Disclaimer: The characters of Rurouni Kenshin are so obviously not of my own creating. However, there are a few background OC's in here that are, but I'm not all too attached to them.
Gentle Hand
Chapter 6
Her? Battousai blinked for a moment as he stared at the men. The boy is a girl? The moment the thought registered, he snarled and reached for his sword. The first man to feel his blade whispered one word before he fell, one he had heard many times before. The second had time to scream, but the forest quickly returned to silence. Battousai glanced over their limp forms, his heated gaze still sparking with anger.
The young samurai is a woman. Sheathing his sword he stealthily approached the dark figure sprawled in the snow. For the first time, he gazed upon the face of his neighbor and caught his breath.
Like a broken angel, her black as night hair feathered around her small body, the moonlight casting an unearthly glow upon her young features. No wonder he had mistaken her for a boy, her body was so slight and slender and she wore his old clothing. Had he but seen her face, there would have been no mistake. She was the loveliest creature he had ever laid eyes on.
There was something unnerving about her stillness. Did she faint? He dropped to one knee and tentatively brushed her pale cheek, pulling away sharply when heat exploded beneath his fingers. She's burning up!
Slowly her eyes opened, dark and unfocused to stare up at him. Her gaze flickered across his face unseeingly before closing once again, the fever having gripped her senses completely.
"Don't quit on me yet," he ordered softly as he gathered her limp body into his arms. It was like carrying no weight at all and the walk back to the cabin passed quickly.
He gently laid her on the futon and tucked the blankets around her before turning his attention to reviving the dead fire. It was blazing in no time and he set about the task of restocking the wood box beside the hearth and melting snow. When these were done, he once again knelt beside the woman and pulled the blanket away from her.
"Forgive me, Miss," he whispered as he began to check her over for injuries. Deep red welts around her ankles and wrists told him she had been bound tightly and his stomach twisted at her possible fate in such vulnerability. Had he known she was a girl, if he had only known…
There were no broken bones, but as his hands roved searchingly up her body he became increasingly dismayed by her condition. He could feel each individual rib beneath her clothes.
I was right. She was already sick during the storm. There is no other explanation for her emaciation after all the food I had given her.
He was also right about her previous injury. A deep, ugly stab wound marred the delicate skin of her perfect shoulder. It seemed to be healing reluctantly. From the discoloration of the surrounding skin, he guessed it had been disturbed and reopened several times before it could heal properly. He remembered her wearing a sling at times, no doubt as a reminder not to use her preferred arm, and it was bandaged as well as one could bandage their own shoulder.
If I remember, I left some medicine here the last time… he found it tucked away among the large supply of bandages and used this to treat her wound. It would heal quicker with the salve, he knew from experience. He made quick work of it so he could tuck the blanket around her shivering frame before matters became worse.
I suspect they didn't feed her or give her anything to drink, he thought grimly as he poured some freshly melted snow into a cup. The manslayer within desired a greater revenge than he permitted himself to exact upon those men. They would wake with broken bones and half frozen and he had to content himself with that knowledge.
He propped her up against his chest and tilted her head back as he brought the cup to her lips. Water trickled down her chin before she choked and swallowed.
"Easy, Miss," he gently warned her though she was barely conscious enough to understand. She didn't swallow as much as he wished, but it was enough for the time being.
It's going to be a long night, he realized as he laid her back and covered her up again. He spent it melting snow, stoking the blazing fire, and alternating between forcing her to sip a few drops of water and sponging down her over-heated body.
Halfway towards the morning, she began to murmur incessantly. At first her words were indiscernible. Setting the bucket down he had been about to take outside for more snow, he knelt beside her and listened intently. Her red lips trembled and tears crept down her hot cheeks that he could not resist wiping away.
"The children," she whispered. "Why the children?"
Kenshin frowned. "Who are the children?" he asked.
"They were only children." She shuddered and he clenched her uninjured shoulder should she start thrashing in her feverish dreams.
Her eyes fluttered open at his touch and stared through him, tears flowing freely. "Why did you kill them," she whimpered and he leapt back as if she had struck him.
His reaction was lost on her as her eyes glazed over and she slipped back into unconsciousness, the torment stifled for a time. Kenshin shivered at her accusation, struggling to remind himself that her question had not been directed at him.
I'm not the only one with a past, he mused and forced himself to return to the task he had abandoned for that brief moment.
He didn't want to leave her alone, but he needed to check his traps. More than anything, she needed food to give her the strength to fight. It was the fastest run around the mountain he had ever made, and productive.
In her barely conscious state she could not chew meat, so he snapped the bones and stewed the marrow and fat into a thick broth. She didn't take to it readily, gagging and coughing more than she ever did with the water. Kenshin cursed himself silently over the mess he had made in his efforts to force feed her, but in the end was rewarded when she finally accepted the broth and kept it down.
With a sigh, he set the empty bowl aside and held her for a weary moment. "You're going to make it," he promised. "I'm not going to give up on you."
By the third feeding, he got the hang of it and very little broth was wasted. Her fever still hadn't broken and when night approached the murmuring began again. Always the children. Why kill the innocent children?
She became restless and agitated in her torment, but was too weak to put up much of a fight. He only had to press her uninjured shoulder and she stilled. By this method he kept her at rest through the duration of the night, until the fever burned itself out.
Her skin was cooler by degrees when he rested his hand on her forehead the next morning. Relief flooded his being and he smiled slightly at her much deserved calm slumber.
It's not over yet, he reminded himself and stirred himself to action. There was plenty of meat for him, but the broth was nearly gone. Casting a lingering glance on his sleeping patient, Kenshin stepped out into the cold morning and closed the door behind him.
The traps didn't have much to offer this time, but it would be enough for what he needed. When she regained consciousness, it would not be long before she could take solid food so he was not worried. Never from the moment he first discovered someone had taken up residence in his winter cabin could he have ever imagined this situation. Soon her eyes would look into his with complete awareness and he wondered what she would see.
With a resigned sigh, he pushed open the cabin door and stepped inside. He took five steps before he realized she was gone. He blinked curiously at the empty bed and rumpled blankets for a moment before he felt the presence behind him. With slow cautious movements, he laid the three rabbits on the table and slowly turned to face her.
Her long black hair fell to her waist unkempt and strewn about her. Wild dark eyes stared back at him, but it was the gleaming blade in her left hand that drew his attention.
Enemy, was all she thought. He was not Fujo nor Shun, nor anyone she had thought she had ever seen before. Certainly she would remember a man with hair as red as blood. He wore but one sword at his side and did not reach for it as he turned to face her. In any case, he was a man and she was weak and defense was all that mattered.
Her hand tightened on the hilt of the short sword as he began to turn. Light fell across his face, across the scar…the scar on the left cheek…
A murderous shriek rent the silence apart as she leaped, her blade slashing through the air with unexpected speed and power. I will eliminate you from my dreams!
Her fever worn mind could not make sense of what happened, even as her muscles struggled to obey by instinct. The breath was stolen from her on impact and she gasped for air. I will not be beaten!
She struggled against the strength that pinned her down, clutching her blade even more tightly with the determination that it would find its mark by design or by accident. The pressure on her wrist increased and she felt her grasp weakening until her hand released and the blade clattered to the floor.
The resonating sound seemed to trigger reality and her body slumped in its struggle, accepting defeat both within and without. The pain in her lungs blossomed into a fire and her chest heaved heavily for breath. Above her own gasping, she heard her enemy sigh.
"It is too soon for you to be so active, that it is," he chastised softly and Kaoru looked up at him startled. Blue eyes drew into sharp focus and Kenshin read a mingle of fear and relief in their somber depths.
It's not him, was her first thought. There was not one but two scars on this man's face, crisscrossing, and not a trace of malice could be found in his soft violet gaze. In time, when she was able to recall the struggle more clearly, she would realize that in subduing her he had been extraordinarily careful not to hurt her. He had thrown her down on the futon that her head might not strike the floor and the right amount of pressure in the right place had forced her to release her weapon without any pain.
"Who are you," she managed to ask amid her strangled breaths.
"My name is Kenshin Himura. Are you all right, Miss? Your fever only broke just this morning." Even as he said it he brushed his hand across her forehead to check her temperature again.
Kaoru flinched at his touch. The advantage was his and she suspected it would be even if she were completely healthy. Her reaction disturbed him, but he suspected it had much to do with her recent encounter with the other two swordsmen. There was no telling what they had done to her before he had confronted them.
Kaoru blinked and suddenly realized he was no longer holding her down. Glancing around, she saw he had returned to the table with the rabbits he had brought in and was setting about cleaning them. Her short sword was gone too, but she never saw him take it. Next thing she knew she was waking up to the delicious fragrance of cooked meat.
I slept? A blanket had been pulled up over her shoulders and a man was kneeling beside the hearth, stirring something in the cooking pot. Who?
"It will be ready soon," he said and she wondered how he knew she was awake. She hadn't even moved.
Kenshin Himura. She remembered. She had attacked him and… he was making her dinner? It seemed with each passing moment her mind grasped just a little more. I remember those men. When they went hunting they tied me… She tentatively touched her wrist and found they were both bandaged over the cuts she had earned struggling to free herself.
With effort, she sat up and checked her injured shoulder. It was bandaged with the same adept precision as her wrists and it seemed not to pain her as much as it had the last few weeks.
Kenshin watched her with interest as she inspected her wounds and was no doubt coming to a better conclusion regarding him than she had initially. When she finally looked up at him, he offered her a gentle smile.
"Those men," she spoke softly.
"They won't be bothering you anymore, that they won't," he returned and her relief was visible.
Kaoru didn't question him further. She was afraid of the possibilities. Above all else she remembered their screams, the burning heat of golden fire. Had Oni destroyed them or this swordsman before her? What prevented him from hurting her?
Despite his kindly eyes and youthful face that could only be described as beautiful, his aura was fierce. She would have to watch him carefully, that she might see the danger before it could sneak up on her. After all, she was alone on this mountain…except for her friend…
"Was it you?" she asked suddenly and he glanced up at her again with a confused expression.
"I'm sorry?"
"Was it you who left the deer and the rabbits and—."
"Oh no!" Distracted by her question the stew had gotten away from him and the fire snapped and sizzled as it boiled over.
Kaoru could not suppress a small smile as she watched him dance about like a kabuki play trying to save the dinner and not get burned by the sputtering fire. By the time control had been regained and he handed her a bowl of broth, her question had been forgotten.
Kenshin watched her take a few sips before he started eating himself.
"This is very good," she murmured and he smiled.
"Thank you. Maybe tomorrow you can try more than just broth. You are far from well, Miss."
Kaoru blushed slightly, knowing he meant to fatten her up as quickly as possible. She had lost a great deal of weight, but that wasn't any man's business now was it?
The slight coloring in her cheeks was becoming and Kenshin couldn't help stare at her a moment longer. He made a silent pledge then to be the one to restore the brilliance in her tarnished eyes. This nameless young woman had woven a spell over him in her unbridled will to live and fight. Even in the throws of fever when all conscious thought fled her, she fought.
She had sought refuge in the forbidden mountain while injured, knowing doing so most certainly would mean her death. What could have been so terrible as to force her to come here? Is it the same evil that stole the luster from her young eyes? I wonder what her name is.
He smiled suddenly. "Thank you, Miss."
Kaoru looked up surprised. "For what?"
"For the blanket."
Confusion framed her face for a moment. Blanket? What blanket? The blanket! A shy smile spread across her face. "It was the least I could do."
"It was greatly appreciated," Kenshin assured her. "Would you like more broth, Miss?"
Kaoru glanced down at her empty bowl, surprised that it was empty but even more that she was still hungry. "Yes, please."
He took it from her and filled it generously, hoping she would drink down every last drop. An appetite was an extremely good sign. When he returned the bowl to her, there seemed to be a change in her mood, her anxiety nearly faded.
"You'll be all right, Miss," he assured her and the gaze she cast upon him nearly brought him to his knees. Has no one cared for you before?
"My name is Kaoru," she said softly as she met his kindly stare.
Kenshin smiled warmly at her, as he had not done for another human in years. "You will be just fine, Miss Kaoru, that you will."
"I believe you," she admitted and then turned her attention back to her broth. I believe you because you are my Oni.