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Crossing the Line	By : HauntedReality Category: Rurouni Kenshin > General Views: 5367 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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CROSSING THE LINE - Chapter 5: Knowing when you�re not wanted�

DISCLAIMER: Of the many things that are mine to possess,
Rurouni Kenshin and his companions are not among them.

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Kenshin flew through the forest. Although his feet were
constantly making contact with the ground the casual observer would not have
seen this. In fact, it is unlikely, that any without the most skilled eye would
have witnessed his passing. He darted around trees, and over the coarse terrain
as though he was heir to the wind itself.

He cherished moments like these. For a short time he could
be beyond himself. He was beyond his past, beyond the guilt, and beyond the
walls he spent so long building. It was only at times like this he felt any
measure of true peace.

�Quick of feet, but slow of mind, I see,� said the convict�s
lilting voice. Kenshin thrust himself upward to a tree branch to get a better
look at the area, and so as to not be taken unawares.

�Do you even know why you are here, scarred one?� Even
Kenshin�s heightened battle senses could not detect where the convict was
located because his voice was echoing off the surrounding rocky cliffs.

�I know why I�m here. I looooooove to kill, and I�m good at
it. In the revolution these qualities were respected, and even purchased for
the right price. But now, no one likes to have fun anymore. The same men who
paid me for my services, sentenced me to life in a cage. Ironic, no? But the
revolution, now that was a time, wasn�t it scarred one? Hahahaha, oh such fun
to revel in!�

Two throwing stars whistled past Kenshin as he leapt from
his tree branch to a nearby rock. �I see you are paying more attention today.
Good. Now why don�t you run along, and pay attention to your life, and leave me
to mine,� the convict�s musical voice became much darker at the last words.

�You have killed the innocent, and I cannot allow it to
continue.� Kenshin replied calmly.

�Hmmm�and you are the great protector of the weak, are you?
He who wears a reversed blade sword at his waist, and travels all his days
putting right the wrongs of man,� his voice sang out as he mocked Kenshin. �How
noble, how gallant, how full of shit are you!?�

A blade sliced through a limb above Kenshin�s head, but he
easily dodged the falling debris. Jumping to a nearby clearing, he and the
convict crossed swords again. They were evenly matched, and their blades met
with such lightning fury that they could not be seen at all.

�Go home hero. Take your crisscrossed scar, and your long
red hair, and go back to playing for the masses. Save them from the bad men,
drought, disease, hunger, heartache, nightmares, and all forms of pain.�

The convict used his left hand to take hold of his sword�s
scabbard, and roughly rammed it against the wound he had given Kenshin in their
first match. This allowed him to back Kenshin against a rock wall. Kenshin�s
sakabato pressed hard against the other man�s sword as the two fighters faced
off at close range. While each fought for dominance, the convict leaned in even
closer and whispered his last words before fleeing, �Save them from themselves,
because you know you�ll never save yourself!�

Kenshin was alone in the forest. His arm was once again
bleeding from the recent blow, and his mind was reeling from the words the
criminal had left him with.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kaoru brushed her hand along a small rack of fabrics taking
in all the textures with her delicate fingers. She had been looking around for
almost twenty minutes now without really seeing anything.

Her mind was still spinning from her walk to town with Sano.
She could still feel the weight of his arms against her waist as they were
lying together in the soft grass. The memory made her flesh tingle.

�That can�t be right. I couldn�t be having such a reaction
from Sano�s touch. It was only meant in friendship, and nothing more!�

She tried to stop the memory there, but it continued on
without her approval. She remembered liking the closeness growing between
herself and the former fighter-for-hire. She had wanted�needed more. Without
knowing exactly what she was doing she leaned into his touch, and felt her mind
go numb as she crept ever closer.

Closer, and closer they became, and then she felt him recoil
as he leapt to his feet.

And just as suddenly as she had been feeling so inexplicably
alive, she felt terrible and guilty.

�Ahem! I think that cloth is tired of being petted, perhaps
it is time to move on?� A sales clerk said curtly, as he removed the fabric she
had absentmindedly been stroking.

Blinking rapidly, Kaoru tried to regain her composure,
�Gomen, I was just leaving.�

She quickly left the shop with her head tilted downward so
that no one would notice how red her cheeks had become.

�Get it together Kamiya! You have been acting the fool all
day. You keep this up, and no one will want to be around you.�

She couldn�t stop herself from completing the thought, �Not
that they do now.�

Shielding her eyes from the late afternoon sun, she surveyed
the many shops and street carts that lined the road. She sighed, �so many
errands to run, and me without any concentration at all.

�I suppose that isn�t entirely true. My mind has been rather
set on one thing lately.� Kaoru shut her eyes tightly trying to block out the
brown eyes that had been peering into her very soul as of late. She rallied
herself, and walked to a shop, which crafted practice weapons for kendo
training.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

An hour and twenty minutes after they had separated, Sano
found himself in front of the Akebeko waiting for Kaoru. He shifted
uncomfortably, �Maybe I should go look for her. No, she is only ten minutes
late. Her errands probably just took longer than she thought they would, or she
ran into a friend, or she lost track of time, or she was kidnapped!�

Panic at the thought of someone hurting �his� Jou-chan
gripped him. �She is never late. Something must have happened! I shouldn�t have
left her alone!�

He took off down the street to save his would-be captive
friend when he heard her calling his name. �Sano!?� He spun around with speed
that almost equaled Kenshin�s.

�You�re alright!� he said happily, and hugged the
unsuspecting girl.

�Um�of course I am. I was just shopping,� she replied, very
aware of how many people were watching the couple hug in public.

�But you were running late, and I thought something
happened,� even as he said the words he realized how foolish they seemed. �I
guess I overreacted,� he finished sheepishly.

�Thanks.�

�For acting like an overprotective lunatic?� he asked,
raising a quizzical eyebrow.

�For caring enough to act like an overprotective lunatic,�
she smiled.

Sano could feel his resolve to ignore his feelings for Kaoru
weaken. �When she smiles at me I feel like I�m the most important person in the
world instead of some freeloading former fighter-for-hire with too many unpaid
tabs, and not enough willpower to stay away from the gambling houses and sake.

�Is that how Kenshin feels? Does he even know what he has
with her? Does he know what he is going to lose if he continues the way he has
been?�

Sano led Kaoru into the Akebeko, and Tae seated them at a
corner table. She obviously wanted to ask why the two were alone together, but
decided against it. Though Sano noticed Tsubame and Tae curiously peeking at
them quite frequently. Kaoru did not seem to be aware of the stir they had
caused.

In fact, the awkward silence they had encountered earlier
had been replaced by an almost non-stop string of stories and banter that not
even the marvelous beef pot was able to waylay.

Minutes stretched into hours as Kaoru told stories about
former students at the dojo, and he told her of his various encounters as a
fighter-for-hire. They were both so at ease with one another that it seemed
impossible they had never shared these stories before.

�So there I was, surrounded by thirteen guys brandishing
katanas and wearing chain mail, and all I had was this board I picked up in the
alley. Three of them come at me from the left, and two from the right. I
dropped to one knee and kicked the ones on the right down by swinging my other
leg against their shins. At the same time I took the board, and slapped the
lead guy on the left so that he fell back onto the other two.� Sano continued
his tale growing more animated with every delighted giggle from his attentive
audience of one.

�But instead of stopping there, the three of them kept
stumbling backwards while another wave was attacking, and suddenly there was
this giant pile of samurai trying to stand up under the weight of their heavy
gear. So I jump back up, and see there are only two of them still upright. Now,
they weren�t the tallest of the bunch, and they looked like they might relieve
themselves at any moment.�

�Oh stop that! They would not have,� Kaoru chided, but was
clearly entertained nonetheless.

�No, seriously, but you do have to picture all their buddies
lying on the ground flailing their arms and legs while cursing. Not to mention
me still totally unharmed with my big imposing slab of wood in hand,� Kaoru
blushed and Sano flashed a smile, �The next thing I knew, they were running
away.�

�Hehe, good story. I don�t believe a word of it, of course.
Still, it was amusing.�

�Wait, that isn�t the best part by a long shot. And I swear
this is all true.� Sano�s eyes sparkled as he continued. �I watched as they ran
down an embankment, but one of them must have slipped on something in his rush
because he fell over, and took the other one with him. Since the ground was
slanted, they didn�t just fall in a pile like the others, oh no, they were
rolling.

�Can you imagine two silver and black clad men rolling down
a hill flipping over one another all the way? That is, until the mud stopped
them. When they finally got up they looked like�well, I think you can guess.

�That�s gross! Hahahaha! Oh, I can�t believe I�m laughing at
this terrible story.�

�Of course, I probably should have been paying less
attention to them, and more attention to the eleven men, who had managed to get
up by this time. They took me by surprise, and stole all my money.�

�All that and they didn�t even get anything!?� Kaoru
couldn�t control her laughter anymore, and it was causing quite a few looks
from fellow diners.

�Hey!� an indignant Sano shouted.

�Hahha�oh�.haha�OK, sorry Sano, it�s just, that wasn�t a
true story was it?� she asked trying to control her laughter enough to speak.

�I swear on the last piece of beef, it is all true.�

�Ohhh, I see. The whole thing was crafted so you could get
away with the last of our beef pot without me noticing,� she smiled with mock
suspicion.

Mustering every ounce of charm and class, Sano replied to
her quandary in the most proper manner possible. �Your words do me great harm,
I assure you. To prove my intentions are beyond reproach I offer the last piece
to you Kaoru-dono.�

He bowed slightly, and extended the chopsticks holding the
last morsel to her when he noticed a marked change in her demeanor. The
laughter had died upon Kaoru�s lips. A pained look shown in her eyes as though
his words had caused her physical injury. Her shoulders started to shake just
slightly before she ran out of the restaurant.

A very confused Sano found dozens of faces staring down at
him from other tables. But those weren�t the eyes he was worried about. The
look in Kaoru�s eyes had shaken him to his core. �What did I do? She looked so
stricken. I just offered her the last piece of beef.� Realization hit him, and
his eyes opened wide.

�Oh Kuso! I called her Kaoru-dono. That�s what Kenshin calls
her!�

Not stopping to acknowledge the concerned look on Tae�s
face, Sano burst through the Akebeko doors, and followed Kaoru as fast as his
legs would allow.

At first he couldn�t see her. He mustered all his strength,
and drove his powerful muscles into a hard run. Just as he cleared town he
caught a glimpse of her far ahead, and still running fast.

�JOU-CHAN!� he shouted hoping she would at least slow down
enough for him to catch up. She didn�t break her stride at all.

�PLEASE Jou-chan!� he tried again, his voice sounding more
anguished. This time she glanced over her shoulder, but as she did so her
sandal got caught on the fallen limb in front of her. She had been running
extremely fast, so the sudden stop caused her to fall with great force.

Nearly out of breath, Sano caught up to her. She had curled
up into a ball so tight it looked as though she was trying to disappear. He
kneeled beside her, and carefully reached his hand out to cup her shoulder.

�Jou-chan, I�m so sorry, I didn�t mean for you to fall. I was
just worried about you, and I�� He broke off when he heard her stifle a sob.

�She is crying. I made her cry. How can I admonish Kenshin
for leaving her when I�m here causing her pain?�

�Jou-chan, are you alright?�

�NOO!� she screamed at him.

He withdrew his hand and stood up, taking a few steps back,
from surprise. She quickly got to her feet, and continued her rant.

�No, I�m not alright. I�m upset! And I�m sad! And I�m tired!
And I�m confused! I don�t want to feel any of this, but I do! I�m just so sick
of being the weak one, crying because someone else has left me. I�m sick of not
being strong enough to be OK with being alone.�

The anger in her tone was gradually subsiding, and she
became quieter. �But most of all, I can�t understand why I have to have so
many�� her voice cracked as she continued, �beautiful, wonderful memories that
end in me crying.�

Acting on instinct, Sano softly pulled her to his chest, and
allowed her to cry while gently stroking her hair. After a few minutes, Kaoru
pulled away from him, and wiped her eyes. �That�s twice I�ve burdened you this
week,� she said quietly with a forced laugh.

�Look at me,� he
raised her chin with his hand, so that he could look into her tear-stained
eyes. �You have NEVER, and will NEVER be a burden to me, or anyone. I have
messed up so many times trying to help you, but if there is ever anything I can
do for you, I will try my hardest.�

A small smile touched her lips at the sincerity in his
words. He continued to look into her eyes without realizing he was still
touching her face until he felt her hand curl around his. For a moment, they
remained like that, but finally she pulled his hand down, but didn�t release
it.

Her head dropped for a moment, but then she met his eyes
again. �My sandal tore when I fell.�

Sano tried not to, but he found himself laughing. It came in
a little burst he tried to hold back at first, but soon exploded out into a
rolling laugh. Initially Kaoru looked almost offended, but his laughter was
infectious, and she needed the release, so soon they were both laughing
hysterically.

�Hahahaha�oh�.hah�OK, we have to get you back to the dojo.
Hahaha�and you can�t walk without your sandal, so�� Sano scooped the still
giggling Kaoru up into his arms.

�Woah! Sano! Put me down!�

�You want to walk on twigs and rocks until we reach home, or
do you want to be carried?�

�Fair enough, but you are NOT telling Yahiko about this.
I�ll never hear the end of it. And Sano,� she smiled and relaxed into a more
comfortable position, �thank you.�

Sano felt better, knowing he could do something for Kaoru,
even if it was just acting as a transportation device.

Not long after he had begun walking he could feel she had
fallen asleep. Her warm breath fanned across his neck, and the rhythmic beating
of her heart sounded against his chest.

�This is becoming a reoccurring theme with us. I�ve been
holding her so often now that she is beginning to feel really right in my
arms.�

Sano reached the dojo, and took the sleeping girl into her
room, and laid her onto her futon, careful not to wake her.

As he pulled his arm away, and turned to leave he heard her
take in a deep breath and murmur, �Sano.�

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I would have posted sooner, but AFF was doing some weird things,
and I couldn�t tell if it was really working. (Mostly because there were no
reviews * single tear *, but I think that was because of the problems because
several came up at once.) Hope you enjoy!
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Crossing the Line

CROSSING THE LINE - Chapter 5: Knowing when you�re not wanted�