"Did you SEE that!?!?" Yahiko whispered loudly.
"Yes, squirt, now pipe down... I want to hear the rest of the conversation!!"
"She touched him!!" Yahiko whispered again.
"Yes!! I know!! Now SHUT UP!!" Sano hissed.
Kenshin hissed as he saw Kenji take a step forward to Kaoru. He was ready to jump and kill the man when he pulled her into a loving embrace.
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"Talking."
'Thinking.'
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A/N: Okay, WARNING, here, I'm guessing at the very last OAV where Kenshin dies, I heard that there is a girl standing with Kenji after the credits... For my story's sake, I'm naming her Kaori. Also, I've been thinking about putting the other characters in my story... Like Misao, Aoshi, Saitou and etc. What do you guys think?? Maybe be invited for Aoshi's birthday or something?
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Going Back
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin in anyway.
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"Mmmfmmmfff!" were the incomprehensible words out of Yahiko's mouth as Sano clamped a hand over it.
They quieted down as Kenji walked away from Kaoru, only to fuse the anger in Kenshin by giving a kiss to her forehead.
"I will give my life for you..." he whispered and then walked away.
Kaoru looked at the back of the man who had dared to kiss her and then touched the place he did.
"It seems... familiar that he should kiss me..." she whispered to herself. 'Only if Kenshin would kiss me that way...'
She touched the forehead where Kenji had kissed her. She breathed in the fresh air of the night and noticed that her face burned red.
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"I don't believe it!! Why the heck would anyone want to kiss ugly!?!?" Yahiko whispered urgently. "And she let him!!"
"Yes... she did... but it isn't any of our business, Kenshin. Like you said, buddy. It's not our business, but Kaoru's. So we should leave it alone... right??" Sanosuke grinned at himself. This was going even better then the romance between the man from the fish market and the girl from the brothel! He looked at Kenshin and saw anger in his best friend's eyes.
"Maybe it's time to step in..."
Score.
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Kaoru blushed as she poured some of the jasmine oil into the hot water. She clutched the towel around herself as her heart pounded wildly against her chest. It was close the dusk and she couldn't sleep. She sighed contentedly as she lowered herself into the warm water and closed her eyes.
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Kenji grinned. He knew his father was there, and while his original plan was to apologize, the plan that popped up in his head was much better.
He could not sleep. Thinking that these were the last moments in your life was in the past, saving your mother was just too much.
He stared up into the sky, where the sun was rising just past the horizon, and thought about the conversation with the woman.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Kenji-san. I'm sorry. It was a mistake, but Kayena was in love with you. Love makes us blind I guess."
"Kayena?" Kenji asked.
The woman growled to herself and but went on, "Do you remember the girl that you met at the temple??"
"She was Kayena?"
"No, will you listen!??"
Kenji gulped and nodded.
"Kayena was that girl's sister. And Kayena wasn't a normal girl. She was a priestess. Well, if you want to be exact, she was a miko, a shrine priestess. She protected the shrine that honored a hanyou dog, and a priestess who traveled between times. The well that you fell through was the instrument that defied all laws of the world and let people that were special enough travel through time. And now, my boy, your wish has been granted, you get a chance to save your mother. From what? I don't know. I will find out soon enough. Your will to protect her was so strong. I will find out what. The well has stopped working for certain reasons. I warn you, do not do things that will alter the future..." when she finished speaking, she looked at him in the eye. Kenji stared right back.
"And what makes you think that I will listen?"
"Don't you want to go back?" she asked incredulously.
"Not really... I mean, I do... Oh I don't know!" he rubbed his temples.
"Well, I cannot stop you but I hope you won't do anything too foolish." She whispered. After a moment she spoke again, "What about Kaori?"
There was a menacing glint in his eyes. "How do you know about her?"
"Of course I know about her! Your intended, your woman, your mate!" she laughed. "Are you ready to give that all up?"
"I don't know what you are talking about. She was neither of those things. She was a friend."
"And that was how it started between your mother and father. Friendship is the beginning of all."
He narrowed his eyes at her and in the blink of an eye; his sword was at her throat.
"Go ahead. Kill me and your problems will be all over."
~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kenji shook his head. He didn't want to think about it anymore. He pushed the thought far back in his head as Yahiko walked in the room.
Yahiko looked at him coldly and said, "Your breakfast is ready."
Kenji grinned. This was going to be one hell of a day.
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"More soup, Kenji-san?" Kaoru spoke quietly, handing him another bowl of soup. He nodded at her and when their hands contacted, Kaoru drew back immediately, as if touched by flame.
Everyone noticed how her face turned 10 different shades of red and how she looked down at her food.
"Kenji... dono," Kenshin added thoughtfully. "I wanted to speak with you about... your arrangements in the dojo."
Kenji raised his eyebrows. "Shouldn't I talk to Kamiya-san about that?"
"Kaoru."
They looked at Kaoru who spoke quietly and Sano asked, "What?"
"I want Kenji-san to call me Kaoru."
"Why??" Everyone asked simultaneously.
"Because Sanosuke, calling me Kamiya-san just seems weird. Especially when Kenji-san will be staying with us for a while."
"I'm done!" Yahiko said quite loudly and grabbed Kaoru's hand. "I'm done with my food."
"So?"
"I need to get my lesson today."
"Okay, you will. Now let me just fin-" Kaoru started to finish her sentence but Kenji interrupted.
"Oh how wonderful! I get to see the Master and pupil in action! I would love to see you train, Kaoru. I'm sure you are a wonderful female samurai."
Kaoru blushed at the compliment and let herself be led away by Yahiko who was fuming.
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"Wow!" Kenji said as he saw her move with the shinai in her hand. Yahiko only gripped his bokken harder, and swung more off-handedly.
"Yahiko! You're not paying attention!! Swing more directly. You're getting nowhere!" she shouted out of frustration.
"How about this Kaoru?" Kenji asked as he swung with perfection. A wind blew over them, mixing with Kenji's musky scent of sweat and his ki.
There was an eerily quiet silence in the room and Kenshin stepped up.
"Now I know for a fact Kenji, that you know swordsmanship from somewhere else. Why are you here? If you want to take Kaoru-dono and fight me, you could just say so."
"Why is it that you always think that anyone who keeps and secret and bumps by your life is here to fight you?" Kenji asked amusedly. "Why I could be here to make Kaoru my wife and you wouldn't have anything to do with it."
'There. That did it. Kenji is dead,' Yahiko thought.
"But that's not why you are here! You're lying!" Kenshin gripped the handle of his sakabatou.
"Why would I be lying?"
"I have no farther words to say to you," Kenshin whispered as he drew his sword. "Draw your hidden katana that you have kept from everyone."
A/N: Okay... ummm... dude, action between family. Hiten vs. Hiten! LOL! Well, ummm, I'm not sure if I should make them fight between the next chapter. But so far, I think things should heat up considerably between Kenshin and Kenji. I'm not sure if Kaoru should fall in love with Kenji and Kenji with Kaoru cuz that would be incest, and I'm very hopeful that this would turn out to be K&K pairing.
Well, that's it with my babbling! PLEASE review! Click that beautiful button!
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