A/N: Oh boy…its been quite a while since my last update, ne? I must apologize to the people who read my story during the last update and had to wait for almost a month for a new chapter…*very sorry!* Seriously though, I had close to no time whatsoever to write for the past few weeks because of that damnable activity called piano practice…although I can't really blame everything on that…it wouldn't be fair. No, my other excuse for the lack of update is…I was just plain lazy.

Let me digress. I would open my Microsoft Works Word Processor and write oh lets say…6 sentences. Then after about the last sentence (#6), I would then slack off and start reading other fan fiction…or do homework online. Then the next day the same cycle starts.

You see how often I procrastinate?

Yes…but now the chapter is finally finished…and man is it long. (a whopping 3060 words! My longest chapter yet.) I hope everyone is satisfied…I had a lot of fun writing this, so without further ado…

Disclaimer- I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

Rain of Blood, Scent of Jasmine

Chapter 4- The Ohagi Inn

By dark aquamarine

*~*~*

Jasmine…he could smell it through the coppery stench of blood. My natural perfume, weaved through my hair and melted into my skin…

…jasmine and blood; the outcome of love and loss.

*~*~*

The dark unconsciousness slowly lifted from my clouded mind, leaving a dull black behind my lids. I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly and took in the scene in front of me…or rather, above me.

A ceiling, boarded with wooden beams and whitened walls came into my blurry view almost immediately. It was one in the style of a typical and simple inn, nothing elaborate or detailed, but I noticed that the wood used for the bordering was of deep burgundy cherry, covered with glaze. That meant that it had to be a hotel of somewhat importance…

So why was I brought here? And by whom?

Certainly not the…

Hitokiri Battousai…

Realization flooded my mind and chilled my body as I thought back to the previous night's occurrences. No doubt about it…I had fainted, and in the midst of a cold-blooded murderer, who also happened to be my worst enemy at the time. Tears of shame and humiliation welled in my eyes, only to be swiped away by a stubborn hand. How stupid, I was! How shamefully stupid that I had been defeated by the man I had sworn my revenge against…and not even in the heat of battle! He had beaten me with only one strike, his feet barely moved from the spot they were planted when I attacked…

I was a fool to have thought that I could conquer him…how ironic that my usual sense of practicality had failed to see the obvious, when it so stubbornly realized everything else…

"Fucking useless…" I spat out, then noticed the complete silence that was thick in the room…which brought back again the question…

"Where am I?"

Where was the Battousai? Did he leave me lying on the street (and in the rain) and then in the morning I was found by a passerby? That must've been the case, or how else did I manage to get to the inn, soaking wet and covered in blood? No one in their right minds would've let a bloodied sight like me into their house in the middle of the night. So, who had brought me here…or better yet,

Why was I alive to be brought in the first place?

Slowly, I leaned my elbows against the softness of the futon I had been lying on and sat up. Immediately the rush of blood went to my head and I groaned a pathetic sound while kneading my fingers across my temples. I should've never drank those cups of sake…should've never tried to prove my strength to those disgusting men.

That's what you get for being overly arrogant, always trying to show more strength than you actually had…

So now my no-nonsense conscience returns, ready to rebuke my foolish acts under the influence of sake…I must be going insane, battling my brain with my mind and I stifled a giggle at the silliness of the thought (another evident sign of insanity.). Looking around from where I sat, I noticed the empty space of the room, with nothing to decorate it except for a tattered mat on the floor beside me and the sliding shoji in front of my view. I got out of the warm futon and stood to observe my state of dress (and health) and found that I had been changed out of the bloody gi and hakama and into a modest yukata, which at the same time relieved and worried me.

Who had changed me out of my clothes? Who had brought me out of the rain and into such a nice, comfortable haven?

I furrowed my brow in frustration when I realized that I could answer none of those questions by myself and was about to slide the shoji to look for anyone who would be able to, when a soft sigh reached my ears from the other end of the room. Turning around abruptly, I saw a figure sitting against the wall in the shadows, facing me. It appeared to be sleeping in a most awkward position, with one knee bent against its chest and the other straightened out in front. Its head was downward and ragged layers of hair hid the face from my view.

I couldn't help it…I was curious.

Slowly, I approached the sleeping figure, clutching the sides of my robe with tight fingers. Perhaps this was the person who had brought me here…who had saved me from the rain of blood and the darkness of the streets. If that were the case, then the person would have my ultimate gratitude. It felt good to know that somebody living in the streets of Kyoto still cared, still had a heart to save a blood-covered nobody that smelled of sake from the rain.

Reaching the spot directly in front of the figure, I crouched down and peered at him (yes, I noticed that it was a him from the way he dressed, among other things). His hair, a rich fiery kind of red, was matted in front of his face, hiding the features from my curious eyes. Frowning, I bent over to observe the strange hair, when my gaze caught the two swords that were placed beside him, held loosely by a lax arm. Something wasn't right…I could feel a gnawing sensation in the pit of my stomach. The man…he was bathed in the shadows at a darkened corner of the wall, obscuring any and all of his features…but…

…the swords, they were ones carried only by powerful and skilled samurai…and that hair…

…hair, red like glowing fire…

*

*

Barely stifling a gasp of horror, I stumbled onto my hands and backside and awkwardly crawled away from the sleeping killer. Murderer…Hitokiri Battousai.

This couldn't be happening! I couldn't be resting in the same room as the cold-blooded killer! It was just too cruel…and painfully ironic.

All the kind thoughts of giving thanks for hospitality flew right out my head and through the sun-bathed window as I sat in front of the red-haired boy, still blinking from the shock of the discovery. I took in the state of his appearance with caution, that little bit of curiosity from before had dissipated and was replaced with vigilance and the need for survival.

He was also changed into a new apparel, I noticed, and even though it was dark during our previous encounter, I could tell that it was a different set. A dark navy gi with a white collar and off white hakama pants, the colors suited him, bringing out the intensity of his flaming hair and the softness of his skin. I shook my head quickly, angered at where my thoughts had wandered to. In all rights, I should've been making him suffer for all the pain he'd caused me, not admiring the pigments of his mane. I should've been making him choke out words of remorse or desperation for the murder of my father, along with all the other fathers he had destroyed. I shook my head again at the absurdity of the famed Hitokiri Battousai trembling with fear at a petite, teenaged girl wielding a wooden sword.

I was so foolish…so foolish and naïve. I realize that now…so…maybe it's still not too late…

Sitting with my chin on my knees and my hands tucked under them, I pondered at my new situation, sometimes letting my gaze fall to the two swords by the boy's form. My right hand twitched, its familiar itch at the sight of a blade, wooden or otherwise, came headstrong and I was almost tempted to unsheathe the longest of the two and perform the beginning stance of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Almost. There was still the problem with the Hitokiri Battousai sleeping in front of me to consider.

So…he chose to spare me.

I puzzled over the reasons for his actions…and just couldn't seem to figure out why he let me live. I had seen him kill…seen him on one of his 'missions'…and no one in the history of Hitokiri Battousai's legend had done that and lived to tell the tale. Yet, here I was…residing in an inn with the shadow assassin himself…sleeping. The situation was quite peculiar and left me wondering what I should do next…I certainly couldn't kill him (I wouldn't be able to, of course)…nor battle with his swords (judging from how the previous try had turned out)…so what was there left for me to do?

A shuffle of footsteps sounded from outside the rice paper shoji, pausing slightly as if about to enter, then turning to disappear to wherever they had been before. I shook myself from my pondering and decided with a quick glance at the figure to leave the room while the Battousai was still sleeping soundly enough. It was strange but I thought that, being a trained killer and all, he would've been a little more sensitive to his surroundings, whether in slumber or not. With a shrug, I threw away the thought and concentrated on making light footsteps across the empty room and also on how I could still enact my means of revenge against the sleeping boy…without really…enacting revenge.

I paused just in front of the door, blinking.

Maybe I still had some sake left over in my system after all.

*~*~*

"Ah, you've finally decided to come out, I see."

An old women, hair frosted gray with age, approached me in the long hall, just after I shut the shoji softly. She leaned towards the thin paper of the door, as if trying to listen to the sounds coming from within. All the while, a deep frown was set on her wrinkled face.

"He was asleep when I awoke…I didn't want to wake him so…"

I fidgeted with the thin sleeves of the yukata. The woman's frown seemed to fade at my nervousness and a knowing look flashed across her face.

"I see…well then, let him sleep. Himura-san doesn't do it often enough, especially not this soundly…" She muttered the last few words, then frowned once more as if in deep thought. That made the curiosity in me spark once again, and I couldn't help but want to find out more.

"So…his name is Himura?" Not Hitokiri Battousai…that was just a nickname combined with his deadly skills to strike more fear in people's hearts.

Unsheathed manslayer…in my opinion, it suited him better.

"Yes…I'm surprised you didn't know. He carried you here himself, last night…though I suppose you probably aren't able to remember anything due to the shock of all that had occurred." She looked piercingly into my eyes just then, as if trying to find something that I didn't know was there, nor what it was she was looking for.

I said nothing to that…what could I have said? Yes, I remembered following him through the darkened streets. Yes, I remembered him slashing a full grown man in half with a single strike. I remembered when the rain fell as blood and also the way he looked into my eyes…lost…searching…uncertain.

I couldn't have said any of that…so I remained silent as she led me down the empty hall towards a large but simple kitchen. After entering, she slid the shoji closed and sighed deeply, although I couldn't tell what was bothering her so much to have to sigh like she did.

"Well now, my name is Seki Okami and I am the proprietor of the Ohagi inn."

I responded accordingly, with a polite bow and quiet words.

"I am Kamiya Kaoru…I…"

I couldn't tell her the truth. Surely not, or I may never get another chance to get close to the Battousai…or should I say, Himura-san. I could…no I would speak none but lies to her…from then on till I leave. Lies…it was better that way, for everyone.

"I am traveling…alone."

The woman pondered at what I had said a great deal, then gazed skeptically at my bowed head.

"Alone, you say? Surely a young girl like you could not be so alone as to follow a stranger into the night…and after getting drunk with sake." She asked, intently and I did not answer. I couldn't…for I did not know what to reply.

"How old are you exactly, child?"

"I am fourteen…I will be fifteen past springtime." I responded quietly. The old woman's questions had stung a little. It reminded me again of how foolish I had been the night before.

"I see." She let the information sink into her mind, her brow slightly puckered on the tanned and wrinkled face. She cleared her throat loudly. "Well now…I suppose you are hungry. Himura-san didn't mention you eating anything at the tavern." Shuffling across the kitchen, the woman checked on some rice and soup that were cooking over several fires. I was left to ponder at what she said.

So Battou…Himura didn't mention me eating…but did he tell her about the rest? About the murder and the so-called battle and the oh-so-desperate words? Kami, I hoped not, I wouldn't be able to face anyone if they knew.

"Yes, thank you. I would offer to help but I'm afraid cooking is not one of my finer traits."

She turned around and regarded me with a strange look…like a cross between satisfaction and humor. The subtle hostility was gone, to my comfort, and I found myself relaxing from a tenseness I didn't know was there before.

"That's quite alright." She said with laughter in her voice. "I've already prepared everything…but I could use some help distributing them to the other customers. They should be a hungry bunch today and my old arms are getting tired from carrying so many bowls and pots."

I smiled and nodded "of course", then began to fill small wooden bowls with miso soup and others with rice. Okami-san, to my relief, did not ask me nor mention anything else about the night, although I suspected that she knew more than I thought. Instead, she busied herself by setting some food on the table in the corner. Then I was motioned with a wrinkled but lean hand to sit by the table, where a bowl of steaming soup was placed.

I sat and raised the aromatic miso to my mouth, inhaling the saltiness of the wakame* and the bland scents of tofu. Much better than what I used to make. Definitely much better.

"So, I suppose you'll want a room to stay in…I'm afraid there isn't much space here, anymore…at least not since Kogoro-sama and the rest of the Ishin Shishi arrived." Okami stressed out the names purposely and stared at my face for my reaction. She probably expected me to sputter and choke on my soup, or something of that nature, because hearing the name Ishin Shishi around Kyoto nowadays was like acknowledging, for the first time, a deadly disease that was threatening one's body. No one wanted to believe it, yet suffered all the same because it was there…feasting off of the soul…slowly destroying the very being or beings that made it flourish. At least, that was what I thought of the Ishin Shishi. Dishonorable killers.

"Wherever you allow me is fine. I am thankful that your letting me stay…and I will try to help in any ways that I can." I replied evenly, or as evenly as possible under the scrutinizing stare of the old woman. Her look turned puzzled for a moment, then relaxed again as I laid the bowl onto the table.

"So you know who he is, then?"

"Yes." I looked into the woman's eyes, searching for the hidden secret or meaning behind her questions, which sounded more like statements than anything. What was it about her manner that made me feel guilty yet comforted at the same time? I felt like a small child being lectured by her grandmother and I had to admit I liked it. I didn't feel so alone anymore…at least not at that moment.

"And you are willing to stay…even when you know of the nightly assassinations and bloodshed on the tainted streets made by most of the people here?"

Was I really willing to stay? Or was it the drive for revenge that bound me to the men of the Ishin Shishi? I supposed it wasn't really relevant…the outcome would be the same, no matter what the circumstances…right?

"…yes. I know of all that happens in the streets…but I am just a mere traveler. It doesn't matter to me what other people do with their lives…nor does it affect my desire for a place to rest." Lies, all of it were lies.

"I see…" Okami smiled faintly but had a look of sadness and pity in her eyes. She seemed to want to say something more, but in the end just stood and took away our finished breakfast. "Well then I guess we better start working now. Everyone should be up around this time."

She handed me some trays with bowls of food, which I stacked neatly on top of each other and then turned towards the shoji with a wide grin.

"Ah, and I think Himura-san is up and wondering where his mystery maiden had gone."

Author's Notes: Well? What do you think? I honestly had a lot of fun writing this chapter and am pretty satisfied, myself, with the results. Now all that's left is for the reviews to come…so I can improve and write more!

Oh yes…and if anyone is confused with the story (plot, characters, settings, etc.), do not hesitate to tell me. I'll probably make a information page to answer questions and explain just what the heck is going on. ^_~

Now on to the reviews…

Wolfgirl13- I'm glad you like this and I hope you review for this chapter as well!

Satora Bonai- Yes, Batt/Kaoru pairings are heaven, aren't they? About Tomoe's part in the story…I have a vague idea formed in my head, but if you have any suggestions, I'll willingly receive them! I can say one thing, though…unless Tomoe confronts Kenshin with a gardening shovel and some deadly radishes, the whole 'challenge you' thing is not going to happen ^_^.

magiabruxa- Thank you…here's the next chapter!

SesshaWaRurouni- Yes, yes…the cliffy. Well, it looked like a good place to stop, so I just said, what the heck! I'll do it! *ahem* Anyways, thanks for your compliment on my writing…you just don't know how happy it made me feel! *grins*

chibiBattousai- Hmm…yes, some people have called me meanie many times before…but I just can't help it. I rather enjoy cliffhangers, myself. It keeps me at the edge of the seat and fuels my curiosity. Also, whatever consequences you have in store for me…please let it not include hippos of any kind or form. Lordy, do I hate those nasty creatures *shudder*.

baka- Thank you…and here's the 'more' you asked for.

Rekka's Angel- Thank you for your compliments. Yes, it was truly hard to keep the characters IC…and I'm still having doubts about my job, so far. If you have any other suggestions, please don't hesitate to let me know! Thanks again.

Roku-chan- Wow, what nice compliments to receive. Thank you so much!

Nanaka- Thanks!

Drear of Silence- I didn't know how angsty I could get until this fic…hmm.

fanfiction wanderer- Wow, thank you! Comparing my fic to the movies? Oh my, this calls for its own little celebration. I have to admit, however, that I've never actually seen the Samurai X movies *blushes*…maybe once I get some money of my own, I'll go and buy them.

mika- Thanks…well, I tried not to make Kaoru so very OOC and I'm glad I accomplished it (according to what people say, at least). And yes, Kaoru and Battousai become very close in the future ^_~.

Himura Kamiya Kaoru- Thank you very much!

kaoru182003- uh…thanks, I guess. I'm not really fond of threats concerning updates…but thank you just the same for wanting to read more *grin*.

Amanda H.- Thank you…although I'm not really sure what you meant by withdraws. Hog tie my parents? Well that's an idea…

toka- Thanks for the suggestion…I'll keep that in mind next time they get on my back.

That's it for now…don't forget to review! It really helps me process more ideas…till next time!

d.a.