Rurouni Kenshin fic: Truce, 7/?
Title: Truce
Chapter: 7/? - Tangled Fates
Rating: PG
Summary: Somehow, he couldn’t help but notice the young woman who dared walk the streets of Kyoto alone after dark and wielded only a bokken. It was only a matter of time before their paths crossed.
Warnings: Creepy guys.
Disclaimer: *siiiiiiiiiiigh* still not mine.
Note the first: Many many thanks to the always-amazing broomclosetkink for her edits!
Note the second: Kaoru hadn’t kicked ass in far too long. HERE GOES (there will be more later on). Also: mwahahahahaha! 8D
Tangled Fates
There are other rumours, too, rumours that go beyond simple information but allow one to appreciate a person’s character.
Kamiya Kaoru apparently is this sweet, smiling, always positive young woman who tries her best to cheer up everyone. As a kenjutsu master, she has sworn to protect those who cannot defend themselves.
And she does.
From helping lost children home to fighting off thugs attacking women in dark alleys, everyone has a story to share.
Some wish she were more of a proper lady. Most are just grateful for her help in these uncertain times.
-~-~-~-
Something changes, after that night, as if a barrier they did not know existed has been torn down. Kenshin is ashamed to admit that Kaoru has now seen the worst of him. Fresh blood on his hands, and how he likes to reopen the wounds again and again, to never, never let himself forget.
And yet, for all that she should be scared and disgusted, she still welcomes him with open arms. She smiles as easily, as genuinely as ever, and there is something in her eyes, something Kenshin has no words for, but that makes him feel human, and that much closer to whole.
Kenshin never mentions that night, or how Kaoru’s affection - what else can he call it, when she took the pieces of him and brought him into her home, and didn’t let him go before they stuck together again - is a balm to his battered soul. Sometimes he wants nothing more than to hold her in his arms, to feel her warm and real and to tell her, in no uncertain words, what she is becoming to him.
Fear stills him.
Not of rejection, he is fairly sure that Kaoru would not, at least not in a way that would ruin their friendship. He is afraid of what he would bring her. His enemies know his face, now, and he already puts her at risk by simply standing next to her, so if word got around of what she means to him… She is strong, yes, and can defend herself, but… No. He cannot allow this. Cannot repay her kindness with more violence, more blood, when she deserves so much more.
Taking her hand in silent thanks in the privacy of her home, or pressing his to the small of her back as they navigate dense crowds is all he dares - but he commits the way her hand feels, the soft skin on the back of it, the calluses on her fingers and palm, to the most secure parts of his memory, and goes out at night to also fight for the day Battousai’s shadow won’t threaten her anymore.
-~-~-~-
Despite the late hour, the Shirobeko is as full as ever when Kaoru walks in, well aware that Sae’s constantly cheerful attitude is to thank for it as much as the good, reasonably priced food. People come to the Shirobeko to relax, not to plot yet another attack, making the place a much-appreciated haven in the surrounding madness.
Kaoru barely has time to sit at a table before Sae walks up to her, immaculate apron and warm smile firmly in place.
“Good evening, Kaoru. We don’t usually see you here so late…”
“Good evening, Sae.” Her friend’s smile is contagious, and Kaoru can’t help but feel her own lips stretch in return. “The class just ran later than usual, and I was starving, so…”
Sae giggles, “That’s all right, you’re always welcome here! You’ll have the usual? And no Himura-san tonight?”
“Yes, please, and no, Kenshin is not coming tonight…”
“That’s too bad, he hasn’t been here in a while,” Sae pouts. She has taken a strong interest in Kenshin that Kaoru suspects borders on a crush, so much so that their conversations inevitably end up mentioning him, and his violet eyes, and his politeness, and… Kaoru chuckles, wondering not for the first time whether Kenshin’s obliviousness to Sae’s attention is feigned or not. Surely Kenshin is sharp enough to have noticed, right? Then again…
“Ah well, tell him he’s welcome here anytime he wants,” Sae adds before walking off to meet new customers.
Waiting for her meal, Kaoru lets her eyes wander to the rest of the room - a few families eating heartily, men laughing loudly, one too many bottles of sake between them, couples, a few loners like herself, the strings of a shamisen being plucked in some corner she cannot see… The Shirobeko is as lively as ever.
Still, Sae gone, Kaoru’s smile quickly falters. No, no Kenshin tonight. Kaoru knows all too well what this means, and her heart sinks at the implications. She knows what people will say come morning: more blood raining on Kyoto, adding to Battousai’s terrifying legend. She does not approve. Does not approve of the Shishi’s ruthless methods, does not approve of the way people talk, when they don’t know what she does.
She knows what she will tell the gossipers. That this war is not just some epic clash of steel and ideals, but that it is really about men, flesh and bones and blood, husbands and fathers and sons, risking their lives out there. And that for every man who fights for his own glory, there is also a good, an honourable man, fighting for something he genuinely believes in.
She has made her choice. She will stand by Kenshin. Bring him back when the assassin’s madness threatens to take over him, help him not lose himself. Determination pumps in her veins, quiet but strong.
Kenshin never mentions that day. She respects his silence, but cannot forget the fierce need to protect that shook her heart when she saw him in that street. She wanted to hold him, then, shield him and tell him that everything would be all right, that she was there, that she would help. She had barely dared to offer a cup of tea - impulsive as she could sometimes be, even she could tell he was far, far too raw to tolerate anything else, that any direct touch would have felt like whiplash to him.
If she is truly honest with herself… she cares. A lot. She cares for this idiot of a man who carves out pieces of his soul for a utopia because he could not live with himself if he didn’t. She cares for how he listens and respects her, for how he opens up only to her, for how he always ignores himself and struggles to do the right thing.
She knows he cares, too, in the way he says her name. He says it much like she pronounces his own - she says it like it’s a chance she never thought she would have, she says it to feel it roll off her tongue, just because she can. And she hasn’t missed the way he stands closer to her than strictly appropriate, or how his hand lingers on the small of her back when no one can see. She has seen how he looks at her, how his eyes turn to calm violet when he is with her.
And yet, he holds back. He is constantly on alert when they’re out in Kyoto, his senses stretching to detect the slightest threat, which can only mean he is trying to protect her. She would call it ridiculous, but he knows things that she doesn’t, more than he can tell, and the last thing she wants is to put him more at risk by being foolish. So he holds back and she will not push, but also won’t let him drift away.
Because, honourable as Kenshin is, it is not fair, to either of them, and she wishes he would be selfish, just once, to accept what she offers and let her take him away from Kyoto. All the while knowing that he never will.
-~-~-~-
Long minutes pass, and Kaoru is having a bad night. She misses her friend, is angry at the reason of his absence, and her new understanding of her feelings towards him have only dampened her mood - Sae’s innocent mention of him has put this into sharp contrast, and Kaoru does not know yet how to deal with the pang of pain in her chest this knowledge has caused.
-~-~-~-
Later, Kaoru watches out of the corner of her eye as Sae firmly asks two overly enthusiastic drunken men to leave, in case she needs help. They yell, and tug at Sae’s kimono, and make Kaoru put her chopsticks down and grab her bokken, but another patron intervenes before she can - no distinctive sign but he is samurai, his daisho clearly visible at his waist - and finally convinces them to leave.
Kaoru searches Sae’s eyes, but the older woman only nods and smiles to reassure her.
Relaxing somewhat, Kaoru turns back to her meal.
She can only swallow two more pieces of meat before she hears the first yells.
-~-~-~-
This time, she is the first one on the scene. The two drunken men from before have rounded a corner into the small alley where the Shirobeko stores empty crates. There is a woman with them, a woman that they hold to the wall. Kaoru sees her try to free herself from the men’s grasp, but drunk as they are, they are still stronger than her, and her kimono restrains her movements as much as alcohol slows theirs. Blood drips from one of the men’s hand, from where the woman apparently bit him. He must be the one Kaoru heard yelling.
She is not in the mood for patience but honour dictates that she warns them. So she does. Once.
“Let her go!” she shouts. Startled, the men do stop, and turn to her.
And laugh at the girl playing with a wooden stick.
Kaoru moves too fast for them.
One yank on the back of the first man’s gi, two well-placed strikes, and he lies unconscious on the ground.
The other pulls a knife from his sleeve and swings it at her. Whirling on her heel, Kaoru deviates the blow and takes a step closer, until she is past his hand. The hilt of her bokken slams into the man’s solar plexus and he falls to his knees, gasping for air. One last blow, and he joins his friend in the dusty alley.
It is only then that Kaoru notices that a small crowd has followed her out of the Shirobeko, Sae in their lead. Kaoru nods once, notifying them that the show is over and that yes, she is fine. Then she turns to the young woman still standing by the wall.
“Are you okay?” Kaoru’s hand reaches out to her. It is not the first time she has helped women this way, and knows that some will need to cling to a comforting hand for a while. But she does not expect this young woman to try to reel backwards, eyes still wide with fear, mouth open in silent denial, as if Kaoru herself were one of her attackers. On instinct, Kaoru lowers her hand and bokken to appear as non-threatening as she can, but the girl has already moved and with one last, frightened look, she melts into the darkness.
“Well…” Sae walks up to Kaoru. Neither knows what to make of this turn of events. “She could have at least thanked you…”
“She seemed frightened of me,” Kaoru is still staring at the corner the young woman disappeared behind as if it could explain what just happened. “Not because of those thugs. She was genuinely afraid of me, as if I were some… some ghost or something.” The more she thinks about it, the more she knows it to be true. Not that she has the slightest idea why.
Sae can only place a calming hand on her friend’s shoulder and stir her back towards the restaurant, where the rest of her meal awaits her.
-~-~-~-
Wanting to get farther, farther away, Yukishiro Tomoe runs.
Chapter: 7/? - Tangled Fates
Rating: PG
Summary: Somehow, he couldn’t help but notice the young woman who dared walk the streets of Kyoto alone after dark and wielded only a bokken. It was only a matter of time before their paths crossed.
Warnings: Creepy guys.
Disclaimer: *siiiiiiiiiiigh* still not mine.
Note the first: Many many thanks to the always-amazing broomclosetkink for her edits!
Note the second: Kaoru hadn’t kicked ass in far too long. HERE GOES (there will be more later on). Also: mwahahahahaha! 8D
Tangled Fates
There are other rumours, too, rumours that go beyond simple information but allow one to appreciate a person’s character.
Kamiya Kaoru apparently is this sweet, smiling, always positive young woman who tries her best to cheer up everyone. As a kenjutsu master, she has sworn to protect those who cannot defend themselves.
And she does.
From helping lost children home to fighting off thugs attacking women in dark alleys, everyone has a story to share.
Some wish she were more of a proper lady. Most are just grateful for her help in these uncertain times.
-~-~-~-
Something changes, after that night, as if a barrier they did not know existed has been torn down. Kenshin is ashamed to admit that Kaoru has now seen the worst of him. Fresh blood on his hands, and how he likes to reopen the wounds again and again, to never, never let himself forget.
And yet, for all that she should be scared and disgusted, she still welcomes him with open arms. She smiles as easily, as genuinely as ever, and there is something in her eyes, something Kenshin has no words for, but that makes him feel human, and that much closer to whole.
Kenshin never mentions that night, or how Kaoru’s affection - what else can he call it, when she took the pieces of him and brought him into her home, and didn’t let him go before they stuck together again - is a balm to his battered soul. Sometimes he wants nothing more than to hold her in his arms, to feel her warm and real and to tell her, in no uncertain words, what she is becoming to him.
Fear stills him.
Not of rejection, he is fairly sure that Kaoru would not, at least not in a way that would ruin their friendship. He is afraid of what he would bring her. His enemies know his face, now, and he already puts her at risk by simply standing next to her, so if word got around of what she means to him… She is strong, yes, and can defend herself, but… No. He cannot allow this. Cannot repay her kindness with more violence, more blood, when she deserves so much more.
Taking her hand in silent thanks in the privacy of her home, or pressing his to the small of her back as they navigate dense crowds is all he dares - but he commits the way her hand feels, the soft skin on the back of it, the calluses on her fingers and palm, to the most secure parts of his memory, and goes out at night to also fight for the day Battousai’s shadow won’t threaten her anymore.
-~-~-~-
Despite the late hour, the Shirobeko is as full as ever when Kaoru walks in, well aware that Sae’s constantly cheerful attitude is to thank for it as much as the good, reasonably priced food. People come to the Shirobeko to relax, not to plot yet another attack, making the place a much-appreciated haven in the surrounding madness.
Kaoru barely has time to sit at a table before Sae walks up to her, immaculate apron and warm smile firmly in place.
“Good evening, Kaoru. We don’t usually see you here so late…”
“Good evening, Sae.” Her friend’s smile is contagious, and Kaoru can’t help but feel her own lips stretch in return. “The class just ran later than usual, and I was starving, so…”
Sae giggles, “That’s all right, you’re always welcome here! You’ll have the usual? And no Himura-san tonight?”
“Yes, please, and no, Kenshin is not coming tonight…”
“That’s too bad, he hasn’t been here in a while,” Sae pouts. She has taken a strong interest in Kenshin that Kaoru suspects borders on a crush, so much so that their conversations inevitably end up mentioning him, and his violet eyes, and his politeness, and… Kaoru chuckles, wondering not for the first time whether Kenshin’s obliviousness to Sae’s attention is feigned or not. Surely Kenshin is sharp enough to have noticed, right? Then again…
“Ah well, tell him he’s welcome here anytime he wants,” Sae adds before walking off to meet new customers.
Waiting for her meal, Kaoru lets her eyes wander to the rest of the room - a few families eating heartily, men laughing loudly, one too many bottles of sake between them, couples, a few loners like herself, the strings of a shamisen being plucked in some corner she cannot see… The Shirobeko is as lively as ever.
Still, Sae gone, Kaoru’s smile quickly falters. No, no Kenshin tonight. Kaoru knows all too well what this means, and her heart sinks at the implications. She knows what people will say come morning: more blood raining on Kyoto, adding to Battousai’s terrifying legend. She does not approve. Does not approve of the Shishi’s ruthless methods, does not approve of the way people talk, when they don’t know what she does.
She knows what she will tell the gossipers. That this war is not just some epic clash of steel and ideals, but that it is really about men, flesh and bones and blood, husbands and fathers and sons, risking their lives out there. And that for every man who fights for his own glory, there is also a good, an honourable man, fighting for something he genuinely believes in.
She has made her choice. She will stand by Kenshin. Bring him back when the assassin’s madness threatens to take over him, help him not lose himself. Determination pumps in her veins, quiet but strong.
Kenshin never mentions that day. She respects his silence, but cannot forget the fierce need to protect that shook her heart when she saw him in that street. She wanted to hold him, then, shield him and tell him that everything would be all right, that she was there, that she would help. She had barely dared to offer a cup of tea - impulsive as she could sometimes be, even she could tell he was far, far too raw to tolerate anything else, that any direct touch would have felt like whiplash to him.
If she is truly honest with herself… she cares. A lot. She cares for this idiot of a man who carves out pieces of his soul for a utopia because he could not live with himself if he didn’t. She cares for how he listens and respects her, for how he opens up only to her, for how he always ignores himself and struggles to do the right thing.
She knows he cares, too, in the way he says her name. He says it much like she pronounces his own - she says it like it’s a chance she never thought she would have, she says it to feel it roll off her tongue, just because she can. And she hasn’t missed the way he stands closer to her than strictly appropriate, or how his hand lingers on the small of her back when no one can see. She has seen how he looks at her, how his eyes turn to calm violet when he is with her.
And yet, he holds back. He is constantly on alert when they’re out in Kyoto, his senses stretching to detect the slightest threat, which can only mean he is trying to protect her. She would call it ridiculous, but he knows things that she doesn’t, more than he can tell, and the last thing she wants is to put him more at risk by being foolish. So he holds back and she will not push, but also won’t let him drift away.
Because, honourable as Kenshin is, it is not fair, to either of them, and she wishes he would be selfish, just once, to accept what she offers and let her take him away from Kyoto. All the while knowing that he never will.
-~-~-~-
Long minutes pass, and Kaoru is having a bad night. She misses her friend, is angry at the reason of his absence, and her new understanding of her feelings towards him have only dampened her mood - Sae’s innocent mention of him has put this into sharp contrast, and Kaoru does not know yet how to deal with the pang of pain in her chest this knowledge has caused.
-~-~-~-
Later, Kaoru watches out of the corner of her eye as Sae firmly asks two overly enthusiastic drunken men to leave, in case she needs help. They yell, and tug at Sae’s kimono, and make Kaoru put her chopsticks down and grab her bokken, but another patron intervenes before she can - no distinctive sign but he is samurai, his daisho clearly visible at his waist - and finally convinces them to leave.
Kaoru searches Sae’s eyes, but the older woman only nods and smiles to reassure her.
Relaxing somewhat, Kaoru turns back to her meal.
She can only swallow two more pieces of meat before she hears the first yells.
-~-~-~-
This time, she is the first one on the scene. The two drunken men from before have rounded a corner into the small alley where the Shirobeko stores empty crates. There is a woman with them, a woman that they hold to the wall. Kaoru sees her try to free herself from the men’s grasp, but drunk as they are, they are still stronger than her, and her kimono restrains her movements as much as alcohol slows theirs. Blood drips from one of the men’s hand, from where the woman apparently bit him. He must be the one Kaoru heard yelling.
She is not in the mood for patience but honour dictates that she warns them. So she does. Once.
“Let her go!” she shouts. Startled, the men do stop, and turn to her.
And laugh at the girl playing with a wooden stick.
Kaoru moves too fast for them.
One yank on the back of the first man’s gi, two well-placed strikes, and he lies unconscious on the ground.
The other pulls a knife from his sleeve and swings it at her. Whirling on her heel, Kaoru deviates the blow and takes a step closer, until she is past his hand. The hilt of her bokken slams into the man’s solar plexus and he falls to his knees, gasping for air. One last blow, and he joins his friend in the dusty alley.
It is only then that Kaoru notices that a small crowd has followed her out of the Shirobeko, Sae in their lead. Kaoru nods once, notifying them that the show is over and that yes, she is fine. Then she turns to the young woman still standing by the wall.
“Are you okay?” Kaoru’s hand reaches out to her. It is not the first time she has helped women this way, and knows that some will need to cling to a comforting hand for a while. But she does not expect this young woman to try to reel backwards, eyes still wide with fear, mouth open in silent denial, as if Kaoru herself were one of her attackers. On instinct, Kaoru lowers her hand and bokken to appear as non-threatening as she can, but the girl has already moved and with one last, frightened look, she melts into the darkness.
“Well…” Sae walks up to Kaoru. Neither knows what to make of this turn of events. “She could have at least thanked you…”
“She seemed frightened of me,” Kaoru is still staring at the corner the young woman disappeared behind as if it could explain what just happened. “Not because of those thugs. She was genuinely afraid of me, as if I were some… some ghost or something.” The more she thinks about it, the more she knows it to be true. Not that she has the slightest idea why.
Sae can only place a calming hand on her friend’s shoulder and stir her back towards the restaurant, where the rest of her meal awaits her.
-~-~-~-
Wanting to get farther, farther away, Yukishiro Tomoe runs.