hard for you to bring back such terrible memories, I feel as though I am in you debt, that I am. I will do everything in my power to help you get over the life you left behind and I will find you justice." Kenshin promised. Tanako nodded silently, too tired and drained to talk anymore. Kenshin bid her goodnight and silently left the room.
Karou has sat outside her window and heard every word that was spoken. More then once her vision blurred with tears. The stories where so horrible and violent, Karou could hardly believed she survived. She sat under her window until she saw the lantern light go out and heard Tanako crawl into bed. Then she silently made her way back to Kenshin's room, she has just reached the window of Tanako's room when a pair of strong hand came out of the dark window and grabbed her and pulled her into the room. Terrified, her first reaction was to scream; but a hand clamped firmly yet gently over her mouth.
"So you where listening the whole time." Whispered a soft and gentle voice near here ear. Karou froze and relaxed as she realized who it was that had hold of her. " When I checked on you and found you gone I knew there was only one place you would be." Kenshin chuckled softly as he let her go. Karou turned to face him, even though she could hardly see him in the dark room.
" So you are not angry?" Karou asked timidly. She heard Kenshin sigh and his voice took on a sound of regret.
" No Kaoru I'm not angry, I only whished you hadn't heard the horrible things that had happened to Tanako. That I do." Kenshin replied and took hold of Karou and lead her to the screen door. " Please do not speak of what you heard tonight." Karou nodded and swore she would not say a word until he said it was alright. " Now Kaoru, I think you have been up long enough," he gave her a soft smile that he knew she could not see. " I think it would be best if you stayed here and I went back to my own room, that I do." He said as he gave Karou another goodnight kiss on the cheek before slipping silently out of the room and back to his own. He sat against the wall of his room and listened to Yahiko as he breathed softly; Kenshin knew he was going to be lucky if he got a moment of sleep this night.
******************************************************************
A/N Alrighty then, yeah I know this chapter had more dreaded flash backs but I believe that that was the last one.....for awhile. Ahem. Anyway, * takes a deep breath* I'M STUCK!!! Need help!! A cures of the plague on writers block!!! Gah!!... If y'all have any ideas as to where I should go from here, please let me know. It would mean a lot to me. Oh yeah...and If you have any idea about how I can fix my last chapter don't forget to let me know.
Hmmmm strangely, this is a longer chapter, but took me only took me a few days to do @_@. I'm feeling much better and I hope things will speed up. Ok I want to thank Everyone for their reviews. Kagome-kogas-dream-date- I love that name!, Babykarou-sama- Thanks! Your opinion is greatly appreciated, MercuryBubbles8, Tecnkuno Meiou, Brittani Love, and Koishii Sweet. I love Y'all for your reviews. ^_^ * many hugs *
IF!!!!....IF this chapter up-loads wrong...PLEASE do me a favor and curse my computer to tech Hell. ( ok enough dramatics and on to the story)
Devotion
By
Melissa ^_^x
Chapter Nine
Dinner was over and the night was growing late; however, Kenshin was not going to let the night pass without finding out all he could about Tanako. Yahiko was already sound asleep when he checked on him on the way to Tanako's room. As he silently left the room he was not surprised to find Karou waiting for him in the hall way. He thought this would be the only time he would get a chance like this to apologize to her for making her feel so bad about herself. He stood in the hallway, going over the words in his head as she stood there looking at him. However, the light of the lantern she was holding cast dancing shadows across her face and again he was taken back by the beauty she had. The thoughts of what he had learned that day temporary faded away as he beautiful gazed at the creature in front of him. He had always felt that he was the luckiest man in the world to have such a lovely creature, and no matter how many times he thought about it, he still could not believe that she was his.
"Karou....Karou-dono, about this morning,....I wanted to apologize for what I said." He looked down into her sapphire eyes and added, "I do not think-"
"Please Kenshin." Karou interrupted in a whisper and bowed her head to get away from his alluring and sad eyes. "Please, don't ask for forgiveness, you did nothing wrong. I was the one who should beg for forgiveness, I said such horrible things to you." A lock of her hair fell on her face and she pulled it back behind her ear and continued to keep her eyes to the ground. "I didn't mean anything I said, I'm sorry I called you such awful names and I'm sorry that I yelled at you so."
Kenshin reached out and gently took hold of Karou's chin and tilted her face to look back into her eyes. "Karou, please don't feel that you have to be perfect at everything to impress me. I know you try to keep face when you do something wrong in front of me, that I do. I don't care about little things like cooking, Karou...to me, you are perfect, just how you are. My perfect Karou"
Karou was lost for words, she could only close her eyes to fight back the tears and nod her head. Karou's emotions where going all over the place. First she felt just awful and then Kenshin does something to lift her back up on her cloud. The day had been nothing but up and down emotions. She was tired; however, like Kenshin, she was not going to rest until she knew that Tanako was alright.
"Are we going to talk with Tanako?" She asked. Kenshin shook his head.
"No Karou, I'm going to talk with Tanako alone." He replied.
"Nani?!" The warm feeling Karou had, suddenly fled. But unwilling to jump to conclusions, she allowed Kenshin to explain.
"I think that Tanako will have an easier time talking about what she has gone though if I was the only one there with her. She seems to have enough trouble coming to terms with it herself, I think that the less people there the better she will be." He explained.
"So why not let me be the one to talk with her?" Karou wanted to know what had happened with her as much as Kenshin did, and yes there was a slight hint of jealousy behind her motives.
"Because Karou, I do not intend to let these people get away with what they did. This gang appears to be rather violent and cruel. And the less of these type of people are out there the better Japan will be." He smiled down at Karou, "You are tired, and being that Tanako and I will be in your room, you can share my room with Yahiko. I have a feeling that I'm not going to get much sleep tonight anyway, that I do not. Digging up ones past is never easy, and I'm sure I will be haunted by the things I will learn tonight." Karou nodded silently and closed her eyes and Kenshin leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek. Despite the grim mood she was in, the kiss brought a smile to her face.
"Goodnight Kenshin." She whispered to him. Kenshin nodded and headed up the hall to her room and silently slipped in. Karou turned and was about to enter Kenshin's room when she paused. There was no way she was not going to find out what had happened with Tanako, she wanted to know just as much as Kenshin. She knew she was passing up a great chance to curl up in Kenshin's bed but knew that was a sacrifice she was going to have to make. So she slipped silently into Kenshin's room, blew out the light of the lantern and placed it on the floor, and slipped almost as silently out the window and started to make her way around the dojo to get at her room window.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenshin silently slipped into Karou's room and was not at all surprised to see Tanako staring off into the light of the lantern. He heard Karou slip into his room and was glad that she listened to him. Tanako did not seem to have noticed that she was not alone in the room anymore, and she jumped when Kenshin placed a hand on her shoulder and kneeled in front of her. Kenshin moved the lantern to face both himself and Tanako. He wanted to make sure he caught every emotion that she had. Tanako finally sighed and looked up at the ever so patient man.
"I'm sure you're not going to rest until I tell you everything." Tanako stated flatly. Kenshin's eyes softened in sympathy, though he knew that his sympathy was the last thing she was looking for.
"No Tanako, I will rest, but I won't rest easy. It is not my place to dive so deeply in your life, but I do wish to know what had happened." He replied softly.
"I told you, they were punishment, must you bring back my shame?" Tanako cried, though she knew it was futile to fight him. Kenshin's compassionate gaze was already causing her to prepare for her confessions.
"We all have things in our past that we wish to forget." Kenshin stated and he kept his eyes locked onto the young girl. "Things we are ashamed of and hoped that no one would ever find out." Tanako knew that Kenshin was referring to himself. Trying to live a normal life with all the lives he had stolen held over his head. Knowing that any day now, she would come to realize all the lives that she herself had taken. "All I ask," Kenshin continued. "Is that you share your story with someone who feels equal shame of his own." Tanako knew she had lost, she could not hold back the information Kenshin wanted. She knew that he meant well by his intentions, but Tanako couldn't help but feel slightly bullied by the much stronger man.
Tanako sighed and nodded; she ripped her eyes from Kenshin's and fixed them firmly on the floor as she prepared herself to tell her story. Kenshin waited silently and patiently for the young girl to grab hold of her bearings. Finally, Tanako was ready and she looked back up at Kenshin but kept her eyes adverted.
"I had only been with them for a few months." She started and the memory flooded back to her and replayed in her mind as she told Kenshin everything she could.
`flashback`~~~~~~~~~~
Sasorie had spotted her wondering off in the middle of the ceremony, Tanako had found the gathering to be rather boring, and now that she looked back, she couldn't even remember what it had been about. All she knew that the leader was not at all happy with her. Sasorie had sent Toshiki after her; Toshiki knew the girl was in for a punishment, and she deserved it too. The young boy half dragged the six and a half year old back the mile she had wandered and straight to the leader's chambers.
There, Tanako was told of her misdeed; that she brought shame upon herself for wandering off in the middle of such a sacred moment. The young girl knew she did wrong; she bowed her head as she was chastised for her stupidity. Then she heard that punishment for her crime was twelve "lashings" she had never heard of the word before and was confused. Sasorie knew she knew nothing of what he was talking about, he took pity on her young form and lowed the punishment to six.
Sasorie leaned over and whispered to his second in command and pointed to the black chest in the back of the room. The man nodded and left to retrieve whatever it was the leader wanted. The white haired leader then stepped up to the girl and lifted her in his arms and carried her outside. Tanako was even more confused then she had been before, she asked what he was doing, but he gave her no answer. Her leader took her to what she had always thought to be a ruined bathhouse. All that there was, was a tiny wooden platform raised slightly off the ground with two beams on each side.
She was placed on the wooden platform and was stunned to see a gathering of more then half the gang and their wives. They all looked at Tanako with grim faces, some looked rather happy, others looked extremely upset. But with all the attention she got, Tanako knew that nothing good was going to happen. Then the second in command returned and handed Sasorie two small loops of red stained rope. Tanako thought it was rather strange to have a rope that was stained red, she was about to ask what the rope was for, but she never got the chance. For Sasorie turned her around and tied one rope to her wrist and then the other. He then wrapped the rope around two hooks high on the wooden beams; Tanako had not noticed the hooks but she didn't have time to dwell on them. She shouted in surprise when two young men walked up and took hold of the ropes and pulled; Tanako's arms where raised up above her head. She was forced almost on her toes, because they where pulling her arms so high.
Half the crowed gasped, some had suspected that their leader surly did not mean to harm the young girl child. Their hopes however, where dashed when another man handed Sasorie the long black coil. Tanako's back was to the leader and never saw the coil he held in one hand, she had no idea what was coming. All the young child knew was that she was getting very uncomfortable standing there with the ropes biting into her skin. She suddenly heard something sing though the air and a sharp cry from one of the wives in the crowd. A split second later she felt as though someone had set her back on fire. Tanako wailed in pain and surprise, but it was cut short when the whip had another taste of her flesh. Again she screeched in pain and lost her footing; however, the tight red ropes prevented her from falling. The child struggled to get her feet back under her when she heard the whip sing though the air again, this time biting across the small of her back.
Many in the crowd had fallen silent; most could hardly stop from flinching as they saw the girl's tiny body jerk when she was struck. The wives and some of the men silently cursed Sasorie to Hell and back for what he was doing to the child. It seemed like hours, but the six lashes where over in half a minute. The ropes where loosened, and the child fell to the wooden platform, her clothes in ribbons and her back a bloody mess. Tanako had fainted after the third strike and she had to be carried to the Onozawa gang's doctor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tanako panted for breath as she kept her eyes bolted to the man on the floor in front of her. Tanako was fifteen years old, and had long earned the nickname Tanto. She had just returned from taking a much needed bath after a rather long mission, only to find that Kudo, a man Tanako despised greatly; had made himself at home in her tiny room. Harsh words where thrown back and forth and Kudo attacked the teenager. Hearing the man's snide and suggestive remarks as he held Tanako to the floor, only angered the girl more. There was a struggling match and Tanako was able to take hold of one of her famous daggers and in a second it was over.
Now she stood alone in her room, covered in blood and the body of her gang mate on the floor before her. Her heart was still pounding wildly from the fight and she knew she was in trouble. However, Tanako was not going to run away from her punishment, she knew what she did was wrong and she would not cower away and shame herself. With adrenalin still running though her system, she took hold of the dead man's uniform and dragged him out of her room and the ten yards to Sasorie's meeting room. She threw open the door, stalked in, and all but flung the dead man towards Sasorie and his group.
All fell silent in the room as the men gawked at the sight before them. Eighteen year old Toshiki spoke up first.
"Tanto, what happened, are you alright." he asked, worry and shock written all over his face. Tanako nodded and told them what had happened. How the man had hidden away in her room to wait for her return form the bath house, how he attacked her and the things he had said. Tanako told them she had killed him in self defense.
"God's teeth woman, do you know what you have done?!?!" Sasorie shouted as he leapt up from the table he was sitting at. The dozen men he was sitting with also leapt to their feet. "You killed your own brother! A fellow member of this gang!" The men shouted treason and called for her death, but Toshiki also leapt to his feet and came to Tanako's aid.
"Leader!" he shouted, his voice boomed over the shouts and everyone fell silent to the more powerful voice. "Tanto has been a member of this gang for over nine years. Not once has she ever done anything like this before. She killed this man because he attacked her. Had Kudo lived, he would have been the one sentenced to death." Toshiki's words rang true in the ears of the leader, Tanto had taken it in to her own hands to kill Kudo for the crime he wished to commit. But in self defense or not the woman had killed a member of the gang and the men were not going to stand for it. Sasorie stalked up to the teen and calmly lectured her on the dishonor she had just brought to herself. Tanako couldn't fight the years of teaching and she was not surprised when she felt her head bow as she was scolded. She accepted the dishonor and wanted nothing more then to remove it. She watched as Kudo's blood drip from her body and stain the wooden floor as she listened.
Toshiki almost had to force himself to lead his friend to the wooden platform. He thanked the gods that it was the middle of the night and hardly anyone was out and around, for fear the crowd would get unruly and take her punishment into their own hands. The red stained ropes were brought out and Tanako stood calmly as she was tied and lifted to her toes. She had known the taste of the whip well, for she always seemed to get in trouble. Her old wounds would have hardly enough time to heal before she was strung up again.
Toshiki held tight to one of the ropes, knowing that he would have to stay and witness the entire thing. In the past he had simply turned away; but now that he was strong enough to hold up the bodies of those who had succumbed to the pain and passed out before it was all over, he was recruited for almost every whipping there was. Tanako stood silent as the whip lashed at her. She lasted for twenty-three lashes before her body slumped. She gave into the pain and fainted. The whip tasted her back twenty-seven more times before it was over. Toshiki has long shut his eyes and gritted his teeth to keep on holding the rope, cursing Sasorie with every crack of the whip. Toshiki took it upon himself to rush Tanako to the doctor. Her back was completely raw and she was bleeding faster than water running down hill.
She held a fever for a week and a half, and she didn't wake up for a week after it broke. By that time everyone had heard about what had happened. Many where happy with the punishment, some where not and thought she should have lost her head for what she had done; however; everyone was surprised that she has survived. Toshiki stayed by her side the whole time, and took a few lashings himself for not obeying an order from Sasorie to leave her sick bed and head out with the other men. It took a two month for Tanako to fully recover. It took twice as long for her to relearn her skills. For the massive wound she has received severed many nerves and the scar tissue restricted her movement. However she did not give up and after the whole thing was said and done she became even more skilled then before.
` End Flashback` ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenshin sat in silence as Tanako told half a dozen stories of what she had done to deserve the punishment of a whip. The countless times she was strapped to that wooden platform and few times she hung on the edge of death. By the end of the stories, the night had past it's mid point and Tanako was exhausted.
" I want to thank you Tanako, for telling me this. I understand how it would be hard for you to bring back such terrible memories, I feel as though I am in you debt, that I am. I will do everything in my power to help you get over the life you left behind and I will find you justice." Kenshin promised. Tanako nodded silently, too tired and drained to talk anymore. Kenshin bid her goodnight and silently left the room.
Karou has sat outside her window and heard every word that was spoken. More then once her vision blurred with tears. The stories where so horrible and violent, Karou could hardly believed she survived. She sat under her window until she saw the lantern light go out and heard Tanako crawl into bed. Then she silently made her way back to Kenshin's room, she has just reached the window of Tanako's room when a pair of strong hand came out of the dark window and grabbed her and pulled her into the room. Terrified, her first reaction was to scream; but a hand clamped firmly yet gently over her mouth.
"So you where listening the whole time." Whispered a soft and gentle voice near here ear. Karou froze and relaxed as she realized who it was that had hold of her. " When I checked on you and found you gone I knew there was only one place you would be." Kenshin chuckled softly as he let her go. Karou turned to face him, even though she could hardly see him in the dark room.
" So you are not angry?" Karou asked timidly. She heard Kenshin sigh and his voice took on a sound of regret.
" No Kaoru I'm not angry, I only whished you hadn't heard the horrible things that had happened to Tanako. That I do." Kenshin replied and took hold of Karou and lead her to the screen door. " Please do not speak of what you heard tonight." Karou nodded and swore she would not say a word until he said it was alright. " Now Kaoru, I think you have been up long enough," he gave her a soft smile that he knew she could not see. " I think it would be best if you stayed here and I went back to my own room, that I do." He said as he gave Karou another goodnight kiss on the cheek before slipping silently out of the room and back to his own. He sat against the wall of his room and listened to Yahiko as he breathed softly; Kenshin knew he was going to be lucky if he got a moment of sleep this night.
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A/N Alrighty then, yeah I know this chapter had more dreaded flash backs but I believe that that was the last one.....for awhile. Ahem. Anyway, * takes a deep breath* I'M STUCK!!! Need help!! A cures of the plague on writers block!!! Gah!!... If y'all have any ideas as to where I should go from here, please let me know. It would mean a lot to me. Oh yeah...and If you have any idea about how I can fix my last chapter don't forget to let me know.