Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or anything of the characters. I am just a fan girl with a wild imagination.
Red..
All he could see was red as he stumbled forward holding his side.
The sun was setting in Kyoto, casting a long shadow over the struggling figure of a man who was walking away from battle. A small trail of blood followed him, large dark splotches stained his gi.
..Damn..I need to find a place to hide..
As he trudged on, he noticed large red gates with a foreboding archway come into view. The majestic gates were surrounded by large thick trees. As the man approached, he saw a carefully placed wall of ancient sake casks near the right entrance of the gates. Behind the gates, a large shrine loomed in the background.
..The Heian Shrine….that'll have to do.
With renewed vigor the redhead forced himself to keep going. Blood and sweat were oozing out of him, zapping his energy.
The sun was setting faster now, surrounding him in darkness.
Still, he managed to get through the front gates, and stumble into the courtyard before collapsing in a broken heap.
..Fuck..I can't move..
That was the last thought he could muster, the man's eyes shut and his head became heavy against the ground.
*****Kaoru's POV*************
As the sun set, Kaoru counted the ticket and charm sales for the day at her desk in the administration office.
Whistling as she did so. She loved working at the Heian Jinguu.
Happiness and contentment seemed to emanate from her being.
Long blue-black locks cascaded from a high ponytail with bangs to frame her delicate face.
Large blue lapis lazuli eyes focused on the task at hand carefully counting and documenting every detail.
Her athletic yet curvy build was donned in the traditional gear of a shrine maiden.
The red and white outfit was a perfect contrast against her striking hair and eyes.
Kaoru had been born into the family running the Heian Shrine. While it had given her a simpler life,
she wouldn't have traded it for the world.
She didn't see the appeal in the high-tech materialistic world that modern Japan had become.
"There! I'm done, thank God." She sighed, closing up the drawer and turning off the lights.
As she left the ticket stand, she ran to grab a large straw broom and dustpan.
Sweeping the front courtyard during sunset was one of her favorite parts of the day.
Watching the sunset and the beautiful vision it created over the main gates was a breathtaking experience.
Lastly, during the night she would walk around and feed the cats that stopped by the shrine as she patrolled the grounds.
As Kaoru approached the courtyard, she noticed a lump of red and blue off to the side of the main entrance.
What the…is that a man? Kaoru hurried her step to get closer.
As she neared, she broke out into a run.
The closer she got, the lump revealed the crumpled figure of a man in a puddle of blood.
"Oh my god, it is a person!" Kaoru began to panic.
She carefully knelt down next to the man and placed her fingers on his neck to feel for a pulse.
Is he dead? No..there is a pulse, but its very faint.
Kaoru tried to gently move him. By placing her hands and his shoulders in an attempt to roll him over.
"oompf..he is heavy."
Kaoru strained to lift his torso and the man moaned in pain.
She noticed the puddle of blood beneath him began to get thicker and she screamed for help as she placed the man's head in her lap.
His breathing was scarily shallow.
"GRAMPS…MISAO HELLP! SOMEONE IS HURT, PLEASE COME QUICKLY."
Kaoru reached into her pocket and grabbed her cellphone dialing the only doctor she knew close by.
After a few rings a soft yet stern female voice answered.
'Hello?'
'MEGUMI! You have to get down to the shrine now, there's a man…he's hurt.. he's bleeding everywhere..."
'Kaoru what the fuck?! Calm down, call an ambulance!'
The man began to stir and moan in Kaoru's lap at those words.
"..No…h-hospitals…please….please" His words were so weak they were barely a whisper in Kaoru's lap.
This sent a shiver through her. His voice was deep yet soft. He sounded so broken; Kaoru's sympathized with him.
"Megumi Please! I can't move him; I don't think they will make it in time to save him!"
"Shit Shit Shit Kaoru!….okay…shit give me two minutes; I'll be right there." With that she hung up.
As Kaoru ended the conversation, she heard yelling across the courtyard, two figures appeared running forward.
A young woman with a blue braid in a shrine maiden outfit, and a older tall man with white hair in traditional priest robes.
"Kaoru what is going on?!' Misao yelled, bursting with energy and vigor.
She ran up to Kaoru and looked at the man to see his face.
"We have to call the police, and an ambulance, this man is in dire need of medical help." Okina said.
He knelt down with Kaoru and Misao to get a better look at the man.
"I called Megumi, I don't think they will make it in time, he's lost so much blood…"
Kaoru trailed off, the man's skin was ghostly pale and his breathing had stilled.
"WHAT? He could be a fugitive; I don't want to be responsible for him!" Okina yelled beginning to back up.
"We can call the police later if we have to, right now we have to help him Gramps." Kaoru reasoned.
"Ya Gramps! Calm down, he won't put up much of a fight right now anyway." Misao replied.
"We will do what we can for now, but I am stilling calling the police or an ambulance if Megumi can't help him." Okina offered.
Kaoru nodded, knowing that protesting was futile with the stern old man.
He kneeled down to help Kaoru and Misao lift the body.
Okina grabbed the shoulders of the man and draped them over his own while Misao and Kaoru lifted the legs.
Together they carried the man as quickly as they could into one of the back-staff shrine houses and set him down on the tatami mats.
Luckily as they were doing this Megumi arrived.
Kaoru directed Megumi into the house and she began to get to work.
Over the next several hours, Kaoru watched the man's face contort in pain as Megumi worked to bring him back to life.
During this process, he never cried out. As tired as she was, Kaoru couldn't bring herself to leave him.
She felt…a connection to him?
No, that wasn't it. She was worried about his safety. Call it a morbid curiosity.
She had never seen a man like this before, who was this strange red head.
Is his hair natural?
Also, what is up with his state of dress?
Kaoru wore traditional garb because she worked at a shrine.
But this guy; he showed up with like a warrior straight out of the revolution with his old clothes.
Hours before, when Megumi worked to undress the man and assess his wounds, they had found a broken sword in a black sheath that the man carried under his clothes.
Of course, this discovery only served to fuel the fire in convincing Okina that this man was a fugitive or involved in some sort of criminal activity.
Thankfully he was shooed by Megumi during her work and forced to fume elsewhere.
If he had a traditional Japanese sword, there was no way he was a foreigner, right?
This whole situation was so confusing.
Kaoru put her hands on her temples and began to massage.
"There! That's as good as I can do for now." Megumi sighed.
She started to put her blood-soaked tools back in her bag and clean up.
Megumi was a miracle worker; she was able to cauterized the wounds with a hot knife.
She also had two iv's delivered to the shrine by counting another coworker who was on call that night.
One with type O blood, and one with fluids and vitamins to keep him hydrated.
All those years of working in overseas in an African jungle had taught this woman how to handle an sort of medical emergency with limited tools.
She was a beast.
"Thank you, Megumi, will he make it?" Kaoru asked.
They both stood over him and peered down at his sleeping face.
"I think so. His body is badly wounded, but he is a fighter. He seems to be relatively healthy otherwise."
Megumi glanced down at the man's torso. He was covered in scars.
Sadly, this was not his first fight. She sighed, wondering what kind of life this man lived.
Despite that, anyone who see that he was strong, his physique was like a finely chiseled statue of a Greek god.
Yet, he was shorter than most men she knew.
"Kaoru, you need to be careful. This man, whatever he is involved in, it's dangerous." Megumi warned.
Kaoru slowly nodded. She too saw the scars, and old wounds.
He was a warrior of some kind. They would all need to be careful.
"Megumi, please stay tonight. You've done so much; I want to treat you to dinner, and you need to rest."
"Of course, and I don't want you to be sleeping alone in the room next to him. He might need more help in the middle of the night."
Both women came to an agreement and quietly shut off the light and left the room.
They closed the shoji screen behind them.
**********Battousai POV**************
…. that scent its gone..
Bloodshot amber eyes opened, and then slowly closed again.
the young man breathed; he was safe.
Safe, for how long?
What would these kind people do if they knew they were harboring an ancient demon and skilled assassin?
He would have to leave as soon as he could stand.
He couldn't trust any of them. Let alone rely on any humans for support.
The battousai's mind wandered back to that girl.
He didn't know what she looked like, but her scent had instantly brought him peace.
It was reminiscent of jasmine and lavender; he had never smelt a scent so pure.
He found himself wanting to smell it again.
In his state of delirium, he hoped he meet her again soon.
With that he drifted off in dead sleep.
Exhaustion taking over.
****Kaoru POV**********
After dinner and a bath, Kaoru and Megumi both retired to their futons in the next room over from the sleeping redhead.
Megumi fell asleep right away.
Kaoru on the other hand wasn't so quick to slumber.
She tossed and turned for hours, somehow unable to find the right position or get her mind off the red head in the next room.
The curiosity was killing her.
What if he bleeds out in his sleep?
What if he was thirsty?
Who would take care of him?
She needed to check on him, otherwise she would spend the whole night worrying about him.
Strengthening her resolve, Kaoru got up in her white sleeping yukata and went to do just that.
Cautiously, she slid open the shoji screen, and gently closed it behind her.
Kaoru could barely see him at first in the dark, but her eyes eventually adjusted to the low light in the room.
She made her way into the center of the room towards him.
Moonlight spilled in from a far window on a wall illuminating the small corner where he lay.
Kaoru sat down beside him, looking for fresh blood stains on his bandages.
There were none.
She let out a sigh of relief and looked over his sleeping face.
He looked so peaceful and serene.
Kaoru raised a dainty hand and moved his bangs out of his face.
He had an old cross shaped scar.
What was that scar from?
Stuck in her musings, she didn't notice the change in the redhead's breathing.
The scent of jasmine and lavender flooded the battousai's senses. It calmed him yet excited him at the same time.
…She's here….
She can't be trusted.
It was time to test her intentions. A battousai can never let their guard down, even in rest.
One moment Kaoru was watching his sleeping face, then the next moment his eyes snapped open revealing angry amber orbs.
Before she could react Kaoru found herself pressed up against the back wall near the window.
Nose to nose with the now wide-awake red head. He had ripped out his IVs which lay dangling from the stand next to his futon.
His amber eyes stared her frightened blue ones. His powerful arms held her up by the collar of her yukata.
"Who are you?" He growled, Golden eyes boring into her soul.
Kaoru froze, the man that she had been helping was now trying to interrogate her.
Fear was quickly replaced by anger, and she struggled against him grabbing his forearms with her hands and kicking her legs.
"Who am I? Who the fuck are you? You show up here half dead, and IM the one being questioned?" Kaoru raised her voice with the last sentence, growing more and more pissed by the second.
Her quick shift in emotion and the force of her ki sent a thrill through him.
The battousai decided that he liked her when she was angry.
He could not have her waking the whole house up.
Swiftly, He covered her mouth with one of his hands.
He used the opposite forearm to press down on her chest and moved one of his legs between hers to press her harder against the wall to stop her struggling.
"I will be the one to ask the questions, that I will." He smirked at her as she attempted to yell at him through his hand.
His eyes and the harsh tone of her voice told her that he was serious. Kaoru's body went into fight or flight.
Would he hurt her?
Yet, the gravity of the situation set in.
His hot breath on her face, the way his forearm pressed against her chest through the thin yukata,
and their lower abdomens connecting…
Kaoru had never been in such an intimate position with a man before, or such a handsome man at that.
She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to remain calm.
This effort was in vain, as heat pooled between her legs and a dark flush settled over her cheeks. She was breathing heavily behind his hand.
What is wrong with my body?! This guy is clearly insane!
Kaoru found that reasoning with her body wasn't going to work. She had noticed her attraction for him hours ago.
She was mentally kicking herself now!
The scent of her arousal flooded the battousai's senses, and his eyes widened at this revelation before narrowing critically.
This little fool, she is innocent, naïve, ripe for the picking. She has never been touched by a man.
The battousai could tell that no one had claimed her. Her body language betrayed her. He could take her now if he really wanted to.
He felt his resolve breaking, he too noticed the intimate position.
He didn't like the power it had over him. Her scent was calling to him.
Right now, he needed to find out where he was and if these humans were a threat to him.
That didn't mean he couldn't have any fun in the interrogation process.
"What's wrong little blue bird? You seem worked up, could it be that you have never been this close to a man before?" He teased, the smirk on his face becoming one of arrogance.
That was the last straw for Kaoru. Not only had she helped his man, allowed him to stay in her home, now he was threatening her and making fun of her lack of experience with men?
Oh HELL no.
Behind his hand Kaoru openly growled at him.
The battousai arched a delicate eyebrow, and then noticed an open palm coming towards his face.
With as much effort as she could muster from her current position, Kaoru brought her right hand down slapping him across the face whipping his head to the side.
The force caused him to loosen his grip on her face and she finally spoke.
"WHAT the ACTUAL FUCK is wrong with you? I'm trying to help you, asshole!" She yelled at him.
In her frustration and desperation to get out of his grip she kneed him hard in the chest.
As her knee struck him, she opened one of his wounds and he groaned in pain before sinking to the floor.
A small blood stain began to form on his bandages.
Kaoru realizing what she had done, tried to catch him as he fell.
"I'm sorry, oh shit, I am so sorry!"
Just then Megumi burst through the door and flipped on the light.
"Kaoru! What the HELL is going on, what is all the ruckus?!"
Seeing the redhead on the ground in Kaoru's arms and the fresh blood on her yukata, Megumi rushed over to help Kaoru get the man back into bed.
"Megumi! He tried to get up and move around, I came in here to check on him!
Why was she lying for him? He was trying to intimidate her. He was acting like a jerk!
Kaoru had to do a double take when she looked down at the man. His once golden eyes were now a dull half-lidded purple.
They slowly lowered him to the futon and settled him back into a comfortable position.
His eyes, they changed. What is going on?
"Kaoru, I need to get more bandages, don't let him move around anymore. I'll be right back."
Megumi left the room and Kaoru once again settled next to him. She spoke as soon as his frazzled violet eyes settled on her.
"Hey, I'm sorry for overreacting. My name is Kamiya Kaoru, I work and live here.
"Kaoru…?" He rasped.
It was becoming harder for him to keep his eyes open. All that activity had zapped his remaining strength.
"Yes! What's your name?" Kaoru grabbed his hand and leaned in her head over his mouth to hear him better.
"…..K-Kenshin."
Then the world once again went black for him. His eyes closed and he passed out on the futon.
Megumi returned, pushing Kaoru out of the way, and got back to work resealing Kenshin's wounds and reinserting his IV.
"Kaoru, what was all of that about? I heard yelling, are you okay?"
"I guess he didn't remember coming here. When he woke up, he seemed confused. I tried to calm him down."
"Did he hurt you Kaoru?"
Megumi halted her actions and looked over at the younger woman.
She was so innocent and naïve sometimes; Kaoru could have brought death himself into their shrine without even realizing it.
"Um..no. He settled down when you left. He said his name is Kenshin."
Megumi wasn't entirely convinced by Kaoru's answer. She seemed flustered, upset. But she would drop it for now and ask more questions later.
But first, a minor precaution was needed to make sure this man didn't wake back up.
She couldn't have him further injuring himself. Megumi readied a sedative and added it to the IV bag with water.
****Note from the Author*******
Hey guys! I revised the story, I made chapter breaks and made it a little bit easier to read. I realized that I need to give more scene cuts, character point of views, change vocabulary in some areas. This is my first story; your feedback has been appreciated. Also, I am going to use bold to show the battousai's thoughts and inner dialogue.
I have new chapters to post this week. Stay tuned.