Standard disclaimers: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Watsuki and some big name companies do. ON WITH THE STORY: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's a devil crawling along your floor (How much longer) With a trembling heart, He's coming through your door With his straining sex in his jumping paw There's a devil crawling along your floor And he's old and he's stupid and He's hungry and he's sore And he's blind and he's lame And he's dirty and he's poor There's a devil crawling along your floor Lover-man! Here I stand forever, Amen Cause I am what I am what I am what I am Forgive me, baby, my hands are tied And I got no choice, no, I got no choice at all words by Nick Cave ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER10: CROWS WARNING: OOC, a bit mystery AND: VIOLENCE! Starting (!!) with this chapter my insane brain shows its real capacity. We left Kondou's audience room and I suddenly felt sick. My abdomen was turning, I had to choke, nearly breaking down, nearly fainting. How could one human being feel so sick? I didn't want to show it, but I had to grab Hajime's kimono before breaking down. I recovered for a short time and ran as fast as I could to the toilet, where I threw up. The world was turning, my knees were shaking, I had an exact idea what was wrong. I opened the door and stood directly in front of Hajime, who was leaning with his back on a wooden pillar, smoking. "Go to the doctor, Tokio! You look terrible!" That idiot drove me insane! Ouch! The world was turning again, my intestines twitched, I was defeated, turned. "I'll go and see the doctor." He had grabbed the collar of my kimono, I came to an abrupt halt, "Wrong, Tokio. WE go to the doctor. No way I let you walk alone through Kyoto again." *** The horrified doctor didn't need much time for his short questions and brief examination. He obviously sped up, with me as a patient and Saitou leaning against the wall behind him, smoking only one cigarette. A quick examination indeed, he wanted to get rid of us. The doctor breathed deep. "You are pregnant, nothing serious. Would you please leave, I have some other patients waiting." 'WHAT? Pregnant? Nothing serious? I wish you the feeling of sickness I have.' I had already assumed, but hearing it from the doctor? Realising it? I cast a glance at Hajime his lips twisted into a self-content, self-satisfied smile. Visibly he appriciated the thought of having me carrying his child. I walked out in trance, Hajime behind me. I was pregnant? OH MY GOD, I was too young, too unstable, too irresponsible. High time to grow up, control my temper and stop behaving childish. AND to solve the Yoshinori-problem. I definitely didn't want my children to be as unstable as I was. It was the day I decided to give up sword-fighting and behave as an adult woman. But first I would have to solve Yoshinori-problem, he was a threat. We were on our way back, I was still walking directly in front of Hajime, he was smoking the next cigarette, I smelled the smoke. "My god, I'm having a baby." I still chewed on it, realisation was dawning. "That's the basic idea of being married, Tokio." I admitted it, he was right. But I had never wasted a second, intense thought on it. We turned around the next corner, a crowd gathered. A crowd in the streets, what was that? Something must have happened there, what? I wasn't interested in the incident, I hated crowds. All these nosy people interested in other one's harm! As if this would ease their own grief. Nosiness, malicious glee. This attracted the lowest instincts in mankind. Saitou got ready to investigate the reason for the crowd. "Stay close to me." ***Flashback*** Shim-machi, Osaka "Stay close to me, Tokio-chan." People were gathering, I was so small! I wasn't able to see anything! My father tightened his grip around my wrist, the place crowded. People screaming, running around, confused. I was pushed from one side to another, my gaze locked on my father. He stared at the free place in front of him, as steady as a rock, people floating around us. What was going on? What did my father saw? What was so terrible? Ouch! Someone fall over me, my wrist snatched of his grip, I was dragged away by the mass. "Tokio-chan!" "Father!" I panicked, screamed. Where was I? I was too small to see anything. Crying, yelling for my father, I managed to escape the crowd, there was a free space, I headed towards it. A body was lying in the middle of the free space, blood spread around it. It was a young man, he was still alive. I recognised him. "Brother!" This couldn't be! My brother! I rushed forward, I wanted to take him in my arms. This was one of his silly shows for me, for sure! He would jump up soon, smiling wide "Got you, kitten!" "Brother!" I reached him, he turned his face,... Someone grabbed me around my arms and waist and laid a hand across my mouth. ***End Flashback*** I was in Kyoto! Instinctive, distracted I had stepped back from the crowd into the shadows between the houses, a BAD mistake. No one looked in my direction, everyone was concentrated on the incident on the street. A trap! Yoshinori! I walked right into his trap! He knew what had happened back in Shim-machi. Struggling against him would be waste of time. "Everything all right, Tokio?" I nodded, I knew I had no chance to succeed, he released me. "Sorry, for the rough introduction, but I had to be sure, Saitou is not around." "What have you put on stage there?" "Only a small accident." How far would he go? How obsessed was he? Was he really abusing his powers? I had no evidence, nobody would believe the daughter of a dishonoured samurai against such a powerful man. Be careful, Tokio! "You are a bit early, Masahiro-san. " "Have you finished translating the paper?" "I still have to translate some parts." I was near a panic now. I needed more time, I had to tell Hajime about this. Why hadn't I considered this earlier? "Where is it?" "At home." "Can I come in five days to catch it? It is urgent." Five days? He would come earlier. "Yes." He nodded, I turned, he grabbed my wrist to restain me. "You had to visit the doctor?" I needed my whole self-control to hide my emotions. Maybe this was the reason, why he wanted to speak with me. If he would reveal that I was pregnant, his lip would flip. 'Gain time, Tokio! He will get his information from the doctor sooner or later, but you need more time.' "Yes, it is nothing serious." Yoshinori narrowed his eyes, trying to find out the truth, was I strong enough? Did I hide it enough? "Did he hurt you?" "No, I don't feel well, that's all, nothing serious." He wasn't believing me, that was sure, but he realised I wouldn't tell him. "You are better telling the truth, Tokio. He is no match for me. I can help you out. I just want you to know. Trust me." NO WAY! "See you in one week, Masahiro-san." If he really visited the doctor, there wouldn't be more than two days left. Would Hajime be able to defeat him? I had my doubts, but I had to tell him about this. Yoshinori would try to kill him for sure! He had to be prepared! I was a fool to assume I could get rid of him by being married. I felt myself going back on the street with shaking knees, and my sight was clouded. NO! I pulled myself together, where was Hajime? I pushed my fears aside and began to burrow my way through the crowd. STOP! What was that? A familiar ki? 'Use the crowds or the shadows for killing', I suddenly remembered. My field of vision veiled. The crowd around me vanished, the voices a soft murmuring. Time seemed to slow down, I turned. Battousai! Standing directly in front of me. We were staring at each other. What was he doing here? This incident was obviously Yoshinori's doing. I reached out my right hand to touch his left cheek, he reached out his right hand to touch my left shoulder. My hand was only a few centimetres away from his cheek. "Kraa!" What was that? "Kraa" "Kraa" I was distracted once more, Battousai had vanished. "Kraa" "Kraa" I looked up in the sky, a crow was flying over my head. A crow? There a second crow? Crows in the sky in the late morning, in the summer? They should rest somewhere at this time. Was I going insane? Where was Hajime? I continued to burrow my way through the crowd, alarmed now, but Battousai had disappeared. There was Hajime, he seemed to be annoyed with me. Again I hadn't done what hetold me. He was kneeling in front of a dead man and woman with her child, examining them. The woman looked awful, the baby terrible, cut in small pieces. The small hands, the small feet, the little head scattered around, the trunk cut up, intestines ripped out. The head opened, the brain ripped out. The woman had a long cut across her face, the hair was cut off, lying in a pool of blood underneath her, her abdomen was cut open, but the gash through her throat obviously finished her. The throat was barely recognisable. The man must have tried to protect his little family, without success. There was still a dagger through his heart, Yoshinori would never leave one of his kunais or shuriken behind. To traitorous. I choked, it was the first time I was shocked when seeing a murder. 'Small accident'? A bit ironic, ne? Yoshinori had gone too far. Murdering my parents was bad enough. Would we be able to defeat him? I laid a hand on Hajime's shoulder. "Hajime-san?" He turned, looked up to me, I needed my whole self-control not to show my emotions here on the street, but he must have registered my pale face, my uneasiness and seriousness. "I have to tell you something, it is important." "I have to clear this first." "No, you haven't. It is part of what I have to tell you." I would have to grow up faster than assumed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ja ne, Mara