Disclaimer: bla bla bla… you know it already!
cincygurl22the music is from Brother Bear ("On my way" Phil Collins) and mad about? Jeez… she so many times mad with him that I'm having trouble knowing which one you're referring to… if you would be more specific, puleaseee… then I'll try to clear that up for u like other times!
An opportunity to start all over
Normal POV
Kenshin lift his gaze from the ground and saw the village "We're here…"
Kaoru looked ahead and squealed in delight. She was tired of walking… she wanted to rest and wanted someplace to stay, something to do at least until she remembered the damn dream.
They entered the village; it was a little bigger than the other one but still it was a village compared to cities like Kyoto and other important cities. They walked slowly through the market; it was swarming with people shopping and others working.
Kaoru was looking at everything and everywhere smiling; the village was nice and she liked it a lot. Something caught her eye; a little girl was alone and crying in the middle of the crowd; the girl didn't seem to have much more than 4 or 5 years so she quickly got of Kenshin's side and went to where the little girl was. Kenshin didn't notice her moving away from him and lost Kaoru in the middle of the crowd without realizing it.
Kaoru's POV
"Hey there little girl…" I crouched near the girl; she had long black braid and her eyes where deep black, like olives.
The little girl looked at me sobbing "Why's such a beautiful girl like you crying?" I patted her on the head sweetly.
"I'm lost…" she said on a tiny timid voice.
"Oh… let's see if I can help you…" I smiled assuring her.
Her little cute face lit up "You will?"
"Yes…" I picked her up "So what's your name little girl?"
"Myuki…" she replied.
"Tell me Myuki-chan who was with you?"
"My brother and my grandfather…" she said.
"Uhm… ok can you spot them?" I asked her.
"No…" she said starting to cry again.
"It's ok! It's ok!" I soothed her silky braided hair "Let's see… can you describe them to me?"
"Uh-uh… My brother has blue eyes like yours and black hair and he's always smiling, my grandfather has white hair and a long beard and he has black eyes like mine…"
I looked around, there were too many people and those descriptions weren't enough to track them. "Can you tell me anything else? Like what are they wearing and their stature?"
"Yes… my brother is not very tall and he's wearing light blue gi and dark blue hakama. My grandfather he quite tall and he's wearing salmon gi and brown hakama."
I moved through the crowd trying to find them but they weren't anywhere. I started to get worried.
Kenshin's POV
"Kaoru-dono…" I looked to my side to find out she wasn't there anymore. I stopped 'Where can she be?' I looked around and didn't see her… I started to get worried 'What if she's hurt? What if something bad happened to her and I'm not there to help her?!' I was getting really anxious… 'Why don't you just walk off and leave the blabbing girl?' the battousai asked 'Because I can't let Kaoru-dono… she's my friend and I would never leave someone like that!' the rurouni said 'Yeah right friend… maybe that's what she thinks of you but it's not what you think of her… the only reason why you're so worried is because you're afraid you'll never see her again! You know very well she can take care of herself…' the battousai had hit the spot and the rurouni didn't even bother to reply…
Kaoru's POV
Half an hour later we still hadn't find them and Myuki-chan was near tears again. My arm was already starting to ache from carrying her and trying to point people out with the other arm. I put her down for a couple of minutes "Let's rest a little ok?"
She nodded with her head "Why is your kimono cut off on the shoulder and why do you have a ribbon on it? Are you hurt?" she asked sweetly tugging my kimono.
I crouched to be at her level "Yes… yesterday a bad man tried to rob me and my friend and I got hurt… but it's better now. Kenshin took care of the wound…" I finally remembered Kenshin 'Oh my… he must be worried sick! I didn't warn him…'
"Daijobu?"
"Oh it's nothing…" I answered.
"Grandfather!"Myuki shouted, caught my hand and started running towards an old man.
I was dragged by her near her grandfather. When we got near him she let go of my hand and grabbed the man's neck "Oh I'm happy to see you!!!"
"Me too sweetheart… Myuki-chan don't you ever disappear like that! You scared us to death…"
"Gomen…" she said the she caught my hand again "Grandfather this beautiful lady helped me!"
I blushed hard "Well…"
"Arigato miss…"
"Kamyia Kaoru… you can call me Kaoru!"
"Then arigato Kaoru-san for having taken care of my granddaughter!"
"Oh… I only did what anyone else would do…" I commented.
"But no one else did it… you did." He smiled at me "Forgive me my rudeness for I have not presented myself yet. My name's Seta Daigatsu…"
"Nice to meet you Seta-san…" I looked around 'Now I'm the one worried for Kenshin not that he can't take care of himself just that I don't want to loose him… not like this…'
"Excuse me, but is there something I can do for you? You seem to be looking for something or someone too…"
"Yes in a matter of fact… oh there he is! KENSHIN!!!" I shouted making everyone turn at me.
"There you are Kaoru-dono! You scared me to death when you disappeared like that!" his face displayed a relief look 'Oh… I just plain love him when he's all sweet like this…'
"Come I want you to meet someone…" I took his hand and dragged near the Myuki-chan and Seta-san.
"Are you Kenshin?" Myuki asked him innocently.
"Hai… why are you asking little girl?" Kenshin crouched down and smiled playfully at Myuki.
"Cause Kao-chan told me that you took care of her wound and I want to thank you for that!" she said brilliantly.
"She did…?" Kenshin looked at me and got up. I just smiled at him.
"Sir I must say that your wife is a great girl…" Seta-san said extending his hand for a hand shake.
We blushed furiously "I'm not his wife Seta-san! We're only friends…"
"Oh then I apologized for my mistake! Anyway Kaoru-san has a great heart."
"Hai she does, de gozaru…" Kenshin said while they shook hands "But what did she do?" he said confused.
"Oh I saw Myuki there standing in the middle of the crowd crying and alone so I went to help her find her grandfather and her brother…"
"And you didn't say a thing…" he sighed…
I smiled embarrassed "Gomen…"
"Grandfather where's onii-chan?"
"He went home to see if you were there…" he said.
"Grandfather I want onii-chan to meet Kao-chan and Ken-san!" she said happily.
"Well you've got to ask them if they want to then…"
"Do you?" she asked with pleading puppy eyes.
"It's not like we have anywhere to go, right Kenshin?" I looked at him also with huge puppy eyes.
"It's ok with me…" he said smiling.
"Iei!!!" we both started jumping and doing some crazy victory dance.
Kenshin and Seta-san sweat dropped and smiled to each other and after so he showed us the way to his house. He lived already out of the village in an old but cleaned and very well arranged dojo.
"Your owner of a dojo?" I heard Kenshin asking.
"Hai… but it doesn't have many students nowadays…" he said sadly.
Kenshin's POV
Kaoru-dono seemed really happy near Myuki-chan… she really had a great heart and she wasn't afraid to show it to other people. Seta-san was an interesting man; he was also a man with a great heart. He had told me that his grandsons were living with him since they were very little because their parents had died in an accident.
As we passed the gate a young boy maybe about Kaoru-dono's age maybe a little younger appeared at the door and I was very impressed by is ki… it was very strong.
"Onii-chan!!!" Myuki-chan ran to the boy and hugged him then she came backwards and pushed me and Kaoru-dono forward. "This is Kaoru and this is Kenshin!"
The boy kept his smile on the face and greeted them "My name's Seta Soujiro, pleased to meet you!"
"Kao-chan helped me find grandpa!" she said with a serious look.
"She did? Well that was nice Kaoru-san, thank you. I'm very grateful for you having find my sister…"
"You're welcome!" Kaoru-dono replied neatly and smiling at him.
Soujiro-san's gaze fell upon Kaoru-dono he couldn't stop looking at her and she continued smiling at him lovingly and I was completely jealous! 'Oh my, oh my, oh my… what do we have here? You seem to be jealous of your little dream girl Kaoru…' the battousai mocked him 'First Kaoru-dono is not mine and probably will never be therefore she has all the right in the world to fall in love with whoever she please and second yes I am jealous but it's not like you aren't either!' that earned the rurouni one more victory 'Yes I am jealous so why don't e just kill all these people and take Kaoru out of here?' the battousai said angrily 'Calm down I say…'
"Grandpa can they have lunch with us?" Soujiro-san asked politely.
"Onegai! Grandpa! Can they? Can they?" Myuki-chan asked excitedly.
Seta-san looked at us "Oh if you don't mind, since you're already here and all…" we accepted the offer.
We entered the house "Do you want me to help grandpa?" Soujiro asked once again politely.
"No there's no need, thank you Soujiro-kun." Seta-san smiled.
"Nii-chan let's go show the house to Kao-chan and Ken-san!"
"Ok… let's go then." They started to walk with Kaoru-dono behind them "Aren't you coming Kenshin-san?" Soujiro asked me smiling.
"I think I'll skip… maybe later you can show me around…" he nodded and I saw him walk away side by side with Kaoru-dono.
"You really like that girl don't you?" Seta-san had easily read me like an open book, he wasn't an average man.
"Hai…" I muttered embarrassed "Demo I do not deserve her… she's as pure as an angel and I've got my hands dirty with blood of many…"
"So am I, Himura Battousai so am I…" the man looked at me sympathetically and I realized that he too had made part of the Bakumatsu era and he had recognized me promptly and easily. "Why don't you come with me to the kitchen…?"
"I'll be glad if I can help with something Seta-san…" I said and he nodded in agreement.
We entered the room; it was cleaned and very well organized just as I had predicted.
"Seems that you're going to have some competition Himura-san… I've never seen my grandson so interested in a girl like Kaoru-san. She's a very special girl and you should be careful not to loose her, I could see that she completes you plainly. And it isn't surprising if you two just fell for her… she is very beautiful." He begun preparing the things to make lunch and I helped him.
"Kaoru-dono is free to choose whoever she wants… and I'm mostly sure she would not choose someone like sessha…"
"I would pay more attention if I were you and also I would let her say if you're worthy of her love or not… that's for her to decide…"
I didn't understand what he wanted to say with paying more attention so I didn't answer and we continued working on lunch silently.
Kaoru's POV
Kenshin was kind of strange around Soujiro-san, I almost felt as if he was jealous… 'Ohhh I just wished Kenshin would even look at me that way… I know I don't stand a chance and I know sooner or later I'll return home and I'll have to leave him here… and I surely hope that it comes later...' Soujiro-san was very very handsome and had a beautiful smile just like Myu-chan had told me. He was 1 year younger than me there fore he was 16 and boy was he always looking and smiling at me… he hadn't stopped doing so ever since he had faced me outside.
"And this is where we practice…" he slid the shoji open.
"Wow!" I exclaimed as I walked near a place where several bokkens where stored. "I haven't trained in like… ages… May I?" I asked Soujiro sheepishly and making huge puppy eyes…
"Yes of course! I didn't know you practiced…" I interrupted him.
"I used to practice kenjutsu back at my house…" I picked up a bokken and positioned myself in a fighting stance, I closed my eyes and concentrated… all of a sudden I felt someone attacking me and my arms quickly stopped the strike without even having to open my eyes.
"You're really good…" Soujiro-san complimented me with a great smile on his face.
"Arigato… but you didn't use all your technique nor your force, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to stop you… am I not correct?"
"Yes… even though you fight much more better then some of my grandpa students…"
"She could be a teacher just like you nii-chan!" Myuki interrupted.
"I guess so… yes… but she isn't gonna stay here forever you know Myu-chan? She has to go back home…"
"I have to go back home… like you said… the problem is I'm lost and I don't know how to get back home… I kind of lost the part of my…" I decided to twist the truth a little "…mind that knows how to get home…"
"Well you could stay here until you recovered you mind back…" this time were Soujiro's pleading eyes that caught out of guard…
"Oh no… I couldn't… I mean I'm with Kenshin and I go wherever he goes…"
"It's ok… Kenshin could stay too!" Myuki-chan pleaded me on her knees tugging my kimono.
"I really couldn't… I mean… you've already offered us lunch and all… and I don't want to be a burden…" I was getting out of answers…
"You won't and besides it's our way of saying thank you for having help us…" Soujiro said in a final tone "Let's go ask grandpa!"
"Wait…" either they didn't hear me or they faked they didn't because they just ran off to ask their grandfather's permission. Deep inside me I wanted him to accept and I wanted to become a teacher and I wanted Kenshin to accept it too… I wanted to stay with him because he was the only one that made me feel sure that everything would be ok… 'Will Seta-san agree?' I got out of the dojo and into the house slowly…
Me: Well here it is folks! A brand new chapter! You see you better be economic with this one and maybe another one that'll post tomorrow, cause little ol' me is going on holidays on this Sunday and I'll only come back the Sunday after… so you see I won't be able to update! I'm sorry for that but… hey! I do need some holidays… =) I'm sure you'll understand!
Remember Review! And you now what? If I have enough reviews to satisfy me I'll write at least 2 more chapters before going on holidays! =)
Ja ne!
