Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Tanabata Jasmine ❯ The Morning After ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The usual disclaimer here: I have no rights to Rurouni Kenshin.

Tanabata Jasmine Chapter 7

Morning came, and the rain lessened to a gentle touch on the wind. The sunrise found Kamiya Kaoru once again standing outside the gate, umbrella in hand.

She had changed a lot in the past months, she knew. Grown and matured since the first day Megumi had shamed her into following Kenshin to Kyoto, gaining strength and confidence in her own ability during the siege at the Aoiya. Finally, Megumi's last lecture to her, delivered under the bridge in Kyoto. The knowledge, sweet and sad, that for better or for worse, she was the most important person in Himura Kenshin's life.

Knowing this, ironically, was why she had given up on trying to sleep in the early hours of the morning. When Sanosuke had come back without his best friend, she knew then that without doubt, Kenshin had landed in some kind of trouble. He doesn't like to make me worry. He wouldn't have stayed away unless he had no choice. She'd joked about it the night before, lamenting the loss of her bucket as if its presence was far more important to her than the man who carried it. In her mind, however, she had fought off the irrational impulse to run through the streets calling his name.

She stayed by the gate in the early morning drizzle, staring down the path, until she heard Yahiko moving around in the dojo, launching into practice swings. Then, with a small snort of impatience, she returned to the house, located the sleeping Sanosuke, and kicked him soundly in the ribs.

He woke up with a sudden flailing of limbs and jerked upright, blinking at her in confusion for a moment. Then, predictably, he glared. “What was that for?”

“It's morning,” she announced brightly. “Let's go search.”

“But I haven't even had breakfast!”

“So? We'll cut through the markets on the way and pick something up. Comeon, Sanosuke.” There was a pause. She tried not to sound like she was pleading. “Onegai?”

He blinked at her, and then smiled in understanding, running a hand through his hair in a half-hearted attempt to tidy it. “Alright, Jou-chan. Give me a few minutes and we'll go. What about Yahiko?”

“Aa, what about Yahiko?” interrupted the student in question, making them both jump. Yahiko stood in the doorway, staring down at Sano in puzzlement, shinai braced across his shoulders. “Oi, tori atama. What are you doing here?”

“Nice talk, you little—“

“Yahiko can stay here and keep practicing,” Kaoru interrupted in steady tones. “Besides, someone needs to be here in case Kenshin comes back.”

“Comes back?” Yahiko blinked. “You mean he didn't come home at all?” He looked guilt-stricken. Kaoru could guess how he felt. Yahiko had gone off to sleep the night before in the sheer confidence that Kenshin was untouchable and probably just late because he was avoiding Kaoru's cooking.

“Me and Jou-chan are just gonna go check up on him,” Sano said, stretching to his feet. “It was pretty stormy last night. He might've just been trapped somewhere in the rain.”

“I'll come with you.”

“Iie!” she retorted. “Yahiko, if Kenshin comes back while we're gone, he'll just go out looking for us. Someone needs to stay here for him.”

Yahiko opened his mouth to object, and then closed it with a snap at the look on her face. “Alright, already. I'll stay. Just don't take too long.”

“So are we done here, Jou-chan? `Cause I'm hungry.”

“Oh, shut up,” she said crossly, dragging him to the gate.

The rain had stopped entirely by the time they reached the markets. True to her word, she bought Sano breakfast, and paused long enough to ask questions. Nobody she spoke to had seen or heard from Kenshin that morning, although a few remembered him from the markets the day before. One vendor told her she'd seen him walking with a visiting merchant.

“Maybe the guy he left with,” Sano said with a frown. Kaoru glanced at him sharply; he hadn't said that last night. “What did he look like?”

“Short hair, black,” said the woman. “Black eyes, too, rather narrow, I thought. A few inches taller than your friend. I think he was selling flowers, yesterday.”

“Kenshin was buying flowers?” The idea brought a startled smile to her face. For me?

“He could have. He was carrying some, but he might've just been helping the merchant carry his things.”

She caught the look of relief flash across Sano's face, and suddenly realised why he hadn't mentioned this the night before. It irritated her. What, does he think I'm so fragile I'll automatically assume Kenshin has some other girl? “Then … he might have just been helping the merchant home, and got stuck when it started raining!” She smiled in quick hope. “He's probably on his way home right now.”

“Maybe,” Sano said absently. “I'm thinking we should check anyway.”

She nodded, and they headed east. A path wound its way out from the city, through trees. The only thing out this way would be a scattering of homes, for those who either didn't like or couldn't afford to live within Tokyo itself. She wrinkled her nose at the churned up mud, and thanked whatever instinct had possessed her to wear her hakama and gi instead of a kimono. Whatever clothing she had was likely to be ruined, walking on this trail.

Particularly if Sano was going to kick water up from every puddle he came across. “Rain sure came down last night. You gonna be okay to walk this path, Jou-chan?”

“Fine, if you don't splash water everywhere,” she snapped, picking her way through the mud. Her foot slid out from under her, and she fell back with a yelp. He caught her under the arms and set her back on her feet again. “Uh. A-arigatou.”

“Look, maybe just hold onto my arm? I'm sure Kenshin wouldn't mind.”

“Why would he mind?” She punched him in the shoulder, and then latched onto his arm, face red. He grinned.

In this fashion, they walked the path, made treacherous by the rain. The area was quiet, silence broken only by the sound of water falling from the leaves around them. She peered into the trees as they traveled, looking for any sign, any flash of red hair. There was nothing; of course, the rain itself would have hidden any trace of his passage. She sighed.

“There y'are,” Sano nudged her out of thought and pointed ahead to a run-down cottage. “What's the bet he stayed out here for the night? Come on.”

The cottage seemed abandoned, at first glance. Certainly, nobody had taken care of its upkeep in recent years. She eyed it skeptically, but nodded as he pulled her forward. They could hear quiet humming faintly from within, a man's tenor voice. Sano deposited her on safe ground, and thumped on the closed door.

The humming stopped.

“Oi!” Sano thumped again after a moment. “It's polite to greet guests! We don't bite.”

“Ah, gomen, gomen,” replied a muffled voice. There was the click of a latch, and the door opened slightly, to reveal a man with dark hair and a cheerful smile. “You caught me at a bad time. Is there a problem?”

“Iie…” Kaoru said uncertainly, staring at his face. The man's nose had been broken. Recently, if the rash of bruises under his eyes were anything to go by. “Ano … were you attacked?”

“Attacked?” Blinking, the man put a hand up to his face. “Well - in a manner of speaking. I appreciate your concern, but it's not important. If there isn't a problem, are you here to purchase a flower? I believe I have a couple left…”

“You're the flower selling merchant?” Sano interrupted. “Someone saw you with Kenshin yesterday. Where is he?”

A flicker of recognition sparked in the merchant's eyes. “Himura Kenshin-san? Yes, I walked out of town with him yesterday.” He glanced back to Kaoru. “Ah, does that mean you are the young lady he was buying flowers for? I can see why he would go to such effort.”

She blushed. “A-arigatou gozaimasu…”

The merchant stepped smoothly through the half-open door, closing it behind him. “Himura-san did not return last night? I did warn him not to walk back in the weather, but I feel he was worried about being late home.”

Kaoru's face fell. Then he isin trouble. Oh, Kenshin.

Sano pointed at his face. “Was Kenshin with you when that happened?”

“Hai,” the man smiled ruefully. “In fact, Himura-san was the one who injured me.” At that, they both stared at him, and he made a placating gesture. “It's a very long story. To put it simply, Himura-san came out here last night at my request. We fought a duel with shinai, over some history between us. I'm not sure it's my place to tell you any more than that.”

“Like hell it's not—“

“Sanosuke.” Kaoru placed a hand on his arm. “It's alright.” She stepped forward, and nodded gravely to the merchant. “I appreciate your help. Can you tell me when he left your cottage?”

“Ah, well, let's see…” He tilted his head in thought. “I would say about an hour after sundown. I do hope he's alright. Good luck to you.”

She bowed, fringe falling forward to conceal her face. She hoped he couldn't see her disappointment. “Arigatou. I hope you recover from your injury soon.” Then, without another word, she turned and walked sedately back the way they'd come.

Sano hesitated a moment, eyeing the smiling merchant, before sprinting to catch up with her. “Oi, Jou-chan. Why'd you stop me?”

“Because he was right,” she said softly. “If it's over past history, then it's probably something left over from Kenshin's time as a hitokiri. Whatever happened between them is none of our business - I haven't pried into his past before, and I'm not going to start now.”

They continued to walk in silence. Behind them, the cottage door shut as the merchant returned to his tuneless humming within.

Kaoru stared down at her hands, clenched into small fists. Kenshin. She wondered if, had they attempted to come out here in the rain last night, they might have made a difference. No. Logically, they would have achieved nothing other than getting totally lost.

She jumped as a hand slapped onto her shoulder, and looked up at Sano in astonishment.

“Don't look so down, Jou-chan. There are plenty of places between here and the city. We'll search a bit. Besides …” He looked away with an awkward grin. “…I think Kenshin prefers it when you smile. So make him happy, huh?”

She stared, and then smiled uncertainly. “Why, Sagara Sanosuke, that was positively nice of you.”

“Don't get used to it. Come on. If Kenshin ran into trouble on the path, we might find something if we have a look around nearby.”

They left the path, separating to either side of it. Kaoru wandered aimlessly through the trees, still meandering her way in the general direction of the city. This was a near pointless exercise, she knew; the rain would have washed out any obvious signs of an attack, and neither she nor Sano were trackers. No doubt, Sanosuke already knew this. She stole a glance across the path and watched him, hands in pockets, slouching along with his eyes on the ground. Unaware she was watching him, he'd let his stoic mask slip to show his own concern.

She sighed, and then yelped as her foot turned in the mud. Again! I should've been watching where I was going! With no Sanosuke to break her fall, she landed in an ungainly heap at the foot of a tree. Her string of curses brought him running, but by then she was already standing on her own.

“I swear, this mud is out to get me,” she snapped as he arrived.

“Or maybe you're just clumsy.” He dodged as she swung a fist at him. “Much better. Now you're acting like the Jou-chan I know.”

She winced as the punch put extra strain on her ankle, and put out a hand to support herself. “I think I twisted it.” Her hand caught on something sharp, and she flinched back from the tree in surprise. “That hurt.”

“You sprain your hand, too?”

“Iie…” She glanced down at the new scratch on her palm, then back at the tree. “The tree cut me.”

“Lemme have a look.” She held out her hand to him. He ignored it and stooped down to peer at the tree. “The bark's raised sharply, here. Looks like something got jammed into it. There's a break just here, see?”

She had a closer look. Sure enough, a thin gash in the bark was seen, deepening into the tree itself. She swallowed. “Could a sword do this?”

He glanced at her shrewdly. “Doubt it. Too narrow. Maybe a knife?”

“A knife…” she echoed, running her hands along the bark. “Here's another one. And … one right here...”

“Could have nothing to do with anything, Jou-chan.”

“I know.” She pulled her hand away, running her hand along the scratch. It wasn't deep, barely bleeding at all—

She froze. “Sanosuke.”

He glanced at her, eyes widening at her sudden pallor. She was staring at the tree, and he turned to follow her gaze.

Caught on the raised edge of abraded bark, at the edge of the uppermost gash …

… was a strand of red hair.

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Senzo Karanai leaned his head against the door, humming quietly to himself until the footsteps of his unexpected visitors had frayed into silence.

He hadn't liked the way the thug had looked at him. Glaring, suspicious bastard. Too protective of his friends by far, that one, and not likely to have his ear turned by talks of honour. The Kamiya girl, though - he could see why Himura liked her. Desperately concerned, yet her own sense of honour had deflected the thug's further questions.

Shame, really.

“Still, that was a close one, eh?” He addressed the slack jumble of limbs on the futon with jovial tones. “I thought I'd give you the chance to mend, but your gangster friend will be back here soon, I suspect. High time I got you on the road.”

There was no reply. Truly, he didn't expect one; after the dose he'd administered last night, it was doubtful Himura would wake for at least another two days. By that time, he intended to have them both on ship, bound for Kyoto, to receive the rest of his fee.

After that, what his employers did with the former hitokiri was none of his concern.

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