Striking a Balance

Disclaimer - I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Chapter 4

Kaoru finished undressing in the bathhouse, dropping her chest binding to the floor. She gently probed her stomach, wincing at the darkening bruise there. At least her right shoulder was just achy, no worse than on a normal day at the dojo. She prayed that the tender spots on her jaw wouldn’t bruise – it would be hard to explain that to Kenshin.

She reached up to the tie in her hair, but thought better of it. There was no way she could wash it with her injured left shoulder, let alone brush and braid it. Kenshin had braided her hair for her before on other tiring dojo days, so at least she wouldn’t have snarls in the morning.

Reaching for the washcloth, she gingerly washed herself, hissing at the pain that even the slightest touch caused her shoulder. It was already swollen. She’d have to hide it carefully. She lifted the rinse bucket awkwardly with one hand, scooping less water than she normally to rinse so would to be able to handle the weight. After several passes, she was free of soap.

She looked longingly at the steaming tub, one of her favorite places to recuperate after a long day. Suddenly exhausted, Kaoru sank down on the bathing stool, the stress of the day finally reaching her. She rested her head against the wood wall behind her and closed her eyes.

Sometimes being strong was so tiring. The days between her father’s departure and Kenshin’s arrival definitely wore on her, but her determination had always come back after dark days. The fight to keep Kenshin by her side was driven by this determination, combined with the desire to not be left behind again. Now that she was assured of his presence in her life, she was not going to abandon her independent nature. She was fairly sure that was part of his attraction to her in the first place. Besides, Kenshin didn’t need any further burdens. Even though he was happier now, she still saw the slightly haunted look that occasionally crossed his eyes.

Kaoru sat up slowly and wiped the rouge drops of moisture that had gathered in the corners of her eyes. No, Kenshin didn’t need to be bothered by scum like Masuyama.

Wearily, Kaoru glanced at the tub again. She was just too tired to sit in the bath. Besides, the heat would probably increase the swelling in her shoulder. She’d soak later, when the heat would be more therapeutic. She dried off and carefully drew on a clean yukata, tying it closed with some difficulty. Picking up her discarded clothing, she left the warmth of the bathhouse for the cool night air.

Kenshin heard Kaoru leave the bathhouse much sooner than expected. Usually she lingered in there for close to an hour after days at Nakagawa’s dojo. His eyebrows drew together as he frowned slightly. Many students of that dojo were large young men, and regardless of Kaoru’s prowess with a boken, she often came home more tired than he liked. He didn’t understand why she continued teaching there, regardless of how good the payment. He was bringing in decent money with his jobs, and she could find other dojos to teach at to make ends meet.

Kenshin stepped out of the kitchen just as Kaoru rounded the corner towards their room. He stepped up behind her and caught her left shoulder with his hand, intending on drawing her into the kitchen to talk. He let her go in surprise when she cried out sharply in pain and dropped her clothing, crouching over slightly.

Kaoru clenched her eyes shut as tears leaked out. Gods that hurt. She was sure she wasn’t going to get out of this without an explanation. Kenshin’s hand hovered by her waist as she straightened.

“Kaoru,” Kenshin said, voice laced with concern. He looked at her intently in the gathering darkness. He frowned at her watery eyes and at the shadows on her neck and face. Without another word, he drew her gently into the light of the kitchen in order to see her more clearly.

Kaoru’s mind started spinning when Kenshin gave her his scrutinizing look. Not telling him was one thing, but lying was another. She knew that he would coax the truth from her. She cursed slightly to herself at not hearing his approach.

Kenshin sat her down by the low dining table and examined her face. Darkening circles dotted her jawline, pointing to someone griping her harshly. Her neck was reddened and scraped, but didn’t look seriously harmed. Eyes traveling down to her right hand clasping nervously in her lap, he noted a ring of dark bruises around her wrist. Remembering her odd gesture of having Yahiko open her purse and the careful way she held her left shoulder, not to mention her pained cry moments before, he gently loosened the collar of her yukata. Kaoru stiffened slightly under his movements, but allowed him to draw down the shoulder of the garment.

His eyes narrowed at what he saw. Dark, angry red bruises started at the top of her shoulder and dripped down the front. The area was obviously swollen, and looked to be getting worse. A dislocation. Anger clouded his vision as he gently put the garment back in place. He rose suddenly, needing a moment to collect himself.

“Stay here,” he said as calmly as he could, grabbing a small bucket from the doorway.

Kaoru sighed unhappily as he left. He looked quite angry. She hoped she could convince him to let her deal with the problem. He was just as stubborn as she was in some ways, especially when it came to her safety. She could handle this, just as soon as she healed. If those jerks hadn’t caught her unawares today, she could have outrun them, or at least discouraged their pursuit more effectively.

She looked up when he returned, bucket full of water. He grabbed a cloth from the counter, dropped it in the water and knelt by her side. Eyes shaded by his bangs, he wrung out the cloth and bared her shoulder again. Tenderly, he placed the cold cloth on her shoulder and sat back. He caught her eyes with his, concerned but resolute.

“Tell me.”

A/N: Thank you for your reviews! I will be updating in a couple of days, so stay tuned :).

-gretel_chan