Striking a Balance

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Chapter 11

The duel was tomorrow.

Kaoru sat in seiza in the dojo, centering her mind. Wind blew through the trees outside, branches creating patternless clicking sounds and casting dancing shadows on the rice-paper windows. Kaoru was aware of her surroundings, but narrowed her focus to her internal self. Images of the last month waved in and out of her thoughts, and she allowed them to wash over her.

True to Megumi’s advice, she had completely rested her left shoulder for a week. That didn’t stop her from training Yahiko by command, or from practicing lightly with her right arm during that week. A sense of urgency permeated Kaoru’s awareness, not allowing her to rest when she could be preparing.

After the first week, Kaoru gradually worked herself back up to strength. Kenshin had quietly cared for her, not letting her push herself too far and tending to her aches and pains with gentle massage and warm baths.

It wasn’t an easy recovery, and she still felt somewhat less than ready. But, she needed to work with what she had and focus on defeating Masuyama. Kamiya Kasshin Ryu focused on the strengths of the individual to protect and defend, not attack. She had to consider her strengths versus Masuyama’s to be most effective.

With that in mind, she recentered her thoughts on recalling his stances and moves.

She had felt his power when she received his strike to the shoulder. His blows were deadly when they struck.

In class and on the street, he relied on intimidation. He used his height and reputation to unnerve opponents.

He was also fast, based on how he caught her unawares. But he wasn’t as nimble in reacting. She was able to take him down quickly once she was aware of him.

His stance was also a weakness. He relied on narrow stances that put him off balance.

Kaoru’s brow furrowed lightly in concentration. Something about his attack nagged at her. She rolled back and up to her feet, pulling her boken from her belt. Eyes still closed, she took up her stance and placed her mind back to when she faced him on the last day in class.

She slowly played his attack in her mind, moving slowly in recreating her own movements. She stopped, opened her eyes, reset her position, and moved again.

After a few more passes, it hit her. She was surprised she hadn’t realized it before. His power and strength gave him a distinct advantage when faced head on, but his aggressive execution left him open to counterattack. She could use that to land hits quickly. It was risky, especially given how close she would need to be to land a powerful enough attack, but with the right timing, it could work. Many of her father’s teachings focused on the frequency of ‘near misses’ in swordfights.

Kaoru inhaled deeply and let the breath go, relaxing slightly. She took up her boken again and began moving through her last kata for the day, one of the first her father had taught her as the inheritor of his style. It was graceful, strong, and always left her with a sense of calm after her workouts. She was still concerned about the next day, but the familiar movements brought her peace and connected her to her father’s spirit.

Kenshin stood in the dojo doorway, surreptitiously observing her practice. He didn’t watch her too often, not wanting to disturb her concentration. Today his concern for her health and thoughts of what lay ahead the next day drove him to assure himself of her presence and abilities.

He loved watching her move. He loved watching her do a lot of things, but her grace and fluidity in the dojo were undeniably captivating. The sound of her feet, the precision of her grip, and the unwavering look of concentration in her eyes stirred and calmed him. Today more stirred than calmed, but he wouldn’t press himself on her unless she needed it. Her needs were paramount today.

Kaoru finished the last sequence of moves, and held the last position for a moment. Beads of sweat rolled gently down her neck and torso. She stood to attention and bowed to her father’s shrine. She exhaled lightly and rolled her shoulder to alleviate the soreness that was settling in.

Kenshin dislodged himself from the doorway as she went to place her boken on the wall.

“Good practice?” he asked as he approached her. She racked the boken and turned to him, smiling.

“Hai, I think I may have found what I need to win tomorrow. I’ll have to find the right opportunity, but I think I found a hole in Masuyama’s defenses.”

Kenshin nodded, placing a hand on her slightly damp lower back and kissing her lightly. Kaoru put her hands on his chest as she pulled away a little.

“Mou, Kenshin, I’m all sweaty.”

Kenshin put his other arm around her, pulling her against his chest.

“I don’t mind,” he whispered into her ear. She giggled as he licked her neck playfully, tasting her salty skin and inhaling her jasmine-laced scent.

She leaned into his caresses for a moment, and then pulled away.

“Is the bath ready?”

Kenshin smiled. She was definitely a creature of habit when it came to her after-practice needs.

“Hai anata, I put a yukata in there for you as well.”

“Arigato. You take such good care of me,” she said, leaning up to kiss him lightly. Kenshin smiled in response and followed her out of the dojo.

“Dinner will be ready when you’re done,” he called.

Kenshin softly entered the kitchen and began to prepare dinner. Yahiko was attending to an evening shift at the Akabeko, so it was just the two of them. Kenshin mindlessly began chopping vegetables and fish as he pondered Kaoru’s words.

‘A hole in his defenses.’ That certainly bode well for Kaoru’s confidence, but Kenshin couldn’t help but be concerned about her execution. He knew she was skilled, and he did trust her, but Masuyama’s strength and size still concerned him. Kenshin was no stranger to the power that rage could add to ones fighting abilities, which could have accounted for the severity of the damage to Kaoru. Still, he had not witnessed Masuyama’s fighting style himself, so he would have to trust Kaoru’s perceptions.

Kenshin sighed as the nagging tendril of worry wormed its way through his stomach. Tomorrow could mean success or failure for his little wife. Either way, she could get very badly hurt. A fight to incapacitation or yield was not in her favor, as he doubted that Masuyama would yield as long as he could stand.

He winced at a sharp sting in his finger. Looking down, he noticed a shallow but bleeding cut on his hand from the kitchen knife. Kenshin stuck his finger in his mouth and sucked on it thoughtfully.

‘I can’t let myself be distracted like this tomorrow. Kaoru may be on her own on the dojo floor, but I must be aware of what is going on around her.’ He didn’t trust Masuyama as far as he could throw him, and he Masuyama’s friends even less.

Kenshin sighed again and inspected his finger. The bleeding had mostly stopped. A quick bandage took care of the rest. He looked out into the yard at the steam rising from the bathhouse.

He hoped Kaoru could sleep tonight. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to.