A/N: M'kay, so I've actually been moving this story along a lot faster than I thought I would, which means all you loyal fans out there will get to read more before I'm gone for an entire month, during which there will be no posting of new chapters. Of course, when I return from Japan, it's very possible that I'll have a couple of chapters to post up, since I'll be spending a total of approximately 24 hours on a plane. But I'm not making any promises. Anyway, this was another rough chapter for me to write—stupid angst (even though some of it was rather enjoyable). So I demand that you enjoy.
Chapter 8—Offenses and Alterations
Kenshin walked for days on end, without any purpose whatsoever. After a little over a week, he found himself in Kyoto, standing in front of Tomoe's grave. He didn't understand why he had ended up where he had, but as lavender eyes stared blankly at the cold stone, Kenshin felt a sudden jolt of emotion wash over him. He knew that he had made mistakes in his life; he was standing in front of one of the biggest ones. But he now also knew that he had made another mistake, and it hurt just as much as killing Tomoe had. Kenshin had hurt the woman he now cared tenderly for, and she had turned her back on him.
Without warning, the rurouni's legs gave out on him, causing the slender man to fall to the ground. His knees hit the rough stones hard, and sharp edges pierced through cloth and skin. Thin lines of blood forked out from beneath his folded legs, staining the lifeless stone crimson. Kenshin, however, ignored the blood and the pain, pushing them to the back of his mind. All he could think of was how he had made Kaoru suffer.
Then came a flood of emotion, followed by hot tears. Kenshin didn't bother to stifle the heavy sobs that came in waves, not even when a young child, passing by with his mother, pointed a mocking finger at the broken, weeping man. Kenshin had lost everything dear to him; Enishi had finally taken his revenge after all, even if he was unaware of it. But Kenshin knew he had to accept it. He had, after all, killed Enishi's father and sister, stealing away what little happiness the young boy had had.
Glancing down to the sword at his side, the swordsman suddenly felt like he had when he had killed Tomoe—that to atone for all the lives he had taken, he should give his own life. But as he laid a hand on the sword's hilt and moved to draw the blade from its sheath, something stopped him. An unexpected shudder coursed its way through Kenshin and up his backbone. Reddened eyes lifted and, to his surprise, Kenshin saw Tomoe standing before him, a wilting red flower clutched in her pale hands.
"Kenshin." Tomoe spoke his name gently; her voice held a tone similar to that of when they had first met—timorous, yet more surprised than scared.
"T-tomoe," Kenshin managed to stutter out her name as she walked slowly toward him. When the young woman was standing directly in front of him, Kenshin stood and flung himself into her arms. Her embrace was warm, just as it had been when she was alive, and yet, Kenshin didn't even register that he was somehow hugging a woman who had been dead for over ten years. "Tomoe," Kenshin said once more, this time more definitely, now assured of her presence.
A gentle smile crossed Tomoe's porcelain features as Kenshin buried his face in her bosom, comforting himself with her presence. Stroking his chestnut locks lovingly, Tomoe lowered herself and Kenshin to the ground as she wrapped her arms tightly around him and held him close.
An unspoken conversation commenced as the two lost lovers held each other, and after some time, Kenshin was fast asleep. When he awoke, his face was pressed against the cold stone, crimson tresses spilling over his face and shoulders onto the hard ground. Pushing his upper body off the ground, Kenshin looked around, confused. Was it all a dream?
"Ngh." Enishi cringed in pain as Kaoru pressed a hot cloth to his chest. The gash was still present, though the edges had slowly begun to heal, forming pink scar tissue.
"I'm sorry." Compassionate navy eyes turned to look up at the man's pained face as the young woman reached a hand over and brushed silvery hair off of Enishi's sweat-drenched face. Kaoru knew that Enishi was in pain—he had been ever since it happened. But Megumi had been informed, and was on her way back from Aizu. Kaoru quickly finished cleaning Enishi's wound, then moved to stand at the door. "Please come soon, Megumi-san," Kaoru whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
She was worried about Enishi's wound, and about his condition. But she was also worried about Kenshin, and how he was faring on his own. Kaoru hadn't meant to be so rough on the rurouni, but as she now looked back on it, she realized she had probably crushed him. Kenshin, please come home, she pleaded silently as a single tear rolled down her cheek, staining the papery white skin.
Enishi knew Kaoru was crying. He could sense it. And even though it was not in his nature to do so, he wanted to comfort her. He wanted to hold her in his arms, to tell her that everything was going to be fine. But he couldn't. As a matter of fact, he couldn't really do anything but lie around, waiting for the woman doctor to arrive. It was infuriating that he had to remain down, taking orders from a woman. But then again, Enishi didn't really mind it because Kaoru showed him so much affection, and her hands were constantly on his chest, caressing the tender skin.
Wiping the few tears that had leaked from her eyes, Kaoru turned back to face Enishi, a forced smile appearing. "How is it?" she asked, motioning to the open wound.
"Fine," he grumbled.
"Good," she replied. As Kaoru knelt beside Enishi, she picked up a roll of bandaging that she had absent-mindedly left lying beside his bed, and began to cover his wound.
Enishi only had to wait one more day for treatment. Megumi Takani arrived at the dojo, medical bags and luggage in hand. She had brought enough for a two-week stay, even though she only intended to stay for one. As she pushed open the front gate, Megumi immediately knew something was different. She had been told nothing, except that there was "a medical emergency" at the dojo, and that she was needed right away, so she had no idea what was going on.
When the gate squeaked open, Kaoru emerged from within the building, blood stains visible on her hands. Megumi immediately became worried. "Kaoru, what happened?" the woman asked, staring directly at the crimson on Kaoru's hands.
Kaoru followed Megumi's gaze down to her hands. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just replacing his bandage."
Megumi was now even more worried. She dropped her luggage at the door and pushed past Kaoru, only the medical bag still clutched in her hands. What she found inside, though, was not what she had expected. Lying where Megumi thought she would find Kenshin was a platinum-haired man with a large build, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He wore no shirt, and his chest was bandaged.
Without saying anything, or asking who the man was, Megumi knelt at his side and opened her medical bag. She immediately pulled out gauze, scissors, a stitching kit, and a bottle with clear liquid, most likely some form of antiseptic. She hastily removed the bloodied bandage, and winced slightly at what she saw—Kaoru definitely didn't belong in the field of medicine. The gash was still gaping, and bleeding more than it should have been for being several days old. The inside of it wasn't exactly clean, either. What did you do to the poor guy? Megumi thought, shaking her head in exasperation as she took the antiseptic in her hands and poured it over the gaping hole in the man's chest. He screamed, right on cue.
"Easy there," Megumi cooed as he squirmed under her touch, and the powerful sting of the antiseptic. She had poured quite a bit over the wound, but it was completely necessary. In its current state, the wound was prone to infection, and she wanted to be sure to kill any bacteria that were already beginning to grow. As Megumi pressed a sheet of gauze, soaked in antiseptic, against his chest and proceeded to clean thoroughly, Enishi swore under his breath.
All the while, Kaoru was standing in the doorway, worrying her lower lip in between her teeth, believing that no one was paying attention to her. But Megumi noticed the nervous, worried habit. What is this man's relation to Kaoru, and where is Kenshin? Megumi thought as she proceeded to stitch Enishi's wound.
Megumi had arrived late in the day, and so, she worked late into the night, cleaning and stitching, and bandaging over the stitches. When she finally finished, Kaoru was fast asleep on the floor, slumped against the wall. Enishi, however, was wide-awake. "You're done," Megumi told him as she piled the supplies back into her bag and stood up. "But I suggest you get some rest, and you stay in bed." Megumi thought of waking Kaoru, but decided against it. She knew there was a lot they needed to talk about, but it could wait; she was tired. Taking her bag in hand, Megumi padded down the hall, in search of a place for her to sleep.
When Enishi was certain that Megumi was gone, he pushed himself up on his elbows and looked over at Kaoru. That won't work—she's too far away. Pushing himself up further, Enishi rolled over and stood up. As soon as he was standing, however, he doubled over, clutching at his chest and abdomen. "Kaoru," he whispered into the darkness, collapsing to his knees. The pain was worse than he had imagined…a lot worse, and it was unbearable.
Kaoru's eyes blinked open at the sound of her name, and it took several minutes to adjust to the poor lighting. When she finally could see, the first thing her eyes fell upon was Enishi, curled on the ground, his fists clenched in pain. Kaoru was on her feet and at Enishi's side before she even knew what she was doing. "Gods, Enishi, are you all right?" she asked, worried, placing a hand on his back.
Enishi made no noise, but looked up at Kaoru, the pain prominent in his turquoise eyes. "Let me help you," Kaoru whispered, helping Enishi to roll back onto his bed. As she settled him into place, he reached a hand up and grasped her wrist firmly, startling her slightly. Before she knew it, Enishi had pulled Kaoru into a firm hug, though she could sense it was hard for him to do so, as she was now pressed roughly against his chest. "Enishi, I—" She was cut off, however, as Enishi pressed his lips roughly, yet sensuously against Kaoru's. And unbeknownst to either of them, someone was watching from the shadows.
