A/N: Sorry about the long wait everyone! I hate to say it but I don't think I'll be able to post every other day or every three days anymore. (Not that I was doing all that great of job of updating on time anyway) It's just I've been busy, but I promise that this story will be updated at lest once a week. The next chapter for Violet Eyed Angel has been basically beaten with a stick and a few more whacks and it should be ready. And I have a one shot being put through editing as a companion piece to Under The Weather for you to be on the look out for. For those of you who can't get enough of my OC Reizo and haven't read Under The Weather I suggest you take a lot. Under the Weather is set just before this story and Reizo is in it.
Yay reviewers!
droparmor - This is far from over. -evil grin-
tsumesgirl05 - Part of me is having fun reposting this. The other part of me just wants it to be over with so I can focus solely on Violet Eyed Angel.
lolo popoki - The move went well. My roommate is GREAT. The classes are fun, except I was planning on getting into a creative writing class like you did, but it was all filled up.
Insane Chipmunk - All hail the almightily Reizo!
Cebalrai - Sorry I couldn't update faster.
Tokichic - That's Kenshin for you. Everyone before himself.
FairyMage - Glad you enjoyed the chapter.
Hitokiri Musei - How can I write again if I've been writing? I'm confused…
sueb262 - Neko can be so cute.
AuburnMoonlight - I would LOVE it if you did some fanart for this fic of mine! But I have one rule! If you have a scanner or something like that and you can show my your creation I want to see it! -grins-
WolfDaughter - Move and roommate went great and is great. I hope I was able to update fast enough!
Kaminagayoshi Itsuo, the doctor who was looking over Kenshin, felt his heart going out to the boy. He had woken up just long enough to be sure the child and Katsura-san were okay. Itsuo was the youngest of the three doctors; he was also the least experienced. He was a rather skinny man, with coarse black hair. His eyes were a calming blue and they looked over the sleeping man, carefully.
'Bruising on the face and neck.' He checked Kenshin's head for any injuries hidden by his hair. He found one on the side of his head and one on the back. 'He was struck in the head, that could pose problems.' He removed the gi and found Akina's bandages. Removing them carefully he was startled by what he saw. 'This is much worse than what we first thought.' Kenshin's torso was an angry red, littered with cuts that showed signs of infection. Dark bruising on his right side told the doctor of a broken rib, and the large gash on his other side was healing, but there was something inside the wound. He heard Katsura hiss as if it was he who had these injuries.
"What happened?" he asked, disgusted by what he saw.
Itsuo cleared his throat. "I don't know the details, but I think I could give you a summary of what happened to him." Katsura gave a nod for him to continue. "The bruising on his face, arms, and torso suggest that he was hit with a fist." He balled his hand and placed it near one of the purple spots on Kenshin's body. "However," he added, pointing to a longer, slender bruise, "He wasn't just hit with a fist." He moved on. "The redness you see are very bad burns, and from their shape I would say it was hot water, not fire. But his shoulder …" He pointed to it. "… is a lot worse and was caused by something else. What? I cannot tell. Now, the bruising on his neck." He paused. Placing two fingers on Kenshin's chin he pushed it up, allowing Katsura to get a better look. "I'm guessing these were made by rope." He traced one of the darker, bluish purple lines with his finger. "I believe they tried to hang him." He heard Katsura growl in anger. "The cuts along his body and the large one on his side have started to become infected. As long as we get them cleaned right away they shouldn't pose a problem. I'm more worried about this." He pointed to Kenshin's nearly black skin. He prodded it carefully. "It's broken. He is very lucky it didn't pierce his lungs; had that happened, he wouldn't be alive right now. From what I can tell, it came really close. He also has a couple of injuries on his head; if he was hit hard enough that might cause mental problems, however, I don't believe we have to worry about that." He picked up one of Kenshin's arms and pointed to his wrist. "The skin was rubbed raw here, suggesting that his wrists were tied together by ropes, although there is also bruising and in the shape they are in it would suggest chains." He put down Kenshin's arm and lifted Kenshn's rolled up pant leg. "There is also bruising on both legs, but this here," he said, pointing to a darker bruise just above Kenshin's right knee, "Would have made walking difficult." He sighed. "He took quite a beating,"
"Himura." Katsura was speechless.
"I'm going to start patching him up," Itsuo announced, starting to wash his hands in a bin of water. His tools lay neatly on a clean, white cloth beside him. He reached over and took a scalpel. "Please, I'm not sure how he will react, will you hold him down, Katsura-san?"
"Of course."
Taking a firm grip of his instrument, he began to cut open all of the smaller cuts on Kenshin's body. Kenshin hissed and tensed in pain, but he never woke up. Itsuo wiped the excess blood and pus away from the wounds with another white cloth. He then properly stitched them shut. Moving to the larger wound, he placed a bucket underneath before making his incision. More blood and pus leaked from the wound. With a clean set of tweezers, Itsuo was surprised to pull out pieces of gauze. 'What the?' He didn't think about it too much and placed it in the bucket. He then stitched up that as well. He made a cooling gel for the burns, graciously rubbing it onto Kenshin's hot skin, using even more on his shoulder. Moving on to the rib, he gently touched the area. Kenshin gave a yell and tried to pull away from the pain, but Katsura held him still. He wrapped it up tightly before moving onto his head. He washed the dried blood away from the cuts, noting the blood must have been there for quite a while. Then he wrapped a bandage around Kenshin's head to keep infection out. He also, carefully, wrapped Kenshin's wrists. The last thing he did was to wash away the dirt and grime from Kenshin's body. He sat back with a sigh once Kenshin was cleaned and patched up.
Itsuo wiped his forehead once he finished. "He should be fine now," he told Katsura as he picked up his tools, now covered in Kenshin's blood.
"But he looks so pale." Katsura released his grip on Kenshin.
"It's to be expected, he lost a lot of blood." Katsura looked worried. "Don't worry, as long as he gets some rest he'll heal up nicely. Now may I suggest we leave and let him rest?" Katsura nodded his head and the two stood. "I'd better see if they need any help with the girl." Again, Katsura merely nodded his head. "He'll be fine, he just needs to rest." The two left Kenshin so that he could sleep in peace.
Reizo quickly laid Neko on the futon. The two doctors, Takeo and Yasuo, looked nervous. "Reizo, please go and fetch plenty of ice." Yasuo, the oldest of the three doctors instructed. His hair had a few gray strands here and there; he was a short man, being near the same height as Kenshin. Wrinkles were starting to show on his face, more so now that his face was scrunched in determination to save Neko. His calm, blue eyes studied her carefully.
Takeo left to fetch a bucket of cold water. His hair was a greasy looking black, it was cut short and evenly around his head. He was taller than both Yasuo and Itsuo; however, Itsuo was a bit bigger then he was. His brown eyes watched the water splash into the bucket as he made his way back to the room, being careful not to spill any.
He placed the water next to Yasuo, who quickly took a cloth and dunked it in the cool water. He wrung out the extra water and placed it on her forehead. Takeo noted that while he was gone, Yasuo had undressed Neko and covered her bottom half with a light blanket.
Knowing what the older doctor was going to do by just that, Takeo took another cloth and wet it. He laid one on the upper portion of her arm. Yasuo did the same on Neko's other arm. Together the doctors placed a total of seven cloths of her body. Two on each arm and three on her torso. She shivered and gasped for breath, but she never woke up, not once. "This might put her into shock." Takeo noted. "It's too much for her body, going from hot to cold so fast."
"If we don't lower her temperature now, then there is no point in trying to save her." Yasuo replied stubbornly.
Reizo returned with a bucket of ice. The doctors placed the ice on the now lukewarm cloths. Neko hissed when drippings of the ice made direct contact with her skin. Neko shook even more, the fever trying to get her body temperature back up.
After a few minutes, and the ice beginning to melt, Yasuo felt Neko's forehead. He gave a tired sigh. "She's improved." He began removing the ice from her body. They couldn't let her get too cold or that would just make her sicker.
"Should we work on her leg now?" the younger doctor asked.
"She's still weak from her fever."
"But it's infected. If we don't clean it, then it will only make her worse."
Yasuo nodded at Takeo's wise comment. "You are right." They were preparing to start cleaning Neko's leg when Itsuo walked in. Washing his hands he joined the other two doctors.
"Reizo, I think you should leave the room now." Yasuo said calmly, laying out his tools.
He nodded slightly. "Alright, Katsura-san will want a report from me now."
"He went back to his room," Itsuo informed, as he finished washing his hands.
Neko rubbed her arms. She was so cold; the wind blew, making her colder. She was walking down a forest path, winter having set in, making it colder still. "Mommy?" She called out into the dark trees. "Daddy?" She shivered. "Where are you!"
She blinked and when she opened her eyes she was back at the inn. Sounds of fighting echoed through the room. She saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye. Twisting her head around her eyes widened. Her angel stood over a dead body, blood running down the katana in his hand. He turned his eyes on her and she couldn't help it; she took a step back. He took a step towards her and she took another step back. She was terrified of the burning hatred echoing from his eyes. She tripped over something and crashed onto her back.
"Ow!" She moaned, closing her eyes against pain she didn't even feel. Opening her eyes again, she found herself in a strange room. Someone was holding her down, and she saw Muroi standing over her. A silent scream escaped her as he raised a dagger and plunged it into her right leg.
He carved his mark into her. "You're mine." He hissed at her. "You will forever be my slave." Her mouth moved to scream 'no' but no sound came out. He raised his dagger again. "Now for your left leg."
A piercing scream. As soon as the sound hit his ears, Kenshin's eyes snapped open. Neko was screaming. "Neko!" He sat up, ignorant to the pain it caused, and bolted out of his room. He didn't know where he was or how he had got here, but he could hear Neko crying out in pain and fear. His mind numb, all he could think about was getting to her and stopping her pain.
He followed her voice, coming upon a closed door. He pushed it open and was surprised by what he saw. Three men he knew to be doctors were have a rather hard time holding Neko down. One was pushing down on her bad leg another was holding down her good leg. The youngest-looking doctor was the one holding her good leg and he was also trying to push down on her chest, attempting to keep her down. The third, and oldest-looking doctor looked like he had just begun to make an incision on her leg, but was now holding his scalpel so Neko wouldn't accidentally hurt herself on it.
Takeo had heard the door open. While gently pushing down on Neko's injured leg, he called to whoever was in the doorway. "Please come help us hold her down!"
Kenshin rushed to Neko's side. "What's wrong with her?" She was still screaming and kicking like she was being attacked.
"She's hallucinating. We need to repair her leg, but we can't with her kicking like this. Please hold her arms." Takeo didn't even look up to see who he was talking to. The three of them were too preoccupied.
Kenshin sat himself down right behind Neko. He grabbed each of her wrists and pushed them to her body. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed. "DADDY! HELP ME!"
He put his head right behind her ear. "Calm down, Neko," he said softly. She seemed surprised and immediately stopped yelling. "Do you know who I am?" he asked, quietly.
"My angel," she whispered.
'She still thinks of me as an angel?' He couldn't believe it. "It's me, Neko, Kenshin."
"Angel." She sighed and her body relaxed. As the doctors began to work, she tensed again. "Don't let them mark me again!" she said, panicked. "Don't let them mark me! Save me!"
"They aren't going to mark you."
"Yes they are! They are going to mark me and I'll belong to Muroi!"
"No, they aren't going to mark you. They are going to help you."
"But!"
"Do you trust me, Neko? I promise I won't let anything happen to you."
"I trust you," she said, so softly Kenshin almost missed what she said. The doctors began to cut the bite marks open, letting the pus pour out. Neko gasped and cried each time the scalpel touched her, but she was very brave and sat still.
When her cuts were taken care of, without looking up, Itsuo handed Kenshin a small, thick cloth. "This is going to hurt, better have her bite down on this."
He moved Neko's wrists into just one hand so he could grab the cloth. "What are you going to do?"
"Her leg was broken and it's healing wrong. We're going to have to re-break it."
"Aren't you going to give her a sedative!" he yelled. "She…"
"If we put her under we may not be able to bring her back!" Takeo yelled; he didn't mean to, he was just so upset that this happened to someone so young. "She's too sick, the sedative might kill her," he added, trying to sound a bit calmer.
Kenshin felt defeated. "I understand." He put his mouth to Neko's ear and whispered again. "Neko?"
"Kenshin?" Her voice was so soft and tired.
"This is going to hurt, a lot, but it's going to help you. So you have to be brave." He could feel his heart breaking as Neko began to cry. He had done this to her.
"But I'm scared."
"You're doing great."
"Don't leave me."
"I promise, I won't leave you." He put the cloth to her mouth. "Bite down on this." Neko opened her mouth and he slipped it in. She bit down on it and he hugged her tighter. The doctors moved into position. "Get ready Neko, here it comes." She whimpered.
Together the doctors counted. "One, Two, THREE!" They placed their weight on Neko's leg; there was a snap, and Neko screamed. She jerked once, and violently, in Kenshin's arms, from shock. She screamed for a long time after, tears streaming down her face. Kenshin could hear her muffled voice screaming It hurts! It hurts! over and over.
'I'm so sorry, Neko,' he thought, over and over, as she continued to yell out in a half-growl, half-wail. Sweat glistened on her forehead, and eventually her eyes rolled up into her head, passing out. Soon after she fainted, the doctors finished what they were doing.
"Alight," Yasuo said, with a tired sigh. "Set her down." He rubbed his temples. "Her leg is so bad," he thought out loud.
Itsuo turned to thank the man who had been able to calm Neko down. "Ariga- HIMURA?" He stumbled on his words for a minute. "What are you doing out of bed?" Now Yasuo and Takeo looked over at Kenshin as well.
He felt awkward with their eyes on him. "I well, I..." He didn't know what to say.
"Your rib is broken! What do you think you are doing? You should be in bed!" Kenshin was so focused on Itsuo scolding him, he didn't notice Takeo leaving. "You could hurt yourself! Do you even feel pain?" Itsuo was furious; he lightly tapped Kenshin on his head. "Perhaps your sense was knocked out of you!" Yasuo quickly cleared his throat, as a warning. Itsuo lowered his eyes. "Forgive me Himura, I shouldn't have said that."
Kenshin looked down. "No, it's alright." An uneasy feeling filled the air. Once more, Kenshin didn't notice as Takeo came back into the room.
"You'd better get back to bed." Yasuo said finally, breaking the tension.
"Hai." Kenshin began to rise.
"No, don't get up." Takeo said, placing a hand on Kenshin's shoulder.
"Then how do you suggest I get back to my bed?" He would admit, to himself, that he felt a little dizzy and off-balance, but he had walked here just fine.
"Oh, we have ways of moving you." Takeo said, with a slight smile.
Kenshin tried to focus on what he had said. Once he focused he finally felt the fourth man that had entered with Takeo, but it was too late. Kenshin found his arms pinned to his side by this new man. "Let go of me!"
Reizo finished his report to Katsura, telling him about the fight with the Shinsengumi members and their trip here. "I wish I knew exactly what happened to them," Katsura said out loud, once Reizo had finished.
"I'm sure we'll find out what happened once they wake up." Reizo moved his eyes to the floor. Seeing Kenshin and Neko like that had unnerved him slightly.
Katsura shook his head. "I should have made Himura come with us, I should have never let him go back. If he doesn't make it through this, I—"
"Let go of me!"
Katsura's and Reizo's head shot towards each other. For a moment they stared at each other before running for the door, both yelling. "Himura!"
Rushing out of the room and into the hall the two saw a sight they hadn't expected. A large man was emerging from Neko's room with Kenshin held awkwardly in his arms. "Put me down!" Kenshin was yelling and squirming in the man's arms. "I can walk just fine! There's nothing wrong with my legs!"
The three doctors filed out of the room. "Don't give me that," Itsuo said a bit angrily. "I know you were hit by something above your knee. Don't you dare tell me it doesn't hurt to walk!" Itsuo softened his voice to talk to the man Takeo had gotten to help carry Kenshin back to his room. "Mind his sides."
"I said put me…!" Now Kenshin looked to see Katsura and Reizo standing and staring at him. His cheeks flushed slightly and he stopped yelling, quickly breaking eye contact with them.
As he and the man carrying him disappeared into his room, Reizo turned to Katsura. "I think he's going to be okay."
Kenshin was set back in his bed. His face was still a slight shade of red as the man left and Katsura entered, Reizo stopping at the door. The three doctors were coming in as well. Suddenly Kenshin found himself feeling overcrowded.
"Himura, how…" Katsura paused a moment, looking for the right thing to say. "How are you feeling?"
How was he suppose to answer that? He ached all over, but he wasn't going to let them know that. "Fine." The room filled with silence. 'He wants to ask me what happened, but he doesn't know how.' He waited for Katsura to figure out what he wanted to say. 'Do I want to tell him?' His fingers curled around the sheet on top of him. 'What will he think of me after I tell him?' He thought about how he had been ready to throw his life away for Neko. 'Can I tell him?'
To everyone's surprise Yasuo was the first to speak. "Why don't we let you rest for a while?" He said as both a question and an order. "You've just got back and I'm sure you're tired." He had seen Kenshin's thoughts in his eyes. "We can talk later when you're feeling more…" he paused "…ready for it." He rose from where he sat and walked out of the room. Everyone else followed him.
"He's right, just rest now. We can talk later." Katsura rose to his feet, shutting the door behind him.
Kenshin let out a small sigh when he was alone. Now that everyone was gone he had time to think. 'I didn't even notice that man entering the room.' This bothered him. If he hadn't been able to detect that man's presence that meant his senses were not working properly. 'And I still have to talk to Katsura sometime.' He lowered himself onto the futon. 'Neko's really sick.' He yawned. 'I feel so weak right now.' His eyes were closing on him. 'Hiroko is still out there.' He gave a sigh and all problems left for the moment. He just wanted to sleep.
Hiroko paced the floor. A report had come earlier today. Nine men from one of the search parties had not returned. Sending another party to the area they were suppose to be checking, they had discovered the men's bodies. Nine men, killed, while looking for the Battousai.
Some of the men had asked around and had gathered information that a group of soldiers had come and killed the men, then had left with a man and child. The man's description could only fit one person. Battousai.
Given the general direction that the soldiers had gone and the estimated amount of time they had to travel, Hiroko looked at a map of the nearby area, trying to figure out where they could have taken him. "I'll find you, Battousai." His eyes stopped on a particular area. He knew the village to be a supporter of the Choshu clan. "I'll find you Battousai, and I will make you pay." He needed to speak to one of his spies.
Kenshin woke up later, near dusk. He felt somewhat better, finally getting some restful sleep. Sometime after he woke up, Itsuo came in. "Oh, you're up. Feel any better?"
"Hai, a little."
"Are you hungry? I could get you something to eat."
Kenshin's stomach flipped at the very thought of food. "Iie, I'm not hungry."
"Water, then?" he asked, already getting ready to go get some.
"Please."
Itsuo left to get some fresh water, passing Katsura in the hall. "Is he up?"
Itsuo smiled at Katsura; he was so worried over the young man. "He is, and he's just fine." Katsura's shoulders relaxed, making the doctor's smile widen. "I'm going to get him some water, when I get back I'm going to question him about what happened." Katsura gave a slight nod of his head. "I don't need to tell you this is a delicate situation. If he isn't ready to speak yet then I'm not going to press him. However, I'll need to get the full story eventually so I can figure out the best way to treat him. If you wish, I suggest you be there when he explains it to me so the story doesn't have to be repeated."
"You think what happened will be that bad, that even someone else will not want to repeat it?" Katsura tried to imagine what could have cause all the injuries to Kenshin; he quickly put a stop to that kind of thinking.
"I do."
"Then I will be there as well." Yasuo said, coming around the corner.
"Yasuo-sensei, why will you be there?" Itsuo was slightly startled by the older man's appearance.
"To make sure you don't say something foolish," he answered with a grin.
Itsuo's face went red. "Do … but... I…ah…aug!" The young doctor stormed off, not having anything to say to Yasuo's teasing.
Kenshin was lying on his futon, having decided that sitting up took too much effort. He was surprised when a knock came to the door. 'My senses still aren't working,' he thought grimly, before calling out for the person to enter. He had been expecting Itsuo or one of the other doctors; Katsura was a bit of a surprise. "Katsura-san." He sat up in an attempt to bow to his superior.
"That's alright, don't bother to get up." Kenshin remained sitting up; lying down in front of Katsura would have just been too awkward. "I passed Itsuo in the hall, he told me you were up." He paused. "Do you feel any better?"
How many times was he going to hear that question? "I'm fine."
"You had us very worried." He used the word us instead of me.
"I'm sorry," he spoke softly.
Katsura spoke quickly. "No, you have nothing to be sorry about. You and Neko-chan are safe now, that's all that matters." They were both thankful when Itsuo came back with Yasuo behind him, breaking the tension that had settled in the room.
Itsuo waited until Kenshin had his fill of water before finally asking. "Himura, if you could, please tell me what happened."
Kenshin looked down at his hands; he knew this had been coming, and he knew he couldn't put it off forever. Giving a sigh he started. "Reizo told you about the note?"
"Hai," Katsura answered.
"It was instructions for me to meet a man named Hiroko at an old temple. The note said if I didn't come that night, then I could come the next morning and pick up Neko's body."
"So you went?" Itsuo interrupted.
"Yes. They promised to let Neko go free if..." Would they think him weak if he told them?
"If?" Yasuo persuaded.
"If I gave my life in return." He waited for someone to say something.
"And you did?" Itsuo was watching him with wide eyes.
"Hai." He half expected someone to call him foolish for trading his life for a child's, but no one did. "They were going to kill me, when Hiroko changed his mind. He guessed I would know where you were." He looked towards Katsura. "He wanted me to tell him where you were. That's when Neko's old owner, Muroi, came. We had been tricked. Hiroko was never planning on letting Neko go free. Seeing how I wasn't going to give your location to him, Hiroko had someone hit me over the head." He pointed to where he had been hit. "When I didn't black out they put something to my face and I passed out. When I woke up I was in some sort of cell."
"What happened to Neko?" Itsuo asked, not able to contain himself.
"I don't know. I guessed Muroi had taken her back. Soon after waking, Hiroko came and basically said that if I didn't tell him where you were, he was going to beat it out of me." Katsura was speechless over Kenshin's loyalty to him. "He left a couple of men to do the job, and I managed to scare one of them into telling me where Muroi lived."
"Wait, you scared them? Were you armed? Able to move?" Itsuo seemed very confused.
Kenshin smirked slightly. "No, I had my arms chained over my head."
"And you scared them?" Yasuo cleared his throat and Itsuo quickly shut his mouth, allowing Kenshin to continue.
He told them how one guard had come back and placed that cloth to his face again, causing him to black out. "When I woke up I was in a different room, I was up against the wall, sitting this time, my arms still above my head. Then Hiroko came in. He said this time, if I didn't talk he would…" He paused, thinking of the right thing to say. "…inject me with some poisons I think he might have made himself. The first, it made me feel very hot. It felt as if my skin was on fire. The next, made me very sick. The third made me shake uncontrollably. The next made the room seem to spin very rapidly. After that, I can't remember clearly, but I know he did a lot more after that."
This time, Yasuo interrupted. "Poisons? You have no idea what he might have used in them?" With no knowledge of what had been put into the young man's body, the doctors wouldn't have any idea if he was still in danger. They didn't know what kind of long-term problems, if any, could develop from the poisons. They didn't know anything. Poisons were the hardest things to deal with. Yasuo couldn't even imagine how Hiroko had come across poisons that could have the kind of reactions Kenshin was describing.
"No, I don't know anything."
Kenshin continued his story. The reactions of the three listening changed from pity, horror, disgust, anger, and sadness as Kenshin told about Hiroko's attempt to bribe him with water (Itsuo quickly offered to go get Kenshin some more to drink after hearing that), the assault with the club, how he had gotten his burns. He was amused by the looks of disappointment he got after mentioning his near miss of snapping Hiroko's neck. He explained the origins of the slash marks on his body, his gained freedom through trickery, and then he quickly finished explaining about what had happened at Muroi's.
"I don't know what happened to Neko. She was beaten pretty badly when I found her. I left Muroi's carrying Neko, but I passed out after a couple of days. I don't know how I ended up at that house. I remember Neko carrying me, but I must have been dreaming, she couldn't have carried me with her leg."
"I don't know," Yasuo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Adrenaline can make a person do amazing things."
"So is that the whole story?" Itsuo asked curiously.
"Hai, I woke up in Neko's house, and then Reizo came."
"What about that boy?" Katsura asked.
"What boy?"
"Himura, we only found you because a little boy named Kanai got word to us. He's the one who told us where you were."
Kenshin could only stare wide-eyed at Katsura. "Kanai, that was Neko's friend. I only remember seeing him once before the ambush. When I took Neko to her house to collect a few of her things. He told you where we were?" Katsura nodded, leaving Kenshin speechless. 'What was happening while I was out? Did Neko and her friend really save us?' He smiled, he had underestimated that little child.
"Well, that was quite a tale," Yasuo said as he started to stand up. "It's good to have you here, and safe, but it's late. Let's retire for tonight." The old doctor slowly made his way to the door. "Come on Itsuo, we should go make sure Neko is alright."
"Hai. Sleep well, Himura-san." They left the room together, leaving Katsura and Kenshin alone.
"I'm sorry that happened to you. It shouldn't have happened." Katsura was furious. He couldn't believe they had treated Kenshin in such a way.
"I'm fine. I'll be up again in no time, don't worry about me."
"Himura, I want to thank-you."
"Hm?" He couldn't think of any reason for Katsura to be thanking him.
"You went through all that to protect me. You could have told them where I was, you knew." Kenshin didn't deny that. "Or even have given them a false lead."
"If I had done that they would have killed me. Then they would have massacred the place I said you were hiding at. Innocent people would have been killed."
'You're a good man Himura, I hope one day you see that yourself.' Katsura stood. "You did a strong thing many men would not have lived through. You deserve many people's thanks." Kenshin opened his mouth to protest the thanks but Katsura spoke first. "Goodnight, Himura." He left before Kenshin had a chance to say anything.
Katsura was surprised to find Itsuo and Yasuo waiting for him just outside Kenshin's room. Both were discussing something in hushed tones; grimness on their faces. He could see Takeo retreating down the hall, disappearing into Neko's room. Seeing Katsura coming out, Yasuo made a silent movement of his head for Katsura to follow him. "I shall assist Takeo-sama." Itsuo said with a bow, heading towards Neko's room. Yasuo led Katsura away from both of Kenshin's and Neko's room. He entered an empty room and in a whisper he asked Katsura to sit.
Sitting across from each other Yasuo started slowly. "Things aren't good." He stated simply.
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Himura-san is in very bad shape."
"But he seemed just fine."
"Katsura-san, when has he ever acted as hurt as he actually was?" Katsura knew what Yasuo was talking about. "His injuries are very serious. They could pose a permanent problem if he isn't careful. And the poisons." He shook his head. "We have no idea what those will do to his body. They could be slowly killing him right now, in ways we have no way of detecting, and there wouldn't be anything we could do to stop it." He closed his eyes and sighed. "And the girl."
"Neko-chan? What's wrong with her?"
"Takeo-san just told me, her fever is dangerously high again. If this continues she will die, and her leg..." He paused. "We don't know what happened, but it looks as if she was attacked by some kind of animal." He thought a moment. "Come with me." Standing he lead Katsura out of the room.
He took him to Neko's room and opened the door. He was met with the sound of Neko struggling for breath. Inside Itsuo and Takeo were placing ice on the cloths again. Trying to lower her temperature. An odd and uncomfortable feeling of sickness seemed to seep out of the open door, making Katsura very uncomfortable. He followed Yasuo inside, his heart going out to the sick child. Yasuo knelt down by Neko's feet, picking up a pair of tweezers, he held them up for Katsura to see. "Observe."
He opened the tweezers and gave Neko's big toe on her good leg a small squeeze. She moaned and wiggled her foot. He let her toe go and she calmed down. "That's how she should react. She should want to get her foot away from the discomfort. Now, when I do it to her other foot." He pinched her other toe, nothing. She gave no reaction to the mild discomfort. He applied more pressure, still nothing. "She can't feel it."
"What does that mean?"
"It means her leg is dead, to put it simply. Or it might be a reaction to shock. We're hoping it's shock, but if she doesn't get any feeling to her foot soon, we're going to have to amputate her leg."
After a longer discussion with Katsura, Yasuo decided to check on Kenshin. Neko was doing a little better for the time being. They had managed to get her temperature down to a better level, but how long it was going to stay that way no one knew.
He had been expecting to find Kenshin sleeping, but wasn't too surprised to find him awake. "Himura-san, I thought you would be asleep."
"I'm not tired," the red-head answered dully.
It was to be expected; he had been asleep for a while now. Yasuo clapped his hands as he thought of something. "I'd bet you'd like a bath! A nice warm bath would really relax you."
Kenshin thought a moment. A bath really did sound like a good idea. "Alright." He moved to stand up, but stopped. "Wait, will you let me walk there by myself?"
Yasuo chuckled. "You didn't like being carried?" He shook his head in amusement. "Let me help you and I won't call someone to carry you." So, a bit reluctantly, Kenshin allowed Yasuo to help him walk to the bath. "I'm going to get Itsuo to wait for you, he'll be waiting here for you when you come out. Don't go walking off without him."
"I won't."
"I mean it." Kenshin couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Alright, I'll be leaving now."
When Yasuo left Kenshin quickly undressed. He took the bandages off his head and let his hair down. He slipped into the warm water; he had forgotten how good it could feel. He lowered himself until the water was up to his chin. He rested like that, just enjoying the feel of the warm water, it felt like it was waking his muscles up and relaxing them at the same time. The knots in his back worked their selves out and he felt so calm.
Holding his breath he ducked under that water. He could feel his hair floating gently behind and beside him. He surfaced again and started to rub some shampoo into his hair. He worked up a good lather, the suds occasionally dropping from his head onto his shoulders or on the surface of the water. The little sudsy clumps floated quietly around him. Ducking his head under again, he scrubbed until all the soap had been washed out.
He stayed in the water for a long time, just enjoying the momentary peace and comfort it brought him. Getting out of the water, the droplets still on his body slowly ran down his tired muscles, tickling him slightly. Grabbing a towel he started to dry off. The fluffy towel against his wet skin was another comforting luxury he fully enjoyed.
He dried his hair partly, giving up after a while to slip into a fresh robe to sleep in. The clean clothing against his skin felt so good. Everything felt so comforting and relaxing compared to everything that had happened in the last two weeks. He made a mental note to never take these things for granted again. Leaving his hair down because it was still wet, he found Itsuo waiting for him just outside the door.
He didn't say anything, but he smiled when Kenshin came out. Offering Kenshin a hand he helped him walk back to his room. "Leg feeling a little stiff?"
"No, a little sore." He admitted this minor annoyance. He hoped Itsuo wouldn't ask any more questions about his health. He decided to steer the man's thoughts in another direction. "How's Neko?"
"She's fine. Still out of it, but she should wake up soon." He smiled, hoping Kenshin wouldn't be able to see through it.
"Good." They reached Kenshin's room and Kenshin sat himself down on his bed.
"I'll need to change your bandages." Kenshin gave a small sigh, but knew it had to be done. Itsuo moved rather quickly, replacing each of the bandages with clean ones. He also replaced the bandages that Kenshin had removed from his head. "I'm going to bed now, you should get some sleep."
"Hai, goodnight Itsuo-san."
"Goodnight, Himura." Kenshin pulled the blankets to his shoulders; his body felt so relaxed that it didn't take his eyes very long to shut and drift off to sleep.
Neko kicked absentmindedly at the ground. She was cold and it was raining. She wasn't sure where she was going, she was just walking, and had been doing so for a long time. A soft sound came to her ears; turning she could see three pairs of glowing red eyes behind her. "Hello?" She was met with a growl. "Kanai?" She choked on her words, her throat closing. A louder growl echoed around her as three big dogs came out from the darkness.
Neko screamed and took off at a run; the dogs gave chase after her. Barking their warning as they ran. They chased her down an alleyway, their barking lowered until it disappeared. It was replaced by a dying scream. Looking up, she saw it again. She saw Saito raising his blade to strike down her parents. "STOP IT! DON'T KILL THEM! SOMEONE HELP ME!" She let out a loud piercing scream, terrified.
"STOP IT! HELP!" Kenshin's eyes snapped open. Neko, she was yelling again. "Someone stop him! Stop him! Someone help!" Was she dreaming? Or was she awake? Kenshin wasn't going to take the chance she was only dreaming. He quickly rose from his bed and hurried down the halls.
Her father fell backwards, blood staining everything. She ran to her father's side. "Daddy! Please get up! Please! You have to get up!" There was so much blood. It was everywhere. She put her hands over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. It wasn't helping. Soon her dad was dead. "So much blood, so much..." She began to back away from the corpse. "Blood, it's everywhere. It's everywhere." She closed her eyes and grabbed her head. "It's everywhere! Make it go away! MAKE IT GO AWAY!"
Neko was kicking and screaming in her bed. "Neko." He shook her gently. "You're dreaming, wake up. It's just a dream. Wake up, Neko." His hair fell from behind his shoulders and dangled in front of him. "Neko, wake up." Her eyes snapped open. She looked wildly around the room. "Calm down, Neko. It's okay, you were just dreaming." He was trying his best to calm her, but she couldn't hear a word he said. Her eyes fell on his crimson hair.
"BLOOD!"
"What?"
"BLOOD!" She screamed again, grabbing his hair. "It's all over!" She tugged on it, hard. "Make it go away! Help me!"
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Kenshin grabbed Neko's hands, trying to stop her pulling. "Stop, Neko! It's my hair! It's not blood!" He tried to untangle her fingers from his hair, unsuccessfully.
"BLOOD!" She screamed again. "Make it go away!" She started to thrash her arms about, pulling on Kenshin's hair even more. "There's so much!"
"NEKO! LET GO OF MY HAIR!"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" A new voice yelled, hardly loud enough for the two screaming to hear him. Takeo hurried into the room. "Himura! What are you doing to her!"
"I'm NOT doing anything! OW! She's the one pulling my hair!"
"BLOOD! BLOOD! BLOOD!"
"It's NOT blood!"
"Himura, please! Calm down!"
"I AM CALM! Ow! Neko! Let go!"
"BLOOD!"
With an annoyed yell, Takeo grabbed Neko's wrists. He was able to quickly untangle her fingers from Kenshin's hair and pushed him back. Once his hair was out of her sight Neko calmed down a little. "It was everywhere."
Takeo rubbed her forehead. "I know, it's alright now."
"There was so much blood. Daddy, daddy." She started to cry. "Where's Kenshin? I want Kenshin." She closed her eyes. "Daddy," she whined. Takeo motioned Kenshin to come closer. Nudging forward, but holding his head back, he took Neko's hand. "Angel?"
"It's alright," he said softly, giving her hand a squeeze.
"I'm scared."
"It's okay, you need to rest."
"Am I a good girl? I'm a good girl right?"
"Yes, you're a good girl." She gave a small nod and fell back asleep.
Quietly, so as not to wake Neko, Takeo scolded Kenshin. "What are you doing out of bed? You could hurt yourself."
"She was screaming, I thought something was wrong."
"She's delusional, she'll be screaming a lot. You can't come running in here every time you hear her. Someone will come and take care of her."
"What if I stay in here, with her?"
"She's sick! And you're weak." Kenshin gave him a glare. "Hear me out; your injuries have lowered your body's ability to fend off diseases. Being in the same room with Neko for a long time, you could get what she has."
"I don't care."
Takeo sighed. 'Why does he have to be so stubborn?' He rubbed his eyes for a little while. "You're just going to come running in here every time she yells aren't you?" Kenshin gave Takeo an affirmative look, although he didn't verbally admit it or nod. "Alright, wait here. Don't move." He got up and walked out of the room.
Kenshin waited for him to come back. He was a little worried that he had gone to get the man he had gotten to carry him before. He was surprised when he came back carrying Kenshin's futon. "The way I see it, I think it would be better if you take the chance of getting sick, than aggravating your injuries any more than you have." Inwardly, Takeo was thinking about how long Yasuo was going to yell at him for this.
"I appreciate this."
"Well, if Yasuo-san says anything different, his word goes."
"I understand." Takeo said his goodnights and made his way back to his bed.
Kenshin made himself comfortable in his newly located bed. 'It's strange; before, I didn't even want Neko in the same room as me. I would have given anything to get her out of my room.' He smiled a little. "Goodnight, Neko." She sighed in return. Kenshin fell asleep listening to her slightly wheezing breath.