A Wanderer's Sword:

A Sequel to "Broken Hearts"

Ch. 6

I Love You, That I Do

Kaoru sat happily in the warm spring sunshine laughing as the cool grass tickled her bare feet and the breeze danced in her long hair. Kenshin sat beside her holding her close to him and was laughing as well. The birds and the insects all seemed to be singing the same sweet song as they watched a little brown haired baby boy look cross-eyed at the butterfly on his plump nose. He giggled as his tiny fingers struggled to grasp at this unknown creature.

Kaoru picked him up and held him close to her chest. Kenshin poked his nose playfully and made a funny face, the little baby giggled and looked to his daddy with a toothless smile. Kaoru giggled too as she watched the two of them.

Kaoru closed her eyes sleepily as the sunshine continued to warm her pale face. She opened her eyes to a terrible surprise. The sunshine disappeared as dark clouds swirled in the sky and thunder began to rumble deeply in the distance. She looked around; Kenshin was gone and the soft grass had turned to sharp stones and dead plants. Her son was crying loudly in her ear as she looked around the barren wasteland. The horizon seemed to stretch on forever, flat and cruel.

Cold tears streamed down her face painfully as she stood and looked about her. "Kenshin!" she screamed but her voice quickly grew hoarse.

"Mommy where's Daddy?" she heard a small voice come from below her. A small boy was tugging on her leg pleadingly. "Doesn't he love us?"

Kaoru didn't know what to do, nothing made any sense. She looked around, the wasteland was now dark and ragged, sharp boulders surrounded her. They closed in around her, blocking her from getting out.

She looked back at the boy but he was no longer a little boy he was a teenager. "I hate you! I hate you and Father!" Before she could react he had disappeared. She was all alone.

She yelled out for someone, anyone, but her voice was drowned in a fierce wind. She struggled up out of the jagged rocks to look out into a wilderness of loneliness. Then she saw him, running towards her as the fiery sun slipped slowly down the horizon.

"Kaoru!" he yelled out to her his arms open wide to hold her. But he suddenly fell to the ground. His blood spilled over the dirty ground. She reached him sobbing, but it was too late he was dead, arrows sticking out from his back, bullet holes in his arms, his legs cut by thick swords.

Suddenly a young man stood beside her as she wept. It was her son he was blaming her, blaming her for Kenshin's death, for Kenshin's sorrow, for ruining their family's life. Kaoru turned back to Kenshin, this was all too much for her to handle.

"Kenshin! NO! Help me Kenshin!" she said shaking his lifeless body hopelessly. "KENSHIN!"

"Kaoru! Kaoru! It was just a dream…shhh…" Kenshin said trying to calm her. "It was just a nightmare, that is all…"

Kaoru was sitting bolt upright in her bed, sweat pouring down her face, her throat dry from screaming, Kenshin desperately trying to comfort her. Kaoru looked around her, it was pitch black, not even a candle was lighting the dark dojo. "Oh Kenshin…" she sobbed into his shoulder "…it was just…awful…"

He held her tightly softly running his fingers through her silky hair. "It was a dream, that it was….only a dream."

"I know…" she whispered as he laid her down gently. "It's just that it was…"

He lay beside her and stared into her starry eyes listening intently. But she said nothing for already those terrible images were slipping from her mind as her eyelids grew heavy and as she was transfixed in his dazzling eyes. He smiled and hummed softly to an impromptu tune and soon she was at peace once again.

But Kenshin himself lay awake for hours looking into her content face with concern. This was the third night in a row that she had awoken screaming, only to fall asleep and remember nothing of it in the morning. Of course he didn't think she remembered it, for she said nothing of it and in no way had changed her behavior. He couldn't help thinking, though, that she was hiding something from him again.

Finally as the dawn began to break he got up out of bed and went to make her some breakfast. Recently she had grown increasingly picky about what she ate, and like many pregnant women she had developed odd cravings. But Kenshin decided to take the risk.

It was well after sunrise by the time he returned to the bedroom with the food. Kaoru was already sitting up and seemed to be debating with herself on whether or not she should get up.

"Are you feeling any better?" Kenshin asked politely as he set the tray of food down before her.

"Why!" she asked irritably then looked at the food. "I'm really not all that hungry."

"No reason…that's okay." He said taking up the tray and leaving disappointedly.

"No Kenshin." She said suddenly feeling bad. "I guess I can eat a little."

"Okay…" he said cautiously.

For a while they sat in silence as each nibbled on food. Neither of them ever ate much breakfast, and recently they didn't seem to be able to find much time to talk. So it was quite quiet for some time before Kenshin spoke up.

"Have you been sleeping okay?..."

"Yeah…I guess so why wouldn't I?"

"It's just…" he said debating with himself on whether or not this was the time to bring it up. "…last night….well these past few nights you've been waking up …"

She looked at him uncomfortably, as if she'd rather not talk about it. "Just been having some bad dreams…"

"It just seemed like you were ignoring them…" he said trying to keep it as casual as possible. "Are you sure you don't want to…"

"Why do you have to bring them up Kenshin!" she said tears beginning to pour down her face. "Of course I've been ignoring them! You have no idea what terrible things I see!"

At this point she was sobbing and Kenshin's heart was nearly busting with guilt. He tried to hold her but she only pushed him away. It seemed like she cried every day. If it didn't make him feel so bad he would have yelled for all the frustration that had built up inside him all this time.

"Just leave me alone!" she yelled at him suddenly.

"I just…" he said but gave up, it wasn't worth the effort.

Kenshin got up and left her be and it was late into the evening before he slowed down enough to realize she had never left her room. He was wandering down the hall thinking of what other chores he would have to finish in the morning when he heard her crying softly in the bedroom.

"Kaoru?" he said knocking softly.

"Go away Kenshin…I don't deserve your kindness…" she said between sobbs.

He entered the room slowly, she was still in bed. He kneeled down behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "What could you possibly have done not to deserve my kindness?" he whispered in her ear lovingly.

"Oh Kenshin don't be so stupid." She said not turning to look at him. "I've been so cruel to you this week, I've been so needy…so moody…so damn upset all week!"

He wrapped his arms around her even though she protested. "You think I hate you because of that?"

"No I hate you because of that! I hate myself, I hate you, I hate the world."

"No you don't, you've just got a lot on your mind, that you do."

She finally turned to look him in the eyes. "Why are you so perfect? It scares me Kenshin, because nothing perfect lasts."

"Because I love you, that I do." He said with a smile and kissed her softly.

She placed her head on his shoulder tiredly. "Why isn't that enough for me?"

"Because you're scared." He said shortly.

"But—why…" she said yawning loudly.

"Because you're a woman?"

"Hey!" she said hitting him.

"I was only joking!" he said defensively.

"I know." She smiled.

Soon she was once again asleep in his arms, and he had no choice but to sleep as well.

TO BE CONTINUED