Broken Hearts

Ch. 12

The Truth Comes Out

"What's going on here?" came a voice from behind the Captain.

"Oh, General Miyazowa!" the Captain said letting his upheld sword drop to his side.

"I did not know that any executions had been ordered Captain." the General said questioningly as he stepped toward him his hands resting calmly behind his back, as if he was on an evening stroll.

"No General, Sir." the Captain said respectively but nervously.

"This man was trying to escape!" Jiro lied trying to protect his friend.

"He did not!" Sano said indignantly.

"Please calm yourself Sir." the General said patiently to Sano and then turned angrily on the Captain. "And why is this poor woman lying in the street?!"

"She was trying to set him free!" the Captain said trying to make excuses.

"And do you suppose that she was much of a threat to a group of men?" the General asked all the more seriously as he bent down to examine the wounds on her face.

"This woman has obviously already been hit today." He said moving the hair carefully from her face. "I was asked to find this woman, a young Mr. Miyazaki came to me. He said that she may be hurt."

"That bastard tried to—"

"I know perfectly well what he tried to do." the General said calmly. "He told me everything. Now you two help this woman up and get a doctor." He said pointing to two large men in the crowd. He then turned and looked into Kenshin's face.

"You are truly a good man." Kenshin said quietly as the officer's finally let go of his arms.

"And so are you…" said the General in a strangely sad voice. "I've heard lots about you Mr. Himura, both good and bad, but I do not believe that you could have killed my daughter."

The crowd all gasped and stared at the General transfixed. He continued, "Yes, my daughter was the girl who was killed. But she was a sad and lonely girl, who took her own life."

There was a silence all about the crowd as he continued unwaveringly, "I was a witness to the incident myself, and am truly to blame for her death, for no matter what I did I could not relieve the sorrow that ruled her heart…" he grew silent and looked off into the sky.

"Why must he be jailed then?!" Sano said angrily.

"Have you no respect—" one of the men in the crowd yelled but was cut off as the General raised his hand for silence.

"It's okay Mr. Kosaka…because Mr. Himura, although is not responsible for her death, is, however, responsible for the removal of her body from my home and the disgracing of her body in the street!" This last sentence was the only bit of emotion that flickered in his voice.

Kaoru sat silently outside Kenshin's cell looking down at the ground sadly. Kenshin was silent as well, and had been for quite some time, as he looked out the window distractedly. But neither of them were really distracted, each yearning to hear the other's story, but too tired and ashamed to say another word.

Finally Kaoru asked breathlessly. "Kenshin?"

"Yes?" he said looking at her sorrowfully.

"That girl…what happened…"

He was silent for a long time and then decided to start from the beginning. "I tried to end all my pain…I tried to but I couldn't…I kept seeing your face…and then it was as if you were really there…I could feel you there…"

There was a long pause with a nervous glance into each other's eyes. Kenshin shed no tears but Kaoru knew that his heart was breaking. "I'll never leave you ever again…" she whispered as she reached her hand inside the cell.

Kenshin looked down at her hand and smiled. "I know you'll try." He reached out his hand to touch her face tenderly but she suddenly jerked back. Suddenly Kyoji was grabbing her again, she couldn't breathe, or barely think. She would have screamed but his hands were tightly around her neck.

"Kaoru! Kaoru what is it? What's wrong?" Kenshin said looking at her worriedly.

"I just—" she stuttered pulling back from him. "I can't…"

Kenshin looked into her eyes. "Something happened to you. That man, Miyazaki did something to you!" Kenshin said with rage.

Tears started to stream down her face. She couldn't even stand him to touch her, the only one who could possible comfort her. "I'm so sorry!" she said bursting in tears. "I'm so sorry."

"Kaoru please don't cry…I don't think I can bear anymore tears…"

Kaoru lay down wearily on the cold floor outside his jail cell looking in on him with a meek smile. "As long as I'm with you I no longer need to cry."

Kaoru did not leave the cold floor of the jail for nearly two days. Sano had to bring food, and blankets to her, because she was so determined. But finally on the third day Kenshin convinced her to go outside for a while.

"You're looking awful this morning." he had blurted out suddenly as she awoke.

"Kenshin!" she yelled at him angrily trying to hit him with some chopsticks.

He dodged them and laughed, "At least you're yourself again, that you are!"

Kaoru walked out into the sunlight for the first time in days to see the same busy streets as before. The town jail was on the edge of the Square which was outlined by shops, restaurants and markets, selling everything from seawater salmon to rare jewels and metals.

She looked around her with a smile, maybe things weren't too bad. General Miyazowa had taken a liking to Kenshin, he admired his character, and didn't seem to think anymore that he was responsible for the disgracing of his daughter's body, although it was evident that he wasn't about to admit it to the town. Kaoru wondered how Junpei had even gotten past the General in the first place; he was a cautious man after all.

Presently Kaoru had wandered to the edge of the town to the road, where a glistening stream crept by and added a faint sense of music to the street. The chatter of the Square faded away as Kaoru hummed quietly. She looked onto the silvery surface of the water at her reflection, sadly Kenshin had been right, she looked awfully tired and messy.

She kneeled down and dipped her hands into the cool water, carefully washing her face and smoothing out her hair with her hands. Soon she was lost in thought, washing her feet and legs and humming with a new sense that it would all be alright. She looked up into the bright summer sky, she could see Kenshin's smile in every fluffy cloud.

"Kaoru!" a voice suddenly came from behind her as a hand was placed on her shoulder. She jolted and splashed into the stream. Sano almost keeled over with laughter. "If you wanted to take a bath you could have just gone to the bathhouse!"

But he stopped suddenly, she wasn't trying to slap him with something, or yelling, no less laughing. "Are you okay Kaoru?" He said touching her shoulder again softly.

"Don't touch me!" she said suddenly.

He was silent for a moment, then decided to blow it off. "Well I brought you something to eat."

"Since when did you have any money?" Kaoru said standing up and sounding perfectly normal.

"I won some in a card game."

"Yeah right, you stink at gambling games!" she said taking the box from his hands.

"I do not!" Sano said indignantly.

"You got it from Kenshin didn't you?"

"Oh be quiet."

TO BE CONTINUED