All for Love Disclaimer: All characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki and all affiliates. Chapter 15 The door closed behind them and they were in complete darkness. Then the devil gave them light in the form of a lantern, which he held before him. With a slight movement of his head he motioned for them to follow. �Don�t fall too far behind. If you get lost I won�t come back for you. I�ll quite enjoy hearing your screams of distress for a while until I get tired of them, and then I�ll just shoot you both.� Sanosuke took advantage of the shadow that was cast over them and he leaned in close to briefly press his head against Megumi�s. He felt her body stiffen and heard her breath catch in her throat. She bit her lower lip wishing that Sano had not done that. �What are you two doing back there?� Sano looked up into a lantern held directly in front of his face. He turned his face to the side to escape the bright light that blinded him. Irushi quirked an eyebrow at him, and then turned his gaze to Megumi. �Darling, you just ruined the moment for this gentleman. He was just trying to show you how much he loves you. Now that I know what he was up to I�m not going to give him anymore chances to sneak around.� He stood aside and held his hand out to lead the way for them. �Just keep going straight until you see a large steel door. I�ll be right behind you. There should be enough light for you to see what�s in front of you. If you go off course I�ll let you know right away. Or I�ll let you get lost. We�ll see how I feel if that actually happens. Now get moving.� They continued on in silence, walking ahead of the madman and anticipating some sort of an attack. Megumi could feel his gaze on her from time to time and she wondered if his plan was to actually leave them for dead in these dark tunnels. Sano made no more attempts at affection and resumed with his rigid demeanor ushering her stiffly before him. She heard his steady breathing, sensed the careful movements of his pace and noted the way he held her wrists unusually tight. If she shifted her hand just a little she wondered if her bones would snap. Irushi had been right. The lantern allowed them to see just what was ahead and when Megumi thought their trek would never end she noticed the light reflect off of something before them. Sano slowed his pace forcing her to do the same. They came to a complete stop and Irushi brushed past them to turn the handle and open the door. He stepped through and then moved aside to allow them to pass. When they were completely out of the tunnel Irushi let the door slam shut. Megumi was surprised that the noise failed to startle her. Irushi turned to Megumi once again and slowly looked her over. His close scrutiny made her shudder. �My, my. You�re even more beautiful in the light. Sagara, you sure do have great taste in women.� He moved in even closer and raised his hand to grip her chin. Sano�s body tensed further and his common sense left him long enough to prepare his leg for a vicious kick. �Sano, don�t.� The voice was barely audible, yet it broke through the temporary rage that had consumed the fighter. Megumi felt his body relax enough to allow his logical mind to take over. She stared blankly into Irushi�s eyes and watched a sickening grin form on his face. �You�re smart too. You know your man well.� He leaned back and released his grip. �Sagara, you don�t have to worry. My intentions aren�t to desecrate your woman that way. Neither my soldiers, nor myself will have anything to do with her. She is your responsibility and I expect you to do your job properly. The holding cells are down on the first fl-� �Who�s out there?� Megumi turned her head to follow the direction of the voice that spoke a strange language. �Corpus, is that you?� Megumi held her breath. Could that be�? A figure appeared in the doorway of what Megumi realized was a sitting room. Under different circumstances she would have been impressed with the plush furniture and beautiful tapestries, but at that moment all of her attention was fixed on the elderly gentleman who had joined them. Irushi stood at attention. �Mr. Austin, we�ve caught this woman sneaking around outside. Her name is Takani Megumi. She is his daughter.� The old man shifted his gaze to study Megumi. His blue eyes looked tired, and glassy. She knew right away that he was seriously ill. �I see. I finally get to meet you. I would like to say that it is a pleasure, however our present circumstances will refute that.� He nodded his head slightly to acknowledge her; the fact that he spoke Japanese made no impression on her. Then he turned to Sanosuke. �You�re still alive. I must say that I�m surprised. Corpus isn�t one to take that kind of treatment from gangster trash. You must be a better asset than I thought.� He glanced briefly at Irushi who nodded his head slightly. �Regardless, that will be the last time you display any disrespect. I don�t care whether we agree to your terms or not, remember who it is you work for.� And with that he turned to Irushi, granted him a parting nod and returned to the other room. �Sagara, the holding cells are on the first floor. Pick one for your woman and then report back to me immediately. I want to start my plan as soon as possible.� And without looking at them, Irushi raised his hand and dismissed the fox and the rooster. * * * * * * It was so late for him. He wasn�t used to staying up past nine o� clock anymore. He felt a burning in his chest, which gave way to tightness in his throat and before he could brace himself another fit of coughs ripped out of him. This round took more out him than he expected and he stumbled to his bed and collapsed on it, laying across the foot of the mattress with his legs dangling over the edge. Irushi found him when he was almost lost in another dreamless wave of unconsciousness, and he felt himself pulled back to stare into the eyes of his surrogate son. Irushi had been shaking him for a good twenty seconds and he wondered why he wasn�t dizzy from the constant bouncing against his bed. He finally opened his eyes fully as a signal for the other to stop since he could do nothing else. Irushi rolled him over and lifted his head to hold a hankerchief to his mouth as he coughed some more. He knew these weren�t going to be pretty. He felt the sharpness inside of him give way and the warm fluid came up to stain the cloth that his charge held up to him. Some of the flow spattered onto the young man�s hand and he gasped. �Mr. Austin!� he whispered mournfully, dropping the fabric to replace it with another one. Austin waved it away and lay back down. He was aching to sink into the darkness for only a few minutes. That was all he wanted right now. �Corpus.� The word tore his throat to shreds. He winced but continued. �This has been happening for a while. I don�t know what it means but it can�t be good. Let me just lay here for a little bit. That�s what I normally do. I feel better after I sleep.� He closed his eyes. He felt himself being shaken once again. He opened his eyes. �Yes?� �What did the doctor say? Exactly how long have you known?� Austin blinked weakly. �The doctor isn�t sure what it is. All he knows is that it started in my throat and just keeps growing. I�m not going to get better, Corpus. It�s eventually going to kill me.� Irushi looked hard at Austin. �How long?� The old man sighed wearily. �I�ve known for five months. Since before we left to come here.� �Why didn�t you mention anything? If I hadn�t found you right now I wouldn�t have known anything. You would die and wouldn�t know the reason why. Why would you do that?� �Corpus, it�s better that people don�t know what�s wrong with me. It took a lot of work for me to keep my illness a secret in the States. It�s much more difficult here. I figured if you didn�t know then you wouldn�t do anything to draw attention to it. It�s not good if our soldiers know that their leader is so close to Hell�s gate.� Irushi�s gaze almost turned into a glare, but it softened and he finally looked away. He took the soiled cloth within his hand and wrapped the clean one around it. �You shouldn�t say that Mr. Austin. You�re a God-fearing man. You�re not going to Hell.� Austin knew it would hurt immensely but he laughed softly anyway causing Irushi to give him a look. It made his painful laugh harder to stop. �Corpus, please. I never taught you anything about Christianity so don�t preach to me about being a God-fearing man. Stick with what you know, all right? You�re a great enforcer, and the only one who can carry out this plan.� Austin closed his eyes to signal that the conversation was over. He felt himself being shaken once again. He kept his eyes closed. �Christ, you�re worse than a kid who�s afraid of the dark! What is it, Corpus?� Irushi looked thoughtful. �I do know about Christianity Mr. Austin.� The old man opened his eyes. He was intrigued. �Oh? And where did you learn this from?� �Reverend Collins.� �Corpus, if I know anything about Reverend Collins it�s that he�ll be the one to meet me at the gates of Hell. That man sinned more than I did in all my past lives put together. He�s no authority, so you don�t know anything.� Irushi had a gleam in his eyes as he got off the bed. �Reverend Collins told me that Christians work hard at being good so that they can go to Heaven. It�s the most important thing to live your life to do good things for others. �Live like the Lord�, is what he said. Use that example, and if you�ve strayed from that path then ask for forgiveness and the Lord will forgive, no questions asked. It doesn�t matter how bad you�ve been, just as long as God can see within your heart how sincerely sorry you are. The Reverend told me that people who are close to death start to think a lot about what they�ve done in life. If they�ve done lots of harm they begin to think about asking for forgiveness because they want to secure that place in Heaven. They want to meet up with the people who actually made it there so that they can all be together again for eternity. People close to death start to think about turning their lives around and starting fresh so that they are living without sin until the day they die.� Irushi walked to the door now and turned to look back at Austin. �Don�t you think about living without sin until the day you die, Mr. Austin?� The old man stared blankly at him. �What are you asking me?� �Do you want me to stop the plan so that you can die in peace?� Austin couldn�t believe he was hearing this. He sat up slowly, cautiously regarding his son. �I�m not sure.� He wasn�t sure where that came from but he didn�t find himself retracting the thought. It was the truth. Since he found out about his illness he found himself fantasizing from time to time about a different lifestyle. He loved Irushi and appreciated all he did, but some part of him secretly wanted the boy to stop and forget the whole thing. The past five months actually made him realize that he had forgiven Takani-sensei a long time ago. He had let his son Hank go, and all he had thought of after that was the chance to see him once again. Irushi didn�t say anything for a long moment. He seemed almost sincere, considering the question that was asked just a few moments ago. But Austin knew that look on his face and he spoke up before Irushi could say anything. �Be honest with me, son. Were you serious when you asked me that question?� Irushi took a deep breath. This was hard for him. �I was absolutely serious, Mr. Austin however I have no intention of stopping now. I�m sorry.� Austin nodded his head, expecting that exact answer from the young man he had taught to hate so viciously. He really couldn�t blame him. �If it is of any consolation, I can continue this on my own. Why don�t you release yourself from all of the responsibilities and give me full control of everything. I have more of a motive than you do anyway. What do you say, Mr. Austin?� Austin had trained him well. He was proud, but disappointed at the same time. He couldn�t give his consent to that request. He had no right to give his opinion on anything anymore. He turned away and shifted his body so that he lay down on his side with his back to Irushi. He hoped he would get the point and leave him to his thoughts. The young man took the gesture as an affirmative and left the room heeding his master�s request to be alone. A soldier, one of the new members of their group met him at the other side. �Irushi-sama,� he greeted and bowed respectfully. Irushi acknowledged him with a nod. �We�ve found an intruder. He was sneaking around outside and managed to get in and kill a number of our soldiers. He�s a dangerous fellow, and he looks like a cop. You think he�s the one they call, Mibu�s Wolf?� A grin formed on Irushi�s face as his eyes began to glow with anticipation. �What kind of sword did he carry?� The soldier thought for a moment. �A katana.� The grin turned into a full toothy smile, his suspicions confirmed. �That�s him. He must have a full army outside waiting for us. This is going to be fun, ne? Get everyone ready. My new recruit, Sagara Sanosuke will take care of the Wolf. Everyone else is to prepare for battle. Where is the Wolf, now?� �He was taken to one of the holding cells below.� Irushi couldn�t believe how easy this was. My luck just shines while theirs gets worse and worse. �Good. Get down there before Sagara makes his way back up here. The quicker he disposes of that cop the quicker we can rid ourselves of the rest of them. They�re here to ruin my plans and I can�t allow that.� He dismissed the soldier who turned to hurry with his assignment, but Irushi grabbed his shoulder to stop him from leaving. The young man looked over his shoulder to eye his leader curiously. Irushi saw a brief flash of nervousness in his gaze. He liked it when his soldiers were afraid of him. �If Sagara fails to make any mark on Saitoh Hajime then your group is to kill them both. This will ensure that I won�t be disappointed either way. Do you understand?� The soldier nodded stiffly and almost sighed with relief when Irushi released his grip. �Will you be there as well, Irushi-sama?� �Of course. I�ve dreamt of the demise of Mibu�s Wolf since I came back to this godforsaken country. After him, my next target is the Battousai. I know he�s lurking around here as well and my intention is to have my new recruit, should he be successful in this fight, get rid of him as well.� The warrior cautiously let a moment pass before asking, �The Battousai as well?� Irushi nodded and he left his warrior with a frozen heart as he stated his parting words in a deadly tone. �Him and everyone else he�s associated with. I want them all to die miserably.� * * * * * * He was surprised that they were allowed to wander the mansion on their own. Sanosuke followed the directions Irushi had given him, leading Megumi to the holding cells like the prisoner she agreed to be. She made no objections when Sano bound her wrists together with a leather strap, and she didn�t seem bothered by his awkward silence. They passed many guards and received the same blank stares from each one. They passed the main floor undetected for there was a commotion that had grabbed the attention of every soldier guarding this level. Neither the fox nor the rooster seemed interested in seeing what the trouble was about and continued on to the lower level of the compound. Sano had no other thought but to get Megumi to the most comfortable dungeon he could find and report back to Kyuuto Irushi. They could have run off but then that would leave Kenshin and Saitoh trapped inside with no knowledge that they were safely outside. Sano knew that they would have entered the compound by now and to risk an escape would ruin the chances of ending the ordeal. Besides, he was at a point where he wanted to remain and fight the battle from within. He knew he could do some damage when the time came and he would just sit tight and take orders from one boss until his real boss gave him the signal to strike. With that in mind he silently led Megumi ahead until they finally found the underground prisons. They were all alike and Sano chose one at random. The heavy wooden door was unlocked, and it made a loud creaking noise as he pushed it open. That sound drew much attention to them. Within seconds a uniformed guard came toward them and grabbed Megumi from his arms. She flinched at the strangers touch, but what worried her more was the expression on Sanosuke�s face. He was enraged. �Who the hell are you!� he roared at the soldier who had put his hands on Megumi. A knife to her throat calmed him immediately. �Your orders have changed, Sagara-san. I�ll take care of the lady for you. You are to take care of him.� He looked past Sano, and the gangster followed his gaze to meet a pair of intense amber eyes. They seemed to mirror the exact thoughts that ran through his mind- This is too easy. I don�t like it. Sano wondered what kind of situation his boss had gotten himself into. He had bruises on his face and cuts on his arms that looked deep enough to require stitches. What the hell was going on, and where was Kenshin? Then he received an answer to his questions. Saitoh grinned like a madman. �I knew you were gangster trash all along, Roosterhead. I expected you to fall back to your old ways sooner of later, but I never thought you�d be stupid enough to join the group of a foreign radical. What you�ve done is unforgivable.� Sano understood immediately. It was going to begin. He matched the wolf�s gaze and followed his lead. �What�s unforgivable is the way you keep fighting for a government that should have never been born. You and Kenshin have it all wrong and I can�t stand to be a part of what you fight for.� He slowly drew his sword and pointed it at the Wolf. He directed his next command to the soldier on Saitoh�s left. �Let him go and give him his sword.� The soldier looked incredulously at the gangster unsure of the request. �Listen to, Sagara. He is about to show his loyalty to our group.� Heads turned collectively to acknowledge the appearance of the master, Kyuuto Irushi. Sano wasn�t surprised that he had decided to witness the fight. However, the expression on Saitoh�s face told him that he hadn�t expected the leader to be present for their altercation. Things were getting more complicated and the wolf was getting worried, but he let his worry fade before Irushi�s gaze fell on him. He knew right away that he was looking into the eyes of a very intuitive madman. The soldier listened to his master and released Saitoh. Then he handed him the katana and backed away into the rest of the crowd that had formed around them. The injured wolf welcomed his weapon and immediately shot forward aiming his Gatotsu straight for Sano�s heart. The gangster was barely prepared for the onslaught and met the blade head on with a block that saved him from being skewered. However, the blade still made contact with his flesh and slashed his forearm open. Sano grimaced. Cuts weren�t new to him, but the power behind the strike made it especially brutal and he felt as if his arm had been sliced right down to the bone. Had he been using that appendage to hold his sword the blade would have fallen to the ground with a clatter. He pivoted to his left and dodged another ambush by the wolf, this time suffering a strike to his side. His wound from their previous fight had been reopened and blood poured freely down to stain his gi pants. Sano struggled to stay on his feet and positioned himself into the Gatotsu stance. He felt the eyes of Kyuuto Irushi on him and he knew he had to make this believable. Saitoh had done a good job so far, but it made Sano wonder if the wolf was taking this as an opportunity to get back at him for how he had ended their last fight. Whatever it was, the madman had to be pleased with the performance. I have to kill Saitoh, but how am I going to make it look like I killed him without actually ending his life? He already knows about my back slash so he won�t fall for that again. Or will he�? Sanosuke noticed how tense Saitoh was and this time he was able to read his move instantly. The wolf charged and Sano took the opportunity. He dodged under the oncoming blade and whipped around so that he was behind Saitoh. The wolf was wide open, and vulnerable and Sano swung the blade upward to connect with the base of his back. His sword made contact but he didn�t expect to hear the sound of steel against steel. He looked right into the amber glare of his boss. Saitoh had known exactly what his subordinate was going to do, so he simply pivoted around bringing his sword back with him. The look on Sano�s face was enough revenge for him. He ended the shock for him and punched him in the face with his free hand. �You didn�t expect me to fall for that move again, did you? If that�s all you�re going to rely on then you�re out of luck. I suggest you surrender your master over. His wrath is nothing compared to what I will do to you if you choose to continue.� Saitoh then turned to address Kyuuto Irushi. �You have no chance at winning. No matter how you fare in our battle here, you will be severely outnumbered should you choose to venture outside. I know every possible escape situated in this complex, those that are known to everyone here, and those that are known only to you. My officer made sure to inform me of that before you killed him and now my other officer is on his way to inform my team that it�s time to move in.� He lifted his sword and pointed it at Irushi, a wide smirk spreading across his face. �Time�s run out for you.� Irushi didn�t think so. He shifted his calm expression to regard his new recruit closely. He was pleased with what he saw. �You should tell that to my soldier. He believes that the fight is still on.� Saitoh turned to Sano, and came within inches of having the point of a sword imbedded between his eyes. He looked down the length of the blade and into the desperate gaze of Sanosuke. What he saw unnerved him. What are you really fighting for, Sagara Sanosuke? ,he wondered as he silently watched the other man sheath his sword and fall into a stance that he recognized immediately. Saitoh watched him more closely not convinced he was actually seeing this. If he was correct to assume this, Sanosuke was preparing to use a Battou-jutsu. If that was the case, then he wanted to know where the hell he learned how to do that? He cast a quick glance over his shoulder to see how the Fox was doing. His other spy had done a good job at keeping her calm but he knew that she was still terrified. She had good reason to be. He had no intention of making this easy for the Roosterhead. He wasn�t about to throw a fight to make a psychopath happy, and the truth was he had actually lied to the Battousai. This was a perfect chance to settle their score. Sano was going to learn that the Gatotsu could be used as a non-killing technique as well- however the pain would cause even the strongest fighter to beg for death. Saitoh moved gracefully into his stance and steadily watched Sanosuke. His pose was interesting. He was going to attempt the Battou-jutsu with his left hand. Saitoh didn�t remember if Sano had the ability to wield a sword with his left hand, but then again this wouldn�t be the first time that his officer surprised him. He�s full of a lot more than shit, he mused and waited for the rooster to strike. Saitoh was going to allow him to make the first move, however it wouldn�t set the pace of the fight for he knew that they had to make it last as long as they could continue to go on. He knew that the Battousai was near to where Austin was hiding and if they could keep everyone�s attention diverted he could apprehend the old man and finally put an end to this ordeal. Now the question was whether Sano remembered that this was still an actual case, and not a rescue operation for his Fox. Saitoh knew what Sano was here for, and he was fine with that. He just feared how much it consumed him to save the woman. Love makes people do the strangest things, he thought to himself as he noted Sano�s tense form. The gangster narrowed his gaze and folded his tall body to crouch ever so slightly. Saitoh read him clearly. It was just like what the Battousai did. He had been ready back then when he went against the Battousai. He thought he was ready now facing an ex-Sekihou Tai renegade. Sano bolted forward and whipped out his sword. The move was so familiar to Saitoh. Left leg leads; blade coming at him in an arc; Saitoh charged and their blades connected. His successfully defended Gatotsu slid along Sano�s blade as he expected it to, but he didn�t expect it to stop abruptly and rest against the other sword. Saitoh wondered what the hell was going on- then he got his answer. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sanosuke�s right fist come forward to make contact with their connected swords. Then a sharp wave tore through him. Saitoh�s body was propelled backward and he landed on the floor like a corpse feeling as if his insides had been ripped apart. He remembered witnessing this strike. He remembered someone had used a sword to direct its power across the floor. Had the rooster figured out a way to direct it through the sword? It certainly was powerful. He felt something rise from his throat and he couldn�t control the blood that spewed forth. This wasn�t good. He was barely able to sit up but he managed to pull himself upward and fall forward so that he could spit out more blood. He knew from his ki that Sanosuke was still near him, waiting patiently for him to stand. Saitoh knew that with a warrior as unstable as Kyuuto Irushi that was the worst thing he could do. A fight to the death didn�t leave room for the honorable gesture of not striking a man when he�s down. A fight to the death meant you finished him off. Kyuuto Irushi was not pleased. He slipped past his warriors and made his way to the object behind Sanosuke�s motivation. Her gaze never wavered from her beloved hero- that is until she heard the click of a gun. When she shifted her eyes to look at him a blanket of red blinded her, but her ears heard every sickening sound that followed, and her skin recoiled as she felt his arm wrap around her. She thrashed her body out of his grip, and pummeled his chest blindly with her fists. The redness burned her eyes, and traces of it dripped down the side of her face to slip inside the corners of her mouth. Her eyes snapped open. She focused on the wretched being who clung to her and spat the vile substance into his face. Irushi raised a hand to wipe a spot of blood from his eye. He smiled wildly and shot one hand upward to tightly grip the back of her neck. He raised his bloodied gun with his other hand and pointed the barrel against her forehead. Megumi froze. �There�s no reason for me to keep you alive, Mademoiselle.� He pulled back the lever. �It�s been a pleasure.� Sanosuke looked over his boss and wondered if their display had pleased Kyuuto Irushi. Not that he cared about making the madman happy. He had more important things to fight for and with that thought in mind he turned to steal a glance at his beloved fox lady. The sound of a gunshot made his heart stop. It made Saitoh�s head snap up, and the glare in his eyes made them glow with anticipation. Irushi�s warriors grew restless and looked for the guidance of their master for the room began to quickly fill with one police officer after another. Saitoh pulled himself to his feet and looked to see what had his top officer so riveted. When Sanosuke bolted toward the direction of the gunshot Saitoh let him be and raised his hand commanding the attention of his troops. The sound of the gun signaled Irushi�s army to attack. Saitoh�s Gatotsu pose signaled his police officer�s to counter. He smirked with satisfaction as he thrust his katana into one radical. It was finally going to begin. Go to Chapter 16 Fanfiction Archive Main Page |