*sigh* nope still don't own Kenshin or Bridal Mask, but I do love their stories ^_^x Thanks for reading :)
Chapter 7: Changing Tides
Running towards the gate through the station's courtyard, Kaoru's breath catches as someone latches on to her arm. "Kaoru-chan!" She calms hearing Misao's voice, "I was worried sick about you!" Looking around at the frantic officers heading towards the building, "hurry, this way." Misao leads her away safely, racing towards her home.
"What's the meaning of this?!" Shishio rushes into the Chong Ro police station, eyes widening when he sees Hoji lying lifeless on the ground, surrounded by a pool of his own blood.
At "No Man's Rock"...
Seta jumps from his bike when he sees battousai fall from the edge, pointing his gun towards the water. But, he is disappointed when he is met with empty clicking. After a few moments, Dysuke and five other officers arrive at the scene, "Fire at will!"
In the water below, Kenshin is oblivious to the bullets whizzing by his head as he sinks deeper into the sea. The need to catch battousai is strong, but Seta wants to make sure Hoji has gotten taken care of first. With one last look, he turns around heading towards the Japanese international hospital.
Even though Katsura trusts that his brother will be alright, he couldn't stop himself form following him, racing to the bottom of the ravine when he sees white flying through the air. Diving in, Katsura quickly pulls Kenshin from the water, and gathers the mask and sakabatou that have floated to shore.
Almost just as fast, he undresses the man to his simple white pants and undershirt. Reminiscent of the past, Katsura places an unconscious Kenshin on his back, and runs with speed he didn't know he was capable of towards the only hospital in town that he knows will save the fallen lieutenant.
With a large straw hat shielding his face, Katsura runs into the building, and asks the first man he sees, "sir! I found him unconscious on the road! Please help him!" Heart tugging in his chest for his brother, Seta can't stop from helping this man.
Racing to the steps of the medical building, "Kenshin!" the teacher screams when he sees his friend unconscious on the ground. Grabbing a doctor nearby, "quickly, he's an imperial officer. Please help him right away!" With a nod, the doctor calls auxiliary staff to help the officer into a room.
Later that night...
At the mouth of the lake, Seta and a search team scour the empty water. "Still nothing?!" The teacher yells to a diver coming up for air. When he receives the negative signal, he takes off his jacket in frustration. About to enter the frigid water himself, Dysuke stops him, "teacher, why don't we call it a night?"
"We have been searching for hours, and still nothing."
"And come back empty handed? How can I face my father without knowing if that bastard is dead or not?" Seta interjects, heading towards the water again.
"Wait," Dysuke grips the teacher's arm, "ten out of ten times, who ever falls from that cliff is dead. That's why they call it 'no man's rock'. I will find that bastard's corpse by tomorrow, I guarantee it."
Seta tentatively agrees, and leaves the area with Dysuke at his heels, heading back towards the Japanese International Hospital. They are met by a worried officer Cho, "how is my brother?" The teacher asks even though he knows there is no way he could have possibly survived battousai's attack.
With head held down, "I'm sorry sir, but he passed away before his arrival to the operating room." Closing his eyes, Seta can't remove the image of Hoji's blood being spilled from his sight. "What about my father?"
"He is in his office at police headquarters." Nodding, Seta is about to leave when Cho adds, "I have one more thing to report."
"There's something else?" Dysuke asks.
"Yes, Kaoru Kamiya," he pauses, and the other officer completes the man's thoughts, "did that wench escape from prison? Aish! The superintendent will be furious knowing we couldn't even keep a mere woman in line."
"What? She was in prison?" Seta's heart sinks at the thought of Kaoru being hurt again. Quickly, "it's more important now that we find battousai's corpse. We can always catch her later." With a nod, Dysuke and Cho leave as Seta enters the room housing Hoji's body.
Lowering the sheet covering the officer's face, "I am so sorry brother," with slim fingers, Seta closes the deceased's eyes to extinguish that look of horror from his features. "I always gave you a hard time for being father's puppet," a pause, "I am so sorry, I couldn't have gotten there sooner." Feeling wetness on his cheeks, "the last words I said to you," Seta hugs Hoji's cold shoulders, "I wish they hadn't been so harsh." The teacher's sobs echo throughout the hospital corridors, mingling with a room nearby.
Opening his eyes to a haze of broken images, Kenshin awakens with a jolt, shaking out thoughts of Hoji's and Seta's horrified expressions, Kaoru's look of hurt in her eyes, and his mother's body burning in his long time home. Looking at the IV in his arm, he can hear someone's soft cries in the room next door.
With unsteady feet, Kenshin rises from his bed, losing balance with the change in blood pressure. Grasping his arm, with a swift tug, the IV falls to the floor, and the lieutenant walks, wobbling down the corridor. To his surprise, Seta runs up, "Kenshin. Are you alright?" His friend's voice is hazy in the lieutenant's tired mind, "you were hurt too right? Kenshin?" He can feel his skin crawling, bile rising in his throat, "you shot him didn't you? How could battousai be unharmed? Kenshin?"
One more step, "Kenshin?" One more step, "Kenshin?" and the officer tumbles to the ground.
Shishio Makoto's office at police headquarters...
Upon entering, Seta sees his father playing on a small putting green, not looking up as the teacher places Hoji's gun on his father's desk. "Battousai fell from 'no man's rock.' We are still looking for his body."
Placing the putter down, Shishio dials the phone, "Yes, is this the Kyeong Seong daily news?" After receiving a response on the other end, "battousai is dead." The superintendent doesn't fail to see the look of shock on Seta's face, "he was killed by my son, Seta Soujiro. Although my oldest son Hoji was murdered, my other son took it upon himself to take down the bastard. Make sure that is in today's headline."
After hanging up the phone, "father! How can you say that? We haven't found that bastard's body yet!"
"It doesn't matter, regardless, even if he survived. He must die by your hands. Understand?"
"I," Seta pauses, "I acted on the spur of the moment," another break, "catching battousai is the job of the qualified members of the imperial police."
"Take Hoji's position on the police force if it will make you feel better, but like I said, battousai must die by your hands. He killed your brother."
"I have no desire to take Hoji's place, but" bowing slightly, "I will work together with lieutenant Himura if he needs my help, to bring battousai to justice, but killing him or not is the job of the police."
Kyeong Seong Market...
"EXTRA, EXTRA! EXTRA MORNING ADDITION! BATTOUSAI IS DEAD!" A boy tosses newspapers in the air while running through the marketplace. "EXTRA, EXTRA!"
Grasping the paper, Yahiko's heart nearly stops reading the headline, and seeing his favorite teacher's face plastered on the front page. Battousai killed by School Teacher. "Sano!" Yahiko shows the man standing next to him the paper, "you don't think it's true do you?"
Pulling a paper from a stand nearby, Sano reads and re-reads the headline, the words of the paper boy, "BATTOUSAI IS DEAD!" echoing in his mind. "I'm not sure," Sano hesitates, "Yahiko!" The taller man yells as the boy runs from the market with paper in hand.
Bursting into his bedroom, Yahiko sees Kaoru and Misao sitting on the floor talking. He can't help it when the paper flips out of his hands onto the ground between the women, "it's not true! It's not, right Kaoru?"
"You know battousai don't you?!" Yahiko pauses as the women read the headline, "it's a lie, right?!"
With mind reeling as she skims the article, Seta Soujiro Makoto threw battousai from 'No Man's Rock,' killing the vigilante. Kaoru glances at her two friends, "it can't be."
"Seta Soujiro Makoto?" Misao chimes in, "he's the superintendant's son?"
"Look here!" Kaoru rushes, not caring about anything else, "they say he was thrown from the cliff and killed..." She points to that part of the article, "but they don't have a picture of battousai's face. It has to be a lie." Looking to see if her friends understand, "if he was really dead, his face would be all over the paper, but there is not one picture! He must still be alive!"
After a few moments, "I knew it!" There's no hiding the excitement in the young man's voice, "I knew he couldn't be killed that easy!" Leaving the room, Yahiko heads to the backyard to do some practice swings, a newfound urge to become a hero in his own right.
"Do you really believe that Kaoru-chan?" Misao asks, and her friend nods, but there is no mistaking the doubt coursing through her veins. "Where are you going?" The ninja girl asks as Kaoru puts on her flats outside the door, "I have to see for myself. I have to ask Seta if it's true. He told me that he would find out what happened..."
Kyeong Seong Elementary School...
He doesn't really know why, but Seta returns to his empty classroom, glancing at the various items the children have brought for show and tell. Being here seems to calm his nerves, allowing him to forget for a moment all that has happened.
His father's suggestion from earlier, that he take Hoji's place on the police force, runs circles in his mind. Nothing in this world could make the young man change his mind, nothing except, "Seta?" her voice is timid, unsure, as she approaches the teacher with his back towards the door. He can feel the beating in his chest as she comes closer, sensing her hesitation.
"I," she pauses as the teacher turns to face the woman that has stolen his heart. His resolve nearly crumbles seeing the wetness on her cheeks, her eyes a misty blue, "I read the paper." Kaoru can't help the soft tear rolling down her porcelain skin, "Is it true? You said you would find out... Is battousai," she stops, nearly whispering, "really dead?"
His own throat is dry looking at the hurt woman before him, and he takes a moment to clear it, "I'm not sure." Realizing that wasn't the news she wanted to hear, "Kenshin shot him three times, but when I saw him last," he closes his eyes remembering the scene once more, "he seemed like he wasn't injured at all," mumbling, "truly a demon."
"He," taking a deep breath, "he killed my brother Kaoru." Opening his eyes, Seta sees the look of shock on the young woman's face, and his voice hardens slightly. "I had to chase him, I couldn't just let him go... That's when he fell from the cliff," watching Kaoru's sorrow masks his own, "but, we didn't recover a body... So, there is a chance," his world is a sea of blue, "that he may still be alive."
Unable to control her emotions, Kaoru grips Seta with both arms, body shaking with soft sobs, "I am so sorry about your brother, but..." Pulling back, Kaoru looks up at the taller man, eyes glistening, but feeling strangely safe in his strong arms. "Thank you Seta," she pauses, "for telling me the truth. I know it's hard for you, but thank you for not-"
Cutting her off, he pulls away from her embrace, "don't be mistaken, I know you have feelings for battousai. But, if I ever see him again, I won't hesitate to kill the bastard. I hope it never comes to that..." Another pause, "I have to go." Seta rushes from the building with Kaoru at a loss for words, sitting at one of the desks in his classroom.
so, he might still be alive. A slight smile tugs at Kaoru's lips as she rises from the seat, her feet taking her towards "No Man's Rock." Even though officers are surrounding one side of the ravine, she heads towards a secluded spot where nobody appears to be looking. Thankfully, there is a lot of rock coverage in this area as she kicks off her flats, and dives into the chilled water.
Plunging deep, she comes up empty handed, truthfully, she doesn't know what she's even looking for. Hoping she doesn't stumble upon his body, but receiving some evidence that he was there. Something, anything, to keep battousai alive. Swimming to the bottom once again, she sees something glint, hidden beneath sand and silt.
Grabbing metal, her heart flutters recognizing the familiar steel. Kicking her legs as hard as possible, Kaoru makes her way to the surface. "We should have searched this area first, you idiots!" Dysuke's voice echoes nearby, and the brunette races to pick up her shoes, running from the rocky cliff.
Somehow managing to arrive at their special place, Kaoru plops down on a log beside the trail. Soaked to the bone, she doesn't care as she grasps her precious dagger. Swords heart replays in her mind, "I knew it was you." She can't stop her beaming smile while walking back towards Misao's house.
Japanese International Hospital...
Waking again in what seems like only a few moments, Kenshin notices the glowing yellow sun shining through the curtains. Hearing voices outside, he closes his eyes once again as a medical team rushes in.
"He still hasn't woke up?" Dr. Hiroshi asks shaking his head, "psh, if this bastard wasn't passed out in the street, maybe the superintendent's son wouldn't have died." After the doctor leaves the room in a huff, Kenshin rises once more from his bed, this time feeling fully rejuvenated. Seeing that someone has brought a suit for him to put on, the officer removes the IV and changes quickly.
Without looking back, Kenshin walks from the Japanese international hospital. He doesn't know exactly why, but he finds himself at the Joseon market, heart wrenching when he sees Akane's stand laying empty. A group of young children run up to him playing a game of follow the leader, not realizing quite yet who he is until one of the children screams "run away, it's Kenshin Himura!" All the children scatter save two little girls, sniffling as soft tears roll down their cheeks.
"Mister," the youngest mumbles, "I'm not scared of you. Our friend," Kenshin imagines his hermit of a father playing with the children every day, "our friend said you are a good person." Her innocence tugs at his chest, and he can't help the slight wetness on his cheeks. The older girl asks, "mister, where did our friend go? We miss him." At this time a woman rushes over to the children.
"Ayame, Sazume! Get away from him, he'll take you away!" The woman drags the girls away to a stand nearby where Sano is leaning. Seeing the whole encounter, his blood boils thinking of what he witnessed the other night. At this point, Kenshin doesn't seem to notice much of anything, walking more in a daze than with any specific purpose.
Noticing the officer's distraction, Sano finds an onion on a cart next to him, and with one swing the vegetable only slightly fazes the lieutenant, although blood trickles down his forehead where he was struck. Other people of the market join Sagara, throwing various wares at the man, but Kenshin just lets them. He will be the punching bag for the people of Joseon, Hiko's sacrifice won't be in vain.
Rounding the corner near the market, Seta rushes up when he sees his friend being beaten. "Stop! He's a Korean too!" Grasping Kenshin by the shoulders, Seta shakes him slightly, "Kenshin, are you alright?" Without another word, the teacher drags the lieutenant to his car nearby with fruits and vegetables flying at their heads.
An awkward silence engulfs the car as Seta drives towards his home. "I'm sorry Kenshin," the younger man says and the lieutenant's heart clenches, what do you have to be sorry for? "With what happened to my brother," his throat catches, "I wasn't able to be there for you for your parent's memorial."
In a daze, Kenshin looks up to see that they have arrived at his friend's home, "let's catch the bastard together nay?" Seta asks as they both exit the vehicle. "Where are you going? Kenshin?" He grabs the officer's coat, "you don't even have a place to go."
"I," Kenshin pauses, "I can't stay here tonight."
"You aren't thinking of doing something crazy are you?"
Seeing gold flicker in his friend's eyes, "I am Kenshin Himura of the imperial police! Do you think I would let something like this make me go and kill myself?! I have to find those bastards that killed my parents and burned down my house!"
Smiling slighty at his friend acting like his old self, "let's catch battousai together alright Kenshin?" The lieutenant nods slightly, "come here anytime until you find a place to stay. You're always welcome." Kenshin nods again, and heads off away from the teacher's home. I am so sorry Sou-kun...
Later that day in the mountains of Kyeong Seong...
Dressed in traditional white hambok, Kenshin looks out at the valley below, all his hopes and dreams resided in that village. His great aspirations to become the first Korean chief of police, to provide a better life for his family, to give Hiko the means to walk again...
Now everything has changed, his home is gone, the life he knew is gone. Kao-dono... Her name has never once escaped his thoughts.
Pulling out the mask of battousai, he slowly ties the string behind his head. Finally feeling the freedom he hasn't known in much too long, with sakabattou tied around his back, Kenshin jumps upon his mare, and races towards his struggling city, his home.
Well that's it for now, sorry nothing super exciting happened in this chapter, but oooo, now Kenshin will be the new battousai! What will happen next? :) Well until the next chapter, happy reading! Also, reviews make me happy woot woot, thanks for everyone who has taken the time to read and review this story so far ^_^x