Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters.
Thank you so much for the reviews everyone! I really really loved them! A lot of you have been asking about when they will find out about each other's identities and I have to tell you that they won't find out for a while (sorry)!
Chapter 8:
Her eyes opened and sunlight came pouring in through the shade of the trees. She rubbed her eyes and tried to sit up, but she was quickly stopped because a certain pair of strong arms was around her middle. She tried to shriek in fear and kick the man but when she turned around she saw that it was Kenshin. Her face turned crimson and she went stiff. What would people think if they knew that the crown princess was in the arms of a man she barely knew?
The prince started to stir and his groggy eyes slowly opened. He blinked a few times to get adjusted to the light but when he could see clearly he was shocked to see a certain young woman cradled in his arms. This certain young woman was wide awake too.
Kenshin quickly took his arms off of her waist and scooted back. His face started to turn a color of red that even rivaled his hair.
After what seemed like an eternity Kenshin finally managed to stutter a quick, "I'm sorry."
Katsu rode swiftly through the forest. He had ridden all night. His legs were tired and his eyelids were starting to droop. His head was pounding and his back was aching. But he had to continue! He wouldn't let one of his best friends get hurt!
Flashback:
A twelve-year-old Kaoru ran out of the Icico castle with a huge grin on her innocent face and a fourteen-year-old Katsu rolled his eyes as he settled the horses in the stable.
"Why did you run out of the palace again?" Katsu groaned as she ran up to him and hugged him.
"Because I wanted to see you and I wanted to be free from that smelly castle!" She wrinkled her petite nose and let go of Katsu.
"Do you know that they only keep you in there like that for safety?"
Kaoru put her hands on her hips, "I know that! But I can take care of myself!"
"So you can stand up against the strongest dark knights of all the lands?" The boy asked skeptically.
"Of course," Kaoru replied with a cocky air.
Katsu sighed. He knew that it was impossible to reason with the girl. He watched her walk up to one of the horses and gingerly stroke the animal.
Kaoru had an air of innocence and he swore to himself that he would stop at nothing to keep that innocence in tact. He would protect his friend if it would cost him his life!
"You pervert!" That same princess screeched a few miles away when she was finally able to gain control of her voice.
"I'm so… so… sorry! I didn't mean to do anything wrong it's just… just…" Kenshin's blush turned deeper and his face was turned towards the ground.
Kaoru realized that she was being a bit harsh and she replied in a much gentler voice than before, "It's alright. It was probably partly my fault too. You see, last night I couldn't fall asleep and the only thing that was well…" she trailed off and she seemed to have sudden interest in her left shoe.
Kenshin chuckled nervously but he finally said, "How about we just forget this whole incident? Friends?" He stood up and he offered her a hand.
She accepted it and gently replied, "Friends."
It would have been a perfect moment but Kaoru tripped because of the sprain (which she had momentarily forgotten) and she fell head first towards Kenshin's chest.
Kaoru's face turned more scarlet and she tried to push herself away but Kenshin grabbed her hands.
"You're still injured. I'll carry you again today." Kenshin insisted.
Kaoru knew that she could try to insist on not doing it, but she also wasn't in the mood for an argument and she nodded.
He kneeled down again and she slowly climbed onto his back.
For thirty minutes they both went without talking, admiring the beautiful scenery, but Kenshin finally broke the silence. "Did you ever tell me where you are going?"
"Oh!" Kaoru laughed "I guess I haven't! I'm just going to the next big town that we hit on this road. There is supposed to be some big restaurant called the Aoiya there."
"I think my destination might be in that town too. I'm supposed to be looking for a restaurant too. I think it's called the 'Akabeko' or something."
Kaoru grinned. He was so sweet that he probably would have taken her to her destination even if it was on the other side of the world. 'If only all men were like him.'
Hiko sat in his thrown anxiously tapping the arm rest. His adoptive son had run away, his adoptive son's fiancé had runaway, someone was hurting King Kamiya and he was having a bad hair day all in one damn day!
He was also really mad that he had sent his personal hairstylist on vacation this week.
He glanced at one of his guards and shouted: "Bring Omasu back to me now! Tell her I have a hair emergency and I'll pay her extra!"
The poor guard was about ten inches shorter than the king and didn't add up to him in mass at all, so he just squeaked a "Yes, Your Majesty!" and let the room.
Hiko stood up and let out a large howl. Something evil was coming upon the castle and he knew it. Something bad was about to happen and there was nothing he could do to stop it!
Someone in this castle was behind King Kamiya's collapse and he had to figure out who it was before someone turned up dead.
It was the middle of the afternoon and Kaoru's leg was starting to feel a bit better so Kenshin let her get off of his back. She was a bit wobbly and was starting to limp but Kenshin swung her arm over his shoulders to help her. For the first time he was glad that he was short so he could be on equal ground and she wouldn't be uncomfortable.
As they started their journey again, Kaoru started to giggle at a bluebird in a nearby tree as it began to sing to its mate.
Kenshin looked at her innocent face and smiled. But then he noticed that she was beginning to slow down and her steps seemed to become too painful. So he stopped.
It was the perfect place to stop on the path in all reality. They sat under a big tree that was covered in cherry blossoms and had many squirrels and birds on its branches.
Kenshin opened his sack and pulled out a piece of dry fruit and handed it to Kaoru.
She took it gratefully and began to nibble on it.
Kenshin took out a piece for himself and started to eat too.
They both sat in silence for a while but Kaoru finally spoke up, "So, what's happened in your journey so far?"
"Do you mean what's happened since I've runaway?"
Kaoru nodded.
"Hmmm. Well first I ran away…"
Kaoru rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs gently.
Kenshin chuckled and continued, "I actually started off my journey with a horse. I had used him to runaway from the…" Kenshin hesitated, "…house. When I reached a stream to get some water, I heard a young girl scream and I ran over to save her. There were a bunch of thugs and I took them all down because they were about to hurt the girl."
Kaoru laughed and Kenshin looked at her strangely.
"I'm sorry, but I can't see you as the type who would go around saving people with your sword. I didn't even know that you used that sword! I thought it was just for show. No offense, but you don't look like your normal 'knight in shining armor'."
"Hey, I had to save her!" Kenshin defensively commented. His ego was bruised.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Go on with your story!"
"Anyway, after I saved her, I traveled with her a little to protect her. She worked at a restaurant twenty miles from the place that I had found her. The thugs didn't want any chance of witnesses. So we walked for a while but then we ran into her brother, who almost decked me before he realized that I had saved his sister. I let them take the horse and they road off."
"What happened next?"
"Oh! It's the most interesting part! I met this beautiful girl who was really scary. She came up and…"
Kaoru smacked his arm, giggled, and blushed.
"Now, you tell me your story." Kenshin spoke curiously.
"Actually, my story is a bit like yours."
"Really? How so?"
"If you're quiet, I'll tell you! I got away by horse too and needed to stop at a stream that was hidden from the path. When I came back I heard a woman's voice and a group of men. When I first saw her I thought she was one of those… those…" Kaoru blushed heavily.
"Those what?"
"You know, those unruly women who sell their bodies!"
"Oh," For the hundredth time that day, Kenshin's face turned a bright red. He should have known what she was talking about.
"Anyway it turned out that this girl was a ninja and she was really there to steal from the men. She was actually quite good at knocking quite a few of them out," Kaoru ate another piece of her dry fruit and then continued "But the last man almost killed her and I got a tree branch and knocked him out."
Kenshin looked at her incredulously.
"What? I study swordsmanship! What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, it's just I've never heard of a girl who studies swordsmanship before."
Kaoru huffed, "Well you have now! Back to the story! So I knocked him out and I helped her up. She was a really nice person, but she kind of was a blabber mouth. She told me outright that she was a ninja and then she blabbed about some prophesy that she was on a mission to find and then..."
"What prophesy?" Kenshin interrupted.
"I don't know. It was something about two people who where going to change the fate of the Icico and Azuna and save it or something."
Kenshin's face turned pale and it dawned with recognition.
Kaoru got concerned, "What is it?"
Kenshin turned away and whispered "I think my birth mother wrote that prophesy."
A/N: Cliffhanger! So, do you like it? I thought it was really fun to write! (Especially the part with Hiko, he's my favorite character to write!)
Anyway I'm going to start a new policy that I'll hopefully be able to hold out for the rest of the story. I'm going to start personally responding to all signed reviews (which I've been doing) but now I'm going to have responses to the anonymous reviews at the end of each chapter! So here it goes!
Anonymous but very interested: You amaze me so much! I can't believe you spend so much time bothering to review my little chapters! I'm really glad you liked that passage! (I was scared that it wouldn't work!) Thank you so much for your suggestions! (I'll put them into consideration!) P.S. Don't worry about spelling, I bet I have more problems than you do with it! lol
Summer star: I'm so glad that you think my little story is cute! I hope this chapter holds up to your expectations!
To the people who sent signed reviews: I sent you a personal response too! I just sent you a review reply using system!
One last thing, please review! I stayed up really late last night finishing this and I would really appreciate it!
Thanks for reading!
-rm/bo