A/N: Okay, I know… usually my author's notes are at the bottom but today I felt like being a little different ^_^. Inspiration certainly does come from the weirdest places. Examples of that being-
1.Stranded on the side of the 215 freeway in So. Cali with my pal Queengeek (sorry it had to cost so much to get your truck fixed!)
2.Sitting in the lounge at school surrounded by a bunch of high tech Trekies (interesting… ^_^)
3.The school health center being speared with a long, thick needle (Stupid Hep.B shots!)
And the list goes on… *sigh* Anyways, thanks to all my reviewers! (Lady Himura, you are awesome! Thanks for the plug in your fic!) All of you are amazing, trust me… blessings indeed! By the way, I dedicate this chapter to my great friend, Redheadsarehot! Happy belated Birthday! God bless you now and always! Anyhoo, on with the story ^_^… Oh, yeah! A little side note: This chapter addresses the "spiritual" description put alongside "romance" ^_^, it having a lot to do with the story's structure.
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything… not even the clothes on my back (JK! ^_~)
Chapter 5
"Missy, I'm sure your dad will be just fine. He's a tough man with a strong spirit, one little mob can't destroy that."
Kaoru's eyes were fixed on her father's peaceful face. Her stare was clouded over in thought as she stayed kneeling next to his sleeping form, resting no doubt with the help of the doctor's medicinal herbs.
She gathered her thoughts and breathed out a sigh, closing her eyes in with a tired slump of her shoulders. Smiling sadly, she met Sano's gaze.
"I know he's strong, that's not what I'm worried about. It's just…" Her eyes dropped as her words stopped in what seemed to be defeat. Kenshin watched on with curiosity and a painful pang in his chest at seeing such distraught behind such beautiful eyes. He caught sight of the brunette man as he went and sat next to Kaoru, rubbing her shoulder in a comforting gesture. She lifted her eyes with what Kenshin saw to be a small smile at the man next to her. The exchange between their eyes was a silent one yet filled with an understanding Kenshin could only wonder about.
*What is going on here?* Kenshin's mind roared at him, bringing him to close his eyes to keep his thoughts hidden. Words were forming in the back of his mouth, some already on the tip of his tongue, waiting to be released. But he knew better than to ask right then, for the one thing he did know was that this wasn't the time for questions. Not yet, anyway. So he remained where he was the whole time after bringing in the older sensei, sitting next to the door with his sword at his quick disposal, leaning against his right leg.
"Okay, Kaoru. Here's something you can give him when the pain comes back." Kenshin's eyes lifted up to see the tall woman, with long, black, green tinted hair slide the door open and step inside. Doctor Megumi Takani was her name and Kenshin saw with his own eyes that she knew what she was doing when it came to medicines. At least he knew of her relation to the Kamiyas, he affirmed to himself with a slight smile.
"Thank you, Miss Megumi. If it weren't for all of you I wouldn't be able to make it through this again." Kaoru's voice was soft yet her words seemed to waver a bit. She bit her bottom lip, and for the first time that night she turned around from facing her father. She turned and looked straight at the man near the door. "Kenshin…"
He sat up straight, removing his back from the wall, at the mention of his name. Kaoru's eyes told him of a sorrow that stretched a span of many years, a sorrow far beyond what he imagined for a kindhearted soul as the one in front of him. Her eyes, so wonderfully bright a few hours ago, wore a tired look in them.
"Yes, Miss Kaoru? Is there something you would wish of me?" Kaoru's lips turned up in a smile as she shook her head no.
"Just your listening ear. I'm sorry about not explaining earlier." Patting the spot on the floor on the unoccupied side of her, she said, " I do not wish to keep you in the dark about such things, seeing as they are bound to happen." Kenshin, unaware of the meaning behind her words, went and sat next to her ready to listen.
"First off, this is my good friend, Sanosuke Sagara." Motioning to the tall man sitting next to her. "Sano, this is Kenshin Himura. He's boarding here for the time being." Both men politely bowed their heads in greeting. Kenshin felt the man's eyes lingering on his face, most likely on his scar, so he turned his face away. Silently he sat, awaiting Kaoru's words patiently.
Sano casually leaned back on his arms, his head resting back so he could see the ceiling of the room, all the while he listened to something he already knew of having lived through it for over 4 years himself.
"As you have already noticed our honor code for the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu is taken from the Christian text, the Bible, and that's where the trouble begins. According to traditional belief, Christianity has no place within our country, yet both my father and mother thought otherwise. They had become Christians on their own accord when a missionary from the Americas came over shortly before the destruction of their village. Grandfather Kamiya died during a revolt against the village elders, many of the traditional villagers disagreeing with the acceptance of the missionary into the village." Kaoru paused, making sure Kenshin was following her. She continued with a look toward the verse written on a scroll in her father's room. She spoke the words, not having to read it out right. " 'Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.' " Kenshin's eyes took on a shade of contemplation, his mind being saturated with the new information.
"I understand your beliefs, but why is it there continues to be such hostility toward those peace-minded such as yourselves?" A bitter laugh escaped Sano's mouth at Kenshin's words and the rurouni shot him a gaze of disbelief. "I'm sure my thoughts are at most naive, yet it still baffles me that such violence still exists, even with the new government nearing it's 10th year." Kaoru shook her head sadly.
"Such is not the case with us Christians apparently. There are very few of us, I'm afraid, which makes us quite outnumbered. Even the government does nothing to stop the violence shown toward us who are open about such a faith." Kenshin looked at his hands gathering them into fists.
"I don't want to believe it… yet all these years that I've been wandering I never noticed this. I guess I've stayed away from this type of stuff for far too long." A small laugh, tinged with a sad note, followed his words of double meaning. He knew Kaoru and the others didn't pick up on it, him having said it mostly to himself. Shaking off the last thought he turned an understanding eye to the young woman at his side. "So I take it Lord Kamiya was attacked by a group of people not agreeing with his teaching methods and beliefs…" Kaoru nodded a yes, glancing sadly at her father's form.
"This has to be the fourth time since summer." Kenshin noticed her lip tremble a bit as she spoke. " I won't be surprised if you were to tell me that you disagree with us as well." She turned to the redhead and watched his eyes take on a soft and apologetic feel to them as he looked upon her.
" To be honest, I am not too familiar with this Christianity or those who hold to it." Kaoru lips tugged slightly upward at his sincerity.
"Now you know us," she motioned to her father and herself. He answered her with a sincere smile, and firm shake of his head.
Sano watched on, amused with Kaoru's soft speech and mannerisms toward this stranger. *Interesting*, he thought. Shrugging, he lifted himself up from the floor.
"Well, Missy I guess I better be on my way." Casting a glance at the rurouni he nodded. "Nice to meet you, Kenshin. I still have a few questions for you, so I hope you remember to stick around more. You could always help the Missy here with what needs to be done around the house." With his last words he cast a quick glance at Kaoru, successfully seeing the slight blush creep into her cheeks at his suggestion. He grinned and waved a farewell before stepping out the door, leaving Megumi, Kenshin, and Kaoru to wave in return. Megumi stopped in mid wave when something dawned on her. Quickly she got up from beside her patient with a start.
"Wait! That rooster head has to walk me back to the clinic!" With that she picked up her skirt and ran out the door. Kenshin and Kaoru were left simply staring after her in silence, both trying to hold their laughter inside. Kenshin looked at Kaoru and coughed once with a smile, causing her to cover her mouth as she let out a little laughter as well.
*Sounds good to hear her laugh,* Kenshin admitted to himself. The sadness was slowly draining from her usually bright eyes, and Kenshin was glad for this.
"I think you need your rest, Miss Kaoru. I'll remain here by your father's side if he needs anything." Getting up he stood expecting her to follow suit. She looked at him with an odd glance and got up.
"Despite all that I've told you, you still wish to remain with us?"
"Yes, Miss Kaoru… I will stay with you." His eyes quickly dropped, looking at his feet. "Unless, you wish otherwise…"
"NO!" Biting her lip, she fiddled with her fingers in front of her. " I mean, most people don't want to associate with us when knowing what we stand for. We aren't the most loved people here in this part of Tokyo."
"I'm not concerned with that. I've seen a fair share of trouble in my life, yet I know I can be of assistance to you and your father. That is, only if you would allow me to."
Kaoru smiled, comforted by the genuine kindness he was displaying. "Of course, Kenshin." Before she could stop herself she added, "You are truly a Godsend."
"It is no problem, that it is not." He smiled, his face heating up at the comment, slightly bowing his head in thanks. He watched Kaoru rush out after offering a quick bow, covering her mouth as she reached the door, mumbling something under her breath.
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A soft breeze glided over his face, chilling the skin with the fresh air flowing in from outside his bedroom's window. With sleep laden eyes, he pulled himself up from where he had been resting.
The curtains billowed slightly, the wind tugging at the thin material. They danced gracefully, glowing a spotless white in the moon's silver light. His eyes, now well adjusted to the dark of the night, were transfixed to the movement before him. He watched carefully as the thin material was pulled in different directions by the inconsistent wind, it's movements becoming more frantic by every moment, losing the rhythm by which he was transfixed. The gentle breeze turned into a wind, violent and unrelenting, and the young man covered his now stinging eyes.
As sudden as the changing wind, Kenshin felt the weigh accompanying the feeling of another's presence in the room. His eyes shot around quickly in alarm, his hand touching the sword at his side.
And there they were… a pair of burning amber eyes locked onto his own. Their intensity flickered like flames in contrast to the pitch black of the night. Kenshin felt his breath ripped from his lungs, his mouth left empty of any word.
In desperation for air, he tore his eyes away from the ones before him toward the curtains wiping around wildly with the strong wind. His eyes went wide as a dark crimson color bled through the white, spreading from the middle on out through the rest of the cloth, staining it to the very last thread…
In an instant, Kenshin shot up in his bed with sweat running down his face, the rise and fall of his chest erratic and as uneven as his breath.
"A dream… it was just a dream…" he breathed out in relief, running his hand through his sweat dampened locks. He sat still, waiting for his breath to catch up to him. He peeled the covers off and stood up and soon shed his wet shirt. With a frustrated sigh, he tossed it to the ground. He searched around and found he had one clean shirt left in his bag. Choosing to keep it for the coming day, Kenshin folded it neatly and set it near the head of his futon. His eyes fell on the dull sheath of his sword, gleaming softly from the moonlight.
*Why is it that the moonlight shies away from me, yet not my sword?* The question had merit, but somewhere he knew the answer. He would have been able to recognize it more clearly had it not been for the ever-present guilt hovering over his thoughts. With a quick decision made, he grabbed his sword and headed out towards the dojo to exercise in hope of clearing his mind. Smiling to himself he thought, *It would be nice to train a little, free my mind for a moment to meditate.*
With sword tucked away at his side, Kenshin neared the dojo with the mindset of training, and training hard. He quietly slid the dojo door open, expecting to hear nothing but the stillness of the night. He stepped in and noticed the adjacent door to the dojo was cracked open, and with his keen ears he picked up on the sound of even, heavy breathing coming from outside the other side of the building. His curiosity prompted him to sneak a peek at who he thought to be a training Kaoru. His lips curled upward at the sight.
*I was right,* he acknowledged. This had to have been the third straight week, from the time Mr. Kamiya was attacked, that Kaoru had taken up midnight training.
She accepted her father's advice and began training harder, making a promise that if anything were to happen to him the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu would remain the same. Through this she reluctantly agreed to uphold it and take over as head master of the style if worse came to worse.
"One, two, three…" She breathed to herself, swinging her bokken in perfect arcs despite her aching arms. It was nearing four hours from the time she had begun her exercises and her body was beginning to ask for the sleep she sacrificed for her training. Her mouth was dry, her lips partly parched from slight dehydration. Reaching the steps to the dojo, she picked up a cup with water and quickly soothed her thirst.
Unbeknownst to her, she had an audience of one man. Seeing as she had stopped, Kenshin wondered to himself how such a woman could exist. *First she strikes me as nothing but gentle, yet the burning passion behind her eyes seem to fuel her skill with the sword. Her simple exercises alone tell greatly of her discipline… and character.* The squeaking of a floor board drew him out of his observations and he noticed the one mentioned in his mind moving to come in the dojo. He slipped behind one of the mats resting against the wall near the door, making not one sound.
Kaoru came in to place her bokken on a stand mounted near where her name plate with her position hung on the wall. Kenshin held his breath when he saw that she came to the wall next to where he was hiding. She raised her bokken up to the stand and hesitated a bit, glancing around with a slightly furrowed brow, before placing in down entirely. With a yawn and quick stretch of her arms she retreated back to her room via the door that Kenshin forgot open. He slapped his hand to his forehead at his absentmindedness. Thank goodness for her she was too sleepy to realize anything was amiss.
Or so he thought. Waiting outside, Kaoru hid behind the door along the wall. She felt someone watching her before during her training and thought nothing of it. Now with the door being left in such a fashion, she knew for sure there was another night-owl in the house other than herself.
*What could he be doing… other than watching me train,* she grinned to herself at the thought. *I wonder if I've impressed him any…* Her smile quickly faded into a frown. *What if he thought my movements were sloppy?*
Just as soon as the sound of a footstep reached her ear, Kaoru found herself roughly pinned against the wall, two strong hands firmly holding her shoulders in place.
Kaoru swallowed, her eyes unblinking and wide at the sudden movement. The hands against her shoulders eased up as her "attacker" recognized her with a slight gasp.
Kenshin froze, having expected to catch an intruder but instead found his hands holding a very wide eyed Kaoru. As soft as the touch of a feather, something drew Kenshin's eyes down to notice something that neither one of them had noted; Kaoru's hands had risen in defense and were now resting firmly against Kenshin's chest, his rather bare chest.
Kaoru's fingers tingled from under the contact and, as if burned, quickly withdrew her hands to her sides. Both, having realized their position found the picture of their feet beneath them quite interesting. Their eyes remained downcast as they mumbled their apologies at the same time. After a few laughs and coughs to clear the air, silence once again reigned.
"Um, yeah… sorry for sneaking around. I should be in bed, I know…" Kaoru began.
"I am guilty of the same thing, it seems…" Kenshin was the first to look up, drawing Kaoru to feel his gaze and return it.
"Children…" Kaoru whispered. Kenshin's mouth curved up at what he had heard, if he heard her right. Lifting an eyebrow, Kaoru knew to repeat herself. "I said children. We are acting like a couple of little kids." He nodded his head and folded his arms over his chest.
"I believe so to, that I do." After dispelling the awkward air with their little confessions, he offered a smile that said all the words to say goodnight. Kaoru smiled back and watched as he turned and headed down the hallway leading to the rooms of the house. She stayed put until his back disappeared from her view around the corner bend of the house. Gathering her wits, she too left toward her room. Every muscle screamed at her to rest and she mentally told them to be patient. Her feet dragged a bit all the way there as her mind, uninhibited by any restraints, replayed the feel of Kenshin's skin against her fingertips. With a shake of her head, she acknowledged how shallow her thoughts were. Her hand reached and grasped the groove of the door handle and firmly closed the door behind her.
*I can think about that stuff tomorrow…* Her lips curled up into one last, dopey grin. *That is if my dreams don't take me there tonight.*
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Okay… what can I say… I am a sap sometimes but angst has a spot in my heart also (enough room for everything! ^_~). Anyhoo, once again, I hope you enjoyed reading. And like always, a chapter wouldn't be complete without me, the poor and low self-esteemed author, asking you to leave your footprint by reviewing. It is much appreciated and well accepted… Until next time… Ciao! ~ The Honorable Gucci