Suenagaku na Aki

Chapter 24

"Oi, Kenshin! Look at that smoke!" Sanosuke called out from the top of the carriage.

Kenshin looked out of the carriage toward their destination. Even though it was nearly midnight, the rising smoke could be seen clearly.

"I don't think the base is in good shape," Aoshi remarked, without looking out of the window.

"How can you sound so calm about it?" Sanosuke growled. "People are being killed even as we speak"

"Unfortunately, that is true" Aoshi answered as he eyed the ex-hitokiri next to him tightening his grip on the sakabatou while gritting his teeth. To him, it seemed as if Himura next to him had changed. He briefly wondered why. "Sagara, a shinobi has maintain his cool at all times, failing which that he should maintain a calm façade"

"Heh. You didn't look so calm like the last time you fought Kenshin"

"Aa. That's why I lost easily. Himura can tell you about the importance of not going to battle in anger, na, Himura?"

Kenshin tensed as Aoshi's subtle reminder irked him. After a while, he managed to control himself. "He's right, Sano," he said slowly.

"Yeah. Yeah" Sano grumbled. He then tapped the carriage driver. "Could you get more horsepower out of them?" he said while pointing to the horses pulling the carriage.

"We're nearly there," the driver replied. "Please be patient"

"Che! Even you tell me what to do" Sano muttered. Then whistling sounds made him look skyward. Three flares, each one of them red, green and blue in color, illuminated the sky. "What the…"

"An Oniwabanshuu's method to signal for a complete withdrawal," Aoshi remarked. "Yuri's leading the attack"

"What are you saying!" Meikira asked using something that resembled a primitive megaphone. "We are winning here. And the reinforcements from the ammunition dump haven't arrived yet"

"Our advanced scout spotted a horse carriage coming here at full speed" Yuri shouted toward the huge contraption towering over her.

"So? That's nothing to be scared of"

"The coach carries Battousai, Shinomori and Sagara. It's obvious that the army wouldn't be sending any reinforcements from the depot"

"Shinomori…is in the coach…," Meikira said to himself inside the cockpit of the contraption. "This is my lucky day, right, Gein?" he said to a small doll resembling his teacher. "Today is when I will surpass you, like you always wanted" He grinned maniacally. He then pressed a button to activate a megaphone. "Retreat like the coward you are if you want. I'm staying here"

Upon hearing the response, Yuri became angry. Before she could say something, Ryo came to her.

"So, Yuri, what should we do? The carriage is estimated to arrive in less than five minutes"

"We'll withdraw from the battle, but will maintain surveillance of the battlefield. Our attack has failed to trick the enemy, so continuing it would be useless" She shook her head. "Let's hope Shingo and that golden haired foreigner aren't also having problems"

The carriage stopped in front of the base. The driver turned toward the passengers inside the carriage. "We're here, sir"

Sano pulled the man by his collar and threw him off. As the man landed roughly on the ground, he could hear a loud crash. He turned toward the carriage to see that it had been completely destroyed by a very large sword. Fortunately his three passengers managed to escape unharmed. Then his vision blurred as he passed out.

"Sano, make sure the man is all right," Kenshin said

"Don't worry. He's only out for a nap. Maybe you should worry about that big puppet with that big sword coming your way"

Kenshin jumped out of harm's way.

Inside the giant puppet, Meikira was livid with anger. "Don't look down on my creation" He pulled some strings and pushed some levers. The puppet slashed again.

Kenshin, Aoshi and Sanosuke evaded the attack. They waited for it to make its move, but it didn't. Then its head opened to reveal a somber Meikira.

"Good evening, gentlemen. You may be wondering the name of this work of art"

"Actually, I was thinking about who created such an ugly thing," Sano quipped. "I can see where it inherited its ugliness"

Meikira sneered. "You are jealous that everyone is cooler looking than you"

"Che. Like I care"

"Well, as I was saying, this lovely art' work's name is Elizabeth"

"Who cares?"

Meikira pointed to Aoshi, "You have bested Gein, that old and senile fool.
But unfortunately Elizabeth and I will show you the true power of combat dolls. Don't blink, or you might miss your final moment" Meikira's cockpit closed. Then it pulled giant kunais from a compartment at its side. Then it launched it toward the three warriors.

Kenshin, Sano and Aoshi evaded the kunais.

"Careful. The kunais could be a trap!" Aoshi shouted

True enough, the kunais exploded upon contact with the ground. It was a good thing that the three of them were far away from the blast area.

Meikira slammed the controls in front of him in frustration. "Well, you haven't seen anything yet!" he shouted and the puppet's head turned to follow them. Then the Gardner machineguns fitted on it fired. A bullet managed to graze Sano's shoulder. The puppet controller then turned to search for Aoshi. "Ah. There you are" A rocket was fired at the place where Aoshi was expected to land.

Despite the darkness they were in, the boy looked at the blonde girl and smiled. It was the first time he had seen a foreigner up close. "Hello. Do you understand Japanese?"

The girl looked at him warily for a few minutes before nodding.

"My name is Meikira. What's yours?"

"Elizabeth"

"E-ri-za-be-to"

"No. no. no." she said, pouting, "E-li-za-beth"

"Eli-za-beth" Meikira extended his hand. "Would you like to be my friend?"

Elizabeth smiled and took his hand. "I would love to"

Ryo watched the battle from his hideout with awe as Aoshi barely escaped from the rocket. "How can he fight those three guys simultaneously?"

"It's his talent and skill," Yuri answered. "He told me that when he was small, he was forced to control multiple string puppets at the same time, without making even a single mistake on their movements. He's able to track them simultaneously, decide and act accordingly"

"But the three of them are not his puppets"

"True. But look at how he's manipulating them into moving to where he wants them to go"

Ryo looked as Aoshi and Sanosuke had landed near each other. Meikira's puppet fired two rockets to their sides, forcing them not to move, while another rocket was launched toward the two of them. Multiple explosions ensued. "He got them!"

"Nice one, Kenshin," Sano breathed. "He nearly got us that time" Kenshin's quick action of throwing his sakabatou's sheath toward at the third rocket caused it to explode in the air.

"Scatter!" Kenshin shouted, as the three of them moved away from the bullets heading towards them

"Sagara, Himura! Move in a random pattern," Aoshi said.

"Easy for you to say," Sano replied as he evaded the puppet's attempt to squash him.

"He's right," Kenshin said while changing his movements. "The puppet's controller is predicting our movements. If we move in unpredictable patterns, he can't follow us"

"That's what you think, Battousai," Meikira called out from his cockpit. "Like I told you, you haven't seen what this thing can do" He flipped a switch. "Consider this show of prowess as your dying gift" Then to the astonishment of everyone in the area, the puppet jumped.

"Masaka…" Sano exclaimed. Then his surprised turned to alarm when he saw the puppet pull more kunais. "Shit!"

"He's in trouble," Yuri said as the kunais exploded again.

"What, that rooster? Of course he's having problems"

"No. I meant Meikira"

"Why? I don't see any problem. In fact, he's keeping them pinned down"

"He has around 500 bullets, 7 exploding kunais, 3 smoke bombs and 11 rockets left"

"That's still a lot," Ryo said.

Yuri watched as the battle raged on. "More than 300 bullets, 4 exploding kunais, 0 smoke bombs and 6 rockets left" She sighed. "He's good in battle, but is reckless with his ammunition"

"Elizabeth" the still young Meikira called out to the girl next to him

"Hmm?"

"I… um… I like you… I think you're beautiful"

Elizabeth giggled. "You're saying that because we're the only people inside this prison"

"NO! I promise you that I will never like other girls"

Elizabeth turned toward him. "Is that a promise?"

"Yes" He was surprised when she kissed him.

"I like you too"

Meikira finally managed to get Aoshi where he wanted. He has calculated the probability of the leader of the Oniwabanshuu escaping his current predicament. It was almost zero. "Sayonara," he said as he pressed the trigger.

Nothing happened. Meanwhile his prey took the opportunity to escape.

"What in the bloody hell is wrong with this thing!" he cursed while pressing the trigger again. Then he noticed a meter on his console. "Shit. I'm out of ammo. Guess I have to kill them by old fashion way"

The puppet pulled out two swords from its sides. Then it ran toward Aoshi. Then Meikira caught Sanosuke's approach via a mirror in his cockpit. He saw that the thing in Sano's hand and knew what it was. So when Sano threw it at his cockpit, he made the puppet swerve.

An explosion occurred behind the puppet, but Meikira was unconcerned. Then he heard a loud crashing sound and looked at its source. Sano was attacking his puppet's foot.

"Fool. A well made alloy can withstand shockwave based attack attacks" The puppet moved its foot, knocking Sano away. He then turned his attention toward Aoshi to see that his prey had disappeared from view. He quickly scanned around, seeing only Battousai and the street fighter Sagara. "Where could he be?"

To his shock, Aoshi appeared in front of his cockpit, twin kodachis fully sheathed. But despite the surprise, Meikira could maintain his calm as he knew that his cockpit was made from reinforced glass that would prevent Aoshi from attacking him. But the crash of the glass told him that his assessment was wrong. "BASTARD!"

Aoshi jumped away from the cockpit as the puppet's hand tried to hit him. Due to Meikira's rash decision, the hand crashed into the cockpit, showering him with glass fragments and injuring him.

On the ground, Sano marveled at Aoshi's move. "Wow. That's really smart, getting your enemy to hit himself"

"Shouldn't we help him?" Ryo asked.

"I'm not sure. Let's wait for a while," Yuri answered.

"What kind of person are you?"

"The kind that knows Meikira very well" she answered as she checked her weapons.

"What do you mean?"

Inside the cockpit, Meikira lowered his hand that covered his face from the glass. He saw red liquid oozing from it. Blood. The sight of it triggered a memory Meikira had wanted to forget.

"No. Master. Don't do it," a small boy pleaded toward a man.

"I can do whatever I want," the man answered. "You're mine" He turned toward Elizabeth. "You're also mine"

"No" Elizabeth shook her head.

The man took a step toward her. Scared for her safety, Meikira jumped and grabbed his foot.

"Che! Ungrateful bastard!" The man cursed while kicking Meikira in the face and smiled gleefully as the boy yelped in pain. "You see? You're no more than a puppet" His statement was met with a hateful stare from the boy. He kicked him again and again until Meikira became unconscious. Then the man grabbed Elizabeth by her hair and pulled her away.

"Meikira!"

"So, I have to surpass you, eh, Gein? I'll show you by defeating not one, but two of the most powerful swordsmen in Japan," Meikira whispered toward the doll which has fallen to the floor of the cockpit. He took out a key from his pocket and inserted it into a slot. He turned the key. The whole thing shuddered as the cockpit was covered with a shield, cutting him off from the outside world.

"What the…" Yuri exclaimed. "That's the berserker mode!"

"Huh?" Ryo asked. "The what?"

"We must leave"

"Why!"

"He's about to do something reckless. The bloodlust has probably taken him. That's why he covered the giant puppet's cockpit, so that no one can stop him" She gritted her teeth. "Not even Orochi-sama. Everyone, leave now, quickly!"

"But the Battousai and the others?" Ryo protested.

"We'll worry about them later, if we're still alive"

Inside the cockpit, Meikira licked the blood on his hand. Then he pressed and pulled some levers. The puppet kneeled and then it jumped. As it jumped, its feet began to glow as stream of hot exhaust gas escaped them. The puppet's feet had rockets installed inside them. The puppet's jump brought it up high in the air. The rockets kept it remaining at the same altitude.

"You will pay for this" He pressed again, and his puppet reached behind its back to pull two big cannons and aimed them at the ground below it. He made some mental calculation in his head. "Expected fatality : 120"

"Master! Where is Elizabeth!" Meikira demanded.

"Shut up" Gein said while pulling the chain connected to the boy's shackle. He led him to a room. "Now, as my apprentice, I feel obliged to give you your own doll"

"Really?" The boy asked hopefully.

He was led to something covered with cloth. "Yes. I expect you to master controlling this puppet within a week," Gein said while pulling the cloth away.

"NNOOOOOOOOOOO! ELIZABETH!"

"How come Meikira seems normal to me?" Ryo asked.

Yuri turned her head toward him while still maintaining her sprint. "You know about Gein? The one killed by Shinomori tai… er… Shinomori of the Oniwabanshuu?"

"Yeah?"

"He took Meikira when he was small to become his pupil"

"I know about that, so?"

"Seems like Gein did something unforgivable to him" The female ninja glanced at the sky as Meikira's metal puppet adjusted its weapons. "And Meikira really… really… hates him"

"So, he should be happy that Shinomori killed him"

"To you, maybe, but to Meikira, he robbed him of his only chance for revenge" Yuri hesitated. "Despite the intense hatred toward Gein, Meikira really respected him. And, there is a very small line separating hatred and love"

Meikira adjusted the angle of the shot. "Expected radius of the blast : 1 kilometer" He looked at a gauge. "A few seconds more and the rocket fuel tank will be empty" He chuckled gleefully. "But that will be enough" The bolting mechanism at the arms holding the cannons started, making sure that the accuracy of the shot be affected by the recoil effect. "I hope Yuri and the others are well on their way. It would be very hard to explain their deaths to the boss" Wires from the cannons were being pulled by pulleys on the shoulders to keep the cannons steady as the final adjustments were being made. "But then again, I also won't be around to explain it to him"

Gein looked at the gun and smiled. "What are you doing pointing this thing toward me?"

"I want to kill you for what you have done," Meikira answered.

"You want to kill me for making you a powerful man?

"What you did toward to me was unforgivable!" Meikira shot Gein's left shoulder. Tears appeared in his eyes. You forced me to control her. YOU TURNED HER INTO A MERE PUPPET!"

"Aa… You liked the girl, didn't you?" Gein smiled. "A master of puppets must have that kind of attachment to the first puppet he controls, treating it as if it's a living thing"

"YOU!" Meikira's hands were shaking.

"And you treated it as such, didn't you? That's why your control of puppets is lifelike" Gein grabbed the gun and guided it toward his heart. "Here, why don't you shoot me? You will feel regret after killing me, as you know that you haven't surpassed me yet. Is that what you want?"

"I WILL SURPASS YOU AND KILL YOUR KILLER, YOU BASTARD!" He pressed the trigger. "I'LL KILL SHINOMORI IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO" The whole ground beneath him trembled as the puppet the fired continuously toward it. The barrage continued for a few seconds until he heard an explosion from behind him. He knew what it meant. But at least he had killed Shinomori and his friends. He closed his eyes and smiled. "Elizabeth…"

Meikira was consumed in flame as the puppet exploded in the middle of the air.

1
Crewel --> Ah, thanks. I try my best to make it as good as I can because I know there will be someone else reading it

shirainai --> Well, I'm still learning to write. I wish I can make it longer though...

TearsOfInfinity --> Vote taken. But as for she becoming a seductress, well, I want to do that but someone already wrote about it. I wish I can remember who wrote about there. I think I read a few of them... Actually, I'm thinking of "Evil Kaoru", you know, like "Evil Ryu" from Street Fighter, the famous video game beat em up. Yup, that kind ( a bit)

lolo popoki --> And we have a tie. Oh well. I'm still unsure, but in my planning, Kaoru will fight a major battle (to make up for her being the lamb earlier on). Now... I'm still not sure about Kaoru. Maybe I can just flip a coin. That will be cool.

Author's note : (24 October 2005)

1) Ah well, I'm going off on a long vacation and maybe in that time I have an idea how to remove that one particular stumbling block to RKESA being finished. Yeah, just that one chapter... and the rest should be easier.

2) There's some slight change where I put the replies to review to before Author's note. I'm still not putting the reviews on top, because I want you, the readers to get to their story earlier on. I hope that should be okay with you people. Even my other story follows this arrangement because of the same reason


This chapter was preread by fujifunmum