I do not own any of the characters, except Kayko for she is a character I made up. All right reserved to the people who created Rurouni Kenshin. Please enjoy and tell me what you think. :D
'We must save her. We swore to protect her! She's in danger; our future child is in danger.' A voice rang in my head.
I promised her, swore to her I'd protect her. That I wouldn't let harm happen to her. And yet, here I am, running with my sword, the sword she had fixed for me, to save her. To save her and our unborn child.
The snowy wind picked up brushing away their footprints and mine. The only trail showing was blood. Her blood, spilt cause she fought back. How could I have been so stupid to have left her alone, when the sign were so clear? Everyone at the dojo could see them. They were here to take her back.
'Why were we so stupid? How did we not know?' I said to him, my inner self.
'You never listen to me. You think that I'm too annoying and stupid to know anything. I warned you not to leave. Buying that 'ring' that Kaoru told you about was not needed. Now our love is in trouble.' He said back. A sigh came from my chest as I came to a stop. The blood trail ran dry. At least I knew now she wasn't bleeding anymore, but now I didn't know which way she went.
'If only Kenshin were here now. I wish he'd find a perfect place to hide Jou-chan,' my eye twitched slightly as I thought how stupid it was to continuously talk to him.
A glare turned towards an open area in the forest as her scream reached my ear. My eyes turned black as he came through. A being I locked away when I lost my first battle to Kenshin.
My feet moved quick as I ran to her, my love, my Kayko. To think, the first time I saved her, I would be protecting her for the rest of my life. It seemed only yesterday that she came running from her captors, to her best friend, Kaoru…
A faint breeze blew outside as Kenshin hummed while hanging out cloths. He smiled as he worked, hearing Kaoru in the house humming herself too as she did her morning chores. It had been a few months since Enishi had been put in jail. Now the gang was home, living what they thought would be an easy life.
Kenshin looked towards the porch rolling his eyes and smiling at the sight of Sano laying on his back chewing on a fish bone, and where he had retrieved it Kenshin did not know nor did he want to find out. A count down went along in his head till Kaoru came out and forced Sano to do something.
A pan soared out of the kitchen window, hitting Sano in the head. A loud ding and a low thud were heard soon after the initial throw. Kenshin sighed and shook his head.
'Dang, only 2 seconds off that time.' He thought to himself as Sano jumped to his feet glaring at the window.
"What you do that for Jou-chan, I didn't do anything wrong?!" Sano yelled his fist shaking out in front of him.
"You're lying around, while Kenshin does all the chores. Grab the brat and start sweeping the porch. Now!" She yelled glaring at him, sending a shiver down his spine. He hated her glares. She was the only woman he feared, sort of. She was the missy, so everyone was supposed to fear her.
He quickly walked off in search of the kid. He knew how to hide, something Sano really needed a tip on. He wondered how the kid did it so easily. A quick search of the dojo told him the brat wasn't there. He walked outside and sighed. His eye twitched as he saw the kid walking up. Apparently the kid was at the Akebeko. He grabbed him back the back of his shirt and walks off.
"What the big idea Sano?!" Yahiko yelled as he struggled to escape the grasp of Sano.
"Kaoru has us sweeping. Get a move on." He bit out as he dropped him on the porch.
Yahiko grumbled as they both got to work, sweeping and cleaning the porch. A look out the corner of their eye told them Kaoru had walked up to look around. Apparently, she was done with her chores as she skipped over to Kenshin and smiled.
"After you're done with the cloths you can rest. I'll cook lunch today." She gave a big smile when Kenshin smiled back at her.
"Why thank you Miss Kaoru, I'd love that." He answered her as Sano fell off the porch dead. All that went through his mind was 'the missy's cooking. We're dead.'
Yahiko stared at him then looked at Kaoru who was skipping back up to the porch and into the house, humming a happy tune. Yahiko knew too they were dead. He's head moved around frantically trying to figure out, where they were going to go. Sano had jumped up by then and looked at the kid. Yahiko looked at him and they both knew what they had to do. A node was all it took as they took off. Sano veered off towards the cloths line and grab Kenshin throwing him over his shoulder as he took off out the gate.
Kenshin let out a loud 'Oro' before he began yelling and struggling against the brute. Icy blue eyes glared out a window as the boy's disappear down the road to town. The boys didn't stop till they reached the edge of town. Sano looked around for a second before looking down at Yahiko.
"So where we eating? We can't go to the Akebeko 'cause Tae will rat on us." Yahiko sighed knowing it was true as they looked around.
"I guess we could go to one of those little in home restaurants." Yahiko said as he looked up at Sano before walking towards one. Sano soon followed dragging Kenshin behind him.
Tiny footsteps echoed in an alleyway as a young girl walked through. Her chest heaved up and down as she hurried through, hoping no guy caught her alone. The fabric of her hakkama's rubbed against each other as she stepped out onto the street, her luck wasn't with her as a large drunk man saw her. A small smile crept across his face as he watched her. She wasn't dressed in a kimono like normal women. She was in a man's blue hakkama pants and a white gi top.
A small yelp escaped her lips as the drunken man grabbed her arm and pulled her over towards him. He smiled more as he looked her up and down. The shirt barley covered anything as it slightly moved showing off the top of her breast. He slowly licked his lips in anticipation as he spoke
"You want to go have a little fun with me sweetie. I don't bite…hard." He smiled at her as she gulped slightly.
"No thank you let me go please." She spoke quietly as she began to pull against him, trying to get her arm away. The guy only glared at her and tightened his grip. She slightly flinched as he pulled some more her voice becoming more frantic with every pull she gave on her am.
"Please let me go! I don't want to have any fun." She cried out. Her loud cries catching the eye of everyone on the street. The man only became more enraged. She was turning him down and making a scene, she would be punished for it.
"Shut up girl and come on." He slowly began pulling her off as she struggled, trying to stay in the street. The man only stopped because of someone standing in his way. Brown eyes glared at the man.
"The lady said no, now let her go." Sano said sternly as he stood straight staring at the man. A growl came from the drunken man as he pulled the girl to him. She only whimpered at his touch. Sano walked up towards him more and glared harder.
"I said, let the girl go." The drunken man pushed the girl to the side making her fall the ground.
"What you going to do kid? It's not like you can harm me." The drunken man slurred out as he laughed with a few of his buddies behind him. Sano only rolled his eyes and punched him square in the nose. The man gave a small groan as he fell backwards hard on the ground. The young girl just stared on as she slowly realized the man had been knocked out.
Sano scoffed at the man before walking over to the stunned girl lying on the ground. She jumped slightly as he knelt down next to her and smiled. His hand gently picked up the arm the drunken man clenched and looked at her arm, making sure he didn't break a bone. She just stared blankly at the man before her as he looked her arm over. Before she knew it she had two other guys standing behind the man that saved her.
"Is she ok Sano?" The red head asked as he looked around at the growing crowd.
"Yeah, nothing broken." The man named Sano said as she continued to stare at him. Her large green eyes broke away from him as she looked at the crowd that had gathered around her to see what was going on. She whimpered slightly and moved slightly behind Sano.
His dark brown eyes seemed to darken as he looked at her then at the crowd. Something told him; no something inside him wanted to protect this girl. He stood up and glared at the crowd. Kenshin looked at him then looked at the crowd.
"Alright, all of you move off. Nothing to see here. Go Shoo." Sano started yelling as he waved his hands to shoo off the crowd. They spoke amongst them wondering who the girl was or how rude Sano was being. Kenshin couldn't help but smile. His eyes moved towards the girl as she stood up from the ground and dust herself off.
The girl had sat back watching the man that had saved her shoo of the crowd and then she began to wonder to herself. What possessed her to hide behind the man from the crowd? Her trust in men was slim, really nonexistent. Her head tilted to the side as a teenage boy walked up in front of her.
"So what's your name?" He asked a smile on his face. The girl couldn't help but smile back. "My name is Yahiko, the guy who saved you is Sano, also known as the rooster and the skinny red head is Kenshin." He smiled more as her head tilted more.
"My name? Well, my name is Kayko." She spoke with a slight stutter as she rung her hand slightly.
"Why are you doing that?" he asked as he watched her hands. She looked down at her hands then stopped putting them behind her back and looking off.
"Oh, um...No reason, old habit. Uh… could you tell me what town I'm in….I've been looking for my friend but I've seemed to lost track of what town I'm in and….." her stuttered voice halted when the dig of a pan echoed and the kid she was talking to fell face first into the ground.
A small yelp came from the girl as she jumped back. The other two guys there squealed in fear as the red head was pushed in front of the guy named Sano. She tilted her head to the side as she looked towards the person the 2 of them were shaking in fear from. She blinked a few times when she saw it was a girl. A very familiar girl in her book.
"It was all them Miss Kaoru, I swear. They grabbed me and dragged me off. I tried to get away but it didn't work and then when I had a chance, we saw this girl about to get hurt and we came over to save her. Please if anyone needs to be hurt it's him," Kenshin sputtered out then pointed over his shoulder.
"Thanks man." Sano said as he glared at his friend. Kenshin only stepped out of the way of a second flying pan. Sano fell backwards out cold. Kenshin gulped then blinked when Kaoru just straightened her kimono.
"Takes Yahiko back to the dojo. Sano will wake up in a few seconds." True to her word Sano jumped up then groaned and rubbed his head.
"Damn, that had to be the worst hit ever Jou-chan." She only smiled as Kenshin walked over and picked up the unconscious Yahiko. Sano shook his head slightly as him and Kenshin started walking off back to the dojo. Yahiko lay over Kenshin's shoulder drooling slightly as they walked. Kenshin couldn't help but shake him at feeling his shirt become wet.
Kaoru rolled her eyes as she looked over at the girl who was….smiling? Kaoru lifted an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes slightly. The girl was smiling at her, excitedly. Kaoru came to a stop just a few feet in front of the girl who continued to smile.
"There something you need ma'am?" Kaoru asked a little weirded out by the girl. The girl's expression only turned to a hurt face. Kaoru felt a stab like pain in her heart. Deep down all she wanted to do was make the girl smile again.
"You…you don't remember me do you Kaoru?" the girl asked as Kaoru answered with a shake of her head.
"You don't remember me and you as little girls…"she began to breath harder her eyes tearing up, "…me and you running through our little town playing tag. Going to your house and having a lunch you mom made."
Kaoru only stared at the girl, trying to remember what she was talking about. SO much had happened in her life that she hardly remembered her past. She hardly remembered her own mother for that matter. Kaoru tilted her head as she stared at the girl, her own heart clenching tightly as she tried to remember this girl.
"You have to remember. We were attached at the hip as kids. You had a village boy named Tiko who was your first crush. You were there when Koren first showed up and his friend Enishi. You left because my father had an abnormal attraction to you and your father didn't like it." Kayko rambled on trying to get Kaoru to remember.
Kaoru just stared at her, he memory finally replaying all of her childhood. A small gasp came from her throat as she remembered a little girl running to her house early in the morning with fresh bruises on her face and arms. Her family knew where they came from but she always told them it was nothing. She hated her father from taking her away from her best friend. Kaoru continued to stare at the girl a small tear dripping down her cheek before she jumped forward wrapping her arms around the girl.
"Oh my god, Kayko how did you get out of there? When did you get out of there? How badly are you hurt?" Kaoru began shooting off all these questions as she hugged the girl tightly.
Kayko wrapped her arms around the girl when she jumped, the tears she tried to hold back finally spilling as she clung to her spouting out how much she missed her. Her cries became harder as Kaoru asked her those questions.
"Everything got worse. When you left Enishi went off to be with his sister and Koren stayed behind with me. My father, he betrothed me to that monster." She cried as she clung to Kaoru. Kaoru wrapped an arm around her waist and lead her off. Kayko was hurt and she knew it, even if Kayko hid it.
Her feet lead her down a well-beaten path. She'd hurried behind Sano and Kenshin many times to Megumi's, now she was the one doing the leading. Kayko looked around for a second before she finally understood where she was going. Her feet soon came to a skidding stop as she looked at Kaoru.
"Oh please Kaoru, no doctors. Please, I can't handle the constant interrogations I get going to places like that. I can barely handle them from you." Kayko whined as she tried to turn around.
"Kayko, please the doctor is a woman. She's a pretty… close…friend of mine," Her voice wavered as she said the word close.
"And a good doctor. She won't ask questions, I promise." Kayko whimpered slightly before she let her drag her off to the doctor.
The walk to the doctors was rather quick making a nervous Kayko more nervous than she was before. Kaoru walked inside, instructing Kayko to stay where she was while she walked off in search of Megumi. Kaoru smiled when she caught the humming of Megumi. Her small fist knocked on the door before opening it to see Megumi cooking. Megumi only looked up and over her shoulder before going back to what she was doing.
"What is it I can do for you Kaoru?" Megumi asked as she placed the food in a bowl and began to eat.
"An old friend of mine has come in and I know she's hurt. I want you to look her over and bandage her up, but please don't ask questions. She's nervous as is." Kaoru stated as Megumi looked at her weird.
Her hands placed the bowl of food to the side as she got up and walked out, her natural curiosity getting the best of her. She rounded the corner to see Kayko standing near a window looking out, one hand crossed over her chest holding her other arm. Megumi could see she was hurting, watching her rub her arm gently as she took short shallow breaths.
"Hi…" Megumi spoke making Kayko jump at the sudden noise. "…Oh I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you. My names Megumi I'm the doctor of the place. What can I do for you today?"
Kayko stared at her before speaking. "My friend Kaoru brought me here. She thinks I'm hurt but I'm not. I'm fine." Megumi only stared at her watching her fidget under her gaze.
"Well, let's go have a look shall we?" Megumi motioned to a room making Kayko sigh before she went into the room flanked by Megumi and Kaoru. Kayko sat down on a low bed and lay down. Megumi knelt down beside her and began to remove her shirts. A small gasp came from both the ladies in the room as Kayko turned her head in shame.
Megumi ran her hands softly over the open wounds on her stomach, some caused by nails digging in other caused by hand held weapons. Her stomach flinched as Megumi's hand ran over a sensitive cut over lower abdomen. Her hand moved away as her eyes looked her over instead. Each breast had circular wounds that could only be cause by teeth along with delicate cut makers certainly caused by the edge of a knife the was allowed to caress the mounds.
Her eyes lowered to looks at the small cut marks, probably from the same dagger that was used on her breast above, leading down her stomach. The one wound that she couldn't help but continue to look at was the most sensitive one. It was if she was run through with a sword. She slowly had Kayko roll on her side to see if her suspicion was true only to find no cut on the other side.
Her hand went back to the cut on her abdomen, once she rolled over, and inspected it closer. Kayko just laid there, her eyes clenched closed as Megumi looked over the cut. A sigh came from Megumi's mouth as she started to get everything ready.
"Kaoru go get me hot boiling water while I start getting everything ready." Kaoru only nodded as she walked off.
"What are you going to do to me?" Kayko asked nervously as she stared at the older woman.
"We're going to close up that wound before it becomes infected." She turned smiling at the girl. Kayko couldn't help but smile back as she laid her head back letting her body relax. She felt safe knowing that this woman, this doctor was going to take care of her.
-Fixed of any misspellings and improper verbiage
