A/N: Italics – dream sequences
Warning: Contains spoilers
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Chapter 2: A Chance Meeting
"Always do right. That will gratify some of the people, and astonish the rest."
~ Mark Twain
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"Welcome home Kenshin…"
Those words echoed and reverberated around in his head. They held such meaning, such warmth. It always started this way… a gentle gesture… a simple phrase, but the outcome was inevitable… it always turned cold.
"Welcome home Kenshin…"
Even with those inviting words on the edge of his awareness Kenshin found himself whisked away to that horrible scene…
…darkness… confusion… a desperate strike… two gasps… the realization of what had just happened…
There he was once again, holding Tomoe's lifeless body as the blood of his enemy and love spread all around. The swordsman brought his hand to his cheek and sure enough he felt the blood from her slash slowly trickle down his face and onto his fingers. First her fiancé… then Tomoe herself… they had completed the cross shape scar he bore and he had killed them both. One out of malice, the other by accident, but the end result was the same. They had both died by his hand and he bore their burden still.
Kenshin closed his eyes and held the beaten body close, not caring about his own grievous injures or the blood covering them both. The weight of his sins crushing his lithe shoulders down in remorse.
'I'm sorry," he said softly, knowing she could not hear him.
The swordsman opened his eyes and suddenly the scene swirled and coalesced into a different one. He couldn't see where he was, but fire raged all around him and smoke quickly filled the room making it hard to breath. Kenshin looked down and now to his horror Tomoe was in his arms no longer. There, pale and broken in the harsh red light was Kaoru's lifeless form.
"No!" he tried to yell, but the word wouldn't push past the knot in his throat.
Tears welled and fell unnoticed in the torrent of emotion. How? Why her? One emotion that was pushing past all the rest of the confusing jumble was rage.
"Why her?" he yelled with such an intensity it made his body tremble.
Hard yellow tinted eyes looked around wildly for the source of Kaoru's demise. Whoever it was would pay with their life for this… it was then that it came to him… it was his doing…
That thought made his mind freeze and his body tremble and Kenshin fell down into the blackness of his mind…
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Kenshin's tired mind slowly came back to awareness with the images of his dream burned into his memory. He woke up just in time to hear Yahiko ask Miss Kaoru a question. Not wanting to be questioned himself, the swordsman kept his eyes closed and listened to his friends talk quietly.
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Kaoru glanced a bit worriedly over at Kenshin. He had never before fallen asleep during something like a train ride or traveling anywhere for that matter. Yet it had happened. She had been arguing with Sanosuke, who sat across from her and next to Yahiko, then turned to ask Kenshin to come to her defense only to find that he had his head cradled in his arm and leaning against the wall. Everyone had been surprised and went silent after that, not wanting to wake their companion. As Kaoru studied him she noticed that he did look a little tired and perhaps a bit pale. Kaoru tore her eyes away from Kenshin and looked over at the other two. Sanosuke sat with his legs up to his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around them. Every once in awhile she could something muttered from him that always contained the phrase "tea kettle." Yahiko was staring at the ground being surprisingly silent. Almost as if he felt her eyes upon him, the boy looked up and met his teacher's eyes. She tried to smile reassuringly at the boy. The three barely talked for the rest of the train ride.
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"What? What do you mean it's a two day walk from the train station?" Yahiko asked.
"Well how else did you think we were going to get there?" Kaoru answered back haughtily.
Yahiko tried to retort with something, but all he could do was stand there with his mouth open.
"Looks like the missy got you there," Sanosuke chuckled.
"Besides," Kaoru began smiling, "it will be nice to walk outside, it's beautiful! We can see if one of the villages along the way has a place to stay tonight."
"And if not, sleeping under the stars isn't that bad," Kenshin finished smiling at the boy.
Yahiko snapped his mouth shut, grabbed his bag, and started walking down the road without a word. Kaoru had to put a hand to her mouth to keep from giggling. The three others followed after the boy.
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Kaoru was right, the day turned out to be sunny and warm. It bordered on being too hot, but there was a nice steady, gentle breeze caressing the landscape. The group walked in peace for a long time before they decided to stop and eat. They snacked on rice balls, which much to Sanosuke and Yahiko's delight, Kenshin had made. After that they continued on their way in content. As they walked Kenshin forced his mind to soak in the serenity around him. He was beginning to think that this was a good idea after all.
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The day had passed uneventful, with the minor exception of Sanosuke knocking Yahiko into a tree for something the boy had said. It was starting to get close to nightfall and the sun was low in the sky casting shadows that danced and played in the gentle wind. In the distance tiny motes of light started to spring to life.
"We can make that village before nightfall," Kaoru suggested.
The others merely nodded. They walked on for a little while as the shadows began to deepen and the motes of light grew larger. Out of the gloom ahead and around a bend in the road voices could be heard.
"Stop it!" rang a woman's voice.
At the sound of the indignant plea the group ran ahead and turned the corner. There in the road was a young woman, four men, and a boy half Yahiko's age. One of the men had the small boy hoisted in the air by his hanten. The woman had a hold of the man's arm holding the boy and by their appearance it was easy to see that the woman was the child's mother. The group ran forward and stopped with Kenshin standing slightly in front of the rest.
"Put the boy down gently, if you would," Kenshin commanded calmly.
"And just who are you to request that?" one of the men asked coming forward.
"Who I am is of no consequence, but I believe the boy's mother asked you to stop what you were doing."
"And that is no concern of yours," the same man stated.
"Do you think you're tough threatening a little boy? It doesn't matter who you are, that type of behavior is uncalled for!" Kaoru shouted.
"Hey boys," another man said stepping forward, "it looks like we have another fiery one!"
Three of the men laughed including the one holding the still struggling little boy. He dropped the boy forgetting about him for the time being. As soon as the boy hit the ground he rushed to his mother's protective arms and the pair backed out of the way. The three boisterous men came forward in a challenging position to Kenshin and the others. Each drew the swords strapped to their belts and charged.
"This is almost too easy," Sanosuke muttered seeing the three men charge.
Sanosuke met the first man and easily side stepped the lousy swing the guy made for him with his sword. The fighter quickly faced the man and punched upward hitting the man square in the jaw to send him sprawling backwards.
At the same time Yahiko drew his Bokutou and parried the strike of the second guy. He used the larger man's momentum and withdrew the Bokutou. The man over balanced and pitched face forward. Yahiko quickly brought his Bokutou up to smack the guy hard on the back with it.
Kaoru, Bokutou still available even in the yukatan, ducked under the third man's strike and struck him with her Bokutou to send him face first into the ground.
Kenshin, trusting in his companions' skills to handle the three charging men, focused his attention on the fourth quiet man in the back. He saw the figure retreat into the darker shadows of the trees lining the road. The man brought his arm up towards the strange woman and her child and Kenshin caught a brief glimpse of light reflecting off something metal. His eyes widened briefly as he realized what was about to transpire and, eyes hardening, Kenshin drew his sword and bolted forward with every bit of speed he possessed. The swordsman heard the definitive click right as he struck the object in the man's hand. The sword hit the pistol with enough force, even for the dull edge of the blade, to crack the weapon in half just as the shot fired.
The resounding wave of the backfire echoed amongst the trees and the swordsman felt a sharp flare of pain as a soaring piece of the destroyed weapon collided with his temple and the ground rushed up to meet him. The blast knocked both Kenshin and the stranger off their feet and the two hit the ground stunned.
Sano, Kaoru, and Yahiko turned sharply at the loud noise in time to see the two men get knocked backwards to land their backs. With their opponents already taken care of the three rushed forward. Sanosuke went to stand before the woman and her son while Kaoru and Yahiko went to kneel by their stunned companion.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru called as she knelt down next to the red-haired man.
Kenshin had a cut along the right side of his forehead and blood dripped down and into his hair. He slowly opened cloudy eyes to fix an unsteady gaze at Kaoru.
"Are you alright?" Sanosuke and Kaoru asked at the same time.
In response to Sanosuke, the woman hugged her son even tighter and gave a nod. Sanosuke guessed her to be close to Megumi's age. The woman was as tall as Megumi also with long hair that hung to her waist, even tied back in a lose ponytail. She wore a blue kimono with a white floral pattern in a toned down color of a mature or married woman.
As for Kenshin he simply brought a hand up to his aching head still a little too stunned to answer. He sat up slowly with Kaoru's help and without thinking she kept a protective arm around the swordsman's shoulders.
"Thank you," the woman said to the group.
"So, what did these guys want anyway?" Sano asked.
"They are part of the group that constantly hassles our village. This is nothing new, but I am getting ahead of myself. Please, let me introduce myself. My name is Saori Kano and this is my son, Ninsei," she said and gave a small bow.
Her speech and posture spoke of a certain refinement.
Sanosuke, still standing next to the woman, introduced everyone and indicated who each was with a motion of his hand.
'Thank you again," Saori said, "but what are the four of you doing out on the road at such an hour? I do not recognize you and I know most of the people in this area."
"We are just traveling through here," Kaoru answered.
"Traveling?" Saori asked a little taken back, "Where were you going this late in the evening?"
"Actually, we were heading to the village just ahead to see if there was a place available to stay there."
"Well, there aren't any places of the kind in that village, but that is where my son and I live and where we were heading back to. You can stay with us if you wish. It's the least I could do for you," Saori offered kindly.
"Thank you very much," Kaoru said smiling.
"Yeah, I don't mind sleeping outside, but a bed's always better!" Sano put in.
'It would be my pleasure. Come, we should be on our way before it gets dark."
"But what about these three?" Yahiko asked gesturing to the three attackers on the ground.
"There is no form of police in the village ahead and they would not be dealt with anyway. The only thing we can do is leave them here. Trust me on this, now we should really go before it gets any later. What questions you have may wait until later."
Everyone nodded in agreement. They were all curious as to what had just transpired here, but such a discussion could wait until they had gotten to their destination. Kaoru helped Kenshin to stand and the swordsman unconsciously gripped onto the woman as the world threatened to tilt. Kaoru and Yahiko both reached out to steady the man and Kenshin brought his hand up to his head again.
"Are you alright Kenshin?" Kaoru asked looking at him in concern.
"It's alright Miss Kaoru, that it is," he answered smiling.
Kaoru went to her forgotten bag and dug around a little before coming back to stand next to Kenshin.
"Here," she said bringing a strip of cloth up to gently press against the still bleeding cut.
"Thank you," Kenshin said replacing her hand with his.
"If you can walk Mr. Himura, we should be on our way. I will clean that wound for you once we are safely within the village," Saori said calmly.
"Thank you Ma'am. I can walk just fine, that I can."
Saori nodded to the swordsman and led the small group towards the now dark outline of the nearby village.
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Kenshin was mostly steady on his feet anyway as he walked and Kaoru made sure to keep close by. As they walked the cut on his forehead stopped bleeding, but Kenshin's head was already beginning to pound. Each step jolted his aching head and it was beginning to make him queasy. Even through the pain in his head the swordsman's mind wouldn't rest. He had many questions for and about Saori. For starters, what were a mother and child doing out by themselves near dusk? Also why was there no form of police in the village and why had she seemed so adamant about leaving her attackers there? Who were those men and what did they want? It was obvious the woman and child had nothing of value on them. Something about the whole situation didn't set right with the swordsman. He could also plainly read the restraint Saori used when talking to them, and although she was good at hiding it, the suspicion and fear she held towards them also. But for all that she had a good heart, so the answers could wait for the mean time.
It was dark by the time they reached the village. Not much could be seen of the village in the gloom before the stars came out and Saori seemingly lead them around the edge of the small area before they reached her house on the opposite side. The group removed their shoes and entered the structure. There was nothing that stood out in the small room except for the wall scroll hanging near the shoin in the room. The scroll was beautiful with the image of a tiger running the full length of the picture, its head near the bottom, and an elaborately woven forest background.
Kenshin and the others were instructed to wait where they were and Saori put Ninsei to bed. When she returned she went about cleaning the cut on Kenshin's forehead like promised. Maybe it was her etiquette or her beauty, Kaoru couldn't decide, but Saori reminded her of Megumi. And that, she did know for a fact, annoyed her. She practically cringed when the older woman was close to Kenshin's face cleaning the cut. But unlike Megumi, Saori did it all without the amount of flirting the doctor preferred. In fact, the woman had hardly said two words to them the whole time. That done Saori excused herself and disappeared for a little while. The group could hear her moving around in the kitchen and everyone was strangely quiet as they waited.
A short time later Saori reappeared with a simply meal for the group.
"This is not the richest of villages I'm afraid," the woman began setting the food down on the table, "I hope this will suffice. You must be tired; I will bring you blankets in a moment. We can talk of tonight's happenings tomorrow."
The group gave a collective "thank you" before Saori left to retrieve the blankets. She returned after a moment then excused herself for the night. The group ate in silence before someone dared to break the stillness.
"Is it me, or is that woman colder than Megumi when we first meet her?" Sanosuke asked.
"You said it!" Yahiko agreed.
"Sanosuke! Yahiko! We are in her home!" Kaoru chastised them.
"And Miss Megumi turned out to be alright after all, that she did," Kenshin chimed in.
"Yeah, but you have to admit that if it weren't for her feeling obligated, she never would have invited us here," Sanosuke said.
Kenshin nodded at the fighter's reasoning. He couldn't argue with that point.
"I have a feeling there's more to this whole situation than it would seem."
"Why is that Kenshin?" Kaoru asked.
Kenshin turned to look where Saori had disappeared.
"Mrs. Kano has a good heart under there somewhere. I think she just needs help to bring it out."
At the distant look in Kenshin's eyes Kaoru could feel her temperature start to rise. How was it that older women could be so slimy even when they weren't trying, she asked herself.
Kenshin turned to look back at Kaoru and froze.
"Oh my, it's getting late. We should all get some rest, that we should!" Kenshin said hurriedly.
Kenshin almost sighed out loud in relief when he saw Kaoru's anger melt away suddenly.
"How is your head doing? Is it bothering you?" she asked quietly.
"It's fine Miss Kaoru, really."
Kaoru wasn't so convinced about that, but she said no more. She noticed the slight squint of Kenshin's eyes and figured it was to hide the pounding in his head she knew was there.
The group set up the blankets and prepared to settle down for the night. It had been a peaceful day with an unexpected ending, but at least they had found a place to stay for the night. Kenshin took one last thoughtful look at where their hostess had disappeared, but before he could contemplate their situation anymore he felt his lids becoming extremely heavy. It was a familiar feeling, the overwhelming fatigue that usually accompanies a head wound, and he knew he that no matter how much he fought it, he would drift of to sleep soon. So instead the swordsman closed his eyes and let sleep claim him. He could find out the answers he wanted in the morning.
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TBC…***************
Hope you all enjoyed! Yes, just as the summary says, this will be a Kenshin / Sano centered fic. I'm getting to it Red! Honest!
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Tsuki no Lomelinde – Thanks!! And here ya go! And no, it won't be slash. Not that I'm not a fan of some pairings! ^_^ But I'm not sure of my capability to write one, so this will be a friendship fic. Hope you enjoyed.
NeptuneHelena – Heh, what would my writing be without angst? Pretty boring! Yay, I got squeezed! And this update was pretty darn quick for me! Go me!
merlyn1382 – Thanks for both! I am trying on the characterization. When you first start a story it takes awhile to get used to writing them, so thanks!
Red Tigress – Right! The only proper thing to do with fire! Kenshin-like? Haha, thanks! And what else am I here for but distraction? Haha. There will be more Kenshin / Sano thought switching, fear not my Sano fan.
Meghan – And I'm glad you decided to read it! Thanks for the complements. Hope you enjoyed the second chapter.