Thanks for the reviews. Enjoy.
I realize I have been spelling Karou wrong. I apologize, but it probably wont change because my computer has already learned the wrong spelling.
The Find
He awoke to find a blanket over him and Ayame was gone. He vaguely remembered Karou taking her from his lap once Suzume was doing better, telling him that they would be sleeping in her room. The house was quiet except for some small noises coming from the kitchen. Karou was there, cooking food. He watched as her eyes slowly closed and the mixing spoon stilled. Thanks to his speed, he was able to catch her before she hit the ground. She had hit her limit and passed out.
Her body shook from exhaustion. Gently, he picked her up and carried her over to the couch. It surprised him how light she was. She was far more delicate then she appeared. The way she acted often made her appear larger than she was. Now, with her asleep, he saw who she was behind the strength. She was beautiful, both physically and spiritually. He'd always noticed her pure spirit and how he always felt better, cleaner, after being around it. He hadn't noticed just how beautiful she was. Probably because this was the first time he actually had the time to look at her without her bossing him around. She was delicate, like a flower, and yet as fierce as a cobra. It was an entrancing combination. He would have kept staring at her if the food hadn't started burning.
Returning to the kitchen he tried to decipher what she had been cooking. It was a mystery, so, after concluding exhaustions wasn't going to make her a better cook, he decided it was safer to throw it away and start fresh. He let his mind wander, enjoying watching Karou sleep while cooking. His musings were interrupted when the old man softly came out of one of the bedrooms. His mind pointed out, a little late, that it probably wasn't the best idea for him to be out in the open with strangers in the house.
"That smells good. I didn't know you could cook."
Kenshin was starting to wonder what kind of friends Karou made, "You don't seem surprised to see me." He had thought that the old man had been too distracted to really notice who else was there.
The man chuckled, "No, after all, I helped Karou get you here when you were injured."
"I thought Saito did that."
"Saito got you part of the way. I got you the rest of the way. That way neither of us come under suspicion."
"You willingly helped her help a criminal, why?"
"I have known Karou ever since Koshijiro took her in. She has always been a good judge of character. She has always adamantly defended you. I trust in her judgement." He walked over and readjusted the blanket over her.
"Defended me?"
"Against her friend, Eichi. He is determined to catch you and she has tried to stop him. You're the reason their friendship fell apart, not that I am blaming you."
"I don't understand."
The old man chortled, "You might have met her for the first time a few months ago, but she has been watching over you for quite some time."
"Why?"
"That is her story to tell, not mine." The room fell silent as Kenshin slowly digested the new information. About when he finished with the food, Yahiko came out yawning.
"Dr. Gensai, how's Suzume?"
"She's fine. Croup is rarely serious, steam just helps with the coughing. That's why we came over."
"I'm glad Ugly is finally getting some sleep. You would think with the way she acts, that she was the only one here."
"Yes, she has a tendency of doing that. She used to be better, but when the dojo burned down, she started trying to shoulder everything by herself."
"What happened?" Yahiko asked. Kenshin silently served them food and joined them at the table.
"It happened about a year after Koshijiro was killed. She was doing a fairly good job at keeping the dojo running. As well as a female sword instructor in this day can do. One day, a group of men came to the dojo and insulted it. She, of course, took offence and challenged them. What we didn't realize at the time was that their leader was the son of a rich family. When she beat him, his family took offence and burned the dojo to the ground. The dojo had been in that Kamia family for generations, she was the first outsider to ever be assistant master. She blames herself for not being able to protect the place that took her in. It hurt even more when the insurance company refused to pay for the damages. She lost everything. That's why she tries to shoulder everything. Then if she fails again, she only hurts herself."
"But it wasn't her fault."
"Try telling her that."
She woke to laughter. Opening her eyes, she saw Kenshin walking around the apartment with Ayame and Suzume on his legs. Dr. Gensai sat at the table, watching them with a smile. This Kenshin was different from the man she had gotten to know. His eyes were no longer the cold eyes of a killer. The gold was replaced with a beautiful purple filled with kindness. For the first time she was looking at Kenshin, not the Battousai. Seeing him now only confirmed what she had always known; he was a man, not a killer. Trying to do what he could to make the world a better place, to repent for the lives he had taken in his youth.
She sat up, alerting them that she was awake. "Where's Yahiko?"
"He went to work, that he did," Kenshin said, untangling the girls from his legs and bringing her some food. It took her a second to register his strange way of speaking. He truly was a different person, even down to how he spoke.
"Now that your awake, we should be going," Dr. Gensai said, ushering his granddaughters towards the door.
"Can we come back and play some more Uncle Ken," Ayame asked. Karou almost choked on her food. Uncle Ken? How long had she been asleep?
"Ya, can we?" Suzume answered. She was back to her usual self, following her sister around and copying what she did.
"Yes you can, but you should always ask your grandfather's permission first, that you should." The two girls squealed in delight. Now she would need to start coming up with excuses as to why 'Uncle Ken' wasn't around.
Dr. Gensai left with the girls and Kenshin came and sat down on the other end of the couch. "Miss Karou?"
"Yes," she said, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. She had already told him to call her Karou.
"One was wondering, that is, Dr. Gensai mentioned some things that one was curious about."
"What is it Kenshin?"
"Dr. Gensai mention that Miss Karou has been watching me. For a while now. Why?"
She had to wonder what else Dr. Gensai had told him. Dr. Gensai could be a bit of a gossip around those he felt comfortable. "I doubt you remember, but we went to school together. Elementary school."
Kenshin's eyes widened as he looked at her. She took that as an invitation to continue, "I don't believe we ever talked or interacted. We were both loners, so we gravitated toward the same areas. Because of that we ended up being near each other a lot.
"When my parents sold me, you were the only person to notice I had gone missing. I guess you noticed my presence as much as I noticed yours. You were the one who alerted the police. Since my parents hadn't filed a missing person's report, it wasn't hard for the police to figure out what had happened and subsequently find the den I was being held in. If it wasn't for you, I would probably be dead or a slave by now. I owe you everything."
Kenshin sat in silence, staring at his hands. She could guess what he was thinking. She knew his name, his real name, or at least the name he went by before Kenshin. That meant she knew his past. Gently she reached out and took his hands, making him look up at her. She smiled, "I don't care about your past. It's who you are now that matters. As I told you before, your name, Kenshin, suits you. It's who you are and that's all I care about. That's the man I choose to save."
He just stared at her as she tried desperately to stop the blush rising in her cheeks. She hadn't intended to say so much. Now she just hoped he didn't see the meaning behind her words. He continued looking at her, she didn't want to disturb his thoughts, so she stayed silent. Taking the opportunity to get a better look at his eyes. They were the strangest color she had ever seen, but they fit him so well.
Slowly his hand rose towards her face. She was unsure what he was doing, but his eyes held her immobilized with their sudden intensity. It seemed to take ages for his had to reach her face, all the while she sat perfectly still. When his had was a hairs breath away from her face, someone cleared their throat behind them. She and Kenshin flew apart.
"Sorry to interrupt," Aoshi said from the doorway. "Misao was wondering if she could have more of that throat tea."
"O…Of course," She stuttered she said getting up and trying to slow her racing heart. She made her way to the kitchen, pointedly not looking at Kenshin. Quickly, she made the tea and gave it to Aoshi, who then promptly closed the door, leaving the room in an awkward silence. She desperately wanted to go back and have Kenshin finish whatever it was he had been doing, but the moment was over.
She stayed in the kitchen, unsure what to do. The silence stretched on until it was broken by footsteps and yelling.
"Shut it rooster," one voice said loudly. Karou could recognize Megumi's voice easily, though she didn't know who rooster was.
"Ya ya fox, whatever. Are we there yet?" Another voice said, making Kenshin look to the door.
There was the sound of someone hitting someone else and a resulting yelp of pain before someone was knocking on her door. "Karou, it's me, let me in."
She opened the door a crack to find Megumi and two other men she didn't know. Megumi pushed past her into the house before she could try and stop her.
"Megumi? What's going on?" She asked, closing the door behind the two men, who followed Megumi inside.
"Sano, Master Hiko, why are you here?" Kenshin said standing up. Karou was now very confused.
"We haven't heard from either of you in over a week. We came to make sure everything was ok," the younger of the two men said. Aoshi opened the bedroom door and silently padded out, nodding to the two men.
"Wait, Megumi, you know them?" Karou said trying to figure out what was going on and how her friend was connected to Kenshin.
Megumi sat down on one of the stools in the kitchen and grabbed the cup of coffee Karou had just made, chugging it. "I know that idiot," she said pointing to the younger, spiky haired man. "He lives near me and comes by five days a week to get me to treat all his injuries. Not like I have anything better to do. I didn't know he was connected to the Battousai until about ten minutes ago when he came banging on my door demanding I take them to you." Megumi was not in a good mood, she was probably as sleep deprived as Karou was.
"How do you know Megumi knows me?" She asked them. She was fairly certain she had kept that connection secret form Kenshin.
"She works with the salves same as you. It wasn't too hard to figure out. Especially after seeing your boy helping her. Now, would you mind telling us how our comrade is doing." the older man said. She could tell he was strong, it practically oozed off of him. He was using his strength and size to intimidate her, but she was too tired to care.
"His name is Yahiko and he is my student, not my boy. I'm not that old. And I don't see why I should be telling you anything until you have introduced yourself. It's proper etiquette, especially after barging into someone's home."
The man in front of her seemed taken aback by her attitude. The younger man laughed, "See I told you," he said. "I'm Sano little missy and that's Hiko-san. Sorry for bothering you but we were worried about Misao."
"She's doing better," Aoshi spoke up.
"When will she be able to come…back?" Hiko-san asked.
Aoshi looked to her but she just shrugged, "My job is done. That's your decision. If you think she is ready to leave, you can leave. If you think she should stay here for a few more days, you can stay."
Aoshi contemplated this, "I think it would be best to stay a few more days, until more of her strength returns."
"I apologize for not getting in contact sooner Master Hiko. Things have been rather hectic, that they have," Kenshin said looking like a child who was expecting to be scolded.
"I expect you to be better from now on," Hiko-san scolded but she could hear the smile in his voice. "I apologize for the intrusion," he said and with that he and Sano left. Aoshi quickly returned to the bedroom and Karou followed him, figuring she should check up on Misao.
He was left alone in the room with the one Karou had called Megumi. She got up and approached him, "Since the opportunity arose I will say what I have been wanting to say to you for a while. If you hurt Karou, I will make you regret it."
"Oro," he said, not understanding why a complete stranger was threatening him.
"She broke her vow to save you. I hope you know that. She is foolish and headstrong, but she is a good person. So, if you hurt her, if you trample on her heart, I will make you regret it."
"One does not…"
"Shut it," she said. Looking into her eyes he understood. Somehow her sharp eyes had perceived what he himself was still trying to understand. "She is my friend and as her friend it is my job to protect her."
He nodded his head, "One understands, that one does. If it is any reassurance, one prefers Miss Karou's smile, that one does."
"Then you better protect it," Megumi said backing away. His response seemed to satisfy her. "I should get going."
"Miss Megumi?" He called, remembering his question.
"Yes?"
"What vow?"
"Megumi, what did you tell him," Karou hissed closing the bedroom door.
"Only what I needed to say," Megumi said with a smirk and left. The room fell quiet as Karou busied herself in the kitchen, refusing to make eye contact with him.
"Miss Karou," He said approaching her slowly. She looked at him then, waiting for him to continue. "Miss Megumi mentioned that Miss Karou broke a vow to save me. What vow?"
"It's nothing Kenshin. You don't need to worry about it," She said reaching for a cup.
He grabbed her hand, "Please." He needed to know what she had done for him, so he could understand her better. She nodded and met his stare with a fierce determination in her eyes.
"When I started this," she motioned to the apartment. "I swore to stay neutral. Since I work with people from both sides of the law I swore I would never share what I learned from the criminals to the police or vice versa." She took a deep breath before coming, "My friend Eichi, the policeman from earlier. He came to visit me a few days before you were injured. He came to brag about his newest plan to catch you. I knew it would probably fail, but that you would get injured.
"I debated trying to get in contact with you to warn you, but that would be breaking my vow. So, I decided to set up appointments on that side of town that night. So, I could be there to help you. Technically, since I didn't share any information, I never broke my vow. That's just how Megumi see's it."
He let his hand move from her hand to cradle the side of her face. She let him. So, he pushed further. Taking a step closer to her, he rested his head on her shoulder, and breathed in her scent. She smelled like her home, like her herbs.
How had he spent his life not knowing her? She knew his past and yet didn't judge him for it. All she saw was who he was now. She had risked so much to save the man she saw in him. She had seen a man worthy of being saved and had broken her vow to save him. He could only hope that he would one day be that man. That he would be worthy of the faith she had in him.
He stayed where he was, enjoying the closeness. She stayed still for a while but eventually she started shaking and burst out laughing. He stepped back in confusion and hurt.
Her face was flushed, and her eyes were bright, "I'm sorry," She chuckled. "Your hair was tickling me. I tried to hold it in, but I couldn't."
He laughed then to. She wasn't laughing at his actions. She was laughing because of his hair not his actions. This laugh was his, he had brought it into being, no one else, and he reveled in it.