Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Another Morning ❯ Chapter 6

Chapter VI

It had been only three days since Megumi heard Kenshin speak and he hadn't done it since. She didn't tell anyone about it, it would have been too uncomfortable, she'll be asked all sorts of questions and she didn't want that. "Besides if Kenshin spoke once he will speak again soon." It was just a matter of time.

Since everyone was healing nicely and she didn't had as much work to do and could focus on Kenshin. His fevers were going down and she expected him to open his eyes or start talking soon. He would need more time to get up again but she thought he was progressing just fine considering how close he had been to death. She put the incident of the other day behind her, she was a doctor and everyone was counting on her to help Kenshin.

Kaoru was been more responsible with her own health. She was eating better and she was even training again with Yahiko. She really needed that day of rest Megumi gave her. She got her mind together after that and realized how upset Kenshin would get if she got sick by her own imprudence.

It was a beautiful morning. Kaoru and Yahiko were training on the yard, Misao was with Kenshin, Aoshi was in the temple meditating and Megumi was waiting for Sano to arrive so she could check his hand.

Sanosuke walked in the room with his hands in his pockets and chewing a fish bone.

"Hey there fox"

"Late as usual rooster head"

"Were you waiting for me?" Said Sano in his sexy voice as he stared at Megumi.

"Yes, and I was just betting against myself if you'll be stupid enough to get lost in the way here, and guess what?... I won!" Megumi took Sano's hand and started to examine it.

"Could we get this done quickly fox? I have some things I'll like to do?"

"I'm sure you have many bets to make, a lot of money to loose and tons of people to ask for a lone; but I am afraid I'm going to need you to stay for a while"

"Is that an invitatiooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

"Ohohoho. You can go now"

"Did you call me here to torture me evil, evil, evil fox?" Said Sano as he took his hand away from Megumi. Little ears pop out Megumi's head as she looked at Sano's face.

"Your bones just needed some… redirection, so now they will heal fine"

"Are you planning to ever tell me before doing that?"

"Off course not, it will take the fun out of it"

Sano left the room coursing words to himself as he tried to forget about the pain in his hand. Megumi watched him go and wished he would stay a little longer.

At the yard Yahiko was counting loudly as he did his exercises.

"Nine hundred and eighty six, nine hundred and eighty seven, nine hundred and eighty eight." "Kaoru is been so tough on me." "989" "She never made me did one thousand strokes as punishment before." "990" "I was always rounds of five hundred but now is by thousands!" "991" "Why is she been like this?" "992" "This is not the first time I've call her busu." "993" "She should be used to it by now." "994" "Maybe she is so worried about Kenshin that she is taking all her anger on me" "995" "I should be more careful to what I say to her" "996" "If this continues my arms are going to fall, I don't think I can even feel them anymore" "997" "But at least I am practicing again" "998" " I can't complain, I have to practice if a want to get strong," "999" "Strong like Kenshin!"

"ONE THOUSAND!" Shouted Yahiko as strongly as he could. He let his shinai fall in the floor and his arms dropped at the side of his body. Then he felt a sharp pain in his head when Kaoru hit him.

"Why you did that for bu… Kaoru?

"I told you never to drop your guard, not even when you finish an exercise. Well I think we are finish for today. You can go help Sae in the kitchen now"

"Help Sae!!! I can't even fell my arms! I can't move them! I have no power over them! And she wants me to go help Sae! I might as well do another round of a thousand!"

"I'm going to see Kenshin now, we will practice tomorrow again so be sure to be ready"

When Kaoru left Yahiko collapsed in the floor. "Tomorrow…I won't live to see tomorrow"

* * *

Kaoru rushed up the stairs. She had been thinking about Kenshin during the entire training. Yes, she focused in Yahiko as well but Kenshin never left her mind. She smiled when she remembered the face Yahiko put when she told him to do a thousand strokes. "He must think I lost my mind". But the truth was that after seen Yahiko fight with Hanya; Kaoru decided that he was getting stronger so he needed a tougher training. Kaoru slid the door open to find a very cheerful Misao in the room.

"Hello Kaoru-san, did you saw the sun? It's such a beautiful day; there are no clouds in the sky! Aoshi-sama left very early today, he went to the temple to meditate. He is doing that a lot lately. I'm sure he is so absorb in his meditating thing that he hasn't even realized that is such a beautiful day… But it's also a hot day, I'm sure Aoshi-sama is alone in the temple with nothing to drink. I can't let that happen. I'm supposed to take care of him. I'm going to the temple to take him some tea, I'm sure he will appreciate it and maybe he'll even start paying attention to me. This is the best idea ever! Bye Kaoru-san, I am going to the temple."

Kaoru watched her leave and seated beside Kenshin. That Misao sure was a spirited girl.

Misao run downstairs to the kitchen and almost tripped with Omasu on the way in.

"Slow down Misao-chan, what is the rush?"

"I need to make some tea!"

"You are in a rush for tea?"

"Yes, I am going to take some to Aoshi-sama at the temple"

Omasu looked at Misao and her sparkling blue eyes.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Misao-chan?"

"Off course it is! Now let me in!"

Omasu went inside the kitchen followed by Misao and then handed her a jar, a box and two cups.

"You are in luck Misao-chan. I had just finished making this tea and rice balls for one of the costumers, but you can take it, I'll make more"

"Oh thank you so much Omasu" Said Misao as she run out of the Shirobeko.

"I hope Aoshi treats Misao well, he can be such an icy person."

Misao run all the way to the temple with thousands of thoughts running trough her mind, all of them related with Aoshi. It had been almost two weeks since Aoshi came back and she still felt he was gone. He didn't spend any time with the others, he was always in the temple meditating and he didn't determine her at all. She knew Aoshi was having problems, she knew he will need time to come at peace with himself, but she also wanted to be there for him and helping him. He didn't seem to need her but she knew that deep inside he was alone and she was the only one that could help him.

"I'll never give up. I know it'll be difficult but I have to help Aoshi-sama and be there for him. He's still the Aoshi-sama I remembered, the one who raised me and took care of me, the one I love."

She reached the temple and before she could even notice it she was climbing the stairs towards Aoshi. He was sitting crossed leagued in the floor looking outside.

He heard her come in and noticed how her steps became slower and how she hesitated a little when she was getting closed to him.

"What is she doing here?"

Misao stopped just a few steps behind Aoshi and froze when she realized she didn't know what to do next.

"What are you doing here Misao?"

"I just brought you some tea" she said in a cheerful voice. "It's such a beautiful day and you've been here all morning so I thought you may be thirsty. I also have some rice balls Omasu gave me in case you are hungry" Aoshi only nodded but that was all Misao needed. She sat down and started serving the tea. She handed Aoshi a cup and a rice ball and she also took one for herself. Aoshi received the food and looked at her.

"Thank you Misao" he said in a neutral voce.

Misao smiled widely. Aoshi thanked her! She knew it was a good idea!

"Aoshi-sama did you saw the sun today? It is such a beautiful day; there is not one cloud in the sky. I said the same thing to Kaoru san when she walked in Himura's room today. Himura is doing a lot better; at least that is what…"

Aoshi looked at Misao. "She can be so cheerful. She always has that tender smile on her face. She cares about me. She brought me food because she tough I may be hungry. Why is she like that with me? What does she sees on me? I left her so long ago, I knew back then that I would break her heart by doing it but I did it anyway. And now, so many years latter I've came back and she is acting like nothing happened, like she is the same little girl I left behind and like the time stopped when I was gone. But it didn't. So much happened during that time, I've change, I've done so many bad things that I am not what she remembers, even if she acts like I am the same. Why is she so nice? I just don't understand"

"… so that's why I hit him but the truth is that he had no right to call me weasel girl…"

Misao and Aoshi spent the rest of the day together in the temple. Misao talked and Aoshi remained silent looking at the horizon. That was more than enough for her. The fact that he didn't asked her to leave made her the happiest girl in Kyoto. When the night fell they walked together back to the Shirobeko but when they arrived Aoshi went straight to his room. It was one thing having the company of Misao but it was a completely different thing to seat at dinner with all the others. Misao didn't cared, she had spent the whole day with Aoshi and that was the only important thing.

* * *

He was walking trough a death field. He kept avoiding all the corpses in the road but there were so many he just couldn't do it. They were faceless bodies, they were nameless bodies, they were just a river of blood in the road. His river of blood.

It was a cold night, the morning never came in that place, he was doomed to the darkness. The smell of blood was getting to him, he didn't stand it anymore, it was so powerful, so penetrating. He had been walking for days in the darkness, he didn't know where he was going, he just walked.

He wondered if the moon was shining but he couldn't look up at the sky. He didn't deserve such a lovely view, he had to keep his eyes down, he had to see the bodies, the blood, the death. Then he heard it. That voice. It sounded so far away, like a lovely whisper in the night. He couldn't understand what she said. It was like the words had no meaning but that didn't matter it was the simple sound of the voice what was so marvelous. "How can there be such a beautiful thing in a place like this?" He allowed himself to stop and close his eyes for moment and he concentrated in the voice. He knew that voice… "Kaoru-dono"

"I have been here for such a long time, I've walked trough so many bodies and only tough of what I did but I forgot about the most important thing: What I can do." He saw her image in his mind as he heard her voice. She was wearing a beautiful blue kimono and was smiling at him. "Kaoru-dono. She was the first person that told me that she didn't care about my past. She smiled at me and said that she wanted me to stay, so I did. But no matter what she says my past is always with me and I have such a dark past. She has been involved in so many struggles from my past…I am responsible for that. I know I may have been selfish at staying so long but she gave me something I didn't think I could feel again. Her warm smile, her beautiful face, her tender heart, her kindness, she made me hers with just one look of those blue eyes. And now I am responsible for her. I have to protect her. I have to be close so I can look after her but I also need her because she is the light that guides me trough my darkness. She is so pure and innocent, her heart is only filled with good feelings…she is too good for me. I don't deserve someone like her. I do am the unworthy one. But no matter what, I will protect her, she needs me to and I'll always be with her. I made a mistake when I left Tokyo. I should have known that it was too late to just pick up and leave. I was already too involved and she followed me. She wouldn't let me go and I hurt her when I left. But her spirit is one of the things I love the most about her. When I saw her at shishou's door my whole reality collapsed. After so much time of wandering around and been alone I didn't expected someone to care enough to followed me. But she did and she knew that by doing so she putted herself in danger. She would have been safe in Tokyo but she preferred to search for me. She cares for me…"

"…Kenshin…"

"What is that? I recognized the word she said. She called my name, she is calling me! She needs me and I am here. I left her alone. Why can't I get out of here?" I need to go back to her, the sweet melody of her voice is also a sad one, I need to help her, I need to know what's wrong, such a beautiful girl shouldn't be sad."

He felt a warm drop that fall on his cheek and then the softest hand took it away in the gentlest touch.

"She is crying. She is crying over me, her tears are falling in my face and it is because of me she is that sad. I want to be there for her I want to comfort her. I need to leave this place, I need to leave this darkness behind and go back to her, my light."

He opened his violet eyes to see the most beautiful thing he could ever see, her sapphire eyes looking back at him.

* * *

Author Notes: Well there goes another chapter. What do you think? As requested I woke Kenshin up in this chapter but you'll have to wait a little longer for his meeting with Kaoru (sorry Gypsy-chan and Joey). But it won't be too long (don't worry) I'm planning to do it in the next chapter. Anyway I hoped you liked it, please review and tell me what you think.

Thanks for reading.

Misanagi