Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Getaway ❯ Broken ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter six: Broken

Four nights had passed, Arcia felt a lot better when she took the awful remedy every morning. She can almost move her body a bit for a change. The two old people were very hospitable enough to accept them, to let them sleep and eat under their abode. What they had done was enough and she won't even bother let her self be freight under those subtle couple. That's why she decided to move up from her sluggish lay, slowly moving from the clothes the old lady had given her. After five minutes of detecting her weapons, she immediately found the kunai's on the corner table although she never had caught the sight of her foremost blade.

A groan was released from her throat in out patience just not seeing the twin-scalpel around. "Shit… where is it?" she kept on mumbling under her breath frustratingly, almost spinning around the room just to find it.

"Looking for this?"

Again, Arcia ended up sighing in irritation. She spun around to face the ever so surprising being standing behind her. "Don't ever startle me again." Her voice was threatening when she finally confronted him; "I can see you have my Mangetsu with you." She glared at the blades Aoshi had been holding on one hand.

"You're planning to leave?"

Arcia rolled her eyes in rage, "Obviously. But then you came holding my blades. Give them back to me if you don't mind."

"No. You're not leaving without me."

"What exactly are you talking about?" was he thinking of coming along with her? That would be a surprise to be literal. Yes, he did save her she admits it but that thing of meandering together ends at this very moment. They had to separate especially now that Shishio or Enishi might had been starting to look all-over Spain just to get her back and kill her.

Aoshi was expecting her to refuse the idea of him accompanying her. He knew he's kind of awkward on bringing the issue of stagnant next to her but it seems it's the best thing to do. She can't survive this alone; she needed him even if it takes to the stage of arguing. "Your wound's not still healed yet and danger almost awaits for you outside. I have to go with you." He had no idea whether this little speech of sympathy may work but he do wishes it would. He can't bear the guilt that will run over him once she's captured and slay by her old colleagues.

"You're not going with me. We have to split from here. You don't know how much trouble it would cost us if we're traveling together." Her arms crossed on chest and raised an eyebrow when she looked up to the moon-illuminated face of this comely ninja standing forth her. "And besides… aren't the CIA waiting for your return? You saved me, the assignment was finished…"

"I'm a spy. I had accomplished the task that was given. For now, I am free whatever I desire to do." He stepped out from the dim side of the room and walked a few inches near where she was standing; "I want to protect you just until you find a way of how to escape your hidden enemies around." He had to admit that he was quite worried about her safety. He had never anticipated of having this commiseration to a stranger like her. He merely knew who she really was and the remaining facts about her being were left unspoken. He wanted to discover her, to know her much better if she'll let him.

It's not very usual for the likes of him to show such… sort of emotional attribute towards someone. The last time he could remember having such empathy was when his own associates died. It was hard for him to accept and even swore in their grave that he'll defeat Himura no matter what. But it seems that certain plight fade away when Enishi had done the job for him. Himura Kenshin was dead. After that incident, he suddenly felt this emptiness within him self. The hollowness of having no prospect in life. For years he had yearned to defeat battousai and heir the title of being the strongest. And now he ended up being a spy to the CIA, certainly one of the things he had not expected.

Arcia craned her neck to avoid his very unshakable stare. It's quite aggravating yet comforting in a sense. It's very eerie to know that a person she had just met a few days ago was now representing him self to aid her. Was he serious enough with his words? And how will she be able to spurn his phrases since he always looks serious and nonchalant? Once again, she raised her hands again with that claiming motion of her fingers, "The Mangetsu. Give it to me." she demanded emphatically.

Looking down, Aoshi raised the twin-blades and observe it, "You call this a Mangetsu?"

"Its called Mangetsu Sonan. The name derives from the way it attacks."

"Full moon destruction… I've never seen anything like this before."

"It's specifically made for me and me alone. Now, if you don't mind…"

"No."

"What?"

Aoshi looked down at the bewildered look of the ever-vainglory woman he had ever met with a tad of mischief in his eyes. "I'll give this to you if you'll agree to leave tomorrow morning with me."

This pisses Arcia a lot; he's getting too far. "Can't you understand? Shishio's sycophants may have been hunting for me at this very moment… I can't have the essence of taking someone to my death. They'll destroy me soon." Her whine reached the not so thick walls of the hut. She was near the verge of snapping out of her patience. All she wanted was to cry, just for once. But she'll never be able to do that. She had already hermetically sealed the misery within her and ended up to be someone passionless. Her very being was fed up with this restless world she was running in. She hated it, abominate it too much.

"I want to help you Arcia."

"I don't need your pity. I can run away by myself, or just accept my destiny."

"No. It's my decision… I'm staying with you."

"They'll kill you if they ever see you with me. I don't want somebody to die because of me, I don't want that to happen again…"

Aoshi was getting burned up from this insurgent conversation. He walked closer and grabbed Arcia's shoulder, shaking her to rouse back to reality. "You can't do this alone. Do you really want to die right then and there? You need to be strong Arcia, and believe me… I am willing to help and protect you." His eyes scanned her confused expression as her sapphire pools were glistening with her upcoming tears. She had always looked so vulnerable despite of her persuasive dauntless outlooks.

That voice really takes a lot of hardship in doubting it. He had always looked strenuous and deep in his way of speaking that it was too difficult to stagger him away. No words were left unspoken off of her mouth when she reached to grasp his clothes, verging near with her face buried against his chest. She was crying, she finally weeps after long years, sobbing to somebody's shoulder as she keeps the little shriek back to her throat. `Stay with me…' was all she could think from the moment. She didn't need any reaction or whatsoever, what she yearns for now was someone to cry onto, to show the fragile part of her even for just once.

He didn't know how to react; he's not used to such inauspicious aspects. He wanted to comfort her now and place his arms around her although he fears that she may sway him away. But what the hell was he thinking? She's barely opening up her self and here he is doing nothing. He immediately dropped the Mangetsu to the floor, enveloping her to an intimate embrace. Cautiously, he put forth effort to pull her a lot closer, guiding her head to cuddle at the crook of his neck and shoulder. His hand pressed her firmly with his other free one stroking her hair gingerly; the naiveté of showing affection was almost in the sight of the humanity. No one knows how long they stayed like that, for they believe no one of them would bother thinking something else throughout the nightfall.

-=0=-

September 24, 2000

After a day and a half, both had reached the main district of Cordoba, a few miles

away from Barcelona where SCO's territory was placed. Aoshi had thanked the old man for giving them a ride off to the end of the forest. And as what he could see, Arcia had brought him in front of a not so famous inn, just to be sure that no one would bother suspecting where their current location is.

Without delay, Arcia contiguously ledger them selves for a sole sleeping compartment with the male receptionist smiling dearly and led them to their room.

Once inside, Arcia instantly headed to the window which clearly heading to a sight of swarming peasants walking through the crowded streets.

"How's your wound?" asked by the same cool voice somewhere from the structural case of the door.

The raven-haired woman didn't bother glancing, letting her sapphire eyes behold such mob of people below. "I'm fine… there's nothing to worry anymore." She flatly replied while in the motion of shutting the windows, leaving the whole room in dim. In one graceful turn, she started to gait across the room, perching down to the alcove floor.

"We should be careful from now on. I can sense danger everywhere." Aoshi placed some of their things to the nearest bracket just before he gave the young woman a sedate glimpse. She didn't talked too much since they left the old couple's lodgings. As what it may seem that she's starting to get inert around him right after the other night, about her crying he suppose. Hell sure she had been keeping her self from showing such weakness like weeping, but naturally it is normal enough for her to do so… since she's still a girl in terms of physical being.

The way she had been giving these cold looks quite mystifies him a lot. Each and every thing she had been acting was quite familiar to him in a sense. Heck! It is exactly the same attitude he was having. True to be told that he's starting to see him self within her. Strange, though it appears to be like he had found his female counterpart. Her unfriendly temperament, poignant outlooks, undying determination, and most of all… the fear of showing delicate sensibilities. Arcia Rinslet ceaselessly subsisted to be someone he had been so intrigued about. Beautiful, prompt, and sly, nothing to compare to any women around. Misao was not even an inch of how she appears right now. To put it briefly, she's someone so hard to reach. Her whole self was locked to the obscurity of heartache and anguish. Maybe, maybe someday he'll be able to get her recount him unequivocal explication about her. And when that day comes, that'll conciliate him adequately.

Aoshi walked near the door and with the outlook of opening the door. "Where are you going?" Arcia conclusively looked at his direction with the demanding tone quietly heard from her voice.

"I'll go get something to eat since you'll be not able to show yourself in public. You have to stay here in stead."

"I see…"

He barely peered at her, right after opening the mahogany door. "Why don't you take a bath while I'm gone. That'll soothe you enough." And then he went off, with her looking directly to where he was last seen standing.

She sighed and got up from her roost at the same time as leading to the bathroom, "Aoshi…" her eyes shut tightly, trying to find answers to her own questions her self. Up until now she cannot understand why he bothered helping her out. She shook the thoughts away and concentrated on burning the water on the furo. `He wanted to help… to protect me… he had always respected me, not in provisions of being a woman but also in the abrading certitude of my dignity… Why is he doing this to me?' she can't help but to curse and curse her self to death for starting to feel peculiar things around him. It's not very common for her to remonstrate, to show fastidious emotions, to cry. She's not accepted to such things of tactility. She was born to be stony hearted and merciless, destined to kill and slay the sole man who had stole her happiness. `To murder Makoto Shishio who murdered my parents…' those words were tattooed on her mind that she wouldn't ever do anything to destroy that lifetime promise. No one should interfere, not even someone she's starting to get fond of. This has to stop immediately before it's too late.

Loosing the small blue buttons, she swiftly took off her clothes and went dipping her self to the warm water. She sighed softly and endeavored of resting her whole tired body against the wonderful surges of the temperate pool. "You cannot destroy me Shishio… I'll kill you first before you slaughter me…" she murmured raging with her hands tightening into a fist.

Of course she was planning of leaving the blue-eyed spy behind and go on with her pursuing those people who needed to pay for their sins. She can't let something happened with Aoshi because he was trying to protect her. No one… not even him should hinder around her plans. He has to go.

Throughout the serenity, a certain thump was heard somewhere around the cabin. Her eyes snap open, with her body frozen in convulsion. Does someone knew about her stay here inside this inn and already barge inside the room? How did that happened?

In one expeditious movement, she went off from the reservoir and took a hold on the fresh-clean robe she got. Arcia wore the garment quickly with nothing else in mind rather than grabbing her Mangetsu and face the upcoming danger.

Tediously, she strolls down outside the lavatory with a circumspect gaze around the suite. Nothing seems to be irrelevant around and so her eyes found her twin blades to the rack where Aoshi had placed it.

She walked, taking small strides with the anticipation of reaching her weapon. Her hand outstretched, scooping the Mangetsu Sonan off of her clutches. Everything turns out to be perfect not up until she felt a thick wire garroting her head arduously. She looked up and saw a certain man in a loose cloak hanging from the ceiling with this cord intertwined around her neck.

She suffocated out while feeling her self-losing out her breath in a painstaking method. Her nails tried to gash the man's hand, finding it quite profitless if she continues in scuffing his skin. The string tightened as a response to her domineering actions, binding her in distress.

Finding it merely unavailing, she raised her leg and kicked the rack off of balance, sending some of her kunais on through the air. Grabbing one was agonizing enough and as she reached the blade, she cleaved the metal right into the man's hand making her ravager to cringe in pain and emancipated her bleeding nape. She sank down to her knees and started to hack out for air while the assailant kept with his wailing in ache. Arcia took the chance and briskly run to gain her scalpels.

The man made a fast recovery and went off from the topside, dropping to the floor with his own sword in his hand. Arcia faced him, her chest was still in the rise and fall aspect, restoring all the oxygen she consequently lost.

"Who sent you, bastard?" the enemy didn't answered, the next thing he did was to dash off and attack her with his lame Katana. The sapphire-eyed Mangetsu-wielder easily blocked the assault and impressively pushed him away from her. The man never conceded and continued to throw sluggish aggressions, which Arcia could facilely evade. He had once or twice wounded her a bit but not too much for her to flinch from her stance. When she finally found the chance of striking back, she made her blade to turn to its opposite direction to strike him directly from the belly. He effortlessly dodged the first strike although he had never seen the second blade coming to his direction. With one smooth motion, she entrenched her Mangetsu to his pot gut with the other one pointed at his throat. Now it appears her ivory housecoat were filled with his dirty vital fluid.

The man spilled blood from his mouth with fear filling his face. His eyes broaden off, smothering his gore on her pearly garment. "For the last time… who sent you?" she breathed hard. That rope took almost half of her energy. Much to her disgust, the man smirked and laughed sarcastically with his hand grabbing the free blade and went thrusting it into his throat.

Arcia's eyes widen like saucers when she saw him stab his flesh off guard. Her visions transited in a slow motion, seeing her hand instinctively drawing her scalpel off with the carcass falling down to the clean floor. She just gapes down at the dead body, stock-still to the deck. Both of her hands drop numb at her sides with lots of trickle of blood flowing down from her Full moon destruction.

"Oh God…" her small mouth mumbled in dread. She knew she had never meant to kill him… not here, at this kind of place… she'll be left in trouble. Hell sure she'll be in trouble.

-=0=-

6:45 p.m

Shishio sat silently upon his chair while skimming on the couple of papers he was holding. The current reports about Agent Rinslet's loss came this morning, calling everyone's attention to generate an assembly. Enishi was there, so as Schneider who just arrived yesterday from arranging things way back in CIA. All the important accomplices intently placed their stares at Shishio's reaction while reading the certain recount.

A less minutes or so, Shishio placed down the papers and thus taking off his small glasses off. "This is insane! Spain is too small and up until now no one could find that bitch!" what he just read had stunned him a lot. It even made furious with the current predicament.

"What does it say?" one of the associates asked.

"Someone helped that lass from escaping. No one could hunt them down." Shishio shifted to lean against the chair, rubbing his ditched brows. "Just as the reports says, it was her CIA handler who had barged into the asylum to save her."

Schneider took a deep breath from the statement. He was quite relieved that Aoshi had been able to save her in time.

Enishi moved his dark glasses down and glared at the old man. "From CIA? How on earth did the CIA knows about the plans?"

Shishio shook his head; "CIA has lots and lots of sources around… unless there's still someone remaining to be a double-crosser around the agency." He gave each and every person inside the meeting room a dangerous glare. Schneider did compose him self and never attempted to react with his account, or else he'll be entering a new tribulation this time.

"We have to find her Shishio. Or else this triad may vanquish because of some agent from CIA." One of Shishio's associates voiced out. Makoto Shishio had tons and tons of dilemmas surrounding his head. And now Arcia dares to add up to those tonnages of deadlocks inside his brain.

"We have to do something about this." another compeer insinuated. The discussion went on and Enishi couldn't stand listening to their babbling and current plans of eradicating Arcia's existence.

He then decided to exit the room without even noticing that the blonde innovator had been following his trail.

"Yukishiro!" Schneider called as the white-haired agent turned his head to face him. "We need to talk." He whispered with guarded eyes.

Enishi didn't reject the offer as they both decided to talk inside his flat. Schneider did follow him and as they enter, Enishi secured the door and confront the blonde guy standing somewhere at the center. "What is it?"

"Arcia. We have to save her." Schneider initiated.

He quickly scowled and declined to take the conversation, "If you're here to put sorts of spell outs about what she did, don't even bother doing it." He walked near the stool and sat with the certain firmness in his voice.

"You don't understand, Enishi. You should have listened to her when she tried to explain."

"What do you mean?" Enishi narrowed his eyes. He started to scrutinize each and every word he had parted. His glare was so sharp that Schneider started to stir away from it. Both men exchanged stares until Enishi found the grit of continuing. "Are you hiding something from me?"

Schneider turned his head on the side, avoiding meeting his prying eyes. He walked back and forth just as not for him to take any direct eye contact with him. "I know you, Enishi. And I can sense that you're still concerned with Arcia no matter how you deny it." He halted his steps and looked up to the guilt-ridden tora. "Right?" that was a positive declaration. He had noticed Enishi flinching with the question.

"She lied to me… she teamed up with the CIA. She's betraying the country we had been protecting for years!"

"She did not! It is you who's betraying your country!"

Enishi jolted off from his stance, "What did you say?"

Schneider just stood there and gazed, "Think about your words before saying it, Yukishiro. It's not too late to say sorry to her." he took a couple of steps backwards and verge upon the doorway as he made a very elegant exit. Enishi was in daze, completely overwhelmed for the reason that he was setback with his discourse with the innovator. The fact that Schneider's words were true and how much he really wanted to believe Arcia more than anything else. How could he be so stupid?

-=0=-

Half an hour had passed until he had returned to the inn. His steps halted right from the moment something urgently bothered him. "Blood… I can smell blood…" Aoshi looked up and saw the window from their room insignificantly cracked open. As what he could remember, Arcia had shut that windowpane before he left their room. He didn't wasted any minute and instantly went dashing inside, directing him self to the staircase without even returning the receptionist's warm greeting.

Strange yet his heart started to beat so fast. The perceptions of seeing her dead or wounded quite ruffles his thoughts. Was he that concerned to be this traumatic for that woman's safety? He had never imagined him self-getting all restrained by female's claws.

Alighting to the very end of the hall, he opened the shoji door only to welcome him in such a gruesome sight. The whole room was messy, and dirty blood had splurged all over the floorboards, not to mention how the place awfully smell with gore. "Arcia?" he softly called, taking smaller strides inside at the same time closing the door behind him. He would very much appreciate that no one would see such noteworthy scene.

The dead body came into his eyes as it lay coldly on the ground. His eyes slightly rolled to the side to see a woman, in a white robe that was filled with carnage, hugging her knees against her chest.

"He- I killed him…" there was no tone of apprehension within her voice. Just her plain, glacial manner of linguistic. Aoshi didn't think a thing or two, he accordingly went to verge upon to where she was perching. She had injuries, especially that deep laceration around her porcelain neck. He did saw the intruder holding a wire on his hand, he may had tried to choke her to death.

He stoops down and examined her face. Her usual sapphire eyes turned shackled and tarnished in stun. Her soft milky skin looked so pale against the seeps of dark red fluid that stained her squally. Her hair was still dampened, significant to the point that she just took a bath. "The body. What should we do to that body Aoshi? No one should see it around here." She mumbled direly on the surface looking pass through Aoshi's shoulder.

"I'll take care of that. You're dirty… I should clean you up first." He scoops her into his arms and brought her back to the bathroom.

Placing her to the wooden stool near the tub, Aoshi took a pail of water and a piece of cloth to wipe the stains on her skin. Arcia just sat there and watched him rub off the blood from her arms. He took off the Mangetsu from her grasp and flings it aside, taking her hand right before swabbing each finger.

There was this discomforting stillness between them again, both in daze of what had just happened. "Did Shishio sent him to kill you?" Aoshi questioned as he reaches to the gauze he got from the sink's closet.

"I don't know… I was asking him when he…" her hand automatically motioned to touch her aching nape. "… he struck his throat with my blade."

Aoshi saw her recoil and forthwith directed his focus to the wound around her wan neck. He cleansed the blood off and when he was finished, he trussed the gash with the white ligature. Once he's finished, Arcia looked up, uplifting her head to see his face. Her eyes slightly expanded when her very own orbs encountered his. Mediterranean green had illuminated anxiety and concern within its hypnotizing colors, which had stunned her out. `He's bothered… fretting things that I couldn't uncover…' she grievously thought.

He had felt her gaze gotten deeper than expected. Sapphire pools finally having ample illumination rather than those listless he had seen just a few seconds ago. Now that he's finally here, staring straightly at her countenance, he had no idea of how to get away and avoid this sudden rush of feelings. She was lovely despite of those dribbles of messy sanguine fluid. She was more than beautiful, she was like a Goddess, her impassive and pure naiveté around people fabricated her even more celestial. Those eyes of sapphire resplendent through the dimness of the room, her coal-sable tresses curling softly around the exquisite ranges of her face, the rest fell like a black satin cascade behind her back. All the rest remained definite within the curves of her body. How could a person like her appear near perfection?

Neither did he know that the Mangetsu wielder had been doing the very same thing. It was the very first time she had been this spellbound with someone's appearance. Her eyes traveled his whole being, his body from his silky looking raven hair that looks definitely beautiful and rather smooth to touch. Turquoise eyes had enthralled her attention; they could bore a hole into one's soul. He was handsome, has the fine features were matchless, even his demeanors and perspectives were regal. Arcia could have slapped her self when she felt her face gotten hot and reddening. Blushing was not included upon her dictionary.

Aoshi let him self be controlled by the bewitchment, leaning a little bit closer with their faces just a few inches away from each other. He could feel her breath mixing with his, heart beating so fast, eyes fully fixated on those pair of roseate flesh waiting to be touched with his. Her pleasant chrysanthemum scent filled within his sensitive nose and tangling with the summer breeze. Leisurely their faces came closer and closer, lips almost touching, mind and soul drifting in harmony. Arcia's mind screamed for her to avoid, to walk away and never see him again. But there was another part of her that was caterwauling in crave, she wanted this to happen, she needed this to come.

The fusion of lust, suffer privation and pleasure he felt took over his mind, causing him to grab her shoulders, pushing her against the furo. He saw her close her eyes; he was almost there. The desire of feeling and having her mouth with his was an inch away from reality.

"Stop." At the last second, just before their lips would touch, Arcia turned her head away.

It seems both had awakened from the blinding spell, inducing Aoshi to move away and walk off to the bathroom's door. "I'm sorry." He remained silent, and so does she. He couldn't believe he had somewhat lost his self-control back then. How can he fall for such enticement?

Arcia shook her head and grabbed the tossed drench cloth on the floor. She took it and wiped the remaining dirt off from her skin. She has to forget this thing had happened. She can't go on remembering his face, his hair, his lips… she needed to overlook everything. She can't care, desire nor to show endearment. She's a loner; she doesn't needed anyone beside her. She's certainly not permitted to love someone.

"I'll get rid of the body." He had finally found the good excuse to escape such humiliation. Aoshi strode off and approached the cadaver while Arcia still sat there, confused. Face buried within her palms… almost on the threshold of getting demented in dreadful pain of falling in love.

TBC