Kamitari: Weee! Chapter three! Hnnn... I'll be writing this story until Kao-chan is unbusy with school. Oh yeah, by the end of May, for probably about a week, I'll be on vacation so if you see me NOT updating ANY of my fics, gomen minna-san. Anyway, Chapter three! Woot .x Hnn... I'll try and make this chapter longer than the first two, but if it isn't or it's just as long, gomen minna-san. Oh yesh, Sano appears here, about however old he was during the Bakumatsu and he doesn't have a grudge... well... yet... on Kenshin and Kaoru since he's never seen them before. Though other than a few chapters, he won't really be a major chapter. Gomen to all the Sano-fans ^__^;;;; Oh yeah! Kenshin is eighteen and Kaoru is seventeen so this fic is partially AU .
Blood Stained Hearts : Why Am I Starting to Like You?
:: + ::
Kaoru and Kenshin were looking for a place to stay in the manga. Sure. The two best assassins in the Bakumatsu, getting lost. It was either they were careless enough to get lost in the forest, or this was the Mizuwata Forest, the forest in which everyone, whoever strayed from the main path, got lost, no matter how skilled they were, they got lost.
"Kamiya. Can this be the Mizuwata Forest?" asked Kenshin icily as he turned to face the raven haired assassin.
"Possibly. We have to get back to Kyoto," replied Kaoru nonchalantly as she cleared some of the branches using her sword. Kenshin just smirked at her actions. Here was a girl, who had gotten dizzy earlier, trying to act as if nothing happened, when it was evident that something did. Her slashes weren't as quick as before, they didn't need to be but Kaoru usually insisted that they needed to be as precise, her steps were slightly noticeable, unlike when she wasn't dizzy, her voice, slightly louder than usual.
"You should take a break," said Kenshin as he started to cut of three branches. Kaoru looked at her counterpart, slightly frozen in her place. Did Kenshin *seemingly* just care for her? And anyway... why?
"Why did I just seem so nice to her?! Damn this... anyway... maybe because... no... It'll never happen," thought Kenshin as he cut off more branches. Kaoru smiled a really tiny smile before following the red haired assassin. Soon, they were in the middle of the forest, well, to them it was the middle anyway. When they reached it, they saw a clear blue lake and a hut. The hut was fairly large, large enough to room them both, and was abandoned, but not too long ago.
"There, we can stay there," said Kaoru as she pointed to the hut which Kenshin hadn't noticed due to the fact that he was looking the other side. Kenshin's glance was soon directed to the abandoned hut and started scanning it for any faults of any kind. A while later, the hut had passed his inspection and he was on his way to enter it. Kaoru stayed behind in order to scan their surroundings.
"It's not that bad, I mean, it sort of reminds me of home, with my parents, slightly painful but not that bad," remarked Kaoru quietly as she started to walk towards the hut. Soon, she heard the bushes rustling about quietly, and some murmurs and mumbles as well. Kaoru, slightly worried but more of annoyed, decided to check it out. She walked slowly to where the sound was coming from. She cleared the bushes by pushing them away and behind them, revealed a boy, probably about nine or ten, bruised, battered and extremely wet.
"Who are you," commanded Kaoru as she held the hilt of her sword tightly, though not unsheathing the weapon.
"Sa-sa-sagara Sanosuke," mumbled the boy, trying to get up. The name struck her as something which she heard before. Wasn't Sagara the family name of the captain of the fake force? And why does this boy have his family name? Possibly related, or just someone who wanted to pick up the man's family name.
"Are you lost or something?" asked Kaoru, still not removing her hand from the hilt, her voice, icy. The boy merely shook his head.
"I was pushed into the river by Sagara Taishou," said Sano quietly, fidgeting a little in his place. Kaoru didn't really feel as sorry for the boy as most people would have, hence the fact that she was an assassin.
"Come. I'll give you some medicine to treat your wounds," said Kaoru nonchalantly. She was sort of treated like this by her father when he had heard that she wanted to join the war. Sano, after standing up, blinked at the assassin and ran off to walk slowly behind her. Kenshin had gone out to see what the hell took Kaoru so long. He saw her, not smiling, her hand above the hilt of her sword, and a little boy following closely behind her.
"Who's the kid?" asked Kenshin, still not removing his gaze from the lake.
"A former member of the Sekihoutai," said Kaoru nonchalantly as the two arrived in the porch. Kenshin merely nodded, knowing that everyone else was massacred in a single night, except for this boy. The other members of the Ishin Shishi didn't see it fit to try and kill the boy since he really wouldn't cause them harm, even the tiniest percent of it; he brought no threat to them. Sano fidgeted uncomfortably a little bit before he was dragged into the interior by Kaoru. Soon, he was told to sit on the floor while Kaoru fetched some bandages and some boiling water for the boy to use to clean his wounds.
"You can leave here when you want, we don't expect you to stay but if you wish to, it's your choice," said Kaoru nonchalantly as she set the bowl, the cloth and the bandages in front of the boy. Sano nodded and started to tend to his wounds while Kaoru left the interior. Sano looked at the retreating figure before sighing and turning back to tending his own wounds.
:: + ::
"Why'd you say that to the boy?" asked Kenshin, demanding to know her reasons.
"I once was like that when I was small, a past that only I should ever encounter. I don't want the boy to go thinking that he is unwanted by everyone, unlike me. I am unwanted by everyone, even my own parents have closed their doors to me, they will never forgive me for joining the war," explained Kaoru as she tried not to remember her past. Kenshin merely nodded at the words of Kaoru, not really wanting to know, and yet, wanting to know as well. Kaoru looked at Kenshin slightly and fixed her gaze back at the lake.
"Ano, I didn't catch your name," said Sano as he exited the interior, getting the attention of both assassins.
"Kamiya Kaoru," said Kaoru nonchalantly.
"Himura Kenshin," said Kenshin as he took a brief look at the boy. He had a normal build, dark brown hair, brown eyes and a slight grin plastered on his face. He was fairly tall for a boy his age and he was pretty strong.
"Hey, boy, what's your name?" asked Kenshin nonchalantly as he faced the slightly terrified Sano.
"Sagara Sanosuke, Himura-san," replied Sano, slightly shaking due to fear. He had seen them both have two swords at the side and he knew they were assassins, either working for the Shinsengumi or the Ishin Shishi. Kenshin merely nodded at the boy. Kaoru wasn't paying attention because she was thinking of her past, again. Not the flashback sort of thinking, but just thinking on her beliefs, on why she wanted to join the Ishin Shishi, why she liked to see blood spew out of people's bodies, why she enjoyed to see them die at her hands.
Sano still stuck around, surprisingly, offering to do the chores such as chop some firewood, clean the house, make some tea, and the sort. Kaoru was sort of glad he decided to stay on a little longer because she really couldn't do this all on her own. She was basically cleaning the kitchen when Kenshin entered with six medium sized fish, two for each of them. He set it down in the table near Kaoru before walking off to wherever he wanted to stay. He definitely wasn't a people person. Kaoru looked at the fish and saw that it was big enough to fry and have a decent meal with ( Kamitari: I *know* she can't cook but come on, it's partially AU .x and how would they survive .x ).
Soon, the fire was going and Kaoru was starting to cook their dinner. As much as she didn't want to, she had to feed Kenshin or the Ishin Shishi superiors would demote her to something that she didn't even want to think about. Assassin's Assistant. For a first class assassin, being demoted to a level like that means shame, shamed forever in the world, shamed to a point that you'd rather kill yourself than live being demoted. Kaoru was just about to put the fish into separate bentos when Sano came in, slightly tired.
"Sano, the food is ready," said Kaoru emotionlessly as she pointed to a bento filled with food. Sano nodded thankfully as he walked up to get his share. Kenshin was called, not by word of mouth, but he felt that dinner was ready and he knew that Kaoru wouldn't bother calling him, even if she did cook his dinner. When Kenshin arrived where they were eating, Kaoru and Sano were already eating their dinner; his was left near the table. Soon, he started to eat his own dinner.
"Good food," thought Kenshin as he popped a piece of fish into his mouth. It was really good, not too salty, not to bland, not too burnt, and not too moist. Kaoru and Sano were finished with their meals already. Sano stood up and left to be excused, leaving Kaoru and Kenshin alone in the kitchen.
"This place is loaded," murmured Kaoru as she thought of the fact that everything they needed was there, as if the place was really meant to be there. Kenshin looked at Kaoru slightly, still eating.
"God she looks so pretty like that... wait... why am I thinking of this?! I hate her!" thought Kenshin wildly as he set his bento down, inside were his chopsticks. Soon, he was standing up, and walking towards his room.
"Matte, Himura," said Kaoru as she stood up, telling Kenshin to stop.
Kenshin looked behind his shoulder and said, "What?"
"Well, who will guard tonight? Who knows who'll be coming here," asked Kaoru, not fidgeting from her spot.
"I'll take the first shift; you can take the second shift. I'll wake you up when it's your turn," informed Kenshin as he waved his hand behind him. Kaoru merely nodded as she made her way to a room where she would be sleeping for the night. Kenshin watched her back in order to see where she was going before making his way out of the hut and standing guard outside. As he reached the exterior, he searched for a spot where he could stay. He sat down near the door, his back facing the wall.
:: + ::
"He's starting to be nicer than usual," thought Kaoru as she sat down in the middle of her room, on top of the futon. She, for some reason, started to like the assassin a little more, each time she saw him. She had slapped herself mentally each time, saying, that he was her rival and she was his rival, somehow, her heart just didn't want to listen. Kenshin looked as if she could confide all her secrets to him, and he would understand, not laugh at her, not mock at her, she was unsure if it would really happen or not. She didn't know, and wouldn't know until only time can say that it'll happen.
She was going to fall asleep soon. She decided to sleep right then and there, so she could get back her much needed stamina.
:: + ::
: ~ : Flashback; Older Kaoru's POV : ~ :
The wind was caressing my face gently when I heard a voice.
"Kaoru! Come here! You need to practice!" said the voice kindly. I looked around. I looked at my hands, I saw that they were calloused in places where I had gripped my sword tightly when it hit me, this was a dream. A younger version of me, probably about seven or eight years old, ran towards the voice, smiling happily, in my hand, a bokken. I knew that it was my father calling for me. I walked quietly behind my younger self, my swords, making no sound at all.
"Tou-san! I'm ready!" said my younger self cheerfully as she positioned herself in a familiar stance. I walked past my father to see if he could see me. He couldn't. Only I could really see what was happening. I waved my hand in front of my younger self and sure enough, it didn't faze her. I decided to join her actions. My father gave the signal with which we began the attack. My movements were more fluid and continuous because I had done this so many times. The smaller version of me was unable to execute the move and I slightly winced internally, remembering how patient my father was in training me under the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu. I usually was with his class when he taught and he was patient with us all and if I was hurt or taunted by anyone of my male classmates, my father would defend me, saying that it didn't matter if the student was a girl or a boy; it mattered on how we used our knowledge.
After about an hour-long training session, my younger self was talking to my father. I tried to make my way towards them when everything grew older, except me. My younger self grew to the age of thirteen; I just turned thirteen when the war started. It was August or September when I left home to join the Ishin Shishi.
"Tou-san, why is there a war? What's the point in this?!" Kaoru said, her lower lip trembling.
"Well, one side believes this, the other believes of the complete opposite. They're angry with each other; they want to kill each other. The two groups, the Ishin Shishi and the Shinsengumi, both are fighting for what they believe in, Kaoru," explained her father.
"Well, tou-san, who do you think is right?" asked Kaoru as she faced her father.
"I think the Ishin Shishi is right, but the Shinsengumi has points that the Ishin Shishi think is useless. Why do you ask, Kaoru?"
"Oh, nothing," replied Kaoru as the beliefs of the Ishin Shishi flashed through her mind. They were the very same beliefs she had had since she was a child. I looked over at my younger self, silently murmuring all the beliefs I was fighting for, the beliefs that powered me to do what I had to do, to kill. Soon, the scene she had been dreaming about for the past five years had flashed in front of her mind. How she had disobeyed her father and ran to join the war, blood, staining her vision terribly. This is what gave her those headaches; the fact that this very past haunted her.
:: + ::
: ~ : End of Flashback; Normal POV : ~ :
A blood curdling scream was heard in the house near midnight. Kenshin, who was a very very light sleeper, woke up and sensed that something wrong was happening to Kaoru. Kenshin, his heart racing, ran towards Kaoru's room.
"Kamiya-san! What's wrong?!" asked Kenshin slightly worriedly as he rammed the door open. Inside, revealed Kaoru, sitting up straight, her face in her hands, trying to wipe and muffle the tears pouring out of her face. Kenshin walked towards the saddened girl. Cupper her face in his hands, he told her to stop. Kaoru, blinked several times before she was able to register what was happening. Kenshin was there, comforting her, of all the people, he was the one. He hated her to the bones and she hated him to the bones, why was he comforting her. Kenshin, who was in his full state of mind, was also wondering why he was comforting Kaoru, as if it just felt right. Kenshin really didn't care anymore, as long as this didn't happen tomorrow, or any other day, tonight was just different, Kaoru was crying. Kenshin cropped his icy glare and just hugged her, right then and there. Kaoru, too shocked to even blink, just sat there, surprised at Kenshin's actions. Kenshin was getting groggy; he was intoxicated by the jasmine scent which hung around Kaoru. When he pulled back, he looked at Kaoru, stood up, and walked back to his post. It would be two more hours before it was going to be Kaoru's turn to guard the place.
"Wha-wha-what did he just do?!" thought Kaoru wildly, still trying to analyze earlier's turn of events, "And why did I just not try to push him away when he hugged me?!"
:: + ::
: ~ : The Next Morning : ~ :
Kaoru was already awake. She's been awake for the past four hours, to guard the house. Looking towards the east, she saw that the sun was already rising. She sighed and walked back in, in order to cook breakfast. She was planning on making some rice balls with miso soup for breakfast, tea for drinking. Kenshin would've been awake by now, Sano, probably too tired, would still be asleep until about eight or nine later. It was only five in the morning when she started to cook breakfast. Kenshin walked in, slowly, but walked in nonetheless. Kaoru eyed him suspiciously, remembering all that had happened. Kenshin smirked lightly before approaching Kaoru; his face was inching towards hers. When his face was deadly near Kaoru, his lips brushed past hers, as if to tease her of last night. Automatically, Kaoru slapped him, her left hand over her lips.
"Gotcha," smirked Kenshin as he rubbed his sore cheek before slumping down and waiting for his food. Kaoru just grunted, turned around and continued to cook. Unconsciously, her face was blushing a bright crimson. Kenshin looked at Kaoru's back, still smirking, as if the brushing of lips was part of his devious plan. It was actually. He wanted to continue teasing Kaoru during the remainder of their stay in the Mizuwata Forest, but not the evil sort of teasing, the friendly sort of teasing. For some reason or another, he couldn't bear to tease her the same way he did yesterday and those other days for the past five years. He didn't want to admit having a female as his partner all the time, but what could he do? She was talented, she had the gift, and she was the female version of him.
"God her raven hair looks so pretty with the light resting upon it," thought Kenshin blissfully, as his amethyst eyes locked onto Kaoru's raven tresses, "Wait. Why am I thinking this?! Bah... darn this trip. Darn this mission. When we get back to Katsura, I will blow my top and yell and scream and shout at him for making me do this! Maybe even kill him, but heck, I most probably won't but it'll be fun to threaten him."
Kaoru was still blushing furiously. She didn't want to think of this. She wanted to forget about it, and go on with her life, finish the damned war and go home, ask her parents for forgiveness, even though they'll throw her on the floor and let her die there, pitifully. Tears rolled down her face, silent ones, hitting her palms. Soon, she couldn't hold it anymore, the emotional damn broke. She just started crying. She fell to the floor, and started crying, crying all the fears and pains hidden inside her, crying as if there were no tomorrow.
Kenshin looked at his female counterpart quizzically. "Did I just do something wrong?" thought Kenshin, digging his nail into his skin, "Or maybe it's her dream bothering her again..."
:: + ::
Kamitari: Woo! I hope you liked the chapter! I'm inspired all of a sudden O__o Initiative does wonders. Anyway, I hope that either Kao-chan or I will get the fourth chapter up! See you and please review so the next chapter will be posted ASAP!
Blood Stained Hearts : Why Am I Starting to Like You?
:: + ::
Kaoru and Kenshin were looking for a place to stay in the manga. Sure. The two best assassins in the Bakumatsu, getting lost. It was either they were careless enough to get lost in the forest, or this was the Mizuwata Forest, the forest in which everyone, whoever strayed from the main path, got lost, no matter how skilled they were, they got lost.
"Kamiya. Can this be the Mizuwata Forest?" asked Kenshin icily as he turned to face the raven haired assassin.
"Possibly. We have to get back to Kyoto," replied Kaoru nonchalantly as she cleared some of the branches using her sword. Kenshin just smirked at her actions. Here was a girl, who had gotten dizzy earlier, trying to act as if nothing happened, when it was evident that something did. Her slashes weren't as quick as before, they didn't need to be but Kaoru usually insisted that they needed to be as precise, her steps were slightly noticeable, unlike when she wasn't dizzy, her voice, slightly louder than usual.
"You should take a break," said Kenshin as he started to cut of three branches. Kaoru looked at her counterpart, slightly frozen in her place. Did Kenshin *seemingly* just care for her? And anyway... why?
"Why did I just seem so nice to her?! Damn this... anyway... maybe because... no... It'll never happen," thought Kenshin as he cut off more branches. Kaoru smiled a really tiny smile before following the red haired assassin. Soon, they were in the middle of the forest, well, to them it was the middle anyway. When they reached it, they saw a clear blue lake and a hut. The hut was fairly large, large enough to room them both, and was abandoned, but not too long ago.
"There, we can stay there," said Kaoru as she pointed to the hut which Kenshin hadn't noticed due to the fact that he was looking the other side. Kenshin's glance was soon directed to the abandoned hut and started scanning it for any faults of any kind. A while later, the hut had passed his inspection and he was on his way to enter it. Kaoru stayed behind in order to scan their surroundings.
"It's not that bad, I mean, it sort of reminds me of home, with my parents, slightly painful but not that bad," remarked Kaoru quietly as she started to walk towards the hut. Soon, she heard the bushes rustling about quietly, and some murmurs and mumbles as well. Kaoru, slightly worried but more of annoyed, decided to check it out. She walked slowly to where the sound was coming from. She cleared the bushes by pushing them away and behind them, revealed a boy, probably about nine or ten, bruised, battered and extremely wet.
"Who are you," commanded Kaoru as she held the hilt of her sword tightly, though not unsheathing the weapon.
"Sa-sa-sagara Sanosuke," mumbled the boy, trying to get up. The name struck her as something which she heard before. Wasn't Sagara the family name of the captain of the fake force? And why does this boy have his family name? Possibly related, or just someone who wanted to pick up the man's family name.
"Are you lost or something?" asked Kaoru, still not removing her hand from the hilt, her voice, icy. The boy merely shook his head.
"I was pushed into the river by Sagara Taishou," said Sano quietly, fidgeting a little in his place. Kaoru didn't really feel as sorry for the boy as most people would have, hence the fact that she was an assassin.
"Come. I'll give you some medicine to treat your wounds," said Kaoru nonchalantly. She was sort of treated like this by her father when he had heard that she wanted to join the war. Sano, after standing up, blinked at the assassin and ran off to walk slowly behind her. Kenshin had gone out to see what the hell took Kaoru so long. He saw her, not smiling, her hand above the hilt of her sword, and a little boy following closely behind her.
"Who's the kid?" asked Kenshin, still not removing his gaze from the lake.
"A former member of the Sekihoutai," said Kaoru nonchalantly as the two arrived in the porch. Kenshin merely nodded, knowing that everyone else was massacred in a single night, except for this boy. The other members of the Ishin Shishi didn't see it fit to try and kill the boy since he really wouldn't cause them harm, even the tiniest percent of it; he brought no threat to them. Sano fidgeted uncomfortably a little bit before he was dragged into the interior by Kaoru. Soon, he was told to sit on the floor while Kaoru fetched some bandages and some boiling water for the boy to use to clean his wounds.
"You can leave here when you want, we don't expect you to stay but if you wish to, it's your choice," said Kaoru nonchalantly as she set the bowl, the cloth and the bandages in front of the boy. Sano nodded and started to tend to his wounds while Kaoru left the interior. Sano looked at the retreating figure before sighing and turning back to tending his own wounds.
:: + ::
"Why'd you say that to the boy?" asked Kenshin, demanding to know her reasons.
"I once was like that when I was small, a past that only I should ever encounter. I don't want the boy to go thinking that he is unwanted by everyone, unlike me. I am unwanted by everyone, even my own parents have closed their doors to me, they will never forgive me for joining the war," explained Kaoru as she tried not to remember her past. Kenshin merely nodded at the words of Kaoru, not really wanting to know, and yet, wanting to know as well. Kaoru looked at Kenshin slightly and fixed her gaze back at the lake.
"Ano, I didn't catch your name," said Sano as he exited the interior, getting the attention of both assassins.
"Kamiya Kaoru," said Kaoru nonchalantly.
"Himura Kenshin," said Kenshin as he took a brief look at the boy. He had a normal build, dark brown hair, brown eyes and a slight grin plastered on his face. He was fairly tall for a boy his age and he was pretty strong.
"Hey, boy, what's your name?" asked Kenshin nonchalantly as he faced the slightly terrified Sano.
"Sagara Sanosuke, Himura-san," replied Sano, slightly shaking due to fear. He had seen them both have two swords at the side and he knew they were assassins, either working for the Shinsengumi or the Ishin Shishi. Kenshin merely nodded at the boy. Kaoru wasn't paying attention because she was thinking of her past, again. Not the flashback sort of thinking, but just thinking on her beliefs, on why she wanted to join the Ishin Shishi, why she liked to see blood spew out of people's bodies, why she enjoyed to see them die at her hands.
Sano still stuck around, surprisingly, offering to do the chores such as chop some firewood, clean the house, make some tea, and the sort. Kaoru was sort of glad he decided to stay on a little longer because she really couldn't do this all on her own. She was basically cleaning the kitchen when Kenshin entered with six medium sized fish, two for each of them. He set it down in the table near Kaoru before walking off to wherever he wanted to stay. He definitely wasn't a people person. Kaoru looked at the fish and saw that it was big enough to fry and have a decent meal with ( Kamitari: I *know* she can't cook but come on, it's partially AU .x and how would they survive .x ).
Soon, the fire was going and Kaoru was starting to cook their dinner. As much as she didn't want to, she had to feed Kenshin or the Ishin Shishi superiors would demote her to something that she didn't even want to think about. Assassin's Assistant. For a first class assassin, being demoted to a level like that means shame, shamed forever in the world, shamed to a point that you'd rather kill yourself than live being demoted. Kaoru was just about to put the fish into separate bentos when Sano came in, slightly tired.
"Sano, the food is ready," said Kaoru emotionlessly as she pointed to a bento filled with food. Sano nodded thankfully as he walked up to get his share. Kenshin was called, not by word of mouth, but he felt that dinner was ready and he knew that Kaoru wouldn't bother calling him, even if she did cook his dinner. When Kenshin arrived where they were eating, Kaoru and Sano were already eating their dinner; his was left near the table. Soon, he started to eat his own dinner.
"Good food," thought Kenshin as he popped a piece of fish into his mouth. It was really good, not too salty, not to bland, not too burnt, and not too moist. Kaoru and Sano were finished with their meals already. Sano stood up and left to be excused, leaving Kaoru and Kenshin alone in the kitchen.
"This place is loaded," murmured Kaoru as she thought of the fact that everything they needed was there, as if the place was really meant to be there. Kenshin looked at Kaoru slightly, still eating.
"God she looks so pretty like that... wait... why am I thinking of this?! I hate her!" thought Kenshin wildly as he set his bento down, inside were his chopsticks. Soon, he was standing up, and walking towards his room.
"Matte, Himura," said Kaoru as she stood up, telling Kenshin to stop.
Kenshin looked behind his shoulder and said, "What?"
"Well, who will guard tonight? Who knows who'll be coming here," asked Kaoru, not fidgeting from her spot.
"I'll take the first shift; you can take the second shift. I'll wake you up when it's your turn," informed Kenshin as he waved his hand behind him. Kaoru merely nodded as she made her way to a room where she would be sleeping for the night. Kenshin watched her back in order to see where she was going before making his way out of the hut and standing guard outside. As he reached the exterior, he searched for a spot where he could stay. He sat down near the door, his back facing the wall.
:: + ::
"He's starting to be nicer than usual," thought Kaoru as she sat down in the middle of her room, on top of the futon. She, for some reason, started to like the assassin a little more, each time she saw him. She had slapped herself mentally each time, saying, that he was her rival and she was his rival, somehow, her heart just didn't want to listen. Kenshin looked as if she could confide all her secrets to him, and he would understand, not laugh at her, not mock at her, she was unsure if it would really happen or not. She didn't know, and wouldn't know until only time can say that it'll happen.
She was going to fall asleep soon. She decided to sleep right then and there, so she could get back her much needed stamina.
:: + ::
: ~ : Flashback; Older Kaoru's POV : ~ :
The wind was caressing my face gently when I heard a voice.
"Kaoru! Come here! You need to practice!" said the voice kindly. I looked around. I looked at my hands, I saw that they were calloused in places where I had gripped my sword tightly when it hit me, this was a dream. A younger version of me, probably about seven or eight years old, ran towards the voice, smiling happily, in my hand, a bokken. I knew that it was my father calling for me. I walked quietly behind my younger self, my swords, making no sound at all.
"Tou-san! I'm ready!" said my younger self cheerfully as she positioned herself in a familiar stance. I walked past my father to see if he could see me. He couldn't. Only I could really see what was happening. I waved my hand in front of my younger self and sure enough, it didn't faze her. I decided to join her actions. My father gave the signal with which we began the attack. My movements were more fluid and continuous because I had done this so many times. The smaller version of me was unable to execute the move and I slightly winced internally, remembering how patient my father was in training me under the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu. I usually was with his class when he taught and he was patient with us all and if I was hurt or taunted by anyone of my male classmates, my father would defend me, saying that it didn't matter if the student was a girl or a boy; it mattered on how we used our knowledge.
After about an hour-long training session, my younger self was talking to my father. I tried to make my way towards them when everything grew older, except me. My younger self grew to the age of thirteen; I just turned thirteen when the war started. It was August or September when I left home to join the Ishin Shishi.
"Tou-san, why is there a war? What's the point in this?!" Kaoru said, her lower lip trembling.
"Well, one side believes this, the other believes of the complete opposite. They're angry with each other; they want to kill each other. The two groups, the Ishin Shishi and the Shinsengumi, both are fighting for what they believe in, Kaoru," explained her father.
"Well, tou-san, who do you think is right?" asked Kaoru as she faced her father.
"I think the Ishin Shishi is right, but the Shinsengumi has points that the Ishin Shishi think is useless. Why do you ask, Kaoru?"
"Oh, nothing," replied Kaoru as the beliefs of the Ishin Shishi flashed through her mind. They were the very same beliefs she had had since she was a child. I looked over at my younger self, silently murmuring all the beliefs I was fighting for, the beliefs that powered me to do what I had to do, to kill. Soon, the scene she had been dreaming about for the past five years had flashed in front of her mind. How she had disobeyed her father and ran to join the war, blood, staining her vision terribly. This is what gave her those headaches; the fact that this very past haunted her.
:: + ::
: ~ : End of Flashback; Normal POV : ~ :
A blood curdling scream was heard in the house near midnight. Kenshin, who was a very very light sleeper, woke up and sensed that something wrong was happening to Kaoru. Kenshin, his heart racing, ran towards Kaoru's room.
"Kamiya-san! What's wrong?!" asked Kenshin slightly worriedly as he rammed the door open. Inside, revealed Kaoru, sitting up straight, her face in her hands, trying to wipe and muffle the tears pouring out of her face. Kenshin walked towards the saddened girl. Cupper her face in his hands, he told her to stop. Kaoru, blinked several times before she was able to register what was happening. Kenshin was there, comforting her, of all the people, he was the one. He hated her to the bones and she hated him to the bones, why was he comforting her. Kenshin, who was in his full state of mind, was also wondering why he was comforting Kaoru, as if it just felt right. Kenshin really didn't care anymore, as long as this didn't happen tomorrow, or any other day, tonight was just different, Kaoru was crying. Kenshin cropped his icy glare and just hugged her, right then and there. Kaoru, too shocked to even blink, just sat there, surprised at Kenshin's actions. Kenshin was getting groggy; he was intoxicated by the jasmine scent which hung around Kaoru. When he pulled back, he looked at Kaoru, stood up, and walked back to his post. It would be two more hours before it was going to be Kaoru's turn to guard the place.
"Wha-wha-what did he just do?!" thought Kaoru wildly, still trying to analyze earlier's turn of events, "And why did I just not try to push him away when he hugged me?!"
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: ~ : The Next Morning : ~ :
Kaoru was already awake. She's been awake for the past four hours, to guard the house. Looking towards the east, she saw that the sun was already rising. She sighed and walked back in, in order to cook breakfast. She was planning on making some rice balls with miso soup for breakfast, tea for drinking. Kenshin would've been awake by now, Sano, probably too tired, would still be asleep until about eight or nine later. It was only five in the morning when she started to cook breakfast. Kenshin walked in, slowly, but walked in nonetheless. Kaoru eyed him suspiciously, remembering all that had happened. Kenshin smirked lightly before approaching Kaoru; his face was inching towards hers. When his face was deadly near Kaoru, his lips brushed past hers, as if to tease her of last night. Automatically, Kaoru slapped him, her left hand over her lips.
"Gotcha," smirked Kenshin as he rubbed his sore cheek before slumping down and waiting for his food. Kaoru just grunted, turned around and continued to cook. Unconsciously, her face was blushing a bright crimson. Kenshin looked at Kaoru's back, still smirking, as if the brushing of lips was part of his devious plan. It was actually. He wanted to continue teasing Kaoru during the remainder of their stay in the Mizuwata Forest, but not the evil sort of teasing, the friendly sort of teasing. For some reason or another, he couldn't bear to tease her the same way he did yesterday and those other days for the past five years. He didn't want to admit having a female as his partner all the time, but what could he do? She was talented, she had the gift, and she was the female version of him.
"God her raven hair looks so pretty with the light resting upon it," thought Kenshin blissfully, as his amethyst eyes locked onto Kaoru's raven tresses, "Wait. Why am I thinking this?! Bah... darn this trip. Darn this mission. When we get back to Katsura, I will blow my top and yell and scream and shout at him for making me do this! Maybe even kill him, but heck, I most probably won't but it'll be fun to threaten him."
Kaoru was still blushing furiously. She didn't want to think of this. She wanted to forget about it, and go on with her life, finish the damned war and go home, ask her parents for forgiveness, even though they'll throw her on the floor and let her die there, pitifully. Tears rolled down her face, silent ones, hitting her palms. Soon, she couldn't hold it anymore, the emotional damn broke. She just started crying. She fell to the floor, and started crying, crying all the fears and pains hidden inside her, crying as if there were no tomorrow.
Kenshin looked at his female counterpart quizzically. "Did I just do something wrong?" thought Kenshin, digging his nail into his skin, "Or maybe it's her dream bothering her again..."
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Kamitari: Woo! I hope you liked the chapter! I'm inspired all of a sudden O__o Initiative does wonders. Anyway, I hope that either Kao-chan or I will get the fourth chapter up! See you and please review so the next chapter will be posted ASAP!