Hi everyone!
My spellchecker is telling me i have problems using the passive voice... May you help me out and tell me some expressions in this chapter where i shouldn't use it?
Sorry for the delay writting this chapter. My difficultie are in between the talks... to describe their expressions, their thoughts, moves and actions...

It took me a long time to write this chapter and i read it 3 times before i post it, and in every reading i found new errors. It's stressing me up...

kokoronagomu;obeymyeffingrod;kenshinotaku;The Musings of a Muse; i'd like to thank you for all your support, your opinions always help me to improve and encourage me to continue.
I hope you to enjoy this Chapter.

Chapter 4 - Kenshin Himura

Kaoru felt lost. After half an hour running, she found herself in the middle of nowhere… She almost died minutes ago trying to save those people she had never seen before. At the moment that happened she was scared but certain she was doing the right thing… But after she saw him and he didn't recognize her… she felt numb. She thought he would give her answers...

Raindrops… It was starting to rain…

Why am I not dead? I should have died with them! At least I wouldn't experience this emptiness inside… she was kneeling down praying… Praying for all of this to be just a nightmare… she rubbed her arms. It's so cold. She missed Misao, if she was there she would do everything to cheer her up… And Sano… she missed the protection he used to give her… She was all by herself this time…

"O genki desu ka?" – someone from behind her said. Immediately she got up and looked back. It was him, the red-haired man, Battousai… as they called him.

He killed that man, so easily, with no fear… he's probably dangerous… Kaoru stepped back at the remember of the man's body lying lifeless on the floor.

In what concerned to him, he was very confused.
Why is she afraid? I saved her life… What in the world made her run away from Katsura's place that way?
Do I know her? No… I would remember. I could never forget those eyes if I had seen them before. But she said I called her here… Maybe she is just confused…

He wanted answers… But at the moment Kenshin only wanted to take her somewhere safe… Edo streets were a dangerous place at night, especially for such a beautiful girl dressing those… whatever she was dressing… it was strange.

"O genki desu ka?" – he asked again

What is he saying? I Don't understand… that's strange… a few moments ago, when he spoke to me I understood his words… but now… he is speaking strange…

Kaoru opened her mouth to speak and she was surprised when her words sounded different from what she was expecting: "Hai, genki desu." (yes, I am fine.) – What is this? Some kind of magic?

He approached. She shivered felling his amber eyes upon her.

"Tell me your name miss, please."
"Kaoru." – she nod.

Kaoru… he tasted her name for a while before asking: "Tell me your family's name, so I can take you home, Kaoru-dono, your parents... they must be worried."

"You can't." – once more she was being remembered how alone she really was. "They died some days ago." – she felt her legs shaking, and her head was so heavy… she could barely hear her own words with the sound of the raindrops hitting the floor…

Noticing she was about to faint, he hold her for a while before picking her up in his arms.

"Kaoru-dono you are too weak to be running in the rain… I think it would do no harm If I take you home…" he puts his lips closer to her forehead – "Fever."

He carried her all the way back to his place and left her in his own room. She needed to get some sleep… She probably was still in shock because of what happened to her parents, and that would be the reason she acted so different from others.

Kenshin took his sword off his hip and started preparing a hot tea. She is going to get sick wearing that wet clothes…She should take them off. He shook his head at the thought. Obviously she would think he was a pervert if he attempted to change her clothes while she was sleeping. Shhh… Himura you really are a mess around women…

"Mr Battousai?"
She was looking at him from the kitchen door. Kenshin realized she was wondering where they were.

"We are at my house Kaoru-dono. You fainted outside." – he picked up a cup, filled with boiling tea and gave it to her – "Take this."~

She put both hands around the cup: "It's so warm…" – she shivered.

"You should also take off that wet clothes or you are going to get even more sick." – he said – "I can borrow you some of my own clothes until… yours are dry."

"Thank you." - Her eyes focused on his hands. He was a samurai, of that she was sure. And He must be a good one… Skilled…

"Kaoru-dono, are you afraid of me?" – Kenshin needed to know. Death was a constant in his life… He learn that some years ago… The screams people do when they are slashed, the blood… it didn't scared him anymore…But for someone so innocent as she seemed to be, he was sure it was an awful scenario when he killed those guys in front of her. It didn't matter if he saved her… It was only natural if she was afraid of him… Who wouldn't? "I assure you I mean no harm to you."

"I know." She replied immediately, as if she was sure of it... " Why do that men wanted to kill those people?" – Kaoru asked trying to understand the situation she had just jumped into.

Kenshin's eyes widen open in surprise: "Don't you know who she is?" – she couldn't be serious… Everyone in Edo knows who Sakura was...
Kaoru shook her head negatively.
Maybe she is not from this city… "She is Katsura's wife and Katsura is the head of Ishinshinshi."

"Ishin what?" - What a strange name… Judging by the way he stared at her, she must have asked something stupid.
He approached her: "You don't know who Ishinshinshi are?" – he asked in disbelief – "Where have you been in this last three years Kaoru-dono? Do you at least know that we are in war?" There was no way she couldn't know that… Even if she wasn't Japanese she would know that they were in a middle of a civil war…

"War?" – the word ranging in her head. What happened to her peaceful life? In what world was she living now?
She was disturbed… he could see that… she was trying to process the information but it seemed to be too much for her to handle. "Kaoru dono, you really should rest."

She shook her head. Kaoru was trying to fight the tears from falling, she didn't wanted to burst in front of him. She needed to be alone.
"Kaoru-dono." – she heard him saying. His voice was now different, softer than before… It was the same tone he use to talk to her in her dreams. "Why? Why risk your own life to save someone you don't even know?"

Kaoru stared at him. Only now she took the time to notice he was handsome, with that flaming hair, and astonishing golden eyes… perfect… there were no imperfections in his face… at least none that she couldn't notice. I never saw someone like him… Seems like a hero from a movie or a prince from a fairy tale… Well, except for the eyes… They are too deadly…

"Kaoru-dono?" – only when he said her name again, she realized she had failed to ask his question.

Kaoru took a deep breath: "I just couldn't sit there and watch them die."
"But then you would die too." – Kenshin immediately replied. "Don't you value your own life?"
"Yes, I do…But everyone deserves to live." – she said still hazy with the information he gave her before.
He insisted. For some reason her reaction intrigued him. "Everyone? But what if they were wicked persons? " – if mentioned her to sit.
"It's not up to me or you to decide who lives or dies… That's…God work… I think…" – she looked up at him – "But you are a samurai… Don't you fight to save people?" – Kaoru adjusted herself at the small pillow.
A fade a smile appeared in Kenshin's lips. So Naïve…He turned to get his own cup.
"You saved me and those people with your sword." – she added.
"In order to protect some I have to kill others…" – he said turning to face her again
"Oh."Kaoru wanted to protest… He was being so gentle to her... but his logic was right. To save her he killed those men. She was trapped in her own ideology. "I am sorry."

"It's ok. Kaoru-dono. What you did was very brave…" – he sat in front of her - "And stupid too." – A few years ago… I would make your words mine… I used to think I could change the world with my sword, but now I see how wrong I was.

"I have nothing left to lose." – she said, her words almost forming a whisper
"You are too young to say that." – he assured looking deeply into her eyes.
Kaoru chosen not to argue that.
They stood drinking the tea in silence for some minutes before she broke it, she needed to know more about that place, about him:

"Mr Battousai, I.."

"Don't call me that!" – he said a glint of irritation in his tone – "I hate that title."
"Oh. I am sorry, I heard those man calling you… I assumed it was your name." – By the way he spoke of it, it wouldn't have a pleasant meaning.
Name? You are strange Kaoru-dono… "My name is Himura Kenshin."
"Himura Kenshin…" – she tasted his name for the first time… all these years I dreamed with him, but he never told me his name… and now I know it… a shiver run down her spine.

"I am going to borrow you some dry clothes." – he got up and went to his room.
After a few seconds he came back, a white fabric in his hands.

"You can wear this until yours are dry." - he gave her the clothes.
Why am I keeping her here? Sakura asked me to take her to their house… But there's something inside me screaming not to… Why? Kenshin stared at her thoughtfully. She said I called her here… I want to know what she meant by that. He looked at her again. She was tired.

"You must sleep." – he lead her to a small room – "This is my room. I have a meet to attend, and it will end up late. I am probably back in the morning. Then, we talk again."
Kenshin entered in the room to get his sword that was resting near his pillow. "Have a good night." – he said passing by her.

"Thank you." – she looked back to see him leaving, but he was already gone.
Kaoru came into his room wondering what to do. Should she stay there? Or should she leave? Was this a livid dream? Kaoru has always thought about the day she would meet him… But this was different from everything she had imagined.
Sitting on the futon unable to decide she wondered: What am I going to do?

::::

So, they finnaly met! (well they met at the previous chapter, but she ran away) But he came after her...
Kenshin is intrigued with this strange girl, she is different from the ones he knows and she is completly oblivious to the reality of his world...
I will put my efforts in writing long chapters. In my portuguese stories chapters are longer than in english... i am working on that.

Do you like it?

Hope to ear something from you.

Jou-chan

Thanks