Disclaimer: Much needed… I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, the original characters, blah blah blah…*Pleads on her knees* Please, don't sue me!! I have no money, college eats it all up! Anyhoo, on with the story. BTW, thanks for the reviews… you guys rock! ^-^
Chapter 2
She stopped biting her lower lip long enough for an irritated sigh to escape, showing her frustration with, well, herself.
"I just had to have my sandal brake, and I forget it in front of that guy too…. Stupid, stupid, stupid…" She whispered to herself. Granting herself a simple luxury, she allowed her mind to wander back to that man she had just met. After all, it wasn't everyday one was saved by such an … interesting man. His violet eyes were kind, yet in that moment she first caught sight of them they held an intensity and depth that were nothing less than captivating.
She unconsciously hugged herself, her face flushing at her recent thoughts. *Captivating? How did I come up with that one?* Her left hand went up and combed through her bangs, gliding to a stop where her hair was tied up by one of her satin ribbons, this one being the same hue of her peach colored kimono. The wind began to blow again, this time a little more tame and cooler to the touch. She smiled as it blew past her face, sending her midnight black hair to tickle her cooling skin, no longer hot with the blush of her thoughts. Yet that didn't bother her one bit, and so she returned back to her reflections of the mysterious man from before.
His hair was of a shade and coloring she had never seen anywhere else. It's fiery red was vibrant enough to catch any eye within walking distance, and she was no different. It was long, tied back at the base of his head with shorter wisps that danced around when he moved, shading those eyes she thought of earlier… those eyes…
Her mouth twisted into a peaceful smile at the mere mention of his eyes. Quickly she shook her head, and knocked on it softly with her fist, trying to get free of those thoughts pestering her. *What was I thinking of before I zoned out? Oh, yes, his hair…*
She had arrived at a familiar bridge, and stopped to lean on the railing and watch the fading rays of the bright star descending down over the horizon. *Yeah, I think his hair was that color* she surmised, watching the wind stretch a dark red and orange tinted cloud. The sun continued to dip lower and lower, finally completing it's day and leaving it's faint light to shimmer along a line of mountains on the horizon. It was time for night, Kaoru acknowledged, spotting the night's first star. The smile that had been present during the sunset disappeared when she thought of the time and her father's voice reprimanding her for breaking curfew.
"Great!" She yelled at herself angrily, and turned to run the rest of the way home, that is, until the bridge and her dirty sock decided to humble her again with another fall. Being sure that this time no strong arms would prevent her from meeting the ground, she bit her lip and closed her eyes. Once again, she was wrong…
"Miss Kaoru, are you okay?" A familiar masculine voice asked, holding her by the waist again to keep her from falling. She opened her eyes slowly, only to meet the concerned gaze of violet once again. Sighing, she steadied herself on her feet and nodded.
"Once again, I have reason to thank you, Mr. Himura." His smile had returned to his face at seeing her safe. He bent down without a word and examined her foot, the one without the sandal. Her eyebrows shot up in alarm. She stepped a step back, not knowing what he was going through his mind at the moment he reached for her foot.
"Um… what are you doing?" Her question was answered when he took out what looked to be her once broken sandal from his sack. Kaoru stood still, curiosity overtaking the place of her protests, her blue eyes displaying the change of emotions as she watched on.
"I think this belongs to you." And with that he gently took her foot in his hand, dirty sock and all, and slipped her newly mended sandal on.
Turning his head he saw the look in her eyes as she stared at her foot, a look of surprise that made his smile widen. Her eyes moved to his face as he stood up, placed his hand behind his neck and averted his eyes to look over the bridge. Kaoru just laughed out loud, holding her stomach with one hand and the other on the side of her head. Kenshin's head whipped back puzzled as to what it was she found so amusing.
Noticing the look on his face she waved her hand, motioning that she wasn't laughing at him. "How did you fix it? I mean, is that string I see holding it together?" Kenshin nodded his head and laughed himself. Untying his pack from his back, he rummaged around until pulling out a small ball of thread with a dull needle stuck in it.
"As a wanderer I had to learn a few tricks myself. See?" He pointed down at his own feet and Kaoru covered her mouth to hide another giggle at what she saw. His sandals were well worn it, an assortment of colored threads amazingly keeping the straps fastened down to the base.
"Oh… another one of your amazing talents, I take it." Kenshin just smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck again.
"I have to get going, my father will be furious if I stay out any longer." She turned, ready to leave when he caught her hand, bringing her attention back to him.
"Give me the chance to talk to your father and explain. I'd hate for you to be punished on my account." Without a chance to object she stared at him as he began leading her in the direction she was to go.
*I guess it wouldn't hurt having company on the way home,* she thought to herself with a shrug. "Okay, but you better make it good. I don't feel like doing the laundry tomorrow along with all my other chores." Kenshin laughed and nodded his agreement.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kaoru was relieved to know that her dojo wasn't far from the bridge, yet in some way disappointed that the lovely conversation she was having with the red headed rurouni had to come to an end.
"Here we are," She motioned with her hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you to father. And then you may have that talk with him if you wish." Her bright smile was warming and Kenshin had gotten accustomed to seeing it. According to him that smile was the sincerest he had seen in a long time, so carefree and innocent.
"Kamiya Kasshin Ryu," he read out loud to himself upon walking into the courtyard of the dojo following Kaoru. The wooden plaque displayed the names of the masters of the dojo, and he turned to Kaoru with a look of surprise and a hint of awe after some more reading.
"So you're the Assistant Master of this sword style?"
"Yes, I am. Does that surprise you?"
"To be honest, yes it does. Yet I've learned never to judge a person by mere appearances, that I have." He returned his gaze back to another plaque with the honor code upheld by those practicing the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. "You just seem to be a gentle soul, that you do."
Kaoru studied his face, watching as his smile gave way as a more serene look came over him while he read. Her thoughts ended there as she heard footsteps come from behind her from the house.
"Oh, father. I'm so glad to see you… I'm sorry I'm late but I was attacked again." Kenshin's eyes turned to be met straight on by a pair of blue orbs, a duller shade then that of Kaoru's, their kindness mixed in with a hint of suspicion as he listened to Kaoru, never taking his eyes off Kenshin.
"And who might you be, young man?" Raising an eyebrow, the older man looked from his daughter to Kenshin, waiting for one of them to answer quickly. He tapped his foot as Kenshin responded, clearing his throat and bowing politely.
"My name is Kenshin Himura. I happened to be walking by when Miss Kaoru was being harassed and I assisted her somewhat…" Throwing a glance over to Kaoru he saw her nod her head quite a few times, confirming what he said to be the truth. A few seconds passed by before Kaoru's father spoke, having stared Kenshin down during the explanation until now. A large friendly smile spread on his face as he placed his large, calloused hand on the stranger's shoulder.
"Well then, we are truly indebted to you, Mr. Himura. It isn't everyday we get come face to face with our very own Good Samaritan." Kenshin let out a breath he didn't know he was holding while the man's demeanor had changed.
"It wasn't a problem at all. I'm glad I had been in the area. I would hate to have anything happen to Miss Kaoru, that I would." The two men exchanged some more talk as the elder one led the way to the food inside.
Remaining the last of the three, Kaoru mused to herself while twiddling her fingers behind her back. *I'm glad he was in the area too…*
"Kaoru?"
Her head snapped up from observing her feet and found the wide grin of her father greeting her from the kitchen door. She returned a smile of her own after knocking herself lightly on the head. *I've got to stop it with these thoughts, goodness!*
"I'm coming father!" Gathering up her kimono in her hands she ran to the kitchen.
Light conversation went on filled with Kenshin's stories of his days of travel. Kaoru almost choked on a piece of tofu when he had said how many years he had been traveling.
"Ten years… and you started when you were eighteen? Then that would make you…" With Kaoru's chopsticks pointed at his chest accusingly, Kenshin responded with a polite smile.
"Yes, I'm twenty eight, yet I don't see why everyone I meet finds that so odd, that I don't." With his eyes large and innocent Kaoru knew it would be best to drop the subject. That didn't change the fact that he was ten years her senior, and for some reason a lump formed at the bottom of her stomach at the thought of it.
"That's not too old…" She announced, all of a suddenly changing her view. She felt the presence of two sets of eyes watching her after her new opinion surfaced, but Kaoru continued to eat, avoiding eye contact by concentrating on her food.
The moment passed, thankfully for Kaoru, and Kenshin began to ask a few questions of his own.
"So, Mr. Kamiya, I assume you are the Master of this dojo. In all my years I've never once read an honor code quite like yours." Mr. Kamiya just nodded in understanding. "Was that a piece of the Christian text written under it?"
"Yes it was, and I'm glad you brought it up. It has everything to do with our commitment to the Kasshin Ryu. How could our sword protect the weak if we ourselves had any evil hidden inside where no one could see? Evil defend against evil, it's impossible…"
"Father, Kenshin, would you excuse me? I'll take your dish too if you're done, Mr. Himura." Kaoru reached over the table and caught sight of Kenshin's lowered eyes. She hesitated in taking anything from before him, keeping her arm extended over the table when she didn't get an answer. The sad expression that had taken over him all of a sudden after her father's words disappeared when he noticed Kaoru's eyes clouded with concern.
"What was that, Miss Kaoru? Oh…yes, that would be fine. Here let me help you with the dishes." Bracing himself on his hands he was ready to rise from the table when a large hand patted him on the shoulder, settling him back into place. Kaoru nodded her head, giving an understanding smile. The young man relaxed and looked at the man standing above him.
"In gratitude for saving my daughter, I offer you a place to rest your head for the night." Upon seeing the hesitation in Kenshin's eyes the older man shook his head. "I will not take no for an answer."
Kaoru, having carried half of the dishes to the kitchen, came back to retrieve more and hear Kenshin's answer to the question she heard her father ask. *Say yes, already,* she prompted him in her head, waiting for the answer by taking her time with picking up dishes. Kenshin threw a glance her way and looked back up to the man with a smile.
"I am a very lucky person to have met such kindhearted people, that I am. I accept your offer with thanks." Getting up he bowed in respect and gratitude to both of the Kamiya's. Kaoru was too busy mentally applauding her father for succeeding where she could not to hear him call her name, asking something of her.
"Kaoru, darling… could you show this young man his room for the night?" Turning to Kenshin he shook hands and patted him on the back with a hearty laugh. "It'll be fun having someone else in the house, even if for a little while."
"Let me finish the dishes first and then I'll be right out to help." Kaoru's father walked over to where she held an armful of dishes and patted her on the head before relieving her of their burden.
"I'll do them, go and get Kenshin here settled in. The sooner it's done, the sooner the young man could find some rest." She nodded her obedience and dropped her load into his arms, motioning for Kenshin to follow her outside.
After getting settled into a good size room, bigger than that of any inn he had stayed at, Kenshin sat on the soft futon, relishing the way it felt under his weight as he lay down completely. Having changed out of his dirty purple gi into some clean robes. The color looked like the midnight sky, dark and perfect for hiding oneself amongst the shadows. *… yet not anymore,* he smiled to himself, sadly unable to keep himself in high spirits when dwelling in such thoughts…
"Hidden evil… could it be true? A sword to protect from evil can have no relation to evil itself…" Kenshin rolled over on his side for the umpteenth time that night, the curse of thinking not allowing him to shut his eyes for longer than a few seconds. The moon outside waned in the sky, and from the way it was lower each time he turned to look at it he was sure daylight wouldn't be too far off. Lifting himself from the mattress, he ran his hands through his loose hair with a tired sigh. "Sleep, why did you leave on such a night…" Knowing that he couldn't get away from the thoughts keeping him awake, he decided to entertain them and try to figure out what to do with the new wisdom the older sensei had imparted his way. Getting up he slid the door open, glancing outside to see if anyone would see him. Seeing the coast as clear, he walked quietly to the porch and sat, his sword resting up against his leg in it's normal fashion. He smiled to himself as he remembered the glances the young girl was giving him during the meal, discreet in planning yet obvious to a trained eye. He saw her look in the direction of his sword many times, yet didn't say anything of it.
*That girl,* he thought with a shake of his head, his smile never leaving. *She has a peace about her like no other I've met… Even when she was being held by that thug she didn't look frightened at all.* His eyes led him to where the moon had dropped behind the trees outside of the yard walls, casting it's pale light through the leaves and making patterns across the ground. The light stopped right a couple inches shy of Kenshin's right foot.
*How ironic…even the moonlight refuses to touch me…* His thought was disrupted with the faint sounds of footfalls coming from the other side of the yard. Kenshin rose slowly from his seat, his eyes and ears fully awake and on high alert at hearing the faint noise. He moved silently along the right side of the building, ready to pounce on the intruder at first sight.
*I feel sorry for the fool who tries anything while I'm around…* With his hand firmly holding the hilt of his sword, he stepped around the corner and….
A/N: Dun, dun, DUN!! Cliffhanger!!! I miss those… anyhow, I hope you enjoyed it so far. Be a sweetie and leave a review, please?They are greatly appreciated, just ask my friends how happy I get after reading one! I'll be more detailed in the coming chapters about certain things… such as the nature of the thoughts keeping our poor rurouni awake the whole night.
Life has been hectic with everything going around, but I'll try my hardest to get the next part out by the end of the week. With school starting and my continuing journey to find work, I'll have a lot of things on my head. Yet, the fact remains that I love this story too much to stay away from it for longer than one day… ^_~, Ciao! ~ The Honorable Gucci