Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took over a month to come out! December into January is not an easy month to find time for writing in. I've noticed that a lot of authors seem to be having trouble updating. I promise that this won't happen again, as I hate it when author's only update once a month, so I refuse to become one of them. Anyway, thanks for reading this and sticking with it even after the long wait. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, cross my heart.
Your Azure Eyes
Chapter 4: Watching Me
"I like him," The young woman with short, black hair announced as she handed Kaoru her regular clothes, "He's calm, quiet… and so adorable!"
The girl heard her friend sigh from inside the changing room, "Honestly, Misao, is that all you think about?"
"He is though! Did you even look at him? I mean, who could miss that beautiful red hair, or those purple eyes? And he's so even tempered… which is more than I can say for Enishi."
At that, Kaoru threw open the changing room door, slamming it in the process. "Misao!" She yelled, her blue eyes sparkling dangerously, "I told you to lay off it. Enishi is a wonderful, kind man." She walked over and sat down heavily on her dressing room chair.
"Besides… he told me that once we got married I could leave the modeling business for good. He said I didn't need to show off my body to people because he would take care of me." Kaoru spoke quietly, taking a strand of raven hair and twirling it around her finger.
"But is that what you want, Kaoru?" Misao asked, one eyebrow rose in question, "You said that you loved every part of this business, and you wouldn't leave it for anything. Now Enishi's here telling you to become a house wife. Is that really what you want to do with the rest of your life? Stay home, cook dinner, and watch after the children?"
Kaoru stopped twirling her hair, staring at herself in the mirror with a frown.
"I don't know…"
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"So you met, Enishi, eh?" Sanosuke asked, taking the toothpick out of his mouth and twirling it between his fingers. Kenshin nodded. He had pulled a chair up to the area where the latest photos were normally displayed, trying to decide if any of the recent ones could be saved. After the incident in the dark room, most of the photos he'd taken were ruined. But with a little touching up, one or two might be salvaged.
"Huh…" Sano grunted from his dark corner, "Interesting fellow, that guy. Kaoru is so attached to him, but I could never figure out why. He doesn't seem so stable in the head, if you ask me. I never liked him."
Kenshin looked up at the bodyguard, a questioning look in his purple eyes. "Not right in the head?" He asked, puzzled, "How so?"
Sano stepped out of his corner, moving to lean against the table now, "He's jealous and greedy, and he makes a big scene anytime he sees pictures of Kaoru in revealing outfits. Tears them up, and even burned a batch once. Almost set the whole place on fire. But he never does it while she's around him… We try to tell her, but she just brushes it off."
Kenshin stared at the wall thoughtfully, "It seems that Miss Kaoru is a very forgiving and kind person."
"Perhaps too kind and naïve for her own good," Sanosuke grunted. With that, he got up and made his way to the door. "Don't stay up too late, Kenshin. We're due here early tomorrow."
Kenshin nodded and waved his goodbye. Turning back to the pictures, he continued to stare at them, but his thoughts were elsewhere; namely on Kaoru. How could she stay with someone so greedy? From what Kenshin had heard, Enishi was horribly mad, though the man had seemed civil when they had met earlier that night. Though, Kenshin had to admit that he did not like the man's dark eyes. They seemed to regard him with distrust and suspicion.
Kenshin shook his head. With a sigh, he put down the ruined photos, deeming them all destroyed beyond repair. After making his way to the door, he gave the studio one last glance, and left for the night.
Sleep tugged at him as he shut the door and pulled out his keys to lock it. After checking the knob to be sure, Kenshin sluggishly began his walk home. It was nearly six blocks from the studio, which was much longer than usual, as the photo shop had only been two.
The street lamps lent a hazy glow to the concrete, creating deep shadows and darkening the alleyways. Kenshin walked swiftly now, placing his hands in his pockets. His eyes darted from shadow to shadow, ready for anything that the night was willing to pull on him.
Cars passed by now and then, their bright lights causing the shadows to temporarily vanish. Kenshin watched the world around him silently, his eyelids beginning to droop with fatigue.
"No… No, please don't…"
The soft, night breeze brought the words faintly to his ears, causing Kenshin to stop in his tracks. His eyes flashed dangerously as they explored the area, searching for the source. It had been a woman's voice, desperate and forlorn. He turned quickly towards the dark alley next to him, and crept silently into the shadows by the wall.
"Shet up, ya whore!" A man's deep, gruff voice rang out, echoing off the close walls of the alley. His demeanor matched his voice, as he was disheveled and rough looking and he staggered as he walked. Kenshin watched for a moment, taking note of the fact that the man had a knife in his hand, and a pocketknife set in front pocket of his torn shirt.
"No! Leave me alone!" The woman's voice suddenly became stronger. She rose from her former crouched position against the wall, ready to break away from the man's vise-like grip and dart out of the alley. But he held her tight; pulling her close to his body the minute she tried to run.
"I don't think so…" He said quietly, pulling her even closer until Kenshin could see her wince as the man's breath heated her face. Kenshin moved out of the shadows now, stepping into the dim light that let through the opening of the alley.
"Let go of her," He spoke in a commanding and clear voice, his eyes narrowed dangerously at the man.
"Or what?" The man said, spitting on the ground at Kenshin's feet, "Wadda you gonna do about it? She's my whore to deal with, not yers, so beck off!"
Kenshin shrugged his shoulders, "She seems quite unwilling to be your 'whore.' I think it would be best if you let her go."
The man, keeping a firm grip on the woman's shirt, now turned the pocketknife on Kenshin, "I'll cut ya!" He yelled almost frantically.
Kenshin turned towards the side of the alley, where he had spotted a crowbar that most likely belonged to this man. He picked it up, holding it in front of him. "This is your last chance," He said loudly, "Let her go."
The man stared in disbelief, "Ya wouldn't da—"
His voice was suddenly cut off as the woman's elbow drove into his gut, effectively knocking the wind out of him. Kenshin watched bemusedly as she proceeded to twist out of the man's grip, knocking the pocketknife out of his hand in the process. After kneeing him in the groin, and sending him sprawling on the ground, the woman took one frantic look at Kenshin, before diving out of the alley and back onto the sidewalk.
Kenshin dropped the crowbar as he ran after her, hearing the metal clang off of the concrete sidewalk. He had to catch her, to keep her from being captured by another man like the one in the alley, or from something far worse. She didn't seem like a teenager, which pushed her out of runaway category. Perhaps she was indeed a prostitute… Either way, Kenshin decided that she needed his help.
"Wait!" He called after her, hoping that she would stop. When she refused, it was easy to catch her. He gently grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop, spinning her around to face him.
"What happened back there? Are you alright?" He asked, worry in his eyes. She seemed both terrified and angry by his actions.
After a moment, she clearly stated, "I'm fine," and pulled her arm out of his grip.
"But miss!" Kenshin walked after her, "You may need to see a doctor!"
He heard her laugh at this, her voice giving the chuckle a devilish quality. She spun around, facing Kenshin once again, "I am a doctor." She said simply, and then whirled back around and continued walking, leaving Kenshin even more confused than he had been.
"What…?" He asked, insisting on following her, "Are you sure you didn't suffer a blow to the head or anything?"
The woman turned once more taking a few menacing steps towards Kenshin, "How dare you! I was once a family doctor, trusted and loved by many patients! I'm just… down on my luck at the moment."
Kenshin stared at her for a moment, as if considering her story. She finally sighed, rolling her eyes, "Thanks for your kindness, but I can take care of myself." And with that, she turned and left.
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"Sounds to me like you met a prostitute, Kenshin," Sanosuke said the next day over breakfast outside of the corner café. Kenshin shook his head, staring at his reflection in his coffee cup.
"I don't think so," He said quietly, putting down the cup to face the body guard, "She didn't seem like the harlot type. I don't know, there was just something about her that made me believe that she was really once a doctor."
Sanosuke chuckled, taking a bite of his pastry, "She was a whore, Kenshin. There are plenty of them in New York. Not really around here, but you find one every once in a while. They make up wild stories all the time. I think that some of them start to believe those stories after a while… It's sad, if you ask me."
Kenshin sighed, picking his coffee cup back up and taking a long gulp, feeling it's heat warm his throat. "I guess you're right, Sano," He said softly, "I shouldn't believe everything I hear."
Out of the corner of his eye, Kenshin saw a woman run out of an alleyway next to the café. Her long, black hair flew loosely behind her as she turned towards him. He watched as her eyes widened as if she had suddenly realized something. It wasn't long before she trotted over to the table.
"You!" She cried delightedly throwing her arms around Kenshin as if she were an old friend, "I need help," She whispered into his ear.
Kenshin pushed her away slightly to get a good look at her face. There was something familiar about her…
"You're the girl from the alley last night," He said, now glancing at her white nurse's outfit. Sanosuke raised an eyebrow at Kenshin.
"Yes, and I need help," She said, her eyes darting around nervously, "Hide me."
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Extra Author's Note: It's probably safe to guess that most of you have figured out who this mystery woman is. I'll continue to develop all of those other characters as the story goes along. Hopefully a lot more Kaoru x Kenshin fluff on the way…