Maybe adding another chapter will attract more readers. So here's chapter Two!
Keta Himura
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin
Protector Chapter 2
Kaoru sighed and turned over to face the small nightlight that was always next to her bed. She watched the shadows and her heart sped up slightly at the sight of darkness. Ever present was the heady fear of the unknown.
She tugged her blanket up around her neck and closed her eyes, trying to sink into sleep. Thoughts assailed her and when she finally managed to close her eyes, she fell into a fitful slumber, waking up every so often.
Morning came and found Kaoru with dark smudges under her eyes and a monstrous headache. She woke instinctively at seven a.m., just before the sunlight reached her eyes. Years of training her body to do what she wanted fueled her to get up and stumble into the shower. The lukewarm temperature she turned the water to, helped to wake up her still half-asleep body. She emerged from the water fifteen minutes later, tying her, waist length, hair back into a high ponytail.
Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she allowed her eyes to close for a moment, but then noticing the time, got up and made her way to the closet. A simple pair of shorts and tee shirt would suffice for her morning practice. She only glanced at the other clothes in her spacious closet before closing the doors and turning away with her clothes in hand to change.
A few minutes later, a very different Kaoru bounded down the two flights of steps to the main hall. She was energized and ready to go. She leapt down another flight of steps to the indoor dojo that her father had personally seen to was built when they first moved in. She had just taken a bokken down from the wall, when one of the maids approached her, casting a fearful glance at the shadow leaning against the wall.
"Miss Kaoru?" She asked cautiously, nodding her head respectfully.
"Yes, what is it?" Kaoru asked.
"Mr. Kamiya requested that I tell you he was forced to leave early for an unexpected business trip to England. He regrets that he could not join you this morning and he believes that he will be arriving home by the end of the week. He also adds that 'the regular restrictions will apply to you' while he is gone." The maid continued, still timidly.
Kaoru sighed. Another business trip wouldn't have been that unexpected. He could have at least had the decency to tell her last night at dinner. "Thank you." She told the maid and turned away.
She moved through the warm-up mechanically, her thoughts clearly somewhere else. The regular restrictions. She wouldn't be allowed off of their spacious property until he came home and she could have no visitors. Her bodyguards would shadow her more than normal and a whole slew of other rules that would keep her from harm.
She was fuming by the time she was done with her morning practice. Anyone could tell how her anger had been vented by jut glancing at the sweaty mess she made, the dented bokken and the skid marks that marred the glossy wooden floors of the room. She still had a lot of energy and she hopped back up the stairs two at a time.
She paused in the kitchen to find some food and found a place mat at the small table, tucked away in the corner. Tae, their housekeeper, bustled over from her place by the stove and started ordering Kaoru around.
"Good morning, your breakfast will be ready in a few moments, just sit down and I'll have it for you." She said as she pushed Kaoru toward the seat. Everyone who worked in the Kamiya household knew how depressed that Kaoru could become when her father was away and they did their best to keep her away from those feelings.
Kaoru smiled at the older woman. "Thanks, I'm starved!" She said, pulling away from the miserable mood that had threatened to engulf her. She sat down at the table and waited patiently.
Tae looked at the girl sitting there, swinging her legs like a little girl, not the young woman of seventeen she really was. She was surprised at Kaoru's swing of mood, but then, she had always been one to face a bad situation cheerfully. She placed a pitcher of orange juice in front of the girl, who eagerly poured herself some, as Tae moved to place a plate of food in front of her as well.
Ten minutes later, Kaoru was done and hopping out of her seat. "Thanks again Tae! I have to go study 'cause it looks like I won't be having any lessons for the rest of this week." She bounded out of the kitchen, her mood similar to the one she had been in before when she had first leapt down the stairs.
'That girl' Tae thought and shook her head expressively.
Up in her room, Kaoru once again took a shower, this time turning it to a warmer temperature and took her time, languidly cleaning herself. She emerged, wrapped a towel around her torso and went to open one of the bathroom windows. The fan was working, but she wanted the steam to clear out faster. As she did so, she looked out at the hills of the countryside she could see from the house's vantage point. The lush, green hills and verdant trees were beautiful in the morning glow.
Once again going to her closet, she paused to scoop up her clothes that she had discarded earlier and put them in the hamper. Out of the closet she took a comfortable pair of jean shorts and a tank top of bright blue. Sandals were shoved onto bare feet and once again she tied her hair up into a high ponytail.
After that, she did indeed attempt to study. Not that it was a successful attempt. She failed miserably when she looked at the titles of the books that the library had sent over for her. Sighing, she put her schoolbooks away, curled up and opened the top book to the first page.
After that, she paused for lunch. Another lonely place setting awaited her at the small kitchen table.
She then wandered throughout the halls of the large house. They lived in a well-to-do neighborhood, with large homes and spacious lawns. It was not uncommon to see guards at the gate entrances at the ends of large, curving driveways.
Her feet bought her to the small garden that she insisted on keeping maintained herself. It was fascinating to watch the life of a fruit, vegetable or flower. Right now, the plants were in full bloom.
Going to a small shed, she opened it and took out a basket. She made her way down each row, carefully picking off whatever she deemed to be ripe enough. First the carrots, it wouldn't be a true vegetable garden without carrots, then the peppers, the radishes and the string beans and finally the tomatoes. She wished that she had thought of potatoes or pumpkins when she had first planned out the garden.
She stood, wiping a hand across her forehead. Carefully she picked her way to the end of the row and moved to the next. Flowers, grew right up to the small fence that enclosed the area. Along the white fence, pale pink roses twined. The only plant that had been left in the garden after her mother had died.
That done, she bought the basket into the kitchen for Tae and went back to the garden. She carefully watered each plant with tender care, making sure they each got the right amount of water.
She could feel the heat of the sun on the bridge of her nose, her cheeks and shoulders, but she paid it no heed, concentrating on the task. She didn't stop to wonder if the man in dark clothing, and trench coat, leaning in the shade of the house, was hot. It was such a common sight to her that she didn't think about it anymore. She had attempted to find out the logic about bodyguards clothing, but had come to a dead end every time.
'Done.' She thought to herself, smiling in satisfaction of a job well done. She turned to the cool shade of the house. The lowering sun caught her eye, making her momentarily blind. Shielding her eyes, she moved forward through the open door.
She once more stepped through the halls and up the two flights of steps to her room. Footsteps softly paced after her and stopping when she entered her room. 'Time to study.' She thought to herself, glancing regretfully at the book she had left waiting. She sighed. 'I seem to be doing that often, lately.' Books spread out on her desk, she immersed herself in study.
Later, when the setting sun came through her windows, she stopped and made her way to the dining room. Even when her father wasn't home, dinner was served there. She sat all alone, to the right of the empty chair at the head of the table. She picked her way through the meal and then went to the indoor dojo.
There she sat in the middle of the room, quietly meditating. She had never really had the patience for the activity as a child, and she still found it difficult to clear her mind, as an adult. It was something her father wanted her to try, at least once a day, and she knew that it was vital to be able to have this sort of concentration, at least for someone studying swordsmanship.
Instead of clearing her mind, her thoughts all seemed to rush around and jumble in her head. Letting out a frustrated breath, she shoved the thoughts away and focused on a single point in her mind. She let everything drain out of her mind with one steady breath.
She didn't know how long she sat cross-legged on the floor, but she knew that when she tried to get up her knees were stiff. Lamps lit up the hallways and the rest of the house, brightly. In her room, her clock informed her that she had been meditating for over an hour.
She pulled her curtains across her big windows and only the moonlight from a small, round window was allowed to shine through.
She climbed into her bed, pulled the covers up around her, switched on the nightlight and drifted into an uneasy sleep.
The next day was much of the same. Lonely meals, practice, studying and then anything else she wanted to do. The day after, her routine was broken.
Kaoru was sitting on her bed, watching the afternoon sun filter through her windows. The shrill ringing of the phone startled her out of her staring. She waited until it rang one more time and then answered it. She never answered the phone while her father was home. He had always taken the calls in his office.
"Hello. Kaoru Kamiya speaking." She said politely into the phone.
"KAORU!" Squealed a voice on the other end. "YOU ACTUALLY ANSWERED THE PHONE!!!" The voice belonged to one Kaoru's friends. Well, one of only two friends. Misao Makimachi.
"Hi Misao." Kaoru said resignedly.
"WOW! YOU NEVER ANSWER THE PHONE!" Misao shouted into the phone, causing Kaoru to wince and pull away from her phone slightly.
"Well, I did this time." Kaoru said calmly.
"IT'S A MIRACLE! HOW DID YOU GET YOUR DAD TO LET YOU DO IT?" Her voice was still painfully loud.
"He's not here. He's away for the rest of the week." Kaoru told Misao. '
"Oh, that's too bad. I wanted to ask you to hang out." Misao said, disappointed.
"You know the rules."
"Yeah, I also know that rules were made to be broken." Misao informed her.
"Not mine."
"Take a chance for once in your life."
"I can't."
"Yes, you can. You and I both know you're skinny enough to fit through that round window in your room. There's a tree right there. If you climb into that and then make a break for the trees, you'll definitely make it. I can pick you up by the road." Misao rushed on, not allowing Kaoru to interrupt.
"Misao, you know I can't." Kaoru told her friend, once again, quietly.
"You CAN do it. Do you really think that your father will find out? Make an excuse to your bodyguard. Turn the music on loud. Say you don't want to be bothered. When was your last kidnapping attempt? Over a year ago. Be a teenager for once." Misao ended her tirade.
"Misao…" Kaoru trailed off, plaintively. This was not the first time they had had this conversation.
"Do it. You're an athletic girl, you can climb a little tree. I'll meet you by the road in ten minutes." Misao paused. "Anyway, no matter what you say, I know that you want to do this. Ten minutes." She finished, and hung up.
Torn by indecision, Kaoru stood holding the phone in her hand. She slowly hit the off button and put it down.
'What should I do? Misao can hold a grudge for a long time and I do want to do this, no matter what I tell myself. But, Father will be so angry if he finds out. What am I going to do?
Well, that's all for now. I'll try to get out more soon. I hope that you are all enjoying reading this story and I would appreciate it greatly if you gave me some feedback. Bye!
Keta Himura
