Disclaimer: The day I own Rurouni Kenshin is the day the sky turns green.
It won't be happening anytime soon.
Author's Notes: Okay, honestly, I think this really sucks, and I think I made it way too long. Yeah, it's PG for... nothing a person who watched RK on Cartoon Network couldn't handle, maybe an extra curse or two. Kenshin/Kaoru, cuteness at the end, translations for Japanese at bottom. Basically, I'm making these short so I can put my first dedication on any one of my stories down.
This story has been officially dedicated to my friends Amy. I am sorry for being whiny and complaining and you motivated me to fix my problems the best I can (the 3300 word story part, it's even longer now). That is why I have branched off three sentences of this for ya.
Hogosha Tenshi
Kenshin furiously scrubbed at the cotton kimono in his fingers, attempting to get out a stain. He was thinking, what he usually did when he did the laundry. It gave him a few minutes of peace and time to think, but it wasn't really necessary anymore. Ever since Sanosuke left for his trip around the world, and Yahiko had moved into his old house, the dojo was very quiet. Also, Kenshin had to spend a few hours alone whenever Kaoru went to teach her students, and he really hated that.
He continued to wash another garment after another, desperately yearning for some company. Just then, Kaoru came running in the dojo gate her bokken flailing behind her.
"Kenshin! They are expecting a major storm to hit today, and the river may overflow! We have to go help dig! Hang the laundry over the side of the bathtub inside, we have to go get more food at the market, and then we have to go assist the other townsfolk!"
Kenshin listened and did as he was told. He locked the dojo, and made sure that it wouldn't open for anybody without the key, which was tucked safely in his pocket. He followed Kaoru, who quickly took his hand and dragged him to the market. He smiled as she tried to pull him; she was obviously in a rush to get to the market. Kenshin picked up the strip of silk that had fallen from his pocket. It was indigo, with dark purple and brownish patches covering it, making it rigid in some areas. Kaoru slightly flushed red.
"Y-You still have that thing? Didn't I tell you to dump it and quit trying to wash out the blood, and that it WASN'T a big deal?"
"Sessha doesn't really know, Kaoru-dono. It just makes sessha feel a bit more comfortable when it's in sessha's pocket."
Kaoru flushed darker red, and refrained from smacking Kenshin for calling himself unworthy three times in two sentences. Actually, she wanted to slaughter him for calling himself unworthy of anything.
"O-Okay, let's just get the stuff at the market. You get green tea leaves, miso, tofu, and if you can find a new plate to replace the one I dropped in the washtub, that would be wonderful. I'll cover, well... everything else on my half of the list!"
Kaoru smiled, and Kenshin laughed a little. They both went their separate ways, agreeing to meet up at the dojo whenever they finished.
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Kaoru was in luck. All of the stalls she needed to get the stuff from on her half of the list were literally right next to each other. And there was a ribbon stall right next to them. And that reminded Kaoru of one last thing she should get before the shops closed from the weather.
She stared at the ribbon. It was a sea of orange-red that drifted into violet in the other side of the ribbon. In the orange-red section, there were violet sakura petals, and orange-red ones in the violet section. She instantly thought of what Misao would say.
"Yeah, Kaoru, the only reason why you want to buy it is because it looks exactly like Himura's hair and eye color!"
One more comment.
"The price is friggin' highway robbery as well!"
Yep. The almost exact quotes from the big mouth of Misao Makimachi (no offense to Misao fans, I'm one myself! And I am also a chatterbox, so I'm not insulting anyone!). Well, Kaoru decided that she was a big enough girl to make her own decisions, and bought the ribbon. Now that she had a brand new ribbon that had sucked up all her pocket money like Sanosuke, and had all the food they would need for the storm tucked away in a basket, Kaoru took her walk back to the dojo.
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Kenshin was about to fly off the ground. He had finished the shopping early, and even gotten the extra plate Kaoru-dono wanted. Life was currently wonderful, except for the fact that a huge storm was about to come and possibly ruin the dojo.
He walked back to the dojo, worrying his mind off about what could possibly happen (and what couldn't possibly happen) from the storm.
'What if the whole town floods? What if Kaoru-dono loses her job? What if we get killed!? Well, sessha will make sure that doesn't happen to Kaoru- dono, that sessha will.'
As the dojo came into view, Kenshin realized that Kaoru beat him home. She impatiently tapped her foot on the ground, and punched him once he arrived at the porch.
"Men! They can't be on time ONCE, not to mention, GIVE THE REAL OWNER OF * HER * DOJO THE KEYS! MOU!"
"K-Kaoru-dono, sessha..."
"Just open the door, okay Kenshin? I'm just worried about this storm and the river and..."
"Kaoru-dono, you really shouldn't worry about this too much; it isn't good for your health, that it most certainly isn't. It should be fine, that it should."
Kaoru stopped her complaining fit, and watched as Kenshin opened the door to the dojo. He let her walk through first, being the perfect gentleman he was.
Kaoru immediately got to stocking things away. She fingered the ribbon for a minute, and just threw it on top of her futon. She and Kenshin had both decided to sleep in the area where Kaoru trained since it was one of the most elevated places in the dojo. Not to mention, if either of them felt water, they could wake the other quickly to leave out the area where the river wouldn't have flooded by then.
"Alright, Kenshin, ready to dig?" asked Kaoru, slinging her shovel over her shoulder. Kenshin answered with a nod. This time, Kaoru locked the dojo, AND kept the key in her pocket so there wouldn't be further troubles.
They ran to the river, and when they arrived, the entire town was digging a trench at either side of the waterway. Kaoru noticed one young yellow and green clad teen who was trying to get a worker's attention.
"Please? Can I please help? I'm strong, and it..."
"Kid, for the last and final answer, IYA! I could use another set of hands, but not from some little rascal!"
Yahiko left, dragging his feet, and muttering, "Jackass..." under his breath. Kaoru couldn't stand to see her pupil upset and discouraged like this, so she grabbed his shoulder before he could walk any further, and stepped in.
"Sir, this is my disciple, and he wasn't lying when he said he was strong. Could you please let him help, it would only do well for the town."
The man scoffed loudly.
"C'mon, gaki, whatcha waitin' for?"
Yahiko muttered a quick "arigato", and started to help dig the trench. They walked to a spot that needed some more work done on it, and Kenshin started to thrust the shovel into the sandy dirt. He stopped, and looked at the woman standing besides him, idle to the rest of the world for about thirty seconds.
'There she goes again... She always wants to help the world, whether it's as small as cooking dinner or as big as helping her apprentice aid the town. That's one of the reasons why sessha loves her so much, that it is.'
"Kenshin? Are you okay? Hey, wake up from whatever place you're living in!"
Kenshin snapped out of his reverie and continued to dig. Kaoru giggled at his antics, and tried to push the shovel into the firmly packed silt. Kenshin walked behind her, and helped ram the tool into the dirt. Kaoru felt his hands clasp over hers and blushed a little. Once they got a good shovelful of soil out of the ground, Kenshin walked back to his spot a few feet away.
"Keep working off that one, and it should be easier, that it should."
"Arigato, Kenshin."
Kaoru scraped at the sides of the small hole in the ground, and found that Kenshin was right. It WAS easier.
'Of course he's right, Kaoru, he's always right! That's why you don't deserve him!' said the annoying little lecturing voice in Kaoru's head. She started digging a little slower.
"Kaoru-dono? Are you alright? If you aren't feeling well you can go home to rest and sessha shall finish your share."
'He's always worrying about me...'
"Iie, Kenshin, I'm fine, don't worry about me."
Kaoru continued working, rubbing a lone tear from her eye while nobody was looking. She felt that Kenshin would never think of her as anything else but a little sister. Of course, there was that one embrace in the midst of the fireflies that kept her confused. Would he have done that if he only thought of her as a sister? And, if so, why did he only say goodbye to her before he left to Kyoto? Also, there was the time when she had been kidnapped by Enishi, and the evidence was placed to make it seem like he killed her (excuse me if any of this is wrong, I have never seen anything about Enishi or seen Samurai X, I have only read about it). Yahiko had told her Kenshin was practically lifeless without her there besides him.
Kaoru groaned in frustration and mental block. Kenshin looked over his shoulder, his violet eyes questioning for an explanation. Kaoru laughed nervously in her head.
"Just thought of how the jerk Sanosuke left Megumi alone here, and how I'll kill him when he gets back."
Kenshin let go of a small, inaudible chuckle, knowing Kaoru wasn't sharing the truth with him. Of course, he could be wrong, but his instincts told him that he was correct. Not to mention, Kaoru's ki was shaky and nervous, not the radiant "I want to execute Sanosuke" type. He decided to not let her know that he was on to her, even if he didn't actually know what was really on her mind. He coughed to keep his voice even, and then quickly spoke.
"Alright, Kaoru-dono. Sessha suggests taking it out on the dirt for now, that sessha does."
Each word Kenshin spoke hurt Kaoru. He was treating her like he was some kind of lowly animal, and she was his commander! Kaoru quickly took Kenshin's helpful advice and smashed the shovel into the dirt. She started digging like the world would end. Kenshin smiled, and got back to his own work.
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A few hours passed, and everyone digging was sweaty and dirty. Some of the citizens had fallen ill and went home, and some of them had gotten injured. By now, Megumi was sitting at the top of the trench helping anybody who needed a medic, and passing an occasional glance at Kenshin and Kaoru. Kenshin was absent-mindedly digging, hacking away at the soil, thinking about one thing or another. Megumi took a special note of something. Kaoru was shivering, she was working slowly, her eyes were glazed, and her face and cheeks were a dark pink. She finished treating her patient, told them to go home and rest, and considered taking a walk and kicking Kenshin in the groin. She decided against it, she would insult her name as a doctor, and she would have a very pissed off tanuki on her hands. She waited for Kenshin to peek next to him and notice, but after five minutes, took matters into her own hands.
"Hey, Kaoru, are you feeling okay? You don't look incredibly well. Want a check-up?"
Kenshin snapped up, as predicted, and gave his advice.
"Kaoru-dono, sessha suggests you have Megumi-dono check up on you. You really don't look very good."
"Are you sure, I mean, I feel fine!"
"Kaoru-dono, you really should. Sessha is aware that you are not actually feeling good, and sessha knows that you want to help more, but you cannot help anyone if you are ill, that you cannot."
Kaoru climbed out of the trench half-heartedly, and sat in front of Megumi. Megumi only did one gesture, and that was put her hand to Kaoru's forehead. She pulled a small pack of dried flowers out of her bag, and handed them to Kaoru.
"Go home, make some tea with this, and drink it all. If I see you anywhere near this trench, I will rope you to the dojo floor. You have a fever, and it will only get worse until it's deadly if you don't treat it now."
Kaoru nodded, and Kenshin scrambled out of the hole to escort her home. The walk was quiet, all but Kaoru's occasional stumble or fall over a rock, and Kenshin catching her and asking if she was okay. When they arrived back at the dojo, Kaoru was too delirious to put the key in the correct area of the door handle for a few seconds. Kenshin helped her, and they were greeted with the warm smell of home.
"Arigato, Kenshin."
"Do you want sessha to stay here? It would probably be a good idea, since..."
Kenshin was interrupted by raindrops hitting the dojo roof and walls. Kaoru briefly smiled.
"Sessha better go get the shovels, it will only take a minute, please just stay in bed."
Kaoru nodded weakly, that being the only thing she could really do. Kenshin gave a quick wave, and then used his god-like speed to arrive at the river in seconds. Everybody had left, and the shovels were buried in dirt and water. The trench was starting to fill up with mud from the rain, and Kenshin felt it get all over his sandals and socks.
'Oh well, sessha needed a new pair of both.' he thought, wiggling his toe in a small hole at the tip of his dark maroon socks. He ran back to the dojo, and picked up a large bucket almost full to the brim with water off the porch. He quickly opened the door, and ran to the room where he and Kaoru had moved to for the night. He saw that she was sleeping, her yukata tied on messily. You could tell that she was sick; her face had an even darker tint to it than before.
Kenshin quickly grounded the dry flower petals, and boiled some of the rain water that he had collected over a small fireplace in the corner. He added the dry flower powder, and mixed around the cloud of clear-white. He poured it into a cup, and tried to wake Kaoru up. This was the only treatment for her, and even though he hated to wake her, he had to make sure she got some of it down now. Kaoru slowly opened her eyes.
"K-Kenshin...?"
"Shhhhh... you need to drink this, no matter how horrible it tastes, and then you can go back to sleep Kaoru-dono."
Kaoru took the cup in her hand, and Kenshin supported the bottom of it so she wouldn't drop the cup and spill tea all over herself. His other arm was around her back, helping her sit up straight since she was still drowsy. She took a sip, and groaned at the bitter taste, but with Kenshin's gentle urge, she drank it down quickly.
"Good. Now, you must get your rest, Kaoru-dono. Sessha shall make you some miso soup later, does that sound okay?"
Kaoru nodded again, and laid back down. She was asleep in a matter of seconds, and Kenshin laid down on his futon that was a few feet away. His eyes never left her face, just examining every familiar detail, wishing to be able to touch that beautiful face someday. Kenshin fought the strong urge to sleep, and sat up in the futon. He watched Kaoru struggle and shiver in her sleep, and laid his quilt on top of her. She still shivered a bit, and Kenshin put his hand to her forehead. Her fever was still high, and Megumi's treatment had yet to kick in. Kenshin rubbed her cheek, wondering how she could look so cold but actually be dangerously warm. Kenshin got up and opened the shoji to another room. First, he changed out of his filthy gi and hakama and into his sleeping yukata. Then, he grabbed another blanket to help break Kaoru her fever quicker. He also opened the main door a little on his way back to the training room to check on the storm. It was still pouring outside, and it was a miracle that he had patched up the roof just the other week. He walked back into the room, and placed the blanket on Kaoru. He noticed a small sliver of orange under her pillow. Curious, he gently tugged it out. An orange-red and violet ribbon, with an odd design on it. He laid it out next to the futon so it wouldn't get crinkled. She moaned in her sleep, something incoherent and soft spilling from her parted lips. Kenshin ran a finger up her cheek, and quickly drew it away when she shivered. He got up to go back to his respective futon, but felt a gentle brush against his uncovered heel.
"Welcome home, Kenshin........" Kaoru murmured.
'She must be dreaming about when we returned from Kyoto, that she must.'
Her hand was still extended. After bringing his futon closer to Kaoru's, he laid his hand on top of hers, in the exact position from when they met in front of the dojo. Kenshin fell asleep; his hand still flopped over Kaoru's.
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Kaoru woke up abruptly, her pillow soaked with sweat from the fever, and her hair messy and damp. She had just gotten out of the worst nightmare she ever had, and what was sad: it had seemed TOO real. By the way, if you thought it was about the dojo getting flooded out, you are very out of range. She picked up her left hand, feeling something warm roll off. She raised her stiff neck to see Kenshin, sleeping like an angel.
"My hogosha tenshi... you even guard my dreams, my anata."
Kaoru laid both of her hands on Kenshin's, feeling the calloused, scarred skin of his palm under her fingers. She saw his violet eyes open, and turned faintly red.
"Kaoru-dono? How are you feeling?"
"Much better. Arigato for making the tea, it really helped."
Kenshin laid his hand across her forehead, and Kaoru blushed a little more at the contact.
"You're fever is gone, that it is. Do you want that miso soup now?"
"Iie, but arigato. I still haven't gotten my appetite back." she answered quietly. She sighed, and laid back in her futon.
"Is something wrong, Kaoru-dono?"
Kaoru burst into tears and sobs at hearing his voice. She linked her arms around Kenshin, and rested her forehead on his shoulder.
"That dream... They had all come back...You saved me, but........they slaughtered you."
"Who came back, Kaoru-dono?"
"Shishio... Jin-eh (spelling?)... Enishi ..."
Kenshin had yet to realize the real power of the nightmare, but still comforted Kaoru. He fit his arms around her, and felt her cuddle against him. Kenshin thought of the immediate plan.
"It must have seemed real, that it must. Kaoru-dono, can you feel sessha's arms around your back?"
"........................Huh?"
"Just tell sessha. Can you?"
"Hai, of course."
"That is how you can tell if I am real, that it is. I couldn't hold you like this if I was just a ghost now, could I?"
Kaoru flipped.
"You referred to yourself as 'I', I'm glad."
Kenshin gave her a small smile, and rubbed her back.
"Kaoru-dono? Do..... do you want....... me .... to always call myself that?
"Hai, Kenshin no baka. And don't be so formal with names either."
"Alright...um, Kaoru."
He loved it. The name rolled off his tongue like waves tumbling into shore, and the sweet word left his lips tingling with excitement. He gently stroked her soft unbound hair, feeling the warm silk slide in and out of his fingers, weaving an unforgettable pattern into his memory.
Kaoru loved this affection. If she could, she would trap this moment in a bottle and open it the next time she was upset. She felt Kenshin's fingers tangle in her raven locks, and blushed. She turned over in his lap so she could see his face, and stared into his eyes. She had always wondered how they could be violet. Well, he was the first one she had ever seen with red hair too. She remembered a tiny detail when she thought of red and violet.
"The ribbon!"
Kenshin quickly picked it up and laid it in her lap.
"It reminded me of you. That and the fact it's beautiful are the reasons I bought it."
She suddenly thought of something else.
"I'm sorry."
"What do you need to be sorry for, Kaoru?"
Kaoru sprung out of his arms, and pointed a finger at his nose. "I-I make you do so much! You never get a rest from anything, and then when you make one tiny mistake I scream in your face and forget about everything you have ever done for me! I use the stupid term 'I' TOO much! I only think about myself, and-and-and..."
"Kaoru, you should calm down, that you should. I am not upset with my work load; you do so much yourself, that you do. And you think about others. You helped Yahiko today, and even when you were sick, tried to help the town, that you did. And I understand why you do shout at me when you occasionally do. You should get some rest, koishii."
Kaoru froze. By now, she had almost forgotten that the dojo was struggling to survive in the torrential rainstorm outside because her worries had been snuggled, stroked, and embraced away. She kissed the intersection of Kenshin's scars, and whispered goodnight as she crawled into the futon.
"It will all be fine, Kaoru, that it will."
"I know. I...know..."
OWARI
I am so ashamed of this thing... yeah. I know the flame level I will receive is most likely at a high, so, flame if you wish. Not really much to say about this... here's the translations.
hogosha tenshi: guardian angel
bokken: wooden sword
sessha: Kenshin's way of saying "I", means "I the unworthy one"
-dono: basic translation is "Miss"
iya: No!
gaki: brat
arigato: thank you
iie: no
ki: energy
tanuki: raccoon, Kaoru's nickname
yukata: informal sleeping kimono
futon: Japanese bed
shoji: rice paper door
gi: I was never too sure of this...think of the magenta part of Kenshin's normal clothing.
hakama: traditional men's trousers
anata:
hai: yes
Kenshin no baka: Kenshin you idiot
anata: darling (used by a woman/girl to her husband/boyfriend)
koishii: beloved, cherished (used by a man/boy to his wife/girlfriend)
Author's Notes: Okay, honestly, I think this really sucks, and I think I made it way too long. Yeah, it's PG for... nothing a person who watched RK on Cartoon Network couldn't handle, maybe an extra curse or two. Kenshin/Kaoru, cuteness at the end, translations for Japanese at bottom. Basically, I'm making these short so I can put my first dedication on any one of my stories down.
This story has been officially dedicated to my friends Amy. I am sorry for being whiny and complaining and you motivated me to fix my problems the best I can (the 3300 word story part, it's even longer now). That is why I have branched off three sentences of this for ya.
Hogosha Tenshi
Kenshin furiously scrubbed at the cotton kimono in his fingers, attempting to get out a stain. He was thinking, what he usually did when he did the laundry. It gave him a few minutes of peace and time to think, but it wasn't really necessary anymore. Ever since Sanosuke left for his trip around the world, and Yahiko had moved into his old house, the dojo was very quiet. Also, Kenshin had to spend a few hours alone whenever Kaoru went to teach her students, and he really hated that.
He continued to wash another garment after another, desperately yearning for some company. Just then, Kaoru came running in the dojo gate her bokken flailing behind her.
"Kenshin! They are expecting a major storm to hit today, and the river may overflow! We have to go help dig! Hang the laundry over the side of the bathtub inside, we have to go get more food at the market, and then we have to go assist the other townsfolk!"
Kenshin listened and did as he was told. He locked the dojo, and made sure that it wouldn't open for anybody without the key, which was tucked safely in his pocket. He followed Kaoru, who quickly took his hand and dragged him to the market. He smiled as she tried to pull him; she was obviously in a rush to get to the market. Kenshin picked up the strip of silk that had fallen from his pocket. It was indigo, with dark purple and brownish patches covering it, making it rigid in some areas. Kaoru slightly flushed red.
"Y-You still have that thing? Didn't I tell you to dump it and quit trying to wash out the blood, and that it WASN'T a big deal?"
"Sessha doesn't really know, Kaoru-dono. It just makes sessha feel a bit more comfortable when it's in sessha's pocket."
Kaoru flushed darker red, and refrained from smacking Kenshin for calling himself unworthy three times in two sentences. Actually, she wanted to slaughter him for calling himself unworthy of anything.
"O-Okay, let's just get the stuff at the market. You get green tea leaves, miso, tofu, and if you can find a new plate to replace the one I dropped in the washtub, that would be wonderful. I'll cover, well... everything else on my half of the list!"
Kaoru smiled, and Kenshin laughed a little. They both went their separate ways, agreeing to meet up at the dojo whenever they finished.
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Kaoru was in luck. All of the stalls she needed to get the stuff from on her half of the list were literally right next to each other. And there was a ribbon stall right next to them. And that reminded Kaoru of one last thing she should get before the shops closed from the weather.
She stared at the ribbon. It was a sea of orange-red that drifted into violet in the other side of the ribbon. In the orange-red section, there were violet sakura petals, and orange-red ones in the violet section. She instantly thought of what Misao would say.
"Yeah, Kaoru, the only reason why you want to buy it is because it looks exactly like Himura's hair and eye color!"
One more comment.
"The price is friggin' highway robbery as well!"
Yep. The almost exact quotes from the big mouth of Misao Makimachi (no offense to Misao fans, I'm one myself! And I am also a chatterbox, so I'm not insulting anyone!). Well, Kaoru decided that she was a big enough girl to make her own decisions, and bought the ribbon. Now that she had a brand new ribbon that had sucked up all her pocket money like Sanosuke, and had all the food they would need for the storm tucked away in a basket, Kaoru took her walk back to the dojo.
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Kenshin was about to fly off the ground. He had finished the shopping early, and even gotten the extra plate Kaoru-dono wanted. Life was currently wonderful, except for the fact that a huge storm was about to come and possibly ruin the dojo.
He walked back to the dojo, worrying his mind off about what could possibly happen (and what couldn't possibly happen) from the storm.
'What if the whole town floods? What if Kaoru-dono loses her job? What if we get killed!? Well, sessha will make sure that doesn't happen to Kaoru- dono, that sessha will.'
As the dojo came into view, Kenshin realized that Kaoru beat him home. She impatiently tapped her foot on the ground, and punched him once he arrived at the porch.
"Men! They can't be on time ONCE, not to mention, GIVE THE REAL OWNER OF * HER * DOJO THE KEYS! MOU!"
"K-Kaoru-dono, sessha..."
"Just open the door, okay Kenshin? I'm just worried about this storm and the river and..."
"Kaoru-dono, you really shouldn't worry about this too much; it isn't good for your health, that it most certainly isn't. It should be fine, that it should."
Kaoru stopped her complaining fit, and watched as Kenshin opened the door to the dojo. He let her walk through first, being the perfect gentleman he was.
Kaoru immediately got to stocking things away. She fingered the ribbon for a minute, and just threw it on top of her futon. She and Kenshin had both decided to sleep in the area where Kaoru trained since it was one of the most elevated places in the dojo. Not to mention, if either of them felt water, they could wake the other quickly to leave out the area where the river wouldn't have flooded by then.
"Alright, Kenshin, ready to dig?" asked Kaoru, slinging her shovel over her shoulder. Kenshin answered with a nod. This time, Kaoru locked the dojo, AND kept the key in her pocket so there wouldn't be further troubles.
They ran to the river, and when they arrived, the entire town was digging a trench at either side of the waterway. Kaoru noticed one young yellow and green clad teen who was trying to get a worker's attention.
"Please? Can I please help? I'm strong, and it..."
"Kid, for the last and final answer, IYA! I could use another set of hands, but not from some little rascal!"
Yahiko left, dragging his feet, and muttering, "Jackass..." under his breath. Kaoru couldn't stand to see her pupil upset and discouraged like this, so she grabbed his shoulder before he could walk any further, and stepped in.
"Sir, this is my disciple, and he wasn't lying when he said he was strong. Could you please let him help, it would only do well for the town."
The man scoffed loudly.
"C'mon, gaki, whatcha waitin' for?"
Yahiko muttered a quick "arigato", and started to help dig the trench. They walked to a spot that needed some more work done on it, and Kenshin started to thrust the shovel into the sandy dirt. He stopped, and looked at the woman standing besides him, idle to the rest of the world for about thirty seconds.
'There she goes again... She always wants to help the world, whether it's as small as cooking dinner or as big as helping her apprentice aid the town. That's one of the reasons why sessha loves her so much, that it is.'
"Kenshin? Are you okay? Hey, wake up from whatever place you're living in!"
Kenshin snapped out of his reverie and continued to dig. Kaoru giggled at his antics, and tried to push the shovel into the firmly packed silt. Kenshin walked behind her, and helped ram the tool into the dirt. Kaoru felt his hands clasp over hers and blushed a little. Once they got a good shovelful of soil out of the ground, Kenshin walked back to his spot a few feet away.
"Keep working off that one, and it should be easier, that it should."
"Arigato, Kenshin."
Kaoru scraped at the sides of the small hole in the ground, and found that Kenshin was right. It WAS easier.
'Of course he's right, Kaoru, he's always right! That's why you don't deserve him!' said the annoying little lecturing voice in Kaoru's head. She started digging a little slower.
"Kaoru-dono? Are you alright? If you aren't feeling well you can go home to rest and sessha shall finish your share."
'He's always worrying about me...'
"Iie, Kenshin, I'm fine, don't worry about me."
Kaoru continued working, rubbing a lone tear from her eye while nobody was looking. She felt that Kenshin would never think of her as anything else but a little sister. Of course, there was that one embrace in the midst of the fireflies that kept her confused. Would he have done that if he only thought of her as a sister? And, if so, why did he only say goodbye to her before he left to Kyoto? Also, there was the time when she had been kidnapped by Enishi, and the evidence was placed to make it seem like he killed her (excuse me if any of this is wrong, I have never seen anything about Enishi or seen Samurai X, I have only read about it). Yahiko had told her Kenshin was practically lifeless without her there besides him.
Kaoru groaned in frustration and mental block. Kenshin looked over his shoulder, his violet eyes questioning for an explanation. Kaoru laughed nervously in her head.
"Just thought of how the jerk Sanosuke left Megumi alone here, and how I'll kill him when he gets back."
Kenshin let go of a small, inaudible chuckle, knowing Kaoru wasn't sharing the truth with him. Of course, he could be wrong, but his instincts told him that he was correct. Not to mention, Kaoru's ki was shaky and nervous, not the radiant "I want to execute Sanosuke" type. He decided to not let her know that he was on to her, even if he didn't actually know what was really on her mind. He coughed to keep his voice even, and then quickly spoke.
"Alright, Kaoru-dono. Sessha suggests taking it out on the dirt for now, that sessha does."
Each word Kenshin spoke hurt Kaoru. He was treating her like he was some kind of lowly animal, and she was his commander! Kaoru quickly took Kenshin's helpful advice and smashed the shovel into the dirt. She started digging like the world would end. Kenshin smiled, and got back to his own work.
----------------------
A few hours passed, and everyone digging was sweaty and dirty. Some of the citizens had fallen ill and went home, and some of them had gotten injured. By now, Megumi was sitting at the top of the trench helping anybody who needed a medic, and passing an occasional glance at Kenshin and Kaoru. Kenshin was absent-mindedly digging, hacking away at the soil, thinking about one thing or another. Megumi took a special note of something. Kaoru was shivering, she was working slowly, her eyes were glazed, and her face and cheeks were a dark pink. She finished treating her patient, told them to go home and rest, and considered taking a walk and kicking Kenshin in the groin. She decided against it, she would insult her name as a doctor, and she would have a very pissed off tanuki on her hands. She waited for Kenshin to peek next to him and notice, but after five minutes, took matters into her own hands.
"Hey, Kaoru, are you feeling okay? You don't look incredibly well. Want a check-up?"
Kenshin snapped up, as predicted, and gave his advice.
"Kaoru-dono, sessha suggests you have Megumi-dono check up on you. You really don't look very good."
"Are you sure, I mean, I feel fine!"
"Kaoru-dono, you really should. Sessha is aware that you are not actually feeling good, and sessha knows that you want to help more, but you cannot help anyone if you are ill, that you cannot."
Kaoru climbed out of the trench half-heartedly, and sat in front of Megumi. Megumi only did one gesture, and that was put her hand to Kaoru's forehead. She pulled a small pack of dried flowers out of her bag, and handed them to Kaoru.
"Go home, make some tea with this, and drink it all. If I see you anywhere near this trench, I will rope you to the dojo floor. You have a fever, and it will only get worse until it's deadly if you don't treat it now."
Kaoru nodded, and Kenshin scrambled out of the hole to escort her home. The walk was quiet, all but Kaoru's occasional stumble or fall over a rock, and Kenshin catching her and asking if she was okay. When they arrived back at the dojo, Kaoru was too delirious to put the key in the correct area of the door handle for a few seconds. Kenshin helped her, and they were greeted with the warm smell of home.
"Arigato, Kenshin."
"Do you want sessha to stay here? It would probably be a good idea, since..."
Kenshin was interrupted by raindrops hitting the dojo roof and walls. Kaoru briefly smiled.
"Sessha better go get the shovels, it will only take a minute, please just stay in bed."
Kaoru nodded weakly, that being the only thing she could really do. Kenshin gave a quick wave, and then used his god-like speed to arrive at the river in seconds. Everybody had left, and the shovels were buried in dirt and water. The trench was starting to fill up with mud from the rain, and Kenshin felt it get all over his sandals and socks.
'Oh well, sessha needed a new pair of both.' he thought, wiggling his toe in a small hole at the tip of his dark maroon socks. He ran back to the dojo, and picked up a large bucket almost full to the brim with water off the porch. He quickly opened the door, and ran to the room where he and Kaoru had moved to for the night. He saw that she was sleeping, her yukata tied on messily. You could tell that she was sick; her face had an even darker tint to it than before.
Kenshin quickly grounded the dry flower petals, and boiled some of the rain water that he had collected over a small fireplace in the corner. He added the dry flower powder, and mixed around the cloud of clear-white. He poured it into a cup, and tried to wake Kaoru up. This was the only treatment for her, and even though he hated to wake her, he had to make sure she got some of it down now. Kaoru slowly opened her eyes.
"K-Kenshin...?"
"Shhhhh... you need to drink this, no matter how horrible it tastes, and then you can go back to sleep Kaoru-dono."
Kaoru took the cup in her hand, and Kenshin supported the bottom of it so she wouldn't drop the cup and spill tea all over herself. His other arm was around her back, helping her sit up straight since she was still drowsy. She took a sip, and groaned at the bitter taste, but with Kenshin's gentle urge, she drank it down quickly.
"Good. Now, you must get your rest, Kaoru-dono. Sessha shall make you some miso soup later, does that sound okay?"
Kaoru nodded again, and laid back down. She was asleep in a matter of seconds, and Kenshin laid down on his futon that was a few feet away. His eyes never left her face, just examining every familiar detail, wishing to be able to touch that beautiful face someday. Kenshin fought the strong urge to sleep, and sat up in the futon. He watched Kaoru struggle and shiver in her sleep, and laid his quilt on top of her. She still shivered a bit, and Kenshin put his hand to her forehead. Her fever was still high, and Megumi's treatment had yet to kick in. Kenshin rubbed her cheek, wondering how she could look so cold but actually be dangerously warm. Kenshin got up and opened the shoji to another room. First, he changed out of his filthy gi and hakama and into his sleeping yukata. Then, he grabbed another blanket to help break Kaoru her fever quicker. He also opened the main door a little on his way back to the training room to check on the storm. It was still pouring outside, and it was a miracle that he had patched up the roof just the other week. He walked back into the room, and placed the blanket on Kaoru. He noticed a small sliver of orange under her pillow. Curious, he gently tugged it out. An orange-red and violet ribbon, with an odd design on it. He laid it out next to the futon so it wouldn't get crinkled. She moaned in her sleep, something incoherent and soft spilling from her parted lips. Kenshin ran a finger up her cheek, and quickly drew it away when she shivered. He got up to go back to his respective futon, but felt a gentle brush against his uncovered heel.
"Welcome home, Kenshin........" Kaoru murmured.
'She must be dreaming about when we returned from Kyoto, that she must.'
Her hand was still extended. After bringing his futon closer to Kaoru's, he laid his hand on top of hers, in the exact position from when they met in front of the dojo. Kenshin fell asleep; his hand still flopped over Kaoru's.
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Kaoru woke up abruptly, her pillow soaked with sweat from the fever, and her hair messy and damp. She had just gotten out of the worst nightmare she ever had, and what was sad: it had seemed TOO real. By the way, if you thought it was about the dojo getting flooded out, you are very out of range. She picked up her left hand, feeling something warm roll off. She raised her stiff neck to see Kenshin, sleeping like an angel.
"My hogosha tenshi... you even guard my dreams, my anata."
Kaoru laid both of her hands on Kenshin's, feeling the calloused, scarred skin of his palm under her fingers. She saw his violet eyes open, and turned faintly red.
"Kaoru-dono? How are you feeling?"
"Much better. Arigato for making the tea, it really helped."
Kenshin laid his hand across her forehead, and Kaoru blushed a little more at the contact.
"You're fever is gone, that it is. Do you want that miso soup now?"
"Iie, but arigato. I still haven't gotten my appetite back." she answered quietly. She sighed, and laid back in her futon.
"Is something wrong, Kaoru-dono?"
Kaoru burst into tears and sobs at hearing his voice. She linked her arms around Kenshin, and rested her forehead on his shoulder.
"That dream... They had all come back...You saved me, but........they slaughtered you."
"Who came back, Kaoru-dono?"
"Shishio... Jin-eh (spelling?)... Enishi ..."
Kenshin had yet to realize the real power of the nightmare, but still comforted Kaoru. He fit his arms around her, and felt her cuddle against him. Kenshin thought of the immediate plan.
"It must have seemed real, that it must. Kaoru-dono, can you feel sessha's arms around your back?"
"........................Huh?"
"Just tell sessha. Can you?"
"Hai, of course."
"That is how you can tell if I am real, that it is. I couldn't hold you like this if I was just a ghost now, could I?"
Kaoru flipped.
"You referred to yourself as 'I', I'm glad."
Kenshin gave her a small smile, and rubbed her back.
"Kaoru-dono? Do..... do you want....... me .... to always call myself that?
"Hai, Kenshin no baka. And don't be so formal with names either."
"Alright...um, Kaoru."
He loved it. The name rolled off his tongue like waves tumbling into shore, and the sweet word left his lips tingling with excitement. He gently stroked her soft unbound hair, feeling the warm silk slide in and out of his fingers, weaving an unforgettable pattern into his memory.
Kaoru loved this affection. If she could, she would trap this moment in a bottle and open it the next time she was upset. She felt Kenshin's fingers tangle in her raven locks, and blushed. She turned over in his lap so she could see his face, and stared into his eyes. She had always wondered how they could be violet. Well, he was the first one she had ever seen with red hair too. She remembered a tiny detail when she thought of red and violet.
"The ribbon!"
Kenshin quickly picked it up and laid it in her lap.
"It reminded me of you. That and the fact it's beautiful are the reasons I bought it."
She suddenly thought of something else.
"I'm sorry."
"What do you need to be sorry for, Kaoru?"
Kaoru sprung out of his arms, and pointed a finger at his nose. "I-I make you do so much! You never get a rest from anything, and then when you make one tiny mistake I scream in your face and forget about everything you have ever done for me! I use the stupid term 'I' TOO much! I only think about myself, and-and-and..."
"Kaoru, you should calm down, that you should. I am not upset with my work load; you do so much yourself, that you do. And you think about others. You helped Yahiko today, and even when you were sick, tried to help the town, that you did. And I understand why you do shout at me when you occasionally do. You should get some rest, koishii."
Kaoru froze. By now, she had almost forgotten that the dojo was struggling to survive in the torrential rainstorm outside because her worries had been snuggled, stroked, and embraced away. She kissed the intersection of Kenshin's scars, and whispered goodnight as she crawled into the futon.
"It will all be fine, Kaoru, that it will."
"I know. I...know..."
OWARI
I am so ashamed of this thing... yeah. I know the flame level I will receive is most likely at a high, so, flame if you wish. Not really much to say about this... here's the translations.
hogosha tenshi: guardian angel
bokken: wooden sword
sessha: Kenshin's way of saying "I", means "I the unworthy one"
-dono: basic translation is "Miss"
iya: No!
gaki: brat
arigato: thank you
iie: no
ki: energy
tanuki: raccoon, Kaoru's nickname
yukata: informal sleeping kimono
futon: Japanese bed
shoji: rice paper door
gi: I was never too sure of this...think of the magenta part of Kenshin's normal clothing.
hakama: traditional men's trousers
anata:
hai: yes
Kenshin no baka: Kenshin you idiot
anata: darling (used by a woman/girl to her husband/boyfriend)
koishii: beloved, cherished (used by a man/boy to his wife/girlfriend)