Chapter Fifteen
Kaoru's POV
Kyoto had been captured. The men stationed there brought to their knees by the enemy envision. There was nothing that could be done to prevent the takeover, and many men had lost their lives. In spite of their win the Shin Sen Gumi had cleansed the town with a hellish fire that had burned late into the evening, and could be seen from the two room house Kaoru and Kenshin temporarily resided in. Bright flames lit up the hillside as a thick, ominous smoke filled the sky. Overhead some grey clouds had gathered together with the promise of a fierce storm. The scent of rain and smoke drifted on a faint breeze, and Kaoru bowed her head low in a silent prayer for those who had made the ultimate sacrifice. Lifting her chin Kaoru watched as a large puff of smoke embedded with glower embers cleared the tree line. It would be hard for the Inshin Shishi to recover from this incident. Katsura's army was the only unit in this side of the war that had made any progress in enemy territory. Other units were already struggling with their boarders, they were barely managing to fend off the Shin Sen Gumi. It seemed as though this war had taken a bitter turn.
Staring into the distance Kaoru wished for Kenshin to return soon. He had left early that morning to see the damage done to Kyoto. Of course Kaoru wanted to talk him out of it—if the Shin Sen Gumi were to catch him it would mean immediate execution—but she held her tongue. Kaoru was aware of the unspoken code of the samurai. It was composed of the deepest respect, loyalty, and honor one could imagine. The code demanded him to go back for his comrades, in case any had survived and needed help. It was because of her understanding of this silent code that Kaoru forced her nerves to settle, and allowed him to go without protest. However that had been hours ago. The sun was beginning to set behind the tree tops now, and a knot of worry was forming in her stomach. A bundle of thoughts swirled around her head as she retreated into the hut. She worried for Kenshin's safety, and prayed for his return. Kaoru questioned how long they would be able to stay hidden. She considered the men whom had lost their lives that morning, and all the families that would one day receive that grievous news. All these thoughts weighed heavily on her mind. Yet, at the core of all these muddled thoughts was her younger brother Yahiko. He weighed the heaviest on her mind. Kaoru wondered whether he had made it out of the camp in time, whether he was alive or dead… A sharp cold chill shot up her spine, and the color receded from her face. What if Yahiko was dead?
Pressing her lips together in a thin, white line Kaoru refused to think on it for too long. Her brother was the head of their family dojo. A strong swordsman that could undoubtedly hold his own in a battle. Yahiko had taught numerous samurai—including some of Katsura's own men. To defeat her brother would be a challenge to any opponent. With all that in mind Kaoru began to believe that Yahiko could have survived. However as the smallest sliver of hope started to ease her troubled thoughts, Kaoru couldn't help the tiny seed of doubt plaguing that hope.
Kenshin's POV
Kenshin moved quietly and quickly as he navigated the alleyways of Kyoto. Each footstep silent, each move made calculated and precise. The last thing he needed was to attract the attention of a Shin Sen Gumi solider. Rounding a darken corner Kenshin came to a halt. In front of him sit the burned remains of the tea house. Even though everything had been destroyed, a few barren wooden beams stood among the pile of charred rubble, as if to signify rebellion. For some reason this strange sight brought him a little peace, and perhaps a sliver of hope. If anything could have survived that fire than maybe some of his comrades had survived as well. Peering out into the street Kenshin scanned the area for any enemy soldiers. Assuming the coast was clear he began to step out from the shadows, however he had to quickly retreat as two men rounded the street corner "Stay close kid!" A familiar voice demanded.
Peaking around the edge of the building he was pressed against, Kenshin recognized one of the two men as Sanosuke Sagara "Stop!" A Shin Sen Gumi solider was hot on their heels with his sword drawn and ready for blood shed.
Sanosuke turned around to face the man with his fists drawn tight. He sent the samurai a nasty little smirk "Alright. If you want a fight, then I will give you one." He growled. The samurai launched forward, his sword aimed for the fighter's abdomen. Instinctively Kenshin placed a hand on the hilt of his katana, ready to assist Sagara if so need be. However the fighter seemed to be in complete control of the situation. Amid the samurai's strike Sanosuke had enclosed the blade within his bare hands. For a moment or two it seemed as though the samurai was in shock "Heh." The fighter drew the sword straight out of the samurai's hands and tossed it to the side "Now you can fight me like a real man." Sanosuke slid a foot behind him, and leveled his fists with his chin. The solider never saw the first punch. It was a knock-out blow to the jaw. At the base Kenshin had heard the rumors of Sanosuke Sagara and his incredible strength, but until now he have never seen that kind of strength in action. The samurai wobbled, stumbling a little before collapsing to the ground. It almost seemed like his body hadn't had time to register the strike. Judging by the fact that the man was still breathing Kenshin assumed that Sagara was holding back.
"Watch out!" The man accompanying Sagara yelled. During the fight Kenshin had sensed an additional presence, but until then hadn't been able to pin point it. The second samurai appeared behind Sagara with all the intentions of killing him. Moving with god-like speed Kenshin drew his blade from its sheath, meeting with the full force of the enemy's sword. Using a diversion technique Kenshin pushed the samurai's blade to the side, leaving him completely vulnerable. The Battousai took that moment of vulnerability to ram his katana through the man's chest. The opponent's sword clattered to the ground, and a drop of blood slid down his chin. With a gasp he fell to his knees in front of Kenshin. Without a word Kenshin withdrew his blade and let gravity pull the corpse to the ground.
"So you survived too, huh?" Sanosuke asked cheerfully. Kenshin nodded his head, deciding to indulge the fool. Sagara gave him a cheeky grin "Well Doc will be happy about that. Speaking of which, have you seen her? Me and Yahiko here," He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the other man "have been looking everywhere for her."
"She is safe..." Kenshin replied "I need you two to come with me." He commanded in a tone that left absolutely no room for objections.
Kaoru's POV
The sun was setting fast, quickly disappearing behind the mountains in the distance, and Kaoru had yet to see Kenshin's return. With night upon her Kaoru thought that she might need to seek some sort of protection. Digging through a box she had found earlier that day Kaoru stumbled upon a kitchen knife. She tested it's sharpness by running her finger along the edge of the blade. Disappointingly she found it to be rather dull. However, when considering a dull knife or no protection at all, Kaoru would definitely take the knife. Tucking it away in her obi belt the doctor settled down in the middle of the room. She hadn't sit there long when she heard the sound men talking just outside of the door. Moving to her feet Kaoru creeped over to the window, and pressed herself against the wall. Carefully she peaked through the dingy glass to see the silhouettes of three men. Her heart jumped into her throat as she moved beside the door. If nothing else she would have the element of surprise. Holding the handle of her knife tightly Kaoru waited in silence for the door to open.
Slowly the door creaked open. Closing her eyes Kaoru begin counting. One, two, three… If she made her attack too soon it would lead to immediate failure. Her heart was hammering against her rib cage, and her hands were slightly shaking with fear. Four, five… "Kaoru?" Rooted to her spot against the wall Kaoru felt relief rush over her like a waterfall. That was Kenshin's voice calling out her name, she would recognize that warm baritone anywhere. Leaning her head against the wall Kaoru relaxed. It's Kenshin. The knife slid from her hand and hit the wooden floor with a muted clatter "Kaoru?" Kenshin whispered again.
Kaoru stepped out into the moonlight filtering in through the doorway "Kenshin." Kaoru mumbled as her emotions took over. She ran to him with open arms. Nearly knocking him over, she clung to him like a security blanket "I didn't think you were coming back." She cried as her arms wrapped around his waist. There for a while she wasn't sure if he would come back.
Kenshin, whom was left in a state of shock at first, slowly came back to life. Gently his hand found the top of her head where his fingers twisted into her hair, and guided her head to his chest "I'm sorry Kaoru, I didn't mean to worry you." Kenshin mumbled apologetically as his hand slide down to cup the base of her neck.
"Kaoru!" Another familiar voice broke through the doorway. Kaoru raised up on her tiptoes to peak over Kenshin's shoulder at her little brother. He looked just as relieved as she was.
Moving out of Kenshin's embrace she rushed to her brother and threw her arms around his neck "I'm so glad you're alright."
"What about me Doc?" Just behind Yahiko stood a very sad looking Sanosuke. Kaoru giggled at his overly dramatized expression.
"I'm glad you're alright too, Sano."
Though Kaoru was happy to see everyone alive the reunion was short lived. Not long after their arrival the four of them were sitting around the fire engaged in deep conversation. With Kyoto in the possession of the Shin Sen Gumi there were precautions to take, and people to reassemble. Currently the conversation was focused on Yahiko, and his proposal of traveling back to Tokyo to warn the Inshin Shishi stationed there "Kaoru, I want you to return to Tokyo with me." Until now Kaoru had been disengaged from the conversation. Her concentration had been turned to the soft, orange embers burning faintly in the hearth next to her. Her mind a million miles away. Now all eyes were on her. Kaoru glanced to Yahiko—immediately regretting doing so. There was a silent plead in those brown eyes. He didn't want her to be out here. He was afraid for her, afraid of losing his sister, but the decision had been made long before he had ever asked. Looking to Kenshin her blue eyes softened. She couldn't leave him. What they have was something unexplainable, and Kaoru just couldn't simply give it up… she couldn't give him up. Not that easily.
The look on her face was apologetic as she regarded her little brother "I can't go back to Tokyo." Kaoru stated firmly knowing that he would be heart-broken, knowing that she was intentionally hurting him with this decision. Yahiko tried unsuccessfully to hide the pain on his face, but it was hard to hide anything from the person who had practically raised you. Kaoru adverted her eyes to the floor "I'm sorry Yahiko, but my place is here in Kyoto." She had raised this boy from a mere child to the man sitting before her. Kaoru had sacrificed everything for her family, setting aside her own dreams to assume the place of their mother. But Yahiko was grown and their mother gone, and now it was time for Kaoru to do what she wanted. She didn't expect Yahiko to understand her decision. She simply wanted him to honor it.
"This isn't up for debate Kaoru." Yahiko stated gruffly, retaliating with some form of misguided anger "You're going to Tokyo." He growled. Kaoru could read the hurt written all over his face. He wasn't truly mad at her, instead he was disappointed and scared, but Yahiko had always put up this strong front... ever since he was little.
"No, I'm not." Kaoru replied calmly.
He slammed his fist into the floor "Yes you are damn it!" Yahiko yelled "I'm not going to just let you get killed out here Kaoru." The air around their small group stiffened "I won't stand by and just allow it to happen!" Kaoru opened her mouth to protest, but Yahiko quickly cut her off "I'm not stupid." He hissed pointing a finger at Kenshin "I know that he is the Battousai. I know that he is dangerous. And I know that you have feelings for him." Yahiko shot a dark glare in his direction "You're staying for him, but is he really worth your life Kaoru? Because this man will kill you!"
He had gone too far "Yahiko!" Kaoru seethed "That is enough."
A long, tense silence filled the space between them before Yahiko broke it with a final stance "Fine Kaoru. Do whatever you want to." Yahiko stood to his feet, his hands formed into tight fists at his side "If you want to give up your life for a man just like our pathetic mother, then go ahead. I no longer care." He hissed as he stomped out of the house, slamming the door shut behind him.
"I'll go talk to him…" Sano muttered as he followed out the door behind Yahiko, seeking to defuse this heated quarrel between the two siblings.
A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and as always leave any comments you have below. :)