Disclaimer: I still don’t own RK. If I did, I’d be the happiest, little otaku on earth! No offense is meant by this story. It’s for entertainment purposes only. Warning: This story is PG-13, but, as with all my stories, chapter ratings will vary! Rating: PG Spoilers: Jinchuu Arc, probably most of series as well… ~~ denotes shifts in time/character perspective, ** denotes character’s thoughts @@ denotes start/end of flashback ><><><><><>< AUTHOR’S NOTE: Thanks for the reviews! I am trying to do something different with this, so let’s hope I can succeed! Thanks to everyone reading and giving it a chance! ><><><><><>< Summary: After leaving the Aoiya to “discover” herself, Misao runs into the most unlikely person and embarks on an adventure that leads to China, where she agrees to pose as a concubine to destroy an evil mafia boss. Can she save her new companion from the dangerousness of his own mind? When the time for decisions comes, will she choose her newest love or her old childhood infatuation? ><><><><><>< White Tiger, Jade Concubine Chapter 3: In the Face of Danger ><><><><><>< Misao watched Enishi enter the forest with an intense feeling of dread. As she had followed him stealthily, he had been trailing two rather suspicious- looking men, one of which had roughly pushed her to the ground earlier. Her curiosity surrounding his actions had steadily increased as she watched him from afar. She knew the white-haired man’s character well enough to know that he did nothing without a motive. **But what’s his purpose for following these men? What are they to him and why do I find myself unable to just leave the situation alone?** She knew the answer, of course. It was because of Himura, her desire to keep the man who had delivered Aoshi-sama back to her safe, even if it had all been for naught. Still, she was glad Aoshi-sama was safe. He was back in Kyoto, meditating, going about his business in his normally cool, detached manner. The only intensity she had ever seen him display had been towards his friends, the men who had looked up to him as a leader, who he had almost considered his makeshift brothers, the men who she had loved as well. His caring for them was evident. He had taken her to their graves once. She had helped him to move the bodies to a different location once the ordeal with Shishio was over. She knew that, in his own way, Aoshi-sama had loved them deeply. The emotion he had for them, though, was never present in his eyes, in his demeanor, when he looked at her. She had spent countless moments searching his gaze, desperate to find some semblance of the caring she wanted from him, but he held himself so far away from her that she had been left with nothing but a feeling of intense sadness and utter isolation. Sure, she had Jiya, Okon, and Omasu, but they could not give her the love she desired, the emotion that she had finally admitted to craving, if only to herself. It was easy to pretend she was light-hearted and carefree. Those were characteristics she had always possessed and she could easily slip into them, even if her insides were twisted in agony. Few had seen beyond the façade when she chose to erect her walls. She knew some found her annoying. Saitou made that clear with the way he looked at her, Sanosuke merely tolerated her, and Himura…Himura was different from any man she had ever met, save Aoshi-sama. His opinion of her was unclear. Did he see her as a younger sister, a friend? Did he see her as an annoying weasel-girl, as Saitou had dubbed her cruelly? She knew Himura felt something. He had kept her safe, he had refused to murder Aoshi-sama because he knew of her feelings for the ninja. He liked her, maybe even cared for her, in his own placid fashion. **I admire the love that Himura and Kaoru have. It is so simple, so understated, but so clearly visible in their actions towards one another. The way they speak of each other, the way Himura’s eyes soften around the edges when he looks at her or merely talks about her. The tenderness that washes over his face when I can just tell he’s thinking about her. I admire that.** Frowning slightly, Misao ducked behind a tree, peering around it cautiously to prevent herself from being seen, even as her thoughts raced on. **It is a good love. Theirs is a wonderful relationship, but…but…I want passion, I want intensity, I want desire. I want to be able to see it, feel it, taste it…If Himura feels that way for Kaoru-san, he never displays it. I guess that’s not surprising. If he does feel that way, I’m sure he would not want me to know about it.** Drifting from her musings slowly, Misao felt her jade eyes widen as she realized she had lost track of Enishi. He had vanished from the path ahead while she had been busy pondering the woes of her life. With a soft sigh, the ninja girl turned around slowly. **I can’t believe that I…that I…** Blinking stupidly, Misao allowed her thoughts to trail off, feeling a warm blush rise to her cheeks as she took in the man standing behind her, arms crossed over his chest, a dispassionate expression gracing his handsome features. “Why are you following me?” he asked flatly, turquoise eyes peering at her, seeming completely devoid of emotion. For one of the few times in her young life, Misao found herself at a loss for words. She stood there, staring at him dimly as a tinge of impatience crept onto his features. “Well, girl?” he demanded, a hint of aggravation in his soft tone. “I have a name, you know!” the ninja girl snapped hotly, glaring at him with narrowed green eyes. “As you are probably aware, it’s Makimachi Misao.” “I don’t really care what your name is,” Enishi stated in a deadpan voice. “I asked why you were following me.” “Um.” Misao felt herself blush again as he continued to stare down at her, his impatience appearing to increase with every passing moment. “I…I just saw you walking and decided to follow you…” “You decided to follow me…and you had no reason, just some strange impulse to do so?” Misao bristled at his tone. “I thought you might be after Himura or Kaoru- san again!” Aquamarine eyes narrowed slightly. “I have no desire to see Battousai or his woman…” “Well, how am I to know that? It’s a little odd for you to just appear in Tokyo, especially acting so suspiciously and hiding your identity.” “You should mind your own business.” Enishi brushed passed her, starting forward in his original direction once more. “Go back to your friend Battousai and stay the hell away from me.” Misao’s mouth fell open as he walked away without another word. It snapped shut within seconds, though, and she glared darkly at his broad back. “The hell I will,” she muttered furiously, breaking into a run to catch up with his long strides. “You won’t get away from me that easily. I’m still not convinced you’ve given up your plans of revenge on Himura!” ~~~~~~~~~~ Hearing the girl’s quick steps behind him, Enishi resisted the urge to groan. He had to get her off of his trail. If she continued to follow him as loudly as she was, he was sure he would receive some very unwanted attention. He paused in his moments, turning back to snap at the girl, when he noticed that she had suddenly become silent and deadly still. The omnitsu that he had been tailing had surrounded her, joined by several others with even more slowly pouring from the cover of the trees. She lifted her chin, expression determined, as he was forced to turn away by the sound of a movement behind him. He spun around quickly, sword raised. Several of the ninjas were moving towards him and Enishi braced himself for battle, wondering if he would be able to keep the promise he had made his sister. Killing was so easy, fighting and winning without taking the other’s life would be much harder, especially if the ones he was battling were trained ninjas. They would not be beaten easily. Pushing the thought from his mind, he lunged forward, striking anywhere he could without causing fatal injury. It was tedious, but he managed to knock the ninjas surrounding him unconscious within moments, glad to see that none of them had been killed with the strengths of his attacks. When no more ninjas leapt at him from the trees, he glanced behind him in confusion. Most of them were occupied with the girl, who was fighting valiantly, flinging kunais as she kicked and punched, taking some of them down with an ease he would have thought her incapable of. He took a moment to grudgingly admit to himself that the girl had talent before he turned away, moving quickly to prevent the rest of the ninjas from taking notice of his presence. His feet moved rapidly over the uneven ground as he ran. He had not the strength, nor desire to fight thirty ninjas at the moment. The girl could take care of herself. Pushing thoughts of her from his mind, he moved faster, dodging trees and ducking under branches until the sound of her scream pierced the air, bringing him to an abrupt halt. He stood stock-still, shoulders tensed, as another agonized cry sounded, echoing hollowly throughout the forest. He narrowed his eyes, breathing deeply. He was not her protector, he was not like Battousai, he didn’t feel the urge to defend everyone he met, but still…she was a young girl, younger than his sister had been at her death. She didn’t deserve the fate that the omnitsu were sure to give her. He should go back. He should help her at least. The ninjas who were attacking her had originally been after him. She had merely been involving herself in matters that were none of her concern. She couldn’t have known that…**No, I will not go back. I will NOT. She can protect herself…** Enishi started forward once more, but the picture that entered his mind caused him to freeze in his tracks. Sighing deeply, he allowed his turquoise eyes to drift shut, the image of his sister clear in his mind. She was staring at him in a disapproving manner, eyes cool, face unsmiling. **Onee-san…what would you have me do?** ~~~~~~~~ Misao winced slightly, breath hissing in between her teeth, as her arms were jerked roughly behind her back. The ninjas surrounding her had been well trained, but even if they had not been, there were more of them than she could handle alone. The first few had posed no real threat, but now she found herself completely surrounded, two of them holding her arms behind her as one approached, a wicked-looking dagger held loosely in his fist. **Great, Misao. Look what you’ve gotten yourself into…you should have taken Enishi’s advice…** The ninja reached her, standing before her silently, before striking out at her so suddenly, she barely registered the movement. The dagger lashed out, cutting down the front of her uniform, tracing a path of fiery pain down the tender skin of her chest and abdomen. Within moments, her clothes hung around her in shreds as crimson blood began to trickle from the thin wounds being inflicted on her body. She knew she had screamed more than once, but the events around her were becoming a blur and the pain was increasing, slowly invading her mind and tearing any prospect of logical thought asunder. Soon her rationality had fled and she whimpered softly as she felt herself being flung to the ground, her legs and arms being spread as pain shot through her limbs. She cried out softly as something struck her violently in the stomach, driving the breath from her lungs, and the scene in front of her slowly faded white to black. ~~~~~~~~~~ Enishi quietly approached the clearing where he had last seen the girl, his movements unheard beneath the sounds of the commotion ahead. He could hear a few pathetic whimpers and suddenly all was silent except for the whispered comments of the ninjas. He moved up behind them slowly, his blue-green eyes widening as they took in the girl’s prone form. She lay naked on the ground, spread-eagle, her arms and legs staked to the earth, her body covered in thin lines of ruby blood. Her eyes were closed, purple bruising already forming on the ivory skin of her cheeks. The wrongness of the picture she made, the way her body was positioned, ready to be used, sent an overwhelming sense of anger throughout Enishi’s body. All at once, his fingers were tightening around the hilt of the sword and he was lunging forward in fury. Almost unconsciously, he prevented himself from murdering any of the ninjas moving around him. He found himself striking the places that would injure enough to impair movement without necessarily leading to the loss of life. The look in his eyes was wild, half-crazed and furious. The ninjas who remained conscious began to back away, giving in to their fear of the cruelly psychotic expression that had transformed his stunning face into a mask of unadulterated rage. It was mere moments before he was left alone with the girl and the unconscious omnitsu he had defeated. Enishi knelt beside the girl, breathing roughly, raking a hand back through his silvery-white hair. Her eyes were still closed, her chest rising and falling slowly. He supposed he could untie her and leave her there to fend for herself when she awoke, but that would partially defeat the purpose of him rushing back to help her in the first place. She was weak and wounded and the ninjas would most likely finish her off once they had gathered their wits. **I will take her as far as the next town and leave her at an inn. I will be gone before she awakens and I doubt she will try something as foolish as trying to find me once she is healed.** Decision made, he released her bonds quickly, draping his cloak over her naked form before lifting the thin girl into his arms. He started away from the clearing, the raven-haired girl cradled against his chest as he moved rapidly, leaving the fallen ninjas behind, but knowing he had not seen the last of any of them. He had the strangest feeling that a new fight was beginning. A fight he would have to win or die trying. TBC… ><><><><><>< Hey, all! Thanks for reading! PLEASE REVIEW AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS FICCIE! Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed so far!! ^__^ JML- I tried to use omnitsu some, but I am not going to use it too much because ninjas will suffice and I don’t want to use it in the wrong way. @_@x: oro! Sorry about the whole ‘the Battousai’ thing. LOL! Thanks for pointing it out…Midori no baka! ~Midori^_~