A Rurouni Kenshin ficlet.
Summary: After the fight with Shishio, Kaoru thinks of Kenshin as she watches him sleep... Kaoru/Kenshin. Spoilers for the Kyoto arc.
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He's asleep. He's now lying on his futon, peacefully, sleeping. Not letting anything disturb his rest.
No one would believe that he has lived such hard times before.
Years of training in the mountains with the man who saved his life and took him under his wing. Years of war and slaughter where he fought for his beliefs and his boss. And then, the long years of traveling as a ronin… until he came into my life.
And after that... yes, fighting, against his past and himself, trying to carry on his vow of not killing anybody again.
The scars on his body make him look older than what he really is. Specially the two that mark his cheek with a sort of cross.
But people can't see always the scars that he carries in his soul, product of all the years of struggle and loneliness.
He always smiles and speaks politely, treating everyone kindly. No one would ever believe that, when he's extremely angry, he unleashes all of his rage and sorrow and becomes another man, ruthless and fearless...
And I don't want him to ever be like that again.
I don't speak about it - but sometimes, I'm still afraid that he'll leave again. After the fight with Shishio Makoto and the Juppon Gatana, Megumi-san warned me that he doesn't have too much time left to live, especially if he starts fighting again. However, I know him too well, and I'm sure that he won't stop his struggle if it's needed to make this country better.
I always try to smile at him, but the selfish part of me won't stop repeating that he could go away in any moment. I do my best to ignore that distress, tell myself that I knew all of this before I made my choice to be with him against all odds...
But when I'm on my own or I watch him sleep, I can't deny that my fears will never fully go away.