Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ One Man ❯ Enter the Antagonist ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters.

Kaoru's POV

It was just before lunch when Sano showed up, not that that was particularly surprising. Sano always seemed to visit right before a meal. I was in the kitchen when he came in.

"Hey Kaoru!" he said in his most obnoxious voice. "You're making lunch!?" He sounded disappointed as well as a bit surprised.

"And what's wrong with that?" I yelled at him. I'm not that bad of a cook. "If you want to eat anything, you'd better keep your big mouth shut, Sano!"

He gave a sort of lopsided, puppy dog grin that I suppose he thought was charming. Rubbing one hand through his gravity-defying hair, Sano tried to sneak a bite of some of my ingredients lying on the counter behind him.

"Sano!" I yelled. Does he think I'm blind! "Why don't you go and pester Kenshin until lunch is ready," I said through my clenched teeth as I shoved him out the door that he came in through a few seconds ago. "I'll call you both in when it is." And I slid the door shut behind him.

For all that I gave Sano a hard time, I was glad he had finally showed up. He had disappeared rather quickly after dinner last night. I think this entire ordeal with Kenshin made him uncomfortable, but that was no excuse to just abandon his friend!

After our conversation the last night, Kenshin had barely said two words together and they had been "Miss Kaoru," which I hardly think counts. He had been right when he said I did not understand; how could I? Although we all cared for Kenshin, none of us had any way of knowing what he was going through.

I knew why he had killed that man, I thought as I added some salt to the stew simmering over the fire. He had become angry. I had barely recognized him as the rurouni that washed the laundry out in the yard, but everyone was entitled to lose control once. I hoped he knew that.

I noticed a slight burning smell, and quickly began to stir the thick stew. Too thick, I realized with a groan. I guess I really am that bad of a cook.

I was grateful that the police had decided Kenshin had enough reason to kill that man. He would have accepted any punishment they saw fit to give him, but I knew Kenshin would give himself enough punishment, more than the law was capable of inflicting.

And at any rate, I thought stirring the stew more vigorously than was really necessary, the man was a criminal. He had set fire to two buildings and threatened us personally. That last I knew was the cause for Kenshin's lose of control.

I felt a twinge of guilt as I took the stew off the heat and began taking the rest of lunch out to the table. Once again, Kenshin had been hurt because of us. Oh, I knew Kenshin would not see it that way, but I did and I wished I had been stronger. Then maybe Kenshin would not always feel the need to protect me.

I finished setting the table and then headed out to the practice yard to get Sano, Yahiko, and Kenshin.

Kenshin's POV

I was almost happy carrying up water from the well to the bathhouse. Perhaps happy was a bit strong but it did keep my mind off of other more serious things.

"Kenshin!" Yahiko said. I got the feeling he had been calling me for a while.

"Yes, Yahiko?" I said, silently chastising myself for my lack of attention. You are making every one worry about you, I thought.

Yahiko rolled his eyes at my distraction. "Have you seen my bokkan? I swear I put back on its rack."

"Over there," I said, nodding my head toward the steps of the dojo.

Running up to the steps, Yahiko picked up the wooden sword from the grass. "Thanks, Kenshin." He gave me a quick smile before starting on his practice routine on the lawn. It was a quick reminder of what I was trying so pathetically to protect.

I continued walking toward the bathhouse carefully to ensure that I did not spill any of the water. Just as I started to pour the water into the bath, I saw Sano came out of the kitchen. More like, Sano getting shoved roughly out of the kitchen, actually.

"Kenshin!" he yelled jovially with a wave as he started over toward me. I set down the buckets as he came up to me. "Hey, when I was in town last night I heard some things about that guy."

That guy. There was no question about which he meant and I shifted my eyes away from him uncomfortably. At least Sano did not seem to think the topic was too touchy to bring up with me the way Yahiko and Miss Kaoru did.

"What's that, Sano?" I asked, picking up the buckets again. If he wanted to discuss this, he would have to walk and talk. Besides, it gave me something to do other than trying not to seem awkward. I headed back toward the well, and Sano kept pace.

"Well," he said around some pilfered food in his mouth. "Apparently this guy is part of a anarchist group. You know, they don't want any government in Japan."

"I know what an anarchist is," I said slightly annoyed.

Sano gave me a sideways look, but did not say anything about my abrupt comment. "Anyway," he continued, "they've mostly been trouble in Kyoto. I don't know why they'd come here, but I think we'll see more of them."

My gut told me that Sano was probably right, but I felt irritated for some reason so I was not about to admit it. I suppose even though I had only dealt with one member of group, I felt that he had caused me enough grief. No, I thought, this is my fault. Stop trying to blame someone else. I lost control. I killed him. The grief is mine.

Sano was still waiting for my reaction. "Of course, Sano," I said suddenly. "I'm sorry for being short; I guess I am distracted, that I am."

"Hey guys!" Miss Kaoru yelled from the kitchen door. "Lunch!"

I smiled a Sano. "We can talk about this later," I said as we started toward the dojo. "They aren't going to cause a revolution while we eat."

A/N: I guess that's a bit short. Please let me know what you think. If I don't get any feed back, I'll delete this chapter and go back to just the first one. Also, please report any typos or mistakes. Hmm, anything else? Guess not, peace out.