A/N: Well, same goes for the last chapter, this is an experimental fic to
help me improve my writing. Feel free to praise or criticize, I'm pretty
thick skinned. Now I had I few questions so here are your answers:
Ryoko: Um. if I suck at one thing its titles. It's kind of a pun on playing cards. When playing cards were first used in Europe, the Spades was actually a Swords card. So, in VERY roundabout way, I'm referring to Kenshin as the Jack of Swords (I'm a huge bookworm and incredibly corny.) Kaoru became the Queen of Hearts because throughout the fic, she sort of melts his heart. I was really stumped for a title and, being the crazy I am, just picked a totally random pun. If you have a better idea for a title that actually makes sense, I'm perfectly willing to throw away this one.
Child of Darkness: Thanks for support!
Miyu Sakura: Thanks for the praise. I liked your review. Very through. Reviews like that really help me with my writing. I already planned to follow most of your advice, but Tomoe is already in the story, though she isn't really a complication in the relationship. She has a small cameo in the beginning and doesn't really interact with Kenshin or Kaoru until the very end. The character she has the most interaction with is Saitou.
Ecchi: Thanks. My other story is better than this (in my humble opinion.)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 2: Nightmare
By Kenkaya
Kaoru sat diminutively by the koi pond in the gardens. The stars shone brightly. There was no moon to see by. She raised her face to the heavens, staring intently into the infinite void.
"Hello, father," she said with a sad smile. "How are you? Still mad at me? I know you have your reasons, but I have mine too. Can you try to understand? Well, I'm fifteen now. Its funny, I had to remind myself about today. It's nothing. But maybe now you can see I'm not a child anymore. I can make my own decisions. I know I shamed you but I have to do this! You can understand that, ne? He was like a son to you. I swear I'll hold to my word! I'll bring him back and make everything right again."
She rose from her vigil. Sapphire eyes etched with sorrow, she walked back to the inn. Her thoughts wavered towards a young swordsman with flame hair and amethyst eyes. No, she could not let him distract her. She tried to concentrate on a handsome young man with faded black hair and profound green eyes, but his features began to mutate. After a hard struggle, she sighed and gave in to her desires.
Did she love him?
She stopped in the doorway and turned back to face the night.
"I can't do it, father! I'm hopeless!"
Then she disappeared into the shadowed interior.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin sat on the roof, confused.
He watched her tiptoe out of the inn and knell by the koi pond. He listened, a genuine smile creeping across his mask.
He was surprised by her revelations. She disobeyed her father? She was fifteen today? And this man she was looking for, who was he? What was he to her?
He blinked. Why did he care? If this man was important to her, he should just let her go on with her search. If she found him and left, so be it.
Why did his chest ache?
Through the blackness of the night he could see her lovely raven hair, her ivory skin, finely sculptured face, and lastly, her shining sapphire eyes. The faint scent of jasmine hung in the air.
Then she floated away. She walked slowly, steps dragging against the ground.
"I can't do it father! I'm hopeless!"
She's hopeless?
He brooded in silence long after she disappeared. He had come here to think and hopefully will himself back to sleep. Since his first kill, nightmares plagued him, faces bombarding his psyche without mercy.
He would not be getting anymore sleep tonight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru strolled the city streets, as always, scanning faces in the crowd. He was the reason she came to Kyoto. She couldn't return to Edo without him, more or less face her father.
Painful memories flooded her mind. Exhausted, she made her way to the river and flopped down on a patch of grass under the bridge. The water rippled, flashing liquid gold. Gold, like his eyes when he killed. She shivered. Why couldn't she get the handsome hitokiri out of her head? He couldn't replace Keisuke in her heart. Keisuke was a gentle boy who loved life almost as much as he loved her. Kenshin was a cold-blooded assassin.
His eyes. She remembered brilliant purple, steely blue and finally wild amber. Eyes were windows to the soul. By the look in his eyes, his soul was poisoned, rotting away further with each slaughter. What was happening to the awkward boy who tried to dry her tears?
More tears rose. She let them fall. Now she could cry for him. When her tears were spent, the sun dipped low on the horizon. She rose and headed back to the inn.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin spent the day roving through the city again. A parade of Shinsengumi caused him a slight detour; Mibu's wolves they were called. The Bafuku were becoming cautious.
He reached the inn late, missing dinner. Sighing, he stepped into the kitchens.
The girls flitted around nervously when he made his request. He ate in the kitchen, noting their unease. Reiko rushed to pick up the dishes when he finished, eyes downcast. She was afraid of him. How amusing.
He left quietly, showing none of his inner turmoil. Amid the maelstrom, he felt relief. Nearly two weeks had passed since he received a black envelope; he needed the repose.
"Hey, looking for a good time, gorgeous."
He frowned, really to bypass the man's rendezvous.
"Don't touch me. Ecchi!"
Kaoru.
"Hey, don't get bitchy on me now."
"Let go of me!"
He approached the voices. The man had grabbed her by the arm and was unsuccessfully trying to drag her into an adjacent room.
Rage seethed inside him. How dare that man touch her like this! How dare he treat her like some common whore!
"I. Said. Let. Go."
She elbowed the man's gut and used the distraction to jerk her arm free. He hunched over, glowering. She turned away.
"I'll get you for that, bitch!" the man reached for her ponytail.
Kenshin had enough. He stepped forward, disgusted. He glared at the man with savage amber eyes; a hitokiri's eyes.
She walked past him, averting her gaze.
He turned to escort her out of the room, expecting nothing for his help. Unfortunately, he was wrong.
"Kenshin! What were you doing?!" she exclaimed once they were out of earshot.
"Helping," he replied curtly. Hitokiri were not known for their ways with words. That's what politicians were for.
"Why?" she pressed.
"You seemed to need it."
"I can handle myself! If I couldn't I would've been raped by bastards like him ages ago," she cut off her tirade with flushed cheeks. "I didn't mean to be so blunt, but it's the truth."
"This has happened before?"
She snorted. "It happens to all the girls. Iizuka jumped me my first night here. But a lot of the guys stay away from me now."
"Oh?" he couldn't stop his curiosity or the hard edge to his voice.
"Aren't we talkative today," she grinned. "The men stay away from me because of what I did to Iizuka. It's still a sore bruise on his ego!"
He cocked his head slightly in interest.
"I kicked him where it hurts a man most, with geta on! He could barely stand afterwards."
He visibly winced. That would do the trick.
"Serves him right, trying to corner me like that. I'm not exactly helpless! And then the next morning, he was telling all the men what a good lay I was to fuel his own ego!" she sighed in exasperation. "I have to admit I enjoyed it when the truth came out. The men laughed at him for days! Then the baka goes after me again to save face."
He never classified Iizuka as a first-class idiot before.
"He went after you again?"
"Hai," she bobbed her head. His eyes fixed momentarily on the swishing movement of her raven hair. "He snuck in the servant rooms at night to catch me in my sleep."
A fresh wave of rage bubbled forth. He clamped down on the frenzied emotion.
"He scared me nearly to death! He kept me from screaming but my struggle woke some of the girls up and they started screaming and trying to help pull me away. He never got a chance to do anything lasting," she chuckled. "Okami-san was so angry. She threatened to throw out all the Ishin Shishi and ban them from the inn. Even Katsura-sama! 'Forget the cause' she said, 'my inn is in danger already being an imperialist base, I don't need to tolerate oversexed men pawing at my workers and waking everybody up at odd hours of the night!' It was great! You came a few weeks later and by then the whole thing had pretty much blown over. Your anti-social tendencies didn't help much either."
The slight smile that graced his lips transformed into a light scowl.
Excuse me?"
"You know perfectly well what I meant."
He shrugged, "I am a hitokiri."
"You're not just a hitokiri," She whispered, tugging on his sleeve gently. He stopped. Her sapphire orbs were shot. He didn't notice before. Had she been crying?
"What am I?"
"What are you hiding from?"
"I should ask you the same," he snapped, taken aback by her insight.
She looked up at him with a crooked smile. He was only a few centimeters taller than her. He was tense.
"I guess we're all here because we're either running or hiding."
"Or both," he added.
"Or both," she agreed. She ran off and slipped down the hall to the servant quarters.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
What do you think of me now?
Kenshin watched the wooden top spin in the darkness. The top was plain, no brilliant colors or intricate carvings. The whirling object captivated him.
I kill. I have no heart, no soul. Memories are my only respite. And her.
He broke his thoughts. The top fell over. He sighed. A calloused hand shot up to smack his forehead, lacing fingers through fiery bangs in a desperate grip. How could he ever expect to sleep like this?
His childhood. It was short, too short. He grabbed on to the scattered images of family, groping for peace of mind. His father, his mother, his brothers; back then he had truly been innocent.
He was Shinta, the mischievous little farmer's son. He was the small, profound boy who stepped between fights, who hated discord. His father teased him, calling him 'musume' and his brothers shouted 'imouto' in unison. He hated that too.
His seventh birthday. The summer wind blew harsh. The land was dry. His older brother smiled, handing him a hand-carved wooden top.
"Here, Shinta-kun, let me show you how to use that."
The last birthday present he got. The last memento of his innocence. In a few months a cholera epidemic would steal his childhood and enslave him. The wood, smooth with age, was his heart, his soul.
He sighed, picked up the top, and wrapped the string around it again. He let it fly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru woke early. She was restless.
Shoving the blankets aside, she lifted herself off the futon and dressed in a plain pale blue kimono. Unbraiding her hair, she decided to leave it loose down her back and walked out toward the gardens in darkness.
Nature always soothed her. Even at home, she ran to find comfort by her late mother's flowers. She walked up to the koi pond. It was bigger than the one at home. She released a breath as she knelt, dipping a hand lazily into the cool water reflecting the black sky.
She wondered who was taking care of her mother's flowers. Her mother had died when she was very young; the flowers were a way for her to connect to a woman she could no longer put a face to. Who, other than her, would bother with them?
Keisuke might have, but his departure was the reason she left. Her father surely would, but he was probably lamenting over losing his surrogate son and only child.
I'm sorry father.
She walked inside, trekking through the halls. She reached Kenshin's room. A cool breeze flitted across the hall, his shoji was open a crack. She reached to close it.
Where is the breeze coming from?
Curious, she peeped in and saw him propped up against the open window. He was asleep. Smiling at his serene face, she stepped in. He looked like a child in his slumber, aside from the sheathed katana propped against his shoulder and the violent scar that marked his left cheek. She tiptoed across the room, intending to close the window and leave him undisturbed.
He shifted and mumbled incoherently. She heard something solid fall onto the floor. A wooden top rolled across planked timber, spiraling to a stop at her feet. She picked it up tenderly.
Why does he have a top? It must have some sentiment for him to keep it.
He broke the silence with a sharp cry. She hurried to his side. His eyes snapped open.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin was running. The alleys of Kyoto were dark. He could smell blood everywhere. Could feel it splattering beneath his feet. Moans of agony drifted through the air. Screams of death bashed against his ears. His vision was tinted red.
A man stepped from the shadows, wearing a purple yukata. He began walking toward the man, subconsciously. The man turned. Kenshin gasped.
"Hitokiri," the man hissed. His yukata was not purple, but blood-stained blue.
The first man he killed. He died months ago under temple arches, staining the holy ground scarlet.
The man screamed, "hitokiri!"
He unsheathed his sword and charged the hitokiri. Before he could assess the situation, Kenshin found his sword in the man's heart. But it was not the man anymore. His features were growing harsher, more angular. He was wearing a flowing white mantle.
"S.Shishou!"
The man on the end of his katana bent down and whispered, "What did you expect?"
The large, bulky figure bending over him was suffocating. With a sharp cry, he pushed the corpse of his former master aside. He closed his eyes and slumped to the ground, fighting off exhaustion.
Another presence. He snapped his eyes open and reached for his discarded katana.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
His eyes snapped open. They were fierce amber.
Kaoru started. Before she could call his name, he drew his sword and swung it toward her throat. She briefly registered the hand fisted in the cloth of her kimono, drawing her toward him. Steel dug into her skin.
His eyes widened. He threw her away from him, roughly. She grabbed her bleeding neck from her crumpled position on the floor and looked up.
Blood ran down the edge. His hand was curled around the blade, killing its momentum. His eyes were wide purple. The sound of his heavy pants filled the room. He began to tremble violently.
"Kenshin," she called wincing at the pain.
He raised his head and stared at her as if she were a ghost.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kenshin," she called hoarsely.
He pulled his blade on her. On Kaoru!
He raised his head. Her face was pale, panic written across its delicate features. Dark, midnight tresses spilled loosely over her shoulders. Her kimono was pale blue and her eyes dark sapphire. The dim moonlight, invading through his open window, gave her an ethereal glow.
Then he saw red. Her fingers were clutched around her throat, sticky with blood. He shook in rage and fear. He had never been so sickened by the sight of gore.
"Kenshin," she called again softly. She was beside him on her knees. Uncertainly, she placed a hand on his arm. The hand mesmerized him. He shrugged it off.
"Don't touch," he hissed.
"Why?" she looked at him with angelic eyes.
"I killed you," he whispered.
"I'm fine."
He lifted his eyes to the wound. Just a shallow cut. He sucked in a grateful breath.
"You're hurt," she pried his hand off the blade. Just a scratch.
"It's nothing. Don't."
"You're wrong," she cut him off. "What's this?" she held out his top.
He stared.
"A memory," he answered.
"What memory?"
"Family," he said after a brief pause. "Innocence."
"You have hope," she took his uninjured hand and placed the top inside. "Don't lose your heart, Kenshin."
Never.
She stood to leave.
"Kaoru-san?"
"Hai."
"Let me treat your wound," he reached for the small box of bandages and ointment he kept handy to treat minor sword wounds, inflicted on careless nights. She knelt beside him again. He liberally applied the ointment and bandaged the wound with careful, strong hands.
"Done."
She rose and bid him farewell with a smile.
"Why?" he asked.
She paused in the doorway, "why, what?"
Why did you say I have hope? I could have killed you tonight."
"Yes," she nodded. "I surprised you." she gestured toward his hand. "Thank you for saving my life. Take care of yourself."
He stared at her back as she slid the shoji shut behind her. The scent of jasmine permeated through the room, legacy of her passing. The sun already stained the horizon.
"I had to," he murmured. "I couldn't kill you."
Ryoko: Um. if I suck at one thing its titles. It's kind of a pun on playing cards. When playing cards were first used in Europe, the Spades was actually a Swords card. So, in VERY roundabout way, I'm referring to Kenshin as the Jack of Swords (I'm a huge bookworm and incredibly corny.) Kaoru became the Queen of Hearts because throughout the fic, she sort of melts his heart. I was really stumped for a title and, being the crazy I am, just picked a totally random pun. If you have a better idea for a title that actually makes sense, I'm perfectly willing to throw away this one.
Child of Darkness: Thanks for support!
Miyu Sakura: Thanks for the praise. I liked your review. Very through. Reviews like that really help me with my writing. I already planned to follow most of your advice, but Tomoe is already in the story, though she isn't really a complication in the relationship. She has a small cameo in the beginning and doesn't really interact with Kenshin or Kaoru until the very end. The character she has the most interaction with is Saitou.
Ecchi: Thanks. My other story is better than this (in my humble opinion.)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 2: Nightmare
By Kenkaya
Kaoru sat diminutively by the koi pond in the gardens. The stars shone brightly. There was no moon to see by. She raised her face to the heavens, staring intently into the infinite void.
"Hello, father," she said with a sad smile. "How are you? Still mad at me? I know you have your reasons, but I have mine too. Can you try to understand? Well, I'm fifteen now. Its funny, I had to remind myself about today. It's nothing. But maybe now you can see I'm not a child anymore. I can make my own decisions. I know I shamed you but I have to do this! You can understand that, ne? He was like a son to you. I swear I'll hold to my word! I'll bring him back and make everything right again."
She rose from her vigil. Sapphire eyes etched with sorrow, she walked back to the inn. Her thoughts wavered towards a young swordsman with flame hair and amethyst eyes. No, she could not let him distract her. She tried to concentrate on a handsome young man with faded black hair and profound green eyes, but his features began to mutate. After a hard struggle, she sighed and gave in to her desires.
Did she love him?
She stopped in the doorway and turned back to face the night.
"I can't do it, father! I'm hopeless!"
Then she disappeared into the shadowed interior.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin sat on the roof, confused.
He watched her tiptoe out of the inn and knell by the koi pond. He listened, a genuine smile creeping across his mask.
He was surprised by her revelations. She disobeyed her father? She was fifteen today? And this man she was looking for, who was he? What was he to her?
He blinked. Why did he care? If this man was important to her, he should just let her go on with her search. If she found him and left, so be it.
Why did his chest ache?
Through the blackness of the night he could see her lovely raven hair, her ivory skin, finely sculptured face, and lastly, her shining sapphire eyes. The faint scent of jasmine hung in the air.
Then she floated away. She walked slowly, steps dragging against the ground.
"I can't do it father! I'm hopeless!"
She's hopeless?
He brooded in silence long after she disappeared. He had come here to think and hopefully will himself back to sleep. Since his first kill, nightmares plagued him, faces bombarding his psyche without mercy.
He would not be getting anymore sleep tonight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru strolled the city streets, as always, scanning faces in the crowd. He was the reason she came to Kyoto. She couldn't return to Edo without him, more or less face her father.
Painful memories flooded her mind. Exhausted, she made her way to the river and flopped down on a patch of grass under the bridge. The water rippled, flashing liquid gold. Gold, like his eyes when he killed. She shivered. Why couldn't she get the handsome hitokiri out of her head? He couldn't replace Keisuke in her heart. Keisuke was a gentle boy who loved life almost as much as he loved her. Kenshin was a cold-blooded assassin.
His eyes. She remembered brilliant purple, steely blue and finally wild amber. Eyes were windows to the soul. By the look in his eyes, his soul was poisoned, rotting away further with each slaughter. What was happening to the awkward boy who tried to dry her tears?
More tears rose. She let them fall. Now she could cry for him. When her tears were spent, the sun dipped low on the horizon. She rose and headed back to the inn.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin spent the day roving through the city again. A parade of Shinsengumi caused him a slight detour; Mibu's wolves they were called. The Bafuku were becoming cautious.
He reached the inn late, missing dinner. Sighing, he stepped into the kitchens.
The girls flitted around nervously when he made his request. He ate in the kitchen, noting their unease. Reiko rushed to pick up the dishes when he finished, eyes downcast. She was afraid of him. How amusing.
He left quietly, showing none of his inner turmoil. Amid the maelstrom, he felt relief. Nearly two weeks had passed since he received a black envelope; he needed the repose.
"Hey, looking for a good time, gorgeous."
He frowned, really to bypass the man's rendezvous.
"Don't touch me. Ecchi!"
Kaoru.
"Hey, don't get bitchy on me now."
"Let go of me!"
He approached the voices. The man had grabbed her by the arm and was unsuccessfully trying to drag her into an adjacent room.
Rage seethed inside him. How dare that man touch her like this! How dare he treat her like some common whore!
"I. Said. Let. Go."
She elbowed the man's gut and used the distraction to jerk her arm free. He hunched over, glowering. She turned away.
"I'll get you for that, bitch!" the man reached for her ponytail.
Kenshin had enough. He stepped forward, disgusted. He glared at the man with savage amber eyes; a hitokiri's eyes.
She walked past him, averting her gaze.
He turned to escort her out of the room, expecting nothing for his help. Unfortunately, he was wrong.
"Kenshin! What were you doing?!" she exclaimed once they were out of earshot.
"Helping," he replied curtly. Hitokiri were not known for their ways with words. That's what politicians were for.
"Why?" she pressed.
"You seemed to need it."
"I can handle myself! If I couldn't I would've been raped by bastards like him ages ago," she cut off her tirade with flushed cheeks. "I didn't mean to be so blunt, but it's the truth."
"This has happened before?"
She snorted. "It happens to all the girls. Iizuka jumped me my first night here. But a lot of the guys stay away from me now."
"Oh?" he couldn't stop his curiosity or the hard edge to his voice.
"Aren't we talkative today," she grinned. "The men stay away from me because of what I did to Iizuka. It's still a sore bruise on his ego!"
He cocked his head slightly in interest.
"I kicked him where it hurts a man most, with geta on! He could barely stand afterwards."
He visibly winced. That would do the trick.
"Serves him right, trying to corner me like that. I'm not exactly helpless! And then the next morning, he was telling all the men what a good lay I was to fuel his own ego!" she sighed in exasperation. "I have to admit I enjoyed it when the truth came out. The men laughed at him for days! Then the baka goes after me again to save face."
He never classified Iizuka as a first-class idiot before.
"He went after you again?"
"Hai," she bobbed her head. His eyes fixed momentarily on the swishing movement of her raven hair. "He snuck in the servant rooms at night to catch me in my sleep."
A fresh wave of rage bubbled forth. He clamped down on the frenzied emotion.
"He scared me nearly to death! He kept me from screaming but my struggle woke some of the girls up and they started screaming and trying to help pull me away. He never got a chance to do anything lasting," she chuckled. "Okami-san was so angry. She threatened to throw out all the Ishin Shishi and ban them from the inn. Even Katsura-sama! 'Forget the cause' she said, 'my inn is in danger already being an imperialist base, I don't need to tolerate oversexed men pawing at my workers and waking everybody up at odd hours of the night!' It was great! You came a few weeks later and by then the whole thing had pretty much blown over. Your anti-social tendencies didn't help much either."
The slight smile that graced his lips transformed into a light scowl.
Excuse me?"
"You know perfectly well what I meant."
He shrugged, "I am a hitokiri."
"You're not just a hitokiri," She whispered, tugging on his sleeve gently. He stopped. Her sapphire orbs were shot. He didn't notice before. Had she been crying?
"What am I?"
"What are you hiding from?"
"I should ask you the same," he snapped, taken aback by her insight.
She looked up at him with a crooked smile. He was only a few centimeters taller than her. He was tense.
"I guess we're all here because we're either running or hiding."
"Or both," he added.
"Or both," she agreed. She ran off and slipped down the hall to the servant quarters.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
What do you think of me now?
Kenshin watched the wooden top spin in the darkness. The top was plain, no brilliant colors or intricate carvings. The whirling object captivated him.
I kill. I have no heart, no soul. Memories are my only respite. And her.
He broke his thoughts. The top fell over. He sighed. A calloused hand shot up to smack his forehead, lacing fingers through fiery bangs in a desperate grip. How could he ever expect to sleep like this?
His childhood. It was short, too short. He grabbed on to the scattered images of family, groping for peace of mind. His father, his mother, his brothers; back then he had truly been innocent.
He was Shinta, the mischievous little farmer's son. He was the small, profound boy who stepped between fights, who hated discord. His father teased him, calling him 'musume' and his brothers shouted 'imouto' in unison. He hated that too.
His seventh birthday. The summer wind blew harsh. The land was dry. His older brother smiled, handing him a hand-carved wooden top.
"Here, Shinta-kun, let me show you how to use that."
The last birthday present he got. The last memento of his innocence. In a few months a cholera epidemic would steal his childhood and enslave him. The wood, smooth with age, was his heart, his soul.
He sighed, picked up the top, and wrapped the string around it again. He let it fly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru woke early. She was restless.
Shoving the blankets aside, she lifted herself off the futon and dressed in a plain pale blue kimono. Unbraiding her hair, she decided to leave it loose down her back and walked out toward the gardens in darkness.
Nature always soothed her. Even at home, she ran to find comfort by her late mother's flowers. She walked up to the koi pond. It was bigger than the one at home. She released a breath as she knelt, dipping a hand lazily into the cool water reflecting the black sky.
She wondered who was taking care of her mother's flowers. Her mother had died when she was very young; the flowers were a way for her to connect to a woman she could no longer put a face to. Who, other than her, would bother with them?
Keisuke might have, but his departure was the reason she left. Her father surely would, but he was probably lamenting over losing his surrogate son and only child.
I'm sorry father.
She walked inside, trekking through the halls. She reached Kenshin's room. A cool breeze flitted across the hall, his shoji was open a crack. She reached to close it.
Where is the breeze coming from?
Curious, she peeped in and saw him propped up against the open window. He was asleep. Smiling at his serene face, she stepped in. He looked like a child in his slumber, aside from the sheathed katana propped against his shoulder and the violent scar that marked his left cheek. She tiptoed across the room, intending to close the window and leave him undisturbed.
He shifted and mumbled incoherently. She heard something solid fall onto the floor. A wooden top rolled across planked timber, spiraling to a stop at her feet. She picked it up tenderly.
Why does he have a top? It must have some sentiment for him to keep it.
He broke the silence with a sharp cry. She hurried to his side. His eyes snapped open.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin was running. The alleys of Kyoto were dark. He could smell blood everywhere. Could feel it splattering beneath his feet. Moans of agony drifted through the air. Screams of death bashed against his ears. His vision was tinted red.
A man stepped from the shadows, wearing a purple yukata. He began walking toward the man, subconsciously. The man turned. Kenshin gasped.
"Hitokiri," the man hissed. His yukata was not purple, but blood-stained blue.
The first man he killed. He died months ago under temple arches, staining the holy ground scarlet.
The man screamed, "hitokiri!"
He unsheathed his sword and charged the hitokiri. Before he could assess the situation, Kenshin found his sword in the man's heart. But it was not the man anymore. His features were growing harsher, more angular. He was wearing a flowing white mantle.
"S.Shishou!"
The man on the end of his katana bent down and whispered, "What did you expect?"
The large, bulky figure bending over him was suffocating. With a sharp cry, he pushed the corpse of his former master aside. He closed his eyes and slumped to the ground, fighting off exhaustion.
Another presence. He snapped his eyes open and reached for his discarded katana.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
His eyes snapped open. They were fierce amber.
Kaoru started. Before she could call his name, he drew his sword and swung it toward her throat. She briefly registered the hand fisted in the cloth of her kimono, drawing her toward him. Steel dug into her skin.
His eyes widened. He threw her away from him, roughly. She grabbed her bleeding neck from her crumpled position on the floor and looked up.
Blood ran down the edge. His hand was curled around the blade, killing its momentum. His eyes were wide purple. The sound of his heavy pants filled the room. He began to tremble violently.
"Kenshin," she called wincing at the pain.
He raised his head and stared at her as if she were a ghost.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kenshin," she called hoarsely.
He pulled his blade on her. On Kaoru!
He raised his head. Her face was pale, panic written across its delicate features. Dark, midnight tresses spilled loosely over her shoulders. Her kimono was pale blue and her eyes dark sapphire. The dim moonlight, invading through his open window, gave her an ethereal glow.
Then he saw red. Her fingers were clutched around her throat, sticky with blood. He shook in rage and fear. He had never been so sickened by the sight of gore.
"Kenshin," she called again softly. She was beside him on her knees. Uncertainly, she placed a hand on his arm. The hand mesmerized him. He shrugged it off.
"Don't touch," he hissed.
"Why?" she looked at him with angelic eyes.
"I killed you," he whispered.
"I'm fine."
He lifted his eyes to the wound. Just a shallow cut. He sucked in a grateful breath.
"You're hurt," she pried his hand off the blade. Just a scratch.
"It's nothing. Don't."
"You're wrong," she cut him off. "What's this?" she held out his top.
He stared.
"A memory," he answered.
"What memory?"
"Family," he said after a brief pause. "Innocence."
"You have hope," she took his uninjured hand and placed the top inside. "Don't lose your heart, Kenshin."
Never.
She stood to leave.
"Kaoru-san?"
"Hai."
"Let me treat your wound," he reached for the small box of bandages and ointment he kept handy to treat minor sword wounds, inflicted on careless nights. She knelt beside him again. He liberally applied the ointment and bandaged the wound with careful, strong hands.
"Done."
She rose and bid him farewell with a smile.
"Why?" he asked.
She paused in the doorway, "why, what?"
Why did you say I have hope? I could have killed you tonight."
"Yes," she nodded. "I surprised you." she gestured toward his hand. "Thank you for saving my life. Take care of yourself."
He stared at her back as she slid the shoji shut behind her. The scent of jasmine permeated through the room, legacy of her passing. The sun already stained the horizon.
"I had to," he murmured. "I couldn't kill you."