x Sorry it took so long for me to post...I just got caught up in the summer. I would also like to thank people for putting up with me while I haven't posted...I can't do personal thanks sorry, but I can thank Koishii Sweet, Annabella5, Cookie6, Gaby, Magiabruxa, Mina-chan, Mishorou mie, and all my other reviewers who have been here since the beginning. Without you I'd have stopped long ago!
The day of the preliminaries in the tournament was coming closer. Every day the kendo class worked them selves to the brink of death. And at the end of the most recent class, even stoic Aioshi was panting like a dog. But that day it was all worth it because Kaoru Kamiya lasted for 5 minutes and 3 seconds against the Hitokiri Battousai.
The word on everyone's mind was training. Before they went to sleep they all went through their paces, and did the very same when they woke in the morning. It was a cycle. They had practiced a lot before, and now that's all it was. Kaoru often found herself passed out over her math homework because she was so tired.
On one of these such days, Battousai came home late one night from band practice and gave a sigh when he saw the sleeping form on the table. 'Kaoru, you work too hard.' He thought with a wry grin. He went over to pick her up and take her to bed but he froze suddenly. There was blood on her, it was dripping on the floor.
Quick as a flash Battousai's hand went to her pulse, checking for life. She was still alive, thank Kami. He lifted her slowly and laid her on the table. She groaned in her sleep. He pushed up the bottom of her T-shirt and his question was answered. She had pulled the stitches out from where she had been shot. It also looked like it was becoming infected.
'Damn!' he thought with a growl. 'We were all so fanatical about Kendo that no one noticed.' He didn't want to risk it getting more infected; he would have to take her to the hospital. Bending down Battousai shook her awake. Kaoru woke up with a groan and then sobbed, she could feel the wound.
"Shhh." He whispered to her. "You're stitches have opened up again, I'm taking you to the hospital." She gave a nod in reply and allowed Battousai to wrap some bandages around her middle to stop some of the blood flow. He then took some clear liquid and injected it into her arm. "This will make you fall asleep so you won't feel it, alright?" Again she nodded and slowly slipped into blackness.
He acted immediately, sprinting down the stairs to his car. He laid her in the back seat and strapped her in. After making sure Kaoru was secure he floored it and they sped off to the hospital. He dodged cars, ran lights, almost hit a train, and on top of that, he managed to cause a few accidents. Battousai really didn't care though, because he knew she was going to run out of blood soon.
He reached the hospital and quickly took Kaoru out of the car. Running into the emergency room he called for a stretcher. The lady at reception took one look at the girl covered in blood, and the man, now also covered in blood, holding her and she called in a stretcher. He tried to follow the medics as they took her away, and he succeeded for a while. It actually took 5 lab techs to drag him away.
He was sat down in the emergency room and a doctor came out shortly to talk with him. "Sir, would you mind if I asked you a few questions about the girl you came in with?"
He was answered with a cold golden-eyed Battousai stare. The doctor gave a shiver without thinking. It was quite unnerving to be fixed with that stare, and even worse when the man giving it was covered in blood. The doctor cleared his throat. "What is her name?"
Battousai growled at him and answered. "Kamiya Kaoru."
"Would you care to tell me how she received an infected bullet wound with the stitches pulled out?"
"Well, she had a bit of an accident a little while ago. A gang attacked her and she was shot. Having some medical experience myself from the war, I fixed her up when I found her. She has been practicing for a kendo competition for a while now, and today she just put too much strain on herself and the stitches came loose. This case had already been discussed by Sgt. Hajime Saitoh at the police station."
"Ah, thank you for your input, I would like to ask one more question. I would like to contact her family on this matter."
Battousai actually gave a groan then. "Well, sir, her parents have sort of kicked her out. I have taken over her care." He said this with a tone that could freeze fire.
Again the doctor shivered. "Be that as it may, I do need to bring in her legal guardians."
He just glared and wrote their number down on a piece of paper. "Here." He told the man in a monotone voice. "But don't expect any help from them. I will pay all of her doctor's bills if need be."
If Battousai was in a foul mood before, he was furious now. The last thing on Earth Kaoru needed was to have her parents squabbling about her while she was sick. It probably wouldn't help his self control either.
Then, he began to pace. Seconds ticked by, and turned into minutes. Slowly he managed to calm his Ki and place the false cheery purple eyes that made people a lot calmer. The minutes turned into hours and then he heard the door open and knew who it was, Kaoru's family. He had the sudden urge to run and hide behind the secretary shivering, but when it occurred to him that as the Hitokiri Battousai he knew he couldn't run. After all, Kaoru's mother wasn't all that bad.
As soon at the small woman had walked through the door, she zeroed in on Battousai. Storming across the room, Mrs. Kamiya looked quite scary if you were the one her wrath was going to be injected upon. A fleeting through passed through his mind, 'That's where Kaoru gets her death glare.'
He was painfully pulled out of his musing by a harsh slap across his face. He glared at the woman, his purple stare suddenly turning into a burning gold glare. Mrs. Kamiya gasped, but regained her composure. "How dare you hurt our Kaoru, you bastard!" she spat at him. "I knew you couldn't be trusted."
Battousai groaned, he could feel a migraine coming on. "Look lady, I didn't hurt your daughter. I wasn't the one who shot her. I did track her, kill the men who kidnapped her, take her home to clean and sew the wound, and on top of it all I cleared the whole thing with the police."
Kaoru's mother was about to start on a tangent again, but at hearing 'kill the men,' she froze. "You...you killed them?"
He looked at her quizzically. "Yeah, wouldn't you?" After he said that he mentally cursed. 'There I go forgetting it was modern day again.'
"How?" she asked and then cursed, she hadn't meant it to sound like that.
"Well, I used a sword, what else?"
Mrs. Kamiya then did something she had never done before, she fainted. Her husband wasn't as fazed. "Are you telling me that you took down a bunch of guys with guns with a sword?"
Battousai nodded. He knew he shouldn't tempt fate, but that was what he did best, well apart from kicking ass anyway. "I'm not the best for nothing. But I guess I have to thank my blood for that."
Yahiko had come as well, and at this point in time his jaw dropped to the floor. "You're the best, like in all of Japan? And what do you mean by blood?"
"No, I am the best sword fighter in the world." He paused and bent down to Yahiko's level. "By blood I mean that I have to thank my ancestor the Hitokiri Battousai."
Yahiko froze and Mr. Kamiya tried to laugh it off. "Good joke." He said with a scared smile.
"I wasn't joking. You've surely heard of reincarnation, new body, same looks, and the same soul." Came the reply. Leaving them both in a state of shock he went to buy a coffee out of the vending machine.
When Battousai came back with his hands full of joyous coffee, he was quite unhappy to see that Mrs. Kamiya had woken up. She looked angry again. He sat down and waited for the blows to fall. Shortly the smaller woman walked up to him and said something very simple, "Prove it."
"What?" was his exasperated response.
"I want legally backed proof that you didn't hurt our daughter or by Kami I will sue."
He was mildly supprised but didn't show it. "This coming from the lady who kicked her daughter out of her house because she fell in love."
While Mrs. Kamiya fumed in anger Battousai flipped out his little black cell phone and pushed one of the numbers on speed dial. When he heard a gruff voice answer the phone he gave a weak laugh and said, "Saitoh, I know that it's 3 am and all, but I've got a problem."
"Who did you kill this time?" came the exasperated response.
"No one, but Kaoru's parents want the evidence from the case. They think I hurt her. After all, on your honor as a civil servant you have to do this."
A low grumble was heard on the other line. "I'll be there. But please remind me why I do this for you."
Battousai chuckled. "You do it because I was your roommate for 4 years and I know all of your deepest darkest secrets."1 He hung up his phone and informed Kaoru's family that the police would come with files soon.
After watching the door anxiously for 30 minutes he was quite relieved to see the unhappy face of Hajime Saitoh. He could count over a hundred times he had seen his ex roommate this sleepy, all of them seemed to include alcohol and headaches. Battousai mouthed a silent 'thank you' to the darker man. He gave a curt nod and walked over to where Kaoru's family was.
After putting on his 'work' face, Saitoh gave his point of view on the whole situation. "I am Sergeant Hajime Saitoh of the Metropolitan Police Department. I would like to enquire as to what sort of emergency happened to need Mr. Himura here call me at 3 am so I could come and save his ass."
Kaoru's mother spoke up loudly, "I believe that this man was the one who inflicted the gun wound on my daughter. He is obviously a man who has no regard for the rules of society."
Saitoh rolled his eyes. "Look lady, I don't know how you figured this. He may have done many bad things in the past but he would never lay a hand on your daughter." He bent down to Mrs. Kamiya's height. "Do you know how many times this man has faced arrest in protection of your daughter. When Kaoru was 11 she was having trouble with bullies. Battou...er...Kenshin threatened the 11 year old boys who were teasing her at sword point. This case was never taken to the Police department. Next, he beat a man to the brink of death for following Kaoru in an attempt to rape her. The newest in this series of events was his killing of two of the three men who Kidnapped Kaoru and shot her. The living boy is currently living in an insane asylum for damages done by shock. So I suggest you drop this now, 'cause nothing good will come of it."
As soon as he stopped talking, Saitoh lit up and began to chain smoke. "So lemme guess, Kenshin, you want me to stick around until you find out the Kamiya girl is alright, right?"
Just as he asked that, the doctor that had visited before walked out of the doors that led to the operation rooms. He immediately zeroed in on the Kaoru's family and Battousai too for that matter as he looked concerned. Now this doctor wasn't too pleased that Saitoh was there, after all, he was a scary looking guy.
"Um, you must be Miss. Kamiya's family. We have sewed up the wound and given her medication for the infection. You can come see her now."
Battousai was the first one to make a dash for the door but the doctor stopped him. "Sorry Sir, hospital rules, only her immediate family can visit for the first three days of a patients stay." He flinched as he was fixed with an angry golden eyed stare. Saitoh wasn't an idiot, he knew what would happen to the doctor if his ex roommate couldn't see Kaoru.
Stepping up to the doctor he flashed his badge, "Let Kenshin in before he kills someone, alright." The doctor just nodded meekly, not caring about policy anymore. That golden eyed stare would haunt him for a very long time. "She's in room 104."
Battousai was off as fast as he could go, and given who it was that was pretty damn fast. All of the people in the room, excluding Saitoh, gave a collective gasp. "How is that possible?" Kaoru's father asked the taller dark man.
"You've heard of the Hitokiri Battousai haven't you?" came Saitoh's reply.
"Of course I have, why do you ask?"
"Well, meet his reincarnation." The corrupt police man then sat down with a finality no one could argue. Scanning the room he spotted the small black haired boy sitting in the corner. This child looked familiar and after a few seconds of contemplation Saitoh came up with his name. He got up and walked toward the boy. "You're Yahiko Myojin, aren't you?"
"No, I'm Yahiko Kamiya." He replied with a grin. "Though that name sort of rings a bell."
Saitoh nodded and made a mental note to yell at Battousai for not telling him about the sheer amount of reincarnated people surrounding him. He was like freaking fly tape only with undead souls.
Now Battousai had finally found room 104. He immediately fell upon the inhabitants. The first bed he checked was occupied by a little girl. 'Not Kaoru.' He thought. In the next bed lay an old man. 'Most certainly not Kaoru.'
In the last bed lay a girl of about 17 with black hair and blue-green eyes who had just had her bullet wound sewn up. "Kaoru!" he said with glee.
She blinked sleepily for a moment, but suddenly sprang to life, "Battousai, hey!"
Immediately switching into 'caring mother mode' Battousai leapt upon her. He began feeling her bones carefully. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you? Can you feel this?"
Kaoru swatted him away. "Gawd, I'm fine get off of me please." Battousai stopped poking her and sat on the edge of her hospital bed.
He bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I was afraid you might have lost too much blood."
"You couldn't get rid of me even if you blew me up." She replied with a smirk. "So can I go home, doc?" she asked the man standing by the door. He had just arrived with Kaoru's parents in tow.
"Yes, if you take it slowly and preferably don't go to school for a week at the least." The doctor replied with no hint of a smile whatsoever.
"Well then Kenshin, we're going home." Kaoru told the sleepy looking red haired man standing next to her bed.
Kaoru's mother stepped in. "I think not young lady, you are coming home with me and not this scoundrel of a man."
Ba ba bum! Cliffie...the next ½ of this chappie will be up when I can...and I've been slowly working on this half for 7 days so I need to post it.
IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've been asked by one of my absolute favorite reviewers to tell you that kimi.the.water.spirit. Will be updating her story soon it's just that she's been having some difficulties lastly. Some reviewer didn't notice that her story was rated pg-13 before they reported her for using the 'a' word so now her account has been temporarily frozen. She just wants to let her readers know that she's not giving up on the story.
