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Chapter Fifteen: The Raging Quiet
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A soft mist fell on Kenshin's crestfallen face as he lifted it to look at the sky. Soft rain drops fell soundlessly onto his skin, mixing with a silent tear that slipped down his scarred cheek. It was ironic how the rain fell, as though it too recognized the sadness that had occurred that night and was somehow honoring it.
"Kaoru...." He whispered out quietly, his eyes glazing away in pain that echoed in the darkness of his heart. He turned to look at the clearing crowd of police officers his eyes seeing, but yet....not quite seeing as though he had no will left to focus. It was as though he was in another world, all alone and trembling in the cold harshness of the beating rain. He slowly began to walk. His worn sandals scrapped softly against the ground, his feet dragging as though he had no life left in his body.
The rain started to fall heavier now, condensing slowly into thicker and heavier drops that pounded down onto the ground and on Kenshin's aching body. The soft pitter patter of these raindrops echoed loudly in his ears as he made his way further along the bank, leaving the city behind.
Kenshin shivered in his gi and pulled it closer around him so that it no longer hung open in the front. He couldn't go back to the dojo. Not after what she had said to him. He had to find a way to make everything better first. He wouldn't rest until he could somehow make up for it.
"Kaoru.......Kaoru" he continued to say softly as though mourning for her. Each time he said her name a memory of her bright smile would come and comfort him, but only for a moment as he then remembered the hurt she was in. The cold wetness sunk into his clothes, drenching him and causing his long red tresses to cling to his body along with his clothes.
The slight afternoon storm turned into a drenching whirlwind of water that splashed at Kenshin from all sides. He didn't care though. In his mind, he deserved it, just as he deserved every horrible thing that happened to him.
A flash of lightning burned across the sky and a crack of thunder echoed loudly in his eardrums. He jumped, thinking of Kaoru. She was afraid of thunderstorms! Was she alright? Was she all alone in her fright with no one to comfort her? He thought of rushing off to find her then, but then he remembered her words, "Go away Kenshin! Just leave me alone!"
"I can't.....comfort you....Kao—ru." He said, his lips stumbling over her name as the cold rain poured down his face, hiding the glistening flow of his tears.
In his mind he could see her crying in the darkness, huddled and clenching herself in terror. Then he began to remember all the other times she had shed tears because of him, all the other times that she had been alone and frightened. He bit back a sob knowing that he couldn't do anything about it.
............................................................................................................
Kaoru stormed angrily back through the streets which had now mostly cleared because of the storm. Kaoru let the rain pour down her clothes without thought for her comfort. She was absorbed in her anger and she couldn't see anything through her blind rage.
She reached the dojo and hurried to her room, slamming the door shut behind her. She bit her lip harder, trying uselessly to keep back those annoying frustrating tears. Yukimura was dead. Kaoru sat down slowly on the hard wooden floor, thinking. What did she know about him other than he had a pretty face? Why was she so upset for him now? Not to be harsh or anything, but she really hadn't known him all that well. Why did it hurt so much?
Her eyes widened. Could it be because she had just needed someone to replace Kenshin while he was gone, so she had acted as though Yukimura was close to her while secretly wishing for Kenshin? Gods, that doesn't make any sense though. She hadn't really been thinking about Yukimura at all. She hadn't even really noticed him much. So again she was stuck with the question of why did she care so much?
There was a loud knock on her door and it slid open with a bang to reveal a soaking Yahiko. She hadn't even really noticed that he'd followed her home.
"How could you do that?!" Yahiko said his voice shaking with anger.
"Do what!?" Kaoru screamed at him as she turned her back on him.
Yahiko's face contorted in pain. "You don't even notice what you've done to him. You're too wrapped up in your own 'misery' to notice what you just accused Kenshin of! Did you know what your words did to him? Did you even bother to think that maybe you shouldn't take your pain out on others!"
Kaoru trembled and hugged herself. "Go away, Yahiko! You're just a little kid. You don't understand anything!"
Yahiko shook his head as though he couldn't believe the way she was acting. "I may be just a kid, but you don't have to be an 'adult' to notice the look on Kenshin's face when you accused him of those terrible things. He's still out there in the rain you know! Who knows if he'll come back again! If I were him I wouldn't. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near you!"
"Don't you dare say that to me!"
Kaoru turned around and slapped him in the face without even thinking. She was angry because she knew that he was right and that she had been so horrible to both of them. Her heart froze when she saw the look of disgust in his face and she stared at her hand and then at the stinging red part of his cheek.
"Oh....Yahiko...." Kaoru said her voice trembling as she wrapped her arms around him and cried. "I'm........so......sorry."
Yahiko's face softened and he tried to hold back his own tears in vain. "It's alright busu...." He hugged her back knowing that she needed comfort now more than ever.
"I have....to go...find him..." Kaoru choked out as she finally separated from Yahiko and patted him on the head.
Yahiko nodded and quickly brushed away his tears hoping that she hadn't noticed them. "I'll....go with you...."
Kaoru shook her head. "Please stay here. This is something I need to do on my own."
Yahiko was slightly disappointed that he would not be included, but he understood what she meant. He lowered his head and sighed. "I'll be waiting for you. Bring him back Kaoru."
Kaoru looked at the young boy knowing that she would at least always have him. She gave him a quick hug and then after changing into some dry clothes and grabbing an umbrella she ran out the door to find Kenshin.
Chapter Fifteen: The Raging Quiet
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A soft mist fell on Kenshin's crestfallen face as he lifted it to look at the sky. Soft rain drops fell soundlessly onto his skin, mixing with a silent tear that slipped down his scarred cheek. It was ironic how the rain fell, as though it too recognized the sadness that had occurred that night and was somehow honoring it.
"Kaoru...." He whispered out quietly, his eyes glazing away in pain that echoed in the darkness of his heart. He turned to look at the clearing crowd of police officers his eyes seeing, but yet....not quite seeing as though he had no will left to focus. It was as though he was in another world, all alone and trembling in the cold harshness of the beating rain. He slowly began to walk. His worn sandals scrapped softly against the ground, his feet dragging as though he had no life left in his body.
The rain started to fall heavier now, condensing slowly into thicker and heavier drops that pounded down onto the ground and on Kenshin's aching body. The soft pitter patter of these raindrops echoed loudly in his ears as he made his way further along the bank, leaving the city behind.
Kenshin shivered in his gi and pulled it closer around him so that it no longer hung open in the front. He couldn't go back to the dojo. Not after what she had said to him. He had to find a way to make everything better first. He wouldn't rest until he could somehow make up for it.
"Kaoru.......Kaoru" he continued to say softly as though mourning for her. Each time he said her name a memory of her bright smile would come and comfort him, but only for a moment as he then remembered the hurt she was in. The cold wetness sunk into his clothes, drenching him and causing his long red tresses to cling to his body along with his clothes.
The slight afternoon storm turned into a drenching whirlwind of water that splashed at Kenshin from all sides. He didn't care though. In his mind, he deserved it, just as he deserved every horrible thing that happened to him.
A flash of lightning burned across the sky and a crack of thunder echoed loudly in his eardrums. He jumped, thinking of Kaoru. She was afraid of thunderstorms! Was she alright? Was she all alone in her fright with no one to comfort her? He thought of rushing off to find her then, but then he remembered her words, "Go away Kenshin! Just leave me alone!"
"I can't.....comfort you....Kao—ru." He said, his lips stumbling over her name as the cold rain poured down his face, hiding the glistening flow of his tears.
In his mind he could see her crying in the darkness, huddled and clenching herself in terror. Then he began to remember all the other times she had shed tears because of him, all the other times that she had been alone and frightened. He bit back a sob knowing that he couldn't do anything about it.
............................................................................................................
Kaoru stormed angrily back through the streets which had now mostly cleared because of the storm. Kaoru let the rain pour down her clothes without thought for her comfort. She was absorbed in her anger and she couldn't see anything through her blind rage.
She reached the dojo and hurried to her room, slamming the door shut behind her. She bit her lip harder, trying uselessly to keep back those annoying frustrating tears. Yukimura was dead. Kaoru sat down slowly on the hard wooden floor, thinking. What did she know about him other than he had a pretty face? Why was she so upset for him now? Not to be harsh or anything, but she really hadn't known him all that well. Why did it hurt so much?
Her eyes widened. Could it be because she had just needed someone to replace Kenshin while he was gone, so she had acted as though Yukimura was close to her while secretly wishing for Kenshin? Gods, that doesn't make any sense though. She hadn't really been thinking about Yukimura at all. She hadn't even really noticed him much. So again she was stuck with the question of why did she care so much?
There was a loud knock on her door and it slid open with a bang to reveal a soaking Yahiko. She hadn't even really noticed that he'd followed her home.
"How could you do that?!" Yahiko said his voice shaking with anger.
"Do what!?" Kaoru screamed at him as she turned her back on him.
Yahiko's face contorted in pain. "You don't even notice what you've done to him. You're too wrapped up in your own 'misery' to notice what you just accused Kenshin of! Did you know what your words did to him? Did you even bother to think that maybe you shouldn't take your pain out on others!"
Kaoru trembled and hugged herself. "Go away, Yahiko! You're just a little kid. You don't understand anything!"
Yahiko shook his head as though he couldn't believe the way she was acting. "I may be just a kid, but you don't have to be an 'adult' to notice the look on Kenshin's face when you accused him of those terrible things. He's still out there in the rain you know! Who knows if he'll come back again! If I were him I wouldn't. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near you!"
"Don't you dare say that to me!"
Kaoru turned around and slapped him in the face without even thinking. She was angry because she knew that he was right and that she had been so horrible to both of them. Her heart froze when she saw the look of disgust in his face and she stared at her hand and then at the stinging red part of his cheek.
"Oh....Yahiko...." Kaoru said her voice trembling as she wrapped her arms around him and cried. "I'm........so......sorry."
Yahiko's face softened and he tried to hold back his own tears in vain. "It's alright busu...." He hugged her back knowing that she needed comfort now more than ever.
"I have....to go...find him..." Kaoru choked out as she finally separated from Yahiko and patted him on the head.
Yahiko nodded and quickly brushed away his tears hoping that she hadn't noticed them. "I'll....go with you...."
Kaoru shook her head. "Please stay here. This is something I need to do on my own."
Yahiko was slightly disappointed that he would not be included, but he understood what she meant. He lowered his head and sighed. "I'll be waiting for you. Bring him back Kaoru."
Kaoru looked at the young boy knowing that she would at least always have him. She gave him a quick hug and then after changing into some dry clothes and grabbing an umbrella she ran out the door to find Kenshin.