Author-chan's notes: Hiya everyone! I know some of you have been wondering where I have been. No, I haven't become un-inspired. I simply have not had much time to work on my fics. It's a very sad thing.
On a lighter note though, I now have a DeviantArt account, which is listed as my homepage on my profile. There's not much on it (again, I've been busy), but if you want, please look around. I'll be posting more stuff up on there, once I get the time, including pics of all my OCs. So that means, soon more people will get to see the lovely faces of the PBKB. OH THE HORROR! However, there are profiles of all my OCs in the LFLS universe which you can see right now. I was kinda…through…with them.
Anyway, everyone enjoy the new chapter!
Like Father Like Son
(Chapter Twenty-eight: Before the Storm)
Aoiya rooftop
Kaoru had never felt more depressed in her life. Everything was surreal…Kenshin was missing, Hiko was here and part of the PBKB…
Kaoru paused at that thought. There was something amiss…
"NANI?.!" Kaoru yelped as she bolted straight up. It had just hit her! Hiko was in the PBKB! How could she have missed it?.! She had known what that meant, but for some reason, it just came to her right then.
Kenshin, her Kenshin, had broken his vow. He had killed again.
"Oh, anata…" Kaoru moaned as she sank into a boneless puddle. Kenshin…Kenshin, he would be feeling so…terrible couldn't even begin to describe it. Kaoru didn't know what to do. She knew she had to go to him, but she didn't know where to find him…
Why hadn't she realized sooner? It was as if a spell had been placed on her, making her view the world through a veil. It seemed to be the same with everyone else as well. They didn't realize. They were blind.
"Kaoru-chan?" a kind voice asked, noticing her distress. Kaoru looked up to see Tomoe leaning over her.
"T-Tomoe…" Kaoru hiccupped, "I-It's K-Kenshin. I-I've been so stupid!"
"Kaoru-chan!" Tomoe gasped, alarmed as the younger woman began to cry. Tomoe had been friends with Kaoru for over several years, and had watched her from afar in earlier years, and knew that the other woman hardly ever cried like that. And Kaoru barely called her redheaded husband Kenshin anymore, preferring to use Shinta or anata. The only time Kaoru used Kenshin was if she was in great distress.
"Can't you see?" Kaoru cried, tears falling over her cheeks, "We need to find Kenshin, NOW! He's hurt!"
"You don't know that…"
"YES I DO!" Kaoru yelled, balling up her fists so hard that if she had been alive, her nails would have made her palms bleed, "He broke his vow! You of all people should know how important that vow was to him! He won't be able to forgive himself! I should be there for him! I need to tell him it's not his fault, that it's alright, that I still love him no matter what! I don't want him to wander away from me again!"
Without warning, Tomoe enveloped Kaoru in a hug, trying to comfort the hysterical woman.
"None of us realized…" Tomoe whispered, her voice sounding shocked as Kaoru's words sunk in, "I don't understand, you're the only one who realized…It's like we were all under a spell, enjoying ourselves while Kenshin is still not here."
"I felt that too," Kaoru whispered, looking up at Tomoe, "Help me. I can't be his support if I'm not with him."
"We'll find him," Tomoe replied confidently as she turned back to rally the others.
Yes, they would find him, and afterwards, they would find the bastard who dared to bewitch Kyoto's entire population of Bakumatsu ghosts.
The PBKB were not vengeful ghosts for nothing.
qpqpqpqp
Genji's yakuza headquarters
Kenshin, Enishi, and Akimoto had, after several attempts and bent pins, finally gotten out of the locked cell they had been thrust into. Luckily, Genji hadn't posted any guards outside the cell as he was perfectly confident that they would have never gotten out. The rest of the hideout was a different story though. The strange trio sneaked around the corridors of the yakuza HQ, carefully trying to avoid as many guards as possible. A confrontation now would have been disastrous. Akimoto only knew a little bit of knife fighting, her skills more suited for spying than fighting. Meanwhile neither Kenshin nor Enishi were in top fighting form. Plus, all of them were unarmed. At the moment, Enishi had the best chance in a fight out of all three of them due to his kung fu background, but at his age, those skills were not the best anymore.
"Do you know where we might find weapons?" Enishi asked as they dodged yet another group of thugs that he had sensed coming their way, "We can't keep avoiding them forever."
"No, we cannot," Akimoto agreed, "The armory is this way. However, there will be guards. We cannot avoid them."
"Wonderful," Enishi sighed, "This isn't going to work."
"Iie," Kenshin huffed, his face slightly pale. Kenshin leaned back against the wall, breathing heavily.
"Daijoubu ka?" Akimoto asked, looking worriedly at the short redhead.
"Dai-daijoubu," Kenshin wheezed, breathing heavily.
"Is that so," Enishi scoffed, crouching down in front of his panting brother-in-law, "Get on my back, Himura."
"Demo!"
"Do it!" Enishi ordered harshly, "You're not feeling well. I'm not so old that I can't carry a six-year-old. A scrawny six-year-old at that."
"Sessha is nine, de gozaru yo!" Kenshin seethed, then winced as he was hit with another wave of pain.
"Whatever," Enishi shrugged, "Now get on."
Sighing softly, Kenshin climbed onto the other man's back, completely exhausted.
"What the hell happened to you?" Enishi muttered, "I know you have shorter legs, but you can't be tired yet!"
"W-wards," Kenshin croaked, feeling worse by the minute, "There were none in the cell, but here, on the walls…"
"Wards?" Akimoto blinked. Kenshin nodded.
"To keep spirits out," Kenshin explained.
"Of course," Enishi muttered to himself, "You're not completely alive. I can feel it in your ki. Wards against ghosts would reject you."
"Aa."
"Chikuso!" Enishi swore, "This isn't good. We need to get rid of the wards. Akimoto, look for ofuda!"
"Don't…don't bother," Kenshin murmured drowsily, "Blood wards…"
Then he was still.
"Himura?" Enishi blinked, looking over his shoulder.
Kenshin didn't respond.
"HIMURA!"
"WHAT WAS THAT?.!"
"Shimatta, the guards!" Enishi swore as yakuza thugs rounded the corner, alerted by Enishi's shout.
"Run!" Enishi ordered as he and Akimoto bolted down the hallway.
qpqpqpqp
Kyoto
The streets of Kyoto were normally very crowded, full of teeming people going about their daily business. But today was different. The crowds parted frantically as some base animal instinct warned them of the danger.
A predator was on the loose, and it was hunting.
As he followed a certain red-haired swordsman, Sai wondered if Kenji noticed it. The former thief shuddered when he realized the answer.
The redhead didn't give a damn. After all, he was the predator.
Sai shuddered again as he stared at Kenji's back. Kenji hadn't bothered to change clothing after leaving the Aoiya in his haste to save Kenichi and find/fight/torture/kill Genji. Kenji's dark blue gi and gray hakama were still stained in places with blood and his red hair was unbound, curling around his face and back like ribbons of fire. His gleaming amber eyes (no longer the familiar sapphire) were as sharp and as dangerous as the naked katana in his fist, the matching saya hanging at his hip.
Sai could still not believe that Chou had given Kenji a sword.
Sai looked around him at the dwindling crowd. He could see it in the faces of Kyoto's citizens and feel it echoed in his heart.
Demon. Nightmare. Killer. Assassin. Hitokiri. Ghost of the Bakumatsu.
Battousai.
Sai knew all the stories. He had seen the lone portrait in the museum in Tokyo, the one done by Tsukioka Tsunan, the one that had been mysteriously splattered with blood the day a certain sword went missing. Despite what logic told him, his fear screamed at him that the legendary hitokiri was haunting Kyoto again.
Sai spied a few police officers in the corner of his eye and thought of Chou who had headed back to the police station and left Sai alone to handle a berserk Kenji. He quickly signaled the officers away, knowing that if they confronted Red about the sword-ban they would get a shiny katana shoved up their throats. Luckily, the officers recognized Sai and weren't eager or stupid enough to fight against a demon they had head legends of since they were children.
Thank goodness for small miracles.
qpqpqpqp
Kenji had never felt more focused in his entire life. His world was so simple now. There was no gray in his world. Everything was a simple black or white, good or evil, kill or protect. If Kenji allowed himself to dwell on it, he would have realized he never felt so…free…in his entire life. Cut loose from his usual inhibitions, he could see his goal easily and he knew exactly what to do.
Find Genji. Kill him. Save Kenichi.
So simple.
qpqpqpqp
Kyoto: the restaurant, Yuki
After being greeted by the waitress, Shinya sat at a table, staring at the sakabatou in his hands. Mystery upon mystery surrounded the backwards sword. Shinya would have been a liar if he said that he wasn't interested.
After visiting the black market, Shinya had found himself pointed in the direction a relatively new restaurant called "Yuki". According to the old man at the black market, Yuki was a hotspot for all sorts of information. Yuki was run by an old man, who was a veteran of the Bakumatsu, and his granddaughter. The old man's pastime was telling tales from the revolution. His tales, apparently, were very popular, causing the restaurant to attract many visitors, including Hamano Genji, the leader of one of Kyoto's yakuza gangs.
Apparently, Genji was the only one in miles who would even consider buying a sword like the sakabatou. And in Shinya's mind that also meant Genji probably knew quite a bit about the sword. Although Shinya was tempted, he didn't really want to sell the sakabatou. Sure it would piss of his father and Himura-sensei, but he wouldn't get any answers if he sold the sword.
What was so important about it? Why couldn't he have it? And why did it feel so abnormally heavy? Was it really cursed? Or was it blessed?
And was Himura-sensei's father really a killer?
"You look pretty glum there, boy," a voice from next to him remarked. Shinya turned his head to blink at an old man, presumably the owner.
"Just thinking," Shinya shrugged, "Do you know where I might find Hamano Genji?"
"Genji-kun?" the old man blinked, "He's over there."
"Arigato," Shinya nodded, walking over to the area indicated.
There was actually a group of men that Shinya found himself in the midst of, but he could tell instantly which one was Genji. He was not the tallest one there, nor was he the strongest looking. In fact, the man had a slight limp. But his eyes. Those gray orbs framed with swaying black hair demanded respect and radiated power and danger. This was the leader of the yakuza.
Hamano Genji.
"Excuse me?"
One by one, Genji and the others around him looked up at Shinya. The teenager shifted from foot to foot, holding the sakabatou tightly in front of him.
"What do you want, kid?"
qpqpqpqp
Genji raised an eyebrow at this kid before him. He had just arrived at the Yuki to await Kenji to accept his challenge after he had locked up his "bait" in his cells. Genji had expected a long relaxing wait, but instead some kid with a sword was bothering him.
Wait…that sword…the one the kid was holding…it was very familiar.
"Where did you get that sword?" Genji spat out harshly, standing up suddenly.
"I, uh," the young teen sputtered, looking nervous, but not stupid, "F-from my sensei."
"Name?"
"Myojin Shinya," the boy answered, then added belatedly, "sir."
"I meant your sensei's, ahou," Genji hissed.
"Ah," the boy blushed, "Himura Kenji."
"Himura," Genji spat out, "So you're a messenger of his?"
"Iie."
"Come here on your own?"
"Aa."
"You stole the sword, didn't you?"
"Eh? How did you know?"
Genji didn't even bother to respond. Taking a deep sip from his tea cup, he chuckled lightly.
"So you're not from him," Genji shook his head, "Yare, yare. That doesn't matter. You can still be useful. In fact you already have been. Now that idiot only has a bokken to fight with."
"Eh?"
"Your sensei is coming here," Genji said casually, taking a deep gulp of his tea, "You took something from him. I took something from him. He'll be enraged. Easier to fight, ne?"
"I…" Shinya sputtered, trying to edge away. Genji simply grabbed onto his wrist, denying Shinya any sort of movement.
"Sit down, kid," Genji chuckled, "Things are going to get interesting. You shouldn't leave yet."
qpqpqpqp
Genji's Hideout
Akimoto and Enishi ran like rats trapped in a maze, the guards hot on their heels. They were helpless.
"Oi, over here!"
The two white-haired humans blinked in surprise, before ducking swiftly into the room the voice had come from. To their utter surprise, their pursuers sped right past them, not even bothering to look in the room.
Enishi gave a sigh of relief as he gently took Kenshin off his back and set the redhead on the floor. Then, he looked up at their mysterious benefactor.
It was a man. A teenager if you will, about Akimoto's age, maybe a bit older. Short untidy brown hair flopped around on his head and aquamarine-colored eyes grinned merrily at them. His clothes were neat, composed of a white kimono with traditional black hakama, and completely out of place in the dusty room the four of them were hiding in.
The stranger grinned kindly and shook his head at the trio, letting his eyes rest on Kenshin's still form.
"My, my, my," the brown-haired stranger laughed, "You certainly had a close call. And look at Battousai-san! Tsk, tsk. He should know better than to stay exposed to warding spells. They won't kill him, but they'll weaken him. He should build up a tolerance for them. In fact, that might be a good idea…"
"Wh-who are you?" Enishi huffed, wary, but tired. This man knew who Kenshin was! But how?
The teen waved off Enishi's concerns. "A friend of a friend, which would make me a friend as well," the stranger said lightly, "I'm quite aware of the situation, and decided to help."
"We appreciate that," Akimoto nodded, smiling lightly. The stranger smiled back.
"You haven't answered my question properly," Enishi growled, standing protectively over Kenshin.
"Yukishiro Enishi," the stranger smiled with an odd glint in his eyes, "I would have never expected you to be guarding Battousai-san. It must be odd to guard your sister's killer."
"Shut up!" Enishi growled preparing to attack.
"Ah-ah," the younger man scolded, shaking his finger at Enishi, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I'm here to help remember? I brought you something."
The stranger turned away for a moment before picking something off the ground.
"My sword?" Enishi blinked, recognizing the odd Chinese broadsword the stranger held. The brown-haired youth nodded.
"And Battousai-san's as well," the man nodded, handing over both the broadsword and the black katana Kenshin had been carrying the night Enishi and Akimoto had found him.
"Thank you," Enishi murmured, accepting the swords. If the man handed over weapons without hesitation, then it was likely he was telling the truth. He wanted to help. However, that didn't stop Enishi from being suspicious.
"And for Akimoto-san," the man announced with a flourish, pulling out something from his sleeve before handing over to the albino girl.
"A tanto?" Akimoto blinked at the sheathed weapon given to her, "But I…"
"Can't fight well?" the stranger finished for her, "No worries. The blade is coated with poison. One cut should do it."
"I see," Akimoto murmured, tucking the blade away in her yukata sleeve.
"Anyway, you should probably get Battousai-san out of here," the stranger suggested, sparing a glance at the unconscious former assassin, "There's an exit this way. Don't worry. The guards are all on a wild goose chase by now and won't be much of a bother."
"I still don't understand your motive," Enishi grumbled. The stranger laughed, his gemstone eyes glittering.
"And you never will," the stranger added, "I'll be seeing you in a bit, Yukishiro Enishi…"
And with that, the man disappeared like a ghost.
-
Author-chan's notes: And just when I promised myself that I wouldn't have any more OCs…Okay, does anyone want to take bets on who/what the stranger that helped out Kenshin, Enishi, and Akimoto is? No one's going to get it this time…cackles madly
And yes, I'm herding people around. It's getting kinda irritating because I have to remember where everyone is. I'm going to need a map or something…