Thank youeveryone who reivewed. You get cookies!But I'm a little confused. I have 500+ hits on this story but only 14 reviews? Oh well I guess. I have a lot of loyal fans on this story and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Sorry it took forever to update but this was a hard chapter to write, plus school is tough. Sorry! Anyways...
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin...so don't sue me...please?
Chapter Four: Truth and Lies
"How could this happen?" Katsura demanded during a heated discussion. "Who really killed Kamiya Koshijiro?" Everyone wanted to know but nobody had the answers. Even if one knew if they planned on jumping into the conversion, or what was left of it before the arguments broke out, they would to have Kami-sama on their side. Nobody knew a damn thing, but didn't want to admit their failure. Nobody was willing to listen to possible theories. Everyone wanted to scream at his neighbor for being stupid. The normal squabbling of ignorant idiots.
"I doubt that this Kamiya Kaoru really is his daughter." One man argued. "I wouldn't have missed her in my research. She is probably just an imposter trying to get some money."
"Or a random stray Battousai picked up." Another said. The louder the room got the more annoyed everyone was getting. The innkeeper sighed. If they wouldn't shut their traps and soon…
A gunshot was heard and everyone scrambled grouping the hilts of their many swords. Holding the gun was a tall man with platinum blond hair cut short. His eyes were a cloudy dark blue-gray. He didn't have a drop of Asian in his blood. He was wearing a large brown western-style (not cowboy western but… like European) trench coat. "Gentleman, please." He squeaked, his voice high-pitched and nasally. "Kamiya Kaoru isn't Kamiya Koshijiro's daughter. I knew the man personally."
Everyone was quiet. When did this man come in? But then they all thought with shame that anyone could have walked in while they were still fighting. "Who are you?" Someone asked.
He nodded in acknowledgement. With a slight bow he introduced himself. "Bradley Wolfe." They were dumbfounded by his foreign name. "As I was saying, I know who killed Koshijiro. It was a gang of ruthless men, all trying to make a name for themselves." Nobody moved. "They heard that Koshijiro was being targeted by multiple clans for being one of the best swordsmen in this era. So to ruin the Kamiya name he attacked and killed him and his family."
"But what about Kaoru-san?" A random person asked.
"Kaoru is not a true Kamiya." He said bluntly. "She is not Koshijiro's daughter. I don't know who she is, but my first guess is she is spy sent for the Battousai. She is shady, don't trust her." He added emphasize on the last words.
Katsura thought about his encounter with Kaoru earlier. She was such a great actor then, he thought. To fake such rage is remarkable. Damn near impossible.
"Thank you Wolfe-san, but do you know the name of the group of swordsmen?"
"Yeah. They call themselves the Gouka. They have mastered their own form of swordsmanship."
"So the Gouka intends to be our rivals?" Izuka asked. Katsura looked at Mr. Wolfe grimly as the blonde nodded. This was an interesting twist. But what of Kaoru, if she is not a Kamiya than who is she. But more importantly why did she follow Kenshin back to the Choshu latest encampment, if that's what they could call it, but why?
"Kamiya and the Battousai? I never thought I would see this!" the black clad man said in disbelief.
Kaoru's eyes widened as she whispered. "Shiro-san!" Kenshin heard her. He cursed. Although it was only one man as he could see, Kaoru was frightened. He couldn't comfort her now. Now he must fight to defend a lady's honor.
"Who are you?" Kenshin asked. His eyes were narrowed into his battle glare of death. Hard amber flames roosted the black man in front of him. Even Kaoru, who was unable to sense chi, knew that the aura he gave off was enough to cause him to fall to his knees and beg as though he was the devil. This was the Battousai; 'Kenshin' did not exist. The man faltered. And Kenshin smirked. The man wasn't a master swordsman so this would be easy. "Kaoru-dono, stand back." He warned softly. When she hesitated he looked down at her. For a moment his eyes weren't a blazing amber but a subtle violet. Kaoru blinked and his eyes were still golden. She shook her head to clear her mind. Cautiously she released her grip on his shirt and stepped away. She felt something being slid to her secretly.
Kenshin had not turned to look at her but he knew she received his gift. His second katana! Kaoru's face lit up, as she understood. He gave it to her, trusting that she could fight if occasion called for it. She found it sweet that he put that much consideration for her safety. Shiro had not seen their subtle exchange and was oblivious to the fact that Kenshin didn't have an extra sword at his waist anymore. Kaoru's heart was racing but feeling the steel under her fingertips gave her courage. It gave her the courage to stand by herself into the eyes of her previous tormentor. Kenshin must have known what a simple gesture did for Kaoru because when her chi stood more confident, he smirked. Her positive energy gave him the strength to face Shiro, knowing she would be fine.
"Please Battousai-san." Shiro said his voice slick as oil. "My fight isn't with you. But I merely came to alert Kamiya-san," he pointed to Kaoru whose hand clenched the hilt of the sword, "The Gouka are waiting."
"Who the hell are the Gouka?" Kenshin demanded. Shiro grinned as if he had asked the golden question.
"Interesting you should ask me." He said with a grin. "When you really should be asking your girlfriend." Kenshin snarled at this. Kaoru looked away. "Kamiya-san why don't you tell the man what I mean." She shifted uncomfortably. She felt amber eyes boring holes in her head. "Tell the man how being in Gouka is for life."
Kaoru left her knees buck, but she managed to still stand. "I was not a part of Gouka and you know it." She retorted finding her courage.
"But your father was…that is until he tried to leave." Shiro said. "Katsujin-ken, or 'swords that give life.' Your father was a crackpot for inventing that. It's unfortunate that your Battousai will be involved now."
"No!" Kaoru cried, rather too quickly. Kenshin looked at her in surprise. Shiro smiled as if he got what he was looking for. "Kenshin doesn't have a part in this. And I will never go back-."
"But Wolfe owns you." Shiro cut in. "He owns you Kaoru. Don't forget it." With that he disappeared and Kaoru sank to her knees, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"He doesn't own me." She croaked. "HE DOESN'T OWN ME!" She cried out, not caring that Shiro was out of sight. Kaoru could hear his soft chuckle in the dark. It slowly began to rain. The wind picked up and a real storm was on its way.
An arm snaked around her waist pulling her against a warm but hard body. She looked at into swirling eyes of amber. His face was full of concern. Kaoru looked down and Kenshin's arms tightened. Kaoru cried and Kenshin murmured comfort in her ear. She didn't comprehend what was said, but she got the general message. However clumsily he may have been. He was trying to make her feel better.
"Who was that man?" Kenshin said softly. Kaoru looked up into his eyes. She saw an emotion she never thought she would see, but she didn't know what it was. It thrilled and frightened her at the same time. Like the rush of breaking the rules and entering the forbidden but still conscience of the consequences.
"Shiro." She said. She avoided his eyes. How could she tell him the truth? "He is the second in command of a street gang who call themselves the Gouka, or Hellfire. They were the ones who killed my father." Kenshin didn't ask her to continue, but she did, her voice getting smaller and smaller. "My father was in league with the Gouka. They prided themselves at being a league of powerful swordsmen, but when the new man took control he turned it into a gang of assassins. My father didn't agree and turned to leave. The new headman demanded that he be killed and was chasing him. He finally caught up to him, but he wanted more…" Her voice trailed off. The flow of tears increased.
Calloused fingers brushed against her chin and tilted it to face…violet eyes? Kaoru was surprised to see his eyes changed more than the fact he touched her. He scanned her face and said. "The Gouka will not get you. I will protect you…always." Kaoru looked at him stunned. He had barely known her but he was willing to save her, protect her, but the question was whether or not he would care for her.
The rain pelted them. Both were soaked to the bone but it didn't matter. All that mattered was each other. Together and away from the rest of the world.
"Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked breaking the silence. Kaoru looked at him. "What did your father look like?" He tried to sound off-hand but Kaoru sensed a bit of stress in his question. He had been thinking about it for a while, she could tell.
She smiled. "He has my hair and my eyes." She said. Kenshin noted that she said 'has.' She knew that her father was dead but she couldn't let go. He simply couldn't understand. She held on to the hope that he may still be alive, when she knew the truth.
It saddened him to think that Kaoru would never see her father again and he almost was the cause. But the samurai he met in the streets a couple of nights ago seemed to fit Koshijiro's description. That made it twice that he could have killed him, but didn't. It was too eerie and ironic. Seeing the effects of her father's death made Kenshin wonder about Kaoru. When he was given the mission the file said that Kaoru didn't exist. But many men that killed didn't have families to mourn their death.
Then it occurred it him. How could he kill someone knowing that his family would be so distraught? He was being lied to. For all he knew all the men he killed had a wife and maybe a couple of sons and daughters, mourning his death. It seemed so unreal but after hearing Kaoru's cries, tasting the salt of her tears, and sensing the depression of her chi, made it too real. And too horrifying. This was his true business….
"Kenshin?" Kaoru asked surprised. His stunning violet eyes were leaking. He was crying. "Why are you crying?" She began to wonder if he was shedding tears on her behalf. But that couldn't be it.
"If I was a day earlier," he started, "I could have caused all this grief on you." Kaoru knew what he was talking about. Suddenly she realized that she had almost forgotten that he was sent to kill her father. Somehow she had forgotten.
Kaoru wiped away his tears, smiling at the irony of the situation. He was the one needing comfort. "I am glad you didn't kill him." She said. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to face myself." Kenshin wondered what she meant but he didn't question her. "Because I would have fallen in love with my father's killer." She thought.
The rain continued to fall and they stayed in each other's arms, not worrying about the world around them. Unfortunately for them, things would turn for the worse. As long as the Gouka continued to look for Kaoru, trouble would always follow. Always...
That was shorter than I expected. Hopefully this answers some of your questions.
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Silent. Midnight. Rose.
