Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin
Protector Chapter 4
In her mind the scene was replaying itself over and over again. Seeing the black eyed man deliberately aim at her, the late afternoon sun glinting off of the harsh metal of the gun. Seeing her bodyguard collapse, blood leaving rusty, red stains trailing down his face. Watching the man fall, the gun dropping from a useless hand. Misao bursting in, leading a group of people and pelting toward her, just as the darkness claimed her.
Kaoru's eyes snapped open and the harsh sound of sobs filled her ears. It was her own breathing she heard and her face was damp with hot tears. She whimpered as if in pain and screamed at the images presented to her.
Memories resurfaced. Ones of blood and violence. Ones that she never wanted to remember and all the things she wanted to forget.
She was unaware of the people surrounding her. Although her eyes were wide open, she was still dead to the world around her. She couldn't hear the voices calling her, begging her to wake up, to come back to them. She couldn't feel the coolness of the damp cloth on her brow or the hand that was squeezed painfully in her own.
Gradually, after a few more minutes, her eyes closed and her breathing returned to normal, whether it was because of the receding images or the shot a nurse had given her, Kaoru would never know. Later the images came again to torment her in her dreams. This time, though, when she woke up, panting and wild-eyed, she was aware of her surroundings.
Her father was sitting in the chair next to her bed. His head was leaning against the back of the chair and his eyes were shut. He was breathing deeply and evenly in sleep. His hand was resting gently on hers.
He looked so old and tired, she thought to herself as she watched him sleep. Life had taken a heavy toll on him and it was showing. His hair was steely-gray and there were crow's feet in the corners of his eyes, reminiscent of times when he had laughed loudly and been happy. Now there were worry lines furrowed in his brow and deep lines had formed around his mouth.
She sighed lightly and shifted, trying not to wake him. But even at the slight movement, his eyes opened slowly and he looked around blearily before focusing on Kaoru's face.
"Hello Father." Kaoru said. Her voice was rusty from screaming and it grated out harshly. Her throat was burning as well.
"Kaoru," Koshijirou Kamiya said as he handed her a cup of water from the table next to her bed. "How are you feeling?" His whole demeanor was grave.
It was then that Kaoru realized that there was a mild stinging in her right arm and there was an ache just behind her eyes that had begun to escalate to a serious pounding in her head. Her hand went to her brow, where she felt bandages. She looked down at her arm and noticed that the clean, white linen was wrapped around that too. Underneath the top layers you could see a darkness that could only mean that her wound had bled and might be still.
"I feel okay. My arm hurts a little and I have a big headache." She just didn't want to think. The process seemed almost painful due to the beating her head was taking. "What happened?" The question was asked almost fearfully.
"You smacked your head and it gave you a minor concussion. Your right arm was grazed by a bullet. Nothing too serious, at least nothing showed up in the CAT scan. The only thing that the doctors were worried about was the fact that you haven't woken up since the incident." Her father explained.
"Do you know if everyone is okay? No one was seriously hurt, right? No one was hurt because of me?" Kaoru was suddenly anxious, clutching her father's hand tightly. "I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"
Her father looked at her and closed his eyes tiredly. It would be harder than he had thought. He opened his eyes and looked directly into her sapphire ones. "What do you remember?" He asked her finally.
She looked back at him, her eyes scared. "Tell me it's not true." She pleaded. "Tell me that my nightmares were wrong." Her eyes glittered with tears and they slowly dripped down her pale face. She pulled away from him, burying her head in her hands. "He's dead, isn't he? I'm the reason he's dead. It's all my fault. I practically killed him myself." She paused. "I was so stupid." She said vehemently.
Koshijirou watched his daughter. "You disobeyed the rules and there were consequences." He informed her dispassionately. He loved his daughter very much, although, he hadn't shown it much lately. He needed to impress into her mind the gravity of the situation and make her realize that she needed to obey him. It pained him to be harsher than he needed to be. "His name was James Hawley. He died from a bullet to his head almost immediately after he was shot. The bullet ripped clear through his brain." He watched her reaction to his unsympathetic words and then relented a little. "I believe that you have already suffered enough and that you realize the mistake you have made. You will have the weight of his life on your soul and you will carry that until the day you die." Silence enveloped them for a few moments, broken only by Kaoru's small sobs. When she had calmed herself, he spoke again.
"I need to know, do you remember the man who attacked you? The police want to question you about him."
"I remember." Her voice faded and her eyes unfocused slightly. "He was dark⦠His eyes were black and he was tall. I can remember him." She looked at her father. "You mean he wasn't arrested?" She asked worriedly.
"Yes. He managed to get away, but he was bleeding heavily and he left a lot of blood at the crime scene. The police are hoping to find out who he his with his blood. From there they are hoping to figure out who his employer may be. It would be a big help if you were able to identify him." Her father answered her wearily. "We need to keep you protected until he and his employer are caught. I just can't seem to find anyone good enough for the job. Most of the police officers are incompetent, but that has already been proven and no one else seems to be able to spare an agent right now no matter how much I offer." Here he sighed and rested his forehead on his hand. "Your other bodyguard and my own are out there, guarding the door and I'm in here with you, but there's only so much we can do to keep you safe. I'll feel better when we get you back home, although I am upset that my seventeen year old daughter was able to get past the security I have placed around the property without too much notice. There will be consequences for that though." Koshijirou told Kaoru. "The police want to question you when you're feeling up to it, although, I think that we will have to wait for Dr. Takani's permission." He added.
Kaoru nodded. Now that she had all the facts the migraine she had pushed away earlier was coming back with vengeance. She bought he fingers up to her temples and pushed lightly as if the small action would force the pain mounting behind her eyes away.
Then the door swung open to reveal a tall woman. When she walked through the door, Kaoru saw that she wore a doctor's white coat and a stethoscope was draped on her shoulders. She wore her dark hair knotted at the base of her neck, her skin was smooth and unblemished and her eyes sparkled determinedly as she made her way to Kaoru's side.
"Good morning." She said politely. "Did you get enough sleep, Mr. Kamiya?" She inquired.
"Yes. Thank you." He replied.
"How about you, Ms. Kamiya? How are you feeling? It's nice to see you awake, finally." Dr. Takani said.
"I'm feeling alright." Kaoru told the doctor. "I've just started to get a vicious headache though and my arm stings whenever I move it." She knew not to downplay how she felt to a doctor because they could normally see right through any lies they were being told.
"That's good, considering what you have gone through. I can give you something for the migraine and we will have to wrap your wound in new bandages. These have been on since yesterday and we don't want you to get an infection. I'll send a nurse in with the medicine and I'll be back later, after I finish with some of my other patients. Try to rest some more." With that she left the room and a few moments later a friendly nurse bustled in.
"Here you are. Dr. Takani said you were to take two of these and drink this. For your migraine." She handed Kaoru two tablets and a bottle of water. She then fussed with the blankets and pillows of the bed while Kaoru obediently swallowed the pills. "Good. Dr. Takani said to get some rest now." Then she walked out.
Kaoru shut her eyes and leaned back against the pillows. She didn't really want to talk to her father anymore but she wasn't tired. So she simply rested. She never thought that things could be awkward between her and him, but then again they rarely argued and she had never done anything so blatantly disrespectful of his wishes before. His disappointment at the way she had acted was almost palpable, creating a heavy atmosphere in the small room.
About a half an hour later Dr. Takani came back in. "Did you listen to me and rest while I was gone?" She asked.
"I closed my eyes for a little while, but I couldn't sleep." Kaoru told her honestly.
"Good, that's okay. Now lets see that arm of yours. The cut in your head doesn't need to be redone because there wasn't that much bleeding." Dr. Takani said as she walked around the bed to Kaoru's other side.
She carefully peeled away the original bandages layer by layer. She handled the arm with great precision and delicacy so as not to cause Kaoru any more pain. When she was done unwrapping it, she threw out the old, blood-stained bandages and carefully looked the would over, probing some areas around it and asking Kaoru how it felt. She then proceeded to clean it gently with a cleansing solution that stung slightly.
Kaoru gritted her teeth and bore the pain stoically. The cool air felt strange on her arm after having been swaddled in wrappings that were itchy and tightly wrapped.
Dr. Takani enveloped her arm with fresh bandages after once more checking the wound for infection. She only stopped her task to ask Kaoru if they were too loose or too tight. Finally she finished.
"There, I'm done. The wound stopped bleeding for now, but and abrupt movement or strain on the arm could reopen it. You need to be careful for the next few days and until it's completely healed. We'll be keeping you hospitalized until tomorrow just for observation. We need to be sure that no other problems will arise." She told Kaoru and her father. "Just don't sleep on the arm or move it too much and you should be fine. We'll change the bandages once more tomorrow before you leave."
Kaoru nodded her head and looked at her father who did the same. Dr. Takani left the room, briskly headed for another patient's room. Silence once more descended on the occupants on the room.
A few moments later, though, Dr. Takani came back. "Mr. Kamiya, I believe that there are some gentlemen here to see you. Police officers to be precise." She told them.
"Yes. They are here to question Kaoru. That is fine with you Doctor?" He asked.
"As long as it won't strain her arm it will be fine. Just don't make it too long. We don't want her migraine to come back. I'll let the officers know that they can come up." She disappeared again.
Koshijirou turned to his daughter. "Just answer their questions and be polite. Then this whole mess will be over." He told her. Koru just nodded mutely.
The police were ushered in; two tall men in street clothes. The first one had wild brown hair that Kaoru found extremely funny because of the way it completely defied gravity. The second man was nothing but intimidating. His cold, blue eyes scanned the room, taking in every little detail and a neutral expression had given his face a hard look. His eyes settled on her as Mr. Kamiya stood up to greet them.
"Good afternoon, sir." The first man said. "My name is Sanosuke Sagara and this is Aoshi Shinomori. We are investigating the case involving your daughter and I just have some questions for her."
"It is nice to meet you. I would just ask that you try to make the questioning quick. My daughter is still tired and Dr. Takani asked that she not be strained." Kaoru's father said.
"Of course. I understand completely. Dr. Takani said the same to us before we came in, except she said it much more forcefully." He joked slightly and smiled. Kaoru did also, imagining the lady doctor telling the detective off. Dt. Sagara moved to one of the chairs beside the bed while his companion leaned against the wall behind him. Her father sat in the seat across from the two men.
"Your name is Kaoru Kamiya, right?" Dt. Sagara asked.
"Yes." She confirmed.
"You're seventeen years old and your birthday is in January? You'll be eighteen then." He said the last bit almost conversationally.
"Yes." Kaoru said again.
"Can you tell me what you did the day you were attacked and kidnapped? Just start with that morning and tell it from there." He said.
"Alright." She proceeded to tell him what had happened that day.
A little while later, Dt. Sagara was running through his notes and asking more specific questions about her kidnappers appearance and physical description, as well as double checking times and dates. The other man didn't say much, only adding comments here and there that Dt. Sagara had missed. Kaoru was beginning to think that the man strongly resembled a rock. He didn't show any emotion and his voice, when he used it, was uninflected.
"Okay, well I think that's all for now. I hope that you heal soon. Do you mind if I contact you if I have anymore questions?" Dt. Sagara concluded. He had remained friendly and polite throughout the whole interview and Kaoru had felt very comfortable talking to him. When she thought about it, neither of them appeared to be very old.
"That is fine with me. I'll be happy to speak with you again." Kaoru said.
He stood up and Dt. Shinomori moved away from the wall. They both shook hands with Mr. Kamiya and turned to leave.
Dt. Shinomori reached for the knob and pulled the door open. In tumbled a figure, knocking the man off his feet. Shocked silence ensued and then Kaoru started giggling, albeit quietly. One name popped out of her mouth involuntarily.
"Misao!"
Okay here are some notes.
I have never been injured seriously enough to be sent to a hospital, but one of my little brothers has, so I am basing everything off of that experience. My dad has also been injured a lot, especially when he was a kid, so I asked him about it to. If I got anything wrong feel free to let me know!
I wasn't sure, but I think that Dt. was the correct term for detective. Sorry if I was wrong!
I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and had a nice vacation. I know I love having time off from school!
And lastly, any feedback will be greatly appreciated!
Keta Himura
