Another chapter done! I am sorry that I am not answering the reviewers directly this chapter. It seems that my family has conspired against me so that I can not. Lots of cleaning to do today and I wanted to get this out.
A lot of information is in this chapter, and after this one I will be able to start writing the darker side to this story. So stick with me and expect a little B/K action in the next chapter. Feel free to leave suggestions if you think something needs to be explained for or whatnot. It makes perfect sense in my head but I may have forgotten something to make it sound real in yours.
Hope you all enjoy.
Ravyn
I do not own the Kenshin-Gumi, but if they were given to me I would not terribly mind!
Sano leaned against the wall of the building across from the Akebeko. His instincts where going into some major over drive and Kenshin was amber eyed all the time now, not just when he was feeling strongly about something.
Which meant that he was going to want everyone to be with in fingertips reach, which meant time to talk to the Ice Man. Aoshi Shinomori was a man that could be found in very few places, and hidden in the shadows as well as Kenshin.
Which meant you had to keep your eyes on the few places you knew him to be.
"Sagara."
Sanosuke looked up with a slight smile. You also had to let Aoshi come to you. "Aoshi."
"...."
"You have anything on Misao?" Sanosuke question quietly. If there was anything Kenshin and Aoshi agreed on it was the attempt to find the two women that had been taken so prematurely from their hands.
"No."
It was terse and flat, like always. If Misao was hoping that hundreds of years made him open up, well she was wrong. "Enishi is up to something."
"Yes."
"Kenshin thinks it might have something to do with Shishio."
"Yes."
"So you might want to see him the next few days to compare notes. Whatever it is going to be centered around a little girl. Yahiko's sources are not sure which one yet, but he did tells us it was a half-breed."
The silence that permeated the air was enough to cause Sanosuke to push off the wall and start the trek back to his and Megumi's apartment. He didn't look back, as Aoshi normally disappeared before you finished talking anyway.
If he had he might have seen his features twisted into such a stark expression it could be called loneliness.
Or it could have been the moonlight.
~*~
Kaoru ran down the side street, all the vulgar language she cold think of running through her head and bursting through her mouth just as swiftly as it busted out.
Sometimes the graveyard shift really tried to send you to the grave. Kaoru mentally went over the ammunition that she had on her person and began swearing in a new and more creative way.
Her boots made odd clipping noises as she dodged the objects in her path. Her long hair was tied up high and she was more than happy when the clouds that had been building for the past two days decided to unload on her.
Kaoru's hands rested on the silver chain that she always wore tripled around her waist; the silver made it an excellence weapon against the fanged trouble behind her.
Kaoru turned and unhooked it from around her waist and held it almost as if she was holding a whip in her hands. Her bangs where plastered to her forehead, hiding the dark eyes that snapped with dark temper.
"If it isn't a little girl who thinks she can just walk into our territory." A voice hissed between his sharp teeth.
"A very tasty looking morsel indeed."
Vampires that drank blood; where the worst scum of the earth. Kaoru's eyes narrowed to slits, her expression showing just how irritated she was. Her hands tightened on the belt -made- whip in her hands.
Her father had died in the hands of a group similar to this, and Kaoru was never happier than when she was turning them into small bits of salami.
"I love to see that vein pulse in your neck, my sweet. Let us taste you."
It was the vein ticking under her eye that they should worry about.
It was the Vampire that moved forward that got it first, and the hissing of flesh meeting silver as she whipped it into his neck, and as it screamed and attempted to wrestle away from it, she used the force of its movement to slam it into a wall.
Wrenching the coils of silver off its neck with a particular painful pull she coiled it quickly into her hands before ducking as she felt the last one lunge at her. A whistling sound alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone and she turned to see Misao pulling her arm back after launching two Kunai.
"Disgusting things." Misao all but hissed as she walked over to the now not moving body and yanked her silver plated Kunai out of his back.
Kaoru nodded to her friend and sighed when she heard the thunder and the rain increased. Both women jogged to an over hanging and took shelter from more rain even though their clothing was already plastered to there bodies.
"Have you heard anything from the Tekan?" Kaoru questioned as she shook raindrops from her hair and lashes.
"Sou-chan?" Misao questioned cheerfully, as if they had not just dispatched two creatures of dark. "No. I do know he had a meeting with the Wolf, but you know he would contact us if he had anymore information to give us."
Kaoru nodded slowly watching the rain begin to beat down harder. She really did not relish the idea of being out there in it, but there was a little girl to find.
"Misao do you have any idea of where to start looking?"
The grin that Misao gave could easily light up all of Japan. "I think its time to say hello to an old friend of mine."
Kaoru felt a smug grin slowly begin to form on her own lips.
"So its Vampire hunting time?"
Misao just grinned. "Actually I made a point to locate him a few days ago when we where handed a few days vacation. As we are never given that much time off I figured we would be having a big case."
Kaoru smiled at the brain that actually did work behind Misao's crazy laughter. "So where is it this time? A gambling joint, a whore house, or a bar?" She motioned for Misao to lead her friend into the torrents of rain and both woman pulled there jackets closer.
"Neither." Misao said, the water dripping off lashes and lips. "Its even better this time. He is working in an antique sword shop just off down town. We can be there in about ten to fifteen minuets."
Kaoru nodded and sighed. Hopefully the rain would let up before they got there as her umbrella was sitting at home next to the door ready to be used.
Somehow she got the impression that someone was going to turn the corner and offer her one instead. Shaking her head her dark hair a wet lashing against her face she trudged on.
And if she and Misao ducked under different hangings to protect them tas they went then she was not going to complain.
A nine year old Kaoru stared at the man in front of her with wide dark eyes that where a mixture of confusion and disbelief. Never fear. Even at nine Kaoru believed that the world belonged at her fingertips, not she at its.
"Daddy, why did you kill him?" Her expression was confused, as she demanded the answer to the question that no nine-year-old dared ask. Kaoru had never been an easy child.
"Kaoru, is it wrong to kill something that is living?" Her beloved father questioned as he squatted down next to his daughter and brushed her wind tossed bangs from her eyes.
The little girl nodded solemnly. "Very wrong Daddy."
He nodded. "That is right. But some things, like that man, are already dead. They have no soul and no heartbeat."
The little girl's brow wrinkled together in confusion. "But Daddy, he is a vampire and some of them are alive!"
Her father swung his precious flower into his arms and started walking. "Yes. But the vampires that feed of human's are not alive. They depend on us for there next breath."
Her little brow creased again. "You mean when they try to eat us?" Kaoru paid far more attention to the horror stories her friend's parents whispered and her father mourned at her loss of innocence. "Like they did to Mommy?"
He stopped his walk then. "Kaoru where did you here that?"
Kaoru looked up him with eyes the color of navy and blinked. "I don't remember."
Her father wondered how this had gone from a conversation of killing to her mother, but sighed just the same. "Yes. But Kaoru, people can change. To kill a living being out of spite, hate, or anger is wrong. There may come a time when you have to choose between someone you love and the death of someone else, and it won't be easy."
Kaoru stared at her father not quite understanding the words that came from his mouth.
"The Vampires that need to eat us are not alive Kaoru. They are bodies without souls and without the ability to live. There are Vampires that do not need our help to live and they are breathing, living creatures and it would be wrong to kill them. But those who need us for there own survival our not something you need to worry about killing. They are already dead. "
Kaoru smiled then.
"Okay."
Sano leaned against the windowpane as he watched the rain fall against it in a rather soothing motion. He smiled slightly as he felt slender arms wrap around his waist.
"It's coming down out there." Megumi commented softly against his arm as she looked around him. Sano grasped her hands in his and agreed mentally.
"I have this feeling that something is going down tonight."
Megumi looked up at his face. Still framed by his gravity defying hair and his warm eyes that seemed to have matured over the years they had been together.
Megumi leaned against him and allowed her thoughts to go back into the past. She had more than upset when she had found out that Sano had not only inherited the ability to live for an extremely long time, but acquired a set of fangs to go with it.
But what had really chaffed against her grain was when he had told her that she was his and that she would be his mate. There had been no asking her opinion on the matter.
It had taken Kenshin a few hours to patch him up. She had done everything in her power to avoid him and his Rooster habits. He had done his best to win her over, and in the end he had managed. Of course she was still under the impression that Kenshin had taken him aside at one point and politely told him how to clean up his act just a little.
Or a lot.
"Have you mention it to Kenshin?"
Sano sighed. "I tried calling him some time ago but he is not picking up his phone. And his cell is turned off."
Megumi sighed and headed towards her closet. "Then I guess we had better go out and find him."
Sano turned in surprise.
"Fox, it's raining."
Megumi turned, her fox ears popping into for. "Yes its raining. As in wet clothing, wet hair, and wet everything." Her grin widened slightly. "But hey isn't that why they made umbrella's."
Sano turned in surprise and eyed his wife.
They forgot the umbrella.
~*~
Kaoru smiled brightly as she walked into the antique shop. Her grin was edging on fanatical as she headed toward the front counter.
Anji. As far as Kaoru and Misao knew he had no surname, of course he had most likely just forgotten to tell them. Anji was the biggest man Kaoru knew and as an ex-monk he had the entire 'I know something you don't' stare down perfectly.
He also through a pretty dangerous punch, and was one of the best contacts in the Underworld that Kaoru and Misao knew about. He had his eye on everything and everyone.
The only problem was they normally had to resort to extreme measures to make him speak.
"Anji." Kaoru cooed as she leaned against the glass counter. As she waited for the big Vampire to turn around she eyes the swords in the case and was rather impressed.
There where some rather rare swords in here.
"Kaoru, I can only hope that you are here for a sword."
"If information is considered such." Kaoru said airily as she turned and grasped the handle of a sword next to the count and pulled it with a click.
"Please don't handle the merchandise."
Kaoru smirked and executed a perfect down swing with it. "Anji, all I need is a tiny bit of information."
"Kaoru-San the last time you needed information the place I was working exploded from large amounts of plastic explosives."
Kaoru sighed. "That wasn't my fault. And you where a bouncer at a...exotic ladies place, so you should be thanking me because that job SHOULD have compromised your values."
Anji turned and Kaoru once again wondered why she had been given the nickname of Raccoon when the man in front of her was the one with two permanent black eyes.
"Kaoru-San." He said softly his eyes expressing him amusement and annoyance.
"If you don't tell me what I want to know Anji, Misao is going to be more than willing to drop by every day for the next two weeks." Kaoru knew the man need his peace and quiet, apparently his reason for working in an antique shop.
Misao was anything but peace and quite.
Anji sighed. "What do you want Kaoru-San?"
Kaoru beamed up at him in an uncanny impression of Misao. "It's about a little girl."
Kaoru blinked at the expression that crossed Anji's face. "Anji?"
"Kaoru what exactly are you wanting with the hybrid child?"
Kaoru sighed. She hated it when Anji knew more than she did without really trying. "Why does everyone keep referring to her as that? She more than likely has a name. And you know what my job is Anji, we find and hide. We got a scoop on this little girl this morning."
Her eyes narrowed in thought.
"You are not part of the faction that wants her dead as well are you?"
"No. At least not now, but at least in one point of my life I would have been." He sighed softly. "But that was many years ago, Kaoru-San."
Kaoru nodded. "Anji what can you tell me?"
"There is an old abandoned apartment building near that old Dojo that Vampires have been using to hide out in."
Kaoru nodded slowly. "I think I know what you are talking about. The one that has that old statue of a sword out in the front?"
Anji nodded. " It's rumored that the little girl is being hidden there."
Kaoru thanked him and turned to leave. "Kaoru-San, be careful. On a night like tonight with a full moon, not only Vampires are going to be hunting."
Kaoru felt a chill run down her back. She hated Werewolves. "Thanks."
He watched as she left the bell tickling and moved to the back to begin to box up the more expensive swords, it appeared he was going to have to switch jobs again.
Kaoru slipped outside and sighed in relief when she was not immediately pelted with raindrops. She looked at her watch and sighed. She was supposed to be meeting Misao at the Akebeko in a few moments. Misao was supposed to have gone and retrieved them a car.
Which car Misao grabbed was also something of interest since the agency switched cars often so that there agents (especially Kaoru and Misao's department) could not be recognized by there means of transportation.
Kaoru sighed as she slipped into Tae's restaurant and slipped into one the booths along the back wall. She winced when she heard her clothes squelch along the booth seat and ran a hand through her dark bangs.
"Kaoru-San!" The excited voice of her friend caused her head to come up. "Are you aware that you are very wet?"
Kaoru smiled at Tae and shook her wet ponytail. "Very aware. I am waiting on Misao actually."
Tae looked at her for a long while. "Ah. One of those nights."
Kaoru sighed darkly. "Yes. It's been a very long and very wet night and its not even midnight yet."
Tae stared hard at her friend. "Be careful tonight. Full Moon always adds to the danger, and are you aware of what is building up soon?"
Kaoru blinked. "You mean besides my case?"
Tae nodded. "Its about to get very dangerous for women with strong Ki like yours and Misao's."
Kaoru let her gaze linger on the quiet restaurant. Most of Tae's customers came in late and stayed late. "Tae I think you had better explain."
Tae sat down and sighed. "It's the Blood Moon Kaoru."
Kaoru blinked. "The what?"
"Every hundred and fifty years all of the dark energy and Ki that has built up influences the Male's of both species of the Underworld; And by the Ki that is going to be given off are made much stronger. It allows even the weakest of Vampires to be able to claim a strong mate."
Kaoru blinked. "But I thought only certain Vampires could claim one."
"No. Only certain Vampires can change one...that is one of the reasons so many move to the Blood Paths, so that they can build up their power so that they can mate."
Kaoru chewed on her bottom lip. "So what does this Blood Moon have to do with it."
"Well not only does it allow someone to be raised from the dead if there is enough power, but it also allows those who have built up a reserve of Blood Ki to be strong enough to bond a woman, Vampire or Human, to them."
Kaoru sighed. "Great. Just peachy-keen-tastic"
Tae smiled. "I am sure you and Misao are going to be fine. As it is I think she just pulled up."
Kaoru nodded her thanks and sighed. Slipping out of the booth Kaoru grimaced when she felt her socks squelch. Boots she may have on, but apparently not waterproof boots.
Slipping into the seat Kaoru sighed in relief when she sat on a towel covered chair. "We need to head the abandoned apartments about two blocks from the antique shop."
Misao smiled. "What did you threaten him with this time?"
Kaoru covered her smile with her hand. "Oh just the usual."
~*~
Amber eyes watched the shadows solidify a few feet down from him and he let a small smirk play at his lips. His eyes narrowed as he watched the Vampires he had been trailing start to speak in hushed whispers.
"Is the child in our position yet?"
The voice that answered was even lower than the first answered. Kenshin slipped back into the shadows as he heard the cursing that ensued. So far the child was still missing.
Kenshin snarled to himself as he moved across the rooftops. He knew how important this child was, but he still was going to have to keep his eyes open for another type of girl.
Kaoru.
He stopped once he was atop on the taller buildings. Closing his eyes he sent out the feelers that he had found to be the best way to track those around him. His eyes snapped open and seemed to burn with an unholy light as he smirked and let out a low laugh.
Kaoru.
He smiled darkly and let out a low howl.
I am coming.
~*~
Kaoru sat up in the chair and shuddered. She could have sworn she heard something. Shrugging she reached into the glove department and pulled out her handgun and holstered it.
"Misao got everything you need?" Kaoru turned and watched the girl finish grabbing the last of her Kunai.
"Let's roll."
Kaoru nodded and both women got out of the car and started the walk into the apartment.
"Kaoru, on the shit mete, this ranks a good solid eight." Misao hissed feeling the darker vibes.
Kaoru had to agree with her. "How in the world are we supposed to find the girl?" Hopefully it was soon; Kaoru turned behind her as if she was expecting something to jump out of the shadows.
What was crazy was she almost did.
Twenty minutes later Misao was cursing everything under the moon and attempting to pick a locked door in the amount of time it took the break the sound barrier.
I am going to kill Sou-chan.
She heard the sounds of Kaoru's gun going off in repeated blasts and swore again. Hearing the tall tell click she reached behind her and grabbed Kaoru's arm and heaved. Both women tumbled into the room with a thud.
Spinning Misao kicked the door closed and scanned the room repeatedly. Nothing.
"Tell me again how we got into this mess." Misao demanded. She was out of Kunai except for the lone one she always kept for emergencies.
"Well you decided the direct approach would be the best idea, and then we got ambushed by at least ten blood suckers who thought we would make a great side Buffet. After that we busted our way down the front door and like another bunch of idiots we decided it would be great to run up the stairs."
Misao swore as the door at her back shuddered under the impact of multiple bodies.
"Its not nice to use bad words."
Both women turned in surprise. Sitting in a chair hidden because of the lack of light was a dark haired child with the palest green eyes Misao had ever seen.
The large eyes and slightly pointed teeth sad she was a Vampire but the flushed skin sad human.
Hybrid.
"Cutie, who are you?"
"I am Rei." She grinned a gap toothed smile. "The Lady said you would come."
Kaoru blinked repeatedly. "What Lady?"
"The Lady with brown eyes."
Kaoru nodded slowly and Misao blinked. Maybe she and Kaoru weren't the only deranged ones.
"Misao, take Rei and get out that window. There should be a fire escape. I will cover you two."
Misao turned and looked at her friend in alarm. The pounding on the door had stopped.
Not good.
"I mean it Misao. I still have on more round to go. Besides you climb faster than I do even with added weight."
Misao sighed and walked over to the girl. "You ready to leave?"
The little girl nodded and a few moments later Misao was climbing out the window and had a set of arms wrapped out her shoulders in a piggyback motion.
Kaoru headed towards the door itself when she heard a whisper of a sound and turned in time to see the door collapse on itself.
Kaoru froze in shock as she was left starring at a red haired man with the most burning amber eyes she had ever seen.
"Kaoru."
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