Under The Circumstances

an r.k. Fanfic

 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

 

"Consequence "

 

 

 

"And everything I can't remember,

Is fucked up as it's always been..."

 

Staind

 

 

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As he had suspected, Kenshin found the ninja girl holding her own against three opponents at once in the upper halls of the western-styled mansion. She was handling the first two just fine, but the third kept closing in before she could perform a suitable attack to incapacitate them thoroughly.

 

In true hitokiri fashion, Kenshin stole up to the group and knocked the offending player out while Misao, intent on her task, gave the other two a solid bird-kick that sent them sprawling. She dusted her hands as she loomed over the two fallen men, "Gods, I hate cheaters." She muttered. Turning around she almost face-faulted straight into the only redhead she knew. "Himura?" she said disbelievingly at first, "Himura!" she shouted embracing him joyfully, "Gods you don't know how good it is to see you right now!"

 

Kenshin, in true Kenshin-like fashion, oroed as the small girl clung to him as if for dear life itself. "Ororo…anou Misao-chan? Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

 

Misao wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "Iie.. " she said, "Only my feelings." She looked up at Kenshin with distressed eyes, "Are Aoshi and Soujiro okay?" she managed to ask. Kenshin looked surprised, "You we knew were here?" he asked.

 

Misao nodded, "Hai. I escaped from the room where they were keeping me just before you broke the door down. I was in the hall when I heard these three up here, I thought they were trying to ambush you."

 

On the floor one of the fallen ninja stirred, "You cannot win," he said weakly, "Tsuran knows Shinomori's real weakness, and it isn't this little bitch." He concluded turning toward Misao.

 

"Shut up!!"  Misao hissed knocking the man unconscious again.

 

"Come," Kenshin said turning around, "Aoshi and Soujiro are still downstairs, it is best we go help them."

 

Misao's expression became rigid, "Hai." She agreed following her comrade back to the room where the others fought. Nevertheless, even as she ran she wondered what Kaede's flunky had meant by 'Shinomori's real weakness'.

 

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Soujiro faced his opponent warily. This Kaede had a tricky air about him, like one who was accustomed to manipulating situations and people to suit his own ends. He certainly had succeeded in manipulating Misao's heart by becoming her friend only to betray her so cruelly when it suited him to do so. That alone was reason enough for Soujiro to take up his sword against this man whom he knew so little about.

 

Kaede's eyes traveled over Soujiro's seemingly slight frame. "I know you," he said evenly, "You are the little ronin that Misao mentioned to me."

 

Soujiro's temper flared at the words "little ronin" but he kept his temper in check as they circled each other cautiously, "So what if I am?" he asked just as evenly.

 

Kaede smiled, "Very good my friend, I can see you are too wise to let me get to you through petty insults. Maybe you will prove more worthy a challenge than I thought?"

 

Without warning, Kaede charged straight for Soujiro who stayed rooted to the spot waiting for the opportunity to strike, but it ever came. Kaede stopped short, sidestepped the shorter man and threw the shorter of his two swords at Soujiro's head. Mimicking one of Kenshin's finer moves, Soujiro moved his head to the side avoiding the projectile. Kaede's smile was almost feral as he pulled his hand back again.

 

Soujiro's right shoulder exploded with pain at the fluid movement of Kaede's hands. Gritting his teeth he grabbed at the wound as he sank to his knees in a silent expression of agony. Through the thick haze of pain clouding his vision he noticed a tiny glint, like sunlight on a spider web, as Kaede's sword returned to his hand as if of it's own accord.

 

 

Misao watched from the balcony with a mixture of fear, anger and disgust. "Wires? You disgraceful bastard!!!" she howled vengefully from her vantage point, causing the four men battling downstairs to look up simultaneously. Aoshi himself had never felt so relieved in his whole life to see the girl, and it was never more true to him than at that very moment that Misao was most beautiful when she was angry.

 

Soujiro looked up, the pained look on his face dissolving into a deliriously happy smile as an unhurt Misao scowled down on Kaede from the balcony where she stood with Kenshin standing protectively at her side. "Misao!" he shouted gaining her attention, "Thank the gods you're alright."

 

"Soujiro…" Misao called down in a voice that was thick with emotion, "Please be careful, beloved."

 

Kaede's mouth hung open slightly in shock. His Misao had called his opponent 'beloved'. He suddenly realized that this, this… pubescent… was the reason why Misao would not return his affections.

 

His anger flared so brightly that Soujiro's attention was ripped form Misao's tear-streaked face to the blood-lust in Kaede's eyes as he slowly slid into an offensive stance once more.

 

"Teme…" Kaede growled, "I'll kill you both for making a fool out of me."

 

Soujiro's eyes instantly turned black with rage at the threat to Misao's life.

 

"You. Will. Not."

 

Misao looked down where the man she loved and the man she had once considered her close friend faced each other with deadly intent. A single tear welled up in her eye and slowly slid down her face.

 

"Dame…" she whispered.

 

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Soujiro straightened up his posture holding his sword against his shoulder as if it were a mere toy, his left foot was placed behind his right and he kept hopping on it so that his entire body kept moving up and down. However, the strangest thing of all was his face, Soujiro was smiling serenely, eyes half-closed as if lost in a pleasant daydream.

 

Misao felt Kenshin stiffen beside her.

 

Kaede rushed the smaller samurai, his green eyes ablaze with hatred, but moments later his expression changed to one of curiosity, then alarm and finally, mortal terror.

 

As Kaede rushed forward, Soujiro's eyes opened slightly but the smile remained unchanged. Suddenly, he jumped, and as soon as his right foot hit the floor he disappeared from view completely. All the others could see of him was a rapid breaking of floorboards heading straight for Kaede. Then, above the sound of splintering wood came a high pitched yell and Kaede was magically lifted off of the floor and sent sailing into the far wall.

 

Soujiro reappeared a few feet from where Kaede had been standing, his sword gripped tightly in his hands.

 

Misao sunk to the floor her face buried in her hands. No. No no no!!! she told herself, He couldn't have killed him, her Soujiro was not a murderer. Not anymore…

 

"No." she moaned into her hands.

 

Kenshin's eyes traveled from the younger ronin to the place where the young ninja had fallen and he was relieved when the young man's hand twitched.

 

"Look!" he whispered pointing, "He is still alive!"

 

Misao looked up to see that Kaede was indeed struggling to get back up, and it was as if the weight of the world was taken off of her shoulders.

 

 

Soujiro walked over to where Kaede had fallen. His shirt was torn and there was an angry welt across the length on his torso but he was still breathing. Kaede's eyes opened slightly and focused on the young man standing over him.

 

"S-should…have killed," he wheezed painfully, "...honor…"

 

Soujiro's smile was genuine this time, "No," he said softly, "You lost your honor when you betrayed a friend that loved you for a vendetta. This, is a much more suitable punishment for you."

 

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"The consequences that are rendered,

I've gone and fucked things up again..."

 

Staind

 

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Tsuran shook with rage at his son's defeat. With his allies being diminished at this rate, his plan to take revenge on Aoshi might just as well turn out to be his funeral. To everyone's surprise, he threw both of his swords aside.

 

"I have no need for these anymore," he said angrily, "I accept now that there is only one way I can beat you."

 

Suddenly, there was a grinding noise coming from the far corner of the room. Everyone watched as two uniformed lackeys pushed something large and heavy into view.

 

Kenshin's eyes narrowed and flashed golden and Misao gripped the railing like a lifeline as she felt her legs about to give out. "Aoshi-sama's one weakness…" she whispered.

 

 

The GATT ling gun was even larger than the one in Kanruu's mansion. The string of ammunition was made of strange bullets, cruel-looking things which were pointed at the end like the teeth of a dragon. If one was caught in it's fire, there was no doubt that they would not come out of it alive.

 

And it was pointed straight at Aoshi. 

 

"Aoshi get out of there!" Kenshin screamed to the younger man as he stared down the gun as if petrified.

 

Soujiro watched as Shinomori stood there, his grip on his kodachi suddenly slackened so that the swords hung harmlessly at his sides.

 

Then they all heard it. The click of the handle being turned.

 

"AOSHIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!"

 

Soujiro ran like he had never run before. Pushing himself past what he previously thought were his limits he made a beeline for Misao's guardian.

 

Seeing his intention, Tsuran moved forward blindly to prevent Aoshi from escaping his fate.

 

"DAME!!!" Misao roared launching herself up onto the railing." Leave them alone!!!"

 

Holding her obi in her left hand and the dagger in her right, she snapped her wrist sending the long length of silk to wrap itself around Tsuran's neck, then, with a twist of her body she yanked him back and launched the dagger at the string of bullets being fed into the machine.

 

There was the sound of the gun firing briefly before its supply of ammunition was cut off. Grabbing Aoshi around his middle, Soujiro managed to topple the much larger man, sending them both crashing into the far wall.

 

Grabbing the opportunity, Kenshin descended on the machine's operators.

 

"Tsu Ryu Sen!!!"

 

 Within moments the machine was in shambles and the two subordinates lay on the ground as if dead. Kenshin re-sheathed his sword, turning to the spot where Aoshi and Soujiro fell. Aoshi was getting up, seemingly unhurt, Soujiro on the other hand was lying on the floor, his body frighteningly still.

 

"Soujiro!!!" Misao shouted, running to where he lay on his stomach. "Soujiro?" she pleaded turning him over in her lap, his gi was dark with blood flowing from a gaping hole in his side. She gasped in horror and looked into his face, he watched her with glazed eyes as a soft smile curved his mouth. "Misao…" he said weakly, raising his hand so that he might touch her face, but he was too weak. His fingers barely brushed against her jaw, Misao shivered at how cold they were, "He's going into shock." she thought as huge tears slipped down her face.

 

Soujiro's smile faltered, "Don't cry," he said softly, "I saved…for you."  He said gesturing toward the spot where Aoshi looked down on them with a mixture of sadness and gratitude in his ice blue eyes.

 

"I know anata." Misao sobbed holding him tighter, "I know."

 

 

Across the room, Kaede staggered to the place where his father lay, the same contemptuous look he had carried all his life was now forever etched onto his sharp features. A neat bullet wound leered from right between his open eyes.

 

Kaede sank to his knees. Lifting his head he caught Misao's tear filled eyes and his heart ached worse than any physical wound ever would.

 

"Now I have nothing." he whispered.

 

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