Subject: [kffdisc] Those Days - Part 2 (revised)
Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 21:30:06 EDT
From: WildWyrick@aol.com
Reply-To: kffdisc@onelist.com
To: kffdisc@onelist.com

From: WildWyrick@aol.com

Umm, this has really not been changed very much, so you guys might not want
to read it all *again*, but here it is anyway.  Mostly I've just tried to
make the balloon-stuff more realistic.  Conversations, etc. are pretty much
unchanged.  Thanks to all of you who offered C&C.  It really is appreciated!

Eliz.

Those Days Are Written On My Heart

* A Rurouni Kenshin fanfic written for entertainment purposes only.  Rurouni
Kenshin
characters are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki

Part 2:  The World Above

        Sanosuke gritted his teeth as the ground continued to draw away
beneath his feet.
He climbed doggedly, ignoring his aching muscles.  He had no time to think
of
them, no
time to think of anything except his goal.  Until the basket was achieved,
there was
nothing else.

        Except Yahiko.  Fear for the boy would not totally leave his mind.
He wondered
what the kidnapper would do once he reached the top.  Hold Yahiko over the
side, force a
choice?  "Release the rope, or I'll drop him."  What then, Sano? he asked
himself.  Do you
have the strength to fall?  Looking down at the green landscape spread so
peacefully
beneath him, he couldn't be sure of anything anymore.  "Shit."  In all his
years as a
gangster, through all his adventures with Kenshin, he had never felt so
totally out of his
depth.  The land curved away, the blue harbor of Yokohama disappearing
behind
his right
shoulder.  He shook his head and concentrated on placing one hand above the
other,
trying not to think of how a gust of wind or a cramp in his fingers might
return him all too
quickly to the sunlit world below.

#

        Inside the basket, Yahiko was too busy for such thoughts.  He
slammed
his
shoulder against Kitsune's leg, knocking the spy off his feet.  Leaning over
the side, he
used this brief moment of freedom to check on Sano's progress.  The street
fighter had
almost made it to the top.  "Hurry!  You've got to hurry!"  Before Yahiko
could offer any
more encouragement, he felt Kitsune's hand on the back of his shirt, choking
him as he
twisted the fabric tightly.  Then he was flung down with such force that the
wooden ribs
binding the wicker together creaked ominously, and for a moment he was sure
he would
plunge through the bottom of the basket.

        Sano looked up just as Yahiko's face disappeared, replaced by
Kitsune's.  As the
spy began shaking the rope again, Sano's fear turned to fury.  "What is
wrong
with you?"
he screamed.  His voice sounded unbelievably loud in his own ears.  Kitsune
hesitated,
sizing up the man who dangled just out of his reach.

        "You want to kill me?  Fine!  Shake the rope!"  Kitsune obliged him
by shaking it
jarringly, but Sano would not be dislodged.  "Harder!  You have to do it
harder if you
want to get rid of me!  I'm going to come up there and throw your worthless
butt over the
side!"  Strength surged through his arms, so that he was flying up the rope
rather than
climbing it.  Sano had no more thoughts of falling, no more thoughts of the
world below.
His eyes burned wildly, searing Kitsune with their intensity.

        The spy backed away, suddenly as frightened of this man as he had
been of the
police leader.  To escape with a boy as a hostage was one thing.  To be
trapped in a
balloon with an enraged madman was something he had not counted on at all.
If he
couldn't make the man fall by force, there was only one other way.  Yahiko
lay at his feet,
watching him.  Their eyes met, and the boy's widened as he read Kitsune's
intent.  He tried
to evade Kitsune, but the kidnapper grabbed his leg.  Yahiko kicked with all
his strength,
striking Kitsune full in the chest.  The spy fell against the side of the
basket.  He tried to
regain his footing and go for the boy again, but a strong hand closed around
his neck.
"Too late for you," said a voice in his ear.  "You should have killed me
when
you had the
chance."

#

        Kaoru watched breathlessly as Sanosuke climbed into the basket,
overpowering
Yahiko's kidnapper.  He had his hand around the man's neck, and they were
struggling, but
the sides of the basket obscured her view.  The other balloon was flying
higher than her
own, starting to pull away as it was caught in a brisk stream of air.  She
strained to catch
sight of Yahiko, to make out what was happening.

        "Good, Sano!"  Kenshin's knuckles whitened as he gripped the edge of
the basket.
He stretched up toward the other balloon, as if he could will himself there.
Kaoru could
feel his fighting spirit charge the air around them, but Kenshin seemed
unaware of it as he
focused completely on the fight in the other balloon.

        "His skills are passable, when only brute strength is required, but
they are never
good."

        "I'd like to see you do as well!"

        Saitoh looked at Kaoru appraisingly.  "Maybe you will, someday.  I
can only
hope," his gaze shifted from her face to the other balloon, "that he has
enough sense to
take the man prisoner and land quickly.  But that may be asking too much."

        "Don't do it," Kenshin whispered.

        "Don't do what?"  Kaoru glanced at him, taking in his tense
expression in an
instant.  She followed his gaze.  Sano had pushed the spy up against the
side
of the basket
and was striking him repeatedly.  Already the man was bent backwards, his
upper body
hanging out of the basket.   A few more blows, and he would be over the
side.

        "You're pity is out of place, Battousai.  I would rid the world of
Kitsune, if I had
his chance."

        "I know.  That's why I hope Sano chooses differently."

#

        "I should throw you over, see if you can fly!  That's what you
wanted
to do to me,
right?  That's what you would have done to him, if you'd caught him!"  Sano
gestured
angrily in Yahiko's general direction.  He could feel the man trembling
beneath his fingers,
but he tightened his grip anyway.  Kitsune tried to fight back, but his arms
were too short
for his punches to connect when Sano held him at arm's length.  "You're not
a
man," Sano
sneered.  "You're a rat.  A stinking rat, a coward who hides behind
children."

        "Hey!"  Yahiko pushed himself unsteadily to his feet.  "Who are you
calling a
child?"

        "You.  You're still a ..." Sano's voice trailed away.  The boy's
nose
was bleeding,
his clothes were torn, and he looked like he might be sick at any minute,
but
his
reproachful gaze was steady as he met Sano's eyes.  "Oh, shit, Yahiko.  How
do you get
yourself into these things?"

        "I dunno."  He wiped his nose on his sleeve and sniffed.  "Why don't
you ask him?"

        "Good idea."  Sano shoved Kitsune down into the center of the
basket.
 "Maybe
I'll let you live after all.  But you'd better tell me something I'd like to
hear."  He stood
above the man, his hands on his hips.  "Why'd you kidnap Yahiko?  Why'd you
try to kill
me?  If you're another crazy enemy of Kenshin's, I swear I'll..."

        Kitsune glared up at him.  "I took the boy because I was being
chased
and had no
choice.  I tried to kill you," he rubbed his throat, where dark bruises were
already
beginning to form, "for obvious reasons.  I don't know who Kenshin is and I
don't care!
There.  Are you satisfied?"

        "Not yet.  Why were you being chased?  Looking at you," and Sano did
so with a
critical eye, "I'd say you were a thief, maybe a cheap murderer.  Am I
right?"

        "The man following me is the murderer.  And if he catches us he
won't
just kill me,
but you and the boy, too.  Maybe you hadn't noticed that we're not alone,
even up here in
the sky."

        "What?"  Sano spun around, saw the other balloon for the first time.
It was a
good distance behind and below them.  He strained to see who was in it, but
the giant
bubble of silk blocked his view.  "How do you know who's following us?  I
can't see..."
Before the words were out of Sano's mouth, the basket of the other balloon
swung
suddenly into view.  There was a flash of red hair in the sunlight, and
three
pale faces
turned upwards toward his.

        "Kenshin!  Hey, Kenshin!"  Sano waved his arm frantically, but the
basket was
already obscured from view again.  "Could you tell who was with him,
Yahiko?"

        "I'm not sure.  I think Kaoru and maybe Saitoh, but I could only see
them for a
second."  Yahiko rested his chin on the side of the basket, waiting to catch
another
glimpse into the other balloon.

        "So.  You know his real name.  I should have known you weren't
ordinary from
the way you fought.  Maybe you're even the bastard's friends."  Kitsune
launched himself
at Sano, but received a punch in the jaw before he even got close.  He fell
to the bottom of
the basket and lay there, panting.

        "I'm gonna kill you if you don't stop doing that."

        "Better you than Saitoh Hajime!"  Kitsune spit the words out like
they were
poison.

        "What's between you and Saitoh?  You don't look like somebody he'd
bother with.
He may be an asshole, but he's not a bully."

        "Ah, so you really do know him, then?"  Kitsune looked up at Sano
speculatively.
"But how well?  Maybe you think he's a noble policeman.  He's not.  Even
now,
he's
involved in a plot against the government he claims to serve."

        "Nice try, but I don't believe you," Sano said wearily.  "He's not
the treacherous
type.  Like I said, he's a jerk and I hate everything he stands for.  But
he's not some sneaky
intriguer."

        "You don't think so?"  Kitsune sneered.  "Not even if it meant his
old friends could
return to power?"  He watched in satisfaction as Sano and Yahiko exchanged
worried
looks.  'That bothers you, doesn't it?  The idea of a new Shinsengumi?"

        "What about Kenshin, Sano?  If any of this is true..."

        "Don't listen to him!  He's bullshitting, trying to confuse us.  The
only thing I care
about is getting us back on the ground in one piece."  He turned to Kitsune.
"You stole
this stupid balloon.  Do you know how to land it?"

        "We have to wait until the gas leaks out and then it will come down
on its own.
Or you can pull that toggle, in which case all the gas will rush out and
we'll fall like a
stone.  Your choice."

        "That's ridiculous,"  Yahiko said.  "I don't believe you!  How did
the Frenchman
plan to get down?"

        "Maybe, little boy, he never intended to go this high."

        Yahiko looked over the side and felt a wave of nausea rising in his
stomach.  He
had been so busy arguing with Kitsune that he hadn't realized just how far
above the world
they were.  The balloon shook in the current of air, bouncing up suddenly as
if it had been
jerked by a giant hand.  This was too much for Yahiko.  As he vomited over
the side, he
was dimly aware of Sano holding him so he wouldn't fall.  The last thing he
heard was
Kitsune's derisive laughter.  Then he ringing in his ears drowned that out,
and he sank into
darkness.

#

        "Why?  Why do they keep going higher instead of coming down?"
Kenshin struck
his fist against the edge of the basket lightly, punctuating the words.

        "It's Kitsune's doing."

        "Sano and Yahiko together are surely more than a match for..."

        "Physically, yes.  But that man isn't called 'The Fox' for nothing."
Saitoh sighed
and sat down in the center of the basket.  "I suppose we'll be up here for a
while."  He
frowned in distaste at the idea.

        "Who is this Kitsune?"  Kaoru sank down against the side of the
basket.  Kenshin
remained standing, looking out at the other balloon.

        "He's a spy, one of the most dangerous men in Japan.  Many agents
have tried to
stop him, they never catch him.  Finally, my services were requested."  The
look in
Saitoh's eyes sent a shiver down Kaoru's spine.  "The assignment was too
interesting to
refuse.  Kitsune's exploits are legendary in military circles, and he always
succeeds.  I am
curious to meet the man they say has no weaknesses."

        "Everyone has weaknesses," Kenshin murmured.

        "Oh, I agree with you, Battousai," Saitoh said.  "And I intend to
discover his
before this is all over.  But, it is true he has no equal in cunning."  He
looked up at
Kenshin, and there was a glint in his eye.  "Kitsune doesn't deceive
himself,
pretending that
his motives are kind and noble.  That's why he has been successful for so
long."

        "This basket is too small, Saitoh, and we're too far above the
world," Kenshin said,
sitting down heavily beside Kaoru.  "Just tell me what he has done."

        The policeman shrugged.  "Very well.  A week ago, Kitsune stole
secret plans for
the fortress at Shimonoseki.  We know he intends to sell them to a foreign
power.  I'm
sure there are several willing to pay handsomely for such information."

        "Shimonoseki?"  Kenshin frowned.  "There is no fortress at
Shimonoseki anymore.
It was destroyed sixteen or seventeen years ago."

        "Bombarded into dust by the Americans and the French.  Yes, I know,"
Saitoh
smirked.  "But do you really think such an important strait would be left
unguarded
forever?"  He smiled thinly at their expressions.  "So you see, the
government wants those
plans back.  And I want to bring Kitsune to justice."

        "I just want Yahiko and Sano to be safe," Kaoru said softly.

#

        Yahiko woke with the sun in his eyes.  The basket was rocking
gently,
but the air
around him felt still.  Sitting up, he wondered how such a thing could be.
His thoughts
were interrupted by Sano's voice behind him.  "You're awake.  Good!"

        "Sort of."  Yahiko stumbled to his feet.  It was like trying to
stand
on the deck of a
ship at sea.

        "Come here!  You have to see this!"

        As Yahiko stumbled to Sano's side, he glanced at Kitsune.  The
kidnapper stood
on the other side of the basket, as far away from the street fighter as
could
be managed.
"What is it?"  His mouth tasted terrible, and he wondered if there was any
water on board.

        "Look!"

        A city lay beneath them.  Rows of houses separated by dusty streets
ran down to
the waterfront.  Yahiko could see shady gardens and busy thoroughfares where
tiny
figures went back and forth on their daily business.  He clutched Sano's arm
suddenly.
"It's Tokyo!  Look!  I think that's the dojo!"

        "I know.  I've been watching it for several minutes now.
Unbelievable!"  Sano
shook his head.  He wondered where the fox lady was, if she would look up
and
see his
balloon in the sky.  He wished he could show her what Tokyo looked like from
the air,
watch her initial fear change to delight and wonder.  He knew it was wrong,
that he
shouldn't be able to fly.  And yet here he was.  It was a heady sensation,
being in the realm
of the gods, above the world of ordinary men.

        "I wish Tsubame-chan could see us," Yahiko said.  "And Ayame-chan
and
Suzume-chan," he added hastily.

        Sano laughed.  "I'm sure Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan would be very
proud of
you.  When you're not throwing up, at least."  He ruffled Yahiko's hair,
expecting protests,
but the boy's expression was serious.

        "Maybe we should try to come down, even if he says we shouldn't."
He
glanced at
the spy.  "I have this feeling if we leave Tokyo behind, we might never see
any of them
again."

        Sano was silent for a long moment, looking out over the city that
was
at once
familiar and strange.  He sighed, running his hand through his hair.  It was
the middle of
the afternoon, but there was no way of knowing how quickly the gas would
leak
out.
With Tokyo beneath them and the mountains to his left, Sano knew they were
flying
north.  He didn't like the idea of night finding them still aloft, over
unknown territory.

        "Hey!  You!"

        Kitsune glared at him.  "What?"

        "I've decided to try to land this thing."

        "Baka!  I told you we can't.  It doesn't work that way."

        "Yeah?  Well, I'm not sure I believe you."  Sano reached for the
toggle that hung
over the center of the basket but Kitsune grabbed it first.

        "Back off," the spy hissed, "or I'll rip it open and we'll all be
dead in seconds.  I
told you I don't intend to be taken by the police today or any other day."

        "I don't give a shit what you want!"  Sano considered wresting the
toggle from the
man, but was deterred by the desperate gleam in Kitsune's eyes.

        "You might not care if you die, but what about your precious boy?"
Kitsune's fist
tightened convulsively.  "Are you really so willing to gamble with his
life?"

#

        Kaoru took another sip from the bottle.  The warmth that started in
her cheeks and
coursed down to her toes told her it was some kind of alcoholic beverage.
Fruity, she
decided.  And a little sour.  There were two other containers of the stuff,
but nothing else
to drink.  Pressing the cork back into the neck of the bottle, she set it
aside and turned to
Kenshin.  "Any luck?"

        He sat with his back to her, examining the contents of one of the
satchels attached
to the other side of the basket.  "Just books, so far."

        "Books?"  She pulled herself to her feet, taking the opportunity to
look over the
side.  They had flown over Tokyo a couple of hours before, but now only a
few
tiny
villages dotted the hilly landscape below.  She imagined it must be warm
down
there on
such a sunny day, but the air around her was cool.  Strange.  She flopped
down beside
Kenshin.  "Anything about flying a balloon?"

        "They're probably all about balloons, or navigation, or something
useful like that,
but I can't read a word."  He smiled ruefully as he passed a small,
leather-bound volume to
her.  "Western characters.  Not a single one in Japanese."

        Kaoru turned the book over in her hands, opening it carefully.
"Yahiko said the
balloonist was French," she murmured.

        "Um.  I thought at least there might be some illustrations that
would
help."

        "Did you find any?"

        "I found a map of Japan.  See?"  He took the book from her gently
and
turned to
the back.  "The Western writing makes it hard, but he circled Yokohama for
us."

        Kaoru traced her finger up the page.  "Well, if that's Yokohama,
this
must be
Tokyo."

        "Yes.  I think so."  Kenshin glanced at the dark head bent so close
to his own.  He
could feel Kaoru's warm breath against his cheek, her thigh rubbing ever so
slightly against
his as the basket rocked from side to side.

        "I found some food."  Saitoh's shadow fell over them.  "That is, if
you two are
hungry."

#

        The sun was lowering in the sky when they finally finished eating.
Saitoh had
found bread, dried meat, and cheese.  Kaoru wrinkled her nose as she took a
bite of the
smelly stuff.  "Are you sure this is food?  Why does it have holes in it?"

        "It does seem... strong."  Kenshin took a swig out of the bottle.
Saitoh has refused
to drink, so Kenshin claimed his share as well.  He wasn't sure about the
cheese, but he
was definitely developing a taste for this stuff.  It wasn't as good as
sake,
but it had
potential.  "Wine," he said suddenly.

        "Wine?"  Kaoru repeated the unfamiliar word, turning it over in her
mouth.

        "I think that's what this is called."  Kenshin shoved the cork back
in the bottle and
stood up, stretching.  He looked out at the other balloon.  "They're still
up
there, and it
will be dark soon.  This isn't like Sano and Yahiko."

        "It's like Kitsune," Saitoh said.  "He'll try to evade me any way he
can, even using
darkness as a shield.  He probably yearns for nightfall."

#

        Kitsune finally released the toggle when the first stars grew bright
in the night sky.
He had been holding Sano at bay for hours, leaving Yahiko nothing to do but
explore the
contents of the basket.  Except for a little food, a bottle of wine, and two
wool jackets, the
boy found nothing.  It was obvious to them the Frenchman had not planned to
be aloft
very long.

        When Kitsune finally sank down in the center of the basket, he
received a punch in
the jaw that knocked him onto his back.  He didn't try to rise.  "I should
throw you over,"
Sano growled.

        Kitsune smiled painfully.  "You should, but you won't."

        Sano flung himself to the side to the basket and looked down.  The
features of the
land were quickly being swallowed into night.  It would be madness to try to
descend
now.  Cursing, he turned back to Kitsune.  "Tomorrow, at first light, I'm
going to land this
balloon!"

        The spy shrugged.

        "Keep an eye on him, Yahiko," Sano said softly as he sank down
beside
the boy.
"I don't trust him as far as I could throw him."  Which, he reflected, at
the
moment was a
long way, straight down.  "One of us has to stay awake at all times."

        "I can watch him if you want to get some sleep."

        Sano studied Yahiko's face, pale in the darkness.  "No, you rest
first.  I'm not tired
yet."  As Yahiko curled up in one of the jackets, Sano leaned back against
the side of the
basket.  It squeaked in protest, but supported his weight.  "Shit," he said
softly.  He
remembered how invincible he had felt that afternoon, flying over Tokyo.
Why
did he feel
so vulnerable now, like a man in a tiny boat lost at sea?  The fears he kept
from Yahiko
flooded his mind.  What if the wind carries us over the ocean during the
night?  Then
Kenshin and Kaoru will die, too.  Sano's eyes glowed as fierce resolution
stirred in him.  I
won't let that happen.  I'll make sure we all see Tokyo again, no matter
what!

#

        "There's only one blanket?"  Kaoru looked down in dismay at the
piece
of brown
wool in her hands.  The night air was chill, penetrating her bones.

        "You use it, Kaoru-dono.  I don't need it."

        "No.  I can't let you be cold."

        "It's okay.  Really."

        "No, it's not!"

        "If you two spent as much time searching as bickering, you might
have
discovered..."  Saitoh held up another blanket.  Kenshin's sheepish
expression changed to
surprise as the policeman handed it to him.

        "I'm not cold, but I am tired.  So be quiet, both of you!"  Without
another word
Saitoh sat down cross-legged, shifting his katana so that it lay across his
lap, and closed
his eyes.

        They gazed at him in wonder as they sank down side by side, wrapping
the
blankets around themselves.  "I still can't understand how all of this is
happening," Kaoru
whispered.  "I just hope Yahiko and Sano are all right."

        "We've got to believe in them.  That's really all we can do."
Kenshin sat with his
back against the side of the basket, his chin resting on his knees.  He
lowered his voice as
Saitoh raised his head and lifted an eyebrow warningly.  Kenshin stifled an
insane desire to
laugh.  He never thought he would be sleeping under the same roof as Saitoh
Hajime,
especially if that roof was a billowing canopy of silk.  "I just hope we
make
it through the
night without any problems."

        "We will," Kaoru said with more conviction than she felt.  She had
never slept so
close to Kenshin before, and she wished suddenly that the second blanket had
never been
found.  She gazed at his peaceful face, feeling disappointed.  Here they
were
together
under the stars, yet there might as well have been a wall between them, he
was so distant
and self-contained.  Kaoru sighed, closing her eyes.  How was it she could
fly through the
air like a bird, and yet could not reach Kenshin at all?


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