Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Blood and Amber ❯ Clinic ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

I got three REvIEWS! I got three REVIEWS! Thanks to Demonicslayer, sweetyfanfic, and Kuroi Koneko! This chappie is for you- keep reviewing!
As to the question that someone asked me- how many chappies- I haven't a clue. It'll probably go beyond ten, but I'm not sure. I don't even know how the story ends.

Kaoru tried to stand up and managed to get to her knees. She crawled the rest of the way to Kenshin, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He flinched.
"You should stay away from me." he told her tonelessly. She ignored him and scooted a little closer.
"Kenshin, you tried to turn around the blade. I saw it myself. Once you realized that you were going to kill someone, you tried to stop and turn around the blade- to knock the person out. You're a good person, deep inside. You're gentle, not a killer. That's your nature." Kenshin shook off her hand.
"I am a killer Kaoru. I've killed thousands of men. Can you honestly say that I'll never kill again, after this? It's just a matter of time before I kill again. In time I could be as bad as Jin'e."
"You won't be, Kenshin. You won't kill again. I don't believe that you will." Kaoru said gently. She pulled his face towards hers. For the first time he noted the blood on her face. He saddened at the sight.
"My touch leaves blood everywhere. It's my fault half the time that you're in danger. It's my fault that you have three freeloaders at your dojo. It's my fault that this man is dead." He gestured behind him, eyes turning a bit red. She kept looking at him, knowing that he wouldn't pull away if she didn't.
"It's also your fault, then, that I met the man I love the most, that I have a student, that Gohei didn't kill me, that I still have the dojo. It's also your fault that I always have clean clothes and have friends. The lives you've saved through your actions outweigh the lives you've taken. Megumi-san, you saved her life, letting her live to save hundreds of others. Their lives have been saved by your actions, and Megumi's. Sano would have kept fighting, and he might have injured someone so badly that that person died, or they couldn't get to a hospital in time, so that more lives you've saved. What if Gohei and Kihei hadn't been apprehended? I wouldn't have the dojo, and Gohei would have killed many more people. Since I'm training Yahiko, and we know that he'll grow up to be a great swordsman, he can save even more lives. You saved Megumi by not letting her kill herself, saved Sano by fighting him and then showing compassion, yousaved Yahiko by telling him to train with me and rescuing him from the gang that held his leash." Kaoru took a deep breath, shocked at her speech. Kenshin seemed shocked too, staring at her eyes in wonderment.
"But..." Kenshin started, then stopped, unable to continue. "I was only responsible for those three lives. The lives they save don't have any connection to me."
"Kenshin, if you really believe that, then what would have happened had you enver been born? The revolution might not have even been successful. Had it been, and everyone was still living like they were, then Megumi would still be working on opium, Yahiko would still be pickpocketing and getting beaten by that gang, and Sanosuke would still be fighting and angry at the patriots. Shisho would still have the Ten Swords and would have burned Kyoto."
"Thay may be true, but it might not have been." He looked down, his eyes passing over her shoulder as he did so. He could see the redness her blood caused.
"Kaoru... your wound!" he cursed himself for being so selfish. While they had been talking, Kaoru's wound had bled.
"Oh....." she said, looking over her shoulder to her back. "I... I must have forgotten. I don't think it's as deep as we thought." Kaoru smiled at him, trying to stand up. She barely succeeded. "See?" she smiled again, wobbling a bit on her feet. Kenshin stood up.
"Kaoru-dono, you shouldn't be-"
"Kaoru." Kaoru corrected. "It's just Kaoru. You weren't using -dono a few minutes ago, so you shouldn't use it now." Kaoru tried to take a few steps, but slipped, twisting her ankle.
"Ow...." she hissed, holding her ankle close, noting that Kneshin was right beside her. "I think I twisted it.."
"Let me see." Kenshin asked. Kaoru adjusted her yukata so that it wouldn't show anything embarrassing or improper, then moved her leg so that Kenshin could see it. She blushed at the gentle way he probed the swollen joint.
"Yes, it's definately twisted, Kaoru." he said. "We should go to Megumi-dono and see if she can give you something for it."
"We'd have to go there anyways. The wounds you got.... some may need stitches, and this definately will." Kaoru said, motioning to her back. Kenshin placed her ankle gentely back down, then stood up.
"I'll be right back with Megumi-dono." Kenshin said, getting ready to leave, but Kaoru called him back.
"Won't it be quicker if you just carry me? Or if I walk?" she suggested haistily, not wanting him to think that she was begging him to carry her. She then remembered that she had as good as said that she had loved him a few minutes ago. Recalling that conversation, she also remembered that he had said that the man had hurt something precious to him, extremely precious- and then he had stroked her cheek. He had to know that she loved him, unless he didn't remember her words, or hadn't had time to think about what she had meant. Or, he could think that she hadn't meant them.
Kenshin hesitated.
"It may not be wise to move you with a twisted ankle....."
"My dad always carried me to the clinic when I accidently twisted my ankle. If I had a broken bone, then it would be different. Or a concussion."
"Your yukata will get stained." Kenshin said, clearly nervous. Kaoru could tell that it wasn't something about her that he was hesitating about- in teh past, he'd had no qualms about carrying her. Even when they had first met, he had grabbed her so she wouldn't be killed by Gohei's descending sword. Why the hesitation now? It certainly wasn't the yukata.....
"It's already stained, look." True enough. Neither her nor his yukata would ever be worn again. Then the reason clicked.
"I don't mind, you know. It's okay." He had thought that she hadn't wanted him to touch her, but she had shown that she was okay with that.
'Well, those were just small things, small touches. If he carries me, he can drop me at any moment. I put more trust in him if I have him carry me.'
" All right then." Kenshin said, picking her up gently, then racing away towards the clinic, careful not to jar her any more then he had to. The big problem was when they reached town, the marketplace area. Kaoru had fallen unconscious by now, the blood loss getting the best of her. (It had been a shallow wound, but it had been long, and had bled awhile.)
Completely disregarding their physical appearences, Kenshin ran right through town, ignoring the horrified gasps and screams of people as they saw him and hurried out of his way. He burst into the clinic, demanding to see Megumi.
"Where is Megumi-dono?" he asked, loud enough to be heard. Slowly, every face in the clinic turned to him, except for those patients that couldn't turn their heads at all. They all stared, seemingly too afraid to move away, like he'd leap and attack if they breathed.
"I'll ask again: where is Megumi-dono?" Kenshin demanded, taking two steps farther in, and then he saw her. Megumi had just come from the back room, holding a small bottle of some sort of herb, walking towards him. She had her eyes on the bottle, so she didn't see him, but she had heard her name called, and so she came.
"I'm right here, what can I help..... you... with?" Megumi's steps and voice faltered a bit when she finally looked up.
"Ken-san?" she asked carefully. Kenshin nodded and lifted Kaoru up a bit, directing Megumi's attention to the unconscious girl.
"Kaoru is hurt. Sword wound to the back and twisted ankle. Where can I put her?" Excited buzzing grew behind Megumi, but she just directed him to a nearby cot, telling him to lay her on her front, head to the side so she could breathe. Once that was done she shooed him away. It would be improper for him to stay any longer......
"Go see Yahiko-kun and Sano." she told him, directing him to their cots, then glanced at his clothes. "But maybe you should take a bath first. We're all doctors here, but you're drenched in blood. What happened?"
"I'll tell you later." Kenshin said. "Just work on Kaoru for now, please." He stood and left, leaving Megumi to stitch up the sword wound on Kaoru. He went to visit Sano first, not caring about the stares he was getting. The attention wasn't as focused on him as it had been when he entered, and he was thankful for that. Most of teh doctors were now just concentrating solely on their patients. He didn't know it, but Megumi stared after him.
'Purple eyes, but.... Ken-san said 'I'?'
He located Sano first. He was asleep, and heavily bandaged.
"Sano." Kenshin said, tapping him to wake him up. The bandages and lack of attention anyone was paying Sano told him that Sano was well out of critical condition. Sano just mumbled.
Kenshin tapped him a little harder, saying his name a little louder too.
"Sano!" Sano's eyes opened slowly, then widened.
"Great Kami!" he said, looking at Kenshin and trying to sit up, but couldn't quite manage it. He looked closer at the scar on Kenshin's cheek. "Kenshin? Is that you? Where's Jo-chan?"
"We're both fine, Sano. Did Megumi-dono reach you?" Sano snorted.
"She did- good thing too. I was out. I woke up here while they stitched me up. It was so drugged up that I couldn't even feel it. How's the brat's arm?"
"I haven't visited Yahiko yet, if that's what you're asking." Sano nodded, then his eyes dawned in recognition.
"Hey, you said 'I'!" Kenshin nodded.
"Yes, that I did." Sano looked closer at Kenshin's eyes, and, finding them purple, was throughly puzzeled.
"What happened to 'this one'?"
"That's for.... another time. I must visit Yahiko now, and you must rest." Kenshin got up, not wanting to dwell on the reason he no longer used his 'rurouni language'.
"Wait a min-!" But Kenshin was gone.
"Damnit!" Sanosuke swore, but remained lying down. He'd get the truth out of Kenshin later.

Kenshin found Yahiko easily. He was sleeping too. Kenshin just had to shake Yahiko once or twice for him to wake up, and then the kid's reaction was a lot like Sano's.
"Yikes! Kenshin, where's all that blood from?" Unfortunately, Yahiko had none of Sano's insight about what to ask. He also didn't have Sano's self-control. He looked sick at the sight of the blood. "And where's busu?"
"We're fine Yahiko. I came to see how you were. Yahiko gestured to his arm, a frustrated frown on his face.
"With this, I can't practice for a few months!" he grumbled.
"Well....... that's okay. Kaoru will understand." Kenshin assured the boy, a smile on his face. He stood up.
"I'm going to wash some of this blood off. Goodnight." Yahiko just nodded, closing his eyes. Kenshin smiled at the innocent boy lying there, then left the clinic, heading back to the dojo- it had the closest baths that he could use for free. As soon as he was there, he heated the water a little, then stripped off his yukata and got in. He didn't normally take baths in the morning, but today he had to. He scrubbed at all the dried blood, getting it off. He was gentler with his own wounds, but he still scrubbed them.
He felt as though he'd never be clean again.
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