Chapter 3! Wow, can't believe the feedback I'm getting. Before I start, special thanks to JML for pointing out my grammar errors. Having no spell check really bites.
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Chapter III: Blood
Kyoto, May of 1864
Embarrassment.
Holding a hand over his face, Kenshin tried to push down the unwanted feeling but the heat in his face remained in place. He hadn't ever been embarrassed since that autumn night when he was eight and wet the bed because he had been scared out of his sleep by shishou's loud voice. His shishou had, in fact, teased him endlessly about that until the day he left to join the revolution.
However, part of him thought, as embarrassing as it was to walk in on a half-naked woman, he had to admit the girl had a great body; nice curves and...
He stopped that train of thought with vengeance. When had he become a pervert like the other Ishinshishi men Okami had claimed most were?
"Didn't think you had it in you boy!" Iizuka, the Choshu clan's assassin's coordinator said as he came up to him, chewing on a toothpick. Kenshin gave him a hard glare, folding his arms inside his gi while walking out of the inn and down the bustling streets of Kyoto. "So...she has a nice body?"
Kenshin turned his head to the side and stated flatly, "I don't pay attention to that sort of thing."
Iizuka laughed, noting the lingering traces of Kenshin's previous blush. "Whatever you say boy."
Kenshin simply let his gaze wander, ignoring Iizuka's constant snickers as he walked down the streets, side stepping every so often to avoid hitting into the young children running around in the road. He needed to think, badly. With Iizuka here, that was almost guaranteed not to happen, but it was better then nothing.
Kaoru, her name was. He knew the reason for his blushing, she had been naked after all. That and the fact that he had very little, if any, interaction with the female species outside of his family before. He was a man, so it was probably expected to be a little embarrassed when walking in on a half naked woman, but why was what Kaoru had been saying after he left affecting him? He had heard enough curses from the other men in the clan to last a lifetime, but why did her cursing him enough for two lifetimes actually startle him enough to make him give a reaction?
Maybe it was the fact that she, a woman who KNEW he could kill her at any time, had cursed HIM, even if she knew who he was and what he could do. She was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, but the former seemed more plausible then that latter. She didn't seem like someone who lacked an IQ higher then a rock and he highly doubted she was. What had she called him? Pervert, baka, jerk...Kenshin gave an inward sigh, waving Iizuka off as the man stepped into a sake shop. He was definitely pondering over this strange girl too much.
The boy was as strange as the girl. He didn't seem like Kaoru's brother, since he had called her 'Kaoru-san' back when he had grabbed them in the alley, but then what was he to her? Better yet, why did he care? Perhaps this was what his father and brothers' had meant all those years ago when they said, "Women will do strange things to you. They'll make you do and think things you never thought you would."
Boy, was that true now. Too true for his liking.
Scanning his surroundings, Kenshin noted he was at a lake, a large boulder planted close to a single cherry blossom tree that over looked the water. Settling himself on the rock, dusting the blossom petals from his gi occasionally, Kenshin tried to relax his muscles, if only for a second, trying to enjoy a few moments of peace in his otherwise hectic life.
Tense muscles did relax, though enjoying the peace was anything but a reality for him. As always, the stench of blood seemed to invade his senses as soon as his muscles relaxed for the briefest moment, the falling blossom petals suddenly feeling like droplets of the red liquid. The insufferable stench was addictive, but at the same time maddening to him.
Tensing again, even if the ki he felt come behind him was familiar, Kenshin snapped quietly without turning around, "What?"
Shiori wasn't phased in the slightest. She had, in fact, seen him like this a few times before. "Are you all right Kenshin-san?"
Kenshin said nothing, trying to relax his senses. Normally, the young girl's presence was a balm to his built up emotions, reminding him he had a cause to fight for, a cause worth all the blood he had to shed, even if it drove him one step closer to insanity every moment blood was spilled, but this time it didn't seem to work that well. "Iie."
Moving over so she was leaning on the rock near his right side, Shiori creased her brows at his pensive face, as if trying to read him through what little she knew of sensing ki's. Kenshin simply sat there and stared at the water, the blue crystalline surface suddenly looking garnet. He had built many barriers around himself, she knew it, but she also knew he wasn't nearly as cold-hearted as he wanted people to think. "It's maddening isn't it?" she finally said, raising an eyebrow at him. When Kenshin merely looked down at her she continued. "The blood, I mean. It's maddening isn't it?"
"What are you doing here?" he asked, hopping off the rock. He didn't want to go into the subject, least of all with a child that wouldn't be able to grasp it and fully understand. The least she knew the better.
Shiori frowned but didn't comment on the obvious attempt to change subjects, knowing she would get no answers from him. Once Kenshin decided he wasn't going to tell anyone something, nothing less then an atomic bomb to his head could even stand a CHANCE at dragging it out of him. "Kaoru-san asked me to pick up some material for her. She wants to make some kimonos for herself but can't leave the inn." Deciding to see if he'd have a reaction, Shiori stated, "She's pretty ticked about what you did."
Kenshin stared forward, guiding her through the streets and towards the cloth shop. "I'm not used to sharing the room with people."
Shiori blinked, looking up. "You're quieter then normal," she stated flatly.
"Not much worth saying."
Shiori rose an eyebrow at him again. Was it just her or was talking to him starting to become like talking to a stone wall? "You're stranger then normal." When he said nothing, she tried a different tactic and said, "I'm beginning to wonder if what Kaoru-san said is true."
Kenshin looked down and rose an eyebrow at her. "Like what?"
Shiori inwardly smiled. That had caught his attention. "Nothing, never mind, there's the cloth shop!" she said, running in before he could question her.
Kenshin stood out in the street for a moment, contemplating whether to question her or not, but stopped when he looked down the road. Stepping into the shop door, scarred cheek away from the street, Kenshin tensely watched as the people in the street cleared the way for the Shisengumi members walking down, their swords painfully obvious at their sides.
"Look at that, like they own the market," Iizuka said, coming up to him once they had passed. Slipping a black envelope from his sleeve, he passed it into Kenshin's whispering, "You're needed tonight." As Kenshin nodded, Iizuka sniffed the air, a perfume assaulting his senses. "Hey, is that perfume I smell?"
"White plum, I believe," Kenshin said, not even batting an eyelash.
Iizuka smirked. "Can't believe you actually know this stuff." Looking around, his roaming eyes caught a glimpse of a lady on the other side of the road. "Wow, look at her," he said with an approving eye.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Kenshin looked over Iizuka's shoulder, towards the woman in question. She was pretty, though her ki was odd, with very pale skin and black hair tied into a ponytail with a red cloth strip. Her clothes were very simple yet there was certain elegance to them. She was much more dignified looking then Kaoru.
Kenshin inwardly groaned again, turning his head away from the lady. Why was that girl always sneaking into his thoughts?
"We'll talk later," Iizuka whispered as he passed, walking away. Kenshin nodded, turning once to glance at that woman again but saw she was gone. Turning away, Kenshin went back to the cloth store, just in time to see Shiori lugging a truckload of material.
"Did I forget to mention Okami-san and the other women wanted material too?" she said with a sweat-drop, trying to balance herself out.
Shaking his head, Kenshin took half the pile, guiding her down the streets and avoiding rocks and such. The last thing he needed was for one of them to fall and the material getting ruined by mud. Unexplainably pissed warriors he could handle, they didn't worry him in the slightest. Unexplainably pissed women, however, was something Kenshin just didn't want to deal with if it could be avoided. Lord knew, he didn't need them added to the list of people trying to kill him.
* * * * *
Kaoru sighed, putting down her kimono she had been trying to repair with the yellow material Shiori had brought her, among other things that afternoon. There was no use in trying to salvage the kimono, it was ripped in too many places. The obi she could save, but the kimono was a lost cause. Kaoru cursed again as the needle poked her finger for the millionth time that night, the blood coming out of it in a little bubble, the small red dot very visible in contrast with her pale skin.
Soujiro had long since gone to bed, worn out and exhausted. What he was exhausted from she had no idea since they couldn't really leave the inn, but the boy had assured her it was nothing important. Shiori had gone off to talk with Katsura about something or other, and Kenshin, well, she didn't know where he went.
Not that she cared. He was the one keeping her captive in this place after all. Even if he WAS really cute with the fiery red hair and amethyst eyes...
Kaoru shook her head violently. She really needed to get out of there and soon.
The opening of the shoji door snapped Kaoru out of her inner musings, half expecting it to be Shiori, but it was Kenshin, dripping wet and bleeding.
"You're bleeding," Kaoru stated dryly, pointing to the scar that was dripping with blood.
He ignored her, simply going in, sliding the door shut and taking his usual position in front of the window of his room. One knee up, Kenshin draped his left arm over it carelessly, staring out at the stars while grabbing something in his hand.
The wood top's colorful designs had worn away over the years but were otherwise in good condition, a long piece of rope tied around it unraveling at the ends. Clutching it in his hand, Kenshin stared at it, trying to remember as he searched his mind. Remembering back to his past, the one he had lost almost a decade ago, the fun and peaceful times he had long since forgotten.
* * * * *
...Kyoto, April of 1854...
"Kaa-san." Shinta, 5-years-old, tugged on his mothers elaborate kimono as they walked through Kyoto. It was one of the very rare times the family ever went into town for leisure, this time for the Hanami Festival. His sister had gone off with a boy who had invited her, after much protest by his father, and his brothers had taken two girl's their own ways as well, leaving Shinta with his mother and father until they regrouped for lunch in the gardens under the sakura trees.
"What is it Shinta-chan?" she asked, pushing some rich brown hair away from her eyes as she looked down. "Are you tired?"
Shinta shook his head. "Iie. What are those?" he asked, pointing to the stall nearby.
Looking back, a tall man with red hair like Shinta's rose an eyebrow, laughing slightly when he realized his son really didn't know what the objects on display were. "They're tops Shinta. A popular child's toy."
Fascinated by the colorful designs on them, Shinta got onto his toes and tried to look at them, but frowned when he came up a few inches short. Being vertically challenged really stunk. He was taken by surprise when he suddenly felt himself being grabbed by his father, hoisted up while he hung under his arm like a package. "Tou-san!" he squeaked, staring at the ground far below him.
He laughed again, ruffling his son's all ready messy red hair with his left hand while holding the boy under his right. "You wanted to look at them didn't you?"
Shinta scrunched his nose up but looked down at the now quite visible tops on display, all the while ignoring the elderly man behind the booth who was laughing at the comical sight. They looked like acorns, a piece of string wrapped around an indent in the wood. All the designs consisted of sakura petals or branches of sakura blossoms going around the diameter of the top. "They're pretty."
"Do you know how they work young one?" the elderly man asked. When Shinta shook his head, large eyes staring at him curiously, the elderly man broke into a rare smile. "Watch."
Shinta watched in fascination as he wrapped the string around the top more, placing the pointed bottom on a cleared surface before pulling the string away, the top spinning rapidly. The designs became colorful blurs, Shinta's amethyst eyes trying to follow it but only succeeding in making himself dizzy. "Oro..."
His mother and father laughed, the elderly man wiping away the tears in his eyes as Shinta got back on his feet. "I have to thank you young one," the elderly man said, once he had stopped laughing.
Once the world had stopped tilting back and forth, Shinta looked up at the old man curiously. "Naze?"
Leaning over the booth, his finest top in hand, the elderly man put it in Shinta's hand with a smile. "You have made this ailing old fool laugh again. Take this as my token of gratitude."
Shinta brightened, bowing with his parents towards the old man. "Arigatou gozaimasu!"
"Come on, Shinta-chan, we have to go meet Makiko-chan, Ryosuke-chan and Seiji-chan," his mother said, gently tugging him along. "Thank you, Ouji-san," she said, smiling at the elderly man while taking Shinta's hand in hers.
"Sayonara Ouji-san!" Shinta said, holding onto the top and waving as he walked backwards. The old man waved back, Shinta looking up at his mother and father once he turned around. "We should thank him somehow ne?"
His mother and father smiled. "Hai. We'll bring him some of our crops the next time we come to town son."
* * * * *
Kyoto, May of 1864
Kenshin clutched the top in his hand tighter. He had gone to thank the old man the next week, only to find out he'd been executed by the shogunate because he had supposedly stole some food, his head put on display in town as a warning to all thieves. Then his parents had died the following January from cholera, and his siblings had been taken away by different groups of slave traders. He didn't know if they were alive or not, but the blood that had spilled from them was branded into his memory.
So caught up in his thoughts, Kenshin didn't even notice Kaoru had gotten a wet rag for his wound until she put it on his face to try and stop the rapidly falling blood. "You should really tend to that. It'll scar you know," she said simply. When he made no motion to stop the bleeding or move from his spot she asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"None of your business," he said curtly, placing the top down on the window ledge and spinning it, his eyes trailing the movements.
Kaoru shrugged. "It's just you seemed deep in thought and I was wondering what could have aggravated you so much that your wound would start bleeding."
"It's nothing you should concern yourself about. Go to bed."
Kaoru frowned, staring directly at his turned away head and said, "You know you really should stop acting so cold."
Kenshin cast her glance out of the corner of his eyes. "What makes you think it's an act?"
Kaoru gave him a pointed look. "If you were as cold as you seem that girl Shiori wouldn't be around you as much as she is." Kenshin looked away, his eyes staring up at the stars again as he said nothing. Seeing she wouldn't get any answer out of him, Kaoru muttered an, "Oyasumi nasai," before crawling onto the futon and under the covers laid out in the middle of the room.
Once he was sure she was asleep, Kenshin sighed, rubbing his temple. This girl was definitely incredibly brave. No one ever said things like that to him, simply because they were usually scared that he would get angry. He actually was angry, but mostly because the girl was right. Shaking his head, Kenshin leaned back against the stack of books and closed his eyes, his katana and wakizashi leaning against his shoulder. He needed sleep, badly, just to escape reality for a brief moment in his dreams.
Even if his dreams were filled with blood.
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OK, I finished this chapter earlier then planned.
Reviewer notes:
Nim: Wow, I nearly fell off my chair when I saw your first review. First off, you really didn't have to try and turn me to your way of thinking. I have always been in agreement with what you said...errr...wrote, even if when I wrote "Melt my Heart" it wasn't portrayed like that. Secondly, the K&T, I am an obsessive K&K fan so really...none of that K&T. Personally, I think the woman looks like a damn scary ghost with how pale she is, way too pale to even look pretty, but I won't bash her looks in the story simply because I don't believe I should.
Chupa chup: Happy birthday to you too! Now I know 3 people with a birthday tomorrow.
Tsuki-sama: Thank you! If you want to give me something just review my story ^-^
lizzie: Thank you, but I doubt my 16th birthday will be happy. Don't ask. I never was a birthday person. All these reviews for this story though are making me happy ^-^
sammy-chan: I'm not sure yet if I'll incorporate Megumi and the others. It'll all depend on what my psychotic mind comes up with.
chibi-angel: I LOVE chibi-sou-chan! (I'm obsessed with the kid, can you tell?)
All other reviewers I'm too lazy to individually list: Thank you for your comments! Keep them coming! Also, thanks to all those who have wished me a happy birthday. Means a lot too me. (I have few friends who actually remembered, so yeah...)
More reviews, the faster I get my chapters done. R&R!