Little Birds
A Rurouni Kenshin fanfiction by Diane Long
Chapter Three
"I think you have asked enough questions," Kenshin's low voice cut through the uncomfortable silence as he leaned forward and leveled a stern glare at the police chief.
Kneeling in a triangular formation with Kaoru as the point behind them Kenshin and Sanosuke's postures spoke of controlled irritation. The candle lanterns' dim light cast the colors of their clothing into muted shades and made their eyes glitter dangerously.
Kaoru kept her head bowed so that her long raven hair, down loose this evening, obscured her eyes. Only her tightly gripped hands, so white they seemed to glow against the deep navy of her kimono, showed her tension.
Sitting across the room from them Officer Kojishiro sighed and removed his small, wire-framed glasses and polished their round lenses on the sleeve of his uniform jacket. "Forgive me Mr. Himura, but I fear I must insist."
"This is bullshit," Sanosuke spat, cracking his knuckles. "I think you should just get the hell out of here." He narrowed his eyes and jerked his head to indicate the woman behind him. "She doesn't want to talk right now."
Kojishiro replaced his spectacles and took his time sliding them to just the right spot on the bridge of his nose. "Gentlemen, we have six dead people on our hands."
Kaoru ducked her head even further down, as if she would like to curl in upon herself and disappear.
Catching sight of the slight movement out of the corner of his eyes, Kenshin's expression tightened. He looked back to their guest and squared his shoulders. "Please, it was not right of me to ask you here. I wanted your help and it is clearly not helping Miss Kaoru to be asked all of these questions."
"Asking me here was the wisest choice of action you could have made and I think you are well aware of that," Kojishiro said gravely, the brass buttons on his jacket gleaming in the candlelight. "You of all people know the punishment for murder."
"Murder?!" Sano yelped. "It was clearly self-defense! Jou-chan was attacked!" He moved to stand but stopped when he felt Kaoru's hand on his shoulder.
"Murder?" she asked in a stricken voice, looking at her visitor for the first time that evening.
Kenshin rubbed a tired hand over his face, his weariness showing in his posture. "Sano, try not to make more out of this than there is."
"Indeed," the police officer said with a slight nod. "Miss Kamiya, no one in this room is accusing you of anything improper. However, if this is allowed to become a sensationalist story in the newspapers that may well change."
"That is what Kenshin said," Kaoru acknowledged softly, wrapping a lock of hair around a finger.
"That is why, unpleasant as it may be, I need you to recount the details of that night so I can get an official police report on file before rumors start to fly." Kojishiro flipped open a small note pad and held a pencil at the ready. "Otherwise I would not press you so."
"Who's gonna tell?" Sano groused. "I say we keep it quiet. It always works for me."
"Miss Kaoru lives an unconventional life as a single woman teaching kendo who shares her home with two, sometimes three, unrelated men," Kenshin said reluctantly. "It could cast her character in a bad light in the wrong situation. We need to be very careful."
"I see," Kaoru answered for Sano. This was the first time she had heard the full logic of Kenshin's request for her to speak to the police chief. He had tried to shield her from shame, but now the truth of his words was undeniable. There were already unsavory rumors about her in town. If she were to be accused of murder, no matter how ridiculous the story was, there would be plenty of people ready to believe it.
Kenshin leaned back and caught her eye with a worried look, clearly unhappy about telling the whole truth of his motivations. "Not that there is anything wrong with your character," he clarified.
She nodded that she understood, hoping he could tell she had not taken offense, hoping the lamp light hid the flush that came to her cheeks. Sometimes the truth hurt. She was an unusual woman and was normally proud of it. Tonight however, it seemed foolish to fight against tradition. Look where it might get her.
Kenshin mistook her silence. "But if it is still too difficult for you to talk about we can surely wait a day or two."
She tried to smile for him, but it didn't amount to much. He was always trying to protect her. "Thank you, but I think Officer Kojishiro is correct. There are many people in Tokyo who would gladly see me come to shame. I can't take the risk." She looked to the policeman and tried to be brave. "What do you want to know?"
She had half-expected Kenshin and Sano to give her some privacy. When they didn't budge, she wasn't really surprised either. Waves of protective energy radiated from their stiff backs and she felt great comfort taking shelter behind them, even if she wasn't normally one to hide. These circumstances were far from normal.
Kojishiro cleared his throat and took on a cool, professional demeanor. "Were you alone that evening?"
Kaoru's gaze turned inward. "It was just Yahiko…" her voice caught in the name, "…and my self. Kenshin and Sano were… out," she said carefully, omitting the fact they were very likely out gambling.
"What time was it and what were you doing?"
"It was seven pm and I was trying out new hairstyles. Yahiko was in the dojo doing kata with his shinai." It was becoming easier to say his name.
"Kata in the evening?" the officer asked with mild surprise.
"He had insulted the dinner I made for him," she said in a pained voice. "It was his punishment. 200 swings." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly as she fought to hold back the tears.
"Then what happened?"
"There was a knock on the front gate. I went to answer it, but no one was there when I opened the door. I went back to my room wondering if Yahiko was playing a prank on me." Kaoru opened her eyes and flicked them towards the front door, then back to Kojishiro. "I sat back down to my mirror and noticed that my room was colder than it had been when I left. It was then that the shoji to the porch flew open and five men with katana rushed inside." Kaoru's words sped up at the end as she began to relive the moment, her hands fisting into the fabric of her kimono at her knees.
"Why the knock on the door, do you think?" Kojishiro asked calmly, breaking the build-up of her story purposefully.
The question made her pause and drew her back to the present. Breathing easily again, Kaoru responded. "To try and sneak into the house through my room, I imagine. I think the locks on the heavy winter shutters slowed them down and they were forced to engage me prematurely."
Kojishiro nodded and made a note. "Carry on."
"I grabbed my bokken from the stand near my desk and met them, only I was wearing a kimono and not my normal training clothing. I could not move properly and was cut upon my chest and arms immediately." Kaoru paused and gathered her thoughts, her pulse beating wildly in her chest. She gulped as she remembered the shock of cold metal searing across her breasts.
"I don't see you in many traditional garments," the chief said thoughtfully. "I find it interesting that you wear them at home."
"Even I like to be pretty from time to time," she snapped, grounded again.
"Of course."
"Anyway, it was clear they were after my life and I ran for the dojo where I keep my father's sword. I knew I would need steel to survive."
She met the officer's eyes as if inviting him to condemn her for defending herself. He nodded for her to continue, all the while taking quick and precise notes of her words.
"I yelled for Yahiko to run and get Kenshin and I think he would have obeyed me if things had happened differently. The wound on my chest was bleeding heavily and I slipped in my own blood just has he started to run out the side door." Kaoru stopped again and choked back the bile that rose in her throat. What happened next was ugly.
"Then what happened?"
"The rest you know. They killed Yahiko and I killed them." She breathed rapidly through her nose, trying to be calm, but all too easily remembering the metallic tang of the scent of blood.
"You know you must give me more detail than that," Kojishiro coaxed, smoothing down his small moustache with a pinky.
Kaoru nodded and cradled her head in her hands. "Fine. When I fell – they were all over me in an instant, trying to take my weapon away, holding me down, joking about which one would get the right to take my head. I – I was losing to them, I still had my bokken and was managing to hurt them but there were five of them and they all had blades." Her voice was rising in pitch with every word. "I saw Yahiko hesitate and screamed for him to get going but he went the wrong way! He came running to me instead of away from me!!" Kaoru's voice broke and pitiful cries gurgled out of her throat. "I told him to go, I told him to run!" she sobbed.
"Of course you did," the police chief murmured. "Please take a moment to calm yourself."
"Why didn't he run?!" Kaoru shrilled. "I couldn't protect the both of us!"
"That's enough for tonight," Kenshin said scooting back to her on his knees and sitting close. He placed a tentative hand on her elbow, which she shook off.
She removed her hands from her face and stared at Kenshin defiantly as bright tears traced down her cheeks. "I'm going to finish," she growled.
Kenshin winced at her tone, but made no further efforts to calm her.
Kaoru's cheeks glowed with emotion as she continued. "He ran like the brave Samurai he growing up to be and smacked them off of me with his shinai alone. I was able to get up and together we fought our way to the tokonoma. I didn't have to tell him what I needed: He was warrior enough to know!"
Kenshin looked alarmed at the rising hysteria in her voice and allowed himself to stroke her arm. "Miss Kaoru, please, let's just…."
"Then they killed him!" she shouted, ignoring Kenshin. "I had just made it to the sword and before I could draw it they all came at me at once. Yahiko jumped in front of me and they sliced through him like he was paper!" An anguished sob tore through her and she reached down and clutched at Kenshin's hand. "His blood was all over me and they didn't stop! They kicked him to the side and kept coming." She crushed her head into Kenshin's shoulder, not even noticing when his arms closed around her.
"Shit, this is more than enough. Kojishiro, you have got to go," Sano demanded. "Don't do this to her."
"Wait!" Kaoru demanded. "I'm not finished yet." She snorted back her tears and lifted her angry face to stare down the still calm police officer. "Those few seconds let me draw my sword and I did not waste them," she said with cold fury. "My father made sure I knew how to defend myself."
"Against five large men?" The chief pressed.
"You watched me grow up in this city. You know I would have been a national kendo champion if I would have been allowed to compete." She glared at him. "Those monsters came into my home and attacked me. They killed my ward. I was within my rights."
"True." Kojishiro closed his notebook with a snap. "That is all I will need to help protect you legally, Miss Kamiya. I am terribly sorry to have upset you in the process." He neatly rose to his knees and brushed off his pants. "Mr. Himura, I am leaving you to provide the proper physical defenses. I trust I need not make this an official request for aide?"
Kenshin shook his head absently, "Of course not."
"Then I will see myself out. Please report to me in the usual fashion." He quickly left the room and it's highly emotional occupants.
Kaoru realized she was panting and fought to control her breathing. For the past two days she had been walking around like a corpse possessed by a weak oni, hardly speaking or eating. Now she felt a righteous boil of anger rolling through her veins and she wanted to take action.
"Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked hesitantly.
She noticed she was still pressed firmly against him and quickly sprang to her feet and stepped away. She paced the length of the room and scrubbed the tears from her face with her fists. She spun around and took in the comical sight of Kenshin and Sano kneeling almost side-by-side both looking rather pole-axed. For some reason , it struck her as hilariously funny and before she knew what she was doing great peals of laughter were escaping her.
"Hoo-boy," Sano said, casting Kenshin a side-ways glance. "She's lost it."
"No, no!" she giggled. "You should see the looks on your faces! You looked like Kabuki masks!" She held her sides and giggled some more.
"I think I'll go make us some tea," Kenshin said delicately, rising to his feet. "Miss Kaoru must be thirsty after all of that talking."
"Don't leave me in here with her like this," Sano complained, watching Kenshin escape the room.
Kaoru padded over to him, her white socks whispering over the tatami. "What," she snickered. "Are you afraid of me now?"
"No," he answered awkwardly, looking away from her.
"Then what is it?" she demanded, sliding back into anger. "Do I disgust you now or something?"
"No, of course you don't!" he back pedaled, sounding trapped.
"Then what's the problem?" she yelled, reaching out and grabbing a handful of his hair and giving it a sound tug.
"Ow! There is no problem." He tried to pry her hands out of his hair. "Will you stop that? It hurts!"
Letting go, she sank to her knees and patted his cheek softly, her anger suddenly swallowed up by the pit of depression in her stomach. "Seriously, how can you stand to be around me after I let that happen to Yahiko?" she whispered.
Sano blinked rapidly. "Well Jou-chan… you know we don't…we all…it's not your…it's just that…" He struggled for words, clearly not knowing what to say.
Kaoru started to tear up again. "Just that what? You hate me?"
Sano looked up in relief as Kenshin entered the room bearing a tea tray loaded with three steaming cups of liquid. "Kenshin, help me out here! I'm no good a this sort of thing."
Kenshin handed Sano his tea with out a word. He knelt by Kaoru and proffered her a cup. She took it numbly, watching him carefully as he at last took up his own cup and put the tray to the side.
"Drink your tea," Kenshin instructed as if it were the answer to everything. He followed his own advice and took a long swallow.
"Do you hate me?" Kaoru asked in a lost voice. "I'm sorry."
Kenshin looked her with a gentle violet gaze. "We could never hate you, Miss Kaoru."
Kaoru sniffed into her tea and avoided his eyes. "Now you know everything."
"We just want to protect you," he said after taking another sip.
"Even from my self?" she asked thinking how she wasn't fit to protect anything.
Kenshin looked at her knowingly. "Especially from yourself."
To be continued!
A/N: Thanks for the great reviews everyone!! You keep me going. It's awesome to see some of my Tenchi friends are also reading this fic. It's been awesome to hear from you guys again. Did I get the police Chief's name right? I researched it on the net and that was the answer I found: Kojishiro.
A Rurouni Kenshin fanfiction by Diane Long
Chapter Three
"I think you have asked enough questions," Kenshin's low voice cut through the uncomfortable silence as he leaned forward and leveled a stern glare at the police chief.
Kneeling in a triangular formation with Kaoru as the point behind them Kenshin and Sanosuke's postures spoke of controlled irritation. The candle lanterns' dim light cast the colors of their clothing into muted shades and made their eyes glitter dangerously.
Kaoru kept her head bowed so that her long raven hair, down loose this evening, obscured her eyes. Only her tightly gripped hands, so white they seemed to glow against the deep navy of her kimono, showed her tension.
Sitting across the room from them Officer Kojishiro sighed and removed his small, wire-framed glasses and polished their round lenses on the sleeve of his uniform jacket. "Forgive me Mr. Himura, but I fear I must insist."
"This is bullshit," Sanosuke spat, cracking his knuckles. "I think you should just get the hell out of here." He narrowed his eyes and jerked his head to indicate the woman behind him. "She doesn't want to talk right now."
Kojishiro replaced his spectacles and took his time sliding them to just the right spot on the bridge of his nose. "Gentlemen, we have six dead people on our hands."
Kaoru ducked her head even further down, as if she would like to curl in upon herself and disappear.
Catching sight of the slight movement out of the corner of his eyes, Kenshin's expression tightened. He looked back to their guest and squared his shoulders. "Please, it was not right of me to ask you here. I wanted your help and it is clearly not helping Miss Kaoru to be asked all of these questions."
"Asking me here was the wisest choice of action you could have made and I think you are well aware of that," Kojishiro said gravely, the brass buttons on his jacket gleaming in the candlelight. "You of all people know the punishment for murder."
"Murder?!" Sano yelped. "It was clearly self-defense! Jou-chan was attacked!" He moved to stand but stopped when he felt Kaoru's hand on his shoulder.
"Murder?" she asked in a stricken voice, looking at her visitor for the first time that evening.
Kenshin rubbed a tired hand over his face, his weariness showing in his posture. "Sano, try not to make more out of this than there is."
"Indeed," the police officer said with a slight nod. "Miss Kamiya, no one in this room is accusing you of anything improper. However, if this is allowed to become a sensationalist story in the newspapers that may well change."
"That is what Kenshin said," Kaoru acknowledged softly, wrapping a lock of hair around a finger.
"That is why, unpleasant as it may be, I need you to recount the details of that night so I can get an official police report on file before rumors start to fly." Kojishiro flipped open a small note pad and held a pencil at the ready. "Otherwise I would not press you so."
"Who's gonna tell?" Sano groused. "I say we keep it quiet. It always works for me."
"Miss Kaoru lives an unconventional life as a single woman teaching kendo who shares her home with two, sometimes three, unrelated men," Kenshin said reluctantly. "It could cast her character in a bad light in the wrong situation. We need to be very careful."
"I see," Kaoru answered for Sano. This was the first time she had heard the full logic of Kenshin's request for her to speak to the police chief. He had tried to shield her from shame, but now the truth of his words was undeniable. There were already unsavory rumors about her in town. If she were to be accused of murder, no matter how ridiculous the story was, there would be plenty of people ready to believe it.
Kenshin leaned back and caught her eye with a worried look, clearly unhappy about telling the whole truth of his motivations. "Not that there is anything wrong with your character," he clarified.
She nodded that she understood, hoping he could tell she had not taken offense, hoping the lamp light hid the flush that came to her cheeks. Sometimes the truth hurt. She was an unusual woman and was normally proud of it. Tonight however, it seemed foolish to fight against tradition. Look where it might get her.
Kenshin mistook her silence. "But if it is still too difficult for you to talk about we can surely wait a day or two."
She tried to smile for him, but it didn't amount to much. He was always trying to protect her. "Thank you, but I think Officer Kojishiro is correct. There are many people in Tokyo who would gladly see me come to shame. I can't take the risk." She looked to the policeman and tried to be brave. "What do you want to know?"
She had half-expected Kenshin and Sano to give her some privacy. When they didn't budge, she wasn't really surprised either. Waves of protective energy radiated from their stiff backs and she felt great comfort taking shelter behind them, even if she wasn't normally one to hide. These circumstances were far from normal.
Kojishiro cleared his throat and took on a cool, professional demeanor. "Were you alone that evening?"
Kaoru's gaze turned inward. "It was just Yahiko…" her voice caught in the name, "…and my self. Kenshin and Sano were… out," she said carefully, omitting the fact they were very likely out gambling.
"What time was it and what were you doing?"
"It was seven pm and I was trying out new hairstyles. Yahiko was in the dojo doing kata with his shinai." It was becoming easier to say his name.
"Kata in the evening?" the officer asked with mild surprise.
"He had insulted the dinner I made for him," she said in a pained voice. "It was his punishment. 200 swings." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly as she fought to hold back the tears.
"Then what happened?"
"There was a knock on the front gate. I went to answer it, but no one was there when I opened the door. I went back to my room wondering if Yahiko was playing a prank on me." Kaoru opened her eyes and flicked them towards the front door, then back to Kojishiro. "I sat back down to my mirror and noticed that my room was colder than it had been when I left. It was then that the shoji to the porch flew open and five men with katana rushed inside." Kaoru's words sped up at the end as she began to relive the moment, her hands fisting into the fabric of her kimono at her knees.
"Why the knock on the door, do you think?" Kojishiro asked calmly, breaking the build-up of her story purposefully.
The question made her pause and drew her back to the present. Breathing easily again, Kaoru responded. "To try and sneak into the house through my room, I imagine. I think the locks on the heavy winter shutters slowed them down and they were forced to engage me prematurely."
Kojishiro nodded and made a note. "Carry on."
"I grabbed my bokken from the stand near my desk and met them, only I was wearing a kimono and not my normal training clothing. I could not move properly and was cut upon my chest and arms immediately." Kaoru paused and gathered her thoughts, her pulse beating wildly in her chest. She gulped as she remembered the shock of cold metal searing across her breasts.
"I don't see you in many traditional garments," the chief said thoughtfully. "I find it interesting that you wear them at home."
"Even I like to be pretty from time to time," she snapped, grounded again.
"Of course."
"Anyway, it was clear they were after my life and I ran for the dojo where I keep my father's sword. I knew I would need steel to survive."
She met the officer's eyes as if inviting him to condemn her for defending herself. He nodded for her to continue, all the while taking quick and precise notes of her words.
"I yelled for Yahiko to run and get Kenshin and I think he would have obeyed me if things had happened differently. The wound on my chest was bleeding heavily and I slipped in my own blood just has he started to run out the side door." Kaoru stopped again and choked back the bile that rose in her throat. What happened next was ugly.
"Then what happened?"
"The rest you know. They killed Yahiko and I killed them." She breathed rapidly through her nose, trying to be calm, but all too easily remembering the metallic tang of the scent of blood.
"You know you must give me more detail than that," Kojishiro coaxed, smoothing down his small moustache with a pinky.
Kaoru nodded and cradled her head in her hands. "Fine. When I fell – they were all over me in an instant, trying to take my weapon away, holding me down, joking about which one would get the right to take my head. I – I was losing to them, I still had my bokken and was managing to hurt them but there were five of them and they all had blades." Her voice was rising in pitch with every word. "I saw Yahiko hesitate and screamed for him to get going but he went the wrong way! He came running to me instead of away from me!!" Kaoru's voice broke and pitiful cries gurgled out of her throat. "I told him to go, I told him to run!" she sobbed.
"Of course you did," the police chief murmured. "Please take a moment to calm yourself."
"Why didn't he run?!" Kaoru shrilled. "I couldn't protect the both of us!"
"That's enough for tonight," Kenshin said scooting back to her on his knees and sitting close. He placed a tentative hand on her elbow, which she shook off.
She removed her hands from her face and stared at Kenshin defiantly as bright tears traced down her cheeks. "I'm going to finish," she growled.
Kenshin winced at her tone, but made no further efforts to calm her.
Kaoru's cheeks glowed with emotion as she continued. "He ran like the brave Samurai he growing up to be and smacked them off of me with his shinai alone. I was able to get up and together we fought our way to the tokonoma. I didn't have to tell him what I needed: He was warrior enough to know!"
Kenshin looked alarmed at the rising hysteria in her voice and allowed himself to stroke her arm. "Miss Kaoru, please, let's just…."
"Then they killed him!" she shouted, ignoring Kenshin. "I had just made it to the sword and before I could draw it they all came at me at once. Yahiko jumped in front of me and they sliced through him like he was paper!" An anguished sob tore through her and she reached down and clutched at Kenshin's hand. "His blood was all over me and they didn't stop! They kicked him to the side and kept coming." She crushed her head into Kenshin's shoulder, not even noticing when his arms closed around her.
"Shit, this is more than enough. Kojishiro, you have got to go," Sano demanded. "Don't do this to her."
"Wait!" Kaoru demanded. "I'm not finished yet." She snorted back her tears and lifted her angry face to stare down the still calm police officer. "Those few seconds let me draw my sword and I did not waste them," she said with cold fury. "My father made sure I knew how to defend myself."
"Against five large men?" The chief pressed.
"You watched me grow up in this city. You know I would have been a national kendo champion if I would have been allowed to compete." She glared at him. "Those monsters came into my home and attacked me. They killed my ward. I was within my rights."
"True." Kojishiro closed his notebook with a snap. "That is all I will need to help protect you legally, Miss Kamiya. I am terribly sorry to have upset you in the process." He neatly rose to his knees and brushed off his pants. "Mr. Himura, I am leaving you to provide the proper physical defenses. I trust I need not make this an official request for aide?"
Kenshin shook his head absently, "Of course not."
"Then I will see myself out. Please report to me in the usual fashion." He quickly left the room and it's highly emotional occupants.
Kaoru realized she was panting and fought to control her breathing. For the past two days she had been walking around like a corpse possessed by a weak oni, hardly speaking or eating. Now she felt a righteous boil of anger rolling through her veins and she wanted to take action.
"Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked hesitantly.
She noticed she was still pressed firmly against him and quickly sprang to her feet and stepped away. She paced the length of the room and scrubbed the tears from her face with her fists. She spun around and took in the comical sight of Kenshin and Sano kneeling almost side-by-side both looking rather pole-axed. For some reason , it struck her as hilariously funny and before she knew what she was doing great peals of laughter were escaping her.
"Hoo-boy," Sano said, casting Kenshin a side-ways glance. "She's lost it."
"No, no!" she giggled. "You should see the looks on your faces! You looked like Kabuki masks!" She held her sides and giggled some more.
"I think I'll go make us some tea," Kenshin said delicately, rising to his feet. "Miss Kaoru must be thirsty after all of that talking."
"Don't leave me in here with her like this," Sano complained, watching Kenshin escape the room.
Kaoru padded over to him, her white socks whispering over the tatami. "What," she snickered. "Are you afraid of me now?"
"No," he answered awkwardly, looking away from her.
"Then what is it?" she demanded, sliding back into anger. "Do I disgust you now or something?"
"No, of course you don't!" he back pedaled, sounding trapped.
"Then what's the problem?" she yelled, reaching out and grabbing a handful of his hair and giving it a sound tug.
"Ow! There is no problem." He tried to pry her hands out of his hair. "Will you stop that? It hurts!"
Letting go, she sank to her knees and patted his cheek softly, her anger suddenly swallowed up by the pit of depression in her stomach. "Seriously, how can you stand to be around me after I let that happen to Yahiko?" she whispered.
Sano blinked rapidly. "Well Jou-chan… you know we don't…we all…it's not your…it's just that…" He struggled for words, clearly not knowing what to say.
Kaoru started to tear up again. "Just that what? You hate me?"
Sano looked up in relief as Kenshin entered the room bearing a tea tray loaded with three steaming cups of liquid. "Kenshin, help me out here! I'm no good a this sort of thing."
Kenshin handed Sano his tea with out a word. He knelt by Kaoru and proffered her a cup. She took it numbly, watching him carefully as he at last took up his own cup and put the tray to the side.
"Drink your tea," Kenshin instructed as if it were the answer to everything. He followed his own advice and took a long swallow.
"Do you hate me?" Kaoru asked in a lost voice. "I'm sorry."
Kenshin looked her with a gentle violet gaze. "We could never hate you, Miss Kaoru."
Kaoru sniffed into her tea and avoided his eyes. "Now you know everything."
"We just want to protect you," he said after taking another sip.
"Even from my self?" she asked thinking how she wasn't fit to protect anything.
Kenshin looked at her knowingly. "Especially from yourself."
To be continued!
A/N: Thanks for the great reviews everyone!! You keep me going. It's awesome to see some of my Tenchi friends are also reading this fic. It's been awesome to hear from you guys again. Did I get the police Chief's name right? I researched it on the net and that was the answer I found: Kojishiro.
