Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Seisou Hen ❯ A journey to Shanghai ( Chapter 5 )

Act 5: A journey to Shanghai

Twixt the caliginous nightfall, a figure came walking in his prairie, wearing a very mandarin red cloak, and starting to hurdle on his balustrade. His leap wasn't that too clamorous no more than for Enishi to notice. He opened his eyes in upheaval. He was in a deep sleep, having such wonderful dream about having someone in his arms. When he hooked his stare at the frame before him, he noticed who he was and hastily went to his composure.

"You? What are you doing here?" he asked in astonishment.

The intruder took his hood off showing his full appearance of a chap, with long black braided hair resting in his shoulder. He was more like around forty and was unbelievably accounted to be a professional assailant. "It's been a while." He said without any plans of walking off from his place.

"Tch! I know." Enishi grumbled in a rut.

The man crossed his arms while leaning his back over the parapet behind him. "I heard that you had already finished your mission here. About this malevolence of yours."

Enishi rested his back on the stool with his eyes binding unto his. "What do you want now Lei?" he catechized once again without any intention of having a conversation with him which seems to be the opposite of Lei's schemes.

"You do know that you still have a job left behind don't you?"

"How can I not remember that?"

Lei chuckled and glared at his fellow slayer, "Pha-ra has been looking for you. Don't you think you should go back now?" his eyes starting to glisten in grim. Enishi looked away in antipathy, "I was planning to do that." He unmannerly replied. "Then you came along."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Putting the blame on me, eh?" he said and let an derisive grin form in his mouth, "That woman you stole. She should be the one to impute."

Enishi clashed his hand onto the table-board in rage, "Don't even bother touching Kaoru! Or else-!" he was too irritated at Lei's face. As if always trying to mock him in a sort of way.

He sniggered in seeing him being so angry like that. "Calm down will you? I know fully that Jaguars are not made to steal anything from the Tiger." Enishi's shoulder succumb down normally, seems his wrath had restrained.

"Me and the others will be waiting for you in the dock of Shanghai in a week. A meeting will be held in the city of Sung-ch'ang." He stated as he initiated to leap onto the railing, ready to leave. "Don't be late." He bound to the darkness and was never seen again.

Enishi growled as he roost back to his stool with his hand kneading his temples. "Bloc of Doom." He mumbled and started to drift into sleep again before long, "Wonder what is it like now from the past two years."

~**~

Saitou walked his way to the corridor and found himself standing near the room where his associates were patiently waiting. He opened the shoji and was surprised to see lots of people inside. He didn't expected this. He took a glance to Aoshi and Sano who was sitting silently on the side.

"Sorry. They're too persistent." Aoshi said, pinpointing Misao and the company (Megumi, Tsubame and Tae). Saitou sighed deeply as he foresees this meeting to be a huge mess. He roosts at the opposite direction of Sano and Aoshi who was diligent for that very moment.

"There must be reason why you called us all." Misao started.

He gleamed at her as he draws a cigarette from his pocket and lightens it with a match. "I only called for two colleagues WEASEL. I didn't mention to bring you guys along." He answered in his usual discourteous manner. Misao burned in anger as her temper went to its pinnacle.

"Look! We're concerned of any information pertaining about Kenshin and Kaoru, do you understand?" she yelled, in ire she was. She could have easily whacked this wolf in the head.

"Quiet Misao. I didn't brought you here just to cause trouble." Cause of Aoshi's manly command, Misao was held back and just sat back in a rut. "Now, what is it that you wanted to tell us?" Sano asked.

Saitou used his expected grin; "You all knew what's my concern about this incident. And I would do anything just to finish this f*cking task."

"Rather get to the point." Megumi ordained though she was held back in Saitou's scorned facial cast. It was very striking that she chose to keep still in her place.

"We all knew that this Yukishiro Enishi is a full time hoodlum in China and not to mention, a swordsman who almost defeated Himura off." He took the stalk of cigarette off from his mouth and fumed off such continues smoke. "The claws and fangs of the dragon soaring in the sky cannot reach the tiger crouching on the ground."

"You're getting too shallow Saitou-san..." Tsubame mumbled shyly. Due to her sudden reaction, he just shot her with a stare as if trying to say `shut up' in a sense of gazing in her eyes. And so she did.

"Yukishiro is one of the most wanted criminals here in Japan since the day he had appeared with this comrades of his, bombing Akabeko and Deputy Uramura's house. We're planning to capture this lawbreaker though we all knew that the law couldn't stand a chance to defeat his crew."

"Didn't you two already killed one?" Sano asked switching glances towards Aoshi and unto Saitou.

"Kujiranami was his name and definitely he was a useless opponent. But you shouldn't lean upon that reality." He puffed out a smoke over and again.

Aoshi raised his temple, "Let me see. Is this some good news or bad news?" he catechized.

"Good and bad. Which one do you like to go first?" he went to his roguish ways.

"The good one I guess."

"We found where Enishi and his men dwelling."

"You WHAT?!" Sano wailed out to his incredulity. "Doko?!"

"I'm not deaf stupid-rooster-head. You don't need to shout so loud." Saitou was too smart with this kind of contention. No one could ever oppose to his discourteous yet clever answers. "It was an island located almost at the edge of Japan, about two hundred miles away from the dock of Korea. It was a very ingenious to think of a such a fortress to be a hideout."

"That was positively far from here... how can we get there?" Sano asked.

"By ship, stupid rooster!" Misao smack him on the head with the nearest bowl at the table.

"OY! You don't have to hit me so hard!" Sano started to act like a tot again as well as Misao who was much matured than him in spite of the fact that they behave the same.

Megumi sighed at the two, almost felt like she was flustered in the way they showed their uncivilized manners. She turned her attention to Saitou who just kept on puffing out some dirty smoke. "That would be the good one. How about the other one?"

"Unfortunately, Enishi escaped the country and took Kaoru away with him."

"WHAT?!" they chorused in terrible shock.

Saitou rubbed his ear with one digit, "Lower your disastrous voices, will you?"

"No way..." Sano mumbled, his eyes were in its immense form. Cause of the agitation he felt he released Misao off from his tight grip and she fell unconsciously on the ground, choking for air.

"Where did they took Kaoru?" Tae asked.

"The police had no idea yet. That's why I came here to start a meeting with you fools."

Aoshi narrowed his eyes and shot Saitou a jeopardous gaze. "You're expecting us to delineate a plan above all this?"

Saitou's expression turned into his untainted one's more like to deceit people about his real personality, "Good for you, you got my point." He smiled.

"This is not good..." Sano spoke under his breath. `Kaoru's gone somewhere... how exactly are we going to get her back... back to Kenshin?'

"That six comrades is too much for us. How can we-" Aoshi was cut off from his mid-sentence. "Correction. Two of those bastards are dead leaving Gein, Mumyoi and Banji to bother for." Saitou said.

"Three more left in short." Misao appended through the staid discussion. "Surely, they'll be staying in that fortress while their boss is gone am I right."

"Mâ, mâ... getting smart are we, WEASEL?"

She whack the table in wide palms in anger, "Urusai, busâho na!" she often wonder why this guy act so imprudent though ended up marrying a wondrous woman. `Poor Tokio.' She clasped her eyes and snubbed out from the conversation.

"Certainly, you got a plan." Sano stared at Saitou in such a way that he was expecting some answers.

He chuckled evilly and threw the smoke on the ashtray, blustering circles of fumes out from his mouth. "Mochiron."

~**~

"HEY! COME BACK HERE YOU LOOT!"

The deafening sound of such a grouchy voice rocked out through her ears. Not to mention, the way the ship stirred to the waves added to the disturbance of her rest.

"mmff...." she sounded off so annoyed she could have just thrown a huge material over the vexatious man on the head although she was half-asleep. The torture hadn't stopped there when more ridiculous, worthless humans joined the mob. They shouted some discourteous words and almost cursed too much, confirming how uncivilized those people were.

"You SON OF A B*TCH! Why bother stealing ten yen out of my daughter's hand? You BASTARD!"

In a short time, some sounds of punches and howls of pain followed those vulgar phrases.

"YAMERU onegai?! I'll never do it-" then it ended. The man was dead. No sounds of cries were heard only left by men who was laughing and guffawing over the dead man's body. "That deserves you... BAKA SURU NI." Continues of amoral laughs was all she heard. And from that, she flew her eyes open, fully agitated in disturbance.

Kaoru jolted off from bed, the towel above her forehead toss off to her side. "W-what?!" she spin her head and soon discovered that she was once again placed in a very strange place. She observed the whole room as she slowly grasps the reality. "W-where am I? What am I-?" she asked herself, almost freaked out from her situation.

"You're in a ship, don't you see?"

`That voice.' she thought. She motioned herself to the side of the room and was surprised to see HIM sitting in that stool near the almost opened door. "Enishi?" she called, questioning to her stare.

"Are you alright now?" he asked as when he stood off from his roost. He approached Kaoru in the process of sitting alongside her. "E-Enishi? What am I... what are we doing here? I mean, in this ship?" she was getting too apprehensive and Enishi had nothing else to do but to try and alleviate the situation.

"You had a very distressing fever. I had to take you to the doctor."

"Doctor? Do we have to ride on to this ship because of that?" she asked, almost suspecting something. She was not that dumb to believe that. And besides, she's all okay now.

He stared at her, fully amazed in her inquisitiveness. He's starting to believe how keen Kaoru was when it comes to these things. "I had to take you away. They had discovered my sanctuary."

She blinked unsophisticatedly, "You mean Kenshin's about to save me?!"

Enishi shook his head, "Iie. He still had no idea where you are. I'm talking about your friends in Tokyo."

She felt herself shattered into pieces in sorrow and hatred. Surely, Sano and the others knew where she was nevertheless; Enishi took her off to somewhere else just to keep her as his hostage. Her eyes glossed in tears, heavy beads of teardrops wanted to come out though she held it back. She didn't wanted Enishi to witness her sob again. It seems, seeing him grimace in her weeping cause some humiliation to herself.

"Where exactly are we going?" everything was still in jumble, she wanted to clear things up before she flux through her sickness again.

"Shanghai. Shanghai China."

Her eyes went wide, so perplexed, not her head was starting to add in her suffering. "Ch-China?!" she exclaimed beyond belief. "That's... that's too far!!!!"

He grinned wickedly, pouting to the edge of the bed. "It would be more challenging to find you." Whereas, he knew this trip in China would only be for temporary logic.

She crawled her way next to him and took a smite stare to his olive pools. "Why? Why in China? That's too far... too far for him!" China is on the other side of the great oceans in Japan and it would be doubtlessly hard for Kenshin to find out. He had a hard time in finding her in that island and now, he'll be facing a great venture in that huge country of China.

Enishi didn't bother glancing at her. She's starting to look all wobbly and faint, and he couldn't stand seeing women cry. "I have something to take care off before finishing this revenge. He had to wait for me so he could thoroughly save you."

"Face me Enishi! Please!" she clasped her hands to his shoulders and tried to shove him to her side. "Please... return me home... I'm tired of waiting... I'm..." she couldn't help it anymore. She spurt in tears, she's starting to sob again. "I'm tired of being with a person who had no intention of being affectionate to me..."

`God! I knew this thing would happen.' He had no chance of escaping this scenery. Nothing more to do but to reason out. The thing she said about him truly alarmed him. Him, not caring for anyone? Not caring for her? Did she ever think of him getting all-anxious because of her illness? He almost jerked off when she fainted in his arms. It's as if she just died back there with this pale skin of hers. `Silly woman... do you think I would bother taking you with me If I hadn't really cared for you?'

Getting giddy for that second, she fell to his arms, all drained and ailing. It's as if a huge katana just ruptured her brains off. She breathed so heavy, she never expected to be tired so sudden. "Enishi..." when she was about to shut her eyes, leaning her head against his chest, Enishi moved his arms and surrounded Kaoru in a tight embrace. "You're tired. You need to rest Kaoru."

She shook her head steadfastly, "I don't want to until you tell me the reason why you kept me for four long weeks... and now you're taking me to China... though you knew it would take long before Kenshin arrives and rescue me out." She asked constantly. Enishi was getting all clue-less day by day. He's getting denser and cause of that, she's starting to wonder, what would be Enishi's real intention to her. She started to blush just thinking all furtive about the whole complex.

"I need you."

That simple answer shook her out. "I need you." Those three little words bounced out to her ears. Her eyes widened too much. She looked up and saw him gotten all wary. "W-what?" she stuttered.

Enishi looked deep to her sapphire pools, their eyes locked strained together. They were in that position, just staring at each other. `I need you. I'm yearning to be with you. I don't want you to leave me. I'm deeply in love with you... God! I wish I could say that!'

"Himura will never let you get away from his arms. As what I have told you, you're important to him and you'll be the perfect bait for him to come."

Her eyes froze, she felt herself benumbed in what she had heard. "I... I see..." she didn't expected something like that to be adjunct.

`I wish I could kiss you... I need you badly... I want you now...' he took those thoughts off and cruised to reality. "You need to rest. I don't want anything bad to happen, until battousai comes to save you." Then, he laid her to the mattress and covered her with those white sheets. He emerged off from his seat and walked off dispiritedly. He didn't expected to be so tense back then. Seems like Kaoru was too much to be an opponent when it comes to these things. He almost give in.

~**~

"It isn't necessary to take me to China." Shinta voiced as Zhao started to unpack things to their hired room. "I just can't leave you like that Shinta. You're too weak. It's better if you come along with me."

"I thought you were born in Hong Kong. What's the purpose of travelling in that huge country?"

Zhao paused from the dislodging and went to glance behind her. Shinta looked more perplexed and she was not so pleased about it. She brought him because she wanted him to. There's no need for him to know who she was. "I need to do something Shinta. It's very important for me to visit that native land."

"W-well..." he stood up and went to go towards alongside her. "Do you need anything? I could help you in anyway I can." His offer was more of his rurouni ways. The same gentle one as invariably.

Without warning, Zhao toss the thing she was holding and went to throw herself in Shinta's arms. "I... I do need something... Shinta... I needed it badly..." she buried herself to his chest, almost sniffling his vigorous scent. She slips in her hands inside his hakama, brushing against his warm bare chest. Traced a path to his muscular lines.

Shinta has been fomented through the temptations. `I-I can't do this!... I just can't-` between the thoughts, he slowly pulled her off away from his body. Zhao looked up to him with her questioning gazes. "Doshite, Shinta?"

He shook his head; "I'm sorry Zhao... I can't do this... Never will I..." from that word, he walked away without any hesitation, away from her. She flamed in fury, wondering in his sudden rejection.

"Naze? Is it because of that woman you called Kaoru?! She's dead Shinta! She's gone! She has no right to stay up unto your flimsy mind!"

"Shut up!"

Zhao stepped back in fear. First time in her life she saw those yellow eyes that engulfed his violet pools. What did just happened? Golden pools stared flagitiously to hers. She never felt so frightened before. It was very amusing.

"Don't talk so coarse about Kaoru. She's my precious treasure and I will not allow anyone to insult her through her death, understand?!" he yelled out as he soon walked out from the room.

Zhao just stood there, watching him disappear from her sight. `Those eyes... very fierce... just like...' her eyes widened in such a way that she just remembered something she hadn't anticipated. She gasps in disbelief.

"Masaka!"

~**~