Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ KOTETSU TO KOSUI (Steel and Perfume) ❯ Naoko Kamiya Laidler ( Chapter 3 )

STANDARD DISCALIMERS APPLY

Just a quick history lesson from LustrousJade
• From 1639 - 1854 Japan closed itself from the world.
• The Tokugawa Shoguns ruled over Japan from 1603 - 1869. In 1869 they surrendered at Hokkaido.

KOTETSU TO KOSUI (STEEL AND PERFUME)
Chapter Three


Edo, Japan
Winter 1868

Cold sweat grazed his forehead like dew. His eye sight was blurred; he half focused his strength to keep them open. The poison of the Shiruken was beginning to take control over his body. Wooden fences appeared like smudged images as he numbly ran through the snow covered roads of Edo. He did not know where he was heading but was running nevertheless. His hands were still on the hilt of his Katana; ready to attack when necessary. Kenshin could hear the faint sound of the shouts of his pursuers which meant they were a safe distance away from him.

He vaguely remembered when his feet had stopped running. There were other things to think about like where to go since he was trapped on a dead end. He stared at the imposing wooden gate in front of him. Mocking him, as if telling him silently that he had no where to go. It was bigger than any other gates in Edo, certainly made of expensive and thick wood, making it impossible to slice down with his sword considering his current condition.

Kenshin looked around him but all he saw were blurred images. His head felt light and dizzy. His closed his eyes for a second and opened it only to find a woman standing before him carefully examining his face. He was not aware that he had previously passed out standing for a minute and that the woman was there since. He was surprised to feel her hand grip his tightly as the heavy wooden doors opened for her. Relief flooded him and he fell unconsciously on the ground unaware of a man holding him by the feet and dragging his body across the cold ground.

Moments later loud bangs were heard from the gates. The same woman from earlier double checked if Kenshin's mouth was stuffed with cloth to prevent his moans from being heard as they treated his wounds before she dusted her pristine kimono and set out to face the awaiting soldiers.

The woman bowed; lose strands of hair perpendicular to the ground as she did. When she straightened herself they were greeted by a very annoyed look from her, a look never expected to be seen on a woman but her voice sounded otherwise.

"Good evening gentlemen, what brings you to our humble home at this hour of night?"

The acting leader gulped, never had he seen such beauty before, not even his wife looked half as beautiful as the woman standing before him. Her eyes were like a black endless well; her skin was of a creamy complexion illuminated by the soft light and her hair like silk against the moon's beam. He looked at his comrades and found that they too were captivated by her beauty. His thoughts were disrupted when he saw the impatient look on her face. He cleared his throat and there the trouble began. How could he possibly explain that a very dangerous assassin was on the lose and was last found outside their house? Women should not be exposed to such kinds of harshness; she could faint from knowing a killer was near.

He managed a small bow before continuing, "Yes, is the head of the household present? We would like to have a word with him."

She clasped her hands together and let it rest level with her waist, "You are currently talking to her sir."

The man seemed to have thought a little as he replied, "I'm sorry if I have not made myself clear madam, what I meant was…" But she finished his sentence for him, on her face a look of determination and defiance grazed before she slipped on her polite mask again.

"The head of the Kamiya household Kamiya Naoko," a bow, "at your service gentlemen."

Surely not? A woman could not be the head! What a stubborn woman she is, the officer-in-charge thought. While he was contemplating about the woman, the captain and his men caught up with them. They exchanged salutations and information. When the captain detected Naoko's presence shivering in the cold, he quickly and stiffly bowed in respect, took off his jacket and brought it on her shoulders. "Good evening Kamiya-san, may I ask what are you doing outside in this cold weather? Without proper protection nonetheless."

The OIC had noticed a slight tremble in his captain's voice but his attention was still on the woman standing by the half open gate. "Your soldiers were knocking and I came to answer it. What is happening Torou?"

Insolent woman! The OIC could not take it anymore, no matter how beautiful she was, she should show respect and learn her place, calling his captain by his first name! What disrespect! "Woman, you will call our commander by his last name, Mikagami-san!"

Torou's head snapped back to the lower ranked officer after he said those words. The OIC held his head high, thinking that he just did a great deed for his captain.

The praise that he expected came in the form of the captain's fist connecting with his right cheek; painfully. "You fool! Do you not recognize the woman standing before you? She is the daughter of the late Kamiya Shimizu, the shogunate's best adviser. Show proper respect!"

Torou straightened his clothes before facing Naoko again, "I'm sorry you had to see that Kamiya-san," he turned to his soldiers and signalled for them to continue the search without him, "but we were searching for a dangerous assassin, Battousai, and he was last seen in this area. I would advise you to lock all your doors tonight."

"Battousai? I mean no offence Torou but isn't he the famous Hitokiri? How can you expect a group of snivelling men to catch him?"

"I know they aren't much but still… Battousai was reported to have been poisoned by the Shiruken of a Yaminobou ninja, and we know how good they are with poisons. It should have affected him by now and if left untreated could cause him death because of the high fever. The formidable Battousai brought down by a Shiruken, who could have guessed? I mean, he is still human after all…"

Their conversation did not last long after that. Torou excused himself after apologizing for disturbing the household during its grieving time and for bothering Naoko at such an unholy hour. Afterwhich he told Naoko to warm herself by the fire, he did not even bother to gather his jacket from her. She did as she was told; contented that she had gathered sufficient information from him. What a blessing it was, the only cure for the poison survived the winter inside their green house backyard. In her hurry, she failed to notice a tiny man crouched on their wooden fence.

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They tended him for two days; endured two days of trashing, rollercoaster fevers and occasional cursing. He had been delusional on the first night after Naoko prepared and gave him the antidote but fell into a deep sleep on the morning of the second day. They noticed that at their touch, his hands automatically went to his hips where his swords were supposed to be located. Fortunately for them they had removed it beforehand. They kept him on the underground room located beneath the house and only a few trusted slaves were allowed to help.

Naoko supervised most of the stitching of the bigger wounds. She was a trained doctor and besides, they could not take chances of anyone knowing where the most wanted Battousai was.

Edo Police Head Quarters
Spring 1876

The sound of wooden soles against wooden tiles was heard constantly inside Kajiuchi Toshiro's office. He paced back and forth thinking. Where could she be? Or was she still alive? Of course she would be, he thought, she was already a master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu for two years prior. Finally, he tired of his pacing and sat back in his chair.

Being the head of the Tactical Operations Division wasn't easy. He had paper works filed on his desk and more of it at home. Most of his time was spent on thinking of peaceful ways to pacify rallyists and/or means to catch growing Yakuzas without them knowing they were being watched. He had always thought of the Meiji government as a dumb and lazy one. But with the rumours of war with China, maybe he can get a life afterall.

Toshiro read for the fourth time that day the information he had gathered about Kaoru. All were useless to him, but he just had to read it to make sure he didn't skip on anything of importance. His eyes roamed the papers slowly, absorbing every bit of information on her and the Laidler family. Then his eye caught something for the first time - a drawing or more likely a symbol. It was a small white dove carefully printed on the leftmost bottom part of the last page. Of course! The Oniwabanshuu, they should know. This report was from them since after the Bakumatsu they rendered their services to the government for information collection and nothing else. But Toshiro knew that they also kept older records dating earlier than the Shogunate Regime itself.

He glanced at his watch and frowned. It was nearly 12 noon; the main office of the Oniwabanshuu should be closed till 1 in the afternoon. When he felt his stomach contract he decided to take in some food himself. It wouldn't benefit him if he got sick, not now that his revenge was nearing its end with only one more Laidler to eliminate. He picked up his umbrella, made himself presentable and went to the Akabeko.

Kobe, Japan
Spring, 1876

Kaoru refused to open her eyes. Maybe this was all a bad dream, she told herself. It would be good to just live in this darkness forever no matter how lonely it may feel; at least I'm safe here. Her hand wandered to feel the soft but firm futon; eyes still closed. How long was it since she had slept in one?

In the stillness of her environment, Kaoru could hear soft breathing beside her. Ah, that must be Himura; I should be thankful he did not kill me right away, but maybe he did. Maybe I am dead and trapped in this dark void to be tormented by the sound of my killer's breathing. But the futon she felt beneath her palms felt so soft, so real. No, I'm still alive, if I just open my eyes.

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The silence of the cold night was disrupted with a shuffle of cloth and the sound of bodies moving on wood. Steel was coldly pressed upon her neck as she gripped her bokken with both hands. His figure was towered over her as she was low on the floor. One knee bent and the other feet ready to sprint. It would have been a comical situation if the circumstances were better. Her hair tussled upon her face and neck. Her grip was unwavering as she sized up her opponent. The eyes that she vaguely remembered as purple were golden now. His hair tied high with a knot on his head. She noticed the lean muscles that his gaping haori exposed.

Kaoru acted on instinct, when she saw him unsheathe his sword she quickly grabbed for the bokken that was unexpectedly beside her - there was no telling what was on the mind of the great Hitokiri Battousai. She heard a grunt and then the instantaneous withdrawal of the blade from her neck. She questioningly looked at her assailant and took the opportunity to jerk herself into a defensive position. Arms stretched, left feet in front of the other and bokken pointed at Kenshin.

"It is not wise to leave an opponent's weapon with her, much less sheath your sword in battle," her annoyance of his blatant underestimation obvious.

The red head stared at her for a long time before walking to the edge of the room, the farthest from the candle burning beside the disgruntled futon. Gracefully, Kaoru observed, he sat and removed the sheathed sword his hakama and placed it beside him. From the shadows she felt him looking at her intently.

"You pose no threat to me and you are no opponent."

Kaoru half smiled. This was definitely him she had found him at last after weeks of travel. She succeeded. Half of her was very happy and the other half was in protest of his earlier remark. Kaoru calmed down and tried to convince herself that the man sitting across her, though smaller than she had expected, was Himura Kenshin; also known as Battousai - the most efficient and highly paid assassin of the Bakumatsu.

Kaoru put the bokken down together with her other things which were also beside the futon she slept in. her steps were heard as her feet touched the floor. When she was a foot away from him, she gathered her hakama neatly and knelt before him. Head level with the floor and hair sprawled all over the perimeter of her head.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

She lifted herself and saw merely the silhouette of his form against the semi-darkness. His voice was cool and calm but held a certain feel of no nonsense. Kaoru placed both her hands across her lap and looked straight into his upper form.

"I am Laidler Kaoru and I have come to claim something of my mother's."

"You are Naoko's daughter?"

"Yes."

When he kept silent she decided to speak, "You promised her protection and I have come to claim it on her behalf."

Edo, Japan
Winter 1868

On the third day after they found him, Kenshin woke. He was disoriented at first. Only Naoko was present when he awoke. For a moment, Naoko could only see the boy inside of him before he composed himself and put on his shell.

The first minute of their acquaintance was basically Kenshin threatening Naoko if she did not supply him with the information that transpired within the last two days of his sleep. Naoko truthfully told him all that she knew; how they found him, the herb they used to cure him and the number of stitches she performed on him. When he was satisfied with the information she gave, he hastened to stand and leave but discovered that his legs refused to obey. Naoko fervently insisted that he stay a few more days until he healed completely.

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"You were aware of course of the punishment for keeping a wanted man when you rescued me that time, Naoko," he said, one afternoon when Naoko was tending to his wound inside his underground bedroom.

A day after they met, Kenshin had discovered that he felt at ease with Naoko but he still kept himself unattached to her or to any member of the household. He had learned that she was the daughter of the deceased Kamiya Shimizu, the Shogunate's best adviser, who had died only a few days prior. He also found out that her husband, Vincent Laidler, was a full German; his nationality the main reason why he could not be presented and acknowledged as the household's head, so she filled his place. From his observations, he saw that Naoko was a good governess; she dutifully did, or instructed all the house servants and saw to it that they did their chores satisfactorily and promptly.

"Of course I did, and you already know that. What you really wanted to ask me was why right? Why I saved you? Then let me tell you Kenshin. As a doctor, I cannot choose my patients and seeing that you were injured I had an obligation to fulfil. My conscience and my duty could not let me leave you wounded out in the cold..."

Naoko was an insightful woman. She knew that the man she saw that night was hunted by the shoguns but she did not know his identity. To say that she was surprised would be an understatement compared to her reaction when he told her that he was Battousai and then afterwards his real name, Himura Kenshin. He did not tell him anything about himself after that.

He was silent and did not demand for anything at all, even when she knew his stitches hurt because of the cold, he did not complain. But she never missed the hopeful look that reached his eyes whenever he'd sit on the veranda and stare at the moving clouds. He's just a boy, she said to herself one time when she saw him, but he's forcing himself to become a man. The war - it's too much, too many lives wasted already.

"…And as for housing a wanted man in my house, to tell you frankly, I do not really care. You must be confused since you very well know that my father was loyal to the current government. People have their reasons for going to war. Each side believing that what they fight for is true and noble. And for that I have my own reason, this war - its pointless and unimportant. Fighting cannot resolve anything. What do we gain out of violence? More violence."

Naoko moved away when she finished dressing his wounds. She wasn't usually like that; Kenshin observed that she was normally smiling. Only discussions like this would bring out her current expression which was not expected of women since their main purpose was to tend to the house and the children and were prohibited to engage in such conversations by the society. Her face was serious when she continued, "But you do not fight for anything right Kenshin? You just kill because they pay you, forgive me, I have gone too far…"

They were both startled when the shoji of his room opened, revealing Naoko's only daughter, Kaoru. The girl looked sleepy, had most probably just awoken from her afternoon nap. She was six or eight years old - Kenshin could not remember. And her hair was messy. They just followed her with their eyes when she approached them. An object caught her eye and she moved towards its direction. It was Kenshin's sword.

Kenshin alarmingly looked at Naoko when Kaoru lifted the sword from its position on the floor. Naoko shook her head when he tried to stand and take the blood-scented object away from the girl. They both looked at her intently when she unsheathed it and held it. She was in awe.

"This is a real sword!" Her gaze was on Kenshin. He looked at Naoko before answering.

"Yes it is."

Kaoru sheathed the sword and laid it on the floor once again but her eyes were still transfixed on it, "You must be protecting a lot of people sir if you need a very powerful sword."

"Why do you say so?"

"Because my uncle told me that a sword was meant to protect the ones you love so that should mean that you have many loved ones to protect right?"

Months later, when he finally left the house he decided that it was her smile that unnerved him so. Her innocence and naivety. For weeks he would be constantly reminded of that phrase she said, you must have may loved ones to protect… For some strange he wanted her to be right.

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Author's Notes

11 pages! That should be enough right?

The history lesson thing might not be accurate but it should set the background of the story just fine. I'm officially having a hard time doing this story since its so time consuming and I have other things to do like assignments and the exams. And oh, about those flashbacks, I'm sorry if you find it a boring but it's really needed. Those could explain events in later chapters. I'm new at this so just bear with me okay? good excuse ne?