Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Fell Down the Well ❯ Chapter 1

Fell Down the Well

 

Summary: Poor Kenshin falls down the well, and can't seem to get out of it. So how does the Kenshin-gumi get him out?

 

“Ah! There we go. As white as snow!”

 

Himura Kenshin held up the last of his soapy towels, and smiled at the work he had done. Now all that was needed done was the rinsing and hanging up. He set the towel on top of the others, and took his bucket to the well.

 

It was a nice spring morning. Everyone was doing his or her chores. Myojin Yahiko was sweeping with his wooden sword tied around his back, Kamiya Kaoru was at the market getting the groceries, and Kenshin was stuck with the laundry. Somehow he always got stuck with the laundry or going to the market. He was happy today he didn't have to, though, because that would mean Kaoru would carry all the heavy things home.

 

Kenshin dipped the bucket deep, deep inside the well. The water had gone towards the bottom, and he had to dip it further each time. Sooner or later the well would fill up again, he just didn't know when.

 

As Kenshin filled the last of his rinsing water, Yahiko finished up his own chores.

 

“I'm going to the Akabeko.” Yahiko called to Kenshin running towards the gate.

 

“But aren't you supposed to train today, Yahiko?” Kenshin asked.

 

“Kaoru won't come home for awhile, and she'll probably be sore.” Yahiko said. He then added with a smile, “She's got to get all the heavy spices at the same time.”

 

Kenshin smiled. He was right. Kaoru was going to be a little tired, so he guessed he could let Yahiko go. Kenshin watched as Yahiko left through the gates, before he turned back to his water.

 

He got up, and stretched a little. He then bent down and grabbed the water. As he brought it back up, he lost his balance. Kenshin dropped the water, and fell backwards.

 

He fell right into the well.

 

It took Kenshin a second to realize he was falling, before he stopped himself by moving his arms and legs out. So now he was stuck in the well, in a very cramped position. He tried to reach up, but when he moved his arms, he'd just slip further and further into the well. So he tried his legs, and the same thing happened. This was a very big problem.

 

`Which means this one can't get the laundry done…' Kenshin thought. `Kaoru's going to kill this one.'

 

So as Kenshin tried to inch his way out of the well, Kaoru came home with all the heavy spices and other little things they needed at the market. She set them down, and stopped to rub her back a little. She took a look around. Yahiko's chores were finished, and she did see him going towards the Akabeko. She was too sore, at the moment to worry about training, but where was Kenshin?

 

“He should have hung the laundry up by now.” She said to herself quietly. Unfortunately low enough, so Kenshin couldn't hear.

 

She picked up the spices and headed inside the dojo, oblivious to Kenshin stuck inside the well.

 

But Kaoru looked inside the house too. No one was in the kitchen where she dropped off the things. No one was in the Dojo rooms, or even bedrooms. She knocked on the bathroom door, and found no answer back. She looked in the back of the dojo, but Kenshin wasn't there either. Kenshin was nowhere to be found in the dojo. Kaoru took a break on the steps to think.

 

As she did this, Kenshin was slowly sinking deeper. Moving made him slip, and he was starting to get cramped up. This was not a good thing. If he were to just give up, he could hit the bottom, and maybe never get up.

 

So Kenshin decided to wait. Maybe he would hear someone, and he could call out. He didn't want to feel stupid and call out to no one, so he decided to wait till he was sure someone was there. He only hoped Kaoru was coming home soon, but unknown to him she already was at the Dojo. And now it looked like she was going to leave.

 

`Maybe he went to the market, and I just didn't see him. I should run out and check…'

 

Kaoru got up and left through the gates. Unfortunately Kenshin didn't hear the gates swing open or close. He just wasn't having a lucky morning.

 

But maybe his luck would change, for someone came through the gates and they closed them pretty loudly. Kenshin's heart started to beat faster. He might finally be able to get out.

 

The raven-haired doctor looked around the dojo. “Hello? Is anyone here?” She called out loudly.

 

Kenshin smiled, and almost waved his hands around. But he caught himself so he didn't fall. “Megumi-dono! This one is down here!” He yelled.

 

Takani Megumi looked around. She could have sworn she just heard her name. She rubbed her head. `Maybe I'm working too hard…' She thought.

 

She turned around for the gates, when she heard someone calling again. “Please don't leave, Megumi-dono. This one is stuck in the well.”

 

Megumi heard that one clearly, and went towards the well. She looked down, and there Kenshin was. Her eyes went wide, when she saw his smiling face. “Hello, Megumi-dono.”

 

“Ken-san! How did you get down there?” Megumi asked worriedly.

 

“This one just fell.” Kenshin said. “This one thinks he just lost his balance.”

 

“Don't worry, Ken-san, I'll figure a way to get you back up.”

 

Megumi hurriedly left through the gates, leaving Kenshin all alone. He didn't like being alone. But he wouldn't be for long; Yahiko came back through with Tsubame. They had just seen Megumi run out, and wondered what she was doing here, and why she looked so worried.

 

“It's weird to see Megumi looked that worried.” Yahiko said.

 

“Yes, I wonder why she was running like that.” Tsubame said.

 

Kenshin heard Tsubame's voice. “Tsubame-chan!”

 

Tsubame heard her name, but didn't see anyone. Yahiko pulled out his wooden sword just in case.

 

Kenshin didn't hear anyone answering back, so he thought it would be best to call out his location, or dilemma if you would call it one. “This one is stuck in the well!”

 

Tsubame and Yahiko recognized that voice. It was the only polite person they really knew. They ran for the well, and peered down. There was Kenshin, still with a little smile on his face, although he really was starting to cramp up and it was starting to hurt even more.

 

“How did you get down there, Kenshin?” Yahiko asked.

 

“This one fell.” Kenshin replied.

 

“We should go get someone.” Tsubame said.

 

“Please don't leave this one.” Kenshin said. “It would seem everyone else already has.”

 

Yahiko thought. “Well… Tsubame can stay here. I'm going to go find Sanosuke.”

 

Yahiko left through the gates, and Tsubame took a seat next to the well. She kneeled down, and looked down at Kenshin. He was struggling with his arms, because they were starting to hurt. He was moving around just a little, to find a more comfortable position. “Umm…Kenshin-san? Do you need anything?” Tsubame asked.

 

This question made Kenshin laugh; even through he was in such a fix. “No, no…this one doesn't need anything yet.”

 

Tsubame blushed at the stupid question.

 

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Meanwhile Yahiko bumped into Sanosuke. Sanosuke was going towards the dojo to see if he could get a free meal, since it was around breakfast and all. “What's wrong, Yahiko?” Sanosuke asked.

 

Yahiko took a second to breathe. “Kenshin fell into a well!” He gasped. He was out of breath from all the running.

 

“Nani ka?” Sanosuke asked.

 

The two of them started to run back to the dojo.

 

--------

 

Megumi, though, was looking for Sanosuke too, but couldn't find him. He was the tallest out of the Kenshin-gumi, and could probably reach Kenshin inside the well. But as she looked for him she feared Kenshin was slowly slipping deeper into the well. And you never knew what was down there really.

 

But luckily she did find Kaoru, who was looking for Kenshin around Tokyo. Megumi ran up to her.

 

“Kaoru! You have to come to the Dojo!” Megumi gasped, grabbing onto Kaoru's kimono.

 

“Why?” Kaoru said.

 

Megumi started to pull her into a run. “Ken-san's stuck in the well!”

 

Kaoru didn't need to be pulled anymore. She started to run by herself.

 

--------

 

Sanosuke took his moment to laugh. He would have never thought the great Kenshin, AKA Battousai, could ever get himself into this kind of predicament. After a few glares, and Kenshin's little `Oro', he finally stopped and wiped the tears off his face and eyes.

 

“So, Kenshin, how long do you plan on staying in there?” Sanosuke teased.

 

Kenshin sighed. “Please Sanosuke, this one isn't in the mood to laugh.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Sanosuke said. He bent down, and tried to reach down into the well for him, but his hand was a few inches away from touching him. He tried to reach lower, but he still couldn't reach. “I can't reach you.” Sanosuke said, bringing his arm back up.

 

“Try harder!” Yahiko said, giving Sanosuke a little kick.

 

“Hey!” Sanosuke said angrily. “It's not my fault he got stuck in the well! So don't kick me!”

 

“Yeah well it's your fault if Ken-san slips down and he dies!”

 

Megumi and Kaoru just ran through the gates. Kaoru looked worried, and Megumi looked between irritated and anxious. Kaoru ran to the well. And gasped when she saw Kenshin's, now not smiling, face. She hoped somehow someone could get him out.

 

“Hello Kaoru-dono.” Kenshin said wearily. He grew tired of being down here, and now it felt like his arms were going to be permanently stuck this way.

 

“Kenshin! I'm sorry! I ran right past you when I was here earlier!” Kaoru cried.

 

“You were here earlier?” Everyone asked.

 

“Hai, and I didn't even see Kenshin.” Kaoru said.

 

“It's okay Kaoru-dono, but this one is kind of cramping up…a lot…can you help this one?” Kenshin asked.

 

“Well I can't reach him.” Sanosuke said. “So why don't we just leave him there.”

 

“Oro!”

 

“NO!” Kaoru, Megumi, and Yahiko yelled. Tsubame felt like she was going to cry.

 

“Hey, hey! I was just kidding!” Sanosuke said defensively.

 

“This is not a time to be joking, Sanosuke-san…” Tsubame said, a tear rolling down her face.

 

“Now your making Tsubame-chan cry!” Megumi yelled angrily. She pulled Tsubame into a hug.

 

Sanosuke kicked at the ground with nothing to say.

 

“Hey…” Kaoru said. “Yahiko let Sanosuke lower you down, and you get Kenshin.”

 

“Why me?” Yahiko asked.

 

“Because you're the lightest. Sanosuke would be able to pull the both of you up.”

 

It was good thing Kaoru came up with a plan, because no one else was getting anywhere. So Sanosuke grabbed onto Yahiko's ankles, and slowly lowered him down to Kenshin. Kenshin couldn't really move his hands or arms, without slipping down the well even more, so he told Yahiko to grab his own ankles.

 

Yahiko held them securely. “Alright, I got him! Pull me up!”

 

Sanosuke pulled the both of them up with ease. Kenshin got out, but didn't get up. Sanosuke tried pulling him up, but that hurt Kenshin even more. His arms hurt, his legs hurt, and it felt like everything was just cramped and hurting. So he just lay on the ground.

 

Kaoru got down and hugged him though.

 

“I'm so glad your safe!” She cried.

 

“Oro…” Kenshin said. “This one is happy too, but he also still hurts…”

 

Tsubame was walked back to the Akabeko with Yahiko, as Megumi checked Kenshin out. Sanosuke waited in the front for her.

 

“No broken bones. You're just very stiff.” Megumi said. “I would try relaxing and putting some ice on the parts that hurt most.”

 

Kenshin nodded, and Megumi left with Sanosuke. Kenshin stretched his sore muscles, and rubbed his ankles. It was then, he remembered, he still had his chores to finish. The laundry wasn't going to rinse and dry themselves out.

 

“You are not going near that well again!” Kaoru said, pulling Kenshin into the house. “I'll finish the laundry, you go relax.”

 

Kenshin was dragged into his room, and forced to lie down. He did really want to finish the laundry though. I mean it was his chore to do that day. But he figured he would let Kaoru handle it.

 

He only hoped she too didn't fall into the well. This thought didn't settle in his head, as he drifted off to sleep.