Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ What You Don't Know ❯ Chapter 5 - Relative Calm ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

 

 

Chapter 5 - Relative Calm

 

Kaoru managed to get her blush reasonably under control by the time Kenshin carried her through the dojo gates. He did not move to set her down until he reached the engawa in front of Yahiko's room. Sano emerged from the open doorway, and Kaoru could see Megumi just inside.

 

“Hey Jou-chan. What happened to you? You looked like someone kicked your puppy when you ran out of here.”

 

“It's a long story Sano,” Kenshin replied before she could answer. “Megumi-dono, would you please come and look at Kaoru-dono's ankle?”

 

Megumi rose gracefully and swayed to the engawa, stepping into the yard. Kaoru lifted her leg gingerly onto the smooth boards.

 

“Is Yahiko okay?”

 

“He is sleeping, and will recover in a few days,” Megumi said, carefully tilting Kaoru's foot and watching the small winces that resulted.

 

“What, did you trip again?” Sano joked. Kaoru lowered her head a little.

 

“I was attacked by the river.”

 

Megumi stopped her motions as she and Sano looked at Kaoru in surprise. Sano glowered and cracked his knuckles.

 

“Who were they? I'd be happy to mess them up for you.”

 

Kaoru smiled at his brotherly antics.

 

“Kenshin already took care of that. And I don't know who they were. I think they were related to that day though.”

 

Megumi set her ankle down carefully.

 

“Do you remember anything specific?” the doctor queried. Kaoru shook her head. Megumi moved the neckline of Kaoru's gi a little, touching the darkening bruises gently. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

 

“Maybe by the ribs. They're sore.”

 

“We'll take this examination to your room then.” Megumi went to gather her bag from Yahiko's room, and Kenshin picked up Kaoru again. She knew better than to protest. The determined look on his face was enough.

 

Kenshin set her down on her futon, giving her a warm smile. He turned to Sano, who was ambling past her doorway towards the kitchen.

 

“Sano, would you like to stay for dinner?”

 

Sano stretched widely, looking up at the sky.

 

“I dunno. I'm feeling a bit lucky today.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Kaoru almost missed the look that passed between them. A moment of rare seriousness flickered through Sano's expression. The tall fighter stuffed his hands in his pockets and smiled a bit.

 

“I guess I should give the suckers a break.”

 

Kenshin nodded.

 

“I should go to the market then. I will be back soon,” he said, turning towards Kaoru and smiling again. It didn't quite mask the underlying resolve in his gaze. He turned again and gestured to Sano, low voices fading as they walked away.

 

………………..

 

Dinner was a noisy affair. Megumi had stayed after giving Kaoru a clean bill of health besides the light sprain. Sano and the doctor engaged in their usual verbal sparring, strains of `baka Rooster' and `Kitsune-woman' peppering their insults. Kenshin calmly smiled amidst the hubbub, serving the nice piece of fish he had taken so long to find at the market. He assured Kaoru at her concern that the price wasn't beyond their means.

 

Yahiko joined them as well, fumbling a little with the chopsticks in his left hand. He'd shrugged as much as he could at Kaoru's apology.

 

“It was my own stupid fault for walking into the dojo without looking.”

 

She was relieved to say the least, and his forgiveness calmed the self-deprecation that still threaded through her thoughts.

 

Despite their bickering, Sano left with Megumi to walk her home. He nodded to Kenshin as they left.

 

“Take care of yourself Jou-chan. You too squirt,” he said, messing with Yahiko's hair.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Yahiko muttered, Megumi's potent tea taking effect. He stumbled off to bed.

 

Kaoru looked up at the stars from her spot on the engawa. Her own cup of steaming tea sat beside her, untouched. There were still so many unanswered questions. Foremost in her mind was this `boss' who wanted to see her so badly. What had she seen, or done, to garner such a response? It was no surprise to her that whomever it was waited until she was alone. She'd been with Kenshin all the time until today.

 

Her inability to fight them off nagged at her. Yes, she didn't have a real weapon. Yes, she was still a bit weak. Yes, there were three of them. But as soon as that man grabbed her, she was helpless. It shouldn't matter that they were bigger than her. She took some small satisfaction at the kicks to Scar's face.

 

She shuddered a bit, remembering his blistering anger. She was lucky that they didn't want her dead.

 

Yet.

 

She sighed wearily.

 

“You should rest, Kaoru-dono.” Kenshin's soft voice wove through the darkness.

 

“Perhaps I should.” Kenshin helped her to her feet, offering his arm as support for the four steps to her room. She took it gratefully, a bit disappointed that he didn't carry her again.

 

…………………..

 

Frightening blackness surrounded her. The now-familiar feelings were more intense, coupled by sensation. She could smell foul garbage and stale water. The air felt dry, chilly beyond the norm.

 

An indistinguishable sound sent fear shooting through her like a blow to the stomach, driving her legs to run. Her breathing grew harsh in her ear as panic clutched at her throat. Closer, closer. . . until the darkness crashed over her like a wave.

 

Kaoru bolted upright, sweating and breathing harshly. It took a moment for reality to set in, familiar shapes indistinct in the dim light. Kaoru raised a shaking hand to her forehead, phantom pain ghosting behind her vision.

 

The dream was getting worse.

 

After her breathing was back under control, she flipped off her blankets and rose from the futon. She knew from experience that sleep would not come back.

 

The last two days had been long. Yahiko was still recovering from his injury, and Kaoru rested her ankle at Kenshin's insistence. She would prefer to be in the dojo working on improving her fighting skills to fend off any attackers. But the occasional sharp pains when she walked made her grudgingly agree to his request.

 

Needless to say, the atmosphere had been a bit tense. Kenshin, for all his smiles, was decidedly on edge. The day after the attack, he had tensed slightly whenever someone passed by the dojo gates. Yahiko was in a similar foul mood, especially at not being able to work at the Akabeko and see Tsubame. A visit from the young girl yesterday had lightened things up a bit. Kaoru spent most of her time running through the encounter with the three men in her mind, trying to think of ways she could have defended herself better.

 

It was early, but not any earlier than she had been getting up recently. Kaoru dressed in her dojo clothes quickly, pausing to re-wrap the bandage on her ankle. It was stiff today, but didn't hurt. It seemed that Kenshin's caution had paid off.

 

Kaoru went straight to the dojo, ignoring the early sounds of Kenshin making breakfast in the kitchen. She just wasn't hungry. A stop at the well assuaged her thirst and removed the grime from her panicked awakening.

 

She left the dojo doorway open, inhaling the calming scent of polished wood. She paused for a moment in front of her father's swords, touching them like a totem.

 

`Give me strength, Father.'

 

After her warm-up, Kaoru griped her boken and began a series of forms and motions to immerse herself in her art and focus her mind. The gentle whisper of cloth and tread of feet were the only sounds that permeated through the quiet morning.

 

Once she was warm and centered, she once again ran herself through the attack. She moved through the motions, playing the encounter in slow motion. The first two hits had been almost flawless, considering she wasn't using a real boken. Why hadn't she sensed the third man come from behind? Dropping her weapon was also a big mistake. Not that it was intentional.

 

Kaoru searched through her training to find a technique to deal with the position she'd found herself in. Kicking Scar in the face had been the right move, though more power would have knocked him out of commission. Eventually kicking Big Guy had gotten him to let her go, but it was only after Kenshin's appearance that she could put it into effect. Not being able to breathe was distracting.

 

Which brought her back to the frustration of the last several days. As many times as she worked the problem through, she came to the same conclusion. She was not prepared to face her opponent, especially unarmed. Kaoru threw her boken to the ground.

 

“Dammit!”

 

“Kaoru-dono?”

 

Kaoru whirled towards Kenshin's voice. He stood in the doorway, framed by the rosy dawn.

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

“No, everything is not okay! I couldn't fight off those thugs, I don't know why these people are after me, and I don't know if I can fight them off next time!”

 

Kenshin moved into the room, obviously a bit surprised at her outburst.

 

“Kaoru-dono, I said I would protect you—”

 

“Which doesn't help me if you're not there,” she bit out. Her anger cooled at the flash of guilt that crossed his gaze. She ran her hands through her bangs, sighing.

 

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way.” She picked up her boken and walked to him. “I just want to be able to take care of myself. The only thing I feel like I can control right now is my actions.”

 

Kenshin nodded.

 

“I understand Kaoru-dono, but beating yourself up for being outnumbered is not going to help.”

 

Kaoru waved the comment away with a little huff.

 

“What in particular are you trying to work out Kaoru-dono?”

 

Kaoru looked at him, a bit surprised. She couldn't recall a time when he'd offer to help her train.

 

“Mostly getting out of that hold. I didn't have any leverage to move.”

 

Kenshin thought for a moment.

 

“But you could kick one of your assailants?”

 

Kaoru nodded.

 

“Can you show me how he restrained you?”

 

Blushing, Kaoru moved behind Kenshin. Her heart sped up a bit at the thought of putting her arms around him. Clearing her throat, she directed him into position.

 

“I had just executed a downward strike when he grabbed me over the arms. He lifted me up, so my feet weren't on the ground.” She shyly put her arms into position around him, grasping her forearms as similar position as she could remember. The heat of his back on her chest deepened her blush further. Kenshin `ahhed' in reply, the vibration traveling through her.

 

In a blink, Kenshin dropped his form slightly and twisted out of her hold. Kaoru stumbled back a bit at his actions.

 

“How did you do that?”

 

“Very simply. Part of the technique is the surprise.” He stood next to her, demonstrating the position. Kaoru followed suit. “When you are grabbed or in a hold, inhale and push your arms out subtly. At the right moment, exhale and bring your arms in, and twist from the hips. You'll drop your weight and slip out of the grasp.”

 

“Ah, I see. Can I try it?”

 

Kenshin nodded, moving behind her. She put herself in the position she'd been in the other day. He grasped her slowly, arms tightening around her.

 

Holding him paled in comparison to the feeling of his strong arms around her, muscled planes of his chest and abdomen pressing against her back. Kaoru almost lost herself in the sensation.

 

He lifted her feet off the ground, jolting her back to the task at hand. What was it that he said?

 

“Just try the technique first, don't try to surprise.” His breath was warm on her neck. She suppressed a shudder, biting the inside of her lip.

 

Focusing, she did as he had directed, expanding, shrinking, and twisting out of his hold.

 

“Good. Again.”

 

They did this several more times, Kenshin holding her more tightly each time. Finally, his grip was as close as possible to the relentless hold of her attacker. She gave a sharp drop and twist, and got mostly out of his grasp. His hand still held her arm, and they regarded each other, breathing a little heavy from the exertion. A strange heat was present in Kenshin's gaze that warmed her in intimate places.

 

“Well, isn't this domestic.”

 

A sharp voice sounded from outside. Kaoru turned to see a very tall man in a policeman's uniform reclining in the doorway. He held a burning cigarette between long gloved fingers, golden eyes peering through stray strands of jet-black hair.

 

She breathed his after a fast rush of memory.

 

“Saito.”

 

Chapter 5 - Relative Calm

 

Kaoru managed to get her blush reasonably under control by the time Kenshin carried her through the dojo gates. He did not move to set her down until he reached the engawa in front of Yahiko's room. Sano emerged from the open doorway, and Kaoru could see Megumi just inside.

 

“Hey Jou-chan. What happened to you? You looked like someone kicked your puppy when you ran out of here.”

 

“It's a long story Sano,” Kenshin replied before she could answer. “Megumi-dono, would you please come and look at Kaoru-dono's ankle?”

 

Megumi rose gracefully and swayed to the engawa, stepping into the yard. Kaoru lifted her leg gingerly onto the smooth boards.

 

“Is Yahiko okay?”

 

“He is sleeping, and will recover in a few days,” Megumi said, carefully tilting Kaoru's foot and watching the small winces that resulted.

 

“What, did you trip again?” Sano joked. Kaoru lowered her head a little.

 

“I was attacked by the river.”

 

Megumi stopped her motions as she and Sano looked at Kaoru in surprise. Sano glowered and cracked his knuckles.

 

“Who were they? I'd be happy to mess them up for you.”

 

Kaoru smiled at his brotherly antics.

 

“Kenshin already took care of that. And I don't know who they were. I think they were related to that day though.”

 

Megumi set her ankle down carefully.

 

“Do you remember anything specific?” the doctor queried. Kaoru shook her head. Megumi moved the neckline of Kaoru's gi a little, touching the darkening bruises gently. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

 

“Maybe by the ribs. They're sore.”

 

“We'll take this examination to your room then.” Megumi went to gather her bag from Yahiko's room, and Kenshin picked up Kaoru again. She knew better than to protest. The determined look on his face was enough.

 

Kenshin set her down on her futon, giving her a warm smile. He turned to Sano, who was ambling past her doorway towards the kitchen.

 

“Sano, would you like to stay for dinner?”

 

Sano stretched widely, looking up at the sky.

 

“I dunno. I'm feeling a bit lucky today.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Kaoru almost missed the look that passed between them. A moment of rare seriousness flickered through Sano's expression. The tall fighter stuffed his hands in his pockets and smiled a bit.

 

“I guess I should give the suckers a break.”

 

Kenshin nodded.

 

“I should go to the market then. I will be back soon,” he said, turning towards Kaoru and smiling again. It didn't quite mask the underlying resolve in his gaze. He turned again and gestured to Sano, low voices fading as they walked away.

 

………………..

 

Dinner was a noisy affair. Megumi had stayed after giving Kaoru a clean bill of health besides the light sprain. Sano and the doctor engaged in their usual verbal sparring, strains of `baka Rooster' and `Kitsune-woman' peppering their insults. Kenshin calmly smiled amidst the hubbub, serving the nice piece of fish he had taken so long to find at the market. He assured Kaoru at her concern that the price wasn't beyond their means.

 

Yahiko joined them as well, fumbling a little with the chopsticks in his left hand. He'd shrugged as much as he could at Kaoru's apology.

 

“It was my own stupid fault for walking into the dojo without looking.”

 

She was relieved to say the least, and his forgiveness calmed the self-deprecation that still threaded through her thoughts.

 

Despite their bickering, Sano left with Megumi to walk her home. He nodded to Kenshin as they left.

 

“Take care of yourself Jou-chan. You too squirt,” he said, messing with Yahiko's hair.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Yahiko muttered, Megumi's potent tea taking effect. He stumbled off to bed.

 

Kaoru looked up at the stars from her spot on the engawa. Her own cup of steaming tea sat beside her, untouched. There were still so many unanswered questions. Foremost in her mind was this `boss' who wanted to see her so badly. What had she seen, or done, to garner such a response? It was no surprise to her that whomever it was waited until she was alone. She'd been with Kenshin all the time until today.

 

Her inability to fight them off nagged at her. Yes, she didn't have a real weapon. Yes, she was still a bit weak. Yes, there were three of them. But as soon as that man grabbed her, she was helpless. It shouldn't matter that they were bigger than her. She took some small satisfaction at the kicks to Scar's face.

 

She shuddered a bit, remembering his blistering anger. She was lucky that they didn't want her dead.

 

Yet.

 

She sighed wearily.

 

“You should rest, Kaoru-dono.” Kenshin's soft voice wove through the darkness.

 

“Perhaps I should.” Kenshin helped her to her feet, offering his arm as support for the four steps to her room. She took it gratefully, a bit disappointed that he didn't carry her again.

 

…………………..

 

Frightening blackness surrounded her. The now-familiar feelings were more intense, coupled by sensation. She could smell foul garbage and stale water. The air felt dry, chilly beyond the norm.

 

An indistinguishable sound sent fear shooting through her like a blow to the stomach, driving her legs to run. Her breathing grew harsh in her ear as panic clutched at her throat. Closer, closer. . . until the darkness crashed over her like a wave.

 

Kaoru bolted upright, sweating and breathing harshly. It took a moment for reality to set in, familiar shapes indistinct in the dim light. Kaoru raised a shaking hand to her forehead, phantom pain ghosting behind her vision.

 

The dream was getting worse.

 

After her breathing was back under control, she flipped off her blankets and rose from the futon. She knew from experience that sleep would not come back.

 

The last two days had been long. Yahiko was still recovering from his injury, and Kaoru rested her ankle at Kenshin's insistence. She would prefer to be in the dojo working on improving her fighting skills to fend off any attackers. But the occasional sharp pains when she walked made her grudgingly agree to his request.

 

Needless to say, the atmosphere had been a bit tense. Kenshin, for all his smiles, was decidedly on edge. The day after the attack, he had tensed slightly whenever someone passed by the dojo gates. Yahiko was in a similar foul mood, especially at not being able to work at the Akabeko and see Tsubame. A visit from the young girl yesterday had lightened things up a bit. Kaoru spent most of her time running through the encounter with the three men in her mind, trying to think of ways she could have defended herself better.

 

It was early, but not any earlier than she had been getting up recently. Kaoru dressed in her dojo clothes quickly, pausing to re-wrap the bandage on her ankle. It was stiff today, but didn't hurt. It seemed that Kenshin's caution had paid off.

 

Kaoru went straight to the dojo, ignoring the early sounds of Kenshin making breakfast in the kitchen. She just wasn't hungry. A stop at the well assuaged her thirst and removed the grime from her panicked awakening.

 

She left the dojo doorway open, inhaling the calming scent of polished wood. She paused for a moment in front of her father's swords, touching them like a totem.

 

`Give me strength, Father.'

 

After her warm-up, Kaoru griped her boken and began a series of forms and motions to immerse herself in her art and focus her mind. The gentle whisper of cloth and tread of feet were the only sounds that permeated through the quiet morning.

 

Once she was warm and centered, she once again ran herself through the attack. She moved through the motions, playing the encounter in slow motion. The first two hits had been almost flawless, considering she wasn't using a real boken. Why hadn't she sensed the third man come from behind? Dropping her weapon was also a big mistake. Not that it was intentional.

 

Kaoru searched through her training to find a technique to deal with the position she'd found herself in. Kicking Scar in the face had been the right move, though more power would have knocked him out of commission. Eventually kicking Big Guy had gotten him to let her go, but it was only after Kenshin's appearance that she could put it into effect. Not being able to breathe was distracting.

 

Which brought her back to the frustration of the last several days. As many times as she worked the problem through, she came to the same conclusion. She was not prepared to face her opponent, especially unarmed. Kaoru threw her boken to the ground.

 

“Dammit!”

 

“Kaoru-dono?”

 

Kaoru whirled towards Kenshin's voice. He stood in the doorway, framed by the rosy dawn.

 

“Is everything okay?”

 

“No, everything is not okay! I couldn't fight off those thugs, I don't know why these people are after me, and I don't know if I can fight them off next time!”

 

Kenshin moved into the room, obviously a bit surprised at her outburst.

 

“Kaoru-dono, I said I would protect you—”

 

“Which doesn't help me if you're not there,” she bit out. Her anger cooled at the flash of guilt that crossed his gaze. She ran her hands through her bangs, sighing.

 

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way.” She picked up her boken and walked to him. “I just want to be able to take care of myself. The only thing I feel like I can control right now is my actions.”

 

Kenshin nodded.

 

“I understand Kaoru-dono, but beating yourself up for being outnumbered is not going to help.”

 

Kaoru waved the comment away with a little huff.

 

“What in particular are you trying to work out Kaoru-dono?”

 

Kaoru looked at him, a bit surprised. She couldn't recall a time when he'd offer to help her train.

 

“Mostly getting out of that hold. I didn't have any leverage to move.”

 

Kenshin thought for a moment.

 

“But you could kick one of your assailants?”

 

Kaoru nodded.

 

“Can you show me how he restrained you?”

 

Blushing, Kaoru moved behind Kenshin. Her heart sped up a bit at the thought of putting her arms around him. Clearing her throat, she directed him into position.

 

“I had just executed a downward strike when he grabbed me over the arms. He lifted me up, so my feet weren't on the ground.” She shyly put her arms into position around him, grasping her forearms as similar position as she could remember. The heat of his back on her chest deepened her blush further. Kenshin `ahhed' in reply, the vibration traveling through her.

 

In a blink, Kenshin dropped his form slightly and twisted out of her hold. Kaoru stumbled back a bit at his actions.

 

“How did you do that?”

 

“Very simply. Part of the technique is the surprise.” He stood next to her, demonstrating the position. Kaoru followed suit. “When you are grabbed or in a hold, inhale and push your arms out subtly. At the right moment, exhale and bring your arms in, and twist from the hips. You'll drop your weight and slip out of the grasp.”

 

“Ah, I see. Can I try it?”

 

Kenshin nodded, moving behind her. She put herself in the position she'd been in the other day. He grasped her slowly, arms tightening around her.

 

Holding him paled in comparison to the feeling of his strong arms around her, muscled planes of his chest and abdomen pressing against her back. Kaoru almost lost herself in the sensation.

 

He lifted her feet off the ground, jolting her back to the task at hand. What was it that he said?

 

“Just try the technique first, don't try to surprise.” His breath was warm on her neck. She suppressed a shudder, biting the inside of her lip.

 

Focusing, she did as he had directed, expanding, shrinking, and twisting out of his hold.

 

“Good. Again.”

 

They did this several more times, Kenshin holding her more tightly each time. Finally, his grip was as close as possible to the relentless hold of her attacker. She gave a sharp drop and twist, and got mostly out of his grasp. His hand still held her arm, and they regarded each other, breathing a little heavy from the exertion. A strange heat was present in Kenshin's gaze that warmed her in intimate places.

 

“Well, isn't this domestic.”

 

A sharp voice sounded from outside. Kaoru turned to see a very tall man in a policeman's uniform reclining in the doorway. He held a burning cigarette between long gloved fingers, golden eyes peering through stray strands of jet-black hair.

 

She breathed his after a fast rush of memory.

 

“Saito.”