Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Written in The Stars ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to its creator, Nobuhiro Watsuki, and to Sony and several other companies. However, Jihan Masshwov do belongs to me, as several other OC in the story. I intend no profit from this fan fiction, it's only made for enjoyment.

Thank you to Fujifunmum, Midori and Michaela, who helped me a lot with suggestions and thorough beta reading (poor, poor sacrificial victim… errr… beta readers….), plus encouragement and positive criticism.

To all my reviewers ( Oryo, Susan, Apple IV, and Julie-chan (Iupiiiiii, alguien que comparte mi idioma POR FIN!!! De que país sos? Yo soy Argentina…), and of course my dearest Michaela, Fuji and Midori a huge THANKS! You have no idea of what your reviews means to me since this is a very difficult story, not the usual take on RK.

Last but not least, I know this is not a typical or easy story, positive criticism and suggestions are welcomed

Somewhere in subspace, unknown time period.

The guards positioned themselves to the sides of the metallic door, now totally released, and he sensed the tension raising high among the group of captives. He cursed himself, had he paid closer attention to the 'lessons' the girl had tried to teach him about that language, he might have a clue of what was about to happen. Enishi made a quick mental note: if he managed to survive the next events, he'd learn that girl's tongue as much and as fast as possible.

They were pulled by the guards along some narrow corridors to a huge metallic room, bared of any furniture, where they were all gathered together. Enishi studied the place, looking for a way to escape his captivity. It was impossible. The place was full of armed guards as well as shooters, strategically placed above their heads.

Suddenly, there was some movement among the guards. A burly man, one like those red skinned demons that had taken him away, entered the room, surrounded by several heavily armed sentinels.

The man shuddered visibly as soon as he noticed the girl called Jihan while passing by the prisoner's side. She snickered at him. The girl said something, pointing to a huge fresh scar on the guy's face, set on the place where his left eye should be, baring her teeth and then licking her lips.

One of the guards moved towards the girl, ready to strike her, but the burly red skinned stopped him, saying something else and laughing. The rest of the guards laughed with him.

The girl smiled widely and answered again, but this time nobody laughed.

The guy with the scar on the face seemed enraged, and made a sign to two of his men who approached her. Enishi cursed under his breath, but he stepped forward, ready to protect her. He couldn't afford to lose the only one with a key of what was happening there.

Then, the bulky red skinned barked some words, and the guards stopped in their tracks. The man probably feared that his attitude could spark a major fight within the rest of the prisoners, and for some particular reason, the big bastard didn't seemed thrilled at the idea.

The guy spat some words, and the girl only shrugged then. A wave of whispers arose among the rest of the prisoners, which looked at her with a wide range of expressions in their eyes.

He barely could understand two or three words, and the whole exchange didn't make any sense to him, but it was clear that the girl was looking for trouble with that attitude of hers. He had to find a way to explain her that as long as they stayed as allies, she had to follow his commands, and such foolish behavior that could cause them problems would not be tolerated by him.

As the scarred guy stood in front of the large group of prisoners, he gave a short speech, which was followed by those who could understand it very attentively. Following the speech, many turned their faces to one side where a sort of gate began to open automatically, showing a shadowed sort of cabin. The girl tapped him lightly on his shoulder to get his attention and pointed to some semi-hidden forms resembling bags, in the darkness of the new section exposed before them.

The blue haired woman took him firmly by one of his wrists, and before he could protest, the scarred big man barked a sort of command and all the captives started to run towards the shadowy room, including himself, being dragged by the girl with incredible force for a female. She aimed directly to the forms she had pointed to him few moments before, throwing him two bundles, as she took two for herself.

They seemed to be some sort of backpacks.

Someone tried to tear them from him and he soon found himself fighting without knowing exactly why. However, it seemed that everyone was doing the same thing and every prisoner tried to fetch as many of these bundles as possible. Suddenly, a metallic gleam caught his attention and without letting go the backpacks, he dived towards the shimmer, along with the girl and at least a dozen or more of their companions..

As he had thought in the beginning, an assorted variety of blades, short swords, axes and long knifes were available there. But, making a quick calculation, he was pretty sure that there was one for each five or six of the captives. Someone wanted to give a few of them an advantage above the others. He was ready to take the chance and as soon as he could grab one, he did everything necessary to keep it.

He took a short sword from another creature, a lot bigger than himself, and of fiery aspect. However, his competitor was slow and he took advantage of that using the other's weight to flip him and impale the thing into the blade. Then, he broke the neck of another creature and took an axe from him. That would be enough, he thought, keeping the backpacks hanging from his shoulder, the axe in one hand and the sword in the other, ready to strike any possible menace

The blue haired girl was doing a superb job herself and several bodies laid scattered around her. She also had gotten a hold of an axe and a long serrated knife.

An almost unbearably high ring was heard and suddenly, a new door was opened ahead of them. His heart jumped in his chest when he gazed at the sunrays shining through the opening.

Enishi was ready to sprint to the exit, running from his strange and mostly incomprehensible captors when the girl grabbed him tightly and pushed him with unbelievable strength against the closest wall signaling him to be still. He was about to push her to get free when a sudden light bolt and several horrific screams pierced the air.

He looked in absolute shock how two poor bastards that had actually run to the opening, were burned alive in mere seconds, their skins vanishing to show the layers of muscle and internal organs and then the bones and then… only ashes…

He swallowed hard. The whole thing had lasted nothing but a few seconds. If the girl hadn't stopped him…

What kind of weapon could cause such damage in only seconds?, he wondered, remembering also the pain he had felt from some kind of blast when he had been captured.

Enishi had never seen or heard of anything like these things, and considering that he used to make a living of selling weaponry, the discovery shocked him deeply, adding more questions to his already confusing situation.

The red skinned scarred guy talked again and most heads turned towards him, then the opening before them was completely released and their fellow captives companions started to move to it slowly, some in groups of two, three, or four people, others on their own. The girl had him still pinned to the wall with a very strong hand on his shoulder, letting go of him only when almost all the captives were out of the place. Then, she turned to face the burly guy in command. She said a few words to him in a very serious tone.

Then, she pushed Enishi softly to the exit.

When they walked outside, he gasped, dizziness suddenly invading his senses.

Now he was sure they were no longer in Japan…

Hell, there were not even in Asia. And he hadn't heard about any place on Earth that provided the view above him.

Wherever they were, it was a place with two suns shining above their heads…

888888888888888888

Somewhere inside Lyrian deep space, circa year 378 since the Alliance's Foundation

Jihan Masshwov sighed, while shaking her head in a resigned gesture.

Only a few hours had elapsed since they were released on a wild, uninhabited planet, and she already had a huge headache and more problems on her hands than she would liked to handle one at time. The struggle to get out of Hell in one piece and finish the threat to the Alliance had only just begun.

Her human partner seemed lost in thought, probably sunken in his own distraught mental state due to the last experiences.

To say that he was in shock was an understatement. He had paled at the scene of the guys dissolving due to the Lyrians blast while they were still in the ship, but the sight of the twin suns had made him jump literally (and thus she assumed that ancient Earth's sun was a solitary star). However, the worse part came when the freighter had taken off, disappearing into the high skies: he had suffered a very strong shock[1]. On the other hand, he had recovered enough to understand the necessity of moving ahead.

She would have to answer many questions for him in the following weeks, and she had no idea where start from, not to mention how. The explanations he needed to hear from her would require the use of very elaborate concepts and words, none of them available to them due to the frustrating lack of verbal abilities from both sides.

Jihan looked at the skies. One of the suns had already set. The other might stay one or two hours longer above the horizon, assessing its relative position at that moment. Nevertheless, the light shed by it bathed the surface in an eerie deep orange shadow, adding to the uneasiness she and her partner felt.

It would be wise to find a shelter for the night as soon as possible.

Jihan's full attention focused in gathering as much information about the place as possible, to devise their future plans. As she expected they where somewhere deep in Lyrian space, she recollected while assessing the surroundings.

The blue haired woman recognized several botanical species typical from a particularly wild and uninhabited part of Lyrian space. The Colonel knew it because she had personally conducted several punitive strikes in such an area, where the worse dens of drug factories and armories could be found.

There were also several double stars systems in Lyrian deep space, which was widely known by that peculiarity.

Lyrian space… That meant major trouble to them if they ever achieved the possibility of leaving the planet. They might be in hostile territory for many days until reaching any post inside the Alliance borders.

<Oh, well… I think I'm going ahead in time… I need to concentrate on our present problems…>

Gradually, the human seemed to recover his sharp edge, despite the continuous looks towards the heavens and the landscape so obviously alien to him. Finally they reached a group of caves hidden by some bushes, carved in the rocky surface of a low hill.

There was a chance of engaging a party of hunters or stranded captives like them, so they explored the location carefully.

Fortunately, the caves looked as if they were empty. She couldn't sense any danger, but as her abilities were severely restricted by the collar, she wasn't totally sure.

That made her feel uncomfortable again, with the awareness of silence inside her head.

She fought the sensation of vulnerability that the silence in her mind brought. Since she had reached biological adulthood, she had never felt such hollowness in her mind. It reminded her of a time where she had been helpless and alone. Her mental capacities had always presented her a way to overcome dangers and difficult situations, while providing her with an excellent way to get useful information, preventing risks and hazardous situations. Those skills were her special, concealed weapon, the only one she could rely at all times… and now they had taken it from her. Setting her jaw with resolve, she came to the decision of devising a way to get rid of that infernal collar as soon as possible.

She never wanted to feel again as helpless as she once had been when she was a child. A shudder ran through her spine and unconsciously she got closer to the discreet fire they had prepared to fight the chill of the night.

As if to distract herself from her grim thoughts, she reviewed the provisions contained in the backpacks. Several packages with basic combat rations and water supplies were one of the main components in each bag. These were obviously calculated to last for the first two days, but she could cut her own needs to a third of each ration for a week without being weakened at all. She didn't know how much the human would require to stay healthy and on full alert but it was widely known that humans were weaker than most species.

The Colonel gave a glimpse to her troubled companion while they ate. He was deeply disturbed and the fact that three moons were over their heads after dusk seemed to affect him even more than the two suns. She wondered if the ancient Earth had any moon at all.

However, he still had the presence of mind to realize that he needed to rest for whatever they might face soon, and pragmatically, he indicated he would take the first turn to sleep, as they had arranged lately while they still were in the ship. It would be very hard for him to catch real sleep, after all these shocking events.

<Damn it!>, she swore.

She really needed to recover her telepathic skills quickly. It would be very annoying to deal with a mentally unbalanced human as dangerous as that one. Having her full capabilities, she might try to find a less traumatic way to explain everything to him… Or to finish him off quickly if necessity arose.

Well, it was of no use to wail over what she could not have. She had to focus on their current situation and how to sort out the trials ahead.

With her eyes fixed on the fire, Jihan found out that it was the first time during that day where she could actually meditate about the events that brought them to that situation.

As the commander in chief of the Fleet Intelligence Agency, she had heard stories about the Lyrian pirates capturing 'preys' to be sold as a sort of amusement in fight rings or hunting parties. The rarest and more exotic, the better. As a regular part of her duties in the Fleet, she had been studying the reports for a year or so, and though she had no doubt about its authenticity, her people had not gotten a single lead in the case. Suddenly, she had gotten a direct order from the office of the President to stop wasting recourses on such an investigation that had proven to lead to nowhere.

A surprisingly convenient and hasty order, considering her recent discoveries.

Her eyes wandered over the curled form of the human sleeping by the fire.

Considering the possible use of the Gate of Illuria to capture creatures from other times and places, the President's office call started to make sense in her mind. Someone in the high circles was sunk in deep shit indeed…

So the mystery started to be solved.

Finally, she understood their predicament in the light of the new information and her own previous knowledge.

When they were gathered in the freighter before being released, she teased the captain, to fool him enough into committing a slip. She needed to get more clues and every recourse to get them was fair.

The exchange had been amusing… and she replayed the whole scene in her mind.

[2]****The fat man seemed quite recovered, his broken arm and leg repaired. However the huge scar on his face always would remind him of her… at least until they met again and she could finish her dinner.

She couldn't help to tease him:

- Oh, I thought you'd be more polite and would extend me another invitation to dinner… We left the last one incomplete…- she bared her teeth and licked her lips, pointing to the guy's face- How are your eye and your ear?? It seems that they are almost healed… Maybe it's time for the second course…

One of the guards, pain-stick at hand, moved towards her.

- No- the captain commanded- let her enjoy the use of her tongue until the hunters take it from her… It's the only pleasure that is left to her … I'm sure some people will correct this little mistake giving her some fun where she is going to… Let's be merciful to the whore for the moment

A general laughter arose among the Lyrians surrounding the captain, feeling very secure through the shield provided by their powerful energy rifles. Under normal circumstances, even with those weapons, she would have been able to smash these worms to the next galaxy. But first, she had to find clues, leads that helped her to destroy the complete organization.

- Do you think that your highly placed sponsors inside the Alliance government will save your pathetic ass once the use of the Gate is discovered? I truly doubt it… they will get rid of each clue that might lead to them very quickly. You have a very short life ahead, fatty slug… like all your men… all witnesses will be wiped out quickly and cleanly as soon as they become 'inconvenient' for the big bosses' security.

- I bet, cop, that my life will be longer than yours.- the captain spat and a wave of whispers rose among the captives.*****

The captain knew she was right, and from now on, he'd look over his shoulder, waiting for a knife or a blast ending with his useless life, that was the motive that moved him to retaliate on her uncovering her identity. Jihan knew with absolute certainty that from that moment in the cargo bay, besides the common dangers that all prisoners would confront, she would also face her fellow captives' hate for cops

She had expected a more direct retribution for her boldness to the captain, and just when it was about to happen something unexpected had occured: her human[3] had moved ahead, facing the captain's men in a clear protective gesture. However, the captain had restrained his men, probably out of fear of facing a general uprising from the prisoners to get control over the freighter

Colonel Masshwov still was very confused about the human's attitude. She was not used being 'protected' or defended in any sense by anyone.

Mild rage for the man's intervention mixed with shame because of her unusual alliance with an inferior being and at the same time an uneasy feeling of gratitude towards the loyal male was still battling inside her mind.

However, she knew deep inside that gesture of his alone made him worth the partnership.

Then the captain told them about their situation..

They were slaves. Slaves to be hunted for the amusement of some rich, sick, and bored motherfuckers, to be precise.

The Lyrian had been pretty clear and his words still echoed in her mind:

"You are slaves from now on, nothing but cheap rubbish. Your lives are worth my own crap. The only hope you have to get out of here is through death"

He had explained certain rules: If they were good enough to avoid being killed for a long time, their value as prizes would increase making them more valuable kills. The longer they stayed alive, the more valuable their head would be for the hunters. That doubtful honor meant greater risk and a more sophisticated chase for those who survived.

However, once they had reached a certain stage the hunters could decide to add them to their teams of scouts. Then they would become the hunter rather than the prey.

On the other hand, that only meant that they would be kept alive on the planet, not the slim chance of their freedom being restored in any way.

Then the burly Lyrian had given them a final set of instructions.

Sets of backpacks, one for each prisoner, were waiting for them at the end of the cargo bay. Despite that there was one for each one of them, the Lyrian made a point of getting as many as possible of them. The difference between living or dying could depend on their ability to get more than one backpack. There were also a few simple weapons laid there for those strong enough to seize and keep them. Nothing that could compete with the pirates' energy rifles, or their new 'masters' weapons, as a matter of fact. However, possessing one of these was better than not having them, they were told.

These were assorted blades and axes, which would help them to fend for themselves and hunt their meals. Despite the captain's insistence that those arms wouldn't be of any use against the hunters, she knew better that to underestimate a good skilled warrior yielding the simplest weapon. She'd make sure that by the end of her adventure in that place, the 'hunters' regretted their decision of playing such games with sentient beings.

The Lyrian added that these things, the bags with some basic supplies and the weapons were meant to make things more lively and sporty for their 'buyers'.

Jihan pondered about the apparent generosity of such backpacks and their contents. She had no doubt that the area they were thrown on lacked the basic sustenance for most humanoid species. The vegetation she had noticed earlier was composed mostly of poisonous plants, and there had been no signs of animal life during their brief walk.

It was clear to her that this was their first test. Many of the prisoners would try to hide for a while, trusting in their provisions, so to avoid being captured again. But she knew that would be a deadly mistake, and by the time those who chose that option, realized their error, it would be too late to be saved.

No. Nobody would chase them for a while. The provisions were meant to last long enough to make them move outside that area. Only the strongest would make it. Only the clever, good prey.

A sick, twisted way of 'natural selection' to choose only those worth to be chased…

Because they were the main course in some rich bastards' hunting feast.

<Motherfuckers …> she cursed inwardly

The human stirred in his sleep. She only hoped that his actual state of tiredness kept him from suffering those nightmares that made him awaken in screaming agony. They didn't need a beacon to mark their position to any potential enemies, she thought dryly.

That made her ponder again about her decision about keeping him by her side. She technically had fulfilled her duty to him, saving the human of being fried by the Lyrians moments before their release. If he had run to the exit as he had intended they would have killed him as they had done with the Antarean and Lackotian that were stupid enough to disobey the Lyrian captain's advice.

The Lyrian had made it crystal clear that they should wait until he gave the final command for their release, and the two fools had paid the price for their imprudence. Jihan had engaged the Lyrians long enough not to upset them when they had the upper hand.

However, despite her actions to save him, he had previously moved to protect her from the Lyrian captain and his men, an act that potentially had endangered his life, so it wouldn't have been fair to count her action to save him as a full payment of her debt.

<Oh, well… never mind>

She was sure that in his troubled state of mind he wasn't ready to defend himself if they were attacked. Chances were high for her paying that annoying honor debt very soon. Then they'd be even and she would decide if she would keep his company or if she would leave him to fend for himself, depending on his qualities as servant or battle companion. She had had a sample of his abilities in the freighter, but things were uncertain now in his shocked state of mind. Depending on how he managed it, she'd make her decision.

A sudden chill made her tremble, taking her out of her ramblings.

The fire was dying, she realized. She had seen some good branches at a short distance of the entrance from their shelter.

Moving carefully to avoid disturbing the human's sleep, she went outside.

Sniffing the air in search for any suspicious scent that betrayed any concealed enemy and not sensing any immediate danger around she searched for wood to keep the bonfire alive.

She cut enough timber to keep the fire for the rest of the night and returned with the same care to the cave that she had used to leave it.

At the exact moment she entered their shelter she knew, something was not quite right. The bonfire was extinguished, though it should have lasted for a while yet. Adjusting her vision to its nocturnal mode, which allowed her to watch almost in complete darkness[4] she noticed that her human companion was not anywhere on sight, though his distinctive scent could be sensed lingering in the air yet.

When she perceived the incoming attack, it was almost too late. She punched the first guy fully in his belly and dodged some stabs from the second, but couldn't avoid being hit on her head. Stumbling with dizziness and disarmed by the unexpected hit, she barely escaped a sword thrust. She thought she connected with some very good and heavy blows on her attackers, but she was certain it would be very difficult to stop the next sword or knife strikes. Then suddenly a rain of blood covered her fully from head to toe, and she found herself instinctively reaching for a sword thrown on her direction.

Her human had made it again, coming just in time to save her. Then, almost as quickly as it had begun, they finished the last two attackers one on one.

Supporting their weight on each other, they reached their old spot. He had the good sense to bring some wood from what she had recollected and rekindled the fire. Then she had a full view of their surroundings: two more corpses laid at a short distance away.

The picture of what had happened appeared in her mind: someone had spotted her leaving the cave and decided then to ambush her when she came back. In the meantime, 'Nishi had probably been alerted and reacted defending himself at the time when she was back. That explained his delay in helping her and the corpses near the place she had left him sleeping. It was miraculous that he had reacted at all, after the state he was in a while ago, but moving to help her was definitely amazing and totally unexpected.

When the fire allowed a more detailed vision, the time came for a serious recount of their condition.

She had gotten several bruises and sword cuts, but nothing serious. On the other hand, he as it seemed, had a more serious wound on his side, though he wasn't bleeding too hard. Jihan went to the bags looking for the first aid kit their captor had provided them with, but when she turned to dress his wounds, she almost dropped the box at the sight of him cauterizing the bleeding cut with a red-hot blade. Nothing but a deep growl and a furious hiss escaped from his mouth, though he dropped the knife, fainting against the rocky wall a few seconds after performing such a deed.

Although she was very annoyed and disconcerted by the fact that he had saved her twice, increasing her debt with him, she grinned at the sight she had just witnessed. This was a very interesting specimen for any species, she thought. Tougher than most people she knew. And capable of going ahead, even under the more stressful circumstances.

At that moment, Jihan decided that no matter what, she would keep him as her partner. He was definitely an asset.

Considering the last events, she was sure they both would give the Lyrians and their customers a lesson they'd never forget.