Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Walk in the Sunlight ❯ Misunderstandings ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer - Sadly, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. It is the sole property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and the many companies who have purchased the rights.


Chapter 3 - Misunderstandings

Kaoru scowled as the phone rang again. Finishing up her hair she shut the shower off and stepped from the bathing room. Maybe she should have cued the answering machine for two or three rings, five was pushing it. Who would be calling anyway? She'd already talked to her parents this morning before she'd gone to bed.

One last ring echoed into the house and then she finally heard the answering machine pick up.

Kaoru-san, this is Dr. Genzai. Please call me as soon as you get this message. I need you to come in again tonight.

Kaoru cocked an eyebrow as the answering machine kicked off. Come in again tonight. Why? They had done everything they usually did last night. Didn't they?

Ignoring the small flicker of fear that whispered through her chest, Kaoru quickly wrapped up in a towel and headed out into the livingroom to call him back. Grabbing the phone she dialed in the clinic number and waited. Two rings later the phone was picked up...

Hello?

"Dr. Genzai?"

Ah, Kaoru-san. I need you to come in again. You left in such a hurry last night that I didn't get a chance to take a blood sample.

Kaoru's face instantly reddened and she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, "Oh... sorry, Dr. Genzai." Taking a second to get herself back together she added, "Yes I can come in, I'll be there in say, forty-five minutes?"

That's fine. I'll be waiting.

"Alright, see you then." Hitting the off button she smiled ruefully and shook her head. Well, at least he didn't seem to be too upset about it. How could she have forgotten something so simple? Settling the phone back in its cradle, she shrugged and headed back into her bedroom to dress. It didn't matter anyway, at least it gave her something to do tonight. Maybe afterwards she'd take Sampson to the beach, it had been at least a week since she'd last had the time to take him.

Smiling at the thought she nodded to herself and hurried into her room. Throwing on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt she quickly towel dried her hair and brushed it out then threw it up in a ponytail. Satisfied that she was at least presentable she headed back out into the livingroom and grabbed her watch. Checking the alarm setting, she reset it for two minutes later. One nice thing about summer coming to an end was she would start getting back some of the time she'd lost.

Lightened by the thought, she grinned and headed into the foyer, "Hey Sampson, do you want to go to the beach?"

In answer a happy bark came from the side porch, followed by his heavy tread as he bounded into the foyer. Chuckling, Kaoru shook her head. With each passing day he seemed to regain more of his youthful playfulness. Scratching his head she grabbed his leash, "Don't get too excited. We still have to stop at Dr. Genzai's before we go."

Sampson just flicked his tongue and caught her on the back of the hand. Smiling, Kaoru wiped off the wetness and clicked on the leash, "Alright, enough of that." Swinging open the front door she gave his leash a small tug and stepped out into the warm night air. Sampson immediately snaked his way around her and tried to tug her off the porch. Doing her best to keep her balance, Kaoru couldn't help but laugh at his antics. "Hey, slow down buddy. The night is still young, we have plenty of time." Sampson swung his head around and gave her a long suffering look.

Rolling her eyes, Kaoru shook her head, "Okay! Okay! We'll go."

And with that she closed the door behind her and stepped off the porch into the pale moonlight. Heading down the sidewalk towards the road she cast a quick glance to the house beside hers and wilted slightly at the obviously empty driveway. So he really did leave. Saddened by the thought, she slowed her pace and continued to eye the empty house. For some unknown reason she hadn't really wanted him to leave. At first she'd been sure that his leaving was for the best, but this morning, as the darkness had slowly given way to the sunlight she'd finally had to admit to herself that she'd wanted him to be there when the sun set tonight. Shaking her head at herself, she tore her eyes from his house and picked up her pace. No, it was much better this way. This way he would never know and she could remember him as the kind stranger who had walked her home, not as one of the many who had abandoned her at the news of her illness.

Frowning at the thought, she guided Sampson onto the road and headed into town. There was no need to dwell on it anymore anyway, for good or ill he was gone and there was nothing she could do to change that even if she wanted to.

Kenshin couldn't help the smile that tickled his lips as he met Kaoru's eyes across the distance. Tucked into the deepest shadows on his porch he simply watched as she continued to stare at his seemingly empty house, the slight slump in her shoulders telling him everything. It seemed his raven haired neighbor hadn't truly wanted him to leave. Heartened by the thought, his smile widened as he continued to stare into her moonlit sapphire eyes. Ah, but would she really accept his decision to stay? For some reason he didn't think that very likely. She didn't seem the type to enjoy being questioned about herself.

Smirking slightly, he continued watching her across the distance and sighed. It figures she'd be with her dog tonight. He'd been waiting out here since sunset in hopes of catching her, but it looked like tonight he would have to satisfy himself with just shadowing her like he had these last weeks. Smiling ruefully he shook his head, so much for not being a stalker. If he kept this up she'd think him some kind of freak, or worse, have him arrested.

Chuckling lightly at the thought, he rose as she finally started on her way again and waited for her to put some distance between them. Watching her vanish into the darkness he stepped from his own porch and followed silently in her footsteps, being careful not to get close enough for her dog to catch onto his presence. Satisfied that he would remain unseen, he matched her pace and shook his head. Maybe next time she'd know better than to lie to him. And yet, if he was to be honest with himself he'd have to admit that he hadn't stayed just to find out why she'd lied to him. That was only an excuse, his real reason was... he needed this. After all these years he needed companionship with another, even if it was only friendship. He knew it wouldn't last long, ten years at the most but still, it would be nice to finally have someone beside him again.

Smiling ruefully he tucked his hands into his pocket, ten years was being optimistic. That ten years would only be if she agreed to leave with him, which would be asking a lot of someone he had just met. But if she didn't then they would have a month or two at the most, because he knew the people he was trying to avoid would find him eventually and then he would have to leave. To be honest he was quite surprised that they'd left him alone this long but then again he'd made it nearly impossible to find him. But he could feel it, the subtle shift in the air. They were coming. Maybe he deserved to be found, but in the end they wouldn't be able to kill him. Nothing could. He knew that for a fact. He'd done everything possible to find a way to end this twice cursed life he was now trapped in but nothing worked. And yet he could still kill, which he would have to do if they found him since he knew they wouldn't be satisfied unless he was dead. He couldn't blame them though, he had killed Tomoe and for that alone he deserved to die.

A sigh escaped against his will at the thought and he slowed a little bit as they came into town. Yes, for that he deserved to die.

Biting back another sigh, he glanced at his neighbor and slowed even more as she came to a stop in front of what looked like a small clinic. Confused, he quirked an eyebrow as he watched her loosely tie her dog to a tree next to the building. Curious, he slowly made his way through the shadows to the building across the road and jumped up onto the roof. Settling in, he watched confused as she disappeared into the clinic. Why would she be going to see a doctor at this time of night? And what type of clinic would be open this late?

Perplexed, he simply watched and waited as the minutes continued to tick by. About ten minutes later she emerged once more into the pale moonlight.

"Goodnight Dr. Genzai. See you next week."

Kenshin heard a muffled reply and then the door closed behind her. Watching as she undid her dog and disappeared down the road towards the beach, he weighed his need to follow her against the sudden, unexplainable desire to go ask this 'Dr. Genzai' what was wrong with her. It only took a heartbeat for him to decide to go question the late night doctor. Now maybe he could sate his curiosity and leave before he allowed himself to fall any further.

Jumping from the roof he quietly made his way across the road to the clinic and silently opened the door. Stepping into the dimly light room he spied the doctor moving back and forth in the back room, "Excuse me, Sensei? May I ask you a couple of questions about the young woman who just left?"

A clang of metal instruments hitting something hard echoed into the quiet clinic and then a voice drifted to him from the other room, "Do you mean Kaoru-san?"

Kenshin smiled at the obvious fondness in the doctor's voice. Taking another step into the clinic he nodded, "Yes. There is something I'd like to know that she is being quite stubborn about."

A light chuckle met his statement and then he heard the doctor heading towards the outer room, "Kaoru-san can be quite stubborn when she wants to be, she takes after her fa-"

Surprised by the doctor's sudden stop, Kenshin let his eyes wander to the white clad man now filling the doorway between the two rooms. Confused by the doctor's sickly pallor, he tried to ease the elderly man's distress and bowed, "Ah, Dr. Genzai I pres-"

"Get out!"

Stunned, Kenshin snapped his head back up and finally met the horrified look the doctor had fixed on him, "Excuse me?"

"I said get out! I have nothing for you here!"

Confused, Kenshin simply continued to stare at the suddenly enraged doctor, "I don't understand sir..."

"This isn't a blood bank so leave and never come back!"

At that statement Kenshin immediately understood, "You know what I am?"

"Yes, I know what you are now, Get Out!" The doctor spat out venomously.

Unperturbed, Kenshin stayed right where he was and asked, "How is it you know what I am?"

The doctor's eyes narrowed dangerously and he growled, "Your eyes. One of your kind killed my wife and I will never forget his eyes. You all have the same lust-filled gleam in your eyes. Now get out! And never come back here again."

Nodding to himself in understanding, Kenshin back-stepped and pushed open the door, "I'm sorry for your loss, sir, but I was not that person, nor will I ever be. Forgive me for intruding." Turning his back on the irate doctor he made to step out but was brought up short by the doctor's next statement.

"Before you go, there is one more thing I would like to say."

Curious, Kenshin glanced over his shoulder and met the flinty glare fixed on him.

"Stay away from Kaoru-san. I will never forgive you if you take away what time she has left. For that I will kill you myself."

And with that the doctor disappeared back into the back room leaving Kenshin to stare confused at the space he'd just occupied. He was very tempted to turn around and question the doctor about that last threat, but thought better of it and stepped into the pale moonlight. Now was not the best time to pursue the questions that last statement ignited. And yet...

Scowling, he nearly growled and headed for the beach. What was it about this girl that had him tied in knots? And this latest bit of information wasn't helping at all. What time she has left? What the hell was that suppose to mean!?

Frustrated by his inability to answer that question, Kenshin quickly closed the distance to the beach and scanned the darkened sand for some sign of Kaoru. He relaxed slightly when he saw her playing fetch with her pooch by the waning light of the moon. Quietly making his way a little bit closer he took advantage of the Akabeko and jumped up onto the roof to watch her play with the seemingly tireless dog. Unconsciously glaring at the sight, he absently started taping his fingers on the concrete ledge he was sitting on. If only she didn't have that damn dog with her he could corner her now and get the answers he so desperately needed.

Kaoru's laughter chimed into the quiet night and Kenshin shook off his irritation. Lightened by the sound, he instead cleared his mind and simply enjoyed the sight of the woman below him. He would have the answers soon. All he needed was time with her away from her ever protective dog. A small smirk tickled his lips as he watched her chase Sampson into the surf. Ah, but now he also had to catch her before she went back to see her doctor again. There was no doubt in his mind that Dr. Genzai would warn Kaoru of him and possibly even tell her what he was. If he did that then it wasn't very likely she'd ever let him into her life, and for some reason he didn't want to lose that chance, as slim as it already was.

Shaking his head he sighed, things had definitely become more complicated.

Oblivious to her audience, Kaoru danced in the shallows with Sampson close on her heels. Laughing, she swung around on him and chased him deeper into the water; seconds later he bounded out and shook off right beside her. Throwing her hands up to ward of the water droplets she laughed, "Hey, that's not fair!"

Stumbling up the beach she collapsed in a heap, "Ok, enough! I surrender!" Flopping backwards she heard Sampson flop down beside her then he laid his head on her belly. Flinging an arm across her eyes she reached out and scratched his head. "I swear you're going to death of me yet. Maybe this move wasn't such a good idea. You're almost like a puppy again!"

A heavy panting was her only answer and she peeked out from beneath her arm. Sampson looked exhausted, but she could tell he was extremely happy and if she wasn't mistaken he was actually smiling. Smiling herself she nudged him off her belly and sat up, "Come on buddy, I think you need to rest."

Sampson simply moved to the side and waited for her to get to her feet. Scratching his head again, she headed up the beach to collect their things. He wasn't the only one who needed rest, she hadn't played this hard in a long time. And yet, if she was smart she would go home and devote another couple of hours to practice. At this rate when her parents came for her birthday in two weeks her father would know she hadn't been diligent in her training like she should have been. She didn't exactly relish the thought of the tongue lashing she knew she would get for her slacking. Yes, maybe it would be best to practice because after tonight she wouldn't be able to again until Sunday night.

Grimacing at the phantom aches she could already feel, she snapped Sampson's leash on and headed for the road. Just once she would love to switch places with Sampson, at least that way she'd be able to go home and lay on the sofa in the air conditioning and just relax. Snorting, she rolled her eyes at her selfishness and dropped her sandals on the sidewalk, brushing her feet clean she slipped them on. Now that was pathetic, especially since the style she knew had been around since the late eighteen hundreds. Not many Kenjutsu styles could claim that same honor.

Heading for home she couldn't help but smile, although she may rue the aches and pains her laxness would cost her she still loved the feel of absolute control when she was stepping through the moves of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Nothing felt quite as good as the weight of a bokken in the palm of her hand, with that familiar weight in her hand she could take on the world. A sudden surge of anticipation filtered through her veins and she picked up her pace, maybe tonight she wouldn't feel the aches quite as bad after her practice two nights ago. One could only hope.

Dropping lightly to the sidewalk, Kenshin silently made his way through the quiet town behind Kaoru. Glancing to his watch he smiled, only two, maybe he'd get his chance tonight. But then again, she looked exhausted after her romp with her pooch so it wasn't very likely she'd be up for any more. More than likely she would go home and call it a night. Stifling a sigh he shrugged, if not tonight then he would have to search her out at the Akabeko. If he was lucky she'd be working tomorrow night because if not he would have to risk her dog's ire and corner her at home. He couldn't wait too long, or the good doctor was sure to end everything before it even had a chance to begin.

And yet, he could understand and sympathize with the doctor. If he were in the same situation he wouldn't want one of his kind near her either because what the doctor had said was true. They were killers, plain and simply, they were nothing but cold blooded killers. At least most of them were. A sardonic smirk tickled his lips at the thought and he jammed his hands into his pocket. Technically he was a vampire but one of the side effects to the concoction he'd taken to try to regain some of his lost humanity had been the complete suppression of his need for blood. He no longer needed to feed, his body fed off the constantly renewing cells of his own blood. So the kind doctor really didn't have anything to worry about, he didn't need her blood. He supposed, in a way, he had regained some of his humanity but it hadn't been worth it. Not at all.

Sighing at the direction his thoughts were wandering, he tried to shrug them off and glanced at the young woman slowly making her way down their road towards home. It hadn't been worth it then and now it would steal another away from him.

Scowling, he hunched his shoulders and dropped his attention to the pebbles passing under his feet. What exactly had he done to deserve this fate? Ah yes, he'd trusted the word of a lowly snake. He should have known better than to trust the man who had always coveted the position he'd held beside Katsura-san. With that one deed Iizuka had hoped to rid himself of his rival but instead the snake had, through him, stolen the life of an innocent woman.

All of a sudden he was wrenched back to the present as a loud bark rang out into the extremely quiet night. Snapping his head up, Kenshin immediately came to a stop, his body instantly poised to vanish. He nearly sighed when he realized that Sampson was only barking because he was happy to be home. Watching them disappear into Kaoru's house he headed to his own and slipped inside, heading straight for the kitchen he poured himself a glass of iced tea and made his way out onto his back porch.

Now all he could do was wait and see if she would come out again before the sun came up, without her ever faithful dog.

Kaoru flopped on the sofa and sighed. Only two thirty, she had plenty of time to practice... if she could convince her body that's what it really wanted to do. Glancing to Sampson nestled on his oversized pillow, she narrowed her eyes and mock glared at him, "Must be nice to curl up in bed." Sampson just gave her a look that said it was her own fault for being human and then tucked his nose beneath his leg and promptly closed his eyes.

Chuckling at his action, she stretched and pushed out of the extremely comfortable cushions. "Fine, I'll go practice for a little while. No need to waste a beautiful night." Casting one last glance at Sampson, she asked, "Sure, you don't want to come?" Sampson didn't even bother to acknowledge the question.

Smiling, Kaoru shook her head, she really couldn't blame him. He must be exhausted. Steeling herself for the aches and pains she knew were coming, she headed for her room and grabbed a clean pair of hakama and a gi from her dresser. Changing quickly, she loosened her messy ponytail and finger combed her hair before tying it back up. Satisfied she was ready, she grabbed her bokken from the wall mount and headed out back.

At least the moon was still full enough to practice by. She really didn't have enough space in any of the rooms in the house to practice and sadly there wasn't a dojo with in a hundred miles down here. That was one of the things she missed most about home, her family's dojo.

Fending off the slight twinge of homesickness that tightened her chest, Kaoru took a deep breath to clear her mind and stepped barefoot into the middle of her wide back yard. It didn't matter, she had this huge yard all to herself. Centering herself, she took several slow, even breaths and then slowly she began to move, first stepping through the easier, beginning steps to warm up and then slowly moving up to the more intricate steps that defined the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Gliding effortlessly through the age old moves, she smiled at the feeling of contentment that settled over her and simply lost herself in the familiar motions.

Losing touch with everything around her, Kaoru didn't notice the shadowed figure that slipped from his back porch and silently make his way into her yard. Aware of nothing but the feel of the bokken in her hand and her imaginary adversary, she didn't expect the barely audible whisper that filtered into the quiet night from the awestruck man standing behind her....

"....beautiful....."

Startled out of her reverie, Kaoru's eyes flew wide and she spun on the intruder, aiming dead for his head. She was shocked when her attack was stopped mid-swing. Immediately coming back to her surroundings she gasped when her eyes clashed with the smirking violet gaze staring dead at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Scowling darkly, Kaoru wrenched the bokken from her fiery haired neighbor's hand, "What is wrong with you?! I could have hit you!" When all he did was smile, she growled, "Or maybe you just get some kind of sick pleasure out of scaring the daylights out of me!"

Kenshin's smile widened and he took a step back, "I truly am sorry. I only wanted to come by and say hello."

Getting ahold of herself, Kaoru rubbed her forehead in irritation, "Next time, don't scare me like that or I just might kill you." Ignoring the disbelieving smirk that tickled his lips, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Weren't you suppose to be moving?"

Kenshin crossed his arms and met her glare, "I was... until you lied to me."

Kaoru cringed back from the intense violet gaze fixed on her before a slice of steel flowed down her spine. Who the hell did he think he was?! Yes, she had lied but that should have nothing to do with him. He didn't know her and she didn't know him, and if she had her way, it would remain that way. Glaring at his confidence she took a step back, "I may have lied to you but that is no reason for you to stay or for you to sneak up on me like that..." taking a deep breath she took another step back, "... it's as you said the first night we met, Himura-san. I think it would be best if we didn't know each other."

And with that she spun on her heel and headed for her house. She was stopped dead in her tracks though when he whispered in a slightly pained voice, "It's Kenshin."

Unable to ignore his tone, Kaoru swallowed nervously and peeked over her shoulder, "Fine... Kenshin. Goodnight." Starting for the house again Kaoru was stopped when a cool hand wrapped around her wrist.

"I will leave you alone if that is what you truly want, but could you at least tell me the truth? Why do you only come outside at night?"

Kaoru wilted slightly and she sighed. Why did he want to know so badly? Biting back another sigh she asked, "Will you leave if I tell you?"

Kenshin released her wrist and waited for her to turn around. When she didn't he sighed, "I can't promise you that. For some reason I find myself wanting your company, but if you don't want me in your life then I will do my best to keep my distance."

Kaoru closed her eyes and tried to ignore the little voice that whispered she wanted his company too. Turning around, she look him dead in the eye and asked, "Why do you need to know what is wrong with me?"

Kenshin stared into her guarded sapphire gaze and tried to think up a reason she would accept but could only come up with the truth. Without thinking, he smiled sheepishly and said, "Curiosity. I just want to know why a beautiful young woman like you would want to live her life in the darkness."

Kaoru felt as if a fist had slammed into her stomach... curiosity!? A sudden surge of anger exploded in her veins. Fisting her hand tight around the forgotten bokken she shouted, "It's none of your business what's wrong with me!! I'm not some lab specimen you can put under a microscope!" Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm herself she added, "And for your information I can't go into the sun or I would!"

And with that she spun around and ran for the house. Whipping the back door open, she shot through and slammed it behind her. Oblivious to the tears burning her eyes, she leaned heavily against the hard wood and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the floor with her knees tucked against her chest. Dropping her bokken, she wrapped her arms around her legs tight and tried in vain to get herself back together. Why did they all want to know? Why couldn't they just accept her for what she was? Dropping her forehead to her knees she gave in to the tears and silently cried. Why couldn't she just be normal? Was it too much to ask?

Stunned, Kenshin simply watched Kaoru vanish into her house and slam the door. Did he say something wrong? Going over what he'd said he finally saw his mistake and grimaced. How could he be such an idiot? Shaking his head he tucked his hands into his pocket and slowly made his way to his own house. Well, it was glaringly obvious he hadn't had any real interaction with anyone for a very long time but that still didn't excuse his callousness. But then again maybe it wasn't a complete loss, in her anger Kaoru had let a key piece of information out. So it wasn't by choice she lived her life in the darkness, but because she had to. And yet, that still didn't answer why.

His curiosity piqued again, he picked up his pace. But now that he had this little bit of information he should be able to figure it out himself. And maybe once he knew he could apologize for being so insensitive.

That is if she allowed him within a hundred feet of her. Scowling at the thought he tried to fight back the sudden feeling that he'd burned the already weakened bridge to her. And yet, he'd never been one to just give up. He'd build the bridge again if he had to.

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