Disclaimer: I do not own the Kenshin characters. Nori, Tomi Samuru, Akira, and Kyoko are mine.
Chapter 3: Fevered Dreams
By InuShemeeko
Sanosuke lifted Nori's limp body into his arms and headed toward the dojo. Kenshin walked beside him, while Akira walked behind him. Kenshin found Yahiko standing next to Karou.
"Yahiko go into town and get Miss. Megumi. Tell her it is an emergency."
Yahiko nodded, "You got it Kenshin."
Yahiko headed for Miss Megumi clinic. Sanosuke took Nori into Kaoru's room and laid her on the futon on the floor. Kenshin looked over at Sanosuke.
"Sano would you minded staying with Miss Kyoko. While Miss Kaoru helps me with Miss. Nori, it is very important that we stop the bleeding now."
Sano wanted to say something but he decided not too. He looked down at Kyoko.
"Come on kid lets go. I'll wait outside with you, while Kenshin and Kaoru work on you Aunt."
Kyoko lifted eyes big brown eyes up at Sanosuke. Her eyes darted to Nori then at her big brother who was hiding in the shadows. Kyoko then lifted her small hand out as Sanosuke took it and walked outside with him.
Kenshin looked down at Nori's blood stained gi as he slowly removed it. The axe had cut deeply into the flesh of Nori's right shoulder. Kaoru looked over at Kenshin as she carried in bandages and a bowl with hot water to wash Nori's wounds. He was completely focused on what he was doing. Kaoru cringed as she watched the blood pour from her wounds. Kenshin took a cloth from Kaoru and started cleaning the wound. Once it was cleaned Kenshin placed an herb paste on it as he placed it on the wound he felt Nori flinch. Yet she never opened her eyes. Once the paste was spread evenly on the wound Kenshin wrapped a set of bandages around it to stop the rest of the bleeding.
Kenshin looked over at Kaoru as she gently try to remove the gi the rest of the way off. The blood on her left shoulder had dried a little to Nori's skin making it hard to remove the gi. The cut was smaller and narrower then the one on the right. Proving that this cut had been made by a sword not an axe.
A few minutes later Megumi made her way into the dojo. Her face showed no humor only seriousness. She did a quick over look at both Kenshin and Kaoru's work and nodded in approval.
"A job well done Kenshin. Oh and you too Kaoru."
Kaoru tried not to grind her teeth. Kenshin looked seriously at Megumi. He then smiled lightly at Kaoru.
"Ms. Megumi, I believe we should check her for more wounds should we not?"
Megumi nodded to Kenshin. She then looked down at Nori.
"There maybe wounds on her back that we did not see. I believe we could roll her over and see. The bandages will protect her wounds."
Akira watched in the shadows as they rolled her gently over. Leaving her back exposed. He knew what they would find there on her back scars. Megumi, Kenshin, and Kaoru all gasped as they stared at the different scars that riddled her back. The largest scar on her back Kenshin knew what it was from but they others didn't have a clue.
Megumi shook her head in confusion.
"I don't understand what could have caused these scars."
Kaoru stretched out a hand and gently ran her fingers over the scars. She was trying very hard not to cry.
"Where did she get all of these? How could anyone do something like this to someone?"
Kenshin turned his eyes quickly to the shadows as Akira stepped out of them.
"I could answer all of your questions if you like. Because I know what made the scars on her back and I know why it was done."
Akira took a breath as he set out to tell them of Nori's sad tale.
"Ms. Nori is the daughter of the great swordsman Hiromasa Kana. Two years after Nori birth Nori's parents tried to conceive another child, but one never was. So when Ms. Nori turned eight he started teaching her the art of swordsmanship. She was a fast learner and picked it up quickly."
The small group listened quietly as Akira continued Nori's sad tale. He continued on and told them about the year She turned fourteen and how the government had came and took her away saying she belong to them. Akira when on to tell them of how the Tiger or Tigress had been born until he got to the part of how the scars came to be on her back.
"You see Aunt Nori was trained to be a assassin or manslayer."
Kenshin gasped and his eyes widened in surprise. He couldn't believe what he had just heard Hiromasa Nori was a manslayer just like he had been. Kenshin then wondered about the scar on Nori's face and how she had gotten it.
Kaoru took a moment to voice her own question.
"So Ms. Hiromasa just when out and killed who ever the government said?"
Akira balled hands in to small fists. "No, she didn't! That's why the scars are on her back they were her punishment for not following orders."
Kenshin gently placed a hand over one of Akira fists and smiled gently at him.
"Akira, please go on, and tell us how the scars were put there if you can?"
Akira just nodded and took a breath.
"You see Mr. Himura, each time she would disobey an order to kill. They would remove her gi and would give her 30 lashes from a whip. After the time that she saw soldiers rape and kill a women, she became the Tigress and she hunted down the soldiers who were responsible for raping and killing the woman and she killed them."
Tears welled in Akira's eyes, as he got closer to the end.
"After that she left the rank of assassins she was in and became a rogue assassin. One night she managed to kill 35 men. My mother told me once that after that happened Ms. Nori snapped back to the person she once was. That was the night she started wandering, and when she vowed never to use Japanese swords again."
Kenshin scratched his head lightly.
"But did we not see her use one today?"
Akira smiled and nodded to Kenshin.
"Yes but if you were watching her you would have seen that she never used the sword in her left hand. Which is her best sword hand. She always had it in her right hand also she never used it to strike but only to block an attack."
Kenshin smiled at the boy. He was surprised at how much the boy had pay attention to the battle as well as the attacks and moves that were made.
"Akira do you now think you can tell me how Ms. Nori received this sword scar?"
"All I can say is that she got it during the Bakumatsu Revolution. From a guy name Kin, that's all I can say.
Miss Megumi looked over at Akira as she and Kenshin gently rolled Nori to her back.
"So what do your parents think about you traveling with a swordsman?"
Kenshin saw great sadness in Akira deep brown eyes as he answered Megumi.
"Um they were killed a couple of months ago. By several police officers, both of my parents refused to tell them the whereabouts of Aunt Nori. By the time Aunt returned home it was to late."
Megumi lowered her head.
"I'm so sorry."
Everyone's eyes soon turned to Nori as she moaned in her sleep. Her head thrashed against her pillow. Sweat tickled down Nori's face. A fever had quickly come upon her. Megumi reached over and started to dab her forehead as Nori moaned in her sleep. Memories of Nori past surfaced inside of Nori's fevered induced dreams.
Nori had tried to put most of her past behind her. However, it always managed to sneak up on her. There were men out there that still wished her dead. They would even stoop low enough to disguise themselves as police officers just to get to her. In doing so innocent people had died once again because of her.
Flash back
Nori shoved her Reversed Blade in to into its sheath. She sandaled feet banged against the wooden boards of the bridge as she ran across it. She just had to make it to the Shoko's house, Hana and Taku were in troubled she just knew it. Just as Nori reached the Shoko house an all to familiar smell rose to her nose, it was the smell off blood. She had spilled it to many times not to remember it.
Nori's heart stopped as she slid the door open. The scene that lay before her
was too much. It threatened her very own sanity. Blood pooled over the floor as it ran away from the now motionless body of Taku, his eyes stared into nothingness they were blank and empty. Nori knelt down and slid Taku's eyes closed. She then placed her hand against the wall; she still had hope for Hana and the children. However Nori's hope was shattered was she heard the pat, pat, pat of blood hitting the wooden floor. She slowly turned toward the sound, her eyes widened at the shock that lay before her.
Hana had been tied to a chair beaten and stabbed. Nori knew that there was a chance that she had been raped those thoughts were shoved from Nori as a gurgling sound came to her ear. As she stared at Hana body she saw that she was still lightly breathing. Nori then realized that she could still hear blood hitting the floor, on looking at Hana closer she could see that Hana throat had been cut yet she was still alive.
Nori rushed to Hana side. "Hana? Hana?"
Hana's voice bubbled as she lifted her eyes to meet Nori's.
"Nori…..pleeeassseeee. Take care of myyyy childrennnn."
Nori nodded to Hana. Hana smiled once up at Nori as the last bit of life slid from her body and her eyes slid closed forever. Smoke then started to fill the room Nori coughed and gad and smoke entered her lungs. Her eyes looked through the smoke for Akira and Kyoko. Upon finding them she lifted Kyoko in to her arms and grabbed Akira's hand and ran from the house.
Once they had made it safely outside Nori set Kyoko down on the ground. She watched in disbelief as the flames licked up the side of the house, causing the wall to cave in. Tears flowed freely from Nori's eyes as she watched the building burn, the bodies of her friends disappearing as well in the heat of the blazing fire. As her tears fell and splashed to the ground Nori realized she wasn't the only one shedding tears. Akira and Kyoko had their own tears to shed.
Nori hands balled into fists as she fell to her knees crying. Nori then looked down at her as when she felt something sticky upon them. She cast her eyes slowly down to her hands, only to find them coated in Hana's blood. Nori had had it on her this whole time and she hadn't even noticed it. Tears ran harder down Nori cheeks as she looked up at the heavens a steady rain started to fall. A piecing scream then fell from Nori's lips.
"Noooooooo! Whyyyyyyy?"
End Flashback
A piecing scream awoke Nori from her fevered dream before she realized that it was her own scream. She looked around her surrounding not seeing anything familiar to her. Sanosuke jumped as he was awaken from a sound sleep. Causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Within a few minutes both Kenshin and Kaoru ran into the room in which Nori and Sanosuke were staying.
"Miss Nori what is it?"
A few minutes later Akira and Kyoko came into the room. Nori sighed as she looked from Kenshin to Kaoru from Kaoru to Akira and Kyoko. Her green eyes stopped and rested on Sanosuke.
"I'm very sorry if I awaken you, indeedI am."
Sanosuke looked of at her. "What where you dreaming about miss. The way you screamed it had to be something terrible."
Nori pressed her left hand to her forehead and shook her head.
"Memories from my past and even my present are never easy to relive, that they surly are not."
Nori then winced as her left hand when to her right shoulder. Her jerking up in bed had cause the wounded to reopen.
Kenshin glanced over at Nori to notice how she was holding her shoulder. He then caught the sight of blood oozing through the fabric as well as the bandage.
"I would seem Miss Nori, that your wound has reopened that it has."
Nori's piecing green eyes fell on Kenshin and locked with Kenshin's amethyst ones.
"How do you know my name?" Raising an eyebrow as she looked at Kenshin.
Kenshin smiled and laughter gently. "That is what the children where calling you when you fainted. That they were."
Nori smiled at Kenshin. " I'm am just guessing but you are Mr. Himura Kenshin are you not?"
Kenshin was not surprised at all that Nori knew who he was. "That I'm am Miss Nori."
"How long have I been sleeping may I ask?"
Sanosuke decided to answer this one. "I'm guessing it's been about ten days right Kenshin?"
Kenshin nodded, "That it has. You gave us all quite a scared, that you did."
Kenshin's eyes smiled as he watched Kyoko run to Nori. However once she reached her Kyoko very slowly and gently hugged Nori. Who then smiled up at her.
Akira went to Nori as well and hugged her.
"I'm glad you're getting better Aunt Nori."
"As am I Akira. I have missed the two of you."
Nori then waved a hand toward the door.
"Now go you two off to bed."
Nori's eyes glanced over at both Kaoru and Kenshin.
"I apologize again for waking you up. Mr. Himura, Miss Kamiya you two should go to bed as well."
Both Kenshin and Kaoru nodded and headed out the door sliding it closed as they left. Once they had left Nori's eyes went to her wounded right shoulder. Blood had once again soaked through the gi fabric. A man voice spoke to her from the side.
"Here let me help you with that."
Nori's heart almost stopped as her green eyes locked with Sanosuke brown ones. She tensed as she felt Sanosuke's hands come up and slide the right shoulder of her gi off.
"Hey take it easy I'm not going to bite you, you know. Oh by the way I'm Sagara Sanosuke."
Nori looked down at her chest only to see that her breasts were bound. A small sigh escaped her lips. Nori winced as she felt Sanosuke pull the bandage free. The dried blood had caused it to stick to the sides.
"Sorry about that."
Nori's reply was simple. "That's quite alright."
(A/N: Well that's all for now please tell me what you think good over bad. I hope you like.)