| Chapter Sixteen
Disclaimer: All characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki and all affiliates. The darkness of the tunnel began to fade when Kenshin found himself in front of a door. He had walked the entire length of it with his hands pressed against the cold stonewall to find his way around and spent much of the time wondering if he would be attacked. His ki didn�t detect any kind of presence but he refused to stay off his guard. Walking around in pitch-blackness made his senses more acute; it also elevated his apprehension. So when he finally reached the door with the light peeking in through the edges he breathed a sigh of relief that he had gotten past this relatively easily. He now stood before the door and stared at it as if he were able to see right through it. He knew what lay beyond the barrier and he knew that opening the door posed the risk of danger. What if there were guards watching over old man Austin? What if he himself waited, armed and ready for anyone who dared invade his home? Kenshin had never met the man and he didn�t want to underestimate him. He reached out and felt around the darkness until he touched a handle on the door. He moved it from side to side and discovered that a turn to the right opened the door. He pushed the heavy steel door slowly allowing light to flood inside of the tunnel. His hand was on his sword as he slowly stepped into a beautifully furnished room. Kenshin wasn�t familiar with the style of furnishings but he thought that they were indeed suitable of their owner. He glanced around before he stepped all the way into the room and closed the door. He took one more look around and was certain that the room housed no one. A doorway across from him caught his eye and one glance inside confirmed the presence of the enemy. And he was armed. Kenshin moved his hand away from the sword. He did not want to fight this man. He knew that he was in no shape to fight, much less hold the gun he desperately tried to keep from falling out of his grip. The old man raised another hand to keep the weapon steady. His tired looking eyes filled with enough life to focus Kenshin with a steady glare. He pulled back the lever of the gun. �How did you get in here?� Kenshin wondered if the weapon was loaded. �I came through the tunnel. My name is Himura Kenshin.� Austin leaned against the doorway for support, and gazed steadily at the samurai. �You�re the Battousai?� Kenshin shook his head. �I don�t go by that name anymore. I am just a rurouni. But I have been looking for you. The police are here. They have surrounded your home and I believe by this time they have already entered the premises.� Austin dropped the arm that held the gun. He looked shocked at the news and seemed unsure of what to do. �How the did cops get past our guards? I hired the best men to protect my house, and you�re telling me that it wasn�t enough.� He turned away from Kenshin and slid along the doorframe to stumble into his chambers. Kenshin followed him inside, observing how the old man moved. The only people he knew who moved that way were ones who were dying. Austin barely made it to his bed and let himself fall onto it with a hard thud. His back was to Kenshin who stopped just at the edge. �Corpus will know what to do. I�m not worried.� He spoke softly forming his words over moist cracking noises that made his voice deteriorate. He wanted to say more but it just hurt too much. He felt the presence move so that he now looked up at the man he had known as the Battousai. A man who knew very well when another man was dying. �You don�t have very long.� It was a statement rather than a question. Austin was amazed that he knew when death was coming. �If you surrender now we can avoid anymore bloodshed.� Kenshin knew Saitoh enough to confirm that by now men were being killed. �If you call off your enforcer, Kyuuto Irushi, the police are prepared to spare his life and have him face jail for his crimes instead of death.� Kenshin wondered how difficult it would be to convince Saitoh to consider that. He noticed that Austin moved his lips to speak but the words were lost within his broken voice. The rurouni moved closer and kneeled beside the bed next to Austin. The old man�s eyes were glazed over, and he rolled them slowly to focus on the young man before him. ��not too late.� Kenshin leaned in close so that his ear was by Austin�s lips. �Mr. Austin does Irushi know about your condition?� Austin�s head moved slightly against his pillow. Kenshin noticed a small trail of blood roll down the side of his mouth. The old man didn�t have much time at all. He pressed his eyes together as a wave of pain hit him, and he reached out to grasp the sleeve of Kenshin�s kimono. The rurouni unconsciously held his hand out and Austin held it in a tight grip. This was the hardest death that Kenshin ever witnessed. He was used to watching his victim�s lives slip away quickly after he had sliced through them with his sword. He wasn�t used to watching a man die slowly from disease, watching as the pain from within surfaced to overcome and enslave his entire body to drive him into utter madness. He hated to watch this, but furthermore he hated that he had to add to the man�s discomfort by reiterating why he was there. �Mr. Austin, don�t say anything to me. Just listen and answer me with a signal when you feel you�re ready to make a decision. I�ll stay here with you for as long as it takes. Now I need to know what you want to do. The police are inside. There is a lot of fighting going on right at this moment. Your army will face defeat, and your son Irushi will face the worst possible punishment at the hands of the police if they fail. That can be avoided if you surrender.� Kenshin watched Austin�s face relax after the wave of pain passed. He meant what he had said. However long it took he would stay at the man�s side until he was ready to make a move, and oddly enough he was glad to be there. He wondered if Kyuuto Irushi did in fact know that Austin was sick. Did he realize that the man was dying at this moment? If Saitoh hadn�t planned for him to confront Austin, the man would have been forced to die alone. Austin�s grip on his hand weakened and he let his own drop to his side. �If you want this to stop you�ll have to take it up with my son.� Kenshin was surprised that Austin was still able to speak. �What do you mean?� �He�s taken over the entire operation. I have nothing to do with this anymore,� Austin answered closing his eyes momentarily. When he opened them again he looked intently at the man before him. More blood seeped down the corner of his mouth. �You know Battousai, this is all my fault? Twelve years ago I adopted a scared little boy, took him into my home and slowly made him into a monster. I turned him into the exact opposite of what my real son was. My son Hank was such a good man. He was kind, forgiving, and he believed with all his heart that I could change my ways. He followed me to Japan to try and talk me out of this way of life. He was so good; it was hard for me to understand why he died so young. But he did and when that happened all I could think about was how cruel God was to take my good son away from me. And then it dawned on me that maybe I was being punished for my crimes; that I didn�t deserve such a good and caring son like Hank. A man like me deserved to have a demon for a child, and so when I came across Corpus I was determined not to lose him. He had to be the kind of son that a man like me deserved, so for these past twelve years I raised him to be a criminal.� Austin paused to take a painful breath. His statement took a lot of energy out of him. �How do you stop someone who has been trained in the art of killing, Battousai? You were an assassin at one time, and yet you were able to stop killing. Once I�m gone do you think Corpus will have it in him to stop?� Kenshin wished he knew how to answer that. He had his own reasons for leaving the Hitokiri Battousai behind. He doubted those circumstances applied to Kyuuto Irushi. �You want him to stop?� A faint nod was the old man�s answer. �I caused him a lot of damage. When I�m gone he�ll have the chance to heal. It�ll take a long time but I think he can become a good man�� Austin�s eyes closed as his voice began to fade. ��like my son Hank.� His breathing grew fainter and fainter. Kenshin reached out and grasped Austin�s old withered hand. It lay limp and heavy inside his calloused palm without even a trace of a grip to match his own. He squeezed it gently, and then laid it down on top of the man�s still chest. * * * * * * Irushi felt the bullet rip into his left shoulder and he felt his grip on the woman weaken. He moved the barrel of the gun from her forehead, aimed it at the officer who had shot him, and sent a bullet right between his eyes. He felt her fingers dig into his wound and that loosened his grip completely. He hissed and swung the gun back to strike her on the side of the head knocking her to the ground and leaving her motionless. He never noticed the figure barreling toward him, so when he pointed the gun to shoot the unconscious woman he wasn�t prepared for the collision. He felt his ribs crack beneath the oncoming force of flesh and bone; he felt the anger that fueled the power behind the blow and he couldn�t stop himself from falling backward. If he wasn�t faintly aware of his surroundings and his situation Irushi would surely believe that he was just attacked by a wild animal. His attacker, Sanosuke roared with all of his rage and went right to pummeling him into the ground. Irushi felt white-hot pain in his face as he heard his nose crack beneath a bloody fist and when he felt sticky wetness on the back of his head he quickly went into defense. He clasped Sanosuke�s wrists and used the strength of his arms and legs to maneuver himself and flip over on top of him. In less than a heartbeat he had reached into the folds of his coat and had a razor sharp blade slicing across his attackers shoulder blades. Irushi cursed. That strike was meant for the throat, but Sano had shifted his body beneath him to avoid the fatal slash. Sano had no time to feel the pain. He knew he bled profusely, but he also knew that he had to get Irushi the hell off of him. He wished he had listened to Saitoh who had once told him to work on his defensive skills. He had never counted on facing an opponent who fought so well. They had just started but Sano already knew that it would take more than raw strength to beat the madman, Irushi. He saw the blade arc away from his shoulder, saw the hand that held it switch its grip so that it held the knife palm up, and saw it make its way down toward him. He lifted his head upward barely avoiding the blow, and smashed his forehead against Irushi�s bleeding nose. The warrior pulled back momentarily struck dumb with pain, and this gave Sano the opportunity to scramble to his feet. He took half a second to take note of where Megumi had fallen and then set his sights on Irushi once again. He didn�t want to give the madman the slightest advantage. Megumi looked to be safe where she lay. He had to trust that one of the police officers would come to her aid. For now it was all about stopping Kyuuto Irushi, who had cupped his nose within his hands as he stumbled backwards onto his heels. All Sano could see where his eyes, which were glaring with fierceness right at him. Sano couldn�t help but be proud of momentarily putting Kyuuto Irushi out of commission. First Saitoh, and now the psychotic warrior; Sano had to admit that he was on a roll. He watched intently as Irushi lowered his bloody hands to reveal his disfigured nose. Then he moved slowly, using as much effort as he could to prevent the dizzying pain from making him fall over as he stood up straight. His glare softened and Sano could swear that the madman looked subdued. �You�re quite a good fighter, Sagara Sanosuke. I never thought that I would have such a hard time with you.� He bent down to recover his blade and placed it back in his belt. �However, we�re going to have to settle this problem between us.� Irushi paused and took a look around. It was surprising the amount of chaos that had occurred in such a short time. Dead and wounded men lay on the floor. His soldiers were fighting with such savageness that many of the dead were the policemen. This pleased him very much. �My army is doing quite well against the cops. Now, I�m in a good mood. I think I�ll let you choose the weapon for our fight. What do you say Sagara-san?� Sano wanted to hit him in the nose again. �I say that you�re a coward. Our little grappling match tells me that you can�t fight me without pulling out a weapon. How do you expect me to take you seriously?� Irushi narrowed his eyes tightly as his mouth twisted into an embittered snarl. �I�m no fool Sagara-san. You�re a beast of a man. Even I have my limits in a fight. Besides, you�re not the only one who�s taken note as to where the fair lady lies. My pistol is filled with bullets. If you insist on being so cocky you�ll see how quickly I can empty the entire chamber into her.� Sano was unmoved. He gazed steadily at Irushi as he slid the katana out of his belt and tossed it aside. �Is that so? If you insist on using a weapon then you choose one to use against me. I�m going to use these.� He raised his hands and bashed his fists together. Irushi�s eyes grew wide. �You want to fight me with your bare hands?� He asked the question as if it were the strangest idea he had ever heard. Sano cracked his knuckles and moved into his stance. �Why do you think I took this assignment? From the moment I heard that you had it in for Megumi all I could think about was beating you bloody. Go ahead and choose your weapon. I�m ready for you.� Sano knew that his indifference struck a nerve inside the mind of Kyuuto Irushi, and he hoped that it stayed in his mind during their fight. He wasn�t like Kenshin or the other masters of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, but he had figured out his own way of determining the mindset of his opponents. In getting to know Irushi he might have discovered a way to get into his head and weaken his fighting spirit. At least that�s what Sano hoped. His plan could easily go in the other direction and make Irushi more focused on killing him. But the risk was worth it. He was tired of the whole situation already�and he was tired of having Megumi endure much more of this. He wanted it all to be over- even if it meant that he died alongside the damned warrior. Irushi kept his eyes on Sanosuke as he tossed his pistol and blades aside. He kept his katana at his side, and drew it out of its sheath to hold it in one hand pointed at the gangster. He cocked his head to the side and shut one eye as if he were taking aim. �You want to fight with just your fists, eh? Well, what can I say? As you wish.� He moved in. Fast. His speed was something that Sano had forgotten to consider. The strike was like Saitoh�s Gatotsu. He took aim, and used one hand to plunge it forward as he closed the gap between them with immense speed. However he held it more like a pistol than a blade. It was as if he were mimicking the path of a bullet. At least that�s what Sano thought as he felt the skin of his left arm rip. He had moved so that the sword merely grazed him. This left Irushi wide open which allowed Sano to move in and strike Irushi�s weak point. The sword fell and the warrior dropped to his knees in white-hot pain. He moved forward now on all fours and let his nose drip a pool of blood on the floor beneath him. Sano had learned from Saitoh long ago to exploit an opponents already existing injury. It was a dirty move and he knew it. Even if it resulted in the desired effect, he still wasn�t proud of it. �Some warrior you are. You left yourself wide open for that and didn�t even think to block it. Is this fight over?� A sharp pain in his leg was his answer. Sano howled as it buckled beneath him. Irushi had shot him with a gun that he had pulled out of hit boot. Sano�s left pant leg was soaked through with blood and it trailed behind him as he used his forearms to crawl away from Irushi. The pain seemed to come from all over. His arms were sliced bloody, and now his leg had a bullet lodged inside. The madman stood straight now with the pistol still in his hand. He moved slowly after Sano menacing the now crippled man who had used bad judgment once again. �I warned you about being cocky Sagara-san. Now look at you.� Sano stopped and rolled over onto his back to look up at Irushi. He didn�t want it to end like this. If this was it he at least wanted to face it head on. �You are an exceptional fighter Sagara-san. I will give you that. The stories about you are more than I ever imagined. However, the difference between us is that you�re not a killer. You didn�t finish me off when I was down. There�s no way around it. If you ever intend to stop me from destroying the Meiji government and the love of your life, you�re going to have to kill me. � Sano agreed. He had already told Kenshin that if it came to it he would kill Kyuuto Irushi. Megumi�s life depended on it. Megumi� He turned his head to look at her once again, but saw that she was gone. Had she awaken? Maybe a policeman had come to her aid as he had hoped and she was resting soundly, waiting for him. Sano sincerely hoped that was it. He wanted to see her again. He didn�t want to die without looking at her for one last time. So when Irushi aimed his pistol Sano fought through the pain moved quickly and rolled into him to trip him over. He collided with a body that tumbled onto him, but his instinct to crush the enemy into a choking grip disappeared when he picked up the scent of perfume. He looked up and saw that Irushi still stood above him. A triumphant grin colored his face as he moved to aim the gun right at his head. * * * * * * He ran as fast as he could through the hallways knowing that no one would stop him. He heard noises coming from below and knew that all the house guards and policemen were there. He had to stop them from fighting. He knew many had already died and he wanted to prevent any more deaths from occurring. He had agreed to help Saitoh if no one was killed and he realized now what a fool he was to go along with it. Saitoh would never enter into a confrontation where the odds did not include life or death. He had been na�ve again and Kenshin wanted to kick himself for that. In order to resolve everything he knew he had to get to Kyuuto Irushi. He hoped that once he knew about Henry Austin, he would end the plan that he had orchestrated and surrender. It was Austin�s wish and Kenshin hoped that the warrior would be true to his father and honor it. So much had happened, he wondered if Sanosuke ever imagined this outcome. The holding cells were alive with battle and upon his arrival Kenshin was immediately spotted by one of Irushi�s soldiers. �The Battousai came to get killed too, huh?� Kenshin drew his sakaba sword when the soldier moved to strike. He seemed surprised that the rurouni was able to block him. �You should have stayed away. This is beyond anything you can fight,� the soldier said and broke away to quickly strike again. He seemed to forget why Kenshin had once been called the Hitokiri Battousai. The redheaded samurai knew exactly where the strike would come from and therefore hit the man with a blow that sent him flying. Kenshin didn�t bother to take note of where the man landed. He had more problems to deal with, as a group of soldiers came to welcome him with their swords. He waited until they looked like they were ready to ambush him, then he plowed through them. He turned a corner, which brought him to the rows of cells and the men fighting in front of them. He fought his way through another two, then three warriors and finally caught sight of Saitoh. There were many policemen down and the wolf looked like he was having a difficult time with his opponents. He beat them all but each fight took more and more energy out of him. His eyes showed his fatigue more than anything, but they suddenly grew sharp and Kenshin found himself staring into the amber glare of Mibu�s Wolf. His arrival seemed to rejuvenate him. Within seconds he was at Kenshin�s side, steering him toward a less active corner and demanding a full report. His stony expression gave little indication that he was surprised. �Is that true Battousai?� �It is. Henry Austin is dead, but this will continue as long as Kyuuto Irushi is still alive. He is now the force behind this operation.� Saitoh took in the information, his eyes narrowing as he weighed in what it all meant. �Has Kyuuto Irushi been pulling the strings all this time?� �It would seem so. I want to see if I can get to him, to tell him about Austin�s death and his final wish.� The wolf raised an inquiring eyebrow. �And what would his dying wish be?� His contempt went right over Kenshin�s head. �He wants Irushi to surrender so that we can spare his life.� Saitoh�s eyes narrowed even more until they were mere slits of yellow fire. �I haven�t agreed to that, Battousai.� His calm agreeable tone revealed nothing of the rage that now consumed him. Kenshin glanced up at him meeting the glare with one of his own. �You know my position on this, Saitoh. I didn�t agree to let so many people die today. My objective now is to prevent anymore people from being killed, and that includes Kyuuto Irushi.� Saitoh hated to be pushed into a corner, especially one where he was unable to do things his way. He saw Kenshin as a very useful ally, but his philosophies would forever irritate him. He figured that was the price he had to pay for his help. He shrugged his shoulders. �You think Kyuuto Irushi deserves the chance to surrender, and I think he deserves to die.� Kenshin looked away to observe the activity around them. �No one deserves to die, Saitoh.� �I beg to differ. We all deserve to meet our end; it�s just the way we meet it that determines whether we got what was coming to us. Austin for example, is a petty, miserable being who didn�t deserve to die with a clean conscious. He deserved to die in misery and I regret that I was not there to grant it.� Kenshin remained quiet. He realized long ago that there was no use trying to get the wolf to consider other options besides the Aku Soku Zan philosophy that was drilled into him. �I feel sorry for Kyuuto Irushi.� Kenshin hadn�t expected that from the wolf. He shot him a curious glance. �He�s fighting for a cause that isn�t his, in a nation that he despises for a nation that despises him. He�s been in control of everything but he really has no purpose without Austin. Now that the old man is gone he really has no reason to live. He deserves to die.� He looked around just as Kenshin had and caught sight of something that alarmed him. He blinked contemplatively and added, �Do what you must until I think the occasion calls for my interference. If you think that Irushi will agree to a truce then I will gladly call off my men. But somehow I have a feeling that I�m going to have my way after all. You haven�t asked me anything about my prot�g� or his love, Battousai. You�re getting forgetful.� Kenshin looked around again and saw Sanosuke battling Irushi without a weapon. His first reaction was to bolt forward to help his friend, but Saitoh read the intention all over him. �Leave him. This is his fight.� Kenshin froze. He was right. He couldn�t just rush over and intervene, especially in this fight. Sano was doing this for Megumi and Kenshin had said that he wouldn�t get in his way, even if it meant Irushi�s demise. So the rurouni stayed there with Saitoh who prepared to signal his guards to stop when the gunshot rang through the air. As the fighting had begun to subside the sound resonated and caught the attention of everyone. All the spectators saw Saitoh�s top undercover officer fall to the ground in his own blood. His body was a mass of cuts and now he had a hole in his left leg that bled freely. Kenshin took off. He moved quickly through the crowd dodging the warriors who chanced a shot to strike him down, so he never noticed the shadow that headed in the same direction. They both had the same purpose but she reached Sanosuke before he did allowing him to see her desperate determination. Megumi, no! Kenshin drew his sword. This had to end now. Irushi�s attention was on Sano and the now fallen Megumi, so Kenshin used the opportunity to leap into the air, fly down and connect with his Hiten Mitsturugi Ryu Tsiu Sen. The shock on Irushi�s face mirrored that of his soldiers who gaped in horror at their leader. He had no feeling in his legs and they buckled beneath him so that he crumbled to the ground. The humiliation kept him from passing out too quickly. It can�t be over just like that! Irushi�s mind raged. His legs were useless, and he could barely lift his head off of the ground, much less turn it to the side. He lay on the floor facing one side, the only scene in sight being the woman scramble to her knees beside her man. It made him sick. He still gripped the gun, which meant he still had use of his arms. He used his most subtle moves, and aimed straight for the woman�s chest. It would be impossible for her to love him with a hole in her heart, he mused bitterly as he pulled the trigger of his gun- and then fell asleep to the sound of her gasp of pain. Go to Main Page Go to Fanfiction Archive Go to Chapter 17 |