Kabuki

A/N: And finally, chapter 3! I would like to take a moment right now to say thank you to De Lazy Lime, my beta. She is superb, and I cannot thank her enough. Now, on with the story.

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Kaoru walked down the dirt road slowly as the heat of the afternoon sun started to take its toll on her. The heat wasn’t that terrible but the humidity made it ten times worse. Flies buzzed around her head and she swatted at them absently. The thought of having to walk in these conditions for at least three more days frustrated her.



‘Four days if I don’t get my butt in gear,’ she thought, quickening her pace slightly. She longed to ride on the wagon that her troupe had, which hauled their props and such from town to town.



Well, she longed to be with her troupe, period. She knew her father had to think of everyone in the Kabuki and could not wait for her to find him, but she still yearned to be with them nonetheless.



Three or four hours out of Tokyo with no one accompanying her, Kaoru found herself quite lonely and dying for some one to talk to.



‘Like Kenshin,’ she thought, a small smile returning to her face. She thought of her last words with him before they’d parted ways.



“You must stick to the main roads at all times,”Kenshin told her, drawing on a scrap piece of paper.



“If you stray even a little bit from them, you could end up heading in the wrong direction.”



“I don’t plan on taking any detours,”Kaoru said smiling,“How long will it take to get there?”



“Three or four days,” he replied,“It depends on the pace you set.”



Kaoru stared down the road ahead of her, she knew it was necessary if she ever wanted to catch up with her father again, but dreaded the long walk. The troupe already had a day's head start on her and by the time she arrived she may walk into town, stop in the Shirobeko, and turn around and leave again.



“Are you sure you can make this journey alone?”



Kaoru looked back at Kenshin, who was eyeing her closely. For a moment, she was tempted to ask him if he would accompany her on her trek, but quickly dismissed the idea. She simply could not impose on him anymore than she already had.



“Yes,” she answered, finally. He nodded in acceptance, then handed her the scrap of paper he’d been drawing on. “What’s this?”



“A map, kind of,” he stated, sheepishly. She gave him a dark look, and he quickly explained. “Just so you know that you haven’t lost your way. You should pass these three towns on your way.”



“Thank you, Kenshin,” she said as she bowed. “I hope to see you again someday, and be able to repay what kindness you have shown me.”



He smiled as he took her hand in his, his thumb caressing the top of her hand for a moment, before he brought it to his lips for a chaste kiss. Her cheeks set a fire and she lowered her head to try to hide it, unsuccessfully.



“Until we meet again,” he said, and released her hand. She turned without another word and headed down the road, afraid of looking back; the urge to ask him to escort her gnawing at her.



‘Until we meet again,’ Kaoru repeated mentally, blushing as she smiled.



“Jeez,” she murmured, raising a hand to touch her cheek, “There’s something about that guy. Just the mere thought of him and my cheeks are on fire.”



She decided to, again, look at the map he had given her. Kaoru knew she had to be at least a day’s travel from the nearest town. From his drawing, she could tell that there was supposed to be a river somewhat near by. The thought of a cool swim sprang into her mind and she decided to wander from the road into a wooded area in search of it.



She had been walking in what she assumed was a straight line for about a half an hour before she heard anything that sounded like a river. Another ten minutes of walking in the direction of the sound had her seriously doubting if it had been a good idea to go in search of the river.



Finally, the woods broke to show a wide river gently flowing. With this sight, Kaoru forgot any doubts she might have had before of finding the river. Her sandals were off in a flash, but the obi was a little slower in its removal; Kaoru really wanted to cool off, but not at the expense of her new outfit.



The kimono came off next and Kaoru neatly folded it along with the obi and then set them on a small boulder near the edge of the river, with her two swords and Dr. Gensai’s package of goodies. Her first steps into the river were hesitant, as she tested the water first, then she went splashing in up to her waist.



Kaoru twisted her hair up into a bun, she wanted to keep it dry since she’d just washed it, and decided that wading would be just as effective as swimming to cool herself off. She slowly walked further into the river, cringing as the water rose to the curvature of her breasts.



“Gah,” she squealed at the shock of the cold water, even though the cooling sensation felt good. She ran her hands down her body rubbing away the grit from sweat. She paused for a moment, side glancing to the bank of the river, and then continued. She wasn’t self conscious at all; too many years on stage had rid her of that problem, but she couldn’t get shake the feeling of being watched.



The sound of a few twigs snapping caused Kaoru to whip her head around to stare at the woods. The noise came only a few meters away from the boulder where she left her things and this time she knew that it wasn’t her imagination at work. She began calculating how long it would take her to get to the bank, grab her stuff, and take off in the opposite direction as fast as she could.



‘I shouldn’t have left the road,’ she thought as she slowly waded back towards the bank, trying to appear nonchalant.



‘How do I get myself into these situations?’



The leaves rustled, this time even closer to her boulder and Kaoru froze. She waited for the being to emerge. Her eyes went wide as a bear emerged, watching as it lazily making its way over to her stuff. Dumbfounded, she just stood there, watching the bear nose through her things.



‘Dr. Gensai’s travel pack,’ she thought as realization dawned on her as to what the bear was looking for. The bear tore through the wrappings and ate anything that looked like food.



“Well, there goes dinner.”



The bear finally seemed to notice her but paid her no mind as it continued to rummage through her things, looking for something else to eat. Her kimono and obi ended up on the muddy ground and covered in bear snot, Kaoru put her head in her hands shaking it head in exasperation.



A few minutes later, the bear ambled off in the same direction that it had come, leaving Kaoru without food and her clothes a mess. She washed them in the river thoroughly, knowing it wasn’t a good idea to wander around the woods smelling like bear but also not very elated at the idea of wearing wet clothes.



She put her sandals back on and hung her clothes on her swords, of which she laid to rest over her shoulders, in a make shift clothes line. There was nothing she could do about wandering around in wet undergarments, but the afternoon heat was still with her, and she doubted she’d be cold before her clothes dried.



The thought of walking down the road in half wet underwear was also unappealing due to the fact that it hung off her body quite transparently, so she decided to walk along the bank of the river until her clothes dried. She set off at a fierce pace, knowing that she had to make good time in order to cover her little swim in the river.



A few hours later, she was at a loss as for what to do about a meal, but at least her clothes were dry. Kaoru put her clothes back on and then pulled out the map, again, as she tried to judge how far it was from the river to the road. She knew she was headed in the right direction and guessed that she was about an hour’s walk away, based on her previous jaunt, and set off for the road. After walking about half an hour, she reached a road. It looked smaller and less traveled than the one she had been on before, thus making her doubt that she’d found the right road.



She was now at a loss of what to do. She could continue on in the direction that she assumed would lead her to the main road but the more she thought about it, the less appealing the idea became. Kaoru hoped that maybe she hadn't gotten herself lost and that she was already on the right road. If she was on the wrong road, maybe she would come upon a small town. At least there she could ask directions and find her way again.



She looked at the sky, knowing the sun would be setting in a few hours, and decided to walk down the road she was on. She needed to find shelter for the night, and she didn’t want to risk it getting dark while she was still wandering around in the woods.



Dusk was beginning to set in when she happened upon a few homes along one side of the road. None of the houses looked like they’d been lived in for years, except by maybe the occasional wildlife passing through. She decided that this was as good a place as any to stop for the night, seeing as the day’s heat was retreating, but the humidity had not, promising a good rainstorm overnight.



The first house she came to looked the least age worn, and as far as she could tell would be the most likely to have the least leaks. There was a fire pit in the middle of the main room, which she supposed gave the room a dual purpose; a living area as well as a dormitory. Feeling the temperature dropping very rapidly, Kaoru, dropped her things and set out to pick up some broken branches that lay along the road in order to start a fire.



Kaoru had no more than made it inside when the rain started, it brought a chilly breeze as well. She shivered as she stoked the fire and wished she had something to cook over it. Her stomach rumbled, letting her know that it agreed with her, and she sighed dejectedly. This wasn’t the first night that she’d gone without food, but it had been a long time since she’d last experienced such hunger.



She decided she was fortunate to be as tired as she was from her journey as she might fall asleep at a decent hour despite her growling stomach. Kaoru sat in front of the fire letting its warmth spread across her legs and up her body. As she was tired, she was also uneasy as she feared she was being watched again.



“It better not be another bear,” she muttered, getting up to look out the door and down the road through the darkness. A movement across the road caught her eye, and two small eyes gleamed in the light of the fire for a moment before they moved on.



Kaoru sighed and shook her head as the fox continued on its path and silently cursing herself for being so paranoid. She laid herself down next to the fire, her swords on the floor next to her and used her arm as a pillow. Listening to the storm, she fell asleep, relaxing to the sound of drops on the roof.



It was quite a different sound that woke her a few hours later. She cracked an eye, half awake as she thought she was hearing things. A sandaled foot came into view and it took a few moments for Kaoru to realize she wasn’t dreaming it. There was someone whispering and she strained to hear them over the rain.



“Let’s tie her up while she’s asleep,” someone whispered, causing Kaoru to tense. She looked to where she’d left her swords and saw that she was partially sleeping on top of them, blocking them from view.



“She’ll wake up while we’re doing it,” replied another, presumably behind her,“Just gag her.”



“Don’t need to,” said the first, “Ain’t no one for miles. No body’ll hear her scream.”



Kaoru was slowly moving her hand to take hold of her sakabatou, gripping it tightly as she determined what would be the best way to get away from her would-be attackers. Kaoru mentally prayed that there was just the two of them and then put her plan into motion.



She swung her sakabatou, sheath and all, around and to connect with the ankle of the man who was in her field of vision. She successfully knocked him off balance and sent him falling toward the ground howling in pain. She then rolled over and swung the sword straight for the other man’s groin, connecting hard and disabling him instantly.



Kaoru grabbed her short sword and took off running thus leaving the rest of her stuff behind. She knew that the swords would be more effective in fighting off her assailants, especially if there were ones wandering about that she had not run into yet.



She didn’t think of where she was going, only that she needed to put as much distance between her and the short row of houses as possible. She ran until her lungs burned and then pushed herself to keep running until her legs gave out.



She dropped to the ground on her hands and knees in the mud. She was panting hard as the rain soaked her all the way through and strained to listen for followers. When she didn’t hear anyone, she chanced a look around at where she had stopped. There were woods on either side of her and in front of her was a place were the roads crossed. She forced herself up and half jogged to it, looking in either direction for signs of life.



Kaoru didn't see a sign of life in either direction, but she heard the sound of hooves splashing against the ground coming from a distance. In fear that it was the men from earlier she began running again. Kaoru chose the direction that had thicker wood coverage, knowing that she would not be able to run for much longer, as may need to use the foliage for cover.



By now she was covered in mud, splashing herself with every step, and looking behind every so often to make sure she hadn’t been seen or followed. Her fright got the better of her and she stopped running. Kaoru choose to hide in a small area of thick underbrush. She crawled through the foliage, ignoring the scraps along her arms and face, finally curling up into a ball as she wiggled to get out of sight.



Once she was positioned, she forced herself to control her breathing, knowing that it would do no good to hide if she was huffing like a sumo. She’d mostly calmed herself when she heard hoof steps splashing slowly towards her. She could see very little from where she was and had no idea how close they were.



“I thought you said the tracks came this way?” one muttered.



“They did. Damn rain is washing them away,” the other growled back.



“She can’t be too far away,” the first stated as he scanning the tree line,“You check up and down this side of the road, I’ll check the other. Look in every bush, behind every tree. That bitch is going to get it.”



Kaoru listened to them continue on, the sound of the horses traveling in opposite directions. Her heart sank, she knew that if she went in either direction, she’d run into one of them, but if she stayed where she was, she’d be found for sure. She heard one of the men talking to someone not too far away and she decided to wait for him to fade out of hearing distance before she would head off in the opposite direction. If there were more than two of them, she wanted to be heading in the direction with the least of them.



The hooves did fade into the distance, but footsteps continued towards her. She could tell that this one was on foot and assumed that she might be able to outrun them. However that still left the question, where was she going to run? Tears threatened to pour forth as she began to feel trapped.



The horseless man finally was coming into view. The man wasn’t all that big, but he carried a sword. Kaoru bit her lip as she contemplated how she was going to get out of this situation. She finally decided to wait for the swordsman to pass and then run in the opposite direction. She hopped to avoid any confrontation if possible.



As the footsteps faded into the night, she shifted as quietly as she could, fixing to take off from the bushes in a sprint in order to put as much distance between them and herself as possible. The rush of adrenaline had her feeling like she shouldn’t wait and should just run, but she resisted until the footsteps were virtually gone. Leaning forward, she readied herself to launch herself from the bushes when a hand clamped over her mouth.



Her cry was easily stifled just as another arm reached around to confine her arms to her sides. She struggled against the hold but could not break it, and found herself slammed up on a tree. The jolt of force disoriented her for a moment as the hand over her mouth moved down to her throat to hold her there against the tree.



“You’re a lively bitch, aren’t you,” the man sneered at her. Using his free hand the man pulled her sakabatou from its sheath and looked at it in the moonlight.



“Hah. Not even sharp.”



He rotated the sword, as if testing it, before he rest the point against her stomach, forcing it to dig into her flesh.



The man spoke as pain blossomed against her,“But I suppose that if I push hard enough, it will break skin.”



Kaoru sobbed as she tried to pull at the hand off her neck and kicked outward with her legs. The man was just far enough away from her that she could not get a good hit on him. Suddenly, her aggressor was distracted by something behind him and then for seemingly no reason at all he dropped her all together.



Kaoru didn’t bother to wait around and see what was going on and ran for the road. The clang of clashing swords could be heard behind her, as well as shouting, but she didn’t let it stop her. Once again, she heard hooves approaching fast, and all at once she was clobbered by a heavy body.



She managed to roll out of the hold of the person who had taken her down and came to her feet in a crouch-defense-position. The man, who had tackled her from the horse, rose with a half grin on his face as he began to circle her, apparently he was amused at her show of defense.



The horseman’s amusement dissipated when Kaoru began effectively blocking all his attacks, and decide upon a cheap shot to take her down. As she blocked a left hook, his right jabbed her in the stomach forcing her to drop to her knees. He back-handed her immediately, not wasting time to send her to the ground.



“I’m gonna gut you like a fish,” he hissed and pulled a cleaning knife from his shabby robes. The man stood over her ready to stab her when his hand was caught from behind. Since her assailant turned to see what was behind him, Kaoru scrambled away, climbing to her feet in preparation to run again. She heard a grunt from her attacker, followed by a loud splash on the ground, but she didn’t turn around and kept fleeing.



Kaoru was near hysterics now and wishing away this nightmare come true as she made a poor attempt at running again. Strong hands clasped on her arms again and she fought desperately to get away. As her nerves and wits were shot, she barely registered the familiar voice that was talking to her and continued to struggle until she recognized two words.



“Miss Kaoru?”



She stopped struggling and slowly turned her head to look at him. His gi was a deep rose color a result from the drenching rain, its darker color indicating how it must have looked long ago when it was new. The man was soaked with his hair plastered to his head and back yet beneath the dripping bangs, clearly to be seen on his alabaster cheek was a cross-shaped scar.



“Kenshin?”

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A/N: I apologize, I was told it may be upsetting to leave a cliffy like this. But, then again, neener neener neener. Come back and visit in chapter 4!