Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it. Thanks for all the reviews.
The Mend
It was painful, just sitting there waiting. They were far enough away that they should be safe, but they were in the city. They were in the city in a rather large group which made them noticeable. Just their cloths made them stand out and half of them had blood on their cloths. If they were seen it could be dangerous.
Kenshin could probably fight, but it wouldn't be the best and she would prefer he didn't. She had a hard time telling how Aoshi was doing, but she guessed not great. She had never seen him show so much emotion like when he did while scolding Misao. Sano was definitely in no state to fight. He had almost collapsed once he saw Megumi was safe. Even though she was angry at Yahiko for doing something so dangerous, she couldn't help but be thankful he was there. With him, Misao, and Tsubame, they weren't completely defenseless.
They waited in tense silence until Saito finally drove up in a van. Dr. Gensai, Megumi, and Sano were loaded in first followed by Aoshi and Kenshin. By that point the car was getting full.
"Yahiko and I can walk," she suggested. They needed to talk, and they were still in a condition to fight. Tae was back at the house so there would be someone to tend to everyone until she got there to help.
"Miss Karou, it is not safe," Kenshin said.
"There's not enough room. We are still able to fight and unlike the rest of you, we aren't wanted criminals. We will be safe."
Kenshin did not look pleased at the idea, but he knew that if he went with them, he would attract trouble. Either they waited here for Saito to come and get them after dropping everyone else off, or they walked. Staying put was almost more dangerous. "Don't let your guard down," Kenshin finally conceded. "If you're not back in an hour, I'm coming to look for you."
She nodded. Once the car was gone, her and Yahiko set off. Cautiously making their way through the city. Neither of them said anything as they moved. It was good, but she was concerned, Yahiko had become uncommonly silent while they waited.
"So, how did you find the other's?" She asked once they were safely out of the city and in a more comfortable setting. They still couldn't let their guard down, but they didn't need to be silent anymore.
"Can we not talk about it?" He said looking away.
"Yahiko, you said you would talk about it later." She pushed. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, it was more she wanted to know how he had known how to get around Akira's home like that.
"Well I don't want to," he said.
"Yahiko."
"Why do you want to know so badly?" He almost shouted.
"Because I care about you. Doing what you did, knowing the tunnels, that knowledge doesn't come free. I want to know you're alright. I want you to trust me, open up to me."
"If I tell you, you would want me to leave," he said in a broken voice.
"I promised you a home. I don't break my promise. There is nothing you could say that would make me make you leave." It was true. Yahiko was part of her family now, she wasn't going to let him go unless he asked, and even then, she would fight him. She didn't want to lose another person she cared about.
"I don't believe you," he said. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her, but the words hurt.
"I swear," she said. "I don't care what you've done. Your part of my family now."
"It's not what I've done, it's who I am."
"That matters even less. I know who Kenshin used to be but that doesn't change how I think about him. I know you are a good person Yahiko."
"Even if Akira's my father," he said. His hands were clenched, and he looked ready to take a blow. So that's what this was about. She was surprised, very surprised, her mind was spinning as it tried to understand what he was saying, but she pushed it aside. If she waited for her mind to get back on its feet, Yahiko would see her hesitation and the damage would be done.
She grabbed his shoulders and turned him towards her, bending down so they were at eye level. "Even that doesn't change my opinion. You have and will always have a place in my home, no matter who your father is."
Yahiko looked so raw and open. He had not been expecting her to accept him. She pulled him in tight and wrapped her arms protectively around him and waited for his emotions to calm. It was the first time he had ever cried in front of her and he would probably deny it in the future if she ever brought it up. She just held him until his tears dried and he pulled back.
"Though I have to say," she said once he was calm again. "You don't look a thing like him."
He let out a small laugh, "That's what he always said. My mother swears I'm his biological son but it's hard to tell." Now that he knew she accepted him, the rest of the story flew out of his lips. "My mother was his fifth wife, I think. I'm the only son she ever had. After I was born, she fell out of his favor because he didn't believe I was his son. When my mother got sick, he didn't want to pay the medical bills, so he kicked her and me out. We didn't have any means of paying for a place to stay let alone medical bills, so my mother borrowed money. But she didn't recover."
"So, the debt fell on you," she said, he nodded. "That's why you were working for the gang."
"Ya. When I was a child, before my mom got sick. My siblings liked to lock me down in the tunnels. They knew Akira wouldn't punish them. I got lost a few times but eventually I started to learn my way around. I also found a map of the tunnels in Akira's office once. I was able to copy it without him noticing. That's how I knew how to get around."
She smiled and ruffled his hair, "Always sneaking around I see. Well, I'm sorry you had to endure that. But I'm glad you had the knowledge. You saved Megumi and Dr. Gensai. I'm proud to call you my pupil."
His chest puffed up at the compliment. "And don't you forget it. One day I'm going to be a better fighter than you."
She smiled sweetly at him and tripped him, "Not if you don't learn to pay attention to your surroundings."
He got back up and glared at her, "Ugly." She smiled as they fell back into their normal banter.
They got back without incident. Kenshin was relieved when they walked through the door. He had been too agitated to let Tae tend to his shoulder. Misao was quietly tending to Aoshi, who still looked mad, and Sano was nowhere to be seen. Tae looked quite annoyed.
"Now your back maybe I can finally start tending to these…" Tae seemed to want to say something nasty, but it wasn't in her nature, so she just huffed in annoyance.
She left to go tend to Dr. Gensai, so Megumi could get some rest and Sano would finally leave her alone. It was kind of funny to see him hovering over Megumi telling her to rest while Megumi stubbornly ignored him. It was nice to see her friend so comfortable with a guy other than Dr. Gensai and Yahiko.
Yahiko left to go tend to the girls so they stayed out of foot. It seemed like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He was more comfortable in his new life now that he knew she wasn't going to kick him out. She smiled, although his parentage had startled her, she knew he was a good kid. His story had only confirmed that. She was glad she had decided to take him in. He was a good learner, protective of the girls, and knew how to use his head, even when his ego said differently. He had a bad mouth and attitude, but when push came to shove, he was a good kid.
Once Karou was safe, he had thought all the hard things were over, then she had said she would walk home. He didn't want to leave her, not after he just found her again, but she was right and there wasn't a thing he could do. Once they left time seemed to slow down just to torment him. It felt like hours before she finally got there. He had been too worried to sit down, even when Master Hiko told him to. He had been so close to losing her and now he thought he might lose her again.
When she finally came in he wanted to run up and embrace her and never let her go, but he didn't. She quickly assured him that they were fine before vanishing into another room to tend to Dr. Gensai. He wanted to sit and talk with her, they needed to talk, but he couldn't. She had people to tend to and he really should get his shoulder tended to. It had already blead through the quick bandage she had done earlier.
He relented and sat on the porch with the others as Tae tended to their wounds. Yahiko was near the pond with the girls. He seemed lighter than he had been. Whatever he and Karou had talked about, it had put him at ease. "Thank you, Miss. Tae," he said when she finished with his shoulder.
"It's the least I could do," she said moving to Sano. With his shoulder tended to, he sat back, enjoying the sun, and listened to the other's talk. Everyone was safe, he could relax, at least for a little while. Misao was silently tending to Aoshi, who was still angry with her for doing something dangerous. He would interfere if his friend didn't cool down soon. While Misao had disobeyed, she was safe and so were the others.
"If you don't mind me asking," Master Hiko said to Tae. "Why do you know so many different arts?"
"I come from a family of we call Assistants. For generations my family has assisted those fighting on the front lines. We do not train to fight or kill. We are the backup in a way. We learn medicine and stealth. Problem solving and quick thinking. Historically we were paired with a warrior and would go to battle with them. We would be there to help with strategies and tend wounds when the fighting was over. It was also our responsibility to help if the need arose to escape. Now we learn to keep the tradition alive, so if we are ever needed again, we ae ready."
"You live a life in the shadows, never to be recognized for your actions," Master Hiko said.
"We have never wanted fame. You cannot live the quiet life we live with fame. Besides, there are many people like us. Spies, ninjas, none of us will ever be recorded in a history book. It's knowing we made a difference that matters."
"That is very commendable," she smiled.
"Thank you. Now, Mr. Sano, how exactly did you manage to get so beat up in comparison to the others?" She scolded.
Sano scratched the back of his head, "My fighting's more up close than these other two. Getting beat up is just part of how it's done. The one who can take more of a beating is the one who wins."
Tae sighed in frustration, "You could try not doing that for a change. Honestly, I don't even know where to start. I now understand why Megumi's always complaining about you at work."
"She does, does she," he said with a smirk. Now that Megumi was safe, he was back to his old self. It had been a long time since he had seen Sano so out of control. Probably the last time he had seen his friend like that was when they had fought.
"Almost every day. It surprised me at first. I never thought she would willingly interact with someone like you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded.
"I did not mean to cause offence," Tae said. "It's just considering her history. I didn't think she would be able to."
"What happened? She's never said anything."
Tae sighed, "I've probably said to much, but Mr. Sano, has anyone here had an easy past?" That was an easy answer. No, that's why they were fighting. To make a better world for the children to come. "Megumi is no different."
"But what do I have to do with it?"
"She acts the way she does towards you because she's trying to hide her fear."
"She's afraid of me," Sano looked like a lost child.
"Not anymore, but she was, and her indifferent attitude was her way of hiding it. Now she just acts that way because it's just how you two act, and she knows it annoys you. You are just very similar in physique to a man who was not kind to her. Honestly, I don't think I have seen her interact with a man her own age outside of the hospital." Tae chatted away as her hands deftly wrapped bandages around his injuries.
"But I don't scare her now, right?"
"No," she said and Sano relaxed. It was a while before Tae was finished tending to his injuries and by the end she was looking quite annoyed. She shot Sano a look that said don't even think about getting into another fight soon.
"Do you need any help Misao?" Tae asked, Misao silently shook her head. Aoshi still looked thunderous. Kenshin shot a friend a look telling him to calm down. Aoshi just stood up and walked away.
"I'll talk to him," he said to Misao before following. He found Aoshi sitting in one of the studies. "Your upsetting Misao, that you are." He said sitting down next to Aoshi.
"She shouldn't have disobeyed like that."
"Is that really why your angry?"
"She could have been killed. It was reckless and dangerous."
"But she wasn't. She's fine and she saved the lives of the others."
"So now she'll think she can save everyone. She'll do something reckless and get herself killed."
"One doubts Misao lets her ego control her like that. She has a small enough one as it is. Especially after all of your glaring." This earned him a glare. "She is smart, that she is. Young but smart, and she is learning. Her last mistake was a lesson she will never forget. She took a calculated risk, we all do. Can you blame her for copying the one who taught her?"
"Then I should not be the one teaching her."
"Aoshi, you can't protect her from everything. Not unless you want to lock her in a room for the rest of her life. You prepare her and be there to catch her when she falls."
"But I wasn't there to catch her," he said. That was the root of his anger. He was angry at himself for not seeing it coming. For not guessing she would follow after them and try to help. He was angry and afraid that something could have happened, and he would lose her again. And, he was afraid situations like that will happen again.
"Then you teach her how to keep herself up until you can get there to catch her. We can't protect them from everything," he said remembering the feeling of watching Karou suffocate. "We can't hide them from the rest of the world, they would never live that kind of life. All we can do is support them with everything we have."
"How do you do that? Stay calm when someone you care about keeps putting themselves in danger?"
He smiled, "I simply think of what Miss Karou would do if I tried to stop her. Misao is the same. She will not let anyone in her way if she thinks she's doing the right thing."
Aoshi sighed and leaned back, "That is true."