Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A New Light ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

Dawn peeked under the door, casting long shadows across the floor of the room. Karou yawned and stretched, cursing the on coming day quietly as she felt her muscles tense up. How she longed to curl up under the covers, hiding in a warm little cave all her own, dreaming sweet dreams. She rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen the morning stiffness in them. Yahiko would be awake soon and she had to return to her room before he rose.

She smiled softly as the form next to her shifted slightly under the blankets, trying to bury itself against her thigh in a desperate search for warmth. She giggled softly at the sight of Kenshin curled into a tight ball, hidden underneath the blankets. Here was the most feared man in Japan, looking like a cold kitten next to her leg, if only the world could see their Battousai now. She reached down and tugged the blankets off his head, laughing as he tried to make himself smaller against the biting cold of the morning air. "Good morning, Kenshin," she laughed.

Slowly he unrolled his form, trying to snatch the blanket away from her. He tried to muster up a frown, but failed miserably when his lips turned up into a sleepy grin. "Did I ever tell you you're an evil, evil woman sometimes," he teased, rolling onto his stomach. He rested his head on his arms, peering out at her through the corner of his eye. He could never be truly angry with her, her voice and smile was enough to pacify the most vengeful of beasts, and each time she looked at him with those beautiful blue eyes his heart melted a little more.

Karou ruffled his hair, enjoying every minute of his mocked torment. "Your going to have quite a time getting those knots out of your hair this morning, " she replied. His hair was a mess of tangles, causing the deep red locks to stick out this way and that. She ran her fingers through them to prove her point, watching him wince slightly as she hit a particularly tightly bound mass of strands.

"Well, I suppose this wouldn't happen if someone would be a little more gentle at certain times." He winced again as she gave a particularly harder tug in retaliation to his jest. "I could solve the problem you know. Maybe cutting it wouldn't be such a bad idea." He closed his eyes waiting for her to react to his words.

"You wouldn't dare." She yanked hard this time, causing him to yelp. "If you do that anytime soon, I'll have mine done exactly like that creepy cop of Saitou's! What was his name?" She scrunched her face in thought, "Broomhead, was it? "

"Cho," Kenshin replied, cringing at the idea of his Karou looking like a sweeping tool.

Karou laughed and stood up, feeling her bones crack in protest. "Yes, that was it," she laughed. She bent down, urging him to roll onto his back so she could kiss him lightly. "I better return to my room, Yahiko will be awake soon."

Kenshin gave her a small pout in protest, but did not make a move to keep her near him as she left the room.

Six weeks had passed since that first night she stayed in his room. She chased away all his nightmares and sorrows that evening, and gave him a gift greater than he could ever imagine; yet here they were, sneaking around like forbidden lovers in her own home. The thought struck him as funny sometimes and it was undeniably exciting, but he felt there should be more. They spoke often of marriage, but decided to wait, allowing the people around them to become comfortable with the new relationship unfolding before them. Becoming a couple would bring changes to the home and to their strange little family, it was only fair to allow the others time to adjust, Yahiko being Karou's main concern. Karou was a mother and sister to him, and they had to take into account his feelings as well as their own, since the dojo was his home as well.

In their hearts marriage was just a word that made love and intimacy acceptable in the eyes of society. It did not have any effect on the deep seeded emotions the two of them shared for one another. The force that bound their hearts was more powerful than any spoken vow, yet until they were wed in the eyes of the world, Kenshin found it very important to protect Karou's honor, and to do that their nightly rendevouz would have to be kept a secret.

Kenshin rather enjoyed their deceptive courtship, secretly laughing at the surprised faces of his friends each time he and Karou would venture off together to spend some quiet time by the river, shop in town, or share a loving touch of the hand. Even more than that, he looked forward to having her all to himself now, no longer pretending to be content as one of the group. She was his, even more so than the others realized.

Of course it was difficult to hide the true amount of their feelings for each other, and he saw the suspicious stares of their friends. The morning after that particular storm Kenshin had gotten up early, putting Karou back into her own room and proceeded to make breakfast. During the meal Sano and Yahiko both spit their rice out when he casually asked Karou to join him by the river after breakfast for a morning walk….alone. They left the dojo, walking closely together, talking quietly, while Sano and Yahiko watched from behind the door. With each glance, touch of the hand and passing smile, the people around them became aware of the so-called blossoming relationship. He knew that the others were watching them, waiting to see what would happen next, each one secretly wondering if he would back away from her again like he did in the past, but that would never happen again. He would never leave again. He was home.

He was amazed each day how just being near her, laughing freely, made him feel so alive and at peace. Seeing the world with her eyes made him remember what it was like to feel innocent and carefree, and that was something he thought he would never be able to feel again. While Tomoe had saved him from the madness, Karou had given him back his life and allowed him to feel fully human again. He often wondered why the Gods blessed him with two amazing women in one lifetime, he certainly didn't feel worthy of either of them.

Kenshin sighed and pushed himself into a sitting position, quietly thinking about his creaking "old" bones. It was time to quit lounging around and prepare breakfast. Yahiko and Karou would be training hard today, working on a new technique, so they would need a decent meal.

**********

Karou padded down the hall, pausing by Yahiko's door, listening to his snores coming from inside the room. She shook her head, thinking, "That kid could sleep though a cannon blast." She continued quietly to her room, careful not to make any noise, just in case he might awaken.

As she opened the door to step inside a wave of nausea swooped over her, causing her to stumble forward. Catching herself on the frame of the door, she leaned heavily against it, swallowing hard against the thick knot rising in her throat. Her skin broke out in a damp sweat and her stomach cramped against several sharp pains. She remained still for several moments, letting her stomach settle and slowly moved to her futon. Her head was still swimming when she sat down, "Goodness," she thought, hoping she wasn't coming down with something. It was late May, and spring flu's were not really all that common this late in the season, but anything was possible.

She relaxed on her futon until she heard Yahiko's door open and his feet rushing down the hall to the kitchen. Knowing she better hurry up or the little brat would not leave a scrap of food for her, she dressed in her training clothes and tied her hair back out of her face.

**********

Kenshin smiled warmly at her and handed her a bowl of steaming rice as she sat down then turned to toss a few dishes into the washbasin before serving himself. He settled into the meal, listening quietly as Yahiko gulped his food, occasionally choking. Karou would scold him and pound him on the back.

"Yahiko! That's disgusting!"

"Shut up busu!"

"WHAT!"

Kenshin smiled into his cup. Mornings were his favorite time of day. He looked forward to seeing the sunrise, jumping into his daily chores, and wondering what the day might bring. Things were so very different now. Long ago just waking up had a different meaning to him. It meant he had survived to live another day where there were only two possibilities open to him, live or die. Back then, mornings held no joy for him, but that was all in the past. Now, each day was like a new page in a book, full of laughter and happiness. He grinned wide as Karou hit Yahiko across the back of his head, and then sipped his tea in contentment.

"HEY! Your suppose to hit me on the back stupid!"

"If you didn't eat like a horse Yahiko-CHAN, I wouldn't have to hit you at all!"

As breakfast ended and Kenshin cleared away the dishes he noticed that Karou hardly touched her food. "Karou-dono? Aren't you hungry?" He didn't bother to hide his concern, knowing she would see through his mask anyway.

Karou set her cup down and shrugged, "No, not really Kenshin. Where's Sano?"

Kenshin arched an eyebrow in response to her cunning move to change the subject. Now that he thought about it, she did look a little pale, but decided not to press the issue just yet. He plastered on his best rurouni grin and turned to deposit the dishes into the washbasin. "He probably slept late, " he replied.

Yahiko patted his slightly bulging stomach and snickered, "Maybe if you didn't stay up so late with Kenshin, Ugly, you'd know where Sano was,"

Kenshin almost didn't catch the cup he had been washing before it crashed to the floor. He heard Karou shriek indignantly and there was a distinct thud as she pounded Yahiko once again.

"You're really going to get it now, Yahiko!"

"Owww! Quit it you hag!"

The incident was quickly forgotten and Kenshin sighed as the normal beatings and insults began without a hitch. He returned to his dishes, scrubbing furiously. It didn't surprise him that the boy knew something was up, he did in fact live at the dojo with them. He was remarkably observant, more so than he let on. Kenshin chuckled; it reminded him of another samurai, one he knew quite well.

******

The late morning sun felt warm against his skin as he knelt over the laundry tub. Washing laundry was his favorite chore and he made no effort to hide it. He wasn't quite sure why he enjoyed it so much, maybe because the sounds of the water and soap swishing in the tub soothed his ears, or perhaps it was the satisfaction he felt once all the clothing was hung and flapping in the breeze. The task was so mundane and simple, drastically contrasting his life, which was complex and dark. He could wash away the stains on the clothing, where as he was unable to scrub away the stains on his soul and hands. Laundry made everything seem so simple. He snapped a towel and smiled at its bright whiteness.

"Hey Kenshin," a voice behind him said.

Looking over his shoulder he saw Sano sauntering over, his hands shoved in his pockets and a fish bone hanging out of his mouth. "Good morning Sano," he replied cheerfully, "You missed breakfast."

Sano sat down next to the Rurouni, his long legs splayed out in front of him. "Slept late, " he did not offer to elaborate further, "From the sounds coming from the training hall, I'd say breakfast was quite an interesting one today."

"Oro?"

Yahiko's daily beatings had become so commonplace Kenshin rarely paid attention anymore. He could hear Karou scolding about her student's stance being weak, and to prove her point whacking him sharply with her bokken. There was an outraged cry from Yahiko and the distinct sound of wood hitting the floor.

"Ow! You hag, you didn't have to hit me so damn hard!"

"Well, now you know better!" Karou snapped back.

Kenshin cringed, knowing those words were not only being applied to the current lesson. He didn't think Yahiko would ever learn that the difficulty of his training for the day was determined on how angry he managed to make Karou in the morning. Kenshin shook his head and returned to his laundry.

The two men sat in silence for quite some time. Kenshin diligently scrubbing away stains on one of Yahiko's gi's while Sano chewed thoughtfully on his fishbone. Kenshin began humming a tune unconsciously.

"You sure have been in a good mood lately," Sano said, eyeing his friend closely, "It wouldn't have to do with Jou-chan or anything would it?" He grinned mischievously. At first he was surprised at Kenshin's sudden boldness towards Karou, the samurai had always kept himself a safe distance from her affections. Everyone else saw through the couple's denials, and Kenshin's reaction to Enishi's Earthly Justice solidified everyone's assumptions about the swordsman's true feelings for Karou. Up until a few weeks ago, he remained distant and abnormally quiet, but now his smiles no longer seemed forced and his laughter came easily. Sano gave his friend a lopsided smile, "So?" Kenshin deserved the happiness he knew Jou-chan would give him.

"Sano," Kenshin mumbled, warning the gangster to cease his teasing. What went on between Karou and he was nobody's business but their own and he intended to keep it that way.

Sano ignored his mild protest and continued, "So, where are you two sneaking off to today?" He leaned back against his hands and closed his eyes. The cloth in Kenshin's hands snapped a little harder than usual, causing Sano to crack open one eye and look at his friend. "Easy, Kenshin, I was only asking 'cause if you don't have anything to do I was thinking of going fishing today."

Kenshin relaxed, feeling partially guilty for his edginess and remembering that Sano was never very graceful with words. Fishing did sound like a pleasant way to relax this afternoon and he had not spent much time with Sanosuke in the past couple weeks. He stood up and hung the cloth on a line, wiping his hands on his hakama. "That sounds like a fine idea, Sano. Let me check with Karou dono first though, I'm not certain if she had any plans today or not."

Sano snorted and shifted the fish bone to the other side of his mouth; "She sure has your number, doesn't she?"

Kenshin glared at him hard for a moment, "Oh? Are you going to tell me a certain lady doctor doesn't have yours?" He felt a little ashamed of himself for being baited like this, he normally didn't take part in the childish mud slinging that went on at the dojo, but he could not help but to respond to Sano's irritating remark.

Sano stiffened, glaring back at Kenshin, " I don't know what you're talking about."

"Humph," Kenshin grunted, knowing that was a bald-faced lie, he decided to push a little further, giving Sano a taste of his own medicine, "Maybe Megumi dono and Karou dono would like to join us." His eye's danced mischievously at the indignant look on Sano's face. Kenshin knew too well that the tall gangster had no intention of inviting the women folk with them this afternoon. He grinned evilly inside himself, surprised at how much he was enjoying this little game. "Rurouni indeed," he heard a wicked voice say in his head. He was just about to suggest they walk to the clinic to ask Megumi dono to join them when Yahiko's startled shout made him jump.

"ACK! What are you doing, busu?!? What the hell is wrong with you! Hey, Karou?"

Kenshin stiffened. Yahiko rarely called Karou by her given name, only if something was extremely important or extremely wrong. His eyes flashed gold, a fierce protectiveness stirring deep inside him. He grabbed his sakabatou and dashed off to the training hall.

He flew through the door only to slide to a stop in the middle of the room, his face twisted in confusion. There were no enemies in the room, only Yahiko standing in the center, the tip of his wooden sword resting on the floor and a repulsed look on his face. Kenshin followed the boy's line of vision and saw Karou kneeling on the floor in the far corner of the room. Her body was leaning over a large wooden bucket, full of broken swords. "What is she…" The girl's shoulders heaved and she made a sickening sound.

"Miss Karou!" He moved quickly to where she stooped, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. She did not look up or even move as he touched her, but he could feel her body trembling beneath his fingertips. A clammy perspiration penetrated the cloth of her shirt and her breathing came in shallow, raspy breaths.

Sano came barreling into the hall; stopping next to Yahiko as he caught sight of Karou's crumpled form. "What going on? Is she sick or something?" As if to answer, Karou proceeded to throw up again into the bucket, causing Kenshin to jump back and Yahiko to gag. "That's disgusting," Sano grimaced.

Kenshin turned an amber glare on the tall gangster. "Sano, go get Megumi. Yahiko, find something to clean this up, I'm going to get Karou to bed." His voice was low and even, slightly angry with no hint of rurouni politeness. Not only was his Karou obviously ill, but she was embarrassed at her current situation. Sano and Yahiko's insensitive comments were not making the situation any better.

Yahiko began to protest the duty he had been assigned, but from the look in Kenshin's eyes and the tone of his voice he thought decided it best to keep quiet. He left the room muttering under his breath.

Once the two of them were gone Kenshin turned back to Karou, placing his hands on her shoulders and massaging them lightly until she relaxed. "Karou, kioshii, we need to get you into bed," he whispered. He rubbed her back, vaguely remembering a touch like this, as a child, when he was once ill. It had soothed him and made the pain go away for a while. Karou didn't move or utter a word, and Kenshin found her silence deafening. She wasn't going to move on her own he soon realized and in one quick swoop he had her gathered in his arms.

"Kenshin, no," she protested, her voice hoarse and dry, "I don't want too…"

"I don't care kioshii, it will clean up, we need to put you to bed."

She leaned her head against his shoulder, praying she wouldn't get sick on him. It was no use arguing with him when he used that voice, plus she was too tired to fight with him right now. She allowed herself to be carried to her room, her training clothes traded for a clean sleeping robe, and tucked into bed. He left for a few moments, only to return with some water and a bucket, which he sat next to her in case she needed to use it suddenly. He settled down next to her, his brow furrowed with worry, and quietly began dabbing her face with a cool cloth.

"I'm sorry, Kenshin," Karou said suddenly.

He brushed her bangs out of her eyes, "For what?"

"For making a mess," she stated, closing her eyes to his soothing touch.

He shook his head at her words and smiled. Leave it to Karou to apologize for something completely out of her control. "Don't apologize, it's not your fault, Karou. Things like this happen." He didn't want her to worry of such silly things in her state. Her energy needed to be spent on getting well. He watched as she closed her eyes, barely nodding her head in agreement.

He sat quietly with her as she slept, changing the cloth on her forehead and feeling utterly helpless. He could deal with weapon clad enemies attacking them, defending her was much simpler that way, but against an opponent such as this he could do nothing but sit by and watch her suffer. Being helpless and utterly defenseless did nothing to temper his mood, which became increasingly fouler with each passing minute. He was normally a patient man, contented to take things as they came, hurrying through nothing, but by the time Sano returned with Megumi there was nothing left of Kenshin's mild demeanor. He sat with his back to them, rigid and tense. His entire posture reeked of pure aggression and hostility. "It certainly took you long enough." The cold edge voice of the Battousai froze them both in the door. His worry for Karou shaved away at his nerves, beating the rurouni into the depths of his mind along with his common politeness and reason.

"We came as quickly as we could, " Sano replied a bit resentfully. Kenshin's voice made him a bit edgy, but he knew he was the same man, no matter what mood he was in. The Battousai in Kenshin was complex and passionate, while the Rurouni allowed him to hold on to all things simple.

Megumi's eyes widened at the tone as well, but she regained her composure and approached the bed, quietly noting the amber glint in Kenshin's partially hidden eyes. She listened quietly as Kenshin retold the story of the mornings events, trying hard to concentrate on his words and not the soft, deadly edge of his voice. She knelt down and felt Karou's brow, noticing she had no fever. She frowned slightly as she realized the girl now wore a clean sleeping robe instead of her training clothes. Kenshin told her she was training with Yahiko when she fell ill, and surely she didn't jump around in a yukata. She glanced at Kenshin suspiciously. "I'm sorry it took so long to get here Ken-san, but I was attending another patient when Sanosuke came for me."

Kenshin bowed his head and nodded, " I apologize for being so abrupt Megumi dono." His voice still held it's edge, and his politeness seemed forced, "I'm worried about Karou dono."

Megumi only nodded, knowing his apology was genuine, if not totally un-Kenshin like. She felt a twinge of envy for the feelings this amazingly complex man had for the silly little girl lying before her. To be loved with such intensity would take a strong woman indeed. She briefly wondered what it would be like to lay in the arms of such a man, to have him love her and care for her. She felt herself smile slowly at a passing thought. Maybe she would have to find out someday.

"Megumi dono?"

Kenshin's voice snapped her out of her daydream. "Ken-san, I need to examine the girl, I'll come and find you when I know what's wrong." Kenshin hesitated and Megumi patted his hand reassuringly, " Don't worry Ken-san, she'll be fine. Keep an eye on that rooster head over there. He's going to walk me home after I finish here."

"Huh?" Sano raised his brows in question.

"Oro?"