Reviewers:
Sky Fairy 77: Thanks for the constant encouragement.
Nanakidoya: Thank you! You have such a fantastic story! I really enjoyed reading it.
Tsumesgirl05: Funny? Haha. I didn't expect this story to be funny, but thank you anyway!
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine. If it were, I'd be swimming in a lake of thousand dollar bills.
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"How's her condition, Megumi-dono?" Kenshin asked earnestly.
"Sigh. She's still in coma, Kenshin. However her ribs are starting to heal properly. It's just her overall damage that's causing this coma. This is the fifth time you've asked me, Kenshin." Megumi replied tiredly.
Kenshin paused as he absorbed the same familiar words for the fifth time. He couldn't help but get worried about Kaoru. He loved her. Kenshin kept blaming himself for not rushing there in time to save her from any hurt or pain. Also, how was he going to tell her the news about Kojiro?
"Gomen-nasai, Megumi-dono." Kenshin apologized and gave a weak smile.
"Please don't smile with such sorrowful eyes, Kenshin. I understand completely everything that you're going through. I just hope Kaoru recovers and wakes up soon. Now you go back to the dojo and get some rest, okay? I'll send someone down to inform you immediately if Kaoru wakes up." Megumi explained.
Kenshin nodded his head and bowed low to Megumi. He was thankful for all the help she had given towards Kaoru.
"Oh don't be silly! We're not strangers, okay?" Megumi exclaimed as she rushed towards Kenshin and pulled him up from the bowing position.
Kenshin thanked Megumi one more time and walked out of the clinic. Walking past the market, he remembered all the haggling Kaoru would do with the store keepers. She never failed to agitate or irritate them. Even though Kaoru seemed like an irritating tomboy, Kenshin knew that deep in her heart, she was a sweet and wonderful person with an active personality. Thinking about all the funny times he had with Kaoru, Kenshin can't help but chuckle slightly to himself. Oh how he missed that tanuki.
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Sano buried his face deep in his hands. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that Kojiro died. Yahiko lay on the ground, hands covering his eyes. He had been grieving over the death of Kojiro. The two boys who always seemed so tough were now beaten by grieves of despair, someone who they've only known for awhile but they've clicked so well with.
"D-Do you think Kaoru will take the news well?" Yahiko asked meekly.
Sano heaved a heavy sigh and looked at Yahiko. His hands were still covering his eyes.
"'Course not. Kojiro was Kaoru's father, damn it!" Sano cursed.
"I don't know how she's going to take one blow after another." Yahiko responded.
"Maybe you could start helping her by stop calling her busu…" Sano pondered out loud.
"It's not funny at a time like this, Sano." Yahiko reprimanded.
Sano kept quiet and lay on the ground together with Yahiko. Maybe instead of wallowing in this grief, he could help others by being happy.
"Let's be happy, Yahiko. Let's be happy." Sano mused.
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The Next Day…
Megumi walked into Kaoru's room to check on her recovery. Listening to her pulse, Megumi felt Kaoru's fingers move slightly. Megumi was shocked and dropped Kaoru's hand. She saw Kaoru's eyelids twitching and finally opened very slightly.
"Oh my, thank God you're finally awake!!! I have to send a messenger to inform Kenshin and the rest now!!!" Megumi exclaimed with excitement and rushed off to find the messenger.
Kaoru shifted around in her bed. Her ribs ached from the recovery and she didn't want to do anything more than to sleep. She didn't want to be reminded of what happened. She just wanted peace.
At The Dojo…
A young boy ran into the Kamiya dojo towards Kenshin huffing and panting heavily.
"Are you Himura Kenshin, Sir?" The boy asked politely as he panted loudly.
"Oro? That would be sessha." Kenshin replied with a confused look on his face.
"Great. I've got a message from Miss Megumi to you. She says that Kaoru is awake and wants you over as soon as possible." The boy explained.
"Oro! This is wonderful news!" Kenshin said as he hurried off to inform Yahiko and Sanosuke.
After hearing the news, the three of them rushed off to the clinic to visit Kaoru. They found Megumi standing outside her door.
"Megumi, how is she?!" The three of them asked in unison excitedly.
"She's fine. However, Kaoru's sleeping now. I don't think I'd want any of you to disturb her sleep. I just checked on her, everything's fine and healing nicely except that her pulse is quite low. Let her rest, alright?" Megumi said.
Yahiko, Kenshin and Sanosuke's excited face changed to a disappointed one. They were all concerned about Kaoru. But Kenshin was hurting the most.
"I need to see her now!" Kenshin thought inside his head. But he could do nothing. For the sake of her health, he would wait.
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Yahiko and Sano sat outside the clinic frolicking around with each other. Kenshin on the other hand, paced about to and fro, constantly worried about Kaoru.
"Kenshin, would you please relax?! Megumi already said she's fine!" Sano said irritably.
"You won't understand how I feel, Sano!" Kenshin snapped back.
"Now look here, Kenshin-" Sano begin, but before he could even finish, Megumi came out of the clinic and motioned them to enter Kaoru's room.
Kaoru was awake, staring at the ceiling. Her hands were placed together and she silently collected herself in her thoughts.
"K-Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin said quietly.
"BUSU!!! You had us all worried! How are you feeling?" Yahiko exclaimed loudly.
"Silly raccoon!" Sano scolded.
Kaoru turned her head and smiled softly. She was glad that they cared about her.
"A-Arigato, I'm fine." Kaoru said as she turned her head towards them.
"K-Kenshin!" Kaoru exclaimed as she saw the rurouni's petite figure.
Kenshin walked to her side and held her hand.
"I'm here, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin responded kindly.
"I-I thought you were in Kyoto?" Kaoru asked.
Kenshin explained everything, except her father's death. He tried all means and ways to wriggle out of the question that Kaoru kept asking.
"Kenshin, how is my father?! Tell me! I want to see him!" Kaoru demanded.
"Err… The truth is, Kaoru-dono…" Kenshin started.
"-That he's out of town!" Yahiko finished.
"Huh? Why? Where did he go to now?" Kaoru asked.
"H-He needed to get some things before he sees you, jou-chan." Sano explained fakely.
"Oh. I see." Kaoru responded. She was disappointed her father wasn't by her bedside when she awoke. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought about everything that has happened between her and Kenshin. She wanted to be alone.
"Please leave." Kaoru said softly.
"Wh-What?" Kenshin responded.
"I want to be alone right now." Kaoru said as she wiped the tears away from her eyes.
"W-Why, Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked concernedly.
"Because I just want to, okay!" Kaoru yelled. She was getting frustrated.
Yahiko and Sanosuke shook their head as Kenshin walked out of the door.
"Take care, jou-chan." Sano said as they walked out of the room.
Kaoru shifted around her bed and felt a sharp pain in her side. Her ribs were acting up again. She better lay still. She thought about the fight with Kazuki. Was what Kazuki said really true? Was she really useless? She always needed someone to protect her. Why couldn't she protect herself?
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A Week Later…
"Jou-chan!" Sano exclaimed as he saw Kaoru and Megumi walk into the dojo.
"Hai, Sanosuke?" Kaoru said with a sweet smile.
"Y-You recovered! I'll go get Kenshin!" Sano exclaimed as he ran to the kitchen.
"Looks like they were all really worried about you," Megumi said and smiled.
"Hai, I'm glad to see that." Kaoru replied with a wide grin.
Kaoru waited at the dojo entrance with Megumi for five minutes. Kenshin still didn't turn up.
"What's taking him so long??" Kaoru wondered out loud.
"It's your dojo, right? Let's go in and find them!" Megumi said.
Kaoru and Megumi walked to the kitchen and heard several whispered voices inside.
"Wait," Kaoru whispered as she leaned her ear nearer to the door and listened.
"How am I going to face her?" Kenshin whispered to Sano.
"Just be as per normal, Kenshin. There's nothing to worry about!" Sano said encouragingly.
"Easy for you to say, I can't keep pretending Kojiro's away!" Kenshin retorted.
"Can't you just pretend for a little longer? Wait till she's better," Sano replied.
"What do they mean? What are they talking about?" Kaoru wondered in her head.
"Yeah, and when she's better she'll take it easier that her father died?! She's going to have a breakdown!" Kenshin exclaimed a little bit too loud.
"W-What?!" Kaoru shouted from the outside.
Megumi tried to console Kaoru but Kaoru froze in her tracks and stared ahead. This shock was too much for her to handle. Her father had only been reunited with her for a few hours, and this happened. Her father died saving her. She was responsible, responsible for her father's death.
Kaoru couldn't take it anymore. She dropped to the ground and fainted.
"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin yelled as he ran out of the kitchen.
"This is my entire fault. I should've told you from the beginning… Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin shouted as he tried to wake Kaoru up.
"Sigh. Don't worry Kenshin, she just fainted. Let's get her some rest, alright?" Megumi said as Sano carried Kaoru to her room.
Kenshin sat at the front porch, contemplating. Why did all these happen to Kaoru? He didn't know what to do to make her feel better. He wanted to help her in anyway he could. Maybe if he never left for Kyoto, Kojiro would have survived. Kenshin was blaming everything on himself.
"Don't blame yourself, Kenshin." Megumi said as she sat at the front porch with him.
"Arigato, Megumi-dono, but sessha can't help it." Kenshin replied softly.
"Sometimes in life… We can't change what has happened and what is to happen even as much as we want to. The only thing you can do now is think of how to make Kaoru feel better. To make her feel that she's loved, that she's special." Megumi explained.
"To make her feel loved…" Kenshin pondered.
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End of Chapter.
Okay, I lied. This is not the last chapter! The next one will be the last. This is my longest work to date, and my favourite. Tell me what you think about it! REVIEWS PLEASE!