Disclaim… er… yeh: *sings* It's not mine, it's not mine, it's not miiiiinnne!
Author's plea: (sideline: yay for another familiar face for this chappy! *excited*)
*on knees* Please don't kill me for the thing I know some people will want to kill me for in this chapter! Don't assume anything until it comes out for sure, okay? And I'm just doing what fits the story best… *wails* We are but mere mortals! *leaves trying to retain some small measure of dignity* …Eh.
The Princess Bride: Kenshin Style Seven
Kaoru couldn't bear the horrible feelings that were welling up and overflowing from her heart. They spilt out into her until she felt so full of sadness and hurt that she could either fall apart or simply fade away into nothing. The tears that ran down her face seemed to do nothing to alleviate the pain, but she couldn't stop them, either. No matter how many times she swiped her face angrily with her sleeve, the damned tears still filled her vision and blinded her. She didn't notice anything around her: she didn't see the gathering clouds overhead, or the way the light was turning gloomy and grey. She didn't even feel the slight chill that swept lazily through the air, the forerunner of rain to come. She couldn't see it for the tears. She couldn't feel it for the hurt. She stumbled on, regardless, wanting only to get away.
A girl watched from the cover of the trees as a girl who looked a similar age went running past with a stumbling step. She watched her with wide eyes: that girl was obviously really upset about something, but the onlooker had no idea what it was all about. She turned to look in the direction the girl had run from- something told her Kenshin wouldn't be far behind.
She waited quietly, though her reason for being there had her wanting to scream.
Kenshin ran out of the stable and headed for the valley: if he knew Kaoru at all, he knew that was where she'd be going right now. He noted the grey sky: it looked like it might start raining soon. He didn't want Kaoru out in that, especially when she was upset as well. Goodness knows what it could all lead to. He lengthened his stride, almost flying over the turf.
Just as he thought he saw Kaoru ahead, just as he was about to shout her name, he was hit in the face.
"Oro!"
Kenshin dazedly sat up from where he had somewhat ungracefully hit the ground. His head was starting to hurt already. He rubbed it in confusion as he looked up, letting his eyes regain focus. A slim, black-haired girl was stood in front of him, her hands on her hips and an unusually serious look on her young face. She also looked highly irritated. Her long raven plait swung the way a cat's tail does when its angry, as the girl tossed her hair and rolled her eyes in exasperation. She glared at the injured farm boy.
"Misao?!" Kenshin gasped, a result of his surprise and his lack of breath at that moment.
"Who did you think it was, the local samurai squirrel, wanting to have tea and a chat? Geez, Kenshin, I've been waiting for AGES! You think I get some insane enjoyment out of creeping around in bushes and watching patches of grass and mud waiting for you for hours on end?" Misao had actually only been waiting for about an hour, but we'll let her have her moment of dramatic hyperbole, just this once. "And what's wrong with you? You couldn't look worse if someone gave you a paper cut and poured lemon juice on it. You look terrible."
Kenshin shook his head. Normally, he would have smiled at such a typically Misao-style outburst, but Kaoru was all he could really think about.
He stood up, dusting himself off. "You didn't have to hit me."
"Oh, yes I did! You were going a mile a minute; nothing else would have stopped you. I suppose you were chasing after that girl-"
"Where did she go?" Kenshin broke in urgently.
"Oh, wait up there, Mister! I didn't come all the way here to get tangled up in whatever mess you've managed to create out here. I…" Misao faltered.
Kenshin took that opportunity to make his escape, ducking past Misao and setting off after Kaoru again.
"ORO!"
He was swiftly yanked back by the back of his kimono's collar, a yank that left him back on the ground. Kenshin thought he'd spent too much time on the ground already that day. Misao loomed over him, looking incredibly annoyed, shooting daggers at Kenshin with her eyes. Is that a twitch? Kenshin mused to himself, watching Misao's eyebrow jerk slightly. Huh. She really is annoyed. Well, that'll have to wait just a moment…
"I have to-" Kenshin began.
"You have to stay right there and listen to me! I'm serious, Kenshin…" Misao looked away with a suddenly upset look on her face. Kenshin was instantly worried. Misao was never upset unless it was something pretty severe. He got up again, putting up his hands in surrender. Kaoru would have to wait a moment. His heart gave a little tug, but he resolutely set that feeling aside. Deal with this first.
"Okay, okay. You know I'm in a hurry and that it's important, but you have something more important, so tell me what it is." Thinking about it, it must be something very serious for Hiko to send someone out to tell me about it. He's not even supposed to know where I am… Not that that stopped those two who attacked me that time, he thought ruefully.
When he looked up, Misao actually had tears in her eyes. That wasn't like Misao at all… Kenshin got very worried indeed at that point.
"Misao! What is it?" he asked anxiously.
Misao opened her mouth to speak, and took a little shaky breath instead. She swallowed, and tried again. "Kenshin… You've been gone so long, and I've missed you a lot, and I hope you know that, so please don't think I'm not happy to see you… It's just something really bad has happened, and I have to tell you…" She looked away, blinking hard. "I hate having to greet you after all this time with bad news…"
Kenshin put his hands on Misao's arms comfortingly. "Just tell me, Misao. Whatever it is, you're here to say it, and I won't blame you for telling me. So just say it."
"There was… There was an ambush, Kenshin. It was bad. Not all of us were there… In fact, the truth is none of us were there to protect him, and it doesn't matter how strong you are, there's only so much one person can do…" Misao stuttered to a halt. A tear fell from under her dark lashes, and trickled mournfully down her pale cheek.
"It's okay, Misao. Keep going." Kenshin felt so sorry for the girl. She was having such a hard time telling him. But at the same time, he couldn't ignore the leaden feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hated that feeling, because he knew what it meant. Something really bad had happened. His throat felt suddenly dry.
"Kenshin… I'm so sorry…" Another tear trickled down. Kenshin waited in agony, mind running frantically with worry, with awful ideas of what it could be.
"It's Hiko…"
Something went icy and tight in Kenshin's chest.
Misao met Kenshin's earnest gaze with tear-filled eyes.
"Hiko's dying."
Hiko… Hiko is… Oh God…Hiko, no…
"What is it?"
"Nothing, sensei, it wasn't anything."
"It was another nightmare. You're still frightened about it, after all this time, my stupid pupil. Have you been trying to remember it? It's been years, Kenshin. You have to put it behind you, once and for all. It will only make you weak, and hold you back, if you don't."
"I understand, sensei."
"Then stop crying at night! Quit running in circles, sort it out in your own head and get over it. Move on."
Kenshin nodded in reply. He knew, he knew! He couldn't help it that he still had these nightmares. He understood that it held him back, his habit of clinging to the past. It was one of those stupid things human beings did: hold on so tightly to the past, even if the memories were only full of pain and hardship. They still clung to it, and let it taint their present and future. He had to let go of that.
Hiko stood up. "Well, go back to sleep then."
Hiko had always looked so tall and so strong to Kenshin. Right then, he seemed to fill the room with his solid frame and long, hazy shadow. It almost seemed as though the moon's beams made way for him. He'd always seemed to have that kind of presence, though: his long, dark hair and sweeping robes gave him an air of assurance and authority that Kenshin had never met with before. That was why he had been scared of Hiko, at first. Now, that was why Kenshin admired Hiko so much.
Kenshin loved Hiko, as a teacher, and sometimes, almost like a father. If Hiko had been Kenshin's father, he might have settled Kenshin back down in his futon and smoothed his hair comfortingly. He might have said something kind and encouraging, maybe stayed and talked to him until he was happy and could sleep again. Maybe he would have said, "I'll be here to protect you, Kenshin. Nothing can get you now."
Hiko was not Kenshin's father.
Hiko stretched and yawned. "You can't keep waking me up like this. You know I'm a light sleeper." He sighed. "I'm gonna be tired tomorrow." He left the room, and as the door slid closed, Kenshin just caught a muffled, "Stupid pupil."
Kenshin lay back down. Hiko always came when Kenshin woke up shivering or crying.
But Hiko wasn't a light sleeper.
"With ALL your strength! No, ALL of it! Don't hold back!"
Kenshin yelled aloud as he rushed at his sensei again. His determination was written all over his childish face as he ran, sword in hand, towards his teacher.
A sharp 'ching!' announced their meeting, and Kenshin was flung back, lost his footing, and landed heavily, panting.
"You're a stupid pupil! You're still afraid of hurting me. You shouldn't think so meanly of me, that I couldn't block an attack from you! Do it again."
Kenshin stood up, wiping sweat from his forehead, panting in the hot sun. He backed away, and readied his stance.
"Right. Go!"
Kenshin sprang forward again, with a louder cry, hoping that Hiko didn't see the tiny extra glitter to his fierce gaze. Hiko never appreciated seeing Kenshin with tears in his eyes, even if they were caused by a curiously intense determination.
"YAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Ching!
Kenshin hung his head, panting still. Hiko stood over him.
"Why are you holding back? Why don't you attack me? Pretend I'm an enemy. Hate me. Rush at me. Fight me!" Hiko would have sounded only faintly insistent and ordinary in tone to anyone else, but Kenshin recognised the edge of exasperation in his voice. He felt like wincing. But something else in him, something that felt more like shouting, instead brought a calm over him, and a strange sense of dignity.
He stood up, slowly, feeling the calmness lending control and grace to his movements. He kept his head down, hiding his eyes behind a curtain of red hair.
"I can't pretend you're an enemy, sensei. I can never pretend that." He spoke the words quietly. A child's voice, touching the silence. The words sounded so small in the sunlit air.
Kenshin couldn't see Hiko's face through his hair: he kept his eyes on the ground.
There was a slight pause. Kenshin anxiously wondered what Hiko was thinking.
"My stupid pupil. Go back and do it again."
Kenshin looked up in surprise at Hiko's voice. There had been a tone to it that Kenshin had never heard before from him- the slightest hint of something akin to gentleness… So slight: but it had been there.
Hiko had already turned around, away from his pupil when the boy raised his eyes. Kenshin never saw the look in his sensei's eyes as he spoke those words.
Drops had already begun to fall from the melancholy sky as Kenshin ran after Kaoru. They fell into his hair, dulling its bright sheen, making it hang limp about his face. He wondered if all of the water on his face was rain, or if a tear had dripped from his fast blinking lashes. He didn't even know. He was still numbed inside, still unable to quite understand what Misao had told him. He'd left her under the trees with a simple, "I understand. Just give me an hour, Misao. Just an hour."
Kenshin felt so hollow and empty inside. His life had felt so simple, and so full of hope, recently. He'd dreamed of peacefulness and simplicity all his life: he'd just had it within his grasp, and now it was slipping through his fingers. He'd had Kaoru there with him: even though she didn't love him, she was there, for him to gaze upon, to talk to, to adore. He couldn't sigh heavily enough. There was nothing inside to sigh out: he was so empty. Any train of thought he may have had had failed him by this time. He couldn't believe what was happening. Everything was going wrong… Everything was falling apart…
And he just couldn't understand any of it.
All he knew was that he had to talk to Kaoru, he had to try and explain everything to her, now, in this moment, with this one chance. He hoped she didn't already hate him by now. He prayed she'd understand.
Notes to readers: As always, a BIG thank you for taking the time to leave a review, it makes me feel so encouraged and ready to write more! *grin*
Emma: You might not have liked this chapter as much, cos of not knowing the background of Kenshin, ut I am trying hard to make this all self-explanatory, okay! *shields face from incoming blunt objects* Gah!! *runs away* I know, I know, it's fluffy! But you like fluff really… Even tho you won't admit it! HAH!
Kaoru: Kawaii Aisuno Sakura: Hello! Geez, I giggled so much reading your review! I started off looking confused, but I was laughing by the end: I could really picture the whole 'rushing around, pulling on clothes, eating breakfast while reading a story and typing a review' thing! Mostly cos I'm so haphazard in my routine pretty much every morning! *grin* PS. I have faith that you will remember one day… ^_^
Alx 91: *giggle* I'm so mean, aren't I? Next thing you know, I'll be going on an authorial power trip, leaving off in majorly cliff-hangy places! MWAHAHA! (just kidding, I'll try not to be too mean!)
DunkmoonX: Glad you're liking it, I'm getting more confident with each chapter, which can't be bad. Yeh, that woman was evil… She's adapted from the Princess Bride, originally a Count's wife who takes a liking to Westley (Kenshin). I despised her in the book: does it show in my version? *innocent* ^_^
Gochan: Oh, think nothing of it! It's nice to know you're there and reading anyway. Thank you so much for the compliment: I'm enjoying writing this a lot, and the reviews I get just make it even better! Yeh, thoroughly is right: I've realised I've taken seven chapters so far to relate what happened in one chapter in the PB book: but I guess I'm being more detailed in a way. It always frustrated me in the book that there wasn't much fluff… *throws another bucket of fluff onto the computer* There we go!
Coherentidiot: Hiya! Please don't wail! I know it was rather cruel of me… But I still enjoyed it *evil grin* Ah, the fun was indeed thinking of how Kenshin would've ended up like that. I was going to make it less extreme at first- like maybe she'd be pinned against the wall- but then I thought, What the heck, may as well go the full distance with this! Anyhoo, hope you liked this chapter. (please don't spank me) ;)
DarkMoonGoddess: Thank you very much! Glad to hear you like it. And I hope this chapter doesn't cause any complaints either!
Akai Kitsune: I know, I know! *puts on a crash helmet* er, okay, maybe that's going a bit far… ^_^ But it's fun to get everything moving along, now all the basics have been established. Hurrah for plot movement! *blows a party whistle*
Raven Pan: Here is more PB: KS for you. I hope you enjoyed it! More on the way in five days… ^_^
Girl: Yeh, I was vastly glad to kick her out of this story once and for all! Though she did serve her purpose well enough. Ah, well! I can't remember now which exact website I got those lyrics from, but that site name rings a bell. It is a gorgeous song, isn't it? I'm glad you liked it being there: it did make the extra notes on that chapter a little extensive…! Seeya in five days then ^_^
Califpinay3001: Here is the next update: I'm afraid it doesn't deal with how Kenshin and Kaoru sort things out- I'm being cruel again and making everyone wait for the next chapter for that! But I hope you liked this chapter anyway ^_^
Angelsexist: And another chapter! And another! And another! *getting carried away* Okay, okay, five days again til the next one! *calm, calm…*
Papaya: No, don't cry: I'm a victim too, when the tables are turned and I'm reading someone else's story. *puts on a dunce hat and sits in the corner* I don't want to rub it in: forgive me for my not-so-humble joke. *appropriately chastened* … *scouts honour gesture* I shall never again abuse my position as an author! Please keep reading! Here: read this! Oh, wait, you must have already read this if you're at this section, cos this section is after the actual story… *shifts dunce hat into firmer position on head* Buh. (have a point for 'ignominy', I was duly impressed) ^_^
Me: Hello! *cackles too* hm, cackling is more fun than I expected… no wonder witches do it so much. Anyway, here is the next chapter. Hope you liked it. And don't worry: Hawk-eyes is GONE. *Hawk-eyes taps at the window, begging for food* GET LOST! *mutters* Horrible woman…
I: Ah, he tried, how he tried… Next chapter for that I guess!
Demon Neko-Chan: Thanks! I'm actually finding it difficult to predict what I'll be doing next myself… But improvisation is the spice of life, ne? ^_^ Keeps me on my toes…
Vash-chan AKA Makoto Almasy: Hawk-eyes was from the Princess Bride, the book. Although I tweaked her as a character a little. Yeh, she was a real moo though. I think she needed to have some power tho, to give Kenshin a kick up the proverbial butt in preparation for this chapter's events… Not that I think he was really ready for it anyway. *pats Kenshin on the head comfortingly* Poor thing. Hm, Heart of Sword is a lovely song, the lyrics especially- glad you appreciated that! ^_^
Kaoru_kamiya_theRacoonGirl: Thank you! Here is more! And more to come in five days, of course! ^_^
Silver_iris: No worries- it's good to know you're still reading, that's all! Yeh, I wanted Kenshin to kick her in the shins, but when I asked him, he just shook his head and said, 'No way, that's not kind at all." And he did that look. So I caved in. *ahh, Kenshin, so handsome…* … *drool* eh, sorry! *sheepish*
TenkunoMeiou: Here is the update: and more in five days. Hope you liked this chapter! ^_^
Jellybob 15: Hello again! Thank you: and yes, things will surely be alright in the end, for it is being written by me, and I'm a sucker for happy endings… *sheepish grin* But I do like some ups and downs along the way, of course. The course of true love never did run smooth and all that.
Keta Hiatari: Thank you! *happy dance* Here is your next chapter: I will continue to describe everything to the best of my ability! *SIR YES SIR!* ^_^ I'm so chuffed by your review tho, I hope you liked this chapter as much!
Lady E: AAAnd the five days are up! But now is another five days for chapter eight… *sigh* It just goes on and on… But I don't blame Kaoru for getting it wrong, it did look pretty bad. And yes,Hawk-eyes is just a moo-cow. *sticks tongue out at Hawk-eyes* Ner.
Rainhe: Aw, Kaoru's not so rude… Just emotionally fragile. Gah! *dodges as Kaoru flings a book at my head* Yipes! Maybe not so fragile!
t.angel: Yes, Kenshin, stop reminiscing and get a move on! Sheesh, such a lazy hero! *grin*
nae-chan: Thank you! Prince Humperdink… *taps nose* all will be revealed in due course! Oh yes, I couldn't wait to get rid of Hawk-eyes, she was a lot like Megumi wasn't she? Not intentional tho. Coincidental! Hope you liked this chapter, anyway!
NightRain: Thanks! Yes, I did horse riding once, clean tack is a great commodity. *grin* Sleep! Sleep is good… ^_^
Mary: Yeh, I dream of meeting Kenshin every day- or at least a guy exactly like him. I have my mum learning just what he looks and acts like, so if she ever sees him, she can bring him home for me! *sheepish grin* He is so lovely tho. Anyhoo, hope you liked this chappie!
Iris: Ah, farm boy is the epiphany of rural perfection! He's directly from The Princess Bride: I didn't alter his name, it's cute and fits the story. ^_^ Don't worry, Kenshin and Kaoru can't go on at odds forever: they are meant to be together, really!
Kamimura Kaoru: Thank you very much! And thank you for taking the time to review each chapter: it's very much appreciated. By me. ^_^ Mm, Kenshin is really cute indeed… It's easy to make him a likeable character, cos he is already so likeable! And a way-cool samurai! Don't worry, they will be together in the end: K+K all the way! YEAH! *cough* Well, here is the next chapter, next one in another five days! ^_^
Rosevine: Hello again! It was nice chatting to you, by the way. And I'll be reading more of your stories soon. ^_^
Kid Blink: Thank you! Here is more! And more will be here in five days! *grin*
Spot Conlon's goil: Well, I'm afraid I'm limited to some degree because of the Princess Bride basis of the story- but Sano is too cool a character to not crop up sometime! ^_^
Shattered Reflection: Thanks! *feels very chuffed* er.. *tries to prise the sweets from reviewer's grasp* *Kenshin nods with a long-suffering look* I don't think these are good for you… *grin* Ah, who cares, I'm usually hyper myself! ^_^ Well, for you this is updated soon, cos today is my five-day due, also the day you found this story, so you didn't have to wait to see what happened next! Well, hope you liked this chappie. Seeya!
Well, thank you all for the reviews and to anyone reading this now! Please please make my day and leave your thoughts! I'll be back with more in five days! *grins and goes to watch more anime* la la la la…