Blame it all on the moon

Chapter 2: Amidst the trees

"Hot dogs!" Misao said incredulously.

"Mm-hm. They wanted to know which one was better." Misao gave her a sly look.

"Whose did ya choose?" Kaoru giggled.

"I ate both! I was really hungry!" They laughed. Sanosuke walked up to them, quite drunk.

"Eh, wherza doccer lady? Foxy?" Kaoru blinked.

"You mean Megumi?" It was harder to understand him after that drinking contest with Kenshin. Kaoru marveled at how well that man could hold his liquor. Kenshin, that is, not Sano.

"Yeh! Me 'ead's all afuzzy and…" He passed out and toppled backward. Misao laughed and pounced on the jug he was holding. She looked inside.

"Hey, he didn't leave me any! Meanie. Ah, well, I better make sure Aoshi's not in a corner somewhere, meditating…" she walked off. 10 minutes later everyone was either asleep or passed out.

Kaoru woke some time after moonrise, cold. She stood up, and, dodging sprawled bodies, went to get a blanket. Then she noticed Kenshin was missing. Checking the rooms, the bathroom and the hot spring, Kaoru felt her heart speed up. Normally he would leave his sakabatou somewhere, to let her know he was coming back. But she couldn't find that, either. Worried, she continued looking. She heard a rattle down the hall.

"Kenshin?"

"Excuse me?" A hostess came around the corner.

"Oh. I'm sorry; I thought you were someone else…" She started to turn away.

"Red hair, really cute?" Kaoru spun back to her.

"Yes! Do you know where he went?" The girl smiled.

"Sure do. He headed out 'bout an hour ago, toward that little wood out back."

"Thank you!" Kaoru ran toward the wood.

5 minutes later, she was thoroughly lost. Sitting down to rest, she heard a series of thuds and muffled bangs. Cautiously, and as quietly as she could, she crept toward the sounds. Ahead of her, the trees gave way to a small clearing. In the middle stood Kenshin, breathing hard and topless. A quick glance around let her see his discarded gi dropped under a nearby tree, but that was all that was in the clearing.

What is he doing? She wondered.

Suddenly Kenshin leapt in the air and performed a Ryu Tsui Sen. She watched him pull the blow, and his sakabatou fell into a tiny notch in the tree's branch she hadn't noticed before. Looking around more carefully, she saw marks for the Ryu Kan Sen, Do Ryu Sen, So Ryu Sen, Ryu Sho Sen, and a fat tree with nine marks for the Kuzu Ryu Sen. She turned back to Kenshin, who was examining the mark, muttering to himself. Kaoru couldn't help but notice the sprawling pattern of scars across his finely muscled torso. Kenshin shook his head in disgust. Kaoru scooted closer to hear his mutterings.

"Stupid, Kenshin, stupid. How many times did Shishou tell you to watch your backswing? A thousand? He'd have your head on a platter if you did that in a practice session. You'd be chopping firewood 'til sundown, at the very least. Ah, well, two more and then I head back. Kaoru-dono might have noticed me gone…"

Kaoru smiled, satisfied, and turned to go.

SNAP

It felt so good to be practicing again. It always helped him to clear his mind. Breathing hard, sweating, he was preparing for his final run when a twig snapped behind him, to loud to have been an animal. Instantly he pivoted, hand on his sword hilt. His eyes narrowed.

"You might as well come out. Resistance would be futile." He stated, eyes never leaving the bush. It seemed he would finish his practice with a battle. He tensed as the figure stood, then stepped into the light.

Kaoru was shocked at how fast Kenshin changed. Hesitant, she stepped into the moonlight. Kenshin's eyes widened and his hand dropped from his sword.

"Kaoru-dono! What are you doing here? You were asleep when sessha left…Sessha didn't wake you, did I?" Kaoru smiled at the chagrin on his face.

"No, I got up a bit ago and was worried when I didn't see you." Kenshin stepped around her and retrieved his gi.

"Sessha is sorry to have worried you, Kaoru-dono."

"Oh, don't, it's- " A rooster crowed. "Eep! It's morning!"

She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the resort again. Blushing a bit, he let himself be led, not even having time to put his gi back on. As they cleared the forest and their friends made sly comments that made Kaoru turn red, he looked at their hands, still entwined, and at the setting moon.

Maybe the full moon isn't so bad after all…