Chapter 11.
Dingle!
The antique false gold bell rang as Kaoru pushed open the door to a brightly lit room. A few people sitting in the plush sofas around the room glanced at her briefly before returning to their month-old magazines. The tight looking receptionist forced a smile while fidgeting with her hard, grey hair bun. Kaoru smiled as well before turning around and pulling a very nervous looking Megumi through the door. Yanking the mod doctor after her, Kaoru walked up to the tight woman and smiled again.
"Hi, Megumi here has an appointment for with the doctor to look over her credentials. Are we on time?"
The receptionist didn't answer. Glancing at a mini holo-screen on her desk, she squinted a bit before sighing and pulling a pair of some decrepit glasses. "Takani, right?" She wasted no breath, Kaoru noticed.
Megumi nodded as she seemed to pull herself into her usual, regal self. "Yes, Megumi Takani. I have all my paperwork and..."
"Who's she?" the tight woman interrupted, jabbing a crooked finger at Kaoru. "Is she applying as well?"
"No," Kaoru waved a hand. "Just her. I'll wait out here." She then promptly sat down next to a stranger and grabbed a random magazine.
The receptionist nodded and ushered Megumi toward a door. She sighed and fumbled to pull out her portfolio. "Well, here's hoping." Megumi stepped through the door.
"I got a job, I got a job!"
Sano jerked into consciousness and glared around to try and find the person who would dare disturb his nap. Suddenly, a flurry of white clothes and jet-black hair streamed into the house, flapping and fluttering everywhere. It took Sano several seconds to realize who it was.
"Oy, Kitsune, ya mind keepin' it down."
Megumi stopped running. "Shut up, rooster boy. I'm having a happy moment right now." She suddenly bolted for the door before stopping and turning around. "Where's Shin-san? I have to tell him the good news."
Sano snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, it's good news all right. You'll actually be doing something instead of annoying everyone to death and doing nothing around the house."
Megumi sniffed haughtily. "Funny, I thought you did the same thing. I guess the only difference is that you aren't currently employed."
Sano growled low. "Shinta's in the woods out back. I guess he's keeping himself fresh or something by training." He waved a hand airily as he repositioned himself on the couch to continue his nap. "Good luck finding him though."
Megumi groaned in frustration as she wandered the twisting forest path. She'd been walking for twenty minutes and not head nor hair of the swordsman could be found. Alien and Terran flora and fauna came and went, blending into a cacophony of light, color, and noise. The occasional sounds made the mod doctor perk up and listen, hoping for the sounds of training. When it turned out to be nothing, she once again continued walking angrily.
Glancing once again out into the thick foliage, she suddenly felt a hand clamp onto her shoulder and mouth. Megumi let out a terrified squeak as she was pulled off the path and into a clearing. Her assailant threw her without warning to the ground in a clearing flecked with spots of sunlight.
Megumi glanced around fearfully for a moment before noticing a pair of black shoes before her.
"Hello, my pretty little run-away bird." A high, grating voice befitting a monkey spoke liquidly. "What made you think I was done with you, hmm?"
Without warning, the boot lifted and kicked her in the side. Megumi gasped painfully. "K-Kanryuu." She slowly looked up, clutching her side.
A thin, sly looking young man stood before her, smiling wickedly. He clapped his hands, as if applauding her. The dark suit he wore ruffled with every clap. "Wonderful deduction. Yes, I know what you are thinking." He nodded his head in mock sympathy. "'Oh, the evil man has come to take me back to that evil place to make evil things.'" He chuckled. "No, I'm just going to give you an ultimatum."
Kanryuu suddenly turned to the line of trees. "Aoshi, come here."
A tall, handsome man seemed to materialize from the trees. Ice blue eyes hid beneath dark black bangs. His mouth was a straight line, stoic and serious. Broad shoulders covered with a heavy trench coat betrayed powerful muscles. A short blade's hilt barely peeked out from the coat.
Kanryuu snickered. "You know Aoshi, of course. Well, I've given Aoshi instructions to…'take care' of your new family tonight if you don't come back."
Megumi looked horrified, and Kanryuu noticed. "I see I'm getting through to you. Good, good." He turned toward the woods and began to walk away, a stolid Aoshi following apathetically behind him. "I'll be seeing you soon."
Megumi shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut. "Not again. Please, not again."
She began to cry.
Shinta watched silently from between some tree branches. Sano balanced beside him, gritting his teeth. Giving a quick flick of his finger, Shinta urged his friend to follow him. The two swiftly made it home, not even breathing hard.
Sano leaned against the house wall, his face still creased in anger. His teeth made a furious clacking sound as he rolled his teeth over his metal toothpick. "I don't believe this. And she just settled in too." He cursed lightly, slamming a fist into the wall.
Shinta sighed. "We could take care of ourselves, but we have to take care of this little problem. Otherwise, Kanryuu would simply try again and again."
Sano grunted. "So, what do you want to do? Storm his mansion?"
Shinta held up a hand. "She is returning. Possibly to pack. I'm not sure where exactly we should be going, but let's follow her at a distance." Suddenly, he groaned. "Kaoru will want to know what is going on. You follow her and I will find Kaoru. Call me, I have Kaoru's extra cell." He tapped his ear, where a small device beeped as it turned on. Then, suddenly, he was gone, nothing but a small cloud of dust wafting back down to earth.
Sano hid as well, as Megumi came out of the undergrowth, still scrubbing at her eyes. Composing herself, she forced a small smile and headed into the house. Sano watched her the entire time.
Megumi thanked the taxi driver and stood from the car, only her medical bag at her side. She looked up at the imposing, modern mansion, complete with metallic spires and twisted walls. She felt like crying again at the familiar sight. The gates of the outer wall opened suddenly, revealing an enormous mountain of a man, scars peeking out from the collar of his thick shirt. He grinned and chuckled in a deep voice.
"Hello, Megumi. Come back with your tail between your legs, eh?" He chuckled again. "Let's go, Mr. Kanryuu is waiting in the dining hall."
"Hold on."
The two turned swiftly to see Sano standing there, breathing a bit heavily. "Hold on, Megumi. You just leave without saying good-bye? That's not very friendly."
Megumi's eyes were wide in horror. "Sano! Run you idiot. They'll kill you! Please, leave."
Sano smirked. "Not very confident in my abilities are you?" His face hardened. "Let's go home. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. You don't have to go back."
The man mountain began to laugh. "Go home yourself, punk. I have a job to do and you certainly ain't stopping me."
Sano simply cracked his knuckles.
"Oh, so it's like that, hmm?" He pulled a large metal mace from behind his back. A short, leather-bound metal handle led up to a solid metal ball with glistening spikes extending menacingly from the metal skin. "Have it your way." He swung powerfully.
Sano simply moved. A large crater formed where Sano had been standing. Grunting in frustration, the man swung again. Another crater. Sano suddenly charged, but was swept back the man's large arm. The fighter rag-dolled on the ground, his limbs flailing every which way. Megumi gasped in horror.
"Too easy." The man pulled off his shirt, revealing his mechanical right arm. Gripping the mace in his left hand, he stomped his way over to the still form. A muscular hand gripped Sano's neck and began to throttle him. "Quite the idiot, ain't ya. You don't fight people stronger than yourself."
Sano's grinned as he stared straight at the large man. "Yeah, you'll have to remember that." Seemingly unaffected by the pressure applied to his neck, he swung a fist out, catching the mace between the spikes. The sudden, incredible pressure of the blow shattered the metal easily, sending shrapnel flying everywhere. A particularly large piece of metal cut into the man's chest. Grunting, he simply applied more pressure on Sano's neck. This time, Sano felt it. Gasping and struggling, his legs flailing in the air, Sano managed to kick the man in the stomach. Nothing. Not even a wince.
The man brought Sano close to his face, their noses nearly touching. "You moron. Thought you could take on a member of the revered Oniwabanshuu, eh? Stupid kid, get over your petty cockiness and I might just let you live." He tightened his grip.
Sano's eyes bulged as he tilted his head back, gagging as if trying to clear his throat. Then, without warning, he slammed his head into the massive man's forehead. Sano was dropped instantly as the man brought both hands to his head and grunted. Acting swiftly, Sano swept his legs acrobatically under the large man, tripping him. The large fighter began to fall forward, directly on top of Sano. Opening his palms, Sano threw both hands powerfully into the falling man's chest, throwing him backward several feet until his flight was arrested by the thick metal of the outer wall. He sighed, before slumping, out cold.
Sano stood wearily to his feet, rubbing his bruised neck. "Wasn't that fun," he hissed at the unconscious man sarcastically. He shot a smirk at Megumi, only to see her swept up by a man wearing a semi-opaque glass mask. He moved swiftly, bounding powerfully over the wall and into the domain beyond. Sano didn't even have time to shout.
Shinta ran up, followed closely by a worried Kaoru and an excited Yahiko. "Where is she?"
Sano glanced up from where he was sitting, besides the still unconscious fighter. He gritted his teeth, his eyes flaring. "They took her."
Shinta yanked out his broadblade without warning. The sound the blade made was sickeningly unnerving as his face hardened into an indignant frown. "Then we shall retrieve her." Again, without warning, he jammed the tip of his sword into the large metal door's hinge crack along the edge, and tore forcefully downward. Snapping could be heard as hinges were sliced swiftly through. A swift kick granted them access into the outer gardens of the mansion.
Click! Clack! Click! Click!
Shinta found himself staring down nearly fifty guns, all trained at his head. "Seems we have been expected." He split his sword and charged recklessly. Sano also joined the fray, thoroughly enjoying himself. Within a matter of minutes, fifty men lay groaning or out cold on the ground, bruises beginning to form. Kaoru and Yahiko blinked.
Shinta looked around before snapping his sword back together and glancing at Sano, who was grinning like a fool. "Shall we?"
Sano bowed mockingly. "Of course."
The tall man with the glass mask watched calmly as the entrance double doors were burst forcefully through. Sano and Kenshin walked through, still being tailed by Kaoru and Yahiko. The man bowed and flexed his muscles. "Welcome." Sparking claws burst suddenly from his gloved hands. The man trained a masked eye on them. "I shall be your first opponent."
Oooh, all evil dude, that Hannya. Finally got a chapter out for you. Didn't get it double-checked, though. I thought I'd put it up right away (Sorry Lynn).
Sorry I've been so lazy as of late. Besides starting two Teen Titans fics, I've been reading Post's "These Black Eyes" and "The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time". If you have a chance, check them out. They're both incredibly long and it will take you forever, but is sure is worth it.
Next chapter will be the ending to this little Oniwabanshuu arc. I have some interesting ideas for Aoshi, ninja of the future. Smirk. You'll just have to wait for it though.
Razvanor