Disclaimer: NO! I lost my bid on the Kenshin plushie! It's not fair! Therefore, I sadly don't own "Kenshin". And the show, manga and characters of Rurouni Kenshin don't belong to me either.
Alright, I very sorry for taking so long but let's say writers block and evil computers kept postponing me. (Which is the truth.) I said the plot line would pick up more this chapter. Well sorry, I lied. That will be next chapter. And the preview I gave you in last chapter got cut out when I decided to rewrite this chapter. On to the reviewer responses.Sims are awsome: I have no honest idea if she's going to stab him yet or not. I don't know if she's even going to try and kill him. All I know is that there will be KxK fluff. --;
Khmer Moon Blossoms: This chapter was targeted at your demand for KxK fluff:D
Shannen: I'm really sorry for making you wait, hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Reignashii: Kudos to you cause you gave me the idea for the opening to this chapter! XD
AuburnMoonlight: It baffles me on why some people just can't review. I have 740 hits and 27 reviews! It's so weird! oO
davis45108: Yes, I know who you are. Thank you for the review. The evil of Tiny shall be spread across the world now! ;D
Now, for our feature presentation:
Rurouni Kenshin: The Whispers of Insanity
Chapter Five: Rains of Solitude
By, DJ Baka-chan
"Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do." - Voltaire
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Sano and I reached the bar after about five minutes and walked in no problem. But after about five hours of Sano chugging down sake, things got a bit weird. Sano, of course, was drunk.
"Hey pretty lady." Sano said lecherously and slurred to me. He hiccupped a few times and gave me flirty grin.
"Sano, what the hell are you saying?" I panicked; I was high time we got out of here.
"Hey, I'm talking to you cutie, why don't you give daddy Sano a nice big kiss?" Oh shit! Oh shit! He dipped down as if I as going to kiss him back. When I didn't, he grabbed me and faced his lips upon mine. I pushed him off and started cursing loudly, turning a few heads. We really need to get out of there. I took Sano by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of the bar no questions asked.
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After I handed off the drunken Sano to Megumi, I stopped by Kaoru's room. She looked so cute lying there on her side, clutching the thin blanket to her chest. She must be freezing with it being fall and such. I removed my gi and wrapped it around her shivering form. I smiled. No matter what my dreams told me, she was still a child, with much ahead of her. She was still the beautiful young girl right here in front of me.
My rough hand found itself caressing her cheek. She was so soft, so pure. There was no taint on that skin. Her sapphire eyes fluttered open and her hand clasped on mine. My expression had gone from soft to shock. She looked up to me, a soft gaze upon her face, my hand clasped in hers. She took her other hand and reached for my cheek. She ran her fingers down the jagged diagonal mark that scarred my face, curiosity filling her expression. I could her heart beat louder along with mine. If I was going to kiss her, now would be the time. No. I couldn't. I was frozen, locked in the position. She looked at me, waiting for me to make a move. No. My eyes darted, my breathing heavy. There was no way I could do this. No. I drew my hand away from her face and pull hers away from mine. I stood and turned to leave. No.
"Kenshin, what are you…?" I ground my teeth, my back to her. Why? I asked myself mentally. Because, you swore…Don't forget what you told yourself last time. I pushed back all the sadness in my expression. It can never be. I turned my head to look at her.
"I'm sorry." I opened the shoji and walked out. Megumi gave me a look.
"Ken-san, what's wrong?" I didn't reply her question. Her worries were another thing I didn't need. I don't deserve any of this! My mind screamed at me. I opened the door and walked outside. The crack of lightning startled me. When had it started raining? A sadistic smile found away on my face as I walked out in the rain. I chuckled to myself. This was it, I am crazy. I stood out in the rain shirtless, letting it wash away the pain I felt. Then, I hung my head. If I am ever to atone, I must let myself suffer. I could feel my dampened hair begin to stick to my face. Was I crying? I could not tell. Tears and rain felt the same to me.
"I was such an idiot to ever…believe I could be happy again…" My smile had long since faded, replaced with a thin line. My arms hung limply at my sides as the thunder boomed and the lightning danced across the sky. I raised my eyes up to the heavens, looking for a God no one knew existed. Please Kami, help me…
"You forgot this." I could hear the voice behind me. Was this girl the godsend I had asked for? Kaoru stepped next to me and handed me my gi. I took the fabric in my hands and held it. We just stood there for a moment.
"You shouldn't tell yourself that you can never be happy. Everyone deserves to be happy." She looked up at me, her smile sad. "Everyone does…everyone…" She looked down, tears beginning to flow from her eyes. I saw something slide out of her now limp hand but didn't focus on that.
"Kaoru…please don't cry." I wrapped a friendly arm around her shoulders and with a sudden outburst of tears she flung herself in my arms. I held her tight, letting her cry all of her fears away. As a lightning bolt flashed through the sky a saw what it was she had dropped. A dagger…? Why…? The shock was evident on my face. My dream, was it really true? Did she really want to kill me? I would ask her later. Right now, I needed to make sure she was happy. I released my hold a bit and she looked up to me.
"It's getting cold out." I tried to smile. "It would be best if went inside soon. Why don't we head back to the dojo?" She pulled away and nodded. Megumi was standing in the doorway, a soft smile on her face.
"She's okay to go home, so why don't you two head on back." I nodded. I pulled my wet gi back on and walked over to Kaoru.
"You ready?" I reached out my hand to her.
"Yes." She smiled and to my hand and we walked back to the dojo, together.
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One week later…
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It was growing colder by the day. We were in the last weeks of the 11th month, snow threatening to fall. I was walking back from a shopping trip, wrapped warmly in a thick haori. I carried the barrel of rice under my arm and the basket of vegetables was in my other hand. At least carrying all this stuff was keeping me warm. I sighed. Kaoru had not accompanied me on this trip because she had her students to train. That's the one thing I hate about Saturdays… I know it sounds selfish but still, she's an enjoyable person to be around. I haven't known people like that since my childhood.
My eyes softened. I thought about all the transcending events that lead me to what I was doing now. It was never easy until now. I gave a sad smile then continued on the way to the dojo.
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After I had put away all of the food I had bought I slipped into the dojo for a minute. They were in the middle of practice spars with Kaoru and the assistant masters. I watched for awhile as Kaoru knocked down opponent after opponent. I wondered if she was training harder so she could beat me again.
But that move she had used before had now been shown to me. And for a fighter like me, once a move is seen, the many ways to counter it begin to form in your mind. I had already thought of one or two good ways to avoid that attack. My soft smile surprised her when she looked over. That was all it took, her opponent had knocked her down with a valid head hit.
"Yahiko!" She yelled to the boy. "Have them keep doing their practice drills, I need a break." The secondary master nodded and started shouting orders to the group of students. She walked over to me, a pouting look on her face.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" I leaned my back against the wall.
"Do you want some tea? It's getting pretty cold out." She sighed, a tiresome look on her face. She knew she wasn't going to get an answer out of me.
"Sure." I removed my haori and placed over her shoulders. "Kenshin you don't…"
"It's nothing to worry about. I'll be fine. It's only a short walk to the house anyway." She pulled the jacket close to her chest and readied for the cold blast of air when I opened the shoji. My eyes went wide at the site before us.
"Oh," Kaoru gasped. It was probably beautiful for her, but for me it brought back chilling memories. I walked out first. We walked the small path leading to the house and slipped inside the kitchen where I had already started brewing the tea.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Kaoru asked, inquiring about the snow. Had she noticed my reaction to it? I didn't know.
"Yes." I replied with a smile. It's nothing. I reminded myself. It always snows this time of year… I pulled the boiling kettle away from the stove and poured two cups of tea, unable to look a the white that feel from the sky anymore. I'd try to keep up my façade, despite evidence that my past might be catching up with me.
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If anyone catches the foreshadowing in this chapter they get a lovable Battosai plushie! (He's wearing a pink gi too! XD) There's more than one hint of foreshadowing so just tell me what you think the foreshadowing is in your review. The chapter was meant to be longer, (I'm sorry they're all so short!) but when I reached the last line, I though it would be a good place to stop. ;D It's basically a cliff hanger. Anyway, here's a cute little omake (bonus) thanks to the inspiration of Sims are awsome!
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Kenshin:spots Kaoru: KAORU!
Kaoru:turns around: Kenshin!
Both start running to each other in slow motion while "Chariots of Fire" is playing in the back round.
Kenshin:in slow mo: KAOOOOORUUUUU!
Kaoru:in slow mo: KENSHIIIIIIIIN!
Kaoru reaches Kenshin.
Kaoru:hits Kenshin repeated times over the head with bokken: Baka Kenshin! You forgot to do the laundry!
Kenshin: Oro, and I though this was going to be a happy moment…
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Anyway, hope you liked it. Please review. I'd like some ideas because writers block is plaguing me! Also, tell me what you think about the quotes at the begining of each chapter, I'd like to know. Review, it's good for you, and it's good for me! It's also good for faster updates. ;P