4. In Quiet Conversations
Okita was thankful that the winter day seemed to be turning out relatively dry and the children could enjoy a brisk run around the courtyard without danger of catching a cold. "Kaoru-neesan!" Both girls waved at her enthusiastically as they ran around the vegetable beds, playing tag. They ran around the fruit trees that bordered the fence and jumped in between the shrubbery to avoid being tagged. "Be careful," she called out to them as Nanami almost tripped over a loose stone but managed to catch herself in time. After he had safely deposited Kaoru on the porch, he had gone back inside to gather blankets to keep her warm while she spent some time out of her room.
With an armful of blankets, he made his way back to Kaoru with little difficulty. However, he found that his path was blocked by some of the male residents of the dojo. From his vantage point, he could hear the excited questions of the younger students and Kaoru's polite responses to the, sometimes, improper questions. He could not really fault them for expressing enthusiasm at the newcomer – she was pretty, after all. But it would be detriment to her health if they wore her down with their questions. He spied Harada standing a few feet away, watching Kaoru as she interacted with the others. Okita remembered their early morning conversation and wondered if his friend's suspicions had any merit to it. His eyes moved from his friend back to Kaoru, trying to see what Harada might find objectionable about her.
After several unsuccessful attempts, he finally cleared his throat and the other students naturally parted to make a path for him. "I hope that our students have not been tiring you with their questions, Kaoru-san." He unfolded a blanket and placed it across her shoulders. She caught one of the corners and proceeded to wrap it around herself. "Better?" Okita asked as he finished tucking the blanket around her as she nodded in agreement. She leaned her head against the post and sighed as the warmth of the blankets began to soothe her.
"We are glad that you are finally recovering from your ordeal." Okita turned his head as he saw a tall man approach them with Harada. Kaoru noticed that he wore a gentle expression on his face and looked slightly older. "Kaoru-san," Okita smiled as he turned to introduce the pair that had joined them on the porch. "This is Yamanami Keisuke," nodding towards the tall man "and Harada Sanosuke," gesturing towards the man that Kaoru had spoken to the previous evening.
She could feel Harada's suspicious scrutiny and Kaoru managed to tamp down on the uncomfortable feelings rising in the pit of her stomach. Instead, she focused her attention on the other two men while the rest of the students had wandered off.
"It sounded like you gave these guys quite a scare." Yamanami smiled as he settled himself on the porch. Mindful of her injuries, he shifted his position so that Kaoru would be able to converse with him comfortably without straining herself. "I wasn't here when it happened, so I had to hear all the exciting details secondhand."
Kaoru shook her head. "I'm sure that it was less exciting for me since I can't remember any of the details myself." She studied her hands for a few seconds before continuing. "The doctor said that it is typical not to remember considering my injuries but …" She had let the sentence trail off as she wasn't fully certain of her situation and until then, she would keep silent. "… I wish I remembered more." Her eyes had rested momentarily on Okita and Yamanami with their wakizashi tucked in their obis and wondered what kind of sword style the Shieikan dojo teaches.
"Tennen Rishin Ryu," Okita replied to her question. "The fourth generation master is Kondo Isami. I'm sure that you will meet him later at dinnertime. He was with us when we found you in the river, Kaoru-san. Harada-san and I pulled you out of the water."
"So you found me in the river?" Kaoru asked quietly. She had not been sure how to broach the subject of her rescue and was relieved when Okita provided the opening for it. "Actually," Harada responded as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Nanami-chan and Suzume-chan found you. They were playing by the river with Kumiko-chan and saw your body float by." For her part, Kaoru closed her eyes as she visualized herself back in the cold river and shuddered violently at the gruesome picture it made. Yamanami noticed her shiver slightly and shot Harada a stern, disapproving look, which the younger man promptly shrugged off.
Kaoru had balled her fists tightly as she fought to dispel the disturbing images from her mind and regain her composure. The sensations of the icy river water on her skin felt momentarily real that she could almost taste it on her lips. Okita had sensed the sudden flare of emotion from Kaoru and waited in silence. She opened her eyes, shaking off the images in her mind before turning her face to meet Harada's stare. Harada, initially surprised at Kaoru's directed gaze, returned her glare. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Kaoru turned towards the little girls.
"That must have been difficult for them," she murmured quietly. "How are they?" she looked towards the girls, playing a few feet away from them. Okita was the first to respond, noting the tense atmosphere. "The first few nights were difficult for Suzume-chan. She had nightmares and would whimper in her sleep. But lately, she has gone back to sleeping peacefully in the evenings."
"And Nanami-chan?" Kaoru asked softly, still watching the little girls while they played. Okita smiled as he followed her gaze. "She had always been the stronger of the two. Aside from the initial worry, she has been surprisingly calm and more curious than frightened with the incident." Taking a moment to let this new information sink in, she had missed the approach of two little girls.
"Okita-nii, come play with us." They each took a hold of his hand and tried to pull him away. Okita made exaggerated motions of resisting while the girls giggled in delight at his playacting. Kaoru and the others could not help but laugh at his antics as the girls persisted in their efforts. Harada decided to join in and started tickling the girls to loosen their hold on Okita. The girls squealed in delight and one of them broke off to try and prevent Harada from distracting them. They had managed to pull away, a few inches at a time before their collective laughter was broken by a feminine voice.
"Suzume-chan! Nanami-chan!" They all turned towards the sound by the compound entrance. "Nee-san!" Suzume squealed in delight as she dropped Okita's hand and ran to her sister. The young woman grinned at the children as they wrapped their arms around her waist. Kaoru took a moment to study her. She had long black hair that fell between
her shoulder blades, pale complexion and almond set eyes. "I wasn't gone that long, was I?" she chided the girls as they walked alongside her until she came to a stop in front of Kaoru.
She introduced herself as Kumiko and Kaoru smiled at her easy manners. "I'm glad to see you feeling better," she grinned. "They have been worried about you since the accident happen. I hope that they didn't bother you too much this morning."
"No," Kaoru shook her head. "Not at all. They have been very good at keeping me company." The little girls cheered at her praise and started to jump up and down in delight. The adults gathered laughed at their antics as they began to circle and chant, raising their arms as they marched around Kumiko. Harada grabbed Nanami and placed her on his shoulders. Laughing, she grabbed Harada's hair with one hand and raised her other arm. "I'm so tall!" She grabbed fistfuls of hair and he winced as he felt her pulling on it. "I'm so tall!" the girl exclaimed excitedly as she twisted the handful of hair in her hand. Kaoru hid her smile as the girl continued her assault while Okita just laughed out loud.
The other girl started tugging Harada's hakama and cried, "Wah! Suzume-chan wants to be tall too!" Seeing her near tantrum, Yamanami scooped her up and she squealed in surprise. Surprise turned into delight as she started kicking her legs in excitement. Grimacing slightly, Yamanami held on to both her legs to stop the unintended assault.
Kumiko shook her head. "Why don't you both help Harada-san and Yamanami-san bring the groceries to the kitchen?" A pair of little voices agreed with her before Kumiko continued. "You have to get down though," she tugged at Suzume's legs. "Otherwise, they won't be able to carry everything, right?" Pouting, the little girls were reluctant to climb down. With a little cajoling, they had managed to climb down and be content with carrying some of the groceries into the kitchen. Kumiko and the two girls were followed by Yamanami and Harada as they carried the packages to the kitchen, leaving Okita with Kaoru watching them. They made a noisy parade in the courtyard and on towards the kitchen.
After a few minutes, the noise had died down and the two occupants left on the courtyard seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Kaoru broke the silence. "Ne, Okita-san, why does Harada-san seem to hate me?" Kaoru asked quietly. "Have I done anything to offend him?"
Okita looked at the woman thoughtfully, debating whether or not to tell her of Harada's suspicions or pretend ignorance. A few seconds of watching Kaoru had settled something in his mind. He replied, "I think hate is a strong word, Kaoru-san."
"Severe dislike, then." Kaoru countered quickly. Okita laughed at her rejoinder.
Okita turned away from her and focused on his surroundings, feeling out the energies that were immediately around them. Concentrating, he could pick out the familiar energies of the residents of the dojo until he felt Kaoru's. He could feel its anxiety, which he quickly sought to reassure it. "Think of the situation from his point of view, Kaoru-san. We know very little about you." Kaoru nodded her head slightly in agreement. "Your injuries have prevented you from remembering anything that could help us in either locating your family or the circumstances of your accident." Kaoru pursed her lips, deep in thought. Logical to be suspicious, she agreed, if seen with a jaded view of people's characters.
"We are living in uncertain times," Okita noticed her turn in surprise towards him. "People do not feel safe anymore. An unknown fear has been hanging in the air lately. Harada-san is dealing with the situation the best he knows how."
She contemplated this thought for a few minutes. The fear, she could understand. She remembered the fear that had gripped her when her father went to fight in the Boshin War. After that, it was the pain of her loss when news of her father's death reached her. She remembered it all too well. Even if she agreed that Harada-san had the right to be suspicious, treating her poorly would only exacerbate the situation. Being unkind achieved nothing except cultivate ill feelings. Her thoughts then turned to the man sitting next to her and before she could stop herself, she had asked the first thing that came to her mind.
"Why are you kind to me?"
Okita shrugged before breaking into a grin. "I don't get the sense that you are a bad person, Kaoru-san." She gave him a doubtful look and he clarified his own words. "Your swordsman's ki does not feel evil – on the contrary, it feels very calm and soothing."
"My ki?" Kaoru furrowed her eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"
"Your palms have calluses," he nodded towards her hands, hidden underneath the blanket. "Caused by holding a bokken or a shinai for long periods of time." He paused, smiling slightly at Kaoru's surprised face. She unconsciously rubbed at her palms, the feel of her calluses oddly calming her beating heart. "I'm fairly sure that you practiced a sword style for many years," he continued as he looked up to her face. "You are either a daughter of a samurai or someone that has received sword training at an early age." Glancing away, Kaoru fell silent at his astute observations. The silence grew between them as she tried to understand Okita's replies and what she should do. Out from the corner of her eye, she could see his smile as he returned to watching the trees ahead. A youthful face, genial and yet possessed an underlying strength.
Yet, can she trust him?
Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she turned her body to face him. "My memories are," her voice trembled slightly as she searched her mind for the right word, " – fragmented and unreliable at the moment." Okita did not interrupt her, instead waited for her to finish her thought. "I remember training at a dojo but not a name." Kaoru looked past Okita's shoulder, clearly seeing in her mind's eye – her father's dojo, her father's legacy to her – all being set aside until she could have the strength to protect it. Otousan, okaasan, please forgive me. She could feel tears forming in her eyes but she continued, her voice becoming stronger.
"I realize that this might not be enough for Harada-san or anyone else who might be in doubt of who I am. But," her gaze returned to stare at Okita. "Until my memories return, this is all I can give you."
Author's Notes: Thank you for your support. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. It is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shueisha, Fuji-TV and SPE Visual Works. I know this chapter was slow but soon we will have more action. Coming up next: A Call to Arms. When the residents of the Shieikan dojo are spurred into action and meet the rest of the short-lived Roshitai. Stay tuned!