Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ One Man ❯ Smell of Jasmine and Blood ( Chapter 4 )

Kaoru's POV

I smelled. Though I enjoyed pushing my body to its physical limits, it did annoy me that there was a certain lose of femininity. I had just finished sparring with Yahiko as well as my own practice routine, and I was ready for a nice bath.

Since Kenshin had already drawn the bath water for me, all I had to do was heat it and the bath would be ready. I grabbed some jasmine scented soap from my room before heading out, hoping to make up for that lose of femininity just a little.

As I crossed the practice lawn, it occurred to me how quiet the dojo could be when all the boys were out. Kenshin and Yahiko had just left to buy some things for dinner tonight and Sano probably would not be back until there was an opportunity for free food. The silence was refreshing. Sort of.

I let myself soak a little longer than usual in the warmth of the bath. I could feel the water slowly loosening all of my tight muscles, and it felt wonderful.

By the time my fingers were puckered up like prunes, I hopped out of the bath and quickly toweled myself off. I gently twisted my long hair and squeezed the excess water out then pulled it up in a sloppy ponytail.

I stepped out of the bathhouse humming to myself. There was a light breeze that felt cool on my slightly damp skin and I shuddered slightly as it tickled my neck.

Something moved in the corner of my eye and suddenly someone grabbed me roughly from behind. An arm came over my shoulder to lock around my neck. But not for nothing am I the assistant Master of the Kamiya Kasim dojo. I grabbed my assailant's wrist and pulled his arm down hard across my shoulder. There was a sickening crack of bones right next to my ear.

While the attacker was still off balance, I elbowed him hard and pushed myself out of his reach. I spun around to face him. The man was of average build and height and dressed in plain clothes. He gave me a wicked smile when I knew he should be grimacing from a broken arm.

Although I had rendered his left arm useless, the man's right was still good and he drew a long knife out from behind his back. I was still holding my bath things under one arm and when he lunged toward me, I threw them at the attacker's face as I desperately dodged backwards.

With my wooden sword, I felt confident that I could beat this man, but I was practically unarmed. All I was holding was my towel, but it could be used.

The attacker regained his balance after his failed charge and he began to circle me. I watched him carefully, keeping myself on the defensive. He attacked again and this time I lunged forward, too, although about a foot to his right. Using my towel, I snapped it around his blade and wrist. While he was momentarily caught, I threw a punch with my other hand and hit on the right cheek.

But I had slightly misjudged his speed, because his knife was clear of the towel before I had regained my balance. He slashed out at me and I took a clumsy step backward. But he had got his first hit. I felt a thin trickle of blood just below my jaw.

He grinned. I took my opportunity and swiftly kicked him with all the strength I could muster in the stomach. Then he actually dropped his knife in surprise. We both dove for it. We wrestled for a moment, but it was clear I was going to win. The attacker was both winded and severely hurt.

I was finally able to push him away and grip the knife. I stood, holding the knife in front of me defensively. Although I was inexperienced with knife fighting, I now had all of the advantages. When the man stood, I could see from his eyes that he knew it too.

"Yield," I ordered through my ragged breathing. I was still holding the knife in front of me.

The man looked at me for a moment, then with a yell, did the last thing I would ever have suspected: he ran into the blade. I stared, shocked, at my hand holding the hilt of the knife embedded in the man's ribs. Blood flowed around the hilt guard and I fought the urge to gag.

With a disgusted groan, I threw the man backwards and he hit the ground with an ungainly thud.

Kenshin's POV

As we came in through the gate at the dojo, I immediately got the feeling something was wrong. I could smell blood. A lot of blood. Miss Kaoru, I thought as panic took over I shoved the packages I was holding at Yahiko and ran into the dojo.

"Miss Kaoru?" I yelled. It seemed so empty. Where was she?

I hurried through the back door and stepped out onto the practice yard. Then I saw her. She was standing about thirty feet away from the bathhouse holding a knife and standing over a prone form. With a catch of breath in my throat, I sprinted over to her.

She was covered in blood, though thankfully, most of it did not seem to be hers. She looked at me with shock in her perfect cobalt eyes. "Kenshin?" she said very quietly. The man lying on the grass in front of us was not breathing.

"Kenshin!" Yahiko echoed from the dojo. He stood at the dojo door I had left open.

"Yahiko," I called to him. He did not need to see this. "Go, run to the clinic and bring Miss Megumi!" Yahiko paused only a second before he turned and ran out the way he had come in.

I grabbed Miss Kaoru by the shoulders and turned her away from the corpse on the lawn. She dropped the bloody knife in her hand. Why had I left her all alone? "Miss Kaoru," I said. She looked up at me again, slowly. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

She swallowed and I could see her beginning to regain some of her composure. "No," she said shaking her head. "Nothing serious." She glanced over at the body. "Is he…"

"I'm not sure," I lied. I lead her over to the stairs of the dojo. "You sit here and I will do what I can for the man." I pushed her shoulders down, forcing her to sit. "If you feel sick, put you head between your knees."

I hurried back to the dead man. Kneeling beside him, I recognized him as the man who had stopped Yahiko and I just about half an hour ago. With a silent curse at myself, I thought, You idiot. You left her here alone when you had every reason to believe she could be in danger. Damn it, why didn't you see it?

With an angry sigh, I leaned forward and closed the man's glazed eyes and straightened his limbs. Although I thought I should check his pockets for anything that might tell me something about the man, I did not dare with Miss Kaoru watching. I felt certain, she would not approve right now.

I stood up and walked back to her. Well, I may be little comfort to her now, after she needed me, but I would do what I could until Miss Megumi came.

A/N: That was my first fight scene so I'm sorry if it wasn't very good. It was rather difficult to write. Please review and let me know what you think. Peace out.