Everything Purple
violetjewelz

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters associated with the great manga/anime. Wish I did, though ... that would be quite nice, really!

Chapter 6: Meeting His Mentor

Kaoru's shifted uncomfortably against the hard wall of a building. "Uggghhh.." she groaned, her back aching from her comfortless sleep on the street last night. She had no other place to sleep and so she had to resort to sleeping on a street with her back against a building's wall. Not exactly her choice of places to sleep, but it was better than nothing she supposed.

She didn't know exactly what time it was, but judging from the position of the sun, she could guess that it was approximately seven in the morning. "Oh no!" Kaoru slapped herself on the forehead. "I have work at eight!!"

So Kaoru quickly picked up her duffel bag and rushed off to the florist.

Shigeta opened the door for Kaoru as she arrived at the florist. "There you are! Right on time. As usual!" The old lady beamed at Kaoru, but as she saw Kaoru's appearance, her face fell. "Oh my goodness! What happened, dear?!"

"Oh nothing, really," she replied. "Just that the guy I was staying with was killed and I had to sleep on the street last night after I was kicked out."

The kindly old lady embraced Kaoru as she comforted her. "You poor baby. Don't worry, you can stay with me. I have plenty of room. I would enjoy the company as well."

"Oh, Shigeta-san!! That's soo nice of you! You have no idea how much I appreciate this!"

"It's no problem for me, Kaoru! But," she continued with a wink, "You still have to work for me! And I'll supply your meals for you!"

"I can't do that," Kaoru protested, "That's just not fair to you. You're already sacrificing for me to stay with you."

"Nonsense! You're the one doing me a favor by keeping me company. Besides, I can't eat in front of you while you go starving! That's just too cruel!"

"Well, since you insist--"

"Of COURSE I insist! Now come, we have to get you to work!"

Kaoru smiled happily. She wouldn't have to worry about not having a place to sleep at or food to eat because of Shigeta. She really had luck with her employers in this time. Back in her time, she had been fired from her job at Target because she undercharged a customer two dollars. Here, not only did she know her employers very well, but they supplied more than just money for her. But then again no employer back in her time had an assassin at his heels. None of them had died either.

She cried as she went behind the counter, where she started to sort out bills and coins. Damn the Battousai for killing Hajami. Her employer, her friend, and her brother. 'If it's the last thing I do,' Kaoru mentally vowed, 'I will kill that asshole.' Then, considering how he was a skilled manslayer and she was a mere teenaged woman, she ammended, 'Or at least wound him.'

The next month had gone by and Kaoru was once again just as hyper and chipper as she had been back home. In her job, she had moved up from taking care of purchases to also arranging flowers. Her latest creation had been sold the very day that she had finished it.

Secretly, Kaoru also had been going around town asking for more information about the Battousai, hoping she could find enough so that maybe she would be able to find where he was. She had also been training at least two hours a day, building up her strength and swordsmanship.

She knew that she would easily be able to beat up any guy from her school, but the Battousai was in a totally different fighting league. Grown men were too afraid to even speak of him, so what chance did a teenage girl have against him? She had to try, though. She couldn't just let Hajami's death go unavenged.

Kaoru concluded her thoughts and continued to arrange her fifth wreath of the day. Picking a few flowers from a basket, she laid them out in front of her. She choose some baby's breath and assembled them, weaving them through the wooden vines in the wreath.

Still weaving with her right hand, she grabbed another kind of flower from her pile. Drawing her left hand in, she tried to find a place to fit the flower in. As she looked down at the flower she had chosen, she choked. In her hand, she had some beautiful golden-leaved flowers. Mad as a hornet, she flung the flowers down. She proceeded to tear them apart, a little more than just mad. She tried to rub the petals into the wood, hoping to rid her vision of the terrible color.

Kaoru hated the color amber more than brown or grey or mustard yellow or any other ugly color. Her least two favorite colors since Hajami had been killed were amber and gold: the two colors that were in his killer's eyes; the eyes of the Battousai.

"That's it!" she shouted aloud. "I can't take it anymore!"

Shigeta hurried to Kaoru's side. "What's wrong, child?"

Kaoru turned to Shigeta and started to cry. "I miss Hajami! Why did he have to die?! Why did that fuckin' bastard have to kill him?!"

The old woman gasped at Kaoru's language. "Now I know that you are troubled, Kaoru, but you are a young lady and you cannot speak those kinds of words. That language is reserved for only crude men."

"I don't give a damn about being a young woman! All I want to do is kill that filthy son-of-a-bitch!!!"

Before Shigeta could reprimand Kaoru for her language, she continued to rant. "If you'll please excuse me, Shigeta, but I have to go avenge Hajami and kill the manslayer."

"Kaoru, have you gone mad? Are you even thinking? You can't possibly kill the Battousai and anyways, we women shouldn't dirty our hands with blood. Killing is a man's business."

"But if I don't avenge Hajami, then who will?"

"Maybe nobody, but Hitokiri Battousai will surely meet justice and be punished for his sins and killings in the future."

Kaoru threw up her hands, exasperated. "Sure! In the future! But what if that future isn't for years? What if the Battousai goes on killing hundreds of people every single year and no one stops him? How many people must die before he is penalized for his crimes?!!"

"Kaoru! This should be none of your concern. Giving justice and catching criminals is not a woman's job."

The sixteen year-old girl became annoyed with this talk of what women do and don't do and expressed her annoyance. "Goddamnit! Then what the fuck do women do?!"

Shigeta sighed as she answered, "Well, as you can see, we arrange flowers, we cook, we clean, we wash the clothes and the dishes, we sew, and we marry and become a faithful, submissive, and obedient wife."

"Submissive?" Kaoru echoed. "Dogs and pets are submissive! Not human beings. What are we? Slaves?!!"

"I suppose you could say that, but then again, we willingly act this way. It is what is expected of us. When you marry, if you do not act this way, then your husband will disown you and no one will take care of you or even look your way," Shigeta tried her best to explain to Kaoru.

"Do women have any say in this time period?!"

Shigeta was aware that this was a rhetorical question, but she had to wonder if they did have any say whatsoever. "Umm ... well ... umm ... I'm sure that we have some say."

"Look at you. This is pathetic! You can't even think of anything!"

"It's not as bad as you think."

"How can you say that when we're treated like dirt?!"

"That's not true.."

"Yes it is and you know it!"

"Kaoru--"

"I give up! I'm going to send Battousai six feet under and you can't stop me!"

Shigeta gave it one more try. "Come on, Kaoru! Be reasonable here!"

"Forget it, Shigeta-san. I'm leaving. I'll be back when, and only when, the Battousai can't kill anymore!"

Shigeta knew it was helpless and went to go get Kaoru's duffel bag and purse. Once Kaoru was ready, she thanked Shigeta graciously and left the florist, only turning back to wave to her employer.

Kaoru brushed a bush out of her way and continued her way through the thick forest. She had been walking for about five hours now, with an occasional rest here and there. She had stopped at a bakery and bought some bread and water to carry with her in her duffel bag.

She really had no idea where she was going. She was trying to find the Battousai, of course and kill him, but she didn't know where he was. From asking around town, she had found out where his mentor lived and prayed that he might know where the manslayer was.

Seijurou Hiko lived somewhere past these forests but she had been given no exact point or location, so she went wherever here instincts told her.

Jumping over a fallen tree in her path, she could see the forests clearing a little farther ahead. Running with newfound energy, she burst through the bushes at the end and was rewarded with a beautiful sight.

In front of her was a small waterfall with crystal clear water flowing into a pool at the bottom. Kaoru hadn't taken a bath for days, and the sight of the waterfall reminded her of her stench and griminess. Wasting no time at all and not bothering to see if anybody was around, she quickly got out of her clothes and jumped into the water.

"AAAHHHHH!!!" she screamed as she hit the surface. The clear liquid was cold as ice, if not colder and she hadn't been expecting that. She waded around back and forth, trying to get as warm as she could. Kaoru moved to her duffel bag which she had left on the side of the pool and took out her Herbal Essences Rainforest shampoo and conditioner. It was watered down since she had to preserve what little she had left, but it still did the trick. Placing the hair products back in her bag, she produced some body wash and cleansed herself, relishing in the great smell. Kaoru then shaved her legs with her razor and shaving cream.

After rinsing off the cream on her legs, she heard something move behind her and she twirled around. Her eyes immediately widened and she was about to scream when a hand covered her mouth.

There had been a man in front of her, and now he was at her side, covering her mouth so she couldn't emit a noise. Needless to say, Kaoru felt very uncomfortable being naked with only water to cover her body (A/N: And didn't I say that the water was crystal clear?).

As the man receded his hand from her face, she took time to study him. He had long, dark hair and very chiseled features. He had on a huge white cloak withe red lining and a big red collar. His eyes were dark brown and they were looking strangely at her. "What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Umm ... uhh.." Kaoru tried to think, trying to recall exactly why she was here. Then she remembered and she spoke up. "Oh yeah, I'm looking for a guy named Hiko or something."

The man's eyes glared at her, not trusting her. "And exactly why are you looking for him?"

"I was hoping he could give me the whereabouts of the Battousai."

'Great,' the man thought to himself, 'Another stupid woman going after my baka deshi.' He took out a sake bottle and downed all it's contents in one gulp. "If you want to sleep with Kenshin he'll probably kill you afterwards. That's what he does and that's what most killers do. After sleeping with a woman they kill 'er."

Kaoru bolted upright in the water and pointed a finger at the rude man. "I'll have you know that I'm only sixteen and that's way too young to have sex. Besides, I don't believe in premarital sex! And what's more is that I don't even know this Kenshin person."

The long haired man couldn't help but look at the top half of Kaoru's body as she stood upright. After all he was a man. He averted his gaze and smirked. "Oh, but you believe in letting a man see you naked?"

Kaoru was quick to reply. "Of course not. I--" She then saw that Hiko wasn't looking at her face, but instead a little father down. "Shit!" she cursed, realizing her nudity. She dived back into the cold water, leaving only her head submerged. "Pervert!" she screeched at him.

The man threw his arms up. "Hey! You're the one who stood up and you couldn't call me a man if I didn't look."

"Dirty old pig," she muttered under her breath. "Turn around," she commanded from him.

"Oh and why should I do that, little lady?"

"Because I said so! That's why!"

"Men don't have to listen to the orders of women. They are beneath us," he arrogantly told her.

Kaoru steamed in anger as she picked up a rather large rock sitting on the edge of the pool. With rage directed at the cocky man, she threw it as hard as she could towards the man.

The man easily sidestepped the rock and shook his head. "You know, you could just ask nicely. You don't have to resort to violence."

She rolled her eyes at the unbelievable man. "Well, well, well. Aren't we the great Mahatma Gandhi all of a sudden!" When she received a blank look from him, she curled her hands into fists. "Please." She tried to ease her acrimony. "Turn around while I change."

The dark-haired man obeyed and soon he had his back towards her. She slipped into black capris and a light purple tank that had Hurley written in white bubble letters. "You can turn around now," she called to him.

He did just that and glanced at her. "What are you wearing?"

"Clothes from PacSun," she simply answered.

He ignored her choice of clothing and spoke again. "So what's your name anyway and what do you want with Kenshin?"

"It's Kamiya Kaoru, but I don't even know who this Kenshin person is, so I'm afraid I can't answer your second question."

"If you don't know him then why are you looking for him?"

"I'm not looking for him. I'm looking for the Battousai." Realization finally dawned on the girl. "Wait. Is the Battousai's real name Kenshin?"

"Sure is. Himura Kenshin. But I call him my 'baka deshi.'"

"Riiight," Kaoru said. "So anyways, I want to track him down so I can avenge someone that he killed. By the way, since you call him your idiot apprentice, I take it that YOU are Hiko?"

"Sure am. But, even though I think he's stupid, he would easily be able to defeat you."

"And what exactly makes you think that?"

"You are a girl, you know."

"Well, duh!! I know that. But I still don't see how that has to do with my capability to end someone's life."

"In case you are unaware, women don't kill."

Kaoru gawked at Hiko. "You sexist jackass! Are you another one of those 'women are only useful for cleaning and cooking' idiots?"

"No."

She sighed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Women are mostly good for sex."

Kaoru caught her sigh in her throat before she could let it out. "Wow. That's even better," she sarcastically said.

"Yeah, I agree. Sex is better than food or a clean house." Then, seeming to give his words a thoughful ponder, he added, "Though sake is even better."

Kaoru picked up her duffel bag and whacked the unmanageable man upside the head with it. "Will you just tell me where I can find the Battousai and leave me alone?!" she yelled at him.

After recovering from Kaoru's attack, he decided to give her that liberty. "Now I'm not his babysitter, so don't quote me on this, but he's probably by the Edo River. It's his favorite location to think about his past and a great self-loathing place."

"The Edo River? Wait, where are we?"

"Misato."

"Oh, good. That means it's close." She then added, "Good thing we just learned about Japan's geography in History. We were going to learn about the Czech Republic."

Hiko was confused at what Kaoru was saying, but he chose to leave it be. "Yeah, it is. It's about three miles from here, to the West."

"The West?" Kaoru whipped out a pocket compass (her brother was an Eagle Scout and told Kaoru to always have a compass with her). She checked it and deduced she would have to continue to her left. "Okay, well thank you for your help. I guess I better get going."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with me for the night? I have plenty of sake to go around."

"No thank you. I don't drink."

"Fine," he mumbled. "I don't want to share my sake anyways." He turned away from her and started to trod away.

"Um. Well, bye then."

Hiko grunted in response. "Be careful of my baka deshi. He's unpredictable. I wouldn't suggest trying to kill him. You wouldn't last a second." Sensing Kaoru's glare at his back, he corrected himself. "A minute, I mean."

Kaoru contemplated whether to throw something at him again, but there was nothing in her reach and she mumbled another thanks before starting west towards the Edo River.

Author's Notes: There's the sixth chapter! Just a short meeting with the thirteenth master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. I know I spelled that wrong, but I don't care! :-P

Anywho, I actually had to do a little researching on Japan's geography. The Edo River is a real river and Misato is a real city in Japan. They might not have existed back in the time period that this story is set in, but oh well!

Sorry about how last chapter I said that I would only update with a certain amount of reviews. A reviewer expressed how some people feel about an author when they do that, so I promise not to do that again. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye. Wow! Haven't said that since like second grade!

Review Responses:

SukiYumi: Sorry about the whole 'please give me this many reviews before I update' thin. I try not to be selfish, but sometimes I forget myself.

schythe195: Thanks for the complement!

rbaby: Glad you like the story!

Bloody-Kiss: Hmm... I guess I kind of agree with you. Crying enough tears to quench the thirst of the entire Middle East is kind of a little drastic. Also maybe even a mean thing to say towards Middle Eastern people. Sorry!

kenshin's-angel: Lol! It is pretty sad (wait - why am I laughing if it's sad?). If I hadn't written this myself, I might be crying as well. I just recently wrote a poem for the Odyssey (that was my English project I was talking about in earlier chapters) and some people in my class cried when I read it, but I didn't cry. Though probably 'cuz I wrote it! :)

Bloody Akiko Nagi the Insane: I agree with liking the Battousai violent (why else would he be like that in my story?). After quite a few more chapters, he won't be as violent, though. He won't be all love-dove, however. I can guarantee you that much!

Lady Isis: Don't worry, some other people don't want lemons, so when it comes to a lemony chapter, I'll be sure to have two versions. One with and one without the lemon(s).

KenKao4eva: Hmm ... rape? I guess that could be a possibility. If you guys wanted that. Battousai is a legendary manslayer so I suppose that he wouldn't think rape as something too evil or mean to do. Oh, and I hope that this chapter didn't have a cliffy!!

The evil witch: Thank you! I hope that you loved this chapter as well!

Diamond Fox: Here's your update! Sorry that it was slower than my others, but it's here nonetheless!

Brittanie Love: Awesome! I'm ecstatic that you liked it! I'll give you guys lemons sometime in the future, I assure you.

- violetjewelz