Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Steps Of Courage ❯ To Bloom ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: All standard disclaimers apply. Always.

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Chapter 4

Wow Naruku!” Yahiko exclaimed. “These are really for me?”

Naruku laughed and nodded.

“What’s this?” he went on, picking up the jade figure. “A…Buddha!?”

At this, Naruku burst out in laughter, her head thrown back and her smile wide. “Sure enough,” she chirped.

Yahiko fingered the red koi sculpture he had unwrapped earlier. “Well thanks Naruku!”

“It was really sweet of you to get some spices for the dojo, as well,” Kaoru called from the kitchen. “We’ll put these to good use. And especially thanks for this ribbon!” She said, while brushing her fingers on the fabric lovingly. “It’s beautiful.”

Naruku beamed at her success. “I’m happy if you’re happy,” she expressed simply. “These are but simple things to show my ever-lasting gratitude.”

Kaoru stifled laughter at the cordial words. By the twinkle in her eye, Kaoru could tell Naruku wasn’t taking herself seriously either.

“Oh right,” Naruku fumbled with a package inside her haori’s sleeve. She still wasn’t used to being dressed in the hakama, but it was better than a kimono anyway. “Here Kenshin,” she sang, holding it out to him.

He took it gingerly and carefully peeled open the wrapping. In his hands he now held two pairs of brightly colored tabi socks.

Naruku grinned at his puzzled expression. “You’re so old-fashioned. So I figured you’d do well with some newfangled socks!” She quipped.

One pair was dark blue with gold characters that named the days of the week, as though the owner might forget sometimes and glance down at his feet to check. The other pair was a bold red color, with just some black and white striped trim at the top. Kenshin only stared down at them.

Naruku covered her mouth with a hand to keep her giggles in check.

He rolled the socks over in his hands, and from the folds of the thick cloth rolled a simple black notebook, bound with leather and filled with rice-paper pages.

Naruku’s face resumed a serious expression. “I was going to get you one of those stone proverbs. You know, the kind that say, “The patient fisherman will hold the biggest barrel” and things like that. But I figured, people giving you advice wasn’t what you needed. I guess giving yourself some advice might work better for you.”

Kenshin stared at her with a new sort of awe. “Arigatou gozaimasu Naruku,” he told her sincerely. “I’ve never kept a journal before.”

“And I’m not asking you to,” she put in. “You can do whatever you want with that little book. Oh, and look inside the Monday through Sunday sock. There’s a ink bottle and paintbrush.”

He rummaged for the proclaimed items, letting a boyish smile break out across his face.

Next to Yahiko, Sano stood up and walked out in a low-key way.

“Huh?” Naruku watched him go out the door. “Hey wait!” She got to her feet and hurried after him, squinting to find him in the dark beneath the stars. “Where are you going, anyway?” she demanded.

“Oh, well, I figured I’d go so we wouldn’t feel awkward ‘cause you didn’t get me anything,” he shrugged.

“Baka,” she chided. “Of course I got you something. You’re my friend! And I already told you guys I’m loaded,” she added in a low whisper. Laughing, she tipped forward on her toes as she held out the package for him to take.

He only stared down at her, at her expression, so pleased with herself. Then he took the gift.

“Wrist-guards,” he reflected admiringly.

“They’re red, to match that stupid red headband you have,” she piped, in case he couldn’t see the color due to the dark. “And Megumi was complaining that you kept messing up your hands…” she trailed off expectantly. She continued in a quavering voice. “D’you…”

“I love ‘em,” he smiled warmly. “Thanks Koneko!” He drew her into a quick, one-armed hug, and she beamed.

“I’m not trying to buy your guys’s trust, or anything,” she confided, once they had drawn apart. “I have just really, really enjoyed my stay here, and I’m happy to do something that you guys will be happy for. Since all of you have been so nice to me since I came.”

“Of course the koneko’s a sweet-heart,” Sano rolled his eyes.

She sighed. “That dumb nick-name again?”

“It fits you!” He jested.

“Sano, have you ever owned a kitten?” she inquired listlessly.

“Uh…no,” he confessed. “But I was this close once.” He held up his index finger and his thumb, which were only a quarter of an inch apart from each other.

“They bite,” she continued tonelessly. “And bring in dead mice.”

Sano made a wild shrugging motion and exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, “Well, what do you know!? So do you!”

She frowned. “Not funny.”

He jabbed her in the shoulder as a reply. “C’mon Koneko…”

A smile spread across her face. “Okay, fine.” Her expression changed to a thoughtful one. “How did a guy like you meet Kenshin anyway?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he exclaimed. “‘A guy like me…’ hmph.”

“Oh come on, Sano, face it, you two are polar opposites,” she had to laugh.

Sano scowled. “Well, if you must know, I was first hired to fight him. Yeah, that’s right, I was a mercenary of sorts,” he added, noting the look on Naruku’s face. “Anyway, these two brothers, Gohei and Kihei…a big bumbling guy and a clever little old man hired me to fight Kenshin.”

“That’s odd…” she mused.

“Well yeah, but obviously Kenshin showed me the wrong of my ways so I decided to stick around. You know, see what he was really all about,” he smiled wryly.

“No, no,” she shook her head, though her eyes seemed to be out of focus. “I mean, it’s odd that you’d be hired to fight him. I mean, he’s a good swordsman, but who cares?”

Sano opened his mouth to speak, and for once he chose his words wisely. “Kenshin…well, besides us here at the dojo…” he struggled for words. “Let’s just say he has more enemies than friends,” he offered.

Naruku looked puzzled, but seemed to accept that as an answer. A gust of wind blew past them both, and she shivered.

“I nearly forgot it was night-time,” she admitted. “I’m gonna go back inside, then.”

“Yeah, sure,” he answered. “I’m on my way home.”

They exchanged farewells as Naruku trotted up to the dojo porch. She entered the dining room where Kenshin was clearing away their dishes.

“Oh, Naruku-dono,” he acknowledged her. “Kaoru-dono and Yahiko have gone off to bed.”

“Do you want any help?” she replied, glancing at the dishes.

“Iie, I’m just fine,” his answer came.

“All right then,” she said hesitantly. “I guess I’ll go off to sleep too. See you in the morning!” She called back at him.

“Oyasumi nasai, Naruku-dono,” he called back softly before resuming his task. His features gave way to a faint smile as his fingers brushed gently on the rough surface of his new notebook.

Naruku was so strange sometimes, it was hard to think where she had been brought up. But upon reflecting, Kenshin decided that the rest of them at the dojo were just as odd, if not more. He himself hardly noticed these things though, due to all the time he spent only in their presence.

Maybe Naruku was right on one count though…maybe it would do him good to write down his thoughts once in a while (Kenshin hardly thought he’d remember to do it every day.) And since his handwriting was practically illegible, he had no concerns that someone would try and read the notebook.

A wanderer like himself could not afford to be tied to any one place, though, Kenshin frowned at this thought, it seemed that he was pretty much glued to the Kamiya dojo. The sense of being home at the dojo had snuck up on him, Kenshin decided bitterly. But he sighed a second later. If it had ‘snuck up’ on him, then he had done everything to let it do just that. He had to face it—he wanted to feel like he was home. He had shown that when he returned from Kyoto, and again after that. Another deep sigh filled the silence. Who was he even denying it from? Himself? It didn’t matter. He was home.

Naruku finished pinning her hair up and reached for the rolled-up ink painting she would soon give to Megumi. She tucked it under her arms and strolled down the hall to the front of the house. She passed Kaoru on the way out.

“Kaoru-chan!” She greeted. “Working on dinner?”

The girl only nodded, trying to concentrate on cooking.

“I’m going over to give this to Megumi,” she motioned to the roll of parchment under her arm. “But I’ll be back in time to set the table.”

“Uh-huh,” Kaoru grunted in reply, a skewer clenched in her teeth. After a few second of muffled noises that were supposed to be words, Kaoru removed the stick. “Go ahead and take Kenshin with you.”

“Huh?” Naruku said intelligently. “Why?”

“It’s getting late,” Kaoru explained. “Just go! I need to focus on the food.”

“All right Kaoru,” she backed out of the house. “Bye.”

Outside she spotted Kenshin who was just standing up to wipe the soap and bubbles off his hands from doing the laundry. “Oh, hello Naruku-dono. Where are you off to?”

“Megumi’s,” she replied. “Kaoru said to take you…?” She said, as though she weren’t sure of his reaction to this.

“Oh, that’s right, Megumi-dono promised to sell me more of her wound ointment,” he clarified.

“Why?” Naruku wondered, puzzled. “Is something going on?”

“What? Oh, no!” Understanding crossed Kenshin’s features. “I just like to have some handy, that I do,” he replied. “Often times Yahiko and Kaoru-dono get injured during training as well…”

At his last comment, Naruku’s lips pressed into a line and her eyes squinted determinedly. “Oh, okay,” she replied faintly. “Let’s go then.” They stepped out of the lopsided gate out onto the path leading down.

“Train you?” Kenshin echoed. “I don’t understand. Why?”

Naruku stomped a little impatiently as she walked along the dirt path next to him. They had just returned from Megumi’s where Naruku had presented her with the beautiful ink painting (“To thank you for treating my wounds and being so kind,” she had explained. “And, of course, for the chocolate you gave us.”) Now, she stared back at Kenshin intently, opening her mouth to answer his question. “Because. I want to be able to defend myself.”

“Are you still worried about the malefactors that are after you?” Kenshin probed.

“Iie!” she argued. “I am not!”

“Then why? In this peaceful Meiji Era, there is no need for violence,” he reconciled. Maybe just to annoy her, he added, “That there isn’t.”

She thought about this a moment, kicking up caked mud along the path. It had been nearly two days since she had decided she wanted to learn kenjutsu and was proud of herself for putting it up for discussion so quickly. It hadn’t taken much, all she had done was comment on Yahiko’s training and the conversation had evolved by itself.

“Sometimes…peace does not exist. Even now there are many who would rather resort to chaos than to live a peaceful life,” she answered at last. Her green eyes were solemn, and Kenshin absently wondered how eyes could be such a solid color. “You know that most of all, don’t you Kenshin?”

Kenshin gave a slow nod, but said nothing.

“So…will you train me?” she repeated hopefully. “I’m a quick learner and I can work hard—” she began, talking fast. Her hopeful smile diminished at the look on Kenshin’s face. It lowered into a frown as she heard his answer.

“I have no intention of gaining a pupil. The Hiten Mitsurugi Style will end with me,” he cut her off, hoping to conclude the conversation. For the next few minutes, not a word was exchanged between them. Kenshin stopped by the side of the road.

“Look,” he pointed. “The summer lotuses are just beginning to bloom. They must be late this year.”

Beside him, she peered at the flower. Indeed it seemed its pure-white petals had only just unfurled themselves to catch the liquid rays of the sun. “They’re beautiful,” she answered in astonishment, already forgetting their argument that had taken place a few minutes prior. “And so white! Not a trace of pink,” she gently lifted a soft petal with two fingers. “You can’t even see the veins beneath it.” She knelt in to smell it. “It’s not a very strong scent,” she mused. “But it is lovely.” Sighing happily, she turned to Kenshin.

He plucked one off and held it with cupped hands. He simply stared at it for a few moments. “They are quite beautiful. You wouldn’t tell by looking, but they are very strong, as well.”

“There are so few of them,” Naruku commented.

“Lotus blossoms require a particular environment to flourish. They will not blossom just anywhere,” he was staring directly at her. “The Mitsurugi style is not meant for just defense. It is meant to kill.” He said this as though their conversation had been going on for hours already.

“I know that,” she told him, ignoring the sudden switch from lotus flowers to swords. “But I have my hanashitou, remember?”

It took Kenshin a few seconds to realize she meant her sword, the one that had no blade. “That sword was a mistake.”

“It wasn’t!” she exclaimed. “It belonged to my father. His last seconds were spent protecting me with it.”

Kenshin didn’t answer, but instead said, “Why don’t you learn the Kamiya Kasshin? Kaoru would be delighted to have a new student.”

At these words Naruku stopped walking. She let the wind lift the ends of her hair and watched the terra cotta colored strands curl and twist. Why can’t I learn the Kamiya Kasshin? Why didn’t I think of it? It hadn’t even seemed like an option. There was only the Hiten Mitsurugi.

Kenshin had stopped as well when he realized she wasn’t walking behind him anymore. “Are you coming? Kaoru-dono will be worried if we aren’t back for dinner.”

She shook herself out of her thoughts. “Y-yeah. You’re right.” The rest of the way back, nothing was said on the subject of the sword arts.

Lying awake on her futon, Naruku thought about their conversation. The part that came back the clearest was when Kenshin had mentioned winter lotus. She sighed and rolled over on her left side, thinking that it would probably be better just to drop the training thing for now. She didn’t want to pester Kenshin, and he gave no reason to agree. Besides, if I mention it, Kaoru might overhear and be hurt that I don’t want to train under the Kamiya Kasshin. I don’t want that. Naruku had nothing against Kaoru’s sword style. But she had remembered the reason she wanted to train under the Hiten Mitsurugi.

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