Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Another Morning ❯ Chapter 5

Chapter V

It was the middle of the night and Kaoru was lying on her futon with her eyes opened and fixed on Kenshin. She was so tired, her eyes were closing little by little but she had to stay awake. Kenshin was breathing normally and she felt it was the first time he was truly resting. She let her eyes closed for a minute and she saw Kenshin up again. His beautiful violet eyes were fixed on hers and he gave her his famous rurouni smile. Kaoru smiled and began running towards him, she didn't care anymore, she wanted to hug him, she needed to hear his voice again…Kenshin… but when she got next to him everything faded and he was gone. A horrible felling filled her heart, the same emptiness she felt when Kenshin left for Kyoto. She opened her eyes and noticed that she was cold and her hands were sweating. She calmed herself when she saw Kenshin´s figure lying next to him. Then a bittersweet felling took over her, Kenshin was still with her but he was also still injured.

It had been five days since Megumi arrived in Tokyo and Kenshin was having some changes. The first time Kaoru saw him move she almost scream with happiness but then she got really scared when she realized that Kenshin was burning up with fever and his movement was just a symptom of his illness. She quickly put a wet towel on his forehead and called Megumi. She calmed down Kaoru and assured her that the fever was a normal symptom and it meant that Kenshin was healing.

"But we still need to be very cautious, when I said that Ken-san needed to be accompanied at all times I was thinking of moments like this. When he gets a fever we need to act quickly so it won't become a serious thing."

Kaoru calmed herself and never lost sight of Kenshin since that day. She wasn't sleeping at all, she was scared that if she fall asleep Kenshin would get sick and no one would be there to help him. She was in a daze all day and the only thing she never lost sight of was Kenshin. Occasionally someone walked in the room and called her name several times before she realized it. During the day she was almost never alone. Yahiko, Sano, Misao and Megumi walked in often to check on Kenshin and during those times she could sleep a little but she was never totally asleep, the slightest mention of his name made her get up and rapidly walked towards him. But at night she was alone. Everyone was sleeping in their own room at the Shirobeko but Kaoru stayed with Kenshin since the first day, she was going to be with him day and night.

Kenshin started shivering and that made her focus again. She approached him and put her hand softly in his forehead. He was having another fever. Kaoru placed the wet towel in his forehead and seated beside him. She looked at him and instantly knew that he was in deep pain. How could she help him? She took one of his hands in her owns and started talking softly.

"Kenshin please calm down, I know it hurts but you are strong, so strong. Megumi-san said that even if you can't move or talk you can hear what we say. Everyone is worried about you but they all know that you´ll be fine. Megumi, Sano, Yahiko, Misao and all of the members of the Oniwabanshu had come to visit you every day. Even Hiko came by the other day, he said he was just getting some sake but I know the truth. I think he'll be back soon; he must be running low on sake. Sano is a lot better but his hand is going to need a lot of work. And Aoshi is fine, at least physically. I can't imagine what he is been going trough since he came back. When he saw Okina for the first time he just stared at him silently and Okina did the same, finally they left without saying a word but I think that that moment meant a lot to them. Now they act normally with each other, at least I think is normal. Sano told me what happened in your battle with Aoshi, you succeeded in bringing him back. You´ll think Misao would be happy but she is like a surprise box of emotions. Sometimes she spends the day crying but at night she is so happy you wouldn't believe it. I really think that despite all that, you brought hope back to her life."

Kenshin had stopped shivering and his fever was down. Kaoru smiled, she could sense that he was calmed again.

When the sun rose the next morning she was still seating beside him and holding his hand. The door opened and Misao walked in with a happy smile on her face.

"Ohayo na…" The smile went out of Misao´s face when she saw Kaoru. She was staring intensely at Kenshin, her face as white as rice and she had dark rings under her eyes; but that wasn't the most impressive thing, it was the red pigment in her white yukata. Before Misao had time to react Sanosuke walked in the room.

"Jo-chan!" He ran towards her but although he shouted, she didn't look up. "Jo-chan what's wrong?"

Misao heard hurried foot steps behind her. Megumi and Yahiko were running to the room still in their night wear. "What's wrong?" Asked Yahiko without even reaching the room but nobody needed to answered, he saw Kaoru and realized it by himself. Megumi ran over to Kaoru and move her softly until she looked up to her. Kaoru was still silent she didn't even realized what was going on around her. Megumi took the yukata of Kaoru´s shoulder and examine the wound. She changed the bandage and when she finished she force Kaoru to look at her.

"What's wrong with her Fox lady, why is she bleeding?"

"Don't worry about the blood, she just forgot to change the bandage, her wound is not what is worrying me."

"Then what is it?"

"Calm down rooster head and help me get her in another room"

When Sano picked Kaoru up she finally reacted.

"What are you doing? Sano put me down!"

"Don't you dare rooster head, take her to another room now!"

"What are you doing Megumi? I have to stray here to take care of Kenshin"

"Misao would you please stay with Ken-san for a moment?" Misao nodded and Sanosuke took Kaoru to a nearby room.

They were all so worried about Kaoru that nobody noticed Kenshin tightening his fists and mumbling very softly "Kaoru-dono".

* * *

"I need to get back to Ken…"

"I thought that we already talked about this" Interrupted Megumi before Kaoru could even finished her sentence. "I thought that you said that you´ll take care of yourself, but look at you! How can you be so irresponsible, I know Ken-san needs help and rest but so do you. You need to sleep so I am giving you the day of. I don't want you near Ken-san´s room; you´ll rest, you´ll sleep and you´ll eat"

Kaoru was too tired to argue with her but never the less she was trying to come up with a response.

"Yahiko you are in charge of Kaoru today. You can't let her leave this room until at least noon and if she tries to go near Ken-san´s room, hit her with your shinai"

Yahiko smiled for a moment at the thought of been able to control Kaoru but he quickly remembered that there was something wrong with her and simply nodded at Megumi´s request. Megumi handed Kaoru some medicine and forced her to take it.

"This will help you sleep. Now I have to go to take care of Ken-san, I'll see you later" She turned to leave but when she walked past Yahiko she whispered to him "Take good care of her today" Yahiko nodded with a serious expression and she left the room.

Sanosuke was lying against the wall outside of the room.

"Start speaking fox"

"Come on rooster head mind your manners"

"This is no time to be bothering me fox. What's wrong with Jo-chan?"

"I think she may have anemia. She was injured and she didn't give herself time to recover, also she hasn't been sleeping or eating well"

"So what does that means?"

"Well its not serious if is treated on time and I think we are on time. She just needs to see an improvement in Ken-san´s health to be back to her old self. She is just too concern about him to think about anything else, even herself."

Sano slammed his fist to the wall and made a hole in it.

"You chicken head, I hope you didn't use your right hand to do that stupidity"

"I hate Shishio; even in death he is hurting us!" And he slammed his fist again making another hole.

"You do realize that you´ll have to fix this mess. Sae won't be very happy about this"

Sano cleaned the dust of his left fist and went downstairs to find the materials he needed to fix the wall. "I really need to learn to control my anger"

* * *

The medicine Megumi gave Kaoru made her sleep all morning. At lunch time Yahiko made Kaoru eat the entire plate and afterwards she fall asleep again. When Megumi noticed that Kaoru woke up, she put some more medicine in her food so she'll sleep for the rest of the afternoon.

It had been a busy day; she had a lot of things to do and Kaoru… that silly girl… How could she be so stupid? It was true that she was taking really good care of Kenshin and that he was getting better thanks to Kaoru´s help and herself. But… "She can be so selfless sometimes, even at the point of getting in my nerves!"

Megumi walked in Kenshin´s room and told Misao that she could leave if she wanted.

Misao jump to her feet and gave her a happy smile.

"Thank you Megumi-san. I am going to go see Aoshi-sama, he is been going to the temple to pray so I am going there to take him some tea."

Misao dashed out of the room and Megumi seated next to Kenshin. She checked his temperature and noticed he was having one of his highest fevers. She quickly changed the wet towel on his head and made him take some medicine.

"Ken-san…When you told me to become a doctor to atone for my sins I never thought I'll see you in this state. How could you let yourself get so hurt? What kind of person could do this to you? At least you saved Japan again… so this is the way the Battousai atones for his sins. You told me once that no matter how many people you could protect with your sword it'll never be as much as I could save by been a doctor. Well I thing you were wrong." A lone tear slid down her face and she dried it quickly. Suddenly she felt a soft hand on top of hers, she gasped when she saw it was Kenshin´s.

She looked at him. His eyes were still closed and he was motionless but his hand was firmly holding hers. "Ken-san".

She saw how his lips started moving a little and finally he spoke in a firmly low voice, just as if he was his former self.

"Kaoru-dono"

Megumi let Kenshin´s hand loose and stared at him. "He called her name" It was just as when he left Tokyo. She felt the same deep pain in her chest. "He called her name"

She remembered how devastated she was when she found out that Kenshin was gone, but it didn't compared to what she felt when she realized that he only said goodbye to one person and it wasn't her. She felt how her face covered with tears but she didn't care anymore, she let herself cry. Then another hand touched her softly on her shoulder. She looked up to find herself staring at his brown eyes. It took her another moment to get a hold of herself. She lowered her head and quickly dried her tears hoping against hope that he didn't saw them.

"You can't choose the one you love… but you do choose your friends and he chose you"

Megumi felt how tears were falling again from her eyes so she kept her head down until she could control herself. When she looked up Sano was gone and she was alone in the room with Kenshin.

"You can't choose the one you love… but you do choose your friends and he chose you" His words echoed in her head. He didn't love her. How much prove did she need? "He loves her, I have to understand that. He said goodbye to her when he left Tokyo because she was the one he cared about the most. He is so weak and so injured and even like this, she is present in his mind. You can't choose the one you love… but you do choose your friends and he chose you. I guess that's all I have left, to be his friend, I can't go further whit him, this is as close as he'll let me get. Ken-san…"

But then another image went into her head. "The rooster head. Why was he so nice to me? The only thing I do is tease him at all times, he does the same but just a moment ago… He acted like he cared about me. Maybe he does care. He was the one that stopped me from killing myself in Kanryu´s mansion. Even after I was responsible for his friend's death. Maybe, just maybe…"

"Hey busu, Megumi told me to hit you if you get close to this room and I'll do it if you don't get back"

Megumi heard a loud noise and then the door opened and Kaoru was standing there next to Yahiko who was lying on the floor.

"I am still the master of the Kamiya Kashin Ryu and you still have much to learn"

Megumi quickly dried her tears and put on her usual face.

"What are you doing here Tanuki girl? Didn't I tell you to get some rest today?"

"I am sorry Megumi but I am felling much better now. Thank you for all your help"

Megumi looked at her. She had a much better aspect that she did that morning. The color was back on her face and the dark rings beneath her eyes were gone.

"Well I want to examine you to see how you are doing"

Kaoru didn't complained and when Megumi finished she said that Kaoru was alright and that she only needed some rest.

"But from now on I am keeping a closer look on you. I don't want you to be in this room the whole day. It's alright to take care of Kenshin, but you don't have to spend the whole day here. There are many people in this place to take care of Kenshin for a few hours while you are gone."

"That's right busu. And I want to continue with my training I've wasted a lot of time already"

"I don't think you are well enough to start training again"

"Off course I am busu. Just go out with me and see for yourself!"

"I don't think is a bad idea" Said Megumi "Start training again will be good for both of you"

Kaoru stood silent for a minute and finally agreed.

"Well I guess we'll start training again tomorrow"

"Tomorrow? Why not today?"

"Come on Yahiko I am sure Kaoru wants to spend some time with Ken-san and besides I gave her the day of so lest go"

Yahiko exited the room still angry and decided to go look for Sano to at least practice with him. Megumi turned to leave too when she heard Kaoru´s voice.

"Thank you Megumi for everything"

"Just take care of yourself" Said Megumi as she closed the door behind her.

""You can't choose the one you love… but you do choose your friends and he chose you… Al least I can be his friend"

* * *

Author Notes: So what do you think? I was just wandering about Megumi´s feelings and how could she get over her love for Kenshin. I wanted to show another face of Sano, one more tender and caring. Well I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you think.

Misanagi