A Wanderer's Sword
A Sequel to "Broken Hearts"
Ch. 4
Sick of Lies
"You seem perfectly healthy to me." Megumi said looking baffled as she let Kaoru sit up.
"I know…Kenshin's just worried…" Kaoru said her voice quavering a little.
"You sure you've been getting enough sleep…perhaps it's stress…have you and Kenshin been getting along well recently?" Megumi said trying to look into her tired eyes.
"Yes, yes…" Kaoru said irritably. "He's been more than helpful."
"Well you can tell him that he should stop worrying, you just need some rest and some square meals….you could also use a break from the work at the dojo. How about you go to a hot spring or something?"
"Yeah…I'll do that…" Kaoru said not listening as she looked out into the cloudy winter sky, a painful look on her face.
"Kaoru are you sure there's something you're not telling me?"
Kaoru glanced at her wearily and then stood up. "I've got to get back to the dojo. Thanks Megumi."
Megumi shook her head confused as Kaoru left the room. "She's hiding something." she said quietly to herself as she packed up her things.
"So are you dying!" Yahiko asked teasingly as she got back to the dojo.
"Shut up Yahiko." Kaoru said shortly walking tiredly in the door.
"Sorry…I was just kidding." He said defensively.
"Whatever, where's Kenshin?"
"I don't know; I haven't seen him all day. I heard from Sano that he was in town doing something."
"What could that man possibly be doing in town?"
"Maybe getting some dinner…" Yahiko said hopefully rubbing his stomach, "I'm starving!"
"You're always hungry! Maybe you should get a job so you can buy some food for yourself!"
"You're supposed to be teaching me!" he said indignantly as she turned wearily away.
"Maybe I'm sick of being called Ugly and Stupid every time you mess up!" she nearly yelled but did not look back as she went down the hall to her room.
Kenshin sat alone in the corner of the Aka Beko both his soup and tea stone cold. He stared weary eyed off into space as smoke and laughter lifted from the surrounding tables. He gave a drained sigh and sipped his tea absentmindedly.
"Are you okay Mr. Himura?" asked the waitress politely.
He awoke from his daydreaming, "Yes I'm quite okay, that I am."
"More tea?"
"Um…" he said looking down his cup for the first time. "Actually…" he blushed slightly, "…can I have a little sake."
As she turned and left he noticed a noisy group across the room for the first time. There faces were red with drunkenness and they laughed and cursed each other simultaneously.
"You're a drunken bastard!" one laughed at the other who's head had dropped heavily on the wooden table.
"Sha-up!" the other mumbled.
"He only had two drinks!" laughed another. "Damn it all I've had four already and I'm fit as a fettle!" His face suddenly went green and he ducked under the table.
"Ha ha ha!" they all laughed.
"Your drink Sir." the waitress said as she returned with a small glass of sake.
Kenshin looked miserably down at the glass. He hadn't drank in while, not since… well a while… He winced and gulped the whole thing. Why did he need to drink? Would it really solve his problems? It would only get him in trouble with Kaoru. But he didn't care right now.
"Hey have you heard anything about that Sensei dude?" asked one of the drunken men.
"Yeah…that's dude's a nutcase!" said another.
"Who was it that dude was after?"
"I heard him asking about that Himura character that lives in the Kamiya Kasshin dojo."
"Didn't he marry Kamiya Kaoru?"
"Yeah he was only a wander a couple years ago…"
Kenshin lost tract of the conversation as he drank a second and third sake. It was nearly dark before he finally stood up dropped some money on the table and stumbled out of the restaurant. He ignored a few judgmental glances and made his way to the dojo.
"Where have you been all day!" Kaoru said angrily as Kenshin stumbled into the house. "Are you okay!"
"I'm fin—hic!—n." he said leaning against the wall.
"Kenshin you're drunk!" she said looking at him with strange since of disliking.
He slammed his fist on the wall with terrible anger, denting it slightly. "Don't look at me that way! You don't think I know I'm drunk!"
Kaoru jumped back afraid but said nothing.
Kenshin moved toward her but stopped as fear filled her eyes. "You look at me like some criminal…" he said with miserable anger. "You're scared because you know I could hurt you, that I could." He lifted his hand tensely. "I could kill you with just this one hand."
"Kenshin you're scaring me!" she screamed at him angrily. "Why are you acting like this!"
"Maybe I'm sick of the way people look at me, the way they say I'm a slacker and a nobody, someone who only stirs up trouble when I get bored. Maybe I'm sick of washing clothes and making meals!" he ran out of breath and began to sob. "Maybe I'm scared too…scared that you're …that we're growing apart…"
Kaoru watch with horror as he fell miserably to the ground. "Kenshin…I…" She kneeled down trying to help him.
"I'm afraid of being alone…" he said tears pouring down his reddened face.
She wrapped her arms around him slowly. "I'm sorry Kenshin…I'm not going to leave you alone…you know that don't you?"
He wanted to push her away but he was either too tired or needed her so much he couldn't. He looked into her teary eyes painful. "I shouldn't have drunk all that sake. I knew you'd be worried, that I did."
"Do you really care what people say about you Kenshin?" Kaoru asked holding him tightly.
He rested his head on her chest. "I only care what you think."
"You know I love you…I couldn't live without you."
"But why won't you tell me the truth?"
"The truth about what?"
"Why didn't you tell me you're pregnant?"
TO BE CONTINUED
Kaoru's Sad Song originally untitled
Feeling your heartbeat
hearing its quickening pace
would make my soul free
if you and i breathed as one
i could go
forever
dreaming of you—
dreaming of you now
you and i
together
the dawn our bane
cursing the rising sun
whispering sweet promises
Written by: Samantha J. Schleicher, not originally written for this story, no original title.