Here are Parts 4-6 of "That Which Lingers"
Parts 00-23 of "That Which Lingers" are located at:
http://www.geocities.com/~madamhydra/TWL.html
As always, C&C is greatly appreciated! ^_^
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THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
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Part 4: Stained Hands and Hearts
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Misao shook herself out of her brief daze. She instinctively
reached to remove the kunai in Aoshi's side, then stopped.
(No, I can't! That blade might be the only thing stopping him from
bleeding to death!)
She bent down and gently brushed her right hand against Aoshi's
cheek. It already felt frighteningly cool. She pulled herself to her
feet and quickly looked for something she could use to splint her broken
arm. As her eyes fell on the black sword, lying in a patch of shadow,
Misao shuddered in revulsion. The blade that had appeared so
interesting... almost enticing... a few hours ago now made her feel
sickened and unspeakably dirty. Giving the weapon a wide berth, she
continued her search. Once she finished splinting her arm, Misao took
one last look at Aoshi and the four graves in the clearing, before
setting off on the fastest run of her life.
It didn't matter that every step jolted her broken arm. It didn't
matter that every muscle and joint in her body throbbed and ached. The
only thought on her mind was the frantic hope that there wouldn't be a
fifth grave in that clearing.
-----------------------------------
Kenshin skidded to a stop in the middle of the trail so suddenly
that Sano barely managed to avoid running over him.
"Kenshin! What are you doing?" Sano's voice trailed off at the
look of shock and despair on his friend's face.
"We're... too late...."
"HUH!?" Sano spun around just in time to see Misao appear over the
top of the small ridge in front of them.
She was covered in fresh bloodstains.
Misao staggered to a halt as soon as she saw Kenshin and Sano
standing in front of her. Relief and exhaustion nearly drove her to her
knees, but she managed to keep running toward them.
Kenshin noticed that she appeared to be unarmed but he watched her
warily as the totally distraught girl grabbed at his kimono with her
good hand.
"HIMURA!!! AOSHI-.... AOSHI-SAMA!!! I... I..." Misao erupted
into tears and sagged to her knees.
Kenshin grabbed a hold of her shoulders and shook her hard. "Misao!
What happened? Why did you do it!?"
She stared up at him, then her eyes widened. "I... attacked....
K-K-Kaoru! Is... is she all right!? No... not her, too!"
Kenshin gave Sano a swift glance. His grip on her shoulders gentled
as he softly said, "She's going to be fine, Misao. You didn't injure
her seriously."
A heaving sob was her only response.
"Misao, you have to tell me. What happened to Aoshi?"
She took a few gulping breaths, then blurted out, "I... I... I might
have killed him! He's bleeding so badly! If he doesn't get to a doctor
soon, he'll DIE!"
Sano wondered, (Is that possible? Except for that broken arm, she
doesn't look like she's got any other injuries. Could she have taken
out Aoshi and gotten off so lightly?)
Misao jumped to her feet and started dragging Kenshin in the
direction from which she came.
-----------------------------------
Barely a quarter hour later, they were standing in the clearing
where Aoshi lay, pale and unmoving. As Misao sank down beside him, Sano
took a look and muttered, "Hell, he's a mess! I can't believe that a
scrawny little thing like Misao could do so much damage, even if he
didn't want to fight back! She doesn't seem strong enough or fast
enough...."
Kenshin said quietly, "She's not. Misao's good, but she's no match
for Aoshi. He should have been able to subdue her without too much
trouble. Sano, can you get back to Tokyo?"
"Of course I can! What do you mean by that!? Besides, we're
practically in view of the city."
"If his injuries weren't so severe, you could just carry him,
but...."
"Leave it to me. I'll find a cart or something. Just stay here and
I'll be back as soon as I can!"
Kenshin nodded briskly and noted with relief that Sano actually
seemed to know where he was going. As he walked toward Misao, he
suddenly gasped as he realized exactly what lay in the clearing.
Misao whispered, "Yes.... This must be where Hanya and the others
are buried. That's why he left the trail.... I was hoping to see their
graves someday... but not like this!" Her shoulders quivered as she
tried fought back her sobs.
Kenshin gently moved her fumbling fingers aside and did his best to
stop Aoshi from bleeding to death before help arrived.
In a gentle voice, he said, "Misao. Please tell me. What happened?
Why did you suddenly attack both Kaoru-dono and Aoshi?"
She clutched at her knees and whispered, "I don't know! Kaoru and I
were shopping, then we ran into...."
"Saitoh Hajime's wife, Tokio... right?"
Misao chuckled weakly and tried to wipe away the tears on her face.
"Yeah.... You should have seen Kaoru's face...." A fragile smile
appeared, then quickly vanished. A stunned look appeared on Kenshin's
face as she went on to describe the encounter with the suicidal madman
who had pounded his own brains to a pulp.
Seeing the sword she mentioned, Kenshin got up and walked over to it
as Misao continued her story.
"Then... then I went to take a look at his sword... it was weird...
all black, with no shine at all!"
Kenshin glanced down at the bloody weapon. He had never seen a
sword with such a totally non-reflective finish.
"I picked it up and then.... I don't know! It all got so hazy
after that...." She turned around just in time to see Kenshin picking
up the black katana. "NO! HIMURA!!! Don't touch it! It's EVIL!!!"
Holding the sword in his hand, he gave Misao a startled look.
"What?" He calmly held it up in the afternoon sunlight. It was an
exceptional weapon, a masterpiece perfect in both edge and balance.
But aside from its unusual appearance, Kenshin couldn't detect anything
strange or uncanny about the blade.
Misao looked totally bewildered. "You don't... you don't feel it?"
Kenshin mutely shook his head.
"I... I don't understand. There's something horrible about... about
that THING! I'm not imagining it, Himura!" She started to shake.
"Or... or maybe I am... maybe I'm going crazy...." Misao began to
giggle hysterically.
Kenshin plunged the sword into the ground and ran over to her side.
"Misao! Got a hold of yourself! I don't know what's going on, but I
don't think it's just you! There's must be something else going on and
we need to find out what it is. Please, Misao! Aoshi needs you to be
strong...."
She gasped quietly for several moments, then she whispered,
"Himura... you can't imagine the terrible things I said to him. They...
they all came spilling out of me... like... like maggots out of a rotten
carcass! All this anger... bitterness... it was so UGLY." She rubbed
her hands together as if trying to wipe both the dried blood and some
unseen dirt away.
"He finally... finally SMILED at me... and... and he said... that...
that he... cared about me." She suddenly flung her good arm around
Kenshin and wailed, "I don't want to lose him NOW!!! After all we've
been through... I CAN'T lose him now!!!"
As Kenshin gently held a weeping Misao, his gaze drifted back to the
black sword as it stood, protruding from the ground.
(I don't know why I can sense nothing strange about it, but I can't
believe that Misao just went insane for no reason at all. Something
caused her to behave this way. A matte black sword... perfect for
wielding in the shadows.... It's the key to this mystery... but how?)
-----------------------------------
It was nearly evening by the time they managed to transport Aoshi
back to Dr. Genzai's clinic. Megumi's lips had thinned when she
recognized her patient, but she said nothing and set about working with
her usual brisk efficiency.
Tokio was still there, patiently tending to matters that the
overworked Megumi simply did not have time to handle. As Megumi
struggled to save Aoshi's life, Tokio took custody of the distraught
Misao, set and resplinted her broken arm, cleaned her up, found her new
clothes, and simply held her through the occasional bouts of
uncontrolled weeping.
Firmly banished from Megumi's work area, Misao said, "Do... do you
think I can see... Kaoru?"
"I don't see why not," murmured Tokio and led the ninja girl to
Kaoru's room.
Misao stood, frozen in the doorway, before rushing over to Kaoru's
side. She fell to her knees and gasped, "I... I'm so SORRY!!!"
Kaoru gently stroked the girl's unbraided hair. "There's nothing to
be sorry for. I know it wasn't really you who tried to hurt me.
Shhhh... shhhh."
The door opened and Kenshin quietly slipped into the room. He was
carrying something hastily wrapped in a sturdy cloth.
"Kenshin... how's Aoshi?"
Misao froze tensely as she awaited his reply.
"Megumi is just finishing up. She can't make any promises, but it
looks like he'll recover."
The ninja girl went limp with relief.
"Kaoru-dono, Tokio-dono... Misao told me what happened this morning.
I just wanted to make sure." He partially unwrapped the bundle to
expose the black sword. "Is this the same sword the man dropped?"
Kaoru gasped when she caught sight of the blade. "It's... it's
magnificent!"
Misao merely buried her head in the blankets and refused to even
look at the weapon.
Tokio cocked her head slightly. "Yes. I'm fairly sure it's the
same one."
"What are you going to do with it, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked.
Rewrapping the sword, Kenshin sighed quietly. "I'm not sure. I
need to take a better look at it. Maybe it has some clues to what
happened."
Tokio murmured, "It's getting late and I'm sure Megumi's too tired
to do any cooking. If you'll excuse me, I'll prepare some dinner for
everyone. We have all that excellent seafood. It would be a pity to
waste it."
Kenshin gave her a deep bow and said, "Thank you, Tokio-dono, for
dinner and for all your help."
"I'm glad to be of any assistance I can."
When she left the room, Kaoru said, "She's such a kind,
sweet-tempered person. I can't imagine what living with someone like
Saitoh must be like!"
They each tried to picture what life in the Saitoh household must be
like, then they all shook their heads and muttered, "Nah...."
-----------------------------------
At that moment, Fujita Goro -- better known as Saitoh Hajime, Mibu's
Wolf, and many other less complimentary names -- arrived home from his
trip to Osaka. He took one last drag at his cigarette, then ground it
out.
(So much for that.)
Even before he stepped in the door, he knew Tokio was not home.
When she wasn't around, the house seemed eerily empty, even though there
were a few servants and that boy Eiji lurking around.
"She left you a note," a sullen voice said. "Here."
Saitoh took the message. As he read it, he scowled slightly.
Refolding the note, he gave Eiji a cool stare and said, "What happened?"
-----------------------------------
Casual passersby could barely keep themselves from drooling as they
caught a whiff of the mouth-watering aromas that drifted from Dr.
Genzai's clinic.
Kaoru insisted that she was well enough join the others at dinner.
Misao had to be dragged from Aoshi's side and was fidgeting impatiently
for dinner to be over and done with.
"But I want to keep an eye on Aoshi-sama!"
"Listen to me, Misao! You're even paler than Kaoru at the moment
and you can barely move as it is!" Megumi scolded her.
"No, I'm fine...."
"Misao, you have a broken arm, you probably haven't eaten anything
since breakfast, and you're totally exhausted! You need both food and
rest! Get something to eat and I'll make you a place to sleep in
Aoshi's room. All right?"
As the ninja girl reluctantly nodded, Sano took a deep breath and
sighed. "Man, that woman has to be a goddess! I've never smelled stuff
so good!"
Yahiko muttered, "Yeah. If she always cooks like this, how on earth
does Saitoh stay so skinny?" His hand sneaked out to grab a dumpling
and promptly got smacked by Kaoru.
"Ow!"
"You should wait, you greedy pig!" Kaoru snapped.
Megumi sank down into a tired heap on the floor. "Tokio-san, you're
a lifesaver! I don't think I can boil water right now."
"It's nothing." Tokio stepped out of the kitchen and brought out
the last plate of perfectly grilled fish. As everyone thanked her
enthusiastically for her efforts, the door to the clinic abruptly slid
open.
Tokio smiled happily and executed a graceful bow, food plate still
in hand.
"Hajime-san! You're back just in time. I've cooked one of your
favorites."
There were muffled thuds as various people toppled over in shock.
The tall, lean figure silhouetted in the doorway uttered a faint,
almost rueful sigh.
(I don't know how she does it.... I'm almost afraid to ask.)
-----------------------------------
(end of part 4)
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THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
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Part 5: Two Hearts As One
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The people gathered in the main room of Dr. Genzai's clinic --
Kaoru, Kenshin, Sano, Yahiko, Megumi, Misao -- stared blankly as Tokio
calmly put out another place setting for her husband.
Through the open doorway, Saitoh Hajime could see Shinomori Aoshi
sleeping in the adjacent room. He glanced at Misao and said, "I heard
you were looking for him. I see your hunt was successful."
Misao clenched her right hand and gritted her teeth, but said
nothing.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sano asked irritably.
Saitoh raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "Idiot. My wife
left me a message."
As Tokio handed her husband a cup of tea, Kenshin watched curiously
as Saitoh reached out to take the cup from her hand.
(Why didn't he wait for her to put it down? That doesn't seem like
Saitoh at all...) Kenshin suddenly realized that that oddly intimate
act was actually just a cover for Saitoh's real gesture. With a subtle
flick of the fingers, Saitoh brushed back Tokio's sleeve, exposing her
wrist... and the clear band of darkening bruises around it.
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, then glanced up at his wife.
Tokio patiently returned her husband's gaze and continued to set out his
dinner. Except for Kenshin, no one else seemed to notice the brief
interchange between husband and wife.
(Bruises? Where did she get... oh, no... Sano.) Kenshin felt a
definite twinge of uneasiness. (If Saitoh finds out that he left those
bruises....) Although Saitoh had not expressed any sign of marital
affection -- either by word or deed -- instinct told Kenshin that it was
NOT because of any lack of feeling on Saitoh's part.
As he calmly began to devour the fish Tokio placed in front of him,
Saitoh said, "Perhaps you'll be interested in knowing that Mr. Honami --
the man who decided to kill himself by smashing his brains all over the
street -- was being pursued by the police. It appears that some
neighbors caught him in the act of slaughtering his entire family with a
sword. He was shot several times, but he still managed to elude them."
Misao whispered, "Then... you've caught the murderer... the person
who's been killing all those people recently...."
"No," Saitoh calmly corrected.
"WHAT!?" everyone shouted.
"He definitely killed his own family, but he couldn't have killed
the other five families. We had his whereabouts checked," Saitoh said
as he casually stole the fish off Sano's plate.
Kenshin stiffened. "You mean to say...."
"Yes. "He is a murderer, but not THE murderer... if there is a
single killer."
"You think there's more than one?" Kenshin said.
"There's least two killers and perhaps more. There's a pattern in
this madness. The trick is to figure out what it is."
Kenshin murmured, "All these deaths... they're totally random, but
at the same time, they're not random at all."
Sano slammed his rice bowl down and said, "I don't understand what
the hell you guys are trying to say!"
Saitoh snorted and said, "Of course you don't." With his
chopsticks, he leisurely started putting peas in six separate heaps on
the table.
"Assume that each pea is a death. There have been six distinct
groupings of murders." He pointed at a single heap of peas. "Everyone
within a group is related somehow -- by blood, marriage, or close
friendship -- but no group is related to any other group. They have
virtually nothing in common. The groups don't have mutual acquaintances
and they don't have similar social, economic, or political affiliations.
Do you get that much?"
Sano glared furiously at Saitoh. "Of course I do! What do you
think I am? An idiot!?"
Misao muttered, "Don't answer that."
Saitoh continued, "There are only three things that all six groups
have in common. First, all these people are dead. Second, they all
died the same way."
Kenshin quietly said, "Killed by a highly skilled swordsman."
"Exactly."
Kenshin glanced curiously at Saitoh. "But what's the third thing?"
Saitoh carefully put a piece of bright orange carrot in each heap of
peas.
"Third, there's a suicide associated with each group of deaths.
Again, the suicide is related to the murder victims by blood, marriage,
or friendship. Curious, isn't it?"
"'Curious' is not exactly the word I would use, Saitoh," muttered
Kenshin.
"Now I get it," said Yahiko, staring at the little heaps of
vegetables scattered across the tabletop. "Random in some ways, but not
random in others."
Saitoh smirked at Sano. "Well, if the brat can understand what I'm
talking about, surely YOU can."
"Why you...!" Sano growled as he started to get to his feet.
Megumi yanked him back down onto his cushion and snapped, "Hush!
This is getting interesting!"
As Sano and the doctor started yelling at each other, Kaoru asked,
"But why are you involved? Murder, even mass murder, doesn't seem to be
a matter for the secret police."
Saitoh gave them a chilly smile. "On the contrary. When expert
killers suddenly show up and start slaughtering people in my
jurisdiction, then I consider it my business. Even more so when I end
up being a prime suspect in these murders, at least initially."
"There were traces of Shinsengumi-style swordwork," Kenshin replied.
"Hmph. I don't argue that."
There was a soft groan from the next room.
"Aoshi-sama!" Misao tried to get up, but nearly fell over because
of the stiffness in her muscles.
Megumi gave Sano a last angry look and hauled herself to her feet.
She patted Misao on the shoulder. "You stay put. I'll take a look at
him."
Just as Megumi left the room, Tokio came from the kitchen and looked
around. "Where's Megumi-san?"
Sano muttered in a sulky voice, "She's checking on Aoshi. He
finally decided to wake up."
"Thank you." Tokio headed off as Misao started yelling at Sano.
Over the noise, Saitoh put a piece of red pepper on the table.
"Assume that this is the killer. Or rather, the killers." He added a
few more red pepper chunks.
With his own chopsticks, Kenshin replaced the carrot cube in one
heap of peas with a piece of red pepper. "But we know that the
unfortunate Mr. Honami is both the suicide AND the murderer associated
with this group of people."
"Yes. Which makes me wonder about the other suicides...," said
Saitoh. With his chopstick, he thoughtfully nudged a carrot chunk in
one of the other heaps of peas.
As they all stared at the neatly arranged vegetables, Kaoru said,
"But how does Misao fit into this picture?"
Saitoh shrugged. "No idea. So is someone going to tell me what
happened between Shinomori and the Weasel Girl?"
Misao stopped arguing with Sano and glared angrily at Saitoh. "Will
you stop calling me that!?"
Sano plunked down a chunk of onion on the tabletop, away from the
other vegetables. "Say that this is Misao." He then placed a single,
tiny grain of rice beside it. "And this is Aoshi...."
"What!? You jerk! How DARE you use a measly piece of rice to
represent Aoshi-sama!?"
Yahiko butted into the conversation by saying, "No way! He should
be a piece of cold fish!"
Misao squeaked in outrage.
As she, Yahiko, and Sano got into a heated three-way fight about the
virtues and faults of Aoshi, Kenshin sighed wearily. "I think they're
taking your demonstration a bit too seriously."
Saitoh uttered a malicious chuckle, then said, "So what happened?
The Weasel Girl's no match for Aoshi, even if the fool was holding
back."
-----------------------------------
In the ward room in the clinic, Tokio glanced at Aoshi, who appeared
to be sleeping peacefully again. Megumi was standing at the far side of
the room. With her back turned, the doctor seemed unaware of Tokio's
presence.
"Do you have any more soy sauce? You appear to be out...."
Megumi murmured, "I can't decide who should be first. That idiot
Sano or Ken-san...."
Tokio cocked her head slightly and said, "Excuse me? I didn't quite
catch what you said...."
Megumi turned around, black sword in hand and a wicked glint in her
eyes.
-----------------------------------
As Kenshin finished giving Saitoh the general overview of Misao's
encounter with Aoshi -- discretely omitting any mention of the more
personal moments -- Saitoh raised an eyebrow and said, "So, the Weasel
Girl is blaming it all on the sword?"
"That sword's EVIL, I tell you!" Misao protested.
"What, are you going to start telling me stories of demons and
ghosts, now?" Saitoh said. "Or are you suggesting that the thing's
somehow cursed?"
(He... doesn't sound like he's entirely joking,) Kenshin realized
with astonishment.
Misao yanked her hair and shouted, "Why am I wasting my time? You
obviously don't believe a word I'm saying! That damn weapon was
probably MADE for someone like you!"
"Oh ho. Now I'm curious. So, where is this diabolical sword?"
Kaoru said, "I don't know. I think Kenshin had it...."
They all turned to stare at him. Kenshin glanced around in
bewilderment, then suddenly frowned.
(Yes, I did have it... so where did I put it?) He was a little
startled to realize that he couldn't quite remember where he had left
the sword.
Saitoh smirked, "Going senile already, Battousai?"
"HAJIME!!!"
The next instant, Saitoh was on his feet, his sword half-drawn.
Through the open double doorway leading to the main sickroom, both he
and Kenshin saw Tokio hastily throwing herself over Aoshi's bed in a
desperate attempt to evade the dark blade slashing toward her. Saitoh's
wife rolled off the bed and landed on the floor with a thud. Scrambling
to her feet, Tokio hastily backed away as Megumi jumped effortlessly
over the bed and cornered her at the other side of the long ward room.
The doctor burst into a vicious snicker, then held the sword
parallel to the floor. Her other hand was extended before her, hovering
just above the blade, and she crouched slightly. It was an instantly
recognizable stance.
A stunned Kenshin thought, (That's a form of the Gatotsu! What is
Megumi doing!) He started as he heard a soft growl beside him. That
faint sound, along with the narrowed eyes were the only signs of
Saitoh's tightly controlled fury. But even as the former Shinsengumi
captain started to move, Megumi lunged toward Tokio.
(We're not going to reach them in time!), thought Kenshin.
With no place to go, Tokio grabbed the first thing she could in a
desperate attempt to shield herself. Amazingly, there was no fear or
panic on her face... only grim determination. In that instant, Kenshin
caught a glimpse of what must have attracted Saitoh to an apparently
helpless woman like Tokio.
(A soul of steel... total dedication... two kindred spirits....)
A wolf and its mate....
Megumi's powerful thrust drove the black sword right through the
metal basin in Tokio's hands. By some miracle, Tokio somehow managed to
deflect the path of the blade just enough. The tip of the sword missed
its main target and ripped open the sleeve of her kimono. Tokio didn't
make a sound as she clung desperately to the basin. It was the only
thing which kept Megumi from cutting her to pieces.
Kenshin yelled, "Megumi! Stop!"
Amazingly, she did. She turned to stare at Saitoh and Kenshin.
Saitoh inhaled sharply and Kenshin felt an eerie chill run down his
spine at the look of almost unholy joy that suddenly appeared on
Megumi's face. It was an expression of almost elemental recognition.
"Battousai... and Saitoh...." Megumi's smile widened even further.
"Both of you... I've found you, at last!"
As Megumi attempted to wrench her blade free from the metal basin,
Saitoh took instant advantage of the opening and launched his own
attack.
"HIYAHHH!!!"
"SAITOH!!!" bellowed Sano as he threw himself at Saitoh. He had no
real idea what was going on. All he knew was that Saitoh had every
intention of killing Megumi.
Saitoh caught a glimpse of Sano's charge from the corner of his eye.
With his right fist, he viciously punched Sano aside without even
slowing. But that instant of distraction was more than enough for the
doctor. Unable to pull her blade free in time to deflect Saitoh's
attack, Megumi grabbed Tokio's sleeve and yanked the woman in front of
her....
....right into the path of Saitoh's Gatotsu.
-----------------------------------
Saitoh's only thought was, (Too close!!!)
He could see Tokio turning... trying to get out of the way... but it
wouldn't be enough.
Too late to stop... and no way to miss her....
-----------------------------------
To Kenshin, it was if time stood still... an icy winter's day....
....the pale blur that was a woman's hopelessly vulnerable back....
....the smear of darkness that was blood....
....images he would never forget....
"NO!!!" Kenshin leapt over Sano's sprawled body and lunged with
every bit of speed he had.
-----------------------------------
Saitoh's desperate but futile attempt to stop was the only thing
that gave Kenshin enough time to intercept him. His battou-jutsu attack
slammed Saitoh's blade aside just before he crashed into his old enemy
and the two of them collided with Tokio and Megumi.
With bone-jarring force, they all ended in a great heap... four
people, three swords, and a perforated metal basin.
-----------------------------------
(end of part 5)
======================================================================
THAT WHICH LINGERS: A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
======================================================================
Part 6: A Few Intimate Moments
======================================================================
There was a long silence, broken only by the sound of various people
panting or gasping.
A weak voice said very clearly, "GET... THAT... SWORD... AWAY...
FROM... HER...."
"Aoshi-sama!" Misao ran to his side as he struggled to sit up.
"Don't move! You'll start bleeding again!"
He shook his head violently as he tried to stay conscious. "Misao!
Do it NOW, while she's stunned!" But before she left his side, he
grabbed her wrist. "Whatever you do, DON'T TOUCH IT."
The ninja girl turned pale and nodded slowly. With less than her
usual agility, Misao staggered over to Megumi who was at the very bottom
of the pile of bodies, with Tokio, Saitoh, and Kenshin all lying on top
of her. The doctor was obviously dazed from the impact of two grown
slamming her into the wall, but she was still struggling to move.
Before she could free her sword, Misao hastily kicked the blade out of
Megumi's weakened grasp. The weapon skidded across the floor, coming to
a stop against the far wall.
Once he saw that the sword was safely out of Megumi's hands,
Shinomori Aoshi quietly passed out again.
Saitoh ruthlessly heaved Kenshin off of him and slowly rose to his
feet. He stared down at his wife where she lay quietly panting... and
bleeding.
Kenshin's desperate move had worked... just barely. Blood seeped
from a long, wicked gash that ran just above Tokio's breasts across her
entire chest. But she was appeared otherwise unhurt. Kenshin had
managed to deflect Saitoh's sword a few vital inches... inches that made
the difference between a relatively minor cut and a fatal impalement on
her husband's blade. Fortunately, his sword had also missed Megumi by
the smallest of fractions.
Saitoh knelt down beside his wife. He didn't say anything or make
any move to touch her. He merely watched as she gingerly examined the
long slash on her chest.
As for Kenshin, he sat numbly on the floor where Saitoh had dumped
him. Still clutching his sakabatou, he bowed his head and covered his
face with his free hand as he took deep, gasping breaths.
Alarmed by his reaction, Kaoru walked toward him and quietly said,
"Kenshin?"
By this time, Sano had staggered back to his feet. Rubbing his
throbbing jaw, he glared at Saitoh and shouted, "You bastard! You
nearly killed Megumi!"
Saitoh slowly rose to his feet and turned to face the enraged Sano.
As he calmly flicked Tokio's blood off his sword, Saitoh spoke with
exquisite care in a frighteningly even voice.
"She tried to kill my WIFE."
"Look who's talking! YOU'RE the maniac who was about to cut down
his own wife...."
Nearly everyone jumped as Kenshin's hand hit the floor with a
tremendous bang.
"SANO." Kenshin's voice was low and freezing cold....
Kaoru's eyes widened. (Just like... the Battousai....)
As Sano flinched and took an involuntary step backward, Kaoru
whispered, "Kenshin...?"
He took a few deep breaths, shook his head, then slowly got to his
feet. In a much more normal voice, Kenshin quietly said, "Saitoh."
There was a long pause as the two men stared at each other, then
Saitoh abruptly shrugged.
"Hmph." He sheathed his sword and turned his attention to his wife.
Tokio was taking the opportunity to check on Megumi, who was now
uttering an occasional moan.
After such a close encounter with death, one might have expected a
husband to pick his wife up or at least put his arms around her. Saitoh
did none of these things. He merely extended his hand to her. It was a
typical Saitoh-type gesture -- arrogant and demanding -- and yet there
was something both courtly and possessive about his actions.
The apparent coldness of his peremptory gesture didn't seem to
bother his wife at all. Without hesitation, Tokio took her husband's
hand and he effortlessly pulled her to her feet.
Releasing his grip, he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to
her. As she carefully dabbed at the still bleeding cut on her chest,
Saitoh silently walked over to one of the clinic's smaller side rooms
and flung open the door. Without the slightest expression on his face,
he stood by the doorway, clearly waiting for his wife to join him.
Tokio obediently headed for her husband. At the door, she turned
toward the others and said, "I'm afraid Megumi-san hit her head against
the wall quite hard, but I don't think she has any other serious
injuries, aside from a lot of bruises. And Kaoru, you lost quite a bit
of blood this morning. You really shouldn't be out of bed at all."
Finally, Tokio turned toward Kenshin and gave him a profoundly deep
bow. "Thank you, Himura-san, for my life and for my husband's sake."
Kenshin returned the bow in full measure. "Thank you for taking
such care of Kaoru-dono this morning," he replied simply.
Saitoh watched the entire scene impassively, without so much as a
single smirk or a mocking twitch of an eyebrow.
Tokio made a graceful nod of acknowledgment, then stepped into the
room. Saitoh followed his wife and silently shut the door behind him.
-----------------------------------
Saitoh leaned back on the closed door and let out a long, drawn-out
sigh. Tokio stood placidly by, still holding his bloody handkerchief.
He stared at his wife for a long moment, then a wry smile appeared
on his face. "That's not an experience that I would like to repeat,
Tokio."
"I'm sorry for being so clumsy," she murmured.
Saitoh reached out and gently ran his fingers just above the slash
on Tokio's chest. "This will be the second scar I've given you," he
said thoughtfully.
Tokio uttered a soft chuckle. "Now I have a matching set, Hajime.
One in the front. One in the back."
He cradled his wife's face between his hands. His thumbs --
callused from years of wielding a sword -- gently stroked her
cheekbones.
"Don't remind me. And now I owe the Battousai for saving your
life," he muttered irritably.
Saitoh rested his forehead against her soft, silky hair and quietly
inhaled her delicate scent. Tokio lifted her hands and delicately
intertwined her fingers with his.
He looked at her hands, then at her. Demure... dainty...
fragile-looking... yet this woman was strong enough to save his life on
more than one occasion... strong enough to let him go his own way and
still welcome him home without reservation.
His wife....
-----------------------------------
After they moved the unconscious Megumi onto a bed, Kaoru shooed an
anxious Sano away. He paced back and forth at the other end of the room
for a few moments. Suddenly, he stopped and scowled at the closed door
behind which Saitoh and his wife had gone.
He muttered, "I still can't believe it. How can a cold-blooded
bastard like Saitoh possibly marry a sweet-tempered, helpless little
lady like Tokio...?"
"Sweet-tempered, maybe. But helpless? No. And she's definitely
not harmless," Kenshin quietly said from behind Sano's back.
Sano jumped in surprise, then turned around. "Oh... it's you."
"I wanted to apologize for yelling at you."
He grinned at Kenshin and waved his hand. "Hey, it's no big deal.
You just startled me. But why did you...."
"I know you're very upset about Saitoh's attack on Megumi, but I
needed to stop you before you said anything else about... THAT...
particular topic." Kenshin looked away for an instant.
"Oh... you mean about him nearly killing his wife?"
Kenshin nodded. (Sano, you can't imagine how it feels....)
"Do you think he really cares about her? Tokio, I mean." Sano
looked a bit skeptical about the idea.
"Yes. Probably more than you can imagine."
Sano scowled. "Well, Saitoh has a hell of a way of showing it. I
mean, she nearly got killed right before his eyes and he barely said a
word to her!"
"Saitoh would hardly display his innermost feelings to US. And he
has no need to show Tokio that he cares. She already knows."
"You sound almost... envious."
Kenshin sounded a bit wistful. "Maybe I am. I think she
understands him better than anyone else in this world. More
importantly, she knows and accepts him for what he is. It's a rare gift
and Saitoh knows it."
Sano thought for a minute, then said, "But what do you mean about
her not being helpless or harmless?"
Kenshin smiled faintly. "Sano, do you really think that someone
like Saitoh would ever consider marrying an ordinary woman? Tokio may
not be trained in physical combat, but she has intelligence and a will
that matches his in every way. Saitoh Tokio is a kind, sweet-tempered
lady... but in matters regarding her husband, never underestimate her."
Staring at some distant point, Kenshin quietly said, "If Saitoh is
the Mibu's Wolf, then Tokio is the she-wolf...." He glanced at Sano.
"And she has teeth, even if she doesn't choose to show them."
"Uh... aren't you exaggerating a bit, Kenshin?"
"I don't think so."
Kenshin's gaze drifted over to Kaoru as she kept an eye on Megumi.
He thought of the many things he hadn't told her... memories and secrets
of a bloody past. Would she be able to truly accept him for what he was
and who he had been? But even as his thoughts turned to Kaoru,
something nagged at him. He had forgotten something important... but
what?
-----------------------------------
After Saitoh helped Tokio bandage her injuries, he leaned against
the wall and watched her make a few repairs to her torn kimono. As she
stitched, Tokio murmured, "Do you think that sword is really cursed?"
"If you had asked me that during the Bakumatsu no Doran, I would
have laughed in your face. But after what happened to the two of us at
the Wolf Shrine...." Saitoh gave his wife a sour look. "I think I'll
defer judgment for the moment."
As he absently rubbed the scarred patch on his left shoulder, his
thoughts drifted back to a certain night over seven years ago and the
inexplicable events that occurred in a lonely mountain shrine. He knew
from painful first-hand experience that such things as curses indeed
existed.
(But is a curse involved in all these murders and today's events?
That remains to be seen.... Is there a more mundane explanation for all
these bizarre occurrences?)
But he couldn't forget the eerie flash of recognition in Megumi's
eyes when she had caught a glimpse of both him and Himura. And then
there were those last few ominous words....
'Both of you... I've found you, at last!'
-----------------------------------
As Kaoru attended to Megumi, Misao kept a careful eye on the still
unconscious Aoshi. She hoped that he would wake up again, but she also
dreaded that moment.
(What could I say? I nearly killed him. I accused him of
unforgivable things. He should hate me... but... but he said he cared
about me....)
"Aoshi-... Aoshi-sama...," she whispered.
He slowly opened his eyes. There was a faint twitch at the corner
of his mouth that seemed to hint at a smile. "Misao."
"I... I... so... sorry.... The things... the things I said...."
Tears blurred her vision as she struggled to find the right words to
express herself.
"Misao...." Aoshi quietly repeated. He too was searching for the
right words to comfort the girl sitting beside him. There were things
that both of them desperately wanted to say, but with five other people
in the room, the situation could hardly be considered private. As Aoshi
groped for something to say, he glanced away from Misao... then
stiffened in alarm.
Without warning, he pulled himself upright, ignoring the tearing
pain in his side. Shoving Misao aside, he grabbed the pitcher from the
bedside table and hurtled it.
The pitcher hit Yahiko on the shoulder and sent the boy sprawling on
the floor... away from the black sword lying so innocently on the floor.
The sound of smashing pottery grabbed everyone's attention. In an
instant, Kenshin was kneeling beside a stunned Yahiko. He gave Aoshi a
hard look and said, "What's going on?"
"DON'T TOUCH THAT SWORD!" panted Aoshi as he collapsed back onto the
bed, clutching at his side. Misao was horrified to see fresh blood
start to seep through the bandages on Aoshi's side.
"Aoshi-sama! Kaoru, help me!"
In the meantime, Yahiko was rubbing his aching shoulder and
muttering, "What the hell's going on? Ouch!"
Kenshin worriedly asked, "Are you all right?" as he helped Yahiko
sit up.
The boy grimaced and muttered, "Yeah... but what did he do that
for?"
"He was trying to stop you from picking that sword up." Kenshin
glanced back at the weapon only to see Kaoru reaching down to pick it
up.
"No! Kaoru-dono! STOP!"
She seemed oblivious to Kenshin's frantic warning and continued
reaching for the sword's hilt. He did the only thing he could. Kenshin
threw himself across the floor and snatched the blade out right out from
under her grasping fingers.
Kaoru suddenly blinked as her hand closed on empty air.
Everyone froze as Kenshin rolled gracefully to his feet, black sword
in hand.
He looked down at the dark weapon he was now holding and gave it a
superficial examination. Kenshin then glanced up to see everyone
staring at him with anxious and slightly horrified expressions on their
faces.
"You picked up that... that THING!" Misao exclaimed, shuddering
slightly.
Kenshin quietly said, "I had to. Kaoru-dono was about to touch
it...."
"Yeah, but now YOU'RE touching it!" Sano shouted.
"And you... you don't sense anything... wrong with it?" said Aoshi
in a very weak voice.
They all twitched nervously as Kenshin shook his head and propped
the weapon against his shoulder. "No. As far as I can tell, it's a
superbly made sword with a unusual matte black finish on the blade. And
that's about it."
"And you're not feeling any urge to start attacking people?" Misao
asked suspiciously.
Kenshin said very empathically, "No! Of course not!"
Kaoru stared at her hand in bewilderment. (I don't understand. For
a moment there... that sword seemed to be the most beautiful thing in
the world... I just couldn't stop myself from picking it up....) Her
vision started to go dark and she started to sway.
"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin dropped the black sword and grabbed her
before she could topple to the floor.
With Misao fully occupied with getting Aoshi's bleeding under
control and with Kenshin tending to a semi-conscious Kaoru, no one
noticed that Yahiko and Sano seemed irresistibly drawn to the weapon
lying in the floor.
They both grabbed for the sword, just as the door to the side room
abruptly slid open. In their haste to get a hold of the blade, neither
Sano nor Yahiko was paying attention to what the other guy was doing.
They collided abruptly with a loud thud. As Sano and Yahiko landed on
the floor clutching their skulls, Saitoh whisked the weapon away from
right under their noses.
"Saitoh!" protested Kenshin and several other people.
"I'm out of sight for a few minutes and look what happens. Breaking
pottery... hysterical females... bleeding bodies.... I'm feeling left
out of all the fun."
Kenshin noted that Saitoh sounded quite like his normal sarcastic,
irritating self again.
While everyone nervously watched him for any suspicious or unusual
behavior, Saitoh held up the weapon and took a careful look at it. "So
this is the evil sword that's supposedly causing all the problems.
Hmph."
Tokio quietly moved over to Aoshi's side, freeing Misao to confront
Saitoh.
"Don't tell me that you can't sense anything strange about that
sword either!" the ninja girl shouted.
Saitoh murmured, "Either?"
Still holding a barely conscious Kaoru in his arms, Kenshin gave
Saitoh a harried look and said, "Whatever's wrong with that blade, it
doesn't seem to be affecting me."
"Ow, my head!" groaned Sano.
"Why don't you watch where you're going, you jerk!" yelled Yahiko.
"Me!? You're the one who got in my way!"
"I was going to pick it up first."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
With a casual sweep of his free hand, Saitoh smacked both Sano and
Yahiko in the head and said, "Shut up."
Sano jumped to his feet. "You can't tell me to shut up!"
United by a common enemy, Yahiko said, "Yeah, give it to him, Sano!"
The ninja girl glared at Kenshin and Saitoh. "I can't believe that
both of you can't detect anything weird about that damn blade!" Misao
then turned angrily toward Sano and Yahiko. "And I can't believe that
both you idiots are arguing about who's getting first dibs on a cursed
sword!"
Sano blinked and muttered, "Now that you mention it...."
"....why was I trying so hard to pick that stupid sword up?" Yahiko
mumbled in bewilderment.
As Kenshin carried Kaoru to the last unoccupied bed in the room, he
said apologetically, "Sorry, Misao, but I really can't sense anything
strange about that sword."
Saitoh snorted and said, "If it wasn't for the Fox-woman's recent
bout of homicidal behavior, I'd say that you were imagining things,
girl."
Misao snapped, "Well, if you're so sure about that sword being
harmless, why don't you just hand it over to your wife and let her play
with it?"
Kenshin winced and muttered, "Misao...."
Saitoh turned and gave the ninja girl a long, silent stare. She
clapped her hands over her mouth and instinctively retreated toward
Aoshi's comforting presence.
(Oops. I think that was the wrong thing to say....)
At that moment, there was a brilliant flash of lightning, followed
almost immediately by a tremendous crack of thunder. A cold wind howled
through the clinic, sending papers and loose items flying. A few
seconds later, the storm began.
-----------------------------------
(end of part 6)
**********************************************************************
Next part: Things start to get creepy. ^_^
--------------------------------------------
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