Disclaimer: Do I own Rurouni Kenshin? Hold on, let me check with my
secretary, my mystical #8 ball.. And it says.. 'In your dreams'.. Why you
little. (throws agaisnt wall).. So as you can see, I don't own RK. wish as
I might.. I never will.. BUT I CAN DREAM!!!
Authors Notes: I hate to say this but I think I'm developing writers block!!! I got a few ideas but they are starting to dwindle (hits head against wall). Darn! It's not bad writers block, though, because I came up with some ideas. But maybe you can give me some ideas or some tips on how to get rid of this writers block?! I'll give you credit if you give me ideas and I use them, or tweak them. I'll probably get something out of this box of rocks I have for a brain...
~Coming Of The Dawn~
***Chapter 7- Bloody Wake***
Kaoru opened her eyes, seeing herself in her well-lit room. She went to move her hands to rub her eyes, but she noticed a large bandage over her bicep (okay.. It's the upper arm) and wondered momentarily how it got there. She stopped all movement to figure that out.
The memory of the night before came back in full swing. She had 4 stitches in her arm from the cut her ex-guard had given her. And her back was badly bruised, but she was lucky that where she had landed on the rock her obi had cushioned her fall. Otherwise, she may have been paralyzed. Her chin was also swollen.
Kaoru sat up. Her back ached, but it felt better in a sitting position. She glanced at her door, half expecting the doctor, Megumi, to be standing there waiting to check her wounds and probe her for other injures. She was relieved to see she wasn't there, and even more so to see that no one what-so-ever was in her room. All Kaoru really wanted at that moment was to be alone.
Of course, since when have things ever gone HER way?
Tae and Hinoki came bounding into the room. They both carried in some food with them. They looked anxious to get their questions in. Kaoru smiled at her friends. If there were any people she wanted to talk to at the moment, it was them.
"Hi!" Kaoru smiled at them, looking at the food they had brought with them. She just now noticed that she was genuinely starving.
"Are you hungry?" was the obvious question that came from Tae.
Karou nodded. "Starving!"
Hinoki handed her some food on a tray. Kaoru lifted up her chopsticks in her hand and stuck them into her rice. She was glad to have some company eating with her, even if she had been wanting some alone time earlier. She ate a few pieces of rice before someone asked her a question.
"What exactly happened to you?" came Hinoki's voice.
Kaoru looked up from her food, staring at her friends. "You don't know?"
They both shook their heads in response.
"Battousai is keeping things low key about it. I mean, people are talking, but we didn't even know you were hurt until Battousai asked us to bring you some food." Tae responded.
"Then maybe I shouldn't even say anything on the matter." Kaoru told them, taking another bite of food.
"Oh, come on!" Hinoki probed.
Kaoru ate some tofu. "Okay. Really, I just got attacked by my guards and they hurt me."
"What did they do to you?" Tae questioned, intrigued as to what happened to her friend.
"I tried to escaped, they attacked me and I tried to protect myself so they cut me and one tried to full out kill me, I guess. I couldn't really stand up to them." Kaoru responded.
"How did you get away?" Hinoki questioned, kneeling closer to Kaoru's futon.
Kaoru blushed a slight shade of pink. "Oh, uh. that's not important!"
Tae giggled. "Who came to your rescue?"
Kaoru didn't say anything, just stuffed more food into her mouth as an excuse not to answer.
"Come on Kaoru, don't make us beat it out of you!" Hinoki grinned.
"Okay, fine, Battousai did. All he did was block an attack and scare them off." Kaoru rationalized for them. "I am his responsibility."
Tae and Hinoki nodded as if they understood. Kaoru continued eating. The trio finished the remainder of their meal in silence.
"Okay, we'll go wash these and then maybe later you can come down and help or eat dinner." Hinoki said as she picked up the dishes and set them on a tray.
Kaoru went to object, but then her door opened. She glanced up when she heard her friends gasp and scramble to their feet.
It was Kenshin.
Tae and Hinoki bowed and then left.
Kaoru scowled. He was NOT the person she wanted to be around. She crossed her arms over her chest when she realized she was only in her sleeping yukata.
"What Kenshin?" she asked as he shut the door.
He turned to her, setting a .... Blue eyed gaze.. upon her. Kaoru jumped. What happened to yellow eyes? She thought.
"What happened to Battousai?" he asked, obviously mocking her.
She gave him an angry stare. "I can go back to calling you that if you'd like!"
He rolled his eyes. "Either way suits me fine."
Kaoru huffed. "Well, what do you want?"
He produced a package. It was a small brown bag and a smaller bottle was tied to it with a small piece of rope.
"Megumi is busy and sent me with your medicine. She said you should use it as son as you were awake." He said, throwing the parcel at her.
Kaoru caught it. "And exactly how am I supposed to use this?"
Kenshin sighed, thinking it was obvious. But he answered her question anyway. "The package is tea with some sort of painkiller in it and the other is a medicating lotion that you're supposed to rub on your back. It's a complete bruise."
She glared at him. "And how am I supposed to do that?"
He grinned, eyes back to a mischievous amber as he leaned on the door with his arms crossed.
"I guess I could help." He suggested casually, like it was nothing big.
Kaoru looked at Kenshin like he was insane. She glared angrily at him for the mere THOUGHT of him HELPING her put lotion on HER back.
"You're not touching me!" she cried, unknowingly pulling her blanket closer.
"Then how do you plan on getting that stuff on?" he questioned her. "I know you're in pain."
"That may be, but I'm not letting you touch me." She stated, her sapphire eyes shielding by undeniable defiance. "Why would you want to anyway? Oh yeah, I'm your little 'responsibility', I forgot."
Kenshin eyes went back to an angry blue. "I can't do something nice?"
"Oh yeah, if you wanted to be nice, you'd let me leave!' she argued.
"You can." He stated. "You'll just be putting your life and the life of everyone in the Oniwabanshu on the list of every hitokiri here."
She glared at him. "Looks like I don't have much choice then."
He looked at Kaoru, inwardly really respectfully of her modesty and defiance, her will not to back down from him. Most wouldn't even dare cross him, the Hitokiri Battousai, but she could care less what he thought of her. Kenshin just wanted to be sure she had Megumi's cream on so her bruise would heal up well.
"Listen, I'm not going to do a thing to you." He promised. "I just have to be sure that your cream get put on. You won't stress a muscle if you just let me help you."
Kaoru huffed. "You mean how you helped me by getting me the guards who did this to me in the first place?"
Now Kenshin was mad at her. His eyes were full-fledged amber, yet they still lacked the death glare he'd given the men the day before.
"Just let me help! Don't make me force you!" he threatened her.
Kaoru didn't budge nor did she answer.
"Miss Kaoru." he said, his voice commanding.
It shocked Kaoru how the use of her name with the 'miss' on it could make her obey him. She found herself lying on her stomach in the next instant after that. Kaoru sighed. She might as well get it over with.
Kenshin grinned at the effect he could have on people. He kneeled next to her, carefully lowering her yukata until it reached the small of her back. The sight of the bruise made him angry, but he suppressed the thought.
"Okay, are you ready?" he asked, just to irk her.
Kaoru mad some unintelligible mumbles. "Just don't try anything funny!"
Kenshin grinned, then poured the lotion onto Kaoru's back. She arched slightly from the chill of the cold substance. She allowed her tense muscles to relax. It would hurt less that way.
Then Kaoru felt a slight pressure become applied to her aching back. Then another one. She knew his hands were on her, and either he was taking his sweet time just to make her paranoid or because he was afraid of hurting her. She settled on the first.
But Kenshin, the Battousai, was really worried his hands would be too rough on her bruise. It was an array of colors, ranging through black, blue, purple, yellow, and green. He moved his hands gently over the outside of the bruise.
And then Kaoru sighed.
He pulled his hands back. "Did I hurt you?"
Kaoru rolled her eyes. "No. I was just thinking, or wondering rather, how the cold-hearted, merciless Hitokiri Battousai could be so gentle with calloused hands."
Lucky for him, Kaoru didn't see the smile her statement made cross hi face. He just slowly continued until he finished. Then he pulled the yukata back up, and stood and turned.
Kaoru adjusted her clothing.
"I.uh.. Thank you?" she sated, unsure of what exactly to say to him.
Kenshin turned, shielding his eyes with amber. He kept his smart comment to himself and simply nodded in reply.
In that moment, he let his amber eyes make their way to her sapphire ones.
And the door flew open.
Kenshin looked over. Upon seeing who it was, he was instantly sprung into Battousai mode.
"What now?" he asked, his anger scaring both the person at the door and Kaoru.
The man straightened. "You have orders for a new mission, Himura."
Kaoru looked over from behind Battousai. She was shocked to se she'd never seen this man around the Inn. She ignored the fact.
"What are they, then?" Battousai growled.
The man handed him a black envelope. "I will leave you and.. Um. your woman alone."
And he left.
Kaoru wanted to correct him on his final statement. She had wanted to so bad. But she couldn't. The words didn't form fast enough.
And besides, Kenshin hadn't made an attempt to correct him.
She looked over towards him to see he was opening the envelope, and reading the instructions held within.
"This is going to be earlier than usual, but oh well." Kenshin muttered, folding up the paper. "I should be back before midnight."
"Another person loses their life tonight." Kaoru said.
Kenshin's eyes shot up. "What was that?"
"How old are you?" Kaoru asked.
He blinked. "28, why?"
She shook her head. "13 years of terror. How can you possibly kill people like you do?"
"It's my job." He told her, his tone growing gravely angry. "You get used to it."
She set an angry gaze upon him. 'I may only be 17, but I know you can't get used to killing! You only do it because of the bloodlust! Just to suck the life out of your victims to feel the rush! It's disgusting.."
He clamped a hand over her mouth. "I DO NOT kill for the joy of it. There is no joy in killing someone. You carry the sin, remorse, and guilty always. This is my way. I don't need to live up to your standards. You are under my control, I'm not under yours so don't even go there."
"I find it utterly grotesque." Kaoru stated. "The sword is to protect."
Kenshin's voice dripped acid as he spoke. "I don't care what you think of me.. I'm not here to please you."
And he got up and left.
*********** ***********
"Hey, weasel, where is everyone at?" Sano asked when he came up to Aoiya.
Misao looked up from tending to her ankle. "Still out on their missions. They'll be back later."
"What'd you do to you're ankle?" he asked.
She looked at him. "Isn't it obvious rooster head? I sprained it!"
He grinned. "And your Aoshi had to carry you home?"
Misao blushed. "Well. uh. yeah!"
Okina walked in with Aoshi. He looked oblivious to what had happened the day before.
"Did you tell him?" Sano asked them.
"Tell me what?" Okina asked.
Aoshi finished a quick examination of Misao's ankle, and then stood up to talk to Okina. Okina looked at him and Misao expectantly.
"We found the Ishin Shihsi's headquarters by accident. They have Kaoru there." Aoshi explained.
"Yeah, and the ROOSTERHEAD over there blew our cover!" Misao explained angrily. "I wouldn't have this ankle problem if he hadn't!"
Sano glared at Misao. Okina seemed to think things over.
"You would think they wouldn't chase us since we're working for them anyway." Misao muttered.
"Maybe you weren't meant to find them." Okina decided.
They nodded.
"AT least we can spy and see how Kaoru is doing now." Misao suggested.
Aoshi glanced at her. "With that ankle? You're staying at the Aoiya for at least a month."
"AOSHI-SAMA!!!"
********** **********
Kaoru sat in the dining hall with 7 other women who worked in and around the Inn. She chatted with Tae and Hinoki mostly, but occasionally got a few words in with the others. She was eating dinner.
"So, how was work in the kitchen today?" Kaoru asked.
Tae huffed. "I'm too used to your help, Kaoru!"
Hinoki nodded. "I can't believe we used to do all that on our own. It's impossible!"
Kaoru giggled. "Well, I'm feeling better! I just can't tie my obi too tight or my back hurts."
"Didn't Megumi give you a cream?" a younger girl asked.
Kaoru nodded. "I don't know where it is and I can't apply it myself. I think Ken. err, Battousai took it with him after I used it."
"How'd you put it on the first time?" Tae asked. Seeing the blush that crept onto Kaoru's face, she knew what happened. "How long did you argue with him?"
"Long enough! He just doesn't listen!" Kaoru stated. "I think he enjoyed it, though. Maybe taking care of me makes him feel better about what happened to Tomoe?"
Everyone agreed. He WAS protective of her.
"But then again, I am his responsibility." Kaoru quoted.
Hinoki giggled. "You could drive him insane by getting into a lot of trouble."
Kaoru grinned. "Maybe I will. Just to tick him off."
"I don't know how you find enjoyment out of angering him." came Megumi's voice.
Kaoru shrugged. "My form of revenge for taking me."
They all looked at Kaoru.
"You are the only person I know who will act like that around him." another woman said.
"He can't kill me. The Oniwabanshu will back out of the deal if he does." She told them.
Everyone was interrupted by screams and the sound of metal to metal. All the women stood up. Kaoru reached for the closest thing to a bokken, which was a broom. She held it up as if it was a bokken after she broke off the bristles.
"We're under attack!" came a voice from the next room over.
Kaoru turned to the women. "Hey, come on, if we fight back, we'll have a better chance!"
Everyone grabbed either a broom or a dish of some sort to defend themselves with. Kaoru gave quick instructions to those with makeshift bokkens. Then the door flew off the wall, and there stood a familiar face to Kaoru.
It was the man who had given Kenshin his orders earlier that day.
Still, Kaoru held up her makeshift bokken in front of her, standing her ground. Behind the man, she could see the bloody battle unfolding as people fell into pools of blood, lifeless as dolls. The blood was so immense that it seeped into the room they were standing in. Some of the women fainted. Kaoru was trying to figure out why this man in front of them wasn't being attacked.
"Saito, there they are. The one with the broken broom is the one I saw with Battousai earlier." He said.
She felt Hinoki and Tae tense up behind her.
"Shisengumi." They muttered.
"Traitor!" Kaoru screamed.
And the man fell to the floor, eyes lifeless as they stared back at her. But it was not because of Kaoru.
A group of 4 men stood behind him, one with awkward dark hair and a cigarette. Kaoru kept her weapon in front of her. She was not giving up with out a fight. But the hoards of dead and dying men and lifeless eyes and final screams were starting to get to her.
"Carry them out of here, and bring them to an upstairs room. I will be up later with further instructions." The man with the cigarette said.
He left and the other men entered the room. Kaoru hit one on the shoulder hard, and other in the shins. She swung to get the other man in his stomach, but he hit her in her back with the hilt of his sword. Kaoru gasped at the pain and fell forward. She gave another swing of her makeshift bokken, slamming it into the mans knees.
She heard Tae and Hinoki shriek, and some others scream for help. Kaoru felt the hilt of a sword hit her in the back again, and she fell completely to the floor but still kicked as they tried to advance on her. She heard a few choice words get shot at her, but Kaoru would keep on fighting as long as she had to.
Kaoru found herself hoisted into the air, and she kicked violently until she was placed on one samurai's shoulder like a sack of potatoes and pain overtook her. As she left the room, she saw the result of the battle. The hall looked like an ocean of bloody bodies connected to a river of blood. The stench of death of sickening. She didn't know how someone could walk through a battlefield such as this and not become disgusted r just dismiss it.
She felt herself get slammed to the floor next to the other women. There were many samurai filling the room, each with their own unsheathed sword. She glared angrily at each on.
"Saito's coming!" one said.
Then the cigarette smoking man walked in. He glanced over at Kaoru.
"Don't go lightly on that one if she gives you trouble. We're going to use her to lure Battousai here." Saito informed his men.
********** **********
Kenshin sat up in a tree. He sighed. His assignment was late. 3 hours late at that. Kenshin have a nagging feeling he needed to get back to the Inn.
"I'll wait another hour." He decided aloud.
*********** **********
Aoshi came back from answering the door, carrying a telegram. He walked up to the rest of the Oniwabanshu and opened it.
"The Ishin Shishi is under attack at their headquarters." Aoshi said after reading it. "They've requested our assistance. Suit up; we've got a battle to fight. Okina, you stay with Misao."
The Oniwabanshu suited up and followed Aoshi to their battle against what was apparently a strong enemy.
Authors Notes: There's that chapter! Hope I'm not confusing you with this. I will update soon!
Luv,
Crystal Renee
Authors Notes: I hate to say this but I think I'm developing writers block!!! I got a few ideas but they are starting to dwindle (hits head against wall). Darn! It's not bad writers block, though, because I came up with some ideas. But maybe you can give me some ideas or some tips on how to get rid of this writers block?! I'll give you credit if you give me ideas and I use them, or tweak them. I'll probably get something out of this box of rocks I have for a brain...
~Coming Of The Dawn~
***Chapter 7- Bloody Wake***
Kaoru opened her eyes, seeing herself in her well-lit room. She went to move her hands to rub her eyes, but she noticed a large bandage over her bicep (okay.. It's the upper arm) and wondered momentarily how it got there. She stopped all movement to figure that out.
The memory of the night before came back in full swing. She had 4 stitches in her arm from the cut her ex-guard had given her. And her back was badly bruised, but she was lucky that where she had landed on the rock her obi had cushioned her fall. Otherwise, she may have been paralyzed. Her chin was also swollen.
Kaoru sat up. Her back ached, but it felt better in a sitting position. She glanced at her door, half expecting the doctor, Megumi, to be standing there waiting to check her wounds and probe her for other injures. She was relieved to see she wasn't there, and even more so to see that no one what-so-ever was in her room. All Kaoru really wanted at that moment was to be alone.
Of course, since when have things ever gone HER way?
Tae and Hinoki came bounding into the room. They both carried in some food with them. They looked anxious to get their questions in. Kaoru smiled at her friends. If there were any people she wanted to talk to at the moment, it was them.
"Hi!" Kaoru smiled at them, looking at the food they had brought with them. She just now noticed that she was genuinely starving.
"Are you hungry?" was the obvious question that came from Tae.
Karou nodded. "Starving!"
Hinoki handed her some food on a tray. Kaoru lifted up her chopsticks in her hand and stuck them into her rice. She was glad to have some company eating with her, even if she had been wanting some alone time earlier. She ate a few pieces of rice before someone asked her a question.
"What exactly happened to you?" came Hinoki's voice.
Kaoru looked up from her food, staring at her friends. "You don't know?"
They both shook their heads in response.
"Battousai is keeping things low key about it. I mean, people are talking, but we didn't even know you were hurt until Battousai asked us to bring you some food." Tae responded.
"Then maybe I shouldn't even say anything on the matter." Kaoru told them, taking another bite of food.
"Oh, come on!" Hinoki probed.
Kaoru ate some tofu. "Okay. Really, I just got attacked by my guards and they hurt me."
"What did they do to you?" Tae questioned, intrigued as to what happened to her friend.
"I tried to escaped, they attacked me and I tried to protect myself so they cut me and one tried to full out kill me, I guess. I couldn't really stand up to them." Kaoru responded.
"How did you get away?" Hinoki questioned, kneeling closer to Kaoru's futon.
Kaoru blushed a slight shade of pink. "Oh, uh. that's not important!"
Tae giggled. "Who came to your rescue?"
Kaoru didn't say anything, just stuffed more food into her mouth as an excuse not to answer.
"Come on Kaoru, don't make us beat it out of you!" Hinoki grinned.
"Okay, fine, Battousai did. All he did was block an attack and scare them off." Kaoru rationalized for them. "I am his responsibility."
Tae and Hinoki nodded as if they understood. Kaoru continued eating. The trio finished the remainder of their meal in silence.
"Okay, we'll go wash these and then maybe later you can come down and help or eat dinner." Hinoki said as she picked up the dishes and set them on a tray.
Kaoru went to object, but then her door opened. She glanced up when she heard her friends gasp and scramble to their feet.
It was Kenshin.
Tae and Hinoki bowed and then left.
Kaoru scowled. He was NOT the person she wanted to be around. She crossed her arms over her chest when she realized she was only in her sleeping yukata.
"What Kenshin?" she asked as he shut the door.
He turned to her, setting a .... Blue eyed gaze.. upon her. Kaoru jumped. What happened to yellow eyes? She thought.
"What happened to Battousai?" he asked, obviously mocking her.
She gave him an angry stare. "I can go back to calling you that if you'd like!"
He rolled his eyes. "Either way suits me fine."
Kaoru huffed. "Well, what do you want?"
He produced a package. It was a small brown bag and a smaller bottle was tied to it with a small piece of rope.
"Megumi is busy and sent me with your medicine. She said you should use it as son as you were awake." He said, throwing the parcel at her.
Kaoru caught it. "And exactly how am I supposed to use this?"
Kenshin sighed, thinking it was obvious. But he answered her question anyway. "The package is tea with some sort of painkiller in it and the other is a medicating lotion that you're supposed to rub on your back. It's a complete bruise."
She glared at him. "And how am I supposed to do that?"
He grinned, eyes back to a mischievous amber as he leaned on the door with his arms crossed.
"I guess I could help." He suggested casually, like it was nothing big.
Kaoru looked at Kenshin like he was insane. She glared angrily at him for the mere THOUGHT of him HELPING her put lotion on HER back.
"You're not touching me!" she cried, unknowingly pulling her blanket closer.
"Then how do you plan on getting that stuff on?" he questioned her. "I know you're in pain."
"That may be, but I'm not letting you touch me." She stated, her sapphire eyes shielding by undeniable defiance. "Why would you want to anyway? Oh yeah, I'm your little 'responsibility', I forgot."
Kenshin eyes went back to an angry blue. "I can't do something nice?"
"Oh yeah, if you wanted to be nice, you'd let me leave!' she argued.
"You can." He stated. "You'll just be putting your life and the life of everyone in the Oniwabanshu on the list of every hitokiri here."
She glared at him. "Looks like I don't have much choice then."
He looked at Kaoru, inwardly really respectfully of her modesty and defiance, her will not to back down from him. Most wouldn't even dare cross him, the Hitokiri Battousai, but she could care less what he thought of her. Kenshin just wanted to be sure she had Megumi's cream on so her bruise would heal up well.
"Listen, I'm not going to do a thing to you." He promised. "I just have to be sure that your cream get put on. You won't stress a muscle if you just let me help you."
Kaoru huffed. "You mean how you helped me by getting me the guards who did this to me in the first place?"
Now Kenshin was mad at her. His eyes were full-fledged amber, yet they still lacked the death glare he'd given the men the day before.
"Just let me help! Don't make me force you!" he threatened her.
Kaoru didn't budge nor did she answer.
"Miss Kaoru." he said, his voice commanding.
It shocked Kaoru how the use of her name with the 'miss' on it could make her obey him. She found herself lying on her stomach in the next instant after that. Kaoru sighed. She might as well get it over with.
Kenshin grinned at the effect he could have on people. He kneeled next to her, carefully lowering her yukata until it reached the small of her back. The sight of the bruise made him angry, but he suppressed the thought.
"Okay, are you ready?" he asked, just to irk her.
Kaoru mad some unintelligible mumbles. "Just don't try anything funny!"
Kenshin grinned, then poured the lotion onto Kaoru's back. She arched slightly from the chill of the cold substance. She allowed her tense muscles to relax. It would hurt less that way.
Then Kaoru felt a slight pressure become applied to her aching back. Then another one. She knew his hands were on her, and either he was taking his sweet time just to make her paranoid or because he was afraid of hurting her. She settled on the first.
But Kenshin, the Battousai, was really worried his hands would be too rough on her bruise. It was an array of colors, ranging through black, blue, purple, yellow, and green. He moved his hands gently over the outside of the bruise.
And then Kaoru sighed.
He pulled his hands back. "Did I hurt you?"
Kaoru rolled her eyes. "No. I was just thinking, or wondering rather, how the cold-hearted, merciless Hitokiri Battousai could be so gentle with calloused hands."
Lucky for him, Kaoru didn't see the smile her statement made cross hi face. He just slowly continued until he finished. Then he pulled the yukata back up, and stood and turned.
Kaoru adjusted her clothing.
"I.uh.. Thank you?" she sated, unsure of what exactly to say to him.
Kenshin turned, shielding his eyes with amber. He kept his smart comment to himself and simply nodded in reply.
In that moment, he let his amber eyes make their way to her sapphire ones.
And the door flew open.
Kenshin looked over. Upon seeing who it was, he was instantly sprung into Battousai mode.
"What now?" he asked, his anger scaring both the person at the door and Kaoru.
The man straightened. "You have orders for a new mission, Himura."
Kaoru looked over from behind Battousai. She was shocked to se she'd never seen this man around the Inn. She ignored the fact.
"What are they, then?" Battousai growled.
The man handed him a black envelope. "I will leave you and.. Um. your woman alone."
And he left.
Kaoru wanted to correct him on his final statement. She had wanted to so bad. But she couldn't. The words didn't form fast enough.
And besides, Kenshin hadn't made an attempt to correct him.
She looked over towards him to see he was opening the envelope, and reading the instructions held within.
"This is going to be earlier than usual, but oh well." Kenshin muttered, folding up the paper. "I should be back before midnight."
"Another person loses their life tonight." Kaoru said.
Kenshin's eyes shot up. "What was that?"
"How old are you?" Kaoru asked.
He blinked. "28, why?"
She shook her head. "13 years of terror. How can you possibly kill people like you do?"
"It's my job." He told her, his tone growing gravely angry. "You get used to it."
She set an angry gaze upon him. 'I may only be 17, but I know you can't get used to killing! You only do it because of the bloodlust! Just to suck the life out of your victims to feel the rush! It's disgusting.."
He clamped a hand over her mouth. "I DO NOT kill for the joy of it. There is no joy in killing someone. You carry the sin, remorse, and guilty always. This is my way. I don't need to live up to your standards. You are under my control, I'm not under yours so don't even go there."
"I find it utterly grotesque." Kaoru stated. "The sword is to protect."
Kenshin's voice dripped acid as he spoke. "I don't care what you think of me.. I'm not here to please you."
And he got up and left.
*********** ***********
"Hey, weasel, where is everyone at?" Sano asked when he came up to Aoiya.
Misao looked up from tending to her ankle. "Still out on their missions. They'll be back later."
"What'd you do to you're ankle?" he asked.
She looked at him. "Isn't it obvious rooster head? I sprained it!"
He grinned. "And your Aoshi had to carry you home?"
Misao blushed. "Well. uh. yeah!"
Okina walked in with Aoshi. He looked oblivious to what had happened the day before.
"Did you tell him?" Sano asked them.
"Tell me what?" Okina asked.
Aoshi finished a quick examination of Misao's ankle, and then stood up to talk to Okina. Okina looked at him and Misao expectantly.
"We found the Ishin Shihsi's headquarters by accident. They have Kaoru there." Aoshi explained.
"Yeah, and the ROOSTERHEAD over there blew our cover!" Misao explained angrily. "I wouldn't have this ankle problem if he hadn't!"
Sano glared at Misao. Okina seemed to think things over.
"You would think they wouldn't chase us since we're working for them anyway." Misao muttered.
"Maybe you weren't meant to find them." Okina decided.
They nodded.
"AT least we can spy and see how Kaoru is doing now." Misao suggested.
Aoshi glanced at her. "With that ankle? You're staying at the Aoiya for at least a month."
"AOSHI-SAMA!!!"
********** **********
Kaoru sat in the dining hall with 7 other women who worked in and around the Inn. She chatted with Tae and Hinoki mostly, but occasionally got a few words in with the others. She was eating dinner.
"So, how was work in the kitchen today?" Kaoru asked.
Tae huffed. "I'm too used to your help, Kaoru!"
Hinoki nodded. "I can't believe we used to do all that on our own. It's impossible!"
Kaoru giggled. "Well, I'm feeling better! I just can't tie my obi too tight or my back hurts."
"Didn't Megumi give you a cream?" a younger girl asked.
Kaoru nodded. "I don't know where it is and I can't apply it myself. I think Ken. err, Battousai took it with him after I used it."
"How'd you put it on the first time?" Tae asked. Seeing the blush that crept onto Kaoru's face, she knew what happened. "How long did you argue with him?"
"Long enough! He just doesn't listen!" Kaoru stated. "I think he enjoyed it, though. Maybe taking care of me makes him feel better about what happened to Tomoe?"
Everyone agreed. He WAS protective of her.
"But then again, I am his responsibility." Kaoru quoted.
Hinoki giggled. "You could drive him insane by getting into a lot of trouble."
Kaoru grinned. "Maybe I will. Just to tick him off."
"I don't know how you find enjoyment out of angering him." came Megumi's voice.
Kaoru shrugged. "My form of revenge for taking me."
They all looked at Kaoru.
"You are the only person I know who will act like that around him." another woman said.
"He can't kill me. The Oniwabanshu will back out of the deal if he does." She told them.
Everyone was interrupted by screams and the sound of metal to metal. All the women stood up. Kaoru reached for the closest thing to a bokken, which was a broom. She held it up as if it was a bokken after she broke off the bristles.
"We're under attack!" came a voice from the next room over.
Kaoru turned to the women. "Hey, come on, if we fight back, we'll have a better chance!"
Everyone grabbed either a broom or a dish of some sort to defend themselves with. Kaoru gave quick instructions to those with makeshift bokkens. Then the door flew off the wall, and there stood a familiar face to Kaoru.
It was the man who had given Kenshin his orders earlier that day.
Still, Kaoru held up her makeshift bokken in front of her, standing her ground. Behind the man, she could see the bloody battle unfolding as people fell into pools of blood, lifeless as dolls. The blood was so immense that it seeped into the room they were standing in. Some of the women fainted. Kaoru was trying to figure out why this man in front of them wasn't being attacked.
"Saito, there they are. The one with the broken broom is the one I saw with Battousai earlier." He said.
She felt Hinoki and Tae tense up behind her.
"Shisengumi." They muttered.
"Traitor!" Kaoru screamed.
And the man fell to the floor, eyes lifeless as they stared back at her. But it was not because of Kaoru.
A group of 4 men stood behind him, one with awkward dark hair and a cigarette. Kaoru kept her weapon in front of her. She was not giving up with out a fight. But the hoards of dead and dying men and lifeless eyes and final screams were starting to get to her.
"Carry them out of here, and bring them to an upstairs room. I will be up later with further instructions." The man with the cigarette said.
He left and the other men entered the room. Kaoru hit one on the shoulder hard, and other in the shins. She swung to get the other man in his stomach, but he hit her in her back with the hilt of his sword. Kaoru gasped at the pain and fell forward. She gave another swing of her makeshift bokken, slamming it into the mans knees.
She heard Tae and Hinoki shriek, and some others scream for help. Kaoru felt the hilt of a sword hit her in the back again, and she fell completely to the floor but still kicked as they tried to advance on her. She heard a few choice words get shot at her, but Kaoru would keep on fighting as long as she had to.
Kaoru found herself hoisted into the air, and she kicked violently until she was placed on one samurai's shoulder like a sack of potatoes and pain overtook her. As she left the room, she saw the result of the battle. The hall looked like an ocean of bloody bodies connected to a river of blood. The stench of death of sickening. She didn't know how someone could walk through a battlefield such as this and not become disgusted r just dismiss it.
She felt herself get slammed to the floor next to the other women. There were many samurai filling the room, each with their own unsheathed sword. She glared angrily at each on.
"Saito's coming!" one said.
Then the cigarette smoking man walked in. He glanced over at Kaoru.
"Don't go lightly on that one if she gives you trouble. We're going to use her to lure Battousai here." Saito informed his men.
********** **********
Kenshin sat up in a tree. He sighed. His assignment was late. 3 hours late at that. Kenshin have a nagging feeling he needed to get back to the Inn.
"I'll wait another hour." He decided aloud.
*********** **********
Aoshi came back from answering the door, carrying a telegram. He walked up to the rest of the Oniwabanshu and opened it.
"The Ishin Shishi is under attack at their headquarters." Aoshi said after reading it. "They've requested our assistance. Suit up; we've got a battle to fight. Okina, you stay with Misao."
The Oniwabanshu suited up and followed Aoshi to their battle against what was apparently a strong enemy.
Authors Notes: There's that chapter! Hope I'm not confusing you with this. I will update soon!
Luv,
Crystal Renee