Chapter 8: Two weeks kenshin part 2

Saito sat down on his table; studying the name Kaoru had given him. He frowned realizing this would not be very easy. The last man was no big deal. Saito had taken him out within seconds. But this man...he was an influential man and a yakuza adviser in the underground. It would be hard to bring him in. Saito was sure that the government would have him out in a day or two tops. He would be troubling himself for nothing. Saito lit up his cigarette and leaned back on his chair.

The sound of the door sliding open gently made him take out the fire and throw the cigarette away. He looked up to see Tokio scrunching her nose in disgust as she looked reprimanding at her husband. Saito ignored her look and turned away as she approached him. Tokio walked slowly to her husband, her hand rubbing her slightly bulging tummy.

"What is wrong, anata? You don't look happy."

"Everything is wrong. Kamiya had been very helpful but now, names, which even the government can't take actions on, are popping up. For two years we have been working together and finally I realise why she was so reluctant to come forward with this information until she realised I would be of help.

It was only after my fight with Battousai that she came forward with information to clear the corruption in our system. If she approached any other officers, they would place her in jail just to cover up this bloody mess."

Tokio massaged his shoulders. Her hands gently releasing the tenses in them. "Kamiya-san was killed not long ago just before tanuki's 15th birthday. She met Battousai two years later. But Tokio, there is something not right with Tanuki."

"Nani, anata?"

"She was never known to others till she was about 14 to 15 years old. I confirmed this when I spoke to that Sekihara woman and a couple of neighbours. It seems Kamiya-san had been hiding Tanuki for nearly a decade since her birth. Why and how could he hide a baby girl for so long? Even he is a bit of a mystery. A man rarely seen and disappears for months at a time. He was a social outcast and kept mainly to himself until he finally let his daughter out. Then suddenly, public appearances were so common. He appeared with a young woman and his daughter. Speculations of wedding bells reached every corner of town. When death covered the house, questions arose but went unanswered."

"Seems to me, Kaoru did not have a happy past. Being locked up for years and then coming out just to have your father killed is not a happy memory. She is a strong woman to have come this far."

"Her father was an informant to the government. These names she's giving me are names, which were collected by him and proved to be of a menace. Somehow she is continuing the work he left behind and so far, 15 men have been put behind bars and 3 are dead. Tanuki was afraid to come forward before because she didn't know who to trust. She didn't want to give the names to a man who will turn against her. Why she trusted me, I have no idea!"

"It is between you and Battousai that the problem lies. It has nothing to do with her. Perhaps Kaoru realised you are a good man inside. One that is against evil, hmm?" Tokio said as she leaned closer, kissing Saito head.

Saito grinned. "Was that why you married me?"

"I was just bored and you looked interesting. That's why I married you!"

Saito growled and tackled his wife.

Kaoru was not at all happy when the Kenshin-gumi decided to make themselves at home. They settled happily in the dojo, with their old sleeping arrangements until 'he comes and kicks us out' as Yahiko put it. Only this time, Sano decided to join in too. It was not like Kaoru didn't like them staying...it's just that now is different. Her view of them had changed and she felt awkward around them. That and the fact that questions would arise with her more frequent trips to the police station. Kaoru groaned mentally as she continued her swings. Sweat dripped slowly and her gi clung to her body. She breathed heavily and purposely ignored Yahiko who was standing at the door.

Finally, she finished her warm-ups and started on her katas. After hours of training with Shuichi, who gave her helpful tips to perfect her moves, Kaoru could perform the katas gracefully, making it look like a smooth sword dance. Yahiko had never seen Kaoru like that and wondered what she would say if he asked for lessons. Shame took over him. His words that day rang in his mind and he still clearly remembered her disappointed, crestfallen and sad face. She looked like she had been punched on the stomach.

"Kamiya Kasshin Ryu is not even as powerful as Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. How am I supposed to protect myself with a bokken? Come on, busu, your otou-san created it just as a form of exercise rather than protection. It's so obvious. I'd rather learn something more tougher than this!"

"What is it, Yahiko? You have been spacing out for sometime now." Yahiko looked up and saw Kaoru standing near him, her breathing back to normal. That means she must have been watching him for some time now. She looked thoughtfully at his crestfallen face and wondered what was wrong. Then, it struck her and she smiled.

"Hey, you can." Yahiko looked up questioningly.

"Can what?"

"Can use the dojo to practice whatever you want. I don't have any real sword for you to use, but you can make do with the bokken, ne? After all, the dojo is for training," Kaoru offered generously.

Yahiko's eyes widened. Although Kaoru got it wrong, he was touched at the sincerity she showed. But when she mentioned sword, he knew that she still remembered his words. He knew he needed to tell her.

"Kaoru, gomen nasai about downgrading your family style that day. I...I just...the words...I ...I'm sorry...so sorry," Yahiko suddenly begged for forgiveness, bowing down in front of his former sensei. Kaoru was startled and her hand rested on her heart. It was still beating. She wondered what brought this change to Yahiko but deep down she knew it had to be related to that conversation she heard that day. If there was a way to get Yahiko to tell her the truth, maybe she would understand. Deciding to try her luck, she went closer and gently lifted his chin. Their eyes' met and Kaoru held Yahiko's with her gaze.

"Thank you for taking back your words. For apologising. Thank you so much. I know you didn't mean it Yahiko. I knew you would not have said that awful thing. I know." She counted her time, arranged her words. She hoped they would work.

"Yeah... I really didn't want to. What with that lunatic and Kenshin worrying. We had to find a way to leave and..." Yahiko stopped abruptly. He nearly spilled the truth! Oh goodness, how had Kaoru managed to get him to nearly confess?

"Anyway, I need to go, Busu. See ya later," Yahiko yelled as he ran away. Kaoru huffed indignantly. Well! That just nearly worked. Who knew that kid had more restrain in him that she gave credit for?

Kaoru rolled her shoulders and stretched as she made her way to the bathhouse.

A pair of amethyst eyes glowed as they watched the object of their interest walk away. Kaoru, you really are good! Kenshin thought as he smirked, leaning back on the tree.

The rain played a loud music on her roof. Kaoru tossed and turned in her futon. Her dreams more like nightmares. Visions of the past popped up here and there. Blood was everywhere. Kaoru was sweating profusely as she sat up, her blanket tightly wrapped around her body. She dared not fall asleep.

Out of the blue, for months she has started having these nightmares ever since the Kenshin-gumi left and Shuichi entered her life. They were so real and so bloodily awful that it took all of Kaoru's effort to wake up. But nowadays, it was getting harder and harder and she was frightened that she might alert the others about her past.

Not that she did not want to tell them anything of it. The thing was what was she to tell them? They had never asked about her past unlike her who probed about theirs. They all knew just the basics…that she was left alone to fend for herself after the death of her father and she never knew of her mother. How could she tell them that she was living with a man she had no recollection about? What would they think then?

Kaoru snuggled deep into her blanket. Her eyes tightly shut against outside forces. She was too frightened to open them lest she saw things she'd rather avoid. Memories locked in the deepest darkest corners of her mind usually wakes up at these moments when she was most fragile and vulnerable.

She remembered distinctly. The day Kenshin had decided to leave. Kaoru had nightmares all night long about things she never remembered. In the morning, her pale face and distraught manner brought many theories such that she felt deserted after Kenshin left her. She did. But there had been something else that frightened her and she felt like she needed him near her at that moment.

Kaoru remembered clearly the dream she had.

Young Kaoru sat quietly at the verandah of a huge house. The surroundings were filled with flowers and plants and tress and birds chirping and wind blowing………utter peace. In that peace, she was reading. Her youthful and matured body sat reading when she heard the voice of a woman.

Surprised to hear anyone at these part of the house, Kaoru searched for the sound only to see a woman and a man.

Who these two were Kaoru could not remember for the life of her. All she knew was that those two were familiar to her. She knew them but at that moment she could not recognize them. The man stood towering above the dark-haired woman. Her screams vibrated around the deserted room. He was raping her. Kaoru knew it. Then, the man raised his hand and hit the woman into submission. Kaoru tried to scream but her voice never came out. So she watched in horror the scene in front of her. Tears streamed down her face from both helplessness and fear.

Then the woman fainted after putting up a big fight. The man had his way. After he was done, he turned to leave and his face was directed at Kaoru. Before she could see it clearly, even as recognition dawned on her…she was pulled back.

Kaoru still remembered that dream. It never came back but she felt something odd…amiss…

The man as far as she could remember had emerald eyes which made her wary of Shuichi. But the woman…her image frightened Kaoru.

She looked like the young kenjutsu shihandai.

At that time she did not think much of it except that it was a message for her. After she met Shuichi, she thought he would hurt her. Instead, he saved her from everything.

Which brings her to things now.

How could she abandon the man who saved her and gave her confidence for one that deserted her? She loved Kenshin. She would gladly give her life for him. But now…she could not possibly let go of Shuichi, kill the love he had for her? He loved her, the poor soul. Why couldn't he had loved someone else whose heart was still free of another man?

She had a feeling Kenshin did not abandon her simply. He must have had a reason to leave after he promised. Talking to Yahiko had shown her that. This changes everything. She thought she could marry Shuichi if Kenshin hated her but the red-haired samurai loved her and wants her and she wants him too. But to break Shuichi's heart only shows how cruel and ungrateful she is.

Is that what she is?

Kaoru didn't know and was afraid to find out. Tired and worn out, she felt sleep creeping onto her despite all efforts to banish it. Slowly and surely Kaoru fell into a deep, slumber.

"Otou-san, when are you getting married?" Kaoru asked as she eyed the kimono that Sayuri had bought for her 15th birthday. She really liked the woman her father was dating and was eager to have her as her mother.

"Very soon, my love. I have already proposed and she has accepted. We thought perhaps…next week," Koshijiro said as he winked at his daughter. Kaoru squeaked in delight, flinging her arms around her father's shoulders and kissing his cheeks joyfully. She knew this was the surprise her father had reserved for her and felt happy that finally, she was getting a mother.

"I can't believe you did not tell me. I suppose this dress is for the wedding, then?"

"Aa. Sayuri choose that herself. Kaoru…I…I need to tell you something," Koshijiro said as he pulled his teenage daughter closer to him. Kaoru sat down by his side and he gently placed his hand on her head.

"Otou-san is an informant to the government. I have names that can put many corrupted top shots in jail. But I have no good cop to go to. So, I am going to take a chance tomorrow and show this list to a man I have in mind. I do not know how this meeting would go…so…If anything happens you are to take care of yourself, ok?"

Kaoru's brows furrowed and she thought carefully for awhile. If he father went to any cop, would not that mean trouble? How could he afford a risk like that? She might be young but instinct was warning her of approaching danger and Kaoru wanted to warn her father about it despite the fact that girls should remain silent.

"Perhaps it would be better if you waited first and decided later, otou-san. Would it not be asking for trouble to just trust anybody?" Kaoru said as she looked into her father's eyes with fear.

Kamiya Koshijiro just laughed. He knew how she felt. He knew the risk he was taking but duty calls. If he could settle this matter before his wedding day, it would better. "I know what I'm doing, little one. Despite all, you are too young to understand."

Kaoru pouted and then her face turned serious. "Is it because of my disease…my sleep? Do you think my judgment is blinded by dreams I have had?" Kaoru demanded to know the answer. Koshijiro shook his head. "Sadly, I wish it was so. But it is of something else, my child and this thing is too young and dangerous for you to know," he said his tone signaling the finality of the conversation. Kaoru got up to leave but as she turned, she looked at her father in such a manner that the older man could only gasp.

"I think what you are doing is only calling trouble."

Kamiya Koshijiro sighed as she left. Too similar…she was too similar.

The rain poured heavily on the roof of the dojo. Kaoru sat down in front of a beautiful young woman getting her hair plaited. Their laughter echoed around the room bringing it alive despite the unfriendly weather behind.

Koshijiro entered. His hair wet and his clothes drenched from the rain. Worry ceased his brows and he grasped the end of his bokken to stabilize himself. Both women worriedly rushed to him. Sayuri covered him with a dry blanket while Kaoru fetched her father's yukata.

"Sayuri," Koshijiro said as he looked into the eyes of the woman who had captivated him. "I'm sorry but the wedding has to be cancelled."

Sayuri's cinnamon eyes widen at the words that flew out of her lover's mouth. This was not what she had thought he would ever say.

"Why? Why Koshijiro?" she cried as she turned the man's head to face her honey brown eyes.

"Because I have done a big mistake and I am not about to let you pay for it with your life," he answered as he gently wiped away her tears. "Don't cry. This is for your own good. Perhaps you will find a man more worthy of you than this lying scoundrel, ne?"

His humuor failed. Sayuri felt her tears falling without fail. And so was Kaoru's. "Go pack your bags, my dear. We are leaving for Aizu."

Startled, Kaoru broke from her stupor and nodded numbly. Her father was in one of those moods where she was better off with her mouth shut. Something was wrong and she could feel it. Realising the couple needed to be alone, she left to mend her own broken heart. Gone was the chance of having a mother, another lady in the house. All she wanted was a role model and now her father was taking that away from her. How could he be so cruel as to punish her this way?

"Sayuri," Koshijiro pulled the petite brown-haired woman towards him. " I love you. I do not want anything bad to happen to you. I have done something that has got me into trouble and I want you to stay out of it. For our love, leave me."

"But I love you too. I want to stay with you. We can go through this together," Sayuri said as she hugged him tightly.

"These men are not like you think. They are corrupted and evil and won't stop at anything to achieve their goal. For now, they want me. I want to live with you. But it is better for me to know you are alive. I love you, koishii. I want to marry you and have children with you ……I wish we can…"

"Oh…but you can't," said a cold voice intruding the personal space. Koshijiro looked up in horror as his worst fears were confirmed. With his newly received wounds, he knew he could not fend off these men. Especially since they wanted him badly enough.

"Traitor, you think you can just leave like that after giving our master's name. We will show you what hell is, Kamiya," said the leader, bearing his gold teeth.

"Do what you want with me but leave everyone else out of it," Koshijiro said boldly, praying that these men would have mercy for Sayuri and Kaoru. The sight of his frightened lover's face made him further his resolve to get the two females out of the house. He had to.

A man stood with his lackeys, a grin covering his face. He signaled his men to attack and Koshijiro immediately stood on guard.

"Sayuri, leave using the way I showed you before. Take Kaoru and go."

"But.."

"Now!"

She nodded numbly and screamed when he pushed her behind, blocking the attack from in front. Sayuri scrambled to her feet before running inside only to be caught by the leader of the group. She screamed once more, struggling against his hold. The tall man laughed as he hit her hard with the hilt of his sword causing her to fall down heavily, blood oozing from her open wound.

"Sayuri!!!!"

Kaoru looked up, startled. The sound of swords clanging and her father's screams filled her with fear and anticipation. Something was going on out there and she needed know what it was. Gathering her courage, she walked into the hallway only to be greeted by the sight of her father being flung towards the wall. A scream escaped from her lips, causing her to be the center of attention.

"What the he..." Ryou turned around to see a young girl, her hair loosely hung behind her and eyes wide with fright. Just that she wasn't any young girl...

"You!" He turned to Koshijiro accusingly, "You have been keeping her all along? When all of us were looking for her, you kept her here? You daringly lied to us?" He grabbed Koshijiro by the collar, anger and amazement mixed in him.

Apparently, his followers also caught up as they stared openly at Kaoru. "Ryou-sama, isn't she...?" They couldn't say it. The name stuck at their throats. It just wasn't any freakishly possible way it could be the same girl. But she looked so much alike...

"Otou-san!" Kaoru yelled as she ran towards her father. Immediately, she hugged him battered form, protecting him against the man they called Ryou. Her face streaked with tears, looked defiantly back at the enemy.

"Leave my father alone, you monster! Go away!" Kaoru cried out as she tightened her hold on the older man. Koshijiro opened his tired eyes to watch in horror as a slow smirk made its way up Ryou's face. Somehow, he knew that things were going to get worse from here.

"Kaoru! Leave Now!" Koshijiro yelled weakly as he tried to push the young girl away. Kaoru did not budge. Flustered and frustrated, Koshijiro turned towards Ryou, pleading with his eyes and words.

"Please, spare the ladies. Kill me if you want but spare the ladies," he begged, trying to touch some humane in Ryou.

Ryou shook his head, still amazed at the turn of events. Slowly, an idea formed in his head. He got up and roughly pulled Kaoru away from Koshijiro by her hair, ignoring her screams of pain.

"Make a decision, Kamiya. The girl or the woman?" he asked as he twisted Kaoru's hands to the back, constricting her movements. Kaoru screamed at the pain but her mind nearly went blank at the suggestion in Ryou's question. Her dad was to choose between two ladies he loved? How sick was that?

"Choose!" again the commanding voice vibrated around the house. Rain fell even heavily. Thunder played across the sky. Kaoru begin to feel more fear and anger inside of her than she had ever felt before. For the first time, she noticed Sayuri lay on the ground blood oozing from her head. Panicked, Kaoru turned to her captor.

"Please, don't do this to my father," she begged tearfully. She didn't want Sayuri to be a victim in this madness surrounding her family.

Ryou only laughed. "Father? Father?" He laughed some more, seeming to find the calling funny. "No! Please she doesn't know!"

Kaoru turned to her father, puzzled about his words. Her attention turned back to Ryou when he shook his head in amazement.

"Enough of all this acting and nonsense. I'll end this for you now. I'll make your decision for you, Kamiya. Let's see...," he turned and tilted Kaoru's head before leaning forward and kissing her cheek. Kaoru struggled and grimaced, disgusted by his action. Ryou laughed.

"Leave Kaoru alone!" Kamiya Koshijiro yelled.

"Very well, I will." Turning to look at his men, he motion two of them to keep a hand on Koshijiro as he look at his right-hand man who was snickering. "You can have the woman," he said dismissively as Koshijiro cried out and Kaoru yelled. Sayuri only cowered from the man.

"Thank you, Ryou-sama. It is nice to finally have some fun tonight," he said before forcefully pulling Sayuri towards him. Sayuri screamed and kicked out furiously but the man, stronger than her, easily held her down.

Kaoru looked away. Her eyes full of tears closed to forbid any view from the cruel fate befalling her idol. Her ears were witnesses to Sayuri's pitiful screams for mercy and her father's helpless pleading and tears.

"Koshijiro!!!!!Help me! Yamero!!!!!!!! Onegai!!!!!!!! Yamero!!!!!!!!!"

Sayuri could not hold on any more as her head was banged several times at the floor. Losing consciousness, she was easily defiled by the evil man above her as the others looked on with glazed and crazy eyes.

"Sayuri...Sayuri...!"

Ryou looked disgustingly at Koshijiro before he flung Kaoru towards the arms of one of his men. He tilted Koshijiro's head to look at him before smirking dangerously.

"Be happy I'm sparing her," he said before he walked away. Stopping in front of Kaoru who was clutched by a large man, he lifted her chin so she would meet his eyes. "If not because of who you are, you would have ended up like her. I just don't think the old man would approve of that though." Kaoru stared blankly at him. Her spirit crushed by the scene that had happened. What more could this man do to hurt her?

"Watch, princess," he ordered and out of curiosity, Kaoru looked up only to wish to a thousand stars and gods that she didn't.

Kamiya Koshijiro was tied to his kitchen entrance and poured with oil. As Kaoru screamed and tried to break free from her captor, her father was burnt to death alive in front of her!

"Yamero!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Kaoru-dono! Kaoru-dono! Wake up! Please wake up!" Kenshin cried out as he shook the young lady from her sleep. She struggled against him, fighting him unconsciously with all the strength she had. Tears fell freely as she tried hard to pull away from his embrace. Kenshin cursed and pinned Kaoru to her futon, using his weight to hold her down. He hugged her tightly, calling out her name. Slowly, Kaoru woke from her nightmare, gasping in fright. She nearly screamed at the unfamiliar weight on her body before recognizing Kenshin's scent. Tears continued to fall and she finally calmed down, hugging Kenshin back tightly.

Sano, Yahiko and Megumi who had all rushed in stood silently and watched from the doorway. Kaoru's screams had vibrated throughout the dojo and they were afraid something might have happened to her. They had not counted on this though. Kaoru never had nightmares like this before and somehow they felt it was connected to the attack she had.

They clearly remembered how she was screaming, "Yamero!" constantly and realized it must have been the attack she was dreaming about. One could only imagine the horrors of that night if it rendered a usually sane woman to hysterics.

Kaoru had finally calmed down and Kenshin coaxed her to sleep. He felt sorry for the young woman and it pained him to see her so distressed. As se finally settled down, he got up from the most comfortable positions he had had for a long time and glanced down at her tired form. That was when his eyes landed on the blood on her arms. He cursed silently when he realized she had clawed herself deeply and was still bleeding. Megumi too took note of this and said softly that she would take care of Kaoru's wounds.

Kenshin nodded and walked out followed closely by the other two males. They settled outside on the porch and neither spoke. Yahiko slowly drifted of to sleep but Kenshin and Sano settled in an awkward silence. Both were wondering what had truly happened that night.

A sudden scream alerted both men and they quickly rushed to the room only to see Megumi staring at Kaoru's body in horror.

Kenshin turned towards Kaoru and anger flowed through his veins. Never in his life had he seen such a sight and never had he imagined it would be on the back of the woman he loved.

Criss cross of whips marred Kaoru's back. The wounds were rather recent, which only meant it had occurred during her attack and there was a deep stab wound that was sewn at the small of her back.

Kenshin gripped his hands tightly, his eyes a blazing gold. It was time he made a trip to the doctor's. And Gensai-sensai better tell him the truth because someone was going to pay.

If they weren't dead yet, they would be now!

Never had the doctor seen Kenshin so angry. In his two years of knowing the swordsman, he had only seen him dejected when Kaoru was found dead in the dojo during Enishi's Jinchuu. He had looked determined when Jineh kidnapped Kaoru. He had looked so lonely when he had left for Kyoto. But never had Kenshin looked angry. Never had the doctor seen him look so mad that he himself felt weary at the sight of the rurouni.

Megumi too was sitting beside Sano and Kenshin, a look of disbelief on her face. She still could not get pass the horror of the sight of Kaoru's back. That had to be the worst beatings she had seen in all her 4 years as a doctor. The stab mark would have at least needed fifteen to twenty stitches. What the hell happened to Kaoru that night?

"I suggest doctor, that you start talking. You did not tell Okon about how bad Kaoru's wounds were." Kenshin said as he stared at the doctor. "I think you better spill the truth."

His eyes were molten ember and Gensai-sensai shivered unconsciously. He knew Kenshin would not hurt him but that did not ease the nervousness he felt. Taking a deep breath, he told them the truth he denied others for so long. The truth only he and Shuichi knew about.

" Kaoru was definitely whipped. It was no ordinary whip but one that was thick and dipped with poison. It worsens the wound refusing to let it heal. During her ordeal, I suspect that at least two men held on to her and kept her standing. The wounds that you see are those that are healing or healed. The fresh flesh wounds were too horrible for me to even think about. Like I had said to Okon-san, whoever it was either hated her or did it for fun.

Not only that, there was a stab wound so deep it had to be stitched twice. It kept opening up and the bleeding refused to stop. Only after two days of hard work did it heal slowly. I could not even imagine what little Kaoru had to go through. To be conscious throughout the ordeal was like having a person slice of every part of your body slowly. It was a good thing Shuichi-kun knew antidotes for various types of poison. It helped to heal Kaoru faster than I could have managed on my own."

Shuichi…… that's the name Gensai-sensai always mentions. Why Shuichi? How was he involved in the whole situation? Is he the man that Aoshi said who had most probably killed all those men? Damn it! What had happened?

Kenshin could not shake off the questions in his head and cursed silently. Questions were running constantly in his mind but the answers seem nowhere near. Kaoru refused to tell them anything, avoiding the topic rather well in his opinion.

Leaning back, he eyed the doctor. "Why didn't you tell Okon all these when she came to visit Kaoru? Why didn't you let Okon take a look at her to report back to Aoshi?"

The doctor sipped his tea slowly before turning his attention to Kenshin. " I was given a direct order from Shuichi not to tell anyone."

Sano slammed his hand on the floor, the loud noise startling the residence. "What the hell does he know about taking care of Jou-chan? How could you listen to a total stranger and keep us in the dark about her real condition, Gensai-sensai!?"

Megumi couldn't help but agree with Sano. The tori-atama was right. How could the doctor trust someone new…a stranger with the life of a woman who holds the treads of sanity of Kenshin's mind?

"Well, rather easily I would say. And please don't raise your voice at me, Sano-kun. As you are well aware of, he saved Kaoru's life. He took care of Kaoru everyday without leaving her side even once. He kept a close watch on the woman you all claimed to be a friend but left her without even a glance back. If I am right, you hurt her more than ever, more than him."

Kenshin, Sano and Megumi stared at the doctor. They knew what he was indicating but for the life of them, no answer came to mind.

"We left to protect her, sensei. I never realized our leaving had scarred her…not until we returned. Part of me…I confess is glad that I only came now, because if I had Kaoru in her vulnerable state, I would have lost all sense of mind." Kenshin got up and bowed his head. He turned to leave when a thought entered his mind.

"How much do you trust this young man, sensei?" Kenshin asked quietly, needing to know about the mysterious man who had stolen the hearts of the villagers.

The doctor looked steadily at them before taking another sip. "Fuu…I trust him with my life and those of my granddaughters…he has no intention to harm and we will not come into danger because of him."

The confidence in the old voice struck a nerve within Kenshin and he walked away. Never had he seen the doctor place such high confidence in someone before. When it came to him, there was always that glint of worry in his eyes telling Kenshin he hoped everything will be fine. How did this young man charm the doctor so that the confidence that doctor had in him was nowhere near his own?

Gensai sensei sighed deeply as the visitors walked away. Even now he knew Shuichi had no chance to win Kaoru. Kaoru never had the chance to properly forget about Kenshin and move on. Whatever little joy he had now, Shuichi was going to have to treasure it. The doctor had a feeling that Kaoru was going to accept the embrace and warmth Kenshin offered rather than the security she felt within Shuichi's arms.

"My poor, poor boy. No matter how much you try it seems like the woman you love is never destined to be your own."

In his eyes, he saw the brown-haired young man with his eyes downcast walking away slowly in the rain.