Disclaimer: I do not own either Inuyasha or Rurouni Kenshin.
Chapter 11.
The morning greeted Kagome with a blazing light in her eyes. She'd only managed a few hours of sleep. Today was going to be a hard one. She got up and looked around. Some of the other women were starting to rouse and move. Kaede was already up and had a delicious smell coming from her cook pot.
Kagome got up and stepped outside the hut. The men were already awake and coming towards the hut. Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, and Miroku were coming up the road. Miroku looked helpless, as the two had resorted to verbal abuse of each other. Kagome was also surprised to see the young girl Rin chasing Sesshomaru along with Jaken right beside her. Great. How many more people are going to get drawn into this?
The men all reached Kaede's hut, and Hiko stepped forward. Jaken ran right into Hiko's leg and looked up at the giant man.
"Look out there, you stupid human!" Jaken said acidly as he waved his magic staff at the offending man.
Hiko deftly grabbed the staff away from Jaken. Jaken gasped and started to speak, but Hiko brought his foot down on him. He stomped a couple of times and then kicked Jaken into a high arc that sent him flying over the trees outside the village. Sesshomaru didn't even seem to notice. Rin however was laughing hysterically.
"At least not all demons are a threat," Hiko said simply.
"Good morning, Hiko-sama." Kagome said as nicely as she could.
Hiko looked at her coldly. "Where's Sango?"
"I'm here," Sango said as she wobbled out of the hut behind Kagome.
"You said something about being able to get weapons that could slay a demon did you not?" Hiko asked.
"Yes. But my clan was destroyed. There are still some weapons left there, but it is far way away in the mountains." Sango said apologetically.
"Old Totosai could probably fix us up." Inuyasha said helpfully. "He made our swords." He said as he flicked his hand to himself and his brother.
Hiko nodded. "Good we're going to need better weapons than we have now. I don't want to be left unprotected if those things come here."
"You can take Kirara, Inuyasha. She can have you there the fastest." Sango added helpfully.
"Good, because you need to heal." Inuyasha said. "I'm taking you with me too." Inuyasha said turning to Sesshomaru. "Kagome may have put a spell on you too, but I still don't trust you and I'm DEFINITELY not leaving you alone with Kagome."
Sesshomaru looked at Inuyasha with thinly veiled hate, but said nothing.
"Good, that's taken care of then." Hiko said satisfied. "Have the doctor woman and that old priestess go take care of Cho, Sanosuke, and Soujiro. They've got the worst injuries." Hiko looked at Aoshi for a moment before he added, "Have Misao help them."
"I'll go help too." Miroku said solemnly. "I am a monk and I also have some training in the healing arts."
Kagome looked up at Hiko. "But…"
"No 'buts'. Saitoh, Aoshi, and Anji. You three go look at the defenses of this place. We need to be ready for an attack. See if you can find places for us to stay. I don't intend to spend our time here in a shed." Saitoh nodded and walked away with Aoshi and Anji.
"But…" Kagome tried.
"No 'buts'. Kenshin, see about gathering some food together and have the ladies make food for the rest of us. Help them, and take it to the other men. On second thought, get Kaoru to help you look for food. I don't want her anywhere near a pot."
"Hey, what am I supposed to do? Ugly usually teaches me in the morning." Yahiko griped.
"The first thing you're going to do is find me some sake. Then you can show me what you know after you've done five hundred swings." Hiko said to the boy. "Now, before my hangover gets any worse."
Kenshin smiled as Yahiko went running down the road on his mission. He called to Kaoru in the hut before going in. Hiko then turned to Sango. "Go lie down in the storage building for now. You'll need to get your strength back and Megumi and the others will have you all in one place. As soon as you do, the other men and I want to know everything we can about these demons."
Sango went towards the storage building. Sesshomaru looked at Kagome for a moment before turning to the young girl behind him. "Rin, you are to stay with Kagome until I return." The young girl jumped to attention and then ran over to Kagome. She sniffed the air for a moment and then ran into the hut. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru left for the edge of the village leaving her alone with Hiko.
"What about the explanation you were wanting?" Kagome asked quietly.
"Save it for later. We have bigger concerns right now, safety being the foremost. We are men of action, knowing WHAT to do is often more important than knowing WHY." Hiko said patiently.
"What do you want me to do then?" Kagome said earnestly.
"I don't know. What can you do?" Hiko said.
"Not much really. I know a little about medicine, from what I've gotten from my books and what Kaede has taught me. Megumi and Kaede are still far better at it though. I'm not much good in a fight. I've relied mostly on Inuyasha and my friend to protect me."
"You didn't seem so powerless last night at the well. It was your power that got us here, and your power that stopped those two." Hiko said shortly pointing after the two demonic brothers.
"Yeah, but I'm still studying. Alanor-sama was supposed to be teaching me, but he isn't here right now. All I have are his things." Kagome looked back at the hut forlornly.
"Then you may consider me your sensei until he returns. I know nothing of magic, and don't intend too, but I know plenty about giving orders. Go get your books and bring them out here and we'll get started. My abilities as a teacher are nearly as great as my sword skill. We should be able to come up with something." Hiko sat down on a log next to the hut.
Kagome went inside to get her things. Tae had taken over cooking with Tsubame, Tokio, and oddly, Kamatari. Megumi and Misao were heading out to take care of the wounded while Kaede was playing with the children. Kagome had never seen her happier. She looked like someone had given her a hut full of grandchildren. She gathered Shippou and the three little girls and took them outside to play. Ayame and Suzume were a little nervous, not knowing where their grandfather was, but Shippou had them laughing and smiling. This Rin girl looked to be enjoying the company as well. What was Sesshomaru doing with a human kid?
Kenshin and Kaoru headed out for the river to catch some fish and gather some food, so Kagome picked up her pack and the suitcase Alanor had sent with them and went outside. Hiko was waiting, as she moved over next to him and started opening the bags.
Yahiko returned with a jug of sake, and Hiko's mood visibly improved. "Good, now five hundred swings." He said.
"I haven't got a sword, old man." Yahiko said defiantly.
"Good, I'd hate to see a baka deshi like you cut his foot off. Go get a stick of about the right size and weight and come back here and get started on those seven hundred swings." Hiko said quietly, savoring the taste of the sake.
"Hey, you said five hundred!" Yahiko retorted.
"Eight hundred." Hiko continued.
Realizing the futility, and wanting to get some training from Kenshin's master sometime before he turned as old as Kenshin, Yahiko set off to find a weapon, grumbling every step of the way.
"The kid has a good spirit. I wish Kenshin had been as rebellious when he was that age. The boy is as stubborn as iron." Hiko said appreciatively.
"Doesn't that make it harder to teach him?" Kagome asked curious.
"Not really, have you ever seen a blacksmith forge mud?" Hiko smirked.
"Good point." Kagome noted.
She looked through her bags. She pulled out her own things and her own books. She had a few things that the others might consider 'magic', but mostly she wanted to get out the things she had brought back for Shippou. Coloring books, crayons, and huge lollipops, all these worked their own special magic when it came to controlling small children. She was going to need them too looking at the growing number of children her little group was accumulating.
Inside Alanor's suitcase she pulled out several bags that appeared to be empty. She opened one of them and was amazed to find that it was full. On the outside it appeared empty, but on the inside it was full of things. Kagome began pulling out different articles. She pulled out Alanor's gray cloak, and pulled out a pair of blue jeans. When she pulled out a pair of boxer shorts she blushed and quickly stuffed the rest of the clothes back in.
"Nothing, magical in there!" She said quickly as she stuffed the bag back in the suitcase.
The next bag held books. These were more interesting, or at least more useful. The titles were all in western letters, but she was able to make them out. There was Modern Magical Energy Theory, Applied Thaumaturgy, Physiology of Demons, Temporal Distortion Magic, Oxnard's Book of Common Magic, Mystical History of the Far East, and The Book of People: A Historical Handbook for Time Travelers.
Kagome set aside the other bags for a moment and looked at the books. She had seen Alanor using the one about people. She gingerly opened the book. She found the pages about the different people. They were all blank.
"I wonder why I don't see anybody? Alanor was able to look at all of you." Kagome said perplexed.
Hiko sat back and thought about it for a moment. "I wonder how we were all conveniently in one book too."
Kagome thought back to the lesson at the well. Imagine them with you and you can carry anyone you wish. Kagome looked at the book and imagined Master Hiko. Nothing happened. She sighed and turned the page to find him staring back at her from the page. Hiko swore and stood up as he saw his image in the book. Kagome looked at the writing. It was in Japanese ready to be read.
"I take it you figured out how to use the book." Hiko said sitting down trying to cover his own shock. Yahiko came running up with a wooden stick about the size of the one he used to train with.
"It's about time, one thousand for being slow." Hiko said moodily.
Yahiko moaned and set to doing his swings. Kagome started reading. Master Hiko, thirteenth and last master of the Hiten Mitsarugi Style. Real Name: Fujita Watanabe. Son of a noble house of samurai, exiled for arrogance and impertinence to his uncle. Kagome scanned the rest of the history. It was pretty complete. She stopped at the next section. Currently displaced in the feudal era of Japan by novice Kagome Higurashi. Kagome gulped and looked at the next section. Significant historical references: Taught Hiten Mitsarugi to Kenshin Himura, see reference to Hitokiri Battousi in chapter on Bakumatsu.
Curious, Kagome turned to her own page. She looked at herself standing there, but the page was blank except for the words: Destiny erased by order of the High Wizards Council. Kagome looked up at Hiko who had apparently been reading over her shoulder. "Impertinence indeed." He said turning back to Yahiko.
Kagome looked at Yahiko too and turned to his page. Alanor had told them all to protect Yahiko and Tsubame at all costs. Name: Yahiko Myoujin, orphaned son of a samurai. Kagome scanned his past. It was an interesting tale, until something caught her eye. Yahiko rescued his future wife, Tsubame from a gang of street thugs that were threatening her.
Kagome looked at Yahiko, no big surprise there. The next section though was more disturbing. Currently displaced in the feudal era of Japan by novice Kagome Higurashi; must be returned to own time, see historical references. Kagome looked at the historical references. One stood out more than the others as it was outlined in red. Yahiko is ancestor to other historical figures, must not be disrupted from producing children with Tsubame, high probability of temporal distortion and possible destruction of Earth if disrupted.
Kagome looked at Hiko. "Where's Earth?" He asked.
"It's the whole world, including Japan." Kagome said slowly.
Hiko looked at Yahiko practicing. Kagome couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he was definitely thinking something.
Kenshin had to admit they had more fish in the past. He never was very adept at fishing, but here they seemed to be in abundance. He carried the fish in to the hut for Tae and then set out to find the other men with the food that Tae had prepared. He nearly dropped the bag when he stepped out of the hut.
Yahiko was standing in front of one of the huts while Kagome pulled back her bow. "Kagome-dono, STOP!" Kenshin cried as he ran to stop her.
Kagome loosed her arrow as Kenshin got to Yahiko, so he threw himself in front of him. He didn't know why Kagome had gone crazy, but he couldn't let Yahiko get hurt. Kenshin felt the arrow pierce his back, and then heard the solid 'THUNK' as it stuck into the wall.
"Kenshin! You're messing up my practice!" Yahiko yelled at him.
Kenshin looked down at the arrow in the wall and then looked down at himself. There was no wound.
"What's going on?" Kenshin said surprised at not being dead.
"Kagome is helping me train Yahiko, baka. As a priestess her sacred arrows only strike evil. She couldn't hurt Yahiko with them if she tried. Now if you don't mind, Yahiko is trying to learn to catch arrows." Hiko was sitting on the log flipping idly through one of Kagome's books.
Kenshin stepped back out of the way and tried to resist the urge to jump when Kagome drew back and fired at Yahiko. Yahiko made a valiant grab for the arrow, but it slid straight through his chest and buried itself in the wall. Kenshin watched as Yahiko retrieved about six such arrows from Kagome and carried them over to her.
"I'm still not getting it." Yahiko said glumly.
"Don't worry, Yahiko. You nearly caught the last one. We'll keep trying until you get it right." Kagome said happily.
Kenshin shook his head and went back inside for a moment. Kaoru was coming out and nearly jumped sky high when she saw what Yahiko was doing. Kenshin grabbed her arm as she ran to cover him. "He's practicing Kaoru-dono." Kenshin said in a shaken voice. "Let's just take this food to the others."
Dinner that night was a solemn affair. Sano and Cho had managed to hobble out to the large campfire Kenshin had made, and Soujiro was up and moving with a crutch Misao had gotten for him.
Night was descending on the village while they were talking. "So you say that this village is Tokyo of the past?" Hiko said incredulously.
"The road here is laid out in nearly the same identical location as the one that runs through town in our time." Saitoh was saying. "We're in a time before nearly everything we've ever known had been built. We even found where the Kamiya dojo is supposed to be eventually. It's on the other side of the river, at the edge of the forest. The Akabeko is going to be built over there." Saitoh pointed to a row of huts.
Kenshin thought about this for a moment. He himself was descended from lowly peasants far from Tokyo. "Kagome-dono, is it possible for us to be interacting with some of our ancestors here?"
Everyone looked at Kagome. "I checked the book Alanor left me and found only one villager related to any of you. One of the farmers here is an ancestor of Kaoru-san. That's the only one. He has a large family and hasn't even been given the surname Kamiya yet. Her family won't have that for another four generations or so."
Kaoru nodded. Kenshin had known hers was an old family. He didn't realize how old though. She didn't have any brothers to carry on the name either. Something bothered him about that.
"The rest of us are pretty safe as long as we don't go marrying into the village here, or start killing any villagers."
"So we've been drawn into the past because you were chased into our time by demons, is that correct?" Saitoh was saying. "Why did they chase you there, and why were you there in the first place?"
"Lay off Saitoh, this isn't an interrogation." Kenshin muttered.
"It's alright, Himura-san. I owe all of you an explanation. Demons dragged me into this time myself from the future. Your year was 1875. My year is 2003. I was brought here because I was the reincarnated soul of a priestess who lived in this time period named Kikyo. She was Lady Kaede's sister. I was born bearing this sacred jewel in my body. When I was brought here a demon ripped it out of me and shortly thereafter it was broken into many pieces. My friends and I gathered the pieces from a wicked demon named Naraku. When we had finally recovered all the pieces, Alanor showed up and told me that I could never return to my time because the demons wouldn't rest until they had sought out the jewel wherever and whenever it went. I decided to stay here with Inuyasha to help protect me and the jewel, but Inuyasha's sword style isn't exactly the best."
"Non-existent, would be the term I'd use." Sango put in sourly.
"Anyway, he's fast and he's strong because of his half demon blood, but he needs training. I found an article in one of my history books talking about the Bakumatsu. It said that the three greatest swordsmen of the time were Kenshin Himura, Hajime Saitoh, and Aoshi Shinomori. I set out to your time to try to find someone to teach Inuyasha how to properly use his sword. I didn't mean to drag you all into this. I thought I would be able to find one of you and convince you to come back here and teach Inuyasha. I didn't know the demons would be so close on my trail. I'm so sorry." Kagome was crying now.
Tae got up and put an arm around Kagome. "It's alright dear. You didn't know what would happen."
"Yeah, that bloody thing that came after you jammed that log in the well and stranded you there. It's not your fault." Sano agreed.
"Besides," Soujiro added in, "with the exception of some of the ladies here, we're all thoroughly acquainted with danger. The enemies might have changed, but risking our lives has come to be something of an occupational trait."
"So why are there demons in this time, but not in our own?" Kaoru asked.
"According to this book," Hiko said holding up the book he'd been looking at all day, "the demons all came to Japan in search of the sacred jewel. It's been around for longer than anybody can care to remember and the demons have been trying to get their hands on it the entire time. According to what this book calls 'conventional history' the demons maintained a demon gate that allowed them access to our world from the netherworld. They attacked and destroyed anything resembling a threat to them and searched for the jewel. Once it disappeared, they eventually lost interest in keeping the demon gate open and closed it."
"But now it's reappeared in this time, because I brought it back with me. Since I have it here now they won't close the gate and they'll just keep coming. They'll never close the gate until they get the jewel and destroy us with it." Kagome said sullenly.
"I guess that's as good of an explanation as any." Hiko said finally. "We should all get some sleep. Tomorrow we need to get started on something."
"More orders old man?" Saitoh said coldly.
"No, just suggestions. I don't think anyone here is going to be going back home to our time since leaving things the way they are probably means we won't have a time to go back to. We need to figure out where this demon gate is and close it, by force if necessary. We also need to build us someplace to stay. We can all decide that tomorrow."
Slowly the group dispersed to whatever dwelling they'd managed to come up with. Some of the huts in the village had been deserted, and the men had decided upon one thing by mutual agreement; no one was staying alone. Kenshin caught up to Kaoru, and walked next to her.
"Is something the matter Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin said to the little angel of his life.
"I was just thinking about the dojo. I wonder if it isn't better that we ended up here." Kaoru said as she walked towards the hut that Kaede had given her. "I mean I have no brothers to carry on the name of my father. The Kamiya dojo is nearly abandoned, and Yahiko is my only real student. Today he was practicing with Master Hiko and I've never seen him happier. Maybe I should just quit trying to be a teacher and find something else to do."
Kenshin looked at Kaoru and his heart was ready to break for her. He knew how much Kaoru needed to teach her sword style, he also new how much her family meant to her. He knew it because she had pretty much adopted a street kid, and taken in a couple of freeloading wanderers with checkered pasts and made them feel like family. All this time she had asked nothing in return. She might ask him to do laundry, or to do some chore for her, but she had never asked for anything as extraordinary as the caring and compassion she'd shown all of them. Kenshin felt less worthy of her now than he ever had before.
Kenshin stepped inside the hut with Kaoru. It was a small, one-room affair, and could barely be called a hut. Kaoru went and sat down heavily on the blankets against the back of the hut. She was hurting and Kenshin didn't know how to stop it. "Kaoru-dono, this unworthy one can't stand to see you hurt…"
"Oh, just stop it Kenshin!" Kaoru yelled finally. The dam had given way and the tears flowed down her cheeks. "All I ever hear from you is 'this unworthy one' this and 'Kaoru-dono' that. Why do you have to put me up on a shelf so far out of reach? I can't keep measuring up to the goddess you make me out to be! I can't cook, I can't be a lady, damn it even Kamatari is more feminine than I am! I can't even be a man either. My students are gone, and I can never hope to be as strong as the rest of you! Yahiko is right. I am ugly and I'm useless when it comes to fighting because you always have to come and rescue me! I can't do anything right!" Kaoru broke down then and wept bitterly against her blankets.
Kenshin stood there stunned for a few minutes. "Kaoru-dono. I mean, Kaoru. You are not worthless. You are kind, and compassionate. You have helped me be at peace with my past when I alone could not. Your sword style is not about being the strongest, but about helping people. You have been the one to set the example for the rest of us. There are men out here that I once called my enemies, that are now my friends and allies, because you helped me keep the killer inside of me at bay. Please don't cry, Kaoru. If I have made you cry, I am sorry. I am not worth crying over…"
Kaoru slapped him. Hard. "Kenshin no baka! Stop saying that! Don't you realize you are the same things you just got done attributing to me? You have risked your life to save me more times than I can mention! It hasn't always been your enemies either. Gohei was mine. Kenshin, why won't you let me…"
Kenshin looked at Kaoru confused. She had stopped suddenly and was holding her hands to her mouth. "Why won't I let you do what Kaoru?"
"WHY WON'T YOU LET ME LOVE YOU?" Kaoru cried finally.
Kenshin sat down hard across from Kaoru. He stared at her for a long time while she cried. She was crying because of him. Kenshin lowered his eyes. She had never cared about his past. She had always accepted him, no, loved him in spite of it. He had rescued her from Enishi. He knew he cared about her, and what was more she knew he cared for her. He had never told her though. She knew everything; his past, Tomoe, and still she loved him.
"Kenshin please say something." Kaoru cried. "I have held all this inside for so long because I was afraid it would drive you away. I was afraid you would go back to wandering and you would leave me. When you went to Kyoto I nearly died from loosing you. I'll die without you by my side Kenshin. I can't go on pretending anymore, I need you. Please don't hate me."
Kenshin looked up at Kaoru. His Kaoru. She belonged to no one else, and never would. He had grown too comfortable with the way things had been. He had hoped it would never change. What he realized now was that it had to change. He couldn't leave Kaoru like this. He could never leave her, period.
"Kaoru, I can't leave you. I tried to trick myself into believing that when I left for Kyoto I was doing what was best for you. I thought of you with every step I took towards Kyoto. You are the reason I'm alive. I would have given up and died at the hands of Shishio if I hadn't known you were waiting for me to come back; to come home, to you. Kaoru, if you will have me, I will spend the rest of my life taking care of you. I will spend the rest of my life giving you anything I can."
"Kenshin, all I've ever wanted was you, but it isn't enough that you belong to me like some sort of slave like you've made yourself out to be. I want to belong to you. I want to be yours and to know that I am wanted." Kaoru said sagging visibly.
Kenshin was still a little stunned. She wanted to be his? He had always thought of Kaoru as independent, not wanting anyone else to take care of her. Kenshin had always cared for her and respected what he thought were her wishes. He had stayed by her side and served her. He belonged to her, and was hers to command, but to have her belong to him as well?
Kenshin reached a decision. He saw now what would make her happy. He got up and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. "Kaoru, I promise you that I will never make you cry again. Be patient with me until we return home, and I will do everything in my power to make all your dreams come true. I will not let your family name end with you. Master Hiko gave me the name Kenshin, and the name Himura was granted by my masters during the Bakumatsu, but if you will have me, I will become your husband and I will take the name my parents gave me. My real name is Shinta, and I will become Kamiya Shinta for you. Kaoru will you be my wife."
Kaoru looked up at Kenshin and repeated the name silently. "Yes, Kenshin. I will marry you. It's all I've wanted since the moment I met you."
Kenshin leaned down and kissed Kaoru again. He looked back at the door, and then shrugged. He had planned on sleeping outside in front of the door. Instead he moved down next to Kaoru in the blankets and wrapped his arms around her. Kaoru wiggled into his embrace and snuggled close to him as he wrapped the blankets around them. I am a baka. Kenshin thought. To think all this time I could have had all this.