Oh dear I've been gone a long time, huh? Well, in all honesty this past year has been more than a little rough. My husband and I decided to start our family and my pregnancy landed me in the hospital several times, cost me my job, and I ended up with a semi-permanent IV port that lasted 2 months. Now, though, we have a beautiful and healthy almost-3 month old and I couldn't be happier.
Thank you to all those who have favorited/followed/reviewed this story. I'm always looking back at reviews to encourage myself to not give up and keep writing!
Once again, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters. But I do own this plot and universe!
Please enjoy this latest installment of Can You Keep a Secret?
Kaoru barely registered the sound of metal scratching against ceramic tile, her vision softening and growing fuzzy as her brain tried to make any logical sense of what she'd just witnessed. Another guttural snarl, coming from the living room, brought sharp focus back and Kaoru immediately went into defense mode. Twisting around, she ripped open the fridge and grabbed the ludicrously large bottle of wine and proceeded to chug for all her worth.
This isn't happening. I'm still passed out from all the wine I drank with Misao. Nope. Can't be awake. Saw Kenshin's hair grow? Where did that sword come from? Sword? What? Nope. Kaoru took a breath and then a few more bitter gulps from the obviously cheap bottle. It definitely wasn't her finest mental moment and unfortunately it wouldn't remain her top freak-out for nearly as long as she believed it would. A sickening crack yanked her attention back to the living room. The mirror that held many fond memories, now nothing but scattered shards of reflective glass. In front of the now-unlucky piece she saw a heavily breathing Jun, barely standing, doubled over and clasping his right side. Kaoru thought she could see crimson oozing between his fingers.
The sight of blood spurred her into action. Before she could think herself out of it, Kaoru ran to stand in front of the one person she should probably just let die. Don't think about personal gain, Kaoru. Gotta think about all the questions and police reports and swords…WHERE THE FUCK DID KENSHIN GET A SWORD?
"Um, Ms. Kaoru? You said that out loud you know." The easy and careless grin on Kenshin's face made her want to grab the damn pointy thing and run him through with it. "Well, then I guess somebody better start answering me then, don't you think?" She looked over her shoulder to make sure Jun hadn't passed out yet. Her eyes rounded as she watched his face painfully contort from the green, puss-filled visage he'd worn during the fight, back into features she recognized. Without any conscious thought, Kaoru turned fully, her right hand rising and cracking the wine bottle she still held into Jun's left temple. She felt completely detached from her body as she stared down at the slumped, and still bleeding, body at her feet. Warm fingers brushed hers lightly before they began to tug the bottle from her white-knuckled grip.
"Ms. Kaoru, you can let go. I don't believe he'll be getting up again any time soon, but he will get up I promise." Kaoru blinked owlishly at the face talking to her. She recognized Kenshin's features, but only barely as they appeared distorted by flickering shadows—no, flames, Kaoru corrected herself. Somehow there were flames dancing across not only Kenshin's face, but his entire body. Smoke drifted lazily from the edges of his robe where they were slowly smoldering before dripping into ash. She attempted to swallow once, realized how dry her throat was, and then brought the wine bottle back to her mouth to remedy that. She met slight resistance, but Kenshin seemed to understand her need and allowed her to take the bottle. After three deliberate gulps, Kaoru gasped as she brought the back of her hand to her mouth to wipe away any moisture she felt. A successful swallow of air, and a rather unladylike belch, put Kaoru back into the realm of those who use auditory speech.
"So, are you jus' gonna stand there, or are ya' gonna help tie up the sssnake?" Kenshin resembled the last balloon from a birthday party: nearly completely deflated and barely staying above the ground before giving up and dying.
Of all the scenarios Kenshin had run through in his mind for how the revelation that he had demonic powers, that there was even such a thing as a demon, would go for Kaoru, the actual event fell so far out of those parameters he had no clue how to react immediately. Kaoru is…drunk? Taking a moment to study her appearance, Kenshin noted her eyes held a glassy quality and her cheeks appeared much rosier than normal. Add those to the belch and slurred speech and the only logical conclusion could be drunkenness. I suppose it's how she's coping with seeing Tanaka's true form, which thinking back on seemed entirely too familiar. Deciding he had enough time to make Kaoru comfortable before dealing with the man on the ground, Kenshin slowly allowed the feeling of brimstone and fire to ease through his body towards his fingertips where he let the power fully dissipate. Once the demonic aura gave way to his normal appearance, he carefully wrapped an arm around Kaoru's shoulders to gently lead her to the couch. Somehow the rickety old thing had survived the brief battle.
"Now Ms. Kaoru, I need you to sit for a minute, okay?" An incredibly girlish giggle followed by a hiccup was her response. Kenshin couldn't be sure whether he wanted to laugh or sigh. He settled for a polite smile. "Okay, I'm gonna let you rest here while I…take care of the…problem from earlier…" Any further thought turned to vapor as Kaoru's hands, which had fisted into his shirt, yanked him toward her. A man with any less physical ability would have toppled on top of her, pinning her to the couch. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it, Kenshin kept his balance but couldn't help the disappearance of any space between their noses. The acrid, fruity scent of cheap wine drenched the air around them and Kenshin felt the soft brush of her lips as she spoke.
"Kenshin, I, I need to tell you sumthin' importrant. Mmkay?" The slur of her speech reminded him of her less than coherent state so he resisted the urge to taste the wine she'd been drinking, directly from her tongue. "Yes, Ms. Kaoru?" At his smoky reply Kaoru's eyes squinted in concentration and her mouth twisted into grimace. "I'm gonna need a bucket, tissshhhhhuuuuus, and…and wa-water." At first, Kenshin wasn't entirely sure what she meant, but then he caught the slight tinge of green beginning to appear. Fear of impending vomit on his face drove him to act. He made sure to position Kaoru on her side so that if he couldn't make it back in time she at least wouldn't choke. Quickly as he could, Kenshin moved from room to room searching for anything, everything that a sick (drunk) person needs to be comfortable. How in the five realms did she even get so drunk?
Several minutes later, as Kenshin held a heaving Kaoru's hair back, Yahiko burst through the patio doors. Red faced and trembling slightly, Yahiko launched into an outright tirade. "You stupid damn ugly tanuki! Why d'ya' abandon me out there? Huh? All the snake got was a bump on the nose, it shouldn't take this long to patch 'im up and send 'im on his way!" Kenshin couldn't help the small grin tugging on his lips. At least Yahiko hasn't changed too much. He's still the little hothead I remember. "And for another thing!" Kenshin chose this moment to interrupt before Yahiko ran out of colorful expressions depicting his sister's intelligence and appearance.
"Ah, yes, Yahiko. I do apologize. I may have accidentally caused your sister to become slightly ill." Yahiko finally took a closer look at Kaoru's face and recognized the pale, sweaty visage of one who had tossed their cookies a few times. "Oh, damn. Is she okay? She looks really rough. She…" The concerned brother stopped as he came close to her face in an attempt to check for a fever. "She's drunk." The incredibly dry delivery drew a slight chuckle from the red-haired wanderer. "Yes, well, like I said, I believe this may be my fault. Again, I apologize." Kenshin could see that Yahiko still worried for his older sister even as he proceeded to berate the poor girl for getting drunk and leaving him to be in charge of the party all by himself. Kaoru could only manage pained groans in response. But seriously, she should not have gotten that drunk. Kenshin frowned as he scanned the room for the bottle Kaoru carried from the kitchen. His eyes narrowed as he found the spot Tanaka had lain after being knocked out for a second time that day. No body lay there now indicating the snake had managed to slither away, like the coward he is.
"Um, Kenshin? Are we completely sure Kaoru's drunk? I mean, I smell the alcohol all over her, and she's acting a lot like she does when she's drunk. But, something seems…off, don'cha' think?" Before Kenshin could respond Kaoru leaned into the small trash can Kenshin had provided and vomited bright red liquid. "Yahiko, now I need you to stay calm, but please hurry and find my friend Aoshi who is outside at the party. Tell him his, and Miss Megumi's services are needed immediately. Miss Kaoru is indeed not drunk but she is very seriously ill. Now go, Yahiko." Yahiko bolted for the doors already yelling for help. Kenshin knelt in front of Kaoru's shivering form and gently brushed the now-plastered bangs back from her brow. Oh, Miss Kaoru, how in all five realms could you have possibly made yourself the target of such nasty demonic attacks? Now I have no choice but to stay and protect you. And I cannot make any promises you will be entirely safe from me.
WOW! We did it! We've introduced Kaoru to Kenshin's true world. And didn't she do just such a good job at being the calm, cool, and collected young woman we all know and love? Good job Kaoru!
I'm hoping to bang out another chapter soon, but I can't promise anything weekly anymore. What with an infant at home who eats nearly every 2 hours still and now refuses to sleep, like ever, writing is a little more difficult than it's ever been. I am going to shoot for monthly with possible surprise updates somewhere halfway in between.
Thanks for reading!