EXPLOSION! THE KAMIYA DOJO, DESTROYED?!
By Kyoko Takara
Completed on September 02, 2000
Category: Rurouni Kenshin - Series Drama
See disclaimers for all literary works
posted.
Part 8: Matsumoto's Revenge
The pathway from the Dojo was clear as Yahiko approached. From the distance, things looked fine, but as he moved closer, he saw the wide open door of the house and two figures lying on the floor. He started running, his mind racing a mile a minute, wondering what the hell had happened.
"Sanosuke!" he said in shock, looking at the damage the men did to Sano. "Are you all right?"
He turned over to his left side, then attempted successfully to sit up. Without a word, Sanosuke turned his head to look at Megumi. His heart caught in his throat at the sight.
"Megumi!!" he shouted, adrenaline pumping through his veins. It was enough to propel him from one side of the room to another. Yahiko quickly followed. Sanosuke pulled her into his arms, attempting to awaken her.
"Come on, Megumi. . .wake up. . ." he begged, checking her eyes to see if they were rolled back. "She must be unconscious."
"I'll go and get Genzai-sensei, Sano --" Yahiko offered, starting to head back out the door again. For the first time, the young man took a deep look into Sanosuke's eyes. There was something different.
Before he could explore the revelation, a loud voice shouted in shock from the entrance.
"What happened here?!" Kaoru looked around, stunned by the damage to the training hall. "Where's Hiroe?"
Sanosuke shook his head. He was supposed to protect her, both of them. And he couldn't even do that. It gave him this sense of unworthiness toward Megumi. They HAD to find Hiroe.
"She's gone. Matsumoto sent his men to get her," Sanosuke declared, cradling Megumi in his arms.
Kaoru stepped closer to Megumi, touching her forehead. She was growing increasingly hotter by the moment. She was in need of some medical attention. As Sanosuke shifted Megumi in his arms, she noted some blood on Sanosuke's tattered shirt.
"Sano. .you're bleeding. . ." Kaoru pointed to his chest, but Sanosuke corrected her.
"No. Megumi's. . " He cautiously examined her head to find a huge gash at the crown of her head as a result of the impact to the floor after she was thrown.
"I'm going to get Genzai-sensei!" Yahiko repeated, running before anyone could stop him.
Kaoru ran outside to get fresh water from the well to cleanse the wound as best she could. It was here that Megumi's brief training would help. She should have never left, she thought. If only she had stayed, Megumi wouldn't be in this situation. Neither would Hiroe. As she reentered the house, she noticed how closely Sanosuke was cuddling Megumi. He looked lost somehow. Normally, anger would be the state he would be in, but the fact that Megumi got hurt somehow sobered his explosive reaction.
"Sanosuke," Kaoru placed a bucket of water next to him. Handing him a piece of clean cloth, she instructed, "Use this water to clean the wound, Sano. Cold water will slow the blood from flowing heavily in that area. Keep her head elevated, too."
"Okay, Jo-chan. ."
Please hurry, Yahiko, Kaoru thought. Hurry. . .
Time grew short. The confrontation would be soon. Kenshin sighed, unsheathing his rarely used Sakaba sword. Its glimmer threatened to blind Kenshin, but he didn't care. He wanted to be blinded, to some extent. He didn't like the idea of going into a serious fight where he didn't even know what he was responsible for. Nevertheless, the life of an innocent child was on the line, as well as the well being of the entire country of Japan, if Matsumoto and his whole group weren't stopped. Once again, the fate of the country fell into the hands of Kenshin Himura.
Deciding to leave for Tensho, Kenshin set on the path. In the forefront, he was hoping that Kaoru and the others were faring well. To some extent, he knew that Kaoru would probably not leave the Dojo, saying yes only to make him happy. She was one of the strongest females he knew, and if anyone could defend the Dojo, it would be Kaoru. He just didn't want her doing something crazy or stupid.
"Kaoru-dono. . ." he whispered to himself, shaking his head.
His eyes started adjusting to the slowly dimming light. It had to be half day already, he thought. Kenshin stopped walking momentarily, looking at the tall trees surrounding him. The scene reminded him of the time Matsumoto confronted him. The panoramic scene deeply affected something inside Kenshin. The wind blew suddenly from behind him. Kenshin quickly turned, his hand on the hilt of his Sakaba.
"Who. . .?" he asked softly, discovering no response. Someone was watching him, he just knew it. His heightened instincts made him powerfully aware of the possibility of an enemy nearby. This whole escapade was beginning to annoy Kenshin. The expectation of it all had to be making him hallucinate.
"Am I imagining things. . .?" he questioned himself.
He knew he had to get out of the canopy of trees. The memories of that night were just flowing fiercely through his mind, making Kenshin a bit nervous. That was a first for him in a long time. As he refocused, he could have sworn he heard the mocking laughter of a man floating on the air current. Its laughter made itself at home in Kenshin's mind, initiating the vertigo effect on his thoughts.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Kenshin screamed, hands held to his temples, his eyes closed tightly. "NO MORE!"
When Kenshin screamed, the laughter immediately stopped. His breath was choppy, beads of sweat glistening on his face. The mental torture was getting to him and he wasn't sure if he could take it any longer. Looking around once more, in the distance, he caught the unmistakable green eyes of Matsumoto. Seconds later, however, Matsumoto disappeared into the shadows.
"MATSUMOTO!! Come out here! Show your face!" Kenshin shouted.
As minutes passed, he realized that his wait would be in vain. Kenshin knew what mental torture was like when he faced Enishi, one of his greatest foes. Somehow there had to be that same kind of connection, the forces of guilt pressing deeply into Kenshin's subconscious. But. . .what else could it be? There was naught else to do but continue on the journey, trying desperately to calm himself. Leaving his hand lightly resting on his trusty Sakaba sword, Kenshin shook off the strange feeling he had and began walking once again.
"Kaoru. . . " he reminded himself. "For Kaoru. . ."
"GENZAI-SENSEI!!!" Yahiko screamed, from outside the clinic. There were two elderly patrons waiting to see him, but he ran past them, crashing through the door. "You've got to come and help Megumi!"
Dr. Genzai's eyebrows deepened into a frown.
"Megumi? What's wrong with her?" he asked, worried.
Yahiko explained what happened at the Dojo earlier, sending Dr. Genzai into a frenzy. He handed the elderly lady a bottle, with instruction written on a piece of paper.
"Take this once a day for the entire week. It will help."
After taking care of temporarily closing the clinic, Dr. Genzai and Yahiko were on their way to the Dojo. As they made their way toward their destination, Genzai ran into a doctor friend of his that was coming to visit.
"Kaijou-san! Thank goodness you've arrived so early! I need you to do me a favor," Genzai started, asking him to re-open the clinic and take care of the remaining patrons. "I'll be back as soon as possible."
Kaijou nodded, willing to accept the sudden responsibility of the clinic. The two parted, and once again, they were heading for the Dojo. When they arrived, Genzai was shocked at what had happened, especially the damage that was done to the Dojo.
"Where's Megumi at?" he asked. Yahiko led the way into Kaoru's room.
Megumi laid on the floor, blankets covering her up to her neck. Kaoru tended to the wound on her head as best she could, but the bleeding wouldn't stop completely. Something was terribly wrong, Kaoru thought. Sanosuke was near frantic by now, staring down at the serene face of Megumi.
"Kaoru!" Genzai finally spoke, approaching Megumi quickly.
"Genzai-sensei! Megumi's --"
"Let me take a look at her."
He asked that everyone step outside while he examined her. They willingly complied, silence the overwhelming emotion. Sanosuke paced the hallway, waiting impatiently for Genzai-sensei's word on Megumi's condition. Yahiko was upset with the whole situation. This shouldn't have happened, he thought.
"Kuso . . ." he whispered beneath his breath.
Twenty minutes later, Genzai came outside, closing the door behind him. His eyes were dim, resolved to give the news to the crew.
"She's suffered some serious head injury. I won't go into detail about it, but it will heal eventually. It will take some time," he paused, then looked at Sanosuke knowingly. He returned the hard stare to the old man. "He won't make it."
Kaoru and Yahiko stared up at Sanosuke. What was Genzai-sensei talking about? Sanosuke's face fell at the words. He raced back into the room, kneeling beside Megumi, his head laying softly on her stomach. The two looked into the room, and to their shock, Sanosuke was crying. The tears were silent, but anyone could see them, their pain, their anger. . . .their sorrow. All those emotions and more were flowing through Sanosuke.
"Megumi and Sano. . " Kaoru muttered to herself, but Yahiko heard.
"What? That means that --" Yahiko started, until Genzai-sensei interrupted.
"You mean you all didn't know about them? I thought you guys knew all this time," he arched an eyebrow in slight shock. "Leave them for now. This is more than enough for one day."
Kaoru slid the door closed, turning away from the door. So, Sanosuke and Megumi were seeing each other secretly?
"He won't make it . . ."
Oh my God!, she thought. Megumi was pregnant! She covered her mouth, completely stopping herself from walking any further. How did this happen? More importantly, WHEN did this happen? It was too late, though. Genzai-sensei said that he wouldn't make it. She was losing the baby. . .
"Oh no. . ." she gasped. "Megumi. . .Sanosuke. . . ."
Yahiko turned to look at Kaoru's shocked face. She had stopped walking, a constant blush covering her face.
"What is it, Kaoru?" he walked back to her.
Snapping out of her shock, she grabbed Yahiko's hand, heading down the hallway quickly. It was better to leave the two of them alone. Especially after what had happened, and what was about to happen in the next few hours.
Meanwhile, Sanosuke's pain was more than evident. Somehow during the course of the day, he had come to terms with the idea of Megumi giving birth to his child. It was a wondrous prospect for him. He simply couldn't believe it, but now, that opportunity, that life was gone. His anger was banked by his fear for Megumi's life. She was completely unconscious and even though Genzai-sensei's prognosis was generally positive, he was still skeptical. Anything could happen. . .anything.
"I'm sorry, Megumi. . ." he whispered in her ear, a tear dropping onto her forehead. He kissed her brow, praying silently that she could come around, just to give him some kind of sign that she would be all right. He knew it wouldn't come anytime soon. Until then, Sano wouldn't be able to function properly, and he certainly would not be able to go after Matsumoto and his crew, especially that man. . . Flashes of Megumi's tormentor crossed his face.
"That bastard. . ." he closed his eyes tightly, wanting desperately to scream at his helplessness. Slowly, Sanosuke managed to calm himself enough to pass a hand gently across Megumi's cheek.
"Megumi. . ." he whispered. She did this to save Hiroe's life, and look what happened. "Hiroe. . ."
Once Megumi was awake, Sanosuke knew what he would do. The action would be swift and deadly for that bastard from before. . .
Something smelled terrible. The fog of unconsciousness was slowly clearing as Hiroe looked around her cautiously. There were four men in one corner of the room playing shogi, and one immobile body next to them on the floor. He must be dead, she thought. Blinking her eyes quickly, she tried to get herself into focus, looking for a way out of there.
Suddenly, the door near the men blasted open. An extremely large man entered the room, his dominating presence felt even by Hiroe.
"Has she awakened yet?" he asked gruffly.
"No, sir. She's still out. I think we took her too roughly," one man replied.
The leader arched an eyebrow at the man at his impudence, but put it off. There were more important things to worry about now. His loyalty to Matsumoto-sama would become questionable if he didn't complete this mission fully.
"Wake her. NOW." His voice left no room for questions. The men quickly complied, walking over to Hiroe.
Fake sleep, she told herself, willing her body to remain still and limp. The men lifted her body and carried her to an empty chair, then slapped her, leaving her no choice to open her eyes from her feigned sleep. She looked closely at the man before her. His blue eyes gave him away as a foreigner. What was a foreigner like him doing in Tokyo? He obviously was working for Matsumoto, but how. . .
"Awaken, girl!" his deeply accented English resonated through the room when he shouted at her. He quickly realized his mistake, returning to his Japanese speech, "Are you listening to me? It'd be best that you answer, girl. . "
Hiroe nodded in understanding. This man was unstable. She HAD to find a way out of here!
"We know you know how to operate the gun your father made," his face came in so close to Hiroe she could smell the stench of his breath. "If you don't want to see those lovely people you've been staying with destroyed, you'd better tell us how it operates, or. . ." He made a hand gesture of crushing with his right hand.
Hiroe turned her head away. She didn't want to see anyone at the Dojo hurt. Oh, no. . .. Megumi-san! She must have been hurt pretty badly when she hit the wall from before. She couldn't let them destroy the place.
"Fine." Deep down, Hiroe was thinking that once they let her behind the gun, she'd be in total control. They wouldn't be able to stop her escape. She had insurance and a way out. So she thought. . .
Two hours later, the night sky was falling. It was about six o'clock. Under the watchful eye of the leader, whom she discovered his name to be Heinemann. Sounded German, she thought. Thank goodness her father taught her how to speak English and some German. Two men were watching her operate the gun and its different components, as well as the code sequencing necessary to begin the firing.
"Wait!" she shouted, as they carried her away from the gun. "Will you leave them alone?"
Heinemann looked into the eyes of the innocent girl, his deep blue eyes glowing menacingly.
"Leave them alone?" he chuckled, more to himself than anything else. "The Kamiya Dojo is our target. Thank you my dear, for giving them to us."
She gasped. Oh, no, what had she done? She thought they were going to use the gun on some group of foreigners, but she had done exactly the opposite. There had to be some way to play the cards even better.
"I didn't tell you one thing about the gun. . .." she turned away her face, forcing Heinemann to forcefully turn it back.
"And that is. . ..?"
"I won't tell you."
"WHAT?! I don't have time to play games like this. . .we will do with what we know now. .MOVE OUT!"
Troops numbering near thirty walked alongside the gun they stole, toward the Kamiya Dojo.
"NO!" she shouted inanely. The troops had moved out, leaving no more than 10 men where she was being held. She had to get out of there to warn them!
The sun was slowly disappearing from the sky. Megumi still made no signs of recovery, leaving a troubled Sanosuke at her bedside. Outside, Kaoru and Yahiko stood, looking at the orange-red horizon, then looked at each other silently. It was a mutual, unsaid consensus they were making.
"Let's go get Hiroe," they said simultaneously.
Both realizing that Sanosuke wasn't going anywhere until he was sure Megumi was all right, they had to take the action to get Hiroe back. Megumi's sacrifice would not be in vain. They grabbed their weapons, and without a word to Dr. Genzai or the others, they disappeared.
Tensho. The river was not far away from where Kenshin stood, almost in the exact spot where he was yesterday. So much had changed in one day, it truly amazed Kenshin. Slowly he walked through the village's main street, remembering the carnage from the day before. As expected, the streets were empty. Kenshin's eyes turned to the sky, noting the amount of sunlight remaining in the sky.
"It's time. . ." he told himself, picking up his pace.
A thicket of trees just outside of the village gave way to an open area, surrounded on one side by the river. His back remained turned to the steady flowing water. Kenshin stepped to the river's edge, glancing at his mirror image. Suddenly, the image transformed from his own into Kaoru's. She was crying, uncontrollable tears flowing down her face. Why was she crying?, Kenshin wondered. The image again changed, this time into Hiroe. Her green eyes glowed brightly, searing into his soul. What was it about this one girl that made Kenshin wary? The wind began to pick up, its direction from behind him.
"You're here. . .finally. . ." Kenshin announced, slowly turning around.
At the edge of the trees stood Ryutaro Matsumoto. It was the first time Kenshin had seen the man in the light of day. He was a tall, striking man with long black hair flowing unimpeded behind him in the wind. His katana sat on the left side of his body, still sheathed. He took a few steps toward Kenshin, then withdrew his katana from the odd looking red saya. There were insignia's on the saya written in black. What did it say? There was no time to worry about the look. It was time to fight.
Matsumoto's eyes narrowed at the sight of the Battousai, or as he was now known, Kenshin Himura. No, Battousai would always do, he thought contemptuously. He would never forgive him for what he had done. . . .he would never forget.
"Matsumoto," Kenshin began, his eyes narrowing with the change in light conditions. "Why have you brought me here?"
The man chuckled, lowering his sword.
"Don't you know by now, Battousai?" he asked, but when he saw the look on Kenshin's face, he arched an eyebrow. "Interesting. . .you DON'T know. . do you?"
Kenshin maintained his silence until Matsumoto spoke again. Within minutes of the silence, the sky became dark leaving only the brilliance of the full moon to light their views. Matsumoto's sword raised into a fighting stance.
"I'm not going to fight you without a reason, Matsumoto," Kenshin challenged.
"A REASON?!" A brilliant flame grew in his green eyes at Kenshin's words. "I'll give you a reason, Battousai. . ."
Matsumoto jumped up and out of Kenshin's range of sight. Immediately, Kenshin's sword was drawn, quickly taking a defense stance. He was in the trees, he thought. Just like before.
From above him, Matsumoto stood on a sturdy ledge, preparing to drop to the ground. He blended into the shadows perfectly, his blade remaining unseen in the overwhelming moonlight.
"You killed my brother. . . ."
Kenshin's eyes grew wide. He. . .what? Where? When? Before Kenshin could fully figure out who he was talking about, Matsumoto flew down toward Kenshin in his first attack. Kenshin remembered this attack well, and was prepared for it.
"Here I COME!" Matsumoto shouted at the top of his lungs, his power over the wind seemingly suspending him in mid-air. Quickly dodging the attack, Kenshin disappeared a few meters from his foe's impact. At first glance, the damage looked minimal to the ground around him, but Kenshin looked again, and saw the gaping crater in the earth.
"That technique. . ." he muttered, but Matsumoto heard him.
"Yes," he smiled evilly, "that technique. You remember that night. . .when you were following my brother. . ." That was his brother?, Kenshin wondered. Then that means. . . "Yes! It's all coming together now, isn't it? I told you to leave them alone, but you wouldn't heed my words. . ."
Kenshin remembered. He finally remembered. After the encounter with Matsumoto that night, Kenshin returned to Kyoto. He knew that the renegade group would try to wage an attack against the Ishin Shi Shi. Without a group to report back, they wouldn't continue with the attack. After reporting what he knew, he was sent to eliminate the small group of three men, plus three others that had joined them along the way. It was a simple task, but he had no idea it would come back to him like this. That was when he met Tomoe. . .
"And now, you're going to pay for your actions, Battousai. . .it's time. . ." he said ominously. He raised his sword in front of his face, his ken-ki growing at an unbelievable rate. The wind kicked up around them both, the nearby foliage disappearing off the trees. Matsumoto stepped forward with this left foot, then with his right hand, in a move reminiscent of Kenshin's Do Ryu Sen, swung his sword in the general direction of Kenshin.
"Kaifu-Shin-Ryuu. . .SHISOUKAN!" Matsumoto shouted his attack. A whirlwind of air surrounded Kenshin, throwing him up into the air. To the normal individual, it looked like Kenshin was surrounded by a small tornado. The wind died down, dropping him to the ground in a loud thump.
Kenshin's looked up at Matsumoto's towering form. He managed to come to his knees, his Sakaba stuck in the ground to hold him up. Breathing was extremely difficult for Kenshin. It felt like that whirlwind took the air right out of him.
"Matsumoto. . ." he whispered, his eyes growing increasingly irate.
"Time to die. . .Battousai. . ." Matsumoto uttered, holding his sword toward Kenshin's neck. "Sayonara. . ."
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