Best of Intentions Chapter 20
Misao walked slowly to her doom. The prince looked so much like Aoshi that she felt like she was once again nine years old and being chided for pouring bath salts into the fish pond outside their home by her clan leader. However, this man was not Aoshi, and she didn't have any cute nine year old antics to get her way out of this mess.
Soujiro walked along beside her, gliding on his feet, apparently not in the least bit worried. The prince, nor the blond at his side, did not look pleased. "Mind telling me why you were throwing deadly projectiles at me?" The dashing aristocrat inquired, his left hand was on the doorframe while his right was fisted at his side.
"I was sent by the government to protect you," Misao answered, deciding to go with the 'come with me if you want to live' routine. "It is obvious by my display that you are sorely unprepared for the danger you are in currently."
"The government sent out a little girl and boy to protect me?" He asked mockingly with a cold laugh, mimicking her Japanese with only a slight accent.
"Perhaps the government does not feel you are worthy of protection," the blond laughed at him. She turned towards Misao and Soujiro, a warm smile upon her face. "Does this have to do with the kidnapping threats?"
"I'm not at liberty to disclose that information to outside parties," Soujiro answered.
The blond waved her hand dismissively. "I am his cousin, Tatiana." She explained. "I was only joking earlier, I am sure you are both highly capable of protecting him." Her eyes lingered at the various weapons carried by the two professionals. Tatiana gave the prince a wicked smile, "I just don't think he's worth all the trouble is all!"
The young man frowned at her before giving Misao and Soujiro a curt nod, "You may call me Joseph."
"Soujiro."
"Misao."
Joseph's pale blue eyes lingered on Misao's emerald irises after she stated her name. "You did not throw that dagger to catch my attention. You mistook me for someone else."
"Now Joseph, who could she possibly mistake you for?" Tatiana cried. She opened her door further and gestured for everyone to enter. "Come inside and perhaps explain more of what is going on. I do detest being in the unknown."
Soujiro followed Tatiana and then Misao and Joseph entered together. He shut and locked the door behind them, pulling the chain closed as well. Everyone settled at the kitchen table.
Joseph was the first to break the silence. "Earlier this evening, I was walking down an alley. I turned a corner and ran into the most peculiar stranger." His eyes were focused on Misao. "Do you know why he was peculiar?"
No one answered.
"He was peculiar because he looked almost exactly like me," Joseph answered. "You wouldn't happen to know of someone like this would you?"
"You met Aoshi-sama?" Misao asked, excitement entering her voice unheeded. "Was he okay? Did he have a young woman with him? Was he by himself?" The questions rolled off her tongue.
"He was alone, but he looked preoccupied and I believe he was holding a gift in his hand." Joseph tried to not comment on the 'sama' issue. "So you know him then."
"He is a friend of ours," Soujiro answered before Misao could. "He is traveling through this city with some other companions. It is coincidence that our assignment should lead us to you while he is also here. We had hoped to use him in order to lure the assailants who are intent on endangering your life."
"I see," Joseph replied. "Then we must go look for him so that you can do a better job of protecting me, correct?"
Misao blinked at the man in surprise. Here he was, a prince, and he wanted to go searching with the woman who had just throw a dagger precariously close to stabbing him only moments before? She did not have a chance to gather her thoughts before Soujiro spoke.
"I think it would be best if you remained here, where it is relatively safe. I will go out and then return shortly with the leader of our mission." Soujiro stood and bent at his waste to bow respectfully.
"Did he just say that he is leaving?" Tatiana inquired of Joseph in Austrian, frowning over Soujiro's words. Joseph nodded at her to affirm her guess. She stood, on equal height with Soujiro, "I wish to accompany you."
Soujiro's smile faltered at her request. "I do not believe this to be a good idea," he told her slowly.
"Non-sense, I know this city much better than you. We will find your leader much faster this way," she argued. When Soujiro still looked unsure of her case she continued before he could interject. "I am of the Russian royal family, you have no authority to tell me no, so you should accept this fate."
Soujiro continued to smile, "Very well then," he agreed.
After they left, Misao and Joseph remained at the table. He was watching her closely and she fidgeted under his intense gaze. "Tell me about this Aoshi."
Misao's cheeks became inflamed. "He's, uh, he's," she stuttered unsure of how to explain. "He's the former leader of my clan."
"Former leader?" Joseph echoed. "Who is the current leader?"
Misao looked up at him sheepishly, "I am."
"A young lady in charge of an entire clan," Joseph mused, leaning back in his chair with an amused smile upon his handsome face. "I feel safer to know that I have one of such talents guarding me now."
"Yes, your life is safe under my care," Misao assured him confidently. His comments had made her feel more proud of her accomplishments.
"Who is the one leading this mission?"
"That would be Himura-san," Misao answered in a respectful tone. She needed to sound more official. Joseph couldn't mistake her for some emotionally unstable girl. He needed to see how professional she was.
"Himura?" Joseph frowned at the name. "I know I have heard that before, but I wonder where from," he trailed off speaking softly to himself.
oooooOOOOOooooo
It was dark. It was suffocating. She felt like her head was about to explode. Kaoru opened her eyes only to see that it was still dark. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust. That was when fear began to take root in her heart. The last thing she remembered was fighting alongside Aoshi in the alley and then a sharp stab in her neck.
She tried to reach her hand up to the wound but found them bound behind her back. She was lying sideways on a cold stone floor so she turned over onto her back. Above her she saw Aoshi watching her, sitting up, his hands similarly bound behind him.
"I see you are awake finally," Aoshi spoke softly, his voice barely registering. Kaoru opened her mouth but he silenced her with only a look. Kaoru's mouth closed, she knew they were in trouble, but she felt safe knowing that Aoshi was there beside her, they would survive this.
She ignored the little voice in the back of her head reminding of the time that Aoshi's men all died. She didn't want to think about that at the moment.
"We were hit with darts to make us unconscious." He explained, still speaking so softly she could barely hear. He frowned, "They have tied our hands with a strange device I have not seen before." He had been studying the white flimsy looking band that was tied around Kaoru's wrists. There was no slack to be found when he tried to manipulate his own hands out of the locked position he found them.
Silence stretched on between them. "I don't understand why they hated you," Kaoru finally spoke, trying to be as quiet as Aoshi.
He looked away from her momentarily, his brow furrowed, when he looked back down at her, his hair hid his eyes from her view. "I ran into the man they have mistaken me for earlier."
"Who is he?" Kaoru asked, barely making a sound, mostly mouthing the words silently.
Aoshi's shoulders slumped slightly. "I do not know."
Kaoru struggled to sit up beside him. She leaned against his shoulder, finding comfort in the dire situation merely being at his side. At least for now, they were together. Kaoru stretched her arms behind her, bringing them as close to Aoshi's as she could. He met her effort and they were able to lock fingers. Kaoru gasped, feeling the sticky substance upon Aoshi's hand. He had obviously tried to get out of his banding device at his wrist and been unsuccessful.
Aoshi's fingers tightened on hers. The words of the mysterious woman echoed in his head, 'When the time comes, do the right thing.' What was the right thing? He was out of ideas and opportunities. He anticipating his next opportunity, for surely there would be at least one. He did not care much for his own life, but the men in the alley made clear their intentions upon Kaoru. He would never allow that to happen.
If these men truly believed him to be some sort of elitist, a member of some royal family perhaps, he would need to play the role. Light began to trickle into their prison from behind the door. Someone was approaching. The locks began to lift and the man that had spoken Japanese to them in the alleyway stood there.
"Prince Joseph, are you ready to work with us?" He looked down at Kaoru, a malicious smile playing upon his lips. "Or should I think of ways to motivate you?"
Aoshi growled at the man, "Leave her out of this. What do you want?"
"Now, now! That is the kind of question you should have been asking all along!" The grey eyed man waved behind him, ushering in the large, bulky man from the alley fight. "Help his highness up will you?"
The bear of a man roughly tried to haul Aoshi up to his feet, but Aoshi refused to allow this, making his body heavy so that he could not be lifted. The giant scowled down at him, "Stand up you lazy bum."
"Where I go, the girl goes," Aoshi demanded.
The grey eyed man in the doorway frowned at the request. "You don't trust me?" He asked, feigning shock. Aoshi's icy glare sent fear down his spine. "Very well, the girl can come too. I should have realized you would be so pampered as to need constant catering by your personal bed-warmer."
They were led outside of their make-shift prison and led to a conference room. There was a large table in the center and chairs circling it. Aoshi and Kaoru were urged to sit. "Exactly who are you?" Aoshi asked, doing his best to speak in a tone similar to the few words he heard spoken by the true prince upon their meeting earlier.
The grey eyed man began to laugh, running his fingers through his dark hair. "Of course you would not know. Why should the royalty of this god-forsaken land know of the people's desires? I am only the leader of the Czech nationalist movement."
Aoshi continued to look at him, expressionless. This angered the man, thinking his title would impress the royalty before him. "In France when the monarchy was as ignorant of the people's wants they were treated in such a way that could easily be repeated here."
"You dare threaten me as you request my aid?" Aoshi snapped in his best impression of a spoilt royal heir.
Kaoru's eyes widened at Aoshi's attitude. She almost believed he had suddenly become this mysterious Joseph. She couldn't help but love him more, seeing this new side of his ability to survive.
oooooOOOOOooooo
Kenshin was leaning against the side of the church's wall. The moon was settling low in the sky and the sun would soon be following in the East. Hours had passed since first coming upon the evidence of Kaoru and Shinomori's abduction.
Hiko was hardly interested in the search and had retired to an inn hours ago, content with the company of his sake. Megumi had tried to convince Yutaro and Yahiko to rest, that they would continue the search in the morning, but she failed at the task. Instead, she sat silently sharing a bench with them as they ate some of the rations of food she carried. They had at least agreed to eat.
Sanosuke had gone to search for clues at the docks. That had been hours ago and Kenshin had no new word on his progress. That was why the sight of Sano walking with Soujiro and a strange blond haired female gave him a bit of a shock. Like a graceful panther he moved away from the wall and went to meet the approaching group half-way.
"Kenshin!" Sano exclaimed with his face red from running it seemed. He clamped a hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "This is Tatiana, Joseph's cousin. Misao and Soujiro found our royal heir and she's with him now."
"I see," Kenshin answered without inflection in his tone. It was good that the royal heir had been discovered, however, his primary concern was the safety of Kaoru Kamiya and he had yet to receive any clue on that.
Tatiana gave Kenshin a warm smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you," she said in Japanese, though it was heavily accented.
Kenshin ignored the smile, finding it difficult to muster one in response given the circumstances. It was hard to ignore that the blond woman was quite attractive and he appreciated her bravery in coming in person to find him. "Do you know of who would want to capture your cousin?"
Tatiana's smile faltered slightly and she looked behind her before looking serious. "I know exactly who would want to use Joseph to reach their political agenda. It would be better if we discussed this in a less open environment."