Kenshin had been gone for 1 month now and Kaoru was counting down the days till he returned. Megumi had slapped some sense into her a few days after he left her. She had been depressed and sorrowful when he had left her but megumi had convinced her to go after him. Telling her she was the only one he had said goodbye to she was the only he would come back to. She had then left to kyoto to find him and bring him home. She had finally found him and after defeating shishio he had been asked to help the imperalists with another mission. He had accepted as long as he was able to return to tokyo and live peacfully once again. Kaoru didn't know much about what he was going to be doing, she just knew he would be assissting some of the few samurai that were left to keep peace in the north of japan from people who wanted to start a revolution.
"2 more days" she smiled happily as she crossed another day off her calender. She opened her door to a beautiful spring morning dr. gensai had come by with atame and suzume to see how she was doing. As yahiko played wuth ayame and suzume dr. gensai asked her what she was going to do when kenshin returned.
"i don't know" she stated "i just thought we could be one big family again. Everything could go back to normal" she smiled softly remembering the fond memories from before he had left to kyoto.
"it's not going to be the same as it was girlie" sano spoke up. He looked at the sky a fond memory in his eyes.
"i-i know it wont be life before but we can still settle down again. And well I will always be here waiting for him if he leaves again" she didn't like sayig it but she knew what sano was implying. Would he really want to stay here after he had a taste of battle once more. He'd been a wanderer for so long. He had no quarrels after fighting shishio to keep fighting those who fought back. Would he be able to fully go back to the wanderer she had met a year ago. Yahiko had stopped playing with the girls to liasten to the conversation.
"don't worry kaoru he'll come back same as ever and we'll all be one happy family again" she hoped he was right. She couldnt wait for the day that he would walk through the front gate.
The next two days were long but finally her dreams were going to become a reality. She waited outside for hours that morning for kenshin to come through the doors sano and yahiko waited with her as well everyone was anticipating his return but they didn't expect to see what they saw when he had finally arrived. Cuts on his face and burns on his clothes had shown that had fighting a lot. Though none of the injuries were as bad as the womans that he held in his arms. Kaoru stopped running as she got closer and saw the injured woman in any other situation kaoru would have been jealous and smacked kenshin for bringing another woamn home but she could tell this wasn't that kind of situation.
"hurry she needs help" kenshin looked at kaoru his eyes still held they battle lust in them but sorrow had filled them as well. Kaoru sent yahiko to town to get some medicine and she sent sanosuke to go find miss megumi.
As soon as miss megumi arrived yahiko arrived with the medicine she soon had cleaned and wrapped the wounds on the woman and was able to steady her breathing. Once everything was calmed down kaoru went to go find kenshin who had went to the empty dojo for some peace after the chaotic time he had been through. He had left the door open a crack and kaoru peared through. His back was to her as he took his shirt off revealing a number our wounds and scars from the battle. Her eyes went wide as she saw just what the battle was doing to him. She could still see the sharpness in his eyes he wasn't the same kenshin still she didn't know how he would react if she barged in. she watched silently as he wrapped the wounds on his arms and then sat on the floor. He sighed as he stared at the wall and the sign that hung on it reading "kamiya kasshin style." she watched him silently thought she believed he already knew she was there. She loved him so much but this kenshin was still not the kenshin she admired.
"hey missy you shouldnt be peeping like that" sano whispered in her ear making her jump. Yahiko smacked her over the head with his wooden sword.
"yeah ugly geez" she smirked.
"who are you calling ugly" she chased him around until she got a good hit in and decided they were even.
"and I wasn't peeping I just wanted to make sure he was okay" she clenched the fabric of her kimono. " his eyes they're just like before he left when he was fought jin-e" a tear fell from her eye. "what if he stays like this what if turns back into the battosai"
"thats not gonna happen missy i'll make sure of it myself" sano reassured along with yahiko. "yeah i'll give him a nice wack on the head if thats what it takes" yeahiko did a striking motion with his sword that made sano punch him in the head. "hey what was that for" noone answered him.
"that woman" kaoru realized "she looks like a samurai like kenshin. I didn't know there was any woman samurai working for the government."
"not many do" came a familiar voice behind kaoru. Kenshin opened the door and stood behind her. "shes one of the very few that work for anyone. Most are fighting for the revolution"
"it's come to tokyo hasn't it?" kaoru asked dreading the answer. "the revolution its here" sano and yahiko both looked at her in shock. She could tell it was here in tokyo the wounds on his body were fresh and the blood lust in his eyes was still strong and dangerous.
"yes there were more than they thought its happening again" kaoru started to sob 'no' she thought 'not again' she knew what that meant. If another revolution happened kenshin would become the battosai once more and who knows if he would ever become a wanderer again. She looked at kenshin who seemed to gaze off into the distance as if looking into the battle miles away. She hated those eyes those were the eyes that had killed thousands of men those were the eyes of battosai the man slayer. That night she couldn't sleep the thoughts of losing the one she loved pained her too muc. She decided to wander around the dojo it was peaceful at night while everyone slept well atleast almost everyone. The room where the injured woman was staying was glowing with the light of candles. Did she dare barge in? What if kenshin was in there? did he have feeligns for this woman? Who was she? She knocked on the door and she heard the woman softly invite her in. it was just her in the room kaoru sighed in relief. Then she looked questioningly at the woman. She was putting her kimono on though not as beatiful as kaorus as it was used for battle it did show off her looks alittle. She hadn't realized how beautiful she was. Her sleak shimmering brunette hair hung down to her lower back. When she turned to face kaoru he face wore a scar crossing her left eye and part of her nose and if with that scar she was the most beautiful woman kaoru had seen. Kaoru got a little jealous that kenshin brought home a more beautiful girl than her but she realized soemthing just then.
"are you leaving" kaoru asked the woman.
"i thank you for treating me and giving me such hospitality but I must go" she put her hair up in a ponytail and grabbed her her sword which kaoru realized was an odachi. A very hard to use weapon that many of the strongest men could not master. This surprised kaoru and the woman seemed to notice.
"ah yes my odachi not very many exsis. Not very many men or women can master this type of sword completely. Its taken me years" she smield but it was a sad smile. She said years and knowing how hard it took to master that sword she knew it took a lot of year to master but she didn't look too much older than kaoru.
"you must have learned at such a young age" kaoru studied her she was such a mystery but kaoru started to gain and great deal of respect for her.
"my parents were killed when I was just a child in the revolution by a man so dark and twisted he bathed in their blood I promised myself I would not let that man live. When I met himura and had found that he had rid the world of that monster I was forever in his debt." kaoru was shocked to hear the tone in her voice it was venom when she spoke his name.
"that monster was shishio. I spent my life training to do what himura did in a few months I owe him everything and now I will go back to the battle to make sure another revolution does not happen. To make sure another child does not lose their family" her eyes gleamed with bloodlust just kenshins did.