Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Sei Shi ❯ Chapter 3

The door slid open and a young woman with pale white skin and deep red brown hair stepped through, her long red kimono swinging behind her. She opened another door and stepped out into a hallway the lamps lighting up as she passed by giving the hall an eerie feel to it.

She stopped at the last door on the right and opened it up and stepped inside with out waiting for an answer. A young boy with short chocolate brown hair was standing before a screen with a smile on his face.

"Soujiro is everything ready?"

"Yes Lady Yumi. Everything is in place we just have to find the stones and the book."

"Good. Get the others on it we can't waste anymore time. We only have a few more days left until we have to wait another five hundred years."

"Don't worry Lady Yumi, he'll come back."

She glanced up from where she was sitting to find the space where he had been now empty. She turned back towards the screen and gazed at the figure behind it her eyes softening slightly.

"Shishio-sama…."

People rushed around every which way trying to escape from the monsters that awaited them. It was no use though no one would escape; innocent blood would be spilled all for the sake of finding a book and some stones.

An elderly man struggled up the stairs clutching his side; he had to get to the shrine room. If he could make it there and begin the chant then he would be safe for a couple of hours until help arrived.

He was outside the door when a chain whipped out of the shadows and wrapped around his neck. He struggled in vain to get it off and in a matter of minutes he stopped moving all together, the chain drawing back as soon as he stopped breathing.

"Oops… I think I over did it. Oh well, he wasn't much use anyway."

The figure melted back into the shadows just as the fires from down below made their way upstairs to consume the rest of the temple.

Kaoru was hunched over in her chair staring at the blank computer screen before her. She was supposed to be catching up on her paper work but somehow it never ended up like that.

She was at the moment thinking about what had happened earlier. Kenshin had come back along with Saitou and Midori was with them also. She didn't look very happy with them though. After a quick `talk' with Saitou her and Misao were told they had desk duty for the next three days and they were to start now.

Kenshin just turned around and headed off to division A with Midori in tow still looking a little angry. She had wanted to apologize to Kenshin try to explain but he left before she could and she didn't think it would matter anyway.

`Baka Kaoru, you always seem to mess up somehow. Now Kenshin's mad at you and you're stuck with desk duty for three days! This really sucks!'

She plopped her head on her desk arms hanging at her side as she tried to figure out away to apologize to Kenshin for lying to him.

"Aren't you done yet Kaoru?"

"Some of us don't cheat Misao."

"I don't know what you are talking about." She said turning her head away a faint blush on her cheeks.

Kaoru looked up and arched a brow at her partner.

"Oh really? So having that newbie do your paper work for you in exchange for a date isn't cheating?"

"No. It's creative problem solving. Now if you'll excuse me I have a date with a warm bath and hot coco."

Kaoru frowned at her friend; leave it to Misao to find the easy way out of her work. Well Kaoru probably could too but she really didn't want to go on another boring date with someone.

She tried it once and almost killed herself the guy was so dull. Sighing she turned back to the mountain of paper work before her. Straightening up she put on her most determined face and began to work.

Midori was sitting at Kenshin's desk while he brought up the files on the two demon gods. The one was easy to get but the other was a little harder and there wasn't a lot of information either.

"Not a lot to go on. Could you tell me how much you know?" he asked his warm violet eyes staring at her

She frowned even more her pink eyes glaring at him. With arms crossed she sat there scowling at him.

/ ` Baka why is he smiling? And he's supposed to be Battousai the manslayer. We are so doomed.' /

"Miss Midori?"

"What?" she growled out a little agitated for having to be here and with him instead of out there.

Kenshin sighed before asking her again.

`This is going to be a every long day.'

"I told you the two demon gods are going to be resurrected soon so why are we just sitting here instead of doing something?!"

"We are doing something. Now will you tell me what you know or must I pry it from you?"

"Hn, go ahead and try."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed turning to golden slits a slight frown on his face as he gazed at the girl across from him, her pink eyes glowing a faint red a low growl coming from her throat.

~~

Aoshi walked into the office ready to give his partner the new information he had just learned from a certain rooster head when he stopped. Slightly surprised to see Kenshin's violet eyes gone and the Battousai's golden ones instead.

The two were locked in a staring contest and neither one looked like they were going to back down.

"What's the matter too weak to tap into my mind?"

"You have ten seconds to talk or else." Kenshin growled

She only smirked at him before leaning back and sticking her tongue out. If he wasn't shocked before he was now. She had just challenged the Battousai to try and tap her mind. Was she insane? Did she have any idea just how powerful he was?

He watched her stick her tongue out at him a smirk on her lips.

`Obviously not.'

Sighing he slipped out from his spot and coughed to let them know he was there. Neither one looked at him but Kenshin did notice him.

"Yes Aoshi?"

" Here." He said tossing a large manila envelope at him. It landed on the desk sliding the rest of the way towards him.

"By the way you really shouldn't play games you can't win."

Scowling Midori growled and stood up intending to leave when a hushed whisper from Kenshin stopped her.

"The Lotus temple was attacked?"

Her heart stopped for second before she raced out of the room leaving the two men to stare after her, giving chase only a few seconds later.

Midori stood before the burnt ruins of the Lotus temple the ashes still smoldering from the recent fire. She couldn't breath the stench of burning flesh filled her noise and lungs while the screams of those that had died rang in her ears.

She fell to her knees a strangled sob escaping her throat as she tried to hold back the tears. The monks living at the temple had been family, they had taken care of her taught her many things and she couldn't even save them.

`Not again… I couldn't save them…please not again…'

Kenshin was surprised when he found her hunched over on the ground in front of the temple shaking and trying not to cry. His brow furrowed when he heard her thoughts whispered in his head.

`What is she talking about again?'

Kenshin walked towards to try and comfort her but she pulled away from his touch.

"Stay away from me! Just…just leave me alone!" she shouted as her arms gave out and she fell to the ground crying.

Kenshin stood there unsure how to help her not knowing exactly what was wrong. He glanced back up at the temple the smell of burning flesh found its way to his noise and he fought the urge to gag.

He noticed that Aoshi was no longer standing by them, which meant he was probably off looking around the grounds. Taking one last look at Midori he turned and went towards the burnt temple.

~~

The room was quiet save for the soft swishing sound every now and then. It was dim only a few lamps lit to give the room a soft glow. Light bouncing off a metal object as it cut through the air.

Saitou brought down his sword then quickly whirled around striking upwards and then coming back down just as fast. He stood up and leaned back pulling his sword parallel with his outstretched arm, taking a deep breath he opened his eyes the image of Battousai flashing before him.

Without hesitation he pushed off his foot and lunged forward, his sword piercing through the air. He frowned, something was wrong. He wasn't sure but it felt like there was something out of place.

Replacing his sword he sat down and took a calming breath and closed his eyes. He began to center himself and separate his thoughts and delve deep into his mind. He could sense it; it wasn't very loud or strong but that strange feeling was there inside his head.

He frowned when the feeling kept slipping out of his reach, frustrated he growled. Snapping his eyes open he glanced down at his sword then out the window. His eyes traveling the expanse of the clear night sky before he closed them again. They shot open moments later a look of surprise and worry passing through his eyes before disappearing.

~~

Kaoru yawned and stretched her back popping as she wriggled around in her chair. She had just finished the first stack of papers and she only had three more to go. Standing up she went over to the break room and poured a cup of tea and grabbed an apple before she headed back.

"They could at least supply more junk food." She said as she bit into the apple

"Or at least fresh fruit." She swallowed what she had in her mouth before tossing the rest away.

Sitting her cup down she reached for a stack of papers her elbow hitting a pile beside her and knocking it over. Papers and folders scattered everywhere, cursing she began to pick them up.

"Hun? What's this?"

Her hand hovered above a black file with a red tag.

"This is a division A file. What's it doing here?"

She picked it up and got up intending to move however her feet wouldn't budge instead she fell back into her seat the file resting in her hands. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously as her fingers twitched to open the file.

"What would it hurt…"

Taking a quick look around she found the room and halls to be empty. Slowly she opened the file and began to read the contents.

~~

Midori's whole body convulsed from her sobs. She couldn't stop, the smells were getting to her and the screams; the screams were tearing her apart. She was loosing herself slowly to the screams of the dead.

/ make it stop…please…go away…please…stop…./

She couldn't move or for that matter think anymore it was just too much for her senses. She felt so cold her body began to shiver the heat from the ashes quickly diminishing. She glanced up when the sound of feet shuffling caught her attention, her eyes grew large and she began to shake worse than before.

" Anju…"

The charred remains of the head monk stood before her, his body burnt to a crisp the skin blackened and smoking. His eyes hade sunken back into his skull and the skin on his left arm was missing so all that was left was a blackened bone. He shuffled towards her his burnt and ashen clothes scrapping against his dried skin.

He was standing before her now his hand rose to touch her face, inches away from it but she did not flinch. She sat there shaking tears streaming down her face as his bony fingers drew closer.

"F…fi..i..i..re…"

He came out gurgled and dry on a whisper of a breath but she heard it. He tried to speak again but the sound would not carry and soon as the wind began to pick up he was swept away disappearing into ash on the wind.

She grabbed her head and kneeled over slowly shaking it back and forth trying to get the voices and visions to stop. That is how Saitou found her, curled up in a ball shaking and crying. She looked fragile and helpless just like the child she still was.

He bent down ano touched her shoulder but she didn't respond, he could feel her sorrow it was like a deep empty void that consumed her spirit and it was reaching out to him. It was her who had called to him, conscious of it or not she had called out to him and he had responded.

With out a word he scooped her up cradling her in his arms her head tucked under his chin, her shaking form encased in his arms. She truly did look like a child then.

"Report when you find something useful."

Kenshin watched Saitou walk way with Midori in his arms whimpering slightly. He sighed his eyes softening as he remembered the pain of loss. Instantly his eyes narrowed and his hand went to his hilt.

"Come out, I know you are there so quit hiding."

The leaves rustled and were picked up by the passing wind. A dark figure appeared directly behind Kenshin. His long robes rustling in the breeze, a sinister sneer upon his lips as he unsheathed his weapon.

~~

A/N: Mawahahaha!!!! I end it there….until next chapter. So does this one meet your expectations? Hope it was good took me a while to write. Anyway just want to let everyone know that for the next four months I will be going to a little place I like to call HELL!!!! ( a.k.a college) and so my stories might take a while to post ( not like they weren't before….but now I have an excuse ^__^) So thanks for reading and being patient and for the wonderful reviews!!! Yeah reviews!!!!!