A Few Moments Later Chapter Four
Immediately, Miss Megumi was sent for. They had all seen the two savage blows dealt by the combatants, and the best doctor was needed if they were to save even the girl.
Himura Kenshin and Sagura Sanosuke carefully took hold of the girl and moved her into an especially clean place inside. There was already a deep puddle of mud around and on her, but because of her red clothes, they couldn't tell exactly how much. For her sake, Kenshin hoped that most of it was the man's.
"Why do you think they were having their fight right out there?" Sanosuke wondered aloud.
Miss Kaoru put in, "I'm sure they weren't just taking a lover's stroll."
Kenshin's eyes focused somewhere else. "I recognized that man. The only reason he could have had for being here is to try and kill me."
"Your old friends just keep showing up, don't they?" Sanosuke observed.
"And none of them want to talk," Kenshin finished.
"Why do you think they turned on each other? Or was she trying to protect you or something?" Sanosuke nodded his head in her direction. "You couldn't have ticked her off personally. Maybe you saved her dad or something."
"Or killed him, " Kenshin muttered, thinking back on the bloody revolution in Kyoto over a decade ago, when he himself had been the girl's age.
Miss Kaoru looked at them pointedly. "Would you mind leaving?"
The two men both looked down and realized the girl was almost bare from Kaoru removing her clothing to clean her wounds. With distinctly nervous and blushing faces, they back quickly out of the room. "Heheheh."
As they exited, Miss Megumi entered. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped when she saw the extent of the girl's injuries. They weren't limited to the last sword thrust.
She set to work immediately and her mind nagged at her that the girl's life she fought for was already lost. Thankfully, Miss Kaoru had already begun the initial purifying process.
Yahiko sat down and rested form his run to fetch Megumi. Because of his age, about ten or so, he wasn't made to leave and they used him to help. "Is she gonna live?"
"I don't know, " Megumi answered, then sent him out for the most squeamish part.
"Do you think she'll live?" he asked again.
Kenshin answered the same as Megumi. "The injuries are very serious, that they are."
"Who were they?"
Sanosuke shrugged. "I heard her say her name was Taniko."
"Well, at least we know what to call her, "Yahiko commented.
