Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic

Fanfic By: Chiruken

Kamiya Kaoru, sapphire blue eyes glistening with unshed tears, long black hair falling forward over her shoulder to brush against the bare chest of the unconscious and prone figure of Sagara Sanosuke, covered her face with her hands and tried to stifle the sobs wracking her slender frame. Takani Megumi, dark eyes filled with tears of sympathy slowly knelt beside the younger woman and gently placed her arm around her shaking shoulders, offering comfort the only way she could, as words were useless in a situation such as this. "He’ll be all right, tanuki girl…tori atama is tough…" She sniffed and tightened her hold on Kaoru’s shoulders. He’s survived far worse that this. She added silently and reached out to readjust the blankets on his still form.

"He’s so pale, Megumi…" Kaoru’s voice was a threadbare, tearfilled whisper in the dim silence of Sanosuke’s assigned room on the Aoiya’s second floor. She reached out and gently brushed her fingertips over his forehead, tenderly smoothing the chestnut strands of disorderly hair out of his eyes.

The lady doctor sighed and turned Kaoru to face her fully. "Kaoru, I need to know what happened. Can you tell me how Sanosuke fell?"

The younger woman sniffed and wiped the tears from her pale face, meeting Megumi’s gaze directly. "Misao pushed him, Megumi." She answered softly. "It was an accident…I know she didn’t mean to push that hard…" Her voice trailed off again as her eyes moved back to the ex-fighter-for-hire.

The doctor shook her head sadly and stood slowly. "I’ll be just outside if you need anything, Kaoru." She placed a comforting hand on her young friend’s shoulder and squeezed gently. "He needs rest and quiet. He’ll be fine, I promise."

Kaoru reached up and covered her hand with hers gratefully. "It was because of our relationship. Misao was angry, Megumi. Why was she so angry?" She turned her confused gaze up to the older woman. Voices in the garden drifting in through the open window drew her attention. She turned slowly, head tilted curiously, as harsh, angry tones became apparent. "What…" She stood and moved toward the window to see and hear better. She gasped when her eyes fell on the tableau below her window. "Kenshin?" Her voice emerged on a horror stricken whisper before she turned and ran for the shouji.

"Kaoru?" Megumi cast a quick look towards Sanosuke’s still form sleeping peacefully on the soft futon before following Kaoru out the shouji, down the stairs and out onto the engawa overlooking the garden she’d admired since she first set eyes on it. She froze at the scene that greeted her wide, disbelieving eyes. "Ken-san?" She whispered uncertainly, her hand pressed over her racing heart as the late afternoon sun glinted off the exposed blade of the rurouni’s sakabatou. She swallowed and moved forward, dark eyes wide in her pale face as she watched the blade inch closer to its obvious intended target. "Aoshi…" Terror gripped her as he lost ground to the unmistakably enraged former hitokiri and his sakabatou. "Ken-san! Stop!" She closed distance quickly, intent stopping Kenshin from following through on the very obvious threat in his glittering amber gaze and saving the man she loved only to find Misao blocking her path.

**To Be Continued…**