A/N... Told you that I would have another update buy Wednesday. ^_^...Ok there
is not a lot of Kenshin and Karou in this chapter but it will be the next
chapter when I will make the switch back to them. And yes...Karou will be
kicking A$$ soon ^_~
Many thanks to my reviewers ^_^... love you all... * hands out sugar cookies*..... now... enough of that.
Disclaimer: I don't own RK.....
Devotion
By
Melissa ^_^x
Things had started to slow down at the Kamiya dojo, but that did not mean that there was not still much to do. Kenshin watched as yet another family left the dojo. The dojo was half empty now that the homeless families had found places to stay with other members of their family, and were now well enough to travel. Kenshin also watched as Karou pulled up a bucket of water from the well. Her body was stooped over work and she look years before her time. Five days of little sleep and hard work were creeping up to his Karou faster than it was to him.
He had tried to take as much of the work as he could to spare Karou and Yahiko, but there was so much work that even with Sano around they could not take it all. Kenshin silently walked up to Karou as she continued to pull up the water and took the rope from her hands.
"Kenshin!" Karou yelped at his sudden appearance. She let go of the rope and took a startled step back. The bucket of water would have plummeted to the bottom of the well had Kenshin not already have a grip on the rope.
"Let me do that for you Karou-dono." He looked over at the tired girl in front of him she had dark rings under her eyes, her skin was starting to take on a sickly pale from too much hard work and not enough food and rest. But her sapphire eyes were still as bright as ever.
"Kenshin I could have finished the job myself you know." She protested, thought the protest came out a little weak. She had to admit to herself that she was more tired than she thought. She leaned heavily on the stones of the well and watched as Kenshin silently pulled on the rope.
"I don't mind helping you Karou-dono, that I don't. You shouldn't work so hard." He looked over at the young woman, his hands never pausing from their job. "You will make yourself sick, that you will Karou-dono." Karou stood in silenced gazing off into the yard as Kenshin turned his eyes back to his work. Kenshin wanted the work.... he needed to keep busy. If he let himself rest to long his mind would wander back to the thing that was torturing him. Five days had past since the earthquake and he still had yet to, quite literally, take one step out of the dojo gates to try and find Tanako.
Had it been Karou who was taken; would he have waited this long to think about going to rescue her? No, he would have darted off the moment that he found out she was taken. But here it was... five days later and he hand not moved an inch, not even to send Sano out to look around. The thought disturbed him.
Retrieving the bucket he still would not let Karou carry it. He instead, followed her into the kitchen when she was starting dinner for them and the other families. Everyone had helped out and they had so much food that they could have fed a group twice the size of the one they were caring for. With the water poured and set over the fire to boil Karou and Kenshin sat in silence and helped her cut vegetables for the soup.
"Karou-dono" Kenshin whispered as the blade in his hand few over the peel of a potato. Karou paused in her work and looked up and the fiery hair of the man in front of her. He kept his eyes downcast on the vegetable that was in his hand. "Karou, I know things have been hard for you here... even with Yahiko and Sano and myself here to help you and Miss Megumi... you are working yourself too hard."
Karou was about to protest but when she paused she thought about his words and found them to be true, she had never had this much work even when she was staying by herself and had to do all the house work on her own... but there was over two dozen people staying here and repairs to get in order and she helped Miss Megumi with those who were injured and needed operations and the such. Yahiko was in charge of keeping the many small children in line, but even with that out of the way the work she had now, it was still much more than she had ever done before. Some nights she was too tired to eat and she just fell to sleep... thought the sleep never lasted long. So when she realized that her protest would just be a lie, she snapped her mouth shut.
Seeing that she was going to stay silent, Kenshin continued. "I have not left your side, but stayed to assist you in any way that I can. So.... I have decided that until things slow down around here and things return to as normal as it could be......I'm going to stay by your side."
"But Kenshin! .... What about Tanako!?" Karou could not have been more shocked, she would have never thought Kenshin to leave a friend to the wolves. Kenshin kept his head down and let his bangs fall to hide his face.
"You are my first priority Karou.... That you are." He fell into silence again, his hands still furiously working on the vegetables. He felt like the lowest person in the world. He had to chose, one or the other. His duty was to protect his Karou first and foremost; Tanako was second. That's the way it had to be......that it was ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally!!... Finally Tanako was getting a bath. After almost three days stomping through the forest and four days locked in the tiny building she had all but demanded she get a chance to bathe. So now she stood with a wide grin on her face as she watched the warm water being brought into the building. It had been a smart word from Toshiki that had saved her from being stripped and thrown into the lake.
When the small tub was set up and filled, the building was cleared of everyone, everyone that is but Toshiki. He stood leaning against the door with a cool look on his face, but Tanako knew that look... he was about ready to bust out laughing so hard that tears were going to run down his cheeks... but at the moment he held his amusement well. He was up to his old tricks again; it didn't take him long to fall back into his old habits.
"Did Sasorie really order you to stay in here with me?? What, is he afraid I might smash the tub and fashion a dagger out of a large splinter of wood?" Toshiki had to struggle to keep from being over come by a fit of giggles at the thought but he swallowed them and remembered the other reason he asked to stay.... Not that she had to know that he had asked in the first place.
"Yes Tanako he did," 'ok that's just one little white lie' "I also have other reasons for being here." He said smoothly has he removed his sword from his belt and placed a hand on the hilt as if he were about to draw it from it's yellow sheath. Tanako got the message, he meant to protect her while she bathed.
"Couldn't you sit outside the door and keep a eye out?" She asked and she stepped behind the small screen and with much effort, took out the tangled mess that was the braid that her hair was in.
Toshiki swallowed again but this time it was not laughter he fought to hold down. "No, I would not want to risk someone sneaking in while I'm sitting outside." The power that was in his voice was lost in that stupid excuse. He looked as Tanako took a look around the building, showing him that unless they sawed through the floor there was no way anyone could get in besides the door. When she looked back at the young man with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her face he cleared his throat and added in a soft defeated voice, "believe it or not...."
Tanako shrugged, "move from that spot and you better believe that I'll run that sword right through you." The man winced and turned his back to her. He knew that she was true to her word and didn't want to test the she- wolf. He kneeled down and kept his Katana in his hand and ready for a quick draw if the door opened an inch.
Grinning to herself she peeled the week old clothes off her body and stepped into the tub. Being as small as she was, she was able to fit in the tiny tub and relished in the feel of the warm water on her skin. She washed the weeks worth of dirt, sweat and grime off her body then got to the hard work of washing her hair. It took almost a hour in the end to get her body and hair as clean as it could get. She squeezed all the water from her hair as she stood from the tub and stepped out, letting the water run off her and through the inch wide gaps in the floor boards.
She stole a peek around the screen she was standing behind and saw Toshiki still kneeling, looking almost as if he had not moved a single inch. Blushing when she realized that only a paper screen hid her from his view, she turned back and quickly dried off and got dressed. She had been given a new uniform to wear, and now she was back in the yellow gi that she had been so familiar with.
Stepping behind the screen she let Toshiki turn back around. He sat almost mesmerized as she kneeled on the floor and toweled dried her hair as best she could. It took her but a moment to feel his eye freeze on her but she let him look as she worked the water from the curtain that was her hair. After a moment the young man shook his head and reached over to retrieve something on the wooden bench. He held it out to her with a small smile on his lips.
"They wouldn't allow me to go get your things, so I thought you could use mine for right now." He said softly. Tanako took what was in his hand and saw that it was the white bone comb that she had given him a few years back. "I thought you would want to get rid of that rat's nest that is sitting on top of your head." He added with a grin on his face. The comment earned him a solid punch in the arm.
"Toshiki!!! I was just about to call you the sweetest, nicest person in the world but then you opened your big mouth again!!" She shouted even though most of it was lost in the roaring laughter coming from the man in front of her.
"You haven't lost your nerve Tanato-chan, "He said, rubbing away the punch from his upper arm. "For a girl who wore a Kimono."
"TOSHIKI!!!!..... Don't call me LITTLE!!!!" when her shouts did nothing but bring a longer fit of laughter from him, Tanako growled and turned away to kneel on the floor to rip the comb through her hair. Toshiki's laughter died away when he saw that his normal jests where hitting the wrong nerve and now he felt terrible. He sighed as he watched the girl attack her hair, and slowly the knots came out and the tangles let go of each other and her hair fell straight and smooth one section at a time.
"Forgive me for the teasing Tanako; I didn't think they would get to you. I just wanted things to be back to the way they were before-...."
"Before what Toshiki?" Tanako spoke up, not turning to face him, only continuing to rake her hair with the comb. "Before I ran away to a new life..... Before I got a new family..." her hands stopped moving and fell to rest in her lap and her voice softened, "Before we told each other of our love?" They had not brought back the conversation from that night... it was almost as if it had never happened but Tanako replayed the moment over and over in her mind.
"I just ....." Toshiki sighed when the words left him... "Before our lives changed...." He stood up and walked over to Tanako and kneeled down behind her and reached around her to pluck the comb form her hands. "I don't regret telling you I love you Tanako...and I never will" He reached out and began to pull away the last of the knots from her hair, shivering at the feel of her damp and silky hair as the comb ran smoothly through the strands. He watched as her hair fell like black water to pool on the floor.
Tanako reluctantly pulled away from the relaxing feel of his hands running down her hair. She fished the black satin ribbon from the pile of her dirty clothes and gathered her hair at the base of her neck where she then tied the ribbon securely around it. She then began to braid her hair, the ribbon going along for the ride, weaving in and out of the braid along with her hair.
Toshiki followed the black ribbon as it snaked along. "Where did you get that?"
"Kenshin gave it to me." She said simply as she kneeled back down to bring the braid in front of her to finish. "It was a gift." With her eyes on hands as she weaved her hair she missed the dark look that glittered in her Love's eyes. He did not at all like the idea of the Manslayer giving her such a gift.... That should have been something HE should have given her. But he didn't... he never gave her anything but a hard time.
"That was very nice of him." He said with a sigh, the Master assassin had beaten him; he would have much work to do to catch up.
"It was nice." Tanako agreed as she finished her knee length braid, tying the last few inches of the ribbon into a bow. She looked up to Toshiki but he had already masked his face to his cool, almost emotionless look that she was so use to. He would not let her know who much her time spent with Kenshin was twisting his heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A WEEK!!!" Sasorie shouted again as he threw his tea cup across the room. Toshiki, who was sitting with the others eating his dinner, did not so much as flinch from his leader's childish outbreak. "It's been a week and still the Battousai has failed to show up!" He jumped to his feet and began to pace around the room. "I thought Tanto said he would come, at least her eyes told me that is what she believed.
Toshiki was wondering the same thing. What kind of a man was this Battousai anyway? True he was a manslayer but did he leave his friends to the wolves like this? The thought brought the only sign of emotion to his cool face as he watched his leader stalking around.
"Perhaps he was not the type of friend she thought he was?" Toshiki stated, praying that it was true. "Perhaps he will leave her here for us to do as we will."
"Hmmmm no.... than Battousai has more honor than that. Perhaps he just needs...a little persuasion to being him here." Sasorie's eyes lit up at his sudden idea.
"Like what Sasorie-san?" Toshiki's anger faded at the look his leader had in his eyes; he wanted to know what he was thinking.
"Bring Tanto to me!" he demanded and the two guard closest to the door darted out to get the girl. Toshiki almost jumped to his feet, only shear will power kept him where he was at. A moment later the two guards returned with Tanako, both men having a death grip on the girl even though she was not struggling. There was still a chance she could get out of this without being killed so she tried her hardest to not cause trouble. She was set before the leader where she kneeled in front of him.
"Where is your demon friend?" Sasorie asked as he paced around the young woman. "You have been here almost a week and he has yet to even be seen near. Are you sure you know him as well as you do?"
Tanako thought about it but knew her answer. "Yes I know Kenshin, He will come for me ... Something must have happened, something to keep him from coming." Tanako stated with a sure voice, letting no uncertainty come through.
"Perhaps he has forgotten you."
"No, he's not like that." She argued.
"He may just need some reminder." Sasorie said with a grin and grabbed Tanako by the base of her braid, pulling her head back to expose her neck. The movement was so unexpected that no one had time to react.
Toshiki saw a flash of a blade in Sasorie's hand and he jumped to his feet. "Sasorie NO!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sano sighed as he saw the gates of the dojo come into sight. It was going to be another long busy day of hard work. But at least he was doing the work to help others. At least he would have a clean conscience for a few more days. And there was only a hand full of people left so the work load would not be as hard as it had been that whole week. So with his hands in his pockets he continued down the road to the gates.
Bout time to, things where almost getting back to normal. The only thing that didn't seem right was that Tanako was not around. The little rat had wormed her way into the family so tightly that even he was upset that she had been taken. But as much as he liked the girl, he would not risk his neck trying to get her back. And Kenshin was not moving. Reaching the gates he put a hand out to open them when a dagger hit the gate, digging deep into the wood, right where his hand would have been.
"GAH!!" Leaping back he looked around with his fists ready for the attack but none came. Turning he walked up to the dagger. A large yellow sack was tied to it, along with a note. Something told him the he had better get Kenshin.
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A/N GAH!!!! What a place to stop it huh???.... What did Sasorie do?!?!... What did they send Kenshin?!?!?!?..... ooohhh me so evil for stopping it right here.... And this will be the last chapter for a little bit... because school ends tomorrow and the library does not reopen till next week so you must wait at least that long to find out what happens ^_^.... I know there may be a few death threats but nothing I can do about it...sowy....
Thank you for reviewing ^_^x
Many thanks to my reviewers ^_^... love you all... * hands out sugar cookies*..... now... enough of that.
Disclaimer: I don't own RK.....
Devotion
By
Melissa ^_^x
Things had started to slow down at the Kamiya dojo, but that did not mean that there was not still much to do. Kenshin watched as yet another family left the dojo. The dojo was half empty now that the homeless families had found places to stay with other members of their family, and were now well enough to travel. Kenshin also watched as Karou pulled up a bucket of water from the well. Her body was stooped over work and she look years before her time. Five days of little sleep and hard work were creeping up to his Karou faster than it was to him.
He had tried to take as much of the work as he could to spare Karou and Yahiko, but there was so much work that even with Sano around they could not take it all. Kenshin silently walked up to Karou as she continued to pull up the water and took the rope from her hands.
"Kenshin!" Karou yelped at his sudden appearance. She let go of the rope and took a startled step back. The bucket of water would have plummeted to the bottom of the well had Kenshin not already have a grip on the rope.
"Let me do that for you Karou-dono." He looked over at the tired girl in front of him she had dark rings under her eyes, her skin was starting to take on a sickly pale from too much hard work and not enough food and rest. But her sapphire eyes were still as bright as ever.
"Kenshin I could have finished the job myself you know." She protested, thought the protest came out a little weak. She had to admit to herself that she was more tired than she thought. She leaned heavily on the stones of the well and watched as Kenshin silently pulled on the rope.
"I don't mind helping you Karou-dono, that I don't. You shouldn't work so hard." He looked over at the young woman, his hands never pausing from their job. "You will make yourself sick, that you will Karou-dono." Karou stood in silenced gazing off into the yard as Kenshin turned his eyes back to his work. Kenshin wanted the work.... he needed to keep busy. If he let himself rest to long his mind would wander back to the thing that was torturing him. Five days had past since the earthquake and he still had yet to, quite literally, take one step out of the dojo gates to try and find Tanako.
Had it been Karou who was taken; would he have waited this long to think about going to rescue her? No, he would have darted off the moment that he found out she was taken. But here it was... five days later and he hand not moved an inch, not even to send Sano out to look around. The thought disturbed him.
Retrieving the bucket he still would not let Karou carry it. He instead, followed her into the kitchen when she was starting dinner for them and the other families. Everyone had helped out and they had so much food that they could have fed a group twice the size of the one they were caring for. With the water poured and set over the fire to boil Karou and Kenshin sat in silence and helped her cut vegetables for the soup.
"Karou-dono" Kenshin whispered as the blade in his hand few over the peel of a potato. Karou paused in her work and looked up and the fiery hair of the man in front of her. He kept his eyes downcast on the vegetable that was in his hand. "Karou, I know things have been hard for you here... even with Yahiko and Sano and myself here to help you and Miss Megumi... you are working yourself too hard."
Karou was about to protest but when she paused she thought about his words and found them to be true, she had never had this much work even when she was staying by herself and had to do all the house work on her own... but there was over two dozen people staying here and repairs to get in order and she helped Miss Megumi with those who were injured and needed operations and the such. Yahiko was in charge of keeping the many small children in line, but even with that out of the way the work she had now, it was still much more than she had ever done before. Some nights she was too tired to eat and she just fell to sleep... thought the sleep never lasted long. So when she realized that her protest would just be a lie, she snapped her mouth shut.
Seeing that she was going to stay silent, Kenshin continued. "I have not left your side, but stayed to assist you in any way that I can. So.... I have decided that until things slow down around here and things return to as normal as it could be......I'm going to stay by your side."
"But Kenshin! .... What about Tanako!?" Karou could not have been more shocked, she would have never thought Kenshin to leave a friend to the wolves. Kenshin kept his head down and let his bangs fall to hide his face.
"You are my first priority Karou.... That you are." He fell into silence again, his hands still furiously working on the vegetables. He felt like the lowest person in the world. He had to chose, one or the other. His duty was to protect his Karou first and foremost; Tanako was second. That's the way it had to be......that it was ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally!!... Finally Tanako was getting a bath. After almost three days stomping through the forest and four days locked in the tiny building she had all but demanded she get a chance to bathe. So now she stood with a wide grin on her face as she watched the warm water being brought into the building. It had been a smart word from Toshiki that had saved her from being stripped and thrown into the lake.
When the small tub was set up and filled, the building was cleared of everyone, everyone that is but Toshiki. He stood leaning against the door with a cool look on his face, but Tanako knew that look... he was about ready to bust out laughing so hard that tears were going to run down his cheeks... but at the moment he held his amusement well. He was up to his old tricks again; it didn't take him long to fall back into his old habits.
"Did Sasorie really order you to stay in here with me?? What, is he afraid I might smash the tub and fashion a dagger out of a large splinter of wood?" Toshiki had to struggle to keep from being over come by a fit of giggles at the thought but he swallowed them and remembered the other reason he asked to stay.... Not that she had to know that he had asked in the first place.
"Yes Tanako he did," 'ok that's just one little white lie' "I also have other reasons for being here." He said smoothly has he removed his sword from his belt and placed a hand on the hilt as if he were about to draw it from it's yellow sheath. Tanako got the message, he meant to protect her while she bathed.
"Couldn't you sit outside the door and keep a eye out?" She asked and she stepped behind the small screen and with much effort, took out the tangled mess that was the braid that her hair was in.
Toshiki swallowed again but this time it was not laughter he fought to hold down. "No, I would not want to risk someone sneaking in while I'm sitting outside." The power that was in his voice was lost in that stupid excuse. He looked as Tanako took a look around the building, showing him that unless they sawed through the floor there was no way anyone could get in besides the door. When she looked back at the young man with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her face he cleared his throat and added in a soft defeated voice, "believe it or not...."
Tanako shrugged, "move from that spot and you better believe that I'll run that sword right through you." The man winced and turned his back to her. He knew that she was true to her word and didn't want to test the she- wolf. He kneeled down and kept his Katana in his hand and ready for a quick draw if the door opened an inch.
Grinning to herself she peeled the week old clothes off her body and stepped into the tub. Being as small as she was, she was able to fit in the tiny tub and relished in the feel of the warm water on her skin. She washed the weeks worth of dirt, sweat and grime off her body then got to the hard work of washing her hair. It took almost a hour in the end to get her body and hair as clean as it could get. She squeezed all the water from her hair as she stood from the tub and stepped out, letting the water run off her and through the inch wide gaps in the floor boards.
She stole a peek around the screen she was standing behind and saw Toshiki still kneeling, looking almost as if he had not moved a single inch. Blushing when she realized that only a paper screen hid her from his view, she turned back and quickly dried off and got dressed. She had been given a new uniform to wear, and now she was back in the yellow gi that she had been so familiar with.
Stepping behind the screen she let Toshiki turn back around. He sat almost mesmerized as she kneeled on the floor and toweled dried her hair as best she could. It took her but a moment to feel his eye freeze on her but she let him look as she worked the water from the curtain that was her hair. After a moment the young man shook his head and reached over to retrieve something on the wooden bench. He held it out to her with a small smile on his lips.
"They wouldn't allow me to go get your things, so I thought you could use mine for right now." He said softly. Tanako took what was in his hand and saw that it was the white bone comb that she had given him a few years back. "I thought you would want to get rid of that rat's nest that is sitting on top of your head." He added with a grin on his face. The comment earned him a solid punch in the arm.
"Toshiki!!! I was just about to call you the sweetest, nicest person in the world but then you opened your big mouth again!!" She shouted even though most of it was lost in the roaring laughter coming from the man in front of her.
"You haven't lost your nerve Tanato-chan, "He said, rubbing away the punch from his upper arm. "For a girl who wore a Kimono."
"TOSHIKI!!!!..... Don't call me LITTLE!!!!" when her shouts did nothing but bring a longer fit of laughter from him, Tanako growled and turned away to kneel on the floor to rip the comb through her hair. Toshiki's laughter died away when he saw that his normal jests where hitting the wrong nerve and now he felt terrible. He sighed as he watched the girl attack her hair, and slowly the knots came out and the tangles let go of each other and her hair fell straight and smooth one section at a time.
"Forgive me for the teasing Tanako; I didn't think they would get to you. I just wanted things to be back to the way they were before-...."
"Before what Toshiki?" Tanako spoke up, not turning to face him, only continuing to rake her hair with the comb. "Before I ran away to a new life..... Before I got a new family..." her hands stopped moving and fell to rest in her lap and her voice softened, "Before we told each other of our love?" They had not brought back the conversation from that night... it was almost as if it had never happened but Tanako replayed the moment over and over in her mind.
"I just ....." Toshiki sighed when the words left him... "Before our lives changed...." He stood up and walked over to Tanako and kneeled down behind her and reached around her to pluck the comb form her hands. "I don't regret telling you I love you Tanako...and I never will" He reached out and began to pull away the last of the knots from her hair, shivering at the feel of her damp and silky hair as the comb ran smoothly through the strands. He watched as her hair fell like black water to pool on the floor.
Tanako reluctantly pulled away from the relaxing feel of his hands running down her hair. She fished the black satin ribbon from the pile of her dirty clothes and gathered her hair at the base of her neck where she then tied the ribbon securely around it. She then began to braid her hair, the ribbon going along for the ride, weaving in and out of the braid along with her hair.
Toshiki followed the black ribbon as it snaked along. "Where did you get that?"
"Kenshin gave it to me." She said simply as she kneeled back down to bring the braid in front of her to finish. "It was a gift." With her eyes on hands as she weaved her hair she missed the dark look that glittered in her Love's eyes. He did not at all like the idea of the Manslayer giving her such a gift.... That should have been something HE should have given her. But he didn't... he never gave her anything but a hard time.
"That was very nice of him." He said with a sigh, the Master assassin had beaten him; he would have much work to do to catch up.
"It was nice." Tanako agreed as she finished her knee length braid, tying the last few inches of the ribbon into a bow. She looked up to Toshiki but he had already masked his face to his cool, almost emotionless look that she was so use to. He would not let her know who much her time spent with Kenshin was twisting his heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A WEEK!!!" Sasorie shouted again as he threw his tea cup across the room. Toshiki, who was sitting with the others eating his dinner, did not so much as flinch from his leader's childish outbreak. "It's been a week and still the Battousai has failed to show up!" He jumped to his feet and began to pace around the room. "I thought Tanto said he would come, at least her eyes told me that is what she believed.
Toshiki was wondering the same thing. What kind of a man was this Battousai anyway? True he was a manslayer but did he leave his friends to the wolves like this? The thought brought the only sign of emotion to his cool face as he watched his leader stalking around.
"Perhaps he was not the type of friend she thought he was?" Toshiki stated, praying that it was true. "Perhaps he will leave her here for us to do as we will."
"Hmmmm no.... than Battousai has more honor than that. Perhaps he just needs...a little persuasion to being him here." Sasorie's eyes lit up at his sudden idea.
"Like what Sasorie-san?" Toshiki's anger faded at the look his leader had in his eyes; he wanted to know what he was thinking.
"Bring Tanto to me!" he demanded and the two guard closest to the door darted out to get the girl. Toshiki almost jumped to his feet, only shear will power kept him where he was at. A moment later the two guards returned with Tanako, both men having a death grip on the girl even though she was not struggling. There was still a chance she could get out of this without being killed so she tried her hardest to not cause trouble. She was set before the leader where she kneeled in front of him.
"Where is your demon friend?" Sasorie asked as he paced around the young woman. "You have been here almost a week and he has yet to even be seen near. Are you sure you know him as well as you do?"
Tanako thought about it but knew her answer. "Yes I know Kenshin, He will come for me ... Something must have happened, something to keep him from coming." Tanako stated with a sure voice, letting no uncertainty come through.
"Perhaps he has forgotten you."
"No, he's not like that." She argued.
"He may just need some reminder." Sasorie said with a grin and grabbed Tanako by the base of her braid, pulling her head back to expose her neck. The movement was so unexpected that no one had time to react.
Toshiki saw a flash of a blade in Sasorie's hand and he jumped to his feet. "Sasorie NO!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sano sighed as he saw the gates of the dojo come into sight. It was going to be another long busy day of hard work. But at least he was doing the work to help others. At least he would have a clean conscience for a few more days. And there was only a hand full of people left so the work load would not be as hard as it had been that whole week. So with his hands in his pockets he continued down the road to the gates.
Bout time to, things where almost getting back to normal. The only thing that didn't seem right was that Tanako was not around. The little rat had wormed her way into the family so tightly that even he was upset that she had been taken. But as much as he liked the girl, he would not risk his neck trying to get her back. And Kenshin was not moving. Reaching the gates he put a hand out to open them when a dagger hit the gate, digging deep into the wood, right where his hand would have been.
"GAH!!" Leaping back he looked around with his fists ready for the attack but none came. Turning he walked up to the dagger. A large yellow sack was tied to it, along with a note. Something told him the he had better get Kenshin.
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A/N GAH!!!! What a place to stop it huh???.... What did Sasorie do?!?!... What did they send Kenshin?!?!?!?..... ooohhh me so evil for stopping it right here.... And this will be the last chapter for a little bit... because school ends tomorrow and the library does not reopen till next week so you must wait at least that long to find out what happens ^_^.... I know there may be a few death threats but nothing I can do about it...sowy....
Thank you for reviewing ^_^x