"You're Not Alone…"
Khmer Moon Blossoms
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.
Author's Notes: Yes! An idea hatched! I think this will be the best fic yet! Very dramatic!
Enjoy!
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The last of the ambulance trucks drove away, the crowd decreasing around us. I continued to hold her sobbing form. She no longer tried to fight away from me, trying to reach her mother. She sobbed with an exhausted voice, and she breathed slow and hard, as if running out of oxygen.
I overheard a man nearby whisper to his wife as he walked by.
"Isn't that horrible? That poor girl. Her mother was flung out of the taxi, hitting the concrete and she died instantly. The taxi driver was drunk."
I muted everything he said after that.
The taxi driver was drunk?
I had forgotten about the taxi, crushed against the building. But as I glanced over to it, the ambulance had already taken away the driver.
The girl stopped crying. I turned to her once again. I cocked my head to the side, seeing that her eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly in sleep.
Her hands were laid on my chest, entirely covered with blood, so finger prints of red covered my shirt.
I had no other choice but to carry her the few blocks back to my home.
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I kicked the door open, startling my sisters inside. They quickly ran towards the open door.
My older sister, Megumi, only stood in shock, seeing me covered in blood and carrying a strange girl into our home. I only gave her a look, asking her to understand.
My two younger sisters, Ayame and Suzume, who could only speak a little, were equally shocked as they saw their brother covered in human fluids.
Megumi quickly grabbed the two and forced them inside a room. "It's okay," Megumi whispered to them hurriedly. "Nothing's wrong. Please go to sleep, Ayame and Suzume."
My other sister, one a little older than Ayame and Suzume, was Tsubame. She was the softest of all my sisters. She looked at me with a pale, shocked face. I whispered to her to leave with Megumi. She stayed rooted to her spot.
Her eyes traveled over the young girl's body, to my bloodied shirt. "Kenshin?" She managed to squeak out, tears forming in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
I smiled, trying to reassure her. "Please, Tsubame. I'm okay. Go inside, you don't need to see this. Please,"
She eventually turned away unsurely. One last glance at me, then she slid into her room down the hall.
Megumi reappeared, hovering over me. She didn't scowl like she did when I came home late. She was very overprotective. But when finally getting her medical degree, someone who was hurt always was taken care of first. Punishments later.
And I was happy for that. I hoped Megumi could make sure the girl wasn't hurt from the crash…like her mother was.
Megumi unrolled a small mat and placed a pillow there. Her eyes were still shocked, but her mouth quickly spoke.
"What happened?" she whispered her obvious question. "And who is she?"
"I don't know," I said, earning myself a scowl from Megumi.
"You brought a stranger into our house, brother? And then revealed her to our sisters?" Megumi whispered harshly, afraid to waken the girl.
"No, it's not like that at all. She had just been in a car crash…and…her mother died. I thought I could bring her home so that she would feel better." I said, knowing it was a lame excuse. I held my head down. But I thought it would be best…I didn't know where she lived, and she'd never make it home alone…in her condition like that. So I brought her home. Until she woke up and was able to feel better, then she could go home.
Megumi just sighed tiredly. "Go change. I don't want our sisters to see the blood anymore. And shut the door on your way out. Don't come in here and disturb me. I need to make sure her breathing and heartbeat is alright. Stay out there when you're done with your shower."
I nodded, grateful Megumi understood. "Thank you, Megumi."
Megumi smiled. "Sure." She then put on a pouting look. "You may be late from you're curfew, but I'm glad my brother is caring."
I smiled at her and quietly shut the door behind me.
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I walked out of the bathroom, fully clothed, with a towel limp around my shoulders. I retied my wet red hair and sat on the couch in the living room. I placed my hands on my knees, glancing over to the closed door to my right.
I hoped that Megumi was almost done. I wanted to see the girl to see if she was alright.
Soon after my thought, Megumi walked out of the room, smiling.
"She's okay, just a few cuts."
"I'm glad," I said, sighing in relief. "Is she awake?"
"No. What are you planning to do to get her back home?"
"I'll ask her what her phone number is. Then I'll let her family know where she is. And I'll drive her there once she does." I said, making it almost sound like I've been reciting it over and over.
"So, she lost her mother?" Megumi questioned after a few minutes. "In a car crash?"
"Yes. I saw the whole thing." I let my tone fade.
At this, my sister widened her eyes. "You're not hurt, are you, Kenshin?"
"Of course not," I smiled weakly, reassuring her like I did to Tsubame. "I didn't get hurt."
Megumi let out a tired sigh, sitting beside me on the couch. "When you told me she lost her mother, I was afraid we lost her too. But she's okay." She smiled. "Ma and Pa are going to be back soon. I'll explain everything to them."
"Thanks," I whispered. "You're the best, Megumi."
Megumi smiked. "I know."
I sat there, anxious to find out if the girl was okay. I couldn't wait until she woke up. But one thought wouldn't leave me alone….
I kept seeing that woman on the floor in my mind's eye. I couldn't shake it off. That poor girl…losing her mother like that.
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Kaoru's POV
I lay in the mat, in a dirty mess, I didn't care. All I remember is that they took my mother away….
I miss her. I know I would never see her again.
We had been trying to get home. We asked the taxi to get to our address. Mother passed me a few colored pieces of candy, and I gratefully sucked on one of them.
She laughed at me, how childish I was. I laughed back. Every weekend was like this.
Once the taxi started to swerve a little, I told mother to put on her seatbelt. I heard the click of mine, but hers never did.
"We're almost home, Kaoru. I'll be fine." She said. I was an idiot. I let her sit there with no seatbelt.
And right after she said that, the driver swerved and crashed. My mother was flung out of the window.
Me, I felt the seatbelt jerk me in place.
I ran out immediately after the car stopped, the shields breaking and a loud liquid in the head of the car leaking.
I ran out, and found mother there. I didn't even care of looking at the driver. All I needed to see was Mom. If she was alright.
She wasn't.
I felt a tear roll down my cheek, and I hastily wiped it off. Mom told me to be strong. That's what I'll be.
I heard the door squeak, and I turned to see that same red headed boy who had helped me before walk in.
Him.
He had been so kind to me! How could he help me, a complete stranger? Somehow, when he walked in, it seemed for a second that everything for me felt better. He made the pain go away somehow. He was so helpful to me.
And I'm grateful for that.
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Kenshin's POV
I couldn't wait any longer. When Megumi was gone, I walked over to the door and let my hand rest on the cold door knob. I turned it slowly, and stepped inside.
The girl quickly sat up on the ground, eyes wide. When she seemed to recognize me, she let her eyes return to normal size.
I smiled at her, trying to cheer her up. "Welcome to the Himura house," I said. She widened her eyes again, glancing all around her; as if looking at everything the first time. I'm sure it was. She hadn't even noticed she was in a different room other than her own.
She quickly jumped out from under the blankets and stood on the wooden floor. I thought she was frightened of something…maybe a bug…on the floor.
She must have seen my questioning look, because she answered my question to her surprised action. "I didn't mean to be any trouble for you."
"Of course not. You're no trouble at all." I said politely. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yes." She said simply.
"Where is your house? I could drive you."
"No, no," She protested with her hands in the air. "I could walk."
I knew there was concern in my look. "I would insist to drive you."
She hesitated. "I could walk…"
In an attempt to make her understand, I gently grabbed her wrist and started to walk towards my car. She seemed to be surprised, flinching at my touch. But she let me drag her into the car.
She obediently walked into the passenger's seat, slipping the seatbelt on. I walked into the driver's side, putting my key into ignition.
"Please, I'd rather drive you. Miss, where do you live?" I asked.
"124 Evergreen Avenue," She whispered, head down and voice miserable. I felt guilt wash over me right away.
"I'm sorry if I seemed forward," I said carefully. "I didn't mean to upset you,"
"Oh, no." She said. "I should be thanking you. You've done all of this for me. Thank you."
"Of course. I was glad to help you." After a few minutes of silence, I heard myself tell her: "I'm sorry about your mother." Before I could stop myself, it had already slipped out.
Tears rolled out of her eyes instantly. She wiped them away with the back of her hand, but they kept coming.
"I'm sorry," I said, biting my lip in case I would do something to upset her again. I tried to avoid her gaze, keeping my eyes on the road.
"It's alright," She choked out. "I'm fine. Really."
We reached her house, and she stepped out in her tattered clothes. In the open window, she forced out a weak smile at me. She placed her fingers on the glass window.
"Thank you for everything. You've been so kind to me."
And all of the world seemed to stop in time. Only her in front of me, and me in front of her.
It was the first time I've seen her smile. Her teeth showed slightly, bright white. She was very beautiful, even though she was not in her best. And she seemed so innocent. She didn't deserve for anything like this to happen to her. Not at all.
I couldn't feel myself to say anything. Her smile seemed to take my breath away. Concern suddenly filled her face.
"Are you alright?" she asked me.
Courage than finally hit me. "Yes. And you're welcome. I hope you and your family will be alright."
Her smile faded. "We will, I hope." She waved at me before leaving. She shot me one last smile before disappearing into the door.
Her second smile was even better than the last one. I sighed inwardly. When I looked on my car mirror, I had a stupid smile stuck on my face. I slapped myself, hoping that wasn't how I looked like in front of her….
Oh great.
I was so distracted…I had forgotten to ask her for her name! I looked desperately at her house. The door was closed. I had missed my chance.
I hit my head against my wheel.
I sighed again, driving off towards home. I may not know her name…but I'm sure I'll never forget how she looked.
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Author's Notes: Better mood…eh? Could you tell they're starting to like each other already?
They will meet again tho, remember, they're both in high school!
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