GONE
Chapter Eight – Gone Again?
Onward to the story…
Day 5 - Niigata Inn – about 8:37pm
"Did you say she called herself Kaori Mayaki?" "Yes," Kenshin answered again. "Her name is an anagram." "My thoughts exactly Mr. Hajime." Sano, Yahiko, and Misao looked on for Lt. Rin or Saitō to explain more.
Lt. Rin took it upon himself to answer the blank stares from some of the group. "An anagram is a word, phrase, or name that's formed by rearranging the letters from another word, or in this case a name. Rearrange the letters in the name Mayaki and you get Kamiya." "And the first name they just changed the 'u' to an 'i'."
"Yes, they think they're clever with their lies and deception. When I regained my memory they did the same to my name." "I suppose no one would come looking for someone whose name doesn't match," Megumi tried to make sense of the anagram.
"Back to the more pressing matter, we have to find Ms. Kamiya." "I could not agree with you more Lieutenant. We heard that there was a horse and carriage that left the Estate. But we do not know if Ms. Kaoru was in it." "Mr. Himura, based on Junichi's assessment of the Estate, I believe the horse and carriage would be the only way in or out." "Yoshida, Makimachi has yet to tell us how she entered the Estate undetected." All eyes turned to Misao.
Misao didn't like what Saitō was asking, but since time is pressing; "If you must know, I entered the Estate using the rope you so kindly secured to that tree." "There's no way Makimachi. I was watching the tree and the wall the entire time." "Not the entire time," Misao smirked. "Remember when you were preoccupied with the small noise in a nearby brush right before Master Aoshi began his distraction?" "That was you!? Why didn't you just ask to use it?" "Because I was told to stay out of sight. But I couldn't do that with Himura, he would've seen me eventually." Saitō was annoyed at this point that she slipped past his watch.
"Lt. Rin, I think there's another way in." "Please proceed Ms. Asuka." "When I was locked up in the basement, Mr. Iwasaki…" "You mean Satsujin?" Saitō wanted to clarify. "Well, whatever his name is he's an assassin. He would usually sneak into the mansion from the hallway to the right of my cell. I never knew where it led though."
"We check there first. Ms. Misao, please find me when a better plan is formed." Kenshin didn't wait any longer and hopped out of the window. 'If the cell is on the north side of the mansion, then that means…" Kenshin observed the landscape for a brief moment, 'The river.' He ran as fast as he dared towards the water's edge. 'I knew I should have stopped Satsu in the mansion. I should have gotten Ms. Kaoru out when we met, even if I was not aware of her true identity.'
It wasn't long until Kenshin reached the small river that descended and drained into a bay a mile away. Kenshin analyzed the landscape, 'I will follow the river. It is possible they could travel by boat.' Kenshin hopped down and followed the slope of the landscape. He ran along the bank of the river but the landmass started to cut off the river bank. 'I remember seeing a small natural waterfall. Just maybe…' Kenshin doubled back in search of the waterfall.
Day 5 – Fujita Estate – about 8:40pm
"What the hell do you mean she escaped!?" Satsu was tired of all of the screw-ups today. "I suppose that incident in the hallway when the lights were extinguished, was merely a distraction so that they could steal the key to the cell." "So they stole the key and rescued Asuka. She was our backup in case something went wrong."
"What do you suggest Akui? For me to go after her? We have the Kamiya girl the one your buyer Farkas was wanting. We should just leave now." "But I had another buyer planned for Asuka if Ms. Kamiya's sale went off without a hitch." "Look around," Satsu snapped, "There is a major hitch in the name of the Battōsai! He won't be forgiving if he finds us here wasting time. You should just count your losses Akui and move on."
"I have. Losing the Estate was not supposed to be one of them." "We can return once things have calmed down. They still don't know about this place." "You forget Satsu, they have Asuka. Surely she's seen you come and go." Satsu frowned at that thought.
Ms. Kaoru was starting to come to again. Being inverted coupled with the fact that she was dizzy and feeling sick for some reason didn't help matters. 'Where are we?' Her memories came flooding back, in particular the ones about begin trafficked. She started panicking and struggling to be let go. She was dropped to the ground rather hard, the impact knocked the wind out of her.
She was faced with the wakizashi in her face. "No! I'm not losing everything." Akui grabbed Satsu's hand that held the bladed weapon whipping Satsu around. "You want to stop me Akui?" Lord Fujita backed away, realization suddenly coming back to him that he was greatly outmatched. "Listen, I just wanted to get your attention."
While the two were distracted, Kaoru peeled the tape from her mouth with some effort using her bound hands. With the tape gone she used her teeth to try and loosen the knot on the rope. Kaoru tried and tried, but couldn't get a good grip on the knot with her teeth. 'This is hopeless…Think, you might not get another chance like this.'
"Well, you got my attention Akui." Truly, Lord Fujita had gained all of his attention and anger. "Listen Satsu," Lord Fujita backed away slightly, "I just didn't want you to do something that you might regret." "Like, killing the Kamiya girl? It was too risky abducting her. I told you this repeatedly. But you were set on the money." Satsu was menacingly inching forward to Akui with the blade drawn.
Kaoru used the distraction as an opportunity to escape. She stood slowly as to not draw the attention of the two men. She was barefoot, so she didn't have to worry about her zōri making noise. 'It would be stupid to head in the direction Satsu is facing.' She stepped lightly, tiptoeing at first in the other direction. When she realized she might be in the clear, she took off running. She remembers the hallway from when she was down there before but didn't know where it led.
'A fork? Should I go right or left?' She chose left and ran in that direction. It was a short distance that led to a well-lit tiered docking system. The level she was on had a small set of stairs leading to the lower wooden docks which had a boat tied to one of the posts. 'If my hands were free I could use that. Should I have gone right?' She looked back her heart pounding. She weighed the risk of getting caught trying to untie the boat and trying to paddle to safety. 'They might check here first.' She turned back around deciding to head to the right.
"Listen if you kill me, then there's no way any buyer would work with you. You don't have any way to contact them." The two have been going back and forth, Akui trying to think of reasons for Satsu not to kill him and Satsu not convinced in the slightest. "This girl," he pointed to where Kaoru would've been if she hadn't escaped, "Is going to be the death of us both." "What girl?" Akui pointed out.
"The Kamiya girl…" he turned back around to see that she was nowhere in sight. "What the hell! Why shouldn't I kill her now Akui? I warned her not to try anything stupid again." Satsu was beyond angry now. He took off running to the end of the hallway, Akui followed suit.
"Should we go right or left?" "You take the left, I'll take the right," Satsu ordered. "If she isn't there, get the boat ready." The two split up.
Kaoru saw a faint light in the distance, 'Is that a way out? I have to get to it.' She guessed that she was about 24 meters away, 'Just a little more…' A hand reached out and grabbed her hair making her jerk backwards causing her to scream, "Ahh!" The other hand grabbed her arm roughly. She struggled to break free screaming, "No! Help!" "No one's coming to…" "Ms. Kaoru?" The two struggling figures ceased for a moment listening to see if they had just heard a third voice.
"Ms. Kaoru!?" the voice called again. "Help!" Kaoru screamed. Satsu grabbed Kaoru and hoisted her on his shoulder again, "No! Let me go!" Kenshin ran towards her voice. Satsu also ran back to the docks, 'I knew it! She's going to be the death of us.'
The two ran the 152 estimate meters towards the bay. Kenshin could tell he was slowly gaining, but there was still a gap between them. Kaoru struggled to try and make Satsu drop her or something, but it was difficult given that he was holding her legs to prevent her from being kneeing him. "Let me go!" she pounded on his back causing him to grunt in pain.
They finally got close to the docks, "Cast off!" Satsu yelled out, "Now!" Akui heard Satsu and did just that. He pushed against the dock, grabbed both oars, and began rowing. He saw Satsu approaching from the hallway, but his heart sank when he saw red hair close behind. Akui began rowing faster not wanting to meet his demise.
Satsu leaped down the short stairway to the lower dock, with Kenshin 1 meter away following in his footsteps. Satsu leaped again just making it onto the small boat, dropping Kaoru harshly in the process. Kenshin was about to leap as well but stopped when he saw Satsu's blade pointed at her, his attention on Kenshin.
"One more step Battōsai and she dies!" 'I can't let them get away, not again!' Kaoru didn't intend to be his prisoner any longer, she kicked Satsu's hand that was holding the weapon causing him to stumble. '''Now Himura!''' Kenshin saw red and leaped from the dock, "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu Tsui San Zan," his sword was drawn poised to strike downward. Satsu turned back towards Kaoru and lunged at her. Before he could stab her, Kenshin's blade went through Satsu's right shoulder, causing Satsu to cry out in pain, "Argh!"
'''You missed Himura.''' Kenshin ignored the voice knowing it meant for him to strike a vital organ or his head. Kenshin withdrew the sword quickly. Satsu switched hands with the wakizashi now in the left. He swung blindly from the left catching Kenshin on the left of his abdomen. Kenshin backed away but found his footing on the back of the boat, his sword at the ready. "Watch it, or all of us will go over!" Akui was clutching the edges of the boat trying to keep his balance.
'A close-quarters fight will end up with someone getting hurt. If I engage him, I will surely place Ms. Kaoru in danger.' '''Then think of another angle.''' Kenshin looked at the boat, then at Ms. Kaoru.
He jumped high upwards, Satsu braced for an attack while steadying his balance. Kenshin came back down, "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryu Tsui Sen." His weight and force caused another displacement of balance, the sword connected with the boat intentionally. Kaoru, whose hands were bound, had nothing to hold on to and flew high and out of the boat. "Ahh!" she yelled. "No!" Akui didn't want to lose his opportunity for a major payout but was helpless to grab her without flying out of the boat himself.
Satsu was thrown off balance as well and was helpless to watch as Kenshin's attack destroyed the back half of the boat. Kenshin, in one swift motion, sheathed his sword and immediately jumped into the water. Satsu looked around wildly to see that Akui only remained clinging to the edges of the boat for dear life as the rocking subsided.
Kenshin was already in the water by the time Kaoru entered it. She struggled at first trying to use her bound hands to swim, but failed. She began sinking deeper until Kenshin reached out and grabbed her from behind around her waist. He placed her bound hands over his head and wrapped one arm around her waist, using the other to swim back to the surface. Kaoru closed her eyes tightly, 'I can't hold it…' The sudden impact left her with little preparation to hold her breath before hitting the water.
Seven seconds later, the pair broke the surface. Kaoru was unconscious. Kenshin looked to Kaoru worried. "Battōsai!" Kenshin turned towards Satsu just in time to see him throwing a throwing star at him. Kenshin flinched knowing he was unable to protect himself from the weapon. There was a clang of metal on metal. Kenshin saw the throwing star that was hurling at him falling into the water a bit of a distance away.
"What the hell!?" Satsu looked around wildly trying to find what caused his last throwing star to be thrown off course. Kenshin and Satsu's eyes fell on a figure on the docks. "Ms. Misao!" Kenshin called out. "Try another one, I dare ya!" Misao was staring down Satsu intensely.
"Satsu! Do something, we're sinking!" Akui was clutching his bag while backing away from the quickly rising water. Angered, Satsu sheathed his blade and grabbed Akui by the collar. He jumped off of the remainder of the boat to the shore that had grown closer, on the other side of the river. Satsu plopped Akui in the mud and watched as Kenshin swam carrying Kaoru to the dock. 'This isn't over Battōsai.' "Satsu my clothes are ruined," Satsu ignored Akui's complaints dragging him out of sight.
Since they were out of sight for a few minutes now, Misao put away her weapons and moved to help Kenshin and Kaoru. Once Kenshin got to the docks, he removed Kaoru's hands from around his neck. Misao used the edge of a post for leverage and helped pull Kaoru out of the water. Kenshin grabbed the edge of the dock pulling himself out of the water as well.
Misao used a kunai to cut the ropes on Kaoru's hands then laid her down. Kenshin rushed to her side, "Ms. Kaoru!?" Kenshin was worried she might not be breathing. Kaoru was lying on the dock with her head turned; water was slowly coming from her mouth. He inspected her and checked for a pulse, 'She is breathing.'
"Is she..?" "She seems to be ok Ms. Misao," Kenshin relaxed a little. He then stood and wrung the water from his hair. He tentatively inspected the gash in his side, 'Luckily I dodged at the last moment.' '''You call that a dodge?''' Kenshin thought he might be going slightly crazy being able to hear a voice in his head, but it was nice to have another sense looking out for his well-being, even though it was slightly thirsty for exacting pain and suffering.
"Are you ok Himura?" Misao gestured to his wound. "Yes Ms. Misao. It is just a mere scratch, that it is." Misao nodded trusting Kenshin's judgment. "We should get her back to the inn so Ms. Megumi can make sure she is alright." Kenshin lifted Kaoru up bridal style to carry her back to the inn.
"Let's get going," Misao led the way up the steps of the dock than to the hallway that eventually turned to a tunnel. Kenshin followed suit carrying Kaoru.
Day 5 – North of Niigata – about 8:50pm
The horses were finally catching up to the carriage. It took a while since they had a major head start. Aoshi steered his horse around the carriage and cut it off causing the carriage to stop abruptly to avoid impact. Hirohito brought his horse behind the carriage to limit its movements.
"Out of the carriage, now!" Aoshi lost his patience. The driver had managed to outmaneuver them a few times using the carriage's weight to his advantage.
The driver held his hands up and the door on the carriage opened. Aoshi quickly dismounted and yanked the driver down from his seat before he got the idea to try and evade again. He brought out his kodachi, "Where were you headed?"
The four girls got out of the carriage with their hands up, Hirohito made sure they didn't run. "Ladies you don't have to raise your hands, I'm with the police Prefecture in Tokyo."
"I have no idea." "Are you sure you want to test my patience? I don't have much left," Aoshi warned. The driver gulped feeling threatened by the man before him. "Alright, alright! We were headed to the northern tip of Japan. There's a huge port there. We were going to smuggle the girls on one of the ships."
Aoshi moved the blade closer to his throat, "Why don't you tell them what's going on." The girls walked to the front of the carriage curious. "I'm a dead man if I do." "You're a dead man if you don't," the blade was now pressed against his throat. "Uhh," the driver fumbled, "You ladies were going to be sold, probably to a brothel or maybe to some rich buyers. I-I don't know the details."
A collective what was heard among the girls. "Uhh, Mr. Shinomori? You should probably not kill him in front of the police." Annoyed Aoshi lowered his blade and punched the guy hard in the stomach. The man coughed holding his midsection on the ground.
"So what do you want with us?" one of the girls was brave enough to ask. "I'm not sure if any of you is aware, but you were brought to the Estate under false pretenses." "What do you mean officer?" "The Estate was being used to traffic women." Surprise was written on each of their faces. "So they really were going to sell us?" "Yes, I'm afraid so…" Hirohito shook his head. "Each of you was possibly abducted but I can't say for sure. For now, we should all head back to the town."
"I'm not going back there! What if we're captured again?" "Yeah." "Right." "Now, now, the police of the Tokyo Prefecture is trying to bring down their entire operation. We would never place any of you in danger. We have a number of very capable fighters to protect you. But we need to head back because we could very well be ambushed out here."
The girls looked at one another stunned. "Aoshi, maybe one of us can drive the carriage while the other guides the two horses?" "I can drive the carriage," one of the girls offered. "You're familiar with handling this thing?" Hirohito was skeptical. "Yes, though I'm not sure how." "Alright then. Follow us back to town." The other three ladies got back into the carriage and the one that volunteered hopped in the driver's seat.
"What about the driver?" The man had finished rolling around in pain and was now seated. "Leave him," Aoshi instructed. "He was working for the guy that was trying to sell you after all." "Hmph," the girl whipped the reigns guiding the horses away from the man and back to town.
"Wait! You can't just leave me here!" Aoshi took off after the carriage. "You've been spared. I suggest you rethink your life and disappear. If you return to Niigata, you'll have to answer to the Battōsai and all of his friends." "Ugh," the driver ran off heeding Hirohito's warning. He smirked watching the man run away opposite of the town before setting off towards the town himself.
Day 5 – Niigata – 9:05pm
Misao thought it best to use the door to the inn this time since Kenshin was carrying Kaoru. "Oh my, is everything ok?" "Uh, yeah. No need to worry Mr. Innkeeper sir. She's just sleeping." The innkeeper was put at ease by Misao's statement.
Misao led the way to the room where the others were and opened the door for Kenshin. "Thank you Ms. Misao." All eyes turned to the trio entering the room. "Sir Ken! Welcome…" Megumi halted when she saw Kenshin carrying an unconscious Kaoru.
"What happened!?" "Kaoru!" "Missy!" Megumi, Sano, and Yahiko rushed over to Kenshin. "She is unconscious after falling into the river." "Here, let's go to the other room so I can check on her." Megumi grabbed her medical bag and led the way to one of the spare rooms that the group had split up to sleep in for the night. Megumi and Kaoru were to take one room, while Sano and Yahiko took another. Misao and Aoshi took the third bedroom, leaving Kenshin and Saitō to share a room. Lt. Rin had to ask the innkeeper for another room after Asuka arrived.
Kenshin laid Kaoru on the bed and Megumi started to examine her. She paused when she saw blood and looked at Kenshin. "Sir Ken! Are you bleeding or is Kaoru?" Kenshin looked down at himself for a moment, "Sorry Ms. Megumi, but I am the one who is bleeding. But it is nothing really." Megumi glanced over Kaoru for a moment before turning back to Kenshin.
"Kaoru seems to be ok, we'll have to get her out of those wet clothes; I'll look over her in a moment. But we can't have you bleeding everywhere." Kenshin nodded and removed his gi for Megumi to patch up the wound.
"So Makimachi, what happened after you left after Kenshin?" "Well…" Misao thought a moment on Saitō's question. "There was a hidden tunnel next to the river. Himura caught up to Satsu under this underground dock and confronted him on a boat they were trying to flee with. I caught up to them when I saw Himura doing this aerial attack and destroyed part of the boat. I almost panicked when I saw Kaoru flung from the boat in the process, but Himura had things under control. I intercepted Satsu's throwing star aimed at Himura. But the two got away on the other side of the river."
"So, Satsu and Lord Fujita might still be close by. We should keep on our guard then." Everyone nodded heeding Lt. Rin's warning.
"What should we do now?" "Yahiko, I say we call it a night, I'm beat." "Funny, I don't recall you doing anything Sano." "I know, it was hard to stay awake from boredom."
"Has anyone heard from Master A…" Misao stopped as the thunderous sound of horse hoofs echoed outside. "Master Aoshi!" She leaped from the bed and ran to the door exiting the inn. Everyone else stood following Misao outside.
"Master Aoshi?" "Here, Misao." Aoshi dismounted the horse and was met with a bear hug from Misao. She peered up at him still hugging him, "Did everything go ok?" "Yes it did," he looked down at her. "It seems as if they were heading to the northern tip of the country. There's supposed to be a large port there."
The girl from the driver's seat dismounted along with Hirohito. "Ms. Atsuko?" "It's actually Asuka Nakano, Ms. Emi." "Huh?" she didn't understand. Asuka pointed to the red jewel on the choker, "This jewel has a toxin that causes memory loss." "What!" the girl was alarmed. She started to take it off immediately, but Asuka stopped her. "Before you take it off, you're going to feel very dizzy, nauseous, and you're going to pass out."
"Oh," Emi brought her hands down. "We'll get you situated safely in one of the rooms here, and then you can take it off." "Right," was Emi's response. The other girls in the carriage had the door opened and also heard the conversation. "What about the others in the mansion?"
Lt. Rin stepped forward, "My men and I will take care of that in the morning. For now, let's all get some sleep." Everyone agreed and followed the Lieutenant into the inn. "I'll take the horses to the stable in town." "You're going to need some help so I'll come along. Besides, I've been cooped up inside all night, a guy has to stretch his legs." Hirohito nodded with thanks for Sano's help.
The group re-entered the inn. The innkeeper was slightly floored by the group of people that got slightly larger. "Sorry there, it looks like we need a few more rooms sir." "Yes of course, eh, Lt. Rin was it?" 'I'm going to make so much money off of this bunch.' The innkeeper guided the girls to a new room. The rest of the gang went to their separate rooms as well to turn in for the night.
"Mr. Saitō, might I ask a few questions back in one of the rooms?" Saitō raised a brow and nodded for Asuka to follow him back to the room Lt. Rin resided.
Megumi stuck her head out the door and saw Yahiko passing by, "What was that noise a few moments ago?" "Oh, that was Aoshi and Officer Hirohito returning with four girls from the mansion. They're going to stay here for the night. Is Kaoru ok?"
Kenshin, who now wore a robe, approached Yahiko in the now opened door. "Ms. Kaoru will be just fine, that she will. She just needs some rest." "Ok. I'll see everyone in the morning. Oh, Lt. Rin told us that Satsu and that Fujita guy might still be around and to keep on guard." "Thank you Yahiko for the update. Ms. Megumi, I think I shall rest for the evening as well. Please take good care of Ms. Kaoru until the morning." "I will do my best Sir Ken."
Kenshin left following Yahiko since their rooms were adjacent to one another. 'I should see if the innkeeper has any ointments for Sir Ken.' She glanced at Kaoru's sleeping form, 'Kaoru should be ok for the moment. I need to find out some more info from Asuka on Kaoru's memory loss.' Megumi left heading to the front but had to wait for him to return.
Kaoru awoke with a start and sat up abruptly. 'Where am I?' She glanced around the room for a moment not recognizing where she was. 'Did I blackout again?' She threw the covers off and tiptoed quickly to the door. She glanced outside and saw no one around. She left the room closing the door, she stopped when she heard talking close by.
'The door is cracked…' She tiptoed to it to listen in. "So, do you think Lord Fujita has something like that?" "A ledger huh…I do remember him keeping a seemingly expensive black leather-bound book locked in a safe, or at least my friend Chie did. She told me about it once. Why do you ask?"
'Is that the girl that was locked up in the cell? It looks like she was able to bathe. She looks similar to me.'
"I believe that Lord Fujita has a ledger that lists all of his clients who have made purchases…" Saitō was hesitant to finish the rest. Asuka sighed, "You mean he keeps records of his buyers who women were sold to." "Yes…"
"I wanted to ask about Kenshin. What's his story?"
'Kenshin..? Oh right, the handsome guy from the bath. That's right, he rescued me from Satsu, or at least I think he did.'
"Kenshin Himura used to be called the Hitokiri Battōsai. He is a very formidable swordsman and lives up to the legendary status." Asuka was shocked.
'Did he just say that guy is a manslayer!?' a flash of the memory when they met in the bath and how fast he was came back to Kaoru's memory.
"H-how many people did he kill?" "Well…only he knows the exact number. I know it's over 100."
Kaoru's breath caught in her throat as she backed away from the door. 'Did I just trade in one assassin for another? Who are these people? I have to get out of here.' Kaoru turned around and headed towards the front, but stopped when she heard talking. She decided to head back to the room she was in. She got there and closed the door behind her.
'The window!' she opened the window and slipped out, being sure to shut it behind her. She tiptoed to the road that wasn't very busy, she wasn't used to walking outside without her zōri. 'Where should I go..?' "You there?" Kaoru turned around to face the man approaching. "Miss, you shouldn't be out this late alone."
Kaoru looked over the guy's uniform, 'A policeman. He can definitely help.' "I'm sorry sir, but I need your help. I seem to have lost some of my memory. I escaped a killer and…" "Oh, rest assured Miss. We caught the killer earlier." "Earlier you say?" 'I did blackout a few times. How long have I been out anyway?' "Here, let's head back to the Prefecture. I can help you from there." "Thank you so much," Kaoru smiled at the man before following behind him.
They walked towards the town entrance where the Prefecture was located and entered the building. "Miss, please have a seat. Let me get you some tea to help you relax a bit. I'll be back in a moment to take your statement." "Thanks," Kaoru was a bit on edge after finding out about Kenshin and could use a soothing cup of tea. "Just head over to the bench and rest a moment." Kaoru nodded and headed to the bench.
Not far from the bench were the prisoners around the corner. One in particular, was watching her. She made eye contact with the man a moment before lowering her gaze and sitting on the bench.
Takashi has observed everyone in the small Prefecture ever since his arrest. 'A woman with blue eyes? Is she "the" Ms. Kaoru Kamiya that I've heard about?'
Sano had just left the stables and was heading back to the inn. 'At least I was useful. It's so boring being cooped up.' His shoulder was bumped roughly by a man passing by, "Hey, watch it." Sano watched as the man continued walking and didn't even glance his way. Sano thought about making a fuss but remembered they were supposed to be lying low. Sano grunted and continued on his path back to the inn.
"Here you are Miss." Kaoru welcomed the tea and sipped it down allowing herself to relax. "I will be right back Miss." Kaoru nodded enjoying her tea. "Psst…" Kaoru heard a voice beckoning. She looked around and stood for a moment. "Over here Miss," the voice whispered. Kaoru peered around the corner to the guy in the cell who happened to be the only guy in any of the cells.
"Yes..?" She approached him cautiously. "What's your name?" Kaoru looked over the guy, "Why do you ask?" she was skeptical. "Is your name Kaoru Kamiya?" Kaoru stared for a moment, 'That's what the Battōsai called me earlier. Is that my name? Or is it more lies?'
"I don't know my actual name," she wasn't sure if she should trust the guy seeing that he was in a prison cell. "You must be her. She has blue eyes as you do." "Blue? My eyes are brown." "Umm, not that I'm seeing."
Kaoru frowned and looked around for a mirror. Takashi walked over and bent down after picking something up from the ground. "Here," the man offered a piece of a broken mirror that was on his cell floor. Kaoru took it and was indeed shocked to find a pair of blue eyes staring back in the mirror. 'What? I know back at the mansion I had brown eyes, everyone did.' The thought struck her as odd as every woman at the Estate had brown eyes. 'Does this mean that that guy Kenshin was right?'
She looked back to the guy handing him the piece of broken mirror. "Do you know of the Battōsai?" "You mean Mr. Himura? He doesn't go by that name. I think he actually detests it. Yes, I know about him. Why do you ask?" "Is…" she had to know, "Is he a killer?"
"It's hard to tell looking at him. He was a manslayer in the war, but he fought in the name of peace. As soon as the battle was won, he left his sword there on the battlefield vowing to kill no more. He now uses a reverse blade sword to protect those who are unable to protect themselves. I remember our Chief saying it was for atonement. From what I know, you two have been through a lot in a short time."
Kaoru pondered his words for a moment, "So, we're friends?" Takashi chuckled, "Well according to your friends, you two are more than friends. But I have no idea of the details." Takashi looked up and saw movement in the distance, "Look you need to get out of here." "Wait, how do you know so much about us?"
"I am a police officer from the Tokyo Prefecture, Takashi Shibata. We're working to bring down Lord Fujita's trafficking scheme. I surrendered to them as a diversion while your friends rescued you without the police here getting involved. Someone murdered their police chief and they think it was us. I was in the next city over when it happened. We believe the assassin Satsujin is responsible for the murder."
Kaoru believed him on the last part. "You should leave now before they come back." "Why? They're police officers too. They can help." "No, you don't understand…" "Miss!?"
Kaoru jumped at the voice almost dropping the forgotten teacup. She faced a mildly angry officer, "Miss you shouldn't talk to this murderer." The police officer grabbed Kaoru's arm lightly directing her back to the bench. "I actually found someone who has been looking for you."
The officer stepped aside and a man clad in all black came into view. Upon seeing him, Kaoru's breathing stopped and she dropped the teacup she was holding, it shattered upon hitting the floor. 'No! Not him!' Satsu smirked, "Nice to see you again."
"Mr. Iwasaki, I thought she was one of the women from the Estate. I was going to send word a little while ago. Good thing I saw you outside the town entrance and waved you down." "Yes, a good thing indeed. Thank you, officer," his eyes never left Kaoru's. The officer nodded and left Kaoru with Satsu.
Kaoru's heart was beating wildly in her chest. She desperately wanted to scream at the officer to help, but her voice was lost, 'I shouldn't have left. I should've stayed at the inn…' Satsu grabbed her arm painfully and pulled her to the entrance of the Prefecture. Kaoru turned her head towards Takashi eyes wide with fear wishing he could help. But she knew there was nothing he or anyone could do to help.
Takashi saw the fear in her eyes as they were leaving and held on to the bars, his knuckles going white, 'That has to be him…Oh no.'
Yes, I know, I suck, hahaa. I would appreciate any comments or reviews about the story. Until next time…