Blast from the Past
Running from her friends, Kaoru knew that they would want to know more about the girl called Rorokko, but she could not take any more surprises. Entering the outskirts of the Dojo, her brisk run became a doleful walk. After all this time....
Back at the Dojo, everyone was confused at the scene Kaoru had just shown, but refused to say anything irrational.
"What was that all about?" Yahiko asked as he watched the dust clear in
Kaoru's wake. Shrugging off the innocence, he found it hard to cope with his growing curiosity. Who was the girl that lay asleep and injured inside? What did she have to do with Kaoru's odd behavior? Only emptiness and a sense of wonder followed his internal questions.
As day became dusk and the assistant-manager of the Kamiya Dojo had yet to return, the rest of the residents mingled around quietly. The last bits of sunshine fell below the horizon and darkness streaked the sky.
"Where is Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin wondered aloud as he finished the last of his meal. Alone he sat, for he had waited for the return of the stubborn Swordswoman. Standing up he realized the time and slowly stepped out of his room. The patter of his feet against the wooden floors echoed in his ears. Opening the door, he hoped he would catch sight of a disgruntled and hungry Kaoru, but no such luck intervened.
"Lets get you home. Your grandfather will be very worried about you, that he will," the redheaded former wanderer told the two little girls. Bending to pick them up, he thought he saw movement beside the edge of the Dojo, but thinking nothing of it, continued his task of escorting the two little girls home.
Wiping at invisible dust particles on her kimono, Kaoru tried to occupy her mind on anything but her past. But it had been so long since her departure... As dark consumed the land once more, the weariness became apparent to her as she distanced herself from her friends and everything she knew. Again she tried not to think of the past but found it difficult.
"Looks like little miss prissy is running away again!" came an almost distant voice from behind her. Her anger smoldering, Kaoru turned to face her opponent, and before she even realized it, she was yelling back.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" she screamed, but felt her stomach lurch as she saw the bedraggled form of Rorokko before her. Unsure of her feelings, she felt eight years old again.
Suddenly she was back in her little flowered kimono, dressed and ready for the carnival that was to be held in a few minutes.
"C'mon Kaoru, we're going to be the last ones there!" a much younger Rorokko called from outside. Pushing back the rice-paper door, little Kaoru ran to her friend and together, they walked to the festivities.
Again her mind was racing. Now she was ten years old, and hot tears found their way down her face. As they puddle on the dirt road, she couldn't find the strength to speak. All she could do was wave her hand to say goodbye as Rorokko was led away.
"Kaoru! Don't let them! Please..." Rorokko cried in vain. This would be the last time they would meet for seven years.
Snapping back to the present, Kaoru was barely aware of her feet moving below her. Side by side the two walked back to the Dojo to find (to Kaoru's great relief), no one to greet them. At least that's what they assumed. Pushing open the doors to where Rorokko had been, the two were pounced on upon the angry Sanosuke.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?" Sano asked as his face turned a bright purple. Unsure of what he might do if they dignified themselves with an answer, Kaoru let herself be ushered outside.
"I can't believe you...you could have injured yourself, well you know what I mean," said the less tempered Sano as he pushed Rorokko to bed. Tucking her in, he noticed that she was asleep before he could even say goodnight, which was ok by him because he didn't like mushy stuff like that. But he couldn't help notice the moistened glimmer of her lips as she slept...
Back inside, Kaoru had just run into the sleepy eyed Yahiko. Rubbing at his eyes, he yawned and frowned at the assistant-master.
"And where have you been?" He pursued, knowing all too well that Kaoru was no one to take talk like that from him.
"Now now, Yahiko. I bet Miss Kaoru is tired. You should go to sleep as well, that you should," Echoed Kenshin from behind the little swordsman. Pushing him back inside the room of which he had came from, the fiery-haired man led himself, and the following Kaoru, to his room. There, he had saved some Miso soup in hopes of Kaoru's awaited return.
"I was quite worried, that I was. You shouldn't have run off like that, Miss Kaoru," he said in a hushed voice. Thinking of the worst response from the hungry girl, Kenshin pushed her bowl of cold soup forward. Even with his curiosity rising, he knew from experience that Kaoru wouldn't be the kind to talk about her feelings until she was ready. Knowing this, he watched with growing affection, as the seventeen-year old ate.
As the sun dawned its presence on the land, signs of life began to awake within the Kamiya Dojo. First to make their presence known was Sanosuke, who thought he had waited long enough for his breakfast.
"Hey, Kenshin! This stuff is great!" he said as he dug into his breakfast.
"And what makes you think that I made it, Sano?" Kenshin answered.
"Well...Yahiko doesn't cook, and Kaoru's food tastes nasty," he said through a mouthful of food. To this, he received a severe blow to the head by a bowl, sent flying by the enraged Kaoru.
"For your information, I can so cook but it happens that she has always been good with food," came the misty voice of the young assistant-master.
"I never said you couldn't cook. I just said it tastes like sh..." Sano started to say, but was cut short as he dodged another flying bowl.
About to finish his sentence, he was once again cut off by the appearance of Rorokko. As she stumbled down the steps, he ran he assist her, only to find that her stubbornness was equal to his.