I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. If I did, he'd stop calling Kaoru 'dono.'

Note For purposes of this story, just believe that Kaoru's dojo has a stove and that you can run from Aizu to Tokyo in a day.

A Rurouni Sickness

By Shiara-dono

Chapter 2

Not too long later, voices sounded at the dojo gates. Kaoru walked outside and was greeted by the chief of police and some of his men. "We saw the smoke and came to make sure you and Mr. Himura are okay."

Kaoru assured them that they were, explaining that luckily only the kitchen was burned. Yahiko appeared at that time, and she sent him to the clinic to fetch Dr. Gensai. At the police chief's unspoken question, she said that Kenshin was sick. This got eyebrows raised, but no one commented. She politely declined their offer to help clean, saying she had it under control. They finally left and Kaoru got back to cleaning the kitchen, after checking on Kenshin again. She sighed, as Yahiko came in the dojo without the doctor. "Not there?"

Yahiko shook his head.

Kaoru's eyes began to water again. She quickly turned away from her student, not noticing when he left, and went back to cleaning. After a little while, she heard a sound behind her. She turned, expecting Kenshin or Yahiko. It wasn't either of them. She looked at the newcomer in stunned silence.

"Well, Jou-chan, what happened here?" Sanosuke asked, leaning against the ruined kitchen doorway. "Were you trying to cook again?"

"Sanosuke!" Kaoru cried happily. "I thought you were in China."

Sanosuke shrugged. "I was. I came back to see how everyone's doing." He gave her a quizzical look.

Kaoru blushed darkly. "This isn't my doing! It… it's Kenshin's."

"Kenshin?!"

Kaoru nodded, standing up and attempting to brush soot from her clothes. She walked past him and he followed. She went to Kenshin's room, opened the shoji, and walked inside. "He's sick. I guess he must have passed out." She whispered, bending down to wipe the sweat from Kenshin's face. She noted sadly that his fever hadn't gone down. If anything, it was higher.

"Didn't you send for Fox?" Sanosuke asked, keeping his voice low as he knelt next to her to watch Kenshin.

"No, Megumi's in Aizu now, remember? And I sent Yahiko to get Dr. Gensai, but... he's not there." Her voice cracked.

"You're really worried about him."

Kaoru gave him a scathing look. "He's never gotten sick like this. And it's bad, really bad."

Kenshin coughed violently, gasping for air. He cracked open lead- heavy eyes. Through the haze, he could see the young woman from earlier. Only this time, there was a young man with her. He looked vaguely familiar. They had been whispering to one another, but were now looking at him, worry evident in their eyes.

"Kenshin?" The woman asked. Her voice, scratchy from the smoke, sounded like it was very far away.

Kenshin? Is that my name? He closed his eyes again.

Kaoru's hands shook as she took the towel from Kenshin's forehead. She walked outside, pulling a fresh bucket of water from the well, and dipping the towel into it. "I... I don't know what to do." She commented, knowing Sanosuke had walked out behind her. "I should have asked Megumi to teach me what she knew."

Sanosuke pulled her awkwardly into an embrace. "Jou-chan, you can't blame yourself. Kenshin wouldn't want that. And Fox would have laughed, and made fun of you for asking."

Kaoru took a deep breath, brushing away her tears. "I know." She sniffed. "Thanks, Sanosuke. I'll give you some money so that you and Yahiko can eat at the Akabeko."

It was the only time Sanosuke had ever refused a meal. He faced her, genuinely startled. "But, Jou-chan! You need to eat too!"

"I'm not really hungry right now."

Sanosuke sighed. "Fine, but we'll bring you back some food."

Kaoru awoke later that night, feeling suddenly uneasy. She could hear Sanosuke's snores from the other room. For a moment she wondered why she couldn't hear Yahiko, then remembered the note he left about having to go somewhere for a day. She sat up and looked toward the door to her room. She gasped. Her shoji was open and Kenshin was standing there, leaning heavily against the doorframe.

His voice, hardly a whisper, cracked and broke when he spoke. "You are real, then? Not a dream?" He stepped forward, swaying, and stumbled to his knees.

Kaoru flew off her futon, kneeling beside Kenshin. "Kenshin!"

"Is that my name?"

"Oro? Uh, I mean, what?" Ugh, I'm starting to talk like him.

"Is that my name?" He repeated.

"Of course it is, Kenshin! Did... did you forget?"

Kenshin nodded, then groaned when the pounding in his head got worse. "Who was the man with you earlier?"

Now Kaoru was really worried. "That was Sanosuke. He came back from China to visit us." She paused. "Kenshin? What is my name?"

Kenshin looked at her blankly, then closed his eyes, missing the hurt that flitted across Kaoru's face. "I... I don't know. Do I know you?"

Tears spilled down Kaoru's face. "Kaoru. I'm Kaoru Kamiya. This is my dojo, and you've been living with me a few years now."

Kenshin brushed his hand against Kaoru's face, wiping away her tears. "Please don't cry, Kaoru. I'm sorry I've forgotten such a beautiful girl. Would it help if I told you my heart is pounding, that it tells me I love you?"

Kaoru blushed, but inwardly sighed. She decided it must be his fever talking. Gently, she put a hand to his forehead. Yup, still hot and feverish.

"My being sick worries you?"

"You didn't tell me." She replied angrily. "If I hadn't come home when I did, you could have... you could have died!"

Kenshin suppressed a cough. "So, it's self- blame? Kaoru, I probably didn't want you to worry." He looked at his bandaged hands. "If anything, I am to blame."

"You are. Baka."

"O-?!" The cough caught him off guard. He collapsed against her, coughing violent, rattling coughs.

"Kenshin? Kenshin!!"

Sanosuke came flying into the room. "What is it, Jou-chan?"

"Get some water, quick!"

As Sanosuke scrambled to follow her order, she looked at Kenshin. He was soaked with sweat. She brushed Kenshin's wet hair out of his eyes. Great shivers ran through Kenshin's body, and his breath came in shallow wheezes.

Sanosuke came back in, carrying a cup of water, and carefully helped Kaoru pour it down Kenshin's throat.

"There's got to be something at the clinic we can use, even without Dr. Gensai. Sanosuke, will you carry Kenshin?"

"We're going to break into the clinic?" Sanosuke asked in disbelief.

"Do you have a better idea?!" Kaoru asked hotly. "Kenshin might… Kenshin might die if we wait!"

Sanosuke sighed. "Okay, Jou-chan." He carefully picked Kenshin up.

"S… Sa… no…" Kenshin said weakly.

"Don't worry, Kenshin. Me and Jou-chan'll get you well again."

They had almost reached the clinic when Kenshin spoke. His voice was still cracking from the smoke, but it was stronger, darker. "You'll put me down if you know what's good for you."

"Not happening, man. You're too sick to walk."

"You imbecile. I am Hitokiri Battousai, and I demand you put me down!"

"His illness must be confusing him." Kaoru spoke up.

Sanosuke nodded. "Kenshin, get a grip. You haven't been a hitokiri for more than twelve years now."

"I haven't?"

"Nope. Not since the Meji era started."

Kenshin fell silent after that. Kaoru crept into the clinic first. "Hello? Dr. Gensai? Is anyone here?" Silence greeted her. She quickly found some oil- filled lamps and lit them. "Okay, Sanosuke. Bring Kenshin in here." They set Kenshin on one of the futons. His eyes were open and he watched them, amber eyes amused, as they began ransacking the clinic. Kaoru found a list of common illnesses and scrolled through them. She glanced at Kenshin as he started coughing again.

"Sanosuke, I think Kenshin has this illness. P…p… damn! Its name is in another language!"

Sanosuke glanced over her shoulder at the paper. "Jou-chan, the kanji's right there." He pointed.

Kaoru glared at him. "I knew that!" She read the word again. "P… pneu…mo…ni…a. Pneumonia? Anyway, it has a high fever, coughing, pain, a hard time breathing, hallucinations, and…" She gasped.

"And?" Sanosuke asked, leaning over again.

"It… it says if left untreated, death is… death is…"

"We won't let that happen, Jou-chan. What's it say for cure?"

"Tea for the cough, um, plus some other ingredients, and there's a list of other things for the fever and other stuff." She handed him the list.

Sanosuke nodded. "Alright, I'll find these things and make the tea. We don't want you to poison him." He ducked out of the room before she could throw anything at him.

Kaoru's hand was already halfway to throwing a nearby chair when he left. She sighed, and opted for growling angry curses instead, turning to an amused Kenshin. "Something funny?" She demanded.

Kenshin shook his head, and tried to hide the fact that he was shivering.

Kaoru noticed and grabbed a blanket off the shelf. She tucked it around Kenshin, his wary eyes watching her. "You need to rest." She told him quietly.

"Who are you that you would care so much to try and save a hitokiri?"

Kaoru sighed. "We've been over this more than once, Kenshin. You were a hitokiri in the past, but that doesn't matter to me. It's not who you are now."

"I don't fully agree with what you're saying. I don't know you, so how can I have been with you all this time as you say?" When Kaoru opened her mouth to protest, he continued. "Still, you are intriguing." He gave her a small smile, leaned forward, and kissed her, thoroughly shocking Kaoru.

"Jeez, Jou-chan, I know you love Kenshin. But could you wait until after he's well before kissing him? Or did you want to get sick, too?"

They broke apart. "Sa… Sa… Sanosuke!!" Kaoru stuttered, red faced.

Kenshin chuckled. "Actually, I kissed her."

"You did? Oh." Sanosuke paused. "Anyway, the tea is done, and I mixed the medicine."

"Thanks, Sanosuke." Kaoru took the tea and medicine from his hands, pouring a cup for Kenshin.

Kenshin hesitated for a moment, not sure if these two were poisoning him. But one look at the girl's face convinced him otherwise. Still, he grimaced as he forced himself to swallow. He glared at Sanosuke with reproach. "It's bitter."

Sanosuke shrugged. "Fox's recipe, not mine. You have to drink a whole cup of it every four hours. Oh, and take that medicine with water once a day for the next five days."

Kenshin grimaced again, but he gulped down the rest of the tea and took the medicine he was offered. Within minutes, he felt himself getting sleepy.

"Sleep." Kaoru told him firmly. "We'll be here when you wake."

Kenshin tried to protest even as he sank into darkness.

A few hours later, Kenshin began to cough up the stuff that was coking his lungs. Kaoru gave him some more tea, and he slept again. She sat against the wall, watching him, one hand resting in his long hair. Then, with a sigh, she closed her eyes as well.

Some time in the early morning, Kenshin awoke and edged himself closer to Kaoru. He curled up against her, and fell into a deeper, healing sleep.

Yay, chapter two's up! Thank you to everyone who read chapter one, and thank you for the reviews! In the next chapter, where did Yahiko run off to and will Kenshin regain his memories? It will be the last chapter, because there's no good place to put a break. Ja ne!