Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin and never will.
A/N: Alright, I had a hard time completing this chapter. I'm afraid I had to use my brain too much. Hehe.
-o-0-O-0-o
Unsheathing the Sheathed
Chapter 2, Searching for an Answer
-o-0-O-0-o-
Kaoru glanced at Kenshin out of the corner of her eye as they approached the gate, Kenshin having retrieved the bag of woman apparel. He had stubbornly refused to put it on again, having glared menacingly at anyone who suggested it. Kenshin glanced back at her and a chuckle rumbled through his throat as she quickly turned her head away.
"Please Miss Kaoru, it's not like I'm a secret opium dealer!" Kenshin teased, Kaoru blushing slightly.
"It's just curiosity," Kaoru responded hesitantly. Kenshin just smiled lightly as they reached the gate. The same perverted guard was there and Kenshin glared at him fiercely as they stopped.
"Umm . . . stations and names?" the guard gasped out fearfully, fidgeting under Kenshin's dark gaze.
"Kira Tugagi, maid," Kaoru explained.
"Battousai, servant," Kenshin growled out, his hand clenching the package he held tighter. Kaoru had to stop herself from laughing out loud, knowing that Kenshin was doing everything he could not to somehow hurt the guard in some way. Who could blame him really? The guard had hit on him!
The guard glanced at his list. "I'm afraid we don't have you down as having left here today." The guard glanced up to meet Kenshin's gaze. "But I'm sure you got out of here somehow!"
The gates were pulled open and they walked through side by side. "There's good points to being a former assassin, aren't there!" Kaoru teased and Kenshin just nodded. Walking through the doors, Kaoru hid her face by bowing it to her chest so other servants wouldn't recognize her. Once they were in her hall her head rose again, chin high.
"You know where Yahiko and Megumi are?" Kaoru asked, looking towards the short red-head.
Kenshin nodded. "Yahiko went to one of his own late shifts at the Akebeko." Kaoru eyes widened with interest.
"He works there?" Kenshin nodded again.
"Miss Megumi went with Doctor Gensai to study a patient."
"So I guess that just leaves you and me."
"Mm-hmm."
"OH! Just tell me what's in the package."
Kenshin stopped walking and turned his head slightly to glance at her. "No."
"No! Tell me!"
He sighed and started walking again. Hearing her gasp, he anticipated the sound of her feet stomping on the floor as she walked after him. She wasn't used to the word "no". Over the years as her servant, Kenshin had begun to get her used to rejection. She wasn't a bad person, but she was slightly spoiled, especially when she was younger. Oh, he could remember the first time he had refused to give her something . . .
"Ooo! Look at this, Kenshin! Look at this!" she cried out, the ten year old clutching onto his sleeve. She pulled him towards the long row of shining candy and smooth chocolates. Face ecstatic as she stared at the lush sweets, her eyes were round, mouth agape.
"Oh! I want some!" Kaoru begged. She began to point at various bowls. "I want some of those . . . oh and some of those! I want some chocolates! Kenshin, where's the money Father gave you! OH I want some so badly!"
"Princess . . ."
"Those look good too!"
Kenshin glanced at the sweets. "You've already had a bag of some of these this week haven't you? Your father said to buy yourself some kimonos or jewelry."
"But Kenshin! I want some of these!" she yelled, stomping one of her feet and her hands formed into fists at her sides. A frown was set on her face, brow furrowed.
"No."
Her eyes widened, aghast at what he had just said. Body tense, she stared at him in disbelief. The only person who ever said "no" to her was her father and even he did it only a few times.
"What . . . What do you mean "no"!"
The assassin sighed and ran a hand through his crimson hair. "What I mean is "no". You've had enough for this week. Spend your father's money on something that'll last longer than an hour," he ordered.
"What! It's my money to do with what I choose! You don't have the right to tell me I can't have what I want!"
"Well, I've got the money on me; you don't. I'm not going to let you waste your money on these American candies," he said simply, turning his back on the stand and walking ahead of her.
"B-but . . . Kenshin! Kenshin, wait up!"
Kaoru folded her arms across her chest as she followed him, head bowed. Eyes glaring into his back, she watched the way he moved secretly, as far as she knew. He moved with a kind of the subtle grace of a feline. They were so fluid, yet somehow menacing, seeing how she knew that in one quick movement, he could easily take her head off.
So elegant, as if he was royal himself. Carrying himself with pride, he somehow found a way to not appear pathetic, but he seemed more of an innocent bystander. Oh, how he could change himself so suddenly. He could go from innocent, weak, little man to the man-whose- glare-could-kill-you.
Curiosity bit at her insides, her eyes switching to staring at the long package. It couldn't be very many things. Something so long either had to be some cloth folded or a sword or . . . it could be a trick! Like a package filled with lots of little things he didn't want her knowing about. She'd have to find out somehow. Just how . . . ?
She felt like her breath was coming heavily, but it was only the silence that seemed to make it louder. Sweat trickled down her face, sliding down her kimono. She had yet again disguised herself as a maid, hair pulled into a tight bun, her fringe held down with pins. She wore the maid's smock, including the lacey hat on her head.
Kaoru peeked into his room, the paper door slid open. Crystal blue eyes dashing around the room, she hesitantly slid into the room. Satisfied with no one being in there, she ran to his closet on the balls of her feet, trying to make as little sound as possible. She could only hope that Kenshin didn't return anytime soon from lunch.
The door to the closet opened with a spine-chilling creak. Holding her breath, she paused before she rummaged through the wardrobe. It smelled so masculine in his closet, like pine trees . . .
Quickly shaking her head of the thoughts that had risen, Kaoru looked through the drawers, brushing numerous amounts of bandages to the side. Standing up, she attempted to peek into the highest part of the wardrobe right above her head. It was so shadowed that she couldn't see a thing. She climbed into the wardrobe, arms holding onto the wood that created the highest shelf. Pushing herself up as far as she could, she squinted as she tried to make out if there was anything in there. Positioning herself on her toes, she tried to gain farther access into the shelf. She strained to see more, but her toes were beginning to lose the slight hold they had on the edge of wardrobe.
Suddenly there was nothing beneath one of her feet . . .
A shriek escaped her lips as she fell, air rushing past her as gravity took hold of the situation. Abruptly, she felt her head bang against a hard shoulder, a pair of arms catching her quickly.
"I didn't know you had such a liking for my closet."
Face burning, she looked away in guilt. "I'm sorry, Kenshin. It's just . . . I . . uh . . . I?"
A taunting smile touched his lips. "Don't worry, Kaoru. I know you're very impatient."
Her lips pinched together after she gave a huff of annoyance. Folding her arms beneath her chest, she looked up at his face and suddenly became aware of how close his face was to hers.
"I will show you in due time. For now, try to be patient," he said, giving her a forgiving glare. Gently, he set her down on her feet.
"It's not like I was trying to get caught . . .," she grumbled as she straightened out her kimono. She looked up to see Kenshin looking at her in mirth. She frowned. "What are you laughing about!"
"Nice hat."
Blushing, she reached up and touched the lace cloth on her head in embarrassment.
"You better leave before that Agati woman finds you dressed up like that."
She nodded, quickly running out of his room and into her own, leaving Kenshin smiling lightly after her. Running a hand through his bangs, he closed his eyes and shook his head.
-o-
He had found her out the first time, but there had to be a way to find it!
Kaoru hugged her legs to her chest as she racked her brain for a way to find out what it was. She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. She went through many positions of laying about on her futon as she tried to think of something.
Then it came to her.
She jumped up, a smiling lighting onto her face at the brilliancy of the idea. Straightening her kimono and fixing her ponytail, she slipped out her door and had to stop herself from sprinting down the hall. The princess sought out the clinic where it had been placed out in a large room by the dojo.
Shoving open the door, she jumped inside of the clinic for she knew that there were few patients to be seen. Doctor Gensai was currently setting one of the royal guard's arms into a splint. After wrapping up the man's arms successfully, he dismissed him. The guard walked past her, bowing respectfully as he passed her.
"Doctor Gensai! May I ask a favor?" she asked, trying to be as polite as she possibly could.
He smiled at her pleasantly. "Of course, your highness!"
"I have a friend who has a need to relax . . . do you happen to have anything that could help them with that?" Kaoru asked, finding it hard to hide her enthusiasm. Behind her, her hands were tangled together, fingers grasping at each other.
"I think I might have something one can break down in their tea. It is quite strong though and one will be relaxed quite quickly," the doctor said as he rummaged through one of his shelves, searching for the correct medicine for what was needed. He took out a slim box, opening it slightly before nodding. "This is the one. Just put a pinch of powder into some tea and they'll be relaxed in no time."
Accepting it with a wide smile and nod, Kaoru bowed her thanks, though Doctor Gensai proceeded to bow lower then her. "Thank you Doctor Gensai!"
She rushed from the clinic back into the castle, plans of the evening set out in her mind. A sly smile touched her lips. He'd be telling her in no time what it was.
-o-
They sat in one of the empty rooms that had a small table with silk pillows about it, windows allowing you to gaze out onto the crystalline lake. Kaoru smiled, trying to keep her excitement at bay. Reaching over to the pot of tea she had mixed the powder inside of, she held it gently as she poured them two cups of tea. She handed him one and took her own into her hands, welcoming the warmth the steaming liquid provided through the china cups.
She hoped it would work. It wasn't that she doubted Doctor Gensai's knowledge of medicines, but she didn't know if it would be strong enough to subdue him into answering her questions. Just to be safe, she had added a bit of sake into the tea, hoping it wouldn't alter the taste so much that it would be suspicious.
Kenshin held the warm cup, three different smells rising to his nostrils. He brought it to his lips, inhaling the scents with recognition. A small smile touched his lips before he took a sip of confusing liquid, letting it slide down his throat.
He watched her glance at her own cup. "Are you not thirsty?" he asked, eyebrows lifting in question.
Hesitation touched her young face before she took a small sip of the tea, followed by another larger one. Fear touched her eyes, but she proceeded to act casual as she drank.
"So . . . why do you think that man thought our souls were going to be stolen?" she asked, setting her drink near her lap in her hands.
"Rumors have been going around ever since Japan heard of taking pictures . . . Some are so suspicious that they believe it to be true. It's a rumor from the Americans, though I don't know why they would spread such a lie to the Japanese if they wanted to make any profit," Kenshin reasoned, downing some more of the tea.
Kaoru bit her lip. The stuff should start taking affect soon . . .
She set her head in her hand and watched him, eyelids flickering as if she was having a hard time holding them up. A silly smile touched her lips as she met his eyes. He watched her knowingly, almost expectantly.
Kenshin watched as she began to sway slightly, a dazed look on her face. He almost felt guilty for this, but she needed to learn patience.
A giggle erupted from her throat and Kaoru pulled her knees to her chest. "Ken-shin! I've got something to say and I'm gonna say it!"
He waited, watching her. She leaned forward over the table and pointed a finger at his nose. "It." She giggled and leaned backwards and lay down on the pillows that lined the short table. "I drugged your tea Kenshin . . . I didn't tell you . . . and you drank it . . . I put this powder stuff in it and I added some . . . uh . . . um . . . SAKE! Yeah . . . sake . . ."
"And why did you do that, Miss Kaoru?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.
She sighed and pulled one of the pillows to her chest. "I wanna know what that package is, but you won't tell me . . ." She paused, fiddling with the length of hair that stretched in front of her ear. "You always call me Miss Kaoru . . . did you know that? Yes, yes. Miss, miss. Miss, miss, miss, miss, miss. Don't you think that we've known each other long," she stressed the word, "enough for you to call me by name? Cow-wu . . . that's me name . . . name, name, name . . ."
"You want me to drop the formalities?"
Kaoru pushed herself up to her knees, nodding vigorously. "Oh yes! I want you to see me as a . . . friend. Please! Call me Cow-wu!"
"You mean, Kaoru?" Kenshin asked, a smile touching his lips at the pronunciation of her own name.
Kaoru jumped to her feet in excitement, rapture cover her young face. "You said my name! And no 'miss'! I'm so proud of you, Kenshin!" she cried, azure eyes wide, tears becoming apparent in their pools. She squeezed her hands together, pressing them to her chest. "That's all I want . . . Cow-wu and . . . I don't remember the other one, but I know I want it!"
"I'm sure you do, Kaoru," Kenshin murmured, glancing up into her shining eyes.
"I made a promise once . . . a promise I plan to keep. Have . . . have you ever broken a promise, Kenshin?" she whispered, kneeling down onto the soft pillows again. He froze, watching her every movement. "I did once . . . And it hurt me real bad . . . right here. It hurt me right here." She placed a fist over her heart, brow furrowing.
Tears bubbled out at the corners of her eyes and she began to shake. "I don't want to lie anymore Ken-shin! I hate calling you Battousai! You aren't Battousai! You aren't! But they won't believe me; they don't believe me . . . why won't they? Why won't you let them see what I see?" her voice fell into a whisper until it was interrupted by a violent hiccup.
Kenshin stared at the crying girl, face impassive as flecks of violet dotted his eyes. "Kaoru . . . Some . . . can't handle change well so even if they see change before their very eyes, they continue to deny that it happens. Even if I don't kill anymore, people will still see me as the manslayer and . . . that is who I am," he explained and she shook her head vigorously, flinging crystalline tears off her cheeks.
"NO! That's not true!"
His face softened at her reddening eyes. "Come Miss Kaoru. You must be tired." Her eyelids fluttered practically closed at the comment, eyes glazed over.
"No-no I'm not . . . not tired," she whispered. She reached for the teapot. "I want some more tea please."
He caught her wrist before she could reach the pot and shook his head firmly. "No. No more tea." At the rate she had been drinking, it could take a pretty serious effect on her with the drug and the sake she had added.
Her lower lip trembled as the stream of tears became thicker. "B-but . . ."
"No," he ordered sternly. Standing up and still having a good grip on her wrist, he walked around the table to her side of it. Kenshin bent down, taking hold of her other arm's elbow and pulled her to her feet. She stumbled clumsily and his grip tightened on her so wouldn't fall on the table of China dishes. "Forgive me," he whispered as he placed a hand at Kaoru's neck and dug his thumb down until she went limp in his arms.
Picking her up steadily, he walked over to the doors that led to an outside balcony. Kenshin pushed the shoji doors open and used the fence around the balcony to push the two up onto the roof. He landed lightly on the balls of his feet, getas in the hand that supported Kaoru's back.
The sun began to set, casting a rainbow of reds, oranges, and yellows over the sky. If you peered up at the roof of the castle and looked for anything, you might've been able to see a sudden blur run across it and disappear down the side. However none of the castle guards or close by farmers saw anything and they remained naïve.
-o-
Kaoru woke with a start at the sound of someone knocking at her door. Sharp pain attacked her poor head and she held it in pity for herself, squeezing her eyes closed as she tried to ignore the knocking.
"Miss Kaoru? I brought you some dinner since you missed it and I didn't want to disturb you . . . I know you're awake," the voice on the other side of the Western door called and she recognized it abruptly.
Wrapping her futon's blanket around her body, Kaoru stumbled towards the door, undoing the lock and opening it. She looked up slightly and met a small, sympathetic smile.
"I also brought some tea . . . don't worry it isn't drugged . . . that'll help your hangover," Kenshin added, setting the tray down on the floor by her futon after he walked past her. Her eyes widened at his wording as realization dawned on her.
"You knew . . . But how!" she cried, grabbing her head as the pain bit at her head again. He frowned and led her back to her futon, forcing her to sit back down. Gently, he set the warm cup of tea into her hands.
"I've had to study all of the herbs and what they could do to me. I now can recognize just about any herb by smell, taste, and appearance. I could distinctly smell the concoction you had created in the tea," he explained, urging her with a small flourish to drink the tea.
She drank, insides warming, like her face was as she blushed in embarrassment at what she had done. "But . . . you still drank it . . . ?" she commented, though it sounded like she was really trying to remind herself. Kenshin nodded, sitting down on his knees.
"I worked up immunity to that particular drug due to its dramatic effects when given in a larger dose."
Her mouth formed a small "o" at his explanation. "Why . . . Why did you let me drink it then?"
"You need to learn patience," he stated simply, meeting her eyes solidly. "And if you want to find out something, don't go snooping around or drugging people. Especially if you haven't fully analyzed the possibilities and consequences of what you're doing. You could've killed yourself both times and I will not allow that, even if you are my princess."
Her face flushed and she looked down into the steaming cup of tea, letting the steam make her eyes water. "I'm sorry," she whispered, barely audible. He sighed, running a hand through crimson locks.
"Eat. Perhaps then I will show you what you wish to see," Kenshin ordered, tempting her to taste the food he had brought to her. She nodded and lifted the tray of food into her lap.
She ate in silence, glancing towards him out of the corner of her eye as he stared out her windows, face unreadable. Sometimes she hated his ability of not showing emotions, sometimes she envied it. Inhaling the fresh smells of the Japanese food, she began to eat again, enjoying the fact that she knew he had made it. He had always left something on a tray of food so she would know he had made it.
A small sakura bud sat delicately in the corner of the tray.
A/N: Hello! Yes, I am still here, though I will be putting my DBZ story on hiatus . . . But I will be keeping this one going. I've got some good ideas for it! Hehe. Added a little comedy here . . . I don't know how dramatic I'm going to be making this cause so far it seems it was only the prologues that were dramatic.
I was so happy when I reached 80 reviews for this chapter! So happy! LOL! Let's see if we can make a hundred eh:-) Hint hint. I have to admit the most commonly adjective used was the word 'Great' so that kept me happy!I'm really impressed by all of the enthusiasm!
Tell me everything that is on your mind about this chapter from what you want more of to what you want less of. Grammatical mistakes, spelling . . . . you know the deal.
Thanks for reading! See u l8er! Cha cha cha! Charmin! Please don't squeeze the Charmin! (Sorry about that. I don't own Charmin or the commercial.)
