What\'s Love?

DISCLAIMER: We don't own Rorouni Kenshin, that's for sure. We don't get money out of this. This is for entertainment purposes only.

As I had said before, this is a round-robin challenge between the three of us. If you want to contribute also...well....might as well contact me by my email. Let's have fun. (smiles). This is Vikki-chan's idea, by the way.

On the spot, Vikki-chan wrote the first three chappies. Since I have an account, she made me post it in here. Enjoy.

oh....about the grammar and stuff....excuse us.




Chapter One: Fight for Freedom

Aoshi ran as fast as he could, there was no telling where 'they' would come out of the darkness that surrounded him, and imprison him once more. He had enough of the life he was living now, only a month here and he's more than willing to leave, he's never been more humilated than now. Sure, when he was younger he was an idiot, but who wasn't? It all started as a mission, and then soon turned out to be nothing but...disaster. How things got out of hand, he did not know, all he knew was, he wanted OUT, and NOW! With that thought in mind, he ran faster, using the speed he usually do for his special attack, 'Kaiten Kenbu' he ran, faster and faster, moving at a inhuman speed, and gradually gaining in speed. He ran till the smell of salt water hit his well trained sensitive nose, symbolizing his check point to freedom, never had he been more happy to see water than now...as he thought back to how it all started...

FLASHBACK

Aoshi finally finished his mission, it was long and exhausting, not only did it took up mental strength, but also physical strength, it was tough, even for him, a Okashira of the most feared omitsu group, Oniwabanshuu. It was hard, for him yes, but in the end, all was well, and for that, he was thankful for, who knew all because of love a conflict can become so bad?

The problem was a noble man from society wanted his daughter to be engaged to another family of wealth and riches, but his daughter was dead set against it, for he has fallen in love with a servant boy of the house hold. She did not wish to marry another, besides him, when she brought the issue at hand to her father, he was in outraged, and so, a whole war-like fight were made, commoners stood up for the couple, nobles were against it, and thus the whole story became his problems.

Aoshi rubbed his temples slightly to relieve the stress he was feeling, though the whole thing was over with, and everyone was happy in the end, he couldn't help but still feel stress. Not from them, but from himself and his group, lately he's been recieving letters from his group, informing him of the problems that was currently going on. It seems that males from the group that went to investigate on the missing noble males -young ones- from the higher society of the Meji government. The thing that bothered him was, every time there was a missing, there was no signs of stuggle, in all the cases he's witness of a missing person, it was usually a stuggle, at least papers were torn, or something minor to show stuggling, but there wasn't NONE. That lead Aoshi to believe that this case was more complicated than what it seemed, and, going to be more behind it from what he is investigating on.

As he thought, he missed the sudden signs of danger ahead of him, everything was in a uneasy silence, he totally missed it due to the pure fact he was too deep in thought. When he heard a distant sound of singing, his thoughts came to a complete stop, as he stopped in mid-step to listen to the distant voice sing...

"Ah, SHANARI SHANARI machi wo ikeba
Um, tonogata no me hitorijime
Ah, nante itsumo tsumi na watashi
Um, aware HA-TO kanashibari

honki ni natte mo
gomen asobase
tada no otoko nara
ototoi oide

urei obita koe
suzushii hitomi
watashi no kokoro wa
ano kata no mono yo

Run Run sakasemasho
PA-Tto koi ranman
iki ni adeyaka ni
otome mankai ni

Run Run Run misemasho
iji to kokoroiki
misete ano kata wo
GETTO itashimasho

Ah, nagekawashii komusume-tachi
Um, wakasa dake no namakemono
Ah, onna no ue agura kaite
Um, ima ni naki wo miru koto yo

tensei no bibou
tayumanu doryoku
migaki ni migaku wa
issei ichidai

ai no tame naraba
ichinichi senri
no wo koe yama koe
michi wo fumikoete

Run Run sasagemasho
koyoi yume ryouran
midare midasarete
otome iza yowan

Run Run Run kirei desho
hana no kono inochi
saite chiru toki nya
migoto chirimasho

yakouju TOPA-ZU
hisui ni menou
RUBI-, AMESHISUTO
motto nayamashiku
motto utsukushiku

Run Run sakasemasho
PA-Tto koi ranman
iro mo toridori ni
nioi kanbashiku

Run Run Run misemasho
dokyou kono aikyou
misete ano kata wo
GETTO itashimasho..."

Aoshi couldn't help but feel allured by the voice, it sounded so soft..so sweet, so..tempting, like it was meaning to draw him in, like bees are to honey. Though his senses were still reeling, his instincts had not yet failed him, he couldn't help but feel dread built in his body as he walked closer and closer to the now humming voice. As he got closer, he heard the voice get louder and louder, the voice had a slightly low pitch, a very seductive low pitch at that. With a mixture of a sweet high pitch to balance it out, the voice sounded almost like it was coaxing him to come...promising him new heights, and in a way, he liked it...

As he came to a clearing the voice intensified, causing him to seem drunk and lost in the person's voice, making his feet move without his permission, and his body sway slightly in a drunken, hypnotized way...he couldn't help himself as he carried himself onward. As he neared the person in question he found a...woman?

'A woman?' thought Aoshi, as his body moved in it's own accordance towards the woman in question, as he closed the huge gap between them, he noticed her skin first. It was marble like really, pearly white, and looked so smooth, and fragile, her long ebony hair was left down to cascade like a dark waterfall onto her shoulders and towards the richly smelled green grass. Next he saw noticed how the moon's light shown in her deep dark eyes, they were slanted with a seductiveness he'd never seen before, they held a promise of undescribable passion...and more...

It was the thought of touching a woman that snapped him into reality a little, the woman stood up as he got up to her, as she stood, she brushed herself off, acting as if dust or soil got on her voluptuous sculptural form. That was squeezed into a lavender kimono, that was falling off her collar bones, and further as she moved, but she didn't seem to care, in fact she didn't seem to notice as she waltz her way towards him. He observed with through dazed eyes to keep his cover up, while his mind was reeling, 'Is his the woman whom leads those males away? What is she going to do? What is her goal?' as his thoughts went about, she reached him and cupped his chin with her delicate right hand.

She stared at him approvingly before she spoke, with a seductively sweet voice, "How...nice..." after looking at him up and down, "you were indeed a fine catch of the day, Akemi-sama will be pleased..."

The woman moved her hand down towards his manly neck, to his broad shoulders, in a very slow motion as a matter fact so slow that it seemed quite torturing yet felt too good. Though he hated to admit it was, he felt her hands gradually move lowly down his chest...massaging it with a lustful pursuit to his 'other' manly parts. In a almost debauching touch, she lead him into his wildest fantasies, a world he never thought he will go to once more, but it was that same exact touch that woke him from his dream-like state. The last time he was involved with a woman such a way, it didn't turn out pretty, and he didn't want to return to that way again, so, his dazed eyes cleared from it's haze as he then grabbed her hand ferociously as he glared daggers at her now shocked eyes.

He then spoke, using his most coldest voice possible, that he knew would send chills up anyone's spine, "I don't think a REAL lady would be doing such, malapropos upbringings..." as he practically threw her hand away.

The woman fell to the group in a unlady-like pose, as she glared at him, holding her injured wrist close to her body as she then hissed out with venom, "I see! Males never change, it's always force, and not words..." she scoffed out loud before continuing, "if you think we will escape now..it's too late."

Aoshi briefly wondered what in the world she was talking about before he felt another ki from behind him as he swiftly dodged the unexpected attack from a hidden person in the dark of the forest. As he turned his attention towards the attacker, he noticed in pure disbelief, that it was a woman, she was well built, lithely, slightly muscular on her arms, thighs and calf, she was well endowed too from what he could tell. She was dressed in a black kimono that fell off her shoulders, showing off a massive amount of flesh of her bust, and above it, along with her white nagajuban. Her sleeves were cut into a spilt for free movements of her arms as well as the bottom of her kimono, which was slightly altered to allow movements with ease, with three spilts -two on the sides, and one on back- she was assured of freedom of movement.

Her skin from what he could tell was well tanned, and well kept, since it had a velvety-like texture as the woman he had a while ago met, he doubt that this woman is alluring like that of the other woman though, this one seems like a fighter. She had tekkos on her hand, and seemed to be fisted at the moment, her long dark brown hair was tied into a neat bun, while her equally cut bangs were nicely cut, and parted in the middle. Her deep brown eyes carried annoyance in them, gazing upon him with a fire that he never before saw in a woman, not from passion, but from dislike...a HUGE amount of it too. On her feet was a pair of white tabi socks, with waraji shoes with it, as she stood, she glared at him with a hatred that seemed burned into her soul as she then spoke with a maliced filled voice, "Either you come with us..or I'll have to FORCE you to come along."

Her voice was hard, and rushed in a way, as she glared annoyingly at him, she then moved her fists up to fight him, it was then he noticed a golden peacock that was embroidered into the tekkos of hers. It was not full of colors like the others, with green, blue and other colors of that sort, it was actually golden, pure golden threats, he couldn't help but wonder, 'How did she recieve that...?' His next thought was rudely cut off when the woman before started swing, right, left, up, down, diagonals, she was every where, there was no end to her fists and kicks. She wasn't tall, so it gave her a slight advantage over him, and for that he wasn't happy, Aoshi was never the type to hurt women, but for this case, he would gladly comply to it.

It was that decision that lead him to his next attack, grabbing her downwards kick, he kicked her other leg, causing her to collapse on the ground, while he did so, she grabbed something from her tekko and threw it at him. If it weren't for his fast ninja reflex, he would have had 10 kunais in his chest by now, he watched as she quickly rolled backwards and into a somersault into the sky and landed back on her feet without a thud made when her body's pressure landed on the ground. He noticed that on the back of her kimono was a peacock also, made from golden threading as well, he couldn't help but think, 'What is that symbol for?' He didn't have time to think farther than that as she attack once more, causing the battle to commense again.

He watched as she ran towards him with a speed that would surpass regular people and threw a flying side kick, aimmed at his face, he knew that if he didn't duck, he'll be unconsciencious. Ducking just in the nick of time, he watched her next movements, carefully he watched as the women blend back into the darkness that took over the clearing, as she then hissed, "You BASTARD! If you just went with us this wouldn't have happened, now you'll pay the ultimate price for hurting ME!"

It was then that he felt something against his skin on his fingers, it was thin, and when he tried to move, his skin was slit open by the offending object. He felt the object in question travel further up his arms, to his neck, down his chest, the familiar feeling came to his ankles up after that. His eyes widen in shock, at how careless he was, it was then that the woman from before stepped into his vision of sight, which was currently in front of him. She smiled at him in a mocking smile before scolding him with a scornful face, "You are more troublesome than what you look, if it weren't for your looks, I would have been more than happy to kill you here...but," she paused.

Looking at him face with a scrutiny, that made him uncomfortable, and with her hands on his body in such ways, adding to his discomfort she continued, "I would be destroying kami-sama's gift to women..." as her hand laid on his most private of areas that usually shouldn't be touched, "not to mention the possibilities of meeting another man like you is...too low, you'll catch a great price. I can't give that up now can I? I must say though, I am sorry, but it is not my fault you were lured, I hope the best for you..."

END OF FLASHBACK

Aoshi soon reached the ocean shore, gazing out at the darken sky he almost kissed the ground in pure happiness, and shout to the world in joy. He was finally free, but he knew he didn't have much time, and so he ran to the brushes near the ocean's reach, searching for the one thing that can assure him of freedom. It didn't take long until he found it, a small raft, made of wood from the trees. It took him a long time to complete it, but it was all worth it in the end, he was finally to be free. He grabbed it and ran towards the shore immediately, he almost smiled in relief that he was no yet captured, usually he wouldn't get this far, but he was now beyond ecstatic that they did not catch him.

He wanted to be free, and his joy was cut off immediately when he felt the same tightness on his neck once more, cutting through his flesh. He felt a sudden jolt of the thin string, causing him to fall back into the ocean's sea water, or not get harmed. He knew that he was now beyond saving, but he didn't care, he had to get free, so he struggled, but the last thing he felt was a pair of hands on his neck. Using a technique he knew so well, knocking him out cold and all he saw was darkness...and one thought lingered on his mind before his vision failed him was, 'No..I was so...close..freedom...my...freedom...'


tbc