Between
the Devil and the Deep
A Rurouni Kenshin Alternate Universe Fic
Rating: R for language. Pirates!
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump and a bunch of other people I can't recall and am too lazy to look up. But, the main point here is that I do not own it, nor am I making any money from this fic! (Ha! If only!)
For Moonspark, who told me Trouble Chocolate was a good investment.
Chapter 11: Savior
Kaoru, in a moment of contemplation, had once described a sword battle as a dance between two opponents, and so it was. She watched through pain-blurred eyes as Shishio and Kenshin moved in intricate steps, each move sure and swift, as though it were choreographed. It was beautiful.
Beside her, Megumi shifted to adjust her hold on the captain and Kaoru gasped out in pain at the movement. She had almost forgotten the deep sword wound in her side, a present from Shishio.
"I've got to get you downstairs, Kaoru, this bleeding needs to be stopped." Megumi said, her fear evident in her trembling voice. She nodded at Hiko, who moved to take Kaoru, but the captain shook her head, stopping him in his tracks.
"No, I need to watch this." She whispered hoarsely. "I need to be here when it ends."
"But, Kaoru…your wound…if I don't stop the bleeding…" Megumi protested.
"Leave it. This fight won't last much longer anyway." Kaoru replied.
"What? How do you know that?" Megumi's expression went from fear to puzzlement.
Just watch. Shishio is slowing down. I tired him out." She looked pleased with herself. "At least I got to do that much before being forced to play the damsel in distress."
Megumi bit her lip and looked to Hiko for help. The big man shrugged as if to say, "let her do what she wants." She scowled at him and sighed in resignation. To her it seemed as though there was no one on the Kami Kaze with so much as an ounce of sense.
Meanwhile, as the battle wore on, Shishio kept employing the tried and true technique of psychological warfare, attempting to draw Kenshin out, to anger and distract him with barbs about his swordsmanship, his loyalty, even going so far as to question Kenshin's manhood, but the Captain didn't seem particularly insulted. He just smiled a little and matched the Commodore's every step, blocking attacks and launching his own. Every once in a while, his eyes would dart to where Kaoru stood with the help of her doctor, watching to see how she faired.
Shishio, for his part, was getting a bit desperate. He knew of Kenshin's reputation as a flawless swordsman; the Commodore himself had given the young man a commendation for his skill when he was still a lieutenant. The Navy had trained this little traitor well, and now, all the care that had gone into crafting this skilled fighter was coming back to haunt the Commodore.
Kenshin drove Shishio back towards the prow, his sword grazing down the Commodore's leg, the razor sharp blade opening up a nasty wound. Shishio gritted his teeth against the pain and was careful to avoid slipping on the blood that spilled down his leg and onto the deck.
"Answer a question, Himura." Shishio grated out, stepping out of the way of a strike.
Kenshin raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"That pirate, is she your lover? What is that woman to you?" The Commodore asked hoarsely.
Kenshin decided that this was a question he had to answer. He at least owed the Commodore some sort of explanation for his behavior. "She saved my life. I am honor bound to reciprocate."
Shishio scowled. "There is no honor among thieves, Himura." He spat.
Kenshin shook his head slightly, glancing back to where Kaoru was bent double with pain. Shishio took advantage of the distraction and struck savagely, managing a rather fierce blow to Kenshin's free arm, drawing a torrent of blood.
Kenshin hissed in pain and faltered.
The Commodore felt rather smug when he saw the blood and was so distracted by his own preening that Kenshin was able to knock him down and kick the sword out of his hand.
"It ends now." Kenshin said quietly as he stood over the Commodore's prone form, pointing his sword at Shishio's throat, oblivious to his own wound that bled freely onto the deck.
Shishio's mind whirled, trying desperately to come up with some sort of plan in which he would emerge the victor.
"Take your men and get off this ship. Have Kaoru's men and Miss Makimachi brought to us and we'll call it a day." Kenshin's eyes were narrowed and he watched Shishio's expression waver as he obviously tried to come up with some sort of plan.
After a long pause, the Commodore appeared resigned and he nodded, a scowl etched on his face. "Fine." He said in a clipped tone.
Kenshin extended his bloody free hand and helped the Commodore to his feet. "Tell your men to drop their swords."
Shishio waved his arm at his men and one by one, they dropped their weapons, the clatter drawing a satisfied cheer from Kaoru's men.
"Well, I guess I don't need to throw myself into this battle, after all. Too bad. It would have been a magnificent." Saitou let go of the rope he had used to swing himself over, his sharp eyes taking in the toll of battle. He didn't seem particularly surprised to see Kenshin standing over their mutual superior officer with a sword, but then again, Aoshi had explained a few things before their rescue from the brig. Behind him, Aoshi and his men swung over, greeted by enthusiastic welcomes from their fellow crewmates.
Kaoru sagged slightly with relief when she saw her men return, a smile touching the corners of her mouth. "Thank the Gods." She whispered to no one in particular.
Saitou dug a cigarette out of his uniform coat and lit it. "Himura, one day you are going to have to explain this whole fucking thing to me. Shinimori over here was vague in a few places." He said to Kenshin.
Kenshin inclined his head. "It's an interesting story." He replied.
"I'll bet." Saitou exhaled several perfect smoke rings. "I wonder, however, if you will be telling me your story from the gallows, because that is certainly where you are headed. Your conduct today has been nothing short of treasonous." He paused and glanced over to where Shishio stood, seething. "And, if the Commodore has his way, I will probably be joining you."
Saitou smiled, a vicious grin lighting his features as he stared down at his Commodore. "Some would use this opportunity to ensure that the Commodore would have some sort of 'accident', perhaps 'accidentally' falling on my sword. But, I suppose you would object to that, wouldn't you, Himura?"
Kenshin sighed. "As much as I would love to endorse the plan, Captain, I'm afraid you're right, I would object to that. If we are to be court martialed, then we must stand up and accept our fate. I have faith in the law."
Saitou snorted. "You always were an idealistic fool." He replied acidly.
Shishio watched the two men with calculating eyes, one hand slowly inching to where his gun was holstered. If the two would remain distracted for just a bit longer…
Kaoru's eyes slid from Kenshin to Shishio and she immediately perceived that the Commodore was up to no good. There was no time to shout out a warning. Even if Kenshin did know that his life was in danger, Shishio could shoot anyway.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed Megumi away, ignoring the woman's loud protest. Reaching into her coat, she produced her own gun and took aim at the Commodore.
Saitou and Kenshin both heard Megumi's loud exclamation and turned to see what was wrong. Two sets of eyes widened as they realized that Kaoru's gun was pointed towards them.
Kenshin gasped. Was she going to shoot him? After all this? Had he really misjudged her? His heart lurched in his chest. "Kaoru? What…?"
Her reply was to pull the trigger. The roar of the gun drowned out her agonized groan as the kick jarred her side and she collapsed onto one knee, fresh blood pooling beneath her. Kenshin blinked and looked down at his chest. He wasn't bleeding. Had she missed?
Behind him, he heard a moan of pain. He whirled around and saw Shishio, clutching a cocked pistol, slide to his knees, a large blood stain blooming on his chest. Kenshin realized in a split second that she had just saved his life…again.
Saitou took a moment to recover his wits. Clearing his throat, he looked down at his stricken commanding officer. "I'm not entirely sure if I'm supposed to be upset or not." He said.
Kenshin glared at him before rushing to the Commodore. He gingerly took the gun from the stricken man's hand and tossed it away. "If we can stop the bleeding…" He began anxiously, pressing a hand to the wound, hoping to staunch the blood.
"Get away from me you traitor!" Shishio grunted, weakly pushing at Kenshin.
"But sir…" Kenshin protested. In any other circumstance, his rapid turn from traitor to concerned Naval man would have been funny, but with the Commodore's life blood pouring from him, there was no time for levity.
Kenshin looked wildly around for Megumi, but she was nowhere in sight. "Where's the doctor?" He asked loudly.
"She and Hiko just took Captain Kamiya below decks." Hannya gestured to the stairs, his expression somber. "Captain didn't look too good."
Kenshin swallowed a lump in his throat, a sick feeling pooling in his stomach. He turned his attention back to Saitou. "Does your ship have a physician?" He asked.
Saitou nodded and sighed. "I suppose you're going to make me do the right thing, aren't you?"
"It shouldn't even be a question." Kenshin growled.
Saitou rolled his eyes and gestured to some of his men. "Find a gangplank and take the Commodore to the doctor." He said gruffly. His men immediately sprang into action.
Hiko cradled his captain gently in his arms as he and Megumi rushed to the Kaoru's quarters. Treating her in the galley was not an option. The men must never see her in this kind of position. The cook kicked open the door with his good leg and strode into the room, laying Kaoru down on her bed as though she were made of glass.
"Go and get my things." Megumi said quietly, already working to remove Kaoru's bloody shirt. Hiko nodded and vanished.
Megumi felt a twinge of fear as she gingerly peeled away the blood-soaked shirt from Kaoru's wound. It was a large, nasty gash. Shishio had cut deep. Biting her lip, she mopped up some of the blood that was still flowing from the wound with the remnants of the young woman's shirt. "Oh, Kaoru, you idiot." She whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. "Why can't you be more careful?"
Hiko returned, bearing Megumi's medical bag, packed with hastily assembled supplies. Behind him, Sano came bearing a bowl of boiling water. Both were somber, their faces pale.
Sano set the bowl down and crouched near the head of Kaoru's berth. "Doc…is it bad?" He asked in a voice hoarse with unshed tears and anxiety.
Megumi nodded, not trusting herself to speak without crying.
Sano sucked in a deep, shuddering breath and reached out to take Kaoru's hand.
"Fix her, Doc." He said quietly.
Megumi felt her tears begin to fall, she couldn't help herself. "I'll try." She managed.
She took a moment to compose herself before reaching into her medical bag and pulling out a clean length of cotton. She dipped it into the bowl of hot water and began swabbing Kaoru's wound, cleaning it so she could begin to see the damage that the blood hid.
The door to Kaoru's cabin burst open and Kenshin, Aoshi and Misao came rushing in.
Misao took one look at Kaoru's prone form and clapped her hands over her mouth, her green eyes huge in a sickly white face. "Oh my God…" She managed. Beside her, Aoshi and Kenshin didn't look much better.
Kenshin's fists clenched as he stared at Kaoru. There was so much blood…soaking into the mattress, on her shirt, coagulating on the floor and on the upper decks. Could a person lose that much blood and live?
"Is there anything I can do, Dr. Takani?" Kenshin asked quietly.
Megumi shook her head. "No. Just let me work." She replied, her voice sounding clinical, detached. She finished washing the wound and examined it with a critical eye.
Everyone in the room watched her silently, anxiously as she worked, but she didn't seem to notice.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a jar of some sort of salve. Her own special recipe, the secret ingredient was honey, well known for its anti-bacterial properties. She smeared a great deal of the gold colored, thick liquid in and around Kaoru's wound. Next she took a needle sterilized with alcohol and some stout thread, usually used for repairing sails, and began to stitch up the gash.
Kenshin winced every time the needle penetrated Kaoru's already ravaged flesh. On an intellectual level, he knew what Megumi was doing was necessary, but on a strictly emotional level, he wanted to fling that needle away and wrap Kaoru up in his arms, as though he could heal her with sheer will-power. He swallowed and shook his head slightly, confused and a little frightened by the emotions that assaulted him.
Megumi tied off the stitches and broke off the excess thread with a snap. She withdrew another long swath of clean, bleached cotton from her bag and asked Sano to help her. While the shaken young man held his best friend up, Megumi quickly and deftly wrapped the cotton around Kaoru's middle, winding it around until there were several layers of cushioning between the stitches and the world. She tucked in the loose end and allowed Sano to gently lower the young woman back onto the clean side of her bed.
Kenshin looked with wide eyes at the outline of blood that marked where Kaoru had been laying. It was disturbing to say the least. Megumi blotted up the worst of it and removed the loose top sheet. She would come back when Kaoru was out of danger and remove all the soiled bedding, but for now, this would have to do.
"Well? Is she going to live?" Hiko broke the tense silence with his gruff question.
Megumi's long black hair hid her face as she bent down to pack up her things. "I don't know." She said quietly. "She's lost a lot of blood and the shock might kill her, if a fever or infection doesn't."
Aoshi cursed softly and Misao began crying. He gently took her into his arms and tried to comfort her, even though he couldn't really come up with anything to say. He stopped after a few half-hearted attempts and finally just began stroking her back gently.
Sano punched the wall and spat out a few expletives, most of them having something to do with Shishio.
Megumi glared at the hot-headed young man. "Keep it down, if you please, Rooster-head. She needs rest and you shrieking right next to her isn't conducive to a good night's sleep."
Instead of replying with some sort of acidic rejoinder, Sano lowered his head and apologized.
Megumi sighed and rested a gentle hand on his own work-roughened one. "I know." She said quietly.
There was a long, tense silence that Hiko broke with a brisk clearing of his throat."Doc, I hate to be an asshole, but I suspect there's men in the galley who need to be treated. And Sano, with Kaoru incapacitated, you're in command. Aoshi, Sano's gonna need your help." Hiko said, sounding like the Captain he once was.
"But…" Sano began, Hiko cut him off.
"No buts, kid. You know what to do. We can't afford to mope around here. You need to see if Saitou has any plans to finish what Shishio started, and you need to see to repairing the ship." Hiko pointed towards the door. "Get out there and be a fucking man. Don't let the men see how upset you are and if they ask about Kaoru, tell them she's fine."
"She's not 'fine', Hiko, you fuckhead." Sano spat.
Hiko took a few measured, menacing steps forward until he was standing next to Sano.
"Think, you little moron." He said, jabbing a blunt finger in between Sano's eyes. "If you tell the crew she's dying just how productive do you think they'll be?"
Sano blinked, abashed. "I hadn't thought of that." He said.
"Obviously. Great Gods give me strength." Hiko muttered. "Why Kaoru saw fit to make you her second in command, I'll never know. Just get out there and do your fucking job. I'll make sure the Captain's looked over."
Looking a bit embarrassed, Sano scurried out of Kaoru's cabin, followed closely by Aoshi, Megumi and Misao, who, having calmed down somewhat, offered to help the doctor.
Kenshin still stood in the middle of the room, his eyes riveted to Kaoru's still form.
"And you, stupid, stay here and watch over her." Hiko said, his gruff voice cracking for a moment as his eyes followed Kenshin's gaze towards Kaoru.
Kenshin looked at his former Captain, slightly surprised by the emotion that had, if only for a split second, been obvious in his voice.
"She's strong, like her father." Hiko observed, his mask firmly back in place. "I'm sure she'll get through this." He cleared his throat again. "If she so much as twitches, you find Megumi and drag her down here. I'll see that you get something to eat. It's gonna be a long day." With that, Hiko swept out of the room, leaving Kenshin alone with Kaoru for the first time in many days.
Nervously, he went and knelt next to her bed. With a shaking hand, he brushed some of her loose black hair away from her face. She didn't stir at the touch, she didn't move at all. If it hadn't been for the shallow rise and fall of her chest, he would be sure she was dead.
She was an intriguing woman, an enigma to him. He wanted to find out everything there was about her, to peel away each layer until she was exposed to him. He took a deep shuddering breath. "Wake up soon, Kaoru." He whispered.
A/N: Wahhh! Angst! NOOOO! Where the hell is Hiko's parrot? Bah. Anyway, about the honey salve Megumi uses, I got the idea for that from two places, one was Yumi's story, "Kimi Wa Dare Wo Mamotte Iru" and the other was from an episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown on Food Network. Ah, the glories of FN.
Hmmm...is Shishio going to die? Is Kaoru? (Yeek!) Will Sano rise to the challenge? Will Misao glomp Aoshi? Stay tuned!
A Rurouni Kenshin Alternate Universe Fic
Rating: R for language. Pirates!
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump and a bunch of other people I can't recall and am too lazy to look up. But, the main point here is that I do not own it, nor am I making any money from this fic! (Ha! If only!)
For Moonspark, who told me Trouble Chocolate was a good investment.
Chapter 11: Savior
Kaoru, in a moment of contemplation, had once described a sword battle as a dance between two opponents, and so it was. She watched through pain-blurred eyes as Shishio and Kenshin moved in intricate steps, each move sure and swift, as though it were choreographed. It was beautiful.
Beside her, Megumi shifted to adjust her hold on the captain and Kaoru gasped out in pain at the movement. She had almost forgotten the deep sword wound in her side, a present from Shishio.
"I've got to get you downstairs, Kaoru, this bleeding needs to be stopped." Megumi said, her fear evident in her trembling voice. She nodded at Hiko, who moved to take Kaoru, but the captain shook her head, stopping him in his tracks.
"No, I need to watch this." She whispered hoarsely. "I need to be here when it ends."
"But, Kaoru…your wound…if I don't stop the bleeding…" Megumi protested.
"Leave it. This fight won't last much longer anyway." Kaoru replied.
"What? How do you know that?" Megumi's expression went from fear to puzzlement.
Just watch. Shishio is slowing down. I tired him out." She looked pleased with herself. "At least I got to do that much before being forced to play the damsel in distress."
Megumi bit her lip and looked to Hiko for help. The big man shrugged as if to say, "let her do what she wants." She scowled at him and sighed in resignation. To her it seemed as though there was no one on the Kami Kaze with so much as an ounce of sense.
Meanwhile, as the battle wore on, Shishio kept employing the tried and true technique of psychological warfare, attempting to draw Kenshin out, to anger and distract him with barbs about his swordsmanship, his loyalty, even going so far as to question Kenshin's manhood, but the Captain didn't seem particularly insulted. He just smiled a little and matched the Commodore's every step, blocking attacks and launching his own. Every once in a while, his eyes would dart to where Kaoru stood with the help of her doctor, watching to see how she faired.
Shishio, for his part, was getting a bit desperate. He knew of Kenshin's reputation as a flawless swordsman; the Commodore himself had given the young man a commendation for his skill when he was still a lieutenant. The Navy had trained this little traitor well, and now, all the care that had gone into crafting this skilled fighter was coming back to haunt the Commodore.
Kenshin drove Shishio back towards the prow, his sword grazing down the Commodore's leg, the razor sharp blade opening up a nasty wound. Shishio gritted his teeth against the pain and was careful to avoid slipping on the blood that spilled down his leg and onto the deck.
"Answer a question, Himura." Shishio grated out, stepping out of the way of a strike.
Kenshin raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"That pirate, is she your lover? What is that woman to you?" The Commodore asked hoarsely.
Kenshin decided that this was a question he had to answer. He at least owed the Commodore some sort of explanation for his behavior. "She saved my life. I am honor bound to reciprocate."
Shishio scowled. "There is no honor among thieves, Himura." He spat.
Kenshin shook his head slightly, glancing back to where Kaoru was bent double with pain. Shishio took advantage of the distraction and struck savagely, managing a rather fierce blow to Kenshin's free arm, drawing a torrent of blood.
Kenshin hissed in pain and faltered.
The Commodore felt rather smug when he saw the blood and was so distracted by his own preening that Kenshin was able to knock him down and kick the sword out of his hand.
"It ends now." Kenshin said quietly as he stood over the Commodore's prone form, pointing his sword at Shishio's throat, oblivious to his own wound that bled freely onto the deck.
Shishio's mind whirled, trying desperately to come up with some sort of plan in which he would emerge the victor.
"Take your men and get off this ship. Have Kaoru's men and Miss Makimachi brought to us and we'll call it a day." Kenshin's eyes were narrowed and he watched Shishio's expression waver as he obviously tried to come up with some sort of plan.
After a long pause, the Commodore appeared resigned and he nodded, a scowl etched on his face. "Fine." He said in a clipped tone.
Kenshin extended his bloody free hand and helped the Commodore to his feet. "Tell your men to drop their swords."
Shishio waved his arm at his men and one by one, they dropped their weapons, the clatter drawing a satisfied cheer from Kaoru's men.
"Well, I guess I don't need to throw myself into this battle, after all. Too bad. It would have been a magnificent." Saitou let go of the rope he had used to swing himself over, his sharp eyes taking in the toll of battle. He didn't seem particularly surprised to see Kenshin standing over their mutual superior officer with a sword, but then again, Aoshi had explained a few things before their rescue from the brig. Behind him, Aoshi and his men swung over, greeted by enthusiastic welcomes from their fellow crewmates.
Kaoru sagged slightly with relief when she saw her men return, a smile touching the corners of her mouth. "Thank the Gods." She whispered to no one in particular.
Saitou dug a cigarette out of his uniform coat and lit it. "Himura, one day you are going to have to explain this whole fucking thing to me. Shinimori over here was vague in a few places." He said to Kenshin.
Kenshin inclined his head. "It's an interesting story." He replied.
"I'll bet." Saitou exhaled several perfect smoke rings. "I wonder, however, if you will be telling me your story from the gallows, because that is certainly where you are headed. Your conduct today has been nothing short of treasonous." He paused and glanced over to where Shishio stood, seething. "And, if the Commodore has his way, I will probably be joining you."
Saitou smiled, a vicious grin lighting his features as he stared down at his Commodore. "Some would use this opportunity to ensure that the Commodore would have some sort of 'accident', perhaps 'accidentally' falling on my sword. But, I suppose you would object to that, wouldn't you, Himura?"
Kenshin sighed. "As much as I would love to endorse the plan, Captain, I'm afraid you're right, I would object to that. If we are to be court martialed, then we must stand up and accept our fate. I have faith in the law."
Saitou snorted. "You always were an idealistic fool." He replied acidly.
Shishio watched the two men with calculating eyes, one hand slowly inching to where his gun was holstered. If the two would remain distracted for just a bit longer…
Kaoru's eyes slid from Kenshin to Shishio and she immediately perceived that the Commodore was up to no good. There was no time to shout out a warning. Even if Kenshin did know that his life was in danger, Shishio could shoot anyway.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed Megumi away, ignoring the woman's loud protest. Reaching into her coat, she produced her own gun and took aim at the Commodore.
Saitou and Kenshin both heard Megumi's loud exclamation and turned to see what was wrong. Two sets of eyes widened as they realized that Kaoru's gun was pointed towards them.
Kenshin gasped. Was she going to shoot him? After all this? Had he really misjudged her? His heart lurched in his chest. "Kaoru? What…?"
Her reply was to pull the trigger. The roar of the gun drowned out her agonized groan as the kick jarred her side and she collapsed onto one knee, fresh blood pooling beneath her. Kenshin blinked and looked down at his chest. He wasn't bleeding. Had she missed?
Behind him, he heard a moan of pain. He whirled around and saw Shishio, clutching a cocked pistol, slide to his knees, a large blood stain blooming on his chest. Kenshin realized in a split second that she had just saved his life…again.
Saitou took a moment to recover his wits. Clearing his throat, he looked down at his stricken commanding officer. "I'm not entirely sure if I'm supposed to be upset or not." He said.
Kenshin glared at him before rushing to the Commodore. He gingerly took the gun from the stricken man's hand and tossed it away. "If we can stop the bleeding…" He began anxiously, pressing a hand to the wound, hoping to staunch the blood.
"Get away from me you traitor!" Shishio grunted, weakly pushing at Kenshin.
"But sir…" Kenshin protested. In any other circumstance, his rapid turn from traitor to concerned Naval man would have been funny, but with the Commodore's life blood pouring from him, there was no time for levity.
Kenshin looked wildly around for Megumi, but she was nowhere in sight. "Where's the doctor?" He asked loudly.
"She and Hiko just took Captain Kamiya below decks." Hannya gestured to the stairs, his expression somber. "Captain didn't look too good."
Kenshin swallowed a lump in his throat, a sick feeling pooling in his stomach. He turned his attention back to Saitou. "Does your ship have a physician?" He asked.
Saitou nodded and sighed. "I suppose you're going to make me do the right thing, aren't you?"
"It shouldn't even be a question." Kenshin growled.
Saitou rolled his eyes and gestured to some of his men. "Find a gangplank and take the Commodore to the doctor." He said gruffly. His men immediately sprang into action.
Hiko cradled his captain gently in his arms as he and Megumi rushed to the Kaoru's quarters. Treating her in the galley was not an option. The men must never see her in this kind of position. The cook kicked open the door with his good leg and strode into the room, laying Kaoru down on her bed as though she were made of glass.
"Go and get my things." Megumi said quietly, already working to remove Kaoru's bloody shirt. Hiko nodded and vanished.
Megumi felt a twinge of fear as she gingerly peeled away the blood-soaked shirt from Kaoru's wound. It was a large, nasty gash. Shishio had cut deep. Biting her lip, she mopped up some of the blood that was still flowing from the wound with the remnants of the young woman's shirt. "Oh, Kaoru, you idiot." She whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. "Why can't you be more careful?"
Hiko returned, bearing Megumi's medical bag, packed with hastily assembled supplies. Behind him, Sano came bearing a bowl of boiling water. Both were somber, their faces pale.
Sano set the bowl down and crouched near the head of Kaoru's berth. "Doc…is it bad?" He asked in a voice hoarse with unshed tears and anxiety.
Megumi nodded, not trusting herself to speak without crying.
Sano sucked in a deep, shuddering breath and reached out to take Kaoru's hand.
"Fix her, Doc." He said quietly.
Megumi felt her tears begin to fall, she couldn't help herself. "I'll try." She managed.
She took a moment to compose herself before reaching into her medical bag and pulling out a clean length of cotton. She dipped it into the bowl of hot water and began swabbing Kaoru's wound, cleaning it so she could begin to see the damage that the blood hid.
The door to Kaoru's cabin burst open and Kenshin, Aoshi and Misao came rushing in.
Misao took one look at Kaoru's prone form and clapped her hands over her mouth, her green eyes huge in a sickly white face. "Oh my God…" She managed. Beside her, Aoshi and Kenshin didn't look much better.
Kenshin's fists clenched as he stared at Kaoru. There was so much blood…soaking into the mattress, on her shirt, coagulating on the floor and on the upper decks. Could a person lose that much blood and live?
"Is there anything I can do, Dr. Takani?" Kenshin asked quietly.
Megumi shook her head. "No. Just let me work." She replied, her voice sounding clinical, detached. She finished washing the wound and examined it with a critical eye.
Everyone in the room watched her silently, anxiously as she worked, but she didn't seem to notice.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a jar of some sort of salve. Her own special recipe, the secret ingredient was honey, well known for its anti-bacterial properties. She smeared a great deal of the gold colored, thick liquid in and around Kaoru's wound. Next she took a needle sterilized with alcohol and some stout thread, usually used for repairing sails, and began to stitch up the gash.
Kenshin winced every time the needle penetrated Kaoru's already ravaged flesh. On an intellectual level, he knew what Megumi was doing was necessary, but on a strictly emotional level, he wanted to fling that needle away and wrap Kaoru up in his arms, as though he could heal her with sheer will-power. He swallowed and shook his head slightly, confused and a little frightened by the emotions that assaulted him.
Megumi tied off the stitches and broke off the excess thread with a snap. She withdrew another long swath of clean, bleached cotton from her bag and asked Sano to help her. While the shaken young man held his best friend up, Megumi quickly and deftly wrapped the cotton around Kaoru's middle, winding it around until there were several layers of cushioning between the stitches and the world. She tucked in the loose end and allowed Sano to gently lower the young woman back onto the clean side of her bed.
Kenshin looked with wide eyes at the outline of blood that marked where Kaoru had been laying. It was disturbing to say the least. Megumi blotted up the worst of it and removed the loose top sheet. She would come back when Kaoru was out of danger and remove all the soiled bedding, but for now, this would have to do.
"Well? Is she going to live?" Hiko broke the tense silence with his gruff question.
Megumi's long black hair hid her face as she bent down to pack up her things. "I don't know." She said quietly. "She's lost a lot of blood and the shock might kill her, if a fever or infection doesn't."
Aoshi cursed softly and Misao began crying. He gently took her into his arms and tried to comfort her, even though he couldn't really come up with anything to say. He stopped after a few half-hearted attempts and finally just began stroking her back gently.
Sano punched the wall and spat out a few expletives, most of them having something to do with Shishio.
Megumi glared at the hot-headed young man. "Keep it down, if you please, Rooster-head. She needs rest and you shrieking right next to her isn't conducive to a good night's sleep."
Instead of replying with some sort of acidic rejoinder, Sano lowered his head and apologized.
Megumi sighed and rested a gentle hand on his own work-roughened one. "I know." She said quietly.
There was a long, tense silence that Hiko broke with a brisk clearing of his throat."Doc, I hate to be an asshole, but I suspect there's men in the galley who need to be treated. And Sano, with Kaoru incapacitated, you're in command. Aoshi, Sano's gonna need your help." Hiko said, sounding like the Captain he once was.
"But…" Sano began, Hiko cut him off.
"No buts, kid. You know what to do. We can't afford to mope around here. You need to see if Saitou has any plans to finish what Shishio started, and you need to see to repairing the ship." Hiko pointed towards the door. "Get out there and be a fucking man. Don't let the men see how upset you are and if they ask about Kaoru, tell them she's fine."
"She's not 'fine', Hiko, you fuckhead." Sano spat.
Hiko took a few measured, menacing steps forward until he was standing next to Sano.
"Think, you little moron." He said, jabbing a blunt finger in between Sano's eyes. "If you tell the crew she's dying just how productive do you think they'll be?"
Sano blinked, abashed. "I hadn't thought of that." He said.
"Obviously. Great Gods give me strength." Hiko muttered. "Why Kaoru saw fit to make you her second in command, I'll never know. Just get out there and do your fucking job. I'll make sure the Captain's looked over."
Looking a bit embarrassed, Sano scurried out of Kaoru's cabin, followed closely by Aoshi, Megumi and Misao, who, having calmed down somewhat, offered to help the doctor.
Kenshin still stood in the middle of the room, his eyes riveted to Kaoru's still form.
"And you, stupid, stay here and watch over her." Hiko said, his gruff voice cracking for a moment as his eyes followed Kenshin's gaze towards Kaoru.
Kenshin looked at his former Captain, slightly surprised by the emotion that had, if only for a split second, been obvious in his voice.
"She's strong, like her father." Hiko observed, his mask firmly back in place. "I'm sure she'll get through this." He cleared his throat again. "If she so much as twitches, you find Megumi and drag her down here. I'll see that you get something to eat. It's gonna be a long day." With that, Hiko swept out of the room, leaving Kenshin alone with Kaoru for the first time in many days.
Nervously, he went and knelt next to her bed. With a shaking hand, he brushed some of her loose black hair away from her face. She didn't stir at the touch, she didn't move at all. If it hadn't been for the shallow rise and fall of her chest, he would be sure she was dead.
She was an intriguing woman, an enigma to him. He wanted to find out everything there was about her, to peel away each layer until she was exposed to him. He took a deep shuddering breath. "Wake up soon, Kaoru." He whispered.
A/N: Wahhh! Angst! NOOOO! Where the hell is Hiko's parrot? Bah. Anyway, about the honey salve Megumi uses, I got the idea for that from two places, one was Yumi's story, "Kimi Wa Dare Wo Mamotte Iru" and the other was from an episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown on Food Network. Ah, the glories of FN.
Hmmm...is Shishio going to die? Is Kaoru? (Yeek!) Will Sano rise to the challenge? Will Misao glomp Aoshi? Stay tuned!