True Love: Torture

AN: Wee, five more chapters to go! Yep, I've already planned the last couple of chapters. Well...*hopefully* I think it's five more chapters, but the more the better for you, ne?

Chapter Nine ~ Torture

Yumiko slept a dreamless sleep on the stone cold floor of her prison, too tired to try and slip out of her chains.

It wasn't like this before. When she had first arrived at Youji's new "home", she wasn't treated very badly. In fact, she was left out of Youji's presence and wandered around the villa alone. If it wasn't for one of the men that was told to keep a close watch on her, then she would've escaped Youji's villa on the second day she was there. So, strapped in chains and locked in a stone room in the basement of the villa, this was her punishment.

"I was expecting that you would do something like this," Youji had told her as she was being chained down. "That's why I made these chains especially for you, Yumi-chan."

She glared at him, unwilling to respond to his remarks. Youji just smiled as he put away the key. Then he roughly lifted up her chin so that they would meet eye to eye.

"You shouldn't stare like that, Yumi-chan," he murmured with a smile still on his face, "or else your pretty face will stay that way. We wouldn't want that, would we?"

"Don't call me 'Yumi-chan'," she said to him in a cold voice.

He stared at her for a moment before chuckling sinisterly at her. He forced her mouth into his in an unwilling kiss and pulled away after a few minutes with his hand still cupping her chin.

"I'll call you whatever I want, Yumi-chan," he replied in a dangerous voice. "Be good here and I won't do you any harm."

Youji then roughly pushed her head back to the wall before strolling back to the exit. He paused a moment at the doorway, looking back. "Your lover boy is going to be here soon, but don't let that raise your hopes because he won't last long against me."

With that, he shut the door and Yumiko's only window of opportunity escaped her. Although strapped in chains, she was well taken care of. An elderly man always came in three times each day that passed by, giving her food and drink as well as tending to the chafes around her wrists. He wouldn't speak to her, though, and it was hard for Yumiko to see his face in the dark. There was no window in the room and the only light that shined through was at the exit. Even that wasn't able to help her see.

All that Yumiko could do during the long hours of isolation was sleep and dream. Her dreams came and went, and she wondered to herself how Enishi and the children were coping. She remembered the night when she was taken away. She hoped that Enishi was all right.

A lone tear slid down her cheek as she thought about him, wishing that she was safe in his arms.

Enishi stared at his newly repaired nihontou in awe. It had been two days since he had met with Battousai. Kenshin...it's Kenshin now, he corrected himself.

During the two days, he had been locating and finding his sources, knocking some unconscious to get the information that he needed of Youji's whereabouts. He had also given his nihontou to Gen for repair. His plan and vague idea from the beginning soon began to take shape. He was right about Youji's hideout for one thing. It was located high above the mountains on a small island just off the coast of Yokohama, isolated from society. A perfect place to remain hidden and plan for take over. Myung, hearing word from Ayeka, arrived at the Kamiya Dojo just hours after Enishi and Kenshin reconciled and had been staying there ever since, making herself and the twins temporary residents. He hadn't seen Yumiko's family since then.

However, there was no word from Himura Kenshin.

Enishi stared at his own reflection in the blade and did some test swings to see if his skills had decreased. Seeing that they didn't, he grinned.

"Arigatou, Gen. The sword looks like it's brand new," Enishi said. "No wonder why your sister said that you were multitalented."

Gen grinned back, scratching the back of his head. "Heh, no problem. But really, though, you should thank the person who gave it to you in the first place. Your sword's really high quality. It took me a while to get the materials."

"Sorry about that. How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about paying me. Just get Yumiko back, huh?"

Enishi chuckled. He had been planning to leave for Yokohama the next day. He heard footsteps running towards him and turned around to see Yahiko skidding to a stop before them, out of breath. In his hand was a letter.

Still out of breath and slightly glaring at Enishi, Yahiko said, "Ken...shin...told me to give...this...to you." Yahiko handed the letter to him. "You're...a hard person to find...you know that?"

"I like to keep it that way," Enishi replied as he read the letter. He frowned at its message:

Yukishiro Enishi---

Battousai and I will be waiting for you at the police station at sunset. I have found something that might be of interest to you.

--Inspector Fujita Goro

Something of interest to me? What does he mean by that? he thought, eyes narrowing.

"Tell him I'll be there," he bluntly replied to Yahiko.

Enishi arrived as he was told to, entering the police station with some hesitation. At his desk, the police chief looked up in surprise at his visitor. However, as promised, Kenshin and Saitou stood up from their seats and were ready to meet him.

"Daijoubu, Chief-dono," Kenshin reassured the chief. "He's with us."

Enishi glanced at Kenshin for a moment and then at Saitou. "What did you want to tell me?"

Saitou withdrew his cigarette and exhaled out smoke. He returned Enishi's look with one of his own.

"Why don't we go to my office? With the two of you here out in the open, it's attracting attention," he coolly replied as he walked down the hallway.

Kenshin glared at the other man's receding form while Enishi just shrugged and followed. Whatever was behind the two former rivals had nothing to do with him.

When they reached Saitou's office and closed the door behind him, Saitou strolled to the back window and relit his cigarette.

"The government's willing to pardon you of your involvement in selling arms to Shishio Makoto and your mini-fiasco with Battousai as long as you can give us all of the information that you know about his organization that you worked for," he said.

Enishi arched an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes suspiciously, glancing sideways at Kenshin. Kenshin shrugged back as an answer.

"You're still a fugitive, Enishi," he explained. "Even though you haven't really been disrupting the government's work, they still have a bounty for your head."

Enishi drew out a breath of air, shaking his head. "Fine. I have no more affiliation with them anyway. What did you find?"

"The woman that you have been staying with," Saitou began, turning around, "Nagasaki Yumiko. She's the daughter of Nagasaki Ichiburo, one of ten key officials within the Meiji government."

He knew that already. "Yeah, so?"

"Enishi, Nagasaki Ichiburo-dono has been missing for the past two years," Kenshin elaborated.

Once again Enishi arched a curious eyebrow. "What does that have to do with Youji and Yumiko?"

"The man had been good friends with Fukihara Youji's father for quite some time," Saitou answered. "And Nagasaki Yumiko was to be wed to Youji, but something happened."

At this new information, Enishi began to remember Yumiko's words that she had told him only once: My mother said that I always attracted men like flies for some reason... His eyes widened slightly in realization as Yumiko's story began to replay back in his head.

Ran and Rikku never got to know their father...

"Yumiko became pregnant before they were ever married," he said. He left as soon as I told him. "Youji left her after hearing."

"Exactly," Saitou replied. "But why would he leave if they were to be husband and wife anyway?"

Apparently, Saitou and Kenshin knew the answer after looking over countless of files, but Enishi wanted to figure it out for himself as he pondered long and hard.

Yumiko and Enishi watched the twins play as they sat on the porch.

"Ran and Rikku never got to know their father. He left me as soon as I told him that I was pregnant," she said to him with a distant look in her eyes. She chuckled sadly. "I don't think he ever wanted for us to get married even though our parents agreed to it, but he still wanted something out of me. He knew that I could defend myself, so he used me when I couldn't comprehend what was going on anymore."

She wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her chin on top. "I drank too much that nigh. Ie, rather, he kept on coaxing me to drink more when I couldn't." She then buried her head. Enishi could see her shoulders shaking. "I...don't remember much what had happened. All I knew was that I was asking him to stop. And when he didn't, I tried to push him away, but he had me pinned down by his body. And..."

Enishi wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her so that the children wouldn't see. "Sshh....it's okay..."

"He used me, Enishi," she continued, her voice muffled against his chest. "He used me for his own personal gain and left me in a living hell. Then otousan disowned me and left me here, too. That was why...that was why..."

Enishi held her close to him, kissing her hair. He vowed to himself never to let her experience pain again.

"He didn't want to be held back," Enishi replied after some thought. "Everything he does is for his own gain."

"A trading ship from Shanghai was caught smuggling in thousands of boxes containing weapons of all types and classes not specified for the military, but to an unspecified place here in Japan," Saitou said, trying to get his point clear. "What exactly is Fukihara Youji planning to do besides trying to shatter your life? I'm sure you know what he plans on doing."

Enishi glared at the former third captain of the Shinsengumi in an all to familiar look for Kenshin. His own violet eyes began to flicker.

<Youji's villa - basement>

Delirium was beginning to take effect on Yumiko's head. She tried to fit it, but allowed herself to sleep. They must have put something in my food...She was in such a deep sleep that she didn't realize that someone had come into the room some hours later.

Her drugged senses heard the sound of chains knocking against one another. She shifted her position restlessly until her eyes snapped open when a strong hand gripped her wrist.

"Hey, what are you---"

"Get up," came Youji's voice, tugging her arm harshly.

She complied, wincing at the pain in her right wrist and shoulder. The tone in Youji's voice sounded too familiar to her, but her mind was too boggled to figure it out as he dragged her along. When she fell onto a soft bed, she finally realized with horror what he was going to do to her. She tried to break free, but Youji had taken advantage of her drugged body and mind, pinning her down beneath him. She could do nothing now.

Yumiko shut her eyes tight and bit her lip, tears beginning to fall. No!

AN: My mind works wonders when I rewrite a chapter five times... R&R!