Control

Okay, this story won’t let me sleep. Now that I’ve got the answer to my timeline problem, it’s just sitting there festering. Hopefully once I write this chapter I’ll be able to sleep. In the meantime, enjoy!

‘thoughts’

“dialogue”

You know I don’t own this…

Control
Chapter 16

Kenshin and Aoshi slowly made their way through the trees, scanning for any presences nearby. As they neared the edge of the trees, Kenshin felt someone close by. Touching Aoshi’s arm, he indicated the direction the guard was in. Aoshi nodded and carefully made his way toward the guard. Kenshin slipped along beside him silently. Kenshin felt himself vaguely slipping into modes of movement he’d used during his Bakamatsu days. He was a shadow as they slipped from tree to tree.

Once the guard was quietly taken out, the two approached the house. They could feel several guards inside, but were surprised at the lack of security outside. Aoshi led them to the side of the house near the kitchen. Since it was mid-morning, the kitchen was empty. Slowly sliding open a door, Aoshi led them inside the building.

The two quickly made their way through the kitchen into a hallway. Kenshin could feel a guard coming toward them and pulled Aoshi deeper into the shadows of the hallway. As the guard approached, Aoshi reached out and quickly incapacitated him. Kenshin helped pull the man into the kitchen and secure him with some twine used for roasts. The two then left the kitchen area and quickly walked down the hallway. They stopped at the end and found themselves at the edge of a foyer.

The foyer was largely empty. A single table with a vase holding an orchid sat in the middle of the room. The golden wood shone with recent oiling. The hiss of a door warned them that someone was approaching. Pulling back, they watched a man come out of a door on the other side of the room, near the foot of some stairs that led upward. Aoshi motioned Kenshin backward as the man approached their hiding place.

As he stepped into the hallway, the man’s eyes widened. Aoshi leapt up and quickly knocked him down. The man lay still. Kenshin and Aoshi moved out of the hallway into the foyer. Crossing over to the door the man had come out of, they cracked it and looked inside. The room he’d been in was empty. Stepping back they prepared to step up the stairs when Kenshin felt movement.

Dropping down to one knee, he just missed the arm that was aimed at his head. Pulling his saya forward, he rammed it back into his attacker’s chest. The man wheeled his arms trying to regain his balance.

Kenshin and Aoshi’s eyes widened as they watched the man bump into the table in the center of the room and then fall. Kenshin launched himself toward the table with godlike speed and tried to prevent the catastrophe from happening. His fingertips just grazed the vase as it slipped past him and shattered on the floor.

At the sound of the vase shattering, another man stepped out of a hallway on the second floor and looked down. Seeing his comrade laid out on the floor and two intruders in the house, he shouted an alarm. Suddenly, Aoshi and Kenshin could hear doors opening and felt the ki of several attackers approaching. Kenshin spun around to confront three men who came through the front door into the foyer. The man who shouted the alarm was rushing down the stairs, three men at his heels all with swords drawn. Aoshi unsheathed his kodachi and prepared for battle.

Upstairs, Miyori heard the faint sound of something breaking and a shout. Alarmed, she sat up straight in her chair. Her heart began to pound as she heard screams echoing in the house. Suddenly her door was thrown open and two men entered the room. They quickly crossed to her and each grabbed an arm. They hauled her to her feet and the one on her right pulled out a dagger.

“You make any noise, I plunge this into your belly. You got it?” he asked, gently poking her with the tip.

Miyori nodded and the two men dragged her from the room. They quickly walked down the hallway in the opposite direction of the sounds of swords. Reaching the end of the hallway Miyori looked around puzzled. There was no where to go. The man on her left reached out and pulled back a tapestry that had been hung on the wall. Behind it was a narrow stairway, lit by small slits in the outside wall. Pulling Miyori with them, the two men quickly walked down the stairs.

Kenshin took a deep breath. The men around him were unconscious or incapacitated. Looking toward Aoshi, he saw him dispatch the last one to hold him up. Nodding, Aoshi started up the stairs; Kenshin fell into step behind him. Opening doors along the hallway, they searched for Miyori. Kenshin stopped at the third door on his left. It was slightly ajar. Sliding it all the way open, he stepped into the room and could feel echoes of Miyori’s ki. Turning to his left, he saw several yukatas hung in an open closet.

Something caught his eye and he crossed to the window. Looking out, he saw a flash of red in between the trees. His eyes widened as he caught it again and realized it was Miyori being dragged away. A sound behind him caught his attention and he saw Kaoru and Misao enter the room, Aoshi behind them.

“I found them entering through the front doors. If I hadn’t felt their ki I would’ve attacked,” Aoshi said.

Kenshin nodded. He had no time to argue with them.

“C’mon,” Kenshin said, leading the way out of the room, “they’re taking Miyori through the forest. We have to hurry.”

Kaoru and Misao looked at each other for a moment and hurried after Kenshin, Aoshi brought up the rear.

Kenshin flew through the house, ignoring his nagging thoughts. He knew that if he lost Miyori here, the sacrifice Yamagata had made would be in vain. Rushing outside, he quickly picked up on the trail of Miyori and her captors. He flew by Sano and Yahiko who were just approaching the house. Seeing Kaoru, Misao and Aoshi coming up, the two quickly followed Kenshin.

Miyori stumbled through the heavy growth on the forest floor. Her captors were trying to move quickly and half carried her, half dragged her along with them. She tried to keep up, but the extra weight she’d gained was making her tired and her movements clumsy.

“Damnit woman, move!” one of her attackers yelled.

Miyori felt tears fall down her cheeks as she scraped her arm on a tree.

The two men led her through the trees until they reached what appeared to be a path. Turning left they made better time as they started down it. The path was fairly clear and Miyori stumbled less. Rounding a corner, the two men pulled up short. Miyori hung between them, taking deep breaths of air. Raising her eyes, she saw what the two men were looking at.

Coming up the path was a man. The dappled sunlight shone on long, black hair and the breeze caught the man’s white cape and fluttered it. As he approached, he carefully looked over these trespassers. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the dagger held to the woman’s obviously pregnant belly. Stopping, he looked over the two men. He noted the one without the dagger kept looking over his shoulder. They were being chased.

“You want to tell me what you’re doing in my forest?” Hiko asked.

The man holding the dagger growled.

“This isn’t any of your business. Just let us pass and the girl won’t be hurt.”

Hiko narrowed his eyes. There was something that felt familiar in the girl’s ki. He looked her over and noted how exhausted she was.

“If I were you, I’d let the girl go and be on your way. She can’t go much father anyway,” Hiko said.

The other man who’d been looking over his shoulder turned his attention to Hiko.

“Let us pass!” he screamed.

Hiko stood silent for a moment. Bending down, he placed the two sake jugs he’d been carrying on the ground. Standing up, he drew his sword.

“No,” was all he said before disappearing.

The one with the dagger was the first to fall, Hiko’s sword cutting the arm with the dagger away. Miyori screamed as blood covered her. The other man holding her arm suddenly crumpled and she was pulled down. Her whole body shook as strong arms pulled her to her feet. Looking up into the face of her rescuer, she saw concern. She collapsed into his chest, sobbing.

Hiko stood for a moment looking at this girl crying into his chest and getting blood over his clothes. He awkwardly patted her shoulder and placed his hand on her shoulder tightening his grip as he felt six ki approaching. Hiko’s eyes widened as the six broke through the trees.

Kenshin stopped short at the sight in front of him. His master stood, two men fallen on the ground at his feet, with Miyori sobbing against his chest. The others stopped at the strange sight as well.

“Shishou?” Kenshin asked. “What are you doing here?”

Miyori turned and spotted Kenshin. She stiffened. Hiko noted it but decided to answer his student instead.

“It’s my mountain. What are you doing here baka deshi?”

“We came to rescue Miyori,” Kenshin said, indicating the girl whose back was turned to them.

“You know my baka deshi?” Hiko asked her.

Miyori nodded.

“Great,” Hiko grumbled.

Kaoru stepped forward.

“Miyori, are you alright?” she asked, concern lacing her voice.

Miyori turned to face this new person and her eyes widened. The girl in front of her was just as Kenshin described. Sapphire eyes that blazed with feeling, a high ponytail and a bokken at her side, this woman was Kenshin’s love, Kaoru. Miyori felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Kaoru’s eyes widened as she looked over the girl in front of her. She was pregnant! Beside her Misao and the others stood still, shocked at what they saw.

“Oh no!” Kaoru cried out, rushing to Miyori’s side. “Did they do this to you?”

Hiko noted Kenshin’s slight stiffening and felt the girl in his arm tense.

“Yes,” Miyori answered, her voice quavering.

Hiko’s eyes narrowed as his thoughts took a different turn. However, Kaoru wanted his attention.

“Master Hiko, are we far from your hut?” Kaoru asked.

Hiko grimaced.

“No,” he answered.

“Miyori needs to be cleaned up and she needs to rest. Can we stay there for a short time?” Kaoru said.

Hiko nodded and released Miyori, who was grabbed by Kaoru. Misao sprung to her side and helped Miyori walk up the path. Hiko walked back to his sake jugs and picked them up. He noted the others except for Kenshin had fallen in behind the girls. Stopping by Kenshin’s side, he looked his student over.

“There’s more here than meets the eye,” Hiko said. “I expect you to tell me soon,” he said, starting up the path.

Kenshin’s eyes widened and he turned to look at his master’s retreating back.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. ‘What will I do? You are right Master, there is more here than meets the eye. I don’t know how to fix it either.’ Pulling himself from his thoughts and opening his eyes, he turned and followed his master up the path toward the hut.