The Faerie Chronicles of Kenshin & Kaoru: The Sleeping Prince, a Rurouni Kenshin fanfic by Raberba girl
Chapter 15 - In which Kamiya Castle suffers an intruder.
"Carterhaugh, it is my own,
My daddy gave it to me,
I'll come and go by Carterhaugh,
And ask no leave of thee."
Tam Lin
o.o.o
Step, Faerie. Step, Earth.
Crossing between the worlds used to be so difficult, a drain on his diluted magic. By now, however, he had done it so many times that he could do it in his sleep. In fact, he had once, had woken up beside her and reached sleepily for her warmth, before he remembered that she was no longer his to reach for.
Now he emerged as usual in Kaoru's old room at her father's castle, where quiet breathing was the only sound to break the midnight hush. He turned to Kenji first, kneeling beside the travel-bed and gazing for a while at his son. He knew from previous investigation that Kenji had his own quarters during the daytime (not that he used them much, this boy who had virtually been raised outdoors), but Kaoru, perhaps understandably, insisted on having all three of her children with her at night.
"Oh, Kenji," Kenshin murmured, his voice so low as to barely disturb the quiet. "It seems that this one is permitted to see your face only in sleep..." There was no change in that peaceful, oblivious expression, so lively and mischievous in the daylight.
Kenshin bowed his head for a moment, then rose and moved to where Kaoru slept curled protectively around her small daughters. He lowered his weight onto the bed as stealthily as a cat, moving so carefully that they barely stirred when he finally settled beside them. He gazed at them for a long time, the waning moon at his back.
Kaoru's face looked troubled, even in sleep, and he dared not even reach out for her. Yet the girls slept like angels, Ayame occasionally mumbling an incoherent dream-phrase, Suzume with her thumb in her mouth. He touched their hair affectionately, smoothed away the sleep-tangles, and pulled the blankets to cover them more securely.
It happened when he was gently blotting away a trickle of drool from the corner of Suzume's mouth - her beautiful dark eyes suddenly popped open. For a second, they stared at each other, frozen. Then she gasped in delight and sat up, her mouth opening in excitement; he knew, at her age, that hushing her in time would be impossible; if Kaoru awakened- He seized her and took them both away.
Faerie flickered by, then in the next instant, he was sprawled on the floor of his office at home, with her in his arms. "Daddy!" she was exclaiming, too focused to even notice, at first, that they were no longer at 'Grandpa's Castle.' "Daddy's home!"
"Ahahaha...sort of." He sat up, pulling her into his lap with a rueful smile.
She was looking around now, confused. "There's no bed."
"Do you want to go back to bed, sweetheart?"
"Wanna story," she said firmly, falling back against him with a heavy smack and putting her thumb back in her mouth in a businesslike manner.
He laughed. "All right. Any requests?"
She tilted back her head to gaze up at him, uncomprehending. The upside-down view of his face made her giggle.
He smiled down at her. 'She is so precious,' he thought sadly. "What kind of story do you want to hear, Suzume-chan?"
The thumb came out just long enough for the confident demand, "Wanna princess."
"Good choice." He cleared his throat theatrically, and her eyes sparkled. "Once upon a time," her eyes closed in contentment, "there lived a princess who was the most beautiful in all the land. Her name was Princess Suzume, and she..." He trailed off, having forgotten to come up with a plot.
That didn't seem to matter, however. Already, Suzume's mouth had stilled around her thumb, and she did not protest the pause. Kissing her for what he hoped would not be the last time, he rose with the sleeping child in his arms and, a little apprehensively, stepped back through the worlds to Kamiya Castle.
To his immense relief, Kaoru was still asleep, but it was obvious she would not maintain that state for long. She was shifting restlessly, her hands groping blindly for her daughters. Ayame, disturbed by the motions, was pulling away in her sleep, also close to awakening. Kenshin lay Suzume between them and hurriedly vanished.
A moment later, Kaoru opened her eyes. She sat up, breathing hard, checking several times to make sure that the children were all still with her. She had dreamed they were gone...
Ayame woke up, fussy and bleary-eyed. "Mommy, can't sleep," she complained.
"Hush, Ayame-chan," Kaoru murmured, patting her soothingly. The girl whimpered irritably, but soon fell back asleep. Kenji lay undisturbed, and after a minute, Kaoru got up to make sure he was still breathing. He was.
She stood there for a while, staring intently around the room, making sure there was no one hiding in the darkness. She briefly considered lighting a candle, but then decided against it. Such a tiny light would only make the shadows even blacker. Sighing, she finally climbed back into bed and lay awake for a long time.
o.o.o.o.o
The next morning at breakfast, which they had with the king in one of the dining rooms, Suzume asked unexpectedly, "We going home, Mama?"
As Kaoru looked startled, her father laughed and patted the child on the back. "What's wrong, Suzume-chan?" he joked. "Tired of your grandpa already?" She smiled shyly, not having the words to tell him how she felt.
"This is home, Suzume," Kenji told her matter-of-factly, then tried to see if he could fit a whole egg into his mouth.
"Mind your table manners," Kaoru told him, then smiled at Suzume. "We're staying here for a while, sweetheart. We're going to have some fun today! There's a fair going on at one of the villages, so I thought-"
"Want Daddy back!" Suzume suddenly wailed, and burst into tears. Kaoru quickly gathered her up in her arms, gritting her teeth in anger at the thought that he was still hurting them, even from so far away.
"Cheer up, Suzume!" Ayame was telling her anxiously. "We'll use the mirror again today, okay?"
"No!" Suzume yelled. "Want Daddy here again!" A cold suspicion crept into Kaoru's mind.
o.o.o.o.o
It had not been an enjoyable day. Suzume had been cranky almost from start to finish, and after a while, Ayame had caught on to her bad mood. Kenji had been as energetic as ever, but refused to go to bed until past midnight, so Kaoru now found herself lying awake at two o'clock in the morning, her mind churning as she listened to her children sleep.
Suddenly - she wasn't sure what it was. A soft noise, a step; panicked, she shot upright, but only caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eyes before- There was nothing there.
Kaoru got out of bed and actively searched the room, but all was well. Had she just imagined it, then? A presence, a figure in the darkness? She shivered, thinking of old childhood fears of the dark. She couldn't call for a lamp, it would disturb the children.
Finally, she rubbed her hands over her face. She had to know for sure...
A search of the room proved fruitless; the little mirror had not been laid on a table or dropped on the floor. As gently as she could, she tried to see if the mirror was actually on one of the girls, but such a search was impossible to do thoroughly without waking them. Having servants go down to the laundry room and search through the girls' discarded clothes at this hour of the night would be ridiculous, and she could just ask the girls to borrow the mirror later... Except, she didn't want them to see her talking to Kenshin, especially since it was not likely to be a pleasant conversation.
Kaoru gave up and lay down again, watchful, but the night passed slowly and nothing else happened.
The next day, Suzume's bad temper had been replaced with a lethargy that was heartbreaking to watch. Ayame, wanting to help but not knowing how or what was wrong, got frustrated and started throwing uncharacteristic tantrums. Kenji, more eager than ever to escape his moody womenfolk, had contrived to get himself taken along on a day-long expedition with the soldiers. Kaoru was ready to tear out her hair by the time twilight fell, snapping at the well-meaning nurse and then bursting into tears when she tried to apologize.
"There, there," the nurse said soothingly, patting her on the back. "Everything's all right, love."
"It's not," Kaoru wailed, "it's not..."
As soon as the girls were in bed, Kaoru shut the bedroom door and sent the maids out of the sitting room, then took a deep breath. "Kenshin," she called, angry and embarrassed at how stupid this was. "Kenshin! Kenshin!" She held her breath, tense, but nothing happened.
She frowned. Then it occurred to her that, even though it was said that a fae would come if you called its name three times, Kenshin was only a quarter fae. Feeling ridiculous, she tried calling him nine more times.
She jumped when he stumbled out of thin air, his skin glistening in the lamplight, soaked hair dripping onto his bare shoulders, the carpet at his feet saturated with water in seconds. He was half-wrapped in a towel, most likely the only thing her twelve repetitions had given him time to get out and reach for. This he now finished securing around his waist before asking dryly, "You called?"
"Have you been coming here?" she demanded.
He smiled tightly. "This one is here."
"I mean before!" she burst out. "Suzume-" She saw him close his eyes briefly, and for a moment was breathless with horror. Then she shrieked, seized the closest thing at hand (a jewelry box), and flung it at him. He caught it instinctively, though that didn't stop the cascade of necklaces and bracelets and rings that came bursting out all over him.
The door opened, and a couple of concerned maids peeked their heads in. "Y-Your Majesty," one of them said to Kaoru as she stared wide-eyed at the barely-clothed man in the room.
"It's fine, Eva," Kaoru said shortly. "Please go back and wait outside."
"But this person...!"
"He's my-" Kaoru stopped, aware that he was watching her intently. "He is...the father of Kenji and the girls," she finally said grudgingly.
The maids gasped. "Oh! Your Majesty," the one who had been speaking stammered, this time to Kenshin. "Forgive me for-"
"I said leave, Eva!"
Kenshin smiled politely and bowed in a manner that expressed respectful agreement. The maids curtseyed to them both and hurriedly backed out of the room again.
The two of them were quiet for a while, not looking at each other. He went over to set down the jewelry box, briefly caressing its lid as if he wished it was her skin. "Well," he finally said, still looking at the box, "if that is all, then this one will take his leave, that he will."
"No, it's not all!" she burst out. "You've been coming here! Here! How? Why?! You're not allowed!"
"It is actually not up to you to determine what is 'allowed' here," he pointed out.
"Then," she growled, "I'll go to the one who is in charge, and make sure you're not allowed! Papa'll never let-" She suddenly broke off, as she realized that her father did not know the truth. He was aware that her visit was no holiday, that Kenshin had done something to displease her, but she had until now been reluctant to give him specifics. If he were to find out that his wife had died at the hand of his son-in-law...
Evidently, the same thought had occurred to Kenshin. He looked sick.
"Don't come here again," she said coldly, pulling up royal hauteur to cover the turmoil in her mind. "This is not your territory, you have no right to be here. I don't want to see you again, do you hear me?"
"You are heard," he answered, then bowed and disappeared.
"And what about heeded?!" she shrieked to the empty place where he had been. It was no use, of course, and from muffled sounds coming from the bedroom, she realized that she had awakened the children.
Kenshin returned to Himura Castle only briefly, just long enough to get into some clothes and call Katsura for a hasty meeting. He didn't know how long it would take Kaoru to act, or even what she would do when she did.
"War?" the captain said in astonishment. "Himura-Ô..." At the sight of Kenshin's face, he changed what he was going to say. "Why come to me, then? Shouldn't you rather be consulting with Lord Saitô?"
"War is not certain, and this one felt it better to let a more sensitive man decide on the issue. Katsura, do what you think is best; report to Saitô if you wish, or take matters into your own hands. The two of you are in charge until...until your sovereign returns."
"Which may or may not be you," Katsura sighed. "Very well. I will make preparations, and ensure that things don't get out of hand if your precautions prove unnecessary."
"Thank you, Katsura."
Katsura hesitated, then put a hand on Kenshin's shoulder. "Good-bye, Himura-Ô," he said gravely. "It has been an honor to serve you, and I hope to continue to do so."
Kenshin nodded. Then he turned away, took a deep breath, and appeared just down the hall from King Kamiya's suite. When he was admitted entrance, he found the king relaxing with a book in his sitting room. "Well, Kenshin, what's this all about?" he said warmly, laying the book aside and gesturing for Kenshin to sit beside him. "And I'd better not hear that this little marital spat is your fault, or I might be inclined to declare war, haha!" He was clearly joking, which only made it more awful.
Kenshin did not move. There was a pause, as he stood there with a grim expression and the other king's laughter died. "Father," he finally said. "May this one speak with you privately?"
Kamiya frowned, but obligingly gestured the servants out, then looked at his son-in-law expectantly. Kenshin slowly went to one knee. "Your Majes-"
"Now, cut that out!" Kamiya said angrily. "We are royal brothers, this isn't seemly."
Kenshin went on as if he had not heard. "This one begs you to take only his own life into account, when you hear the truth. My people were not at fault."
The king rose. "Himura," he said slowly, his voice hard, "what's this about?"
Kenshin continued looking at him steadily. "You know that this one used to be Shishio's assassin."
"What of it?" Kamiya said roughly.
"There is something you should know. It would have been told sooner, but this one only recently discovered it himself..." He was unable to hold the king's eyes to the end; by the time he had finished speaking, he was staring at the floor. Silence fell, and he waited.
After a minute, Kamiya began to pace, back and forth, the steps quickly becoming more agitated. There was a pause...then a sudden violent clattering, the seizing of a sword from its stand, a ringing sound of metal on metal, a thump as the sheath was flung away. Then the approach - Kenshin had withstood such tension before, still and unresponsive even when a blade was halted just before his face or throat, but this time it was no test, no challenge. This time, the sword came piercing down into his shoulder, releasing a wash of blood that came flooding down his arm to stain the carpet crimson.
Kenshin was thrown forward and nearly screamed when he caught himself, the action sending a burst of agony shooting through his entire body. He supported himself with one hand only, the other hovering like a wounded bird. He forced himself to calm down and master the pain, for he had taken much worse injuries in the past; and he wondered vaguely why his head was still attached. A slow death, perhaps. He hadn't expected such a thing from Kaoru's father, but after all, the man was entitled. (Or was he? Did it matter? It was getting hard to think. Where is...Kaoru-dono, this one wanted to say good-bye...why couldn't...?)
His thoughts were completely blocked out when the sword was withdrawn. That took up his entire attention for a little while, so that when he was finally able to spare a shred of consciousness, the king had been speaking for quite some time. Well, not speaking, exactly. Cursing, almost continuously, which suddenly ceased when Kamiya began to weep. He dropped the sword and sank down to sit on the floor, lamenting with such lack of inhibition that it attracted the attention of the servants outside. "Leave us!" he roared. They obeyed at once, but to stop them from returning with reinforcements, he bolted the doors.
Kenshin had not moved when he finally returned. "Are you just going to sit there and bleed to death?" he snarled. Kenshin nearly cried out again when Kamiya touched him near the wound; he raised a shaking hand, but Kamiya pushed it away and bound the wound himself. Then Kenshin found the king holding his hands, staring at them with loathing. It suddenly occurred to him that Kamiya might let him live, might instead cripple his hands. He would never be able to hold a sword again. The thought made him sick, and he bowed his head to hide the desperation he could not keep out of his face. He had vowed never to kill again, but to lose kenjutsu itself...
"How," Kamiya finally snarled, "am I supposed to kill you when you won't resist at all?"
As he forced his hands to remain still, "The method is up to you."
Kamiya finally dropped them with another curse.
At that moment, someone started pounding on the door. Kamiya turned with his mouth open to bellow, but then a muffled voice came from the other side. "Papa! Papa, open the door! Papa!"
"Kaoru," he muttered. His eyes strayed to Kenshin, who was staring at the door as if he was being shown a glimpse of something that had moved forever out of his reach. "Get out," he snapped. "I'm too old for such revenge..." Like trying to kill a child, he thought angrily, except that he looks at you like that, and you realize he sees an even worse hell than you do. "You make it feel like murder."
"Kamiya-Ô..."
"It's over!" he shouted, cursing. "Go back to your precious country, it'll be safe enough from my armies! Safer than my wife was from you! If your face is ever seen here again, my men will shoot to kill!"
When the door finally opened, Kaoru gasped at the haggard look on her father's face. "Papa...the servants were telling me-"
"He's gone," Kamiya said dully.
Kaoru looked past him and saw no one in the room - saw the huge lurid stain on the carpet. "Papa!" she screamed in horror. She hadn't wanted him dead...
He saw what she was looking at. "I didn't kill him," he said irritably. "Tried to, but..." He turned away from her and sank back into his chair, gazing off into the shadows. "I couldn't," he whispered. "He took her from me, and I couldn't..."
Kaoru went to sit in his lap and put her arms around his neck, and they wept together.
To be continued...
Author's Notes: I had meant for Kaoru's father to re-marry, since that made more sense than his staying single, but I decided against it in the end. It seemed inappropriate for a fanfic to introduce two or three OCs whose subplot would have overrun the story (because yes, I was getting lots of ideas for Kaoru's step-family that might have made a multi-chapter in itself).