Disclaimer: The only things I own are the wisdom of my mind and the strength of my heart.
Though I might trade those for the rights to Rurouni Kenshin. But I hear these days that people only really go for money, and I don't really have that in abundance. So owning any sort of copyrights is kind of out of the question for now. But on a brighter note, I do own a used match!
A/N: Another chapter for Aoshi/Kaoru! This one has Aoshi in it, I promise. Their conversation has been re-written and there is also exclusively new material post 04-02-05 afterwards. I know that my bio says it's in chapter six, but I had to take a chapter out because I realized it was very pointless. So, sorry, we don't get to see what's going on in Tokyo while Kaoru is gone!
That also goes for the next chapter. It's chapter six that is going to be virtually all new. Not chapter seven. I'm trying to fix it in my bio, but the page won't load, so please excuse the discrepancy.
Tanoshimu!
Chapter 5
Kaoru: Sacrifices and Shortcuts
-
Kaoru sat in the kitchen alone, a cup of steaming hot tea in front of her.
"Not quite as sunny as it was a few hours ago, eh?" she commented, shivering as Aoshi entered the room behind her.
Aoshi shook his head, ignoring her last words. "Kaoru, why did you come here?" he asked it as if he truly did not understand.
The thing was, neither did Kaoru. "I—um…well…" the truth was that Kaoru had a perfectly legitimate excuse. She had planned to tell him quite plainly that she felt she needed to tell him of Misao's arrival. However, with his pinned eyes staring into her the way they were now, it was difficult to get anything out, and instead off of her doubts raced out of her mouth. "It was a stupid thing to do. I'm sorry. I regret to bother you. I…guess I was just worried about Misao…maybe I should go back now."
Aoshi's expression was one of surprise and softness. He draped an over-sized haori around her, and she did not ignore the fact that his fingers brushed against her collar. The coat, meant for warmth and relief, instead induced a chill, one that started deep in her stomach and shot up to her throat.
The raw coldness intensified as Aoshi took a seat across from her, his placating gaze focused on her alone. It was strange and rare to see him dressed in the soft yukata fabric, so different from the dark, stiff clothes he normally wore. Kaoru would say the light color was flattering; it softened his features and made him look younger, and still in an odd way made him seem older and wiser than the Aoshi who dressed in black and cursed the world.
Kaoru turned her attention to his face once again as he spoke. "Stay. You said yourself; you came all the way from Tokyo. I'm only surprised that you're here."
"Actually, I came to tell you that Misao showed up at the dojo," Kaoru said a little too quickly.
"I see," he replied. Somehow he seemed unsurprised, as if he had been expecting that. "I knew she would end up in Tokyo at some point."
Kaoru looked up, surprised. "Yes, but she's in a bad way…"
Aoshi leaned forward, which startled Kaoru slightly. His eyes were very serious and clouding over in urgency. "In what way?"
"Well…it's that kid, Soujiro," Kaoru said, now unable to tear her gaze from Aoshi's eyes. And then the whole story spilled out, every detail that she could remember from what Misao had told them. She was sure she mixed a few things up, but she at least told him the important parts. She hoped.
When she was done, Aoshi sat back again. He was very quiet, and Kaoru sustained that silence as well. She took a sip of her tea and waited for him to say something.
"Did Misao say anything else about the men that attacked Soujiro after he had killed Senbei?" Aoshi wanted to know.
"Oh!" Kaoru almost jumped at his sudden question. It was definitely not what she expected him to ask. Nevertheless, she racked her brains for anything Misao might've said. "No. She said she passed out, at least partly."
Aoshi nodded, though he didn't seem satisfied with this answer. The truth was, the arrival of those six men sparked a memory within him. It could have just been another link to Soujiro, but Aoshi was strongly reminded of the time Soujiro had used the Four Priests of Abukuma to test Aoshi's strength when he had set off to Kyoto to fight Kenshin. It was a hard time in his life to remember, because he had been so alone and so hungry fro strength. But he suspected that those men that had attacked Soujiro were serving a similar purpose to Aoshi's Four Priests.
Aoshi was roused from his deep thoughts by the inquiring blue eyes of Kaoru.
"Naruku sent word before you arrived," Aoshi informed her.
"Really?" Kaoru brightened. "That was thoughtful of her."
"She mentioned your students…?" Aoshi said quizzically.
Kaoru looked confused for a moment but then laughed softly when she realized what he was getting at. "Oh! Anything that Naruku says about them probably isn't true."
Aoshi nodded, no change in his expression.
"The thing is, I'm not sure how long my stay here will be. I do kind of need to get back to Tokyo, especially with Misao and everything…" Kaoru smiled. "But, can I trouble you for a room, tonight at least?"
She looked down and began digging around in her things for her coin pouch. She continued rummaging through her things until Aoshi reached across the table, grasping her small hand in his. "I assure you, it will be free of charge."
Kaoru couldn't help but let a small, slightly nervous smile flit across her face.
"Omasu," Aoshi called. Kaoru realized that his voice didn't become louder when he called. He somehow just made himself easier to hear.
Omasu arrived shortly. She brightened at seeing Kaoru.
"Can you show Kamiya-san to one of our empty rooms?" Aoshi asked.
Omasu nodded quickly to Aoshi and began chatting with Kaoru as they walked away. When Kaoru passed by Aoshi, she leaned down.
"Don't call me Kamiya," she hissed, and then resumed talking with Omasu.
Aoshi tried not smirk at Kaoru's words as Okina entered the room.
"Aoshi-kun," Okina said in a hushed tone, swooping down and sitting in Kaoru's vacated seat. "I want you to go to Tokyo with Kaoru-san."
Aoshi nodded, for the most part unsurprised. He knew what this was about.
"I believe that we'll get valuable information about a possible underground crime ring," Okina went on.
Again, Aoshi nodded. He was familiar with that rumor, and knew that it was the real reason Okina had come home from an Okiya late the night before.
"I want you to gather information in Tokyo," Okina instructed. "Anything you can find about this. I believe that Seta-san may have encountered part of the crime ring."
So, Okina had been listening in to Kaoru's story. This did not surprise Aoshi. Along with his reputation for torture, Okina had always been among the most skilled for stealth, second, probably, to Aoshi only.
Okina discreetly held out a piece of paper that was folded in half.
Aoshi took it and glanced at it. It contained a short list of places where sections of the crime ring were thought to be meeting. The paper contained no specific dates of when the crime ring might be spotted, which worried Aoshi very much. He folded the paper, this time twice, and pocketed it.
Aoshi looked back up at Okina. "I would like to keep this a secret from Kaoru."
Okina shrugged as he began walking away. "That Kamiya girl is your concern. Tell her what you like."
Aoshi nodded, and the two onmistu parted ways.
-
Kaoru awoke to the soft pattering of rain and someone rustling around on the other side of the room.
She sat up, throwing the covers off of her upper body and yawned in satisfaction. She stretched her arms up and then paused.
Someone in her room…someone rummaging through her clothes? She spun around immediately, her mouth open to shriek for help. The figure who was stooped over in the corner of the room shot toward her. Without thinking, Kaoru aimed for the solar plexus and swung back as hard as she could.
Instead, she connected with the intruder's forearm, as he had successfully blocked. Her force was so great that it still caused her trespasser to stumble back with a soft "oof!"
"Good morning, Kamiya," Aoshi said, getting to his feet.
Kaoru covered her mouth, realizing who the intruder was. "Oh, sorry about that…"
"Well I can see why your friends in Tokyo don't worry about you when you cross Honshu all by yourself," he returned in a conversational tone.
She shrugged. "But what are you doing in my room, anyway?" she tried to keep suspicion out of her voice, dearly hoping that he had nothing to do with her personals.
"Packing," Aoshi replied briskly, slinging a sack over his shoulder and exiting her room.
Kaoru got up and followed at his heels. "Pack…ing?"
"Yes. Packing. Getting your clothes together so we can leave," Aoshi said, a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Kaoru still seemed unable to grasp the concept. "We?" is all she said. "We're leaving today?"
"Yes. I'm accompanying you to Tokyo," Aoshi replied, not even looking at her.
"I thought we established the fact that I can cross Japan by myself," Kaoru shot back.
Aoshi didn't answer but instead stopped abruptly, sending an odd glance Kaoru's way.
"You may want to get dressed," he suggested, eying her pajamas in a way that wasn't entirely unappreciative.
Kaoru exercised control over her cheeks, willing herself to not blush. "That could be a good idea," she replied, as though mulling deeply over the decision. She turned on her heel and headed back to her room. "I'll see you at breakfast, I suppose."
Kaoru stepped around her room until she found the outfit that Aoshi had left out of her packed belongings. It was a dark red kimono paired with a lavender obi. As Kaoru put it on, she wondered if Aoshi had picked out such a stylish combination by accident.
When she had finished dressing, she walked down the hall to the dining room. She found that it was completely empty and also that Aoshi had already finished his breakfast, neither of which surprised her very much. It was much too early for anyone to be awake, except perhaps those who had a journey ahead of them.
Aoshi was sitting patiently at the table, a piece of paper in his hands. He didn't say anything as Kaoru sat down to the breakfast he had prepared.
"What's that?" Kaoru asked with her mouth full of rice. She motioned toward the paper in Aoshi's hand.
Aoshi glanced down at it. "It's something I'm sending to your friends in Tokyo."
"Our friends," Kaoru corrected. She wiped her mouth. "Well, what does the letter say?"
Aoshi wordlessly passed it to her, and she realized it was much to short to constitute as a letter. All it said was,
T.
Kamiya will be returned to you shortly.
D.
Kaoru looked up and took another sip of miso soup. "Who's it for?"
Aoshi raised an eyebrow. "Naruku."
Kaoru swallowed, looking confused. "Then why does it say 'T?'"
"It was a joke when Naruku was younger. She made up spy names for us, and made herself 'tanto-chan.' 'T-chan' is what Kuro and Shiro would call her," Aoshi explained patently.
"She named herself 'little dagger?'" She guessed it made sense. A nine-year-old living amongst a group of ninjas would want a name like that. "So then what's 'd?' What was your name?"
Aoshi pursed his lips, unsure if he could get off with not answering. When Kaoru's curious stare did not relent, he sighed. "Naruku decided I should be daizu."
Without waiting for her reaction, he took the note back and strode out of the room. "Finish up and I'll meet you outside."
Kaoru stared after him. She looked down at her soup and laughed. "Aoshi's nickname was 'soybean'?"
In ten minutes, Kaoru had finished her breakfast and was stepping outside. She surveyed the scene in front of her, hidden by the pounding rain. She spotted Aoshi standing with an umbrella up.
Kaoru took a deep breath and then rushed out from under the awning, holding up an arm to try and shield her from the rain until she was safely under the umbrella. She looked up at Aoshi and was surprised to see that half of him was getting wet in the rain. He was holding the umbrella so it covered Kaoru and kept her completely dry and him only partially dry.
Kaoru soon realized that it wasn't conscious on Aoshi's part. He wasn't trying to be noble, but keeping Kaoru completely dry was a natural instinct. As they set off, Kaoru grinned and realized that in terms of companionship, there wasn't anyone she wanted to be with more than the person she was walking next to.
-
Kaoru couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive as she and Aoshi reached the river's banks. Though, after three days of travel with Aoshi, she couldn't help but trust him, and this was no exception. No matter how threatening the river looked…no matter how very terrified she was at the mere thought of crossing it…Kaoru would trust that Aoshi would get her back to Tokyo safely.
It wasn't a particularly wide or a very deep river, but the rapids were rushing quickly over the slippery, jagged rocks. As she looked at how ominous the whole scene looked, Kaoru felt her stomach churn uneasily, as if warning her of the dangers ahead. She stared up at the sky to calm herself. It was faintly gray, but seemed to be slowly giving way to blue, which Kaoru took as a sign of good fortune.
She glanced at Aoshi, whose gaze was fixed steadily on the river. He seemed to be mapping their trail across it.
"I'll go first," Aoshi announced. Kaoru had no intention of disagreeing.
Before he stepped into the river, however, he glanced around and his vision locked onto a small sapling. He took hold of one of the thicker branches and using proper leverage he snapped it off.
"I'll hold this out for you if you need help," Aoshi explained. Kaoru did not reply, due to the fact that her heart was currently in her throat.
With that said, Aoshi tugged at his shirt and tossed it away from his body.
Kaoru tried not to stare, telling her that it was an invasion of his privacy, but his back was turned, and he had simply taken it off in front of her, so she didn't feel too bad when she snuck a peek or two. Or when she gawked rather obviously.
Aoshi bent and stowed his shirt in his bag. He turned back to Kaoru, who blushed at the sight of his bare chest. Mentally, she berated herself, but her inner voice was rather weak.
"Are you ready?" Aoshi called to her.
Unable to her him clearly over the raging river, Kaoru hurried forward, hitching her back up on her shoulders.
"Are you ready to cross?" Aoshi asked again in a very serious tone.
Barely a foot away from him, Kaoru nodded, not breaking eye contact.
"I trust you," she replied in all honesty.
Aoshi's broad hand brushed against her collar and settled on her shoulder in a gentle squeeze. "Stay close," he said.
Kaoru took the words to heart as Aoshi stepped out into the shallows of the river, tree-branch in hand. They waded out to about thigh-height water when Aoshi located their first stepping-stone, its crown barely breaking the surface of the water. In any case, Kaoru was glad they were anywhere above the water, because she had begun to feel the pull of the swift current, dragging her in.
Aoshi glanced back at her once again, and when she gave a firm nod he pressed onward. They stepped over jagged rocks and onto round, smooth ones, which might as well have been just as dangerous. Quite a few times Kaoru was sure she was going to slide right off and get swept up by the river. The rocks they stood on were generally not all that dry and usually topped with furry green moss.
Still, Kaoru trusted Aoshi, and she knew he would not have led her this way if he didn't know how to get out of it.
"We're more than half-way there," Aoshi commented over the roaring water.
The thought was comforting, but the stepping-stone ahead of Kaoru was rather far away. Aoshi had pretty easily stepped across to it, but he was much taller. Kaoru knew she would have to leap, just a few inches, to get there.
There would be a second—perhaps not even—of dire uncertainty, the second in which she had taken off but had not quite landed. In that second, she would hang in the air, and the only way to keep herself from splashing down on the murderous rocks and rapids below was to hope that her momentum took her, and faith that Aoshi's outstretched hand would catch her.
Kaoru jumped. As an impulse, she closed her eyes.
Her foot landed on the rock, and she could feel Aoshi's strong arms pulling her in. She opened her eyes to find that she was pressed tightly against the flesh of Aoshi's chest. She was breathing unsteadily from the effort of her leap and tried to slow her heart's hasty pumping.
Aoshi's gaze lingered on her a second longer to make sure she was fine before turning ahead to lead them further across the river. He released her as he stepped down onto a smaller rock, his chosen stepping-stone between Kaoru's current one and a huge rock in front of them. From the small rock Aoshi was on, they could probably climb up the bigger stone, and maybe rest there a moment or two, well above the torrents below.
Kaoru stared after him, aware of a frown darkening his features as he surveyed his position on the small stepping-stone. From his position he tried to scope out an alternate path to take, but there was no other remotely safe way.
He looked back to Kaoru, a strange expression on his face. It seemed almost like regret.
"I'm afraid this rock is rather unstable," he reported, effectively raising his voice above the rushing water sounds.
Now Kaoru frowned as well. "I'll be all right."
Aoshi nodded. He went from the small stone and clambered up the big one, the sapling branch clutched firmly in his hand. Once he was on top, he crouched and held the branch down.
Taking this as a signal, Kaoru slowly stepped down to the small, wobbly rock. She realized how very near the irate river she was. She quickly took note of the jagged rocks that surrounded her, and how they made the water splash up at her in a menacing way.
She breathed in relief when she was successfully standing on it. She counted to three to calm herself and then looked up to Aoshi, who was stretching to lower the tree branch to the correct level.
Kaoru shifted her weight in preparation to grab hold of Aoshi's sapling branch. In a second, Kaoru realized it was wrong. She didn't know what, but somehow her weight distribution had freed the rock she was on, and the end result was that it toppled over, bringing Kaoru down as it submerged into the wild waters.
Kaoru tried desperately to grab hold of anything, but Aoshi was too far above her. When at last she collapsed into the water, she tried at very least to avoid the dangerous razor-sharp rocks that surrounded her.
"Kaoru!" Aoshi cried. In a flash he sprung down off his rock, tossing both his bag and the sapling branch back onto the rock. He rebounded off the side of another larger rock and dove into the water after Kaoru's quickly disappearing form.
She had managed to keep her head above water up until then, but soon the river tossed her up and under its surface.
Aoshi let out a growl of frustration as the river moved Kaoru away from him, as if taunting him. He emitted a cry of rage and sucked in breath before diving under. Immediately the commotion was quiet, but he was panicked nonetheless.
He reached for Kaoru's thrashing form, and his hand closed around her upper-arm. His eyes flashed in thankfulness as he tugged Kaoru forcefully toward him, shielding her from the tumultuous white-water.
He secured his left arm around her waist and kicked up toward the surface of the water, dragging her with him.
They emerged and the sounds of the rapids filled Aoshi's ears once again.
Next to him, Kaoru filled her lungs with air, gasping and sputtering on water that she had half-swallowed in her struggle.
Aoshi grabbed onto a jagged rock that stopped their downstream drift. They were at least two meters away from their path, and Aoshi was desperately searching for a way to get back as he and Kaoru bobbed in the midst of the white-water. With sudden resolve, Aoshi swung around, still holding Kaoru by the waist, and kicked off his rock as hard as he could.
Though they were attempting to go upstream, the force of Aoshi's kick was enough to propel them against the current far enough so Aoshi could grab onto another rock. He did so, and from there he sprang up, using as much force as he could, and they landed on the dry, warm surface of the large rock—their destination in the first place.
Aoshi released Kaoru and sat up as she laid on her back. He gave her space as she coughed and gagged up the water in her lungs. When she had ceased heaving, he dipped down and took her into his arms.
He pressed her form firmly against his, turning his head to kiss her cheek, her temple and the top of her head, all very quickly and in frenzy.
"Kaoru…" he whispered, combing his fingers through her tangled, drenched mess of hair. "Are you all right? Kaoru…" He dropped his hand and wrapped his arm around her, gently pushing the small of her back with his hand.
Surprised at his actions, Kaoru responded by slipping her arms around his middle, pressing her cheek against his bare collar. "I'm all right," she murmured.
It was very strange indeed to see Aoshi worry over her like that. It was by far the most spectacular show of emotion she had ever witnessed, much less by Aoshi. He clutched her closely to him, cradling her as she shivered from the cold.
Kaoru clung to him just as tightly, weaving their bodies together. She was relieved that the two of them had managed to escape the river; something so merciless she had never encountered, and hoped never to again.
Aoshi kissed the top of her head once again as Kaoru shifted her position, as if to release him and herself from their embrace.
"Aoshi…" Kaoru said in a strained tone. "Aoshi, I think…I think my leg is hurt," she rasped, wincing as pain shot up her lower leg.
Aoshi immediately released her and assumed a doctor-like tone as he ran his fingers over Kaoru's left shin. There was a deep and very long gash that ran from her ankle up her calf. It was bleeding profusely, Aoshi noted, his expression becoming more and more concerned. He tried to wipe some of the blood off, but stopped when Kaoru whimpered in pain.
He looked up and realized that they were only a few meters from the opposite bank. With determination, he quickly scooped Kaoru up and slung his bag over his shoulder. Kaoru yelped in surprise, but did not protest as Aoshi leapt from their rock to the next, and the next, barely pausing until he had made it to the shallows and was wading toward land.
He walked quickly through the water, and once they had reached safe, dry land, he knelt down and allowed Kaoru to roll out of his arms.
She lay on her back and Aoshi used his bag to prop her left leg up.
"I think you'll need stitches," Aoshi told her calmly as he cleaned the wound.
Kaoru nodded, shaking from cold and pain.
Without preamble, Aoshi grabbed a dry shirt from his bag and very quickly shredded it into long, thin strips. With these he tied Kaoru's wound together, hopefully stopping the blood-flow until they reached Tokyo.
He knotted the makeshift bandage and sat up. "You should change," he told Kaoru, surveying her water-logged kimono.
"I lost my bag in the river," she replied simply.
"Then help yourself to mine," Aoshi answered casually.
Kaoru hesitated before flipping the bag open and digging through it. She quickly pulled out an off-white happi robe and dark blue hakama pants. She had never, ever seen Aoshi in such clothes, so she wondered why he had them and why he had packed them for Tokyo.
"Can you stand?" Aoshi asked. Without waiting for an answer, he slipped his arm around her waist and supported her as she stood up.
Putting most of her weight on Aoshi, Kaoru hobbled over to a tree, which she grabbed onto for support.
"Turn around," she said to him, but found that he was already facing away. She held the robe up to herself and realized that it went down past her knees.
She shed her wet kimono with some difficulty, and donned the warm, dry robe. She wrapped it tightly around herself and belted it securely in place, so it hung from her like an extremely thin kimono. It was not, by any means, proper attire, but there was little else she could have worn in Aoshi's bag. She stepped into the red hakama pants and hitched them up as far as they would go before fastening it around herself.
She turned back around and found Aoshi pulling on a light blue haori. He turned his head to look at her, barely suppressing a small chuckle that he emitted at seeing her in such oversized clothing.
She glared at him mockingly as he knelt down, his back to her.
"Eh?"
Aoshi gestured with a hand that was cupped behind him. "You obviously can't walk on your own," he replied.
Tentatively, Kaoru hopped on his back and he looped his arms around her legs piggyback style. She situated herself, trying to ignore the blush that stained her cheeks as they set off.
They were silent, for the most part, a few spoken words here and there as they admired the passing scenery. It was very quickly that Kaoru began to recognize the paths they took into Tokyo.
Along the path were the blooming sakura, beautiful in bunches of pink and white. Aoshi made no comment on them, but Kaoru could tell his spirits were lifted by the blossoms, just as her own were.
A/N: So there you have it. Aoshi has a reason to go to Tokyo.
Someone reviewed this newer version! To everyone who reviewed chapter ten, your reviews will be answered in chapter.
LinBean: Naruku is not a product of the manga…she's a character I made up. I know a lot of people are opposed to Ocs, but I try to balance everything so the other characters get spotlight. Like Kaoru and Misao! You know what I really like? You seem like a devout Kenshin/Kaoru fan, but you are still willing to read an alternate pairing like Aoshi/Kaoru. If you get confused about anything, please ask! I don't want you to be lost! I read your bio today, and found out that you like Jack Johnson! I'm listening to him right now…haha. You take care too!
Hopefully I will have up to chapter eight by today or tomorrow. I'm working really hard to get this reorganization done. It's actually pretty easy, but I have to basically write the entirety of next chapter. Thanks to everyone who's sticking with me!
