Disclaimer: I never owned Rurouni Kenshin and never will.
A/N: I'm so surprised at the amount of reviews I got! I've never gotten so many! ^_^ Sorry it took me so long to put this up, but this is out of pity, since I haven't finished the 2nd chapter yet . . . *sigh* ah yes, spring break is here and I'm so happy!
Warning: Kenshin is kind of OOC. I don't know why I did that to him, but I did. *shrugs*
--+--
Unsheathing the Sheathed
Prologue 3, Vow of Life
-~+*+~--~+*+~--~+*+~--~+*+~-
Kaoru sighed as she waited on Kenshin's futon for his return, a candle and match by her side. He never actually slept on the futon. She would always find him sleeping against the wall with his katana propped up against his shoulder with one hand wrapped around it. She didn't understand why they still washed his futon every day even though they knew he hadn't slept on it for the four years he'd been there.
Being fifteen now, Kaoru had grown into a world known beauty. Well, at least in their kingdom. Her smile was said to be breath taking, as were her uncommon light eyes. When she became fourteen she stopped her growing at the height of five foot three, even though she was still considerably tall for her age.
At the moment, Kaoru wore her cream sleeping yukata, her waist long hair braided and draping over her shoulder. Her eyes were downcast as she toyed with a strand of hair that had fallen from the braid.
She quickly looked up when a fierce wind blew against the western windows. Seeing a shadowed figured, Kaoru tensed. The window was pushed open and the figure leaped in cattily, a thin object in hand.
"Kenshin?" Kaoru whispered. The figure froze and turned towards Kaoru. Kaoru quickly lit the candle and held it up to reveal the nineteen-year- old's face. "Where were you?"
Getting up, Kaoru lit the candles on the walls of the room before setting down the first lit one. Kenshin stood illuminated in the formally dark room. His eyes were closed and his lips moving in silent curses. His gray hakama and navy blue gi were stained with blood, particularly at his stomach. Kaoru glanced down at his hand and gasped. Kenshin, following her eyes' gaze, quickly pulled a bucket of water from a corner of the room along with a piece of cloth. The sword was covered in blood.
"Miss Kaoru, what are you doing here?" Kenshin asked, glaring at her with golden eyes as he bent down to his knees with the bucket of water. Kaoru pursed her lips and knelt down next to him.
"I was waiting for you, of course" she snapped.
"How'd you know I was gone?" Kenshin whispered, turning his eyes towards his sword. Dipping a little bit of the cloth into the water, Kenshin brought it to his sword and ran it over the sword. Kaoru watched as the blood quickly attached itself to the cloth in thick masses and shivered.
"I had a feeling . . . and I checked your room" Kaoru muttered sheepishly. Kenshin stopped collecting the blood for a second and just looked up at her, before returning his eyes to the slim sword.
"Why'd you wait?" he murmured. There was just something about the silence of the room that made you feel like you had to talk in whispers.
"I was worried that you might get hurt . . . are you hurt?" Kaoru asked, clenching her hands in fists in her lap. Kenshin just grunted.
"Nothing I can't take care of" he muttered. Kaoru looked down at the bloodiest part of his gi and wrinkled her nose. After judging that his sword was clean, Kenshin slipped it back into its sheath, clenching his teeth as he bent over. "The war will be over soon, very soon"
"How many did you have to kill?"
Kenshin sighed. "I was only supposed to kill a commander, but I had to knock out a few to get to him. And others well, they shouldn't've gotten in my way" he muttered harshly.
"Shut up and take off your gi" Kaoru commanded. Kenshin looked at her wide eyed. Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Just do it, Kenshin"
Removing his smaller sword, Kenshin cringed slightly as he pulled the gi out of his hakama. Kaoru helped him withdraw it from his shoulders and to the floor. Kaoru gasped when she spotted his side. A thin, but deep cut was over it diagonally, blood seeping from it. Kaoru reached out to it, but withdrew her hand before she could make contact.
"I've had worse" he muttered and Kaoru gazed up at him fearfully.
"If you dare, ever tell me that you don't have an injury that isn't minor I will kill you myself!" Kaoru growled out at him, climbing to her feet. "Now stay here. I need to go steal some stuff from Megumi"
"I have materials in here you know" Kenshin whispered before she could leave. Kaoru looked back at him and winced.
"Oh"
Kenshin motioned with his head towards his wardrobe. "On the right under my clothes is a medicine box. Get it"
Kaoru nodded and walked over to the wardrobe. Opening it slowly, it creaked eerily. Kaoru ducked into it and couldn't help, but breath in slightly. Kenshin's clothes smelled of . . . well Kenshin. But it was a soothing smell like a mix of blue spruce and a husky smell. Sweet as candy, hard as wood. Kaoru stopped herself before she could think about defining the smell any longer and pulled out a box from the right corner. Kaoru stumbled towards Kenshin's side again.
Taking the bucket of water, Kaoru dipped a clean white cloth into it then wrung it out. "Hold this to your side" she whispered and Kenshin did so. Kaoru pulled out some gauze. "I don't care if the war is coming to an end. I'm going to make sure Father hears me tomorrow! After all the years I've asked him not to he just keeps making you kill"
Kaoru pulled the now blood soaked cloth away and placed the gauze over it, cringing when the blood touched her fingers. "Was the sword that did this to you rusted?" Kenshin shook his head and Kaoru sighed with relief. Pulling out some tape that had been recently shipped in, Kaoru taped the gauze to his smooth skin around the cut. Kaoru quickly wiped away some blood that had dripped down and shuddered when she saw on her fingers. Kenshin, seeing this sighed.
"Just wipe your hand on my gi. A little more blood won't make a difference" he ordered. Kaoru nodded and did as he said. That was the weird thing. Sometimes it was like Kenshin wasn't the servant and Kaoru wasn't his mistress. Few times did she order him to do anything and whenever Kaoru was scared she'd do whatever he said for her to do.
Taking out a roll of bandages, Kaoru taped one end over the gauze. "Hold still alright?" she whispered, gazing up at his face.
His eyes had softened to blue, purple swirls streaming through it. Kaoru stared into them. They were like a mood ring. Golden meant he was either very very angry or about to kill someone. Either that or he wanted to scare someone. Blue meant he was feeling a bit kinder even though he was probably not to happy. Purple . . . she'd never seen him with full out purple so Kaoru didn't know what to think.
"Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin whispered. "Kaoru?" Kaoru came back to her senses when he didn't use the "Miss" part. Kaoru blushed and quickly looked back at the bandages.
Leaning forward, Kaoru put one arm around Kenshin's back so she could pass the bandages to it. Kaoru leaned back when she passed it back to the hand that had first held it. Leaning forward again, Kaoru blushed when her cheek brushed his chest and a shudder passed through Kenshin, bumping her cheek again. Kaoru quickly passed the roll to her next; making sure it was tight enough. Kaoru did the rest as fast as she could.
Retrieving a knife, Kaoru quickly cut the bandages and taped it down. "There" she gasped. "Done" She sat back on her knees and glanced at her work. She had done it well for only her third time trying. Kaoru let her eyes travel up from his bandages, pass his chest and to his face, still blushing from their close contact.
"Kaoru" Kenshin breathed and Kaoru looked at him with wide eyes. He smiled at her. "Thank you" Kaoru blushed, but nodded.
"Any time" Kaoru responded. She stood to her feet and returned all his supplies to his wardrobe. When she looked at him everything came rushing back at her. She had been to sick with worry to let her senses take over. Kaoru felt a dizzying nausea claim over her as she remembered the broken skin the blood stained gi, sword, the blood on her fingers. She began to waver on her feet and Kenshin quickly grabbed her before she could fall.
Kenshin quickly dragged her to the window and thrust it open. Kaoru hung her head over it and let out what had been forcing itself up her throat. Kenshin glanced at her face and averted his eyes. He rubbed her back gently when he heard someone cry out. Looking out the window he saw one of the guards looking up at them angrily. A mass of throw-up had just missed his foot. Kenshin grimaced and pulled Kaoru back inside. Tearing a peace of cloth from his hakama, he wiped it over her mouth and she looked at him drowsily.
"Ken . . . shin?" she whispered. "I'm so tired . . ."
"That's to be expected. You just threw up on the royal guard. Tomorrow, I'd stay clear of them" Kenshin teased and Kaoru nodded obediently.
"That was . . . disgusting" Kaoru groaned and Kenshin nodded in agreement. Pulling away, Kaoru headed towards the door.
"Goodnight"
"Goodnight Miss Kaoru"
-~+*+~-
"Kaoru, we've been over this before" King Kamiya groaned out. Kaoru stood before him fuming. She had hurriedly pulled on a yellow kimono with a blue and green thin striped obi holding it in place.
"Yes, but you never gave me a straight answer!" Kaoru shouted angrily. A few of the court members watched on in amusement at her shouts, while others held their nose high above her. She had long since stopped caring about what the people of the royal court thought of her and she had risen from her secluded shell she had hidden in for so many years.
One of the large doors on the side of the enormous room was pushed open and Kenshin stepped inside, looking at everyone in the room uneasily. He obviously had been outside by the sweat on his forehead. He wore a lavender short sleeved gi that only reached to the middle of his bicep, the opening larger from him moving around so much, showing the bandages. He wore a different kind of hakama that wasn't as wide and ended at his knees were it was drawn into long black socks. He wore a pair of getas that were easier to move around in, more flexible.
He wore a pair of gloves that had a white ring underneath his elbow where it started and one on his wrist and middle finger. Instead of going around all of his hand, it just went up to his middle finger from his wrist, starting out as a square.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked, his voice smooth, not betraying the uneasiness he felt. Kenshin observed the scene before him. King Kamiya was sitting on his throne with a look of annoyance on his face while Kaoru stood in front of him with her fists clenched at her sides, her lips pursed. Kaoru turned her gaze to him and marched over to him angrily.
"This conversation concerns you! Now come on!" Kaoru ordered angrily and grabbed his arm. She drug the poor assassin over into the middle of the room in front of the king and dropped his arm. "Now, tell him! Tell him you don't want to do it anymore!"
Kenshin looked at her confusedly. "Do what?" he asked innocently. Suddenly the court was filled with chuckles and a few who just laughed outright. King Kamiya held up a hand for them to stop and after a few minutes the laughs died down. Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him and he could've sworn she was about to grow horns and kill him. He instinctively pulled his swords behind him out of her reach.
"Assassinate of course!" Kaoru shouted and Kenshin winced. "And what were you doing practicing after that wound you got yesterday? You probably started bleeding again!"
"Well, that's to be expected, but you have to train under pain or else you'll never be able to participate in a real battle" Kenshin replied. Kaoru glared at him. "What? It's true!"
"Assassinating, Kenshin! Remember?!" Kaoru whispered.
"I have no want to continue doing it, assassinating that is. Never wanted to in the first place" Kenshin said loud enough for a few to hear.
"Tell me this Battousai. How long have you been assassin?" King Kamiya asked, leaning forward in his throne.
"Six years, sir" Kenshin responded, wondering where this was going.
"And how many people do you think you have killed?" King Kamiya asked. Kenshin sighed and thunked the top of the hilt of his katana. Kaoru glanced at Kenshin, spotting his eyes had turned a frightening amber.
"I don't see what this has to do with anything" Kenshin growled out in an almost inhuman way. Kaoru touched his arm and Kenshin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Answer the question" King Kamiya ordered harshly.
"More then one or two hundred" Kenshin muttered. Kaoru looked down at his hands and knew she was the only one who had noticed how tightly he had wrapped his hand around his katana.
"Father, stop it! The amount of people who died is not his fault! He has the right to defend himself just like any other man, doesn't he? People attacked him and he couldn't just let them kill him, could he?" Kaoru shouted angrily. King Kamiya barely gave her a glance.
"You were found by a grave when we caught you. Whose grave was that?" King Kamiya asked, placing his fingertips together. Kenshin glared up at him in rage.
Kenshin swiftly pulled his katana from its sheath and through it down into the hard floor. Anger filled his hand that held the hilt of the sword, which was vibrating slightly from the impact. "That is none of your business!" Kenshin shouted. King Kamiya stood up.
"Answer me! Did you kill that person to? Are you an assassin who visits the graves of the person he kills to practically taunt the families?" King Kamiya shouted. The room fell silent. Kenshin was quivering where he stood in anger. Stepping in front of Kenshin with her back to her father, Kaoru wrapped a hand around the katana and with a few hard tugs, pulled it from the floor. She quickly slipped it into Kenshin's sheath and tugged on his arm.
Kaoru began to pull him to the doors when her father's voice stopped her. "Kaoru, I have not finished my conversation with your servant!" Kaoru glared at her father.
"You are reaching too far into his life. You have no right! He is my servant and I will not allow him to tell you the answer to your question" Kaoru cried. Kaoru led the assassin out of the room and through the halls into her own. He seemed like a helpless puppy, allowing her to drag him like that.
Kenshin fell against the wall and slowly slid to the ground. His arms rested at the elbows on his knees, his hands uselessly hung in the air between them. His head was bowed to his chest, his hair shadowing his face. Kaoru knelt down in front of him and placed a hand on his leg. Kenshin reached over and grabbed her hand tightly. Kaoru gave it a squeeze and laced her fingers through his.
"Kenshin" she whispered and he looked up at her through his hair. "Kenshin, I'm so sorry! I am so sorry I made you go through that. And we didn't accomplish anything at all"
Kenshin looked up at her, his eyes blue again. Unlacing his fingers, Kenshin fell forward onto his knees and wrapped his arms around Kaoru, burying his head into her shoulder. Taken by surprise, it took Kaoru a moment to realize what had happened. Kaoru wrapped her arms around his back and rubbed circles over it soothingly. His back shook gently and Kaoru could tell by the wetness on her shoulder that he was crying. Kaoru could only fear that from all this emotional weight on him that he'd started bleeding again.
Kaoru couldn't help, but be aghast. She had never seen Kenshin cry. It was always her crying and him comforting her, not the other way around. Kaoru knew there was something about that grave that really hit Kenshin hard in the heart and Kaoru could only try to sooth the pain.
"To-moe" Kenshin breathed and gripped the back of Kaoru's kimono in his fists. Kaoru rested her cheek against his soft hair.
"Who's Tomoe?" Kaoru whispered. Kenshin tried to stop his crying, but he only pulled back gently so Kaoru could see his face.
"She was my wife" he whispered so softly, Kaoru could barely hear him, but she did catch the words "my wife".
"Your wife?" Kaoru murmured. Kenshin closed his eyes and stood up, turning his back towards Kaoru.
"I'm sorry" he whispered. "I've been holding that in for four years" Kenshin said with a slight chuckle. Kaoru stood up and wrapped her arms around Kenshin's arm. She held it against her chest and rested her face on it.
"For all the times I've cried on you I can't say anything" Kaoru muttered against his arm. "Please. Let's just be happy and forget this ever happened. Alright?" Kenshin just nodded and slunk to the floor again.
"Hear this now. I vow that when this war has ended I shall not kill anyone ever again" Kenshin whispered. Kaoru nodded and just sat there with him as he tried to even his breathing. "How I hate my life"
"No! Kenshin, don't say that! That's my line" Kaoru whispered, trying to make him smile. He just looked up at her drowsily.
"Sorry, but I hate your father" he muttered. Kaoru sighed. Who could blame him? Her father was the one who made him a servant and everything.
"I don't know what's wrong with him. He used to be so loving, so kind. But when the war started . . . he just became so cruel and harsh" Kaoru reminisced.
"At least you don't have to spend so much time with him now. You've mastered the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu" Kenshin mumbled. Kaoru looked at him, a spark of interest in her eyes.
"What is your sword style called? You've never told me before"
Kenshin looked up surprised. "Didn't know you wanted to know. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu" Kaoru bit her lip and played with the material of her kimono.
"Hey, Kenshin, do you think that you might be able to, you know, teach me the ways of-" Kaoru began.
"No!" Kenshin snapped quickly and Kaoru jumped at the sudden sharpness in his voice. Kaoru crawled forward, watching him pleadingly.
"Please, Kenshin! Please!" Kaoru begged and clenched onto one of his sleeves.
"Kaoru . . ." Kenshin growled menacingly and stood to his feet, glaring down at her. "You don't want to learn my style, trust me" Kaoru glared back up at him and stood up so she was almost nose to nose with him, even though she still had to look up at bit.
"I do want to, Kenshin" she hissed, narrowing her eyes. Kenshin grabbed her below her shoulders tightly.
"Kaoru, you do not want to learn my style. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu is training to kill, training to be powerful! It's practically the exact opposite of Kamiya Kasshin! I know you want to be strong! I know you want to be one of the best, but use the Kamiya Kasshin to get you there, alright?" Kenshin yelled his voice lowering as he spoke his last sentence. "You could die learning Hiten Mitsurugi and I wouldn't be able to live it down for the rest of my life if because of me someone close to me died again"
Kaoru was taken aback by the sincerity that poured from his words. Kaoru stared up at him, her azure eyes wide, mouth agape like the first time she saw him. She felt a blush fall over her face at their closeness and his words. "You think I'm close to you?" she whispered. Bright red hair shadowing his face, Kenshin loosened his grip on her arms.
"You accepted me for who I am. You are the only person I would trust to keep me from killing again. You have to help me keep my vow, Kaoru" Kenshin mumbled. Kaoru just nodded and looked away from his face.
"I have no wish to learn anymore" she whispered, though part of her still wished to learn. Kenshin let out a relieved smile and gave her a light hug. Kaoru smiled giddily.
"Thank you"
--+--
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^ I do what I can.
Lately I've been kind of emotional so forgive me. I cut all my hair off. It reached to slightly below my chest and I cut it all off and gave it to Locks of Love (a place where they make real human hair into wigs for people without hair from cause of cancer or leukemia). I feel so . . . weightless now.
TO ALL THE REVIEWERS! THANK YOU!
moonsilver: If you agree with Kaoru, you agree with me!
Rei: I love your energy! You seem to really be full of it.
Ginny-cry: Um . . . nice faces. =P
Himura Kamiya Kaoru: What does waiwai mean? Sorry I didn't update immediately! This chapter have enough fluff for you?
allin656: I won't drop it! I promise . . . it just might take a while to get ideas. Writer's block hits at the worst times, don't'cha think?
Kobe-Mac: Thank you!
tigerrelly: Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Lil-Sun-Rie: Thank you for reviewing!
tati-chan14: Anger can do a lot to a person.
Leah Durose: I tried to look at that kimono, but it wouldn't let me!
Alendra: I understand about patience, I have none.
Jen: *blushes* Thank you. You're so kind.
Usagi Tuskino: I tried to make it a little realistic to the anime/manga so she was a little bit older then she really would've been.
Annabelle5: Don't inflate my ego with your compliments anymore then it already is . . . Actually, bring on the compliments! LOL!
bonessasan: I know what you mean!
Somewei: I hope the bit of fluff in the chapter makes you happy.
PrincessDarkness8: Thanks.
kenshin's-angel: Kenshin was seventeen, in this one he is nineteen. Wait, you think this is funny? O.o I didn't know it was comedy of sorts . . .
YukiAngel28: Thank you!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review!
A/N: I'm so surprised at the amount of reviews I got! I've never gotten so many! ^_^ Sorry it took me so long to put this up, but this is out of pity, since I haven't finished the 2nd chapter yet . . . *sigh* ah yes, spring break is here and I'm so happy!
Warning: Kenshin is kind of OOC. I don't know why I did that to him, but I did. *shrugs*
--+--
Unsheathing the Sheathed
Prologue 3, Vow of Life
-~+*+~--~+*+~--~+*+~--~+*+~-
Kaoru sighed as she waited on Kenshin's futon for his return, a candle and match by her side. He never actually slept on the futon. She would always find him sleeping against the wall with his katana propped up against his shoulder with one hand wrapped around it. She didn't understand why they still washed his futon every day even though they knew he hadn't slept on it for the four years he'd been there.
Being fifteen now, Kaoru had grown into a world known beauty. Well, at least in their kingdom. Her smile was said to be breath taking, as were her uncommon light eyes. When she became fourteen she stopped her growing at the height of five foot three, even though she was still considerably tall for her age.
At the moment, Kaoru wore her cream sleeping yukata, her waist long hair braided and draping over her shoulder. Her eyes were downcast as she toyed with a strand of hair that had fallen from the braid.
She quickly looked up when a fierce wind blew against the western windows. Seeing a shadowed figured, Kaoru tensed. The window was pushed open and the figure leaped in cattily, a thin object in hand.
"Kenshin?" Kaoru whispered. The figure froze and turned towards Kaoru. Kaoru quickly lit the candle and held it up to reveal the nineteen-year- old's face. "Where were you?"
Getting up, Kaoru lit the candles on the walls of the room before setting down the first lit one. Kenshin stood illuminated in the formally dark room. His eyes were closed and his lips moving in silent curses. His gray hakama and navy blue gi were stained with blood, particularly at his stomach. Kaoru glanced down at his hand and gasped. Kenshin, following her eyes' gaze, quickly pulled a bucket of water from a corner of the room along with a piece of cloth. The sword was covered in blood.
"Miss Kaoru, what are you doing here?" Kenshin asked, glaring at her with golden eyes as he bent down to his knees with the bucket of water. Kaoru pursed her lips and knelt down next to him.
"I was waiting for you, of course" she snapped.
"How'd you know I was gone?" Kenshin whispered, turning his eyes towards his sword. Dipping a little bit of the cloth into the water, Kenshin brought it to his sword and ran it over the sword. Kaoru watched as the blood quickly attached itself to the cloth in thick masses and shivered.
"I had a feeling . . . and I checked your room" Kaoru muttered sheepishly. Kenshin stopped collecting the blood for a second and just looked up at her, before returning his eyes to the slim sword.
"Why'd you wait?" he murmured. There was just something about the silence of the room that made you feel like you had to talk in whispers.
"I was worried that you might get hurt . . . are you hurt?" Kaoru asked, clenching her hands in fists in her lap. Kenshin just grunted.
"Nothing I can't take care of" he muttered. Kaoru looked down at the bloodiest part of his gi and wrinkled her nose. After judging that his sword was clean, Kenshin slipped it back into its sheath, clenching his teeth as he bent over. "The war will be over soon, very soon"
"How many did you have to kill?"
Kenshin sighed. "I was only supposed to kill a commander, but I had to knock out a few to get to him. And others well, they shouldn't've gotten in my way" he muttered harshly.
"Shut up and take off your gi" Kaoru commanded. Kenshin looked at her wide eyed. Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Just do it, Kenshin"
Removing his smaller sword, Kenshin cringed slightly as he pulled the gi out of his hakama. Kaoru helped him withdraw it from his shoulders and to the floor. Kaoru gasped when she spotted his side. A thin, but deep cut was over it diagonally, blood seeping from it. Kaoru reached out to it, but withdrew her hand before she could make contact.
"I've had worse" he muttered and Kaoru gazed up at him fearfully.
"If you dare, ever tell me that you don't have an injury that isn't minor I will kill you myself!" Kaoru growled out at him, climbing to her feet. "Now stay here. I need to go steal some stuff from Megumi"
"I have materials in here you know" Kenshin whispered before she could leave. Kaoru looked back at him and winced.
"Oh"
Kenshin motioned with his head towards his wardrobe. "On the right under my clothes is a medicine box. Get it"
Kaoru nodded and walked over to the wardrobe. Opening it slowly, it creaked eerily. Kaoru ducked into it and couldn't help, but breath in slightly. Kenshin's clothes smelled of . . . well Kenshin. But it was a soothing smell like a mix of blue spruce and a husky smell. Sweet as candy, hard as wood. Kaoru stopped herself before she could think about defining the smell any longer and pulled out a box from the right corner. Kaoru stumbled towards Kenshin's side again.
Taking the bucket of water, Kaoru dipped a clean white cloth into it then wrung it out. "Hold this to your side" she whispered and Kenshin did so. Kaoru pulled out some gauze. "I don't care if the war is coming to an end. I'm going to make sure Father hears me tomorrow! After all the years I've asked him not to he just keeps making you kill"
Kaoru pulled the now blood soaked cloth away and placed the gauze over it, cringing when the blood touched her fingers. "Was the sword that did this to you rusted?" Kenshin shook his head and Kaoru sighed with relief. Pulling out some tape that had been recently shipped in, Kaoru taped the gauze to his smooth skin around the cut. Kaoru quickly wiped away some blood that had dripped down and shuddered when she saw on her fingers. Kenshin, seeing this sighed.
"Just wipe your hand on my gi. A little more blood won't make a difference" he ordered. Kaoru nodded and did as he said. That was the weird thing. Sometimes it was like Kenshin wasn't the servant and Kaoru wasn't his mistress. Few times did she order him to do anything and whenever Kaoru was scared she'd do whatever he said for her to do.
Taking out a roll of bandages, Kaoru taped one end over the gauze. "Hold still alright?" she whispered, gazing up at his face.
His eyes had softened to blue, purple swirls streaming through it. Kaoru stared into them. They were like a mood ring. Golden meant he was either very very angry or about to kill someone. Either that or he wanted to scare someone. Blue meant he was feeling a bit kinder even though he was probably not to happy. Purple . . . she'd never seen him with full out purple so Kaoru didn't know what to think.
"Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin whispered. "Kaoru?" Kaoru came back to her senses when he didn't use the "Miss" part. Kaoru blushed and quickly looked back at the bandages.
Leaning forward, Kaoru put one arm around Kenshin's back so she could pass the bandages to it. Kaoru leaned back when she passed it back to the hand that had first held it. Leaning forward again, Kaoru blushed when her cheek brushed his chest and a shudder passed through Kenshin, bumping her cheek again. Kaoru quickly passed the roll to her next; making sure it was tight enough. Kaoru did the rest as fast as she could.
Retrieving a knife, Kaoru quickly cut the bandages and taped it down. "There" she gasped. "Done" She sat back on her knees and glanced at her work. She had done it well for only her third time trying. Kaoru let her eyes travel up from his bandages, pass his chest and to his face, still blushing from their close contact.
"Kaoru" Kenshin breathed and Kaoru looked at him with wide eyes. He smiled at her. "Thank you" Kaoru blushed, but nodded.
"Any time" Kaoru responded. She stood to her feet and returned all his supplies to his wardrobe. When she looked at him everything came rushing back at her. She had been to sick with worry to let her senses take over. Kaoru felt a dizzying nausea claim over her as she remembered the broken skin the blood stained gi, sword, the blood on her fingers. She began to waver on her feet and Kenshin quickly grabbed her before she could fall.
Kenshin quickly dragged her to the window and thrust it open. Kaoru hung her head over it and let out what had been forcing itself up her throat. Kenshin glanced at her face and averted his eyes. He rubbed her back gently when he heard someone cry out. Looking out the window he saw one of the guards looking up at them angrily. A mass of throw-up had just missed his foot. Kenshin grimaced and pulled Kaoru back inside. Tearing a peace of cloth from his hakama, he wiped it over her mouth and she looked at him drowsily.
"Ken . . . shin?" she whispered. "I'm so tired . . ."
"That's to be expected. You just threw up on the royal guard. Tomorrow, I'd stay clear of them" Kenshin teased and Kaoru nodded obediently.
"That was . . . disgusting" Kaoru groaned and Kenshin nodded in agreement. Pulling away, Kaoru headed towards the door.
"Goodnight"
"Goodnight Miss Kaoru"
-~+*+~-
"Kaoru, we've been over this before" King Kamiya groaned out. Kaoru stood before him fuming. She had hurriedly pulled on a yellow kimono with a blue and green thin striped obi holding it in place.
"Yes, but you never gave me a straight answer!" Kaoru shouted angrily. A few of the court members watched on in amusement at her shouts, while others held their nose high above her. She had long since stopped caring about what the people of the royal court thought of her and she had risen from her secluded shell she had hidden in for so many years.
One of the large doors on the side of the enormous room was pushed open and Kenshin stepped inside, looking at everyone in the room uneasily. He obviously had been outside by the sweat on his forehead. He wore a lavender short sleeved gi that only reached to the middle of his bicep, the opening larger from him moving around so much, showing the bandages. He wore a different kind of hakama that wasn't as wide and ended at his knees were it was drawn into long black socks. He wore a pair of getas that were easier to move around in, more flexible.
He wore a pair of gloves that had a white ring underneath his elbow where it started and one on his wrist and middle finger. Instead of going around all of his hand, it just went up to his middle finger from his wrist, starting out as a square.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked, his voice smooth, not betraying the uneasiness he felt. Kenshin observed the scene before him. King Kamiya was sitting on his throne with a look of annoyance on his face while Kaoru stood in front of him with her fists clenched at her sides, her lips pursed. Kaoru turned her gaze to him and marched over to him angrily.
"This conversation concerns you! Now come on!" Kaoru ordered angrily and grabbed his arm. She drug the poor assassin over into the middle of the room in front of the king and dropped his arm. "Now, tell him! Tell him you don't want to do it anymore!"
Kenshin looked at her confusedly. "Do what?" he asked innocently. Suddenly the court was filled with chuckles and a few who just laughed outright. King Kamiya held up a hand for them to stop and after a few minutes the laughs died down. Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him and he could've sworn she was about to grow horns and kill him. He instinctively pulled his swords behind him out of her reach.
"Assassinate of course!" Kaoru shouted and Kenshin winced. "And what were you doing practicing after that wound you got yesterday? You probably started bleeding again!"
"Well, that's to be expected, but you have to train under pain or else you'll never be able to participate in a real battle" Kenshin replied. Kaoru glared at him. "What? It's true!"
"Assassinating, Kenshin! Remember?!" Kaoru whispered.
"I have no want to continue doing it, assassinating that is. Never wanted to in the first place" Kenshin said loud enough for a few to hear.
"Tell me this Battousai. How long have you been assassin?" King Kamiya asked, leaning forward in his throne.
"Six years, sir" Kenshin responded, wondering where this was going.
"And how many people do you think you have killed?" King Kamiya asked. Kenshin sighed and thunked the top of the hilt of his katana. Kaoru glanced at Kenshin, spotting his eyes had turned a frightening amber.
"I don't see what this has to do with anything" Kenshin growled out in an almost inhuman way. Kaoru touched his arm and Kenshin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Answer the question" King Kamiya ordered harshly.
"More then one or two hundred" Kenshin muttered. Kaoru looked down at his hands and knew she was the only one who had noticed how tightly he had wrapped his hand around his katana.
"Father, stop it! The amount of people who died is not his fault! He has the right to defend himself just like any other man, doesn't he? People attacked him and he couldn't just let them kill him, could he?" Kaoru shouted angrily. King Kamiya barely gave her a glance.
"You were found by a grave when we caught you. Whose grave was that?" King Kamiya asked, placing his fingertips together. Kenshin glared up at him in rage.
Kenshin swiftly pulled his katana from its sheath and through it down into the hard floor. Anger filled his hand that held the hilt of the sword, which was vibrating slightly from the impact. "That is none of your business!" Kenshin shouted. King Kamiya stood up.
"Answer me! Did you kill that person to? Are you an assassin who visits the graves of the person he kills to practically taunt the families?" King Kamiya shouted. The room fell silent. Kenshin was quivering where he stood in anger. Stepping in front of Kenshin with her back to her father, Kaoru wrapped a hand around the katana and with a few hard tugs, pulled it from the floor. She quickly slipped it into Kenshin's sheath and tugged on his arm.
Kaoru began to pull him to the doors when her father's voice stopped her. "Kaoru, I have not finished my conversation with your servant!" Kaoru glared at her father.
"You are reaching too far into his life. You have no right! He is my servant and I will not allow him to tell you the answer to your question" Kaoru cried. Kaoru led the assassin out of the room and through the halls into her own. He seemed like a helpless puppy, allowing her to drag him like that.
Kenshin fell against the wall and slowly slid to the ground. His arms rested at the elbows on his knees, his hands uselessly hung in the air between them. His head was bowed to his chest, his hair shadowing his face. Kaoru knelt down in front of him and placed a hand on his leg. Kenshin reached over and grabbed her hand tightly. Kaoru gave it a squeeze and laced her fingers through his.
"Kenshin" she whispered and he looked up at her through his hair. "Kenshin, I'm so sorry! I am so sorry I made you go through that. And we didn't accomplish anything at all"
Kenshin looked up at her, his eyes blue again. Unlacing his fingers, Kenshin fell forward onto his knees and wrapped his arms around Kaoru, burying his head into her shoulder. Taken by surprise, it took Kaoru a moment to realize what had happened. Kaoru wrapped her arms around his back and rubbed circles over it soothingly. His back shook gently and Kaoru could tell by the wetness on her shoulder that he was crying. Kaoru could only fear that from all this emotional weight on him that he'd started bleeding again.
Kaoru couldn't help, but be aghast. She had never seen Kenshin cry. It was always her crying and him comforting her, not the other way around. Kaoru knew there was something about that grave that really hit Kenshin hard in the heart and Kaoru could only try to sooth the pain.
"To-moe" Kenshin breathed and gripped the back of Kaoru's kimono in his fists. Kaoru rested her cheek against his soft hair.
"Who's Tomoe?" Kaoru whispered. Kenshin tried to stop his crying, but he only pulled back gently so Kaoru could see his face.
"She was my wife" he whispered so softly, Kaoru could barely hear him, but she did catch the words "my wife".
"Your wife?" Kaoru murmured. Kenshin closed his eyes and stood up, turning his back towards Kaoru.
"I'm sorry" he whispered. "I've been holding that in for four years" Kenshin said with a slight chuckle. Kaoru stood up and wrapped her arms around Kenshin's arm. She held it against her chest and rested her face on it.
"For all the times I've cried on you I can't say anything" Kaoru muttered against his arm. "Please. Let's just be happy and forget this ever happened. Alright?" Kenshin just nodded and slunk to the floor again.
"Hear this now. I vow that when this war has ended I shall not kill anyone ever again" Kenshin whispered. Kaoru nodded and just sat there with him as he tried to even his breathing. "How I hate my life"
"No! Kenshin, don't say that! That's my line" Kaoru whispered, trying to make him smile. He just looked up at her drowsily.
"Sorry, but I hate your father" he muttered. Kaoru sighed. Who could blame him? Her father was the one who made him a servant and everything.
"I don't know what's wrong with him. He used to be so loving, so kind. But when the war started . . . he just became so cruel and harsh" Kaoru reminisced.
"At least you don't have to spend so much time with him now. You've mastered the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu" Kenshin mumbled. Kaoru looked at him, a spark of interest in her eyes.
"What is your sword style called? You've never told me before"
Kenshin looked up surprised. "Didn't know you wanted to know. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu" Kaoru bit her lip and played with the material of her kimono.
"Hey, Kenshin, do you think that you might be able to, you know, teach me the ways of-" Kaoru began.
"No!" Kenshin snapped quickly and Kaoru jumped at the sudden sharpness in his voice. Kaoru crawled forward, watching him pleadingly.
"Please, Kenshin! Please!" Kaoru begged and clenched onto one of his sleeves.
"Kaoru . . ." Kenshin growled menacingly and stood to his feet, glaring down at her. "You don't want to learn my style, trust me" Kaoru glared back up at him and stood up so she was almost nose to nose with him, even though she still had to look up at bit.
"I do want to, Kenshin" she hissed, narrowing her eyes. Kenshin grabbed her below her shoulders tightly.
"Kaoru, you do not want to learn my style. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu is training to kill, training to be powerful! It's practically the exact opposite of Kamiya Kasshin! I know you want to be strong! I know you want to be one of the best, but use the Kamiya Kasshin to get you there, alright?" Kenshin yelled his voice lowering as he spoke his last sentence. "You could die learning Hiten Mitsurugi and I wouldn't be able to live it down for the rest of my life if because of me someone close to me died again"
Kaoru was taken aback by the sincerity that poured from his words. Kaoru stared up at him, her azure eyes wide, mouth agape like the first time she saw him. She felt a blush fall over her face at their closeness and his words. "You think I'm close to you?" she whispered. Bright red hair shadowing his face, Kenshin loosened his grip on her arms.
"You accepted me for who I am. You are the only person I would trust to keep me from killing again. You have to help me keep my vow, Kaoru" Kenshin mumbled. Kaoru just nodded and looked away from his face.
"I have no wish to learn anymore" she whispered, though part of her still wished to learn. Kenshin let out a relieved smile and gave her a light hug. Kaoru smiled giddily.
"Thank you"
--+--
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_^ I do what I can.
Lately I've been kind of emotional so forgive me. I cut all my hair off. It reached to slightly below my chest and I cut it all off and gave it to Locks of Love (a place where they make real human hair into wigs for people without hair from cause of cancer or leukemia). I feel so . . . weightless now.
TO ALL THE REVIEWERS! THANK YOU!
moonsilver: If you agree with Kaoru, you agree with me!
Rei: I love your energy! You seem to really be full of it.
Ginny-cry: Um . . . nice faces. =P
Himura Kamiya Kaoru: What does waiwai mean? Sorry I didn't update immediately! This chapter have enough fluff for you?
allin656: I won't drop it! I promise . . . it just might take a while to get ideas. Writer's block hits at the worst times, don't'cha think?
Kobe-Mac: Thank you!
tigerrelly: Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Lil-Sun-Rie: Thank you for reviewing!
tati-chan14: Anger can do a lot to a person.
Leah Durose: I tried to look at that kimono, but it wouldn't let me!
Alendra: I understand about patience, I have none.
Jen: *blushes* Thank you. You're so kind.
Usagi Tuskino: I tried to make it a little realistic to the anime/manga so she was a little bit older then she really would've been.
Annabelle5: Don't inflate my ego with your compliments anymore then it already is . . . Actually, bring on the compliments! LOL!
bonessasan: I know what you mean!
Somewei: I hope the bit of fluff in the chapter makes you happy.
PrincessDarkness8: Thanks.
kenshin's-angel: Kenshin was seventeen, in this one he is nineteen. Wait, you think this is funny? O.o I didn't know it was comedy of sorts . . .
YukiAngel28: Thank you!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review!
