The Oro Across Time
By: Spookukitty
Disclaimer: I do not own the 'Rurouni Kenshin' characters but this story starring them does. I write this out of great respect for the people who created RK (and because I was bored)! Please don't sue me!
Summary: Kenshin and Kaoru stumble upon a portal by the dojo that take them to the past! Why is the portal there and why is Gohei (the fake battosai from episode 1 of RK) on the other side?
Kaoru was awaking from a wonderful dream of sitting under the night sky with her sweet rurouni as the smell of food came to her nose. She enjoyed her dreams when Kenshin was in them with her. Everything was always perfect and telling Kenshin that she loved him came so natural in the world of her dreams. She often thought about him. "Why is it so hard to say it to the real Kenshin?" She asked herself out loud, rubbing her cheeks.
In the kitchen, Kenshin was slicing the last of the vegetables as Sano and Yahiko fought over the last rice ball Keshin had made earlier.
"Let go of it you big rooster headed jerk!"
"Feh! No way Yahiko, you've already had six of 'em!"
"So! I need lots of food for energy so I can grow bigger and beat you up later! You've eaten as many as I have and if you eat it you'll just get a bigger head!"
"That makes no sense! Little brat!"
As the fight grew larger, Kenshin had started to put breakfast on the table as if nothing was happening. "Perhaps Kauro-dono would like to have that rice ball?" Kenshin asked himself as the fight turned into a big cloud of dust. He carefully plucked the little ball of rice from them, but it was knocked from his hand just in time to hit Kaoru square between the eyes as she entered the room.
Sano and Yahiko paused their fight to look at Kauro, at which they immediately began to laugh like lunatics. Kenshin started to get up to wipe off the rice when Kaoru screamed, causing the rice to fly off her face like tiny fireworks. She four-wheeled over Kenshin with her bokken and started beating the laughs out of the other two.
"Another perfect meal with my family" thought Kenshin as he sat swirly-eyed on the floor.
Kaoru was still mad about the rice while she had her bath after breakfast. Kenshin was happily doing the laundry outside the bathhouse. He had convinced Sano and Yahiko to spend the day in town so Kaoru could calm down a bit. He took out the cloth he was finished washing and put it on the drying line. It was a light blue kimono of Kaoru's. He very carefully straightened it out, tracing a flower on it with his finger.
Even though he washed it, it still smelled of Kaoru. He imagined Kaoru wearing it and how beautiful she looked. He awoke that very morning with a dream of the beautiful Kaoru sitting cuddled against his shoulder as they watched the stars. He often thought about her.
"If only I could tell Kaoru-dono I loved her to her sweet face, like I did in that dream." said Kenshin out loud to the kimono. He paused for a moment as if waiting for the kimono to give him advise.
"Did you say something to me, Kenshin?" asked Kaoru as she was walking out of the bathhouse at that time.
"Oro! Uh....sessha was just wondering if Kaoru-dono would like to go for a walk after she is finished getting dressed." he said to not look completely insane.
"Sure Kenshin. I'll be right back!" she dashed into the house with a huge smile.
Kenshin walked to the side of the house to get his sakabato. He had learned to take his sword even if they were just going to town or on walks, just to be safe. After what seemed like seconds later, Kaoru reappeared in a purple kimono and her favorite indigo ribbon in her hair.
They gazed at each other for a moment before walking along the woods by the dojo. It was the perfect sunny day for a walk, only the sound of birds and their quiet footsteps were to be heard.
The dojo was just getting out of view when Keshin noticed something shinning a little ways into the woods. Kaoru followed the path of his eyes with hers to see why he stopped. "Wha...what is that?" she asked while stepping into the trees.
"Sessha can not say for sure."
"Then lets go check it out, Kenshin" she said with a smile.
"I think we should leave it-" Kaoru grabbed his arm and led him to the shiny object. He blushed as he ran with her to it.
Upon reaching the shiny thing on a big tree, they were mesmerized by it. It looked like a person sized oval mirror being hit by sunlight, but the light came from the very object itself, and their reflections weren't to be seen.
"Wow! How beautiful this thing is" said Kaoru with sparkling eyes. "What do you think it is Kenshin?"
"I don't know...maybe it's.......the portal to a land of tree people...hehe"
"What a stupid answer! I doubt that's what it is, Kenshin!"
"Well you never know (hehe). This is not normal though, that it is not. Gaaaa! Kaoru-dono what are you doing!?" he yelled slapping his hands on his head and grabbing his hair.
Kaoru put her hand on the object, but it disappeared into the shiny surface. Kenshin grabbed her arm and pulled it gently from the object. Her hand was still attached to her arm so he felt relieved.
"Geez Kenshin, could you freak out a little more!?" she smirked. They both blushed as they held hands.
"Sessha was worried this thing would hurt you" he said quietly. He felt stupid.
"Look, it goes right through" she said sticking her arm in as well. "Lets see were it goes!"
"I don't think tha-ORO!"
With that she grabbed him arm and she ran into the light with him flying like a kite behind her. They felt like they were running through the tail of a shooting star. Sparkles and white was all around them until they came upon another mirror-like object leading the way out. Kenshin was now leading the way and he jumped with Kaoru in his arms through the exit.
"Wha.....?" they both said together. They were back in the woods.
"Well that was lame! Kaoru said angrily (raccoon ears pop out of her head). "I would have liked to see even the 'land of tree people' after that!"
"ORO!" Kenshin fell to the ground and landed on his head.
"Kenshin, lets go into town for a while. I need to get away from this waste of time."
"Hai, Kaoru-dono" He stood up swirly-eyed.
They walked to town and stopped to look at the market. "Kenshin, does the market look...smaller to you?" asked Kaoru.
"Hai, and everything seems to be like new. It was not like this the last time I was here to buy tofu."
They stood silent for a while, taking in the site with eyes of wonder and confusion. "Kaoru-dono, didn't that man running the basket shop die several months ago?" Kenshin asked pointing to an elderly man of about sixty.
"Yeah! How can he be alive...and look years younger....?" Her eyes popped out.
That's when it hit them like a bag of rice balls. They bugged out their eyes and began to flap their arms wildly like wounded birds. "That thing took us back in time!" they screamed at the same moment. People walking past them stared at this site and ran away in horror.
"Oh my god, Kenshin! What do we do!" Kaoru screamed while grabbing Kenshin's gi. She shook him violently. She continued to scream in his face.
"Oro! This one thinks we should head back to that tree portal.....but perhaps something is going to happen here. Why else would there be a link between our time and this?"
After they stood and calmed down for a while, they decided to walk around the market of the past to see if anything was wrong. The small, busy market was full of the same type of stuff they normally saw. People were walking around buying silk cloth, vegetables, and other goods.
"There doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary here, that there does not." he said after they walked the full length of the now shorter market. Figuring this whole time travel thing was a random event without a purpose, he started to lead the way back to the woods.
"Wait Kenshin." Kaoru squeaked as they reached the edge of the market again. "Look over there" she said quietly pointing to the path that connected the dojo to the rest of the town. He saw a group of eight small kids of about four to six years old. They were playing a game, running around chasing each other happily. A group of adults were standing under the trees near the path with wooden swords.
"Kenshin that's ME! she said pointing out a small girl holding a doll. "When my father would teach swordsmanship classes for adults, their children would come and we would play together." They walked closer to a group of people watching the Kamiya class, so they could look at the tiny Kaoru. The very small girl was in a bright yellow kimono with a light blue sash. In her hair was an indigo ribbon just like the one in older Kaoru's hair. They shuffled closer to watch the kids play.
They stood and smiled as little Kaoru ran. She was so cute and happy, Kenshin smiled and chuckled as she neared them. "Kaoru-dono is still as cute as she was back in this time." Kaoru blushed. As she came closer, her long, loose hair ribbon fell over her eyes. She tripped and began to fall when Kenshin reached out and grabbed her gently under the arms. Kaoru quickly grabbed her doll as it flew towards her face like a bullet. Kenshin put her back on her feet and moved the ribbon from her face.
"Little Miss must be more careful, that she does" he said sweetly to her while he went to retie it for her. "Tie your hair up tight like this so you don't loose this beautiful blue ribbon." He tied the ribbon in her hair the same way older Kaoru did. Older Kaoru put her hand on her own ponytail.
"Thank you mister and lady." she said smiling as Kaoru gave her back her doll. They all exchanged deep smiles as she rejoined her friends. "Bye bye!"
Kenshin and Kaoru sat under a tree while they gazed at the students leaving the dojo and the town before them. Suddenly, Kenshin got a bad feeling. He got to his feet and looked at the busy townspeople. He slowly narrowed his eyes (now amber in color) and put his hand on his sword.
"What is it, Kenshin?"
"Something is coming." he stated as he walked into the empty yard of the Kamiya dojo. Kaoru followed close by with a worried look. When she was about to ask another question, a loud smash echoed through the trees. Several trees fell to the ground as a huge sword blade cut through them. Kaoru screamed and grabbed the sleeve of Kenshin's gi.
Out of the darkness of the forest came a familiar foe. Gohei, known as the fake battosai, stepped out of the trees and began to stomp through the yard.
"KAMIYA!" the giant boomed as he reached the dojo. "I have come to get my revenge on you!"
Kenshin now had an idea of why the portal was connected to the past. Somehow Gohei had used it to travel back to when Kaoru's father was still alive. He planned to kill her father! Kenshin and Kaoru watched as Mr. Kamiya entered the yard before Gohei. He had no idea this giant was the future version of the student he injured several months before, for dishonoring the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu.
"Father no....you'll be killed...." Kaoru sobbed as her eyes covered in tears. Gohei continued to yell as little Kaoru peeked out around her father.
"Kaoru stay back!" he yelled as Gohei approached. He had to quickly push her out of the way as Gohei flew at them. She was instantly knocked unconscious as she hit the floor and slid across the dojo. Mr. Kamiya flew out into the yard over Gohei and landed on Kenshin.
"ORO!"
"Wh-who are you?" he asked when he got off Kenshin's stomach.
"Ororo....sessha is Kenshin Himura" the swirly eyed rurouni replied.
Kaoru ran into the dojo after Gohei turned his back and picked up the small girl on the floor. She gently cradled her tiny body in her arms and hide behind some training dummies by a far wall and watching the others.
"Himura Battosai!" bellowed Gohei. "How the hell.... HA, you found my little toy in the woods, did you!" He puffed out his chest.
"Hai Gohei, and it would seem that it was a good thing I did too. Also, how would someone like yourself find a thing like that?"
"Heh, an old man from my travels after I fought you, was kind enough to give it to me. Of course, he had to have a talk with the blade of my sword before he would hand it over." he let out a proud laugh and held out his dirty sword.
Kenshin had forgotten that during his fight with Gohei a while ago, he injured the giants left hand (since Gohei's right hand was already injured by Kaoru's father when he was a student). This made it impossible for Gohei to ever hold a sword again, so how could he? As Kenshin looked at the towering foe's sword, he found that its handle was attached directly to a metal glove strapped on his left hand.
"I was just going to kill Kamiya...but since you're here, I'll kill you also, battosia! With this new modified sword, I can finally kill the ones who cost me the use of my hands in the first place!" He jumped at Kenshin and Kamiya with his sword towards the sky. They both jumped to the sides at the last second to avoid the blade.
He was faster than the last time they met. Kenshin was surprised by Gohei's speed but was sure he was not much stronger. Mr. Kamiya was still confused as they continued to dodge.
Mr. Kamiya spoke calmly to Gohei as they continue to avoid the blade. "I am unsure of what you mean by revenge. Tell me why you intend to kill me if we have never met."
"I assure that we HAVE met. I was your student Gohei and my right hand suffered at your doing!" he lifted his right hand to his face. It looked slightly limp and his thumb was slightly bent in. "Since then I had gotten used to using my left hand to fight! This hand had also been injured by Himura, thus the metal glove!"
"But...but how can you be my ex-student, Gohei? You where only a kid when I banished you several months ago." Mr. Kamiya still spoke very calmly.
Kenshin spoke up as Gohei swung wildly at Kamiya. "This Gohei came from the future to slay you, sir. He wants revenge on you for his hand."
Kenshin quickly took out his reverse-blade sword and ran up Gohei's back. He swung a Hiten Mitsurugi attack at the giant's massive neck. Gohei stubbled forward as Mr. Kamiya landed a hard kick on Gohei's metal glove. The glove shattered into several pieces as Gohei hit the ground. The sword smashed also as it hit a nearby tree.
"Nooo! How could I lose again!?" he cringed trying to grab at their feet.
Keshin returned his sword to it's sheath as he approached. "You honestly don't know? You lose because you rely only on your thirst for revenge to give you strength. You can't win a battle if you have no real power, that you can not!" His eyes slowly turned back to their original lavender color.
"Mr. Himura speaks the truth" added Kamiya. "I didn't just banish you because you dishonored my teachings. I also did it because you expected to kill, and without having to gain any real skill. A foolish man with I sword is more likely to make bad mistakes if he has no skill, than if he does. I didn't want you to foolishly kill anyone trying to use strength you don't have. That's why I tried to keep you from picking up a sword again."
He pointed to Gohei"s right hand and then his left. "Mr. Himura must have had a similar reason to take away use of your left hand."
Gohei grunted as he slipped into unconsciousness. Kaoru walked out of the dojo still holding little Kaoru. Kenshin and Mr. Kamiya struggled as they threw Gohei's body back through the mirror portal. Mr. Kamiya and Kenshin thanked each other for the others help. Mr. Kamiya took little Kaoru from Kaoru's arms.
"It was no big deal, sir" said Kenshin happily as if they were finishing an everyday chore.
"I feel I would have had too big of a battle to fight if you didn't show up. Thank you young lady for protecting my daughter, she means the world to me. Uh...what was your name?"
"Kaoru-" she looked at Kenshin with worried eyes. Kenshin could tell she didn't want her father to know she was his daughter.
"This is Kaoru Himura...my.....wife" Kenshin said with a smile. Kaoru blushed and smiled too.
"What a coincidence, my daughter is also named Kaoru!" he said happily, still holding his passed out daughter.
"Yeah...what a coincidence...hehe" Kenshin and Kaoru said at the same time. Awkward smiles went across their faces. They wanted to leave before he figured out the truth.
They waved good-bye to Mr. Kamiya as they entered the time portal. Tears began to form in Kaoru's eyes as the image of her father disappeared behind them. She quickly began to think of what Kenshin had said. "This is Kaoru Himura...my.....wife" It sound as if he had really meant it but she was sure he didn't. Her tears disappeared as she repeated it to herself. Kenshin noticed her blushing as they continued throughout the white tunnel, dragging Gohei behind them.
As they reached the end of the tunnel, they reentered their normal time. Kenshin slashed the shiny mirror with the sharp edge of is sakabato. The mirror flickered and slowly disappeared from the tree.
Several police officers where waiting for them nearby. "Good work Mr. Himura, you found Gohei! We were unsure of entering that strange mirror when we chased him here. When we couldn't find you, we figured you had already gone in." said the head officer. They took Gohei away, leaving Kenshin and Kaoru alone.
"Well, I guess our walk was a little more than we expected." chuckled Kenshin as they walked into the same yard they just battled in.
"Hai....Kenshin." she looked at him with sparkling eyes. They smiled sweetly at each other.
Suddenly Yahiko and Sano burst out of the house. "It's about freaking time you got home!" yelled Sano. "Me and Yahiko have been here for an hour starving to death! Right, Yahiko!"
"Yeah! I'm so hungry I'd almost eat Ugly's cooking!" he said glaring at Kaoru. They then ran back into the house when she let out a loud growl and threw her shoes at them.
"I suppose sessha will start dinner then." Kenshin said as they walked in too.
As Kenshin made dinner, Kaoru went to her room. She stood in the middle of the room still blushing about Kenshin. She walked to her closet and opened the door. She knelt on the floor and pulled out an old bamboo chest. She slowly opened the box and ran her fingers over a pink, silk cloth. She smiled as she removed the cloth that covered an old doll. She picked up the doll and held it carefully in her arms.
As Kenshin put dinner on the table, Yahiko and Sano wasted no time stuffing their faces with anything they could grab. He noticed that Kaoru hadn't came to the table when he called her several minutes ago. He quietly walked to her door and knocked.
"Kaoru-dono, dinner is ready. If you want any at all, I suggest you hurry before Hurricanes Yahiko and Sano eat everything." He laughed at himself before slowly entering her room. "Kaoru-dono?"
He swept his eyes around before noticing her sitting by the closet. He approached her quietly while calling her name again. He saw her holding a pretty doll that looked very familiar. She looked more like the sweet little girl from the past as she held it. Kenshin couldn't help smiling.
"I see Kaoru-dono still has that pretty doll we saw today." He said gently taking the doll from her.
"I use to carry it everywhere I went, when I was little." she said happily. "My mother made it for me before she died. In my eyes, it was a memory of her. When my father died too, I put it away because the memories of both my parents in the doll were to painful."
The happiness from her voice had faded as she spoke. Kenshin took her hand as he placed the doll in her lap. He moved closer so he could comfort her.
"Kaoru-dono, you shouldn't be upset. Even if your parents aren't with you now, somewhere in another world of time, they are still here for you."
Kaoru looked up into Kenshin's eyes. What he said was true. That day they saw her father, he was alive and cared for her very much. She began to cry in his arms.
"Oh no. Sessha did not want to make you cry." He looked very confused, not knowing how to help her.
"No, Kenshin. I feel much better, thank you." she whipped her eyes. They gazed at each other before getting up to go eat. Kaoru put her doll on her futon and put the bamboo chest in the closet.
After dinner, Kaoru went into the dojo to practice swings with her bokken. Kenshin had just finished the dishes when he decided to sneak a peek at Kaoru in the dojo. He sneaked very quietly along the outside wall and poked his head around the corner of the doorway. He watched her as she perfectly swung her bokken. She looked so beautiful, even if she was all sweaty.
After a few minutes of watching her, she began to jump and run around the dojo as if fighting an invisible enemy. To Kenshin, she looked like she was dancing. He smiled to himself. As she continued, she hair ribbon suddenly freed itself and blinded her. Just like little Kaoru from the past, she began to trip.
With Kenshin's god-like speed, he ran and caught her under the arms before she crashed to the floor.
"It seems this is the second time today I have had to save you from an angry hair ribbon." he said as he removed the indigo ribbon from her eyes. Kaoru blushed as he retied it for her. They smiled and went to sit on the edge of the porch outside.
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Kenshin looked over at Kaoru who was staring into space.
"What are you thinking about Kaoru-dono?"
"Hm? Oh...about today." She blushed a deep red color.
"It sure was wild, wasn't it?" he smiled at her. "But something tell me Kaoru-dono is thinking about what sessha said to Mr. Kamiya. Am I right?"
She blushed again. "When you said I was your wife, my heart felt a warm feeling. I didn't care if you didn't mean it. I just felt so happy." She blushed and even deeper red color and put her hands over her face.
"But I did mean it Kaoru-dono" he said taking her hands in his. He felt his fears of telling Kaoru his feelings for her fading away. "I love you, Kaoru."
She looked at him very sweetly, yet very surprised. Hearing him say he loved her made her fears fade as well.
"I love you too, Kenshin"
They hugged for a long time before staring into each others eyes again.
"Sessha would be very happy if you would really be my wife." He said to her.
Kaoru smiled and hugged him again. "I would love to marry you, Kenshin."
He raised her chin up with his hand and gave her a passionate kiss. They broke the kiss and Kaoru gently put her head on his shoulder. Kenshin gently stroked her back as they sat and watched the night sky form around them.