Reliving the Teens
Ch 5
Yep, Im back! Howdy-doody! Here's the next chapter (duh) sry it took me so long, Japan wasn't as fanfic writing friendly as I thought it would be... photos are coming. Please read and review!
Kaoru ran out of the dojo, through the gate, ran into someone and fell down to the dusty ground.
"Hey Jou-chan, whats the rush?" The person said, then held out a hand to help her up. "Sano!" Kaoru exclaimed, taking his hand and rising to her feet. "Did you see which way Kenshin went?" The rooster stared at her then pointed off to the right towards the forest. "Yeah, I think he went that way." Kaoru immediately went running in that direction, shouting her thanks.
"What's wrong?" He yelled after her.
"I have to find him!" Kaoru yelled back, then disappeared into the trees.
Kenshin sighed and leaned back against the tree trunk, his head resting on a branch. 'I shouldn't have reacted like that, no doubt I scared Miss Kaoru.' He sighed. 'But to know that a kid, who obviously looks up to me, knows about my past and still…'
He sighed again and leapt down off the branch to land in the middle of the path. After looking around and making sure that no one, or thing, was in the area, Kenshin drew his sheathed sword and placed the wooden sheath near the bottom of one of the surrounding trees.
Kenshin walked back to the middle of the past, moved into a ready stance, closed his eyes while clearing his mind of any thoughts and began. He started with a basic kata then, picking up speed, moved into one of the more advanced ones.
Kaoru ran down the path, her sandals pounding on the packed dirt. Occasionally she stopped to catch her breath and shout the redhead's name into the heavy silence. When there was still no answer she sighed and resumed her running. She was gasping for breath and her heart was pounding in her ears when Kaoru came around a bend in the path and stopped dead in her tracks.
She had never seen Kenshin practice before, only fight, yet here he was, a younger version of the man she knew and loved, moving at god-like speed and practicing a kata she had never seen.
Kaoru watched him for several minutes where she leaning against a tree, taking in the sight of how relaxed and natural he looked, as if the sword was just an extension of his arm.
All of a sudden the redhead stopped moving and stood still, the sword held loosely at his side. "Yes Miss Kaoru?" He asked without turning, his voice emotionless.
Kaoru took this as an invitation to run up to him until she was standing behind the fourteen year old. "I was just worried when you suddenly ran off like that." When he didn't respond she continued, "I'm sure Yahiko didn't mean what he said, sometimes he just-"
"It's alright Miss Kaoru, Yahiko isn't to blame." Kenshin said as he walked over to the tree and sheathed the sword he had been using. Kaoru noticed worriedly that the sword Kenshin had wasn't his usual, familiar sakabato, but a katana instead.
"Was there something else Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked as he turned to look at her.
"Well, yes." Kaoru hesitated slightly, "I have to go get some groceries to make up for the things I burned last night, in town, and well, I-"
"-Was wondering if I would come with you?" Kenshin finished, smiling at her.
Kaoru looked up, saw him smiling, and relaxed. "Yes." She watched as the redhead walking forward to stop in front of her.
"Very well, shall we leave then?"
Kaoru gently guided Kenshin down the main road, nodding or saying hello to people she knew who passed by. Beside her Kaoru saw Kenshin tense every time someone came too close to them, invading his wide bubble of personal space. She squeezed his hand, noticing how he flinched at the contact, and leaned sideways to whisper in his ear, "It's alright Kenshin, just relax. No one's going to attack."
He nodded and Kaoru saw him trying to relax, breathing slowly and closing his eyes until they became distant again. When he was calmer they continued walking, but Kaoru noticed his uncertainty. 'Of course he's uncomfortable around all these people. He's a hitokiri, an assassin who kills other people. Plus it doesn't help that he's a part of a war where there's hundred's of people trying to get revenge or kill him.' Kaoru argued with herself, glancing over at her companion.
When they turned into the market street Kaoru announced cheerfully, "Here we are!" then led him into a store where they sold rice and tofu. Kenshin followed closely in her footsteps, doubtfully eying the crowd around them. Kaoru quickly found and paid for the rice and tofu, handed them to Kenshin to carry and then led him back out into the street.
They repeated this process a few times until Kenshin was struggling with the armful of food he was carrying and Kaoru's purse was nearly empty. "Thanks for coming with me Kenshin, and for carrying all the food, I could never do that myself." Kaoru said, smiling as they walked back to the main road.
"I'm sure." Kenshin said sarcastically under his breath, quietly enough for Kaoru not to hear him. Then he suddenly stopped as they passed a darkened alleyway and the redhead sensed a somewhat familiar, threatening ki. He stared into the shadows surprised and confused until Kaoru came up and laid a hand on his arm.
"Kenshin?" She asked worriedly, looking at him then followed his gaze. "There's no one there Kenshin. Come on, let's go home," Kaoru gently nudged the redhead away by a hand on his arm, but Kenshin couldn't tear his eyes from the alleyway or rid himself of the sense of foreboding he felt.
They made it home and Kaoru put the purchased food away while Kenshin disappeared from her side. After she finished Kaoru found Yahiko again and reassured him that Kenshin wasn't upset or angry with him. When Yahiko finally began to believe her after she threatened to smash his head in, they continued their practice from where they had left off earlier.
Sano returned a few hours later and several coins lighter, loudly announcing how hungry he was. When Kaoru was finished yelling at him about how irresponsible he was, she went into the kitchen to begin making dinner.
"Why isn't Kenshin making dinner?" Sano asked Yahiko who looked upset and answered ashamedly, "After I found out that Kenshin's fourteen again, I said a stupid comment about how he's Battousai again." Yahiko shook his head. "He looked really sad, then walked out-"
"Where is he now?" Sano asked hurriedly. Yahiko pointed up at the roof and the rooster nodded, then walked to the side of the building and climbed up the ladder to find no redhead occupying the roof. He climbed back down and told Yahiko, "he's not there," when he passed the boy on his way to find Kaoru.
"Hey Jou-chan, where's Kenshin?" Sano asked as he paused inside the doorway. Kaoru set down her spoon and turned. "Why?"
Sano pointed with his thumb back outside to where Yahiko was standing. "'Cause I just heard about what happened earlier and I want to talk to him." Kaoru looked at him uncertainly, then said, "Fine, he's either on the roof or in the forest." She then turned back to the stove and began cooking again.
"The forest?" Sano asked surprised. "Yes, that's where I found him earlier. Just follow the path and you'll probably find him."
"Alright, thanks," he said running out of the kitchen, down the path and into the woods. Sano followed the path through it, and after rounding a bend, he found the redhead.
His friend, or the person who was supposedly his friend, was standing in the middle of the path, a sword held in front of him. "Kenshin?"
The fourteen year old lowered his sword, opened his eyes and turned to face the rooster. "Can't a teen get a moment of peace around here?" He asked sarcastically.
Sano grinned. "Sorry man, I just wanted to talk with you for awhile."
"So talk then." Kenshin responded emotionlessly, looking expectedly at the rooster. "Well, I was worried how you felt about the runt's comment." Sano explained hesitantly, then looked up when his friend walked over to a tree and sat down underneath it.
"I wasn't upset about it, I understand his view." Kenshin sighed and rested his chin on his hand. "It's just, even in the future people recognize and name me by my appearance." He looked up at the rooster with his expression guarded, but there was a flicker of desperation in his dark blue eyes. "Sometimes I just feel so tired of this life." Kenshin whispered.
Sano looked up surprised. "But you're not that person anymore, you're better then that." He paused. "What do you mean by 'tired' buddy?" Kenshin turned and looked calmly at him. "Buddy? Why did you call me buddy?"
"Um, well," Sano rubbed his head, "we're friends in this time, and I figured that even if you aren't the same guy we can still be friends."
"Mmm." Kenshin commented, uncommitted.
Sano quickly changed topics. "Are you coming back for dinner? Kaoru's cooking, but it might not turn out too bad."
"No thanks, I think I'll stay here for awhile." Kenshin answered, then jumped back into the branches of the tree he had sat in before. "Alright." Sano answered, then stood up and walked back down the path with one last worried glance at the redhead.
Sano walked back inside the gate and was assaulted with questions by Kaoru. "How was Kenshin? Is he upset at all? Will he come back for dinner?"
He waved his hands to stop her. "Relax Jou-chan, Kenshin's fine. He's not coming back for dinner, but I think he feels better."
Kaoru didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? He didn't say anything odd?" Sano shook his head, "Well he said something about," but then he noticed her expression and stopped, "never mind, he was fine. How's dinner going?"
Kaoru realized he had changed topics and became angrily, "Watch yourself rooster, I want to know about Kenshin, dinner can wait."
"There's seriously nothing wrong with Kenshin, he's fine but he wants to be alone for awhile." Sano tried to reassure her.
She didn't respond except to glare at the rooster.
He shifted to his other foot and rubbed the back of his head, looking down at the floor. "Why are you so worried about Kenshin Jou-chan? He's always fine."
Kaoru looked off to the side. "I'm not so sure Sano. Today when we were at the market Kenshin started acting oddly after he stopped in front of an alleyway then looked into it, terrified until I made him start walking again. I, I just worry about him sometimes." She sighed. "He's always smiling and cheerful, yet Kenshin's so closed off and private sometimes that we barely know anything about him. But then something like this happens and I'm right back at the beginning again. I don't know what to do."
Sano looked surprised at her. "It'll be okay Jou-chan, everything will work out, like last time."
Kaoru looked doubtfully at him. "I'm not so sure this time Sano. Nothing like this has happened before, he's different now."
Yahiko, Sano and Kaoru ate dinner by themselves, without Kenshin, then Sano went off gambling again and Kaoru and Yahiko, after a few shouting matches, stopped practicing then went their separate ways.
Sometime late in the evening Kenshin returned to the dojo and quietly walked to his room, then sat down (against the wall like usual) to soon fall asleep.
Sometime in the night or very early in the morning Kaoru woke up to the sound of quiet sobbing. She slowly stood up and walked to the door to open it and step into the hallway.
Following the sound quietly down the hallway, Kaoru was surprised to find herself standing in front of the door to Kenshin's room. She slowly opened his door to find Kenshin sitting against the wall again, his eyes closed and sword lying right next to him.
But when she stepped inside Kaoru could easily see the tears running down his face with his chin resting lightly on his knees and soon the room was filled with the sound of quiet choking sobs. Kaoru walked over to kneel in front of Kenshin and slowly stretched her hand out so it was right in front of his face.
"I'm sorry."
She quickly withdrew her hand and stared at him. Did he know she was there?
"I really didn't mean to," he started sobbing more loudly, "I didn't want to."
"Kenshin." Kaoru whispered sadly, surprised at his pained dialogue. Kenshin had never spoken to them a lot about his history as a hitokiri, but now this younger version of him had come and they were learning more.
"Okaa-san, I'm sorry I turned out this way. I'm so, so, sorry." Then he began crying harder.
Kaoru began leaning forward again, intrigued by this change since he had never mentioned his parents before. But when her hand was close to his face, Kenshin suddenly started and Kaoru found her hand caught in a death grip and dark blue eyes boring into hers.
He looked confused at her. "Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin quickly let go of her hand. "What are you doing here?"
"Are you alright?" Kaoru asked, quickly changing subjects. Kenshin sighed softly and lowered his head again. "I'm fine thank you Miss Kaoru."
"Well, alright. It's just," she hesitated at the look on his face but then continued, "I heard noises and thought that something had happened to you."
Kenshin shook his head. "No Miss Kaoru, I'm fine, but thank you for coming to ask." Something flickered across his eyes. "No one else has ever cared before." He whispered quietly to himself.
Kaoru heard him and felt saddened, "Come on Kenshin," she said smiling cheerfully, "surely you have friends in the Choshu Ishin Shishi." Kenshin looked up at her then away again to study a stain on the wall, trying to mask his pain. But Kaoru had seen his eyes widen with pain, then something shutter away behind them.
"Kenshin?" She asked hesitantly, leaning towards him. He grimaced and said in tones of finality, "Why would Battousai have any friends?"
The teen kendo instructor opened her mouth to say something positive, but Kenshin shook his head and pulled the blanket back around him. Kaoru realized he didn't want to talk anymore and stood up. "Good night Kenshin." She said, closing the door behind her.
The redhead sat alone in the darkness with only a thin blanket and sword to protect him from the nightmares that were closing in on him.
Sooo, how was it? Good I hope, more coming soon... and more charecters coming as well. Also any tips are appreciated.
Like I said the Japan photos are coming soon, I just have to finish uploading them onto my website. Ill put the link up when Im done.
Thanks to my reviewers:
amber-chick, starfruit, Yanikei, kenshinno1hk, bluekitsune, Kristy, Priestess, ruruken and auburnmoonlight
One more thing, I was thinking of making a profile thingy about myself in my profile, please tell me what you think!
dewa mata
mijichan