Disclaimer: Kaoru's not mine... Kenshin's not mine... Battosai's not mine either... sniff
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Chapter 3
Kenshin stepped out of the bath house ready to ask Kaoru what was going on. Though he really didn't mind her cheerful attitude to the depressed one he'd found when he had come back, it just didn't seem right. He deserved to be punished and hurt by the heartache he knew was caused by his departure. I had no idea it would be as bad as it was though, he admitted sadly. I didn't think she loved me as much as I love her. To see the same despair in her eyes that I've seen reflected in mine this past year was not something I expected to encounter when I came back. My only hope was that she would forgive me, I didn't think she would bless me with something so precious as her soul.
Sighing shakily at the state of his home, he stepped out into the sunshine and searched the area for her ki. Brow wrinkling in confusion when his first search came up with nothing, he stepped forward to walk around the yard. Only just around the corner he found her, laying in a heap in the yard, her ki barely alive.
Running to her side quickly, he felt for her pulse in her neck, then sighed in relief when it practically jumped out at him. There was something wrong, though, it was erratic and unsteady echoing the rise and fall of her chest. Pulling her up off the ground and into his arms he almost choked at the slack way her head fell back, rolling into his shoulder harshly.
Bringing her inside out of the sun, he walked steadily through the halls even though he felt his own weariness weighing him down. What a pair we make. He thought absently, before wrenching open a door and laying her down on her still spread out futon. Hurrying back to the hall he hollered for Yahiko, hoping the boy was nearby and could hear his voice.
The boy was running into the room in less than fifteen seconds, worry etched all over his face.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"Get a doctor." Kenshin cut through his rant severely.
The boy took one look at him, and any hate he felt for leaving them left instantly in the face of the importance of the girl they both loved. Turning back around sharply he ran straight out the gates and down the road to the clinic. Bursting through the doors frantically he searched for the familiar face of the old doctor.
"Genzai-sensei!" He shouted, scanning the room, dodging in and out of patients and other rooms when he couldn't find him. Finally hearing his voice in the office he burst in without knocking.
"Genzai-sensei, you have to come quick! Please Kaoru…" Yahiko froze when his eyes finally landed on the lady sitting across from the man. "Megumi-sensei? Thank Kami-sama, you have to hurry! Something's wrong with Kaoru!" The boy practically threw himself on the younger doctor pleading with tears and worry in his eyes.
"Calm down, Yahiko-kun. Now tell me what happened."
"I don't know, I think she passed out, and her breathing was irregular."
"Are you sure it isn't from the heat or something?"
"I don't know, but you have to come." Yahiko was beginning to feel desperate in the face of the woman's callousness. "Please, Megumi-sensei. She's been acting weird lately, all depressed and then all cheerful this morning."
Megumi's face hardened slightly. "Well, that's just like that little tanuki girl, being pathetic just because Ken-san left her."
"Does is matter! You have to come now!" Yahiko screamed in frustration at the woman, startling her with his anger and desperation.
"Ok, Yahiko-kun, let me grab my bag and we'll leave right away ok?"
"Thank you."
"But if she's just feeling sorry for herself I'll never forgive either of you for wasting my time."
"Whatever, let's just go!"
Yahiko practically dragged the female doctor back to the dojo in his haste. Pushing her through the still open gates and towards the side of the house by Kaoru's room. Nearing her door, they heard a broken sob cut off by the high pitched scream of someone in horrendous pain.
Throwing open the door, Yahiko froze and Megumi ran straight into his back making him stumble forward.
"What the hell…" Megumi's voice trailed off when she took in the scene before her.
Kenshin sat next to the futon, legs crossed and back straight, but the woman who was on the futon when Yahiko left was now clutched desperately in his arms. Legs still trailing back onto the mattress, tangled in the cloth of her kimono, her body angled off and straight into the rurouni's lap. Kaoru's head was turned into the sleeve of his dark blue gi, her hands clasping urgently at the arms holding her to him. Tears streaked her face, leaving her eyes red and blood shot, but the look of pleading terror that shown through was horrifying and only added to the meaning of the hushed prayers pouring from her lips.
"Please don't leave…please… come bac…Everyone… left m… I don't wan…alone agai… just lik… daddy… please…You left me! Why?" Her voice broke and the last few words came out high pitched and pitiful and one hand reached up blindly, fisting painfully in his hair before quieting back down again.
"Ken-san? What are you doing here?" Megumi found herself whispering, shocked more by his presence than the pathetic show of self-pity the younger woman was showing. Especially since the idiot's got him right here with his arms wrapped around her, she thought bitterly, jealousy mixing in and dominating her feelings.
"Megumi-dono, I need you to tell me what's wrong with Kaoru." Kenshin's voice was quiet and his head was dropped down so she wasn't able to see his face through the fall of his hair. Megumi, too disgusted with the tanuki to notice the use of 'I' and Kaoru's name without an honorific, snorted rudely.
"I imagine she's just wanting attention. She's been rather pathetic since you left, sniveling and crying in her room for days on end, not giving a damn…"
"That's enough!" Kenshin's voice rose to a heated shout, making the two jump in shock while the girl in his arms whimpered slightly. Raising eyes to the doctor, whom he seriously wondered if he considered a friend after her callous treatment of his Kaoru, he narrowed them menacingly, the golden fire burning cruelly. "What would you know, woman? You left her too, abandoning her to that same depression like everyone else. All but the boy next to you should know half the pain of living without the other half of your soul. Like she has…like I have." Those amber orbs closed in pain and remembrance, one hot tear sliding out from under his lashes to drip into Kaoru's hair. "Just tell me what's wrong with her…please. So I can fix it."
Pulling her closer still into his chest, he only just realized her whisperings had stopped, but her hands were still fisted firmly in his gi. Burying his face in her jasmine scented hair he sobbed brokenly.
"Kaoru… koishii… please tell me what's wrong."
"Kenshin?" His arms tightened painfully, holding her impossibly closer.
"Hai." The one word was devastatingly hopeful.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Silence followed her question and she thought hard about what would upset him. "Is it because you're afraid someone will take me away again? You shouldn't worry, nothing's going to happen to me and I'll never leave you." Kaoru burrowed her head deeper into his chest, snuggling with him comfortably. "You know that right? I'll always be here for you."
Kenshin lifted his head to direct pleading violet eyes in Megumi's direction. Megumi listened intently to every word the girl said, coming up with a possible direction at the least with her theory. Her trained eyes took in the slightly limp hair, dull complexion, and sunken cheeks of the small girl, and if she looked close enough she could see the way her kimono hung on her loosely. In the process she couldn't help but notice the similar patterns on Kenshin as well.
"Kenshin, you know right?" Kaoru asked again, seeking confirmation from her love.
"Hai, koishii, I know, and this one will never leave you. Never again."
"Good," she stated smugly, "because I'd just have to follow you like I did the last time."
Megumi nodded her head slightly to herself before stepping forward to get the girl's attention, but quietly so she wouldn't startle her.
"Kaoru-chan, how are you feeling today?" She asked kindly, keeping her voice low and calm, soothing.
"Oh, Megumi-san." Kaoru pushed herself up from Kenshin's arms and tried to fix her appearance, like she just noticed the woman in the room. "I didn't see you, please sit down." A deep red blush worked its way up her neck at being caught in the embrace of her love. We're not technically lovers… yet. The blush increased. "I'm fine Megumi-san. How about yourself?"
"Oh, you know, it's been a little rough lately but it's to be expected, ne?" She waved a hand nonchalantly, dismissing her problems as if they were nothing.
"I know, it's so sad that so many were injured because of such an old grudge, and I imagine it's given you a lot of grief trying to keep up with it all. But you're probably here to see Kenshin, aren't you? I think his wounds are healing nicely, but you'd better take a look at them."
With that Kaoru turned around toward Kenshin, smiling sweetly and urging him to let Megumi check him over. At first he refused but Megumi gave him a look, willing him to play along. Besides, he looks like he needs it anyway, so does she, but that one will be tricky.
Not long into the check up Kaoru announced she was going to make tea, and proceeded to leave the room. Kenshin, not wanting her to be alone, motioned for Yahiko to follow her since Megumi wasn't going to let him go anywhere.
"Ken-san, you haven't been taking care of yourself. You're horribly malnourished and frankly I'm surprised that you haven't dropped from exhaustion like she has." Kenshin just sighed before opening his mouth to demand she tell him what was wrong with Kaoru instead, but she cut him off. "Kaoru, from what I can tell from a distance, is probably in the same shape as you are in, but maybe a little worse because she's…" The doctor paused, reluctant to reveal what she thought was happening.
"What, Megumi-dono?"
"Ken-san, I think she's mentally unstable." Kenshin's eyes widened in shock and horror. "Take that and add it to the fact that she hasn't eaten anything for who knows how long or slept properly, it could very well be what is making her have these episodes."
"But…"
"She's delusional, Ken-san. She thinks she's living in the past, in a time, as far as I can tell, where she's happy."
"But she wasn't happy when… you came in."
"No, but maybe that's the part of her mind that she's trying to suppress. Look, Yahiko said she was cheerful this morning after being depressed for months. Said it was strange and he didn't know what was going on, and just now she seemed to revert back to another time where she was happy and content with you. I'm guessing it's right after Enishi's jinchu, but I can't be totally sure. It would have to be before you left or she wouldn't be this sweet with you."
"But how do we cure her?"
"I think it would help if you got her healthy again. Reintroduce her to food slowly, though, you don't want her stomach rejecting it. The same goes for you." She pointed a finger in his face. "When she starts getting her energy back you can let her do some labor around the house but absolutely no training with Yahiko until I say so."
"You're staying Megumi-dono?"
"Of course I am, I can't just leave my friends when they need me."
Kenshin nodded his head minimally. "Gomen nasai, Megumi-dono, this one did not mean to be so harsh earlier."
"Don't worry, I think I deserved it. Now, you won't be allowed to do any of the chores either, so I'll stop by a lot and help out, besides Kaoru will be a little confused if she's caught in her delusions and can't seem to figure out why neither myself nor the rooster head are around. I'll come up with some excuse for him, but it doesn't need to be any harder than it already is, ne?"
"So we should just play along?"
"Hai, for now. We don't need to frighten her unnecessarily by telling her that it's actually a year after what she thinks it is."
"Right."
"Ken-san…" Megumi asked after a pause, "when did you come back?"
"Last night."
"Was she like this last night?"
"Iie, demo she … this one found her in here… and she was going to kill herself."
"Nani! But…"
"This one stopped her, but she pleaded with me to let her, to just leave." His voice filled with pain as thoughts of the night before flooded his mind, the only pleasing part being when he finally got to hold her warm body against his own and protect her while she slept. Will I be able to stay with her again tonight? I don't think I'll be able to stand sleeping anywhere else now that I know what it's like.
"What about this morning?"
"No, but she did seem less hurt and frightened. Last night she was scared out of her mind, but this morning it was almost like it was cut in half." A look of worry spread over his face again, this time turned inward. Did I do this to her when I came back, am I the reason she's gone crazy?
"Don't worry, Ken-san. We'll get her back."
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A/N:I didn't mean for Kaoru to sound too nice, but she's still a little dazed and confused... sorry. Oh, and I don't hate Megumi, and I don't want you to either. I just think she needs to lay off sometimes... ok, please leave a review before you go to the next chapter. XD