Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin
Protector
Chapter 8
Aoshi paused in the main lobby. He could have thought he just saw… No it couldn't have been, he dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. The man had been gone for seven years. It couldn't have possibly been him. Not here.
He sighed, frustrated. The idiot Sano was getting his nerves. He had left him upstairs to question the doctor about the girl. Why Saito had decided that he should be the one to babysit Sano on his first case was beyond him. Why he was even putting a new police officer on the case puzzled him as well because, in his eyes, the case was very important and could lead to the capture of someone Aoshi had wanted to lock up for a long time. Aoshi would never be able to figure that man out.
Aoshi was the head of his own division in the local police department. The whole division was made up of a group of spies. Their nickname was the Oniwabanshu. His was the most prominent of a network of groups around the country and he was head of them all; the headquarters being here, in the city.
His thoughts turned in yet another direction. This time to the girl he was supposed to be investigating. Kaoru Kamiya. She was a very cooperative girl and she answered every question without hesitation. The last time she had had an attempt to kidnap her was over a year ago, before that they had been much more frequent. Some of the people had been caught and arrested, but others had never been found. He was once again, annoyed. He would think about this later when he could look at all the facts on paper.
He sat down on a nearby chair and looked over at the elevator, hoping that Sano would appear soon. Instead, the two girls who had been in the Kamiya girl's room emerged. The little one had knocked clean off his feet, in more than one way. She had amused him and her attempts at an apology were cute as well. Her outfit was one you more often saw on youngsters, overall shorts. Her braid swished behind her. He wondered how long it was, loose.
Suddenly he realized the direction his thoughts had wandered in. That was not good. Thinking about a seventeen year old girl, when he himself was twenty four. That was too large an age distance for him to be even noticing the girl.
Unwillingly, he watched her and her friend as they crossed the lobby. They walked up to a man with brilliant red hair. 'That looks so familiar.' He thought to himself. 'Who could that be?' His thoughts were interrupted by Sano though, who had come into the lobby, unnoticed.
"Hey, Aoshi, I'm done here. That lady doctor was very uncooperative and rude." He said as he came up behind Aoshi.
"I'm sure she had good reason for it. It's not hard to be insulted by you." Aoshi said in a clipped voice. "Lets go." He had too many things on his mind at the moment to even begin to be able to put up with Sano. Foremost among them, his attraction to a small girl he didn't even know the name of.
Sano was very amused, although, he tried not to show it to his superior. That small girl had knock him over without that much force. Aoshi was rarely caught unawares by anything. He apologized to the Kamiyas before leaving the room. Now, to question that doctor.
"Aoshi, I want to question the girl's doctor." He told the taller man who had been waiting in the hallway.
"Do what you need to do. I'll be waiting in the lobby." With that he headed towards the elevators. Sano turned and glanced down the hallway after the retreating man.
"Are you done questioning my patient then?" Came a voice from behind him. It belonged to the doctor.
"Yes. We're finished. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions." He said as politely as possible.
"You can ask, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I'll answer. There is a patient confidentiality policy that we can't break, even for the police." She answer smartly.
"Alright." He said. "You're not too busy, right now are you? I won't be interrupting your schedule or anything?" He asked, trying to get on her good side. The attempt failed.
"Yes, you will be, but I can answer a few questions." She said. Sano looked at the tall woman. She actually came close to him in height. Her silky black hair was pulled back and knotted at the base of her neck, revealing the slender length and elegance of it. Her skin was smooth and pale. She looked almost delicate, but her lips were full and completely kissable even pulled into a disapproving frown.
Sano, like Aoshi, noticed the direction his thoughts were going, but unlike the other man, felt no guilt whatsoever at his observations. He grinned to himself and then collected his thoughts. "Your name is Dr. Megumi Takani?" At her brisk nod, he continued. "I was wondering about what time were you called to treat Kaoru when she first entered the hospital?"
"It was later in the evening. I was working in the emergency room because they were short a doctor. That's not my usual job. I would say that she was bought in at about eight pm along with the other man. He was pronounced dead at that time." She told him, her foot was tapping lightly against the tiled floor. 'She must be very impatient and annoyed.' Sano thought.
"Can you tell me about her injuries? Ms. Kamiya told me about them herself, but she wasn't sure what the extent of the wounds were." He asked.
"She had a gun shot graze on her right arm and a small, but deep cut on her forehead. That's about all I can tell you about her injuries. You'll need the Kamiya's permission for any other information." Megumi said. "Is there anything else you need to know?"
"Yes. Were there any other doctor's who attended to Ms. Kamiya, or were you the only one?" Sano had written down the other information on a small pad.
"Yes. I was the only doctor who examined her." Megumi said.
"Okay and is there some way to reach you if I need to contact you for more information?" He asked finally.
"The front desk can give you the contact information." She told him.
"Thank you very much for your cooperation Dr. Takani. Have a nice afternoon." Sano said and turned to go to the elevators.
Megumi sighed in annoyance after having to deal with that annoying man. He didn't even look the part of a police officer. He looked a lot more like a gangster with the hair. It stuck straight up for heavens sake. The bandana, meant to help tame it, really did nothing at all and only served to make him look more unruly. He wasn't anything like her current boyfriend, who was perfect, but she couldn't help but let her mind stray back to the man.
She turned to go into Kaoru's room, her last patient for the day, banishing any thoughts of the rooster haired detective, that even she couldn't deny was attractive in his own kind of way.
Kaoru sighed and looked out of the window into the dark night. Dr. Takani, or Megumi, as she asked to be called by her first name, had come by before to check on her. Kaoru had insisted that Megumi call her by her first name, so Megumi had said the same applied to her. She had written a few things down on a chart and had put it down. After that they had just talked for a little. Megumi had made her feel like an equal, not a girl nine years her junior.
Koshijirou had walked in on them talking and Megumi had left, saying she would be back the next morning to re-bandage both her injuries and then release her from the hospital. She had also insisted that Kaoru get as much rest as possible.
What Megumi didn't know, was that every time Kaoru closed her eyes, or at least attempted to, her mind was filled with unspeakable visions. Ones of blood and gore. The ones that she just wanted to forget and leave behind. But the past wouldn't leave her be. It would haunt her for the rest of her days. Memories to chase her through the narrow hallways of her mind.
Silent tears fell down her face as she remembered events from the past year. How hard it had been to come back from her last fall. How hard it was when her dreams were plagued with remembrances of her. But, those bought ugly memories of him.
Finally Kaoru pushed them away forcefully and shut her eyes, trying to relax her body. The past shouldn't matter, but no matter what she did, it wouldn't leave her alone.
The next morning, the sun caught on Kaoru's eyes and urged her awake. Its warmth bathed her skin and she curled up, wanting to remain with that friendly warmth on her face. She peeked open one eye; her night had been restless, but hopefully she would calm down once she got home to her own bed.
Her father was asleep in the chair next to her bed and she smiled, remembering that this was how she had woken to find him yesterday. The clock informed her that it was eight thirty. Hopefully she would be released soon, well at least when her father woke up.
She leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes, just soaking in the golden sunlight. She opened her eyes to a light tap on the door and Megumi, poking her head in.
"Good morning, Ms. Megumi." Kaoru didn't want to seem too disrespectful, so she added the Ms.
"Good morning, Kaoru. How are you feeling this morning? Is your arm in any kind of pain and is that headache gone?" Megumi kept her voice low, trying not to disturb the man, asleep in the chair.
"Everything feels fine. I think it's the sunlight that made everything alright. It's so nice and warm, I feel so cozy with its light on me." Kaoru smiled at the doctor, who smiled gently back.
"I take it that nothing hurts then?" She asked, moving to look at her bandaged arm and then moved to her head.
"Nothing hurts. The headache is gone and the pain in my arm is virtually gone. I'm just a little stiff." Kaoru said, she was cheerful this morning.
"Well, nevertheless, I'm still going to re-bandage and clean them before you go and have you come in for a check-up, or maybe I'll pay you a visit. Whatever is more convenient for you and your father." Megumi said, as she started the process of rewrapping and cleaning Kaoru's injuries.
By the time she had finished, Koshijirou had woken and gone in search of breakfast for the two of them. When he came back, Megumi said that she would get the proper discharge papers in order so that Kaoru could leave.
Kaoru changed from the shapeless hospital gown into some of her own clothing. She put on comfortable pajama pants, a tank top and wore a light sweater over that, not wanting to attract attention to her injured arm. She knew that people would already be looking at her head and wondering what happened.
She said goodbye to Megumi, who reassured her that she would see her soon and left the hospital. Her father's bodyguards accompanied them out to the waiting car. Kaoru sighed and let her head rest on the back of the seat. She was tired again, so she closed her eyes and never realized that she drifted into sleep.
Hey everyone! I need some help. I need name suggestions! I wanted to add some original characters and I really need names. Preferably Japanese ones, 'cause that will keep the story more realistic. I will need a name for Megumi's boyfriend and the bodyguards. I also realize that Kenshin's mother's name, Serenity, isn't normal, but I needed a name then and I forgot to ask about suggestions, so I just picked a name that was interesting. If anyone knows the Japanese word for Serenity, that would be a big help.
I put some major details in here pertaining to Kaoru's past. Have fun trying to puzzle it all out.
Sorry about how short the chapter is, but I actually had bad writers block and just got inspiration. I was also short tempered and couldn't find the patience, but I really wanted to write something, after my horrible midterms. A new chapter should follow very quickly. I wanted to end the hospital business in this chapter so that I can just start fresh in the next chapter.
You also have my apologies for any missed mistakes. I am absolutely dreadful at editing things and I don't have anyone to do it for me. My whole family, besides one of my younger brothers, who is nine, are completely against anime. My friends just don't get my fascination with it and would prefer to just avoid the subject. So, I'm on my own, but I'll try to do my best.
Another annoying problem is that my C key is deciding to be difficult, so if any words are missing a C, that's why.
And lastly, please review, I really enjoy reading what people have to say and hearing what everyone thinks. It's fun to write back and I'll be really grateful to anyone who does.
Enjoy!
Keta Himura
