The updates will be slow for a while since I have so much school work to
do but here's chapter 2.
***STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY*** for first chap and this one and any others I write . . . I don't own Kenshin obviously . . .
******** ********* ************ **************** ********** **********
Kenshin sat at a table in the Akabeko a week later, waiting for the arrival of Yahiko, Kaoru, Sanosuke, and Megumi. Kaoru had gone down to the clinic with the others to invite Megumi to eat lunch with them. She still came daily to the dojo, keeping a watchful eye on the wounds Enishi had inflicted on Kenshin, the worst of which had never healed during his time at Rakrumina. Kaoru had insisted they do something appreciative for the doctor so here Kenshin waited. His thick red bangs covered most of his face and his amethyst eyes observed everything as his mind wandered on the visions of Kaoru's lifeless body impaled upon Enishi's sword, the cross- shaped scar covering her ghostly cheek.
A group of loudly drunk men sat near the door, their high voices drawing attention. Kenshin could clearly make out the conversation they were having but he let the words flow over him as his thoughts continually shifted. After a few minutes, Kenshin sensed Kaoru close by.
Looking up with certainty, he saw her enter the Akabeko doors following Sanosuke and Megumi, with Yahiko stopping behind her to say hello to Tsubame. They entered the conclave where he sat and Kenshin put on the bright, innocent smile associated with his Rurouni-self. Kaoru looked happy, he noted, with her cheeks flushed-in a healthy color-and her ocean- blue eyes sparkling with contentment. If only to see that picture of life and beauty everyday, Kenshin felt he could endure anything.
She sat next to him with her usual excitement and her energy amused him. It made Kenshin fully aware of her youth, her innocence, and her trust. She was only so relaxed when beside him. Kenshin frequently noted the differences in her when she was with him compared to Yahiko or Sanosuke. She trusted them both, he was certain, but the difference was noticeable, even if it was so completely unconscious on her part. He continued to smile widely, and she broke their gaze as she watched Megumi seat herself beside Sano.
"Ken-san, it was so nice of you to invite me to lunch!" Megumi said with feigned interest. Megumi covered her thin, dark lips with her hand as she chuckled loudly.
Kaoru's expression smoldered. "Why you fox!" she shouted back. "It was MY idea! And you know it!"
Megumi effectively ignored the younger girl and continued to make advances in Kenshin's direction. He raised his hand and scratched the back of his head, unknowing-it seemed, as Kaoru continued to fume beside him.
"Hey Busu!" interjected Yahiko as he and Sano both laughed, "We only wanted her to come along so we didn't have to deal with your ugly face!"
"Why you-" Kaoru began to reach across the table but Megumi beat him to it, striking him across the head first.
"Ow!!!" shouted Yahiko. He looked up at Megumi, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"
Sanosuke spoke up from the end of the table. "You insulted the foxy- doctor." he said between punctuated boughts of laughter. Megumi turned her evil glare on him as he immediately stopped laughing.
While all this was going on, Kenshin continued to note in the background the voices of the drunken men in the front. Even though the argument between Kaoru and Megumi grew louder, he could not mistake their conversation.
"The one with the pony-tail looked like a real piece of work," noted one of the three men whom Kenshin could not see.
His eyes narrowed as he proceeded to listen.
"Yeah, you're right. The tall one looked nice but she's sort of old. I wonder how long the younger one could go for before you wore her out?" said another as a round of laughter went around.
Kenshin's eyes began to fluctuate between lavender and amber.
"Not long for you; you'd go for a minute in a girl that tight before you were all out." said the first. "I, on the other hand, wouldn't let her up for hours. I know how to handle women like that!"
"You're such an optimist but your face is too nasty . . . no girl would want you willingly."
"Who said anything about taking her willingly?" said the first in response.
Kenshin couldn't help the growl that he released. Suddenly the table in front of him quieted as loud, drunken laughter rang in the background.
"Kenshin?" Kaoru questioned, looking at him with worry as Megumi's smile faded, seeing the change in his eyes.
Kenshin tried to calm himself and he forced his heart to slow. He wanted to kill those men for even saying such things about his Kaoru. The Battosai inside him raged to be released but Kenshin had to remind himself that those men were entitled to think what they chose. He could do nothing about their talk.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and drowned out his possessive emotions.
"Gomen, Kaoru-dono. Sessha was just clearing his throat, that he was."
Kaoru looked at him strangely but let it go. If he wasn't going to tell her, then she wouldn't push him. Megumi also knew Kenshin was lying but she couldn't think of why so she, too, said nothing.
Sanosuke, however, had heard the men and the talk they'd had. He figured Kenshin had listened to some of it, based on his sudden tenseness, but Sano realized after his friend had calmed down just how "off" he'd been since Enishi. Kenshin would never have been so protective before Enishi's Jinchu, but he supposed that having lost Kaoru once already, things would be different from now on. And they were.
Sano gave the red-head credit though. When they had mentioned Megumi, it took all of his strength not to get up and pound their faces. They had said a lot worse about Kaoru, though.
A moment later, a shadow appeared in their enclave. As everyone looked up, expecting to find Tsubame with their food, they found instead three large, drunk men looking down at Kaoru.
Before she could even open her mouth, one of them had grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her out the nearby doors of the restaurant. Kenshin, in a slow instant, registered what had happened, putting the men together with the conversation he'd over heard and was out the door not a second later, his sakabato sword already drawn.
The three men stood outside, near a shaded tree, with Kaoru pinned behind them, laughing as she struggled to be free, trying her hardest to punch and kick her way out of their tightly formed circle.
Kenshin approached them quickly, his sword positioned, as his voice was low and cold. Kaoru looked up with relief as she realized who was coming up on the rowdy men.
"You will release her, now. Or I will do it for you." said Battosai with his most dangerous glare. There was no mercy in him at that moment, seeing Kaoru so roughly restrained and mistreated, and part of the anger in him grew stronger as he suddenly knew that he had failed to keep her from harm once again. Kenshin prayed to the gods, as the three men suddenly looked around, that he would have the control to deal with them before the hitokiri in him got out of hand.
***STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY*** for first chap and this one and any others I write . . . I don't own Kenshin obviously . . .
******** ********* ************ **************** ********** **********
Kenshin sat at a table in the Akabeko a week later, waiting for the arrival of Yahiko, Kaoru, Sanosuke, and Megumi. Kaoru had gone down to the clinic with the others to invite Megumi to eat lunch with them. She still came daily to the dojo, keeping a watchful eye on the wounds Enishi had inflicted on Kenshin, the worst of which had never healed during his time at Rakrumina. Kaoru had insisted they do something appreciative for the doctor so here Kenshin waited. His thick red bangs covered most of his face and his amethyst eyes observed everything as his mind wandered on the visions of Kaoru's lifeless body impaled upon Enishi's sword, the cross- shaped scar covering her ghostly cheek.
A group of loudly drunk men sat near the door, their high voices drawing attention. Kenshin could clearly make out the conversation they were having but he let the words flow over him as his thoughts continually shifted. After a few minutes, Kenshin sensed Kaoru close by.
Looking up with certainty, he saw her enter the Akabeko doors following Sanosuke and Megumi, with Yahiko stopping behind her to say hello to Tsubame. They entered the conclave where he sat and Kenshin put on the bright, innocent smile associated with his Rurouni-self. Kaoru looked happy, he noted, with her cheeks flushed-in a healthy color-and her ocean- blue eyes sparkling with contentment. If only to see that picture of life and beauty everyday, Kenshin felt he could endure anything.
She sat next to him with her usual excitement and her energy amused him. It made Kenshin fully aware of her youth, her innocence, and her trust. She was only so relaxed when beside him. Kenshin frequently noted the differences in her when she was with him compared to Yahiko or Sanosuke. She trusted them both, he was certain, but the difference was noticeable, even if it was so completely unconscious on her part. He continued to smile widely, and she broke their gaze as she watched Megumi seat herself beside Sano.
"Ken-san, it was so nice of you to invite me to lunch!" Megumi said with feigned interest. Megumi covered her thin, dark lips with her hand as she chuckled loudly.
Kaoru's expression smoldered. "Why you fox!" she shouted back. "It was MY idea! And you know it!"
Megumi effectively ignored the younger girl and continued to make advances in Kenshin's direction. He raised his hand and scratched the back of his head, unknowing-it seemed, as Kaoru continued to fume beside him.
"Hey Busu!" interjected Yahiko as he and Sano both laughed, "We only wanted her to come along so we didn't have to deal with your ugly face!"
"Why you-" Kaoru began to reach across the table but Megumi beat him to it, striking him across the head first.
"Ow!!!" shouted Yahiko. He looked up at Megumi, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"
Sanosuke spoke up from the end of the table. "You insulted the foxy- doctor." he said between punctuated boughts of laughter. Megumi turned her evil glare on him as he immediately stopped laughing.
While all this was going on, Kenshin continued to note in the background the voices of the drunken men in the front. Even though the argument between Kaoru and Megumi grew louder, he could not mistake their conversation.
"The one with the pony-tail looked like a real piece of work," noted one of the three men whom Kenshin could not see.
His eyes narrowed as he proceeded to listen.
"Yeah, you're right. The tall one looked nice but she's sort of old. I wonder how long the younger one could go for before you wore her out?" said another as a round of laughter went around.
Kenshin's eyes began to fluctuate between lavender and amber.
"Not long for you; you'd go for a minute in a girl that tight before you were all out." said the first. "I, on the other hand, wouldn't let her up for hours. I know how to handle women like that!"
"You're such an optimist but your face is too nasty . . . no girl would want you willingly."
"Who said anything about taking her willingly?" said the first in response.
Kenshin couldn't help the growl that he released. Suddenly the table in front of him quieted as loud, drunken laughter rang in the background.
"Kenshin?" Kaoru questioned, looking at him with worry as Megumi's smile faded, seeing the change in his eyes.
Kenshin tried to calm himself and he forced his heart to slow. He wanted to kill those men for even saying such things about his Kaoru. The Battosai inside him raged to be released but Kenshin had to remind himself that those men were entitled to think what they chose. He could do nothing about their talk.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and drowned out his possessive emotions.
"Gomen, Kaoru-dono. Sessha was just clearing his throat, that he was."
Kaoru looked at him strangely but let it go. If he wasn't going to tell her, then she wouldn't push him. Megumi also knew Kenshin was lying but she couldn't think of why so she, too, said nothing.
Sanosuke, however, had heard the men and the talk they'd had. He figured Kenshin had listened to some of it, based on his sudden tenseness, but Sano realized after his friend had calmed down just how "off" he'd been since Enishi. Kenshin would never have been so protective before Enishi's Jinchu, but he supposed that having lost Kaoru once already, things would be different from now on. And they were.
Sano gave the red-head credit though. When they had mentioned Megumi, it took all of his strength not to get up and pound their faces. They had said a lot worse about Kaoru, though.
A moment later, a shadow appeared in their enclave. As everyone looked up, expecting to find Tsubame with their food, they found instead three large, drunk men looking down at Kaoru.
Before she could even open her mouth, one of them had grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her out the nearby doors of the restaurant. Kenshin, in a slow instant, registered what had happened, putting the men together with the conversation he'd over heard and was out the door not a second later, his sakabato sword already drawn.
The three men stood outside, near a shaded tree, with Kaoru pinned behind them, laughing as she struggled to be free, trying her hardest to punch and kick her way out of their tightly formed circle.
Kenshin approached them quickly, his sword positioned, as his voice was low and cold. Kaoru looked up with relief as she realized who was coming up on the rowdy men.
"You will release her, now. Or I will do it for you." said Battosai with his most dangerous glare. There was no mercy in him at that moment, seeing Kaoru so roughly restrained and mistreated, and part of the anger in him grew stronger as he suddenly knew that he had failed to keep her from harm once again. Kenshin prayed to the gods, as the three men suddenly looked around, that he would have the control to deal with them before the hitokiri in him got out of hand.