Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Blood and Amber ❯ Truth- Part 1 ( Chapter 18 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Bookkbaby84 
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.02.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 572 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.02.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 572 | Status: Completed
Sano ran to the dojo. Maybe Megumi had just left to go to the dojo and had forgotten to lock up?
'Fat chance...' he thought, bursting into the dojo.
"Oi, Kenshin!" he called. No sound.
"Kenshin!" he called again. He started to walk around the dojo, but something caught his attention.
The sound of metal on metal. Sword against sword. Battle.
Kenshin was totally focused on his opponent. He had knocked Kaoru unconscious, and had taken Megumi-dono somewhere.
"I'm dead, am I Battousai?" Kenshin stared at the man. "Not a surprise, as you've already started killing again....."
Kenshin inwardly flinched.
'How did he know?' It clicked. 'The owner of the sakabato in that mansion would be the killer. I admitted to owning it. Two and two make four.'
"Yes, I know. You killed because of her." Chishio motioned carelessly to the unconscious Kaoru. "And now she has to hid her disgust for you, for breaking your vow......" Chishio gave a pause, but his tone made it obvious that he hadn't finished his sentence yet.
"....murderer." Kenshin flinched inside again.
"Kenshin!" A voice drifted to Kenshin's ears.
'Sano....' he thought, just as the man appeared.
"Oi, Ken...... what the fuck?!" Sano exclaimed. It was a strange scene that greeted him, after all. Kenshin was facing off with the man from the clinic- Chishio- and Chishio had jou-chan (unconscious) next to him. It was obvious that Chishio had knocked missy out.
"Sano, go." Kenshin commanded, an uncharacteristically desperate look in his eyes. Sano just cracked his knuckles.
"No. He knocked jou-chan out, right? I'll get that scumbag back."
'No- if Sano stays, Chishio will keep on talking about-!' Kenshin thought, looking at Chishio, who seemed to find the whole thing greatly amusing.
"What are you laughing at, bastard?!" Sano demanded. "What the hell are you doing here?" Chishio smirked.
"Fight merchant Zanza, helping his friend, the great Hitokiri Battousai. Interesting that you'd come to the aid of a murderer, as you always said, Zanza, that you hate those who prey on the weak." Sanosuke glared at Chishio.
"I know about Kenshin's past! You think that matters, bastard?!" Sano cracked his knuckles again, getting ready to run in and fight, barehanded against a sword. He lunged, almost hitting Chishio, who stayed in place just long enough to tell Sano one last thing.
"I wasn't talking about his past."
Megumi- tears dried- looked all around the small house, searching for something that could help her. She had tried the door- it was locked- and there weren't any windows she could fit through.
Even if she could get out, would she really risk walking through town to get to the dojo or the clinic? She was on teh other side of town from all that.
'I would. I have to get to Ken-san.' It was obvious that she had been kidnapped because of Ken-san. There had been tension between Ken-san and Chishio, and Chishio had kidnapped her. It was the only logical conclusion.
In the kitchen area, Megumi found an old, rusted, and dusty knife buried underneath old papers and things.
'Chishio must have forgotten about it.' she thought, sawing through her bonds quickly.(well, as quickly as one could with a rusty knife.....)
'Now, how do I get out?' she thought.
Sanosuke stopped moving, dimly aware of the fact that Kenshin hadn't moved since he had arrived.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Sano didn't know how, but he had a feeling that Chishio wasn't lying.
"He hasn't told you? Not a surprise- he'd keep things like that away from those he calls 'friends'." Chishio laughed. 'Do you want to know exactly what I-"
"Stop it." Kenshin commanded, staring straight at Chishio. Chishio just kept talking.
"-mean? Your 'friend', who has supposedly vowed never to kill again-"
"Stop!" Kenshin said, almost desperate. Sano just froze, hands at his side, a shocked look on his face. He had a sinking feeling he knew how that sentence would end......
"-killed." Chishio finished, a deliberate smirk on his face.
Even though he had expected it, it was one thing to expect it, and a completely new thing to actually hear it. Sano slowly rotated his gaze over to Kenshin, mouth agape, a shocked look on his face.
Kenshin seemed frozen as well, a look of horror on his face. Horror at himself, for killing, and horror of what would happen now. Sano was his best friend- how could Kenshin fight him, especiaally when kenshin himself wanted to recieve some sort of punishment for it?
"Ken..... shin......" Kaoru called softly, stirring.
Kaoru opened her eyes. Ow......
"Kaoru!" Kenshin called. he moved forward unthinkingly, ready to help her, but then paused. In the second he paused, Chishio moved his sword to Kaorus neck. She froze, looking at the sword.
"Move and she dies." Chishio said. Kenshin froze.
"You can't fight with one hand. Let her go." Kenshin said, worry about Kaoru overtaking his worry of what Sanosuke thought of him.
"How- as a corpse, or merely unconscious?" Chishio asked, smirking.
"Conscious." Sano said, glaring at Chishio. "Hand jou-chan over to us, now." he ordered, slamming a fist into one of his palms.
"Are you sure that's wise? this woman- like a sister to you- and you want me to hand her over to a murderer?"
"Kenshin wouldn't hurt me." Kaoru said, at the same time Sano spoke.
"Kenshin wouldn't hurt jou-chan." Chishio glanced at Sano sideways, out of the corner of his eye.
"If you truly believe that, then maybe I should release her. After all, I still have one hostage....." Chishio seemed to consider, but then (obviously) shook his head.
"We're at a stalemate then. If you won't release Kaoru, then you can't fight. I will not allow you to kill her. You cannot win here."
Chishio frowned at that.
'That asshole's right. I can't fight with her, and he'll stop me if I make it obvious what I'll do.....' Chishio sighed, closing his eyes.
"That leaves me one way out." He withdrew his sword from Kaoru's face, and picked her up roughly, shoving her towards her friends. However, as she stumbled forward, he slashed her back. She gasped, then fell forward.
"Now for the doctor!" Chishio cried out, running away while Kenshin dove to catch Kaoru before she hit the ground. Sano ran forward to catch Kaoru too, but Kenshin got there first.
"Kaoru..." he said. Sano dropped to one knee beside them.
"Damn... jou-chan needs a medic...." he said, looking at the blood seeping from her back.
"Damnit.... I won't be able to catch up..." Kenshin looked at Chishio's retreating back. "I can't think of what he'll do to Megumi-dono..."
'I can't abandon either Kaoru or Megumi-dono.....'
"Go." Sano's voice startled him. Kenshin looked at his friend, who was motioning for Kenshin to give Kaoru to him.
"I can take jou-chan to a medic. Just hurry and catch that bastard.... I'm no match for his speed." Sano looked directly at Kenshin, trust showing in his eyes, and..... was that worry beneath the surface?
"Arigatou gozimatsu, Sano." Kenshin said. "Please take good care of Kaoru."
"You go save kitsune!" Sano said, taking Kaoru from Kenshin and lifting her up easily. Kenshin nodded and followed Chishio.
Whew! All this in one day! I am good.......
'Fat chance...' he thought, bursting into the dojo.
"Oi, Kenshin!" he called. No sound.
"Kenshin!" he called again. He started to walk around the dojo, but something caught his attention.
The sound of metal on metal. Sword against sword. Battle.
Kenshin was totally focused on his opponent. He had knocked Kaoru unconscious, and had taken Megumi-dono somewhere.
"I'm dead, am I Battousai?" Kenshin stared at the man. "Not a surprise, as you've already started killing again....."
Kenshin inwardly flinched.
'How did he know?' It clicked. 'The owner of the sakabato in that mansion would be the killer. I admitted to owning it. Two and two make four.'
"Yes, I know. You killed because of her." Chishio motioned carelessly to the unconscious Kaoru. "And now she has to hid her disgust for you, for breaking your vow......" Chishio gave a pause, but his tone made it obvious that he hadn't finished his sentence yet.
"....murderer." Kenshin flinched inside again.
"Kenshin!" A voice drifted to Kenshin's ears.
'Sano....' he thought, just as the man appeared.
"Oi, Ken...... what the fuck?!" Sano exclaimed. It was a strange scene that greeted him, after all. Kenshin was facing off with the man from the clinic- Chishio- and Chishio had jou-chan (unconscious) next to him. It was obvious that Chishio had knocked missy out.
"Sano, go." Kenshin commanded, an uncharacteristically desperate look in his eyes. Sano just cracked his knuckles.
"No. He knocked jou-chan out, right? I'll get that scumbag back."
'No- if Sano stays, Chishio will keep on talking about-!' Kenshin thought, looking at Chishio, who seemed to find the whole thing greatly amusing.
"What are you laughing at, bastard?!" Sano demanded. "What the hell are you doing here?" Chishio smirked.
"Fight merchant Zanza, helping his friend, the great Hitokiri Battousai. Interesting that you'd come to the aid of a murderer, as you always said, Zanza, that you hate those who prey on the weak." Sanosuke glared at Chishio.
"I know about Kenshin's past! You think that matters, bastard?!" Sano cracked his knuckles again, getting ready to run in and fight, barehanded against a sword. He lunged, almost hitting Chishio, who stayed in place just long enough to tell Sano one last thing.
"I wasn't talking about his past."
Megumi- tears dried- looked all around the small house, searching for something that could help her. She had tried the door- it was locked- and there weren't any windows she could fit through.
Even if she could get out, would she really risk walking through town to get to the dojo or the clinic? She was on teh other side of town from all that.
'I would. I have to get to Ken-san.' It was obvious that she had been kidnapped because of Ken-san. There had been tension between Ken-san and Chishio, and Chishio had kidnapped her. It was the only logical conclusion.
In the kitchen area, Megumi found an old, rusted, and dusty knife buried underneath old papers and things.
'Chishio must have forgotten about it.' she thought, sawing through her bonds quickly.(well, as quickly as one could with a rusty knife.....)
'Now, how do I get out?' she thought.
Sanosuke stopped moving, dimly aware of the fact that Kenshin hadn't moved since he had arrived.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Sano didn't know how, but he had a feeling that Chishio wasn't lying.
"He hasn't told you? Not a surprise- he'd keep things like that away from those he calls 'friends'." Chishio laughed. 'Do you want to know exactly what I-"
"Stop it." Kenshin commanded, staring straight at Chishio. Chishio just kept talking.
"-mean? Your 'friend', who has supposedly vowed never to kill again-"
"Stop!" Kenshin said, almost desperate. Sano just froze, hands at his side, a shocked look on his face. He had a sinking feeling he knew how that sentence would end......
"-killed." Chishio finished, a deliberate smirk on his face.
Even though he had expected it, it was one thing to expect it, and a completely new thing to actually hear it. Sano slowly rotated his gaze over to Kenshin, mouth agape, a shocked look on his face.
Kenshin seemed frozen as well, a look of horror on his face. Horror at himself, for killing, and horror of what would happen now. Sano was his best friend- how could Kenshin fight him, especiaally when kenshin himself wanted to recieve some sort of punishment for it?
"Ken..... shin......" Kaoru called softly, stirring.
Kaoru opened her eyes. Ow......
"Kaoru!" Kenshin called. he moved forward unthinkingly, ready to help her, but then paused. In the second he paused, Chishio moved his sword to Kaorus neck. She froze, looking at the sword.
"Move and she dies." Chishio said. Kenshin froze.
"You can't fight with one hand. Let her go." Kenshin said, worry about Kaoru overtaking his worry of what Sanosuke thought of him.
"How- as a corpse, or merely unconscious?" Chishio asked, smirking.
"Conscious." Sano said, glaring at Chishio. "Hand jou-chan over to us, now." he ordered, slamming a fist into one of his palms.
"Are you sure that's wise? this woman- like a sister to you- and you want me to hand her over to a murderer?"
"Kenshin wouldn't hurt me." Kaoru said, at the same time Sano spoke.
"Kenshin wouldn't hurt jou-chan." Chishio glanced at Sano sideways, out of the corner of his eye.
"If you truly believe that, then maybe I should release her. After all, I still have one hostage....." Chishio seemed to consider, but then (obviously) shook his head.
"We're at a stalemate then. If you won't release Kaoru, then you can't fight. I will not allow you to kill her. You cannot win here."
Chishio frowned at that.
'That asshole's right. I can't fight with her, and he'll stop me if I make it obvious what I'll do.....' Chishio sighed, closing his eyes.
"That leaves me one way out." He withdrew his sword from Kaoru's face, and picked her up roughly, shoving her towards her friends. However, as she stumbled forward, he slashed her back. She gasped, then fell forward.
"Now for the doctor!" Chishio cried out, running away while Kenshin dove to catch Kaoru before she hit the ground. Sano ran forward to catch Kaoru too, but Kenshin got there first.
"Kaoru..." he said. Sano dropped to one knee beside them.
"Damn... jou-chan needs a medic...." he said, looking at the blood seeping from her back.
"Damnit.... I won't be able to catch up..." Kenshin looked at Chishio's retreating back. "I can't think of what he'll do to Megumi-dono..."
'I can't abandon either Kaoru or Megumi-dono.....'
"Go." Sano's voice startled him. Kenshin looked at his friend, who was motioning for Kenshin to give Kaoru to him.
"I can take jou-chan to a medic. Just hurry and catch that bastard.... I'm no match for his speed." Sano looked directly at Kenshin, trust showing in his eyes, and..... was that worry beneath the surface?
"Arigatou gozimatsu, Sano." Kenshin said. "Please take good care of Kaoru."
"You go save kitsune!" Sano said, taking Kaoru from Kenshin and lifting her up easily. Kenshin nodded and followed Chishio.
Whew! All this in one day! I am good.......