Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ In These Final Hours ❯ Discovering the Layers ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I, Zelda Elaine Helena Wulf, do not own Kenshin. Shinta, on the other hand… ::whacked with a gavel:: … OW! ::rubs head:: Ok, so I don't own him, either.

In These Final Hours: Discovering the Layers

Alternate Title: So sweet, yet so wonderfully vicious

Are you sure you know what you're doing?

Kaoru drifted through the palace, watching it burn.

You're getting ahead of yourself.

She found her bokken lying in the grass and bent over to grasp it. With mild surprise she realized that it was really on the other side of the clearing.

It's useless. Leave it.

With determination, she reached for it again, and after a little shuffling finally managed to grasp it. She lifted it and found nothing in her hands.

You're facing the wrong direction.

She raised her head and watched as Kenshin approached her. He was speaking to her, but the words drifted away on the wind before reaching her ears. Fighting the gale, she held a hand out to him. He looked at it sadly and grasped it. The touch was warm and startling, making everything around her feel fuzzy and indistinct. The winds tossed them around each other, loosening his grip on her hand.

Save him.

Her guts twisted with fear and she groped for him, her fingers raking through his body. Tears made her hands slippery, but she managed to push him away in time, pain erupting through her. He fell back, confusion written over his face.

Pay attention!

She closed her eyes. The pain throbbed in time with her heartbeat.

Kaoru, pay attention!

He was safe.

And what about you, you impudent girl?! Did you listen to one word I said?!

Was he? Suddenly she wasn't sure. She sat up quickly as a crash jolted her senses into overdrive.

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Kaoru stared at the dragon and phoenix tapestry hanging on the opposite wall in confusion, her breath labored. Since when had that been in her room? Did her mother sneak it in when she wasn't looking? It certainly was beautiful, she noted approvingly, rubbing the crust of sleep from her eyes and placing a hand to her erratically beating chest. Her father was known to spring little surprises like this on her, too. She should ask him later if he wasn't busy.

"Oroooo," a wavering voice moaned from the next room.

She gritted her teeth as everything from the day before flew through her mind in a fraction of a second. Then, reeling with sleep and confusion, she tumbled out of the bed and to the door next to the tapestry. She fumbled with the unfamiliar handle and wrenched it open to enter Kenshin's room.

"Kenshin, what-?" she broke off at the sight that met her fuzzy eyes. Her dignified prince was lying in a heap in the middle of his floor, the canopy of his bed halfway torn from the posts and keeping a firm grip on one of his legs. He twisted his head around to get a clearer look at her and smiled.

"Oh, good morning, Ms. Kaoru. I'm sorry if I woke you," he stated, propping himself up on an elbow. Kaoru collapsed against the doorframe as the adrenaline that had been pounding through her since the nightmare drained away. She watched the prince attempt to shake his foot free of the entanglement for a few fruitless moments before trudging across the room to help him.

"What on earth were you doing?" she demanded, grasping his ankle firmly and unwinding the cloth with deft fingers. Kenshin chuckled and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I was training, that I was," he said, "I slipped on the last rebound."

Kaoru shot him a doubtful look and stood. It was unlikely a man who moved as effortlessly as he did would just slip. She offered him a hand up and he took it gratefully. It was only then she noticed the sword he still held in the other. She hadn't noticed because it seemed too much like an extension of his arm. Her questions about what had really happened flew from her head when she studied it.

"Your sword," she gestured to it, turning puzzled eyes on him.

"Ah, yes," Kenshin wandered to his bedside and retrieved its sheath, "It is a reverse blade."

Kaoru was about to ask him why he would carry such a sword when he suddenly offered her the robe lying on the end of his bed. She looked at it dumbly for a moment before she felt her face heat in embarrassment. With a mumbled thanks, she snatched it from his hand and wrapped it around the thin nightdress she was wearing. Noble or not, she was not a girl to run into strange men's rooms in just a nightshirt. Half of her was embarrassed that a silly nightmare could rattle her so badly. The other half was just flat out embarrassed.

"Do you always train this early?" she asked, desperate to shift the attention away from her lack of dress and sense.

"Yes," Kenshin shrugged, "I usually train for an hour before going down and helping out in the kitchen. They won't let me help with the laundry, but they'll allow a few carrots to be chopped."

Kaoru grinned despite herself at the almost petulant expression on his face, "Why won't they let you do the laundry?" she asked.

"They say it isn't proper for a prince to do. Especially since there are so many people hired to do it."

Kaoru frowned, "Do you like doing laundry?"

Kenshin looked startled and nodded after a moment.

She flipped a hand at him, "Well, then I don't see any reason why you can't help out. They should be grateful you're so down to earth."

The corners of his mouth twitched into an amused smile and she thought it must have been the first time someone had taken his complaint seriously. She beamed at him and suggested they go down together and see if she couldn't talk some sense into the staff. He agreed readily and waited while she changed. When she was ready, they headed down the halls and stairways in companionable silence.

"Good morning, Kenshin," Tae called immediately when they walked into the kitchen. When she saw Kaoru with him the smile faltered. The room grew deathly silent as all eyes trained onto the new person.

"I mean, good morning, my prince," Tae corrected herself softly, watching Kaoru with cautious eyes.

Kaoru scowled at her, "What? You think I mind? I had to save this idiot from his canopy ruffle this morning," she huffed, shooting an annoyed glance in Kenshin's direction. He wilted slightly under the verbal abuse but kept smiling.

"I said I was sorry, Ms. Kaoru," he pleaded good naturedly, "I did not mean to wake you."

"It sounded like you were being attacked by an army!" she flung her hands above her head dramatically, "And that was with a wall to muffle the noise."

"Oro," he muttered dejectedly.

"And what do you mean, 'oro?!'" she demanded teasingly. He grinned helplessly and shook his head. There was a collective sigh of relief from the room as the servants assessed where Kaoru stood. Soon the kitchen was rumbling with noise as the main focus returned once again to the morning meal.

"I'm glad to see you two are already comfortable with each other," Tae said with a laugh, tucking a set of menus under her arm. She'd been in the middle of going over the final details of the evening banquet with the servers when they'd come in.

"Just in time, too," she went on happily.

Kaoru's smile turned puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"There is a small ball tonight," Kenshin supplied readily.

Kaoru felt the color drain from her face.

"What?"

Tae shoved a warm mug of tea into her hands while Kenshin found her a clean stool to rest on. Kaoru's eyes glazed over with shock for a moment before she was back up and sputtering.

"What do you mean, there's a 'small ball' tonight?!" she demanded, letting out a small yelp as hot tea sloshed onto her hand.

"I didn't tell you last night because I didn't want you to worry about it," Tae said apologetically as Kenshin nodded, "I wanted you to get a good night's sleep."

Kaoru's cheeks puffed with anger, "What difference would it have made? I didn't sleep well anyway!" she pointed an accusatory finger in Kenshin's direction, "Not with you banging around,"

Kenshin's pleasant smile stayed plastered to his face as he firmly grasped her by the elbow and steered her around and back out of the kitchen.

"Why don't we go see where your brother is, Ms. Kaoru?" he suggested, "I think he's training. Maybe you could join him."

"Maybe I could," she agreed, shaking his hand from her arm and stomping ahead.

Tae followed them to the door, stuffing a bag of pastries in Kenshin's hand as they left. Kaoru waited for him impatiently, her fists planted on her hips. As much as she wanted to get away from him at the moment, she wouldn't have been able to find the barracks to save her life. The palace was still too unfamiliar. That line of thinking brought her right back to why she was mad. She couldn't believe they would keep this kind of information from her. She hadn't been here an entire day yet and already they expected her to attend a ball. There would be dignitaries there whom she'd be expected to flatter and didn't know. Her father hadn't been interested in keeping her up-to-date on politics and she hadn't complained. She knew a little of the country's politics thanks to her mother's "meal conversations," but if it came to a foreign ambassador or princess, she was dead.

"Mou," she muttered darkly as she thought of all the different embarrassing things that could happen, "Maybe the stupid disaster will happen tonight. Then at least I can go home afterwards and escape the stares." Whatever twitchiness Kenshin had made her feel last night was firmly quashed under the weight of frustration she was feeling.

"Ms. Kaoru?" Kenshin approached her tentatively. Kaoru favored him with a glower. "I am very sorry about deceiving you, that I am," he went on softly. She fought to keep her anger as he watched her with such sorrowful eyes. He didn't like deception any better than she did, apparently.

He wasn't making this easy.

After another minutes of glaring at the wall, she finally deflated with a sigh

"It's ok, Kenshin," she said, feeling tired, "You were trying to look out for me... I guess," she added the second part grudgingly. She was rewarded for her efforts with a genuine smile. Blinking with surprise, she let him lead her through the maze of halls without protest. Until now she hadn't really noticed it, but Kenshin wasn't much different from Soujiro.

She glanced at him thoughtfully out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly she was aware of layers to him that she couldn't even begin to touch. Was she willing to invest the time to peel them back? She would be stuck on him like a shadow from now on, after all.

Kaoru sneaked another look at his profile and quickly studied the tapestries lining the walls. Well, if she did, it would only be because knowing what made him tick could give her a better clue of what the prophecy was… prophesizing. Of course. Right.

She lightly knocked the side of her head with a fist and sighed.

She really was hopeless.

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"Wait, wait," Sano held his hands out forestallingly, "You mean you woke up because Kenshin, here, slipped and fell while training?"

Kaoru nodded reluctantly. When you said it with that tone of voice, anything would sound less than likely.

"Kenshin, you are getting careless," Soujiro observed cheerfully as he swiped a cloth over his face.

"Ah," the prince replied, sipping carefully from a mug of water.

They were sitting in the shade of the side of the barracks after a long morning of training. Rather, Sou and Kaoru were sitting. Sano was lounging on his back in the grass and Kenshin stood primly next to the wall. Kaoru fluffed the front of her shirt absently, thinking over the situation anew. Her brother's skepticism made her look at it from an entirely different angle. Why would someone as god-like in moves as Kenshin slip so fantastically?

"You look like a raccoon, missy," Sano noted with a smirk, "What's with the dark circles?"

Kaoru's hand flew involuntarily to her face and she blushed, "Er, I didn't sleep very well last night," she was reluctant to admit that she'd been plagued and terrified by nightmares she could only half remember. It just didn't sound appropriate coming from the girl specifically responsible for the prince's life.

Sano's grin turned devilish, "I don't believe it. Sou, your little sister hasn't been here a full day and already she's worrying over a cute boy. Well, don't bother, missy. They won't be interested in a scruffy little tomboy like you."

Any further comment was cut off by point of Kaoru's practice sword at his throat.

"Sanosuke, please leave my sister alone. It's none of your business if she's taken a fancy to someone," Soujiro admonished smartly before turning an understanding smile on his 'dear' sister. Kaoru felt her face turn about as red as the prince's hair. She was more than ready to reveal the truth of the matter now. Nothing could be more embarrassing than the two of them when they put their minds to it.

"Shut up, rooster-head," she snapped before studying the bottom of her water cup, "I had a few nightmares," she admitted.

Sano's expression turned from mocking to smug and Kaoru glared. Of course that was what they'd been trying for the whole time with the little game. They did it all the time at home. She resisted the urge to squirm under their gazes. She'd never been able to keep anything secret from them if they felt like investigating. It was pretty annoying, actually.

"A nightmare, huh?" he stood and fixed her with a lazy stare, chewing thoughtfully on a blade of grass, "What about?"

"I don't remember," she huffed, feeling very young for her age. Big brothers were too good at that.

"Well maybe it was a good thing Kenshin slipped when he did," Sou pointed out happily as he stood to refill his cup from the well.

"Yeah. Pretty convenient, if you ask me," Sano agreed with a drawl before sauntering off after Soujiro.

"Well nobody did!" she taunted to his back. He ignored her.

"They give me too much credit," Kenshin sighed and sat carefully on the ground next to her. Kaoru watched him take another precise sip from his cup and felt a smile tug at his lips. Anyone who took that much care when just drinking wouldn't just fall. Unless he meant to.

"Thanks," she murmured, flashing him a smile. It was nice to know someone was looking out for her. And in a non provoking manner, for a change. Though, when she thought about it, their positions so far seemed to be fairly reversed. Wasn't she supposed to be the one looking out for him? Well, she had the perfect opportunity tonight to prove herself, she thought ruefully. She'd be the perfect escort if it killed her. No one was going to say she wasn't doing her job right, not with so many people who would never let her live it down if she didn't.

"For what, Ms. Kaoru?" Kenshin turned wide purple eyes on her and she laughed.

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Sanosuke gave a low whistle as she stepped out of her room. Kaoru glared at him and with an expert flick of her fan, hid her face from view. The last thing she needed right now was him giving her a hard time. Though, on second thought, maybe it would take her mind off the doubts bouncing around the inside of her skull.

"Sano, you should be ashamed of yourself," Tae admonished lightly. She'd come out of Kaoru's room looking just as smug with her work as the night before.

"Why?" he looked genuinely puzzled.

"You shouldn't flirt with your best friend's little sister," she told him smartly before moving down the hall to knock on the prince's door.

Kaoru and Sano's expressions were mirrors of horror as they looked at each other. Then, with a silent understanding, the incident was buried beneath all human recollection, never to be brought up again for as long as they lived.

"Kenshin," Tae called through the door, "Master Hiko wants you to come now before the guests arrive."

There was a muffled sound from the other side of the wall before Kenshin stepped out into the hall, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt with some difficulty. With an exasperated sigh, Kaoru immediately walked over and took over the operation. Men were seriously helpless when it came to dressing themselves. She'd managed to get into her monstrosity of a dress with little difficulty, and all of her ties and frills were on the back.

"Honestly," she muttered, missing the helpless smile that found its way to the prince's face.

Tae chuckled, "As I was saying, the king would like you to go to the ballroom now. He asked if you would please help Kaoru memorize names and faces as the guests arrive."

"Are you sure that's what he said?" Sano asked dubiously, "I think it was probably more like, 'tell my idiot son to make sure the new girl doesn't make a fool of herself,"

Tae winced but didn't argue, "Don't you have serving duty tonight?" she asked instead. It was a blatant attempt to switch the subject. Tae knew better than anyone what every person's job was. Mostly because she'd assigned them all with careful deliberation.

"Maybe," Sano growled dourly and stalked back down the hallway. Tae smiled complacently at Kaoru and Kenshin and wished them a good evening before following him.

Kenshin let out an abused sigh, "My father does not mean the things he says, that he does not."

Kaoru gave a very unladylike snort, "Nonsense. He means exactly what he says."

"… Ah."

She stifled a giggle at the defeated tone of his voice and gave his sleeve one last tug before stepping back.

"Thank you," he smiled.

She shrugged the compliment off, trying not to notice the way his eyes softened at the corners whenever he really smiled at her. She scooted a discreet distance away, making it look like she was giving herself room to inspect her dress. Of course, being dense to her growing crush, Kenshin neatly stepped in and made things worse for her.

"You look wonderful tonight, Ms. Kaoru," he said quietly as he offered her his arm. She smiled shyly and made a show of hiding her face behind her fan like a blushing maiden. Actually, it wasn't much of a show, but hopefully Kenshin would think she was getting into her act.

"You're too kind, my prince," she lilted for good measure. He chuckled and led them through the halls toward the ballroom. It was one of the minor ones, she'd learned, because tonight's affair was limited to local nobles. That knowledge had earned a sigh of relief on her part. She just had to remember to get Sou or somebody tell her about neighboring politics before the next engagement. She was already getting a headache just thinking about how many names, titles, and scandals she'd have to memorize.

They stepped into the ballroom from one of the back entrances, keeping to the shadows for a moment to assess the room. Kaoru let her gaze wander over the few couples already on the floor. She vaguely recognized a face here and there, but doubted she'd actually met any of them. That was another thing that could be a problem. But she'd deal with that potential disaster when she came to it.

"Is there anyone in particular I should keep an eye on?" she asked from behind her fan. They were annoying to have to keep up with, but infinitely useful.

"Oro? I do not understand what you mean, Ms. Kaoru," Kenshin blinked roundly at her.

Kaoru rolled her eyes, "Mou, Kenshin, don't play innocent with me. I want to do a good job, but I'll need your help. I've never been to the palace before. I don't know anyone here," she gave him a level, no-nonsense look, "Now, is there anyone in particular that I need to keep an eye on, as your escort," she pressed the last bit so he'd understand her meaning.

Kenshin rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "No one, I think," he hazarded, "The gentlemen are very proper when they are around me. I think they are afraid of my father," his face got the dopey look she'd come to associate with polite despair.

"What about the ladies?" she returned smoothly.

"Ah," again, the dopey face, "They are just eager, that they are. They do not bother me."

"Right," she quipped sharply, a little bit of anger stirring in her. It was one thing to be polite, but quite another when it led to people walking all over you. Well, she'd have a say in that from now on, no question. It was becoming blatantly obvious that Kenshin was the type you had to save from himself. Maybe that was what the prophecy had put her here for. He was just too proper and apologetic for his own good. And, well, no one had ever accused her of being soft spoken when she spotted injustice.

"Why, prince Kenshin," a young woman sidled up to him opposite where Kaoru was standing.

"Good evening, Ms. Minami," Kenshin greeted pleasantly, but Kaoru could feel the muscles in his arm tense where her hand was tucked.

The young woman pouted, "How many times have I told you to call me Hana?" she lightly brushed his arm with her fingers, making it look almost like an accident. Kaoru's eyes narrowed at the calculating way the girl's blue eyes were traveling over the material of his shirt. Whether she was imagining what lay beneath it, or the expense of the cloth, Kaoru didn't know. What she did know was that it was completely inappropriate to touch the prince without his express permission. Especially with skin as slimy as this girl's.

"Would it be too bold of me to ask for a dance?" she asked coyly, looking up at him through her lashes. Kaoru couldn't help being a bit impressed by the action, seeing as the girl was almost three inches taller than the red head.

She bristled again. Wasn't it obvious that he already had an escort? The strumpet hadn't even had the courtesy to introduce herself to her. Not that she technically had to, Kaoru supposed, as she was supposedly a commoner. But the girl didn't know that.

She took a small step forward, folding her opposite hand over the one already trapped in the crook of Kenshin's arm.

"Please forgive me, my dear," she deliberately chose a patronizing endearment, "But I'm afraid I've already claimed the first dance of the evening," she gave her most dazzling, innocent smile.

The girl looked at her, startled, before her eyes narrowed dangerously with malice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even see you there," she came back evenly, "You're just so tiny, almost like a little doll."

Kaoru let a little bit of sweet venom drip into her voice, "Oh, please don't apologize. I wish I could be a bit sturdier, like your dear self. And it must be such a relief not to have to worry about finding tall shoes," she fluttered her lashes, "I'm sure gentlemen love being able to actually look a lady in the eye without having to crane their necks in the process."

The girl's face turned blotchy with ill concealed rage and embarrassment at the veiled insults. Kaoru pretended concern and asked after her health then. It was too much for the taller girl to handle, and after a prim curtsy to the prince she disappeared back into the mill of people.

"Whatever is bothering her, do you suppose?" she queried the prince, her face the picture of bafflement. He looked down at her with something akin to frightened awe before breaking into a fit of laughter.

"You were too harsh with her, that you were," he admonished lightly, leading her onto the dance floor.

"No I wasn't," she said firmly before her expression turned suspicious, "And where are we going?"

Now it was Kenshin's turn to look puzzled, "I thought you said you had the first dance of the evening."

Kaoru stiffened in surprise before leveling him with a glare for his sneakiness. Polite men were not allowed to be sneaky.

"I suppose I did," she admitted reluctantly and let herself be swept into his arms and the music.

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"Is that the new one?" Saitou asked bluntly, his fingers twitching against each other. He wasn't allowed to smoke inside the ballroom.

"Yeah," Sano said, casting the older man a wary glance.

They were standing in the shadows at edge of the floor, watching the prince twirl Kaoru around the room. It was their third dance of the evening and probably wouldn't be the last.

"Did Seta tell her what she was getting into?" he asked.

"No."

"Did you?"

"… No."

Saitou glared at him and pushed off the wall to face him. His stance looked casual, but Sanosuke could feel the tension radiating off of him.

"The last girl screwed up before she could get in too deep. What about her?" he jerked his head in the general direction of the dance floor.

"She won't screw up," Sano defended angrily, lowering his voice when Saitou sent him a warning look, "Kaoru isn't like that."

"Will she remain loyal?"

"Yes."

"She doesn't know," Saitou challenged smoothly, his voice condescending. Sano's jaw clenched as he tried to keep his fury in check. Normally he would have decked the other guard for thinking so low of his sister, but he couldn't afford that here. At worst he would be kicked out of the guard and at best be put on probation. In either case he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Kaoru. This whole prophecy thing smelled bad to him, and he'd be damned before he let his little sister get hurt.

"She'll understand."

"Only one girl has ever understood, Zanza," he reminded him ominously.

"… I know. Kaoru will understand."

"You know what we'll have to do if she doesn't."

"Yeah."

"Have you brought this up with her brother?"

Sano stiffened, "Of course not."

Saitou stalked past him out of the room. Probably to sneak off for a smoke, Sanosuke thought darkly as he followed him.

"Remind him. If she fails, he won't see her anymore. He might like to make up for it before something happens."

"Nothing will happen. Kaoru will understand. She won't say anything," Sano growled as he backed him into the wall. Saitou stare down at him before calmly pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a little flick of power. Sanosuke backed up from the unspoken challenge. The last thing he needed right now was to tangle with Saitou's magic.

"You keep pulling that shit, and you'll get kicked out," he reminded him sullenly.

Saitou snorted, smoke puffing through his nostrils, "Today's society is weak. If you battle, you should be free to use whatever advantages you have. To do less is cowardice."

"It's about honor," Sano shot back defensively. Saitou was constantly prodding him about noble decrees.

"It's about fear," Saitou corrected before continuing his stalk down the hall. Sano watched him go, his fists clenching hard at his sides. He needed to get out, too. He needed to find something to hit, quickly, before he broke something in here he'd get in trouble for.

"Keep her silent, Zanza," Saitou's voice drifted back to him.

Sano growled, "I thought you said it's cowardly not to reveal all of your advantages."

"It's more cowardly to break a vow," was the last counter before Saitou disappeared down another hall.

"Bastard," Sanosuke muttered before heading in the opposite direction.

A/N: GAH! So confusing! Don't worry, it'll all make sense in time. Or at least, I hope it all makes sense in time ::laughs:: Seeing as I've already finished this, I'd hope I got it right. Get ready for some serious kickass-ness coming up. The story really starts picking up from here on out ^_^ Happy Easter, all!