Disclaimer: Kenshin, you boy toy.
Romance/Action/Drama
Rating: PG-13/R
Reader Discretion is advised
Please forgive an misspellings or grammar errors
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Gun Smoke and Sword Blades
Chapter Four: Mourning for You, Training for Two
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Kaoru was surprised to see Kenshin settled in the next morning. When Kaoru had entered the kitchen in her see through night robe and her pink pajamas underneath Megumi was practically shoving pancakes down Kenshin's throat.
"Good morning, Kaoru," Megumi greeted. "Sleep well?" Megumi cleared her throat and coughed. Then her eyes shifted from Kaoru to Megumi's clothing and Kaoru got the notice.
"Yes I did," she blushed. "I better go and change." She didn't want to show off her stomach. After all her pajamas were more than comfortable. She rushed out.
"Was that...Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked Megumi as he stared at the place that Kaoru had been standing.
Megumi laughed. "Be careful she walks around in her underwear too."
He gulped down his food. "And Sanosuke's okay with this?"
"He's usually out," Megumi said. "Yahiko is usually training."
"Miss Kaoru never showed me her style of swordsmanship," Kenshin just realized.
"Is today your day off? I'm sure she could show it to you today," Megumi suggested.
Kenshin shook his head. "I'm going to start training Miss Kaoru."
Megumi's grasp on the teacup loosened and the cup fell from her fingers to the floor. It crashed, creating a mess. Her eyes were wide with shock.
"Miss Megumi?!" Kenshin got up suddenly to help her. "Are you all right? Didn't Miss Kaoru tell you that she would be serving in my army?"
"N-no...she didn't...she can't!" Megumi said as she picked up the pieces of the cup. "She can't just throw her life away."
"Miss Megumi, I'm sure she is doing what she thinks is right. She is simply following her heart," Kenshin tried to comfort her.
"Why can't she follow her heart to the mall?" Megumi sighed as she threw the pieces in the trash. "She's always doing rash things. Always! For as long as I have known her! There was that one time where she followed her father to an alley way and almost got raped had it not been for her father!" she clasped her hands to her mouth.
Kenshin looked surprised. 'Miss Kaoru was almost raped?' he wanted to ask. "I didn't hear anything, Miss Megumi," he said. "In fact this conversation never happened."
Megumi sighed and nodded.
"Sano tells me you are well with medicine. We need a doctor. We already have a nurse," Kenshin said. "You'd be safe doctoring people."
"You want me to join?" Megumi stuttered. "I couldn't. I can't just leave the house alone. Unattended."
"It won't be. Yahiko will be staying."
"He can't stay here alone!" Megumi argued.
"Miss Megumi, why are you so afraid?"
Megumi looked away and Kaoru entered, wearing a kimono. "Miss Megumi, I am going to visit my father's grave. Would you like to come?"
"Of course," Megumi nodded with tears in her eyes. "Let me dress."
"May I accompany you, Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked.
"Of course," Kaoru said, "I'll be waiting in the car for the both of you." She turned and Kenshin could've sworn he saw tears slip down her cheeks.
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Kenshin sat in the back, wearing his usual white gi and red (is it red?) haori. He had tabi socks on and the traditional old Japanese clothing.
Megumi wore her blue kimono. In her lap sat dozens of lilacs and incense.
Kaoru was wearing a yellow kimono with orange designs around it and a dark orange obi. She had a purple ribbon in her hair. He couldn't help but think in his mind she was meant for kimonos rather than the modern clothing.
Kenshin stared out the window, watching the blurs go by. The drive was long and uneventful.
Kaoru parked in the parking lot and they all got out. "It's this way," she said with a quaver in her voice. She had a paper bag in her hand. Some gifts, most likely.
Kenshin and Megumi followed, keeping the silence of the graveyard. The smell of different incense were all around and several people were visiting their loved ones.
They came upon a mini stone shrine. Its height barely met his knees.
"This is it," Kaoru said. "This is where my father was buried. They said they would place a small shrine on it." She kneeled down. Megumi kneeled beside her and put the incense on the bowl. She lit it and the smoke rose.
Kenshin stood behind the two and bowed to the shrine. He had nothing to offer, though he wished he did. Then an idea struck him.
Kaoru prayed in silence as tears flowed down her cheeks.
Megumi joined her though she wasn't crying as badly. "Kamiya-san...I thank you for introducing me to your daughter. She is indeed, a great wonderful woman. She has blossomed so much since you left. I promise to teach her how to cook better and mold her into a respecting wife."
At this Kaoru gasped and her eyes opened. Wife?! Her father only introduced Megumi to her so Megumi could teach her how to be a good wife? Her father! Of course. That was all her good father had done! Teach her and mold her! What if she didn't want to be molded into a silent, obedient wife? What if she didn't want to marry?
"You told me you wanted your daughter to be the best wife and marry the best man. You said if you did pass away I am the one to approve the marriage," Megumi prayed. "I will take care of Kaoru."
Kaoru could not interrupt. It would be rude. Kaoru lifted her head and then slowly arranged the flowers on the tiny shrine. She took out some pictures of her mother and herself and placed them inside the shrine. "Be well Father. Take care of Mother."
Kaoru stood up and sobbed silently as Megumi rose as well. They stepped aside and waited for Kenshin to add something.
Kenshin stepped forward and kneeled to pray. "Mr. Kamiya, although I do not know you I happen to know your daughter. Your daughter is a very courageous, fire spirited girl. She is lovely and beautiful. I cannot offer you anything except one thing. I can offer your daughter my protection. I will protect her for as long as she wants me to. That is all I can offer."
Kaoru was shocked to hear Kenshin's kind words. Kaoru closed her eyes and said another small prayer. 'Please protect Kenshin during the battle, Father.'
"Let us leave," Kaoru said quietly and Kenshin nodded
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"Miss Kaoru, if you do not wish to be here we can leave," Kenshin said, noticing her wince every time a gun shot was fired.
"No," she replied. "I want to be here." She clasped the headphones on her ears.
"Can you hear me?" Kenshin asked as he, too, put on his red headphones.
"Barely!" she yelled.
"Good!" he yelled back and then he set the briefcase on the counter and clicked it open, revealing the Silver Sakura gun. He got out the box of bullets. "I want to see you put the bullets in. They're hard to put in as single bullets. If you can't put them in by singles, I have the ten pack."
She nodded as he handed her the gun and single bullets. She fumbled around as she put the bullets in. They were shiny and metallic. They were also slippery to put in and they kept falling on to the counter, from her hands. "I can't..."
"Try the ten pack then," he handed her a bunch of bullets formed together and she put that pack in perfectly. "Good. Are you right handed or left?"
"Right," she said.
"Forgive me for getting close to you, but I promise I will not put my hands where they do not belong, that I do," he said as he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her arms as she held the gun.
She tensed at his touch, but remembered his promise and relaxed. She felt his foot slip her left foot forward. "Keep your feet apart. Left foot in front of your right," he whispered gently in her ear. "Now your right hand pushes the gun forward and your left pulls it back, giving you balance. Understand?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Good. Now remember to keep your left hand under your right hand. Pull in the gun slightly while keeping your right elbow locked and bend your left elbow. Put your left elbow below your right. Not directly underneath," he watched as she handled the gun and rearranged her arms and elbows. "Good. Now put the tip of your index finger on the trigger. Now inhale."
He felt her body rise. "Exhale half way and then hold it," Kenshin said and her body fell slightly. "Aim and fire."
She lined up the front sight with the rear sight and made sure the tip of the gun was in the small red circle of the target. She shot and her arms jolted back.
Kenshin squinted. "You "
"I did?" she asked, surprised.
He nodded and then laughed. He turned away and continued to chuckle. "Miss Kaoru...forgive me for laughing...at you..."
She blinked and laughed herself. "It's fine."
He turned and held her once more in his arms. "Now shoot."
She lined up the sights again and then shot. Her arms wanted to jolt back, but Kenshin's strong grip forced them to stay forward.
He squinted at the target once more. "It hit. Not bulls-eye but it hit the out area. You need tot rain your arms not to pull back when it kicks back."
"Right..." Kaoru said, "How do I do that?"
A simple, small smile appeared on his lips. "Practice."
She smiled back and then went back to gun. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder and directed where to shoot. "Shoot."
She shot.
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They arrived home and Kaoru's arms felt as though they weren't there. She couldn't feel her arms and she bit her lip to keep from complaining.
"Miss Megumi, ice please," Kenshin asked and Megumi nodded as he turned to Kaoru. "Miss Kaoru, you shouldn't have overworked yourself, that you shouldn't."
"I wanted to," she snapped angrily at him and he softly shook his head once more, his red bangs swaying with his head.
'She's a stubborn one, that she is,' he thought as he sat on the couch.
"Hey Kenshin!" Sanosuke entered the room and he patted Kaoru's shoulder and she winced. "Something wrong, Missy?"
"My arms hurt," she explained.
"They're going to hurt worse tomorrow!" he chortled. He sat next to Kenshin and turned on the TV. "Wonder what's on. Hey Megumi! Want to watch a scary movie?"
Megumi entered with two packs of ice. "Sounds like a relaxing thing to do. Kaoru?"
Kaoru nodded as Megumi strapped the bags of ice to her arms. "I'll make the popcorn," Kaoru volunteered. "Where's Yahiko?"
"Yahiko ran off with his friends somewhere," Sano muttered.
"You don't know where he is?!" Kaoru exclaimed. "Sanosuke! We are entitled of taking care of him! We adopted him! We are his family and it is our duty to know where he is and what he is doing at all times!"
"Relax, I asked him," Megumi said. "He's down at the Pizza Place with Tsubame and Soujirou and I will make the popcorn since your arms are hurt."
"Okay," she relaxed and went over to the couch and sat down as Sanosuke popped in the DVD.
"Ah, I love this movie," Sanosuke said.
"Please tell me it's not 'The Ring'," Kaoru groaned as she grabbed a pillow. "I hate this movie."
"Then snuggle close to Kenshin and I'm sure he'll protect you," Sanosuke teased as he grinned. The pillow hit him square in the face. "Hey! I'm sure Kenshin wouldn't mind, would ya Kenshin?"
"Oro?" Kenshin didn't want to be involved.
Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "At least the two of you are sitting on the same couch."
"Eep.." Kaoru shifted uncomfortably as Megumi sat next to Sanosuke, two bowls in hand. She handed a bowl to Kenshin and the other to Sano.
"We might drop them," Megumi said and Kaoru nodded with a weak giggle as the movie started.
"Aieeeeeeekkkeeeeeee!" both Megumi and Kaoru screamed as the girl on television screamed when she opened the door, making Sano and Kenshin jump.
Megumi had landed on Sanosuke when she jumped in her chair. She gripped his shirt and kept on watching.
"Megumi...you're cutting off the circulation to my legs," Sanosuke pointed out.
"Shut up and let me watch!" she said, but slipped off of his lap.
Kaoru was clutching the pillow closely to her chest as she watched.
Moments later another scary part played when the guy was getting electrocuted and Kaoru shoved her face in the pillow as a comforting hand rubbed her back and she looked up, astonished. She noticed it was Kenshin's hand resting on her back as fingers danced across her back in a soothing way.
She relaxed slightly as the movie rolled on. She looked over at Megumi, who was snuggled close into Sanosuke's side and he was stroking her hair as she watched the movie. She looked at Kenshin, who hadn't jumped since the beginning. No fear was in his eyes and he almost looked disgusted with the movie. Why?
Then the really scary parts came and Kaoru and Megumi screamed in fright and enjoyment. Kaoru wasn't aware that she was clutching Kenshin's shirt tightly, barely giving him room to breath.
Megumi was choking Sano as she shook his neck in fright.
Kenshin looked away from the screen and smiled at Megumi killing Sanosuke. He looked over at the frightened woman who was clutching his shirt. He hesitated as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She looked surprised but it was washed away when another frightening scene played and she put her face in his shirt.
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Kaoru had fallen asleep on the couch. Her feet on Kenshin's lap as the movie ended. She mumbled softly in deep sleep.
"Wasn't that the greatest movie ever?" Sanosuke asked.
"No!" Megumi said, still shaking. "That girl gives me the creeps."
"I didn't enjoy it," Kenshin said. "So many people died and I didn't fully understand it. I didn't see anything scary about it except the man committing suicide startled me a bit."
"You should become a critic, Kenshin," Sanosuke muttered. "Either that or a foot stool." He nodded to Kaoru's feet on his lap.
Kenshin looked down, "She fell asleep. I thought she would stay up just to see the other scary parts."
"She can never stay up for an entire movie," Megumi explained. "The only one she actually stays up for is 'Titanic' to see Jack all the time."
He laughed and looked at Kaoru. "She looks so calm when she sleeps."
"I think sleeping is the only thing that keeps her away from life," Megumi said as she covered Kaoru. "Let her rest here for tonight."
Kenshin nodded and carefully got up, removing her feet from his lap. "She has been training hard, that she has."
"She's training for both you and her father, you know that," Megumi said.
"Me?"
"Yes," Megumi nodded. "Ask her in the morning."
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Crisa Rei: Another chapter done. –sigh- Wish more people would read it though. It has a good message if you read hard enough. Well you'll get the message at the end of this story.
