In All My Ways
Chapter 12: "Looking for Trouble" Part 2
Kenshin and Sanosuke got to Kyoto around afternoon the same day that Kaoru disappeared with Saitou Hajime. Sano spent all his pay on the train tickets. They'd left Yahiko at home in the care of Doctor Gensai and Miss Megumi Takani.
When they got to Kyoto, they decided to split up and look in all the inns. Kenshin went one way and Sano went the other. Kenshin hoped the young fighter wouldn't attract trouble with that shirt with the symbol of "evil" he refused to take off. Maybe everything would be okay, though, Kenshin tried to assure himself.
Maybe he would find Miss Kaoru and she would be all right, and he could take her home and leave. That would assure her future safety, after all. But he couldn't help but feel a pang of loss at the thought of leaving Kaoru even though it was what he'd decided, and he wasn't going to turn back from that decision now.
Why had Kaoru gone with Saitou, in the first place? Kenshin questioned to himself. He thought about what might be going on inside her head and came to the conclusion that she wanted to help him somehow. After all, who else would she go to concerning the murder of Kenshin's wife? Even though Saitou wasn't the most honorable man around, he was still a police officer and legally supposed to aid in affairs such as searching for an escaped murderer.
But there was a chance they hadn't stopped to rest in an inn. In that case, they could be off following whatever leads Saitou had gained, who knows where... Kenshin sighed, despondently, and glanced around the inn he'd just entered. He shucked off his sandals inside the door, and picked them up. He wasn't going to be staying long, and he didn't want them to get "lost."
The foyer was mostly empty, but a few men were seated at the tables off to the side in some booths. As Kenshin looked their way, he caught a glimpse through the pipe-smoke at a head of familiar, white hair. 'Enishi...?' Kenshin realized in shock, and decided to get out of there before the other man saw him.
But as he replaced his sandals and left the building, he sensed that Enishi had noticed him and was coming outside after him. Kenshin hightailed it into an alley, only to realize he'd backed himself into a dead-end. Just as he was contemplating jumping over the wooden fence blocking his way, he heard a voice from behind him.
Kenshin whipped around, seeing Enishi Yukishiro, standing at the opening of the alley. He was dressed in a white suit with a high collar and blue lining, and a dark blue cape. His eyes were a deep shade of blue and quite insane behind the western spectacles perched on his nose. As Kenshin watched, he drew a long sword with a dark blue sheath from beneath his cloak.
"Himura Kenshin," he greeted, darkly, his voice devoid of emotion. "You killed my sister, and now I'm going to kill this lover of yours... What's her name? Kamiya... Kagami...Kanami? No, Kaoru, am I right?" He smiled playfully, striding nearer to Kenshin as he spoke.
Kenshin felt pure dread build in the pit of his stomach, and he changed his stance and let his hand hover over the hilt of his sakabatou. "What have you done with Miss Kaoru?" he demanded.
"Oh," Enishi said, idly, stopping about four feet away from Kenshin, "don't worry... I have her tucked away somewhere quite safe." He grinned, leeringly. "Did I say 'tucked'? Forgive me, I meant locked."
Kenshin swallowed against the horror that had turned into a ball and lodged itself in his throat. Was Kaoru all right? What had Enishi done with her? So help him, he was going to kill the man if he'd touched a hair on Miss Kaoru's head! "Where is she, Enishi?" he questioned, ready to defend himself or attack if need be.
Enishi shook his head. "Ah, ah, ah," he murmured, shaking the index finger of his free hand at Kenshin, "You come with me, and I'll let her go. Is it a deal?"
What? "What game are you playing, Yukishiro?" Kenshin retorted, letting his darker half do the talking.
Enishi frowned. "I want you to surrender yourself to me in exchange for the girl's freedom. Is that clear enough for you, Himura?"
Kenshin ran it through his mind as quickly as he could--if he fought Enishi, there was no telling if he would ever be able to find Kaoru if he won. And if he didn't win... that didn't even bear thinking about. But if he surrendered himself to this madman, there was a chance that Kaoru would come out of it safely.
Kenshin dropped out of his defensive stance, resolve settling over him like a mantel. "All right. I'll go with you..."
o o o
After about the billionth inn, Sano finally happened upon the right one. Kaoru was there all right, yelling at the top of her lungs at Saitou... The creep... What had he tried to do to Missy? Sano burst through the shoji screen, sliding door of Kaoru's room and found Saitou far enough away from Kaoru to keep him from a shotgun wedding. So what was the problem?
Saitou was pacing, and Kaoru was going on about... "What do you mean you couldn't find Enishi? He's got to be in the city! He lives here, for goodness' sake!"
"Apparently," Saitou replied, drolly, "he's been away on a business trip for quite a while."
Kaoru looked like she was about to fly at Saitou and throttle him, so Sano decided to step in at the risk of his own life. "Hey, Kaoru-san," he gave her a little wave after she looked toward him with a shocked expression, "Miss me?"
"W-What are you doing here, Sano?" she exclaimed, messing with her hair ribbon as if she were embarrassed.
Sano rubbed the back of his neck, realizing for the first time, that she wasn't in her usual gi and hakama. She had on a fetching kimono in blue with a pattern of pretty pink and white flowers. For some reason, he blushed and looked away at his black-slippered feet.
"Baka," Saitou interrupted, "Why did you feel the need to come after Miss Kamiya? You do realize you'll only be a hindrance on this quest, don't you?"
Sano bristled at the no-it-all tone in Saitou's voice. The jerk... he seethed mentally. "I came with Kenshin, for your information. And we thought Kaoru might be in trouble," he retorted, sullenly.
"Then, uhm," Kaoru interrupted Saitou's next insult, "Where is Kenshin?"
"Er," Sano replied, "I don't really know. We split up to look for you in as many inns as possible."
Kaoru looked resolved. "Then we should go look for him..." She started for the door, and then stopped and looked back at Saitou. "Uhm..." she began hesitantly, "Are you coming, Mister Saitou?"
He scoffed and said, "There's no need. If you find Himura, then you'll find Yukishiro as well."
'A big help he was,' Sano thought, with annoyance. Kaoru said, politely though, "Okay, well, thanks for your help..." And when he looked at her in surprise, he realized she hadn't gotten angry because she was so worried about Kenshin.
Uh, oh... And with good reason. If Kenshin was with Enishi, that surely meant that they were fighting. And no matter how good Battousai the Manslayer was famed to be, Sano had no idea if this Yukishiro character was better or not.
o o o
A/N: Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter. It's getting pretty serious, huh? Hope that doesn't scare any readers away... Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Misao-incarnate.