Chapter 12- Rain of Blood
"Your… your wife!"
"Yes my wife! You have no right to touch her and I'd better not see you groping her like that again or it will be the last thing you ever do, boy."
Yoshito spit some blood from his mouth and stood up to stare Kenshin in the eyes, "You didn't have to punch me! I was just looking for some fun!"
"There's something called a pleasure house just down the road, you can go there and hire a young woman to please you for the night and leave Kaoru alone."
"I like her, ok?"
"No it's not ok."
"Chill out, Himura, I was just having fun."
"Fun!"
Kensin reached up and grabbed Yoshito's gi collar, pulling him closer to him, "You think that harassing and groping young women is fun! You're sick and on top of that it's my wife you're violating!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know she was your wife, I thought that she was just another whore that was sent to work here."
Kenshin's eyes erupted into a golden fire of rage and he raised his fist, preparing to hit Yoshito, "You sorry son of a…"
"Kenshin stop!" Kaoru screamed out.
Kenshin paused in his punch and looked over at her as she came to stand next to him, grabbing his wrist, "don't hurt him Kenshin, he's not worth it."
Kenshin looked from Yoshito to Kaoru for a moment and she could tell that he was still considering pounding Yoshito into the ground for touching her. She squeezed his hand and pleaded with him with her big blue eyes, "Please anata… let him go…"
Kenshin groaned and unceremoniously dropped Yoshito on the ground before giving him one final glare, "touch her again and I'll do more than punch out a couple of teeth."
Kenshin took Kaoru's hand and started leading her back to their room, shooting a warning look at the soldiers that had gathered around to watch the fight, "go back to your rooms show's over!"
The men quickly obeyed his order and he proceeded to his room, shutting the door behind him as he let go of Kaoru's hand. She stared at his back for a moment before she called out in a soft, shaky voice, "K… Kenshin?"
Kenshin didn't turn to look at her but she could tell that he was listening to her as she continued, "Kenshin… do you know who I am, do you remember?"
Kenshin clenched his hands into fists but didn't answer and Kaoru went up to him and clutched his gi, holding back the tears that were trying to fall from her hopeful blue eyes, "Kenshin answer me! Do you remember me!"
Kenshin sighed, his voice deep and husky as he whispered his answer to her, "I've never forgotten you… how could I do a horrible thing like forget my wife?"
"Then… all this time you've… been pretending not to know me! But… but why Kenshin!"
Kenshin groaned and turned away from her, running his hand through his hair as he moved to stare out the window, "My plan didn't work…"
"What plan, Kenshin?"
"That night I found you in the streets I had come up with this idea. I was going to pretend not to know you."
"But what I don't understand is why?"
"Because… I thought that if I pretended not to know you then you would get angry or discouraged with me and go back home where you'd be safe and out of harm's way. I figured you'd leave by now but… you're still here with me."
"Yes I'm still here with you! I would never dream of leaving you here all by yourself! Kenshin you're my husband I would never abandon you for any reason!"
"I know that… at first I thought I could convince you that you had mistaken me for someone else but you know how well that turned out. You always made it so hard for me to keep up my charade."
"How did I do that?"
Kenshin chuckled and turned to face her for the first time since they'd entered the room, a soft smile playing across his handsome face, "That morning when you woke me up and kissed me… it took every bit of self-control I had not to… take you in my arms. I wanted to but… I knew I couldn't if I wanted my plan to work. Then you played dirty by brushing against me at lunch earlier."
Kaoru smiled to herself, so she had gotten to him after all, "I was doing that to try and get you to remember me, I had no idea that you were just messing with me!"
"I know… I didn't mean to cause you all this trouble but I was just trying to protect you. I really don't like having you here."
"Do I get in the way that much?"
"No you don't get in the way, but if my enemies find out that my wife is staying with me then they'll do anything they can to get to you. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you and that's why I was trying to get you to leave. And speaking of leaving, what happened to your bodyguards that were supposed to keep you out of trouble for me?"
Kaoru flushed and looked away, "I… I don't know…"
"Kaoru," Kenshin lifted her gaze to meet his and he gave her the 'tell me now or regret it' look.
She sighed and smiled sheepishly, "I… waited until they were asleep then I made a makeshift body with my clothes and snuck out of the dojo and signed up to be a nurse."
Kenshin sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Why did I know that you were going to tell me that?"
"Ishatake followed me here… he protected me that night you found me, that's how I got away from the first bunch of guys that were chasing me. But… I don't know if he's still alive or not."
"Knowing him he's probably fine but as for you…"
A tap on the door caused Kenshin to let out a groan before he went and answered it, his voice dropping to a whisper as he spoke to the visitor, "Katsura, what is it?"
"I need to talk to you for a moment if you don't mind, Kenshin."
"Sure, I'll be back, Kaoru."
Kaoru nodded and Kenshin stepped outside the door to talk with Katsura for a moment before he came back in and sighed, "What is it?" she asked softly
"I've gotta go, I have some business to attend to. Do me a favor and stay in here until I come back then we'll finish our discussion and figure out a way to get you home."
"I'm not leaving you, Kenshin!"
"We'll talk about this later, just stay in here ok? I'll be back shortly."
Kenshin started to leave the room but Kaoru called out to him and stopped him, "Wait Kenshin."
"What is it?"
Kaoru ran up to him and before he could stop her she placed a chaste kiss to his lips, gazing up at him with loving eyes, "please be careful out there."
Kenshin raised his hand as if he were going to touch her face but he pulled back at the last moment, letting out a soft sigh, "I will, don't worry."
He left and locked the door as he always did and Kaoru leaned against the wall and slid to the floor with a heavy sigh, "what a day! I can't believe he played around with me like that! Oh… Kenshin you're such a JERK!"
"I know."
Kaoru gasped, not expecting an answer and she got up and looked out the window to see Kenshin below her with a slight smile on his lips. She flushed and gave him a nervous laugh, "you… heard me?"
Kenshin gave her a genuine, very masculine grin and she heard his deep, throaty chuckle, "Koishii, the guy I killed last week could hear you."
Kaoru groaned and turned away from him in a huff, missing the head shake Kenshin gave her as he headed off into the darkness to do the task that Katsura had given him.
Later that night Kaoru was awoken when she felt someone lifting her up and laying her down onto something soft. She looked up and saw Kenshin above her as he pulled the blanket over her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's ok, where did you go, Kenshin?"
Kenshin didn't answer her instead he pretended to pull on an imaginary thread that was protruding from the blanket. Kaoru sighed, knowing what he had been doing, "you had to assassinate someone, didn't you?"
"Something like that."
They were silent for a moment then Kenshin cleared his throat, "I'm sorry, Kaoru."
"For what?"
"For deceiving you, I shouldn't have done what I had but… I just wanted to make sure you were safe and I…"
Kaoru shushed him by placing a finger to his lips, smiling brightly at him, "I forgive you. I'll just remember it and make you pay for it once we get back to Tokyo."
Kenshin chuckled when she playfully punched his chest. He looked over her face for several moments after that, looking from her eyes to her hair then to her lips and Kaoru was sure he wanted to kiss her by the look in his eyes. He raised his hand and let his fingers brush against her cheek softly before he quickly pulled away, "I'm sorry."
Kenshin started to get up but Kaoru stopped him, "What's wrong Kenshin? Why won't you touch me?"
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because… you don't deserve to be touched by hands that are stained with blood."
Kaoru sighed, even when he was completely Battousai he still had guilt about taking lives and put how she felt first. If she didn't know better she would think that it was the rurouni she was talking to but the gold eyes and emotionless, stern face told her otherwise. She took his hand in hers and put it against her cheek, he tried to pull away but she held to him and leaned into his hand, "I'm not ashamed of your hands, I trusted them before and I trust them now. These hands may be stained with blood but I feel safe with them, these hands you say are so dangerous have never brought any harm to me and they never will, I know that and so should you. I trust you with my life Kenshin you just need to learn to trust yourself again."
Kenshin sighed and let his thumb stroke her cheek affectionately, "you think too much of me, koishii."
Anger crept into Kaoru's chest and she groaned loudly and raised her hand to slap him for that comment but he saw it coming and grabbed her wrist, smiling at the growl she gave him as he did so. He kissed her fingers and chuckled, "that's not nice, Kaoru, I'm getting slow in my old age you might hurt me."
"You're such a liar! Now let me go or I'll bite you!"
"No you won't."
Kaoru took him up on his challenge and leaned in to bite his hand but he spun her around and pinned her back against his chest, trapping her arms with his as he rested his chin on her shoulder. Kaoru giggled and struggled against him, "I thought you were afraid of hurting me!"
"I'm not hurting you am I?"
"Just my feelings."
"Tough luck then, I'm comfortable."
"You're a jerk!"
"Isn't that why you married me?"
"No, I married you because you were cute."
Kenshin chuckled and allowed himself to place a kiss to her cheek. Kaoru gave up her struggling and snuggled closer to him, enjoying the warmth his body provided. It had been so long since he'd held her like this and she didn't realize just how much she'd missed his warm, loving embrace until now. It felt so right being in his arms and she was so grateful that he was starting to joke around with her again now maybe things would get back to normal. She turned her head to look up at him and smiled tenderly at her handsome husband, "I love you, Kenshin."
"I love you, even when you try to gouge my eyes out."
Kaoru laughed and leaned up to kiss him but he turned his head away, getting a sad sigh from her, "please don't push me away anata…"
Kenshin searched her eyes for a moment before he leaned down to where she could reach him and she greedily took his offer, pressing her small lips firmly against his for a loving kiss. This time he didn't try to pull away, instead he tightened his arms around her and sighed against her mouth, a wave of joy shooting through her as she leaned into him. His hand came up to cup the back of her neck and he tilted her head back to deepen the kiss.
Before they could go further there was a shout outside and Kenshin pulled away from her and went to the window, "What is it, Kenshin?"
"Damn it! The rebels have ambushed us! I've gotta go!"
Kenshin grabbed his swords and put them in his belt and headed for the door, Kaoru tried to follow but he pushed her back into the room, "No, stay here Kaoru it's far too dangerous for you to be out there."
He locked the door and quickly headed outside to join his comrades. Kaoru tried to open the door and became almost frantic when she heard the screams and shouts get louder outside as the battle progressed. She looked to the window and found that it was open and she quickly headed onto the balcony and slid down the support beam of the roof before running down the street to find Kenshin.
It didn't take long for her to find him, he was about a block away from the inn and she ducked down behind the corner and watched with horror as Kenshin fought. He slashed and cut through his opponents as if he was cutting through paper and he showed no emotion on his face even as their fresh, hot blood sprayed onto him. One soldier came up behind him but he thrust his sword backwards and stabbed them then he dropped his weight to the ground, splitting the man open before he turned to face the opponent in front of him. He cut through his neck and turned to block another soldier's sword before he killed him and went to fight the next one.
Kaoru felt fear grip at her heart as she watched her sweet husband fight. She had never seen anyone fight like this in her entire life, especially not her mild mannered Kenshin. So this was Battousai, the man that was feared by all. She never fully understood that statement until now… now she understood why he became a legend… he did in fact fight like a demon. She knew that he didn't enjoy a moment of this slaughter that he was only doing it because it had to be done but she couldn't help but let a tear fall from her eyes as she watched him catch his breath. The pain that shone in his amber colored eyes as he stared at his bloody sword was enough to tare her heart in two and she wanted to comfort him but she didn't have time to as more soldiers came at him from around the corner.
Kaoru started to turn and head back to the inn but she ran into someone and let out a scream when the man grabbed her by the throat, "where're you going, girly?"
Kenshin heard a scream and glanced behind him, fear and anger filling him as he saw Kaoru being lifted off the ground by her neck by one of the rebel soldiers, "Kaoru!"
That moment of distraction allowed enough time for one of the soldiers to sneak up on him and slash him in the arm. Kenshin let out a cry of pain and stabbed the man in the throat before heading towards the man that held Kaoru, "Let her go!"
The soldier didn't have time to react as Kenshin charged at him and cut through his wrist, cleaning cutting the man's hand from his body as Kaoru fell to the ground. The soldier screamed in pain and tried to fight Kenshin with his one hand but the battle was short lived as the red haired manslayer ducked under him and thrust his sword upwards into his chest. Kenshin twisted his sword and jerked quickly, instantly killing the man then he slung the blood from his blade and turned to Kaoru who was still gasping for breath. He rushed to her and rested a bloody hand on her shoulder, "are you alright, Kaoru?"
"Yes… thank you… I'm sorry…"
"We'll worry about this later let's get back to the inn."
They headed back the way they came but a few more soldiers decided to pick a fight and Kenshin quickly disposed of them before they continued on their way. When they got back to the inn they saw the other Choshu soldiers celebrating and congratulating one another on another victory. Kenshin ignored some compliments the other troops gave him and headed upstairs with Kaoru. When they were inside their room Kaoru let out a sigh of relief then a squeal of terror as Kenshin grabbed her by the arms and pushed her into the wall, his eyes glowing brightly with anger, "What the hell is wrong with you, Kaoru! You were almost killed just now! I told you to stay here and wait for me not come looking for me in the streets and get hurt!"
Kaoru's own anger began to rise and she tried to push him away as she replied, "I was worried about you! I wasn't going to sit here when I could help you!"
"You can help me by staying out of the way and being safe! If I have to worry about another life in battle it can get us both killed, Kaoru!"
His grip tightened on her arms and she let out a soft gasp of pain, "Kenshin you're hurting me…"
Kenshin immediately let go of her arms and walked to the other side of the room, resting his hands on his hips as he continued, "this is exactly why I wanted you to stay in Tokyo! Tomorrow whether you like it or not I'm sending you home and…"
"I'm not leaving you! Darn it Kenshin why don't you want me here!"
"Damn it Kaoru!" Kenshin turned around and took her by the shoulders, shaking her slightly, "I don't want to lose you, don't you understand that! You were almost raped earlier by Yoshito then you were almost killed by one of the rebel troops! I don't want to look down the street and see you get cut in two by someone like me! Or worse, I don't want you to step in front of me to protect me and have me take you life like I did Tomoe's!"
Kaoru shook her head and pulled away from him, tears streaming down her pale face, "You won't hurt me! And I know that's not all that's bothering you! What's the real reason that you want me to leave!"
Kenshin ignored her and ran a hand through his hair as he went to the closet, pulling out a clean gi as he began to slip out of his other one. Kaoru felt her anger rise and she shouted, "Kenshin answer me!"
"I don't want you to see me like this anymore."
"W… what?"
"I never wanted you to see me kill, I never wanted you to see what I once was… what I still am… I never wanted you to see the demon I've become!"
"You're not a demon, Kenshin."
"Damn it Kaoru! Look at me!"
Kenshin turned around and his gi fell around his waist, allowing Kaoru to see his chest and stomach in the moonlight. She could see a few new scars as well as some fresh wounds on his pale flesh, including the one on his arm that he just received. Kaoru saw all the blood on his face and body and knew that most of it wasn't his and that was what he wanted her to see, "Look at me, Kaoru! I'm covered in blood! You saw me out there, I can stare a man dead in the eyes and slit his throat and move on without caring about what I've done!"
"I… it's not true Kenshin…"
"You saw with your own eyes what I am. I just got through killing men and young boys because of a 'cause' yet again! And the worst part of it all is that my beautiful, innocent wife bared witness to that disgusting act!"
Kaoru's tears fell more freely as she moved closer to him, feeling her heart clench at the pain in his normally emotionless voice and eyes as he continued, "That's why I won't touch you and that's why want you to leave. I never want you to watch me take another life; I never wanted you to see me for what I really am. All these years I've been pretending to be a sweet rurouni when in reality I'm a heartless murderer! I'm a monster, Kaoru… I always have been and that's all I'll ever be! I…"
Kenshin was cut short when he felt a sharp stinging pain shoot through his cheek, his head snapping to the side with such force that he heard his neck pop. He looked down and saw tears of rage fall from Kaoru's sparkling blue eyes as she put her hand back at her side before she lunged forward and hugged him around his waist, "don't you ever say that to me, Kenshin! Yes I saw you kill but I didn't see a demon or a monster I saw my husband! I saw the pain in your eyes when you were catching your breath, the same pain and guilt that has been in your eyes since the first day I met you! I want to take away that pain and guilt but you won't let me… I want to be here to help chase away the nightmares and make you feel safe just as you've made me feel safe."
"Kaoru…"
"No! Listen to me Kenshin, I love you, I don't give a damn if you're a wanderer or if you're Battousai, there's no difference between the two! I finally know that now and I'm sorry I ever made the mistake of thinking that they were two separate men! I love you with everything I am and that will never change, no matter how many people you kill or how you kill… I just want to be with you anata… please don't make me leave you… it would kill me if I have to leave you again."
"Kaoru… I… I love you dearly but… I don't want to hurt you anymore. I know I hurt you deeply when I left without saying goodbye to you and I know I can't make up for that but I can spare you even more pain by not allowing you to see me…"
"Shut up Kenshin! Yes it hurt when you left me… that's the only time you've ever truly hurt me, Kenshin. When you left that note instead of telling me to my face that you were leaving… that hurt me more than any sword ever could… you can't hurt me anymore than that!"
Kenshin's heart stopped at that comment and he reached up to place her hands on her shoulders, "Kaoru… I can't tell you how sorry I am. I was a coward, I should have told you in person but… I was afraid."
"I know that… I'm not angry about that anymore, I forgive you for leaving but I won't forgive you for hating yourself! It hurts so much to hear that trash come out of your mouth… you are such a kind and caring person that just has extraordinary skill with a weapon. Why don't you see that?"
"My eyes don't see what yours do, koishii."
"Then let me be your eyes, Kenshin, let me show you what I see…"
Kaoru leaned up and kissed him but he pushed her away, a slight bit of fear coming into his eyes, "Kaoru no, I'm covered in blood."
"I don't care."
Kaoru grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down to her, capturing his lips in a heated kiss as she pushed him against the wall. Kenshin tried to push her away as she pressed her body into his but she had found an unusual strength and held him to her as she kissed him deeply. Eventually Kenshin gave up his struggles and let a single tear fall from his amber eyes as he returned the kiss. Kaoru pulled away and wiped the tear away before going over to the corner and getting the rag there.
She returned to Kenshin and cleaned the blood off of him, catching the appreciative smile he gave her once she was finished. Kaoru tossed the rag aside and took Kenshin into her arms once more, tugging on his wrist to lead him to the futon but he set his feet and shook his head, "Kaoru… I can't touch you…"
"Don't you want me anymore, anata?"
"Of course I want you, more than anything Kaoru but… I don't…"
"Don't say it, you won't hurt me or dirty me with your hands."
Kaoru took his hand in hers and rested it under her left breast so that he could feel her heartbeat, "this heart belongs to you, Kenshin and this heart yearns for you. I trust you, these hands make me feel wanted and beautiful and safe. Let me have that feeling again…"
"Kaoru… I don't think…"
"Please Kenshin… show me that you still love me… please let me help you heal from tonight."
Kenshin looked into her pleading blue eyes and even his hardened Battousai heart was softened by that look. He never could resist her desires and he wasn't going to start now, "Are you sure, Kaoru?"
"If I wasn't sure about your touch and your love I wouldn't have married you," Kaoru leaned up and kissed his lips softly, whispering against his ear, "I love you… Battousai…"
Kenshin's heart leapt with joy when he heard that name slip past her lips, she had never called him that before but he knew that it was meant to show him that she accepted him as he was and that meant more to him than anything else she had said tonight. He leaned down and touched his nose to hers, "I love you, Kaoru…"
Without hesitation Battousai captured her mouth in a passionate, fiery kiss as his hands searched for the knot in her obi. Soon her kimono lay in a heap at their feet and he bent down and scooped her up into his arms then he carried her to the futon and laid her across it, never breaking their kiss. Kaoru pulled away to breathe and smiled at him, "you're still a jerk though, I hope you know that."
Battousai smiled at the joke and took her wrists in his hands, pinning them on either side of her head. He carefully searched her face and was pleased to find no fear there but excitement instead. He leaned down and kissed her nose, "Kaoru…" he whispered hotly as he claimed her lips once more with his.
I know this is kind of a long chapter but I wanted to get everything together the best I could. I hope you like it so far and I'll have the next chapter up soon. Thanks for all the reviews so far guys, you've encouraged me to keep going! (3 cheers for my devoted readers:D.
