Chapter 12: Stay Away

"Sessha's been distracted lately," Kenshin told Aoshi as he began to undress. Aoshi had just finished up and was redressing. "Sessha can't concentrate."

"Don't moan your problems to me, Battousai," Aoshi replied quietly as he pulled his jacket on. "Try putting your concentration on something other than what you left behind."

"Left behind?" He asked, pulling his hair down and wrapping the tie around his hand.

"That woman of yours," Aoshi said. "That's all you've been thinking about."

"Sessha supposes that's true…" Kenshin mumbled. "He's seeing Kaoru-dono in everyone, which sounds really insulting."

Aoshi took his cue to walk away. "Like I said, don't moan your problems to me. Talk to someone who cares."

"Oro…" Kenshin mumbled, stepping into the hot spring and sinking in, rubbing his aching joints. "Maybe if sessha had some time to talk to someone who cares…"

-

Kaoru finished her bowl of rice quickly, though after the fish she wasn't hungry. She knew that she wouldn't be eating until the next night.

As she returned her bowl, she sighed. I feel weird… I really want to see Kenshin right now…She went back to her futon where Yahiko sat, still eating.

"What's the matter?" Yahiko asked, his mouth full of food. Of course he'd forget his manners.

"Nothing," She said. "I just feel down I guess. Don't worry about it."

"Whatever," Yahiko shrugged.

"Kahei-kun!" A cheerful voice rang over the crowd of men heading for their food.

She looked up. "Oh… Tomi…"

He plopped down in front of her and Yahiko and beamed. "Sorry I had to run off earlier."

"Megumi called you away," Kaoru said. "Why?"

"Oh, it's not a big deal. She's always doing that. Even back in Tokyo, she was always checking on me and ruining my moments with my koibito."

"Hey, I know you," Yahiko said. "You're Tae-san's boyfriend!"

"What? Tae-san?" Kaoru exclaimed. She didn't even know Tae was even seeing anyone, much less that it was Tomi.

"Heh-heh… yeah…" He said, blushing. "Tae is my girlfriend…"

"Really? I don't believe it!" Kaoru exclaimed. "She didn't even mention anything!"

"Well, I'm not a very public person… I'm always inside usually. No one would even know who I am…"

"I didn't even know your name," Yahiko said. "I'd just seen you two together a lot."

Tomi seemed quite proud. "I'm glad we've been seen together. That's the only way I want to be seen. I'm incomplete without her on my arm."

Yahiko rolled his eyes and laughed. "She's always bragging about how sweet you are to Tsubame."

"Oh, that's right, you're Tsubame's boyfriend, Yahiko, right?"

"Y-yeah…" He replied, blushing.

Kaoru smiled at both of them. Boys in love. If only she could snag a certain red-head… Well, it definitely wasn't going to happen here, and she'd accepted that, but it still would've been nice to be cared for that way.

"So, why is Megumi always calling you away?" Yahiko asked. "She's constantly taking you away from Tae-san."

"Oh…" He said slowly, and was silent for a second. "I'm really weak. I guess she thinks that's a problem."

"That's odd," Yahiko said. "Are you telling us the truth?"

Tomi was wandering away.

"HEY!" Yahiko yelled, getting his 'I'm going to bite your head' face.

Kaoru smiled in embarrassment, then stared off after Tomi with a serious expression. Talk about a peculiar guy…He's hiding something…

Kaoru was laying in bed, almost asleep, when Kenshin's team returned. She opened her blue eyes and stared as they headed up the stairs to the room where they would be fed. Kenshin was the last one in the building, and he didn't look well. He walked slowly, slumped over and deep in thought.

She reached out and took hold of his pant leg.

He turned to look at her, somewhat startled. "Oh…" He mumbled.

"Are you okay?" She asked concernedly.

After a moment, he nodded. "Yes… Sessha is fine. Just thinking."

"Well… okay…" She said, letting go.

He took a step, froze, looked back, and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something.

"Yes?" She asked, blushing.

He took a deep breath, then sighed. "It's nothing," He told her, smiling. "Sessha is just… missing someone he had to leave behind…"

Kaoru blushed even deeper. Is he talking about me?… "Hey, man, weren't you the one giving that speech about leaving them behind?"

"Yes," He said, chuckling somewhat sadly. "I suppose I was."

Kaoru laid back down. "I'm sorry…" She wished she could tell him the truth, but she knew it would jeopardize her situation. He'd end up forcing her into the background while he did everything he could to protect her and end up losing his mind. She didn't want that. She wanted the opposite!

"You don't have to be sorry," He smiled. "Sleep well. You've got an early start tomorrow."

She nodded, shutting her eyes.

Kenshin stared at her and then shook his head, heading up the rest of the steps. Aoshi glanced at him as he passed on the second floor.

"Sessha needs to stop seeing her in men…" He whispered. "He has to be going crazy, and she'd be very insulted if she found out…"

"You are going crazy," Aoshi told him. "You're talking to yourself. Shut up."

Kenshin slumped a bit and didn't protest.

He was a lot more sane than he thought.

-

Kaoru had a dream that night.

She was standing in the middle of a battlefield, and many men surrounded her, dead. She ran to get away, but it seemed to never end. The blood red sky towered over her, black clouds billowing in circles.

"Kaoru…" A voice called.

She looked up upon the hill of corpses she was climbing and met eyes with a golden-eyed demon.

"Battousai…" She yelped. "You've gone mad, Kenshin!"

"All will pay for the crimes they have committed," He said, though it wasn't in his voice. It was some sort of beast's voice (dreams often distorted things greatly). "Including you."

He swung his bloody sword down upon her.

"Kenshin, NO!" She cried.

"Ah," She choked, snapping her eyes open and gasping for air. She'd been worrying about it too much. "Okay… I just need to look at things logically…" She rose into a sitting position. "Kenshin would never act like that, not even if he was out for blood… There aren't that many people here, and the sky never looks red like that…"

She plopped back down and let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah… looking at things logically always help make bad dreams go away…" She pulled her blankets over her. "Still… I can't help feeling worried… as if it's a sign…" She shut her eyes. "I can't let that happen…"

Saitou slid open his door a crack and peeked through, narrowing his eyes.

"Damn it…" He whispered. "You're full of mysteries and surprises, aren't you…"

-

Kaoru was starting to get used to getting up early, and now her arms didn't hurt at all. She already felt much stronger than she used to.

She managed to break the punching bag of sorts in half the time it took her last time.

The man that finished seconds before her seemed cocky, slicking his brown hair back on his head. "You think you got what it takes to beat me, boy?" He asked, his blue eyes glimmering.

Kaoru didn't retort. She'd learned better than that on her first day.

The guy straightened his light-green shirt, readied his bandaged fists, and ran at her.

She dodged him, sliding her sandals through the dirt.

The guy tried for an upper cut, but Kaoru dodged, ducked, and swung, nailing him in the face.

"Weak," She said flatly.

"Good work, Kasuhige," Shoji's voice called. "Nice improvement."

He just gave me a compliment! She thought, shocked.

"BRAT!" The guy yelled, punching her in the gut. She hadn't recovered fast enough to dodge.

Her eyes narrowed. "Son of a…" That was when her foot 'accidentally' landed in the man's 'happy place'.

As he curled up on the ground, letting out little squeaks of pain, she smacked her hands together and grinned. "I am not a brat."

"Nice job, Kasuhige," Shoji said, putting his long-fingered hand on her shoulder. "It's about time you started getting up to par with the others."

He's bad at giving compliments, She said to herself.

"Ah… t…thank you?"

"Now get to work," He said, lowering any amiability that was in his voice to nothing. "-and you-" He told the man on the ground. "Come with me."

Kaoru knew that man was about to be hung by his wrists.

"Sir," She called. "I… I don't think that's necessary, sir… I mean, it's not that big a deal…"

"Do you want to hang next to him, Kasuhige?"

"No, sir… but he didn't do anything to be punished. He has no reason to-" She began.

He smacked her across the face. "Do not question my ways, boy, or I'll hang you up there all night."

She held her face and glared at him. "Yes, sir…" She mumbled, scowling. He walked away. "Hard ass."

"Kahei-kun, are you okay?" Tomi asked, approaching her slowly.

"Yeah," She replied dryly. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, Megumi-san…"

"Again?" Kaoru asked straightening his gi for him. The boy was sloppy with everything he did, though she could tell he tried not to be. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing!" He cried defensively, holding up his hands. "She just worries too much, really!"

Kaoru watched him for a second, then sighed. "Oh… okay…" She said hesitantly, walking away.

Tomi let out a sigh.

Kaoru made her way through the crowd, when her wrist was grabbed roughly and suddenly, and she was pulled back to face Megumi.

"Ah-" Kaoru began.

"Listen to me. I want you to stay away from Fujisaki Tomi," She said sternly.

"Huh? Why?" Kaoru retorted.

"I'm looking out for your health. Stay away from him."

"…but…" Kaoru looked over in Tomi's direction. Her eyes widened when she saw him hunched over, coughing. Megumi pushed Kaoru aside and went to aide him.

Kaoru stared, trying to see what was going on, but a hand on her shoulder led her away. Only when she took her eyes off of Tomi and Megumi did she see a most unexpected face.

"S-Saitou!" She yelped.

"Don't look," He told her.

"Look at what?"

"Just listen to the woman. She knows what she's talking about. Go on and find something better to do with your time." He shoved her away from him.

"…but… Tomi's my friend…" She muttered.