AN-To readers, I know, there are many of you who love to read Battousai/Kaoru fanfics, so I decided to type one for you. This is my second attempt in writing a story with this couple. If you have any suggestions, advices, or questions, please do leave them in your review. Please enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin series. I wish I did, but I don't. : (
Rainy Night
Chapter 1
Tokyo's streets were damp. The rain fell that night bringing with it its cool breeze. A young woman was walking down the streets. She was no older then seventeen years in age. Her petite figure was covered in a black cloak, so no one could figure her identity. She knew it wasn't safe to be walking out on the streets this night, but she couldn't help it. Men lust for women, and if they saw a woman walking in a cold night like this one, they wouldn't be afraid to take advantage of her.
As the young woman continued walking down the street, getting soaked in the rain, old memories came upon her. She was the only one who must have been glad when the rain fell upon her. When she was younger, she had parents who gave her everything. She had a mother who taught her everything on how to be a young lady. She had a father who taught her swordsmanship. They called her their little Kaoru. They loved her very much. And then one day everything changed. Kaoru's father was sent to war in Japan during the Revolution, leaving her and her mother to stay home. Kaoru thought her mother was fine. However as the days past one after another she noticed her mother's health was deteriorating. As a little girl she never understood why her mother wasn't getting any better. It was until that unfaithful day when her mother received a message from a man, bring appalling news about her father. Kaoru found out from her mother, that her father died fighting honorably for their country. Later that evening she overheard her mother's discussion and established the truth of her father's death. Battousai murdered her father. Kaoru's father was a politician who believed in many things. When he was sent into the Revolution, he wasn't sent as a fighter, or a man they called a manslayer. They sent him to be a part of the government. After hearing the appalling information Kaoru began to understand why her mother wasn't the same anymore. It was like she lost the will power to live. Gradually, her and her mother fell through some hard times. Kaoru's mother was lusted by men. They continuously went after her for her body and her beauty. Furthermore, they didn't have much money to buy food. Due to the hideous rumors about her mother, both Kaoru and her mother were given bad names. Then one rainy night like this one, Kaoru found her mother dead. Again Battousai struck to only take her parents from her. Battousai was the man, no the monster who took away her happiness and left her to fend for herself. Night after night, Kaoru worked very hard to make a living. Usually she wasn't a good cook, but she remembered how her mother cooked. She experimented with different food, until she learned how to cook well like her mother. She got employed to work as a waitress in the evening at Akabeko. As a little girl growing into a young lady, she had talent. She was a very good entertainer. She knew how to dance, and sing as well. She got employed to work late at night in a bar as an entertainer. Now Kaoru lived her life. Even after all of hard times, she remembered what her mother told her. No matter what happens in life, don't let things stop you from being happy. Kaoru knew her mother was right. The simplest things made her happy, such as training or dancing.
Kaoru was almost home. Frustrated at the rain, angry about her memories, she looked up into the sparkling night. After her mother's death, she made a promise to herself to never fall in love. Love tore her mother and it would do the same to her. Her father's death killed her mother's spirit; it took away her will power to live. Kaoru thought the best way to live her life, was to help other people as best as she could. She decided not to let any other person live her type of life or suffer for any given reason. She didn't want to have them living their days, where they could not eat because they had little money.
What baffled Kaoru was the fact she did not shed any tears after her mother's death. She was depressed but she never cried. The rains were her tears, or at least she thought that. The rain showered her emotions. It displayed her feelings. She was forced to grow up from her hardships of life, however it did not break her spirit.
Kaoru continued to walk through the damp streets, as the rain fell upon her. One more turn around the corner and she should be home in no time. The dojo was her home. It was last memory, the last possession she had left of her parents. She got rid of everything else that reminded her of her parents, in hopes to help her forget everything, but never did it happen. She regretted it. In life itself, when a person falls, they have to get up and try again. This was the belief she lived with all her life.
Battousai was the name they called him, throughout the Revolution. When people spoke his name, they said it in fear for their worthless lives. Those who were lucky enough to live and see him would never forget the cold calculating look in his amber eyes. Many people didn't know how he looked like, but they all mentioned his cross shape scar on his left cheek. He was an assassin who killed people with no emotion. He showed them no mercy. Instead of taking the time to have them scream their pain in the bloody night, he gave them all a quick excruciating death leaving their blood to add on to the old bloodshed on his katana. Oh the smell of blood and the familiarity it had with Battousai. Everything tasted and smelled like blood. He never cared about another or the blood that flowed through their veins, except for one person. That was once upon a time. Ten years had past since the Revolution. People speak of the Meiji Era in Japan as though it was about tranquility. They knew nothing of peace. As long as he walked the streets, as long as he was paid to assassinate someone, Japan would never be safe. Any thoughts of emotions or displaying feelings made people weaklings. He could easily use their loved ones as targets to get them to do what he wanted. He reveled in the fact that he could control people so easily. Actually, it was because he loved and was loved in return that made him a weakling. His enemy chose to use his beloved Tomoe as a target to gain control of him, but when she died it was because of him. After that tragic incident he promised to never love again. Never such an incident like that should occur in his existence. Never. As the years past he lost all feelings and he knew he would never be able to feel again.
Battousai wandered through the streets. He killed many men who stood in his way with one strike of his sword. He couldn't believe he couldn't find someone who could match his skills with a sword, or even surpass him. Witnessing the weaklings, they challenged him with their pathetic swords. Just one look at him made their shriveling minds conclude his defeat. His height and lean frame deceived them. Smirking, an eerie stare from his amber eyes, the rough wind blowing blood locks away from his face to present a cross shape scar illustrated the infamous Battousai. Just from one strike of his blade, their useless heads detached from their bodies. How he ran into them, was something he could never comprehend, it wasn't like he cared in the first place. He came to the conclusion that they were following some woman wearing a black cloak to hide her petite figure. They happened to cross his path, and anyone who crossed his path, he saw it as obstacles standing in his way. The only way to clear his path was to slay them.
After killing them, Battousai wanted to see why these men were following the young woman. Curiosity killed that cat. Curiosity would kill that woman. For an unknown reason that young woman walked the streets on such a cold, rainy night. He continued to follow the young woman until he felt some sickness over take him. He didn't know what it was. He guessed it was from the rain and the coldness. His vision became blurry. His body became weak. Before he could do anything to stop himself, he fell onto the floor, and everything went black for him.
Kaoru was on her way home, when she heard a big thud on the ground. She looked behind her to see if there was anyone behind her. At first she didn't see anything. She continued to strain her eyes and look through the dreary night for whatever made the noise. Then she saw what she was looking for. On the floor she saw a man's figure lying there. She bent down to see whether the man was alive or dead. Feeling his pulse, she gasped at how faint it was. He looked so pale when the rain hit his body. The water splashed on his hot skin. Kaoru touched his forehead and was astonished at how high temperature.
"He has a fever," she whispered to herself. "Better take care of him. I can't leave him out here to die. Plus this is not even a pleasant way to die."
Even though, Kaoru had a small frame, it didn't mean she was weak. She picked him by his arm, and wrapped it against her shoulders. His body weight fell against her petite frame, but it didn't matter to her. She carried things that were heavier then him before.
She walked inside her home, carrying his limp form to one of the vacant bedrooms. She was happy her dojo was so big. Since she owned such a big home, she thought having numerous rooms was a burden, but tonight proved her wrong. She laid him on the futon carefully not to wake him. She then left him alone to close up her dojo for tonight. She ran into the kitchen to get a bowl of cold water, a cloth, and some medicine, her friend Dr. Gensai gave to her when she was sick. Upon passing her room, she gathered some clean clothes.
Kaoru headed back into the room, where she placed the fallen man onto the futon. She gave him some medicine, and placed the cold cloth of his forehead. Next Kaoru carefully removed his soaking clothes to replace it with new clothes. She shut her eyes here and there as a way of letting the sick man have his privacy. Then covered his body with the warm blanket that was lying on the futon from the beginning.
Kaoru absently hummed a song for him. She wanted him to sleep peacefully. It was only when the lightning flashed; Kaoru saw what she shouldn't have seen. She saw a cross shape scar; his red hair was covering when she first saw him. Kaoru's heart was beating, her eyes widened in fear. This was the same man who killed her parents, the same man who took away her happiness, and left her struggling. This man was the same man who was her enemy and here he was now sleeping in her home. This was the man the people called Battousai.