“No, they didn’t mention a leader.” Saitoh glares at her impatiently.

“Listen, I’m a very busy man so I’ll be very clear. I came here for answers. If you continue to waste my time, I’ll be forced to use whatever means I see necessary to find these people, even if it means endangering you. He looks carefully at Kaoru who sits in silence.

“Well?”

*******

Finally! He’s leaving. Sano’s tense shoulders relaxed the moment Saitoh was out of sight.  He glanced at Kaoru, standing in the doorway. She looked at everyone and forced a smile.

“Saitoh will take care of everything. The matter is settled.”  She turned her head towards the sky. It had been a very long night and the sun was now rising in the horizon.

“How about breakfast everyone?” she asked, but she didn’t move, or take her eyes away from the sky. Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Megumi all looked at her in concern, trying to decide if she was out of her mind or if she really meant what she said. Kenshin lost himself, gazing at Kaoru. Despite the early suns golden rays stretching into the sky, he felt a chill. The matter was far from being settled. What he found out about Kaoru’s father that night was so different from anything he had ever had in mind. Feeling absolute sorrow well up inside him, he wondered if things will ever go back the way they were, and if she ever will.

********

Two days later, Kenshin still couldn’t bring himself to talk to Kaoru. Not that she had been very conversational with him either. But, she seemed to be making an effort for getting some of her everyday routine back. Except for one thing. She couldn’t get Yahiko to practice with her. He would train under her supervision, and practice as much as she told him without complaint, but he adamantly refused to practice with her. Since she wasn’t exactly feeling her best, she didn’t press him. Sano kept a watchful eye on the dojo and noticed all of this. What bothered him most was that Kaoru was opening up a little to everyone, except Kenshin. Sano was willing to admit to himself that Kenshin deserved the cold shoulder but that didn’t make him any happier. He wanted those two together. He was sitting at his place, thinking of a plan when Yahiko walked in, looking depressed.

“Hey, what’s up Yahiko?” The boy came in and sat beside him.

“Can I stay at your place for a while?”

“Why, did something happen?” Sano asked alarmed. Yahiko shook his head. “Then what?”

“It’s just too depressing to stay with them. Kenshin is so quiet, even more than usual I mean,” he added when he saw Sano’s doubtful look. “And Kaoru, although she doesn’t say much either, whenever she sees me watching her, she smiles at me. Like she’s trying to make everything the way it was before. But, but….” He stopped, unwilling to say the words out loud.

“But things aren’t the same are they?” Sano stated. Yahiko turned to him with sad troubled eyes. That expression should never belong to a ten year old thought Sano.

“Sanosuke, Kaoru and Kenshin don’t even talk to each other. I miss the way we all used to be, …like a family.”

“So that’s why you don’t want to stay there. Because seeing the way Kaoru is now makes you miss who she was before.” Yahiko stopped to think. Before, his was feeling so jumbled up he didn’t really know why he didn’t want to be at the dojo. But, Sano’s words made sense.  But that’s not the only reason… He wanted to tell someone about how he hit Kaoru. How he had wanted to hurt her. But, he was so ashamed of what he did. He swallowed down a sob and answered Sano.

“Yes.”

Sano could understand how Yahiko felt. Heck, he felt like that to and he didn’t even live with them at the dojo. Poor kid.

“Tell ya what. How about we go have lunch at the Akabeko? You can help me decide how I’m gonna get Kenshin and Jo-chan together. How bout that?” It was working, a small smile showed up on Yahiko’s face. Sano added casually, “Plus, you’ll get to see Tsubame.  You haven’t seen her for a while have you?” Yahiko shook his head no. Sano, unable to resist continued, “Careful buddy, or someone will take her away from you.” This remark got Yahiko biting on his head, something he hadn’t done in a while. Sano smiled, glad that he was able to make the runt feel better. When he finally got Yahiko off his hair, they headed towards the Akabeko in companionable silence.  Yahiko was feeling happier than he had in a long time.

***********

Megumi was losing her mind with worry. She hadn’t been at the dojo since their, or rather Kaoru’s meeting with Saitoh. The clinic was overflowing with patients. It was ironic how now, when she needed the free time, she didn’t have it. What was worse was that she hadn’t seen Sano either. She had hoped he would stop by and give her the latest news on the dojo. She wished she could ask Genzai-sensei for a break but she knew he couldn’t possibly handle the patients on his own. To make matters worse, he kept asking her about Kaoru and why she hadn’t visited him recently. He seemed hurt and Megumi suspected he felt forgotten because he was used to seeing Kaoru almost every day. He wanted to visit the dojo but Megumi quickly intervened saying that Kaoru was too busy spring-cleaning and teaching at another dojo. She told him everything but the truth. Ayume-chan and Suzume-chan also missed Kaoru but they were easier to appease. Instead of their going over to the dojo, Genzai-sensei had been sending them over to the Akabeko where Tae-san or Tsubame would watch them. They were used to going over there for lunch the days that there wasn’t any time to cook and were familiar with all the workers there. They especially liked Tsubame. They said that she was nice and told them stories. She would also play with them when she had time. Megumi planned to go to thank both Tae and Tsubame for looking after the girls. It doesn’t seem like I’ll have the chance any time soon though… she thought ruefully, looking at the long line of patient waiting to be diagnosed.

*********

Kenshin was hanging up the laundry when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. It was Kaoru, practicing in a far corner in the yard hidden a by a huge tree. Should she be practicing?  It hasn’t been even a week since she was assaulted and here she was, practicing what looked like a hard form. Actually, Kenshin had never seen that form before. He had seen Kaoru practice a couple of times on her own, simply because the difference in her style interested him, and he had seen her train Yahiko many times but, I am sure I have never seen that form before. Intrigued, Kenshin stopped what he was doing and moved forward a bit to get a better view. All he could make out from where he was that her movements were very slow, precise.    

He was reminded of Aoshi’s water flow style. Not because it was slow like the water flow style, but because watching it, he felt the same quiet deadliness that he felt watching Aoshi’s technique. And yet, it was different. No good. The tree is in the way. He moved a little closer, but as he did, Kaoru finished and headed towards the bath house. Kenshin sighed, disappointed. If things were different, he could have just walked up to Kaoru and asked her about the technique. But Kaoru didn’t want anything to do with him. It was evident in everything she did. He remembered how she had come into the room and sat directly in front of Saitoh, without even a glance at him. He might as well not have been there.  He wished she would say something to him. He tried getting her to talk with him but she just gave him a small smile without saying anything. But, her eyes were anything but smiling. They had a new wild look in them, a look full of fury. Unable to bear this change, he avoided her, as she avoided him. He would dream of how warm and concerned and caring Kaoru’s eyes always were and would wonder if somehow, other than her molestation, he was the cause of this sudden change. Above all, he kept thinking about Kaoru’s father. How long had Kaoru known that her father was a hitokiri? If she had known, why didn’t she ever say anything? There was one question that, the more he tried to ignore, the more he thought about it. It ran through his head over and over as he hung up the last of the laundry.  Did he ever meet Kaoru’s father? And if he did, was it under violent circumstances?  The possibility of that having happened scared him as much as the thought of losing Kaoru.

*********

Kaoru lowered herself in the tub slowly, cursing in her thoughts as the hot water came into contact with the whip burns on her skin. She looked away in disgust. Not all the hits she had taken had been hard enough to break the skin. The first couple of hits had been weaker than the rest and although they didn’t go through the skin and beyond like the others, they were swollen and plasma had gathered under them. The thin layer of outer skin covering the swollen areas was very tender and tore away easily and painfully. At least they got what they wanted. They’ll leave me alone for now. Taking a deep breath, she lowered the rest of herself in. Tears of pain streamed down her face and dripped into the tub. The water started to take a slight pink hue from the dried blood that was dissolving from her wounds. Some deeper gashes started bleeding slowly but steadily. Kaoru shut her eyes against the burning of the water. She tried to think of something distracting and one thought instantly came to mind. Thank god they didn’t see all the hits Since Megumi had only checked her ribs, she had only seen most of what was around them and nothing else. Thank god…nothing else… Those were her last thoughts before the pain took her over.

********