Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Voix ❯ Home ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter Seven- Home

Kaoru was silent as she stepped over the sharp rocks. The emptiness inside her had grown to be greater than it had been when she'd first learned of her parent's deaths. She was so cold; so hollow.

Kenshin turned to glance back at her as he took her hand to lead her over the treacherous path. She hadn't spoken since the night before, when she'd cried into his chest. The absence of her voice was destroying him, when it was so precious to him. She no longer responded when he asked if she was okay; if she was going to be okay. He had spent so many years without emotion, but the piercing pain of Kaoru's silence was as devastating as Tomoe's death. He felt sick suddenly as a harsh wave of nausea washed over him. He hadn't known that, even after all the time that had passed, he could still ache like the initial pain that had torn at him.

He tried to regulate his erratic breathing, as his heart raced. He felt his eyes change as his wings pushed their way out, curling around him as he tumbled to the ground. Kaoru turned, her eyes wide and fearful. Kenshin could hear her thoughts as they bombarded his mind in a painful barrage. She was terrified. She didn't want him to be dying too.

Kenshin fought for consciousness, but knew that he was beyond his own control. Black pressed in from all sides of his vision, and he fell through the barrier of consciousness. Only the distant echo of Kaoru's silence could break through to him.

((()))

When Kenshin finally came to, his wings were gone once again, and his eyes had changed back to the cool violet color. Kaoru was watching him silently, a deeper pain unhidden in her own eyes. He touched his head, and she caught his hand and shook her head to keep him from messing with the bandages around his head. He realized that he must have hit his head on one of the rocks when he had lost consciousness.

Kaoru's eyes bore into him, the silence making his head pound. Had she willingly rendered herself mute?

"Kaoru..." He murmured, reaching over to touch her face, which betrayed her every thought and emotion. She took his hand, but still did not speak. "Kaoru... I'm sorry. I don't want you to worry." She looked away, still unspeaking.

"Kaoru... I don't want you to get into this too deeply. It will hurt you more than you can imagine... it would endanger you so much. I couldn't bear for anything to happen to you."

A shooting pain went through his heart. He bent over in agony, hands pressing against his chest. He didn't understand why her silence was tearing him apart. She touched his shoulder, her eyes worried, but she still did not speak. Kenshin stared up into her eyes, losing himself in the depth of their blue warmth that had been stolen away. She was sad. Broken. Fallen.

Her eyes began to distort with clear tears filling, and then falling. Her eyes reddened, but no sob left her throat. He touched her cheek and brushed a tear away with his roughened thumb. "Don't cry..."

She didn't move, watching him silently through her blurred vision. Kenshin couldn't help but feel very alone at that moment in time, more alone than he'd ever been, even when he had been alienated from the world into his duty as a soldier. He felt the warnings of an oncoming headache.

"I won't leave you." He managed out through the sharp aching. "Not as long as you won't leave me." Kaoru's eyes suddenly seemed to clear a bit as she closed her arms around him.

"Never."

((()))

Enishi resisted the urge to pull out his hair.

Aoshi was standing calmly in front of him, explaining his encounter with Kenshin. Enishi stopped him by raising a single hand. "Aoshi, all I want to know is if they can protect themselves until the time comes that he and Kero are going to have to face off." He glanced out the window briefly, and then turned back to Aoshi. "And I want to make sure that if Kenshin fails, that Kaoru will be safe. If you cannot assure me of this, then, yes, I will reveal myself and join them."

Aoshi scowled. "I don't understand. Why protect the girl?"

Enishi sighed. "She's experienced a great deal of tragedy... Maybe it would be best if he does fail, and I hope he doesn't, that she die as well, to escape it... but I don't want her to die, like my sister did. They are..." Enishi trailed off, and Aoshi picked up for him.

"They are alike, Enishi?"

Enishi nodded once, very briefly. "I believe that they are... very much alike." His eyes darted to the door, which he threw open, to find a young boy standing, looking indignant at Enishi's expression of near rage.

The boy cleared his throat and bowed mockingly. "Yahiko, sir." He held up a tightly curled scroll out to the tall angel. "From my master."

Enishi scowled at the boy. "I know who you are, Yahiko. Get in here."

Aoshi raised an eyebrow.

Enishi moved out of the doorway to let the young boy in, slamming the door shut.

Aoshi cleared his throat. "You know, you're making it very difficult to keep this hidden away, raging away like that."

Enishi glared at him briefly, taking the scroll and opening it carefully. "I'm not the one who's going to give us away." He glared pointedly at Yahiko over the paper. "Don't ever do that again. Your master is under suspicion enough as it is without his student carrying messages to officials."

Yahiko shrugged, then stretched his pale blue wings. "No one saw me."

"I don't care. Tell him, and heed this yourself, that I want you two to be more careful." Enishi picked up a feather from a small table, set the paper on it, and scribbled a quick note on the paper before rolling it back up with a quietly murmured spell. "Now take this back to him and tell him to get a better form of communication."

Yahiko gave another mocking bow, smirking as he left with the paper.

Enishi growled, turning back to Aoshi. "Well?"

Aoshi sighed and started toward the door. "I'll let you know when they need your help." He stepped out of the door, closing it carefully behind him.

Enishi yanked out several strands of his hair.