Author's note: No, dear readers, I am not dead! I bring you the next instalment of my story with immense apologies for its lateness. My excuse is university applications and a ton of work slowly draining me of life. Never fear, though, I will not leave you with abandonment issues. This story will be completed if it kills me in the process! I am truly, truly sorry and please don't give up on me and my fic! Finally, thank you so much to my loyal reader, inuyashaswifeforlifeonly for kicking my butt into gear and getting me moving again.
Chapter Ten
Kaoru's eyes were drawn away from the explosions lighting up the dark sky outside the window by the electric force fairly crackling around the man beside her. His arm was still wrapped tightly around her waist in a simulacrum of the intimacy that once was and had now been doused with the fear running through both their veins.
Her eyes were snared in his instantly and she felt a shock of something pass through her system as she looked into deep, almost feral amber. He was furious, an anger almost beyond reason or salvation, and she knew without a doubt that nothing that stood in his path would survive him this night. However, behind that initial fury, she could once again see that telltale shadow, the one that had flashed through his amber orbs on several occasions before, only this time instead of flitting through and passing, it was a clear and tangible emotion. Battousai was scared, no terrified…for her.
'Kaoru, listen to me carefully. You remember the rack of keys in the kitchen? If you push aside the one marked garage there is a key hole.'
His voice was hurried, desperate, as he loosened his grip on her waist, lifting his hand to help the other remove a chain from around his neck. The next moment, she felt the press of cold, hard metal in her palm and she looked down to find Battousai's universal key gleaming up at her.
'Use this in that lock. A door will open. Use it. Misao is in the oak tree outside the west wall. She will take you to Shinomori and make sure you are safe until I come for you.'
When Kaoru continued to stand there dumbfounded, looking from the key in her hand to him, he gave her a gentle push and an almost pained "go." She shook her head.
'I will not go and leave you to fight against whatever is coming alone, Kenshin,' Kaoru growled, looking up at him with an indignation and defiance that reminded him of why he had fallen for the pretty spitfire in the first place.
He was not going to back down, however.
'Kaoru, go. I cannot fight knowing that you are near,' he said, his eyes pleading with her to go, to understand. 'To know that you are in the midst of this battle would drive me insane.'
His last words were a whisper, but she heard and she understood. For a warrior to have even the slightest loss of focus during battle could be fatal. She nodded, swallowing the hurt pride telling her that she could fight and protect as well as he.
A soft meow drew her attention to Kenshin kitten hidden behind a leg of the sofa, trembling and terrified, her ears pinned back against her head in response to the loud bangs and crashes from outside. Kaoru lifted the shaking form into her arms and looked back at Battousai, still standing stiffly in the middle of the empty room. The lonely picture made tears fill her eyes and she wanted nothing more than to move to stand beside him, bokken in hand, ready to fight. She resisted the urge, closing her eyes and breathing deeply as she turned once more towards the door through which Sano had finally managed to pass. He was part way across the floor, his strides long and purposeful, Megumi struggling to keep pace beside him.
Kaoru gasped as she felt a hand grasp her arm and yank her back against a hard chest.
'Be careful, Koneko,' Battousai breathed against her hair in an agonised whisper. 'If I lose you the skies will rain with their blood.'
Her own blood turned to ice in her veins and she could do nothing but nod as he pressed a fierce kiss to her head and nudged her away. She stumbled from the room, her limbs no longer functioning to her command. She passed the couple, acknowledging neither of them.
However, by the time she had reached the large hallway, she had forced through the slowing effect of her own fear and was already fast on the move. The assassins were no longer in sight, but the front door was still firmly bolted, making her wonder for a split second how they had got outside, because outside they were, screams of battle interspersed between the never ending crashes shaking the walls of the house.
She didn't think on it any longer, however, as she slipped quickly through the swinging door, gliding a little on the marble surface of the floor in her socks. She had no thought for shoes, considering her life and Battousai's sanity a little more important than appropriate clothing. Unfortunately, speed had left no space for caution in her mind and as soon as the door flew open she caught sight of the two men on the other side, half hidden by the shadows of the darkened room.
'Well, well. Thank you kindly, Miss.'
The larger of the two men leered at her, sidling forwards arrogantly.
'You just made our job a whole lot easier.'
Kaoru made an angry noise at the back of her throat, less directed at him than at herself for her own stupidity. Not only had she not thought to check her surroundings, but in the process of her rush she had even forgotten to grab a weapon.
The man smiled, visibly smug and relaxed. It was the look a man might unwittingly get when he thought he'd found an easy target in an unarmed woman. She looked forward to educating him in the finer points of how wrong he was. With blurring speed her arm shot out and slammed into his face. There was a sickening sound of bone crunching beneath the force and blood spurted between her fingers before she could pull her hand away. A shriek of both fury and pain followed on its heels. She allowed herself little time to gloat, however, knowing it wouldn't take long for the man to recover enough to come after her and this time she had no doubt he would be spitting mad.
Wheeling round, she sped back towards the swing door. There was no time to get to the secret passage. Her eyes were riveted onto the smooth white paneling ahead and she was just putting her hand out to press against it when she was yanked back against a hard chest, kitten struggling to get loose in her arms, no longer willing to take the jerking motions docilely. To her horror kitten Kenshin wriggled from her grasp and disappeared before her eyes could catch where. She didn't have time to worry for her, however, her own situation being far more dire than her furry companion's.
'Nice try, Sunshine, but you're not going anywhere without us.'
This was undoubtedly the second man's voice, unexpectedly deeper than his bigger companion's and filled with a lot more ice cold menace. Her skin crawled as he breathed against her ear and she fought the urge to shudder. He would no doubt take the action as fear and she refused to even allow him that small satisfaction before she removed him.
She slammed her foot heel first down on his, grinding it against the bones with her full weight. He let out a cry of pain, doubling over and she used his forwards momentum to flip him on his back in front of her again driving her foot down, this time into his sternum, forcing the breath from his lungs for a good minute.
Turning her head, she saw his comrade lumbering towards her clutching his bloody nose and groaning loudly. She wasn't going to wait around to find out what his revenge would be. Throwing herself against the swinging door, she barrelled through it and straight into the ferocious battle beyond.
Men were fighting on all sides, blood already slippery on the floors and bodies littering the ground. Apparently the enemy had infiltrated the main hall, but was being met with fierce resistance. Either there were more guards than she had previously thought or reinforcements had arrived.
Her mind went through her highly limited options at record speed. The front door was as impossible as ever, men still pouring in and the sounds of explosions ringing in her ears beyond. The stairs were her only chance of escape and she pressed her back to the wall, avoiding as best she could the swords and guns being wielded around her as she moved. She saw out of the corner of her eye the men burst through the kitchen door just as she reached the stairs and she didn't give herself time to breathe as she dashed up them. Ironic that the first time she had used them she had been moving with equal speed in the opposite direction. Her mind was filled with only one idea, one word, 'bokken.'
She skidded round corner after corner, thanking Kami for the vigorous training she had put her body through recently. Without it she would be choking for air on the ground at that moment.
She was so focused on breathing evenly and conserving as much energy as she could that she allowed her body to follow a route she hadn't realised had become ingrained within her. Kaoru found herself standing outside the door to the first room she had occupied rather than the one in which she knew her bokken to be. She could have screamed in frustration, an image of her wooden sword resting against her bedside table flitting through her mind temptingly. Why was nothing going right? The thought had barely registered when the sounds of heavy footfalls rang down the corridor. Looking up, she caught sight of the shorter man rounding the corner towards her and rushed into the bedroom. Later, she would not be able to explain, if anyone had asked, why she had not just turned tail and run, but she ended up in a dark bedroom filled with memories she didn't wish to return to.
She choked on the darkness, neither her kitten nor its namesake present to ward off the shadows. Her instincts clamoured for light as she started losing the power to breathe, but with her last vestiges of sanity she clung to the knowledge that its glow underneath the door would give away her hiding place. Stumbling further into what she really wanted to escape, she concentrated on taking steadying, silent breaths, closing her eyes to a darkness she could control when the door creaked quietly open behind her.
'Hello again, Sunshine.'
Her eyes shot open and she turned around, sliding automatically into a fighting stance. The man seemed unperturbed by her actions, however, entering the room as though he owned the place. The light at his back gave him an eerie emaciated quality, accentuating the sharp lines of his face and she swallowed against the lump that was building in her throat.
'You know I sent Konu in the other direction,' he said nonchalantly. 'I wanted some time alone with you, just the two of us. Can't have you getting away with the bruises you just gave me, can we?'
Stepping further into the room, he punctuated his words with the raising of a long bowie knife that glinted in the light behind him.
'Of course, I'll need to take you to the boss soon, butI'm sure he won't mind some, shall we say, slightly damaged goods.'
Her heart juddered to a stop in her chest and her body froze. His words were oddly reminiscent of those that still rang in her nightmares.
'I'm sure he won't mind too much if I play with you a little first.'
In her moment of distraction, he lunged forwards and the only thing that saved her from a incapacitating wound to the chest were her reflexes sending her rolling sideways out of reach. All the same, a line of fire sliced down her right arm and she cried out, clutching it as she came to her feet.
Bile rose in her throat and she shook with the force of her own fear and revulsion. Pressing her hand to the cut on her arm, she tried vainly to think past her own terror. She needed to get passed him. She needed to get out of this room, somewhere where there was more space and she might stand a better chance against this man twice her size.
She'd moved beside the bed and, diving onto it, she tried to crawl rapidly across. Before she'd even made it halfway, however, he had her by the ankle, yanking her painfully back and beneath his far heavier bulk. She struggled viciously, using her nails and her teeth in her effort to force him off. It was fruitless. In the end, she couldn't seem to pull together enough threads of strength to do more than spit savagely at him.
'Now, now, Sunshine,' he hissed, wiping the saliva from his face, a look of disgust and rage replacing the former smugness. 'Don't be a tease.'
Even in the dim light cast across the floor from the doorway, she could see the flicker in his eyes and the sickening smirk tugging at his lips. She scrabbled desperately for some kind of weapon, but in vain, there was nothing to use. He lifted the tip of the knife to her face, stroking the flat of it almost tenderly over her skin before giving it the lightest flick, a trail of blood trickling down her cheek. She whimpered involuntarily and he laughed softly. This man was a sadist. She felt tears of frustration and horror fill her eyes. Again he lowered the knife, but this time she fought. She would not lie back and let him play with her. She was stronger than that. She would not give him the satisfaction of easy prey, a sniveling victim for him to get his jollies from.
Raising her left hand, stronger now than her injured right, she caught his wrist, holding the blade from her. He just sneered in response, twisting his grip and swatting her hand away with a slice of the knife. Biting back her yelp of pain, she scrabbled backwards. Kneeling over her, he had been forced by her action to shift his weight giving her a split second to wriggle from under him. Fighting for purchase to pull herself from beneath him, the blood trickling from both her hands made them slip constantly from under her.
Suddenly, her fingers closed around cold, hard steel and she clung to it like a lifeline. With a jolt of recognition she remembered the knife she had smuggled from the kitchen in the pocket of her sweatshirt. She had taken it in the hopes of protection against Battousai and tucked it underneath her pillow so she would be able to reach it quickly if needed.
She allowed her mind to calm, steadying herself. Now that she had a possibility, a weapon, she felt the control she had lost over her senses come trickling back. Her brain clicked into gear. She needed to wait for exactly the right moment. He had to be right over her so that she could drive the knife into the back of his neck, severing his spinal cord, but he couldn't be at a point where he could restrain her arms.
Unfortunately, she had been so engulfed in her thoughts that she had stopped struggling, however weakly it had been, merely holding rigidly still and waiting. His head shot up, a light of suspicion and confusion filling his vicious little eyes as he regarded her. He knew there was something wrong. His victim was not playing along.
"Now,'" her mind screamed and she withdrew her arm from beneath the pillow, swinging it up with lightning speed and… He slumped down against her, his blood splattering her face. Her arm falling limply by her side, she saw the kunai glinting in the light and protruding from the back of his head.
There was a shriek of triumph and then clattering steps as the owner of the voice ran towards the bed. No, as she lay still, shock sucking the energy from her body, she realised there was more than one set of footsteps.
'Kaoru, are you all right? Speak to me, damn it!'
The voice was so painfully familiar that the tears she had managed by miracle to hold back began to flow unchecked down her cheeks. The heavy body of the dead man was dragged off her and the view of the blood spilling from the back of his head was replaced by the pale face of a terrified Yahiko. She launched herself upwards and caught him against her, hugging him with a pressure that forced the air from his lungs, blood coating them both. However, since he was returning the embrace with just as much, if not more, zeal she didn't think he minded too much. They stayed like that for a long moment, until a laugh brought them both back to reality and Yahiko scrambled away, looking as though his entire reputation had just been ruined.
'Damn it, Busu,' he growled, drawing his eyebrows together in their trademark scowl. 'Don't you dare ever scare me like that again.'
Kaoru felt a smile pull at her lips. It was so good to hear him call her that again that she let him off with a simple, "You're such a child, Yahiko-chan." He opened his mouth to reply, when they were once again interrupted.
'Hey, I'm here too you know and if I'm not mistaken that's my kunai all bloodied up in the back of some guys head.'
Misao was standing with her hands on her hips, the sulky tone in her voice belied by the twinkle in her eyes.
'I mean don't worry about thanking me for saving your life, will you.'
Kaoru threw herself from the bed, catching her foot in the blankets and catapulting into Misao so that they both collapsed to the floor.
'Misao! I'm so glad to see you, I missed you, so much has happened, you have no idea how scary it's been…" Kaoru babbled almost as fast as Misao herself, only stopping when she had no more breath to speak. 'Oh and by the way, thanks for saving me.'
There was a moment of pure silence as Misao stared up at her with an expression of mild bewilderment and utter delight, then she burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. It was an infectious sound and soon Kaoru was shaking with laughter as well, both of them rolling around on the floor.
'As great as it is to watch you two make idiots of yourselves, I really think we should get the hell outta here,' Yahiko finally said, watching them with a look of mixed amusement and disdain.
The words had only just left his mouth when an explosion nearby shook the building.
'Not a bad idea, kid,' Misao chirped, bouncing to her feet and helping Kaoru up.
She ignored the angry shout Yahiko made as she moved on to removing her precious kunai from the dead man's scalp. It slid free with a sickening noise and Kaoru winced, looking away in disgust. Blood she had seen before but the noise a blade made as it slid free of bone she would never get used to.
Then it hit her like a slap to the face, leaving her reeling and ill. She had been prepared to kill with that kitchen knife now lying harmlessly on the bed. She hadn't thought once about incapacitating her attacker and there were several different ways she could have without having to take his life. She could have turned the knife and used the handle butt to knock him out without anymore, or probably less, effort than it would have taken to drive the blade into him. She knew all the right places that would make him see black faster than Yahiko could run when she was chasing him with her bokken. Yet, she had raised that knife with full knowledge of what would happen, that she was taking human life, even if it was a wretched, worthless human life like his. It sickened her to the core. Suddenly, she wanted more than anything to be holding the smooth handle of her wooden sword, safe and, more importantly, unable to harm as easily as live steel.
'No,' she said quietly.
The other two turned to her from their position now at the door, faces pulled into identical frowns of confusion.
'I'm not leaving without my bokken.'
Yahiko rolled his eyes and his frown became a full-blown scowl.
'For Kami's sake, Busu, we can buy you a new one. Right now we need to get outta here before our luck runs out and we meet someone me and Misao can't handle.'
Kaoru would have let the Busu comment go, but the obvious omission of her name from the fighting ranks was too much. Opening her mouth and balling her fists, she was about to show him that women really could multitask better than guys by making his ears ring and his body ache at the same time, when Misao nodded solemnly. A solemn Misao was a rare thing and Kaoru couldn't help gaping at her, mouth hanging open in a most unladylike fashion.
'Let's go get it. Lead the way, Kaoru,' Misao said in a scarily serious tone.
Kaoru obeyed out of sheer fright, checking the corridor before moving swiftly in the direction she had come. The others were right on her heels. There was an odd smell wafting around that she couldn't quite place, but she brushed it off in favour of asking Misao the question that had been burning at her for the past few minutes.
'How did you guys know where I was anyway?' She whispered, carefully peeking around a corner and then continuing towards her bedroom.
'Ah, well we were sitting in our tree minding our own business when out of nowhere this huge explosion blows one of the guard posts to smithereens,' Misao giggled quietly. 'You should have seen Yahiko. If I hadn't grabbed him by the shirt he'd have ended up breaking his neck at the bottom of the tree, he jumped so high.'
Yahiko protested bitterly, yet quietly, to this assessment of the situation, but since Misao was still talking on regardless, he gave up and simply glared daggers at her instead.
'So we decided what the heck, since someone was giving us a nice distraction free of charge we'd come and save you from Battousai right then and there.'
Kaoru nodded, deciding now was not the time to bring up the fact that she actually didn't really need saving from Battousai. However, since, although she didn't know it, Misao was conveniently leaving out the part about having sat for the last month in the tree trying to find some way into the Fort Nox style compound she didn't really need to feel bad about it.
'We were just making our entrance when we saw you getting chased up the stairs by those two creeps, but by the time we got across the battlefield you'd disappeared in this maze and, damn it if it didn't take ages to find you.'
Misao pouted at Kaoru like it was her fault and she couldn't help smiling, trying in vain to hide her laugh. Man, how she'd missed her ditzy, deadly little friend.
It took a long time with the precautionary measures, but finally they reached her room and once there, rescuing her bokken was a quick process.
It was Yahiko who first noticed something wrong.
'Is anyone else finding it hard to breathe?' He asked, panting a little as he rested his hands on his knees.
Kaoru just laughed, giving him a nudge with her elbow.
'No, you're just unfit, Yahiko-chan. I bet you haven't been doing your training while I've been gone, have you?'
'No, seriously,' Yahiko said, frowning. 'I can smell something funny too.'
Kaoru sobered up at that, remembering the smell she had noticed earlier. Sniffing the air, she froze as she suddenly recognised the scent of burning.
'Let's move,' she cried frantically, grabbing Yahiko by the shirt and starting to run. 'The building's on fire!'
The reverse journey was done a lot faster, caution thrown to the wind as they skidded round corners in their haste to escape. As they neared the stairs, sight became difficult, smoke that had been barely visible earlier built up into a thick, grey wall, burning their throats as they tried to breathe. The crackling of the fire was audible now and heat blasted them full in the face, making their eyes water.
The entire hallway below was blackening, flames licking up the walls practically to the ceiling. Yet impossibly people were still fighting everywhere, seemingly oblivious to their peril. Kaoru ignored them though. It was their funeral, literally. She raced down the stairs, thankful that the blaze had apparently started at the other end of the room and had not yet reached their only means down. Yanking her top over nose and mouth, she pressed her back to the wall at the bottom, once again avoiding the fighting and now also the fire. She didn't need to look back to know that her friends would be right behind her.
She almost fell through the swinging door to the kitchen, gasping for the fresher air provided by the back door which had apparently been knocked free of its hinges at some point during the fight. She stumbled forwards into someone's chest and wondered fleetingly why this kept happening to her today.
Looking up, she found herself face to face with an old friend. He looked a lot worse than when she had seen him last, his nose swollen to twice its normal size and bent at a sickening angle. This was just not her day. He grinned maliciously at her, ignoring the pain it obviously caused him to do so as tears sprang to his already squinting eyes.
She could feel Misao and Yahiko behind her, but they could do nothing with her pressed firmly against Konu's chest like a human shield. He clearly knew this, since he paid them no mind, focusing all his attention on her. He began to tighten his grip on her body, pinning her arms to her sides and squeezing the air from her lungs.
She had no doubt that, if the ball of red fluff hadn't launched itself at his head, he would, with his strength, have broken more than her ribs. He let out a scream of anguish as sharp claws drove into his face, allowing Kenshin kitten to cling on for dear life as Konu started swinging around trying to dislodge her.
The ride didn't last long though as the wailing man flung the small animal high into the air, bloody scratches now adding to the destruction of his face. Kaoru gasped in horror, stumbling backwards, eyes glued to the flying kitten. She skidded across the floor, grateful now that she was still only in her socks, and caught her in one hand, her bokken still held in the other. Turning, she swung her wooden sword blindly as Konu staggered up behind her and felt the vibration as it connected with his head, sending him sprawling to the floor.
She didn't stop to catch her breath though, moving quickly as she tucked the squirming kitten to her, ignoring the gashes it was adding to her already abused flesh. The others were running for the door, but she did not follow, calling out to them to stop as she reached the key rack. Dropping her bokken, she fumbled the chain from around her neck and pushed aside the key marked garage to slot her own into the lock hidden beneath. Immediately, a door expertly disguised in the wall swung open and she dragged the others through, feeling it swing shut behind her.
For a moment they stood in total darkness, the only sound the gasp of their own breath. Just for a second, Kaoru wondered whether she had made a mistake choosing this exit route, but somehow she couldn't pluck up the mental energy to feel the effects of her phobia. Then, one by one, lights flickered on, showing them a small flight of steps crudely carved into the rock at their feet and curving into a passage beyond.
Cuddling kitten Kenshin to her, heedless of the prick of claws and the blood matting her fur, Kaoru steadied herself before starting down.
The tunnel seemed endless as they marched along it in near silence. Muffled above them they could hear the sounds of battle still raging, but down in the depths with the stuffy air and dim lights it all seemed a very long way off.
Kaoru was not afraid for Battousai. She had enough faith in his skills to know that none of the enemies she had caught momentary glimpses of could stand a chance against him. All the same she would feel far better once she saw him again. Once this was all over. For the others, those men she had played rubbish poker with, Megumi and Sano, for them she could only pray.
Finally, they emerged into a cavernous room, the rock changing into concrete beneath their feet and the walls shifting to metal. It was filled with non-descript shiny black cars. Kaoru couldn't help the half hysterical giggle which bubbled up in her throat at the sight of them. So it really did lead to the garage.
Yahiko moved past her, walking over to the nearest one and pulling on the handle. It was locked and, looking around, none of them could find keys or an exit.
'Well that's just great,' Yahiko grumbled, hiding his growing panic beneath anger as he kicked at a tyre. 'Now we're stuck here. Who the hell gave you the idea to come down here, Busu? Or the key for that matter?'
Sitting against the cool metal of one of the walls, soothing her frazzled kitten, Kaoru opened her eyes to remind him violently and definitively not to call her busu when it hit her. Battousai would not have sent her down here without a way out.
Creaking painfully to her feet, she hobbled over to one of the cars and pushed her master key into its lock. It clicked into place with ease and she turned it, praising both Kami and Battousai for their help. Opening the door, she slumped into the seat and tried it again in the ignition and again it worked.
As soon as the car started, a ramp began to rise from the ground at one end of the garage, the ceiling lifting away to show the dark forest beyond.
She was just about to buckle her seatbelt and tell the others to hop on in, confused at the fact that they hadn't done so already, when Misao caught her hand.
'You're not driving Kaoru,' she said seriously.
Kaoru frowned and set her jaw stubbornly.
'Why not?'
Misao stuck her tongue out childishly, but she sounded perfectly reasonable when she spoke. This new side to her was really starting to disturb Kaoru.
'Well for one thing, you're one of the worst drivers I've ever met, you've lost a lot of blood and your hands are shaking like a stereo speaker set to loud. For another, if there are men out there looking for you then we need to keep you out of sight.'
Ignoring the comment on her driving skills, Kaoru focused on more important matters.
'Which means what?' she asked suspiciously.
'I need you to get in the trunk?' Misao said hesitantly.
'No.'
'But, Kaoru,' Misao pleaded. 'There are definitely going to be people looking for you and we need you hidden. The backseat is not going to be good enough.'
Kaoru scowled angrily, admitting the rationality of this idea silently to herself although she'd never tell her friend. She'd seen enough thrillers and horror movies to know that being jostled around in the trunk of a car, injured or not, was not anywhere near pleasant, but she couldn't escape Misao's logic and finally, after much coercion, Misao managed to get her curled up in the boot.
She was surprised to find she was wrong, however. The trunk was lined in something plush that took away the brunt of the jolts as they moved over the bumpy road and she wondered vaguely whether people often chose to hang out in here. She supposed it could work as a means of getting an extra man in on a job, but she would have thought that trick was way too old to get past anyone. Perhaps the car was used for fragile cargo. Either way she wasn't complaining.
She didn't know how long they were on the road, moving in and out of a doze in her warm, enclosed space, finally calmed kitten molded to her side. She could hear the murmur of conversation from the front and the low playing of music, adding to the soothing aspect of the journey after the terror and excitement of earlier events. She noticed things only indistinctly, how the roads changed from rough to smooth tarmac beneath the wheels as they left the country roads for city streets, how the car seemed to be going up a slope and then down.
Finally it pulled to a stop and she heard the sound of doors slamming. There seemed to be some commotion, voices and hurried movements, and she waited for several minutes with bated breath. It seemed like an age before the boot opened and she squinted in strong overhead lights.
'We're here,' Misao cried in a singsong voice, helping her out and smiling from ear to ear.
'About time,' Kaoru growled, refusing to be gracious about being shoved in the trunk despite its amenities. 'If you'd left me in there much longer I'd have suffocated.'
Yahiko, who was taking some things out of the back of the car, laughed loudly.
'That's because it took us that long to get Misao off Aoshi.'
Kaoru blinked and took in her surroundings properly for the first time. She was in another garage, only this one was made entirely of concrete, cars parked on all sides. Standing a short distance away, trademark trench coat pushed back so his hand could rest on one of the handles of his kodachi, was Aoshi. He bowed distractedly at her and she smiled faintly. He had no attention for her at all, his eyes riveted to Misao's form as she helped Yahiko unload some bags that were stuffed in the backseat. He had been worried sick about her, Kaoru could tell from the flicker of relief in his eyes and the dark circles under them. He caught her glance and she could have sworn his cheeks reddened just the tiniest bit. He turned away too quickly for her to be certain.
'Let's head upstairs,' he said flatly and walked off, coat flicking behind him in a way that made her stifle a giggle.
Misao bounced along beside him, talking non-stop, not even taking time to breath, but it was clear that Aoshi really didn't mind. His head tilted just the slightest bit towards her.
'And then I hit the guy in the back of the head with my kunai from across the room and Kaoru's kitten totally shredded this guy's face when he attacked Kaoru, it was amazing, just flew through the air and onto his face, I mean that's what I call pet loyalty…'
Kaoru was shown first to a kitchen where she left her kitten with a bowl of milk and some fish, a reward for her good behavior, and then to a bedroom where she and Misao took turns showering before Misao helped her clean and bandage up her wounds. Coming out, they met Aoshi waiting in the corridor. Kaoru felt sure that if he could he would have gone everywhere with Misao, even into the shower, something that she was equally sure Misao would not mind if he did. Hiding a smile she followed them into a living room, nicely furnished with deep blue arm chairs set around a marble fire place. A small card table was set up in one corner with some dark wood chairs placed around it. Kaoru took all this in quickly before her eyes fell on the young man standing in the middle of the floor.
'Nice work Mr. Shinomori, my master will appreciate your efforts,' he said, a broad smile spreading across his face.
It didn't quite reach his eyes.
Aoshi seemed to have frozen in place at the sight of him, but the words appeared to send an electric current through his system, forcing him into action. Pushing Misao back, he stood firmly in front of her, kodachi already drawn and ready. The young man's smile never faltered as he watched and Kaoru felt a shudder of unease slide through her.
'Aoshi-sama,' Misao asked cautiously. 'Who is this?'
Aoshi paid her no heed, his eyes never leaving the intruder.
'Allow me to introduce myself,' the young man swept a low bow and his grin widened impossibly. 'My name is Seta Soujiro and I have come to pick up Miss Kamiya for a visit with my master.'
Kaoru paled visibly, hand tightening on her bokken. Something was very wrong with this young man, she could sense it, and she was absolutely definite she did not want to meet his master.
Misao frowned deeply, moving just as Aoshi had done to block her friend.
'Kaoru's not going anywhere,' she said firmly.
Soujiro shook his head, the oddly false look of amiability never leaving his face.
'I beg to differ,' he said politely. 'As a member of the Oniwabanshu you are under the orders of Mr. Shinomori and since he has made a deal with my master to deliver the young lady, I will be taking her with me now.'
Misao's gaze shot to Aoshi, questioning, but certain of denial. Ever faithful, she refused to believe Soujiro's statement unless confirmed by her Aoshi-sama. He did not respond or move as he continued to look at Soujiro. The other man had started across the room at a nonchalant pace, only stopping when he came across the human barrier.
'If you please, Mr. Shinomori.'
Aoshi still didn't move an inch and there was a standoff of long moments as they regarded each other. Soujiro leaned forwards whispering something only Aoshi could hear and within the time it took to blink they were already in full swing. The sound of steel connecting with steel reverberated round the room, but it was impossible to see actual weapons, only flashes of the steel as the metal caught the light.
Within moments it was clear to Kaoru that Aoshi was never going to win. He was an undeniably amazing swordsman, his skill surpassing anything she could ever hope to achieve, but Soujiro's speed and precision were unmatchable. He moved with a grace that took her breath away, his katana almost an extension of his own body as he fought and twirled around the room in the primal dance she knew so well. Only one man she knew could have kept up with this incredible rapidity and that was Battousai.
Suddenly, a piece of a puzzle, Kaoru didn't know she was putting together, fell into place. This young man was just like Battousai, height, build and incredible talent with a katana. Her mind jolted back to the night Misao had almost died, to the small man who had very nearly gutted her friend as she fought him. She had been so certain at the time that Battousai hadn't done it and she'd been right. It hadn't been him. It had been Soujiro.
Kaoru watched in morbid fascination as, one by one, deep gashes appeared in Aoshi's coat, the pure white slowly giving way to crimson. Soujiro was playing with him, goading him into a game from which he could never hope to emerge victorious. She knew it was only a matter of time before the young man grew bored and Aoshi fell.
And then it happened. Faster than the eye could see, Aoshi hit the floor under a savage blow, the damage to his body leaving him unable to summon the strength to raise his kodachi in time to block the next inevitable, deadly swing. Soujiro's katana cut the air with a hiss, his expression one of polite attention. A small figure darted in front of the prone Okashira and if Kaoru's horrified gaze had not been riveted on the exquisitely lethal motion of the young man's blade she would not have caught the minute hesitation, the infinitesimally tiny falter which saved Misao's life. The metal sliced into her friend's flesh, but not far enough to be immediately fatal. Kaoru knew it was not deep enough.
Yet, there was so much blood. The sight of it unfroze her from her petrified position and she dashed across the room towards where Misao lay in Aoshi's arms, broken and bleeding. She did not get far. Grabbed from behind, she was lifted bodily from the ground, flailing and scratching like an irate cat.
Soujiro looked down at his own hand for a moment, something that could only be described as other flittering across his face. It passed almost as soon as it appeared, however, as he turned to watch the goings on around him, his head cocked a little to the side with a quizzical expression and his seemingly permanent grin back in place.
Mechanically rubbing his temple, he looked down at the two crumpled bodies on the floor. Kaoru swore she heard him murmur, "stupid girl, now why would she do that?" before he flicked his katana to remove Misao's blood with the careless ease of an expert, turning away as if they no longer interested him in the slightest.
'Bring the young lady to the car,' he murmured. 'Oh and the little one too.'
Soujiro waved a negligent arm at Misao as he started for the door.
'The master might have use of her and if not then we must at least be polite and dispose of the body. We did after all make the mess.'
He stopped a moment in front of Kaoru to smile at her, his blank, emotionless eyes the only indication that he felt none of the joy it radiated.
'I look forward to becoming better acquainted with you, Miss Kamiya, I hope we can be great friends.'
Kaoru snarled at him, never taking her eyes off Misao's limp form. A big man with an AK47 slung over his shoulder bent to pick her up and she watched, her heart breaking, as Aoshi pulled together his last vestiges of strength to struggle with the other man a moment, but he was weak with blood loss and it was futile. The man simply knocked him out with a blow to the head and pulled Misao from his slackened grip.
Kaoru's vain attempts at resistance were over. She could not escape the steel bands that were her captor's arms and, as she saw the rag doll body of her friend carried from the room, she would not even have tried to do it. Wherever they took Misao, she would follow.
Author's note: Thank you so much for reading! Please leave me a review with your comments, I always appreciate them and they really do make it worth the effort to write.