Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Where Are You Now? ❯ Chapter 11: You Killed Him ( Chapter 12 )

AN: Yeah, I think I have about ten more chapters to go before I finish this story . . . Oh well, it's worth it.

Disclaimer: Oh yes, in last chapter I was merely using the song just to put more angst in it, no more, no less, that's all. **Looks happily towards mysticInca** Arigato! You know, at one time I thought I had a reason to put these stupid things down. I mean, why can't we own these series that we happen to love so much?

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Where Are You Now?

Chapter 11: You Killed Him

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June 9, 1879

Early Morning

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She stared down at him, blood coursing from his body as he tried desperately to get up. Even from on top of the building's roof she could see the shaking hands and the slow falling tears in the man's eyes. Shaking her head of long wavy black hair she jumped down from the roof to where the man lay. Then squatting by him she removed the thin short black hair from his face only to see the face of a man she once knew very well.

The sight of that same man holding her in the air and laughing made its presence known in her mind. Her hand flew to her temple and pushed on it yet stared down at the sleeping form before her.

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It was blurry, but he could see it come and kneel by him. The pain in his chest gradually numbed itself and it felt as if he couldn't swallow. Blood, his blood was about the only clear thing he could see, why now? Why didn't this happen to him earlier, why now? His heavy eyelids slowly closed as everything went dark in his head. Everything except one thing, she refused to leave him and he was rather glad that his mind allowed her to stay.

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Sighing, Takara slid one arm under his neck and lifted him to a sitting position, his head swinging back and forth as she did so. She stared at him and couldn't believe what she was seeing; this was the man that she knew. A Japanese man that her mind wouldn't let her forget, just like her father and other members. Pulling his right arm over her shoulders she proceeded to stand. His weight caused her to stumble a bit before she actually really stood, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Walking forward she had one hand clutching his other side so that she didn't drop him. Turning into a dark alleyway, Takara and the older man disappeared from the incoming light of the sun.

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Morning

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Sunshine, morning was here and yet his friend still hadn't came back yet. Peering through the wooden window out to the street, he could see the apothecary's and restaurant workers begin to open their shops. Nobody walked down the street, not a person that he would recognize. His purple eyes scanned every inch of the outside world and by the time he was done the sun had already risen quite high. Thinking that his friend wasn't going to make an appearance soon, Nagakura stood and walked towards the door, grabbing his tanto on his way. The fresh smells of food filled his lungs and made his stomach growl. The aroma began to lead him to the one place where it was coming from, the kitchen.

"Mmmm. Food." Closing his eyes he let himself drift about but heard a woman's shout as hands turned him around to walk the other way. Nagakura stopped and looked backwards toward the woman who was holding a spatula in one hand and the other resting on her arm. Her face though was something that could and did made him scurry off quickly from the fresh . . . delicious . . . ::cries:: FOOD!

What was he saying, he wasn't Sano, he could live without food for quite a while sometimes.

But today was one of those days where he needed to replenish his energy. Turning around with a huge grin on his face he met the scary woman's anger once again. Pretending he wasn't about to do Nagakura kept spinning and hurriedly walked away. Slouching his shoulders the old man pouted, until he saw something very pleasing. The word 'Akabeko' shone very brightly in front of him, like it was some saving grace for him. Running towards the door he felt a strong tug on the back of his gi. Now who was it that was trying to stop him from eating a nice and delicious meal?

"Oi, ya weren't about to do what I think ya were." Came the familiar voice, "Especially without yar big pal who was out doing his job."

Turning his smaller friend around by the clothing, Nagakura got a nice view of an unhappy face. Nagakura's only response was a weak smile, and as cheesy as ever.

"Ya were weren't cha?" Came an evil expression.

Cheesy grin . . .

Evil frown . . .

Weaker cheesy grin . . .

Big red eyes and an evil frown . . .

Sano? . . .

"Why ya, I otta hurt cha for that one! Ya meanie, commit seppuku, anythin' so that I don't have ta hurt ya!"

Tossing Nagakura back and forth he began to yell at the top of his lungs. Saying words like 'Traitor' or 'Yar so cruel!' There was one thing for sure; Harada wasn't going to make his pal forget all about this. Trying to pry his body from Harada's, Nagakura mumbled under his breath, "Sano, what were you saying?" Stopping in mid-swing, Harada's expression dropped from angry to confused. What was he about to say again? Taking this chance the smaller man jumped away from the stronger man's hold.

"Oh yeah . . . That's right, I was going to tell you what I had to do overnight."

Raising an eyebrow Nagakura said sarcastically, "Since it's you, I'd love all the details of your lovely night."

Jumping back a couple of feet and then approaching his friend with vengeance Harada made his point very clear.

"How dare you think of such thing Shinpachi-san." Harada's nose soon grew even more bigger by his comment as he continued what he was going to say, "I wouldn't do such a thing in my whole life!"

::Nose suddenly flops downwards::

Nagakura looks blankly at his friend and gives an evil grin, "I'm sure you wouldn't Sano."

Pretending he didn't hear Nagakura's smart comment, he looked up to the sky and brought his dark tanned fist toward his chin.

"The truth is yesterday I received that crow with the name attached to it and everything." Retracting his gaze from the sky to Nagakura he frowned, "This guy is totally serious isn't he?"

Staring intensely into the dirt, Nagakura asked seriously, "And who did we have to capture?"

Harada's frown grew even more, the very sight of the young woman leaning over the creek played over in his mind. The light of the water that was reflecting on her face and shining in her eyes, and her smile bright and yet sad. Then a frightened face trying to shake his arms away, he could still feel the tearing of his skin on his arms.

"Sano-kun."

Taking him out of his dream, he peered down on the concerned man. Closing his eyes once more, remembering the scene over and over again. As he began to say the captive's name, the money that had been in Nagakura's hand fell to the ground.

"Isami Aiko."

Nagakura couldn't believe it; he almost wanted to punch his friend in the face. Looking down he shadowed his eyes; what were they going to do now?

"Like I said, this guy is serious. And most of all, he made us capture the chiefs daughter."

He didn't want to pay any attention, his mind, and his memories were going. Only one question raised in his brain and spilled out of the man's mouth, "And where is she now Sano?" Sighing deeply he glanced over to him and said what his friend needed to hear.

"I found an old building in the side of one of those mountains, looked like it was used for training and fighting in so I decided that was going to be the place where I'd leave her. Ya' know, if ya think that I took her by brute force don't worry, I gave her some sleeping powder. A high dose of it so when we get to the place where she is she'll probably be asleep."

Nagakura nodded in reply, he didn't want to see Aiko hurt by anyone back then, and certainly he didn't now either. Raising his attention to the sky above, he watched as a dove flew off into the puffy white clouds. A day after grief was always peaceful, even back then . . .

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Fujita residence

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Tokio nervously paced the floor, her husband left, then Aiko, and then Okita had left. Everyone was gone except for the kids, and for the first time she was nervous. Even Aiko always tried to get home soon, something must've happened. But what, she didn't want to even think about what could've happened to everyone. Hands clenched to both side of her head, holding onto thin black hair and her heart pounded in her chest.

Eiji and Tsutomu watched curiously as the adult paced her way through the entire house. Both of them blinked and then turned to each other and then continued watching Tokio. Eiji never knew that she would get so stressed.

"AH, I know!" Tsutomu looked up at Eiji and began speaking his usual gibberish.

"I'll go make her some tea, Okita-san always did that for her when he came here!"

Tsutomu laughed and ran after Eiji into the kitchen area where the older boy began to create a tea that might calm the older woman down. Putting in ingredients of many kinds, of course back at Shingetsu village he never had time to make tea. He could only remember his mother putting some kind of leaves into the pot and letting them boil but it always tasted good in the end. Eiji smiled as he watched the water boil then set the lid over the wooden pot so that the steam wouldn't hurt their faces. Then, before Eiji was able to walk back to the living room, he heard a slam at the door.

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She ran as fast as she could in the kimono, trying to make her way around the crowded maket place. She remembered the last time she was able to run like this, on the farm in Aizu where she would chase the birds from their crops. Her eyes softened a bit before she finally stopped in her tracks to a slowly gathering crowd. Great, now how was she going to get around this thing? She listened the nearly silent muffles of 'Poor boy' and 'somebody help him.'

Tokio didn't care about her surroundings at the moment; right now she desperately needed to get to her husband. She pushed through the gathered crowd, and then looked in the direction of where the group was looking. There in the middle was a small boy; deep scared brown eyes looking up to a man who hasn't yet let his sword down. The boy sitting on the ground and moving backwards every so often had something strange about him. His clothing wasn't like any that Tokio had seen. Could he be one of those ninja's?

"Oi, oi, oi . . . What's all this?" Came a strong and muscular man from the other side of the commotion.

"Tell me we don't have to walk through this?" Said the smaller one at his side. Walking towards the men and women gathered, he didn't even have to raise a finger or his voice just to get through, everyone simply moved out of his way. Then Tokio got a glance of it, and her eyes widened in shock. The taller man carried an old samurai's spear and the smaller of the two carried both a sword and wakizashi.

The boy looked up quickly to the both of them and then to the man threatening him. But, before he could even jump out of the way someone else was behind the rude man. Carrying a shinai the older boy had entered the little fight. The two samurai's stopped immediately at the sight of the boy with a shinai fighting against a sword.

"How pathetic, the kid's gonna lose."

"Yeah, but just in case Sano we should get ready to also attack."

Harada nodded, "Yeah, it might just get a little gruesome."

Shifting his feet to the right stance, the older boy only took a few steps towards the man and used a side swing towards the man's upper arm, which in turn dropped the sword in his hands. In pain the man jumped away from the kid and stared at him looking rather pissed. All the boy had to say though was a grin as he swung his shinai over his shoulder.

"I, Yahiko Myogin, think that you're no match for the Kamiya Kasshin style."

Scratching the side of his face Nagakura questioned this remark made by the kid.

"Ano . . . Sano . . . Wasn't it a bad thing to tell your enemy's your name?"

Harada laughed, "That was only because we were in such an awesome group!"

The boy on the ground sat there at the strength that the older boy had, his eyes saddened at the thought. If he weren't with such a horrible family back then maybe he would've became like that, holding a shinai with such skill. He glanced down at the shining metal on the ground and stared at his reflection. Had he really changed that much from being out there in the forest training.

Tokio frowned at the sight and pushed her way through the cluster of people. Ignoring all the evil stares and fusses that they all said she finally got to the end and began running again. She really hoped to see someone she knew right now, even Aiko would be nice. But all night long her and Okita were gone, and they have no other place to go to except her home.

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'Damn, why won't he stop bleeding!'

Takara wiped away the gathering blood at the side of Okita's mouth. Sitting against the tree leaning forwards Okita tried his hardest to regain consciousness. Squatting back onto her tiptoes she watched him, a body twitching every so often.

'Okita Soushi, former captain of the first squadron in the Shinsengumi."

Then Takara's mind went elsewhere when she heard the rustling of plants near her. Her body almost instantaneously went into guarding and her eyes went cold. Something around them just didn't seem right; all she knew was that either she or Okita had to get out of here. Then she looked back at Okita; he was helpless at this moment so if she even dared to runaway he wouldn't know the way back to Tokyo.

He is ill and weak . . .

'Nothing like what he was back then . . .'

And now, most of all, he won't . . .

"STOP BLEEDING!"

Takara held up his head and wiped away again the dripping red liquid coming from the side of his mouth. Her hand stopped over his mouth as he stared at his closed eyes, the way he had his hair done brought an image to her abruptly. The image of a young boy laughing in ninja clothing holding a bunch of spears in his arms; it was when she stared at Okita that she saw the little boy.

"Mareo . . . I hope you're not getting yourself into trouble at this time."

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'Damn kid!'

Long jumped along the rooftops with the only thought of butchering the boy when they got home. Mareo was a pain in his ass ever since he got here; it's because of him now that everybody follows Qi more and more each day. Under his arm held tightly was the little annoying Japanese boy, fear stricken and he was wondering what was going to happen to him.

"Oi Long."

Keeping his attention on the roofs and further down the line to the houses that blocked him from their destination, Long snorted telling Mareo that he was listening. Mareo looked down at all the people who began staring at the top of the buildings as they passed. This was the only thing different from him to Qi, when he ran he made himself known to everyone around him. He was never quiet and always brought up an argument to their leader, and for some odd reason, he had been leaving camp way to many times.

"I was wondering, what's going to happen to me is Qi dies?"

Qi . . . That was the only thing she was called back then, no last name, and no anything. She'd always hide behind the empress and do her dirty work. Qi, the Qi he knew before she became the Okashira wasn't all that bad, he could actually be with her without fighting. But when he watched her slaughter his father like that, every tie and bond between them broke almost instantaneously.

"If our leader dies by another enemy, then we return to China."

That's right, China, his homeland, a place where he could live from all the grief and pain of his past. He could still remember everything so clearly, everything that she did, and every mistake that she made he remembered.

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August 9, 1875

Shanghai

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Noise something he had come to love so dearly even when he wanted to sleep. She always said that he must've been crazy to constantly listen to it. But the way he saw it, even the silence was loud and the blood curling screams he had grown used to by now. Today would be a day that would completely change the future of the Phoenix clan and he wasn't ready for it. The bell was hit again to have everyone rise from bed and begin his or her usual routine.

Long rolled over to his side and laid on his arm, not wanting to leave to wonderful warm feeling of his bed. He was about to doze off until some distinguishing laughing came from just out his door, and before he knew it, the door slammed open to reveal the lighthearted Qi. Her hair tied back into a small bow that literally was to big for her for it almost went down to her thighs. Great big brown eyes stared down at his sitting form as she hopped from the doorframe to the side of his western styled bed. Setting her hands on the side on then resting her chin on them she looked up to the fifteen-year-old who raised an eyebrow at her.

"Long, you know its time to wake up."

Rolling his eyes, Long slipped out of bed and stood up to stretch. Qi also stood up and laughed.

(She was always so carefree like that, what changed?)

He looked down at her; there was one time when he didn't have to look down but rather up to her. Yeah, he had grown a few inches above her head but it didn't seem that she really cared about it. Long grinned, popped his neck and then heard the girl's comment to it, "Ew."

"Are you going to let me get dressed or do I have to walk around in my sleeping outfit."

Qi giggled as she passed him one of the most devious glances through her long and thick eyelashes, "Aw, but come on, it'd be funny."

"Nu-uh, I'm not even going to attempt one of your sick-minded plans again."

Qi giggled again and ran off towards the door but stopped only a few inches from the frame.

"Pops told me to tell ya that you need to eat breakfast soon before Ling eats all of it."

Laughing Long replied, "You should let her, maybe she would learn her lesson from eating all my dofu."

The girl nodded immediately, the grin on her face not diminishing one bit. She was absolutely oblivious to what was going to happen later, and just for now, that's all he wanted. Qi was like a same-aged sister; nothing compared to a twin but a sister. They would train with each other, get each other in trouble, and of course take the blame for the other. Slipping on his common everyday clothing and pulling back his quickly growing braid Long walked out of his room and shut the door.

He strolled down the hallway and made his way to the kitchen, passing fine family heirlooms and stories of how his family survived. To his father, the Xiaochu family was the most honored in all of China.

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After eating breakfast he decided to make his way back to the training room where there was still a lot of commotion. The truth was . . .

(Father was going to fight Qi and determine the next Okashira)

Long stopped outside of the doorway where many of the students had gathered watching the training session between a second classman and the graceful Qi. He watched intently, taking in every move that she made so that he could remember her. A few taps came to his shoulder and Long jumped at least four feet into the air. Turning around as quickly as his body would let him, he came to see the face of his older sister. Long bangs draping over both sides of her face and the rest of her hair was kept up in a tight bun.

The next moments of that day were like a nightmare to everyone. The blood spurting everywhere in the room, the cries of pain that were ushered by the one he looked up to and by the one he cared for deeply. And then, the time where Qi was a complete wreck but stood up anyway and grabbed the only weapon that she hadn't used yet, the iron fans. The way his father screamed in agony as the metal cut open his skin and drew his blood made everyone want to scream him or herself but couldn't even muster their cries. After that one blow, that final strike had killed his father, mercilessly murdering him right then and there.

(You didn't have to kill him . . . You didn't have to prove your existence like that!)

*End*

Long nearly shoved Mareo into the rooftop, a mixture of horror and anger wiping over his features. She killed him, she murdered his father and for what, to show that she was strong enough to lead. Now he clinched the boy's neck tighter, as he seemed to glare right through the squirming Mareo. Speaking in Chinese he said something that Mareo couldn't make out.

"What happened to you Qi?! What drove your anger to the point of assassinating the original master of the Art of Phoenix?!" (AN: Don't know Chinese, so insert here.)

Releasing his grip on the boy's neck, Long began to run passed him and over the spread apart houses. Struggling to get his breathing under control Mareo coughed and opened one eye. Something was happening, something wrong and bad was going to happen and he could make out what.

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Ling's voice appeared in his head that drove him even more insane, "Qi wasn't herself, something inside her Long drove her and without even understanding it, she killed our father. I accept the facts dear brother, now it is time you do the same . . ."

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Far, faraway from Tokyo

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Nagakura laughed nervously as he dabbed at the paper, yep, with Harada being here, they were certainly dead. He looked back to the worried Harada who walked back and forth on the fine rug.

"I swore I didn't give her any poison, she should be up by now, I SWARE!"

He looked utterly hopeless, not even Kami could understand him now. Proceeding with the letter, Nagakura squinted his eyes and crumbled it up. He truly did hope that he wasn't going to die in this battle, oh did he hope he wouldn't.

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Next Chapter

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In the next chapter of "Where Are You Now?" our wonderful Okashira gets the news of where Aiko is being held. And wait, is that Okita at the front gate to the horrible destination.

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Character notes

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Xiaochu Long: Oh yes, yes, yes did he and Takara have such a wonderful relationship at one time or another.

Xiaochu Ling: The older sister to Long, she is very helpful and loves to pick on her little brother. Her name means tinkling sounds of broken jade.

Okita Soushi: WAAHH!

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Reviews

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MysticInca: Wow, Thank you, mesas hope you enjoyed that very special chapter that I made. It was harder then hell though, ya'know.

Inca_dove: Round of applause, but thanks anyway for reading it even though you read it when you were tired.

AngryBee: Yes Yes Yes, that they are, but I really didn't realize that my story is turning out like Kaoru and Kenshin, welp, that only means I have to change somethings. DARN!

JadeGoddess: Erm, I don't know, just fit with the story……. Though the truth is I do know, I just can't tell ya, cuz well, I um yeah, just can't tell ya!

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AN: ::Growls:: GOD WHY WON'T IT SHOW MY SEPARATORS! I kill, I kill it DEAD!!!!! ::sniffle sniffle:: WHY?!?! Gomen nasai if you can't make out this chapter, fanfiction.net is being GAY! I have completely given up on TRYING to make separators.

Fanfic by ione