Running And Living Chapter 2

Instantly Kenshin's hand caught hers in reflex- eyes he knew were gold met her dark pools of ocean.

Kaoru's blue eyes widened at the intense gold sent her way- she vaguely tried to pull her wrist from Kenshin's gentle grasp- a knee jerk reaction- but the rurouni didn't let up. He was frozen, in fear and desire as they raged through his blood. He didn't know what to do.

"K-kenshin? A-are you feeling alright?" Kaoru ventured timidly, her voice so unlike normal that Kenshin finally snapped out of his emotionally induced reverie. He let her hand go with wide eyes, feeling as if her soft flesh had burnt him.

'What just happened?' He silently raged at himself, trying to replace the rurouni smile with difficulty.

"H-hai Kaoru-dono, Sessha is fine, de gozaru. I-I'll just..go start dinner now." Kenshin stuttered out, shading the darkness of his golden eyes, and hoping that Kaoru just thought their color a play of light. However, as he hastily made his retreat into the dojo, the look on her face spoke volumes. She wasn't scared, rather curious, a thing she would not leave alone if Yahiko weren't there. Kenshin thanked Kami that the boy would be around for dinner and hopefully tomorrow, leaving time for Kaoru to forgot about the incident that was now filed under 'not to think about'.

Kaoru blinked a few times after he was gone from view. She had thought…but no. His eyes couldn't have been gold- 'Could they?'

The thought sent a little thrill through her- he definitely wasn't angry, so why? Blushing, but very confused, the shihandai called out to Yahiko, "Five hundred strokes, Yahiko!"

Bursting into the kitchen with more vigor than he intended, Kenshin let out a tense breath, puffing the dark bangs out of his eyes, "This…will cause some complications." He muttered, wearily rubbing some tenseness out of his neck.

Gathering up the ingredients for dinner, miso soup he decided as thunder shook the air- Kenshin fell back into routine, pushing his feelings and the demon that had so recently clouded his head, back into its little box.

'Sessha is too old, sessha is stained with blood, sessha is dangerous.' He chanted mentally, berating himself scornfully, by referring to himself as sessha even in his mind. Even though it was true, clinging to those reasons when faced with Kaoru, it was becoming more difficult…

'Sessha killed Tomoe…' His thoughts sobered enough for the heat to fade from his face.
A clattering sounded from the door, Kenshin half turned, watching Yahiko and Kaoru enter the house slightly damp- rain drops spattered the wooden floor behind them.

"Ah Kaoru-dono, Yahiko. The rain has started then?" Kenshin asked serenely, thoughts thankfully sobered from their previous intensity.

"Yeah! And Busu almost made me stand out there and finish my strokes! I always knew you were ugly but I coulda died stupid!" The boy exclaimed, shaking the wetness from his hair…onto Kaoru. The tanuki's eye twitched slightly and her grip ground against the hilt of her bokken.

Kenshin's eyes widened ever so slightly at the rage contorting Kaoru's face. "Now, now Yahiko. You shouldn't insult your sensei so-"

"Kenshin." Kaoru cut him off- the rurouni stared surprised at her but did not finish, "Yahiko! Back to the dojo! Two thousand strokes and I'M cooking dinner."

Yahiko instantly paled and his voice came out slightly squeaky, "But but-!"

"No buts! Now go!" Yahiko growled under his breath, and trudged back out into the rain, cursing under his breath the whole time.

Kenshin turned back to the miso soup over the fire, and hesitated, "Kaoru-dono? Should sessha stop cooking then?"

Kaoru- now lounging at the kitchen table, reluctant to put on a kimono, hesitated slightly, "No…But…Actually Kenshin…there was something I've been meaning to ask you."

Being sure the soup could survive without his devout attention, violet eyes turned to the fiery Kamiya, his heart skipped a beat at the dark moist hair lost from her ponytail clinging to her exposed skin, "H-hai Kaoru-dono?"

He prided himself that his voice didn't crack, but gold once more swirled just behind the veil of his eyes. Looking embarrassed Kaoru turned her gaze away from his- there it was again, the color that inspired fear in those of the bakumatsu, but only caused her heart to stutter painfully loud.

"Ah..well…It's just…." Kaoru hesitated.
"Kaoru-dono?"

"I want to learn to cook better Kenshin." She finally managed out. Crimson brows furrowed for a moment, Kenshin's tan face showing his confusion.

"Is sessha's cooking…unappealing to Kaoru-dono?" The thought displeased him, after all, without his ability to clean and cook how could he ever pay her back for the kindness of her heart, for the wonderful home he had been given….for the danger he put her in. But, he became distracted as she blushed, 'Kami-sama are you trying to kill me?'

"It's just that….well…I'm seventeen, eighteen soon! And I don't know anything about…running a house or anything! I mean... I barely got by before you came and even now I still can't cook and I never clean anymore. All I seem to do is teach Yahiko and soon he'll learn the succession techniques and then all I'll have is teaching at the other dojos and soon I'll be too old to even marry!"

Her rant ended abruptly as Kenshin's breath was sucked loudly into his lungs. Her blush darkened and her dark blue eyes drifted away from him.

"Kaoru-dono…wishes to be married?" Kenshin struggled out, fighting the new shade of gold that was clouding his vision. For some reason he had never considered…but then was it really so impossible? She was a young woman- 'A young beautiful woman' he amended- who would want what a young woman wanted: family, love…children. His heart stuttered painfully at the thought.

"Well…eventually…maybe…" She murmured shyly- there was no need to tell him that every dream of love and family included, in fact depended on him.

'Like that'll ever happen. The previous reasons not withstanding…' She let out a nearly silent sigh.

Kenshin was in a like state of melancholy, the previous passion of the day a mere memory when faced with the thought of his Kaoru being taken away, 'No not taken…given. If it were that only I could be the one.' He mused silently wondering if any chance to get closer to her now would appear to be pity.

'Never!' He swore. He loved her. Somehow he would need to make her see that, somehow he would need to make her fall in love with him.

The conversation lapsed uncomfortably, Kenshin turned back to the soup, Yahiko could be heard running through his strokes, thunder continued to roll, rain continued to fall- and life went on.