Best of Intentions 8
The rest of dinner passed fairly uneventfully. What little conversation was had centered on the medical clinic, Kaoru's stay in Kyoto, and talking about Sanosuke in China. Apparently the former fighter-for-hire was pretty consistent in answering letters, even if his penmanship was lacking.
"Are you sure you don't want me to bring you some breakfast in the morning?" Megumi asked as she stood outside of her home. Aoshi stood in the shadows, seeming in a hurry to leave while Kaoru stood in her doorframe.
Kaoru gave Megumi one final hug, which Megumi returned still unused to being on the receiving end of Kaoru's affections. It was kind of nice that the young woman wasn't jealous of Megumi. Of course the doctor wouldn't admit that was probably related to the fact that she wasn't teasing or goading her.
"Thank you Megumi-chan, but we'll manage something quazi-edible," Kaoru grinned as she stepped back from the female doctor. "Don't worry, I'm fine," Kaoru assured when the dark look in Megumi's eyes seemed to convey her concern.
"Kaoru," Aoshi called. Kaoru turned to look at him over her shoulder. He didn't say another word but he merely stood waiting for her with his hands in the pockets of his pants. It was strange to see him without wearing his long white trench coat, but since it was summer it would have been impractical.
"Thank you for inviting me to dinner," Megumi broke into the spell between the two. "I'll see you later, alright?"
"Right, good night Megumi," Kaoru flashed one more small smile before turning towards Aoshi and making her way to him. Megumi watched the two walk away, trying to remind herself the whole time that they were simply friends.
That was hard to remember when she noticed Aoshi lightly placing his arm around Kaoru's shoulders as if it were an every day occurrence, which would perhaps be true in Sanosuke's case. Megumi felt ice in her veins as she watched them disappear around the dark street corner. Many times, she and Sanosuke had discussed Kaoru and Kenshin being together. They both were convinced that the two would be the solution to the other's loneliness and sorrow.
So why was it now that she was watching Kaoru walk away with Aoshi that she questioned the validity of that scenario?
Megumi closed her door and locked it behind her. She searched her small home and was saddened when she realized how empty her life was feeling. During dinner, not many words were exchanged but actions always did speak louder than words.
She couldn't remember a time in the past when she got along with Kaoru better. Normally the young woman annoyed the doctor with her childish and naïve beliefs. She never would take the initiative with the Rurouni. Even with Megumi throwing in the jealousy factor Kaoru did nothing more than complain to everyone but Kenshin.
But tonight, Megumi saw another side to the woman. It was a side that apparently only Aoshi Shinomori had been able to draw out. It was as if Kaoru was a matured woman. There was a confidence about her and a level of comfort that made Megumi proud. Naturally she wasn't as talented as Megumi in displaying her feminine charms.
An unexpected feeling of sadness overwhelmed Megumi as she thought about her younger sister whom she hadn't seen in nearly seven years. She sat at her desk and turned on the lamp to search through her letters. After so many years of knowing nothing, she received a letter from her family. It was two years old and had been lost trying to get to her.
Their address on the envelope was no longer accurate, but perhaps it would lead her one step closer to reuniting with her family. Of course the next step would prove the most difficult one. Megumi needed a skilled tracker to locate her family. She could think of only one man capable of such a task.
Perhaps it was time to take a trip up into the rural mountains. She'd need to bring plenty of extra sake as incentive.
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"Well this was a nice way to end the day, don't you think?" Kaoru asked as they approached the gates to the Kamiya dojo.
"Hmm, I suppose," Aoshi answered absently. He pulled Kaoru a little closer when she shuttered. There was a sudden draft on the wind and the stars were beginning to be hidden behind angry storm clouds. "I think it is about to rain," he observed.
Kaoru looked up and Aoshi's comment seemed verified when a flash of lightning streaked across the night sky. It was followed promptly by a loud clap of thunder that caused her to jump slightly.
Aoshi squeezed her shoulder with his hand when she jumped and looked down at her with a small trace of concern in his face. "You okay?"
Nervously, Kaoru laughed self-consciously. "It's nothing really, storms are a common occasion." Aoshi raised a brow to say he didn't quite buy that but that he wasn't going to press the issue. The gate to the dojo came into view and that's when the bottom fell out.
The race was on, mud was flying, and feet were slamming against the road as the two raced to the dojo. Kaoru threw open the gate and then screamed when she felt herself being lifted off her feet into the soaking embrace of her companion.
Aoshi's long legs reached the dojo promptly and he deposited Kaoru to her feet outside of the front door where they both leaned against the wall. He was catching his breath from his sprint and Kaoru was laughing, red in the face. Aoshi couldn't help but lift the corner of his lip at seeing her gleeful expression.
Kaoru gave a mock bow to him as she unlocked the front door. "Thank you my valiant Samurai in shining armor." She turned to walk inside but was stopped when Aoshi grabbed a fistful of her damp hair and gave a gentle tug.
Aoshi released her hair and put a hand over his heart in mock despair. "You dishonor me to confuse a great ninja with a Samurai."
Acting without thinking, which she found to be the case more and more in the presence of the ninja, Kaoru placed her palm over the hand covering his heart. "I give my humblest apologies." She smirked when she removed her hand. "You're my valiant ninja in soaking wet clothes."
"As long as you have my identity cleared up," Aoshi replied as he gave her a gentle shove inside the dojo and shut the door behind them. He walked towards a side table in the den and lit a lamp. He turned to look at Kaoru in the flickering light. After giving her the once over he ran a wary hand through his dark hair. "I think I'll go change now, you do the same before you become ill."
Kaoru found herself zoning out. The only thing she noticed was Aoshi standing in front of a flickering flame that highlighted his narrow frame. She wasn't sure why it was only now that she noticed how his clothes clung to muscular body. She was further seduced into a trance at the sound of his softly spoken voice. It was so relaxing and full of strength. And she frowned slightly, was he saying something?
"Kaoru?" Aoshi asked concerned. He lifted the back of his hand to her forehead, afraid that she might have already taken ill. She had an odd spaced out sort of expression.
Kaoru blinked, clearing her mind of her random thoughts. She stepped back out of Aoshi's reach. "I'll just go and change."
Aoshi watched as she walked towards her room with a frown on his face. He had a feeling that she didn't hear a word he said to her. Shrugging, he walked down the hall towards the room that Yahiko normally slept in. He had tossed his bag in there and needed to change into something dry.
A soft knock was heard on the wall beside his rice paper door. "Aoshi?" Kaoru called. He slid open the door and looked down at her. "I'm just going to go ahead and retire for the night. If you need anything, I'm just down the hall."
After a curt nod, Aoshi watched as the blue eyed kendo instructor walked across the hall to her own room. She didn't cast a backwards glance and he observed as she silently slid shut her bedroom door.
Shaking his head, Aoshi turned back to his bag to find something dry to wear. It was still rather hot and muggy so he decided on his usual pair of sleeping pants. He frowned at the size of Yahiko's futon. "I'd be better off sleeping sitting up against the wall," he decided. He wasn't tired yet, so he decided to do some meditating to pass the time.
Perhaps an hour had passed while Aoshi Shinomori sat in silence. During that hour the storm began to rage, instead of easing up it only grew in intensity. Suddenly, a sound caught Aoshi's attention and he picked up his kodachi blades before running towards Kaoru's room where the sound originated.
He slid open the door and rushed with his swords posed for an attack. He lowered his blades when he noticed the woman laying on her stomach screaming into her pillow anytime a clap of thunder rolled, in an attempt to muffle the sound.
He approached her and placed his warm fingertips on the cool skin exposed at her shoulder from where her night gown had slipped down. Kaoru turned to look at him over that same shoulder, eyes wide in surprise. "What are you doing in my room?"
Aoshi ignored her question to ask one of his own. "What's wrong?" He removed his fingers from her skin as she turned onto her back to face him.
"I don't like storms," Kaoru confessed. "I already told you it wasn't a big deal though."
"It seems a big deal to me," Aoshi relaxed as he sat Lotus style beside her futon, ready to be an easy listener for her burdens to be unloaded upon.
"It's just, storms remind me of gun shots," Kaoru admitted. A dark look crossed Aoshi's face; no doubt he too hated the violence of firearms. Both were vividly recalling the horror of Aoshi's four friends being run down by the Gattling gun those years ago. Kaoru had the added horror of knowing a gun shot is what ended the life of her beloved Kilik.
"I can understand that," Aoshi agreed softly as he sat back to lean against the wall near Kaoru's futon. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate and clear his mind of the death cries of his lost friends.
Kaoru's nightmarish thoughts were forgotten in the presence of the half-nude man sitting beside her futon. She found herself staring at the strongly defined contours of his abdomen and chest. With the blood rushing to her cheeks she recalled the fact that not too long ago she was sleeping nestled against that same torso and was carried pressed up against it maybe an hour prior to the present.
Aoshi's eyes opened as he put aside the dark memories and watched Kaoru watching him. The mood lightened into one less severe as he took in the sight of Kaoru staring at his body. He couldn't help but feel a little arrogant at sign of a blush upon her pale skin. "Do you want me to stay here with you until the storm stops?" He broke into her trancelike state.
Kaoru blinked as it took several long moments for his words to register. "Oh, no! I'm fine. You go on out."
Aoshi looked at her skeptically but stood up none the less. He walked out the room and had made it down the hall to Yahiko's room. Another clap of thunder followed by a muffled scream drew him back to Kaoru's room in an instant. Working on complete instinct his swords were once again drawn as his eyes darted around the dark room only to see an embarrassed Kaoru holding a pillow over her mouth.
He smirked at her as he lowered his blades. "I thought there might have been some sort of wild animal in the room or something."
Kaoru lowered the pillow and couldn't help but grin back. "I'm afraid it's only one crazy raccoon, nothing to worry about." Aoshi ignored the warning look in her eyes and returned to his previous sitting position by her futon. "Really, it's just a storm, I know good and well nothing is going to hurt me."
Icy blue eyes glared at her in a way that conveyed he didn't care for her explanations. "Maybe I don't like the sound of thunder either," he suggested. Kaoru shrugged in acceptance and turned over on her side to face away from him.
Aoshi rolled back his shoulders and popped his neck muscles on both sides before leaning his head against the wooden walls of the small room. He kept his eyes open and watched the rhythmic rise and fall of Kaoru's chest as she fell into a deep sleep. Eventually the thunder faded as the storm drifted further away from the dojo.
When the last of the storm passed he rose to his feet and made his way stealthily towards the room he was to bunk in. He looked at the small futon once more and then decided he didn't care if it was too short for his long frame, he was suddenly bone-weary.
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The smell of something cooking distracted Aoshi from his meditative state as he leaned against the post on the deck. He cracked open his eyes and looked off towards the kitchen of the dojo. Surely the smoke was not a good sign. He stood and began to make his way towards the impending disaster.
The sight that greeted him almost caused him to crack a smile of amusement. Kaoru was frantically fanning a rising flame that threatened to get even more out of control. "What are you doing?" He asked.
Kaoru glanced over at her guest before finally getting the fire contained. "Cooking," she muttered giving the remains of the eggs she was frying a mystified look. Aoshi stood behind her and peered over her shoulder. "You're not doing a very good job of it," he commented.
Kaoru turned to stare up at him, she tried to put her hands on her hips, but the spatula in her fist ended up jabbing her, causing her to wince. Aoshi laughed softly and pulled the spatula out of her hand so that Kaoru could rub her injury. "Well aren't you an ingrate," Kaoru muttered with a frown.
Aoshi raised his brow at her barely audible words. He picked up the pot and walked over towards the open window that the smoke had drifted out from minutes before. He dumped the contents outside. He turned to face a livid Kaoru, but he interjected before she could explode on him. "I think we should start from scratch." He stared at her impassively as her mouth opened and closed several times in silence.
"Did you really want to eat scorched food?" He prompted the woman doing the impression of a fish.
"No," she muttered reluctantly. Aoshi placed his hand upon her shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze before placing the pot back on the stove. "We'll start over then and I'll help you," Aoshi offered graciously.
Kaoru gave Aoshi a bewildered look. "You know how to cook?"
"Well, no, but I figure between the two of us making an attempt the result may be better."
Half an hour of intense concentration passed. No words were uttered that weren't related to the composition of the breakfast for the two travelers. The moment of truth was upon them as they raised their chop sticks simultaneously. They eyed one another across the table area and then ate the first bite at the same time.
Kaoru slowly drew the chop stick away from her mouth and swallowed the food in her mouth. She grinned across at Aoshi and he grinned back. "It's actually pretty good," Kaoru murmured.
"What was that? I don't believe I quite heard what you said." Aoshi took a calming sip of his tea and watched Kaoru over the rim of his cup. Kaoru merely glared at him, so Aoshi set his cup down. "It's not that I think you're a bad cook, you are just easily distracted and we both know this."
Kaoru remained silent.
"I've an idea, how about when we return to Kyoto, you and I will both take cooking lessons?" Aoshi offered unexpectedly. He wasn't sure why he made the offer, but the idea of spending more time with Kaoru sounded tempting.
Kaoru's jaw fell open. "Did you just suggest what I think you suggested?"
Aoshi paused to think before responding. "I should probably make sure Misao is on the lessons. Lord knows, she's the worst cook I've ever met." He watched Kaoru's reaction and was pleased to note a trace of pride on the admission that there was someone worse than her at cooking.
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It was late during the night when Kenshin finally returned to his room. He had timed his return poorly because Sanosuke had yet to leave for his morning shift and was wide awake preparing.
"Hey Kenshin, you feeling better?" Sano asked as soon as his friend stepped inside their room. Kenshin turned and looked at him for a long while without saying a word, his face was a complete blank mask that unnerved the former fighter-for-hire.
"I'm fine Sano, thank you for your concern." He ran his fingers through his red bangs that had fallen over his eyes as he made his way to the bed in the far corner of the room. Kenshin laid down on it and stared at the cracked ceiling above his head.
Sano watched as his best friend fell onto his bed in an exhausted fashion. If he wasn't worried before then he was deathly afraid for his friend now. He knew that the doctor must have discovered something devastating for the man to withdraw from him so entirely.
He could only think of one topic that might pull the former wanderer out of his melancholy state of mind. "So, we got mail today. You got a letter from Jou-chan and I got an interesting one from Megumi."
Kenshin didn't respond.
"Have you written Jou-chan back yet?" Sano asked, already knowing the answer. Kenshin turned to glare at him a moment before returning his gaze to the ceiling.
"I have not," Kenshin answered somberly.
"Idiot," Sano growled, only to be greeted with a pair of amethyst eyes flashing amber at him. "Don't you go all Battousai on me! I can't believe you haven't written her back, what are you thinking? She probably thinks you're dead or something!"
"This is really none of your business Sano," Kenshin interrupted the younger man's rant.
Sano paused for a moment trying to recollect his cool. "Yeah, well Jou-chan is important to me. And so are you! So that makes this my business." Sano walked towards the bed and stood over Kenshin, blocking the view of the ever so interesting ceiling. "Maybe it would be of interest to you to learn that Kaoru has been traveling alone in the company of Shinomori over the greater part of Japan!"
Kenshin's heart stopped but he didn't give any outward signs to the statement.
Sano face grew red in anger and he threw his hands in the air before he stormed towards the door. "I have to go to work now." He slammed shut the door, never seeing the stricken look that crossed Kenshin's features as he sat on the edge of the bed and placed his face into his hands.
He felt a panic attack unlike any before he had ever experienced begin to over come him. He reached his hand into his inner pocket to pull out Kaoru's ribbon. Her scent was fading. He placed it back in the safe location near his heart and reached under his mattress.
He pulled out several leafs of paper covered in his messy script. He shuffled through them until he found a blank sheet and then took out his pen to begin another letter to Kaoru that he would never give her.
So far he had written a letter to her twice a day for every day since he had left her in Kyoto. A tear fell from his eye unheeded, staining the paper, as he wrote to Kaoru about what the doctor told him, about the end of his dreams, about the complete feeling of grief that was over coming him.
He wrote about the pain in his chest he felt when he was reminded of leaving her behind again and especially of her traveling with Shinomori. "It should have been me that is with you," he whispered as he folded the letter and placed it under his mattress with the rest of them.
Kenshin took a deep breath and then curled up in a tight ball and fell into a fit-full sleep.
A/N: Alright, I'm getting pretty depressed for Kenshin now, how about you? Maybe I should cure him of his syphilis by some miracle….maybe the doctor made a mistake? Then Kaoru can marry both Kenshin and Aoshi…and everyone is happy! Right? Yeah, I didn't think that would work either…..
Oh, if there are any Yu-Gi-Oh fans reading this, I started a Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl yahoo group. There's a link to it in my profile if you're interested in joining.