This Fanfic is loosely influenced by Hakama Dake by Indygodusk. Check it out, it's a really good story!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Kenshin-gumi.
The tell-tale whisper of wood slicing through the air filled the afternoon surrounding the Kamiya Dojo. Momentary silences were repeatedly broken at brief intervals. Puffs of controlled breath and swishes of fabric accompanied the swift strokes.
"Mou…" Came the harsh groan from inside the structure. However, no one was around to answer the complaints.
Kaoru rose from the crouched finish of her kata and swiped a sleeve over her forehead, only to frown as the action did nothing to rid her face of the rivulets of sweat that were clouding her vision. In fact, the drenched sleeve of her gi only made it worse.
Outside of the secluded dojo, the parched grass was blanched brown; the dirt was caked and cracked; the trees were limp, lifeless, and parched, like everything else. Shimmery plumes wafted from the heat soaked surfaces and cast illusions upon the eye. It seemed like Earth herself was melting under Summer's rueful glare.
Dry winds whipped up, but served more to cast dust about than to bring relief. Kaoru moaned again.
The dojo she had been planning on teaching at that morning had cancelled on her, not that she minded, the heat was excruciating, no one in their right mind would dare do any manual labor in weather like this. Apparently, Kaoru wasn't in her right mind.
Thinking back, the young woman couldn't think of a summer more blazing. Sure, droughts happened, however, the extent of this particular dry spell had been going on far too long for comfort. And, unfortunately, there was no reprieve in sight.
"Alright," grumbled the sweaty girl, "the tabi are coming off this round." And indeed they did. Kaoru stooped low and pried the liquid soaked garments off her prunish feet. Her nose wrinkled in blatant disgust at both the effort it took and the condition- and smell- of her feet afterwards. Not only that, but she had almost wrenched her ankle in the process of removal.
As she sat back to let her feet air for a moment, her mind began to wander. It was a habit she could not control, even after rounds of training and meditation, as soon as that thin veil was broken, her mind took off. Lately, though, it seemed to even scurry off during her training. Luckily her style had been so ingrained into her being, she could go through the routine instinctively and without thought.
'I wonder how much longer the others will be?' Everyone else had headed off into town earlier that morning. Each had expected the dojo to be uninhabited for the day and therefore deemed it unnecessary to twiddle their thumbs in this heat. A sigh drifted from her parched lips as she considered the wisdom in their actions, heck, even she had had plans this morning; though, in hindsight, she should've known they'd be cancelled.
A mild curse slipped vehemently from her mind and through her mouth at the wretched day. Of course, she could've called it quits long ago and gone to town to find shelter with friends, yet somehow the thought of being alone allured her tangled mind.
'Maybe now,' she thought, 'I can try and figure something out...'
Like a leaf tossed to the river, her thoughts went wayward and drifted out. Of course, the first brilliant imagery would be violet and vivid. How could she not immediately think of her wonderful rurouni whenever her thoughts took rein.
Amidst the sweat and grime, her lips cracked into a fond smile. She had long considered Himura Kenshin to be hers,just like his opponents had long considered her his; though she wasn't sure where the possessiveness came from. She definitely wasn't opposed to the thought, dare she say she hoped for it? However, she knew her place in Kenshin's heart, and it wasn't interest, not like that.
Her thoughtfulness took a melancholic turn, but she didn't hinder its course. She needed some semblance of organization lest she make herself insane. So, with only slight trepidation, she perused what her mind and memories had to offer.
She immediately found herself treading on long forsaken ground.
"Okaa-san…" The lilting voice bubbled down the halls of the small dojo. Wide, jewel blue eyes scanned the dimming interior with a curious eye. "Kaa-san…"
Five year old Kaoru, even then, knew little of fear. Curiosity drove her to do and say things that not a lot of young girls would say or do. She didn't care. Her parents didn't mind either, they'd answer her questions with a smile, or correct her slip-ups with a careful hand and kind words. Her father was gone. Off to wherever he'd go to sometimes. She wished he wouldn't go. She would hear her mother's tears when he left, and she'd see the students anxiety and anxiousness to get back to training. She wanted to train too. She wanted to use the protecting sword to help people, but right now, she just wanted kaa-san. Small feet padded gently across the wooden floor, hardly making a sound as she mulled about. It was getting dark, and tonight, she didn't want to sleep alone. Odd shuffling sounds pricked at her ears as she passed her tou-san and kaa-san's room. It sounded strange to her young ears and alerted her with nothing more than mild curiosity as she slid open the shoji door. Her eyes blinked to adjust to the darkness, only to find herself looking at the prone form of her mother. She didn't hear or understand much after that. She didn't remember anything more than waking up, days later, in her tou-san's arms. She had hurt. But the way her father had looked at that moment- so lost, weak- she began to feel numb.
Kaoru didn't know when she had begun her katas again. She didn't know why she was using such force. She also had never learned what had happened after her memory loss.
Frankly, she didn't want to.
She pivoted on her supporting foot and carved the air in a diagonal arc. Her hair whipped and coiled like an angry viper, reddening the skin it hit.
Her mother had been murdered.
She had gained a scar.
Both emotionally, and physically.
It wasn't long after that that she had snapped out of the life sucking depression she had fallen into, and at the age of six, walked into the dojo, during practice, and demanded her father learn her in Kamiya Kasshin-ryū. He had angrily refused. It had been the single most terrifying moment of her life, and she meant that to this day.
Not even Shishio or Enishi had scared her more. She doubted even Battousai's fury could match the absolute fear her father had instilled in her, as doubtful as that seemed.
She had known, though, even at six, that his anger was fueled from anguish. Days later, he apologized and agreed to start her on the basics of the family style.
She had never been more happy then at that moment.
"Tou-san, why do you have to go?" Slight tears pricked at the back of Kaoru's eyes. "Why do you have to fight?" A long suffering sigh escaped Koshijiro's thin mouth as he stared down at his daughter's blue were torrential and dark, like a storm tossed sea.
"Hime-chan," he began, "I must go. I must fight." His jaw hardened as he fought just as hard to convince himself as his nigh teenaged daughter."I am going to fight for you, to ensure your future. You are a strong, brave girl, Hime-chan, you will be fine while I'm gone." And then he was gone. He would come back from deployment randomly, and seldom for long. Just long enough to make it worse when he left again. Each time he returned, he would teach her a new kata and ensure that the one learned prior was as perfect as could be expected of a 13 year old.
'It was just after teaching me the final kata that I heard the news.'A downward strike. A twist to the right and a diagonal slash and block.
It was then that she decided to try and calm her thoughts. They were getting too far off the beaten track, and the old scars were tingling with phantom pains. She shook her head loosely and rubbed her wrists. It was a lost cause to try and suppress her morose thoughts now, it would only lead to bad things later on.
The question now was, would she regret herself now?
At that moment, a sharp gust of heat whipped through the open dojo, causing dust to fly and Kaoru's gi to become even clingier than it had been just moments before, if that was possible. With a groan and a desperate attempt to rid her mouth of the desert that had taken up residence, she firmly decided that she was wearing far too many clothes.
With a firm hand she yanked the bottom of her gi from her hakama. At first, the stubborn fabric refused to relent. It took a few good tugs and a curse or two she'd learned from Sano before the cotton finally came free. She was almost giddy as she practically ripped the offending garment from her torso.
Now, bared to the world, she allowed a relieved groan to express the sheer comfort she felt without the sweat-drenched clothes constricting her.
It was a wonder she hadn't thought of this sooner.
Timidly, another thought reared its head. One so astounding and so outlandish, She had to stop and blink and admire it.
Kicking the mass of wet fabric aside, she slid into a wide position in the middle of the dojo floor. For the first time since her father's death, Kaoru intended to perform the last kata sequence for the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū.
A heavy breath filled her lungs as she drew in, and out. Breathing steadily and deeper with every ounce of oxygen took in. Her muscles tingled with the thought of what she was about to do.
A brief stir in the air went off like a gun in her head and sent her into a controlled frenzy. Her feet swept across the floor easily without the soaked tabi catching oddly on the floor. Kaoru's body slid and carved through the air with remarkable ease. It was a how such amazing how a subtle change could affect the shihandai's abilities so drastically.
"Now, Kaoru, I'm going to let you in on a little secret." Confided the Kamiya patriarch to the young girl. He was crouched low to be eye level with the 10 year old. Enraptured, the girl focused all of her attention on her father. Large doe eyes met his as he began."In order to master swordsmanship, it is imperative that you learn hand-to-hand combat as well. This is especially important for the final stages of Kamiya Kasshin. A true master of this style needs, not only to wield a sword, but their own body if no other weapon is available." At first, the blue of Kaoru's eyes clouded in confusion. Of course all kendo required various other budo skills. Kicks, and sometimes even punches, could be the turning point in a battle if used correctly. Knowledge of alternate styles also helped read an opponent and increased one's perception in a fight.
"The final stages of Kamiya Kasshin are not defensive as the rest of the style is. It is not meant to counter an attack, but to initiate it.""But Otou-san," Kaoru started, "Kamiya Kasshin can be used offensively anyway. I've see you use it.""Ah," agreed the older man, "that is indeed true. However, that does not change the fact that our style is designed to take the opponents energy and force, and turn it against them. No matter who starts the fight, the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū was created to incapacitate your opponent as quickly as possible and using as little of your own energy as you can afford. Our style designed for saving lives, Kaoru."
"Hai, Tou-san. The sword that protects." The little girl chirped happily.
"But, the final kata is reserved for a different purpose. And for that purpose, you need to begin training in hand-to-hand combat, as much as possible.
Of course, young Kaoru hadn't understood then the importance of the training, but she had after the final kata was performed for her four years later.
Barely five steps through the movements, though, she could feel the wrongness. The awkwardness of the wood cutting through the shadows. She knew why. She just didn't want to think about it.
Halting in place, she swayed slightly towards a jug of water she had hauled out with her and dipped some out. In her mouth it was warm and slightly gritty. Not very refreshing.
Her fist clenched around the shinai in her hand as she actually considered what she knew would remedy the flow of the movements.
A sigh trembled out of her mouth as she fought her warring emotions. It was not an easy decision.
~
Japanese terms (As they appear.)
Kamiya Kasshin-ryū - Kendo style created by Kaoru's father
Mou - Geez
Kata - Martial arts exercise
Gi - Japanese top, usually worn with hakama
Tabi - Thick Japanese socks with a notch in the middle for sandals
Rurouni - Word created strictly for the series, meaning wanderer
(O)kaa-san - Mother
(O)tou-san - Father
Battousai - Kenshin's assassin name
Hakama - Billowy pants usually worn with gi
Shihandai - Assistant master
Kendo - Martial arts that uses swords
Budo - Martial Arts
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Lion