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Preys	By : kamorgana Category: Rurouni Kenshin > General Views: 5568 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 28
- 29
- 30
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I don�t own Rurouni Kenshin. The characters belong to Watsuki, but the plots, ideas, OCs and text are *mine*.
Preys
Chapter 29: Choices and fates

�Enishi�.�
A soft voice. Fresh, motherly hands caressed his face. He opened his eyes, only distinguishing a pale face and long, black hair.
�Tomoe�.Nee-san�� he uttered, his voice only a breath.
A finger on his lips. A soft, pressing murmur. �Enishi�.It�s me, Tokio. Wake-up��
His eyes fluttered open, meeting worried gray ones. Tokio-san. Kaoru�
He sat up, but managed not to speak, as he remembered. Not seeing Kaoru, he glanced around, repressing an enraged scream as he spotted the scene a few paces away. Shishio, Kaoru, and�.. Himura�..His mind cleared, all the pieces of the puzzle making sense at this mere moment. Himura was about to kill her�.
�Calm down. He threw your gun somewhere. Do you have a radio or a phone?� Tokio whispered again.
He looked at her, the beautiful, serene face; her trust in him, the genuine care for him in her widened silver pools. The image of his sister superposed again. Only she had ever looked at him with those eyes.
He didn�t trust the others to protect her, he had felt that he had to be there for her�.as she had been there for him, a distant, but protective presence, since Tomoe had gone. She had been the only one to soothe his pain, to understand him after his only family was killed. She had got Seta convicted, bringing justice to his sister, as she had promised him when he was in despair, thinking that the bastard would escape his fate. She had let him on the case, and she had fought for him when he had been accused of the crimes. Nobody but Tomoe had done so much for him. He had gotten rid of the scumbags from the IA to keep on looking after her. He remembered his cold rage as he had seen her getting in her car, with Shishio holding his gun on Kaoru�s back, the control he had needed to just follow and wait for his chance to free them, without endangering them.
He should have called for help then. He had made another mistake. Now he had at least to save her from the bastards. It was his responsibility. He owed that to her.
And he had to save Kaoru, too. Maybe he�d fail, maybe he and Kaoru were not meant to make it. But at least Tokio nee-san would be safe.
His glance wandered around, and dropped on a pile of metallic garbage. Standing up with difficulties, he seized one of the iron bars. He nodded to her, confidently, reassuringly. Her eyes widened more, half-understanding, half-disagreeing.
�Nee-san�.Get out of here. My cell-phone is in the car,� he murmured.
Without giving her the time to answer, he rushed to Kaoru.
�Himura, you bastard!� he roared, attracting his attention.
He swore as the small man pushed Kaoru away, and stood in his way to her. She landed on the floor with a little muffled cry of pain.
The golden eyes turned to him, and they stared at each other in silence, their long contained hatred becoming a living thing, overwhelming them.
�Wait a second, Shishio,� finally said Battousai, a dirty smile twisting his lips. �I�m taking care of him before you.�
�Try me,� warned the white-haired guy, making his weapon roll in his hands. He had been undercover in China long enough to get used to street fighting. Himura, you�re in for a big surprise.
�Very entertaining,� smirked Shishio. �I�ll wait for you�.� He leaned on the metallic frame of the wall, crossing his arms on his chest.
�I�ve been waiting for this, too.�
The cold statement came a second before Battousai threw himself at Enishi, with a low, animalistic growl.
�Not as much as me,� Enishi answered, paring and counter-attacking immediately, sending his enemy flying away with a kick in the stomach.
Kaoru was staring at the scene, tears rolling down her face. It was a nightmare, Kenshin was not this monster in front of her, he couldn�t be. He stood up, blood dripping from his mouth, nothing in his eyes but coldness, his features deformed, sharpened, he was looking like an animal�.he was not human�.She felt the hatred, she felt danger, frozen fingers squeezing her spine.
�So, Kaoru found me in the dumpster, Yukishiro�.I hope that you appreciated the little present I left for you there. How is your partner doing?� mocked Battousai, golden eyes glittering.
Enishi cried out in rage. Yes, he had done that to Misao too. The bastard had endangered his partner, the woman he loved, and Tokio-san�He would never let anybody touch a strand of hair of the women he cared for, never again. His strength renewed, as he didn�t try to control his mad anger anymore. He felt it running in his blood, in his every nerve, filling him with power.
***
Tokio was halfway out when a cold chill ran down her skin. Something was wrong. She turned back to observe briefly the scene. Enishi was matching Himura, they were totally absorbed in their fight, overwhelmed by their anger and hate. If Enishi could�.
A sudden move at the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Shishio was staring at Kaoru, who was unaware of him. From were she was, Tokio could see his expression�.oh, God. He was going to fool both Himura and Enishi, she realized, killing the girl while they were too busy fighting each other, too far to intervene. He had a satisfied, naughty smirk, anticipating their reaction�.and the blood he�d draw.
Tokio had to go and call for help. But if she did, Kaoru would die�.She made her decision within a second.
�Shishio!!!!� she yelled at him. �Do you think you can catch me?�
He turned to her, a sudden furor contorting his features, and ran to her, his sword in hand.
Enishi got distracted, and let out a muffled groan as he caught Himura�s fist in the jaw. His madness was decupling his strength, realized the cop, rolling on the ground, losing the bar. What the hell was Tokio doing? Did she call for help already?
He heard Kaoru calling his name, as his enemy was in front of him, jumping in the air to slay him with more impact. He managed to avoid the blade, rolling again to retrieve his weapon, and hit Himura in the limbs with it. But after collapsing, the bastard rolled, too, as quick as light, to stand up firmly on his feet. They were face to face again.
�End of the game, Yukishiro.�
***
Tokio didn�t run to the main door. Shishio wanted to kill, now, and if she went out he�d go to Kaoru again. Protect the innocent. So she took the first stairs up she found, feeling him getting closer, smelling his acrid odor. She had ignored the pile of bars; she had no idea on how to use it. She was a lawyer, not a street fighter, and at this very moment she was bitterly regretting it. If only she had her gun�or could get Enishi�s, it had to be somewhere. She couldn�t fight, but she could run, and maybe find a way to surprise him�She felt relieved as she noticed she was climbing the stairs faster than him. She was lighter, and fear was boosting her.
She cursed as she almost fell, bloody high heels�She ran on a platform, not taking the first stairs but climbing the seconds�.She tried to distance him, taking the smaller structures, he was bigger, he couldn�t follow at full speed. He was laughing; she could hear him. He was enjoying the chase. She was the fly lost in the spider web, and the spider was coming after her.
She was running alongside the windows, when she saw a human form moving outside. Surprised, she slipped. She tried to stand up as soon as she could. Grabbed the shoe she had lost. Stupid move! Too late. She closed her eyes briefly as she felt his hand grip her neck. He was half strangling her, and she fought for breath. He lifted her as if she was a feather, and she met his eyes. Bloodlust. Death. She was going to die.
�Game over for you too, Tokio-san.�
He laughed again, and her hand clenched convulsively on�.
She aimed at his face, with the shoe she was still holding, using all the force she had left.
He yelled in pain and let her down as the heel entered his left, burnt eye. Blackened, rotten blood escaped, while he was screaming incoherently, and, after getting rid of her other shoe, she ran again, almost sliding down the stairs.
***
Himura seemed sure of himself. Come here, bastard, thought Enishi. They engaged another time, and he heard once more Kaoru�s voice calling him. He felt furor waving through his adversary�s body, and his strike was so powerful this time that Enishi was unable to block it completely, kneeling under the shock, the bones of his hands vibrating painfully with it.
The bar splintered, neatly cut in two, and one long piece jerked out of his hand. Himura took a step back, lifting his sword, satisfaction spreading on his face. Enishi cursed.
�No!�
Kaoru. All of a sudden, she was standing between them, her arms extended. Protecting him with her body.
�Kaoru, go away!�
�No,� she repeated forcefully, kneeling, too. �Kenshin�.�she went on, in a pleading voice. �Kenshin, listen to me. I know you�re here. Don�t let that Battousai decide. Please don�t kill Enishi.�
Enishi witnessed with surprise the hard light in the golden eyes weakening, violet color blinking briefly in their depths.
�Kaoru�.step aside�
The voice was still low, but had retrieved a human quality.
�Not before you drop your sword. I won�t let you kill him.�
�You don�t love me anymore�.You still love him. Why?�
His voice was so sad, as he went on.
�I tried, Kaoru. I tried to change for you. I tried to be what you wanted me to be. Why didn�t you see it? Wasn�t it enough for you?�
�I loved you Kenshin�.� She was crying, Enishi knew it at her trembling voice.
�You were the light�.You kept the darkness away, you helped me to fight that madness in me. With you, I could master it. But then, HE came back�.�The low hiss was directed at Enishi. �And I was losing you, so I was losing. Don�t you see? If I get rid of him, if you stay with me, I can be Kenshin�I can be the one you love�.�
�Lie�and escape,� breathed the cop into Kaoru�s hair.
She turned swiftly to him, determination shining in her green eyes. �I won�t let you!� she exclaimed, before facing the red-haired man again.
�You can�t be my Kenshin anymore�.not with what you did�.If you really love me, don�t kill Enishi. Go to the police, and confess your crimes. It�s the only way for you. If you do, I can forgive you. I�ll help you. Please�.�
Enishi�s muscles tensed as the violet lights disappeared in the other man�s eyes, the cold mask back on his face. He prepared to pull Kaoru aside. He didn�t have much of a weapon, but he still could try is chance.
�You don�t want to live with me�.but you�re ready to die with him�.so�.�
***
Tokio was almost down, when she felt Shishio close behind her again. She looked over her shoulder. Blood was still dripping from his eye, and the other pupil was dilated with fury.
�Die,� he groaned.
His sword was aiming for her, already descending. She dove downstairs, a sharp pain jolting from her back as she hit the floor, flat on her stomach. Opening her eyes, trying to gather her breath, the first thing she saw was a bright, metallic thing, not far in front of her.
Enishi�s gun!
For some reason she couldn�t stand up, but she reached for it, crawling, wincing, hearing Shishio approaching her. Raising her head, she froze at the scene right in her field of view.
Battousai was lifting his sword, Enishi and Kaoru kneeling on the ground in front of him. The girl was pleading for him not to kill them. He stopped his gesture.
Just wait a little, Tokio begged inwardly, just a second. Here, she had it!
But before she could fire, a kick on her hand had her crying out in pain, and sent the gun out of her reach again.
Shishio was standing above her, his eye blank, the pupil so retracted that it was invisible, terrifying vision of evil driving a human body.
She closed her eyes, she couldn�t move, she had no strength, and after her life unrolled under her shut lids, in a few seconds, only a face lingered. Hajime�.I�m sorry, Hajime.
A gunshot, a metallic cling on the ground next to her, a cry of pain. Followed by several others, and Enishi�s scream.
She opened her eyes again.
She managed to lift the upper side of her body, resting on her palms, and saw Shishio�s body finishing to fall to the ground. He had taken a bullet right in the middle of his forehead. After endless moments, the shrieking noise of the main door opening interrupted the sudden, absolute silence reigning in the hangar. She turned her head towards the entrance.
Hajime was standing at the door, holding his gun, his amber eyes glittering with rage. She was contemplating the scene, paralyzed. It was so unreal. Hajime was there, Shishio was dead, and she was alive. After a mere glance at her, he rushed to the stairs, cursing.
She heard somebody sobbing. She whirled, wincing as her back protested the swift movement.
What was that?
Himura was on the ground, Enishi and Kaoru next to him. Kaoru was the one sobbing, holding him. His clothes were soaked with blood.
Suddenly understanding, Tokio looked up, following Saitoh�s progression, to see figures and ropes disappearing swiftly from behind the windows. She didn�t hallucinate, earlier. The military organization had completed its elimination plan. She heard the faint noise of an engine, a chopper, maybe, before Hajime reached the top of the structure. He wouldn�t get them.
She gazed at the others again, hearing the red-haired man�s last words. It was the almost feminine, soft voice she had been used to.
�I�m sorry Kaoru-san�.I tried. I tried�.for you��
Kaoru burst into tears, burying her head into her dead lover�s shoulder.
***
Tokio was unable to move. She could hear the sirens screaming, the sound of the cars getting slowly closer. She saw Enishi pick up Kaoru�s limp body. Her head was resting on his shoulder, and he was whispering into her ear, his face both relieved and worried. The girl�s arms finally curled around his neck, she was still sobbing, holding him tight, asking him to do something for Kenshin, asking him to tell her that all that hadn�t been true. He carried her outside, his expression darkening.
Only then she reported her glance on Saitoh. He had put his gun back in his holster, and was going down the stairs again. She tried to stand up, betrayed by her trembling legs. Her back was hurting her, too. In a few long strides, he was next to her. His eyes were so intense that she shivered. He knelt, and reached for her, his hands playing with her messy hair, combing it slowly out of her face, like he did each time after�.She fought back her tears. She was stronger than that. He finally cupped her face in his callused hands, his lips meeting hers. She pulled away another wave of sobs. His kiss was so soft that she was melting, and she was the one to coax his lips open, to foray with her tongue, desperately needing more, needing to find the strength to overcome her present weakness. His tongue stroked hers, yet he stayed controlled, thorough but almost�.tender�.
This kiss was different. It was not a prelude, not a demand for more; it was an end, a declaration of �.
She parted, shaking her head. She was so shocked that she was mistaking. He couldn�t�.
She stared at his face, as always he was showing no emotion, except for his glittering amber orbs�.One tear slid down her face as she read them. He took the little drop on the tip of his thumb, and tasted it, his eyes still in hers.
�Boss! Are you ok?�
She burst into laughter at Saitoh�s annoyed expression. She just couldn�t help. She had no grip on her emotions whatsoever. Tears were flowing down her cheeks now. She couldn�t even say if it was from relief or confusion.
�I�m fine, Sagara!� she exclaimed, not tearing her eyes apart from Saitoh.
�Oh, phew�The medics will be there in no time,� the young guy announced, obviously relieved.
�Get the forensics here,� groaned Saitoh.
He helped her to stand up, pulling on her arm. She winced, her back jolting in pain again. She was not that young anymore, and probably bruised a disk when she fell down earlier.
She saw Saitoh�s tensing features, before she heard Sanosuke�s startled voice from behind her.
�Boss! You�re bleeding�.�
She brushed one of her hands down her back, and brought it in front of her. It was stained. Wet. Red. Blood.
She suddenly became aware of it dripping down her skin, her body started to quiver, the pain in her back increasing, throbbing. She lost her balance and held on to Saitoh�s arm. He looked worried�.she was hallucinating again�.everything turned dark, and her legs gave in�.Saitoh was barking�.ambulance�..moron�.
The last thing she heard was a low whisper. His deep voice, ordering softly, �Stay with me, Tokio�.�
To be continued.

Author�s notes:

Once again, for the end of Kenshin: I took it from a possibility given explicitly in the manga. See Yahiko�s words to Okubo in tome 7 (�if Kenshin didn�t disappear, you would have eliminated him as you did for Shishio�).

A few new precisions:

-I didn�t attract attention on the fate of Kenshin, because it is very secondary to me. I announced the main characters from the start, as well as characters death. Just in case: I happen to like Kenshin (more than I usually like the main hero). He doesn�t die in this story because I hate him (if I was that childish, Kaoru would have gotten the axe instead; and one of my first fics was about Tokio and Saitoh�s death). I saw no other end, considering the context.

-about the K/K/E triangle (spoiler for the sequel): I dislike when a character is made into a OOC villain/rapist/abuser to prop a pairing. Kenshin is the Slayer, but that doesn�t change the fact that Kaoru loved him (she is forgiving) and that K/E had problems before him in this story. K/E is a believable pairing but there are also reasons against, in the characters� tempers, and I will develop it: they won�t end up together. For K/K as for K/E, in these stories, love is there, but not enough, as it happens IRL. I said that it was a triangle, not a K/E alternate (^-^). As soon as my Kenshin-not-getting-redemption idea included itself in Preys (from chapter 2 on, in fact), it was sure for me that K/E wouldn�t make it. They will be in other alternate pairings in the sequel.

-About Kaoru�s change of reaction towards Kenshin: she was under the shock in the previous chapter, but if she has hotheaded, strong first reactions of anger and/or of fear, she sees the good in people as soon as she has a glimpse at it. Considering Kenshin�s reactions to her and although she wouldn�t accept him as Battousai, she is still able to see the man she loved in him. Kaoru has many flaws but she wouldn�t give up on someone she loves either, whatever the danger, hence her reaction here.

I was tied by the mystery plot, and I would have liked to tell more about these points before, but I have warned enough. There are people who enjoyed this story out of fanbase/pairing considerations, and I�m very glad for it :)

Next chapter: Phew, talking about Saitoh/Tokio, let�s come back to them�.was this a cliffhanger? You know me, guess what? (^-^).
- 28
- 29
- 30
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