Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic
Rurouni Kenshin &
Samurai X Original Japanese Version © N.Watsuki/Shueisha * Fuji-TV * SME Visual
Works Inc. * Sony Pictures Entertainment
All Fanfics created by Chiruken (me)
were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for
publication or sale.
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by Chiruken
Chapter 5
Koukonourei
Megumi
closed the fusuma carefully with a last reassuring smile at Yahiko before
turning to her friend and patient. “All
right, Ken-san, why don’t you tell me what’s going on, hmm?” She folded her arms across her chest and
waited. When Kenshin didn’t reply, only
looked down at the tatami covered floor with an anxious expression, she sighed
and stepped closer to place her hand on his shoulder, surprised to feel how
tense he actually was. “Come,
Ken-san. Let’s sit and I’ll make some,
tea. You can tell me what has you so
concerned, all right?”
Kenshin
gave her a grateful smile and slowly lowered himself to the floor with a soft,
inaudible sigh. He pushed his sleeve
back, revealing the reddened appearance of his forearm. “It started with this rash, Megumi-dono,
that it did. I thought it was the
laundry soap, so I started using less, that I did.”
Megumi
leaned closer and examined the rash he indicated. “Hmm…” She frowned thoughtfully.
“Was it the soap?”
He
shook his head. “It didn’t go away,
that it did not.”
“I
see.” She checked the water heating
over the small fire before turning back to her patient. “Have you felt ill? Nauseated?
Weak of limb? Fevered? Have your joints ached?” When Kenshin nodded to each of her inquiries
Megumi’s frown deepened. “I see. Chills…muscle aches…”
“Yes,
Megumi-dono, I’ve felt all of those, that I have.” Kenshin bit his lip anxiously, almost afraid that she would say
the same as the other doctor had…that he wasn’t really ill at all, that it was
all something his mind had conjured.
“Have
you had a frequent and unexplained headache?
And I don’t mean one that your wife or son caused either.” Megumi smiled reassuringly and placed her
hand on Kenshin shoulder. “It’s all
right, Ken-san. We’ll get to the bottom
of this. Right now it sound’s as if
you’ve been suffering from what the foreigners call la grippe. Let it run its course and you should be fine
in a few days.”
Kenshin
looked away for a moment.
“Um…Megumi-dono…this la grippe…how long does it usually last?”
Megumi
poured steaming water of the tealeaves in the pot and set the kettle off to the
side. “A few days to a week,
usually. Why? How long have you been experiencing these symptoms?” She passed him a cup filled with the
fragrant liquid and took a cautious sip of her own.
“Off
and on…” He began, setting his cup to the side untouched. “A few years.”
The
lady doctor nearly spit her tea out.
When she finished choking she set her cup down with a thud. “A few years? Ken-san…that isn’t possible. From everything I’ve heard or read la grippe
doesn’t last that long…days, weeks at most…but never years.” She stood and closed the distance between
them, moving to sit before him. “I need
to examine you more closely, Ken-san.
Obviously if the symptoms have been recurring for years, then there is
something seriously wrong. We must
discover what it is before your condition worsens.”
Kenshin
sighed and slowly began removing his gi, pulling it from his hakama and
slipping if off his shoulders, his movements somewhat stiff and pained. Meticulously folding the dark blue material
and setting it to the side out of the way before turning back to the
doctor. “Megumi-dono…”
“Just
sit down and let me examine you.”
Megumi pulled her bag closer and knelt before him, a frown of
concentration puckering her brows.
Kenshin
frowned and jerked back when she pulled an oddly shaped instrument from her
bag. “Megumi-dono…what is that?” He couldn’t quite keep the alarm from his
tone.
She
smiled reassuringly. “Relax,
Ken-san. It’s a stethoscope. It’s for listening to the patient’s
heart.” She placed one end against
Kenshin’s bare chest and scowled when he jumped. “Sit still.” She
commanded impatiently.
“Yes,
ma’am.” Kenshin held himself stiffly
and tried to ignore the feel of the cold metal moving against his bare skin.
“Deep
breath…” Megumi murmured.
“Oro?”
“Take
a deep breath.” Eyes narrowed in
concentration she listened intently, moving the instrument periodically. Finally she sat back and frowned at her
friend, expression revealing her growing concern. “Stand up, please.” She
followed, mouth tightening imperceptibly when she saw the effort it seemed to
take for Kenshin to get up off the floor.
“All right. I want you to do a
few stretches for me. Reach up to the
ceiling…” She moved closer as he did as she requested. “Hold it…” She moved around him, studying
his posture and the way he seemed to be favoring his right shoulder. “Hmm…All right, you can lower your arms.” She moved around to stand in front of him
again. “How did that feel?”
“My
shoulder seemed a little stiff, that it did.”
He reached up and gingerly massaged the joint with a slight smile.
“Mmmhmm…now
bend at the waist please…try to touch the floor with your hands.” She quickly reached out to steady him when
he lost his balance. “That’s enough,
Ken-san.” Dark eyes sad and full of
sympathy she gestured to his neatly folded gi.
“You can get dressed now, Ken-san.
I’m finished with my examination.”
“Megumi-dono…”
“We’ll
have tea first, Ken-san. It’s been a
long journey from Aizu. I’m rather
thirsty and would like to wash away the dust of the road with some of that tea
I made earlier.” When he was finished
dressing she indicated a zabuton across from her and smiled gently. “I won’t lie to you. This is serious. I don’t know what may be causing all the symptoms, however I do
know that your increasing stiffness and decreasing mobility is directly caused
by your continued use of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu.” She leaned forward and grasped his hands tightly, meeting his
violet gaze earnestly. “Please,
Ken-san, for the sake of your health, please…stop using your sakabatou. For the sake of your wife and son…they need
you and if you continue to practice swordsmanship, they won’t have you for very
much longer.”
Kenshin
lowered his head, his hair falling into his eyes, hiding his expression. “Is that your professional assessment,
Megumi-dono?”
“Yes,
yes it is. As your friend and physician
I must strongly urge you to stop using the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu…immediately.”
***
Definitions:
Mamorigami: Guardian (Deity)
Koukonourei: anxiety (about the future)