Disclaimer: (jumping for joy) I do not own RK (laughing till fall) no no, I do not have a fever, I just do not own RK (twirling around) I so do not own RK
AN: if you do not get it, I don't own RK and I'm happy
Okay I shall make it plain: Irony, Sarcasm, Satire … (wonder if I spelt correctly…)
Now on with the story …… recap first though
RECAP
Another blur came in between the two attacking man. Using … kitchen knifes? Someone defended and stopped the attack from going past herself. She crossed her hands, with speed matched by perhaps the two attackers themselves, the two swords landed on the knifes and then she turned around twisting her hands in a way that she was now stuck in between swords and knifes but all narrowing missing her kimono.
"I refuse to let anyone die in MY dojo because of a stupid meaningless fight!"
Kaoru turned and glared into Battousai's amber eyes with her black shadowy ones.
"And, I will not let my shishou die this easily!"
Now on with the story ……
Two Ex-Hitokiris in the house
Chap 2 – Shishou and Deshi
Not moving an inch from this awkward position, Kenshin raised an eyebrown, "Saitou, since when do you have a deshi."
Saitou smirked, eyeing at Kaoru's determined expressions, he continued "she is not my student" and then completely ignored the red-head who was currently very confused but did not let the uncertainty over the situation show. The wolf let go of his grip of his sword and relaxed, though not letting his guard down. His sword clatter onto the dojo floor and broke into pieces.
"Tch, I need to get a new sword. Swords nowadays." and then continued to Kaoru, surprising everyone in the dojo. "I was wondering when you would come out"
Kaoru narrowed her shadowy eyes and said in a voice that chilled everyone (except for herself and Saito). "Saito, what is your real aim in coming here."
Kenshin suppressed a shiver. Even Battousai was bewildered. Too many questions and no one were able to answer them yet. Why did Kaoru call out 'shishou'? Who is that 'shishou'? How sweet, innocent Kaoru did become this cold? (Battousai: not sweet now eh though I prefer her this way) Weren't her eyes sapphire, why is it black now?
Saito laughed, took out a cigarette and lit it, much to the disgust of Kaoru. "You catch on quick, answer that yourself."
Kaoru would have narrowed her eyes further if that was possible, "Get out of my dojo now. I won't have you smoking in my house."
"Whatever for, I'd be missing all the fun of them, realizing what is your past."
Kaoru took an even deep breath "You are not welcome here. Out. Now." Kaoru said all these quietly and calmly, perhaps too soft and too calm.
Saito continue to smoke his cigarette, not budging from that spot… though not for long. A split second later, a kitchen knife brushed in front of him, cutting the cigarette into several pieces. He raised his head and saw Kaoru standing straight with another knife between her fingers, eyes narrowing,
"I'll be aiming for the packet next, and trust me, my aim is excellent."
Saito gave a cold smile. He knew that she identified where the packet of cigarette is. It was in the breast pocket of his uniform, meaning that she was aiming for his heart. He pivoted before walking away, "I'll be back."
Only when she was sure Saito was out of range before Kaoru relaxed. She mentally speculated. Solemnly and slowly, she turned around as she knew there was a lot to explain, especially to Kenshin.
She glanced around into the faces of Yahiko and Sanosuke. Yep, there were questions running through their eyes, but surprisingly they had not gone shooting off with the enquiries buzzing through their head. Sad to note, there was slight fear present in both of their ki. 'Quite naturally,' she thought depressingly, 'after all, I threatened to kill a police officer cum ex-hitokiri'
Kenshin on the other hand was unreadable. He kept his head down, bangs covering his eye-line and therefore refused any eye contact with anyone at all, especially Kaoru.
Kaoru kept her disappointment to herself and got distracted by the blood flowing out of Kenshin's wound. She broke the silence.
"We have to fix that wound up…" She hesitated before adding "shishou"
That was when there were finally some reactions.
Kenshin looked up startled. Staring at Kaoru with his amber eyes and cried out loud, "ORO!"
The fact that he was still Battousai did not help the situation at all.
Sano and Yahiko just plainly went hysterical.
"What on Earth!-"
"SHISHOU!-"
"You nuts!-"
"Not possible! AT ALL!"
"Yahiko-kun, please fetch Megumi-san here, she needs to see shishou… Kenshin's wound. Sanosuke-kun, please rest… umm… in your room, if not when Megumi-san comes, she will personally see to it that I do not live a good life. " Out of the noise, she still could be heard even though she did not raise her voice at all. The two instantaneously fell silent, but stayed where they were.
First they were already bombarded with questions that remain unanswered, second, Kaoru's eyes were in a creepy black colour shade, and third, she had just stop two hitokiris from murdering one another.
Kaoru fidgeted uncomfortably, and went to fetch some medication and bandages. She knew perfectly that her eyes were in that shade of black that only happens when she came out……
"Out now." Both Yahiko and Sano jumped an inch. (Not that it was possible for Sano to so but he did anyways.) Kaoru merely turned around. Kenshin spoke quietly, on the observation that both of them would not go do their biddings unless he did so. Besides he needed to find out who on earth that girl was. His voice was low, soft but commanding and frightening. He was truly a hitokiri.
Yahiko scurried out, as Sano limped back into his rest room, leaving a glaring, red head, amber eyed ex-hitokiri and a calm, black head and eyed, claiming-to-be deshi.
The atmosphere went still for a moment. Tension rose. Kaoru was staring at Kenshin while the latter was glaring in disbelief back at her.
Kaoru gave a sweet smile despite the tensed situation, and walked towards Kenshin. Her black eyes eyed at his wounds and pressed him to sit down. Shocked, Kenshin sat down rather hardly and Kaoru immediately set off to work.
She gently cleaned his wound and slowly bandaged it.
All the while, Kenshin was even more confused. 'Her actions, where have I seen them before? All this is so familiar. Her way of bandaging … it is as if it happened before, but when. She's not a doctor and almost all my wounds during the war are bandaged by the doctor except for…… and she claims to be my student. I have not taught anyone Hiten Mitsurugi before … except… … no it can't be… he, she…she's dead… impossible…'
"Who are you?" Kenshin exploded out suddenly.
That had hardly stunned Kaoru in any way, as if she anticipated that outburst. She just continued to bandage his wounds, much to the dislike of the irritated Battousai.
"Answer me." apparently, Battousai did not like to be ignored.
"All done." Kaoru ghostly smiled and took the box of medication away to put to its original place.
She stood up and walked away from where Kenshin was deep in thought. She was slightly heart-broken, Kenshin had not remembered who she was… not that she had expected him to have remembered her right away in the first place, though he had been living with her for a year already (AN: is it a year?) but there was still a tinsy winsy hope.
She sighed. "Oh well, that's life." She placed the box down.
Her senses sharpened. Sensing a familiar ki that was flaring nearby, she smiled. She should have known that her Shishou would try and attack her, even with a wound that serious.
'if a fight is what it takes to recognize me, a fight he shall get.'
She stomped hard on the wooden floor. It flipped up, revealing a hole in the dojo floor. She swiftly opened the covering, revealing a katana. A real katana. She picked it up, and unsheathed the katana just in time to block Kenshin's ryu sho sen (dragon flight flash) with her own counter attack of ryu sho sen. Kenshin, being the master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu (well not really), blocked it.
To Kaoru, it was no big deal. In fact, she was enjoying it.
To Kenshin, it was the greatest shock. 'Rarely anyone could stop ryu sho sen especially with another ryu sho sen. How did she learn the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu?'
They continued to battle, both using Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Whenever Kenshin used one attack of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Kaoru would use exactly the attack back at him. The tension increases as two blurs crashes at each other, and bouncing back. Both equally matched in strength and speed. After five minutes of intense battle, though it was what seems like an hour…
"Sou ryu sen kaminori!" (twin dragon flash thunder) With an incredible spurt of speed, Kenshin used both the sword and sheath to attack. (AN: I think it works this way is it?)
"Perfect" was her only answer. She blocked the attack with her own sword and sheath.
They froze at contact, both breathing heavily.
Kaoru smiled, panting slightly, "if you had believed that I am your student, you wouldn't have executed that attack."
"I want to know, whether you are … … her," he whispered, eyes slightly in a daze, as if hopeful, yet exasperated.
Kenshin noticed Kaoru widened her smile mysteriously; her eyes glinted with familiar anticipation. "I am"
She started spinning her sheath with a speed that only Kenshin had and Kenshin's Sakabatou was 'blown' off his grip. She stopped her spinning and gracefully knock Kenshin's sheath off his hand as well… as Kenshin stared wide-eyed at her.
After her successful attacks against Kenshin, she landed and then turned towards him. She tilted her head at Kenshin's shocked expressions, "So, are you convinced?"
"…" He gave a blank look.
"Kenshin?" Kaoru stared at him.
"…"
"Hello? Earth to Kenshin Himura." Kaoru took a step closer and waved a hand in front of him.
"…"
"Himura!" Kaoru raised her voice…
"…" There was still no reaction. It was both weird and worrying at the same time. She tried another way of waking him up.
"Shishou…"
Now that had gained a reaction…
"Kyo!" Kenshin shouted Kaoru's fake name from Bakumatsu and made to hug her, but her hands held up in time.
"You are injured you know…" Kaoru eyed at Battousai's smile. It was so wide that it could even match the rurouni's.
"You'd think I give a damn, Kyoko" and he hugged Kaoru despite his injuries. Kaoru was a little shocked. It was rare that Battousai actually show some affection.
"I thought you were dead, a long time ago… Kyoko…" He whispered his student's both names from the past. It brought back sweet memories.
Now Kaoru was shocked. 'No wonder he did not remember me at first. He wanted to forget me as he thought I was dead. But why did he think I was dead in the first place?'
"Shishou, what makes you think I can't live as well as you can." Kaoru hugged him back. "I did after all learn Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu from you…" she thought 'You should have a bit more faith in me, Shishou'
"No… no Iizuka insisted that you were dead, Katsura too… they said…"
Kaoru silenced Kenshin, "well I'm alive now aren't I?"
The Battousai gave a small smile, "Who knew I had been living with my deshi for the past year."
Kaoru nodded.
"Care to spar?" Kenshin made a random comment.
Kaoru widened her eyes, "Are you insane? You are injured! Is that the only thing you can think of, even in the past… besides Megumi would murder me…"
"Come on…"
"You're whining like a kid. No."
"Fine…"
"What?" Kaoru frowned at Kenshin in disbelief at his quick agreement and thought that he had a more evil plot behind his monosyllabic answer.
"We have other things to settle anyways, and because I am injured, you can't strike back…" Battousai gave his student namely Kaoru, his most evil smile.
"What … things to sett- haha…hey stop haha…no…haha…fair…"
The dojo door slipped open revealing a black-haired doctor, a young boy and an ex-gangster.
They were all wide mouthed, eyes so big till eyeballs could pop up anytime.
Battousai had been tickling Kaoru, which explain their current placing which was that the red head was almost on top of the latter. They were having so much fun that they forgotten that the rest of habitants of the dojo existed. They had been so relaxed that they didn't realize the group came.
Immediately, they sprang from each other, and immediately settled down. What startled the trio was that not only both of them had the same amount of god-like speed, their way of sitting had been exactly identical. Both kneeling down in such a straight position and hands neatly overlapped on their own thighs.
"What on earth were you two doing?" two pairs of unfamiliar black eyes and amber eyes stared back at her. Megumi blinked several times. Black? Amber? What on earth was happening?
"Whatever. Ken-san, would you take off your gi, I need to check your wounds." The doctor took out her medical box.
"That's Himura for you, woman."
Megumi froze in her mid-action.
Battousai. That explains amber eyes… but the black eyes… She took an even deep breath. She was still a doctor and she was going to maintain composure in front of everybody and be professional, even if the patient was Battousai. She involuntarily shuddered.
"Give Megumi a break Shishou, she doesn't know."
"Shishou!" So much for composure. Megumi almost drop her bottle of medication. She glanced around at the two boys behind him. They carefully avoided her eyes but did not look as shocked as she was. She continued with her duty.
Kenshin rolled his eyes at Kaoru "Fine." And then he allowed the doctor to inspect his wounds.
Their uncharacteristic behaviours were unnerving. Kenshin's one was … quite understandable, but Kaoru. Since when did the tanuki voice become this … distance. Besides this, was that Kaoru called Ken-san 'shishou' and Ken-san did not deny it. She remembered when Yahiko came to fetch her……
FLASHBACK
"Hurry, Megumi, Kenshin is hurt …and" Yahiko came dashing in, panting hard.
Startled, Megumi looked up from her reading. "What! Ken-san is hurt!"
"And both Kaoru and Kenshin are acting weirdly."
"What are you talking about?"
"They are… I don't know. Just weird."
"I'll know when I see them. Now, first priority, Ken-san's injury."
END FLASH BACK
'Now I know…'Unrolling the bandaged wound, she first noticed, that it was wrapped expertly not likely the work of Kaoru's clumsiness, but if she did not do this who did? Ken-san?
"Did you wrap this Ken… Himura-san?" she changed his name last minute, it would not do well if she gets a sword pointed at her neck even if the sword is actually blunt.
"Obviously not."
Megumi raised her eyebrows at the blatant answer but said nothing about that.
"I'll go get tea. I expect them to … ask questions." Kaoru decided to go to the kitchen avoiding the tension that was building in the room.
Megumi finished her work, and packed her doctor's kit. Then no one moved. The silence was deafening. As usual, it was Sano who broke the silence, "Ano, could you, say, tell us what on earth is going on?"
"We'll wait for Kyoko"
"Kyoko?"
"Call me Kaoru, Himura" Kaoru shouted from the corridor
"What? Call you Kaoru Himura." Battousai teased with a smirk.
Kaoru appeared at the door, blue eyes glaring at Battousai, "You know what I mean perfectly."
The other three of them stare at their interaction wonderingly. They also noticed that Kaoru seemed to have her blue eyes back and heaved a sigh of relief inwardly.
Battousai realizing his companion had changed back into the 'sweet innocent Kaoru', he blinked, "How did you do that?"
Settling down the tea, rubbing her head, Kaoru smiled sheepishly, "took quite a bump."
Battousai then realized the occupants of the room other than Kaoru had been more than nervous. Battousai smirked and grabbed his Sakabatou. "If that makes you all more comfortable." With that he used his Sakabatou to knock his head.
"Kenshin?" Yahiko tried out, testingly
"Hai? Yahiko-kun."
Everyone in the room visibly relaxed while they settled down for a long story.
Kenshin took a sip of tea and started, "Well, my story goes like this…"
AN : Sorry for the cliffhanger but this chapter has began to be too long, and I don't like super long chapters, (neither the reverse) but I think this is adequate.