¡I'm still alive! XD
Anyway, I hurt my ankle a few weeks ago and I'm still in pain T_T give me a thought! x0x
The song that Kaoru sings in this chapter is "Through the eyes of a child" of Aurora, and yes, I have chosen her voice to be Kaoru's voice in this fanfic *_*
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Through the eyes of a child belongs to Aurora.
"Reunion"
1865
Spring had arrived long before the time it was normally received. The winter had been short, and the air charged with a warmth that had not been common before. Even the snow had diminished considerably throughout February until there was no sign in the sky of any snowfall.
Now it was March.
In Kyoto, people saw this as a good omen - especially after the events of almost a year ago - the return of the now seer priestess of the Inari shrine certainly represented the just reason for such an early spring. Undoubtedly the same goddess prepared the path of flowers for her protégé. And, considering the tension in the air from the revolution, the presence of the blue-eyed priestess was a symbol of hope.
Kenshin knew this.
And that was the reason why he had left Kyoto.
There were still too many things he wasn't ready to face yet. No matter how much he had wanted to see her over the past year, no matter how much he had missed her…
The boy felt that seeing her would only reaffirm the events of his last night with her when he had abandoned her in the atrium.
"Kenshin." She had called him.
He could still see her. His mind ran to draw her with ease and haste, being an image that he adored and therefore, would never forget. She had cried then, lamenting the fate they both had to face.
The redhead adjusted the swords to his obi more out of inertia than necessity. It is the distant memory of the garment for which his fingers yearn, for the figure it represents for his heart. The blue ribbon - unnecessarily re-tightened - is firmly tied to the saya (sheath) of the katana (sword) intricately intertwined with the sageo (tie), the remaining length of the blue cloth entwined on the wakizashi by the tsuka (handle). ) although to a lesser extent, almost loose; ending with a knot mixed with that of his obi.
Kenshin tries not to give so much importance to the looks he has drawn on himself with such a move. The lace, one might think, stands out clearly due to its color; but it is the texture, the material of it, that really draws attention. It is a fine elegant and, of course, expensive ribbon; and although some classes of samurai possess great status and money, the ribbon is certainly a contrast to the poor-looking image of the young samurai's clothing.
This does not matter, of course, it is easy to think that this had undoubtedly been a gift from some aristocratic young lady, probably in gratitude for some previous service; or at least that's what most people think when they see him, it's what the same boy thinks too.
And in truth, hadn't it been that way? He questioned himself.
"Let's stop to eat," says his teacher next to him, to which he nods.
There's a prawn stall in the middle of the busy street; a perfect appetizer in the hours before dinner. Kenshin watches his master out of the corner of his eye. Even a year later, he hasn't been able to grow enough to have the same sitting height. Although he has gained weight in muscle, his legs have barely stretched out a couple of inches, and he remotely wonders if Kaoru dono has grown to his height.
He sighs irritably. 'You mustn't think about her', he reminds himself. And he concentrates on eating while sitting on the bench next to his teacher, thinking more about the technique he had shown him two days ago and how to imitate it. Even a year later, he has not come even close to the expected level.
The previous year had been difficult, in more ways than one.
Hiko then takes the opportunity to break his disciple's line of irrational thoughts.
"You do realize you're being a coward, right?" He points out, without stopping eating.
Kenshin growls, aware of what the older man is talking about and already used to the latter's constant prodding.
"I prefer to think that I am making the most mature decision by deciding that it is better not to cross paths." He refutes, with the same exalted air as his partner.
His teacher doesn't even laugh.
"You don't need to move to the other side of the world to keep your distance," he reminds him. "If you were mature enough, you could stay where you are without being affected by her presence."
Irritation grows in the minor, hit hard by the truth of those words.
"Maybe I realized that it's better to draw the line if I'm not ready yet to see her," he replies.
Hiko laughs this time, like a little mockery, while he wipes his mouth. In many ways, his disciple is still a child.
"Yes of course. A coward is what you are."
The child's heart squeezes and irritation turns into anger.
"I don't expect less from a man without feelings," the boy concludes.
"Such rudeness against your teacher -Hiko continues with the mockery-, is that supposed to offend me?"
"No. As I already said, you are incapable of feeling anything." Kenshin refutes.
And as if he wanted to agree with him, Hiko looks at him from the side with those deep-set eyes and the hint of a smile on his lips. That only annoys the child more.
"Why are we here?" The boy questions without worrying about hiding his annoyance.
Hiko then stands up, dusting himself off.
"If you really have to ask, then you haven't been paying attention, because I know I taught you better than that. -He declares. -During the last month, this area has been the most affected by clandestine meetings."
"So we're here to ease that pain, I guess," Kenshin concludes, but there is a note of cynicism in his words that does not go unnoticed by the older man.
"I never said anything about you," he declares, turning his back to him and adjusting his katana.
Kenshin instantly complains, jumping to his feet.
"Shishō!" He yells.
The aforementioned does not even flinch at the boy's rudeness.
"It was you who decided to follow me," Hiko says.
"I chose to stay!"
Because yes, after what had happened days after the fire, the young samurai could have left and joined Katsura Kogoro and be part of the Chosu clan -to be honest, it was what he felt he had to do; it was what his adolescent heart so eager for adventure and justice begged him to do-, but his soul had decided to return to where his teacher and ask for forgiveness face to the ground. His feet had carried him by themselves to his hut, his heart needing more of a consolation than an adventure that would help him forget.
He didn't want to forget.
"Baka deshii. (stupid pupil) You still have a troubled mind, Kenshin. You brim with anxiety." He pointed to the boy's bewilderment. "You're a good-for-nothing in this state." He concluded, starting to move forward.
"Where are you going?" The boy demanded to know, desperate and anxious.
"To do what I came to do, obviously. And I don't need you. -He stated. - You better cool that airhead you carry. Find a good place and practice the last kata, you still lack the condition to learn the next technique."
Kenshin stood rooted to his spot, hands balled into fists.
Hiko stopped suddenly.
"Oh yeah. And try not to get in trouble. You know I won't help you if you do"
And he left without looking back.
…
Owari was one of the richest provinces, focused mainly on trade and also full of master craftsmen. Part of the samurai was his history with the arts, and Hiko used to go there from time to time to perfect his technique with pottery, one of the ways he made money without having to use a sword.
So he had decided to go with the intention of giving his disciple the opportunity to have a private reunion with the girl - now a priestess - from the sanctuary, with whom he knew he was in love. Secretly wished to be able to return to the course, to the path that had been lost almost a year ago, but his baka deshii still lacked the courage to look into the eyes of the one he still wanted as a mate, and Hiko could get an idea why.
"What have you done, koso?"
He had seen it that night. He had been certain that Kenshin would remain in the sanctuary until the next day, so he had not anticipated the blood-soaked image of Kenshin with momentarily vacant eyes and trembling hands, standing yards away outside his door.
"What have you done, koso?" He repeated with more force; this time his words had been to the boy in front of him and not to himself in overwhelming bewilderment.
But silence was the only thing that answered him. His pupil's eyes still lost in a thick blackness, an emptiness that -although unconscious- gave the man chills.
"Kotae! (Answer)" He roared.
The boy finally reacted.
It had been like watching a cloak fall slowly, sliding softly over the boy's face, whose eyes gradually regained their brightness until then absent, then filled with fierce tears.
The apprentice seemed to have woken up suddenly; his trembling hands raised palms up to be observed by his owner, who saw them in a gesture similar to terror, making the anguish that enveloped him much more palpable.
What had he done? he wailed mentally.
"Shiranai (I don't know)… -He spoke in a shaky whisper, letting go of the words as if they were running away in fright from their captor- …hontōni (really) …shiranai!"
Kenshin had fallen to his knees on the ground and had cried like the first night as his apprentice seven years ago, when Hiko had just adopted him.
"Shiranai…shiranai! Shiranai!…shiranai!" He repeated in lamentations, his voice tearing at the pain, and despair he felt, alternating between looking at his hands and holding his head with them until he fell squarely on the ground, sinking his fingers into the mud. "Shiranai! Shiranai!… Shiranai!"
And in a moment so uncharacteristic of him, Hiko had taken him by the shoulders, lifted him up and then hugged him, letting the boy cling to him, squeezing and pulling his clothes; he didn't let go until he had emptied himself of emotions.
"Gomenasai…" the boy, barely a man, sobbed.
The very idiot had lost consciousness after this, and his teacher had seen the need to attend to him just like when he was a child. Disappearing the evidence of the terrible state in which he had arrived: changing his clothes, cleaning up the blood, and tucking him in on the old futon.
It had been even more disconcerting, therefore, to find him on his feet the next day—much earlier than usual—just as lost, yes, but much more in control of himself than he'd expected. If it hadn't been for the sad expression on his face, one might think that nothing had happened, that everything had been a confusing nightmare.
"Now what?" -the master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu had questioned impatiently, seeing his apprentice suddenly stop preparing breakfast when he saw him, just as a scared child.
Kenshin had approached him then with determination and obvious embarrassment. As soon as he had reached him, he had knelt in front of his master with his face and palms to the ground. No, more than shame, it had been guilt. His disciple wanted, needed, begged him to suppress him.
Hiko -understanding that act even more than his own disciple- sighed with a hint of sadness and resignation.
"Get up, Kenshin." He had ordered him, although his words had not had the hard tone that always accompanied him, but a soft one, almost affectionate, like that of a father to a son. "You can't drag yourself begging for forgiveness every time you take a life. I'm afraid that's not how you should resist it."
Hiko shook off the emotions that such a memory still caused him. Then Kenshin cried again after hearing him say those words. It hadn't been necessary to see his face to discover it; it was enough to see how his hands clenched into fists among the earth, the shaking of his body... He could read it even if his tears fell silently.
It had been a difficult year in more ways than one, he thought.
"Baka deshii," he muttered annoyed.
He wasn't sure who it was for, though.
…
Kenshin inhaled.
And then let the air go out in words.
"Kaoru dono" he whispered, caressing that name on his lips.
It had been almost a year since he had said it.
Heeding his teacher's instructions, Kenshin had wandered down the dirt road, away from the tumult of houses and buildings, into the countryside, where the Sakai River divided the province of Owari with the province of Mino.
The air blew softly, enveloping the young man in the peace and quiet necessary to recall the memories he was constantly trying to repress.
Perhaps his teacher was right, he thought. No, his teacher was right, he knew.
He was being a coward.
Although more than anything he knew he was selfish.
He heard Kaoru's voice again.
"Kenshin"
He closed his eyes, inhaling the air, breathing in the aromas around him… Remembering the way her blue orbs had opened in relieved surprise upon discovering him in the atrium.
"Kaoru dono"
'Be the kami that Kaoru needs' Yumi had told him.
And Kenshin had followed the pilgrimage as soon as the kuchiyose had finished, as soon as she had looked at him before losing consciousness.
She had been crowned in the Heian Jingu Shrine, the one similar to the imperial palace.
He had followed in her footsteps. He had seen her walk with the bearing of an empress; hidden among the Maekkai, he had been present at such a private event, watched her dance, and then, after finishing the process, watched her astonishment at discovering him with her before the darkness claimed her.
She had then been moved to the kami's private compound. Yumi had taken it upon herself to trace the path for him. The rest had been relatively easy. None of the high priests who had been present -nor any of their respective escorts- had managed to defeat him. In the end, the majority -those who were left standing- had fled by assuring that there was a 'demon' protecting the priestess.
No one dared even try to enter after that.
When Yumi and Kago showed up again with another group that Kenshin assumed was on their side, the samurai entered the atrium, closing the doors behind him.
The young man had that image tattooed in his mind. The image of Kaoru asleep, resting on that bed of fabrics and cushions. With her black hair scattered over the cushions, her face still pale from the impact of the rice, and her soft figure outlined by the dim light of the lamps in the small room.
She was still a child. Even if she had already received the gift of blood, even if she had become the bride of the same kamisama… she was just a child bride.
Just like he was just a kid.
And even so…
"Kenshin" she had called him. "You are here." She had said admiringly, with happiness on her face.
He had moved closer then, crouching down to place a kiss on her forehead, one hand gently on top of her head.
Kenshin opened his eyes, letting out the breath that he had unknowingly been holding. There were many reasons why he couldn't -wouldn't- see Kaoru...
"Even if you kill them all…"
He closed his eyes again, trying to bear the guilt, and shame he felt after remembering those words.
"…none of my sisters will come back to life."
It had been almost a year. And even if he'd made peace with the events after he departed from the atrium, he wasn't ready to see the disappointment in the eyes of whom was his most important person.
Kaoru had begged him to stop…begged him not to kill. And he had understood, even if not completely, but after receiving that missive... with the clear evidence of those men's guilt, his blood had filled with anger.
"I didn't want it to end like this for us." She had clung to him by his clothes that night.
Kenshin could still feel his partner's tears wetting his face and clothes. He could remember the scent of her skin, her hair, the taste of her tears… tears that he had kissed from her fine face…
He shook his head. Unable to shake the memory.
"I wanted to go with you" She had cried.
"Kaoru dono"
"I wanted to go with you, Kenshin!"
At that moment, for as long as that outpouring of his partner's feelings lasted, Kenshin remained still, almost distant, just listening to the prayers she offered him, feeling the crack, crack of his heart as it cracked in front of him. Selfishly savoring the pain she felt, finding comfort in knowing he wasn't the only one suffering.
And then…
Because he had felt her beg him, and he understood that he couldn't -he shouldn't- no longer...
He had finally hugged her. Kissed on her temples and then the eyes, then the cheeks, following the path of her tears... because this would be all the intimacy - the only one - that he would be allowed now. Because that road in front of them had blurred to be reborn in two different ones.
"I know, Kaoru dono. I know." He had assured her.
And it was his way of saying, "I can no longer take you with me."
The last memory, before putting her back on that cushioned bed, was of her hands clinging tightly to the fabric of his gi as she hugged him. It was the scent and heat of her body mingling with his own. The feeling of their bodies molded to each other.
And just like before, Kenshin could relive the old nightmare of those first days without her company. Of the months that followed his confrontation with the hitokiri (assassin) who had been born that night.
"Kenshin."
A dream that was about a possible reunion between the two.
"Why are you here?"
One that gradually turned into a nightmare.
"I wanted to see you."
So innocent and perfect, so terribly safe from the sadness and torment that had overtaken him…that all he could feel was rage.
"Well, not me." He declared in a cold voice.
That hurt her, of course, her perfect eyes reflecting the pain of his words as if they were a slap.
"Kenshin"
"If you had wanted to go with me…" He would cut her off in that dream, anger rising to the surface. "You should have stayed by my side."
"I tried!" She would excuse herself.
And even if he understood that it had been like that, neither of them could deny that Kaoru had decided that fateful day, when she had asked Yumi to continue with the Kuchiyose. Only asking him to understand her without words... And although he understood, didn't he deserve more than a pleading look? Couldn't she argue with him? Decide together?
"You left me alone…" He would wail helplessly to stop his outburst, no matter how hurt she would look. "Why didn't you ask me to run? Why did you only apologize?! You only apologized!"
That night in the atrium, Karou never spoke the words he wanted to hear from her. Even in the confession of his feelings, she never expressly asked to be taken with him as she had done before the fire.
There had only been apologies… regrets… "I wanted to."s
"Did you expect me to beg you to run away with me only for you to reject me later?"
Because that fear had been the only thing that had prevented him from saying anything that night. And she would cry at this point, broken and unable to answer him.
The two hearts would break again.
"Answer me, Kaoru!"
Aphonia.
"Gomene, Kenshin" She would whisper then, consolidating that nightmare. "Gomene…"
Her image would blur at that moment. He would understand that it was he who had pushed her away, choosing his release over his desire to see her.
"No…" Even if he was fooling himself, he didn't want to let her go. "No." He would say stronger. "Don't go. Don't go! Kaoru dono!"
He would always wake up after that... After feeling her vanish like smoke in his arms.
"Kaoru dono…" he whispered into the air.
Now the tears no longer fell. But there had been a time when it seemed they wouldn't stop running.
He wasn't ready to see her yet. And if he was honest with himself, he didn't think he would ever be.
…
"World is covered by our trails, Scars we cover up with paint"
The song was sung in barely soft whispers, and even though the notes were pronounced at the correct pitch, the melody was barely perceptible outside the room.
"Watch them preach in sour lies"
Hikari called before opening the shogi.
"Kaoru dono," her singsong voice echoed in the empty hall, but inside there was no answer.
When the door was fully opened the young woman knew why.
"I would rather see this world through the eyes of a child -the song continued. -Through the eyes of a child"
"Mou, Kaoru dono." -Hikari complained. "¡The room is a mess again!"
Although the room did not have large belongings, it was somewhat smaller than the room that Kaoru and Hikari had in the sanctuary, so the few objects scattered on the floor -books, cushions, sheets, clothes, flowers- made it seem that they were indeed the place was a mess.
"Darker times will come and go -the melody continued this time more clearly -Times you need to see her smile"
Hikari sighed.
"I can't wait for us to return to the sanctuary," the youngest complained, beginning to collect each object and start putting them in their place, secretly amazed that the box that contained Kaoru's treasure: a top of red, green, and yellow colors, accommodated on a fabric bed inside a wooden box, it would remain intact.
"And mothers' hands are warm and mild -She was starting a new verse, sitting on the edge of the window seat, staring up at the sky. -I would rather feel this world through the skin of a child. Through the skin of a child"
"I can no longer continue with spaces not made for your visions," She said later, looking away from that childish toy.
It was the third floor of a large five-story inn. The windows were open, jingling the wind bell hung in the frame. It certainly wasn't the best place to host such a fantastic event.
"I still don't understand why you wanted to come to Owari."
Kaoru remained singing.
"When a human strokes your skin. That is when you let them in -she wore her hair loose and only the white yukata of her usual priestess outfit. It was obvious she hadn't been up for long. -Let them in before they go. I would rather feel alive with a childlike soul. With a childlike soul
"Mou," she complained again, arranging the books one by one, suddenly no longer so comfortable with her partner's indifference. "We are weeks behind in our return."
("Please don't leave me here...")
"Shinta," the black-haired girl suddenly murmured, finally waking up from the trance. She had heard her partner's voice clearly in her mind.
("Please don't leave me here...")
Although Hikari was unable to notice since they both had their backs to each other. The younger smiled feeling somewhat contrite, it wasn't Kaoru's fault that the visions assailed her to such an extent that she lost track of reality.
"I hope your vision ends soon," she said, beginning to pick up the scattered flowers and drying the water that still remained on the tatami.
So engrossed was she in her work that she didn't notice when Kaoru had gotten off the window seat, and walked over to her; squatting behind her, she spoke to her.
"Hikari"
The aforementioned jumped forward in fright.
"Aaah!" she yelled, spinning around as soon as she was up. "Do not do that!" She claimed with her hands on her chest, her heart beating fast.
"I'm sorry." Said her friend with a contrite smile.
"My heart almost jumped out of my chest!" She yelled loudly, not content with not seeing true regret on the black-haired girl's face.
She endured the insult, before speaking to her again in the same tone as before.
"Hikari."
"Hai?" She answered annoyed.
"I'm going out." Kaoru declared, finally changing the emotions of the minor who looked at her blinking once and twice with some confusion. Kaoru smiled, now truly contrite "Could you take care of the rest for me, please?" she asked, hands in supplication.
Oh no, the chestnut thought.
And she had been right to complain.
…
Kaoru hadn't meant to abuse her partner, who was still a chokkai in the service of the Maekkai, but the blue-eyed priestess desperately wanted to see her best friend, whom she hadn't seen for almost a year, again, under the threshold of a terrifying farewell.
There had been so many things that Kaoru would have wanted to tell him then. She had been sure that he would be with her when she woke up, but Yumi sama had been the one to receive her.
"Kaoru dono, how are you feeling?" the young woman had asked.
But the aforementioned could only feel how anguish and sadness rose again from the center of her chest until they were released through her tears.
"Kenshin?" She had asked, already knowing the answer.
Yumi shook her head, being all the confirmation the minor needed to fully vent her tears.
She had wanted him to ask her to run with him despite everything that had happened, aware of how selfish that was. But he had never answered that note, so Kaoru was not sure that his answer had been a yes from the beginning. And when he had said: I understand, she had convinced herself that he was going to reject her from the beginning.
But that was a long time ago, she mentally scolded herself. She couldn't go on forever regretting the spilled sake. That first week had been torture in itself, having to leave Kyoto had been one more sentence. She had thought about writing him, but he knew that far from alleviating the pain, it would plunge them further into their claims, into their masks that everything was fine, even if they wanted to run into each other's arms.
Even if only she wanted to run to him.
"Hey, be careful," bellowed the man she had collided with.
"I'm so sorry," she immediately apologized, and the man immediately ignored her.
She had been in Owari for two days without having had a hint of red during her entire stay, and Kaoru feared that her vision had been wrong. But that morning she had felt him: a small tug, almost imperceptible but so much his that her lethargic heart had begun to beat its dusty wings. And she did not hesitate to get ready to do what she had been planning for a month.
"I'm sorry, Hikari," she thought to herself. "But I want to see him. I want to see Kenshin."
"Fabrics for the young lady," called a saleswoman.
"Thank you very much, I'm fine," she tried to dissuade.
She supposed that even covered with that cloak, it was easy to discern that she was a girl and not a boy, secretly happy to be distinguished.
She was covered practically from head to foot in a white cloak with red ribbons embroidered around the edges; Despite having removed her shrine clothing - which she carried in a bag strapped to her back - Kaoru did not want to risk leaving her face fully exposed. Even if she had spent six months in seclusion, she had been wandering the shogun's provinces for five months, and more than one might recognize her.
And she didn't want to be found, not yet. Still, in her position, there were others above her in rank who would not hesitate to take her back to the entourage back to Kyoto.
And she had come here with a specific goal. Let the others worry about her absence, she had only promised to see them again at the Inari shrine.
She hastened her steps, it was already past noon and there was a long distance to the Sakai River, where she knew he would find him.
Without realizing it, she started to run. In her excitement she stopped paying attention to the road, looking only ahead, therefore she did not see the car that was approaching from her right and that the next moment had stopped suddenly.
Kaoru ended up face-down on the ground after that scare.
"Watch where you're going, stupid!"
"I'm so sorry."
The people who were in the cart drawn by that man were daimyo samurai of the region, not very good-natured, she realized instantly. The two got out of the car and approached her, she instinctively backed away.
"You made me spill the ink I was carrying for my lord," the biggest one complained. "How do you intend to pay me?"
"I have money," she said instantly, not wanting to make trouble.
The two men looked at each other and laughed before turning back to her.
"Hand it over then!"
Kaoru took out her bag from under her cloak, ready to give what she knew was the price of the ink, but those men snatched the object from her as soon as she took it out.
"Hey! Give it back you ruffian! she complained angrily, if only she had her bokken, she thought.
"Why should we? -questioned the smaller one -is what you owe us for the ink and the trip that now we will have to pay double."
"That's an abuse!"
They laughed again.
"And what do you plan to do, huh? Tanuki girl."
Oh, they shouldn't have called her that.
…
Moments later, Kaoru was running like hell. Having left the smallest of those men incapacitated on the ground and supporting his vital parts; the priestess had undone her rattles bracelet and thrown the small rattles straight into the man's companion's face, managing to hit him in the eye while another of the small projectiles had entered a pore in his nose.
She had taken her bag after this, thrown just enough coins for the ink and started running without looking back.
It was a matter of time - less than two minutes actually - for them to follow her.
And no one seemed to want to help her. Perhaps if she revealed who she was, but that would defeat her first and most important purpose, she reminded herself as she held the cloak tightly over her face, preventing it from falling.
She turned a corner as the voices grew even louder and slammed into the back of a tall, stocky man, falling back to the ground.
"I'm sorry!" she screamed before even touching the ground, ready to get up as soon as she did.
"It's nothing," answered a gravelly voice. The owner of it was going to continue saying that she had ruined his work just done when he finally noticed the young girl's face that was uncovered. "Hey, I know you."
Kaoru, for her part, had already stood up, and a look was enough for her to discover that the man in front of her was right.
"Seijuuro Hiko," she acknowledged with surprise.
"Come back here, bitch!" The samurai spoke, finally reaching her.
The miko ran to hide behind Hiko's back, hastily pulling up the cloth of her cloak to cover her face again; the older one looked at her raising an eyebrow.
"I have to see Kenshin," she whispered, more like a prayer than anything else "Onegai!" (please)
Hiko sighed not without some annoyance.
"What is the problem?" He questioned, crossing his arms.
The two samurai kept their eyes fixed on the hidden figure of the priestess, which Hiko had to cover with his own cloak to block their view.
"So?" he inquired.
"That biiii..."
The words died in the taller samurai's mouth, his companion's eyes wide as his were.
Hiko had stood up to his full height, revealing his muscular body and the swords tied to his waist, with the lethal vibration of his ki pressing on those of his companions.
"We just wanted to thank the girl for paying for the ink," said the eldest.
"Yes, that's exactly it," replied the other.
"You already have, now get out of here," Hiko ordered.
He had not finished speaking when they had already run away. The man look over at the girl who was still hiding behind him.
If it had been someone else, Hiko knew he would have run off anyway, taking advantage of the distraction. But it was the girl from the sanctuary. The same one that since she met him not once had she looked at him with fear, suspicion or caution. The same one that always treated him with respect and admiration for the role he had as Kenshin's teacher, but above all, because she recognized the man behind all that fanfare.
"Are you OK?" he questioned without an ounce of concern in his voice.
"Hai. -Kaoru replied -Arigatou Hiko san."
The man nodded, sensing that now she would go looking for his stupid student and deciding that it was better to take matters into his own hands he interrupted her before she even formed the words.
"You're looking for Kenshin. It's better that you let him come to you", he declared.
She blinked somewhat confused and startled. Hiko smile grew.
"No. Rather, let him come to me. I can't wait to see the ridiculous expression he'll put on his face when he sees you."
Contrary to what she expected, Kaoru blushed, and struggled for words. Hiko laughed to himself.
"Come on, it's almost the time we agreed to meet."
Still embarrassed—her cheeks and ears red—the blue-eyed priestess followed Kenshin's master.
It was somewhat different from what she had originally planned but certainly much better. If she was unable to force her presence on Kenshin, surely the redhead would be no match for his master.
That made her smile.
…
Kenshin had taken much longer than expected. He had not considered that in Owari, the night market would be much more crowded than the one at noon, slowing his pace in the direction of the inn. Not to mention that he had to save his pocket from a couple of thieves, which led him to end up helping more people in his path.
So, even if he didn't express it openly, he was starving.
He greeted the owner of the small inn upon entering and went straight to the stairs, reaching the second level; he continued until he reached the end of the corridor, bumping into a wall. There was the faint aroma of curry in the air, and his mouth watered. He was about to open the fusuma when he detected the second aroma.
Perfume? He questioned, forcing himself to extend his ki to feel the other presence, which was undoubtedly in the room with his master.
The redhead frowned irritably. Hiko had never taken anyone to his rooms when they traveled, but that didn't mean he never would. Kami (God) knew that man could be quite unpredictable. And the man himself had told him that he planned to travel without him.
Deciding that he would find out nothing if he stayed on the other side of the door - and that the truth would ultimately be very different from what his adolescent mind imagined - Kenshin opened the door and stepped inside, closing the fusuma behind him.
"Did you bring a woman with you?" He questioned immediately upon being received by his teacher; who was sitting with his back to him, concentrating on cleaning his katana.
Hiko snorted, smirking.
"Hardly," he replied to his apprentice's question. Because yes, it would be difficult to call their guest a woman, at least yet.
Kenshin looked at him confused.
"¿Uh?"
However, the next second, his heart stopped, skipping a couple of beats.
"Hiko san the table is set" came a singing voice from the next room.
The boy remained rooted to the ground, his blood frozen in his veins.
'Why now?', he questioned, 'why here?'
His teacher, as always, managed to bring him back to his body, instantly present.
"Will you run away?" he questioned while checking the clean blade of his katana. Kenshin looked at him instantly, startled. "Will you run like the coward you've been for the past year? That scared boy I picked up from a slave caravan?...or will you finally walk forward like a man?"
Kenshin swallowed hard, hands clenched. 'Am I ready?'
"So?"
Kaoru's voice sounded again, louder as she entered the room where the teacher and student were.
"Hiko san," she complained and then froze in place, her eyes falling on the figure of the person she had gone to that province for. "Ah! Kenshin…!"
The boy had done the same, as soon as her voice had sounded again his gaze had risen in her direction, nailing her to hers place with the power of his own gaze.
"Kaoru dono…" he whispered.
Hiko chose that moment to sheath his katana. The sound of the blade sliding down the saya was enough to break the trance in which the teenagers found themselves trapped.
"I have a matter to attend to," he informed, passing first by Kaoru and then by Kenshin, "Eat without me."
"Hai…" The priestess answered weakly, startled and somewhat confused.
When Hiko was a step behind his disciple, he spoke to him in a low voice, only for the latter's ears.
"No regrets, baka deshii."
The fusuma hissed shut as the frame slid down the rail. Silence hung over them like a cloak. The air electrified.
"Ano…" she began, getting him to look at her again. Kaoru's cheeks were flushed, her gaze downcast, and her hands clenching the fabric of the iromuji she was wearing. "Are you mad at me?"
"Nani?" He blinked confused and somewhat startled.
She struggled with the words and her own embarrassment before she managed to speak again.
"Are you mad that I came to see you?"
Kenshin looked at her.
He really looked at her.
And the time, which had inadvertently stopped a year ago, began to run again.
"No," he said at last.
The hands of the clock started to move again.
"No, I'm not."
Because it was true. He wasn't.
Kaoru smiled in relief, letting out the breath she had been holding, the tension leaving her face.
"Will you accompany me to eat?" she asked shyly.
He smiled.
"Aa." (yes)
That tension broken, Kaoru took the first step into the next room, nervous to her fingertips.
"Hiko sama ordered curry" she began, but could not finish.
Kenshin had advanced towards her with that speed and stealth above humans, and rested his forehead on her left shoulder, gladly checking that he was still taller than her.
He couldn't hug her, it wouldn't be proper.
They had relinquished that right almost a year ago.
But that contact felt as intimate as a kiss.
"Kenshin…" she whispered, raising her face to feel him closer, brushing her cheek against him.
"Aitakatta" (I wanted to see you/I missed you) he confessed, letting their hearts expand in happiness "Ore wa… Kaoru dono no aitakatta" (I… wanted to see Kaoru dono).
A lone tear slipped down the priestess's cheek.
"Watashi mo" (Me too).
Later, Kenshin would confess in the dark that he had taken Kaoru's hand without realizing he was doing it. As soon as she had reciprocated, her left hand had wrapped around his, as if reaffirming that she was there with him.
Kaoru would also confess later, that she was as scared as he was of that reunion.
The clock was ticking again.
Their paths had crossed again.
The innocence of their love was still alive even when they did not know yet that it was a lover's love that they were feeling.
A/N: Anyway, ¿Any thoughts about the chap? I'll take almost everything into consideration LOL In case you haven't noticed, I have been enriching the story in this English version... or so I believe xD