Raya's Deceptive Looks
Chapter Four: Five Night Warrior Ninja
DISCLAIMER: The Kenshin Characters are all property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Jump Comics, and all that. The new made-up characters are mine. This is just a fanfic written by yours truly for fun and enjoyment, no money is involved! I hope you enjoy it!
The police chief left and Kaoru told Yahiko of the disturbing news. Yahiko told her not to worry, Kenshin could take care of himself. But Kenshin seemed unusually melancholy. Hotaru stood in the shadows as always, not saying anything. But watched them with sadder eyes than usual.
"I think we should just get some sleep…" Kaoru suggested to everyone, who had been sitting around dinner in silence. "We'll all feel better, and fresher in the morning."
"Hai-I agree Kaoru." Kenshin stood up and cleared off the table. Yahiko stretched and got up.
"Yeah-I'll see you tomorrow Kaoru."
Kaoru smiled, Yahiko hadn't called her ugly, or any other choice names, she could tell he was just as concerned as everyone else.
"Goodnight." She called to him softly.
"Goodnight, Kaoru-san." Hotaru said, also standing up. " Goodnight Himura-san." She bowed to them both, and after they also bade her goodnight, she retreated to her room.
Kaoru waited until she was gone and turned to Kenshin. "What do you think of Hotaru-san, Kenshin?"
"That girl has been through a lot in the past few years of her life." Kenshin said. "Like Tomoe in that respect, there is definitely something that burdens her soul, she's just a shell of a person- obviously unhappy."
"I wish I could do something to make her happy." Kaoru said, and was surprised to feel Kenshin's warm embrace around her. She smiled and turned to face him, their eyes locking. Kenshin brought his hand up to stroke her cheek gently, sweeping a few stray strands of hair from her eyes.
"That's what I love about you-" he whispered.
He didn't need to continue, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, enjoying the warm, protective feeling of being held by the one she loved more than anything in the world.
"Aishiteru, Kenshin."
"Aaa, Aishiteru, Kaoru." He held her closely to him, for once, that haunting scent of white plums that seemed to follow Hotaru everywhere she went left his nostrils. He was filled with the sweet, jasmine scent that was his beloved Kaoru. Then startled, he noticed that she was shaking under his arms. He looked down alarmed to see tears streaming down her cheeks as she leaned into his protective embrace.
"Kaoru, what's wrong?" Kenshin asked soothingly, stroking her hair softly.
"It's-" Kaoru took a deep breath, determined to control the tears that refused to stop. "It's just that, I finally thought-that we'd have peace. I thought we could put all the enemies, the fighting, all the pain behind us, and be happy again. That's what I'd wanted, it's what I'd been praying for! And now-with this stupid thief and those files that they stole-I'm scared Kenshin!"
Kenshin brought her chin up slowly with his hand. He wiped the tears away with his fingers, and Kaoru looked into his eyes. She saw her reflection in them, those deep purple eyes stared back at her with such passionate intensity.
"You don't need to be scared Kaoru-because I'm not going to let anything happen to anyone, not to me, or anyone here. Have faith in me." He smiled at her and kissed her forehead, then met his lips with hers. They shared a long, passionate kiss. And as they separated, Kaoru still clung to his gi tightly. She looked up at him and smiled. It was true! She should have faith in the one she loved. She did have faith in him. He wouldn't die, or let anyone hurt him or anyone else. Kenshin was not like that--- he would win. He always won.
" I have faith in you." Kaoru said finally, and allowed herself to be held once more in that passionate embrace. She wanted time to stop, so they could be like that always. Without any worries, just the two of them…But after a while they separated again.
"Get some sleep Kaoru… I'll see you in the morning." Kenshin gave her one final goodnight kiss.
"Goodnight Kenshin. Sleep well." Kaoru flashed a smile at him and then walked to her room. Kenshin checked to make sure the dojo was secure, and then did the same.
Yahiko couldn't sleep. He sat up in his bed, going over and over the past events of the day. So much had happened, ending in that unsuspecting shock of hearing that Kenshin's top secret files had been stolen. He wondered just exactly what sort of horrible things were exposed on those papers. It made him angry with the government for keeping such incriminating documents in the first place. After all, THEY were the ones that had made Kenshin do all the horrible things he did-it was their entire fault he had ever even been known as the Hitokiri Battousai.
His anger woke him up even more and he finally resigned to his insomnia and got out of bed. He slipped into his clothes and stepped out on the porch, breathing in the cool night air. He guessed it to be about one o'clock in the morning. The entire dojo was so quiet. He smiled, so rarely did it ever seem this peaceful.
Then, he suddenly heard soft footsteps. Alarmed, he ducked into the shadows just in time to see a figure round the corner of the buildings, pass his room and walk straight for the entrance to the dojo. It was Hotaru! Yahiko narrowed his eyes. What was she doing up and awake this late at night? He grabbed his shinnai and followed after her at a safe distance.
Hotaru was no sword master or ninja, she didn't realize she was being followed. And continued through the empty streets of the town and turned into the woods. Yahiko wondered how far she would go in. They were walking for-he guessed-about an hour, and he admitted that they were in an area of the forest that he'd never been in before. He doubted that he'd be able to find his way back. But what was important now, was what Hotaru was up to. She wasn't just abandoning the dojo was she? Leaving without saying a word! If that were true, she'd cause Kenshin and Kaoru worry-he'd make sure that she wouldn't do that.
As they walked, he began to be surer of his hypothesis. She was just up and leaving! Finally, he decided to confront her. But no sooner did he open his mouth to call out to her than a dark figure landed in front of her, crouching low. Yahiko jumped behind a tree, reading his shinnai. But Hotaru did not scream.
"It took you this long to find me?" She asked coldly.
"My apologies…" The stranger said. He stood up to his full height of what Yahiko guessed to be about 6'2". He towered over the small frail form of Hotaru. Yahiko narrowed his eyes. What did she mean by 'what took you so long?' who was that guy?
"Nashida-sama is anxious for your report." The stranger said. Yahiko strained his eyes, but couldn't get a good look at his face. It was concealed in shadow, his back to the moon.
Hotaru's voice shook. "Tell your master, that I wish to resign from our deal. I don't want anything more to do with him."
There was a long pause.
"Perhaps, you shall tell him yourself, I am not at liberty to make any decisions for him." The man said. And he promptly picked her up over his shoulder and disappeared into the trees.
"YEAHHH! LET GO!" Hotaru screamed. Yahiko jumped from hiding and ran blindly, following Hotaru's screaming. He could catch a glimpse of the strange man jumping from tree to tree now and then when the moon was positioned right. Whatever was happening, he did not like the looks of it.
He ran and ran, his feet ached and branches scratched at his clothes and face. He reached his hand up to wipe the sweat from his brow and found blood on that hand instead. Finally he noticed a faint light in the distance. He ran towards it and came to a clearing. There was a giant, sheer wall jutting up from where he stood to what he guessed about 40 feet. It was something that looked impossible to climb. He stumbled over to the wall and felt his way along it with his hands, searching for a hold. Finally, he found one and hoisted himself up a few feet off the ground. He found another one after that, and another-this was obviously the way to scale the cliff. But when he was about twenty feet from the ground he could find no other hand holds.
"Dammit.. " Yahiko swore under his breath and tried his best to dig a hole big enough for his hand with his shinnai. The stone held firm and wouldn't be chipped. What would he do now? If only he was skilled enough to jump. He knew Kenshin could probably do it.
"That's it-" Yahiko thought. "I'll go back and wake up Kenshin… But-I don't even know where I am…" He sighed, and was about to give up hope and scale back down when he felt a sudden rush of wind and two hands wrapped around his waste.
"AHH!" Yahiko yelled as he found himself flying upward, he was being carried by someone, or something-he couldn't tell.
He reached the top and struggled to get out of the hold that the stranger had him in. He was surprised to hear a woman's voice behind him.
"Ha ha.." her laugh sounded sweet but had a slight edge to it. "Well Well-" she mused. "A pint sized brat decides to come visiting. Were you lost in the woods? Let me help point you to your right track…
"Damn it! Let me go! What have you done with Hotaru?!" Yahiko yelled. The stranger was silent for a moment, as if contemplating what he'd just said.
"Hotaru huh? Don't tell me, you're that kid from Battousai's dojo?"
"NANI? How do you know Kenshin?!" Yahiko demanded. This seemed to be all the answer the girl needed. She tucked him under her arm and sprinted like lightning through the woods and trees. Everything passed in a blur before Yahiko until he saw that same light that he'd seen earlier, it was approaching them at a fast pace until he came close enough to see that it was a-a light from a dojo…
The dojo was small but very nicely kept. It was clean and had cherry blossom trees and as the girl carried him through the garden, several different fragrances drifted through the air. Yahiko wondered what in the world was going on. He was carried in through the main doorway and the girl turned a sharp right. Yahiko saw that there was a luxurious sitting room. A man sat on the sofa, the room was illuminated by one small lamp that set a dull, eerie glow over his sharp facial features. This man had short cut, wavy black hair with bangs that fell over his coal dark eyes. He had a white bandana tied around his forehead, Yahiko guessed that he was probably in his mid 20's. He looked young and fit, wearing loose, comfortable pants the style of Seijuro Hiko's, and an equally stylish dark blue Mantle around his broad, strong shoulders. He eyed the new guests.
"Neko, what have you brought here?" He asked.
The girl set down Yahiko, still holding him tightly by the collar of his Gi. "This is a boy from Battousai's dojo…Nashida-sama."
Yahiko started, so-this was Nashida.
Nashida eyed him darkly. "What was he doing out and about?"
"He apparently followed Hotaru into the woods."
"Damn it!" Yahiko growled. "What do you want with Kenshin? Are you the thief who stole those papers about Kenshin when he was the Battousai?!"
"Calm down child…" Nashida spoke calmly, a smile spreading across his face. "I did not steal them myself. I had my servant steal them." He snapped his fingers and out of the shadows stepped a tall, alert man. He had sandy blonde hair was short with long bangs that fell to the sides of his eyes. His eyes were what sent a shiver down Yahiko's spine. They were wide and piercing, eyes that saw everything at once and never made mistakes. They were critical eyes that could analyze a person in a second from head to foot.
"Meet Kai." Nashida said.
"Nice to meet you." Kai looked at him penetratingly, Yahiko lowered his eyes, and he shivered all over. This man was not one to be reckoned with.
"The lady who you have the honor of meeting first and bringing you here, is Neko."
"Where's Hotaru-" Yahiko muttered hoarsely.
"You want to meet our sweet Hotaru do you?" Nashida laughed and gave another snap. The tall man that Yahiko saw the first time emerged from the shadows of a different corner. The man had a black facemask on, exposing only the top part of his head. He had very dark hair and grossly slanted eyes. His movements were fluid. He wore all black, Yahiko guessed he was a skilled ninja. He had Hotaru held tightly in his arms, covering her mouth from screaming.
"Why did you bring her Kyosuke?" Nashida inquired.
"Hotaru!" Yahiko cried. Hotaru looked at him alarmed. For the first time, Yahiko registered emotion in her eyes. She was beyond horrified at seeing him here.
"Perhaps, I will let her tell you the reason Nashida-sama." Kyosuke released Hotaru and she collapsed at his feet.
"Hotaru, my dear… so nice of you to drop by." Nashida shifted position on his couch and faced her. Hotaru slowly sat up and faced him, she clenched her fists.
"I-do not wish to work for you anymore Nashida." She said trembling. "I don't want any part of this! I realize I was mistaken from the beginning…"
Nashida couldn't have batted an eyelid. He paused for a moment, as if considering her proposal.
"But, Hotaru… I thought we made a deal. Do you remember what you owe me? I saved your life! I found you, half dead in the forest from hunger, and revived you… all in exchange for this small service."
"And- I'm grateful to you, Nashida-sama…" She said hoarsely. Yahiko listened intensely, Hotaru was not the same girl he remembered meeting that very morning at the dojo. "But-Himura-san, Kaoru-san… everyone there… I don't see why they even deserve the punishment you have in store for them! Himura is a good person-how can you think that---"
"--A GOOD PERSON!!!!?" Nashida boomed out in fury. Hotaru cowered as he jumped from his seat. Yahiko noticed everyone else shrink back a step, he obviously didn't get angry often, and when he did-watch out.
"A GOOD PERSON?! He repeated, he walked up to her and grabbed her jaw, forcing it up so that she had to meet eyes with him. His pupils had contracted, looking small and piercing. Hotaru froze in terror.
"I-I'm sorry…" She stammered.
Nashida let go of her chin and sat back down, calming himself quickly. "Now-you might have to jog my memory a bit Hotaru dear… but, wasn't there another part to our agreement? Isn't that what you REALLY wanted? The reason you agreed to go along with this ruse?"
Hotaru looked down, Yahiko saw her eyes go back to their usual darkness, sad and melancholy… "Yes-"
"Well-My dear, you haven't filled your end of the deal, so I can't fill mine. And if you don't." He leaned over to her, she shrunk away. "If you don't, then you'll be my prisoner here, forever-wouldn't it be worth it to just do as you originally agreed, and go home happy with your boyfriend on your arm?"
"But I can't find him-" Hotaru said in anguish, tears pouring down her cheeks.
"Ahh-of course not… but I can." He smiled coldly at her. "You've been searching for this man, this-wanderer for two years now… and would do anything to find him, am I right?"
&Slowly, the girl nodded agreement.
"Good-Do as I wish, and you will have him to hold within the week. My connections are very good all over Japan. I will find him in no time for you. I am a man of my word."
Hotaru sat for a long time, considering the offer. Yahiko got the impression that she was bargaining with the devil. This man was very manipulative.
"Hotaru-don't do it!" He called to her. "Kenshin, Kaoru, everyone, they've all done nothing but care for you! Is this how you'll repay their kind-AHH!" He screamed as Neko twisted his arm in back of him.
"Keep quiet!" She hissed at him.
"Damn-bitch…" Yahiko managed to say between clenched teeth.
"I'll-do it." Hotaru said, looking at the ground.
"Excellent. I knew you'd see it my way." Nashida said smoothly. He smiled and gestured to Kyosuke. "Escort her back to the dojo. Treat her nicely."
"What about Yahiko-kun?" Asked Hotaru as Kyosuke moved to pick her up again.
"He'll be our guest here for a little while. You needn't worry, he'll be perfectly comfortable." Nashida said with a sly grin.
"No-let him go! PLEASE! HE'S ONLY A KID! NOO!" She was picked up and spirited away in a flash by Kyosuke. Nashida turned his attention to Yahiko and beckoned Neko to stop twisting his arm. She obeyed and Yahiko slowly stood up to face him. He'd been relieved of his shinnai. And he couldn't help but tremble in this mans presence. He knew, that this person had incredible power.
"Yahiko, that's your name?" Nashida said. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Manamoto Nashida. And welcome to my home." He gave him a cold grin. "You've met three of my warrior ninja. Meet the fourth and last." He snapped his fingers and the most breathtakingly beautiful woman Yahiko had ever laid eyes on stepped from the shadows. Her hair was shiny ebony that fell in tresses down her slim back to her thighs. She wore a ninja uniform, but it was definitely tailored to fit her curves and slender body ( and exposing a bit of unnecessary flesh). She looked at him from underneath long dark lashes. Her lips were full and red, Yahiko couldn't help but gawk.
"My last warrior, Hera." Nashida said. "We are the Five Night Warrior Ninja."
Hera swung her hips seductively as she walked towards Yahiko, she bent down, exposing an indecent amount of cleavage and Yahiko felt a sudden nosebleed come on.
"Ohh-" she said between those luscious red lips. "He's SOOO sweet! Nashida-sama… let me take care of him… Please." Her voice and scent was like sweet honey, Yahiko felt intoxicated by the scent, eyes eyelids drooped. He fought to stay awake. The last thing he remembered seeing were those luscious lips, puckering to kiss his forehead as he collapsed into her outstretched arms.
"Where should I take him, Nashida-sama?" Hera asked standing up.
"Put him in one of my secured training rooms. He won't get out of there." Nashida gave a cold grin Hera bowed and turned to go. "Oh! Hera-" Nashida added. The woman turned and looked at him.
"Hai, Nashida-sama?"
"I'll see you in my room when you're finished."
Hera winked at him " I'll be there, my lord." Then bowed again and disappeared with Yahiko still asleep in her arms.
For a long time, Nashida said nothing, the two remaining ninja stood ready in the room.
"What did the report say about Hotaru's mysterious wandering boyfriend?" Nashida asked Kai.
"His name, as she says, is Seta Soujirou." Kai said. "It appears, three years ago he was the elite fighter of Makoto ShiShiO's Ju Pon Gatana. The very best and strongest. He fought the Battousai then, and lost---but not without injuring the Battousai extensively."
"Very interesting-" Nashida said with a wicked gleam in his eye. "I will like to meet this Seta Soujirou-he was Ju Pon Gatana, and would be a valuable asset to my cause. He fought Battousai and lost-perhaps he feels the same urge for revenge as I do…"
"Shall I go fetch him for you Nashida-sama?" Neko asked.
"Yes-go and fetch him, bring him here before mid-day tomorrow. I will begin my operation shortly." He laughed coldly. " I'll make the Battousai pay-He, long ago took the three most important people to me in my whole life, So-I will do the same to him."
"An eye for an eye Nashida-sama?" Kai asked him mischievously. Nashida nodded.
"I have the brat already, next, the foxy doctor, and last is the most fun." He grinned. "His dearest, lovely maiden… The beautiful Kamiya Kaoru-" he laughed wickedly. "I can't wait to see his face as I destroy, right in front of him, the one he's finally found to love after so many years."
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