Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Blood and Amber ❯ Admittion- Part I ( Chapter 25 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Bookkbaby84 
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.23.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.6K | Visits: 486 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 12.23.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.6K | Visits: 486 | Status: Completed
"Yahiko was a pickpocket for a Yakuza gang. I managed to get the gang to free him. They were about to kill him for refusing to steal for them. I brought him back to this dojo and Kaoru took Yahiko as her student. We met Sanosuke shortly after. He was known as Zanza then." A gasp could be heard from the Takani's. Kenshin smiled sadly.
"So, Zanza is another name you know. He was part of the Seikio Army, and furious with the patriots for lying to his captain and then killing him for spreading their lie, which he believed to be the truth. Sanosuke vowed to get revenge for Captain Sagara, and even took his last name. He and I fought, and after he learned that I was still searching for the revolution that Captain Sagara had dreamed of, we became friends. We fight together when an enemy comes along. Megumi was different."
"Kenshin." Kaoru broke in. He looked at her. "I can tell Megumi-san's story." Kenshin nodded.
"Megumi-san was making opium for Kanryu against her will when we met her. She had made it here, but then Kanryu had threatened to put mercury in our well and burn down our dojo if she didn't come back. She went back, but then Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Yahiko went to get her back. Kenshin convinced her not to turn herself into the police and pay for the lives she had taken with her life, but by saving other lives as a doctor. She listened, and now works as a doctor in town."
"And now, lastly, what about the green-eyed man?" Lady Takani demanded.
'I have to hand it to her, she's a strong old lady.' Yahiko thought.
"That must be Chishio. He kidnapped Megumi-dono and used Kaoru as a hostage to kill me." Kenshin said. "He cut her hair and brought it with him as proof that he had her, and he was holding a knife to Kaoru's throat so that I wouldn't attack. When he dropped Kaoru and went to get Megumi-dono, I followed. We fought, and Megumi-dono got free. She left and got Sanosuke. He fought Chishio all by himself, beating him even though Chishio had a sword and he had only his fists."
"And what about Sanosuke's gambling and drinking?"
"He only gambles sometimes, with friends. He only drinks when he's really down. He's not that different from any other male." Kaoru said.
"That is the whole truth?" Kai asked. Simotaneously, Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko nodded.
"I... didn't expect this." Lady Takani said, an unreadable look on her face. She looked up.
"You must all be very good friends of Megumi-chan then, correct?"
"Hai." They all answered.
"Then, any friend of Megumi-chan's is welcomed by her mother." Lady Takani smiled. "It seems like you all have lead hard lives, but you are all connected by a bond of friendship. I cannot disrespect that. You are all- in the words of my daughter- upstanding members of society." Lady Takani smiled warmly at Kenshin for a minute.
"You probably even help the police force, correct? You seem like you are trying to atone, my boy." Kenshin nodded.
"Just one more question." Komakai said. "Why was Chishio after you in the first place?"
Dead silence.
"I..... I broke my vow to my dead wife." Kenshin said, looking down. "I killed a man. He had kidnapped Kaoru and threatened to kill her as slowly and painfully as possible. I had fought a few roomfuls of his confederates before I got to him. He was slicing off Kaoru's pinky finger as I walked in- he had cut it down to the bone. I was so angry at him for that, but he then licked the knife and later slashed her down her back as....." Kenshin briefly recalled the kiss he and Kaoru had shared. ".....as she protected me. The blow had been meant for me. I was furious, and I could no longer hold back my anger. I didn't flip the blade aimed for his neck over in time. It cut into his windpipe. Almost instant death." Kenshin said.
Lady Takani gentely grabbed Kenshin's hand.
"It's okay. You didn't mean to. If you had truly menat to kill him, and not felt any remorse, than I would be scared of you. You tried to stop. You are a good person." Kenshin looked at her.
"Would you honestly trust me with your life? I have killed so many poeple......."
"I would. I know that you have an honest heart. And- besides- anyone would get angry when someone hurt their finacee."
Yahiko snorted.
"Fiancee?! Busu and Kenshin are just friends." Yahiko nearly doubled over, laughing.
"Really?" Lady Takani seemed surprised. She glanced at Yahiko, then back to Kenshin and Kaoru, who were very obviously not looking at each other.
"I thought that you would be. You keep on glancing over at each other. I would have thought that you were fiancees!" Kaoru colored.
"We- we're not..." Kaoru said.
"What's with the disappointment?" Lady Takani asked as her two sons watched as their mother tried to figure out why Kenshin and Kaoru weren't fiancees.
"Do you not love each other? Is that it? No, it can't be, you two look at each other too much for it to be that...... Other lovers? No.... you're not the type.... Oh!" she exclaimed. "Was it a secret?" By this time both Kaoru and Kenshin were very red, though Kenshin hid it better than Kaoru.
'She's nearly sixty, but she acts like a twenty-year-old!' Kai thought.
"Forgive her." he said, seeing how uncomfortable she was making their hosts. "She imagines much." His mom looked at him.
"I do no-!"
"Gomen nasai!" he apologized.
"Not needed, Takani-san." Kaoru said, still red. "But maybe it is time for dinner?"
"Hai, Kaoru-san." Komakai said. "What's for dinner?"
"I can make some miso soup and rice balls." Kenshin said.
"That would be good- arigatou." Kai said, smiling. "But isn't cooking a woman's job?" he added, frowning a bit. He had almost forgotten that the man he was talking to was the legendary hitokiri, capable of killing him without standing up.
"Hai, but Kaoru lets me live here. The least I can do is cook while she teaches her students." Kenshin said, smiling. His smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Yeah, and we'd all be dead by now if Kenshin let busu cook!" Yahiko snorted. Kaoru hit him over the head with a bokken.
"What was that for!?"
"You know perfectly well what that was for!" Kaoru said. "I can cook!"
"Tastes terrible though!" Yahiko said.
"Kaoru's cooking tastes fine, Yahiko." Kenshin said, looking at the small boy. "Maybe I should get Megumi-dono and Sano."
"I'll get them. You go ahead and cook." Kai said, smiling. Kenshin nodded and stood. He left, followed by Kaoru.
"I'll help you look." Yahiko offered.
"I don't want to interfere with Kenshin cooking, so I'll help too. This is a big place." Komakai said. Lady Takani smilied.
"I don't want to interfere with them, so I'll start heading down to the dining area in a few minutes."
*Dining Hall*
Kaoru's face burned. She kept on recalling their conversation with Lady Takani in the other room.
'Did she really catch all those times I glanced at Kenshin? I didn't look at him any more than usual!' she thought. 'But, then again, I always do glance at him...' Even now she snuck a peek at the former assassin. His face was calm, but almost expressionless.
'How could she tell?' Kenshin thought wildly, his calm face not betraying the turbulent emotions within. 'I barely even glanced at Kaoru the whole meeting!' His eyes almost softened, but he hid it.
'Kaoru would turn me away if she found out. For now, it is enough to be close and to speak to her every day.'
'For now?' something in the back of his mind whispered to him. 'What about later? What abotu when she falls in love for the first time and marries the man? How will you be there on her wedding day, for you know that you wouldn't miss it for the world? How will you control yourself? How? How? How?' Kenshin's mind conjured up an image of Kaoru standing next to a man in a wedding kimono, and the man in the traditional wedding outfit as well. He mentally shook himself.
"She should be happy. Her happiness will never include me." he muttered to himself, the noise further banishing the image of Kaoru dressed for her wedding with another man.
"What was that Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, looking over at him. He looked up, a bit startled. He had forgotten that Kaoru was walking with him.
"Nothing Kaoru." he said as they reached the kitchen. "Nothing."
"So, Zanza is another name you know. He was part of the Seikio Army, and furious with the patriots for lying to his captain and then killing him for spreading their lie, which he believed to be the truth. Sanosuke vowed to get revenge for Captain Sagara, and even took his last name. He and I fought, and after he learned that I was still searching for the revolution that Captain Sagara had dreamed of, we became friends. We fight together when an enemy comes along. Megumi was different."
"Kenshin." Kaoru broke in. He looked at her. "I can tell Megumi-san's story." Kenshin nodded.
"Megumi-san was making opium for Kanryu against her will when we met her. She had made it here, but then Kanryu had threatened to put mercury in our well and burn down our dojo if she didn't come back. She went back, but then Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Yahiko went to get her back. Kenshin convinced her not to turn herself into the police and pay for the lives she had taken with her life, but by saving other lives as a doctor. She listened, and now works as a doctor in town."
"And now, lastly, what about the green-eyed man?" Lady Takani demanded.
'I have to hand it to her, she's a strong old lady.' Yahiko thought.
"That must be Chishio. He kidnapped Megumi-dono and used Kaoru as a hostage to kill me." Kenshin said. "He cut her hair and brought it with him as proof that he had her, and he was holding a knife to Kaoru's throat so that I wouldn't attack. When he dropped Kaoru and went to get Megumi-dono, I followed. We fought, and Megumi-dono got free. She left and got Sanosuke. He fought Chishio all by himself, beating him even though Chishio had a sword and he had only his fists."
"And what about Sanosuke's gambling and drinking?"
"He only gambles sometimes, with friends. He only drinks when he's really down. He's not that different from any other male." Kaoru said.
"That is the whole truth?" Kai asked. Simotaneously, Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko nodded.
"I... didn't expect this." Lady Takani said, an unreadable look on her face. She looked up.
"You must all be very good friends of Megumi-chan then, correct?"
"Hai." They all answered.
"Then, any friend of Megumi-chan's is welcomed by her mother." Lady Takani smiled. "It seems like you all have lead hard lives, but you are all connected by a bond of friendship. I cannot disrespect that. You are all- in the words of my daughter- upstanding members of society." Lady Takani smiled warmly at Kenshin for a minute.
"You probably even help the police force, correct? You seem like you are trying to atone, my boy." Kenshin nodded.
"Just one more question." Komakai said. "Why was Chishio after you in the first place?"
Dead silence.
"I..... I broke my vow to my dead wife." Kenshin said, looking down. "I killed a man. He had kidnapped Kaoru and threatened to kill her as slowly and painfully as possible. I had fought a few roomfuls of his confederates before I got to him. He was slicing off Kaoru's pinky finger as I walked in- he had cut it down to the bone. I was so angry at him for that, but he then licked the knife and later slashed her down her back as....." Kenshin briefly recalled the kiss he and Kaoru had shared. ".....as she protected me. The blow had been meant for me. I was furious, and I could no longer hold back my anger. I didn't flip the blade aimed for his neck over in time. It cut into his windpipe. Almost instant death." Kenshin said.
Lady Takani gentely grabbed Kenshin's hand.
"It's okay. You didn't mean to. If you had truly menat to kill him, and not felt any remorse, than I would be scared of you. You tried to stop. You are a good person." Kenshin looked at her.
"Would you honestly trust me with your life? I have killed so many poeple......."
"I would. I know that you have an honest heart. And- besides- anyone would get angry when someone hurt their finacee."
Yahiko snorted.
"Fiancee?! Busu and Kenshin are just friends." Yahiko nearly doubled over, laughing.
"Really?" Lady Takani seemed surprised. She glanced at Yahiko, then back to Kenshin and Kaoru, who were very obviously not looking at each other.
"I thought that you would be. You keep on glancing over at each other. I would have thought that you were fiancees!" Kaoru colored.
"We- we're not..." Kaoru said.
"What's with the disappointment?" Lady Takani asked as her two sons watched as their mother tried to figure out why Kenshin and Kaoru weren't fiancees.
"Do you not love each other? Is that it? No, it can't be, you two look at each other too much for it to be that...... Other lovers? No.... you're not the type.... Oh!" she exclaimed. "Was it a secret?" By this time both Kaoru and Kenshin were very red, though Kenshin hid it better than Kaoru.
'She's nearly sixty, but she acts like a twenty-year-old!' Kai thought.
"Forgive her." he said, seeing how uncomfortable she was making their hosts. "She imagines much." His mom looked at him.
"I do no-!"
"Gomen nasai!" he apologized.
"Not needed, Takani-san." Kaoru said, still red. "But maybe it is time for dinner?"
"Hai, Kaoru-san." Komakai said. "What's for dinner?"
"I can make some miso soup and rice balls." Kenshin said.
"That would be good- arigatou." Kai said, smiling. "But isn't cooking a woman's job?" he added, frowning a bit. He had almost forgotten that the man he was talking to was the legendary hitokiri, capable of killing him without standing up.
"Hai, but Kaoru lets me live here. The least I can do is cook while she teaches her students." Kenshin said, smiling. His smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Yeah, and we'd all be dead by now if Kenshin let busu cook!" Yahiko snorted. Kaoru hit him over the head with a bokken.
"What was that for!?"
"You know perfectly well what that was for!" Kaoru said. "I can cook!"
"Tastes terrible though!" Yahiko said.
"Kaoru's cooking tastes fine, Yahiko." Kenshin said, looking at the small boy. "Maybe I should get Megumi-dono and Sano."
"I'll get them. You go ahead and cook." Kai said, smiling. Kenshin nodded and stood. He left, followed by Kaoru.
"I'll help you look." Yahiko offered.
"I don't want to interfere with Kenshin cooking, so I'll help too. This is a big place." Komakai said. Lady Takani smilied.
"I don't want to interfere with them, so I'll start heading down to the dining area in a few minutes."
*Dining Hall*
Kaoru's face burned. She kept on recalling their conversation with Lady Takani in the other room.
'Did she really catch all those times I glanced at Kenshin? I didn't look at him any more than usual!' she thought. 'But, then again, I always do glance at him...' Even now she snuck a peek at the former assassin. His face was calm, but almost expressionless.
'How could she tell?' Kenshin thought wildly, his calm face not betraying the turbulent emotions within. 'I barely even glanced at Kaoru the whole meeting!' His eyes almost softened, but he hid it.
'Kaoru would turn me away if she found out. For now, it is enough to be close and to speak to her every day.'
'For now?' something in the back of his mind whispered to him. 'What about later? What abotu when she falls in love for the first time and marries the man? How will you be there on her wedding day, for you know that you wouldn't miss it for the world? How will you control yourself? How? How? How?' Kenshin's mind conjured up an image of Kaoru standing next to a man in a wedding kimono, and the man in the traditional wedding outfit as well. He mentally shook himself.
"She should be happy. Her happiness will never include me." he muttered to himself, the noise further banishing the image of Kaoru dressed for her wedding with another man.
"What was that Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, looking over at him. He looked up, a bit startled. He had forgotten that Kaoru was walking with him.
"Nothing Kaoru." he said as they reached the kitchen. "Nothing."