Kendo Club

Ch 8

Okay everyone, I know I said that there wouldn't be another update until AFTER I get back, but guess what?

HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER!

Yippe yay! Please enjoy!

Kaoru ran down the busy street, making her way through the thin crowd, shouting Kenshin's name and stopping briefly at stoplights. She made it to the main street across from the city park before she had to stop and catch her breath, clutching at her side. "Where could he have gone so quickly? I know he can move fast, but,"

She stopped thinking out loud and stood up to stare at the park opposite her. "Maybe he made it to the park." Kaoru rationalized, and then walked across the street to the park during the next green light.

Kaoru walked through the gateway of the park and proceeded to make her way down the main path, calling Kenshin's name. As she walked, Kaoru passed a bench where two men sat gazing over the park. Distractedly she noticed one man was dressed casually and had a constant smile on his face, no matter what his companion whispered to him. The second man was wearing a bathrobe, black hair tied in a high ponytail with the rest of his visible body parts completely covered with bandages.

She continued walking, calling Kenshin's name, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Kaoru spun around to see the smiling man standing behind her. "Y-yes?"

His smile was becoming even wider. "I'm sorry to bother you, but it seems like you're looking for Himura as well?"

Kaoru stared at him, but managed to say, "Yes." 'He does mean Kenshin right?' She asked herself.

"Wonderful." He turned to call back to the man in the bathrobe still sitting on the bench. "Oto-san, this lady is also looking for Himura."

Oto-san, or whatever his name was, acknowledged the comment with a nod, slowly stood up and walked over to them. "So you know Himura." Oto-san stated smirking and grabbed Kaoru's upper arm, pulling her towards him. "He always manages to attracts the pretty ones," he whispered leaning closer to Kaoru. She squirmed, trying to break his grip but it only made him chuckle madly and tighten his grip. The smiling man was suddenly standing on Kaoru's other side, not holding her but standing as if he would at a moments notice.

"Get your filthy hands off her Makoto," commanded a disembodied voice from somewhere near them.

Smirking, Makoto let go of Kaoru and walked a few steps towards a large oak tree standing beside them. In his place the smiling man moved behind Kaoru and held her arms behind her back. "I thought you were somewhere nearby Himura." Makoto called up into the tree.

'Is he crazy?' Kaoru silently wondered as she squirmed in the smiling man's grip. Then she gasped as Kenshin seemingly appeared out of nowhere as he landed in front of Makoto, eyes narrowed angrily.

Makoto smirked. "You always were fond of high places Himura." Kenshin glared at him. "Hello to you too Makoto," he said icily then walked up beside him. "Hands off, I said Tenken." Kenshin ordered, leaning slightly sideways.

Tenken smiled but didn't loosen his grip on Kaoru's arms.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru called happily and the anger disappeared from the redhead's face to be replaced by a smile.

"Hello Kaoru," he greeted her casually, and glared over her shoulder at Tenken. When he didn't react Kenshin turned his gaze back on Makoto. "What do you want from me?"

Makoto smirked. "What do we want? Just a simple little thing." He slowly backed up towards Tenken and Kaoru while Kenshin glared icily at him.

"Which is?" Kenshin asked in an annoyed tone.

With a laugh and roll of his eyes Makoto said, "You always were thick-headed. Tenken, why don't you tell him?"

Tenken smiled, still not letting go of Kaoru. "It's simple really."

Kenshin growled. "Tell me!"

Makoto laughed. "Relax Himura, be patient." Kenshin glared at him then looked back at Tenken.

"We need an answer from you. A favorable one would be the best." Tenken answered. "You won't be leaving the park until you do."

Kenshin scowled and rubbed his forehead. "I told you last night that I don't have an answer for you. Why won't you believe that?"

Makoto frowned. "Because you've never been so slow at making up your mind before."

"I bet." Kenshin muttered under his breath. "That was then, this is now. If I answer will you let Kaoru go?" He asked hesitantly, looking back at Kaoru.

Makoto frowned and looked at Tenken who shrugged. "I suppose so."

Kenshin sighed and hung his head a moment before looking up at them determinedly. "My answer is I'm sorry, but no."

There was silence as the two gaped at Kenshin and Kaoru looked on confusedly.

Then Makoto drew a hidden sword and rushed Kenshin, shouting wildly, "Traitor! Traitor!"

Kenshin dodged the attack and hit Makoto on the back. "No, Makoto. The traitor is you," he whispered. When Makoto was back on his feet Kenshin attacked again. He had his sword at Makoto's neck when he felt cold metal pressed against his own throat. Kenshin looked over his shoulder to see Tenken standing beside him, holding the sword. 'Darn it, I forgot about him!' Kenshin cursed silently as he straightened and sheathed the sword.

Tenken smiled and lowered his sword. "You forget I'm just as fast you." He looked over at Makoto who also sheathed his sword. Smiling again Tenken met Kenshin's gaze again. "That was the wrong answer Himura."

Kenshin smiled. "I'm sorry to hear that Tenken." Then he disappeared from beside Tenken to stand in front of Kaoru. "Are you alright?" He asked her worriedly, looking her over.

She nodded and managed to smile back at him. Behind them Makoto yelled, "Get back here Himura! I'll make you say what I want!"

Kenshin rolled his eyes. "He always was crazy." He muttered, making Kaoru laugh. "Here Kaoru, climb up onto my back." When she looked confused Kenshin clarified. "Like if I was giving you a piggyback ride."

"Himura!" Makoto shouted from behind them and began to run at them. Kaoru wrapped her arms around Kenshin's neck and gripped his sides with her legs.

"All right Kaoru, hang on tight. And whatever you do, don't let go." Kenshin instructed then took off across the park at a dead run. Behind them he heard Makoto shout at Tenken to go after them. 'Darn!' Kenshin cursed silently, then jumped onto the top of a bench on the edge of the park, then up onto the fence surrounding the park.

"Are you okay so far Kaoru?" Kenshin asked as he paused to look back and see Tenken close behind them. Kaoru nodded into his neck as Kenshin took off again, leaping off down the fence and running across the street to then run down the opposite sidewalk, darting through the crowd.

Kenshin continued running, Kaoru still hanging onto him, until they came to a place where the sidewalk ended. "Darn, I forgot about this." He said, running a hand through his hair.

Kaoru looked at it from over his shoulder. "Can't you run on grass?" She asked reasonably.

"Yes, but its more difficult. And we still have yet to loose Tenken." Kenshin explained, pointing over his shoulder. He looked up and saw a mailbox, a tree and the roof of the nearest building. Smiling mischievously he asked Kaoru, "Ready for a little gymnastics?"

"What do you," Kaoru began to ask, but Kenshin had already jumped onto the top of the mailbox and was standing on a tree branch. He paused momentarily then jumped across to land on top of the roof.

"Still alright Kaoru?" Kenshin asked as he searched for Tenken's ki, cursing when he couldn't find it anywhere.

Kaoru looked up from where she had pressed her face against his shoulder. "Uh huh, I think so." She answered weakly. "But Kenshin, why do we have to run so fast?"

"Soujiro can run as fast as I can, sometimes faster." Kenshin explained, hopping across the rooftops.

"Soujiro?" Kaoru asked confused, scrunching her nose.

"Tenken. Soujiro is his real name." Kenshin answered, pausing on top of a roof to glance behind them.

"Heaven's sword." Kaoru murmured. "What about the guy in the bathrobe with all the bandages? You called him Makoto."

"Shishio Makoto. For some reason Soujiro really looks up to him." Kenshin continued roof hopping until he realized they were very close to his house. "Nearly there." He commented loud enough for Kaoru to hear. "Kaoru I'm going to drop you off at my house, then draw Soujiro away. I need you to stay safe, you don't want to get mixed up with Soujiro and Shishio."

"But Kenshin!" Kaoru protested as they landed on the roof of Hiko and Kenshin's house. "I'm the assistant master of,"

Kenshin gently unhooked her hands and gently slid her off his back. "I know Kaoru, but that still might not be good enough. But if you're with Uncle I'll know you're safe." He held her hands as he jumped down onto the patio then let go. "But thank you for coming after me Kaoru." Kenshin lightly kissed her on the cheek then jumped back onto the roof and ran off onto another roof.

Kaoru watched him until he blended with the sky and she couldn't see him anymore. There was a loud knock from the glass door beside her and she turned to see Hiko standing on the other side. Without a word he opened the door and gestured for her to come inside.

When she was inside, Hiko closed the door. "So where did Kenshin go?" He asked impatiently.

Kaoru stared at him. "How did you know he was here? Kenshin just left."

"I could tell by his ki, now what happened after you found the baka?" Hiko asked, watching as Kaoru sat down on the couch.

"Well, he was in the park, in a tree. But two other people there were looking for him, their names were Soujiro and Shishio I think." Kaoru explained, then looked surprised at Hiko who had slammed his hand against the table.

"I told him not to get messed up with them again!" He exclaimed angrily. After he sighed Hiko turned back to her again. "How did he answer them? At least tell me he didn't make a mistake with that."

Kaoru bit her lip. "Well, I didn't understand what was going on, but Kenshin told them he was sorry but he had to say no. It didn't make them very happy."

"Well at least he made the right decision." Hiko stated, and abruptly changed the topic. "If it's Soujiro who's after Kenshin he'll be awhile. Don't worry about him, you just need to relax." With that last instruction, Hiko walked back down the hallway and went into a room at the end of the hall.

'They're treating me like an invalid.' Kaoru complained to herself as she swung her legs up onto the couch. As she did so, Kaoru noticed the bandages wrapped around her legs. 'Maybe because I am one.' Kaoru amended, grimacing. She looked around her, 'now what to do.' Kaoru asked herself.

In the end, she decided to watch TV and movies the rest of the day. Hey, Hiko and Kenshin had told her to rest and this was relaxing! At least, that was her excuse. Sure every now and then she had to get up to change DVD's, but the shows on TV were entertaining and Kenshin and Hiko seemed to have good taste in movies.

Kaoru continued to watch movies until late into the night when she fell asleep during one of her favorites. While she was sleeping there were loud noises and raised voices coming from somewhere else in the house, but Kaoru continued to sleep through it.

In the middle of the night, Kaoru woke up with a desperate need to use the bathroom and her arms were aching horribly. Groaning, she sat up and stood, then made her way around the furniture and down the hall where Kenshin had pointed out the bathroom to her.

After she had gone to the bathroom and readjusted the bandages on her arms and legs, Kaoru left the bathroom and made her way back down the hall, but paused in front of Kenshin's door, staring at the wood and found her hand rising as if to knock on the hard wood.

"You can come in Kaoru." Kenshin's voice called from within the room. Kaoru started and turned the doorknob so that the door swung open.

She cautiously stepped inside, and her eyes immediately focused on Kenshin sitting at a desk with his back to her, typing on a computer. Without turning Kenshin spoke again. "You had better close the door Kaoru, my uncle is a very light sleeper." Kaoru walked back over to the door and shut it again, then stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking at everything around her. The empty walls were painted a pale blue, and a small bed was placed in the middle of the room. On one side of it was a bookshelf and there was a small window above it. 'He fit through that?' Kaoru asked herself skeptically.

"I'm sorry Kaoru, I'm almost done." Kenshin spoke, drawing her back to where he was sitting. Kaoru's eyes drifted over the desk and computer Kenshin was working on. Above the computer were two separate shelves that had been drilled into the wall. Kaoru noticed surprised that a sheathed sword lay on top of the upper shelf. She opened her mouth to ask the redhead about it.

"Uncle gave it to me a couple years ago as a birthday present." Kenshin explained, spinning around in his chair to face her.

"H-how?" Kaoru asked him wide-eyed, causing Kenshin to laugh and smile. "I saw you looking at it and sensed your curiosity."

Kenshin stood up and took the sword down off the shelf, then turned back to her. "So, do you like it?" He asked presenting it to her.

Kaoru took the sword and partly unsheathed it after turning it around and inspecting it. "The blade, its-"

"On the wrong side, I know." Kenshin finished smiling. "It's a sakabato, used for protecting, not killing." A brief expression of sadness passed over his face, but it was quickly replaced by another smile.

"Huh." Kaoru commented, then laughed at herself. "Ha, listen to me, as if I'm an expert on this kind of thing."

Kenshin smiled. "But you are, you said yourself that you are the assistant master at your family dojo. You must know something."

Kaoru stared at him and handed the sword back. "How do you know that?"

Kenshin replaced the sword back on its shelf before turning back to answer her. "You mentioned it earlier and I just happened to remember you doing so." He smiled. "I'm sorry, please sit down on the bed Kaoru, if you can find any room. You shouldn't be standing for too long."

Kaoru nodded dumbly and walked over to the bed then sank down onto it. "How long ago did you get back?" She finally asked.

"Hmm?" Kenshin asked distractedly, resting his head on the top of the chair. Kaoru repeated her question. "Ah, a few hours ago I suppose. Enough time to eat, shower, bandage a few wounds and be yelled at by Uncle. It took me forever to loose Soujiro, or I hope I lost him. I wasn't exactly sure, it's hard to tell when he has no ki to speak of."

"You've mentioned that before, and so has your uncle." When Kenshin gave her a blank look she added, "Sensing ki I mean. Hiko said that's how he knew you dropped me off and you did yourself when we were running from Shishio and Soujiro the first time."

Kenshin smiled confusedly at her. "You practice swords and are even an assistant master at a dojo, surely you've heard of ki."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Of course I know about ki, I've just never heard of it being used in the way you and your uncle obviously use it. My father always said that it was more a personal thing."

Kenshin smiled, then jumped when his computer beeped at him. "Oops." He said as he turned around to shut it off. After Kenshin had turned to face her again but hadn't began talking again, she prodded, "Well?"

The redhead started and looked up at her surprised. When she looked meaningfully at him, he laughed. "I'm sorry Kaoru, I got slightly distracted." Kenshin rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, right. Well the sword style Uncle and I use is partially based on reading your opponents moves by observing their ki."

Kaoru stared. "I never knew ki could be used that way, that's amazing. So I guess you can use it to locate people as well?" She asked interestedly.

Kenshin tilted his head slightly to one side. "Well, in a way. You can locate people by looking for their ki signature, which is different for everyone."

"So that's how you knew it was me outside your door?" Kaoru reasoned, it did make sense in way that she hadn't thought of before.

Kenshin nodded. "Yours is unique to who you are, it represents your personality." When Kaoru looked surprised he continued. "You have a warrior's ki, but you carry no guilt from using it to kill. You care for your family and friends, yet carry a great sadness caused by the death of a loved one." He smiled, opening his eyes. "Am I right?"

"Yes, but that, that's amazing." Kaoru sighed and leaned against the footboard of the bed. "I didn't know you could tell so much from reading someone's ki."

"Mm hmm." Kenshin agreed, then stared distantly at the wall opposite him.

Kaoru looked worriedly at him, and asked cheerfully, "Will you come to practice tomorrow?"

Kenshin started and turned to look at her. "Huh?" When Kaoru repeated her question he answered, "You mean Kendo practice, at school?"

"Mm hmm, since you've never come before, you'll have to grace us with your presence tomorrow." Kaoru joked, which earned her a laugh from Kenshin who afterwards smiled mischievously at her.

"Actually, I've come quite a few times. You just never see me." He informed her, making Kaoru confused. "Hidden, in the shadows of the bleachers." Kenshin clarified.

Kaoru looked like a light bulb had just gone off. "Oh, is that way during practice lately Hiko would glare up into the stands?"

"Yes." Kenshin laughed. "Uncle insists that instead of hiding in the shadows I should join or become involved with the club." His expression became hard and distant. "It's just old habits are so hard to break."

Kaoru watched him worriedly and waited for Kenshin to continue. When he didn't she sighed and stood up beside the bed. Her heart went out to Kenshin, she wanted to make him smile and laugh, to forget all his worries, but he could be so distant sometimes.

"I'm going to bed Kenshin, I'll see you in the morning." Kaoru said as she walked over to the door and shut it behind her.

"Goodbye, Kaoru." Kenshin whispered into the emptiness.

Alright everyone! Thats a wrap! ;p

I hope you liked that chapter... you can thank my quick typing skills and my beta-readers quick editing skills for such a quick update... Yep, this isn't just all me folks... believe it or not. ;)

Thanks goes to my beta-reader Yanikei who always puts up with my demands and quirks no matter what. And to all my reviewers for this chapter, listed below: (THANK YOU SOOO MUCH... YOU KEEP ME WRITING!)

Ellie 31773, Yanikei, Becky Yuy, Du Weldenvarden Farcai, Kristy-chan andenchanted sleeper

Also thanksto all my well-wishers for my trip! I appreciate it... now nothing can go wrong! ;p

Well, off to pack my suitcase! So long all!

miji-chan