Hello everyone, this is the first fanfic I have ever decided to post up online. ^_^ This is the first part of a small series I've been writing. This part will have maybe a few chapters, and then I'll move onto part two. Please leave me some reviews so I can learn how to get better at writing. I hope you all enjoy the story. Chapter 2 should be uploaded soon.
Standard disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters. I'm merely borrowing from Watsuki-sensei.
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Kaoru stood by the river, shafts of silver moonlight pierced through the gray clouds. She gazed up at the moon half hidden by the clouds. A light mist covered the ground. She gazed silently at her reflection in the river water. Her long black hair flowed loosely about her shoulders, unconfined from her usual bow. Her dark blue eyes gazed back at her own. The sudden soft sound of footsteps made her turn around. There, behind her, she found Kenshin walking up to her.
"Kenshin!" she exclaimed and turned to greet him, then stopped short as she saw the look in his eyes. She knew that look; it was the same as the time he had left her for Kyoto, a mixture of soft sweetness, pain and sorrow.
"Kenshin?" Kaoru whispered, making his name a question. Her heart beat wildly and she clenched her hands tightly. He didn't mean to leave…did he? Kenshin stopped in front of her and smiled.
"Kaoru-dono, I have decided that it is time to for me to leave. I shall not put you in any more danger by being near you," he whispered. Tears filled Kaoru's eyes. So, he did mean to leave again. Then she'd have to stop him, no matter what.
"Kenshin…no…please…don't leave," Kaoru managed to choke out past her tears, finding the voice she had lost the first time he had left. She reached out and grasped the sleeve of his gi. Kenshin smiled and gently eased her fingers away.
"Sessha wa Rurouni," he said softly and turned away from her. Kaoru watched as he slowly walked into the darkness.
"Ke…Kenshin…" Kaoru whispered. Then, summoning up her nerve, she ran after him, arms outstretched, calling his name. But he had already vanished into the shadows and Kaoru plunged into the darkness after him. But the moonlight had become lost behind the clouds, leaving Kaoru alone in the cold mist and darkness.
"Kenshin! Kenshin! Please come back!" Kaoru called out desperately.
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Kaoru awoke with a start. A dry sob escaped her as she sat up. With one shaking hand she reached up to brush away the tears streaming down her cheeks. It had been a dream, all of it, a dream. But the pain and fear lingered within her. Even after all this time, even after Kyoto, even after Enishi's Jinchuu, Kaoru still feared Kenshin leaving her. The scar left on her heart when he left for Kyoto remained.
Kaoru sighed and willed herself to calm down. Kenshin was still there, right in the room next to hers. Knowing that it would be impossible for her to fall asleep now, Kaoru decided to get some fresh air outside, perhaps even take a walk. She quickly donned a haori and as quietly as she could, slid the shoji open and walked outside.
The cool air felt wonderful in the still night. The moonlight was bright enough to see by, but not to bright as to outshine the stars. Kaoru gazed up at them, there were so many.
Kaoru's eyes widened in sudden surprise as a shooting star passed by overhead. This was her first shooting star, try as she would when she was younger; she was never in the right place at the right time to see one.
"I should make a wish," she whispered, after all, it was her very first shooting star. So, Kaoru closed her eyes and thought of her wish.
"I wish…I wish for Kenshin to always stay by me, that we'll be together forever," she said and looked up again once more at the heavens. Feeling a bit better, Kaoru decided that she would take a little walk. It would be unwise to stray too far from the dojo, but going down a few streets would be fine.
Kaoru cautiously opened the dojo gate, not wanting to wake Kenshin; Yahiko was staying at the Akabeko for a few days to help with some construction for Tae. Sanosuke too had been helping as a way of paying for his tab. Kaoru sighed and slipped out into the street. There was a slight breeze in the air now; it blew by gently, ruffling her hair. Shivering slightly, Kaoru pulled the haori tighter against herself.
The streets were most certainly much quieter during the night. It was just like the night when Kaoru had met Kenshin. She could remember it clearly. The stars shone above and the moonlight illuminated the street. She also remembered that she found Kenshin by following the sound of his footsteps, thinking he was the one who was tarnishing the name of her dojo. Kaoru could almost hear those footsteps now; in fact…she could hear footsteps.
Kaoru spun around quickly to see who was there. Her eyes widened when she found three towering shadows behind her in the darkness, their faces hidden in the heavy mist.
"Hey girl, what are you doing out all by yourself?" sneered one of the figures and stepped closer to her. The other two did the same and Kaoru could see that all three where very tall and strong looking men. They all had a gruff appearance and Kaoru definitely didn't like the looks in their eyes. Kaoru took a step backwards and wished she was in her gi and hakama instead of her yukata and haori, and that she had her bokken in her hand.
"Isn't it past your bedtime?" another jeered and the other two laughed crudely. "Why don't you come home with us?"
Kaoru grit her teeth and went into a fighting stance.
"If you know what's good for you, you'll walk away right now," Kaoru warned in a firm voice that she was glad did not quiver. Even though these men were larger than she was, it didn't change the fact that she was the shihandai of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. And being the shihandai of a sword technique used to protect, she knew how to fight even without a weapon, however, she knew not to take these thugs lightly.
The three men released a sharp bark of laughter and then advanced forward. One of the men broke from the trio and lunged at Kaoru. Though in an instant she had used his own weight and force to throw him to the ground into a wall where he lay quite still. The two companions of the unconscious one stopped in their tracks in shock.
"Who's next?" Kaoru grinned fiercely, feeling confident. The thugs looked taken aback, but they recovered within a moment's time. The second one raced towards her and she this time ducked and used her elbow to catch him right in the stomach, knocking all air from his lungs. He too fell over and did not get up again. Kaoru turned and faced the last man.
"You b*tch!" he snarled and ran at her. Kaoru planned to quickly dodge out of his way and trip him. But before she could, he pulled out a dagger from a sheath at his side that she hadn't noticed before. Being caught off guard, Kaoru suddenly found herself knocked to the ground. Before she could even cry out the man had kicked her in the stomach, leaving her without air and a voice to even cry out.
Wincing, Kaoru struggled to her feet to face him, but she felt one arm grasp her around waist, pinning her arms to her side and the other hand holding the dagger was at her throat.
"Let go of me!" Kaoru demanded, fighting against his grasp. In reply the man swiftly stabbed his dagger into her left shoulder. She heard him laugh as she cried out in pain.
"I'll make you pay for all the trouble you caused…" he snarled. Kaoru could feel the blood trickling down her shoulder and the sharp pain that radiated from it. Cold fear gripped her and tears gathered in her eyes.
"Kenshin…" Kaoru whispered, her vision already blurred by pain and tears. She heard the cold sneer of her attacker…and then…
"If you do not remove your hands from her immediately, I will remove them for you…permanently," came a voice in a low feral growl that Kaoru immediately recognized as Kenshin's. Kaoru looked up and saw him standing in a patch of moonlight; it glinted on the partially drawn sakabatou. But what glinted even more dangerous still was the amber glow in Kenshin's eyes…Battousai's eyes. His red hair flew about his shoulders in the slight breeze. He truly looked like a fairy tale hero.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru cried and found the dagger pressed more closely to her throat, stilling her voice, causing more tears to flow. Kenshin's eyes flared at the sight of her tears, the sound of her frightened voice.
Kaoru's captor looked over Kenshin. He saw his slight frame, his almost delicate features, and laughed.
"What are you going to do?" he asked sarcastically. He brutally threw Kaoru aside on the ground and signaled Kenshin to come at him. Kaoru whimpered in pain as she landed on her injured shoulder. Kenshin's glared at the man in pure blood red rage. With a furious yell Kenshin charged forward, almost seeming to vanish in inhuman speed. There was a blinding flash as Kenshin drew his sword in battoujutsu and hit the offending man across the chest. There was sound of ribs breaking and the man fell and lay crumpled on the ground. Kenshin scowled at the man as he re-sheathed the sakabatou in one swift movement, his eyes shone with fire.
"You are lucky I am no longer the hitokiri I once was. I would have given you a long, painful death…" Kenshin growled.
"Good job, Battousai," came a voice through the shadows of an alleyway. Kenshin spun around quickly, knowing the owner of the voice, but not trusting it either.
"I have no time for you Saitou," Kenshin said angrily. Saitou smirked.
"I'm not here for you, I'm here to take these low-lifes to jail. The Kamiya girl seems to have done a good job fighting" he said looking at the two thugs Kaoru had knocked down. "But she was rather noisy. Someone ran over to the police station and reported a girl being attacked. I'm disappointed in you Battousai, I thought that you'd at least kill this last one here," he said and kicked the man Kenshin had defeated. "I'll be going now…" Saitou smirked and motioned for four more policemen that were waiting in the alley to come help him take the knocked out thugs away.
Kenshin ran straight to Kaoru's side. He picked her up gently, horrified at the sight of her red blood splashed against her white yukata.
Saitou was just about to leave when he took one last at Kenshin and shook his head. One moment there had been the harsh amber eyes and ferocity of the Battousai, now there was only that violet-eyed softy of a Rurouni. Pathetic. If one of those men had dared harm Tokio, they would all be dead. With one last final disapproving smirk, he and the rest of the policemen stalked away, carrying the knocked out thugs.
"Kaoru-dono…" Kenshin whispered and touched her cheek with all the tenderness he had. Kaoru's eyes opened slightly and through the haze of pain slowly focused on Kenshin.
"Kenshin…gomen… nasai…" Kaoru whispered, before fainting in his arms.