Departure Scars

Chapter 9:

"Late Night Visit"

Kaoru smiled. She felt happy light headedly happy. Even though she had remembered all of the horrible things that happened she felt relieved. The empty feeling she had, had was gone, she would get to see him tonight and maybe he would come back.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~X~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Late that night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Kaoru changed from her Yukata, back into her Kimono. She took out her braid and raised her hair into her usual ponytail. She picked up her zori so no one would hear her in the halls and crept outside, into the darkness of the night. It was cool out. The air was still and quiet. She couldn't even hear the crickets. The moon was crescent and there were only a few stars.

Kaoru slipped on her zori and left the dojo grounds. Listening to her own rhythmic breathing and the quiet scuffing of her feet. When she got to the stream she hopped over it and made her way through tall grass. It was pitch black in the forest and quiet as death. Her heart began to beat faster. She walked deeper into the woods. Kaoru rested her hand over her chest and steadied her uneven breathing. "Where is he?" Her eyes darted around the eerie brush. She walked further. Then she saw the orange glow in the distance. Far away, but that had to be his camp! Why had he it set up so far away? She shrugged to herself and continued to the flames.

About halfway there she heard something...the cracking of twigs around her. Her eyes flickered from the fire to the darkness around her. She couldn't see a thing except for large bushes and the thick trunks of threes. She halted. "It's probably just me." Kaoru thought and felt stupid. Another snap. Her eyes widened. She hadn't been walking. Something was there. A person? "No! I'm so stupid! It's probably just an animal or something. A racoon." She began walking again, carefully taking each step. Listening just in case.

Snap!

Kaoru gasped quietly and jumped to her left. Right into a tree. She held her breath and froze herself. Her body was gripped with fear as the outline of another silhouette moved slowly towards hers. "Maybe they won't see me." She thought and held her breath longer.

The figure got closer. She could hear it breathing. She wanted to breath. It was walking at an unbearably slow pace and she couldn't hold her breath forever. Kaoru pressed her entire frame against the trunk, as if she was willing her body to mold into it. She struggled to hold her breath in longer. "Just go away!" Kaoru bit her lip. Closer. She couldn't take it anymore. She blew out the air in her lungs and gulped in more. The figure stopped. It was looking towards her. "Oh, no." She looked at the fire, back to the figure and took off running. "Maybe it won't catch me in time." Immediately after she ran a few yards her chest began throbbing. She clutched the fabric over her breasts tightly. The fire was getting closer to her view. "I hope I don't reopen this wound again! It hurts..." She heard quick foot steps behind her. The person was chasing her!

"Hey!" The stranger called. She slowed. That voice was sounded familiar. It was right behind her. The person had caught up at an alarming rate. It grabbed her shoulder and she stopped. "Chotto!" It was him! That...guy she knew. What was he doing way out here? Wasn't that his camp over there?

Her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden burst of air from her lungs. She wheezed and bent over coughing. The man patted her back gently.

"Daijoubu?" He sounded worried. "I'm so stupid. I should of just asked who was there." They thought simultaneously. Kaoru's coughing faded slowly and she managed to speak.

"Daijoubu ka."

"Are you sick?"

"No." She answered and they began walking to his camp. They were silent the whole way. He listened to her breathing. He could hear a slight wheeze every time she inhaled. She was looking down at her feet. Her mouth was slightly open, gulping in oxygen.

"Really?"

"Hai."

They both arrived at the mini bon fire and sat down. He offered her his blanket that he kept for sleeping but Kaoru declined politely. Again they were surrounded by uncomfortable silence. The two of them just sat there staring at the flickering golden flames.

"Why did you come back tonight?" The swordsman finally spoke.

"Because I...well..." Kaoru trailed off. She didn't really know why she came. She just did. To prove something? And what would that something be? "I wanted...to see why you had stayed." She finished lamely. She looked into his eyes. The fire made them glow flickering, soft gold. Yet, she could still see the violet orbs beneath it. It was as if he had become a gentle battousai.

"I couldn't leave." His answer even worse. Kenshin couldn't leave and he couldn't tell her why. After what he had done to her. Leaving her in tears like that, the bloody hand prints on his gi. He should of at least escorted her to the dojo gates. "Are your hands better?" He asked.

"My hands?" She ran her fingers lightly over her other palm. She felt the slight traces of small scars and a few scabs. "They're fine." She fisted them for a moment and then let them relax. "Unlike other parts of me."

"That's good de gozaru..."

"Uh..." She eyed the fire nervously. "Come on Kaoru, you've got to talk about more than just this...you like him don't you? And you're glad he's still here, so say something!" Her mind scolded her. "I really need to tell you...something that's...important." She mumbled without warning.

"What is it?"

"...Sorry."

"Hm?"

"Gomen nasai for acting like that...when you left. It's just...I didn't want you to leave and...um...I knew that I would miss you so much and....I always knew that...you would leave someday for something...I guess I couldn't except it that well because......I...I...uh...liked...you...a lot...maybe even...loved you and I couldn't understand why you had to go...It was so childish of me, but I understand now...I really do and I'm sorry for the way every thing happened...and is now." She confessed in a sudden rush. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry..." She repeated.

Translations:

Hai- yes

De gozaru- kenshin's way of ending some frases. Like 'indeed it is' ect.

Nani- what

Gomen/gomen nasai- sorry/ I'm sorry

Daijoubu/daijoubu ka- Are you alright, are you okay/I'm fine, I'm alright/okay ect.

Yukata- Japanese clothing worn for bed, after a bath, or in the spring or summer

Chotto- wait

Gi- Kenshin's shirt

Zori- Japanese sandles, like a flip-flop

Author's Notes: Well, another chapter finished while waiting to be able to log in on the site. Many technical difficulties I see. I enjoyed writing this chapter. Our author's little friend Mr. Writer's Block has suddenly decided to go bug somebody else for a while. Maybe Midori? She hasn't added a chapter to Ballad of the Lonely Heart in a long while. Poor Midori-san! *huggles* (and huggles to any other poor author suffering from his friendly visit.) Anywho, I guess that's all...sorry for the delays everyone. I hope you're enjoying my fic! Please review! I love reviews!! They make me happy!!

P.S.: This chapter would have been on much sooner if not for technical difficulties.

Also, this is about a review I got from LittleDragon5. Yea, I agree that Kaoru is strong enough not to kill herself, but without that little OOCness where would my story be? I also looked back on my old chapters and was horrified at how horrible they were. I can't believe that I got any reviews! So I am going to re-edit them and fix up the story a bit. More on that later.