Tiger-Lily walks in with complete set of RK plushies
kokoronagomu: yay! Kenshin plushies!
Tiger-Lily: this is not for you (then JLuc appears from nowhere)
Here! (author shoves all plushies to JLuc)
kokoronagomu: what about me?
Tiger-Lily: That's for making me wait. I gave this chap for JLuc to edit.
kokoronagomu: (wails)
The Freezing Fire and the Warm Ice
~Tiger-Lily~
CHAPTER 5- A start
He stood at the edge of the river- the same spot he'd been at while looking for her earlier. His mind was clouded with confusion, too numb to feel anything.
'Why?'
Perhaps it was own naïveté, for feeling at peace in her presence. He wondered how he'd let it happen, when had she gained his trust? So much for thinking she really meant her kindness.
'Whyyou,ofallpeople?'
The once forgotten cold began to seep back into him, but he kept his composure. He couldn't– shouldn't- feel this way about her. To admit that in such a short amount of time, he'd managed to forget his work, since this strange woman waltzed in his life. She seemed to have a pull over him because, if he really hated her, he would've left, without heeding the voices that kept him staying a bit longer. The need to clear his confusion over her was so strong that his own inhibitions were set aside.
'A liar doesn't deserve anything-much less a chance to talk,' he thought. But every time he tried to put the word liar onto her, a twinge tugged at his heart, letting him know that he felt something for her, somewhere inside his cold heart.
He didn't listen when she'd asked him to stay, but if she'd really wanted to turn him over to the police, she could have done it without trouble, considering his weak state... She couldn't be as heartless as that. Then again, it could be a really good haul, turning over a criminal, especially with the ransom she'd get once they learned about his identity.
'She needed the money,' he considered. He hadn't failed to notice the inactivity of the dojo, which led him to wonder why she didn't teach lessons, when she barely earned enough from her few students.
But a part of him wanted to believe that she'd really cared.
He wished she would find him here and tell him that what he'd heard wasn't true- that she was still the angel he deemed her to be. Then he decided.
Just this last chance to talk. Just to thank her – if only for saving him at the dock that chilly morning.
She had to close her jaw to keep flies from entering her gaping mouth. True, she had first thought it, but to now- her worst fears were confirmed- it was the Battousai, himself! Yes, she'd heard rumors about him, but she would've expected the great Battousai to be a large, ugly guy in rags and not a petite, handsome –
Her memory scrolled back to the scene that morning, at the kitchen:
Red Hair. Cross scar on his cheek.
Figures.
There was the possibility that he'd kept his identity from her because he didn't want to be discovered too soon, and during the time he'd stayed with her, there were many chances that he could have killed her. But he didn't. Was the feared killer as cold hearted as she'd heard him to be? Why Battousai?
"As much as we enjoy wasting our time standing here, we'd like to begin searching."
Kaoru, still dumbfounded, didn't even protested when they pushed against her as they made their way inside. Jostling her aside, the police started to search every inch of the compound as she silently battled against herself.
'What if he comes back in a few minutes? Then again, what if he's gone for good?' She couldn't help but feel something cringe within her at the thought of not seeing him again. 'Maybe he just took a walk,' she assured herself. 'Maybe I could meet him halfway and warn him not to return yet, if that was the case.' She was again reminded that the force of authority was still within her grounds. If she moved now, surely they would suspect something.
Why she felt this way, she couldn't tell. What she knew was that she had a strong urge to be protective of the vulnerable self he hid from the world. Was she ready to admit that she had just sided with a cold-blooded murderer? He wasn't really as evil as others thought him to be, she figured, and believed their meeting by chance meant that she had a special role she to fulfill in his life.
Finding no one, no traces of the Battousai inside the dojo grounds, the police questioned her, insistent that she tell them his whereabouts. Well, she really didn't know, and that was the only truth she was sure about…
Before she knew it, one of the policemen took her by the arm and tried to take her into custody. Kaoru wouldn't budge. One made a wrong move, gripping her wrist, and found himself thrown to the ground by the fierce kendo master.
She slipped out of their grasp and decided to make a run for it, hoping to get away from this already confusing situation… and hoping to find him.
'How dare they accuse me of such a thing? Yes, I've welcomed someone in my home, but that's my business alone!'
It had been the limit of her tolerance to let them search her compound but she put up with it because of the search warrant. Still, she knew that arresting her was out of her bounds, since they'd only presented a search warrant.
Kaoru took the road leading to the town. That way, if they came after her, she wouldn't be easy to find among the throngs of people. It would be easier to shake them off, too.
She muttered apologies to some of the people she'd shoved harshly, having heard the distant police whistle. The townspeople, becoming aware of a ruckus, turned their heads to locate the commotion.
She wasted no time and her feet led her straight toward the river. The sun had sunk over the horizon, leaving the sky a tinge of pink and she began to panic, because she really had no idea what to do once she got them off her tail.
As the need to catch her breath came, she stopped and leaned against a tree.
"Oh goody, now I just turned against the authorities, does it make me more of a criminal now?" she grumbled between panting breaths.
Kaoru suddenly realized where she was. Odd, but it seemed that she'd returned here- to where she'd first found herself that morning. She looked around and saw that she wasn't alone. Attempting to avoid anyone, she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes reacquainted themselves with a familiar figure.
"Battousai..." not meaning to voice it out loud, she almost jumped when his head whipped in her direction.
A sudden pang of dread rose up when she met his eyes, reflecting some kind of emotion she could not decipher.
He was just sitting on a rotting log (which was coincidentally, the same one she had sat on that morning) as he pondered, when a rustle of the grass and footsteps alerted him. He was surprised to see the object of his frustration a few feet away.
Before she even took a step closer, he abruptly stood up and held his palm out, gesturing for her to stop.
His eyes suddenly blazed amber effectively blocking her from reading the extent of his warring emotions,
"No. Don't come any closer"
His reaction shocked her, making her do as she was told. Her feet felt like a ton of bricks.
He was flabbergasted himself- how'd they find themselves in the same place, in the most complicated of situations? He figured there would be no better time to settle this.
She took the opportunity to speak first. "Battousai…"
'Stupid!Don't you have anything better to say than that?' she reprimanded herself.
"I'm leaving… For good. I appreciate that you bothered about me." He sounded as cold as his words. "I really appreciate your help…" He tried hard not to say anything as gullible as a 'thank you.' "… for taking me in. You could have asked me politely, if the money really meant that much more to you…"
She flinched at his remark...
'What the?'
"I can't hold you responsible for your actions anyway,.. at least I helped your crumbling dojo"
'Is he saying what I think he is saying?'
"But if you possibly think that I would give in that easily... that's where you've got it wrong."
With that finally said, he heartlessly turned his back on her, not even acknowledging her reaction. This is when his grand exit should come about but he failed to see one thing coming.
It was seconds before he realized as he was spun around and left with the stinging sensation on his cheek, where her palm burned a mark.
'What are you doing Kaoru? Have you lost your mind! That's the notorious killer you just slapped!'
She wasn't that surprised he would suspect her for turning him over to the police. In truth, she couldn't blame him. Because of the way she acted and walked out of him that morning, not to mention telling him not to follow her, was suspicious enough that anybody in his situation would think that. But he'd gone too far, thinking her that low.
The conceited freeloader dared speak about her dojo like that!
She wasn't the emotional type normally, but with all this karma getting back at her –self-loathing, guilt and disappointment- she could only revert to the one thing she'd sworn she would never do in front of anybody:
She cried. And then the next second she was shouting, "I'm going to let you get away with thinking that I really turned you over to them." Since it was undeniably her fault that he was discovered. "But I guess I was wrong about you, you're as heartless as they say... Hitokiri Battousai," she spat.
He winced, tightening his fist in an attempt not to lash out against the petite girl.
"What's wrong with you, woman?" His tight voice told her how enraged he was.
"That's for sullying my dojo's pride!" Her voice broke on the last word.
'I guess nobody would really understand. I'm sorry father.'
Seeing her blue eyes bloodshot from the onslaught of her tears, he felt guilty for her distress.
"There they are!" the approaching police drew their attention, causing both of their heads shoot up. "Stay right where you are!"
It was then that his eyes found hers, questioning, and she, in return, glared back, despite her streaming tears. Throwing a quick shrug to the fuming girl, he made his decision.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" she shrieked as she was being hauled over his shoulder.
"Getting us out of here." It was hard enough for him with her pounding little fists on his back but with her voice breaking his eardrums, he fought the urge to throw her at the river.
"What? This is treason! If there's somebody here who should be escaping, that would have to be you!"
"But it looks like they're not only after me," he muttered as he saw more of them coming down the riverbank.
"If that's the case, I'd be more than willing to turn myself over rather than destroy what's left of our name's dignity!"
Instead, he just braced her tighter.
"Run now, talk later."
In a split second he began to stream through the forest with god-like speed.
"Put – me – down!" She emphasized every syllable with the thump of her fist. They sped through the forest and she closed her eyes as her vision swam into an array of colors, drifting herself to unconsciousness.
No one's gonna hurt you…
Promise you won't leave me…
I… promise.
Battousai savored the stillness of the night watching the flicker of light in numb appreciation. What made him more at ease was the unmoving girl lying on a makeshift mat, made with thatches of dried grass, beside him.
The yellowish light gave her beautiful face a faint glow. In pure awe, he hesitantly brushed away stray locks caught between her lips, pushing back the urge to lean in and kiss those cherry plumps.
He still remembered her taste, a faint memory, but it was enough- for now- to appease his hunger. Then without noticing, he had drawn his face an inch closer, just above her face and he could almost feel her breath mingling with his, while he bathed in the tranquility of the moment.
Kaoru stirred when she felt his hands brushing over her face and her first reflex was to grab something- anything- to clobber him with, but the idea flew out of her mind as fast as it had come, when she felt the Battousai's breath ghosting over hers.
Snapping her eyes wide open, she ignored the way it stung, since she'd just opened her eyes from a rough sleep. Not giving herself time to adjust to the light, she somehow managed to look directly at the blurry image of him.
From the widening of his eyes, she could tell that he was caught off guard as well.
"Get off me you jerk!" He let her push him off of her. Giving him no time to speak, she began her questioning assault.
"Have you lost your marbles?" She straightened up.
"And what exactly- ugh!" She felt itchy all over, flicking grass out of her hair. "... do you plan to do, now that you've dragged me with you? Didn't you think for a second that the authorities would eventually reach us, no matter where we go? Being wanted is bad enough, but escaping from authorities? We've just proven ourselves guilty! …" Kaoru sighed and slumped in defeat.
From a shihandai to a nurse and finally, a criminal on the loose. In such a short amount of time, she'd managed to go from one to the other. She felt miserable for own sake.
"So, would you mind filling me in now?" Breaking the ice, he asked with an impassive look on his face.
"What do I have to tell you?"
"The plan."
"What plan?"
"Your plan for turning over the Battousai."
Ok, now the moment of truth. She huffed. 'He didn't really think that low of me, did he?'
On the other hand, she couldn't blame him if he did think that way. She would've, if she'd found herself in the same situation, with nobody to trust.
Somehow, she managed to come up with the simplest and truest answer she could give, "how could I do that when I didn't even know who you were?"
"You could've. The rumors..."
"I've heard of those, but it never once occurred to me, since the moment I saw you, barely alive at the dock that morning."
"Still, you shouldn't have taken in a katana wielding stranger."
"Haven't we settled this already?"
He didn't answer so she took the liberty to say, "I wanted to ask you so many questions since you've woken up." She fiddled with the hem of her kimono sleeve.
Still silent.
"But you won't even tell me your name, so…" Seeing him looking at her, she got distracted.
"So?"
"So... I let it go for a while. Stranger or not, I just can't leave anyone in dire need."
'Anyway,who would imagine the infamous Manslayer helpless and drowning?' she thought.
"So you really didn't turn me over to them?" There was a strange shift to his voice that sounded like... hope?
"No."
"Why did you run away from me?"
'That was uncalled for'; their rendezvous this morning was brought up in the most awkward of situations.
She threw back a question at him, "Why did you kiss me, anyway?"
It took her a few moments to process what she had blurted out. 'Goodness, did I just say it out loud?'
"So that's it?" he said in a mirthful tone. She could clearly see his amusement at her silliness. "You managed to get us in this situation just because you're affected by how good a kisser I am?" He teased.
Her face turned several shades redder.
"You conceited jerk!" 'I can't believe I just shared my first with the likes of you!' she thought.
"Well, maybe I should give you another…" He rubbed at his chin. "Ah... and think of the possible things you'll do next." He grinned.
"Try and meet my fist."
Shrugging, he sat back, all the while contemplating another question.
"So it's not true... What I heard from the townspeople."
It didn't sound like a question, she supposed, but curiosity got the better of her, so she threw a glance at him. Then he could choose whether or not to tell her what he'd overheard that morning.
"I noticed you've been neglecting the needs of your dojo when you took me in… and continued on when I got better… I actually thought you were after the ransom on my head…"
'Do you really have to rub it in?'she asked in her mind.
"Have they always talked like that about you?" For the first time, worry laced his voice. A complete contrast to what he'd shown from the first time they met.
"No, not until the war ceased and rumors of Battousai – you, spread from Kyoto… and no, don't even start thinking I'm blaming you."
"A year ago," she started again, "My father was still the master back then, and we had a lot of students under the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu…"
At the mention of her father, Battousai saw the longing in her eyes.
"He later went to assist at the Seinan war, so he left the dojo to me. He died on the battle field, leaving me to fend for myself. "
The forgotten wound burst open again. And he could tell that she was trying hard to keep her tears from falling.
"Things never got back the way it was... with the war drawing to its end, and much loss to be dealt with- not to mention the rumors that you just disappeared without a trace- the people started to become anxious and then they began accusing us of teaching the art of killing.
"Many dojos lost half of their students. But I was dealt the worst blow. Only a few willing students remained… because I'm a girl."
They stared at the flickering fire slowly reducing to embers.
"I couldn't blame them… I know how they felt," 'Having experienced my own loss first hand.'
It was hard to deny the guilt clawing at him. He knew that. He'd seen many deaths, most caused by his own hands.
"I've been alone since that… then I saw you at the dock..." She remembered those violet eyes that spoke volumes to her, the night she secretly came to comfort him. "But at the time, the rumors flew out of my mind… I just knew that I had to help, no matter what they'd say."
'I didn't see the killer in you,' she wanted to add.
"Manslayer or not… all of us deserves help… as long as these hands can reach them."
"My father once told me… that there are some things…" She remembered tears in violet eyes "...in their past that others prefer not to talk about. So I didn't push you."
He felt it. Something was hanging in the air- she'd left something unsaid- but decided not to open the topic, at least for now. That would have to wait. What's important was that she was there with him and didn't betray him as he'd suspected her.
"Mou!" She turned to him, trying to get his attention. She wheezed, "Really Battousai, I was being all emotional here and you didn't listen at all!"
"Kenshin…"
"What was that?"
"That's my name. And there's a surname that goes with that too."
"Oh…"
"Himura Kenshin. Call me by that name from now on. "
She cocked her head to the side, slightly confused, "What's the catch?"
He snorted.
She giggled at his retort... 'He trusts me enough to give me his real name…
This is a start.'
"However, it's up to you. Call me whatever name you want."
"Oh… but I prefer the one you gave me just now. Battousai's worn out already."
"Ken… shin…" she tested it again. And he loved the way it came out of her mouth.
"Consider yourself lucky I gave you the liberty to call me that..." he said.
"But tell me one thing at least. If you're the infamous Hitokiri, why did you end up in that mess anyway? Did you know about the pirates' attack or did your wounds come from a different situation?"
'I guess,it really wouldn't hurt to try,' he mused.
"I wanted my whereabouts unknown, so I left Kyoto... I wandered a bit, until I decided to come farther north and boarded a private ship to Tokyo,- so as to avoid attention as much as I can."
"Then the pirates attacked that night, and before I knew it, the ship I'd just boarded had hoarded drugs. I had some trouble dealing with them, as I wasn't skilled with fighting on a boat. Then the ship just malfunctioned."
He paused, remembering the tiny detail about almost failing his vow, as he chased the retreating pirates back to their rowboats. He still couldn't let go of the bloodlust.
"Then there was an explosion. One of many I'd ignored while fighting. With the next explosion, the impact sent me flying through the air and I fell into the water. I don't know what happened next. I just knew that whoever was still in the proximity was better off dead.
...And I'd thought I was going to end up like them."
Kaoru was perplexed. Trying to take it in and at the same time wavering whether or not to believe his tales. But to her, it made sense.
"I'm not expecting you to believe..." he said, as if hearing her thoughts voiced out.
It was too much for her to absorb that she didn't know what to say next, Kaoru drew the prickly mats and huddled closer to the fire. She shrugged and spoke with a sigh.
"Well, I really don't intend to pry too much… but I'm glad we at least managed to understand the details… and straightened the matters between us… and with me knowing your name now, a name that goes with that cocky attitude of yours."
With the last statement, he looked at her, baffled. Again, even with the knowledge of his true identity she hadn't cowered in fear. And she didn't seem to run out of insults to throw at him, too.
He suppressed a chuckle. 'Maybe you're getting too soft,Battousai'
"Still..." she began, "Himura-san."
He cringed at the formal way she addressed him. She didn't seem to make the most of the liberty he gave her.
"I'm glad, though our current situation is a bit crazy. What's important is that you're fine now…
Anyways… you do happen to have some food on you, don't you?" The girl looked as though she was asking for sweets from a candy vendor, rather that the deadly assassin.
"It's too dark and you really wore me out with all the running, so I wasn't able to get us food. But you could help yourself to some water, there is a spring nearby."
Her nose scrunched at his offer. "I haven't eaten all day, I tell you! I'm not just going to go to some river of yours! My stomach deserves more than that!"
"I'm too exhausted; it wasn't my fault you're that heavy." He said, matter-of-factly. It was true that having nothing to eat the whole day, and all the action they went through, was taking a toll on his body now.
"Argh! Never mind..." she finally gave up in annoyance.
Retiring for the day, she decided she wasn't hungry at all… It was too late for food anyway. Kaoru scooted away from the fire to prevent her bed from catching stray embers and managed to get herself comfortable amidst the cool forest floor. "I want a good night's sleep at least! Don't try anything stupid!"
But she was sure before she closed her eyes, she'd heard him mumble.
"Sorry… and thank you... For real."
Kaoru snuggled deeper into the thatches, a small, real smile gracing her lips for the first time that day.
'At least he has some manners,' and with that, she drifted off to sleep
You're Welcome.
TBC.
I'm really excited to speed up the development of their relationship but it really wouldn't make sense to Battousai's part in the plot if he moved on that fast..(Hey, I'm trying my best to portray Battousai as he is on the manga here.) He might have developed a trust in her (but to a certain extent) considering he had a dark past; she had to work hard to break his impenetrable barriers.
I really appreciate those who take their time to give reviews to this story. I love you people.. God bless you all.
I JUST WANT TO TAKE BACK MY PS FROM CHAPTER 3. I WON'T TOLERATE FLAMERS. However, constructive criticism is welcome…. and with that said
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW FOR THIS POOR LADY.