King's Box
Lil-Sun-Rie
Author's Note I really don't like typing these all the time. Just review and check out my other stories. I decided to keep the powers! Just because I was struck with an inspiration…. Read on and you'll find out! I hope you like this fic. I find it kind of rushed, tell me if it is!
Summary Amber eyes glowed eerily in the dark surrounding them. All he knew was that a soft heart wasn't a heart at all. It must be of stone, so as to carve the law of living: The strongest survives. Will a light pierce the dark abyss they call insanity?
Disclaimer I don't own Rurouni Kenshin so don't sue me.
King's Box
Chapter Fourteen: Love II
There may never be a sign,
No flashing neon light,
Telling you to make your move,
Or when the time is right.
Kaoru and Soujiro spent more time together, and Kaoru found herself daydreaming about Kenshin more and more. She didn't know what this could mean, but deep down inside her… she felt like she should let her heart choose. It's hard though. To let your heart choose and see all the impossible chances that can happen. Aoshi wouldn't let anyone escort Kaoru to Saito till she has rested and become acquainted with some of the town folk.
Aoshi decided for five nights and then she would meet Saito. Misao appointed herself to guide Kaoru around the whole town. Kaoru liked it there. All the children were not afraid of playing outside and all the adults greeted her with a happy smile. It seemed that for one time she was accepted. Out of habit, Kaoru's hand drifted down to her velvet pouch.
Suddenly they were stopped by some men.
"Look what we've got here, gentlemen." The largest one asked the other two. One of them looked them up and down, while the other one seemed to want to be anywhere but there. He looked around and seemed to be trying to avoid anyone's eye. Two of the three men approached Kaoru and Misao.
"Dear ladies! Let us steal a kiss!" They leaned closer to the two girls who took steps backwards. They didn't want to start a scene.
"Oh! Gentlemen, only whores do have kisses stolen in broad daylight! Let us go somewhere where no people can see." Misao grinned evilly at the two men. Kaoru suddenly picked up on what Misao was thinking and shared an equally evil grin. They led the men to a high hill top. There the men tried to steal a kiss again, but Misao and Kaoru dodged every kiss.
They were at the edge of the hill and Misao and Kaoru looked at the tired men.
"Oh! Misao… looks like they don't make men like they used!"
Misao giggled and waved a hand at the men.
"Such bastards! Making us walk this far and yet they haven't gotten their kiss yet!"
The two girls gave the men sweet and innocent smiles and in unison, both men dashed to steal their kisses while the girls were preoccupied with smiling. But, what they didn't know was that these were no ordinary maidens. They could move wickedly fast in their leg-locking kimonos. They both side-stepped the men's advances and the boys collapsed on the ground with their rear in the air.
Misao and Kaoru laughed out loud and kicked them, causing them to fall down the hill side.
"That's what you get for all those poor virgins you took!"
Misao and Kaoru laughed while walking down the hill. Then, far off they could see Aoshi-sama's army sparring. They moved with such grace and skill that the girls wanted to join this group. They ran as fast as their kimonos would let them and changed their clothes in Aoshi's palace. They later came back to the clearing. Aoshi and Kenshin were there too. They were sparring each other. It seemed that Aoshi was trying hard to beat this legendary Battousai… but, seemed to be failing quite miserably.
Finally, the tip of Kenshin's blade struck Aoshi's inner thigh and the match was over. The other men were amazed at the speed and force behind each blow the sparring partners delivered. Kenshin's eyes darted to Kaoru.
"Kaoru-dono, why don't we spar?"
Kaoru smiled up at him.
"Don't go easy on me!"
They both got into position. The wind blew heavily in the background. Leaves skit across the grassy plains and the two figures were distinct against the sunset.
An air of suspense flitted into every person. They didn't move an inch… then, as suddenly as the hunting call of the hawk echoed through the lands, the two figures disappeared and a loud clang echoed. Their eyes tried to take in what was happening, but the fighters were extremely fast.
Misao watched in wonder. She never knew that Kaoru could fight. She had always
seen the sakabatou at Kaoru's side, but didn't know that she was skilled with
it. Clang after clang was heard.
Kaoru was amazed that she was able to rival Kenshin's speed… or was he holding back. That meant she had to try harder to get him to reach his true potential. She willed her body to move faster, and she did.
Her attacks grew more complicating and complicating. The sun made the sword gleam brighter, making Kenshin narrow his eyes. She moved her sword back and forth, gently jabbing it and withdrawing it.
Kenshin too noticed the change in her fighting. She seemed more tense, faster, and harsher. Her attacks had intricate patterns and graceful leaps and dashes. Hiko-sama hasn't lost his knack for teaching.
Kenshin was too wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't see Kaoru lunge at his shoulder. He managed to block it on the last minute. Their lunging and dodging of attacks lasted a little while more.
Kenshin finally found an opening in her defense and lunged. The reverse side of his blade touched her side a little harder than he meant for it to. He watched as she fell to the ground.
But, he didn't expect her to flip and land gracefully on her feet. She knelt down and held her side. She was breathing really hard. Kenshin was immediately at her side.
"Kaoru-dono, are you okay?"
He helped her up and she slouched a little.
"I'm fine." Her breathing was still hard and quick, but she was determined to control it.
Suddenly there was someone calling from far away.
"Himura-san!" A small figure contrasted with the sunset. The light illuminated the pale lavender kimono that was approaching the group as fast as the tight-legged clothing would let her. Kenshin looked at Tomoe and his eyes lit up a little, but he did not smile.
She's here… Kaoru…
Tomoe finally made it to them. She bowed her head to every person as a sign of respect, but when she got to Kaoru… she did it so stiffly that it seemed like she didn't want to bow to Kaoru. It was as if Tomoe wanted to insult Kaoru, but that would be not being ladylike. Tomoe was raised in a house of manners and respect.
Kaoru could feel an air of distaste around Tomoe. She decided to ignore it.
Tomoe practically threw herself on Kenshin.
"Himura-san. I'm so sorry for disrupting something, but two men were injured falling down a hill. People say that this child was with them."
"I am not a child!"
Kaoru was starting to hate this morbid lady, and they just met!
"Sorry… I didn't think you were past your fifteenth year."
Kaoru felt a growing hate swell inside her. She didn't know why, but she had a growing hate for people she used to be able to tolerate. She was brought up to never truly, really hate anyone, but now… after her father's death she found it harder to hold on to the belief of forgiveness.
How can she forgive Shishio for killing her father and taking his house as reward? Ever since she met Kenshin, there were emotions in her that she had not realized before.
Suddenly Kenshin turned to her.
"There were men with you. Did they hurt you?"
Kaoru shook her head.
"Misao was with me."
She didn't give anymore information than that. Kenshin's eyes narrowed and he turned back to Tomoe.
"Do you need me to walk you back to the town?"
Tomoe bowed her head in modesty.
"I would be… it would be nice… thank you. Again, I'm sorry if I disrupted something."
"You have nothing to apologize for."
"I just feel really guilty about taking your time."
Kenshin just looked down at her with pity. Was he thinking the same thing as I?
She's so modest.
"It's okay."
"I'll cook you dinner to make up for it."
She kept her head down, but a faint blush reached her cheeks.
Kaoru rolled her eyes. This Tomoe is really getting annoying. She was too perfect. Then suddenly, like something pricked her, she felt a pain inside. Tomoe was so perfect… for Kenshin. She could tell that this woman meant something to him. She could tell by the way his eyes lit up when she approached. Kaoru held in a moan of pain and limped back to town.
Misao also felt a great dislike for Tomoe. She had known Tomoe for a long time and it was an all hate relationship. Tomoe had tried to impress Aoshi-sama with her cooking and cleaning; now she was trying to impress Kenshin. Misao wanted to kunai the big flaunt, but didn't because she knew it would cause problems for Aoshi-sama.
It seemed Kenshin hadn't noticed that Kaoru had left his side, so Misao ran to Kaoru and helped her to town. Aoshi saw that Kenshin had completely forgotten about the pain that he inflicted on Kaoru and felt an urge to punch him, but refrained from doing so. He watched sadly as the two women walked away. Kenshin was too busy looking at Tomoe to notice, but that's what it seemed.
Kenshin had known that Kaoru was leaving, but he forced himself not to run to her. He wanted too with all his heart, but he didn't. He was still hurt from when he found her and Soujiro embracing… but, it wasn't as if they were doing anything.
He looked down at Tomoe's blushing face.
"I'd like that."
He didn't smile or anything, he just couldn't bring himself to it. He felt lost without Kaoru by his side. He didn't know what emotions were going on within him. He felt happy when she was near, he felt nervous when she was not. He felt warm when she smiled and cold when she cried.
He didn't understand any of it. But, when he looked down at Tomoe, he forced himself into the idea that she could make these emotions go away and replace them with new ones.
********************
Soujiro saw that Kaoru was unwell. She limped with Misao at her side. He was pretty sure that she would reject any help offered to her. All he could do was watch as she limped to bed and lay herself down. She winced once in a while, but soon enough, she was asleep.
That day, Soujiro sat by her side. He fell asleep at her bed side and laid his head on the mattress. His hand held hers tightly.
Amber eyes watched this and narrowed… They were getting closer and for some reason, Kenshin did not like it. He felt angry, thinking that they would be together. He couldn't stand the thought that his hostage would belong to someone else.
His hostage?
Kenshin didn't understand what was happening within him, but he felt a great desire to have her belong to him. Kenshin turned around and walked to Tomoe Yukishiro's cottage. Could it be that he only spent time with her because she looked like Kaoru?
Could it be that he was imagining her to be Kaoru?
*********************
Kaoru woke up in the middle of the night. She felt someone grip her hand harder and she looked to her side to see that Soujiro had fallen asleep next to her bed. She smiled. He was just like an older brother to her.
He was always there to protect her and help her. Kaoru's eyes saddened a little. She was right about Kenshin. She could never trust a man slayer. She knew that he would have just broken her heart… or did he already do that. His careless kisses were nothing and his comforting words were fake. Tears fell from her eyes and crystallized before hitting to mattress. She gathered them in her free hand and pushed them into the velvet pouch at her waist. She looked at her sakabato leaning on the wall adjacent from her. These were the two most important items to her.
One was from her father, and the other was from her master. They were both important men in her life and she didn't think that she could ever survive without their influence on her life. They were so kind and wonderful… she lost one, but she could save the other. Her mind drifted to the many times she used her unusual powers. She didn't know her full potential. Sure she could transfigure and repair objects, but could there be more. She could see secrets and sense mysteries, but could she ever solve them. She wasn't sure, but why was she so different from everyone else?
Kaoru felt a great urge to find Saito's house herself. She didn't know if she could stand watching Kenshin woo Tomoe.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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