“Now Yahiko,” Sano said firmly
“Now Yahiko,” Sano said firmly. “The most important thing to
remember about cooking is that you can’t allow Kaoru near the seasoning.”
He ignored the towel that hit him in the back of the head. “Even if she
tries to kill you. No touching.”
Yahiko frowned, eyes cutting to Kaoru. “But you’re letting her chop
mushrooms?”
“Make no mistake,” Sano said. “After years of being a designated chopper,
she can’t screw it up too badly.”
“Don’t think I won’t chop you!” Kaoru warned. “Or at least bits of you.”
“Hey!”
“Stupid doesn’t belong in the gene pool.”
“Now that’s just mean.” Sano held his hand over his heart. “Right here,
Jou-chan.”
“Or a little lower.”
“I think you’re both stupid.”
“Awe,” Sano teased. “We love you too, you little monster!”
“Don’t burn the onions,” Kaoru warned. She slid the mushrooms off the
cutting board and into the designated bowel. She studied the bowls of
pepperoni, and green pepper. The bacon was cooling and the chopped beef and
onion were cooking. “You do remember how to make a proper pizza, right, Sano?”
“I make the best pizza this side of Mazzio’s!”
“A what?”
“It’s American pizza joint.”
“Because that explains it!”
“He’s been watching too many foreign films,” Yahiko grumbled. “Likes to pick
out strange words.”
“I’m so relieved.” She said as she set the knife down. Not looking at the
men moving about in the kitchen, she bit her lip.
“Who is Himura Kenshin?”
“Oh shit!” Yahiko yelped. Kaoru turned and watched him shake out his hand,
his expression pained. “Don’t ask questions like that when I have something hot
in my hands.”
“Like what?”
“Where did you hear that name, Kaoru?” Sano asked, the container of spices
held in his hand.
She moved the knife and cutting board into the sink, frowning a little, she
starting washing them.
“I met him the night we went to the bar for you to meet Misao,” she said
finally. “He approached me again last night.”
“What did he want?” Yahiko asked. His eyes were strangely serious.
“He said he just wanted my name.”
This time, Yahiko did roll his eyes. “Sure. Like Himura Kenshin asks anyone
for their name.”
“That’s what I said,” she muttered.
Sano turned, a brow lifted and beckoned for her to hand him the mushrooms.
“Please tell me you didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s suicidal.”
“I’m still breathing,” she said with a shrug, her eyes curious. “Who is he,
Sano?”
“He works as a liaison between the yakuza and Oniwabanshu. Does mostly low
key jobs and handles a lot of the money flow, or that’s the rumor. No one
really knows a lot about Himura other than he has contacts that are high up the
chain.”
She nodded. That made sense. The man had acted as if he was used to getting
his way. There had been something about his eyes that she couldn’t put her
finger on, something darker than his overall appearance projected to the
public. Shaking her head, she finished washing the dishes while Sano popped the
food into the oven.
“It could have been worse,” Sano said with a sigh. “You could have insulted
Shinomori.”
“Who?”
“Misao’s supposed boyfriend,” Yahiko said with a shrug, his expression
settling into familiar lines. “Tell me you have heard of the Oniwanabshu?”
She nodded, wincing. “Yes. The mage police, right?”
Yahiko snorted.
“That’s a pretty damn good explanation,” Sano agreed. “They run things for
us the way the police run things for normal people. Just hope you never have to
have contact with Battousai.”
Yahiko almost dropped his plate. “Dammit, Sano!”
Sano ignored him. “She needs to know.”
“I’ve heard of Battousai.” Kaoru admitted.
“The pet assassin of the Oniwabanshu,” Yahiko drawled. “Mage killer. Rumor
has it he once worked for the government, strictly black list, but changed
alliances when they started going after mages.”
Her brows tucked together. "Mages were outlawed thirty years ago."
"They didn't start going after the normal people until the rest
of us went underground. Apparently, it was one thing to go after scum with
magic, but it offended his morals to go after women and kids."
Kaoru blinked in surprise at the thought. Who would have thought that
Battousai would have a conscience? Maybe he had a wife or someone who had drawn
the line for him. Shaking off those thoughts, she continued to clean the
dishes, ignoring the sounds of bickering in front of her.
No, Battousai wasn't her problem to think through. Her problem was a redhead
far too used to getting his own way. Frowning down at the soapy water, she
scrubbed harder. What on earth had she done to catch his attention? She hadn't
been anything but grumpy or flat out rude when he was around.
Maybe Yahiko was simply exaggerating. He wasn't interested as much as he was
bored. Eventually he would find something else that was new and a challenge and
leave her alone. She just had to grit her teeth until he decided he liked
someone else. The sound of someone knocking on the door halted the argument.
Frowning, she turned to look for Sano.
"You didn't say anyone was stopping by."
"Probably dropping off your assignment," Sano said, though his
tone was weary. "Most of the time they don't bring them by hand."
"How do they bring them?"
"We have a drop off point at the Akebeko," Yahiko muttered.
"Tae calls when someone drops by. Better that way. Want me to check?"
"I'll get it." Sano said, moving towards the door. "If I drop
dead, run."
Kaoru tensed. Adrenaline hit her system hard as she watched Sano open the
door. He bent down and picked something up, but when it didn't burst into
flames and he didn't fall over, she was forced to let the breath she was
holding out.
"It's addressed to you," Sano said, dropping it onto the table.
"They probably keyed it to you somehow, so you better open it. That way
one of us doesn't accidentally die.”
Frowning, she reached over for the dishtowel to dry her hands off before
walking over to the envelope. Opening the spell tag, and wincing at the
electric zap it gave her, she narrowed her eyes.
“Who is Inoue Takehiko?”
Two blank faces stared back at her.
“Sano?”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not going out with you on this case.”
Sano frowned. “That’s not right. They don’t change case officers like that…”
“It might not be anything,” Yahiko pointed out.
Sano looked uneasy. “Maybe. Does it give you any more details, Kaoru?”
“Just that I will be working with Inoue-san, and that it’s a minor clean up
job.”
“When?
“I’m scheduled to meet him in two hours.”
“Well, we better get you fed then.”
“Hope she doesn’t puke it up.”
“Yahiko!”
….
The pizza was sitting in her stomach like a piece of lead as she waited for
her contact to arrive. The address at the bottom of the package had been easy
enough to find. It was only a few miles from the apartment she was at. Sano thankfully
had enough cash on hand to pay for the taxi ride over to the neighborhood. She
was alone, but at least she had her bokken. Rubbing her hands together, it had
been strangely cold since she arrived; she studied the building in front of
her.
It was rundown and far older than even the building they were in. Supposedly
the people inside had been beaten around a little as a message to their bosses,
and her job was to simply go in, remove all DNA signs of the fight, and leave.
The best part was once she finished it, her salary would kick in, and they
needed the money. Even with Sano and Yahiko’s salaries, she was a strain on
their income.
Footsteps startled her out of her thoughts and she twisted around, blinking
at the sight in front of her. He was taller than she was, but there was a line
of fat around his middle that even his well-tailored coat couldn’t hide. He had
attempted to hide his receding hairline with some clever brushing, but all it
did was show off how wide his forehead was. His head sat oddly on his, short
thick neck.
“You are supposed to be in there already.” She blinked at the tone of his
voice. Thick brows had bunched together over his eyes, show off deep lines.
“Do not think I’ll take pity. I’ll report you if you do not do your job.”
“My papers did not have a room number.”
He snorted, but walked in front of her. She ignored his mumblings, wincing
as they hit the air-conditioning of the building. She had thought these older
builders didn’t have any sort of heating or cooling systems. Running her hands
up and down her arms for warmth, she marched up the stairs. The room was on the
second floor. Inoue-san pulled a card from his pocket, opening the door easily.
“Go. Do your job, mage.”
Reminding herself that she needed the money, she stepped into the room. It
was like stepping into freezer. Her teeth chattered with the cold, and she had
to shove her hands into her pockets to keep them warm. Taking a deep breath,
she froze.
Blood. Not just a little blood, but a lot of it. The air was thick with it,
and she was terrified to see why. Taking a careful step forward, she froze as
her shoe sunk into something… wet.
“Mage.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Finish.”
The floor shouldn’t be squishing. Not with this job. Not in this cold. The
longer she stood in the room, the worse she felt. Like something was eating a
hole in the back of her skull, boring into her brain and vibrating. The smell
of blood and her headache were making her nauseous.
“Is there a light?”
She didn’t want to turn on the light, but she could feel herself straining
somehow. Somewhere inside her chest, until it felt like a cord would snap.
There was a silence and then another disgusted noise.
The light flicked on and Kaoru’s stomach rolled. On the bed were… bodies. Or
what was left of them. Blood was everywhere. Dripping from the ceiling,
splashed onto the walls. She looked down and then cried out; stumbling
backwards at the sight of the puddle she had been standing in. There was what
looked like… fingers. Covering her mouth, she swallowed violently.
“What is your problem?”
She turned and stared at the man in front of her. He looked unconcerned, as
if he couldn’t see the… the… it was hard to breathe. Placing a hand on her
chest, it was so tight; she struggled to find the words. The expression on the
man’s face was slowly turning red.
“I said, what is your problem!”
She was going to be sick. Not in here. Not with the blood. Ducking around
the Inoue-san, she sprinted down the hall, staggering a little on the stairs.
She got lucky, making it to the outdoors before her stomach heaved and what she
had eaten for dinner came back up.
She felt worse when she was finished. Her head was splitting, and every time
she closed her eyes, she saw the room. She heard footsteps behind her and stood
up shakily, pushing away from her vomit and reaching up to hold her head. The
needle sharp pain had disappeared leaving behind a strange sort of thrumming
that was beating in time with her heartbeat, leaving her unbalanced.
A large hand wrapped around her fingers, sharp nails digging into the palms
of her hand. She jerked in surprise, eyes lifting upwards to meet furious eyes.
“I do not appreciate being made a fool.”
‘What?’
“This is your own fault you know. Complaining about it to your friends will
not do any good. They will side with me.”
Before she could ask what it was he was talking about, fire erupted along
her skin. It melted deep, searing flesh and bone and eating away at her vision.
Her ears rang with her own screams. When she came back to herself, she was on
her knees, arm curled into her stomach. Her face was wet with tears and she was
having a hard time breathing. Her hand felt like it was smoldering, as if she
was still holding a hot coal and couldn’t work her fingers enough to drop it.
When she managed to blink her vision clear, she pushed herself up a little.
The man was gone, and the streets were still empty. Trembling, she climbed to
her feet; she wobbled as she tried to walk. It wasn’t just her hand that
burned, but every movement made the throbbing increase. Swallowing the urge to
curl into a ball and cry, she staggered down the street.
She didn’t know where she was when she finally stopped, leaning against a
wall. She had shoved her hand into her pocket, trying to hide it from herself.
It wasn’t working. Every so often sharp tingles would run up her arm to settle
at the base of her skull. It was getting a little easier to push her pain
aside. At least she was walking in a straight line now. It wasn’t until she had
walked far enough to clear the white dots from her eyes that she realized she
had lost her bokken. She was too bruised inside to stagger home just yet, and
she breathed deeply against the stones of the old building.
Blinking in the hope to clear up the last of the spots, she looked around.
Even if she didn’t wish to return home, she needed to know where she was. Her
insides felt odd, the foreign vibration still eating at her balance. Pushing it
aside, she blinked when she finally recognized a building.
‘The bar. Oh.’
When had she gotten this far over? She started to walk to the bar and
stopped. Surely someone in there would recognize why she was staggering
like a drunk, and she wasn't certain she could deal with those stares. Her
emotions were already teetering on the brink and the vibrations in the back of
her skull were making it so damn hard to think.
‘This is your own fault you know. Complaining about it to your friends
will not do any good. They will side with me.’
Her bottom lip trembled, and she bit it. She would not cry. No. Swallowing
hard, she took a deep breath. There was a faint popping noise in her ears, and
the sounds of the city were suddenly loud. Wincing, she reached up with one
hand to cover an ear. Too many people. Turning in the direction she thought would
take her to Sano's, she ducked around a pole and started walking.
As she stepped around another blur, fingers reached out and caught her good
hand, closing firmly around her wrist bones. Those wrong, horrible vibrations
disappeared under a wash of something that thrummed along her spine.
"Kaoru?"
"Himura-san," she mumbled, twisting her wrist in an attempt to
jerk it away. His grip tightened and she peered up at him through her bangs.
His eyes were more blue than violet, narrowed sharply. He really wasn’t just a
businessman.
"What happened?" He questioned, taking a step to the side so that
he was standing directly in front of her.
"I… what makes you…" her words died as something behind his eyes
sharpened. She bit the inside of her lip to keep it from trembling under that
look. The new warmth of whatever it was rolling down her spine was making it
easier to hold herself together, but she felt at the end of her rope. His eyes
scanned her face and then he nodded. The next thing she knew, his arm was
firmly wrapped around her shoulders, and she was being led across the street
into the bar.
The wash of noise, instead of upsetting her even more, helped banish the
rest of that foreign sensation and she could breathe. Kenshin didn't stop at
the normal booth, but pulled her into a side room she hadn't noticed before. It
was filled with soft, leather couches and had a fireplace. A desk was tucked
into the corner and a wall was filled with ledgers and books. He steered her to
one of the couches and set her down.
"Let me see your hand."
Her fingers curled in a fist before she could stop them and her elbow went
numb.
"Himura-san," she started, and those eyes lifted to her face. Her
words died in her throat for the second time that night and she swallowed.
"Your hand, please."
Biting the side of her tongue, she pulled her hand free of her pocket and
dropped it into her lap. Her fingers were shaking. There were faint indents
from the nails of Inoue. She hoped he couldn't notice. It hurt when he reached
over and pressed his fingers into her palm, but not nearly as bad as it had
hurt earlier. She had half expected the skin of her hand to be raw and angry,
but it looked normal.
"You had an assignment tonight?" He questioned, his thumb rotating
across her palm. Sparks danced across her eyes for a moment, but when she
blinked them away, her arm felt almost normal.
"Yes."
"What happened?"
She looked away from his face. She wasn't entirely certain why he was asking
these questions. She wasn't even sure if she should answer them. Yet…
there was a niggling warning in the back of her mind, now that she could think,
that told her she wasn't going to get a chance to leave until she told him
something.
"Tonight was my first assignment." She said finally. "I was
supposed to be assigned to Sanosuke, but a package showed up this morning
instructing me to go with someone else."
She peaked out of the corner of her eyes and looked away again. She really
couldn't handle that gaze right now.
"When I arrived," she swallowed hard. "The assignment was
beyond my current capabilities."
"How far above?"
"I can handle finger prints, basic DNA signatures and maybe bodily
fluids," she managed.
"I cannot handle several people being dismembered!”
Her stomach rolled as she tried not to think of that room. Picture it. He
nodded, slowly, and then stood. Walking over to a cabinet, he set a blanket
down next to her.
"I'll be right back.”
Frowning at the blanket, she wrapped her arms around herself and ignored it.
She didn't know how long she sat before the door opened and Kenshin was walking
back in, a tray balanced in one hand.
She frowned at him.
"It's just tea," he soothed, answering her unspoken question.
"It will help with your hand."
"I need to call Sano."
"Tae is calling him as we speak. I contacted a friend of mine who is
looking into the assignment," he continued. "Once we get everything
settled Sano can take you home."
"Why are you doing this?" She questioned, ignoring the hand that
was offering her a mug of tea. He gave her an exasperated look that didn't have
the edge of before.
"Helping?" He questioned. At her nod, the edges of his mouth
curved slightly.
"I like you. Does someone really need more than that for a reason,
Kaoru?"
"I don't trust you, Himura-san." She told him flatly.
A light burned from behind those eyes, catching the faint yellow flecks
around his pupils.
"I can appreciate that. It is one of the reasons why I like you."
"That's ridiculous."
"Either way, I would prefer it if you drank the tea. It will help with
your hand and calm your nerves."
She wanted to tell him that her nerves were fine, that she was fine, but
lying flat out when he was watching her with that gaze didn't seem entirely
wise. Glaring at him for a moment, she gave in and accepted the mug. The tea
was hot and slightly bitter, but she could taste the faintest touch of honey.
"Now," Kenshin said, setting the pot back down and sitting next to
her instead of in front of her on the floor. She scooted over to give him as
much space as possible and she could tell he was amused.
"What rank did they give you when you signed on?"
She stared at him blankly and he tried again. "Level?"
"Two."
He nodded. "The scene you described should have at least required a
level eight.”
She frowned. "I don't understand."
To hide exactly how uncertain she was, she took another sip of her tea.
"Every clean up has certain standards. If we know someone is going to
go in and kill someone in a way that leaves a point, then we do not send in a
new agent with only a level two skill." His tone was cool and she nodded.
She wondered if he realized how much he was letting slip, and if he was aware
of how each sentence just confirmed her suspicious that he was a lot more
knowledgeable than he let people believe.
"You said Sano was supposed to be the agent assigned to you?"
"Yes." Her tongue felt a little thick as she tried to form the
word and she frowned.
"So he is handling both you and the witch?"
Witch… Yahiko.
"I think so." Things felt a little fuzzy and she blinked, hard.
"Why?"
He shook his head. "Curiosity. Do you know if you left anything
behind?" Blinking to bring his face back into focus, she stumbled over the
next few words.
"My bokken."
Surprised snaked across his face. It was hard to catch, because everything
was starting to blur. Realization hit her, but she couldn’t work up panic.
"You drugged me."
Those words were definitely slurred and calloused fingers caught her hands.
The cup was taken out of her fingers as she swayed. A moment later, he was
holding her shoulders to keep her from falling face first into the floor.
"I did."
"Tha's no fair." She mumbled. The world tilted along the edges,
and she was settled into the soft leather carefully. The blanket tucked around
her.
"Someone is going to come by to look at your hand, and removing the
curse will hurt."
His voice was soft and difficult to focus on. "I'm not sure you can
take much more trauma tonight, Kaoru."
"'ano?" The world was fading into a comfortable, warm blur.
"On his way. I promise, he will take you home once everything is taken
care of." Kenshin voice faded away, leaving the faint sensation of fingers
brushing her cheek and then nothing.
….
Kaoru glared at her breakfast. Normally jelly filled donuts made her happy.
It wasn't often that she was awake late enough at night to get them when they
were fresh, but Sano had woken her half an hour ago. Something about not
killing him dead. Whatever that was supposed to mean. She wasn't pissed off at
him; she was pissed off at the bastard who had drugged her!
"You weren't out for more than ten minutes before I showed up,"
Sano said finally.
She looked up from her doughnut and glared.
"Idiot." Yahiko mumbled around whatever he had crammed into his
mouth. "I knew you were going to do something stupid."
It might have been easier to stomach if she had woken up nauseous or thick
tongued, but the only affect that she could tell was a little stiffness from
sleeping for nearly a day. She hated having to admit that he had been careful
with her. It didn’t make her happy. The ass had decided the best way to deal
with the situation was to drug her without her consent or anyone who she
trusted there. Grinding her teeth together, she continued to glare at her
plate.
"Man, Kaoru, you need to give yourself a break. Kenshin explained the
situation. You had a rough night." Sano tried.
"So that excuses the fact that I let him drug me?" She questioned
without looking up.
"No, but you should give yourself some leeway. You had to deal with a
level eight situation, you were basically tortured, and you have only been here
for five days. No one adjusts easily. You just had a really bad night."
Even Yahiko stayed after that. Sighing, she picked up her breakfast and took
a bite.
Raspberry. She didn't know how he remembered it was her favorite.
"Do you know what happened to Inoue-san?" She asked finally, a
little mollified by the sweet treat.
"Probably dead somewhere. They don't last long when they make those
kinds of mistakes. You don’t punish a mage for not being able to perform
outside their level. Besides, Himura has clout. Sano said he was pissed.”
Yahiko shrugged. “Dead and in pieces somewhere.”
Kaoru frowned at the teenager. "What do you mean?"
Yahiko shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable.
"Himura owns some property that he keeps to hide the mobs funds.
Supposedly he has two sets of books, but no one knows. Anyway, he owns a few
hotels as well as the Akebeko."
"He owns the bar?"
Sano nodded.
She sighed. "I suppose you’re not going to take the suggestion to
finding a new bar to hang out with well?"
"Not while Tsubame works there," Yahiko said smugly, arms crossing
behind his head.
"You're just going to have to deal with it."
Reaching over with her foot, Kaoru yanked on the leg of the chair and watched
as he tumbled to the floor. He yelped, glaring up at her once his teeth stopped
vibrating.
"What did I tell you about respect?"
"You haven't done anything to earn it!" He snapped.
"Sano, do you think the roof is clear at this time of night?"
"Should be."
"Good." Reaching down, she collared Yahiko and dragged him to his
feet. "With me."
"Hey, bitch, what do you think you’re – stop hitting me!"
"My name is Kaoru. I'll even accept a nickname that isn't profane. Next
time, I'm washing your mouth out with soap."
"You wouldn't even…"
She eyed him. "Try me."
His eyes flashed at her, but he didn't say anything. She figured if he
didn't try to throw her off the roof, then she would be lucky. This probably
wasn't the best way to deal with this, but it was at least a start.
"I don't have any bokken," Kaoru sad mildly. "But we can
certainly get started."
"With what?" His words were cold.
"You’re weak." She told him. "You need upper body strength
and a solid core to do kendo. That means were going to spend the next week
working on your arms and stomach muscles, and when I'm satisfied that you can
handle the workout, I'll go and get us new bokken."
"You're being serious."
"I bet you can't even do a hundred pushups." Kaoru mocked as they
stepped out onto the flat space of the roof.
His eyes narrowed. "I can too."
She shrugged. "Not before I can."
"B—hag."
She sighed. "Well, at least its not four lettered. Lets go, little
boy."
"With what?"
"Two hundred pushups should be a good place to start."
He stared at her and she ignored him, settling down to start. Good, clean
physical exercise was the best way to work out her frustrations and upsets.
Work herself into exhaustion so as not to dream of blood and bodies. She felt a
moment of sympathy for how badly Yahiko was going to hurt tomorrow, but buried
it. If he wanted to survive with a bokken in his hand, he had to have the
strength to wield it.
He sighed and settled down to start.
Hiding a smile, she counted.
….
Shutting the door, Kenshin breathed deeply. The last of her perfume had
disappeared five days ago. The potted Arabian jasmine he had ordered wouldn’t
be in for another week. Who would have known something as simple as the absence
of her perfume would distract him? The edges of his mouth curled. If she knew,
she would probably have a few precise, articulate things to say to him. He did
love watching the way her eyes darkened with the shift of her moods. Kaoru was
adorable grumpy.
He had only seen her once since he had brought her back to his office. She
hadn’t seen him. It gave him a chance to study her. She had looked tired, lines
around her mouth that spoke of strain, but she had been laughing at something
the teenage witch had said. It had taken more will than he had anticipated
stifling the urge to approach, to slip his hands along the smooth curve of her
waist and breathe in the scent of her hair.
Eyes closed, he savored the mental image, and then let it go. Pleasurable
fantasies aside, he had work to do tonight. He would have time to think of her
later. If the past week had been anything to go by, he would have plenty of
time to think of her.
He turned to the file sitting on his desk. His mouth tightened in
displeasure. Jineh Udo. Moving to his desk, he ran his fingers along the manila
file. Six months he had been loose and it had only been reported two weeks ago.
Aoshi was looking into the lapse of information, so that wasn’t his concern. If
anyone was left to kill once Aoshi was through hunting information lines, then
he would find out about it. Otherwise, his concern was tracking Jineh.
Patterns in blood. For so many things, Jineh was predictable. He thrived on
the hunt, thrived on knowing that he was being hunted in the way so many people
thrived on hunting. Jineh wanted to be found by the hunter.
It was just a matter of finding the pieces.
….
Kaoru’s opinion on the bikes was unflattering. Sano didn’t care for the
upkeep of cars. She cared about the upkeep of her skull. The two didn’t mix
well. At least she wasn’t riding behind Yahiko. All of them were wearing
helmets. Police officers would stop them for less. The dark masks also hid any
distinguishing features.
The last half dozen ‘break-in’ missions had gone smoothly, due to
Oniwabanshu supervision, but smooth none-the-less. The sites had been closer to
the inner ring of old Kyoto. The agents she had worked with had been almost
fun. Almost.
Right now she was apparently working for the Oniwabanshu exclusively. Once
she earned what Sano had called enough points, then her services would be sold
out. Expensively. A level two mage would be bought out more often than not,
more affordable if not stronger. She was supposed to be making enough money to
pay for her salary and turn over profit two months into the job.
Too many assignments going this easy made her uneasy. The three of them
didn’t produce enough luck between them to stay out of trouble. The few times
they had been assigned to a rougher part of town, they had ended up in fights.
She had taken to carrying a knife for added protection after they had started
off a turf war.
The worse scuffle had required taking Sano to a bone healer (a startlingly
attractive woman who seemed to know Sano well, named Megumi) to mend his ribs.
That one had started because a gang of mage’s with even less power than she had
had taken offense to Yahiko.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Kaoru muttered to Sano as the bike engine
cut. There was a faint light glowing form inside the home and it was…
different.
“Oh great,” Yahiko muttered. “The last time you said that we ended up
dodging blood bullets.”
Kaoru winced. Not all mages were mob bought, and the ones who weren’t
usually dealt in death magic. Blood bullets were one of those things.
“Well, better safe than sorry.” Sano pointed out, running his hands through
his hair. “Do you sense anything out of the ordinary?”
Yahiko frowned, eyes going a little unfocused. Because he was a witch, his
abilities dealt with earth currents, auras, and things that Kaoru just didn’t
understand. She did know that the temperamental teen was always right about the
weather.
“It’s clouded.”
Kaoru bit her lip. “We can’t afford the fine of not completing the job right
now.”
Sano sighed and nodded. “Well, let’s go see what’s up there.”
In hindsight, things probably could have gone smoother. Sano had insisted on
going first, knocking on the door and putting his hands in his pockets. The
door had opened, and a fist shot out, clipping him in they eye. There were the
sounds of loud swearing as a pissed Sano had charged in swinging.
This meant that Yahiko ran in right behind him. Swearing herself, Kaoru had
stepped in just in time to get hit with something, she thought it had been a
chair, and staggered head first into the wall. Once her vision had cleared, she
had picked up her sheathed knife and twisted around to find a man coming at her
with the chair again. Stepping to the side, she had twisted around him before
bringing the covered blade down. The sound of bone crunching was satisfying as
both the man and the chair dropped.
Things sort of blurred together after that. She was pretty sure at one point
something had clipped her in the shoulder, but she was too busy trying to keep
an eye on Yahiko, who was fighting dirty and with a clothes hanger. There was
someone else with a knife, but he was clumsy and easy to disarm.
When she dropped the man in front of her, hilt to his head, it was silent.
“I told you she would wipe the floor with you.”
“Shut up.”
….
Kaoru slipped into the booth and pressed her hand to her forehead. Yahiko
looked wired, his pupils so large she could only see a ring of his normal
chocolate brown.
“Sano went to go get ice.”
“You’re not supposed to put ice on a head wound.” Kaoru mumbled.
“Well, he can stick it on his eye then.” Yahiko countered practically. “I
didn’t know you could fight like that.”
She lowered her hand and was thankful that her fingers were clean of blood.
Running face first into that wall had hurt… even if she was just starting to
feel it now that the adrenaline was gone.
“Asshole deserved it.” Kaoru said flatly. “So did his buddy. It wasn’t my
fault that while they were practicing their voodoo spells, they forgot to learn
how to duck.”
He giggled. Kaoru blinked at him, eyes widening. Best to change the subject.
“I made Sano drag me to a shop downtown while you were sleeping in the other
morning. There was a pair of bokken there I would be willing to shell out the
coin for.”
“I’ve been doing the stupid work outs,” Yahiko admitted.
“I know.” She returned. “Kendo isn’t just about how many push ups you can
do. Think about it and get back to me. Maybe when my skull isn’t hurting so
badly.”
“Most people hit walls with bowling balls, not their skulls.” Sano said as
he set several mugs on the table. “Tae assures me that this will make your toes
numb.”
Kaoru studied the clear liquid and winced. “I think I’ll just take the egg
rolls.”
Yahiko snorted.
“Right,” Sano muttered. “That’s what I told her and she promised she would
send the food over as soon as it was cooked.”
Kaoru nodded and leaned her head against the wall. Shutting her eyes, she
really wished she had even an iota of skill when it came to healing.
Thankfully, the bumps and bruises would heal in a week of relaxation.
The sound of a plate clinking against the table brought her out of her half
doze. The normal noises of Sano and Yahiko shoveling food down their throats
didn’t meet her ears, so she peeled her eyes open. Yahiko was flat against the
wall, eyes wide. Standing next to the booth was an all too familiar redhead.
“Oh what do you want now?” Kaoru complained. She pinched Sano’s thigh
when kicked her. She didn’t care if he and Yahiko thought Himura was off limits
for sarcasm.
“I was hoping to have a word,” he returned. A smile curved the edges of his
mouth, as if he knew something she didn’t. “Alone.”
Kaoru hooked her fingers into the pocket of Sano’s jeans. Just in case he
got any ideas about running.
“I would prefer if they stayed.”
Violet eyes sparked with amusement, but instead of ignoring her request, he
slid into the booth next to Yahiko.
“Alright.”
Frowning at him, Kaoru reached over and snagged one of the small egg rolls
and dunked it into the sweet and sour sauce that was Tae’s specialty. Yahiko
and Sano followed suit, and grabbed their own.
“What happened tonight?” He asked quietly.
“Nothing.” Kaoru said flatly, once she had swallowed. She ignored the way
Yahiko’s eyes widened to almost comical proportions.
He lifted the corner of a brow. “Lying isn’t nice, Kaoru.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “It is nothing of importance to you, so it’s
nothing, Himura-san.”
“Kenshin, Kaoru,” he objected. “It’s Kenshin.”
“I’m more comfortable with Himura.” She said stubbornly, picking up her
second egg roll. She ignored the way those sparks of laughter had lightened
into flat out enjoyment.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Kaoru.”
She hated the way he said her name; that soft rolling purr that made her
toes curl. The man was doing it on purpose. Frustrated, she chewed rapidly,
kicking Sano in the ankle. He wasn’t being any help. Biting the side of her
tongue to keep from saying something she would regret, she made the mistake of
meeting his eyes.
The violet was awash with yellow sparks; edges were crinkled in what might
have been fond amusement.
“Well,” Kenshin said softly. “I’ll be seeing you soon.”
She picked up an egg roll and took a large bite, glaring mutinously at him
as he slipped away from the table. There was something taunting about the way
that long, soft looking tail of hair swayed between his shoulder blades.
Sano reached over, picked up one of Tae’s special concoctions, and downed it
in a dozen deep gulps. He shuddered, the air leaving his lungs in a shuddering
whoosh.
“I don’t have balls that big, Jou-chan.”
She kept chewing.
….
Kaoru pushed herself up, exhaled, and lowered herself back down. Heat from
her push-ups burned along her shoulders, but it was a good kind of burn. They
were out of coffee. Until Sano came back with the canister, she needed
something to wake her up after the disaster that had been last night. At least
the job had been easy enough. Just a fast swipe of finger prints in the room,
and they were done.
It was the small chase down several back alleys that smelled like splattered
bodies, the horrible crack of bullets chasing them that bothered her. One of
these days, they were going to have clearance to fight back against that
particular gang. Last night was the first time they had seen something other
than a company job in weeks. Since the night she had seen the redhead after the
fight. She was starting to pick up on a pattern.
Sano had been on the phone most of the morning, yelling about clearance and
safe zones. One of these days he was going to get the point across that the
neighborhood equaled blood bullets.
She had had been attempting to coax more than ten minutes of hot water out
of the pipes. Sadly, the hot water had run out before she had felt human.
Lowering herself back to the floor, she lifted her head and stared at the
door. The knock came again, this time a bit louder. Sano had a key and didn't
have enough cash in his wallet to buy the necessary groceries it would have
taken to ask for help. Shoving long, sweaty bangs out of her eyes, she pushed
to her feet. Her palms itched from the carpet, and she rubbed them down her
thighs before peering through the peephole.
She didn't recognize the men standing outside the door. That wasn't
unexpected, as the only time she meet new people was at the Akebeko. It was
hard to do even that with Himura glaring from some dark corner. The rest of her
time was spent on the job. It wasn't exhausting work, but there never seemed to
be an end in sight, either. Making sure the spelled chain (they had money for
spells, but not for ice cream…) was firmly in place, she opened the door a
crack.
"Can I help you?"
Cool blue eyes flickered to the chain and back to her face.
"Kamiya-san?"
"Yes?"
"I'm with the Oniwabanshu," he said calmly. "I have some
questions for you."
"Do you have any identification?" She wasn't sure they had
identification. Still, she wasn't about to let a strange man who smelled like
mint and blood into her home without some sort of proof. If he was here to kill
her, it was likely he would win, but at least she could say in the afterlife
she was smart about it.
His eyes lightened a shade in color. Maybe that was his version of an
expression? Long fingered hand sliding into his pocket, he pulled out a rolled
document and handed it through the door. It was probably too cliché to hope
they had badges. The paper smelled like old magic and it fairly tingled in her
hands. Sano had showed her once the symbol that marked the Oniwabanshu, along
with some crude words about tattoos. What he didn't say was that the symbol on
paper seemed to move across the parchment so that it was hard to look at.
In other words, damn difficult to fake; handing it back to him, she cleared
her fingerprints even as she shut the door to remove the chain to let him in.
"How may I help you …" she let the name trail off, wondering if it
was rude to expect a name and deciding she didn't care. Two months was not
enough time to get used to the protocol that was the underground world.
"Shinomori." He said, moving by her so the ends of his white
trench coat snapped against her calves. Kaoru blinked in surprise and tried to
remember where she had heard that name before.
"I've recently read the report submitted to our department about the
incident two months ago." He said, turning to face her. Those eyes of his
were flat again, and she clasped her hands behind her back so that he wouldn't
see her knuckles turn white with strain. She felt sick. There was an edge to
his voice.
"Okay."
"In the report you mentioned how the room vibrated." The sound of
Sano walking into the room startled her. Her knuckles popped with pressure.
"Elaborate."
"Do you know how fucking hard it is to find good coffee…" Sano's
words died. Kaoru didn't turn around, not needing to see the expression that
was crossing his face to know his reaction.
The handful of words that threatened to turn the air blue were enough for
that.
Biting her lip, her eyes swung to Shinomori's face. He was staring at Sano
with cold eyes and the man stomped into the kitchen.
"I'll make coffee."
"Kamiya-san?"
She licked her lips. "Can we sit down for this?"
He tilted his head before moving to take the recliner. She settled into the
couch, picked up a pillow, and dropped it into her lap. It wasn't much of a
shield, but it made her feel better.
"What do you want to know, Shinomori-san?" It was almost as
unnerving to have him stare at her, as it was to have Himura. Shinomori was
doing his job. Himura’s eyes were not even remotely interested in business.
"You said the room pulsed?"
She nodded, working to keep her hands still. "Yes."
"How?"
She frowned, trying to find a way to describe it. That vibrating, thrumming
sensation that had started behind her eyes and worked their way through her
scalp and down her brain, making her feel sick. Like wrapping her hand around a
soft electric current and feeling the buzz go down her arm, but in a pattern that
was jagged and broken, upsetting her internal balance. Hesitantly, and with
stops and pauses, she described the room.
When she was finished, he stared at her for a long time before he gave a
single, sharp nod. Before she could ask him what that meant, Sano walked into
her line of sight and handed her a large mug of coffee. Accepting the brew with
relief, maybe now the buzzing behind her eyes would stop, she sipped the hot
brew slowly.
"What do you want, Shinomori?" Sano asked quietly. "You don't
normally bother cleaners."
"She is a huntsman, Sanosuke."
Kaoru paused when she felt the muscles in Sano's body tighten up. Looking
away from the mug of life giving liquid, she turned a little.
"Sano?"
"That's not possible." Sano said flatly. "Huntsmen die
young."
"Not all," Shinomori said coolly. "Or she wouldn't be sitting
here."
"I'm sorry," Kaoru interrupted. "What?"
"Huntsmen," Sano said flatly. "Men and woman who can track a
mage down to a foot of their location after 'reading' a spell. Most of their
abilities are urban myth. Rumor has it they die young or are killed young.
Mage's don't want that sort of tracking ability to make it to puberty."
"What Sanosuke is attempting to say," Aoshi explained mildly,
"is that they are murdered. Most mage's operate on some level of illusion
or see-me-not spells. Huntsmen can see through those, and sometimes are not
even aware that they are doing so."
"Oh," Kaoru said. She took another sip of her coffee. "I
can't do that."
"Not yet." Shinomori agreed. "But you will."
Sano sat up a little a straighter. "She told you that she couldn't do
it."
Those blue eyes darkened a little. The faint buzzing suddenly burned cold
down her scalp and she winced, reaching up to touch on temple and tightening
her hold on her mug with the other. It hadn't moved down her spine into her
chest yet, and the pattern was subtle, but it was still uncomfortable.
"Kaoru?"
"I'm fine." She said softly, frowning at Shinomori. "What did
you do?"
He studied her, "Proved my theory."
Kaoru slowly shook her head. "I just don't think what you are saying is
possible."
"Then how did you know it was Jineh?"
Sano cursed.
“Who?”
"Then man whose fun you walked in on.” Shinomori said calmly. "You
saw through the illusions to the blood, to the bodies. We did not.”
There was a faint twitch under his left eye that told Kaoru he was unhappy
about that. She wondered if things were as stable in the Oniwabanshu as they
were letting people believe.
"What does that mean?" Kaoru questioned, fingers clenching around
the pillow.
"It means you will receive a pay raise and an apartment upgrade."
Shinomori said coolly. "We need to keep you under better supervision so
someone doesn't decide that you are an easy target. You will be reassigned to a
new partner who has the skills necessary to protect you, and dispatch the mages
who you will be helping us track."
She felt sick. "I didn't sign on to kill people."
"You have the power to track killers, Kamiya-san, not to kill
them."
"Same thing," Sano snapped. "You know it."
Shinomori stood and leveled them with a look. "Be it as it may, she has
signed a ten year contract with us. She may break the contract if she
chooses…" Kaoru blanched at the memory of the spells tied to those
contracts.
"And be an oath breaker?" Sano growled. "Besides, she signed
on as a cleaner."
"She signed on as an employee to this agency," Shinomori
corrected. "She is lucky we are willing to let the ten years stand instead
of forcing her to extend her contract permanently, since her job requirements
have changed.”
Kaoru stared at him, suddenly feeling numb.
"I will send someone to help you move your things to a new place."
He finished, moving towards the door. "Don't bother Misao about this one,
Sanosuke. She cannot help you."
The door shut softly, but she flinched anyway. Sano's expression was similar
to a dog that had just been kicked, and she felt like her insides were alive
and wiggling around.
"I'm going back to bed."
Sano just nodded, his expression poleaxed. Knowing he wouldn't be any help
for a while, and that Yahiko was still off with Tsubame, she headed for the
shower to wash off the sweat from her exercise. Some things just needed to be
handled only after you had time to hide from the world.