Instead of writing a twenty page paper that is due soon I wrote this. Hmm. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Please review!
"Sister. And Battousai. What a reunion. I've waited for such a long time for this moment. The moment when I take revenge for what you did to Kaoru!" Enishi growled. Tomoe watched as he drew a sword from the sheath that rested on his back.
"Enishi! Stop!" she cried as he charged at Kenshin. Kenshin had already moved from the spot he was standing, Kaoru still in his arms, when Enishi charged. The redhead was now at the shrine behind Enishi as the white haired man turned to face him. "Enishi, stop this instance! You'll hurt Kaoru!"
"Kaoru is dead, sister! That woman is a fake and will suffer the same fate as the Battousai for consorting with him!" the man responded. Tomoe shook her head as she jumped in front of her brother before he could attack again.
"She is Kaoru's reincarnation!" she cried. She kept her spine firm when he looked at her with hate filled eyes. She was surprised at how much he had changed. She wondered if his attitude when he visited them in Otsu had been a forewarning of the path of darkness he was going to take.
"Her reincarnation? What lies has Battousai been feeding you, sister? He has taken your happiness twice now and yet you still believe him? She is not Kaoru's reincarnation! There is no such thing!" he hissed.
"Kenshin told me nothing! I am the one who found her! I am the one who realized who she truly is. Kaoru has been reincarnated into the woman Kenshin is holding." she whispered. He continued to shake his head.
"No! She cannot be her! Reincarnation of the soul is nothing but a myth!" he denied.
"How can you say reincarnation is a myth when it is obvious you have lived as long I? Is reincarnation so impossible when we are immortal?" she whispered. He studied her for a moment before turning his gaze back to Kenshin.
"I do not care who that woman is. She is not the Kaoru I knew but I will honor your request not to harm her, sister. Put that woman down, Battousai, and fight me so I may avenge Kaoru's death!" Enishi growled as he fell into an attack stance. Tomoe opened her mouth to protest only to be interrupted by Kenshin's hand on her shoulder.
"Go sit with Kaoru, Tomoe." he told her. She opened her mouth to protest only to remain silent when he looked at her with ice cold blue eyes. She nodded before stepping away and moving to where Kenshin had laid Kaoru down in front of the shrine. She knelt by the woman and placed the younger woman's head on her lap.
"It is fitting is it not, Battousai, to die in the place where you promised to love and protect her? Only to fail her in the end. A failure which caused her death. A failure that you will pay for!" Tomoe gasped at the speed Enishi attacked with. She could only see flashes of light as he and Kenshin traded blows.
'Please, be careful, Kenshin! His rage is palpable to the point of being draining.' Tomoe thought as she watched. She bit back a sigh of relief when they stopped and Kenshin was unharmed. She knew she should feel the same relief about Enishi's being unharmed but she couldn't summon it. There was something about the way he was acting that made her feel as though she had already lost him and his death would add nothing to the grief she felt at that realization.
"A blade filled with vengeance and rage is one that can only kill, Enishi. It cannot protect anyone." Kenshin said. Tomoe watched as Enishi's face only grew darker.
"You have taken everyone from me that I wish to protect! You murdered Kaoru and brainwashed Tomoe into believing it was an accident." he growled. Tomoe watched as Kenshin fell out of his defensive stance with a shake of his head. She wanted to yell at him to be on his guard as she was sure Enishi would take the advantage but then she noticed the grip Kenshin had on his sword. He had not let his guard down but simply fell into a different stance. One she had not seen since the war. One that would cause the death of any person that attempted to attack him unless he was wielding the sakabatou.
"Tomoe has believed from the moment of Kaoru's passing that it was an accident. I have not encouraged or discouraged that faith. Tomoe has her own mind." Kenshin said. Tomoe watched as Enishi shook his head in denial.
"You took her happiness from her once! Why would she willingly believe you did not purposefully do it again?!" he demanded.
"Because he still loves her, Enishi. Kenshin will always love her." Tomoe spoke up. Her brother looked at her and she met his eyes determinedly.
"He let her die! How can you defend such a monster?!" he demanded. She shook her head with a sad smile.
"He is not a monster, Enishi. Think about it. He came to rescue me that night, so long ago, because he knew Kaoru would be distraught if something happened to me. He was badly injured when he found me. He was covered in blood with a majority of it being his own. I had to nurse him back to health as for many days afterwards he was unable to see or hear well because of the explosives they used to attempt to kill him. His injuries coupled with the loss of Kaoru would have killed a normal man, Enishi, but he made the decision to live in honor of Kaoru's sacrifice." she whispered. She watched as he let her words sink in only for despair to take over when the madness did not fade from his eyes.
"'Sacrifice', sister? There was no sacrifice that day, only cold-blooded murder." he responded as he turned back to Kenshin.
Tomoe gasped as Kenshin failed to move quickly enough and Enishi's sword pierced his left shoulder. She watched as Enishi turned the blade, eliciting a scream from Kenshin that turned her blood to ice, before withdrawing it from the redhead. The woman watched with wide eyes as Kenshin fell to the ground, breathing hard, as he clenched his injured shoulder.
'The wounds will not heal because this is how he would have died. In a fight involving swords. This is my fault! I was the one that told him we shouldn't change out of these clothes! He's going to die because of me! I have to find a way to stop them!' she thought. She tensed as Enishi once again charged but this time Kenshin managed to block the attack, barely, and move out of range of the attack.
"What's wrong, Battousai? You aren't fighting like the hitokiri you are!" Enishi hissed.
"I do not wish to fight with you, Enishi. Kaoru would not want this." Kenshin responded.
"Her murderer does not get to tell her family what his victim would or would not want, you hypocrite!" the taller man roared before charging. Tomoe winced as the swords met together with a loud metallic sound.
Her attention was diverted from the fight, however, when Kaoru groaned. She glanced down to see that her friend's eyes were opened and she was looking at her. Tomoe watched as the woman slowly shook her head before attempting to sit up. She caught her friend as it became clear she was dizzy and nearly fell back onto the ground. Tomoe carefully repositioned Kaoru's head on her lap so the younger girl was comfortable.
"What happened?" she managed to whisper.
"That was what I wanted to ask." Tomoe responded.
"I...I remember...oh! I remember the past! I remember what happened, Tomoe! I know who I am!" the girl said excitedly. Tomoe froze in astonishment for only a moment before grinning down at her friend.
"You remember us?" she asked. Kaoru nodded with an excited smile.
"Yes. I remember everything." she whispered.
"What about your new life? What will happen now?" Tomoe asked. She was glad that the Kaoru she knew had returned but she didn't want it to be at the reincarnated Kaoru's expense.
"I am Kaoru. My soul is Kaoru. The memories of the past are still a part of me but in the end that is all they will be for me. Memories. The me now is not the same as the me then even though the soul is the same. Do you understand?" Kaoru asked. Tomoe nodded but before she could speak, the sound of swords once again meeting interrupted their conversation.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru gasped when she caught sight of the battle in front of her. The redhead was kneeling on the ground and holding his side with his left hand. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the blood on Enishi's sword as he began to laugh. It didn't take her long to realize the white-haired man had injured Kenshin.
"You may not have aged since the war ended, Battousai, but your skills are lackluster at best. How do you plan on defeating Makoto to save the world when you can't even fight the man who was once his student?" the man demanded. Kaoru watched Kenshin raise his head before dropping it as he groaned in pain. Her eyes widened when he slumped to the ground completely as his hand holding his sword loosened and the weapon clattered to the ground.
"He's lost too much blood." Tomoe whispered. Kaoru looked up at the woman as confusion and fear began to overtake her.
"How is that possible? You said the only way he could die was if someone recreated his death!" she cried. Tomoe nodded without looking down at her.
"Yes and that is exactly what Enishi has done. That's why they insisted we wear our old clothes. I should have agreed when Kenshin insisted on changing back into our clothes from this time period. Don't you see, Kaoru-chan? He's wearing the clothes he should have died in. He's being injured by an enemy with a sword. This was how he would have died almost a hundred years ago if I had not been there. Enishi is going to kill him!" Tomoe whispered. Kaoru shook her head as she forced herself up.
'No. I won't allow it! I did not escape from that prison and Enishi to reunite with Kenshin only for him to be killed! Absolutely not!' she thought as she climbed to her feet. She fought back the dizziness only to feel her heart drop when Enishi raised his sword for an attack. Her feet began to move without her thinking about it.
"NO!" she screamed as she threw herself in front of Kenshin while wrapping her arms around Kenshin's body. She closed her eyes as she waited for Enishi's sword to pierce her as she protected the man she loved.
"ENISHI! NO! YOU'LL KILL KAORU!" Tomoe's scream echoed through the air. Kaoru kept her eyes closed as she continued to wait for the cold sting of her adopted brother's sword. Her eyes slowly opened when the attack never landed. She looked over her shoulder only to freeze when she saw he was standing over her with his sword still raised in the unfinished attack.
"Why? Why would you protect your murderer?" he demanded. Kaoru studied him for a moment before shaking her head.
"He isn't my murderer, Enishi. He is my protector. My beloved. My husband." she whispered. She watched as Enishi's sword wavered before he frowned at her.
"He's brainwashed you as well. I will free you from his grasp, just move away from him! Let me be the one to save you, Kaoru, just this once." Enishi said. She shook her head as she scowled at him.
"Get away from them!" Kaoru squeaked before throwing herself over Kenshin as kunai were embedded into the ground around them. She felt the air behind her shift and knew that Enishi had left.
"Kaoru-chan, are you okay?!" Kaoru looked up as Tomoe's voice neared. She swallowed before nodding. She glanced down at Kenshin when he groaned only for her eyes to widen when she realized he was unconscious and seemed to be running a fever.
"Kenshin's in trouble." she whispered to the woman.
"Misao! Get the first aid kit in the car and bring back the change of clothes Kenshin keeps in the trunk. We need to get his wounds treated and out of these clothes immediately. Aoshi, check the area to make sure we won't have any more surprise visitors. Then come back and help us change him so we can make this as least mortifying as possible for all involved." Tomoe ordered. The two oniwanban members nodded before heading to complete their designated tasks. She knelt beside Kaoru and Kenshin as the latter continued to let the injured man lean against her.
"Here, help me lay him out." Tomoe said. Kaoru nodded before helping her straighten Kenshin out. She moved so that she could put his head in her lap while Tomoe began to inspect the wounds he'd received. She swallowed as she noticed that he had a nasty wound on his shoulder along with the wound she had witnessed him receive in the abdomen.
"I'm going to take his gi off. It might not do much but it should at least stop the bleeding for a little bit." Tomoe said. Kaoru nodded before watching as the older woman gently pulled the bloody gi off the injured man. The white gi that had been underneath the blue gi was even more stained by blood.
"This is worse than I thought. The wounds are deep. I'm not sure we can get him out of his clothes in time." Tomoe whispered. Kaoru swallowed before looking down at the man in her lap.
"I think I can help him without having to worry about changing him." she told her friend. Tomoe sent her a confused look. "Just watch."
Kaoru closed her eyes as she held her hands out over Kenshin's body. She could see his wounds in her mind. The first thing she imagined was the wounds not bleeding but instead scabbing over in the first stage of healing. The next thing she thought about was the organs and muscles that had been injured slowly knitting back together. Kenshin's groan of pain told her that her magic was working. She tried to sense any other life-threatening wounds under the skin but found none and turned her attention to the wounds that would have him bleeding death. With a deep breath and surge of power, Kaoru imagined the skin mending as quickly as she could. Kenshin's accompanying groan of pain told her she had been successful.
"This...this is amazing!" Kaoru opened her eyes when Tomoe spoke. She immediately looked down before a smile spread across her face when she saw Kenshin's wounds had disappeared. The only thing that hinted at the fact he had been injured was the blood still on his skin even though there was no wound to indicate the blood was his.
"It worked." she breathed before blinking back tears. She realized, with a sinking feeling, that she had nearly lost him after finally remembering who he had been to her. It was a completely different feeling being told you loved someone in the past and then remembering that you had loved that person in the past. Now that she knew she had loved him, and he had loved her, she did not want to lose him. She knew she wasn't the same Kaoru as she had been so long ago but she knew she still had the same soul and that was what he had loved about her. He had loved her because she was simply herself.
"Kaoru? What's wrong?" Tomoe demanded. She looked at her friend as the tears began to spill.
"I almost lost him again. I love him, Tomoe, I can't lose him. Not again. Not after I've been waiting for so long for something I couldn't classify only to find out, no...to remember, that it's him. And you. I can't lose any of my family. Not again." she whispered. Tomoe reached out and took her hands as they rested on Kenshin's chest. The woman smiled at her as she shook her head.
"You don't have to, Kaoru. We are together again. I don't care that you've been reborn into this world. You are the same Kaoru you were so many years ago with the only difference, in my mind, being that you know how to use a computer much better than myself. We will defeat Shishio together and find a way to regain our mortality. We can finally take our lives back." Tomoe responded. Kaoru nodded with a grin before they both looked down as Kenshin groaned once more. She watched with bated breath as his eyes slowly opened to reveal violet orbs.
"Kaoru?" he whispered hoarsely. She nodded with a wet smile.
"Yes, Kenshin. I'm right here." she whispered. His brow furrowed as he reached up to brush the tears from her cheeks.
"Why...why are you crying?" he asked. She continued to smile at him as she brushed his bangs away from his sweaty forehead.
"I'm relieved that you're okay. Aoshi's making sure there's no one else hiding to ambush us and Misao went to get your change of clothes from the car. Indeed, if it wasn't for Misao Enishi might have killed you." she whispered as she realized it was because of the young ninja that Enishi had been forced to leave.
"I don't believe 'might' is the correct term, Kaoru. He would have killed me and I believe he had nearly done so. How am I still alive when I'm wearing the clothes I should have died in so many years ago and he managed to land the exact same blows that would have killed me? I should be dead." he told her. She continued to play with his hair as she tried to think of a way to tell him that she had gained control over her magic.
"We can talk about that later, Kenshin. You should focus on getting some rest right now. Once Misao returns, we'll help you get to the car and back to Kyoto so Megumi can look you over. If she gives you a clean bill of health that is when Kaoru will explain what happened. No sooner, understood?" Tomoe said sternly. Kenshin nodded before looking back up at Kaoru. She was no longer looking down at him but seemed to be lost in thought as she studied the forest around him. He swallowed before bringing the hand that was playing with his hair to rest on his chest. Her fingers automatically intertwined with his.
'I hope you will soon tell me what it is you and Tomoe are determined to hide from me.'
"He's going to be okay but he's asleep right now. I would ask that everyone allow him to get some more rest before talking to him." Megumi said as she exited the room. Kaoru glanced at Tomoe and the woman nodded.
"Of course. I'll go let the others know. Why don't you get some rest as well, Kaoru?" Tomoe asked. Kaoru shook her head with a small smile.
"No. Yahiko has been begging me to continue his training so I'm going to go look for him. Misao said the backyard area would be big enough to go through some stances and I need to clear my mind." Kaoru said. Tomoe nodded with a chuckled.
"I'll tell him to come up here." she said before disappearing down the stairs. Kaoru nodded at Megumi as the woman patted her on the shoulder as the doctor also went down the stairs. Kaoru studied the door that led to Kenshin's room as she waited on her student. She jumped when she felt someone touch her arm. She grinned as she met Yahiko's brown eyes.
"He's going to be okay, you know. I've known him for a long time and he wouldn't let something like this keep him down." the boy told her.
"You're right, Yahiko. That doesn't mean I won't worry. I would worry about any of you if you were in the same position." she told him. He furrowed his brow as he tilted his head.
"Why? You haven't known any of us that long." he reminded her. She bit her lip as she realized that Tomoe hadn't told any of them yet that she had regained her memories as the other Kaoru. Not that it would matter with regards to Yahiko and the others. She sighed before placing her hands on the young boy's shoulders while making sure they maintained eye contact.
"You and everyone else I've met have become my friends. It doesn't matter how long our friendship as been. I care about all of you and if any of you got hurt I would worry about you. Now, let's go train." she said.
He nodded in response before leading her out to the backyard area of the Aoiya. She chuckled as he threw her a bokken that he pulled out from underneath the stairs that led into the yard. She gave him a look before attacking. She was pleasantly surprised when he managed to block the attack. He laughed before they began to dance around the area with their wooden blades meeting as they practiced. Kaoru found she was solely focused on the pseudo battle and all thoughts of Kenshin being hurt had faded to the back of her mind.
She and Yahiko stopped when the sound of clapping interrupted them. Kaoru felt her cheeks flare as Yahiko chuckled nervously when they saw it was Tomoe and Tokio that were clapping and Saito was watching them with his arms crossed. There was also another young man watching, clapping with Tomoe and Tokio, who had his dark hair pulled back.
"You are quite the swordswoman, Kaoru." Tomoe said. Kaoru grinned before shrugging with a small smile.
"I'm more impressed that she was able to fight like that in a kimono." the newcomer said. She blinked in surprise before looking down at her attire. She had forgotten she was still wearing the garment. She glanced at the man that had spoken before back at Tokio while wondering if she would get an introduction.
"Oh, yes. This is the other young man I was talking about when we first met. Kamiya Kaoru, meet one of my closest friends, Okita Souji." Tokio introduced. Kaoru bowed and watched as the man bowed in return with a polite smile.
"Everyone calls me Okita, please feel free to do the same." he said. Kaoru nodded with a grin.
"We had heard Battousai was injured. Please tell me that fool wasn't stupid enough to get killed." Saitou suddenly said. Kaoru was taken aback by the way Tokio smack her husband across the back of his head.
"Be polite, Saitou!" she hissed. Okita laughed only to fall silent as Saitou glared at him.
"Not to worry, Saitou, Megumi has said Kenshin will make a full recovery. Now, if you'll come with me so we can let Tokio and Kaoru talk in peace. Yahiko, go get dressed in your uniform. You, Misao, and Aoshi need to take care of the restaurant tonight." Tomoe said with her scary grin. Kaoru felt a shiver go down her spine when the woman directed that grin towards Yahiko.
"You got it. See ya later, Kaoru!" Yahiko said as he moved back towards the main building. Kaoru waited until Tomoe, Saitou, and Okita had also left leaving her and Tokio alone in the backyard.
"It is a pleasure to meet you now that you have your memories back and are whole, Kaoru." Tokio said. Kaoru raised her eyebrow as she placed her bokken on the floor of the engawa that surrounded the backyard and attached to the main building.
"Meaning it wasn't a pleasure when I was unable to remember my past life?" she asked. Tokio laughed as she stepped off the raised veranda so she was also standing in the backyard.
"That is not what I meant, Kaoru, and you know it. I simply meant it is an honor to meet you when you are finally whole again. No one should have to lead a half-life no matter how cushioned it might seem at the time. That is what you were living. A half-life. But I could not tell you that then as you would have neither listened to nor believed me." Tokio whispered. Kaoru thought about it for a moment before nodding.
"I suppose you're right. I was living a half-life. I have my life back. I know I love Kenshin but I'm still unsure about what to do now that everything seems to have come full circle. I know nothing about the powers I accidentally sealed nor do I have any clue about how to get them back. I have the feeling I'm going to need them and soon." she whispered. Tokio studied for a moment before sighing.
"I wish I could help, Kaoru, I really do. I just don't know anyone else who has sealed their powers. To be honest, you and Yumi are the only ones I know of that are like me. I can't help you." she told her. Kaoru sighed before shaking her head as she crossed her arms around her waist.
"I thought that would be your answer. I just wish I knew how I sealed them to begin with. It would have also been helpful to know that I had these powers before I died. I might have been less likely to seal them. On purpose or inadvertently." she said. She glanced at Tokio when the woman placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I hope it will come to you then. They're going to need more than just your physical strength." she told her. Kaoru nodded before glancing up as she heard footsteps. She smiled when she saw Megumi nearing them with a tired look on her face.
"Ken-san has awoken. I was checking on him when he woke. He insisted I come find you. Would you please go make sure he isn't out of bed getting dressed to come find you? Between us we did well to heal his wounds but he still needs to rest." the doctor told her. Kaoru rolled her eyes before bowing to Tokio in farewell and made her way back towards the man's bedroom.
She frowned as she entered the hallway as his door opened. Her eyebrows rose as he limped out of the room while propping himself up with his sword. His hair was down and falling around his shoulders. He was also still dressed in his sleeping yukata which meant he hadn't bothered to get dressed. She could see, even from her distance, that his expression was pained. Kaoru cleared her throat to get his attention and watched as he turned to look at her. She watched in amusement as his eyes widened when he saw her.
"You have to the count of three to get back to bed before I scream for Megumi-san so she can catch you, Kenshin." she told him. She bit back a smile when she saw the way his eyes widened even more.
"Kaoru." he whispered.
"One." she responded.
"Please, we need to talk." he continued.
"Two." she said.
"Alright, alright. I'm going back to my futon." he told her as he hobbled back into his room. She rolled her eyes as she followed him into the room. She slid the door closed behind her as he returned to the bed. She sat down beside the futon once she was sure he had settled back down.
"Megumi-san came to find me when you woke up. You should have waited a little longer. I was speaking to Tokio-san in the courtyard when she found me." she told him with an amused smile. He also chuckled as he reached out to take her hand that was resting on her knee. She allowed him to intertwine his fingers with hers.
"I'm sorry, Kaoru. It's been over a hundred years since I was able to be with you. I'm not the most patient person in the world." he told her. She sighed as she squeezed his hand.
"I know that, Kenshin. I know that. I wish there was something I could do to make up for all the time we had to spend apart but it was necessary. You understand that, don't you? My soul wasn't ready to take on this power until now. That much is obvious since I accidentally sealed my powers and gave them to Tomoe-san." she told him. She watched as his brow furrowed before swallowing as she realized he had put the pieces together.
"You healed me, Kaoru. Are you telling that's only part of your power?" he asked. She sighed before closing her eyes.
"Yes. I'm not sure how I was even able to tap into my power to help you. I just knew I could so I did. Maybe it was my desperation to save you but I'm not sure. All I know is that now that you're safe and well I can't even heal a cut. I tried. Misao cut her hand when we were bandaging you and I tried to heal it but nothing. As of right now, I'm volatile at best." she told him. She opened her eyes to meet his blue ones as he stared at her.
"And what would happen at worst?" he asked. She shivered at the thought before shaking her head.
"I'd be uncontrollable. I wouldn't be able to control my powers and no one else would either. I'm not sure how I know that would be bad I just do." she told him. She watched as he looked away from her to stare up the ceiling. They sat in a comfortable silence for what seemed like an eternity before he finally spoke.
"We'll find a way to get your powers back and for you to control them, Kaoru. I swear it. I won't have you taken from me again." he told her. She smiled at him as she squeezed his fingers.
"You have to let me help take care of this, Kenshin. I know you want to protect me. I understand that because I feel the same about you. But...I know you can protect yourself when the need arises so I'm going to ask you to do the same for me. I need you to trust in me. Trust that I can handle myself." she told him. She met his eyes as he looked back at her. The furrow of his brow told her he wasn't exactly fond of the notion.
"Kaoru, I...I don't know if I can." he whispered. She reached out to gently brush his bangs away from his forehead. It was only then that she noticed how handsome he looked with his hair unbound. She didn't think he'd be able to get more handsome than he already was but it seemed she was wrong.
"You're going to have to, Kenshin. Everyone here is a team and being a team means trusting everyone, right? I'm part of that team so you have to trust I'll do everything I can to help end this." she told him. He studied her for a minute before closing his eyes as his fingers tightened around her hand once more in a subtle squeeze.
"Can you promise you can do that without risking your life?" he whispered. She found she couldn't answer. She gasped as there was suddenly a loud explosion and she looked over her shoulder to stare at the door of Kenshin's bedroom.
"Not again." she whispered. She and Kenshin sat in silence for only a few moments before the sound of running feet caught her attention. She jumped as the door slammed open and Tomoe stumbled in holding her shoulder. Kaoru felt her eyes widen when she saw blood trailing down the older woman's arm and dripping from her fingertips.
"We're under attack. Some of Shishio's men are outside on the sidewalk. They're demanding we surrender, to our deaths I'm sure, or they're going to start attacking innocents. That explosion hurt me. I'm glad to see you two are alright." Tomoe told them as she slid to the floor. Kaoru swallowed before she stood up from where she had been kneeling beside Kenshin.
"How many of them are there?" she asked. Tomoe studied her for a moment before shaking her head.
"One of them. The Kamatari character is out there. She said she wouldn't call the rest of them if we gave ourselves over peacefully. She has an army with her. They've cornered a lot of civilian as well." the woman told her. Kaoru scowled before making her way to the door. She ignored Kenshin as he told her to stop.
"I'm going to take care of this. They aren't hurting anymore of my friends. I'm tired of being bullied. If they want to fight then fine. We'll fight. But it's going to be on my terms." she growled. She turned to Tomoe when the older woman called her name.
"We need to be rational about this, Kaoru, and quick. Going out there angry is not only going to put yourself at risk but everyone in this restaurant as well as the hostages they've managed to capture." Tomoe told her. Kaoru turned the woman before letting out a soft sigh.
"I suppose you're right. I just don't like being manipulated and that's all they've been doing for the past twenty-four hours. We have to do something. We can't let innocent people get caught up in this." Kaoru told her. She turned back to the door of Kenshin's room prepared to leave only to be stopped by Misao's sudden appearance.
"Tomoe! We're in trouble! Big trouble! Both Aoshi-sama and Sanosuke have been knocked unconscious! Yahiko's been hurt as well. There's no way we're going to be able to fight that freak and win! Not without some serious damage." Misao told her. Kaoru felt her eyes widen as she turned to look at Tomoe. The older woman also looked shocked at the news.
"What about Saito and Okita?" she asked. Kaoru didn't have to look at Kenshin to know he was scowling. She could feel his displeasure from where she was standing by the door. It was obvious he was not thrilled about them becoming involved.
"They left as soon as Kamatari made the comment that there was another member of their group attacking their home. We're on our own. Which doesn't really bode well considering all of our best fighters are hurt." Misao reported. Kaoru sighed before turning to Kenshin when she heard him moving. She scowled as she watched him stand.
"I'm fine. I'll take care of this and make them sorry they ever thought to get innocents involved." he said.
"Kenshin, you aren't fully healed. You can't do this." Kaoru told him as she walked towards him. She could see the bandages around his torso from where his yukata had opened slightly. She fought back the blush threatening to spread across her cheeks. This was not the time to be ogling Kenshin's, well-defined, abs.
"I have to do this, Kaoru. Any of Shishio's men are going to be too skilled for you or Misao to handle." he told her. She scowled at him as she did not appreciate the slight barb at her fighting skill.
"You haven't even seen me fight in this time, Kenshin. I've got new talents that I did not have a hundred years ago." she told him. She watched as he sighed before shaking his head.
"Kaoru, no." he told her. She opened her mouth to retort only to jump as a loud voice echoed through the building.
"IF YOU ALL DON'T SURRENDER WITHIN FIVE MINUTES, OR COME OUT TO FIGHT, WE WILL START KILLING THE HOSTAGES! ONE BY ONE BY ONE! FIVE MINUTES! TIME'S A TICKING!" Kaoru couldn't bite back the scowl that stretched across her face. She turned to Kenshin as he tried to walk pass her.
"Kenshin, I'm sorry but you're not fighting." she whispered before sinking her fist into his injured stomach. He let out a soft breath before collapsing on the ground. She met his betrayed eyes before turning to Misao.
"Misao, do you have something that can keep him here?" she asked. The ninja nodded before moving to the man. He tried to move away from but it was too late as she had already injected his upper arm with a tranquilizer.
"This'll paralyze you for a little bit. Sorry, Kenshin, but she's right. Even after her healing powers and Megumi's healing techniques...you're in no shape to fight." Misao told him. She swallowed as his eyes turned golden as he glared at her. She stood up before turning to Kaoru who nodded. The younger girl turned to Tomoe who had watched the exchange with wide eyes.
"Please watch over him, Tomoe." Kaoru whispered. Tomoe just studied her for a moment before nodding in silence. Kaoru gave an encouraging smile then turned to Misao with a determined look.
"I have to change first. Then we can go stop this lunatic, Misao." she said.
"Right!"
"Looks like they don't care for innocent lives. Oh, well. Doesn't bother me! Watch as I bring them to their knees from wherever you are, Shishio-sama! Bring me the first hostage!" Kamatari sand brightly. He watched as her subordinate brought forth the first struggling hostage and slammed them to their knees.
"I promise I'll make this painless." he said as he raised his scythe. He began to bring it down before a voice halted his blow.
"Only cowards get innocents involved." he glanced over at the door of the inn before scowling as he noticed a woman he recognized, the ninja girl, and a woman he did not recognize standing there.
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded. The unknown woman was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. She had a small grin on her face as she placed her wooden sword on her shoulder. His scowl deepened as he wondered if she was actually taking the fight seriously.
"Kamiya Kaoru. I'm the one that's going to teach you a lesson for thinking you could kill hostages simply because we refuse to surrender. You want a fight? Fine, you've got one." the girl said. Kamatari narrowed his eyes before letting out a bark of laughter.
"You think a little girl like you can defeat the Great Scythe Kamatari? Is this a joke?" he laughed before groaning as he felt something hit his stomach. He bent over as he attempted to catch his breath. He looked over his shoulder only for his eyes to widen when he saw her standing behind him with her weapon pointing towards the ground. She had a frown on her face.
"I don't think anything. I know I'll defeat you." she told him. He growled before looking at the soldiers he had with them.
"Kill the hostages!" he ordered.
"If any of you so much as move, you're dead. The entire Oniwanbanshuu is watching from various locations. One signal from me and every single one of you are dead." the female ninja spoke. He growled before repeating his orders. A few of the soldiers moved only to immediately collapse as various darts were embedded into the back of their necks.
"Looks like we've freed the hostages you took, Kamatari. Everyone, please leave! Make sure no one else comes near this place." Kaoru ordered. The people that had been held as hostage stared at her for a moment before running away. She sighed before turning back towards Kamatari as she heard the flamboyantly dressed person straighten. Their eyes met and she had to keep from grinning.
"I'm going to slice you up in such a way that your friends won't recognize you, dearie." her opponent growled. Kaoru sighed before moving her sword so it was pointing directly at her would-be attacker.
"I'd like to see you try. Dearie."
I hope you all enjoyed! Look forward to the next chapter for the battle! I can't promise much though...I'm not great at writing actions scenes! Please remember to review!