Part 2: A New Enemy
As the morning came to an end, Sanosuke and Kenshin realized they had
walked quite far from the dojo. The afternoon sun shone brightly onto
the heads of the four men, guiding them in the direction of the massacre
awaiting them.
"I have a feeling we're too late, Kenshin," Sanosuke voiced
aloud. His eyebrows were drawn tightly together, with the scent of blood
crawling up his nose. "The scent of blood is in the air. This isn't
good."
The passageway of trees gave way to a series of houses straight ahead
of them. As they entered the village limits, trails of blood were the
sights to greet them. Several battered bodies laid haphazardly in the
streets, the last of their lifeblood draining away and drying under
the intense heat of the sunlight on the dusty street. The two officers
ran ahead of Sano and Kenshin toward a house not far away.
"Who could have done this?" Kenshin looked around, his eyes
thinned at the site of the carnage.
"Kenshin, where did those two go off to?" Sanosuke asked
absentmindedly, heading in the general direction of the officers.
Utter silence was the greeting for the officers in the police building.
There was a gaping hole in the ceiling, the kind made by someone being
thrown through it.
"Boss?" they shouted out in sync. No response.
"Who are you looking for, guys?" Sano asked, standing at
the doorway. The two distraught men turned to Sanosuke.
"Our boss, Manchiro-san, was here when we left for you. Our children--,"
he faltered on the word, "were here with him. He was protecting
them. I thought we had more time, but. ."
Falling to his knees, the young man broke into a series of wails that
would have rose the dead in their despairing tone. The older man picked
him up and lead him to a nearby seat.
"What are your names?" Sanosuke asked, his body leaning against
the door frame.
"I'm Takagashi. My friend here is Hashiro," the older man
said. "Things just happened so fast. . ."
Sanosuke walked further into the building. Kenshin was across the street,
seemingly interested in something on the street itself.
"Do you know who did this?"
"All I know is that they were not Japanese. Except one guy. He
was giving the orders. They had lots of guns. I don't know why they
came here, but this town doesn't give up anything without a fight. ."
Kenshin walked through the door with a piece of cloth in his hands.
His face was solemn.
"Foreigners," his single word seemed to echo in the building.
"Foreigners were here. This cloth is from the West. It is not native
to Japan or China."
"Just what the hell were they doing here then? Who were they looking
for?" Sanosuke slammed his hand on the desk next to him.
Suddenly, the whimper of a child startled him. Someone was under the
desk. . .Sanosuke walked around the desk, pushing aside the chair. He
peered into the darkness, the shiny glimmer of a knife catching his
attention.
"Come on out. No one's going to hurt you. . ." Sano held
out his hand to the small figure.
Hesitantly, the hand grasped Sanosuke's, and out came a young girl
about thirteen. She was beautiful, with long flowing black hair and
piercing green eyes. Her clothes were tattered and dirty, and she looked
like she needed something to eat.
"Do you know who this girl is, Takagashi-dono?" Kenshin asked.
"I have no idea who she is," he admitted. He turned to Hashiro
in silent question, and he shook his head in denial.
"What is your name?" Sanosuke asked the girl softly.
"Hiroe."
Kenshin stood next to Sanosuke and the two men moved toward the front
of the desk.
"Hiroe-dono, how did you get here?" asked Kenshin. He was
greeted with no answer from the girl.
Something made Kenshin suspect that she didn't understand what he was
saying. Her eyes were blank, devoid of all emotion. Sanosuke checked
Hiroe for any wounds on her delicate skin. He discovered several wounds
on her arms and legs, but more importantly, she was wounded in a most
terrible way. How Sanosuke knew Hiroe had been raped was obvious. Each
time his hand touched her body, she shied away from him and began to
squeal helplessly.
"Takagashi-dono, Hashiro-dono, let's take a look around some more
and see if anyone else has survived. They deserve the chance,"
Kenshin said, knowing that Sanosuke was more than capable of watching
over the girl. "We will be back, Sano."
Soon, Hiroe and Sanosuke were left alone in the police building. The
eerie silence between them was more than Sanosuke could take.
"Hiroe, what happened here?" Sanosuke venture to ask. Hiroe
seemed not to understand his words. Sano began to speak aloud all his
thoughts, hoping the girl would respond to something more emotionally
based.
"I guess you don't understand what I'm saying. Maybe you don't
understand Japanese. I know you've been through a lot, but now, you've
got to trust us. We can help you find your parents--"
"They're dead," Hiroe said silently. "They killed them.
They came with guns to kill them in cold blood."
"Who?" Sanosuke asked fervently, his blood beginning to race.
Hiroe grew silent once again, and Sano sighed. "The only way we
can beat them is if you help us know what we're fighting against. You're
the only survivor so far. You know best what it is we're dealing with.
Help us, Hiroe."
The girl stared into Sanosuke's eyes for a brief moment. His genuine
concern for this matter startled her. Why would a complete stranger
help an outcast such as herself? He had no reason to help. Yet. . .
After ten minutes of silence, Hiroe began to tell Sanosuke about the
horrors of her experience in the village.
A half hour later, Kenshin and the two men walked through the door
of the building with solemn faces. Sanosuke and Hiroe turned to look
at them.
"Not a single soul left alive but this poor child," Takagashi
said softly. "Sano, the person responsible for this must be brought
to justice. This is unforgivable!" Hiroe gasped at Kenshin. It
was the first time she took a good and close look at him.
"Hi. ..to. . .ki. .. ri. . ." she jumped out of her chair
with the intention of running away, but Sanosuke stopped her.
"Wait, Hiroe! Kenshin is no longer the killer of the legend. He
is just a wanderer now," Sano urged her to sit once again, but
Hiroe would not be so easily coerced.
"You are the legendary Himura Battousai?" Hiroe asked, her
eyes giving death-like looks to Kenshin.
"Yes, I am. Why is that so important, Hiroe-dono?" Kenshin
asked. Hiroe took a deep breath, then collapsed. Sanosuke caught her
before she dropped to the floor.
"Kenshin, we have to get her to Megumi. She has some serious injuries."
"I agree. Let's go back," Kenshin nodded in the direction
of the door. "Takagashi-dono, get the police from Tokyo to come
here and investigate. Tell them we have Hiroe-dono at the dojo."
"Understood, Himura-san. Let's go, Hashiro." The fated group
split in opposite directions; the two officers via an eastern road leading
into Tokyo's city limits, Kenshin and Sanosuke returned in the direction
they came from. Kenshin's mind was disturbed by Hiroe's reaction to
his identity. Who did she belong to? Where did she come from? So many
unanswered questions. . .
"Kenshin. . " Sanosuke began to speak, lightly carrying Hiroe
in his arms.
"Yeah, Sano?"
"There's more to this than you know. Hiroe told me most of what
she remembered. The men that killed everyone were assassins hired by
one man. She didn't know his name, but he had dealings with her father.
Looks like a case of things gone bad."
"But why would they kill the entire town? Only those with a thirst
for blood would do such an act," Kenshin rationalized.
"It WAS bloodlust, Kenshin. She said the man was a former Hitokiri.
. ."
"WHAT?!" Kenshin's face lit up at the word "Hitokiri".
"That's why she feared me. . ." Sanosuke nodded. Just when
things were getting quiet and settled, another crisis had to arise,
he thought. How ironic.
"The sooner we get home, the better Hiroe will be."
"Agreed. Let's pick up the pace. . ." Kenshin and Sanosuke
started moving faster toward their destination, but they never suspected
the ever watchful eyes of their adversary in the trees above them. Darkness
enveloped the clearly defined crystal green eyes of the creature.
"It's time you came out of your haven, Battousai. This time, you
can't hide. . ."
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