AN: Well…you know the routine. I don't own the Kenshin-gumi. Enjoy!
~*^-^*~
"Kaoru! Get up!"
Kaoru mumbled and turned away from the prodding voice. She felt a small weight jump on her shoulder, followed by a hiss.
"Wake up!" Barra swatted angrily at her ear. Kaoru grunted and cracked her eyes open to look at the cat.
"What is it?" She stifled a yawn and stretched her arms above her head, knocking Barra off.
"You're guest is awake." Barra replied, his voice calm but his eyes hard. Kaoru frowned. Obviously he didn't trust him.
"Barra, you're being silly. He's nothing more than a man. He doesn't have the scent of death with him." Kaoru slid off the couch and folded the blanket, throwing it across the top of the chair.
"I don't like him."
"You sound like a whiny little child." She pointed out. He ignored her and stalked away, head and tail held high. Kaoru snickered and approached the door to her bedroom. She took a deep breath before entering.
~*^-^*~
The man sat up and rubbed his eyes. Where was he? His eyes scanned the room wearily. It definitely wasn't his own. A small bedside table stood next to the cherry wood bed. There was a fireplace in the corner near a window that overlooked the woods, and in the distance, the village. His frown disappeared when he remembered exactly what happened. He had come looking for Kamiya Kaoru, the necromancer.
"Ohayou?"
The door swung open and a woman poked her head in. She looked towards the bed, smiled, and then stepped in all the way.
"Oh-ohayou." He offered a shaky smile. He still wasn't feeling quite like himself.
"Are you Kamiya Kaoru?" He asked again, just too make sure. She nodded, a grim expression swallowing her previous cheerful one.
"Hai. And you are?"
"Himaru. Himaru Kenshin." He confirmed with a slight nod of his head. He regretted it as a wave of nausea washed over him. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, willing the sickening feeling away.
"Daijoubu?" Kaoru placed a hand on his shoulder. He nodded, gulped, and then looked up at her.
"H-hai. Too much traveling." He laughed weakly. Kaoru nodded and backed away.
"What are you here for?"
Barra, who seemed to come out of nowhere, jumped up on the bed. Kenshin jumped, startled.
"Barra! Gomen, he's…not normally like this." Kaoru explained, plucking the cat off the bed. He hissed and sat like a bird, perched on her right shoulder. Kenshin eyed him wearily.
"I…I came looking for you, to ask for your assistance." He said suddenly, turning away from the cats' intense stare.
"I think we established this last night." Kaoru commented. Kenshin nodded sheepishly.
"Hai. I…" He sneezed, his previous sentence forgotten.
"Why don't I get you some food and some tea? Then we can talk. Just wait here."
He nodded reluctantly and watched her and the cat leave the room. Sighing, he slid back under the covers and closed his eyes.
~*^-^*~
"Kaoru, I don't like him."
Barra paced back and forth on the countertops, thoroughly annoying Kaoru. She held up her knife once or twice, threatening to hack it at him. He merely shrugged, as best as a cat could, and continued pacing.
"He's a traveler…"
"Who was looking for you. And the way he addressed you! 'Are you Kamiya Kaoru, the necromancer?'" Barra interrupted, stating facts. Kaoru groaned. She didn't enjoy the fact that Barra could remember and store facts, no matter how petty or stupid most were.
"Look, are you going to help or not?" She pointed the knife tip directly at his throat. He didn't flinch.
"Fine, suit yourself."
He hopped off the counter and left the room. Kaoru smiled and continued to chop vegetables and meat.
~*^-^*~
"Sorry it took so long." Kaoru used her hip to open the bedroom door, a plate of meat and vegetables in one hand and a cup of tea in the other.
"No, it's okay. I shouldn't be intruding anyway." Kenshin sat up as she placed the plate on his lap and the tea on the bedside table. Kaoru took a seat on the end of the bed as he ate.
"So…you said you wanted my help."
"Hai."
"What for?"
"Ano…." Kenshin placed his food aside, though he barely touched it. Folding his hands in his lap, he looked up at her.
"I have been wandering from town to town, looking for a decent necromancer. And, well, a few towns over they suggested you. So I came here."
"That still doesn't explain what you want." Kaoru commented dryly. Kenshin nodded, his face emotionless.
"I know. I….My fiancé died." He blurted, looking down at his hands. He forced back tears. Kaoru's face softened.
"I'm sorry."
"It…the dead attacked her, and I couldn't stop them. So I'm asking. Please save her. Please save Tomoe!"
Kaoru sat in stunned silence. She was barely aware that Barra had once again come in the room and was now sitting on her lap. She couldn't believe what she was hearing! This guy, a stranger, came to her home, asking her to save his fiancé!?
"Are you aware of what it takes to bring her back?"
Kenshin shook his head, clearly clueless. He probably heard the words 'necromancer' and 'bring dead back to life' and rushed over here without hearing the rest.
"It would involve me going into death." She stated bluntly. She was not up to the idea. Death was a horrible place, filled with the unimaginable.
"I…I know. That's why I was hoping I could offer you something in return. Please, I'll give you anything!"
Kaoru stared at him for a long time. His eyes were teary and bags were evident under his eyes. He was begging her. Her, out of all people. All she could do was utter one word that by itself, asked a hundred questions.
"Why?"
"…No one else would. Please, I'm begging you."
"…. I have to think about it." Kaoru stood, cradling Barra in her arms. She took another second to etch Kenshin's sad face into her memory before she left, closing the door tightly behind her.
~*^-^*~
Kaoru turned her father's sword over and over in her hands. Her eyes were hard and a frown sat on her face. Barra sat in front of her, watching her intently.
"Are you going to go through with it?"
"I don't know."
Kaoru knew very well that bringing someone back was a lot more complicated than one thought. The body had to be intact, perfect in every way. A charter stone had to be nearby; where the gateway to the world of the dead was easy to access. On top of that, Kaoru had to know how to create a shield, to protect her prone spirit-less body from harm when in death. After that, she wasn't even done. Then, she would have to venture into death, and search each and every level thoroughly for the right spirit. And even then, it wasn't guaranteed that the spirit was still there.
"Argh!" Frustrated, she threw her hands up in the air. Barra jumped. He obviously wasn't expecting the outburst because she had been silent for the past five minutes. Kaoru closed her eyes and massaged her temples, ridding herself of any images. She needed time to think. No matter how hard she tried, however, one image kept coming back to her. The image of Kenshin, sitting on her bed, his eyes misted over with tears. She chewed on her bottom lip, a habit she had since she was little.
"Kaoru?" Barra quirked an eyebrow and continued too study the frustrated girl. She let out a shuddering breath and opened her eyes. Barra winced. He knew that look. It was the look of determination. She stood, and walked to the door. She hadn't realized she had spent practically half the day thinking about her decision. She threw the door open. Kenshin, who was clearly not expecting this, jumped five feet in the air. He looked up at her, startled.
"What are you waiting for? If we want to get this done, we need time. And time is certainly not on our side. How long ago did she die?"
It took Kenshin a couple seconds to produce the words in his head. His eyes widened and a small smile replaced his frown.
"A little less than a week ago."
"Is her body preserved?"
"I had a local sorcerer cast a spell. She's frozen."
"Good. Then we have a chance. Most likely, the spell on her body has slowed down her spirit's travel. So she shouldn't have passed through the second gate yet."
Kenshin nodded, though none of this meant anything to him. All he knew was he was going to get help. And Tomoe would be with him soon.
"Lucky for us there is a charter stone a weeks' walk from here. We have to retrieve Tomoe-san's body and bring it to the stone."
Kaoru confirmed, standing up. Kenshin greatly admired this girls' bravery. Prepared to perform a task for a man she barely knew.
"A-arigatou!"
Words could not express his gratitude. A grin had spread across his weary face. Kaoru smiled slightly, dread filling her. She would have to travel into death, alone.
"We leave tomorrow at dawn. The dead will be asleep by then."
Kenshin gulped nervously. He was afraid of the dead. All he had to protect himself was his sakabtou. And even with that he avoided traveling in the dark. But now, he had renewed hope. Now he had a necromancer on his side.
"Go bathe. There is a pump over there. I'll wash your clothes. Barra!"
She called the cat, who came out from under the bed. She rolled her eyes. She could never keep tabs on him.
"Mistress?"
Kenshin jumped back, startled. The cat had spoke! Barra looked at him, amused, and hopped onto the bed. Kenshin threw himself off and stared.
"Daijoubu. He listens to me."
Kaoru chuckled softly and scratched Barra under the chin. He purred, content. Kenshin gulped and slowly stood, dusting off his hamaka and gi.
"Barra, when Himaru-san is finished…undressing, please bring his clothes to me."
She blushed lightly and walked towards the door. Barra sat on the bed, his tail twitching back and forth. He offered what appeared to be a nod before she opened the door and left.
Kenshin gulped as Barra's gaze focused solely on him.
"What are you waiting for? Go bathe."
"H-hai!"
~*^-^*~
Kenshin came out a while later, dressed and clean. Kaoru had been sitting in her living room chair, skimming through a red-covered book. Another pile rested at her side on the table.
"K-Kaoru-dono…I have finished."
Kaoru glanced up from her reading and looked him over briefly. She grunted, then nodded and went back to the book. After a few moments of silence, Kenshin sat in the chair opposite of her and watched.
She was flipping through the pages at a fast pace, obviously skimming. Her brows furrowed in concentration and her tongue peaked out the corner of her mouth. She was cute, he noted.
"Nani?"
Kenshin started, and then realized he had been staring. With a blush, he turned his gaze to the ground.
"Nothing."
An eyebrow was raised but no further questions were asked. The silence in the room was thick, only broken when Kaoru turned a page.
"Argh! Where is it!?"
"Where is what?"
Kenshin stood and moved over to her. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She motioned to all the books in the next to her.
"Out of all of these, none has the protection spell I need when I go into Death!"
Kenshin picked up a book and skimmed through it. He slapped it shut when he found nothing of any use.
"I'll help you, if you want."
He suggested, walking over to the bookcase. Kaoru nodded mutely, and watched him pull out a book at the end. Sighing, she too picked a book and began skimming.
~*^-^*~
"Found it!"
Kaoru's yell sounded triumphantly throughout her small home. Kenshin, who was half asleep, jumped in shock, and Barra strolled into the room.
"Took you long enough."
He yawned and stretched his legs. Kaoru ignored him and began to read what she had been searching for.
It was late in the evening when Kaoru had finished memorizing the protection diamond she would have to summon. The sun was just setting and shadows could be seen sneaking around in the dark. Kaoru tried her best to ignore them as she bolted her door.
"We should get some sleep. We will be leaving early. At dawn."
Kenshin nodded silently and watched her take down a blanket that had been resting on the back of a chair. She was about to lay down on the couch when Kenshin realized what she was doing.
"I'm sleeping in here. You sleep in my room."
She informed him, noticing his questioning stares. He shook his head. Bad enough he was asking her to bring his fiancé back, but now he would have to take her bed?
"Iie. That is too much to hope for I…"
"Look, you either sleep in there or on the floor. But I'm not moving. Good night."
Kenshin watched her turn her back towards him and pull the covers up over her shoulders. Sighing, he went into her room and got a blanket, then settled down next to her on the floor. If she wouldn't use the bed, then neither would he. Barra shook his head, a scorn on his face, and curled up in a tight ball on his favorite windowsill. Tomorrow would be a big day for all of them.
~*^-^*~
AN: Whoo! Another chapter done. I would like to thank those who reviewed. And I'm glad you liked it ^-^. More will be up soon!
