Disclaimer: I don't own RK, although I would like to own Kenshin...hmmm,
and Aoshi, and Yahiko, and Sano and Soujirou..and anyone else from RK who
is special (I am forbidden to say the word sexy as it is ruling over my
entire dialog when I speak to people, so slap me if I say it)
Dedicated to:
Marstanuki- hehehe, yeah go the thumbs!!!
Val- heheheh I reckon he likes the damsel in distress as well, see Kaoru's both, especially in RK, see she is so head strong that she does things without really thinking and gets in trouble so Kenshin has to save her, and he lies that she's strong and try's to defend everyone but he also likes to hold her and love her and all that stuff, and I think he likes to protect what is his. See if she was too strong then she wouldn't need his help, but she also can help him in different ways. Ok, so I suppose its now two for you and one for me, but Tomoe wont get him, heheh there will just be a few close calls.
Sweetaznpnai4eva- hehehe I cant wait for that either, ooh I'm just as excited as you are, but you cant rush these things..hopefully something happens soon hehehe
Shizuka- ok, here's your flash back, and I hope you don't mind the whole Tomoe thing too much, but it will be different, trust me, and you'll see it in this fic, she's going to be more tempting and straight forward because Kaoru is there and she knows that Kaoru could foil her plans to get Kenshin and kill him. Also just like to say that nothing much really happens in this chapter, but I hope your still interested, though I did give a long insight into what Kenshin is thinking, well I think I did, so you'll know what he thinks of Kaoru and Tomoe.
Saskia- well chicki bicki, I do believe that Kaoru will become stronger and you'll see it in this chapter, hopefully this was quick enough of an update, enjoy
Rekka's Angel- why thankyou *gives a big hug* im keeping them in character? Yay! I actually thought I was chopping and changing Kaoru's but I suppose that's alright since she lost her 'parents' and all. I don't like Tomoe that much so yeah, don't expect me to be kind and all with her, mwhahaha, though I don't think you'll mind all that much. K+K action in the next chapter I promise.
By Sujakata
IMPORTANT: I have made two mistakes that have been pointed out to me.
First of all I called the geisha's whore when they are not, so I would like to thank Ariela for telling me that
Second I put jewels and stuff on the hilt of Kaoru's Sakabatou, and so all that I said that was on her sword's hilt will now go to the sheath, hopefully there will be no problems with that, if there are then opps and bare with me, so I would also like to thank JML for telling me that as well. Ok now enjoy the chapter :D
Sacred Sword
Chapter Five: Reflections and a Woman
~()~
'He called me Kaoru? Hai I remember that and I called him..' Kaoru blushed 'Kenshin.'
~()~
Bakumatsu 1864 Japan, Kyoto
Courtyard of the Ishin Shishi inn
He sat there, cross legged, on the small porch, watching the other men come in and out of the gates, some of them strolling around talking to their friends. The red haired young man turned back to his swords and took up the small white cloth and continued to clean his swords. He couldn't get the other day out of his head, the way he had reacted
~()~FB~()~
He couldn't see her and he cursed himself for loosing the one thing he was supposed to be watched. He blamed it on Iizuka for constantly talking about that woman they had seen, sure she was beautiful, but he didn't have time to think about that now. Looking once again down at the Cherry blossom in his hand he tucked it safely in the folds of his Hakama. Searching again he pulled the still jabbering Iizuka forward by his gi.
"Would you shut up? I'm trying to find Kamiya" he hated saying that name now, it felt as if he wasn't honouring Kaoru by saying her false name. Of course he knew that only himself, Kaoru and Katsura knew the true identity of her and who her father was and so he continued with the ignorant façade to keep Kaoru safe.
"Chill Himura, she's probably just down the str-"
Iizuka had been cut off by the first screams they had head. They were going to brush it off when Himura had the distinct feeling that this was something they should check out, and when the second scream reached them he stopped dead in his tracks, 'that voice...' he knew then that it was Kaoru, and an anger welled up inside of him, not at Kaoru for being a baka and getting into trouble, but that someone might be hurting her and that he, the Batousai was not there to protect her.
~()~EFB~()~
Kenshin sighed, it didn't make any sense to him as to why he was angry with himself or why he should care so much about what happened to Kaoru, of course there was the fact that she was Katsura's daughter and that if Kaoru should happen to be killed then the leader of the Ishin Shishi might just perform Sepuka on himself and then they would be in a world of trouble as Katsura never told anyone what kind of plans he had inside his head unless they were about to execute one. But he knew that wasn't all of it. He found her strangely exciting, and different from what he was around most of the time. She was full of life while all around them death spread around like wild fire, and it was unavoidable.
She was an enigma to him, and he liked it. He knew that being fifteen he would be having strange occurrences with his body and that he was becoming interested in the female population, but Kaoru was different from that, he wasn't interested in her for her looks or that she was a woman with whom he could lye with, he liked her because she made him feel.
~()~FB~()~
Panic, he could feel it coming off her in waves, could sense it in the wind, she was afraid and it made him furious that these people could make the lively Kaoru, the daughter of Katsura scared. He lost complete control when they threw her over the edge, the turbulent rage mixed with his Batousai side churned inside him, making him see red, wanting him to KILL. He did, he allowed himself to become what he and hoped he wouldn't, a man who killed just to see others blood. He killed them swiftly, slicing through their skin as if they were rice paper, his ears were deaf to their screams, and they were all lifeless in a matter of seconds.
He threw his swords down, knowing that if he took them with him when he went after Kaoru he might accidentally let his Batousai side, which was raging over him blind himself to the fact that he was protecting her, and kill her instead. Not even waiting to see where Iizuka was he flung himself off of the side and dived into the water where he saw the bubbles rising.
His anger was subsiding and something akin to dread filled him, he had no idea that Kaoru couldn't swim, and he had no idea how long under the water she had been. He saw her, stretching upwards as if she were reaching for him, and in that moment he found her absolutely the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his life, her blue eyes pointed up at the sun, her skin deathly pale and her mouth opened slightly as the water caressed her, hugged at her and her ebony hair flew around her in a dark halo, spiralling and floating around her neck. Gripping her cool flesh he pulled her roughly to the surface, knowing that both their clothing was weighing them down.
He had expected her to breath once he had her head above the water, but she continue to just stare lifelessly ahead and he was afraid, for the first time in his life that she was dead, and that he had failed. He had yelled at her then, and did the one thing he had thought he never would do, he hit her, tried to get her to come to her senses. And relief had swum through his entire being when she began to cough, his grip had slipped slightly with her body wracking like it had and her head had gone back into the water. He felt like such an incompetent fool and he pulled her closer to him.
And then she had whispered his name, and he felt something in his chest tighten slightly, but his mind was turned to getting out of the water as he realised that she was shaking, and his mind then registered what he had kept in the back of his mind, the water was freezing.
~()~EFB~()~
'I guess that night was a first for a lot of things,' Kenshin mussed as he pulled a hand through his thick hair, his eyes going to the now empty courtyard. 'It strange though that she called me by my first name, I wonder if this will change anything, no one calls me Kenshin, and I don't know if I should allow her to...I'll-' Kenshin's eyes immediately locked on to the familiar figure of Kaoru who was now dressed and was stretching herself out, he could see the bruises that had formed and the small cuts that were on her fists from when she had landed punches as her delicate skin had split open. 'What is she doing?' Then he saw that she had her Sakabatou out with her and she fell into her fighting stance ready to practise her kata.
Kenshin shook his head at her complete idiocy when she should be resting from her near drowning. However he found her smooth movements calming and again he thought she looked beautiful, with the way she had her eyes closed and held a peaceful expression on her face, the way the cherry blossoms fell from the trees and around her. Kenshin shook himself out of his stupor and rolled his eyes. He had heard the other men talk about hormones, or something of the like and how that usually took over the mind when they were around his age. They had joked and said that maybe he didn't have any..'oh how wrong they were.' Growling to himself Kenshin stopped what he was doing and was about to go back inside when he caught the scent of white plums. Confused he turned towards Kaoru, but no, she held the scent of Jasmine, he'd found that out yesterday
~()~FB~()~
He didn't even look at Iizuka, he bent down and picked up one sword and flicked the blood off before sheathing it and doing the same to the other, Kaoru was tucked snugly under one arm. She was surprisingly light for all her heavy clothing, and he also noticed how small and thin she was, he felt something stir in the bottom of his stomach but quelled it. Pulling Kaoru a little closer to himself to shield her from most of the curious glances they were getting from passers by, Kenshin walked quickly back to the inn and straight to Kaoru and Katsura's rooms. He felt rather uncomfortable about the idea of changing her into dry clothing so grabbed the nearest woman and ordered her to do it.
He waited outside the door until the woman came back out
"You should really get those cuts on her hands treated or they will leave visible scars, on her beautiful skin," the woman said before bowing to him and leaving. Kenshin just ignored her and stalked into the room and looked down at Kaoru. He had no idea why he was still there, he should have left by now. Cursing his mind he knelt beside her and looked more closely at her pale face, he breathed in deeply and that was when he got his first sense of her scent, a beautiful delicate hint of Jasmine, it was barely there, but it was definitely her scent, and now that he had had his first sense of it, it was now ingrained in his mind. Shaking his head he realised that he had to get out of there, he had a feeling that if Katsura came in and found him kneeling over his daughter he would have no answer to give the questions that were sure to be asked.
~()~EFB~()~
So then who held the scent of white plums? His answer came from the woman walking through the gate, it had been the woman from the streets and Iizuka and himself had been looking at. He couldn't deny that she was very pretty, she held that quiet beauty that gave her an air of refinement, and he felt his mouth go dry as he watched her walk elegantly passed him and into the front door. He'd seen the way her black eyes had stared at him for a moment and saw a modest blush grace her cheeks, and he started when she shyly winked at him.
Kenshin was then immediately aware that Kaoru had stopped her kata and was watching him from across the courtyard, and he felt for some reason guilty. Shaking his head at these ridiculous ideas he stalked in after the girl, the scent of white plum very overpowering.
Kaoru however had felt that aura again, though this time it wasn't vicious as it had been last time, this time is was very sad, and held a depressing quality to it, and Kaoru felt her heart ache for this woman. She had seen the way Kenshin and the woman had looked at each other, and had felt a little twinge of regret, but shoved that aside. She had been without female company for almost a week now, and she felt very lonely, and hoped that this woman would befriend her..for she needed someone who was the same sex as her other then the old women who worked in the inn. Feeling slightly happier at the prospect of gaining a new friend Kaoru sheathed her Sakabatou and headed into the inn.
~()~
Katsura had the distinct urge to eat with his men tonight and so pulled his daughter with him, although it was not tradition for a woman to eat with the men, he rationalised that she was a fighter, and so would eat among them. There were many shocked looks when he strolled in with his daughter a little behind him, Kaoru had changed into a dark blue Hakama, as most of the men of high rank in the Ishin Shishi wore that colour to signify their importance. She knelt down next to her father on the end so she wouldn't be seated next to any other male. Across the other side of the room Iizuka and Kenshin knelt, both waiting patiently for the woman to bring out their food.
Kaoru was surprised to see the woman from that morning was serving them. Smiling Kaoru turned to look at Iizuka and Kenshin from the corner of her eye. Both were looking at the woman, Iizuka was definite lust in his eyes, while Kenshin held a quiet reserve and just watched the woman's movements. A little ways down some of the men were beginning to comment on the new server and some of their comments were rather rude. Kaoru glared at them and looked to her father to see if he was going to do anything about it, but he was in deep conversation with the man next to him and so he wasn't listening.
Kaoru not one to let a woman be treated as dirt stood up abruptly, the men in the room became quiet and looked at her. Her father raised an eyebrow waiting for an explanation for her little scene that she was creating.
"If you can not say anything nice about the woman who is serving you then keep your comments to yourselves, I do not wish to hear your disgusting voices while I eat." She sneered at the men who were a little further down then her. She watched as their faces turned pink at the reprimand and all three stood up, hands going to their swords.
"I don't care if you are Batousai's woman, you will not speak to me in such a way." Kaoru laughed at them, her hand was next to her Sakabatou in case she needed to defend herself.
"Batousai's woman? Ha! As if, get your head checked you baka I am no ones woman" Kaoru realised that that might have been the wrong thing to say as she saw them get this strange glint in their eyes.
"No one's woman eh?"
"ENOUGH!" all turned to Katsura and the three men quickly sat down, they had forgotten that their leader was dining with them and they all flushed in embarrassment. Kaoru sat down as well next to her rather angry father, though she had no idea if he was angry with her or the men. She didn't find out though because her father just went right back to talking with the man next to him. Kaoru lowered her head and waited for her turn to be served. However she felt eyes on her and she lifted her head, Himura was staring intently at her with stern look at if telling her off for standing up for the woman, she glared at him and then returned to looking down.
Katsura was secretly fuming, at first he had been rather proud of Kaoru for standing up for that woman, as she had been taught the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, the sword that protects, and the woman had needed protection, even if it was only verbally. However his pride had quickly turned to anger at the men who were looking at his daughter as if she were a piece of meat. He would not allow any man to look at her in that way. It hadn't bothered him that the men had thought Kaoru was Himura's woman, as she would have been safe from them because they feared Himura. However now that they thought her free game he would have to keep a closer watch on her, or he might teach her a different fighting style to make her stronger, in case no one was there to protect her.
When the woman Kaoru had stood up for reached her she felt a cold shiver wash over her and she stared up into the most violent eyes she had ever seen, they were flashing with repressed desire to kill something and Kaoru almost flinched back as the girl bent over to serve her.
"Next time, keep your dirty little mouth closed, I don't need a child standing up for me, he was about to do it and you stepped in you meddling fool." This was all said in a whisper so that only she could hear. Kaoru's eyes widened at the cold tones and all thoughts of being friends with this woman went flying out the door. Kaoru came to the conclusion that this woman was evil and that she couldn't be trusted.
~()~
Sujakata: WHOA NELLY is Tomoe a cow or what? Oooh Kenshin's getting to know the delights of having hormones, and he's starting to get a little confused about Kaoru and Tomoe, well since this is a K+K fic you might realise that he goes for Kaoru, but we will have the meddling rather rude Tomoe trying to interfere. Now does this make things more interesting?
Do I hear a H? do I hear a A? do I hear an I?
What does it spell..
HAI!
Read through by Kami so if I have spelling or grammar mistakes why don't you send the flames to Kami, I'm sure she'll love to burn
Kami: ha ha Sujakata. Very funny. Oh yes and I quite agree with you that Tomoe is a cow. Man I will never know what Kenshin saw in her anyway. : P oh and please don't burn me! I'm not a medieval witch or anything. Really...
Sujakata: ok *cough* freak *cough*
Dedicated to:
Marstanuki- hehehe, yeah go the thumbs!!!
Val- heheheh I reckon he likes the damsel in distress as well, see Kaoru's both, especially in RK, see she is so head strong that she does things without really thinking and gets in trouble so Kenshin has to save her, and he lies that she's strong and try's to defend everyone but he also likes to hold her and love her and all that stuff, and I think he likes to protect what is his. See if she was too strong then she wouldn't need his help, but she also can help him in different ways. Ok, so I suppose its now two for you and one for me, but Tomoe wont get him, heheh there will just be a few close calls.
Sweetaznpnai4eva- hehehe I cant wait for that either, ooh I'm just as excited as you are, but you cant rush these things..hopefully something happens soon hehehe
Shizuka- ok, here's your flash back, and I hope you don't mind the whole Tomoe thing too much, but it will be different, trust me, and you'll see it in this fic, she's going to be more tempting and straight forward because Kaoru is there and she knows that Kaoru could foil her plans to get Kenshin and kill him. Also just like to say that nothing much really happens in this chapter, but I hope your still interested, though I did give a long insight into what Kenshin is thinking, well I think I did, so you'll know what he thinks of Kaoru and Tomoe.
Saskia- well chicki bicki, I do believe that Kaoru will become stronger and you'll see it in this chapter, hopefully this was quick enough of an update, enjoy
Rekka's Angel- why thankyou *gives a big hug* im keeping them in character? Yay! I actually thought I was chopping and changing Kaoru's but I suppose that's alright since she lost her 'parents' and all. I don't like Tomoe that much so yeah, don't expect me to be kind and all with her, mwhahaha, though I don't think you'll mind all that much. K+K action in the next chapter I promise.
By Sujakata
IMPORTANT: I have made two mistakes that have been pointed out to me.
First of all I called the geisha's whore when they are not, so I would like to thank Ariela for telling me that
Second I put jewels and stuff on the hilt of Kaoru's Sakabatou, and so all that I said that was on her sword's hilt will now go to the sheath, hopefully there will be no problems with that, if there are then opps and bare with me, so I would also like to thank JML for telling me that as well. Ok now enjoy the chapter :D
Sacred Sword
Chapter Five: Reflections and a Woman
~()~
'He called me Kaoru? Hai I remember that and I called him..' Kaoru blushed 'Kenshin.'
~()~
Bakumatsu 1864 Japan, Kyoto
Courtyard of the Ishin Shishi inn
He sat there, cross legged, on the small porch, watching the other men come in and out of the gates, some of them strolling around talking to their friends. The red haired young man turned back to his swords and took up the small white cloth and continued to clean his swords. He couldn't get the other day out of his head, the way he had reacted
~()~FB~()~
He couldn't see her and he cursed himself for loosing the one thing he was supposed to be watched. He blamed it on Iizuka for constantly talking about that woman they had seen, sure she was beautiful, but he didn't have time to think about that now. Looking once again down at the Cherry blossom in his hand he tucked it safely in the folds of his Hakama. Searching again he pulled the still jabbering Iizuka forward by his gi.
"Would you shut up? I'm trying to find Kamiya" he hated saying that name now, it felt as if he wasn't honouring Kaoru by saying her false name. Of course he knew that only himself, Kaoru and Katsura knew the true identity of her and who her father was and so he continued with the ignorant façade to keep Kaoru safe.
"Chill Himura, she's probably just down the str-"
Iizuka had been cut off by the first screams they had head. They were going to brush it off when Himura had the distinct feeling that this was something they should check out, and when the second scream reached them he stopped dead in his tracks, 'that voice...' he knew then that it was Kaoru, and an anger welled up inside of him, not at Kaoru for being a baka and getting into trouble, but that someone might be hurting her and that he, the Batousai was not there to protect her.
~()~EFB~()~
Kenshin sighed, it didn't make any sense to him as to why he was angry with himself or why he should care so much about what happened to Kaoru, of course there was the fact that she was Katsura's daughter and that if Kaoru should happen to be killed then the leader of the Ishin Shishi might just perform Sepuka on himself and then they would be in a world of trouble as Katsura never told anyone what kind of plans he had inside his head unless they were about to execute one. But he knew that wasn't all of it. He found her strangely exciting, and different from what he was around most of the time. She was full of life while all around them death spread around like wild fire, and it was unavoidable.
She was an enigma to him, and he liked it. He knew that being fifteen he would be having strange occurrences with his body and that he was becoming interested in the female population, but Kaoru was different from that, he wasn't interested in her for her looks or that she was a woman with whom he could lye with, he liked her because she made him feel.
~()~FB~()~
Panic, he could feel it coming off her in waves, could sense it in the wind, she was afraid and it made him furious that these people could make the lively Kaoru, the daughter of Katsura scared. He lost complete control when they threw her over the edge, the turbulent rage mixed with his Batousai side churned inside him, making him see red, wanting him to KILL. He did, he allowed himself to become what he and hoped he wouldn't, a man who killed just to see others blood. He killed them swiftly, slicing through their skin as if they were rice paper, his ears were deaf to their screams, and they were all lifeless in a matter of seconds.
He threw his swords down, knowing that if he took them with him when he went after Kaoru he might accidentally let his Batousai side, which was raging over him blind himself to the fact that he was protecting her, and kill her instead. Not even waiting to see where Iizuka was he flung himself off of the side and dived into the water where he saw the bubbles rising.
His anger was subsiding and something akin to dread filled him, he had no idea that Kaoru couldn't swim, and he had no idea how long under the water she had been. He saw her, stretching upwards as if she were reaching for him, and in that moment he found her absolutely the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his life, her blue eyes pointed up at the sun, her skin deathly pale and her mouth opened slightly as the water caressed her, hugged at her and her ebony hair flew around her in a dark halo, spiralling and floating around her neck. Gripping her cool flesh he pulled her roughly to the surface, knowing that both their clothing was weighing them down.
He had expected her to breath once he had her head above the water, but she continue to just stare lifelessly ahead and he was afraid, for the first time in his life that she was dead, and that he had failed. He had yelled at her then, and did the one thing he had thought he never would do, he hit her, tried to get her to come to her senses. And relief had swum through his entire being when she began to cough, his grip had slipped slightly with her body wracking like it had and her head had gone back into the water. He felt like such an incompetent fool and he pulled her closer to him.
And then she had whispered his name, and he felt something in his chest tighten slightly, but his mind was turned to getting out of the water as he realised that she was shaking, and his mind then registered what he had kept in the back of his mind, the water was freezing.
~()~EFB~()~
'I guess that night was a first for a lot of things,' Kenshin mussed as he pulled a hand through his thick hair, his eyes going to the now empty courtyard. 'It strange though that she called me by my first name, I wonder if this will change anything, no one calls me Kenshin, and I don't know if I should allow her to...I'll-' Kenshin's eyes immediately locked on to the familiar figure of Kaoru who was now dressed and was stretching herself out, he could see the bruises that had formed and the small cuts that were on her fists from when she had landed punches as her delicate skin had split open. 'What is she doing?' Then he saw that she had her Sakabatou out with her and she fell into her fighting stance ready to practise her kata.
Kenshin shook his head at her complete idiocy when she should be resting from her near drowning. However he found her smooth movements calming and again he thought she looked beautiful, with the way she had her eyes closed and held a peaceful expression on her face, the way the cherry blossoms fell from the trees and around her. Kenshin shook himself out of his stupor and rolled his eyes. He had heard the other men talk about hormones, or something of the like and how that usually took over the mind when they were around his age. They had joked and said that maybe he didn't have any..'oh how wrong they were.' Growling to himself Kenshin stopped what he was doing and was about to go back inside when he caught the scent of white plums. Confused he turned towards Kaoru, but no, she held the scent of Jasmine, he'd found that out yesterday
~()~FB~()~
He didn't even look at Iizuka, he bent down and picked up one sword and flicked the blood off before sheathing it and doing the same to the other, Kaoru was tucked snugly under one arm. She was surprisingly light for all her heavy clothing, and he also noticed how small and thin she was, he felt something stir in the bottom of his stomach but quelled it. Pulling Kaoru a little closer to himself to shield her from most of the curious glances they were getting from passers by, Kenshin walked quickly back to the inn and straight to Kaoru and Katsura's rooms. He felt rather uncomfortable about the idea of changing her into dry clothing so grabbed the nearest woman and ordered her to do it.
He waited outside the door until the woman came back out
"You should really get those cuts on her hands treated or they will leave visible scars, on her beautiful skin," the woman said before bowing to him and leaving. Kenshin just ignored her and stalked into the room and looked down at Kaoru. He had no idea why he was still there, he should have left by now. Cursing his mind he knelt beside her and looked more closely at her pale face, he breathed in deeply and that was when he got his first sense of her scent, a beautiful delicate hint of Jasmine, it was barely there, but it was definitely her scent, and now that he had had his first sense of it, it was now ingrained in his mind. Shaking his head he realised that he had to get out of there, he had a feeling that if Katsura came in and found him kneeling over his daughter he would have no answer to give the questions that were sure to be asked.
~()~EFB~()~
So then who held the scent of white plums? His answer came from the woman walking through the gate, it had been the woman from the streets and Iizuka and himself had been looking at. He couldn't deny that she was very pretty, she held that quiet beauty that gave her an air of refinement, and he felt his mouth go dry as he watched her walk elegantly passed him and into the front door. He'd seen the way her black eyes had stared at him for a moment and saw a modest blush grace her cheeks, and he started when she shyly winked at him.
Kenshin was then immediately aware that Kaoru had stopped her kata and was watching him from across the courtyard, and he felt for some reason guilty. Shaking his head at these ridiculous ideas he stalked in after the girl, the scent of white plum very overpowering.
Kaoru however had felt that aura again, though this time it wasn't vicious as it had been last time, this time is was very sad, and held a depressing quality to it, and Kaoru felt her heart ache for this woman. She had seen the way Kenshin and the woman had looked at each other, and had felt a little twinge of regret, but shoved that aside. She had been without female company for almost a week now, and she felt very lonely, and hoped that this woman would befriend her..for she needed someone who was the same sex as her other then the old women who worked in the inn. Feeling slightly happier at the prospect of gaining a new friend Kaoru sheathed her Sakabatou and headed into the inn.
~()~
Katsura had the distinct urge to eat with his men tonight and so pulled his daughter with him, although it was not tradition for a woman to eat with the men, he rationalised that she was a fighter, and so would eat among them. There were many shocked looks when he strolled in with his daughter a little behind him, Kaoru had changed into a dark blue Hakama, as most of the men of high rank in the Ishin Shishi wore that colour to signify their importance. She knelt down next to her father on the end so she wouldn't be seated next to any other male. Across the other side of the room Iizuka and Kenshin knelt, both waiting patiently for the woman to bring out their food.
Kaoru was surprised to see the woman from that morning was serving them. Smiling Kaoru turned to look at Iizuka and Kenshin from the corner of her eye. Both were looking at the woman, Iizuka was definite lust in his eyes, while Kenshin held a quiet reserve and just watched the woman's movements. A little ways down some of the men were beginning to comment on the new server and some of their comments were rather rude. Kaoru glared at them and looked to her father to see if he was going to do anything about it, but he was in deep conversation with the man next to him and so he wasn't listening.
Kaoru not one to let a woman be treated as dirt stood up abruptly, the men in the room became quiet and looked at her. Her father raised an eyebrow waiting for an explanation for her little scene that she was creating.
"If you can not say anything nice about the woman who is serving you then keep your comments to yourselves, I do not wish to hear your disgusting voices while I eat." She sneered at the men who were a little further down then her. She watched as their faces turned pink at the reprimand and all three stood up, hands going to their swords.
"I don't care if you are Batousai's woman, you will not speak to me in such a way." Kaoru laughed at them, her hand was next to her Sakabatou in case she needed to defend herself.
"Batousai's woman? Ha! As if, get your head checked you baka I am no ones woman" Kaoru realised that that might have been the wrong thing to say as she saw them get this strange glint in their eyes.
"No one's woman eh?"
"ENOUGH!" all turned to Katsura and the three men quickly sat down, they had forgotten that their leader was dining with them and they all flushed in embarrassment. Kaoru sat down as well next to her rather angry father, though she had no idea if he was angry with her or the men. She didn't find out though because her father just went right back to talking with the man next to him. Kaoru lowered her head and waited for her turn to be served. However she felt eyes on her and she lifted her head, Himura was staring intently at her with stern look at if telling her off for standing up for the woman, she glared at him and then returned to looking down.
Katsura was secretly fuming, at first he had been rather proud of Kaoru for standing up for that woman, as she had been taught the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, the sword that protects, and the woman had needed protection, even if it was only verbally. However his pride had quickly turned to anger at the men who were looking at his daughter as if she were a piece of meat. He would not allow any man to look at her in that way. It hadn't bothered him that the men had thought Kaoru was Himura's woman, as she would have been safe from them because they feared Himura. However now that they thought her free game he would have to keep a closer watch on her, or he might teach her a different fighting style to make her stronger, in case no one was there to protect her.
When the woman Kaoru had stood up for reached her she felt a cold shiver wash over her and she stared up into the most violent eyes she had ever seen, they were flashing with repressed desire to kill something and Kaoru almost flinched back as the girl bent over to serve her.
"Next time, keep your dirty little mouth closed, I don't need a child standing up for me, he was about to do it and you stepped in you meddling fool." This was all said in a whisper so that only she could hear. Kaoru's eyes widened at the cold tones and all thoughts of being friends with this woman went flying out the door. Kaoru came to the conclusion that this woman was evil and that she couldn't be trusted.
~()~
Sujakata: WHOA NELLY is Tomoe a cow or what? Oooh Kenshin's getting to know the delights of having hormones, and he's starting to get a little confused about Kaoru and Tomoe, well since this is a K+K fic you might realise that he goes for Kaoru, but we will have the meddling rather rude Tomoe trying to interfere. Now does this make things more interesting?
Do I hear a H? do I hear a A? do I hear an I?
What does it spell..
HAI!
Read through by Kami so if I have spelling or grammar mistakes why don't you send the flames to Kami, I'm sure she'll love to burn
Kami: ha ha Sujakata. Very funny. Oh yes and I quite agree with you that Tomoe is a cow. Man I will never know what Kenshin saw in her anyway. : P oh and please don't burn me! I'm not a medieval witch or anything. Really...
Sujakata: ok *cough* freak *cough*