The Best of Intentions

Chapter III

Sweat trickled down her brow as she swung her boken again, and again, and again. The physical workout was distracting and that is what Kaoru wanted. She wanted distraction. She didn't want to be reminded that once again Kenshin and Sano had left to take part in another government assignment.

She didn't want to be reminded that once more there were never guarantees that they might return to her after the assignment alive and healthy. Her swings remained forceful and her arms ached.

Her forearms, her hands, her biceps, her shoulders, her abdomen, her legs, her thighs, they all hurt. Her head hurt and her heart hurt.

She could take the abuse she was inflicting upon herself no more. The wooden sword fell to her side and the end rested upon the floor of the practice room. She allowed the distraction of Misao's practice to draw her attention.

Kaoru could hear her friend's battle cries as she threw her Kunai into the practice dummies and leapt from various positions within the battle room. Slowly Kaoru moved towards the wall and placed her boken upon the rack where she had taken it from earlier.

There was no need to carry it around with her when she was surrounded by the best ninjas in all of Japan. Or at least, according Misao Mikamachi they were the best ninjas in the entire world. A ghost of a smile graced Kaoru's lips as she reminisced about all the obvious pride her friend had for her ninja clan.

As Kaoru placed her wooden sword upon the weapons rack she couldn't help but notice the pair of double Kodachi that no doubt belonged to Aoshi. They were in perfect condition but it was obvious that it had been some time since they had last been seen any action, be it a friendly spar or a dangerous battle. They probably hadn't been used since the defeat of Shishio.

Kaoru walked towards the door frame and watched Misao in silence. She was practicing with other members of her ninja clan. They weren't perfect, but Kaoru was still impressed. Their acrobatics were especially thrilling to the young kendo instructor.

So lost in her observations, Kaoru had failed to notice the presence that had moved to stand behind her. The warm, unexpected, calloused hand that fell upon her shoulder in a friendly manner caused her to jump to attention. Kaoru turned to see the individual whom could only be her silent host of Aoiya.

Aoshi looked past Kaoru and was watching the practice of the Oniwanbanshi with a cold, calculating eye. "They improve every time I observe them," he met Kaoru's gaze and removed his hand to rest at his side loosely. "They still have much to learn."

Kaoru's mouth opened but no words came out. She found herself speechless, seeing Aoshi in the roll of educational observer. His comments reminded her of her own observations of Yahiko's improvement. Having regained her senses, Kaoru replied, "Wisdom is realizing that you must constantly learn." It was a phrase her father had often used, and Kaoru felt it applicable to share in this conversation.

Aoshi's piercing pale gaze seemed to search for something within Kaoru's eyes. He nodded his head and then returned his attention to observing the practice. The two stood in the doorway for a few minutes in silence. The only sounds were the battle cries from the practice.

Kaoru felt the brush of Aoshi's robe as he turned and began to leave. She turned as well and watched as he began to leave. "Wait," Kaoru called. He turned to see her hand outstretched and touching the sleeve of his robe. Her hand fell but she didn't know why she had called him to wait.

Averting her eyes, Kaoru mumbled, "Never mind."

However, Aoshi did not leave. He remained immobile and observed her silently for a few more eternal moments. He cleared his throat softly, gaining her attention once more. "I'm going to meditate now; you are welcome to join me."

Then he left.

Kaoru watched as he made his way confidently and purposely towards the temple. She turned to look at the practice once more, but it had lost its interest to her. It all looked the same to her and she was not a ninja. If she were to fight it would be in the broad day light and not in the shadows.

Clenching her fists at her side, Kaoru made her decision and began to follow the path that Aoshi had taken. Kaoru walked up the stone stairs that led towards the Zen temple. The entire atmosphere surrounding the temple was serene and Kaoru could already feel her frayed nerves relaxing.

Aoshi was sitting in the lotus position on the far side of the temple from her current location. A tray of tea was sitting near him but he was not touching it. Tentatively, Kaoru made her way towards him.

Not opening his eyes and not hearing her make any sounds, because she was certainly silent, Aoshi spoke. "Sit here," he commanded as he patted his open palm on the woven matt upon the wooden floor a short distance away from him.

Obediently, Kaoru accepted the invitation and sat beside her odd host. She copied his form and took up the Lotus position herself. It was faintly awkward, for she had never really sat this way previously.

Kaoru didn't realize that Aoshi was watching her from the corner of his eye. Half an hour passed and neither spoke during the time. A soft rumbling began to emit from Aoshi's chest and Kaoru turned towards him sharply in shock. The rumbling sound ceased immediately, but she had caught it.

She smiled wilily at the man. "So the great Aoshi Shinomori knows how to laugh?" Kaoru teased. She was greeted with an amused look on the face of her host along with a raised brow. "Why were you laughing?"

"Your boredom amused me," Aoshi replied cryptically.

Kaoru frowned at his answer. "What's that supposed to mean? I was just sitting here. There was no way you could tell I was bored." Kaoru defended.

Aoshi pointed towards her fingers that had been resting upon the knee of her practice outfit. They were both scrunched up into knotted areas courtesy of her restless fingers fidgeting. "Your pants would have less abuse if you weren't bored," Aoshi answered coolly.

Kaoru's arms crossed over her chest in annoyance at his comment. But she knew it was true and she had been fidgeting. She closed her eyes determined to ignore the man beside her and discover just what exactly was so thrilling about meditating. Her neck was sore from sitting in such a rigid posture and she tried to pop it indiscreetly. She could feel his eyes still on her and she cracked an eye to look at him. "What?"

After shaking his head, Aoshi actually smiled before shifting his position and sitting behind Kaoru. Kaoru sat motionless as she felt Aoshi's legs on either side of her pressing against her arms and legs and his chest was up against her back, warming it with his body heat. Her heart raced and her mind reeled at the contact wondering what on earth he was doing sitting with her in such a manner.

His arms came around her and grasped onto her wrists and pulled her hands away from her chest to rest serenely on either one of her thigh in the proper Lotus position. His hands pressed against the back of her hands for a moment before retreating. Kaoru was completely encased in a circle of his presence and was totally out of her league and clueless about what to do. So she did nothing and tried to not let him know that he was affecting her.

Besides, it wasn't like Aoshi Shinomori had any feelings. He was like a living icicle.

"Now relax, this is the proper Lotus position. Your hands are not supposed to tear at your knees." Aoshi's soft voice explained moments before his hands found purchase on the back of her neck. Kaoru turned her head to look at him in confusion but he simply turned her head to face front once more with a simple push from his fingertips. "I said to relax."

Kaoru tried to relax, but it was an impossible task with someone like Aoshi sitting so familiarly with her. He was so tall! The way he was sitting behind her made her want to recline against him and use him as a lounging chair. Her muscles lost their tension the moment his skilled hands started their art and she turned to putty to be molded in whatever form he'd wish. The muscles of her lower neck and upper back were massaged and the strain that had built up in them over the past few days abandoned her.

"What are you doing?" Kaoru managed to ask as the pleasure caused her to relax completely. Aoshi's hands stilled upon her shoulder and he gave her a gentle squeeze before he moved away back to his previous position beside her and started meditating again.

Kaoru looked over at him for a few moments and realized that he wasn't going to answer. "Thanks," she told him with a bright smile. Aoshi merely nodded at her in acknowledgement, his silent persona once again dominating.

The silence between the pair seemed to stretch on once again before Aoshi broke it. "You act as if you have never had a massage before," he commented quietly.

A slight rush of blood ran to Kaoru's cheeks in embarrassment. "I haven't," she admitted.

Aoshi turned to look at her. "You have never had a massage before?" He asked, his tone revealing his disbelief. Kaoru's silence was his answer. He raked his fingers through his dark ebon locks that constantly fell in his eyes before replying. "But, you are a teacher of swordsmanship."

"Yes I am," Kaoru told him, confused about his point.

"It only makes sense that you would be familiar with this as a way to work out the tenseness of your muscles. What remedies do you seek? Or are you gifted in such a manner that you've never suffered this ailment?" Aoshi had an uncharacteristic volley of questions for the woman at his side. He was truly baffled that a simple massage should be viewed as such an incredulous act.

Kaoru shifted under the intensity of his gaze. Her skin still tingled from his touch so recently gone from her now. "Oh, well, normally, I just take a hot bath and that works," Kaoru stammered her response.

Aoshi watched her with a keen eye before returning to his own inner musings. "I see," he replied and then he was silent.

Hours passed in the temple between the two and the only other words spoken were in reference to the tea served.

oooOOOooo

The crisp mountain air was revitalizing. Yahiko had seen Mount Fugi before but to see the mountainous country of Southern Germany was a totally different experience. He looked at the ridiculous outfit that Yutaro donned and it was all he could do to avoid laughing.

No one should wear those hideous trousers in public.

The mansion that Yutaro and his guardian, the doctor lived in was splendid. It was a stone manner looked like a castle and had acres and acres of land. Yahiko felt like a king, but no matter how exciting this place was he had to admit he was homesick. Even if he only admitted this fact to himself, he still admitted it.

Mostly, he missed Kaoru. The only reason he agreed to come to Germany at this time of year was because he knew that Kenshin would be with Kaoru on the anniversary this summer. Otherwise, he would have delayed this trip for a few weeks.

"Master Yahiko," the butler greeted once he and Yutaro had returned from horseback riding in the fields. He held a gold plate out to the Japanese boy with a letter addressed to him.

"What's this?" Yahiko asked the butler, but he merely gave a brief bow and retreated after Yahiko took the envelope.

Yutaro elbowed Yahiko in the ribs and peered over his shoulder to see what had caught his interest. "Is that from Miss Kaoru?" Yutaro asked politely.

Yahiko nodded absently. "Yeah, it's from Ugly." He continued to read the script of his mentor, teacher, sister, and mother figure all rolled into one. A frown furrowed Yahiko's brows as he read Kaoru's script. This was not the news he was expecting to hear.

He expected to hear her rambling on and on about Kenshin, but amazingly she was short and to the point in this letter. It was only a few lines long.

Yahiko crumpled the letter in his fist angrily. "What did it say?" Yutaro asked concerned.

"Kenshin left, again." Yahiko answered simply before he threw the crumpled paper and slammed his fist into the sofa in the living room, so as not to damage anything, namely himself. He then ran up the stairs and slammed his door where he began to pace back and forth in anger.

"How could he do this to her?" Yahiko asked himself. "Was it so much to give her a few weeks? She deserves better," Yahiko decided.

A soft knock on his door alerted him to Yutaro's presence. "What's going on Yahiko?"

He opened the door and allowed his friend inside. "I already told you, Kenshin left her again."

Yutaro nodded his head and leaned against the doorframe thoughtfully. "So is she at the dojo alone now then?"

Yahiko threw his hands in the air in frustration. "No! That's the really weird part. She's in Kyoto now visiting the weasel girl."

"Well that doesn't sound so bad," Yutaro tried to tell him peacefully.

"What do you mean that doesn't sound so bad?" Yahiko yelled, dark eyes flashing as he glared at his friend. "It's terrible! She shouldn't be in Kyoto, she has stuff to do! She---she---she has a dojo to run!"

Yutaro raised a brow. "She had a dojo to run with no students?"

Yahiko's lips thinned at the comment. "You know what I mean."

"Write her in Kyoto. See how she's doing there." Yutaro suggested.

Yahiko turned back and went straight towards his desk where he pulled out pen and paper to do just that. "I intend to do that." He started scratching away his message to Kaoru, letting her know exactly what kind of jerk he thought Kenshin was being.

Yutaro was peering over his shoulder once more and cleared his throat. Yahiko glared at him. "Perhaps you should not speak of Mr. Himura in your letter. It would no doubt upset her. Ask what she thinks of Kyoto instead and what her plans are for the remainder of the season."

Yahiko nodded and crumpled up the letter. He'd save his angry words for when he wrote Kenshin himself since Kaoru gave him the address to reach him at. Suddenly a brilliant idea came to him and he met Yutaro's violet eyes.

"If you are thinking of inviting Kaoru to come here," Yutaro began and Yahiko held his breath. "I'll have to ask my guardian, so don't mention it in this letter, but maybe in the next one if I can get it approved."

A large grin spread across Yahiko's face. "Thanks man!" Furious scribbling then followed that declaration.

oooOOOooo

Dinner at the Aoiya was same as it seemed to normally be. Okina hit on all the females shamelessly through out the meal, much to the annoyance of everyone in attendance. Aoshi ate his food silently. Misao and some of the other women of the clan spoke non-stop about various things that they tried in practice that day.

Kaoru for her part was mostly quiet. She did enjoy the meal though she would have to admit it was much better tasting than what her attempts at cooking generally resulted as.

She answered any questions presented to her, but still she remained pretty much an outsider. She didn't exactly feel excluded, but she most certainly wasn't an insider. She didn't get the little jokes they told. And they hardly remembered to explain them to her.

Perhaps that was a good thing? That might have meant that they felt so comfortable around her that it was as if she was always there. But, that wasn't the case and it seemed as if Aoshi was the only one that generally remembered this and would occasionally meet her eyes across the table.

It would only be for a moment but that moment was reassuring. For, while Kaoru was an outsider by definition, Aoshi was one as well, but by choice.

After finishing her meal, Kaoru politely excused herself, but wasn't alone for long. As soon as she announced her leave Misao excused herself as well and followed her out the hall. The young ninja teenager took hold of Kaoru's elbow and pulled her outside to talk privately.

Misao's emerald eyes were wide in expectation as she stared at Kaoru. Kaoru's long ponytail had slid over her shoulder and she was playing with the tip of it. "So?" Misao asked when it became obvious that Kaoru wasn't going to say anything.

"Yes Misao?" Kaoru asked with a sweet smile. She knew what that wide eyed look of Misao's meant. It was her psycho Aoshi-obsessed look.

"I know you two spent most of the day in the temple together. What did my Aoshi-sama say about me?" Misao asked with a bit of impatience.

Kaoru bit her lip, not sure how to answer this question delicately. Misao had never even crossed her mind while she was with Aoshi that afternoon and she highly doubted that she crossed his mind either. "I didn't exactly have the chance to ask him about you," Kaoru answered honestly.

Misao nodded, deep in thought as she raised her hand to hold her chin in contemplation. "Of course, you were meditating." She looked at Kaoru suddenly. "Did he have a far away dreamy look in his eyes as he thought about how much he loved me?"

Kaoru blinked at the woman before answering carefully. "Well, Misao, he meditates with his eyes closed." Misao seemed to deflate at this. "But," Kaoru started and Misao perked right up expectantly. "But, he did watch you practice this afternoon and complimented your form."

The smile on Misao's face was priceless. It was just as bright as if Kaoru had said that Aoshi declared eternal love to the girl, which never would happen. Kaoru reached out and squeezed Misao's shoulder gently. "Well, I'm going to bed now, good night."

"Good night Kaoru-chan!" Misao told her giving a great big hug before bouncing off inside the house, leaving Kaoru shaking her head after her before retreating to her bed room.

TBC