Thank you everyone who reviewed or put this story on alert. I had honestly lost hope of anybody caring about this story. anyway, I'm back with an update. Maybe it's my paranoia but I feel I should finish this story as fast as possible, so I finish it. So I can start something new.

The Dance of the Firefly

Chapter 9: Flight

Kenshin sat back on his haunches and observed the silent road leading to the innkeeper's ancestral village. He glanced up at the overcast sky. Dark clouds eddied and swirled in the sky, promising another night of rain. Frowning, he stood and began to walk slowly along the road, eyes carefully trained on the ground. It had been raining for days. There hadn't been a single day since his escape from Kanen village's garrison when it hadn't rained. How was this mud road so smooth then? It ought to have been criss-crossed with cartwheel tracks, beaten here and there with the hooves of horses.

Was it possible nobody had set foot on this road for days?

The innkeeper's desperate plea for help was beginning to seem genuine. Initially he had agreed to look into the matter merely to ensure she wouldn't babble to the Shinsengumi stationed at her inn, but now, as he surveyed the abandoned fields surrounding the village, he suspected her fears had not been unfounded.

This village was being held hostage by men who may well be his comrades in the revolution. He breathed deeply before picking up his pace, steadily striding towards the village, hoping he would not be delayed by too much. Even though the innkeeper had assured him of Kaoru's safety, he couldn't relax knowing Saitou was staying within the same walls.

Lost in these thoughts, he was surprised to find a structure similar to a guard tower erected further along the road. Beyond it, clusters of houses could be seen behind a partially-built wall.

As he approached, a figure leaned out of the tower. He held a bow loosely in his hand.

Kenshin narrowed his eyes.

As he drew near, Kenshin noticed the figure belonged to a boy. He was probably fourteen years of age, at the very least as old as the boy Kaoru had insisted on speaking to at the railway station. The careless manner in which the boy stood set Kenshin's teeth on edge. He would have to be very careful.

When he stood merely ten paces away from the tower, the boy nonchalantly raised his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at the newcomer.

"Stop right there." The boy called out.

Kenshin continued to make his way forward. "Why?"

"Because you do not belong here." He replied simply.

Kenshin arched an eyebrow. "Not very hospitable, are you?"

"Leave before I shoot you." The archer pulled the string of the bow taut, talking against it, as he glared at Kenshin.

Kenshin smirked. "You can try."

The boy sneered and without warning let the arrow loose. The arrow sailed through the air and hit the ground at Kenshin's feet with a dull thud.

The boy smiled. "Next time, you won't be so lucky. Leave now."

Kenshin pulled the arrow out of the ground and gently shook the dirt off the tip. He took a step forward, only to be stopped by another arrow. This one flew past his ear.

"Stop there!" The boy shouted. "You can't come inside."

Kenshin dropped the arrow and rested his palm on the hilt of his sword. He glanced at the boy. "I have no business with you. I am going inside the village and you can't stop me." He ignored the boy's yelling and kept walking.

As he drew parallel to the tower, the boy fired another arrow at him. Kenshin swerved out of the arrow's path and twisting his body, pulled his sword out of the sheath and sliced through the bamboo supports of the tower. The tower tottered before crashing to the ground in a heap.

Kenshin shook his head. "Upstart." He muttered under his breath and walked straight into the village.

X

Kaoru ignored the dull pain in her back as she nimbly pulled at the overgrown weeds in the small vegetable patch behind the inn. It had not been a pleasant morning. Between listening to the innkeeper bark orders at her and the cook yelling at her, she'd had to contend with the swordsman from Kyoto who watched her every move like a hawk. She moved further into the patch and grasped a tough-looking weed by the base. Pulling sharply, she grunted as it held fast before suddenly coming apart in her hand. Throwing the weed over her shoulder, she continued to tug at the smaller grasses and wildflowers which didn't belong in the garden.

She stretched, holding her hands to her back and pressing gently. As she bent to weed again, she heard voices from the landing of the first floor.

"But Sensei, I thought we were going to Kanen village to recover the Battousai."

There was the sound of a scoff as the wolfish-looking man from Kyoto leaned out the window, peering down into the ground.

Kaoru slid backwards, pressing herself against the wall.

"We were delayed coming here Okita. Surely you don't expect Katsura to have sat around doing nothing while his best assassin rotted in a village garrison? No, Battousai has probably escaped Kanen by now. He should have been making his way to Kyoto and his path will lead him here." He leaned back into the room.

Kaoru heard the window snap shut, followed by muffled voices. She clenched her fingers. She knew of only one prisoner who'd escaped from her village.

X

The cook scowled as Kaoru carefully set the tray to take to the dining hall. "You better not make any mistakes or I'll cut you up along with this fish."

Kaoru ignored him. She was focussed upon placing the steaming bowls on the tray. Balancing the tray on her left forearm, she gripped its side with her right and left the kitchen. As she stepped into the dining hall, she noticed the innkeeper sitting beside two of the customers from Kyoto.

She kept her head down while placing the bowls neatly before them.

Saitou turned his attention to the innkeeper. "I believe you were asking about Battousai the Manslayer earlier?"

The woman smiled warmly. "Oh yes. I find stories about swordsmen simply fascinating. They lead such adventurous lives."

Okita smiled. "Not all swordsmen. Most of us are downright boring, isn't it so Sensei?"

"Precisely. For example, nobody knows much about the Battousai, only that he is merciless, deadly and completely ruthless."

The woman gasped. "Oh my."

Saitou watched the girl serving them closely. "Yes. Unfortunately, the man has a way with words. He can probably talk his way out of any situation. People have been known to help him in the past. Of course, they do not survive long enough to regret it." His lip curled as her hands shook slightly when she served the rice.

The innkeeper exclaimed, "Surely he does not kill them!"

Saitou looked steadily at her. "Once they have served his purpose, why should he let them live?"

Okita sighed. "Men like him are lost. They no longer recognise right from wrong." He smiled as Kaoru knelt beside him, gently tilting a ceramic pitcher of wine over his cup.

Saitou smirked. "My young colleague is an idealist. But unlike him, I know, monsters do not get redemption. They lose their chance for it when they choose to follow a fool's brand of righteousness." His eyes locked upon Kaoru's. "All I seek to do is to bring a monster to justice, by any means necessary."

Kaoru looked down too late. She gasped as the rice wine she'd been pouring spilt. "Oh! I'm so sorry." She ran out of the room to fetch a rag. Rushing back inside, she quickly mopped up the wine before apologising once again.

She retreated to the well behind the inn as the inn's actual maid took over the task of serving their guests. Kaoru stood staring into the dark water of the well, the Shinsengumi captain's words rolling about in her mind.

"Kanen village is not very far, is it?" A voice came from the main house.

Kaoru whirled around to find the older captain standing behind her. She glanced towards the building. The lilting sound of a shamisen and flute could be heard softly upon the wind. The evening's entertainment had begun.

"Not very far." She replied quietly.

"You are not a house maid." He stated flatly.

Kaoru stared back at him blankly.

He smirked. "Your nails are broken, your hands have scabs on them, and your hands are rough. You are a field hand." He arched an eyebrow smugly. "Am I wrong?"

Kaoru stepped back. "What of it?"

He bared his teeth in the imitation of a smile. "How did a field hand from Kanen village find her way here, alone?"

She looked away. "Walked."

"Alone?" He questioned.

"Yes." She replied defiantly. "What's it to you?"

"So far, nothing. But when you stop lying, I expect it to mean a great deal to me." He drawled in a bored voice.

"I'm not lying!" She turned to leave when his next words froze her to the spot.

"Why does a girl who should be at home raising a family decide to walk to a neighbouring district instead?" He leaned against the well, revelling in her stricken expression. "What were you running from?"

As her eyes grew wide and she turned pale, he moved in for the kill, "Or should I say, who were you running with?"

Kaoru backed away but before she could act on her instinct to bolt, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward. The next sensation she felt was of a cold knife pressing against her neck.

"Foolish girl, what did you think would come of it?" He rasped angrily. "Where is he?"

Kaoru pulled against his arm, trying to wrench it away from her body. Fumbling against him, she grasped his thumb and pulled savagely in the opposite direction.

Saitou grunted as sharp pain shot through his hand. Sensing an opening, Kaoru kicked against his knee as sharply as she could. Taking advantage of the momentary lull in his hold on her neck, Kaoru pushed against him and slipped away. Fighting her fear, she turned and ran into the night, not daring to turn around.

X

Author's Note

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