All for Love- Chapter Thirteen Disclaimer: All characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki, JUMP comics, and Sony Entertainment. When night finally arrived the Kamiya Dojo settled down into its normal routine. Practice was over, dinner was eaten, and Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan were sleeping soundly in the spare bedroom. Normally the little girls would be asleep at home along with their grandfather, but this was a night when the old man could not fall asleep. He never liked to impose on Kaoru�s hospitality, but on this night he forgot all about that for he did not want to be alone with his thoughts. He sat in the dark on Kaoru�s porch and mentally beat himself over Megumi. My daughter. She is like another daughter to me, one who is so lovely and so sweet. Her kind words, her good cheer, and her empathy towards her patients make her the best doctor in Tokyo- and they make her one of the best friends I have ever had in a long time. How can anyone say that she has done anything to deserve what she is going through? His thoughts were disturbed too soon as the door behind him slid open and Kaoru stepped outside to sit beside him. Her face was covered in shadows and this hid the fact that she was worried about her friends. But none of that seemed to matter to Yahiko who followed outside right after her, and marched over so that he stood right before her. Dr. Genzai noticed the scowl on the boy�s face, and he knew that this usually meant an argument was going to start. �How can you be so goddamned calm about this, Kaoru! Kenshin is out on another mission fighting another deadly opponent, and in danger of not coming home in one piece! How can you let him go without telling him! He might not come home at all!� Kaoru�s head snapped up and in a flash she had an iron grip on the collar of Yahiko�s gi, yanking him forward so that he stumbled and hung with his feet dangling inches above the ground. The shadows lifted momentarily and were replaced by a dark cloud of rage. Her voice was so dead calm that it made Yahiko freeze �You had better watch what you say. You don� t know anything, so just keep your mouth shut!� She shoved him away from her, sending him flying to the other side of the yard so that he crashed into the dojo�s gate. The tone in her voice caught Dr. Genzai�s attention. �Kaoru-chan, is there something wrong?� Kaoru jumped at the mention of her name and looked at the old man as if she was surprised to see him there. �G-g-g-genzai-sensei! How long have you been sitting out here?� Her stuttering made the doctor suspicious. �What a silly question, Kaoru-chan. For about ten minutes longer than you have, I�m afraid. Don�t you remember me mentioning that I wanted some fresh air?� Kaoru fidgeted uncomfortably, and shot Yahiko a deadly glare. Yahiko had already recovered and he was back to nagging her again. �Oi, Busu! It doesn�t matter what you do to me because I won�t shut up! I think that you should let Dr. Genzai look you over so that he can tell you what you already know.� Kaoru was on the verge of exploding. �Shut-up, Yahiko,� she warned clenching her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. Yahiko grimly shook his head. �No. What you did is wrong. You should have told Kenshin before he left.� �Yahiko, mind your own damned business!� Kaoru screamed, and jumped to her feet so that she could beat him into oblivion, but as soon as she was standing everything went spinning out of control. She collapsed onto her knees, throwing her arms in front of her so that her face wouldn�t hit the ground. Dr. Genzai was by her immediately. �Kaoru-chan! Something is wrong. Tell me what is going on right now,� he demanded. He fixed her with his stern gaze and in the darkness he could see how deathly pale she was. Yahiko kneeled beside the doctor took one of Kaoru�s arms and helped her to her feet. �She�s not feeling like herself, Dr. Genzai. She�s sick right now, and she�s been sick every morning for the past week. She nearly fainted when she put the girls to bed, and just before she came outside she was sick in the bathroom.� The boy suddenly felt a firm grip on his collar again. He looked up and saw Kaoru�s possessed eyes fixed on him. She even growled in anger. �Yahiko, how can you spy on me in the bathroom? That�s so disgusting!� Despite her weakened state Yahiko found it difficult to wrench her fingers from him. �I know it�s disgusting. You make vomiting sound worse than it already is. Lemme go, ugly! I don�t want to be next to you when you puke again!� �Yahiko!� Kaoru fumed, itching to slug him. Dr. Genzai grabbed hold of her fist before she could raise it to attack. �Kaoru, I think Yahiko-kun is right. It is a good idea to look you over. Maybe there is some kind of virus going around and if there is then it will be good to take care of it now. Please, come this way,� Dr. Genzai instructed as he held out his hand to lead the way into the house. Kaoru hesitated for a moment. Yahiko watched her carefully. �Kaoru�� Yahiko began peering at the drawn expression on her face. �What are you afraid to find out?� Kaoru said nothing. Instead, she turned away from her student and followed slowly after Dr. Genzai, knowing well what it was the old man would tell her. She has been keeping this secret for a while. Kaoru-chan, why have you chosen to wait so long to make this known? Dr. Genzai�s hands shook as he folded the futon. In this examination alone he found out more about Kaoru than he knew in all the years that they were friends. He stopped momentarily to look over at her. Kaoru kneeled by the open door looking up at the stars that had finally become visible in the evening air. In a minute her student was going to storm in and demand what was going on. He was going to demand she tell him what was wrong, and in a funny way Kaoru figured that the boy already knew. Dr. Genzai shook his head and sighed. How is she going to explain this to everyone? Footsteps could be heard rushing over the pathways, and they padded down the hall until they finally stopped at the shoji door. When he finally came into the room he looked over at his instructor, conviction burning in his eyes. But she didn�t acknowledge him. She just paid attention to the stars and her sublime expression said it all to him. Still, he wanted more answers so he turned his attention to the doctor. �When is she due?� Dr. Genzai was surprised by how much of this Yahiko had figured out. Young people knew too much, as far as he was concerned. �The baby will arrive in late November. I don�t anticipate any reason for me to be out of town then, but I will make sure that I stay here to perform the delivery.� Suddenly the old man�s face lit up. His eyes sparkled with moisture and a tear escaped to roll down his cheek. He knelt beside her and took her hand into his. He beamed at her, the pride within pouring forth and warming her heart. She smiled faintly at him, for she was still in disbelief. The old man patted her hand reassuringly. �I will make sure that everything is perfect for you, Kaoru-chan. I want you to come see me every week so we can check up on the little one and make sure that it�s healthy. You know, you will have to relax now and stop fighting with Yahiko-kun,� he said pointedly, squeezing her hand. No response. She turned away to stare at the stars again. Dr. Genzai and Yahiko exchanged worried looks. �Ano�Kaoru? You�re happy�right?� Yahiko asked. That question brought her out of her daze. Her eyes shifted away from the sky and she gazed up at her student. Then her head moved slightly back and forth. This put Yahiko�s nerves on edge. Why is she being so silent? Is she really happy about all of this? She sure doesn�t look like a woman who�s just learned that she�s gonna have a baby. Kuso! She�s in shock and it�s all my fault! I shouldn�t have pushed her like I did. She may never recover, then she can�t give birth! Busu, will be pregnant and cranky for the rest of her life and she�ll take it all out on me! Yahiko shook his head to get rid of those silly thoughts. Of course Kaoru was happy. She is having Kenshin�s baby. That should be enough to make her happy forever. But for some reason Yahiko wasn�t quite convinced that Kaoru was completely content. �Kaoru-chan, this is a wonderful thing for you and Kenshin. What bothers you so much about it?� Dr. Genzai asked, unconvinced as well. Kaoru lowered her head so that her bangs hid her face. Her answer came to them in a hoarse whisper. �We�re not married.� Yahiko and Dr. Genzai exchanged another look. Yahiko understood what she was feeling but what he could not fathom was why she of all people would care about such a thing. �Big deal. That doesn�t mean that you won�t be married. Once Kenshin finds out about the baby there�ll defiantly be a wedding.� Kaoru shook her head. �That�s what I mean. I don�t want Kenshin to think that he has to do anything about this. It will seem as if I�m trapping him to keep him from going on his way again. I don�t want him to think that he�s obligated to anything, least of all, to me.� �What the hell are you talking about?� Yahiko flared, �Kenshin won�t ever leave you! He stopped being a rurouni a long time ago and you know that. If not, would you have let yourself get this close to him?� Kaoru looked to Dr. Genzai for some understanding. Tears were welled up inside of her eyes as she pleaded with the old doctor. �We�re not married. I let a notorious man live in my house, and now I�m pregnant by him. I wasn�t raised to do things that way.� The old man was so touched by her nervousness that he couldn�t help but chuckle. �Kaoru-chan, are you thinking that everything happened the wrong way? You have loved Kenshin since he first arrived, and in a short time he came to feel the same way about you. You have both grown very close to each other, so an event like this is only natural. There is nothing improper about it. In fact, let me remind you that you are the only young woman that I know of, who leads a Kendo school. You are the master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. That already sets you apart from the rest of society because you choose to lead your own life. Loving Kenshin is another choice you have made and this baby growing inside of you is an extension of that. You and Kenshin have done a wonderful thing, and I for one can�t wait to meet the little one!� Dr. Genzai clapped his hands together in delight, for he was so pleased to see Kaoru finally smile. Her face was glowing. Then she surprised the old man by throwing her arms around him. �Thank you, Dr. Genzai. Thank you so much. I was afraid that you would be disappointed in me.� The old man chuckled again. �That�s silly. There is nothing that you can do to disappoint me. Is that why you took so long to tell me about this?� �Is that why you didn�t tell Kenshin anything?� Kaoru pulled away from the doctor and stood up. The tone in Yahiko�s voice was so somber that it made his question sound like an accusation. None of this would have been known if he had not been so pushy and nosy, so he deserved the explanation more than anyone. �I didn�t tell Kenshin because I wasn�t sure if I was pregnant. I just had my suspicions about it. When I started feeling sick that was when Megumi-san�s problems began, so I forgot about what was happening with me. I didn�t tell Kenshin because I didn�t want him to worry. The important thing now is to get Sanosuke back, and that is what I want Kenshin to concentrate on.� Yahiko looked up at Kaoru and wondered why he bothered to press her about this to begin with. She just did what was in her nature at that was to worry about everyone else. He shook his head in wonder. She�ll never change. She always puts others before herself no matter how important her own problem is. Ugly, has such a big heart�she�s going to make a great mother. Hmmm. Now that she�s pregnant this changes things for a while. �You know Kaoru, I�m happy for you and Kenshin. But now that you�re in such a delicate condition this puts you out of commission for a while. I�m going to have to take over the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, since I�m already the master, so your students will have a cool new instructor!� Yahiko had stars in is eyes as he thought about it. �Yahiko-Sensei. I love the way that sounds.� Kaoru raised a twitching eyebrow. �Master? You�re still my student. You�re nowhere near to being a master. You�re not even at the advanced level yet. But since you are my first real student, you�ll have to do.� Before Yahiko realized anything, Kaoru had him in a powerful headlock. �Just don�t disgrace my school!� Dr. Genzai�s eyes went wide. �Kaoru-chan, remember what I said! No more fighting!� Kaoru caught herself and shoved Yahiko away. She grinned sheepishly at the doctor. �Sorry. It�s going to take some time for me to get used to this.� Then her face darkened a little bit, as she said solemnly, �I�m still worried about them. They took on such a dangerous mission. Kenshin. Sanosuke. Megumi. Please come back safely.� * * * * * * �Watch it, Battousai,� Saitoh warned. Kenshin had his hand on the hilt of his Sakaba as he huddled down against the cool stonewall by the stairwell. It was unlike him to be jumpy in a tense situation like this, but for some reason the fact that Austin had Megumi hostage made Kenshin angry. He was angry with himself for she had been his responsibility and in effect he felt that he had let Sanosuke down. He trusted me with her, and I just let her wander off. Why didn�t I watch her more closely? Why did I let her come with us to begin with? Kenshin felt something sharp poke him in the ribs, and realized that Saitoh had nudged him with his boot. He glanced up at the Wolf to see a set of fiery yellow eyes scowl down at him. �Let it go Battousai. Your anger has ignited your ki, and if you don�t keep it under control these warriors are going to detect it. She was warned about the dangers, she insisted on coming anyway and then she wandered off. She was captured because of her own foolishness so don�t beat yourself up over it. She has succeeded in making this assignment much more difficult, and I don�t know if I can trust the Rooster to follow through. His main concern is the Fox. It has been his only concern all along.� Kenshin responded with a question, which he already knew the answer to, �So your concern is�?� A wicked grin spread across Saitoh�s lips. �To extinguish the enemy of course.� Kenshin turned away, partly irritated with his partner but at the same time anxious for them to get to work. They were surprised to have found an opening on the side of the mountain, and even more shocked at the operation that was running throughout. It must have taken them years to build this. It must have been in construction since before the Bakumatsu. How could they have gotten away with building this immense structure without the Japanese government knowing about it? Kenshin thought as he pressed himself closer into the wall so as not to be noticed by the warriors that constantly passed by. Saitoh thought that they had prematurely entered this compound, and he wondered if Kenshin would be prepared for any surprise attacks. He knew how this whole structure worked. He had already gotten word from his spy that there were more secret passageways, one in particular that led right into the heart of the mansion. Saitoh knew that if they followed that passage they would walk right into the presence of the old man, Austin. That prospect made Saitoh chuckle softly. That chuckle made Kenshin turn his head again and give Saitoh a look. �I may not be an expert on the tactics of the secret police, but I think that laughing is something that can give you away,� Kenshin pointed out with a whisper. Saitoh�s amber eyes narrowed into a glare. �So can talking, Battousai so shut the hell up!� He shot back harshly, and pulled Kenshin to his feet. They were able to look up the stairwell and it was unsettling to see that at every floor were groups of soldiers ready to attack once they detected that a wolf and a rurouni were creeping around. Saitoh wasn�t sure what they were going to do, and for just a brief moment he thought that Kenshin was unsure of what their next step would be as well. �What now, Battousai?� The dampness of the caves caused an ache to trail along the length of Saitoh�s wound. He sucked in his breath knowing that if they were to be attacked at that moment, the first thing that the guards would go for was the slash on his back. But that would only happen if he sank into the pain and allowed them to see that he was injured, so he conjured up a little of own ki and willed himself to ignore the stinging pain. Kenshin studied the opening above them, taking in the location of all of the rooms and following the movements of the soldiers. He sensed that Saitoh was uncomfortable. �They look as if they are getting ready for something. I see them heading in the same direction towards a group of tunnels that I believe lead into the mansion.� Saitoh let out a deep breath and nodded. �They do. But there is one tunnel that is so secret that even these men don�t know it exists. It is located inside of a room that is at the far end of the East Wing of the first floor. If you look closely Battousai that particular door has no guard posted.� Kenshin shifted slightly and suddenly a door hidden among shadows came into view. �That�s very odd. Maybe the room is not that important.� �No, it happens to be the most important room in this cavern. That is the private study of Kyuuto Irushi-and it contains the tunnel which leads directly into Henry Austin�s chambers.� A group of men approached to ascend the stairs causing Kenshin and Saitoh to retreat into a darker corner. When the men were finally out of sight Saitoh moved to look at the door again. An idea suddenly came to him when he spotted a familiar, lone figure making his way toward the door. Nani, why is he going in there?, he wondered as Kenshin spotted the figure as well. �Sano?� he whispered softly and met Saitoh�s inquiring gaze with his own. They watched as Sanosuke treaded purposefully toward the door and disappeared into its darkness. Then a realization suddenly came to the rurouni. �His meeting with Irushi,� he said, remembering the plan that Sano had relayed to them. �It must be time for him to find out how that man is planning to use him. I hope he is okay. With Megumi-dono in danger now it will be hard for him to concentrate on what he has to do.� Saitoh let out a contemptuous snort. �According to him, what he has to do is save his fox from danger. The rest of this assignment falls on you and I, Battousai and I have just thought of way to get us into that room.� As he finished his statement another familiar figure came into view. It was a young man who Kenshin did not know, and unbeknownst to the rurouni, Saitoh took the risk of making himself visible to catch the attention of this individual. The young man was making his tunnel rounds as he was assigned to do by the Superiors of the Austin compound, but he did not make these rounds for them-he made them for his boss, Inspector Fujita Goro. When he saw the Wolf, he looked toward the unguarded door and then again at his boss for confirmation. Saitoh nodded. �That room will get us to Austin, and once he is defeated this whole thing is over because these men won�t do anything if Austin can�t provide for them. That room is our goal to finishing this, Battousai. Prepare yourself. We have a way in.� * * * * * Her head exploded with pain as she opened her eyes. She shut them quickly which she soon regretted for that just caused pressure to build up in her head which brought more pain. She opened her eyes again, slowly this time, and took a moment to look at her surroundings. She was on a futon spread out in a room that looked more like a study than a bedroom. There was a desk with two chairs and off to the side stood a cabinet filled with weapons. She scanned the fine swords and pistols wondering whom they belonged to. She finally decided that the collector was indeed a killer so she was in no hurry to meet him. Megumi wanted to test her strength so she sat up, but she soon regretted that as well. Her hand trailed around to the back of her head where she immediately found the lump. She winced as she tapped at it to determine its size and severity. From what she felt it was nothing serious, but it was enough to keep her from sneaking out. Trying to flee was an unwise choice for now. Megumi sat on the edge of the futon and decided to wait it out. As she sat her thoughts roamed to the past forty-eight hours. So much had been revealed to the point where she knew that nothing would be the same again. Her relationship with Sanosuke had evolved with such intensity in just a few short hours. One minute she found his presence annoying. Now she found that she wanted to share her life with him more than anything. What have you done to me, Sano no Baka? I don�t know if I can live without you. Megumi sighed. Then she heard the sound of footsteps approaching and her heart froze. Did the owner of these weapons decide that he wanted to kill her? Megumi went stiff at the thought of that, and wondered if Sano knew that she was captured. I came here to take him back home and now I won�t be able to see him before I die. Sanosuke, I�m so sorry!, she thought as her eyes filled with tears of lament. She heard someone enter the room and she felt her time was up. This is it. Goodbye, Sanosuke. My one true love� When she turned to face the door her heart stopped and she gasped. The person who entered the room stopped short and stared at her dumbfounded. She didn�t give him time to recover. Megumi forgot the pain in her head and leaped to her feet to pounce on a very shocked Sagara Sanosuke. She held him so tightly she didn�t care if it hurt. It�s you! Baka yarou, it�s realIy you! I get to see you again, Sanosuke. When he felt her arms slipped around his neck that finally broke the spell. The scent of her hair and her soft skin made him forget himself for a moment. He hugged her tightly to him and clutched her desperately, not wanting to let her go this time. He had been stupid to leave her before. If anything had happened to her, he certainly would never forgive himself. He had to bite his own tongue to keep himself from crying, for he suddenly realized that he had no time to let his emotions go out of control. Something odd in the area that made him pull away abruptly, and he held her away from him at arms length. The look she had in her eyes told him that she was confused. She didn�t feel the uneasiness that he felt at that moment, but Saitou�s training had given him the ability to feel someone�s gaze upon him, and at that moment he felt the burning eyes of the worst demon he had ever met. Irushi watched with interest as he saw his new soldier, Sagara Sanosuke embrace the lady doctor. When he noted how tightly they held each other, he finally realized what was going on. He moved away slightly for he wanted to spy on them some more without being noticed. His mind began to turn with one idea after another causing a wicked smirk to form on his lips. I see, Sagara. You had other intentions all along. You�re very good. You almost had me fooled. But, now that I know what you�re really up to, my plans for you have changed... "What�s wrong Sanosuke? Is someone out there?� Megumi asked, her voice a quavering whisper. Sanosuke wanted to reassure her and say that there was not. But he didn�t want to lie to her. He felt the presence of that man Irushi, felt the aura of hate and evil that crept into the room to surround them. He wanted to shake it off so that Megumi would not notice how worried he was. He knew that she was used to him being cool, and in control during situations like this. He didn�t want her to know that he wasn�t cool in this situation at all. He was terrified. Megumi asked the question again, and Sano covered her mouth gently. He raised his eyebrows slightly and looked tensely at her so that she knew it was not safe to talk at that moment. He turned his head slightly and he saw the doorway through his side vision. No kind of shadow lurked in the hallway. He relaxed a little. Irushi had gone. But Sano worried that he had seen them together. He finally let his guard down, and pulled her into his arms. Megumi stood tensely against Sano�s body feeling his skin grow warmer as his breathing became shallow. She knew he was nervous about something. Did someone see them when they embraced? Perhaps it was that wretched foreigner; or perhaps it was someone much more dangerous. She looked up at Sano�s face to see what she could get from his expression. Nothing. She sighed. He learned how to hide his feelings so well. Saitou had trained him so well in those aspects. An enemy would definitely have a tough time reading his moves; but this coldness only made her more anxious. When she finally felt his fingers lightly caress her cheek, her fear immediately drifted away. �How did you end up in here?� he asked, his hand moving to cup the back of her head. She rested her head within his grasp, feeling a security she always felt when she was with him. She wished that they could leave right now, and forget that this entire dilemma had come to pass. But, of course she had to think about reality, and why they were in this situation to begin with. She was involved because she was tied to something that her father could not help; he was involved because loved her. Megumi couldn�t get that realization out of her mind. Sanosuke joined the police force so that he could protect her, and for that she would never forgive herself. It was a path he himself chose, but she still could not help feeling responsible. He has been doing this for me all this time, and I did nothing but treat him badly. I argued with him, insulted him, and made him think that I loved someone else instead. But none of that stopped him from watching over me. Kami-sama, I�m so stupid. He is the only one I ever wanted. Why did I ever lie to myself about that? Megumi inclined her head within his hand, and gazed up into his face. He had such a handsome face, with deep eyes that were able to see right into her, burrowing down further so that he peered right into her soul. As she looked into those eyes, she decided to wish for more time. She wanted time to see what lay beyond the rough exterior of this complicated man, and what lay within the realm of his mind. She wanted to know his whole being better than he even knew himself. She felt his fingers lightly rub the back of her neck and a sigh escaped her lips. �I think I was captured. I left Ken-san to do some exploring, and then I felt something hit me. Someone must have knocked me out. The pain was horrendous when I awoke. But, you�re making me feel much better, Sanosuke. Your rough hands, know how to treat me with tenderness. The pain is almost gone.� Her voice was barely a whisper as Sano�s neck massage caused her to grow drowsy. Sano continued with his soft caress until he felt Megumi�s body slump against him. Then he scooped her up gently and laid her down on the futon. He spread her hair out behind her, and pushed the stray strands away from her face as he gazed down at her. She was so heavenly to look at. This was a vision he felt he had to record in his memory, for watching Megumi sleep was the biggest privilege he could ever have bestowed upon him. He would cherish this sleeping beauty, always. It took a lot to tear himself away from her presence, but he had to find out what was going on. If Irushi had seen them he had to think of a way to explain it. His gi was gone, and he had to explain that as well. He decided it was wise to stop worrying and take some time to collect his thoughts. Irushi had plans for him, but Sano had to concentrate on finding something that made him vulnerable. The gunslinger was too well trained to let his guard down, but his trust may let Sano in on some information that could ultimately take him down. He had to think of something and fast. He looked over at Megumi�s sleeping form. Her life depended on how fast this plan came to him. Kenshin and Saitou were probably inside. They would have a tough time getting past the guards, but he knew that they could get through nonetheless. He hoped that they had something in mind. He was desperate to save Megumi, but all he could at that moment was wait for Irushi- and possibly wait for the end. Sano sighed and felt that the situation called for help from someone other than Kenshin and Saitoh. So, he closed his eyes, and spoke softly. �Kami-sama. I know that my tab with you is pretty big. But I have one more thing to ask of you. Please, let my Megumi get out of this safely. I want her to be alive. I want her to be happy. And in the end, I want her to be mine.� �Your Megumi will be none of those if you don�t do as I say.� Sano�s eyes snapped open and shifted toward the door. Irushi stood there calmly watching him. He looked as impassive as ever. Sano couldn�t sense if he was angry or delighted, but then a slight smile turned the corners of his mouth to form a sick curl. Irushi shook his head sadly. �Sanosuke. Don�t look so surprised. I think that I�ve had enough shock for both of us. I don�t believe that I allowed myself to be so stupid. That makes me so angry. But, I�m not angry with you. You merely did what you could to save the one you love, and I have to give you credit for that, because you have picked a beautiful woman to love. I don�t blame you for going to such extremes for her.� Irushi stopped and moved into the room, pushing the door shut behind him. Sano, felt himself take a step back. If he had to, he would take this bastard on now. He wasn�t going to let him hurt Megumi. Not now, and not ever. His hand went to his Katana. Irushi narrowed his gaze at this. �But, I must admit that your deception has me quite puzzled. Why go through all the trouble to have me reveal all that I was going to do? Although, you did nothing to encourage me, I admit that I gave out that information freely. But, if you wanted to save her, why not just come in with your friend the Battousai and rescue her? You�ve done enough of that in the past. Why has it changed now?� Sano felt his heart beat so rapidly it hurt. Does this bastard already know? He already discovered one officer. Suppose he already linked us together? If he has then this just makes the situation worse. Gangsters hate it when cops sneak around their hideouts. They kill those cops so unmercifully it makes you hope that the policemen die quickly. Sano then remembered the fallen officer. That policeman had indeed suffered, for he had held on long enough to let Sano know that Megumi was in danger. For that, Sano would be forever grateful-and for that he knew that he had to avenge the officer�s death. The memory of him covered in blood pushed out whatever fear Sano had within. His rage came out again, and his hand tightly gripped the hilt of his sword. �Nothing has changed. I�m here to rescue Megumi, and my friend is with me as well. We�re going to defeat you and I�m going to take Megumi home where she belongs. I see nothing different with that.� Irushi�s smile faded, and his sinister nature burst forward. �That�s because you have been blinded. Your only purpose behind all of this is that whore lying right there. Her father has been the cause of all that has happened to Mr. Austin, and she followed in his footsteps to inevitably bring harm to others. To see you defend such trash makes me want to slit my own throat. But then if I did that, who would lead my revolt against this era and bring it to its proper place within this world? Who would have the same passion and drive for ending the Meiji era, as I do?� Irushi stopped and stared hard at Sano. �I�ll tell you who would. You would.� Chapter 14 Fanfiction Archive Main Page |