Disclaimer: I'm getting sick of writing this for every chapter. so I'm just
not going to. If you don't know that I don't own Kenshin by now. then
that's just sad. ^-^
Authors Notes: Well well well.. It's 11:16 PM. I wasn't going to start this chapter until sometime tomorrow, but I might be having company (not Kenshin and the gang. a friend of mine from school!) and I don't want to ignore them when they come over. So, I'm gonna start this chapter and I'm waiting for my 40 review limit before I put this chapter up, seeing how I didn't do that last time. (I said I'm too much of a pushover sometimes when I'm happy!!! 0_~.. That's not good for me!!!!). And I'm going to try and make this one long.. The last one was like bing-bang-boom and the story it's self was 13 pages on Microsoft word at font size 14 in Abadi MT Condensed Light. That's my favorite writing font when I'm typing. Now.. I'm going to make my authors notes shorter this time!! (that's probably a relief) so here you go!!! Oh, and I'm sorry!!! In the last chapter, I wrote 'Carry On Dancing' as my title instead of 'Coming Of The Dawn'. I just got done reading Carry On Dancing, that's why I did that! To the authoress of that story: I AM VERY VERY VERY VERY SORRY IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!!! I feel so stupid now.
~Coming of the Dawn~
(And we last left Battousai and his damsel in distress.)
Kaoru heard noises coming from the wall that she had been leaning on earlier when trying to stand. She stared at it, and it turned an angry red. She couldn't help but move closer into Kenshin's embrace. He stared down at her in shock, and then heard a crack.
The wall was collapsing in on them.
***Chapter 11- Tightened Bonds***
The wall fell over in flames.
Kenshin jumped back away from it, pulling Kaoru closer to him as if the wall would hurt her if he didn't. She didn't push him away. Kaoru just hid her face in the folds of his blood-soaked gi, hoping it would give her some protection. At the moment, the scent of the blood didn't bother her. She just wanted to get out of that building.
Even if it was Battousai who had to save her.
Kenshin stared at the wall. It had missed them. Not by much, but it had.
And it posed another problem.
Now the floor was on fire.
Kenshin jumped farther back, searching around frantically for a way out. He just wanted to get Kaoru out. If he died in the fire, oh well. Just as long as Kaoru was out, he couldn't complain. He didn't want her to die in there. She was only 17. Clutching her tighter, he finally found the window.
((yes, you remember the famous window scene?! In chapter.. uh. 8 I think?!))
The problem was, it was on the other side of the burning floor and its wall was already starting to catch on fire.
"Kaoru." Kenshin stated sternly.
Kaoru reluctantly looked up at him. "Aa?"
He glanced down at her and noticed her utter fear. She was scared to death of everything she had seen that day, and was now scared for her life.
"Listen, you've got to lean in closer to me so that your skin isn't near the fire. I've got to jump over it, and I don't want to take any chances." He instructed, not really caring what his voice sounded like or what he had said.
Kaoru didn't really care either. At that moment, she just wanted to get out. She did as she was told, and felt Kenshin jump off.
********* *********
Sano looked up at the Inn. He saw flames in the window.
"The room is on fire." Sano said, looking towards the ground now. "Jou-chan and Battousai are in that room."
Aoshi and Megumi stared up at the building. They could see the flames rapidly overtaking the small room.
"They didn't make it." Aoshi said, mentally kicking himself for not trying to help more.
Megumi looked over at the other women. They were all in tears, but Tae and Hinoki were worse upon realizing their friend was still inside.
It wasn't supposed to end like this.
*********** ***********
The only thought going through Kenshin's mind was 'it can't end like this, it shouldn't end like this'. He still gripped Kaoru close to him, but the flames were getting too warm. He was too weak from his blood loss. His shoulder ached from holding Kaoru; his body ached from the tension of his earlier fight.
He couldn't get them to the window.
Kenshin was too weak. He had to rest. But there was no time.
He had decided that in about 4 minutes, the entire room would be aflame.
They'd only be living for 4 more minutes.
Kaoru was crying. She was too weak to get herself out, Kenshin knew this. And he wasn't going to drop her from a 2-story building; she'd die for sure. But he was too weak to stand anymore. They were huddled in the corner next to the window, but still it was just too much, too far to go. The flames were so close Kenshin's skin burned under the heat. But he covered Kaoru as well as he could so she wouldn't have to feel the pain of the flames immense heat.
She kept crying, harder and harder. Kaoru gripped his gi harder and cried into his chest from her fear. She didn't want to die. She didn't want him to die. He'd tried to help them, but he was too weak. She couldn't stand, her back ached.
They were doomed.
Kenshin didn't want to have to die to the sound of a woman crying. He fought inwardly on whether or not to consol her. She was so scared. He hated to know that she was. He, of course, didn't know why, but he didn't like it. But, he knew where the blame lay for that.
It was entirely his fault for taking her in the first place.
Finally, her heart wrenching cries and tears on his skin made him give in. He ran a hand through her hair soothingly, shushing her and speaking soothing words. He pulled her closer.
Their time was down to two minutes.
If only he had more strength.
********** **********
Sano leaned up against a tree, staring at the ground and pounding at it with his fist with anger. He should have gotten her out of there when he took Megumi out. Why didn't he do that in the first place? It made him mad to think that the life of one of his closest friends was gone because of him. Kaoru had meant a lot to a lot of people. and Sano was particularly close to her. Not many people would take their chances to change a street thug into a more responsible man. He knew that.
Dammit all.
Sano looked up momentarily to see Megumi looking at him. He did have tears in his eyes, and he wasn't afraid to show them to her. She didn't say anything. She just looked at him. He didn't mind. Looking at her made him forget.
********** **********
Kenshin heard her cries stop. She wasn't even sobbing anymore. He looked at her face that was cradled next to his chest and underneath his arm. She was out cold. The heat had gotten to her and she passed out. Kenshin looked up at the flames.
'We've still got time', he thought.
After one deep breath, he mustered up all his strength he had. He decided that he wouldn't give up yet. He would try one more time.
One more time for Kaoru's sake.
He stood up and jumped in the same movement, landing on the windowsill. With one last force, he jumped out the window, clutching Kaoru to him. He got as far from the building as he could get.
And they landed with a hard thud. Kenshin hit his head on the ground, so that he could make sure he broke Kaoru's fall.
He lay there limply as Kaoru lay unconscious on top of him, hanging off slightly but not by much.
*********** ***********
Aoshi had glanced up momentarily, to see if the building was completely aflame yet. The rest of the Oniwabanshu had joined him now. The battle was over. The Ishin Shishi had prevailed, even with extreme loses, but they prevailed.
When Aoshi glanced up, he was disheartened to see the entire building aflame. But he saw a figure in rays of the sunrise and watched it land.
Could it possibly be.?!
"Sanosuke!" Aoshi screamed, not noticing it had come out so loud. "Over there, something just landed out of the building."
Sano diverted his eyes from Megumi to Aoshi. "So?"
"You never know what it could be!" he told him. "We should at least go check it out. Maybe they did get out."
Sano knew the odds were extremely slim, kind of like him winning in any of his gambles. But he was going to take the chance. He rose and followed Aoshi over to where he had seen the object land.
They walked slowly, partly to get over the bodies that littered the green grasses and partly out of caution. They walked closer, and closer.
"MEGUMI GET OVER HERE NOW!!!!"
*********** ***********
Kaoru opened her eyes. Her head hurt. She couldn't see anything. It was all blurry. Where was she?
Is this what it's like to be dead? She didn't fell any different. She still felt pain. She could still hear sounds, and they hurt her head. She could still move, even if every movement she made was made with stiff joints and limbs. Was she dead? She didn't remember any pain. Kaoru only remembered that the Battousai had tried to comfort her on the situation, and then everything had gone black.
A rare moment in life, in deed.
But, was she dead?
Kaoru tried to wave a hand in front of her hand in front of her face, but someone halted her in her movements. She blinked a few times. Everytime she did, it seemed like everything became clearer and clearer. Finally, she could make out dark hair and the silhouette of someone's body. She closed her eyes again, hoping to see better again when she opened them. The one thing she noticed was that she hadn't tried to speak yet. So Kaoru raised her hand again.
"Stop that!" came a voice.
Kaoru jerked up at the pain the sound gave her. She moaned in pain, trying to move away from whoever said that.
"Megumi. is she up?"
Megumi? Kaoru wanted to smile. She wasn't dead! She was alive!!
"Go away Sanosuke, I've got to change her bandages and you've asked me that question for the past 2 weeks none stop! And YES she's up finally!" Megumi stated, her voice telling that she was annoyed.
Sano? Sano was there? Kaoru was overjoyed. SHE WAS ALIVE!
But. how? She didn't remember getting out, or getting found.
And where was everyone else? Where were Tae and Hinoki? Or any of the other women from the Inn? Surely Misao and Aoshi knew what was wrong by then. so where were they?
And. where was Battousai? Had he made it, also? Kaoru felt a strange constriction in her heart at the thought of him not making it through. She rationalized that it was because she KNEW she didn't get out of there without him making some last moment movement to get her out.
He had saved her. Yet again.
Kaoru's vision was coming back better now. She could see Megumi clearly now as she slaved over Kaoru's many wounds.
"Megumi." she said.
"Shh Kaoru, don't stress your body! You're already in horrible shape as it is!" Megumi scolded. "You've got 1st degree burns and two 2nd degree burns, you're back is still bruised and you're ankle is nearly done healing. But you hit your head slightly when you got out of there. It's a miracle you even got this far. It's a MIRACLE you got out of that building!"
"How.?" Kaoru asked, breaking Megumi's no talking rule.
"How?" Megumi blinked. "You don't know? You must have suffered from exhaustion when you were in there. Battousai got you out, Kaoru. He jumped you both out of the room, and cushioned you're fall when you landed."
Kaoru felt better. So Kenshin had gotten out too!
"Unfortunely."
Uh oh.
"He's in worse shape than you are."
Kaoru sighed. So he WAS still alive. He just wasn't doing well.
"He lost a LOT of blood, and I'm surprised he even made it this far after all that he lost. He really stressed his body trying to get you out. He suffered a severe concussion when you landed, so I'm guessing he moved so that he would hit the ground and you land on him to cushion the fall. He's still out cold, he's barely even alive as it is." Megumi chatted away.
Kaoru felt bad. He was in that shape because he wanted to help her?
That DEFIANTLY didn't sound like Battousai. It sounded more like Sano. Aoshi even had a better chance of doing that than Battousai. She couldn't honestly mean THAT much to the Ishin Shishi's success could she? That had always been his excuse before, had it not?
Obviously he had a lot of honor.
Or did it have to do with what she had mentioned before the battle to the women in the dining hall, that he did it because maybe it made him feel better about what happened to Tomoe? Maybe, maybe it was because he didn't want the same thing to happen again. He didn't want another woman to die because of him?
All those thoughts were hurting Kaoru's head. She felt Megumi finish putting the last bandage on her, and then stand up.
"MEGUMI ARE YOU DONE YET!" came Sano's voice.
Megumi sighed. "Yes! Come in, my goodness, you act like you'll die if you don't see her!"
Megumi left and then Sano came bounding in.
"Jou-chan?" he asked, looking down at her.
Kaoru swatted him away. He was TOO close.
"My god you scared me to death!" Sano screamed. "Don't do that again!!! Ever!! I don't care if you want to make sure someone's okay, DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN OR I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF!!!"
Kaoru cocked a slight grin. "Lair."
Sano smiled. "So you can talk, too, huh? And yeah, I'd never kill you but I'd never forgive you! That's worse, now ain't it?"
Kaoru nodded. She'd let him win this time.
Then more people came bounding in, despite Megumi's many attempts to keep them all away from Kaoru. Kaoru needed to REST. But apparently no one cared about that. They all wanted to see that she was really alive in there on that futon.
********* *********
It was a while later before anyone would let Kaoru walk around. She walked around, discovering that everyone was back at the Aoiya. The Ishin Shishi leaders where staying in an Inn, some of the wounded were being cared for at the Aoiya. But around as much as she did, she never found the one that she was looking for. Of course, Kaoru didn't think to ask for him.
A month had passed since the time she had woken up. She figured that maybe he had gone on his way. She never asked on his condition or his whereabouts. She'd rather find out for herself.
Plus, Kaoru didn't want anyone getting any ideas. All she really wanted to do was thank Kenshin for what he had done for her.
Really, that was all.
Kaoru was followed by Misao everywhere and bombarded with questions on her treatment. You may think that bugged Kaoru, but really she opened up to Misao and told her everything from when she was taken to how the food was cooked to her room to when she first got into Battousai's room. Everything from the day she saw them in the woods, from the dining room incident, from the battle, to the last moments she remembered in the burning room.
Of course, leaving out obvious details to keep people from thinking something was going on between her and the Battousai.
Kaoru had been bombarded with so many guests that were worried about her health and well-being. Everyone from Tae and Hinoki to Sano's kid brother Yahiko, to Dr. Genzai from Tokyo and his granddaughters Ayame and Suzume, not to mention some people she didn't even know. Kaoru was started to get tired of the attention. The only one that seemed to treat her normal was Yahiko, filling her up with his 'busu' and 'ole hag' comments.
Finally, one day, Kaoru slipped out of the Aoiya and walked to the shrine that Aoshi mediated in. She wanted to see what else was going on. She walked up the steps slowly, and slowly padded through the building. She entered the end room, just to look around.
She hadn't expected to find what she did.
There was Kenshin, laying on a futon and covered by a blanket. This was where they had been treating him, away from everyone else due to the severity of his condition. It was someplace quiet, where no one would disturb him.
At first Kaoru had thought he was dead. But his chest rose and fell with his even breathing, and that thought was dismissed. She stepped a little closer to him, wondering if he had woken up yet at all. He seemed to be in a deep sleep.
"I found you." Kaoru said aloud.
There was no sound from Kenshin. She had said it quiet enough so that it didn't echo through the room.
"I. I wanted to thank you." She said. 'He can't hear you Kaoru baka!', she told herself. "For helping me. For saving me. Again."
Still there was no response. She finally decided that he was unconscious. She kneeled next to the futon, and drew her knees up to her chest as she looked at him. She could tell that his wounds were healed. It was just a matter of waking up.
"I. I was thinking we could start over and be friends." Kaoru told the sleeping man in front of her.
But she saw a grin spread on his face. She wondered if he had heard her. And she wondered if he was playing games with her.
"If you're awake then open your eyes!" Kaoru demanded. She didn't think someone could grin in an unconscious state.
At least it didn't seem possible to her.
He didn't say anything, just lay there.
"Okay. maybe you're not awake." Kaoru stated.
She stood up. "I really want to be friends. And thank you again."
Before she left, she bent over Kenshin, and gently kissed his forehead. "That's for consoling me in a time I didn't think I could be and for protecting me, even if it was only because I was your responsibility."
She walked off, leaving the room in the shrine empty of anything but the air, light, and Kenshin's sleeping body. She headed back towards the Aoiya, wondering again if he had really been asleep.
She decided she'd have to ask Megumi when she got back.
********* *********
Once sure she was gone, Kenshin cracked open an eye, and let his grin spread farther across his face. One hand went up to touch his forehead, and the other stayed at his side.
"I would like to be friends, too." He whispered to the walls.
Then he went back to sleep. Megumi would kill him if he didn't get his sleep.
Author's Notes: So. there's chapter 11!! See, I got SOME Yahiko in there. Well, I mentioned him. I think it's strange for him to be Sano's brother. could you imagine them GROWING UP in the same household? My god, that's be horrible!! Oh well, that's the only way I could think of to get him in the story.
What do you guys think of this chapter? I'm wondering, should I just end the story here or should I try to keep it going? Don't KILL me for the comment, I was just wondering, because I am dry on ideas (writers block sucks. I had all this planned out before I went up north. well, somewhat, but now I DO have writers block). Could maybe you guys help me out with ideas? Sometimes it seems that just the reviews spark ideas with me for some reason!!! SO REVIEWS DO HELP!!!
Yahiko: YOU MADE ME HIS BROTHER!!!!
Crystal: Oh, it's not that bad. I was thinking of waiting until later and having Kaoru adopt you.
Yahiko: No way!! I'm not going to be busu's kid!!!
Kaoru: What was that Yahiko-chan? I don't think you'd make a good son anyway!
Yahiko: Hey, that was mean!!!
Kaoru: And calling me busu isn't?
Kenshin: (sweatdrops) uh. oh. Crystal-chan, look what you started..
Crystal: uh.. Oops?
(Kaoru and Yahiko are fighting back in forth. Sano pulls them apart)
Sano: Stop it!
(yahiko jumps on him)
Crystal: Uh. I think the rest of us should get out of here! Now!
Anywayz, I am going to go for now. I don't think I'll update for at least 2 days if I don't get any ideas, and after I get your opinions on the ending thing.. I'm sorry to be asking such a question, but I don't know!!! My writer's block sometimes lasts forever. But maybe watching Kenshin on Saturday will help!!!! I missed it last week because it wasn't on the week before according to my friend (I was gone on vacation then), so thought it wasn't on! She told me it was last Saturday, so I'm all confused!!!!
Must keep up hope!!!!
Luv,
Crystal Renee
Authors Notes: Well well well.. It's 11:16 PM. I wasn't going to start this chapter until sometime tomorrow, but I might be having company (not Kenshin and the gang. a friend of mine from school!) and I don't want to ignore them when they come over. So, I'm gonna start this chapter and I'm waiting for my 40 review limit before I put this chapter up, seeing how I didn't do that last time. (I said I'm too much of a pushover sometimes when I'm happy!!! 0_~.. That's not good for me!!!!). And I'm going to try and make this one long.. The last one was like bing-bang-boom and the story it's self was 13 pages on Microsoft word at font size 14 in Abadi MT Condensed Light. That's my favorite writing font when I'm typing. Now.. I'm going to make my authors notes shorter this time!! (that's probably a relief) so here you go!!! Oh, and I'm sorry!!! In the last chapter, I wrote 'Carry On Dancing' as my title instead of 'Coming Of The Dawn'. I just got done reading Carry On Dancing, that's why I did that! To the authoress of that story: I AM VERY VERY VERY VERY SORRY IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!!! I feel so stupid now.
~Coming of the Dawn~
(And we last left Battousai and his damsel in distress.)
Kaoru heard noises coming from the wall that she had been leaning on earlier when trying to stand. She stared at it, and it turned an angry red. She couldn't help but move closer into Kenshin's embrace. He stared down at her in shock, and then heard a crack.
The wall was collapsing in on them.
***Chapter 11- Tightened Bonds***
The wall fell over in flames.
Kenshin jumped back away from it, pulling Kaoru closer to him as if the wall would hurt her if he didn't. She didn't push him away. Kaoru just hid her face in the folds of his blood-soaked gi, hoping it would give her some protection. At the moment, the scent of the blood didn't bother her. She just wanted to get out of that building.
Even if it was Battousai who had to save her.
Kenshin stared at the wall. It had missed them. Not by much, but it had.
And it posed another problem.
Now the floor was on fire.
Kenshin jumped farther back, searching around frantically for a way out. He just wanted to get Kaoru out. If he died in the fire, oh well. Just as long as Kaoru was out, he couldn't complain. He didn't want her to die in there. She was only 17. Clutching her tighter, he finally found the window.
((yes, you remember the famous window scene?! In chapter.. uh. 8 I think?!))
The problem was, it was on the other side of the burning floor and its wall was already starting to catch on fire.
"Kaoru." Kenshin stated sternly.
Kaoru reluctantly looked up at him. "Aa?"
He glanced down at her and noticed her utter fear. She was scared to death of everything she had seen that day, and was now scared for her life.
"Listen, you've got to lean in closer to me so that your skin isn't near the fire. I've got to jump over it, and I don't want to take any chances." He instructed, not really caring what his voice sounded like or what he had said.
Kaoru didn't really care either. At that moment, she just wanted to get out. She did as she was told, and felt Kenshin jump off.
********* *********
Sano looked up at the Inn. He saw flames in the window.
"The room is on fire." Sano said, looking towards the ground now. "Jou-chan and Battousai are in that room."
Aoshi and Megumi stared up at the building. They could see the flames rapidly overtaking the small room.
"They didn't make it." Aoshi said, mentally kicking himself for not trying to help more.
Megumi looked over at the other women. They were all in tears, but Tae and Hinoki were worse upon realizing their friend was still inside.
It wasn't supposed to end like this.
*********** ***********
The only thought going through Kenshin's mind was 'it can't end like this, it shouldn't end like this'. He still gripped Kaoru close to him, but the flames were getting too warm. He was too weak from his blood loss. His shoulder ached from holding Kaoru; his body ached from the tension of his earlier fight.
He couldn't get them to the window.
Kenshin was too weak. He had to rest. But there was no time.
He had decided that in about 4 minutes, the entire room would be aflame.
They'd only be living for 4 more minutes.
Kaoru was crying. She was too weak to get herself out, Kenshin knew this. And he wasn't going to drop her from a 2-story building; she'd die for sure. But he was too weak to stand anymore. They were huddled in the corner next to the window, but still it was just too much, too far to go. The flames were so close Kenshin's skin burned under the heat. But he covered Kaoru as well as he could so she wouldn't have to feel the pain of the flames immense heat.
She kept crying, harder and harder. Kaoru gripped his gi harder and cried into his chest from her fear. She didn't want to die. She didn't want him to die. He'd tried to help them, but he was too weak. She couldn't stand, her back ached.
They were doomed.
Kenshin didn't want to have to die to the sound of a woman crying. He fought inwardly on whether or not to consol her. She was so scared. He hated to know that she was. He, of course, didn't know why, but he didn't like it. But, he knew where the blame lay for that.
It was entirely his fault for taking her in the first place.
Finally, her heart wrenching cries and tears on his skin made him give in. He ran a hand through her hair soothingly, shushing her and speaking soothing words. He pulled her closer.
Their time was down to two minutes.
If only he had more strength.
********** **********
Sano leaned up against a tree, staring at the ground and pounding at it with his fist with anger. He should have gotten her out of there when he took Megumi out. Why didn't he do that in the first place? It made him mad to think that the life of one of his closest friends was gone because of him. Kaoru had meant a lot to a lot of people. and Sano was particularly close to her. Not many people would take their chances to change a street thug into a more responsible man. He knew that.
Dammit all.
Sano looked up momentarily to see Megumi looking at him. He did have tears in his eyes, and he wasn't afraid to show them to her. She didn't say anything. She just looked at him. He didn't mind. Looking at her made him forget.
********** **********
Kenshin heard her cries stop. She wasn't even sobbing anymore. He looked at her face that was cradled next to his chest and underneath his arm. She was out cold. The heat had gotten to her and she passed out. Kenshin looked up at the flames.
'We've still got time', he thought.
After one deep breath, he mustered up all his strength he had. He decided that he wouldn't give up yet. He would try one more time.
One more time for Kaoru's sake.
He stood up and jumped in the same movement, landing on the windowsill. With one last force, he jumped out the window, clutching Kaoru to him. He got as far from the building as he could get.
And they landed with a hard thud. Kenshin hit his head on the ground, so that he could make sure he broke Kaoru's fall.
He lay there limply as Kaoru lay unconscious on top of him, hanging off slightly but not by much.
*********** ***********
Aoshi had glanced up momentarily, to see if the building was completely aflame yet. The rest of the Oniwabanshu had joined him now. The battle was over. The Ishin Shishi had prevailed, even with extreme loses, but they prevailed.
When Aoshi glanced up, he was disheartened to see the entire building aflame. But he saw a figure in rays of the sunrise and watched it land.
Could it possibly be.?!
"Sanosuke!" Aoshi screamed, not noticing it had come out so loud. "Over there, something just landed out of the building."
Sano diverted his eyes from Megumi to Aoshi. "So?"
"You never know what it could be!" he told him. "We should at least go check it out. Maybe they did get out."
Sano knew the odds were extremely slim, kind of like him winning in any of his gambles. But he was going to take the chance. He rose and followed Aoshi over to where he had seen the object land.
They walked slowly, partly to get over the bodies that littered the green grasses and partly out of caution. They walked closer, and closer.
"MEGUMI GET OVER HERE NOW!!!!"
*********** ***********
Kaoru opened her eyes. Her head hurt. She couldn't see anything. It was all blurry. Where was she?
Is this what it's like to be dead? She didn't fell any different. She still felt pain. She could still hear sounds, and they hurt her head. She could still move, even if every movement she made was made with stiff joints and limbs. Was she dead? She didn't remember any pain. Kaoru only remembered that the Battousai had tried to comfort her on the situation, and then everything had gone black.
A rare moment in life, in deed.
But, was she dead?
Kaoru tried to wave a hand in front of her hand in front of her face, but someone halted her in her movements. She blinked a few times. Everytime she did, it seemed like everything became clearer and clearer. Finally, she could make out dark hair and the silhouette of someone's body. She closed her eyes again, hoping to see better again when she opened them. The one thing she noticed was that she hadn't tried to speak yet. So Kaoru raised her hand again.
"Stop that!" came a voice.
Kaoru jerked up at the pain the sound gave her. She moaned in pain, trying to move away from whoever said that.
"Megumi. is she up?"
Megumi? Kaoru wanted to smile. She wasn't dead! She was alive!!
"Go away Sanosuke, I've got to change her bandages and you've asked me that question for the past 2 weeks none stop! And YES she's up finally!" Megumi stated, her voice telling that she was annoyed.
Sano? Sano was there? Kaoru was overjoyed. SHE WAS ALIVE!
But. how? She didn't remember getting out, or getting found.
And where was everyone else? Where were Tae and Hinoki? Or any of the other women from the Inn? Surely Misao and Aoshi knew what was wrong by then. so where were they?
And. where was Battousai? Had he made it, also? Kaoru felt a strange constriction in her heart at the thought of him not making it through. She rationalized that it was because she KNEW she didn't get out of there without him making some last moment movement to get her out.
He had saved her. Yet again.
Kaoru's vision was coming back better now. She could see Megumi clearly now as she slaved over Kaoru's many wounds.
"Megumi." she said.
"Shh Kaoru, don't stress your body! You're already in horrible shape as it is!" Megumi scolded. "You've got 1st degree burns and two 2nd degree burns, you're back is still bruised and you're ankle is nearly done healing. But you hit your head slightly when you got out of there. It's a miracle you even got this far. It's a MIRACLE you got out of that building!"
"How.?" Kaoru asked, breaking Megumi's no talking rule.
"How?" Megumi blinked. "You don't know? You must have suffered from exhaustion when you were in there. Battousai got you out, Kaoru. He jumped you both out of the room, and cushioned you're fall when you landed."
Kaoru felt better. So Kenshin had gotten out too!
"Unfortunely."
Uh oh.
"He's in worse shape than you are."
Kaoru sighed. So he WAS still alive. He just wasn't doing well.
"He lost a LOT of blood, and I'm surprised he even made it this far after all that he lost. He really stressed his body trying to get you out. He suffered a severe concussion when you landed, so I'm guessing he moved so that he would hit the ground and you land on him to cushion the fall. He's still out cold, he's barely even alive as it is." Megumi chatted away.
Kaoru felt bad. He was in that shape because he wanted to help her?
That DEFIANTLY didn't sound like Battousai. It sounded more like Sano. Aoshi even had a better chance of doing that than Battousai. She couldn't honestly mean THAT much to the Ishin Shishi's success could she? That had always been his excuse before, had it not?
Obviously he had a lot of honor.
Or did it have to do with what she had mentioned before the battle to the women in the dining hall, that he did it because maybe it made him feel better about what happened to Tomoe? Maybe, maybe it was because he didn't want the same thing to happen again. He didn't want another woman to die because of him?
All those thoughts were hurting Kaoru's head. She felt Megumi finish putting the last bandage on her, and then stand up.
"MEGUMI ARE YOU DONE YET!" came Sano's voice.
Megumi sighed. "Yes! Come in, my goodness, you act like you'll die if you don't see her!"
Megumi left and then Sano came bounding in.
"Jou-chan?" he asked, looking down at her.
Kaoru swatted him away. He was TOO close.
"My god you scared me to death!" Sano screamed. "Don't do that again!!! Ever!! I don't care if you want to make sure someone's okay, DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN OR I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF!!!"
Kaoru cocked a slight grin. "Lair."
Sano smiled. "So you can talk, too, huh? And yeah, I'd never kill you but I'd never forgive you! That's worse, now ain't it?"
Kaoru nodded. She'd let him win this time.
Then more people came bounding in, despite Megumi's many attempts to keep them all away from Kaoru. Kaoru needed to REST. But apparently no one cared about that. They all wanted to see that she was really alive in there on that futon.
********* *********
It was a while later before anyone would let Kaoru walk around. She walked around, discovering that everyone was back at the Aoiya. The Ishin Shishi leaders where staying in an Inn, some of the wounded were being cared for at the Aoiya. But around as much as she did, she never found the one that she was looking for. Of course, Kaoru didn't think to ask for him.
A month had passed since the time she had woken up. She figured that maybe he had gone on his way. She never asked on his condition or his whereabouts. She'd rather find out for herself.
Plus, Kaoru didn't want anyone getting any ideas. All she really wanted to do was thank Kenshin for what he had done for her.
Really, that was all.
Kaoru was followed by Misao everywhere and bombarded with questions on her treatment. You may think that bugged Kaoru, but really she opened up to Misao and told her everything from when she was taken to how the food was cooked to her room to when she first got into Battousai's room. Everything from the day she saw them in the woods, from the dining room incident, from the battle, to the last moments she remembered in the burning room.
Of course, leaving out obvious details to keep people from thinking something was going on between her and the Battousai.
Kaoru had been bombarded with so many guests that were worried about her health and well-being. Everyone from Tae and Hinoki to Sano's kid brother Yahiko, to Dr. Genzai from Tokyo and his granddaughters Ayame and Suzume, not to mention some people she didn't even know. Kaoru was started to get tired of the attention. The only one that seemed to treat her normal was Yahiko, filling her up with his 'busu' and 'ole hag' comments.
Finally, one day, Kaoru slipped out of the Aoiya and walked to the shrine that Aoshi mediated in. She wanted to see what else was going on. She walked up the steps slowly, and slowly padded through the building. She entered the end room, just to look around.
She hadn't expected to find what she did.
There was Kenshin, laying on a futon and covered by a blanket. This was where they had been treating him, away from everyone else due to the severity of his condition. It was someplace quiet, where no one would disturb him.
At first Kaoru had thought he was dead. But his chest rose and fell with his even breathing, and that thought was dismissed. She stepped a little closer to him, wondering if he had woken up yet at all. He seemed to be in a deep sleep.
"I found you." Kaoru said aloud.
There was no sound from Kenshin. She had said it quiet enough so that it didn't echo through the room.
"I. I wanted to thank you." She said. 'He can't hear you Kaoru baka!', she told herself. "For helping me. For saving me. Again."
Still there was no response. She finally decided that he was unconscious. She kneeled next to the futon, and drew her knees up to her chest as she looked at him. She could tell that his wounds were healed. It was just a matter of waking up.
"I. I was thinking we could start over and be friends." Kaoru told the sleeping man in front of her.
But she saw a grin spread on his face. She wondered if he had heard her. And she wondered if he was playing games with her.
"If you're awake then open your eyes!" Kaoru demanded. She didn't think someone could grin in an unconscious state.
At least it didn't seem possible to her.
He didn't say anything, just lay there.
"Okay. maybe you're not awake." Kaoru stated.
She stood up. "I really want to be friends. And thank you again."
Before she left, she bent over Kenshin, and gently kissed his forehead. "That's for consoling me in a time I didn't think I could be and for protecting me, even if it was only because I was your responsibility."
She walked off, leaving the room in the shrine empty of anything but the air, light, and Kenshin's sleeping body. She headed back towards the Aoiya, wondering again if he had really been asleep.
She decided she'd have to ask Megumi when she got back.
********* *********
Once sure she was gone, Kenshin cracked open an eye, and let his grin spread farther across his face. One hand went up to touch his forehead, and the other stayed at his side.
"I would like to be friends, too." He whispered to the walls.
Then he went back to sleep. Megumi would kill him if he didn't get his sleep.
Author's Notes: So. there's chapter 11!! See, I got SOME Yahiko in there. Well, I mentioned him. I think it's strange for him to be Sano's brother. could you imagine them GROWING UP in the same household? My god, that's be horrible!! Oh well, that's the only way I could think of to get him in the story.
What do you guys think of this chapter? I'm wondering, should I just end the story here or should I try to keep it going? Don't KILL me for the comment, I was just wondering, because I am dry on ideas (writers block sucks. I had all this planned out before I went up north. well, somewhat, but now I DO have writers block). Could maybe you guys help me out with ideas? Sometimes it seems that just the reviews spark ideas with me for some reason!!! SO REVIEWS DO HELP!!!
Yahiko: YOU MADE ME HIS BROTHER!!!!
Crystal: Oh, it's not that bad. I was thinking of waiting until later and having Kaoru adopt you.
Yahiko: No way!! I'm not going to be busu's kid!!!
Kaoru: What was that Yahiko-chan? I don't think you'd make a good son anyway!
Yahiko: Hey, that was mean!!!
Kaoru: And calling me busu isn't?
Kenshin: (sweatdrops) uh. oh. Crystal-chan, look what you started..
Crystal: uh.. Oops?
(Kaoru and Yahiko are fighting back in forth. Sano pulls them apart)
Sano: Stop it!
(yahiko jumps on him)
Crystal: Uh. I think the rest of us should get out of here! Now!
Anywayz, I am going to go for now. I don't think I'll update for at least 2 days if I don't get any ideas, and after I get your opinions on the ending thing.. I'm sorry to be asking such a question, but I don't know!!! My writer's block sometimes lasts forever. But maybe watching Kenshin on Saturday will help!!!! I missed it last week because it wasn't on the week before according to my friend (I was gone on vacation then), so thought it wasn't on! She told me it was last Saturday, so I'm all confused!!!!
Must keep up hope!!!!
Luv,
Crystal Renee