Author: Ankara Stark
Title: Reoccurring Nightmares
Rating: R for violent content and possible adult situations
Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its affiliates.
Chapter Three
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Kaoru yawned and stretched her arms lazily above her head. Is it morning already? She frowned, feeling exhausted. It was as if she hadn't slept at all! Wanting nothing more than to just roll over and go back to sleep, she sighed and instead pushed aside the cover sheet. She then rose to her feet, stretching once more in an attempt to loosen her stiff, tense muscles. Making her way over to her clothing chest, Kaoru untied her yukata and slipped it slowly from her shoulders, discarding the sleeping attire on the chest. She picked up the bindings she had set upon the chest the night before, wrapping it around herself in order to bind her breasts. Securing it with a knot, she picked up her training gi and shrugged on before stepping into her hakama, tying its belt securely around her trim waist with a knot. The female swordsman slipped into her tabi and sandals before straightened up and pulling her hair from the loose braid she kept it in while she slept. After combing it out, she pulled her raven hair back into a simple pony-tale and tied it. Mou... Guess this means that I'm going to have to begin training Yahiko soon...
No sooner had the thought entered her mind did the door to her bedroom slide open. In the doorway stood the aforementioned boy with his trademark spiky black hair and brown eyes. Yahiko put his hands on his hips and glowered at her. "Did you just get out of bed now, busu?!"
Anger flashed in her blue eyes and she ignored his initial question, "what did you call me, Yahiko-chan?"
"Don't call me -chan, ugly!"
Tossing her hair over her shoulder, Kaoru defiantly put her hands on her hips, her stance matching the defiance that was evident in her fiery eyes. "Alright, Yahiko-chan, you've just earned yourself five hundred strokes!"
The small Japanese boy gaped at her openly. "Five hundred strokes?! Are you out of your mind, busu?!"
She smirked. "Make it a thousand."
"BUSU!"
"Yes, Yahiko-chan?" she asked sweetly, her words dripping honey.
"You can't make me do a thousand strokes!"
"Oh, yes I most certainly can! I'm the Assistant Master of the Kamiya Kasshin style of swordsmanship, and you, my little Yahiko," she said after making her way over to him and pinched his cheek between her index finger and thumb, "are my young pupil and have to do exactly what I say!"
"No, I don't!" he retorted, jerking his face from her grasp, putting a hand to his throbbing cheek, his expression one of a wounded little puppy dog.
"Oh, yes you do!"
"Oh, no, I don't!"
The assistant master and her student only stopped bickering when the sound of Kenshin's voice carried to their ears from the kitchen, "breakfast is ready, Kaoru-dono, Yahiko!"
"Did someone say breakfast?" Another voice asked the first, unmistakably the voice of none other than Sagara Sanosuke, the ex fighter-for-hire.
Kaoru frowned and stormed out of her bedroom, past a huffy Yahiko and out into the kitchen where Kenshin and Sanosuke were talking, "Mou! You good for nothing freeloader! Do you think you're going to get another free breakfast here? If that's what you think," she sniffled haughtily at the accused 'freeloader,' "then you're mistaken! Why don't you ever try to earn your keep instead of always depending on everyone else's good will?"
"Heh," Sanosuke snickered from around the trademark fishbone he held between his teeth. "Why should I do that when I know I can get a good meal here? Kenshin is a good cook," he said, slapping the older redhead on the back, knocking him slightly forward, " why shouldn't I take advantage of his culinary abilities while I still can?" He proceeded to shove his hands deep into the pockets of his white pants and shrugged. "I mean, who knows when you'll start thinking that you're a good cook again and start poisoning everyone with your own cooking?"
"Yeah!" Yahiko chimed in from behind as he ran past her to stand by the taller man. "I just hope that day never comes!"
"Yahiko!" Kaoru seethed from between clenched teeth, her eyes shooting daggers at the youngster. "You've just earned yourself another thousand strokes!" After a moment, she smirked, "That's, what, two thousand strokes that you now owe me?"
Yahiko scowled at her from where he stood, "I'm not about to do any stupid strokes for you, raccoon girl! And you can't make me!" With that, he stuck his tongue out at her and gave her the raspberries.
Kaoru stepped forward, rage firing in her eyes, but before she could have at her younger pupil, Kenshin interfered, stepping between them and waving his hands in the air in his innocent rurouni fashion. "Oro! I think we all should just sit and have some breakfast," he said before motioning to the food he had just placed on the table, "that I do."
Sano nodded his head in approval before taking kneeling across from Kenshin at the low dining table, "it's about time! I'm starving!" He grinned at the ex-hitokiri, "Kenshin, maybe you could teach a certain someone around here how to cook," his gaze was set on Kaoru, "so that if you're ever have to go somewhere we'll all still be alive and not have starved to death by the time you got back!"
Kaoru simply scowled at him from across the table, keeping her hands tightly clenched in her lap in order to resist the urge to throw her bowl of rice at the ex-fighter-for-hire's head.
"S-Sano!" Kenshin laughed nervously, his eyes formed into innocent crescents while one of his hands nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Kaoru-dono's cooking is very good, that it is!"
Yahiko stared at him incredulously, and whispered to Sano before he could speak. "Her cooking is good? Good for what, firewood?"
"Alright, I heard that, you little brat!" Kaoru snapped, rising to her feet while pushing up the sleeves of her practice gi in preparation for a fight. Her gaze was fastened on Yahiko who sat on the other side of the table and she pointed at him with a menacing index finger. "Now you're going to pay for that comment!"
Yahiko simply stuck his tongue out at her from where he stood behind the fighter he was using as a human shield, "no I won't, ugly!"
"Ohhh, yes you will!" She snarled, lunging toward the kid and the man who stood between them.
"Hey!" came an outcry from the human shield as Sanosuke maneuvered his body away from the kid behind him, holding Kaoru at arm's length with one hand on her head, evading her swinging arms and fists. "Don't use me as your protective barrier between you and Jou-chan, kid! You two can settle your differences on your own!"
"Kid? Who are you calling a kid?!" Yahiko leapt on Sano's shoulders with a cry and began gnawing on his head.
Ignoring Sanosuke's cries of outrage, Kenshin turned to Kaoru, only to find that she was still glaring daggers at the boy sitting atop the fighter's shoulders, no longer trying to attack them. "Kaoru-dono, would you care for some breakfast? I picked up some fresh fish from the market this morning, that I did."
The female swordsman turned her attention away from the two guys who were now rolling back and forth on the floor in a brawl and focused on the short man who had stood up when she turned to face him. She smiled gently, "sure, Kenshin," and joined the redhead at the table, kneeling down beside him. They both picked up their chopsticks and began eating, continuing to ignore the sounds of battle emanating from the two meatheads who were still rolling around on the ground near them. After a few moments of silence between her and Kenshin, Kaoru glanced up from her food and peered curiously at the red head that was pushing the food around on his plate with his chopsticks. "Kenshin?" she asked. "Are you alright? You've barely touched your food!" Before he could answer, Kaoru dropped her chopsticks and raised one hand, touching the back of it gently against his forehead. "Are you not feeling well? Are you ill?"
The instant that her hand made contact with his face, he jerked away as if her touch had burned him. "H-hai... Sessha is fine, Kaoru-dono, that sessha is." Before she could react, he quickly leapt to his feet, his face burning red. When he felt Sanosuke's and Yahiko's eyes upon him as well, he realized that they had stopped fighting and were now staring at him just as Kaoru was. "S-sessha will go refill the water bucket with the water from the well." He quickly grabbed the bucket from next to the door and slid the outside door open and exited house before snapping it shut behind him.
Sanosuke pried the spiky haired boy who was still wrapped around his head and dropped him on the floor with a loud thud, earning a groan from the boy before he glanced curiously at Kaoru. "What happened, Jou-chan? Kenshin was acting like his pants were on fire."
Blinking rapidly, Kaoru turned her dumb-founded gaze to the fighter and simply shook her head back and forth in bewilderment. "I honestly don't know," she began weakly, confusion clouding her beautiful blue eyes. "He was hardly eating a thing, pretty much just pushing the food around on his plate. So when I asked him if he was alright and tried to feel if his forehead was warm, he leapt away from me as though my touch had scorched him!"
The fist fighter smirking slightly, the fishbone still sticking out the side of his mouth, "maybe it did, just not in the way you're thinking."
Glaring at him, Kaoru jutted her chin out defiantly at him. "Just what are you implying?"
"Geez, and I thought the boy was thick!" Sano exclaimed about Yahiko while trying to pry him from his leg. "What I'm saying, little missy, is that maybe-- Nah, never mind. You can figure it out on your own." Turning from Kaoru, he focused his attention on trying to shrug Yahiko from the arm he'd attached himself to, "oi! Get off me already, would ya?!"
Ignoring the fighter's problem with the human leech that had become attached to his upper arm, Kaoru frowned at him and rose to her feet. "What, Sano? What were you going to say about Kenshin? Spit it out already!"
"Figure it out," was all he said, managing to pry the kid from his now-sore appendage.
"Sano…" she growled out in warning, once again the sleeves of her gi being pushed upward on her arms.
"Listen, Jou-chan," Sanosuke reiterated, "I'm not going to tell you, okay? It is something that you're just going to have to figure out for yourself."
The next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground by Kenshin's feet at the well outside the dojo. Kaoru's punch had been delivered so swiftly that he hadn't even seen it coming. The outside wall of the dojo now had a gaping hole in it from where she had knocked him through. "... Ow."
Kenshin stared down at the prostrate fighter and then looked over at the destroyed wall of the dojo before turning his gaze back to the man on the ground. "Kaoru?" he asked rhetorically.
"… Yeah."
The redheaded swordsman finished pulling up the bucket he had been drawing up from the well and placed it on the side of the well next to him. He then wiped his hands on the legs of his hakama and bent over to pick up his fallen comrade, ignoring the fighter's groans of pain and protest. "You shouldn't make her angry, that you should not," advised Kenshin belatedly, a small smile touching his lips as his eyes lit up slightly.
"Gee, thanks for the warning," Sano muttered beneath this breath in annoyance. "It came a bit late, though. And besides, it wasn't me who upset Jou-chan," he said matter-of-factly, poking his index finger into Kenshin's chest. "It was you." When Kenshin didn't immediately respond, Sanosuke motioned at the dojo behind him with a nod of his head. "Why were you acting so weird back there? What happened between you and Jou-chan?"
Pink began to spread color across Kenshin's upper cheeks and across his nose. Then he quickly put on his rurouni mask to cover his discomfort in such an awkward predicament. "What do you mean, Sano? Nothing happened between us, that it did not." When he reached over to pick up the water bucket, the street fighter positioned his body between him and the well on which the container rested. "Kenshin…"
"Sano, please move aside," Kenshin asked quietly, his eyes hidden from sight beneath the blood red bangs that hung low over his face.
"No. Not until you tell me what the hell happened in there."
"Nothing happened between Kaoru-dono and Sessha, that it did not."
"Come on, Kenshin. Quit the Sessha crap and just tell me what happened! It's just you and me out here," he said, draping an arm across the swordsman's small shoulders. "Just talk to me… It's not like I don't know about your feelings for Jou-chan," he added quietly, his eyes staring down at Kenshin's face meaningfully, trying to get him to meet his gaze.
Kenshin, however, refused to look up to look up at his best friend. He simply shook his head, keeping his eyes hidden beneath his bangs. "It does not matter what Sessha does or does not feel for Kaoru-dono," he began slowly, giving himself time to think out what he was going to say a head of time. "Some things simply cannot happen between us. Kaoru-dono is too young and Sessha is too old. But most importantly, she is not ready for a relationship. Even if she were… Sessha is not worthy of her," he added darkly, "that he is not. Sessha's hands are filthy with the blood of others, Sano," he said, finally looking up to meet his friend's gaze. "I cannot allow her beauty to be soiled or tainted by my own past."
"You say that you're worried about tarnishing her innocence with your own bloody past," Sano repeated, pulling the fishbone from his mouth. "But what about her happiness, Kenshin? Haven't you ever thought about what it is that would make her truly happy? Hasn't the thought that being with you is enough to make her happy ever crossed your mind?" When the swordsman didn't reply, Sanosuke sighed and reached behind him, picking up the bucket and thrust it at him, the wooden container slamming hard into the redhead's chest. Water sloshed over the side of the bucket and down the front of Kenshin's gi and hakama. "Think about it," was all Sanosuke said before turning and stuffing his hands into the pockets of his white pants. He did all that he could to help the thickheaded swordsman come to his senses, so he simply shuffled back to the dojo to leave the contemplative redhead to his thoughts… and to get himself some breakfast before Yahiko ate it all.
Kenshin remained where he stood, the bucket held tightly in his hands; it was as if his feet were nailed to the ground. He stared down into the bucket, lost in his own thoughts. Staring back up at him from the bucket was a man of about 28 years. A deep scar was etched into his cheek and long, fiery red hair hung down in his face. The scar was a constant reminder of what was lost to him- something he thought that he could never again have. The reflection rippled ever so slightly on the surface of the water before he tore his gaze from the image, sighing. It wasn't so much her innocence he was worried about now… it was her life that he worried about. He was afraid his nightmares would come true. The Battousai side of him was nearing the surface; every time an enemy from his past would arrive and challenge him, threaten to harm Kaoru, Yahiko, Sano or Megumi, he could feel the hitokiri buried deep within himself drawing closer to the surface with each challenge. Kenshin was fighting it, trying to keep his other side at bay, but found that he was slowly losing this battle. And whenever Kaoru was near him, it only made it all the harder for him to continue doing so. It was as though she was slowly unraveling his will and determination. And when she had touched him today…
Kenshin closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath for control.
"Kenshin?"
His immediately snapped from his thoughts and opened his violet eyes. They flickered to the side to see who called his name, even though he already knew from the voice. His gaze came to rest upon a worried Kaoru. I didn't even hear her approach, Kenshin thought pensively. She caught me by surprise… again.
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her forehead knotting in concern when she saw his expression; it wasn't his usual Rurouni attitude, it was darker. "Kenshin?" she repeated hesitantly, looking up at the face of the man who stood not even three feet from her. "Are you alright? If I did something wrong earlier, then I'm sorry-"
"No," Kenshin quickly interrupted, shaking his head. "No, Kaoru-dono, you did nothing wrong. Sessha is fine, that is he." He flashed his usual Rurouni grin to try to convince her that what he said was the truth before turning away to face the well. A lot of water had splashed out of the bucket when Sanosuke had slammed it into his chest, so he needed to fill it back up to make up for the water it now lacked. When he reached for the rope to which he could hook the bucket, a small hand suddenly fell upon his arm, stopping him dead in his tracks. His body tensed at the sudden contact and he was forced to draw in a shaky breath. Control… he had to focus on controlling his emotions….
Kaoru felt and saw the change in both his posture and demeanor. The man beneath her hand stiffened suddenly at her touch… wait, was he trembling?
Neither moved. Kenshin could only stare down at the well before him, trying to control his erratic breathing while Kaoru peered nervously at his tense profile, feeling that something was wrong. She immediately released her hold on his arm and moved herself between him and the well before trying again. "Kenshin, please…" her eyes searched his face for some kind of answer. "Talk to me. Tell me what is wrong… please. Just talk to me!"
Kenshin swallowed against the lump that rose in his throat, shifting his gaze up to meet her blue one with his own lavender one. "Kaoru-dono… Sessha…" He shook his head, feeling too confused to continue. Sweat beaded on his forehead, a drop slipping down his temple and the side of his face. The muscles of his jaw clenched and released repeatedly as he tightened his hands into fists. What is happening to me?
Kaoru looked at him, her worry and concern increasing with each passing second. Kenshin was never like this… What was wrong with him? "Alright, that's it," she finally announced, turning to the side to leave. She was going to send Yahiko to retrieve the lady doctor. "I'm sending Yahiko to fetch for Megumi."
"No!" Kenshin cried out suddenly. His hand immediately grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into him, crushing his body against hers. His eyes were tightly clenched shut as he burrowed his forehead into the junction between her shoulder and neck; his tight embrace prevented her from leaving. One arm secured her body to his around the waist while the other went around her upper back, the hand firmly pressed against the back of her neck, holding it in place. Kenshin raised his head a little and breathed harshly into her shoulder, his body trembling as he held her tighter. "Don't go," he whispered over and over. His lips moved over the smooth silk of her neck as he whispered inaudibly, lost in his own thoughts. The hand that rested upon the back of her neck slowly moved upward before tangling itself in her thick locks of dark hair. Then the long fingers gently stroked the luxuriously smooth strands against the back of her head. "Don't leave me alone," he finally managed to croak out, lowering his head to rest against the top of her shoulder.
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Blu-mew: I'm sorry that I didn't reply to your review earlier ^_^;; It had been moved to the second page of reviews and I hadn't seen it! I thank you for your kind comments!
Angle1: I apologize to you as well for having not seen your review initially, but the case was the same as it was for Blue-mew and the review having been shifted to the second page. I thank you for your kind comments, though! Trying to capture both the battousai's personality as well as Kenshin's has been quite difficult, but I'm glad you're pleased with it.
May Storm: Yes, you're quite observant. :) What you had read in chapter one was only a dream.
Shilvigrl/Amyjenc1: I'm glad that you're still reading my chapter updates, Sofa-chan! ^_^;; I hope that you will continue to do so! It is very peculiar that both you and your friend had the same dream like that… It has also happened to my best friend and me as well… Only I was the one who was murdered in the dream. :( It wasn't a very good dream, I'll tell you that!
Sephira jo: *Quakes with fear* O_o I am afraid… I am very afraid… Hehe, I hope to update it quickly enough for you. ;) Oh, and you want "action" ? I'll try my best in the upcoming chapters, but I'm afraid I've never written anything like that except a poem, heh.
Disturbed-demon-gurl: Thank you so much for your kind comments! They have instilled some confidence in my story writing abilities. ^_^ Since this is my first RK fic (aside from a poem), I was afraid I wouldn't be very good at it. But I'm glad that you have enjoyed it thus far and yes please do continue reading and reviewing!
Tanpopo no hana: Argh… You are all too right! I'm afraid that I didn't actually catch that mistake on my part until you had pointed that out! Looks like I'm going to have to do a little editing, doesn't it? ^_^ I whole-heartedly thank you for your helpful comments/reviews! Really appreciate your constructive criticism of my writing! It will only help me to improve!
Ren-Okye: Thanks a lot. :) Will do as soon as I get the opportunity. I'm working on the fourth chapter as we speak, but work is keeping me busy and I've been scheduled to work extra hours this upcoming week, so it may take me longer to finish and post the next chapter than it has for the last two. Those were written remarkably fast due to a lot of 2-3 am mornings that I stayed up to write them, hehe. ^_^;;
Kard of Dark: I thank you for your comments and am glad you've found it as a new way of portraying him!
Yooso: Thanks for letting me know. ^_^ I'll get the next chapter(s) out as soon as I possibly can! Thanks for reading and taking the time to review- it means a lot to me!
Angel Kitty2: Thanks a lot! Yeah, the poor guy is going through a lot of emotional turmoil. That much is for certain!
Nanakilover/Brukaoru: You didn't sound at all harsh so don't worry about it, hehe. I just appreciate your open and honest review! It gives me something to strive harder for in order to improve!
Geminidragon: Thanks a lot! I will do so as soon as my schedule permits.
Arizosa: Thanks a bunch! I hope to keep your curiosity going with the next few chapters! So please stay tuned in for the next chapter! :D
Neko: The Cat That's Everywhere: Meow? O_o hah, I loved Trigun! That was a fantastic show! And you are quite right- that cat was everywhere! :P
I'm glad that you appreciate all of the detail that I have put into my story. ^^
Once again, thank you all for continuing to read my story! I hope that this third chapter has met all your hopes and that the next installment will also please you! Until next time, take care! ^_^ *Looks at her watch and sees it's 2:30 am* Time for some sleep!