Disclaimer: Don't own RK, any of the cars or songs I use in this story.
Chapter 6
(Kaoru)
I watched silently as Kenshin struggled to understand what I was telling him to do. His right hand was shaking, fingers clenched tight around the pen. He blinked slowly, and then set the pen to paper, and then pulled it back. He looked at me with helpless violet eyes.
I sighed. "Kenshin, what's wrong?"
"I… I don't understand Kaoru."
I took the pen from him, writing a capital 'A' on the page. "You know what that is?"
He shook his head. "Not really, no."
"We just went over that in your alphabet book Kenshin! What is the matter? You're acting strangely today!" I was getting angry, my temper was skyrocketing today.
He looked at me steadily. "You're yelling at me Kaoru. You promised you wouldn't." It was a gentle, yet blunt reprimand, whether he knew that or not.
I felt my anger deflate as he said this, sighing slightly. "I'm sorry Kenshin…" I ran a hand through my bangs, smoothing them from my forehead. "I'm just a little frustrated and on edge lately, finals are going on at college, and I'm really tense. I shouldn't have gotten so angry."
He smiled softly. "It's okay, I understand Kaoru. I'm… a little…" he frowned. Although Kenshin had almost as much vocabulary as he had had before the accident, there were still words he had trouble pronouncing, words he didn't know, and sometimes he couldn't fit the right words together. "Nervous I suppose."
I tilted my head slightly. "'Nervous'? Why do you say that Kenshin?"
He looked away from me. "Today is the day that I was in the accident, a year ago. Remember?"
I sighed. "Remember? How could I ever forget…? I was so terrified I was going to lose you…"
His arms closed around me, and I leaned against his chest with a happy sigh. "Don't worry Kaoru; I don't plan to do that again anytime soon. Besides, I don't have a car to do it in."
"You never did tell me what you remember from the accident Kenshin…" I murmured thoughtfully. "I've always wondered what it was like from your view."
He stiffened slightly, and then echoed my sigh from a moment ago. "I… I will tell you soon Kaoru, just…not now, okay?"
I nodded into his neck, kissing the pale flesh there. "I understand, I don't mind at all. Now, why don't we try this again?"
He shook his head with a small smile. "It's time for you to go to work Kaoru; you'll be late if you don't leave now. I'll keep working while you're gone, I promise."
I glanced at the clock, and then smiled. "Hai, you're right." I stood, kissing his scarred cheek gently. "Whatever would I do without you Kenshin? You keep track of everything for me!"
He grinned playfully. "You wouldn't be able to function properly, and you know it."
I laughed, picking up my shoes and putting them on. "Hai, you've got that right." I grabbed my keys, heading for the apartment door. "Alright Kenshin, I'll see you in a while, okay? I'll be home pretty late, don't wait up for me."
He nodded slightly, even though I knew that he would do so anyway. He did it every night, even if he did fall asleep before I got there. He was always on the couch, curled up in his crimson blanket and drinking either some cocoa or a glass of milk.
I shut the door behind me, going down the elevator and climbing into my Miata once I got to the garage. As I backed out and started towards my job I began to think. Kenshin had never once mentioned what he had experienced during his accident, even though he had to remember something. He still dreamed about it every now and then, little nightmares that happened late at night, mostly when it was raining.
I stared silently out the windshield, the soft rock of Breaking Benjamin drifting through the car. This song, Rain, was one of my favorites, and another of my thinking songs. Because of its title and implication, it reminded me much of the day of Kenshin's accident, when I had first gotten that phone call in the restaurant to find out that Kenshin was barely hanging onto life in the ER.
As I drove the very thing that I was thinking about began to fall from the air. Rain splattered the windows, a gentle drizzle rather than the full rain it had been on the day in question. I sighed, turning on the wipers silently. 'Hopefully he'll be able to get that out one of these days, and maybe it will help him.'
It was also raining on my way home, the darkness punctuated only by the headlights and taillights of other cars and the rain against my car. I drove silently through the rain, a little frazzled from my day at work. I worked at a restaurant, and I had had to deal with an exceptionally rude man today who seemed to think that I was at his constant beck and call.
But despite this, I was uneasy. I felt as though all my senses were on the edge, and the song that was playing was reflecting my feelings exactly. Phil Collins, he had a way with his voice, and, like his song said, I could feel it coming in the very air surrounding me, and I had a feeling that I knew what it was.
I pulled into the garage, locking my car and heading into the building. As I reached the front door of my apartment I heard a shriek from inside, one that, by now, was quite familiar. Kenshin was dreaming again.
I opened the door to see a shivering lump curled up on the couch, under Kenshin's crimson colored blanket. I dropped my purse on the chair, closing the door and then running to his side, putting out a hand and pulling back the blanket.
I nearly screamed.
Kenshin's eyes were wide open, pupiless pools of violet staring right through me. His mouth hung open in a silent scream, his face nearly bloodless and sweat slicking his skin and plastering his hair to his flesh. It reminded me to much of the look that Sano had described him having on that day, and I took a step back.
I shook off the shock quickly, stepping forward again and shaking Kenshin harshly. "Kenshin, wake up!"
He let out another shriek, remaining in his dream land. I growled softly, shaking him again. "Kenshin!"
He blinked, and the eyes that I was shown this time looked lucid, even though his pupils had gone from being pinpricks to being dilated in his violet irises and his eyes were full of terror. His breathing sped up, and tears filled his eyes to spill over and down his cheeks.
I took him into my arms, used to this by now, but worried about what he was feeling. Kenshin wrapped his own arms around my waist, clinging to me as though I was a lifeline. He let loose a soft whimper, burying his face against my neck and sobbing softly into my coat.
I petted his hair gently, murmuring comforting words to him. "Easy, easy Kenshin… I'm here, it's okay…"
After a few minutes he calmed down to hiccups and sniffles, relaxing his hold on me slightly. "I'm sorry Kaoru…"
I sighed, continuing to run my fingers through his hair. "It's okay, I don't mind…" I shifted so I could look at him. "Kenshin, you really should talk about this, it's supposed to help dreams."
He pulled in a shuddering breath, and then nodded. I blinked, but did not let any of my body change in position to let him know my surprise. I hadn't really thought that he would tell me. "You're right Kaoru…"
I pulled my legs closer to myself, and then settled myself down.
(Kenshin(It's more of a narrative, that's the way I wrote it. Gomen if there are confusing bits, if you have questions, please ask, and I will do my best to clear it up))
I drove silently, the radio not on at all. I liked the rain, unlike most people it was soothing and helped me to think. The hum of my car's engine was also calming, and I soon wasn't really paying too much attention to the road, instead I had drifted into thought.
It continued on like this, and suddenly I got the sense that something was wrong. I looked up, and a second later a car burst out of the misty rain to barrel into my car right by me. I had a split second, and then broken glass was flying for me from the windshield. I raised my arms in a frantic attempt to protect my face, screaming in fear and pain as glass entered my skin, and in the same moment I felt the seatbelt go slack as glass from the shattered driver's side window severed the strap. Suddenly pain flared through me, and I screamed.
All of this happened in mere seconds, I had almost no time to react, and it's a miracle I was able to react to what I did. Not that it did much.
Everything after this is broken and fragmented. It's like I was watching from above. I opened my eyes to see the road and my car below me, skidding along the pavement into another car. I saw a car I recognized, Sanosuke's yellow Mazda RX-7, which my car had hit. It was glancing blow, but it was enough to spin the man's car around. I saw him come to a safe stop on the embankment, and then looked to my own car.
My eyes widened as I saw it skid across the pavement and hit another car, and I saw my own body be thrown from the vehicle, hitting the ground hard and rolling in front of Sano's car. Sano's door flew open and he leaped out, pulling out his cell phone. He must have recognized me.
All of the sudden pain struck me, and I cried out, closing my eyes. I found that I couldn't open them, but pain was roaring through my frame, and I thought that I was going to die right there and then. Little did I know, I was already dead, but for some reason I was feeling the pain that was being inflicted to my body. There was suddenly a crushing weight on me, and I felt bones crack and splinter within my chest, but I could not scream. It was like being trapped in a tiny box, unable to make any sound or do anything more than suffer.
I could hear Sano screaming my name, but it was not in my power to answer. I felt life flowing into me, air filling my withered lungs. Blackness consumed me.
O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o
When I came to next I was in an ambulance, and I was again floating above everything. I looked down to see my own battered and bloody body on a gurney, paramedics around me, one squeezing one of those air providers, which was strapped over my nose and mouth. The others were around me, doing things that I couldn't see. I suddenly saw the steady movement of my chest halt, and the paramedic pumping air into my body swore loudly.
One of the medics went to do chest compressions, but another held him back with a cry. The one that was squeezing air into me, continued to do so with a stony expression, and remarkably I began to breathe again.
Everything went black again.
(Kaoru)
"Everything else is in flashes; I can't remember things other than shouts from doctors, the beeping of a heart monitor, things like that." Kenshin's voice trailed off into silence, and I sighed.
"Arigatou for telling me Kenshin, I'm sorry I made you do that…"
He shook his head, his tears long since dried. "Iie, you were right. I do feel a little better now, getting that out of me. Arigatou, now let's get some sleep."
I nodded, glancing at the clock, which showed 12:34. "Hai, that's a good idea. If you need anything, please, tell me."
He hesitated, and I blinked. "Would… Would you mind if I slept with you?" A blush raced like fire across both of our cheeks an instant later, and Kenshin stuttered frantically for an explanation. "I…I m-mean…"
I cut him off with a slight smile, taking his hand and leading him into my room. I could almost hear his gulp as I went behind my closet door and changed into decent pajamas, going to my bed. "I understand Kenshin…" I murmured quietly, listening to the creak of my mattress as he hesitantly lay behind me. I closed my eyes, curling up beneath my blankets and relaxing.
After a moment I felt Kenshin's arms snake around my waist, pulling me against his chest and spooning me in the curve of his lean muscular body. He rested his cheek against mine, his breath ghosting across my skin. "Thank you Kaoru…"
I smiled, and then slept.
I do not own Rain by Breaking Benjamin, nor do I own In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins. I make a point with the music calming and letting Kaoru think because I am the same way. I find music to be very soothing, as well as rain. Rain is a big factor in this story, as you can tell. I love the rain... Sorry for the delay, my computer was being silly. Hope you like it, and Happy Valentine's Day!
