Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Amber Horizons ❯ Chapter 15: Tension ( Chapter 15 )

- Chapter 15 -

Tension

The crowd of people, which cluttered the main street of Tokyo, parted as if by magic before the amber-eyed red head. His stride was steady and determined as he approached his destination, a run down bar at the far end of town. Soon, the Battousai stood at the entrance to the establishment in which he knew Sanosuke Sagara frequented. If anyone would know where his quarry was, then Sagara would. He reached out, gripping the wood panel door, and slid it open quickly. It slammed back against the narrow wall, but no one within the rowdy establishment took notice. He peered around, searching for a familiar tall, loud male. He had to be here.

He finally spotted him on the floor near the back wall in a group with four other young men all hovered around some game. Probably illegal gambling - Sano really needed to stay away from the dice. He stepped inside, his presence unnoticed by the patrons until he loomed over the circle of young players. Sano was one of the first to notice and shouted a loud, but slurred greeting.

"Hey Kenshin!" Sano waved a bandaged hand wildly in the air to get his friend's attention, unknowing of the transformation that had taken place.

Battousai set his amber gaze upon the younger man and quickly made his way over to the group. As he approached, he took note of the way Sano's eyes widened when they met his own. 'So, the tori atama isn't as drunk as he makes out to be...'

"Where is Koji?"

Sano blinked. "Koji? How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"He's your friend, isn't he," Battousai sneered, contempt marring his usually smooth face.

Sano looked at the short red-head blankly. "He's not exactly someone I would call a friend. I just go drinking with him on his days off cause he doesn't bug me about my gambling," he said with a snort, his mind clearing a bit of the aftereffects of all the alcohol he had consumed earlier in the day.

Battousai calmed his anger, knowing he would later regret taking his anger out on his friend. "Do you at least know where he lives, or some bar he likes to hang out in," he asked, his grip tightening on his sakabatou.

Sano thought for a moment. "Nope. Never asked him, and we only ever come to just this one bar," he replied. After a moment he looked back up at the red-head, noticing that he held his head at an odd angle, his hair hiding his eyes. "Why do you want to know? Isn't Koji suppose to be on that mission with Misao for the Wolf?"

There was a tense moment of silence as Battousai said nothing, then another voice called out from the bar postioned against the far wall.

"I saw Koji an hour or so ago. He came in 'ere and bought em a whole shit load of sake. Said he was takin' it back to his place." came the slurred voice of the man leaning against the bar. The pair turned to stare at the man who had spoken. He was dressed in officer garb, so he obviously was a co-worker of Koji's. Perfect.

"And where is 'his place'?" asked Battousai, his voice taking on a slightly menacing purr as he fingered the hilt of his weapon.

"Eh, he lives jus' five streets over..." came the slurred reply. "Be the middle house on the left."

The red head nodded once before turning to leave, but paused in his step as the drunken officer spoke again, "Wha' do you want with Koji anyhow?"

"What I want with him is of no concern to you." came the stiff reply as Battousai once again started for the door. Sano made to followed, but froze at his friend's words.

"Stay where you are," he hissed, voice clipped. "I have no need of assistance."

Sano wobbeled a bit on his feet, blinking and then yawning. Go after Kenshin or hang out with the guys? He weighed his options. Finally, shaking his head, Sano returned to the group who had just started up a fresh game. Outside, the Battousai was already halfway down the street. He stared, eyes flickering over everything in his path as he made his way down the streets one by one.

His heart pounded heavily in his chest, pulsing in his ears. Five streets over, the man said. He slowed his pace as he reached the aforementioned fifth street. He glanced left, looking at every house in the row. There were two, both small places, either of them could be his. Both were, technically, in the middle of the row. He decided not to bother with the petty details. Gripping his sword he walked to the first doorway.

~*~

Tsuji Koji sat straddle of a wicker chair, arms propped on the high back, his fifth jug of sake dangling from his right hand. He stared numbly into the fireplace, which was not lit and by the looks of the cinders, hadn't been cleaned in a good while. His mind was devoid of all thought save one. The image of Misao, limply hanging like a marionette from a rusted nail.

'Please stop.'

He swallowed hard, trying to blink away the blurry image. His head felt light and the room spun whenever he moved. He doubted his feet would hold him anymore. Night had fallen over his little abode. He was too drunk, too tired, and just generally too far gone to care that sooner than later his door would be broken down by any number of Misao's relatives, companions or friends, ready to rip him in half.

It seemed almost unreal, the disconnected feeling he got from the whole situation, thanks to the liquor that he had imbibed. He was thankful for it, knowing what he knew would be coming soon enough. His arm rose from its resting place and brought the half empty jug to his lips. Tilting back his head, he took a huge gulp of the warm sake, knowing that it might very well be his last.

A weary sense of apprehension managed to flare up as the sake slid down his throat. He was holding faith in what he presumed was his boss' high sense of justice or... something. Several hours ago he'd been more coherent. Now he just sat... and sat. Waiting for something, the evitable perhaps, whatever that entailed.

There came from beyond the door the sound of approaching footsteps, followed closely by a metal blade clearing its sheath. Koji trembled slightly at the sounds, but remained seated. 'If I must die, I will encounter darkness as a bride, and hug it in mine arms,' this quote came to his mind, unbidden as the front door to his home was violently thrown open. The shadow of the figure standing within the doorway was cast over Koji's hunched body as the drunken officer maintained his seat. He did not even look toward the door, nor seem to pay any mind as the figure moved from the doorway and into the room with him.

Battousai's eyes blazed with a molten rage as they settled upon the pathetic form of his prey. Moving with fluid motion, he stepped forward, circling around so that he stood before the seated man. Blood-shot eyes rose from their downward position as the figure moved into a confrontational pose. Neither the flash of a faded red gi or the steely voice which accompanied it was what Koji had been expecting. He had been almost certain that Fujita would be the man to dish out his sentence, not the one standing before him.

"Tsuji Koji, Officer under Fujita Goro. I have come here because you have hurt someone who is close to me. What you did to Misao-dono was wrong in more ways than one. You are an officer of the law and it is your job to protect others, not cause them harm as you have so thoughtlessly done. And so, for so arbitrarily violating Misao-dono, you shall suffer the justice of my sword... If you are even human at all, then I wish you a fast and speedy journey to the next life!"

With the friendly smell of blood engulfing his enflared nostrils, the Battousai forced himself to not crack a devilish grin as his old hobby grew so near. All that seemed within the vicinity of one quick heartbeat, the sword of Kenshin Himura's former self descended to destroy the life of Tsuji Koji.... just as the ex-leader of the Third Squad of the Shinsen-gumi, Hajime Saitou, burst in through the thin shouji, Makimachi Misao following close behind him.

The sound of the young ninja's screams for her friend were drowned out by the massive pulse echoing in Saitou's ears. With all his weight thrown forward, the officer drew his katana out in the blink of an eye, his fingers tipping the flat side of the keen blade closest to him. His momentum pushed him to stay Kenshin's sakabatou before it committed the act that Battousai, having gone mad with rage, was attempting to carry out.

Amber gazes clashed as the Battousai glared sharply at the intruder. "He's mine to kill," the hitokiri snarled.

"Koji is my officer, Battousai, his fate belongs to me." Saitou retorted.

Battousai scoffed. "If it were not for his career choice, and your partnering him with Misao-dono, none of this would've happened..."

"That is all the more reason for this kill to be mine..."

"STOP IT!!!"

Both heads popped up in surprise, eyes wide as they stared at the girl. "What?"

"D-Don't kill him! I don't want you to kill him, please don't." She pleaded.

The males wavered, eyes both narrowed at her in fierce displeasure.

"Don't... This isn't worth it. I just want it to go away. I don't want a death like this on my conscience."

Saitou glared, the grip on his sword hilt tight. "Then get the hell out!"

Her look of uncertainty vanished. "Don't give me orders! I didn't come get you so you could lop of his head! I came here to get you to stop Himura, not to fight over who has the right to kill him!"

"You saying you forgive him for this?" Saitou's voice was strained, his body tensed as he stared at her.

She straightened, vowing to be resolute on the matter, not daring to look where she knew the haphazard form of Koji was sitting off to the far side of her.

"I'm saying I don't want you to kill him, that's all."

Seeing as both looked unconvinced, she turned to Himura. "Just think about how you've been trying to save people all this time. Won't you be undoing all that in one day?"

"I'm doing this for you... because I want to" Battousai said firmly, trying to hold onto his wavering desire to kill.

"Himura..." Misao looked deeply into the flickering amber eyes, trying to penetrate through to the rurouni beneath. "I can't let you do this... It would be like.. I would feel like I'd betrayed you if I let you break your vow now. Please..."

"And if I let this man live... I would be betraying you, Misao. An innocent such as yourself, suffering in pain: I can't forgive that. I wasn't there to protect you, and prevent it, so there remains only the duty of making sure this never happens again."

"So you're saying that ten years of your life were wasted?" Misao said softly. "Himura, you spent those years atoning for the fact that you killed people.... Do you want to make that atonement and wandering meaningless?"

His frame loosened and she watched his white knuckled hands relax. His brow furrowed as his eyes closed, only to open a moment later, the amber having receeded into the neutral violet hue.

"Misao-dono..."

She turned weary eyes toward Saitou. He wouldn't be that easy to convince. To her surprise, his back was to her.

He turned his head slightly toward, words muffled by the cigarette he'd apparently just lit and stuck in his mouth. "Don't know what the hell is wrong with you, weasel."

"Does that mean I win?" She asked hopefully.

He scoffed. "No, it just means he gets to keep his head."

She frowned and opened her mouth. He turned and pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Don't push it! Go back to the Kamiya place."

"And leave you with him? *Alone*?"

He grinned, pulling the cigarette from his mouth. "Well, I'd kick *them* out and spend some time with *you* alone, but you aren't much receptive to the idea at the moment."

Despite the teasing tone, his eyes were hard and he was still tense, unlike Kenshin who seemed merely resigned. Misao eyed Saitou a moment, her ire growing more and more intense until finally her vision began to swim.

"intention .... to the jaihouse..."

She blinked. Words were swimming muddy trails through her ears. Who was going to jail? Her name being called out by two voices, both distinctly filled with concern, was the last audible thing Misao heard before she felt the ground rush up to meet her.

Saitou's reflexes had never been more sharp than they were at that moment. He registered the way Misao's body swayed slightly as she spoke to the Battousai, talking him out of his murderous rage, before turning her determination on him. The stress and fatigue of the events were catching up to her, he could tell.

"Don't worry, weasel. I have every intention of bringing this scum to the jailhouse." He assured, only moments before she tipped forward in a nosedive to the ground.

With a speed almost equal to the Battousai's himself, Saitou was catching her limp body, pulling it up against his own to prevent anymore injury from being inflicted upon it. For a moment, Saitou gazed upon her unconscious form before turning his amber eyes back to the cowering form of his prisoner.

"Take Misao back to the dojo, Battousai. I have a job to do." he said, without taking his eyes from Koji.

Kenshin nodded as he moved forward, extracting his young friend from the arms of the ex-Shinsengumi captain. He moved to the doorway, looking back only once. "Don't hurt him too badly... " And with that, the red head exited the house with his precious bundle.

~*~

"Having a bad day, Misao-chan?"

'No... not again...' Her entire body quakes at the sound of his voice. Fear flirting dangerously with irritation.

"Ow! Koji, cut it out, you're hurting me. Officers shouldn't behave like brutes!"

Anger masking fear. 'Something's not right... He's never done this before...'

A growl. Hand twisting painfully from a slender shoulder to clench a delicate wrist tightly. Blood throbbing painfully in her head, her wrist. Why couldn't she see it? surely it should be spilling over the floor...

"K-Koji... Please stop."

She's shaking... her body, her mind. Why won't he listen? Why can't she escape? Why must she plead uselessly? In vain...

"Shhh... Too much talking."

'No.. I have to fight! He says, no talking, so I'll talk! Struggle... in any way...'

"Don't worry Misao, I'll take care of you. Unlike that bastard Fujita, I'll show you how it feels to be cherished."

'Saitou... Where are you? You aren't here... I want you to be here. Someone... isn't anyone here?'

"Chew on that, sweetheart, we need to keep the noise down."

Rage. 'Noise? I can give him noise...' Humiliation. 'Why does he call me sweetheart? I'm not.. I'm not, let me get away!'

"Hmm? Kunai? That's unexpectedly useful."

'My weapons... no. Give me my weapons, my strength, back. Give me my strength so I can escape... I want to escape this...'

"But don't worry, pet, I'm not going to hurt you. This is our 'special' time."

A distinct scuffling of polished boots treading upon tender blades of grass. A katana clearing its sheath. The sound of a wooden door splintering into a thousand peices as her rescuer arrives....

"Fu--Fujita-sama!"

'Saitou!'

"Get away from my weasel, NOW!"

Relief floods the senses... happiness and joy... The sunlight outlines his form in silver causing him to look like one of those western knights... A sword appears suddenly, steel flashing, yet bloodstained. From the sound, she knows it has sliced through bone, silencing Koji forever. The unwanted dead weight is removed... replaced instantly by the welcomed warmth of strong, muscular arms....

"...and now this nightmare is over." he mumurs soothingly... "Time to wake up, minx..."

~*~

Her eyes drifted open slowly in the darkness as the sound of rustling clothes drew nearer to her side. The soothing sound of her name being called registered to her traumatized mind as warm arms gatherered her up against a firm and comforting chest. "Misao.. Misao, are you alright?" Misao allowed her eyes to close once more, sighing as she relaxed against him, relishing in the nearness of her savior.

"Misao-dono?"

'Misao...dono? What...?'

Hesitantly, Misao pulled back from the embrace, tilting her head back just far enough to look into the face of the man who held her. Green eyes widened in surprise as the warm amber eyes she was expecting, turned out to be deep amethyst. Her heart lurched, turning her even breathing into a strangled gasping rhythm as her stomach dropped into her feet.

'It... it wasn't real.... It was.... all a dream!'

With flailing arms and legs, Misao broke from Kenshin's arms, scrambling backward as she moved off the futon and against the wall. She hadn't been saved after all... Saitou hadn't arrived... he hadn't been there to stop it.... to stop Koji. The ending hadn't been a happy one after all, as she had dreamed. She had been violated, defiled and dishonored. Burying her face into her shaking hands, Misao allowed her tears to fall even as Kenshin's shoulders slumped in sorrow for the broken young woman.

~*~

The next morning, Saitou made an impromptu call on the Kamiya dojo. He hadn't seen nor heard word from either of the dojo's occupants, and it bothered him. Especially since he'd been worried about Misao's condition and how she was doing. He approached the gate, swinging it open before entering the front yard. His steps held purpose as he approached the entrance, but before he could reach it, it slid open, and Kenshin came out to meet him.

"Good morning, Saitou-san. May I ask what brings you here?"

He pulled the cigarette from his mouth, holding it off to the side in one hand as he eyed the shorter man. "Where's the weasel?"

"Misao-dono is..." here the red head faltered as a slightly anguished look emerged. "She is not feeling up to visitors today, that she is not."

"I didn't ask how she felt. I asked where she was."

Kenshin's eyes drifted shut in resignation. He knew that no matter what he said, Saitou would insist upon seeing Misao. The truth was, he had hardly seen Misao himself since they had returned to the dojo the previous night. He had deposited her in her room, and later, when he'd heard her fretting in her sleep, he'd held her comfortingly. But she'd pulled away the moment that she'd realized who he was. Other than that, they'd had no contact at all, and he got the impression that she was withdrawing from him.

'If that is true, then she will most likely withdraw from Saitou as well, that she will.' Kenshin thought. 'Perhaps, then, it is best if I allow Saitou to enter, if for nothing more than to observe how she will react...'

"She is in her bedroom, Saitou-san, that she is." He said, motioning with a sweeping arm in open invitation.

Saitou stepped inside taking a cursory glance around. He contemplated asking the Battousai where exactly her bedroom was but he was already walking away. Turning he headed down the hall and began sliding open doors.

Luckily, the Kamiya dojo was practically vacant and they were all empty. Coming to the last door he figured it must be hers, he slid it open. Immediately something square smacked him in the face. He glanced down to see the small, square pillow. He glanced up before tucking his cigarette back in his mouth. He kicked the pillow inside and stepped in with it, pulling the door closed.

"Morning weasel."

"Mou, what do you want, Saitou?" the muttered voice came from beneath the covering that lay upon the futon, emphasizing the distinctly feminine lump beneath.

"What are you doing in bed at this hour? Shouldn't you be training or something?" He asked, gaze on the female level with his feet.

"I'm taking a day off.." came the amusing reply.

"A day off?" He scoffed. "I didn't authorize a day off."

"I don't care... Just... just go away." her voice, muffled by the blanket, said.

"I didn't hire a slacker. You come out or I'll drag you out." He warned. "Don't play games with me. I'm not in the mood."

There was a short pause, and then.... "You wouldn't dare..."

He leaned down snagging the edge of the blanket before yanking. The blanket flew up out of her reach and he pulled it toward him letting it pool down beside him.

"Really? You forget who you're talking to?"

"Hey!" She shouted angrily, her eyes narrowing on him from where she still lay prone on futon. "Give that back!"

"You want it? Come take it," he challenged, a grin turning up the corners of his lips.

But she didn't move. She simply continued to glare at him a moment longer before rolling over and presenting her back to him. "Leave me alone." she growled.

"I think you've been alone enough." He kneeled down, touching his hand to her shoulder intending to press her back against the matting and tower over her, but her movement startled him.

"Don't!!" she exclaimed, yanking her shoulder away from his grasp as she rolled completely off of the futon and against the wall. She huddled there, her head buried in her hands so that she did not have to look at him. "I- I'm sorry... Please, just... just leave, okay?"

He moved away, having no other choice. He silently cursed himself for not thinking about how she might feel to have a man near her. He stared hard at her huddled form wanting to kick himself.

"Sorry weasel," he murmured. "I didn't mean to... " He trailed off momentarily. "You need to come to the station tomorrow to file a report about the incident with Koji. If you're not there, I *will* come get you."

Misao remained as she was, simply rocking back and forth slightly, not making any indication of whether she heard or not.

Saitou stared at her uncomfortably. What to do? After several more minutes of tense silence he walked to the door and stepped out. He took a deep breath in the hallway before continuining on.

Damn. This... This wasn't the way things were supposed to have gone.

As Saitou moved away from Misao's door, Kenshin emerged from the shadows of the hall, eyes fixed upon the officer's back. He watched Saitou depart before stepping over to Misao's door, knocking on it slightly before sliding it open to peer inside. Taking in the pitiful sight within, Kenshin sighed.

"Misao-dono.... are you alright?"

She lifted blank and empty eyes to stare at him. He waited a few moments with no response and she watched him go sadly. She wondered, as the door slid closed, what did he mean 'all right'? How was she supposed to know? What was it?

~*~

Saitou returned home that evening after work. He stood, noting how the silence that filled his house was deafening, and even though he usually enjoyed the peace and quiet, he found himself wanting to break something. Just so that the void would be filled.

He cast his eyes around his sparse living quarters with a frown. Guilt had wormed it's way into the shadowy corners of his mind and was slowly advancing and eating him whole. He was responsible for this. He had promised Shinomori that Misao woud be taken care of. She would be protected. She would be safe.

Now, he was a liar. A man who had broken his word. He hadn't kept her safe. She was at the Kamiya dojo, curled up on the floor, shaking. Shinomori would've killed him, he thought, somewhat bitterly. Shinomori would never have let this happen. He could see it already, Misao running to her beloved 'Aoshi-sama' for protection while she shunned him.

'Damn!'

He kicked the table, knocking off a small glass ornament, shattering it against the wood flooring.

'That...' he thought, staring at the broken glass. That little dragon statue had been Tokio's. It had been a wedding present from a young family member who'd come to their wedding.

He bend down and began to gather up the broken glass, unmindful of cutting himself on the small slivers. He welcomed the slight sting of pain in his right palm, feeling the blood as it stained his hand red. He would have gladly killed Koji, he knew, but she hadn't wanted that and for the life of him he couldn't figure that out.

Finally finishing with the glass, Saitou stood up and strode over to the rubbish bin, dumping the demolished ornament. Glancing down at his hand for a moment, Saitou shook his head before heading toward the cabinet to retrieve some bandages. He washed his hands in a small basin, staining the liquid a pinkish color. Why did it have to be this hard? How was he supposed to help? He toweled his hands and, after wrapping his hand, stepped into his bedroom.

Suddenly, parts of his past he'd never wanted to think about again was rearing it's ugly head. The last thing he wanted was to see what happened last time happen all over again. It couldn't. It wouldn't. He would not allow it. He'd failed Misao once, he wasn't going to allow it a second time.

But how would he succeed? His eyes travelled, unbidden, over the small space that was his bedroom before pausing on the small wooden chest in the corner. Maybe... but would it work? Would she read it? Would she even *accept* it? He walked over to the chest, pulling open a drawer and reaching inside. He withdrew a small black book. The small red ribbon which was used as a marker was frayed slightly and the binding was ragged. With a tender touch, Saitou ran a hand over the leather cover.

He hadn't seen the book in a while. He hadn't been able to bear it. This book had caused him unimaginable amounts of agony. He hated the sight of it, but it was so direly dear to him. If only because it was hers, his beloved, departed Tokio. This book had been penned by her, her thoughts, her feelings. It was her mind on paper - something she never would have wanted him to read had she still been here with him.

Something he never would have even, perhaps, known about. But that wasn't the case, she was gone, and he had the sinking feeling that Misao was being dragged toward a desperate ledge and he didn't want her falling off of it.

He flipped open the cover of the book.

'Not like she had,' he thought, 'Not like Tokio....'

~*~

TBC...