Thanks to the three people who reviewed! Sorry this chapter is so late! One more chapter after this one, then I've got another story idea! More info on that in the next chapter, including the title! (Which I have yet to come up with…) Also, thanks for catching my mistake, ChinaWings I must have missed that one. It's fixed now:-)
Standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter Four – Of Dependence and Independence
Kaoru awoke with a start and movement caught her eye. She turned and found Kenshin trying to slip out of the room without waking her. He was that she was awake and turned back towards her.
"Sorry, Kaoru-dono, for waking you."
"It's okay, Kenshin," she replied, smiling a little.
"How are you feeling?" He made his way over to her and crouched down next to her.
"Fine," Kaoru smiled, attempting to hide her nervousness that remained from the previous events.
"Your eyes show your fear." As he said this, his own eyes flickered amber for a second. "This one will protect you, Kaoru-dono. That is a promise."
"I know, Kenshin." She smiled at him, a warm feeling her chest as his words sunk in. She opened her mouth to say more, but loud footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway.
"Hey! You two want breakfast?" Yahiko was in the doorway. Both Kenshin and Kaoru turned to look at him.
"Sure, Yahiko." Kaoru smiled at him. She pushed herself into a seated position and Kenshin helped her to her feet. "I'd like to change, so…" Kenshin nodded and left her room, closing the door behind him. Kaoru walked rather ungracefully across her room and picked out a different kimono. She was glad to be out of the clothes that were covered in her own blood. She finished getting dressed and opened her door to find Kenshin standing in the hallway waiting for her.
"Ready, Kaoru-dono?" He asked, smiling warmly. She returned the smile and nodded. He walked with her outside to the courtyard where Yahiko waited with the food he had made: fish and rice. Kaoru frowned as she sat down.
"Yahiko…this isn't breakfast."
"I don't know how to make anything else, okay?" He glared at her, "If you don't like it, don't eat it!"
"Someone's a bit grumpy today," Kaoru teased.
"Shut up, busu!" Yahiko threw a stick from the fish he had just finished eating at her, but hit Kenshin instead.
"Oro?"
"We're a lively bunch this morning." Sano sat on the ground across from Kaoru and Kenshin's bench. He took a fish and began eating. After taking one bite, Sano promptly spit it out. "This is worse than Kaoru's cooking!" Both Kaoru and Yahiko threw their sticks at him.
"Go eat at the Akabeka then!" Yahiko yelled at him. "This is the last time I cook breakfast!" Yahiko stood up and stormed away. The other three stared after him, dumbfounded looks on their faces.
"This really is terrible." Sano stood up. "I'll be back later." This left just Kaoru and Kenshin with the nasty fish. They looked at one another, each holding a half-eaten fish. At the same time, both fish were thrown in the dirt, then the rest were promptly added to the compost pile.
"I'd like to go to the market today," Kaoru said while Kenshin cleaned up. "It's getting boring here."
"Okay, Kaoru-dono. This one will finish cleaning up and then we can go, alright?" Kaoru nodded in reply and Kenshin continued to clean up Yahiko's mess. When the task was completed, Kenshin offered Kaoru his arm for balance and they started out for the market. As the pair walked through the city, many stand owners stopped them to ask how Kaoru was doing.
"It seems like the whole city knows of the attack." Kaoru waved to a man as they passed his vegetable stand.
"It certainly seems that way," Kenshin agreed.
"Let's go visit Tae-san!" Kaoru turned and tugged on Kenshin's gi. Kenshin smiled slightly and complied. As he followed Kaoru into the Akabeka, she was shoved backwards by a cloaked man. Kenshin grunted quietly as she made contact with his chest. He reached forward and grasped her arms to keep her balanced.
"Hey! Watch-" Kaoru began, stepping forward, but stopped abruptly when her eyes locked with the offending man's. He smirked at her before continuing on his way. She sank back against Kenshin, shaking. He grasped her shoulders and rubbed in slow circles with his thumbs.
"Kaoru-dono? Would you like to go home?"
"No," She shook her head, gaining control of her emotions. "I'm fine. Let's go eat."
"If you're sure…"
"I am." This time, Kenshin and Kaoru made it into the restaurant without incident. Upon spotting the pair, Tae hurried over, looking rather worried.
"I was just about to go to the dojo!" She said. "The man was just in here."
"We know," Kaoru replied, biting back her nervousness. "We passed him on the way in."
"Oh," Tae seemed to calm down. "Okay then."
"Thanks though, Tae-san. Could we have a table? I need to sit down." Kaoru was shaking slightly but hid it well, at least from Tae.
"Of course!" Tae smiled and led them to a table. "You're feeling better, I take it?"
"Yep," Kaoru nodded. "Better enough to go out, anyway."
"So, what can I get for you?" Tae asked. Kaoru and Kenshin both placed their orders and Tae left to help another customer. Kenshin glanced over at Kaoru and grew worried. Her face was whiter than normal and he could see the slight in her arms when she moved them.
"Kaoru-dono?" She looked up at the sound of her name. "Are you okay? You're looking a little pale…"
"I'm fine." It wasn't the complete truth, but she didn't feel terrible-just a little weak. She was sure it would pass as soon as she got some food in her.
"Please, Kaoru-dono, don't lie."
"I'm not," she snapped. He smiled a little, realizing how much he missed his fiery Kaoru-dono.
'Wait, my-?'
"Kenshin? You spaced out for a moment."
"Oh, sorry Kaoru-dono." Their conversation was cut off by Tae bringing their food.
"You look pale, Kaoru-chan. Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Kaoru was growing tired of having people worry about her.
"Okay." Tae seemed unconvinced, but she didn't push the subject. "Enjoy your food!"
"Thanks, Tae-san." Kaoru felt bad for snapping at her, but let it go when Tae didn't seem phased. Kaoru began eating her white rice. It was all she had ordered because it's all she felt her stomach could handle. As she finished her rice, she glanced up at Kenshin, only to find him staring at her. She lost herself in his violet eyes without even realizing what was happening.
"Are you ready, Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin murmured.
"Huh?" She blushed, realizing she had zoned out. "Oh, yeah, I'm ready." Tae came and took away the empty bowls.
"I'll come visit you tomorrow, okay, Kaoru-chan?"
"Sounds good." Kaoru smiled. Kenshin stood up and handed Tae some money before stepping around the table to help Kaoru to her feet. As soon as she was upright, her head began pounding. She put a hand to her temples, attempting to massage the pain away.
"Kaoru-dono?" He grasped her shoulders.
"I'm fine," she said shortly, letting her hand fall back to her side. He smiled and took her arm to help her balance. As they made their way back to the dojo, Kaoru was torn between feeling grateful for Kenshin's help and anger at feeling weak. She loved having everyone around, but she was beginning to feel overwhelmed.
As they grew closer to home, Kaoru began to feel weaker, but she refused to allow Kenshin to see. She felt more strength leave her knees with each stop she took and the color drained from her face. Suddenly, it seems as though she was looking though a tunnel as blackness closed in around her.
'No!' She screamed in her head as she felt consciousness fading. Then she couldn't see at all. Her balance thrown off, she leaned on Kenshin's arm, drawing his attention.
"Kaoru-dono!" He knew immediately what was happening.
"No," she whispered, "Kenshin…" She fell limp, unconscious. Kenshin caught her and lifted her up. He cradled her so that her so that her head rested on his shoulder and entered the gate.
"Yahiko!" Kenshin called and the boy jogged out of the dojo.
"What happened?" He wondered, seeing Kaoru in Kenshin's arms.
"Kaoru-dono fainted. This one needs your help." Kenshin started towards the house and Yahiko went ahead to open the door. As Kenshin passed into the house, Kaoru began to awaken. Confusion flooded her senses when she took in her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was standing outside in the road.
"Kenshin?" She looked up at him, still not fully conscious.
"We're home, Kaoru-dono." He gave her a light squeeze as he followed Yahiko towards Kaoru's room. Yahiko slid open the door and Kenshin went inside. He gently laid Kaoru on her bed.
"Need anything?" Yahiko asked from the door. Kenshin shook his head as he handed Kaoru a sleeping yukata. He quickly left the room and allowed her to change. He waited for her to give permission, then came back into her room.
"Kenshin?" Kaoru whispered as he sat down next to her.
"Do you need something, Kaoru-dono?" She shook her head in reply.
"Thank you."
"You have done so much for this one, Kaoru-dono. No thanks is necessary." Without warning, he reached forward into a crouch and gathered her into a hug. "This one is giving back what has been giving, but it is not nearly enough." Kaoru was dazed for a second but regained her senses and returned the hug, ignoring the pain in her side.
"I still thank you, Kenshin," she whispered in his hear. He pulled back and smiled at her, supporting her with a hand on her back.
"Kaoru…" in the few seconds it took her to notice the lack of the honorific, Kenshin had pulled her back to him, this time brushing his lips against her own. She gasped slightly, barely having time to respond before he returned her to his embrace. She was glad he couldn't see her blush.
Reluctantly, Kenshin eased her back onto the futon and pulled the coders back over her body. He gently kissed the fading bruise on her cheek. Just as her blush started to creep up again, both heard footsteps and looked up at the closed door.
"Kenshin, Officer Hira is…" Yahiko said as he opened the door, letting his sentence trail off when he saw the two occupants of the room. "…did I-?"
"No, it's fine." Kenshin smiled, then looked at Kaoru. "This one will be back to check on you. Rest now." He rose to his feet to meet once again with Officer Hira. Kaoru turned her head and watched him slide the door shut. As her eyes closed, she could still feel his warm lips on hers.
Kenshin made sure to shut the door quietly before following Yahiko outside. Sano was sitting on a bench across from Officer Hira.
"Good afternoon, Himura-san," Officer Hira greeted. "Your neighbors reported a disturbance last night."
"Yes, a man came into Kaoru-dono's room through the window."
"I see. Tell me exactly what happened."
"Again, this one doesn't know the entire story." The officer nodded in reply. "This one was trying to sleep when Kaoru-dono screamed. The scream ended abruptly and thing one ran to see what was going on. When this one arrived, the man was covering Kaoru-dono's mouth, probably to muffle her scream." He continued the story until Yahiko interrupted. "…then two men appeared-"
"They were the two who got me!" Yahiko exclaimed.
"Indeed," Officer Hira acknowledged him. "Did they enter the room?"
"No. They remained outside," Kenshin answered before relating the rest of the events.
"Again, I will have to question Kaoru-san." Officer Hira finished his notes on Kenshin's part of the story.
"Yes," Kenshin nodded, "but she is resting now. We went to the market earlier and it exhausted her."
"Oh, I see." The officer stood up. "I'll return later today and see if she's feeling better."
"Okay," Kenshin nodded. Officer Hira turned and left the dojo. Kenshin then glanced over at Yahiko. "This one is going to check on Kaoru-dono." He stood and walked back to Kaoru's room. He found her sleeping, but yet again, managed to step on the squeaky tatami mat. He cringed as she stirred and looked in his direction. She gave a small smile as he drew closer to her. Kenshin knelt down and brushed his fingertips gently across the bruise on her cheek. He felt the pang of regret, but pushed it away, for her sake.
"Stop worrying." Even in her half-asleep state, she had noticed the flash of amber that crossed his eyes as he touched her face.
"Sorry…" He saw a spot of color from the corner of his eye. Looking up, he saw her practice gi on the floor where she had left it. He noticed the dried blood and reached over to pick it up. "This needs to be washed."
"Yeah," Kaoru answered drowsily, "but it has a hole now."
"This one will repair it."
"You don't' have to…"
"It's okay, Kaoru-dono. This one doesn't mind." He stood up to start his task of getting the stains out. "You should get some more sleep. This one will be outside if you need anything."
"Thank you, Kenshin." She smiled as she drifted back to sleep. Kenshin smiled as well and walked back out to the wash tub and set the gi on the ground. He pumped water into the tub, grabbed the soap, and set to work scrubbing at the stain. Because the blood had dried, the task was taking longer that he thought it was going to.
Kaoru slept for about a half hour before waking up again, with a rather uncomfortable feeling. She sat up, realizing she needed to use the bathroom. She opened her mouth to call Kenshin, but shut it as the frustrated feeling came back.
'I can at least go to the bathroom by myself, right?' Kaoru nodded to herself and slowly stood up. She waited until the pounding in her head stopped before starting for the bathroom. Leaning on the walls as she went, she reached the door to go outside. She took a deep breath and attempted to push away the dizziness that was already clouding her mind. Kaoru pushed off the wall and began across the porch to the toilet. She made it safely inside and shut the door.
A few minutes later, Kaoru opened it again and stepped outside. She paused to be sure of her balance before shutting the door behind her. She took two steps forward and stopped abruptly as hearing the thud of someone's feet landing behind her. Before she could even think to run, the person grabbed her around the middle. She cried out at the pain in her side just as the attacker covered her mouth and nose with a foul-smelling cloth. She inhaled to scream again but fell unconscious instead. The attacker glanced around as he hoisted Kaoru's limp form over his shoulder and disappeared.
Thanks to anyone who reviews! I'm going to start the last chapter right away so this story can be finished! I feel bad that I lost interest so quickly, but it just wasn't turning out how I had hoped, but oh well! It's not too horrible, is it?