Suenagaku na Aki
Chapter 13
Ichijo watched as Kenshin promptly dispatched her three remaining minions using a technique called 'Kuzuryusen' and dashed to catch Kaoru's body. Meanwhile, Sanosuke and Asuka stopped their fight to see what was happening.
"Kaoru!! Are you all right?" Kenshin asked with concern while putting her gently on the ground.
Kaoru's face began to turn pale and she began to sweat profusely, but she smiled and nodded. She opened her mouth to say something but the words never came out as she lost consciousness. Megumi rushed to her side and began to check on her injuries. Meanwhile Kenshin stared at Ichijo and she found herself looking into amber eyes. She wasn't surprised, nor was she afraid, as she has already seen such phenomenon before.
"Kenshin, the injuries caused by the kunais are not serious, but she is showing signs of being poisoned" Megumi announced after examining Kaoru.
Ichijo moved her hand as a signal for Asuka to retreat, but the teenager stood rooted to his place. She gave him a few more signals but he ignored them. Instead, he turned to Sanosuke who was looking at his fallen friend.
"Hoi! Let's continue the fight!"
Sano didn't respond to him.
"Are you a chicken? Squawk pok pok pok..."
"Just shut up", Sano said quietly.
"SHUT UP?!" Asuka felt his blood slowly boiling.
"Gomen, that hit on your head must have affected your thinking. I repeat, just shut up"
"NANI?! SHUT UP?? I'll shut you up" Asuka sprinted at Sano, fist clenched. "EAT THIS! OROCHI RETSU KIBAAAAAA!!! (Orochi Violent Fang)" Unlike his normal attacks that solely concentrated on speed, Asuka's secret attack had more force as it was executed by its user hurling himself toward the enemy. By doing so, his body weight would ensure that the punch would be devastating enough, even for someone like Sanosuke.
Unfortunately, the attack had a drawback, made apparent as Sanosuke merely twisted his body when the punch was inches away from him. Since Asuka had to jump toward Sanosuke to execute the attack, he couldn't change the direction in midair. Sano merely snorted and unleashed a counter punch to Asuka's gut, sending him flying backward.
The teenager would have hit the hard wooden floor, but a hand grabbed the back of his unconscious body. Realizing that a newcomer had arrived, the former Zanza turned his head to meet him. He was met with th] sight of a man wearing a white outfit just like him, except that his shirt didn't have any sleeves.
"Who the heck are you?"
"I'm just a stray rabbit, so don't mind me"
"Yeah? So what is a stray rabbit doing here?"
The man just ignored him and turned to speak to the unconscious teenager that he was holding. "I told you that your technique isn't perfect, but you wouldn't listen. And you have been told to lay off, but you wouldn't listen to that either"
Sano was a bit put off, but felt that the newcomer wasn't going to challenge him. He turned toward his friends. "Oi, Megumi, if we bring Jo-chan to the old man's clinic, can you treat her?"
Megumi turned toward Sano. He had made it clear he could bring both Kaoru and Megumi to Tokyo on his back if needed. But she shook her head. "We don't know what kind of poison was used" It was common knowledge that different ninja clans used different poisons. In fact, the same ninja clan might utilize different poison cocktails so make it harder for its enemies to find an antidote.
Kenshin felt anger and rage welling up inside him. He was going to leave Kaoru with Megumi and go after the female ninja to force her to give up the antidote when he noticed that she was motioning toward Yahiko and Megumi using the corner of her eyes. Kenshin could protect either Megumi or Yahiko if she attacked, but there was no way he could save them both at the same time. The only thing he could do was wait, but with each passing moment, the poison's effect on Kaoru is was becoming stronger and stronger.
The former Hitokiri Battousai thought about signaling to Sano to prepare to save Megumi while he would protect Yahiko, but he stopped when Ichijo smiled and shook her index finger. Then it dawned on him. Everyone there could become her target, including himself. And putting himself at risk was unthinkable as there was no guarantee that she would give the antidote to Kaoru even if he let himself be killed.
"Kaoru! Kaoru!" a loud and chirpy feminine voice rang across the inside of the temple. Kenshin's eyes narrowed, as he knew to whom the voice belonged to even before the person appeared. Unknown to him, a pair of eyes also narrowed on hearing the voice.
Misao walked into the temple, followed by Aoshi closely behind her. After what happened with Okina, she hoped that she could cheer herself up by visiting her friends in Tokyo before doing the task that Aoshi would assign her. But when she reached Tokyo, she found the Kamiya dojo to be empty. A quick check with a former Onibanshuu member living in Tokyo revealed that Kaoru was last seen running toward the abandoned temple with her student. At that time she didn't suspect anything, as she thought that Kaoru was chasing Yahiko because the boy had probably badmouthed her again.
As her eyes began to adjust themselves to the low light conditions, they widened and she stopped dead in her tracks. Misao took a few seconds to understand the sight before her. Then she ran toward her injured friend.
"Kaoru! What happened?!,"
"Don't shake her," Megumi admonished her, "it will cause the poison to circulate faster"
"WHO DID WHIS?!"
Megumi pointed her finger in a direction. Misao turned to see the culprit was looking at someone else.
"Its' been quite a while, Shinomori… taisho"
"……"
Misao couldn't believe what she saw. "Yu… Yu… Yu…
"Ichijo Yuri" Aoshi finished for her.
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Thirteen years ago.
A teenage girl was closing her eyes with her hands while a small girl scurried away from her.
"Are you ready?" Yuri asked.
"Not yet" the young Misao answered.
Yuri waited for a few seconds more. "Have you found a hiding place?"
"No"
"Mou, Misao-chan. You're taking too much time"
A few seconds later Misao bellowed, "I'm done"
"Ready or not, here I come"
Yuri walked around the Aoiya while looking around. Nearby, hidden behind the cupboard, Misao watched apprehensively. The young girl began to panic when Yuri stopped near her. Yuri searched around the place, but she kept still. Then she let out a breath of relief when she saw the older woman nodded and began to walk away. Just as Yuri opened the door leading to the outside, another door opened. From her hiding place, Misao couldn't make out who the person was until he spoke.
"Yuri-san"
"Yes, Shinomori-taisho?"
"Aoshi-sama!" Misao shrieked while coming out from her hiding place.
Yuri touched her. "I got you"
"Ee?? But…"
"Misao-chan," Aoshi said, "Will you go to the other room? Yuri-san and I have something to talk about"
"Hai, hai, Aoshi-sama," she answered while skipping out of the room.
Aoshi looked at the small form leaving the room before turning toward Yuri. "You're spoiling her"
"She's only 5 years old. Besides, I don't want her to grow up become someone as aloof as you"
"……"
"Never the one to joke around eh, Shinomori-taisho?"
"I just hope you don't slack on her training"
"With her wanting to be good so that she can serve under you when she grows up? I don't think so" Yuri let out a long breath. "So, what it is this time? Another assassination or a sabotage mission, perhaps?"
"No. An escort mission"
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"Sigh. How come we're assigned this mundane work?" Yuri said while yawning.
"Shh. Don't let Aoshi-sama hear you," a man with a scary mask answered. Twenty steps behind them, Aoshi was holding a horse by the reins. There was a man sitting astride the horse. The three Oniwabanshuu were assigned to protect this man.
"Hanya, you're almost just like Aoshi. A stick in the mud. I wish Hyotoko and the others were with us in this mission"
"A smaller party traveling…"
"Yes. Yes. Don't give me the crappy sermon. I know…" Suddenly a kunai appeared in her palm and a second later, it disappeared toward a tree top. Then a figure dropped to the ground with a thud. Then more than thirty shadows appeared around them.
"We've been betrayed!" Yuri said through gritted teeth. The mission was classified and well planned that so it was improbable for the Ishin Shishi to find out it, unless it was leaked. It was impossible for the Oniwabanshuu to betray one of their own and even then, only four members knew about the actual mission, so the leak must be from the officers coordinating the escort mission.
"Okashira, what shall we do?"" Hanya asked.
Aoshi knitted his eyebrows. Taking care of them would be very easy if they weren't escorting the official.
The shadows ran towards the four of them with their weapons. Less than ten seconds later the shadows were on the ground, unmoving.
"When I said that I wanted more excitement, this isn't what I meant", Yuri said while wiping blood from the injury on her shoulder.
"We have taken care of them, that's what matters", Hanya said while putting a hand on her back.
"No, we haven't", Aoshi said while pointing to more shadows that had appeared. More than a hundred enemies were getting ready to attack them. Yuri's face changed into a more determined one.
"Shinomori-taisho, get the official"
Although a bit mystified at Yuri commanding him since he was the leader of Oniwabanshuu and not her, he did what she asked.
"What are you thinking?" Hanya asked.
"I won't do what you're going to ask me to do," Aoshi said. "We will stand together and fight them". Aoshi punched the official in the gut, knocking him out. Then Aoshi slung him over his shoulder.
"Aoshi no baka!" Yuri shouted, not bothering to use the honorific. "Do you forget our oath?! The official's life must not be put in danger. I would have volunteered to carry him if I had the strength to carry him that far"
"Then Hanya will carry him while you follow. I will stay here"
"What if there are more enemies up front?! Or even Battousai? I'm fast. But not as strong as you, Shinomori-taisho. If this damn man", Yuri said while pointing at the unconscious official, "is wasn't worth it, they would not send this many people here"
"Yuri. I will stay while the both of you go on" Hanya began.
Yuri closed her eyes while waving it him off. "I mean no disrespect, but you're slower than I am. They'll able to overwhelm you very fast; or even worse some of them can go chase after us while some of them fight you. If there are more enemies lying in ambush up in the front up further ahead, we will be trapped. Defending the man will be even harder then. That's why only I should stay"
Aoshi thought for a moment. Then he turned with the body of the official still on his shoulder. "Hanya. Let's go"
"But…"
"Don't make me repeat myself"
Hanya ran to Aoshi and took the official from him. Then he began to sprint toward their destination. Aoshi turned toward Yuri who's facing the enemies head on.
"Shinomori-taisho…"
"What is it?"
"Please don't be too hard on Misao. She likes you a lot, you know, and it [will] hurt her if you keep being cold and aloof with her"
"……"
"Our group will rise to its glory even in the darkest hour, Shinomori-taisho. It will, as long as you're there to lead them"
"I promise… Yuri-san, please be careful"
"Em"
Aoshi turned and followed Hanya. Behind him, Yuri shouted a battle cry and began her attack. Blood splattered everywhere.
****************************************
The Yuri Misao had known hadn't changed a lot in appearance. She only looked a bit older. But gone from her face was the smile she always had. This Yuri looked dangerous, with her eyes reminding Misao of Aoshi's at the Oniwabanshuu's hideout after he had nearly killed Okina. She opened her mouth to say something, but Yuri said something first.
"There's one question that haunts me all this time, Shinomori-taisho"
"What is it?"
"How did the mission turn out after the two of you left me?"
"There were enemies waiting for us, including three powerful swordsmen, but they were fewer than the killers you fought. I eliminated them while Hanya got the official to the base safely"
Misao listened to the exchange between the two of them in confusion. Aoshi-sama was had lied to her all this time, telling her that Yuri-san had been assigned to a secret mission. No wonder every one at the Aoiya always evaded the matter every time she asked about Yuri. In fact her Aoshi-sama had left Yuri-san to die.
"I'm glad"
'What? Yuri-san is glad?'
"And I suppose you told Misao that I was sent off somewhere?"
"……"
"Thank you. Then I suppose what I did back then was correct"
"Oi!"
Yuri turned toward Sanosuke. "Hmm?"
"What about what you did just now?"
The ninja looked at the pale Kaoru. Misao recalled what had just happened and also looked at Kaoru. "Yu… Yuri-neechan… You… you did this?"
"Yes"
The word struck Misao's nerve. "W…… Why? Why?" Tears began forming at her eyes. "First Okina… Now Kaoru…"
Yuri just stood quietly.
"WHY?"
"Because she got in my way"
"IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! YOU… YOU'RE NOT YURI-neechan. CHOU KANSATSU TOBIKUNAI!! (Super Piercing Death Flying Kanai)" Twenty kunais were launched toward a person whom Misao considered as a sister to her.
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Author's note (29 March 2004)
WriterNotViking
------------- A chef will receive joy from cooking. But he will receive tremendous joy if his is appreciated.
kitiara_uth_matar
------------- Once the lid to the pressure cooker is lifted, only then can you see that the chicken that you put inside is still remains chicken, only it changed a bit. (In case you don't get it, as I myself don't really understand what I typed just now, the answer is YES! But of course, having gone through the chapter you'll know the real reason already)
FunkMasterGT
------------- In order to know what is the best way to grill a beef, it would better to imagine one as beef itself. That way, it would be easier to know how each method and each barbecue sauce would affect the texture. (OK. That statement's a bit crappy. But I tried my best to like some of the villains I created. By doing so, it helps me in putting depth into them. But by doing it, it takes a lot of my writing time.)
Xenogenesis
------------- Oro? Thanks for your compliment but I couldn't understand what you implied. Kenshin had pondered on his past a bit, but not that much. As for Kenshin having amnesia, I'll probably use the idea when I write a new story called "Ever Stay Snow". The story wouldn't be a sequel, as I'll try to make sure I tie up any loose ends before I end this story (unless I got squashed by Godzilla while on my way to work). But I wouldn't start on it until this story is finished.
Shandrial
------------- TQ. I had to let it simmer for a long time until I'm satisfied with the texture.
This chapter was checked by Fujifunmum