A Girl in the Rain
Sanosuke ran through the empty streets as the rain poured down upon him. "Man... I can't believe I fell asleep. Damn the rain!" he growled. As he turned down the next alleyway, the disheveled street fighter ran smack into someone.
"What the hell was that? Look where you're going...." He started to say, but stopped short as he realized that he had run into a girl; she lay sprawled out on the ground as the rain and mud smeared her face.
"I'm sorry, little missy. I didn't see you. I didn't think I'd hurt you bad though..." Sanosuke said as the girl repulsed as she tired to get up.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I'll just..." the girl replied but was silenced as she was caught with gasps of pain that sent her right back off her feet.
Sanosuke tried to grab her as she fell. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, he guided the girl to the ground. As he pressed his arms against her, he felt a warm liquid run down his arm and hand.
"Blood," he said, muffling a cry of disgust. The blood now came more fluidly, gushing down the girl's side as Sanosuke battled to keep his cool. Picking up the wounded girl carefully, he carried her back to the safest place known to him, Kamiya Dojo.
Sanosuke sat bunched up against the washbasin with Yahiko plastered to his side like the pest he was. As Ms. Magumi made her way from the Dojo, she stopped in front of Sanosuke but instead, talked to Kenshin.
"Her wounds are deep. How she could have survived such a thing is beyond me...and yet, you survived attacks that I thought impossible. The girl is different though," Ms. Magumi said, eyes cold. Silence filled in around Sanosuke. Just as he was about to claim himself crazy, Kenshin spoke up.
"That girl is a strong one, that she is. I'll have to go and talk with her when she awakens. What is the extent of her injuries, Ms. Magumi?"
The red haired swordsman listened closely as the female doctor explains her finds. Keeping an interested face, he pieced together the information he was given and tried to look at it from another point of view; ok, this girl was found with extensive wounds to her left side, a long gash that ran from one side to the other.
As Kenshin and Magumi talked further on this mysterious subject, they drifted away from the main part of the Dojo. As if being pulled by a mystical force, Sanosuke feels himself rise and walk to the Dojo door. Sliding it open, he entered and shut it quickly behind him.
"Oh Sanosuke! I've brought some hot soup for you're guest!" Yahiko crowed from the doorway, but was sent to muffle groans as Sanosuke grabs him by the collar into a headlock.
"Shut up! If you wake her up, I'll..." Sano whispers.
"Oh, don't be so protective, Sano. You don't even know her name..." Yahiko replies, but changes the subject as he gets a dangerous glare from Sanosuke. "I brought her some soup." Grabbing the bowl from the child, he places it gently on the floor beside him. As Yahiko takes his leave, Sano carefully sets the sleeping girl in a sitting position.
"Hey, c'mon now. Open your eyes and work with me here. That's it, its soup. Drink it all down," he says, lifting the bowl to the now awake girl's mouth. After downing as much soup as she could, the girl becomes aware of her guest and stifles a cry.
"Where am I? Who are you? Why did you take me here?" She asks all at once.
"Whoa there, missy. Once question at a time! Ok, my name is Sanosuke. You're at the Kamiya Dojo, and I brought you here4 because you were going to bleed to death," Sano answered slowly, as if he were talking to a child.
"My name is Rorokko, and I...I have to go now," Rorokko said, trying to pull herself up, but was pushed back down by gentle yet firm hands.
Walking outside, Sanosuke relayed Rorokko's story to the others.
"She told me that she was attacked by someone. The medicine was starting to kick in so her story was weird. She said something about being attacked by the same people who killed her brother," he finished.
Somehow, Kaoru had slipped in while Sanosuke was explaining. Now, as her face turned pale, she noticeably stepped from the huddled group and walked towards the Dojo. Ignoring Sano's complaints, she made her way through the door and into the room with Rorokko. Almost as soon as she had vanished, she reappeared. Her hair momentarily covered her face, but pushing the strands from her view, revealed a tear-stained face.
"Its her. Its really her," Kaoru cried.
Sanosuke ran through the empty streets as the rain poured down upon him. "Man... I can't believe I fell asleep. Damn the rain!" he growled. As he turned down the next alleyway, the disheveled street fighter ran smack into someone.
"What the hell was that? Look where you're going...." He started to say, but stopped short as he realized that he had run into a girl; she lay sprawled out on the ground as the rain and mud smeared her face.
"I'm sorry, little missy. I didn't see you. I didn't think I'd hurt you bad though..." Sanosuke said as the girl repulsed as she tired to get up.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I'll just..." the girl replied but was silenced as she was caught with gasps of pain that sent her right back off her feet.
Sanosuke tried to grab her as she fell. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, he guided the girl to the ground. As he pressed his arms against her, he felt a warm liquid run down his arm and hand.
"Blood," he said, muffling a cry of disgust. The blood now came more fluidly, gushing down the girl's side as Sanosuke battled to keep his cool. Picking up the wounded girl carefully, he carried her back to the safest place known to him, Kamiya Dojo.
Sanosuke sat bunched up against the washbasin with Yahiko plastered to his side like the pest he was. As Ms. Magumi made her way from the Dojo, she stopped in front of Sanosuke but instead, talked to Kenshin.
"Her wounds are deep. How she could have survived such a thing is beyond me...and yet, you survived attacks that I thought impossible. The girl is different though," Ms. Magumi said, eyes cold. Silence filled in around Sanosuke. Just as he was about to claim himself crazy, Kenshin spoke up.
"That girl is a strong one, that she is. I'll have to go and talk with her when she awakens. What is the extent of her injuries, Ms. Magumi?"
The red haired swordsman listened closely as the female doctor explains her finds. Keeping an interested face, he pieced together the information he was given and tried to look at it from another point of view; ok, this girl was found with extensive wounds to her left side, a long gash that ran from one side to the other.
As Kenshin and Magumi talked further on this mysterious subject, they drifted away from the main part of the Dojo. As if being pulled by a mystical force, Sanosuke feels himself rise and walk to the Dojo door. Sliding it open, he entered and shut it quickly behind him.
"Oh Sanosuke! I've brought some hot soup for you're guest!" Yahiko crowed from the doorway, but was sent to muffle groans as Sanosuke grabs him by the collar into a headlock.
"Shut up! If you wake her up, I'll..." Sano whispers.
"Oh, don't be so protective, Sano. You don't even know her name..." Yahiko replies, but changes the subject as he gets a dangerous glare from Sanosuke. "I brought her some soup." Grabbing the bowl from the child, he places it gently on the floor beside him. As Yahiko takes his leave, Sano carefully sets the sleeping girl in a sitting position.
"Hey, c'mon now. Open your eyes and work with me here. That's it, its soup. Drink it all down," he says, lifting the bowl to the now awake girl's mouth. After downing as much soup as she could, the girl becomes aware of her guest and stifles a cry.
"Where am I? Who are you? Why did you take me here?" She asks all at once.
"Whoa there, missy. Once question at a time! Ok, my name is Sanosuke. You're at the Kamiya Dojo, and I brought you here4 because you were going to bleed to death," Sano answered slowly, as if he were talking to a child.
"My name is Rorokko, and I...I have to go now," Rorokko said, trying to pull herself up, but was pushed back down by gentle yet firm hands.
Walking outside, Sanosuke relayed Rorokko's story to the others.
"She told me that she was attacked by someone. The medicine was starting to kick in so her story was weird. She said something about being attacked by the same people who killed her brother," he finished.
Somehow, Kaoru had slipped in while Sanosuke was explaining. Now, as her face turned pale, she noticeably stepped from the huddled group and walked towards the Dojo. Ignoring Sano's complaints, she made her way through the door and into the room with Rorokko. Almost as soon as she had vanished, she reappeared. Her hair momentarily covered her face, but pushing the strands from her view, revealed a tear-stained face.
"Its her. Its really her," Kaoru cried.