Title: Tears of Blood Author: Kenshin's Radish

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Rurouni Kenshin. That's only wishful thinking.

Chapter 11: Matter of Life and Death

The light shone bright on his face, warming it, caressing it. He couldn't move though, something was stopping him, holding him back. Voices echoed above him, his eyes opened. He was standing to the side of the room. He saw a familiar fox-woman, Megumi and an old man, Dr. Gensai hovering over .him? How could that be? He was right there just behind them. The man and woman were working furiously, calling out things to each other in urgent voices. He looked around the room, a tall man.Sano.was standing off to the side, and his torso was bandaged. He chewed nervously on a toothpick. Next to him, a smaller boy.Yahiko.sat stiffly, eyes closed, mumbling something to himself, a prayer. You made it rain.rain of blood. no! Not again! Please no more! Leave me alone! He cried silently. Nobody could hear him. Kenshin.don't leave me.please don't leave me, Kenshin no! No please! Go away! Stop haunting me! He clutched his ears in hands, trying to block out the voices, he clenched his eyes shut, gritted his teeth. He heard sobbing. He looked up and studied the room once again, he had missed somebody there before. Kaoru.she sat there, face pale, eyes bloodshot from crying, fresh tears still cascading down her cheeks. He walked to her. She was mumbling something in between the sobs. His name. She was crying his name. Kenshin.Kenshin.please no.don't leave me! I won't leave you, he thought, putting his hand on her's. I won't leave you Kaoru-dono! Never! Everything went black. He's going to make it.he'll be ok. echoed.

The rose of dawn filtered through the window onto Kenshin's face. Kaoru was asleep on the floor beside him. She had been at his side all night but just before dawn she could no longer keep her eyes open and fell to sleep. She heard movement, the sound of fabric being moved. Her eyes popped open to see Kenshin stir slightly in bed. His eyes fluttered as the sun shone more and more brightly in his face as it ascended in the sky. "Kenshin?" asked Kaoru in a voice scarcely above a whisper. He stirred again, but he didn't awake. This disappointed Kaoru terribly. She heard the door open, it was Megumi. "How is Ken-san? Any improvement?" inquired the doctor. "He seemed to be waking up, he was moving and his eyes fluttered but he apparently fell back to sleep again." Megumi felt Kenshin's forehead, it was hot and sweaty. She looked up at Kaoru with bitter disappointment in her eyes, "I thought he wouldn't get an infection since his wound was attended to so quickly. He's burning up with fever." Tears welled up in Kaoru's eyes. Kenshin might not make it after all. Megumi fetched a basin of cool water and a cloth. She entrusted Kenshin into Kaoru's care, and that she would be back around noon to check on him for she had some other procedures for nearby patients.

A week passed, and his condition appeared to be improving. His fever went down slowly but surely over the week but he still hadn't awakened. This disturbed Kaoru, maybe he'll never wake up.but she quickly dismissed the thoughts, Kenshin would never hurt her like that, never.

Kaoru was out doing laundry.Kenshin's chore. in a feeble attempt to take her mind of Kenshin. It has been ten days now since he was wounded and he was yet to wake up. Sanosuke no longer stayed around all day, in fact, they hadn't seen him for nearly five days. Yahiko practiced furiously alone in the dojo while Kaoru tended to chores. Megumi stopped by every evening to check on Kenshin only to note that his fever was gone and the wound was healing nicely. She had no idea why Ken-san was not waking up. Dr. Gensai thought it best not to bring over Ayame and Suzume for he did not want them to see Kenshin in his condition. Memories of that night replayed in her mind.Shut up! Shut up Tomoe! Die Miyazawa! Those golden eyes.the anguish in his face.Thank god! You're alive! Kaoru-dono. The tears that ran down his cheeks. What was that about? Why was he crying? What did he mean by 'Thank god! You're alive!'? I don't understand. She returned to her laundry. Yahiko, tired of practicing decided to check and see how Kenshin was doing. He shucked his sword and quietly slid open the door and timidly tiptoed into the dark room. Kenshin lay on his futon, tucked under a heap of quilts. He looked scrawny for he had lost a lot of weight from not eating because of his unconsciousness. His lips parched in dehydration for they had been unable to give him water. He was moaning softly in his sleep. "Kenshin?" whispered Yahiko as he nervously sat down next to the sleeping samurai. He was frustrated. He was so sick and tired of Kaoru being in a dream-like state, not really caring what was going on in the world. She acted as if she were oblivious. Yahiko knew that she was thinking about Kenshin and him dying. Yahiko glared at the former Battousai. "You jerk," he spat, "sleeping like that, making tanuki worry. Wake up already!" Yahiko shook Kenshin gently. Nothing happened. "WAKE UP NO BAKA!" he screeched, shaking Kenshin violently. "ORO!" cried the familiar voice of their rurouni. "Kenshin?" "Ooooorrrrrooooo," moaned Kenshin as he opened his eyes. They were bleary with sleep. He woke up slowly, one step at a time. He felt as if he had been under water, or caught in a dense fog for a long time and couldn't pull himself out. He couldn't escape his own mind alone he needed help. With all the quiet and calm from Kaoru nursing him did no good. Yahiko and his screaming and shaking was what Kenshin needed. Yahiko's eyes widened as Kenshin began to regain full consciousness.he was actually frightened, he woke Kenshin up.it was as if Yahiko had awakened the dead. "KAORU! TANUKI! BUSU!" he screamed running through the dojo, abandoning the rurouni as he searched for his master. "Yahiko what is it?" cried Kaoru as she ran to her terrified apprentice. "It.it's.K.Ken.shin. It's Kenshin," he replied breathless from his running and screaming. Without a second word, Kaoru ran into the dojo to Himura's room. When she got there, she fainted.

"Kaoru-dono?" inquired a very confused Kenshin Himura. His voice was hoarse and frail from lack of food and water. He had just sat up as Kaoru ran in and fainted. His eyes were still slightly unfocused as they readjusted to the light of day. He felt as if he had been asleep for many years, or dead.

"Kenshin! You jerk!" said Yahiko as he ran to Kenshin. "Oro?" "Making busu worry like that, we thought you were going to die!" "You thought sessha was going to die? Why is that?" "Don't you remember?" "No, that I don't. I mean, I know who you are, who I am and what happened in the past, but I don't understand what you are so excited about." "Ken-san!" breathed the voice of the fox. "Megumi-dono?" She had been on her way over to check on Kenshin when she heard lots of screams and shouts. Megumi stepped over Kaoru's still unconscious body and ran to Kenshin. She began to check his temperature and his other vitals. "I just don't understand it! Just yesterday you showed no signs of waking up? How did this manage?" inquired Megumi as she took Kenshin's pulse. Yahiko grinned sheepishly, "Uh, I yelled for him to wake up and." "And what?" demanded Megumi sharply. "I shook him awake." "You what!? No baka! You could have torn open his wound! Men are so stupid!" with that and many 'oros' from Kenshin she preceded to strip off Kenshin's top and tear off the bandages. "Miss Megumi! What are you doing to Kenshin!" shrilled Kaoru as she awakened from her faint. "Your baka apprentice shook Ken-san awake! I'm checking to see if he caused any damage to him!" At last she peeled the last layer of bandaging off, the wound was still closed and was looking much better compared to the last time a few days ago. "You're lucky Yahiko," said Megumi as she redressed Kenshin's abdomen, "Very lucky." Yahiko didn't hear Megumi's chiding for Kaoru was attacking him ferociously with her bokken. She heard Kenshin laugh a little.