Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Golden Protection: The love of Battousai ❯ Incident at the marketplace ( Chapter 1 )

 

 

 

Kamiya Kaoru walked around the market place in the late afternoon sun. Her classes done and taught for the day, she had come here to gather vegetables for dinner and meals for the next few days to come. She looked into the small money purse she kept with her tucked into the folds of her obi. She sighed, the extra classes she was teaching were helping and bringing in money, but it wasn't enough to afford much more than the essentials.

 

Looks like we'll have to deal with those vegetables again, she mused silently as she looked at the produce just days shy of going bad. She hated purchasing them but knew that she couldn't afford the ones of much better quality, and taste, she added ruefully. She just didn't have enough money for that, and as annoyed as she got a Sanosuke for spending the money he occasionally got on sake and women, well she just wasn't willing to ask him to pitch in anymore than he already was. He and the others were her guests, her family. She would take care of them, that she would.

 

Kaoru rolled her blue eyes skyward. Good kami she was even thinking like Kenshin now. She smiled at herself as she moved through the crowd. She loved him, Kenshin, rurouni, battousai and all. Now if only she had the courage to tell him. No, she shook her head and moved between two buildings to escape a group of rather rambunctious young children. If she told him, she was afraid he would leave again, and though she had gone after him and he had returned to her after going to Kyoto; she just couldn't take the chance that he would leave again.

 

Kaoru smiled in thanks and paid the vendor as she took up her bag of vegetables and was forced to move between a different alleyway between buildings. This time it was a group of young teenage boys that reminded her much of Yahiko, that boy could be so annoying, but she wouldn't give him up for the world. Just like Sano and Kenshin, Yahiko was an inseparable part of her mismatched family now, they all had been for quite some time and she couldn't thank the rurouni enough for bringing them into her life.

 

The assistant-master gasped and whimpered softly as she felt herself suddenly grabbed by a pair of rough hands and thrown again a wall of one of the buildings in a dark corner of the alley. She could smell the heavy alcohol on the large man's breath and tried to fight him off as he pressed against her, his hand covered her mouth, silencing her muffled cries. She whimpered, her body trembling as she struggled against him and heard a dull tearing sound, her eyes flying to the side to see a small rip made in the shoulder of her gi.

 

“A wench dressed up all like you, just begs to be touched.”

 

His breath was horrible, rotten even and nearly choked her it was so heavy with liquor. Kaoru felt her stomach twist violently with nausea as the man's hands touched her breasts through her clothing, his knee between her thighs. She felt his hands move again and tug at where her gi disappeared into her hakama and she felt tears pooling in her eyes as she felt the shirt give slightly and rip. She whimpered in relief when the amount of alcohol consumed forced the man unconscious and he fell away from her to the ground at her feet. She stood shaking, trembling for a moment, her breath hitching as she found herself frozen to the spot. Was he still awake? Was he faking it? Would he attack her again if she turned her back?

 

Deciding to take the chance, Kaoru snatched up the bag of vegetables from where it had fallen during her attack and dashed from the alley, nearly bowling over an elderly couple in her rush. Apologizing profusely, but not waiting to see if her hasty words were accepted or even heard, she ran as fast as she could in the direction of her dojo and home. Her home held safety, but more importantly, her home held Kenshin. She sniffled as she raced over the bridge. She was strong damnit! She didn't need some man to take care of her or make her feel safe.

 

She could still feel the touch of the man's dirty hands on her and shook violently as she came to a stop in front of the gates to her property. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep, though trembling breaths. Get a hold of yourself Kaoru. He didn't hurt you, he just scared you. You're tougher than this. Nothing really happened so there's no need acting like it did. You're fine. See, you're fine. Now only if she could get her suddenly ice cold hands to stop shaking.

 

Kaoru clenched her fists, one wrapped tightly around the handle of the bag, the other clenched tight enough to feel her nails digging sharply into her palms. The young woman took another long, deep breath. She was fine. She was fine. Now if only she could make herself believe it. Pasting on a false smile, reminiscent of her usual smile, she opened the gate and stepped inside. She was fine.

 

Her steps were measured, steady as she struggled not to simply run into the house and fling herself into Kenshin's arms as she desperately wanted to. She was scared, so scared. Kaoru felt the bile rise in her throat again as she felt the ghost hands of her attacker touch her again. Kami, she wanted a bath, a really long, very hot bath. Closing her eyes, she stilled her trembling hands with great effort and forced her nearly boneless legs to walk her calmly into the house and into the kitchen.

 

“How were classes Miss Kaoru?” the woman gasped behind him and it only served to reinforce the feeling that something was not quite right with her. Kenshin just couldn't quite put his finger on what it was though.

 

“They went alright,” she said and she watched as his head turned sharply to look at her.

 

Her blue eyes were open wide, but that wasn't what had drawn his immediate attention. No that honor was left to the fear he heard in her voice causing her normal steady tone to tremble slightly. Her blue eyes looked at him, looked into his violet eyes and whether she was aware of it or not, her eyes were begging him to hold her. She was scared. Kenshin wiped his hands slowly on the plain white apron he wore and stepped slowly to her. Taking the bag from her too cold hand, he set it aside on the counter.

 

Moving slowly so as not to frighten her more, Kenshin put his hands on her shoulders and drew her carefully into his arms. Wrapping her up, giving her time to push him away if she wished as he did so, he wrapped his arms around the small and middle of her back. He could feel the stiffness in her body that, while not telling him to move away, told him that she had been spooked rather badly. What could frighten her like that, he wondered.

 

“You're home now Miss Kaoru, that you are,” he spoke to her softly, soothingly as he held her and stroked the length of her ponytail.

 

Her head moved slowly, jerkily to his shoulder, her face turning into his neck as she took in his smell, her warm breath puffing against his skin. Her shaking hands moved up and grasped onto the back of his gi in a desperate hold. The woman trembled in his arms as he deftly, slowly undid the strap that held her ponytail in place, allowing her long dark hair to fall down over her back as he stroked her hair gently.

 

“Shhh,” he whispered to her, the soothing comfort no more than a soft breath.

 

Violet eyes speckled with fierce gold looked up at the feel of another presence in the room and found Sano standing there with a worried look in his face. Unbeknownst to the woman in the rurouni's arms, the fighter had seen her mad dash across the bridge and her fight for composure at the gate. He was worried, Missy, as he liked to call her, was as close to a sister as he had ever and probably would ever have and he was protective of her. So was Kenshin.

 

Looking into Kenshin's eyes, he saw the battousai just beneath the surface, the deadly side of Kenshin's persona coming out in the fierce need to protect the woman in his arms. Kaoru felt the fear and adrenalin rush leave her as the safety of Kenshin and home wrapped around her, comforted her. She tried to fight it, but failed and in moments was sound asleep in his arms. Both of the men standing silently, one holding her, the other looking on in concern, noticed her lack of consciousness and focused on the small woman even more intently.

 

“Here, give her to me,” Sano said keeping his voice soft. “I'll take her to her room; the food is starting to burn.”

 

Kenshin nodded, and though reluctant to release her, handed the sleeping woman over the fighter. Sano carefully and quietly took the woman from Kenshin, cradled her in his arms, and carried her against his chest down to her room. Opening the shoji door quietly with his foot, he carried her inside and tucked her into her futon. Whatever had frightened her had left her exhausted. Closing the door as he left, he saw Yahiko coming his way.

 

“Not one word to her brat,” he said to the boy as he caught and held the boy's eyes. “Leave her alone.”

 

Puzzled, but unwilling to go against the intense seriousness and fierce protectiveness in the man's gaze, Yahiko nodded. Sano returned to the kitchen and took up the job that Kaoru normally would have done of helping the red haired man to peel vegetables.

 

“I don't think I've ever seen her that spooked,” Sano said quietly, worried.

 

“Neither have I,” Kenshin said and it was then as the men's eyes met that Sano noticed there was more gold then purple in the rurouni's eyes.

 

“Do you want to wake her for dinner?” he asked his friend carefully.

 

“No. I'll take her food later. For now let her rest.”

 

Kenshin's mind wandered back to the woman that not moments before he had been holding, comforting. She hadn't said one word about what had happened and it was that fact alone that bothered him most. Generally the woman's fear would turn to fury, but it wasn't so this time. No this time her fear had stayed as fear, and though she tried to hide it, it just would not leave her.

 

The voice of the battousai inside of him raged at him for standing in the kitchen and cooking when he should be in that room holding the sleeping woman. She was his; the battousai part of him had claimed her long ago, long before his trip to Kyoto. The way she had trembled in his arms, it had worried and enraged him all at once. Whoever it was that dared to put his Kaoru in such a state would surely be met with his sword.

 

 

 

Declining to dine with the others, Kenshin fixed a small tray with food and cups of water for him and Kaoru and carried it silently into her bedroom. The sun was setting, casting long shadows through the thin paper cover of the shoji doors and Kenshin set the tray carefully on the floor before moving to light a candle on the desk. Returning to the tray and Kaoru's side, he slowly sat next to the sleeping woman beside her futon.

 

“Kaoru,” he called to her gently, leaving off the `Miss'. “Kaoru wake up,” he reached his hand out and gently moved her hair out her face. “You need to eat.”

 

“Ugnn…what?” she groaned softly as she slowly returned to the waking world, her sleep blissfully dreamless.

 

“You need to eat,” he repeated softly.

 

“Eat?” she questioned, her mind not fully comprehending what he wanted her to do.

 

He reached over her slowly, careful not to startle her and helped her sit up. He watched as she brought fisted hands up to rub at her eyes before looking at him, her eyes growing large when she did. Kenshin's eyes, his usually beautiful violet eyes weren't violet. One was pure gold and the other was mostly gold with flecks of violet, both orbs looking at her in concern. One had reached up and touched his scarred cheek hesitantly.

 

“B-Battousai?” she questioned worried at what had brought this side of his personality out.

 

He didn't answer her, only tipped his head up and kissed her brow. Lifting the tray, he moved it to sit on her lap and placed a small cup of soup in her hands hoping to warm them. He handed her a pair of chopsticks and lifted a pair of his own along with his own cup of soup. They ate and drank in silence until the food was gone and the tray once again set aside.

 

“Kaoru,” he spoke her name softly. “What happened today? What upset you?”

 

The woman didn't answer him, just dropped her troubled and frightened eyes to her blanket covered lap. Nothing really happened did it? She asked herself that same question over and over again. Her mind replayed the events in full color and she began trembling again, fisting her hands in a fruitless effort to keep them still. Nothing had really happened; she'd just been frightened that was all. She felt ashamed at how she had reacted in her fear, but her thoughts were stilled when she felt Kenshin's strong warm arms wrap around her and hold her to his chest.

 

“Please Kaoru, please tell me what happened,” he begged her as he stroked her hair.

 

“I…I-it was nothing…it doesn't matter,” she spoke, her voice barely a whisper, but the man still able to catch her hesitant words.

 

“If it was nothing it would not have frightened you so much,” he spoke wisely, as he did what he could to comfort her.

 

“Please,” she spoke softly. “I just - I don't want to talk about it right now.”

 

The battousai sighed but held her and petted her hair. “Alright,” he allowed her softly. “I'll grant you your reprieve for now, but you will tell me,” he told her gently, his voice soft though stern. “You need more sleep,” he told her when she yawned against his shoulder.

 

Without releasing her completely, he laid her back on her pillow and covered her with her blanket. He held her hand and stayed faithfully by her side until she returned to sleep once more. Breathing deeply, he gently moved the hand that he held and laid it gently on her stomach on top of the cover. Lifting the tray, he exited her room with nary a sound, extinguishing the light from her candle as he left.

 

“What did she say?” Sano asked as he watched Kenshin walk into the kitchen, Yahiko already turned in for the night.

 

“She didn't,” Kenshin said as he set the tray on the counter and handed the dishes to Sano, surprised to see the fighter already washing the dishes.

 

“Didn't you ask her?” Sano asked with a questioning furrow of his dark brows.

 

“I did,” the shorter man answered softly, the violet returning to his eyes slowly. “She didn't want to talk about it just yet. That she did not,” he added on slowly, nearly silently.