Chapter 2

Kaoru was in the kitchen, worriedly brewing some more tea as Megumi had requested. She had fixed up the rurouni, but as Kaoru had feared Kenshin had come down with pneumonia. The redhead was lying beneath many blankets, shivering and breathing rapidly. Wheezing still accompanied each breath he took, and Kaoru was getting more worried by the minute. Megumi was requesting a lot of fluids, mostly tea and water, to keep him hydrated. There were cold compresses on his forehead and the back of his neck, and Megumi had applied a warm compress to Kenshin's chest in case he had chest pain. So far the pneumonia wasn't getting any worse, but it wasn't getting better either. Kenshin still had a high fever, and he had yet to regain consciousness in the day that he had been back at the dojo.

Kaoru took the cup of tea into Kenshin's room, handing it to the lady-doctor. She smiled in thanks and pulled Kenshin into a sitting position. The redhead moaned, but Megumi managed to get the tea down his throat. The doctor sighed, sitting back on her heels from Kenshin. "As long as we keep a close eye on him I think he'll be fine."

Kaoru let out a sigh of relief at these words, looking back down at the still form on the futon. "Thank Kami-sama…"

Sano walked into the room. "How's he doing?"
Megumi smiled at the tall man. "Better. As long as we watch him he'll be alright. We just have to make sure his fever doesn't go up, and that he gets plenty of fluids."

Sano examined the two. "You both look exhausted, why don't you get some rest. I can keep an eye on Kenshin for a little while."

Megumi nodded. "Alright. Make sure he gets some tea if he wakes, if not give him a cup in about an hour. Watch his breathing, his fever, and the coloring of his lips. If they get a bluish tinge at all I want you to come get me immediately."

Sano nodded. "I got it. I'll come get you if anything changes. Now go get some sleep."

The two turned to leave, although slightly reluctant on Kaoru's part. But Kaoru didn't notice the almost pitying look that Megumi gave the unconscious Kenshin as the two women left the room to Sano's watch.

Kaoru replaced the cold compress on Kenshin's forehead with a new one, sighing as she did so. Two days, and still Kenshin remained in his unconscious state. His fever had gone down slightly however, and this caused rejoicing in Kaoru's mind. This meant that he may yet get better.

She sat back again, settling down beside the futon. She picked up the book she had been working on for the past few days, having nothing else to do while she sat and watched Kenshin. After a few minutes Kaoru was startled out of her reading state when a moan came from the rurouni in front of her.

She looked up to see Kenshin's eyes fluttering, as though he was trying to wake up. She leaned closer slightly; hope sneaking into her sapphire eyes. Kenshin's eyes slowly slid open, but Kaoru's hopes were dashed when she saw the violet orbs were clouded with fever and delirium.

Kaoru sighed and smoothed the redhead's bangs away from his face gently, watching as his eyes closed again and he settled back down into the blankets, his breathing still rapid.

Megumi walked in then, coming to kneel beside Kaoru. Kaoru smiled slightly at her. "He woke up Megumi."

She looked down at Kenshin in happiness. "Really? Was he coherent?"

Kaoru shook her head sadly. "Iie. He's totally out of it, but he was awake for a few seconds there."

Megumi nodded, pulling back the compress to check Kenshin's temperature. "That's good; it means there is some improvement. I'm sure he'll pull through."

Kaoru smiled in joy, looking back down at Kenshin as he moved slightly in his sleep. "I hope you're right Megumi. I couldn't bear it if something happened to Kenshin."

Megumi smiled a foxy grin. "You like him very much don't you Kaoru?"

Kaoru's face flared red and she looked down at her hands, which were fisted in her lap. "I…"

Megumi nudged the younger woman. "I know you do Kaoru, you don't have to hide it from me."

Kaoru smiled slightly as she reached out to pet Kenshin's crimson hair. "Hai, I do… I just couldn't imagine life without him now. It almost killed me when he left for Kyoto, but when he came back I was terrified at how injured he was. But he came back to me. I just hope that he'll come back to me now."

Megumi smiled, this time the smile sincere and gentle. "He'll be fine Kaoru, I promise he will. He'll pull out of this, and you'll be there waiting for him."

Kaoru nodded, still watching Kenshin as he slept fitfully. "Hai, I will. Just like I will now and always."

Kenshin's fever broke late in the 4th night since he'd been attacked, and Megumi was finally able to go back to her clinic for a little while without fearing for Kenshin's health and safety. She left telling Kaoru that she would be back in a few hours.

Sano left the morning after Kenshin's fever broke to go get the groceries that the rurouni had been to get in the first place. He had promised to be back in record time, and had taken Yahiko along with him. This left Kaoru along with Kenshin, and she was happy to spend the time with the rurouni.

He hadn't woken since that brief moment of consciousness two days earlier, but he was definitely better than he had been. His breathing had settled down to a regular steady pattern, and his temperature was back to normal.

Kaoru settled down beside him, smiling when she saw his peaceful face. His features had finally settled down into an expression of rest, and he was no longer tossing in his sleep. He was still on the futon, and Kaoru was glad.

She sat for a while just watching him, and then she looked up when Megumi's voice came from the front gate. Kaoru went outside to greet her, and she smiled at the woman. "Ohayou Megumi. How are you this morning?"

She smiled back at her. "Well, arigatou Kaoru. I feel much better after some sleep. How about you and Kenshin?"

Kaoru smiled. "Kenshin still hasn't woken, but he's alright. I'm good too; I managed to get some sleep last night."

The two made there way into the dojo, and Megumi smiled happily when she went into Kenshin's room to find the redhead's eyes fluttering open. The woman knelt beside him. "Kenshin, how are you feeling?"

Kenshin blinked slightly. "Megumi-dono? What happened?"

Kaoru folded her legs and sat beside Megumi as well. "You've been in bed with an extremely high fever for the past four days after Sano found you unconscious in a rainstorm. He said you'd been attacked."

Kenshin blinked, still thinking. "I was attacked, by a man who seemed to have no purpose in doing so, but he managed to beat me. I hadn't been feeling well for the past few days, so I wasn't up to full speed. He took me down, but he reconsidered killing me. He hit my back, and that's all I remember."

Megumi nodded. "Well that helps us a lot."

Kenshin suddenly frowned. "Megumi-dono, why can't I sit up?"

Kaoru gasped and looked at her friend. Megumi was looking down at her hands, fisted in her lap. The lady-doctor's shoulders began to shake, as though she was crying. Kenshin's put a hand out from the blankets, setting his fingers on hers. "Onegai, tell me Megumi-dono."

She pulled in a deep breath. "You were hit in the small of your back Kenshin, and it caused damaged to your spinal cord. You're paralyzed from the waist down. You may never walk again."