Striking a Balance
folder
Rurouni Kenshin › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
12
Views:
10,265
Reviews:
35
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
Rurouni Kenshin › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
12
Views:
10,265
Reviews:
35
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
1
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.
Chapter 6
Disclaimer - I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.
Chapter 6
Muted sunlight filtered through the rice-paper shoji as Kaoru opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling a moment, slowly shaking her dreams from her mind. They hadn’t been pleasant, but she had seen her father and Kenshin walking away from her in her dreams for a long time now.
Kaoru glanced at Kenshin’s side of the futon, noting it mostly undisturbed. She sighed and rolled over to her right side, gritting her teeth at the pain in her left shoulder as she sat up. If possible, it hurt worse today.
‘I’ll have to go see Megumi and see how I should be taking care of this. I want to heal quickly.’
Kaoru grimaced as she ran her good hand through her tangled ponytail. Fixing it would be difficult one-handed. She carefully ran a comb through the snarls, managing to get it mostly tangle free while keeping it in place. She’d ask Kenshin to help her wash it later.
Kaoru dressed slowly, opting for a simple kimono and obi. Tying the knot one-handed was extremely difficult, but she managed somehow. The pressure on her injured shoulder was quite uncomfortable, but it felt better when she stopped moving and supported its weight. Pausing, she turned a long scarf into a makeshift sling.
‘Just for today, until Megumi tells me what to do.’
Kaoru took a deep breath, musing on how to approach Kenshin this morning. She opened the shoji, jumping at Yahiko standing there, poised to knock.
“Oi, Kaoru, time to get up,” he said in his usual cranky morning voice. His eyes traveled to her sling. “What the hell happened to you?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle. It’s just dislocated.” Kaoru brushed past him and headed towards the kitchen.
“Dislocated? Jeez Kaoru, did you teach at Nakagawa’s yesterday?”
Kaoru stopped short and turned on him. Yahiko jumped back slightly to avoid hitting her.
“What do you mean by that?”
Yahiko took a step back from his irate sensei.
“I mean, there are some big guys in that dojo. Especially that Masuyama guy. He’s good too.”
Yahiko stared as Kaoru paled slightly and tightened her jaw.
“He did this to you? Damn, Kaoru, Kenshin must have been pissed.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Kaoru turned on her heel and headed towards the kitchen.
“Aw, don’t tell me you’re going to cook like that, it’ll be worse than usual,” Yahiko called after her. Kaoru stopped.
“Isn’t Kenshin making breakfast?”
“No, I haven’t seen him. He wasn’t here when I got up.”
Kaoru’s stomach dropped, remembering last night’s argument.
‘He didn’t . . .’
The sound of the dojo gate closing brought Kaoru out of her reverie. She dimly heard Yahiko calling to Kenshin about breakfast and her cooking as she walked towards the gate. Kenshin came into view around the corner of the engawa.
Kaoru froze. Her training bag and shinai were on his shoulder.
Anger, frustration, and disappointment welled in her eyes as she met Kenshin’s gaze. His eyes were unreadable, but his stance was firm and determined. He stopped his approach, waiting for her to speak.
Kaoru started breathing heavier as she fought tears. Obviously he thought her weak and unable to care for herself. He had also possibly tarnished her reputation at the dojo with Nakagawa. He just didn’t understand.
Kaoru had to leave, she couldn’t face him. She turned and started walking towards the gate. A hand dropped on her good shoulder, and she roughly pushed it away.
“I’m going to Megumi’s,” she said, not looking at him, fighting to keep her voice even.
Before he could protest, she practically ran out the gate.
Kenshin sighed.
“Kenshin?” Yahiko asked, unsure of what had transpired.
Kenshin set the training bag down at the door to their room and handed Yahiko the shinai.
“Please put that in the dojo, Yahiko. I will prepare breakfast.” He turned and walked towards the kitchen.
“Right, sure,” Yahiko replied, perplexed at the tension between the two.
Kenshin ran his hands through his unruly bangs and looked back towards the gate. He had no regrets. He would just have to explain to Kaoru that he acted for her sake. If she would just stop protesting long enough to listen.
Chapter 6
Muted sunlight filtered through the rice-paper shoji as Kaoru opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling a moment, slowly shaking her dreams from her mind. They hadn’t been pleasant, but she had seen her father and Kenshin walking away from her in her dreams for a long time now.
Kaoru glanced at Kenshin’s side of the futon, noting it mostly undisturbed. She sighed and rolled over to her right side, gritting her teeth at the pain in her left shoulder as she sat up. If possible, it hurt worse today.
‘I’ll have to go see Megumi and see how I should be taking care of this. I want to heal quickly.’
Kaoru grimaced as she ran her good hand through her tangled ponytail. Fixing it would be difficult one-handed. She carefully ran a comb through the snarls, managing to get it mostly tangle free while keeping it in place. She’d ask Kenshin to help her wash it later.
Kaoru dressed slowly, opting for a simple kimono and obi. Tying the knot one-handed was extremely difficult, but she managed somehow. The pressure on her injured shoulder was quite uncomfortable, but it felt better when she stopped moving and supported its weight. Pausing, she turned a long scarf into a makeshift sling.
‘Just for today, until Megumi tells me what to do.’
Kaoru took a deep breath, musing on how to approach Kenshin this morning. She opened the shoji, jumping at Yahiko standing there, poised to knock.
“Oi, Kaoru, time to get up,” he said in his usual cranky morning voice. His eyes traveled to her sling. “What the hell happened to you?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle. It’s just dislocated.” Kaoru brushed past him and headed towards the kitchen.
“Dislocated? Jeez Kaoru, did you teach at Nakagawa’s yesterday?”
Kaoru stopped short and turned on him. Yahiko jumped back slightly to avoid hitting her.
“What do you mean by that?”
Yahiko took a step back from his irate sensei.
“I mean, there are some big guys in that dojo. Especially that Masuyama guy. He’s good too.”
Yahiko stared as Kaoru paled slightly and tightened her jaw.
“He did this to you? Damn, Kaoru, Kenshin must have been pissed.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Kaoru turned on her heel and headed towards the kitchen.
“Aw, don’t tell me you’re going to cook like that, it’ll be worse than usual,” Yahiko called after her. Kaoru stopped.
“Isn’t Kenshin making breakfast?”
“No, I haven’t seen him. He wasn’t here when I got up.”
Kaoru’s stomach dropped, remembering last night’s argument.
‘He didn’t . . .’
The sound of the dojo gate closing brought Kaoru out of her reverie. She dimly heard Yahiko calling to Kenshin about breakfast and her cooking as she walked towards the gate. Kenshin came into view around the corner of the engawa.
Kaoru froze. Her training bag and shinai were on his shoulder.
Anger, frustration, and disappointment welled in her eyes as she met Kenshin’s gaze. His eyes were unreadable, but his stance was firm and determined. He stopped his approach, waiting for her to speak.
Kaoru started breathing heavier as she fought tears. Obviously he thought her weak and unable to care for herself. He had also possibly tarnished her reputation at the dojo with Nakagawa. He just didn’t understand.
Kaoru had to leave, she couldn’t face him. She turned and started walking towards the gate. A hand dropped on her good shoulder, and she roughly pushed it away.
“I’m going to Megumi’s,” she said, not looking at him, fighting to keep her voice even.
Before he could protest, she practically ran out the gate.
Kenshin sighed.
“Kenshin?” Yahiko asked, unsure of what had transpired.
Kenshin set the training bag down at the door to their room and handed Yahiko the shinai.
“Please put that in the dojo, Yahiko. I will prepare breakfast.” He turned and walked towards the kitchen.
“Right, sure,” Yahiko replied, perplexed at the tension between the two.
Kenshin ran his hands through his unruly bangs and looked back towards the gate. He had no regrets. He would just have to explain to Kaoru that he acted for her sake. If she would just stop protesting long enough to listen.