Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ When Stars Collide ❯ Painful Realization Served with Strange Food ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin et al is owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro. He will curse me into a locked jail cell filled with his OVA's and no DVD player to watch it on if i ever did use it for greedy purposes... *eep!*

A/N: HALOOOO Minna!!!! Very sorry for the long wait... I was stuck being in the adult world for a while, where i have to work... but i did miss this. I hope, Alexasky, you weren't too pissed with me. Anyway, I'm pretty sorry to hang the few readers of this for two months, and i hope this longer chapter can make up for it. *dodges a thrown rubber shoe*. Thanks again for all who emailed and reviewed...

Til next time, people! :)

Don't forget, Read and Review!!! Even if its just a flame... or email would do just as well. :)

PS. Shaur'i is my made up word for the unit of money, in case anyone is not clear about it...

When Stars Collide

Chapter 5 - Painful Realization served with Strange Food

Taking a deep sigh, Kenshin stared at the silent group, knowing they were expecting some more information as to who was Ashley. Not one of them stirred or made a sound in their tense poses, showing the discipline ingrained in them as warriors.

"She is only a voice." Kenshin tried once more to explain.

Bewildered blinks were shared by the group. How could a voice not have a body?

"She comes from here, that she does." He laid the surprisingly quiet white transmitter in the middle of the circle.

Aoshi, being the most curious, strode into the middle and squatted beside the small object. He poked at it with his kodachi, then flipped it over to side, taking note of the small silver screens.

"Pal, hey, watch that pointy thing! If I was a person I'd be dizzy already. You're cute and all, but seriously, I'm not going to stay silent forever, you know."

Aoshi jumped as though electrocuted, while the rest started getting riled up again. What in Kami hell???

Kenshin sighed again. "I think I better get Kaoru-dono. She will be best at explaining these." Resigning himself to the inevitable, he went back to his tent to collect the person who caused so much trouble--- also the woman he would not relinquish without a fight. What a strange predicament it is. She has already begun turning not only mine, but everyone else's life upside down and she's not even present! He left the group now inspecting the transmitter warily as if it could attack any second.

As he approached his tent, easily recognizable as it was the one with the huge royal emblem stitched delicately into its white flaps, he felt a strong solid ki envelope his, and a smell of--- something not familiar, but uniquely Kaoru's. He held his emotions under control and lifted the front flap to enter. He was greeted by a sight that would have struck him as funny, if it was under normal circumstances. The woman he wanted was sprawled like an exhausted kid on his bed sheets, sound asleep, the state of which explaining the ripping sounds heard earlier. His prize had worked herself up to destroying every piece of fabric found on the low mattress and then fell asleep on top of the mess. As it were, it only caused him to wrinkle his nose in slight annoyance, and after debating with himself to wake her up or not, wiped his face out of any expression save a slight smile and shook her shoulder.

Kaoru was having the most wonderful dream, of being home and being pampered hand and foot by a handsome android masseuse when a mechanical arm started messing with her shoulder gently.

"MMMmmmffff…"

"Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin shook a little harder. So she was a deep sleeper. He repeated her name.

"mmm---- AAAAAAARGH!!!!!" Kaoru screamed as her surroundings came into focus.

Kenshin, surprised at her yell, jumped back a foot and sweat dropped.

The rest of the group outside paused momentarily in surprise then returned to annoying Ashley with their inspections. Secretly though, Ashley was lavishing in the attention given to her. After all, it wasn't everyday she had a group of men checking her out. She may not have been human, but the Acuranian who programmed her certainly did not fail to put in residual emotional highs and lows, just as she was able to think of herself as a girl. Or as close to a girl as she ever could be. Maybe convincing Kaoru to stay here after she and her warrior got hooked up with be a very nice idea indeed. Although the major probabilities were in that red headed warrior --- or prince, as the others called him would be the one to follow her wherever she goes. Then again, she did have a .0005 percent error margin. Maybe humanoids could surprise her.

Meanwhile, back in the tent---

"What in all the multiverse are you trying to do?! Give me a heart attack?!" Kaoru yelled in reflex as her eyes fell on the miscreant who decided to wake her.

"Oro?! Heart attack? You mean to scare you? Sessha did not mean that, that he did not. I only meant to wake you so me and my men could have some peace with that… that… object you call Ashley." Kenshin replied, trying to placate the raging girl. My, she is fierce, that she is!

"Oh." Momentarily nonplussed at somebody not knowing her expressions sent Kaoru's mind into a blank. She forgot temporarily that she was a challenge loser, and awareness of the man in front of her assaulted her soon after. For about a few seconds, that is, until Kenshin made the mistake of adding, "besides, you are a challenge loser. Meaning, I get you to do what I think you should be doing, anyway."

"MOU!!!!" was Kaoru's reply, stomping out of the tent in a bad temper.

Kenshin's eyes narrowed. "One of these days, I'm really going to have to ask her what 'mou' means…" he muttered, following her out of the tent while admiring her legs.

-o-

Stunned beyond belief at the wondrous tale Kaoru told, and with the teleportal visual aids that Ashley provided, kept everybody in silence after her explanations at the camp. There was no way for anyone, even Kenshin, to dispute the fact that she was, as she said, a sky flyer from another world. Let alone that there were other worlds, or rather, planets and that the stars that they worshipped were proof of that fact.

However, sky-flyer with wonders from another world or no, they (with the exception of Kenshin who saw just how good she was) still did not believe that she was a warrior, much less the best in her country. One young man even smirked and said that Sakura wasn't a very strong planet, then, to leave the security in the hands of women and machines, which got Kaoru furious and had to be stopped by Kenshin before she bloodied the guy. Ashley simply transferred him to another place in the camp and though he showed no emotion whatsoever to the uncomfyness, got him to shut up.

However, in the end, for them, Kaoru was still female. And that meant she had to be protected under their laws, but since Kenshin already took over that task, everybody took for granted that she was going to be a part of the community. This drove Kaoru crazy and Ashley delirious with laughter.

"What do you mean, I need protection?! Ashley, give me a phazor-combo…" Kaoru was trying to get through the skull of the warriors now taking their leave of the circle. How dare they leave her to chew on the fact that she was helpless?

"Ashley, I forbid you to do anything she asks. For the better good." Kenshin said in a firm voice. He was the only one left at Kaoru's side. Not that he was complaining.

"Aye, aye, my commander. But I warn you, she has a mean right cross."

"Ah, Ash, who's side are you on?" Kaoru asked in sarcastic sweetness to her computer. You TRAITOROUS PIECE OF JUNK!!! Just you wait when I get to you, you'll be fried!!! Bwahahaha…

"No you won't fry me, oh Ms. I-think-my-inner-thoughts-are-so-clever, you're too soft hearted. You would've gotten rid of me before that if you hadn't realized inside you that I am exactly what you need." Ashley returned calmly, too used to reading the humanoid she was programmed to be utterly devoted to. Of course, that didn't mean she was telling her of the grand master plan she had for Kaoru's happiness just yet.

Kenshin broke into a rare, full grin behind Kaoru, glad to find out a snippet of information that he could use to make Kaoru fall for him. A soft heart may be just the key to endear him to her. Then, he saw her shoulders slump, and decided to turn her thoughts elsewhere. Somehow it did not sit right with him that Kaoru was defeated. The sparkle and humongous pride in her was what made him notice her in the first place. She is, well, special. And dear.

ORO?!!! Hell, my inner thoughts could use some work. Kami help me if anyone started to notice that I started to have tender thoughts. My own father might disown me! At the very least, doom me to wear women's clothes, he just might, he could be pretty sadistic in his own way. Sigh…

"Kenshin?" Kaoru broke through his self-recriminating thoughts.

"Yes, Kaoru-dono?"

"Is it true what Ashley just said, that you are a prince of your kingdom?"

"Ah. Yes, that I am."

Kaoru's eyes widened in alarm, but she did not move from where she was sitting. Insulting the prince? That was a no-no in planetary etiquette, no matter what planet she landed on.

"Then… then… you have the power to have me… killed? For the disrespect I showed you earlier today?" She asked, trying for a brave tone but managing only to be above a whisper.

Hmmm. This is interesting, Ashley thought to herself. Of course, he wouldn't hurt her. But would he be sneaky enough to hold terror over her head?

Kenshin stood silent for a moment. "I don't believe in killing." He said abruptly, then stood up.

Kaoru's tenseness fled a little. Surely he wouldn't hold her mistakes against her? Then she noticed he was sliding his sword out his sheath. HOLY MULTIVERSAL CRAP NOW I'M GOING TO GET IT! But like the last time, she simply froze up and watched with sickening fascination as the blade came nearer and nearer her neck

"Kaoru-dono?" His blade stopped an inch before reaching her skin. "Trust me." Her pale face did not go by unnoticed to him, but he needed to prove a point.

Kaoru forced herself to trust him and relax, couldn't, so she closed her eyes and waited for the deadly swipe. At the moment, she was out of options. What is the correct way to be when one is holding a sword to your neck? Her mind screamed silently.

The swipe didn't come. Instead she felt something like a cool thread slide gently past her neck. She opened her eyes to lavender orbs filled with warmth, and… was that… mirth? She wasn't sure because the flash of hilarity fled in an instant to be replaced with a more serious emotion. "My sword's sharp edge is the reverse. I will never turn it to the sharp side to touch you. I will never hurt you." He said in a whisper, his face barely a hands breadth away from hers.

Kaoru, mesmerized by his unusual eyes and gentle manner, caught her breath in her throat.

Ashley snorted and broke the spell, not to mention Sanosuke and the audience of warriors who came back to give the prince and his sky flyer some dinner. Some of them started to cough a little loudly to alert the two that they were not alone. Ashley chuckled. Humanoids are dramatic and predictable, she concluded to herself.

Kenshin, brought back to reality, stood up a little too hastily and said in his normal tone of voice "And I won't starve you either, so you have to eat something, that you must. Here…" He thrust a plate of rabbit toward Kaoru, valiantly ignoring the raised eyebrows and murmured comments of his men.

Kaoru eyed the plate of smoking meat warily. This is food? Her food was mostly in the way of protein shakes, nutritional pills and the occasional sweet liquid that came in sterilized silver packets. No way was the charred piece of acrid flesh in front of her food. However, not wanting to insult anybody yet again, she tentatively picked a piece of meat and placed it in her mouth and swallowed it. And promptly started choking.

"Kaoru-dono?!" Kenshin was at her side in an instant, sensing distress.

"Ahh-ack-gurgle" were the only sounds coming from Kaoru as she struggled to get the piece of offending meat in her throat. Kenshin tried tapping her back, but this resulted in even fiercer coughs. Panicking, he called for help, not realizing that Sano had already reached them. He started whacking the back of Kaoru forcefully, causing the meat to dislodge and fall to the ground.

As the commotion died out, Kaoru looked at her savior. "I, uh, thanks." And smiled warmly at him, causing the taller man to grin back.

"No problem, tanuki-jou-chan."

"Sano-san, I don't think you should…" Kenshin said in a strangled voice, once again reminded that Sano, while being his best and most loyal friend, could be rather rough in manners.

"Ah, that's all right. I think he can call me whatever he wants, he just saved my life!" Kaoru cut in, smiling at Kenshin this time. "What did he call me anyway? The Subcon is great as a language tool, but sucks at picking up nuances and slang." She asked conversationally as Sano turned to go back to his seat.

"Little Miss Raccoon."

"MOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

-o-

Sano watched Kenshin follow Kaoru into the tent. "So… how long do you think before we hear of their joining?" He asked the two other men remaining seated around the fire, one of which was Aoshi Shinomori, and the other a tall, lean man with yellow eyes smoking a thin cigar.

Aoshi raised 2 fingers. "I'd say 2 months. The prince is very decisive on battle issues, but normally clueless on relationships."

"Yeah right, as if you were, ice-block." The third man said retorted, his expression unchanging as he puffed slightly on his cigar. Aoshi simply glared at him.

"Hey, Saitou, just because you're an asshole means you're the only one entitled to an opinion…" Sano said in defense of Aoshi. Sure, he was a little creepy with his meditation, foot massages and green tea, not to mention silent as death when he wanted to, but surely, Hajime Saitou was more annoying.

"Why thank you, ahou, that's sweet, coming from you, Rooster-boy" Saitou replied with a little bow of his head and a sardonic smile.

"So what? Are we betting on it or what?" Sano tried to keep his temper, but man oh man, Saitou knew exactly how to get under his skin.

"Fine, for the prince-baka's love affair, I say 4 Sharu'i* that they will get it on in a month." Saitou replied.

"I bet 10 Shaur'i for two months." Aoshi tossed his money into the small bag Sano was holding out.

"Oh yeah? Then I bet 20 Shaur'i for 3 weeks!" Sano said with aplomb. Saitou and Aoshi looked at him in surprise.

"Is that so? Well, let's match it, Saitou, and whoever wins gets 60 Shaur'i… that's two weeks pay, you know!" Aoshi replied, getting into the spirit of the bet.

Saitou pretended to think about it.

Both Sano and Aoshi held their collective breaths unconsciously as he psyched them out.

Finally, he relented.

"All right. Bring it on, ahous!"