Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Findings of Earth ❯ In Between ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter VII

In Between

Kenshin slowly walked downstairs to the kitchen. It was early in the morning and Kaoru was still sleeping in the bed. His hands were killing him. He was used to that feeling, the first boss took pleasure in cuffing him, Kenshin didn't know exactly why but he always did it. One of the times he managed to get a pin that was hidden in his clothes and he picked the locks and got free. Of course when the first boss came in to hit him again he was surprised to find the boy untied. Kenshin knew back then that by picking the locks he wasn't going to escape but he didn't care, he only did it because he stopped feeling his hands since the cuffs were so tight. That time the boss hit him harder and got some new handcuffs made especially for Kenshin since they were almost impossible to pick. Kenshin rubbed his hands together as he walked down the stairs. He was way beyond pain, his hands were almost useless, he couldn't move them much, they were purple and they constantly hurt. He wasn't worried about the pain, he could handle that and he knew it, he was more concerned about the repercussions that may leave. He waited until the morning to go to the kitchen and try to find something to help him get out of the handcuffs; he didn't want to worry that beautiful girl sleeping upstairs. He walked into the kitchen and began searching each place trying to find a knife or something with a blade sharp enough to get him out of the cuffs. He searched every inch of the kitchen but it was useless, there was nothing there. He would just have to wait until they could find some way to get him free, but he knew he didn't have much time, his hands would pay a high price if he didn't rush.

Kenshin opened the fridge and got out some ice to pun in his hands and stopped them from swelling. Kenshin knew they had a big day ahead. They would have to find a place to stay and get some money somehow. Kenshin knew they could only stay in that house for a little time, it was just too dangerous.

* * *

Kaoru slowly opened her eyes; the bright light coming into the window woke her up. She blinked a couple of times before her eyes could focus the room she was in. For a few moments she wondered where she was but then the memories of the night before filled her mind. She instantly searched the room looking for Kenshin. Her heart suddenly stopped as she used her eyes to search the room once more. It was a matter of seconds but in that time a thousand images flashed through her mind, so many and so fast that she couldn't remember them, the only thing she knew was that whatever she saw was link to that horrible felling that was taking over her.

Kaoru realized that she wasn't breathing so she exhaled a breath of relieve as the door of the room opened and Kenshin walked in carrying a tray of food.

"Good morning" Said Kenshin with a smile as he slowly walked in and put the tray in the small table near the bed.

"Good morning" answered Kaoru as she rubbed her eyes and slowly sat on the bed. "What time is it?"

"Like eight in the morning. I'm sorry if I woke you up"

"No it's ok" Answered Kaoru as she struggle to get herself fully awake.

"Come on Kaoru, I made breakfast"

Kaoru slowly got out of bed and sat in front of him. The food smelled delicious. She had forgotten how hungry she was. When she was locked in that cage she got some food but it wasn't good at all so she didn't eat much. But now that hot plate in front of her was just so good.

"Arigatou Kenshin" She said as she took a fork and started eating.

Kenshin only smiled at her as he took his own fork. He stared at the food for a few moments. It looked so good but he knew he had to be careful with what he ate. Since he was being punished he wasn't fed a lot, it was part of his reprimand and it helped getting him weak. He knew that if he ate a lot or too fast he might hurt himself.

Kaoru noticed his hesitation and stopped eating herself.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she put her own fork down.

Kenshin smiled as he said "It's nothing. I'm just a little weak"

Weak? How could he be weak? Asked Kaoru to herself. She had seen him the night before and that was not a weak person. He had broken the chain in his cuffs with his bare hands! He had taken two men down without even blinking and without a weapon. She knew he was really strong but by looking at him she could see what he meant. He was so bruised, she had taken care of his wounds before but now in plane day light the looked much worst. She could see the dark rings beneath his eyes and the tiredness in his face. She felt a wave of sadness as she remembered what he had been through. He was beaten cuffed and probably starved and even after that he had done everything in his power to get her free. Kaoru noticed his hands and how they were still bonded by the cuffs. They looked so bad, they were purple and Kaoru knew Kenshin needed to get out of those cuffs really soon and also get medical attention.

"Kenshin we need to get you to a hospital"

Kenshin raise his eyes and looked at her.

"It's not necessary."

"How can you say that? Of course it is! Have you seen your hands? They are purple! This could be really serious; you need to get some medical attention"

"It's not necessary Kaoru" He repeated as he took a bite of bread and slowly chewed it "I'll be fine just as soon as I get out of this cuffs"

"But how are we going to do that if you don't want to get some help?"

"I just need a sharp blade and that is it"

Kaoru stayed silent. There was just no reasoning with him. She just wanted to help but it wasn't working. She was so worried. Looking at his injuries, knowing they hurt him made her feel so much pain.

"Ano kaoru… I wanted to ask you something…" Kaoru looked up but didn't answer, she just waited for him to continue talking. "Do you have any place to go? Some family maybe or friends that can help you?"

"My whole family is dead, I only had my father left… and as for friends, I thought you were my friend."

"I am your friend Kaoru" He said as he put his fork down, he was done eating. "but there is no way I can help you, I have no place to go, we'll have to get out of this house too."

"I don't care about that" answered Kaoru looking at him with her sparkling blue eyes "I'm alone too, I'm not really that close to my other friends and there is no place for me to go either… But with you… it just feels safe."

"I'll protect you no matter what Kaoru"

Somehow both of them felt that those words sounded strangely familiar.

"Anyway…" Said Kaoru braking the awkward silence that followed the last statement. "The first thing we got to do is go back to my house."

"I told you that we can't stay there, the gang will come looking for us."

"I know that" Answered Kaoru "But it would only be for a few minutes. I need to get some things."

"It's going to be very dangerous, the gang men may be there waiting for us and they'll be armed. I have nothing to defend with… If I would only have gotten my sword…"

"Do you know how to use a katana?" Asked Kaoru as she remembered something.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"There is one in my house. It was supposed to be a samurai sword. My father had it in his office for decoration. He said it was really expensive. It's sheathed, my father never let me get near it so I don't know if it is in good shape but it must be since my father was so sure of its value."

"I don't know Kaoru it still is to dangerous"

"But we need to go there! My father left me some money hidden inside the house. It has been there since I can remember and he said that I should take it out if there is an emergency. We need the money now, this is an emergency."

Kenshin remained silent for a few moments. Kaoru kept her eyes on her and then he finally talked.

"Ok, we'll go"

* * *

They left the house almost immediately and began the walked to Kaoru's house. Since they didn't have any money for a bus or a cab they had to get going if the wanted to get there before dark. Kenshin had said that it was safer because the gang had to lay low so there would be less chance of a big confrontation with them in day light.

The walked was rather long but they managed to get there in the middle of the afternoon. Kenshin stopped a block before they reached the house and inspected the surroundings. When he was sure that there were no gang members near he and Kaoru went to the back door and after finding the spare key they went in.

Kaoru stopped for a moment just behind the door. It was strange going back there. That house wasn't the home she once knew any more. All those happy memories were joined but the dark figure of her dad covered in blood and lying lifeless on the floor. She didn't want to go in. She didn't want to face the place again, she didn't want the memories. She knew her life was split in two just a few days before, she had a new life but remembering the other one was just too painful.

She felt a hand in her shoulder and she turned around to meet the eyes of the man that held her fragile life together. She looked into his violet eyes, so full with tenderness and understanding. He didn't need to speak. Everything he had to say was said with his look. Kaoru took a deep breath, then held Kenshin hand in hers and started walking.

She knew were she had to go first. Her dad's office. As she had said there hanging in the wall was a katana. Kenshin looked at the weapon in the wall and after Kaoru told him so he got it down. He held the sword in his hands. The sword felt great and he felt better just carrying it. He took the handle with one hand and slowly started unsheathing it. The blade looked good but he could tell that it wasn't in perfect shape. It looked old, not as old as the one he had before, and he knew just by looking at it that it was used carelessly before and then stored. "It's not the best but it'll do"

He decided to really test the sword so he raised it with his right hand and made a quick slash into his left one.

Kaoru stopped breathing. She had been contemplating Kenshin for a while and she blinked once to try to clear her thoughts. Did she just saw Kenshin slash his hand with that sword?" Kaoru exhaled and ran to Kenshin's side. She was about to ask him is f he was ok, she was about to yell at him for being such a baka, she was about to hug him and comfort him when she saw a metal ring hit the ground.

"It could use some edge" Said Kenshin as he took the sword in his left hand and repeated the procedure in his right one. A second latter the other cuff hit the floor, Kenshin was finally free.

He sheathed the sword and then rubbed his hands. He felt the blood circulating again and then the pain that that brought. "At least I can still feel"

Kaoru just looked at him. What he did was great, how had he done that? It was so dangerous; he could have slashed himself by accident.

"Kenshin no baka!" She screamed as she hit him in the head with an umbrella she found near. "You could have injured yourself more! You have to be more careful!"

"Sorry Kaoru-dono" He said as he rubbed his head.

Then time stopped. Kenshin and Kaoru looked at each other without saying a single word. Kenshin remembered his words. He had called her Kaoru­-dono? What was that? He didn't know what happened; he just answered that as a reflex to her words. He didn't know exactly why but he felt like he wasn't supposed to say that. He ignored the fact that he was in the twenty first century and saying that expression was really weird, he knew that beside that, there was something about it that hurt Kaoru a lot. But how did he know that? He didn't know her but he knew so much about her… why was that? How was it possible?

Kaoru didn't noticed Kenshin's confused look since she was having a mental battle of her own. She felt like a needle was stabbed through her heart when she heard him call her like that. -Dono, she wasn't really sure what that meant, she just knew it was really archaic. She didn't know why it bothered her so much, it was just a silly expression that she could laugh at… but she couldn't. It had so much meaning and it was a sad meaning.

"Kaoru you should look for the money" Said Kenshin that had come out of his thoughts.

Kaoru blinked a couple of times and returned to reality. She decided to forget that for now and focus on the money.

Kaoru walked to her father's desk and took a picture that was on top of it. In there you could see Kaoru's father holding his mother in his arms and smiling. Kaoru loved that picture. She had never met her mother so she knew her only by stories and pictures. She liked that one a lot, she looked so beautiful and they were both smiling so much. She thought that whenever she saw it she could feel the joy coming out of the photograph. She smiled as she looked at it and then she broke the frame. She took the picture and put in her pocket and then got a small key out of the remains of the frame. She then walked to a small corner of the room and slowly took a brick of the wall. Behind it was a small metal door and she used the key to open it. That was his father secret safe. He had always told her that if there was ever any emergency she could take the money that was stored in there and that it would hemp her a lot. She mentally thanked her father for his help and then reached into the safe. She pulled out a big brown envelope that was sealed but she could feel something else inside so she got it out too. It was a metal box. Since there was nothing else inside she closed the little metal door and put the brick back in its place.

Then she gathered all of her courage and started walking upstairs towards her room. She got in. Everything was exactly as she left it but yet it seemed so different. She got in and got a bag out of the closet. She filled it with some clothes and a few personal items and then walked out of her room saying goodbye to her belongings and her life there forever. Kenshin was waiting for her at the door and they began walking downstairs together. Kaoru felt a tear falling down her face, soon more followed and before she knew Kenshin was holding her in his arms. He didn't say anything, he didn't have to, his touch was enough for her so she remained in his arms crying for the life she had lost but holding her hope for a new one.

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A/N: I know it took me a lot of time to get this chapter but I hope at least you liked it. I tried to make it long for you to enjoy. Sorry no personal thanks this time either… would you forgive me? But I can guarantee that I read carefully all of them and appreciate them a lot. Thanks for reviewing!