From: "David A. Tatum" Eh, I've been a part of the list for a while now, but I've been a lurker for the most part. I posted a teaser for this thing a long time ago (several months), and probably won't post chapter 2 for some time, but I thought I'd send this in. (why not for some time? Well, if you were to check out my web page, you would see that in addition to this one Kenshin fanfic, I've also got a LOT of other fanfiction going on in other series (primarily Ranma, but also Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Patlabor, some oneshots in other series and some crossovers). Lots of them. The next chapter for this thing will just have to work its way back from the rotation... Guide in the Wilderness by David A. Tatum Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki. I'm only borrowing from his excellent work. Notes: Well, I finally saw all twenty-five volumes of the anime (seeing it has actually caused some additions to this fanfic I was not planning on). I've also read Maigo-chan's translations, but they don't go QUITE as far as the anime does. Since I haven't read past that, I can't set it past that, so... consider this an anime continuation, and, er, disregard the manga... Oh, and I'm not used to using honorifics in my fanfics, but for some reason, the only other real option I think would work (which has Kenshin calling Kaoru 'Miss Kaoru') doesn't appeal to me, so I'll try using them here- let me know if I blunder them totally... Anyway, enough of this note, here goes the story. Enjoy... ------------------------- Chapter 1 'Where's Sanosuke when we need him?' Kaoru thought desperately. A knife was pinning Yahiko's shirt to the wall with a struggling Yahiko in it, she was being held in place by a brutish giant, and Kenshin, worn out from a battle he had just returned from, was facing off against another rogue hitokiri. Sanosuke had yet to come home from a lunch at the Akabeko and Misao was back in Osaka, so there was no help in the immediate vicinity to come to their aid, so it was up to them. The flat of the attacker's blade crashed down onto a weary Kenshin's head, dropping him to the ground like a sack of rice. The sakaba sword clattered to the floor and slid across the smoothly-polished wood. "No!" Kaoru screamed, as the hitokiri raised his katana, ready to deliver the blow that would separate the half-conscious Kenshin's head from his shoulders. She struggled to break free and stop him, even if it meant she would take the death blow, but the man holding her picked her up and put her over his shoulder in order to pin her better. She couldn't escape his grip, but the adjustment to her position did free up one of her arms. She reached out looking for any kind of weapon, and found some kind of polearm one of the hitokiri's entourage was holding. She tore it from his grasp, and without being able to see anything and in too much of a hurry to look anyway, swung wildly, hoping to distract the killer and perhaps give Kenshin a few more seconds to recover and defend himself. She felt something connect hard and heard a meaty 'thwack.' Kaoru went tumbling to the floor much like Kenshin had moments before when her captor dropped her, shocked. A collective gasp from the hitokiri's followers went unnoticed by her and she rolled to her feet and wielded the polearm in a more defensive and controlled manner. A small drop of something fell on her hand. Kaoru's eyes shifted, preparing her for a sudden attack. None came- in fact, most of the people were looking at her with abject horror- even Yahiko. It wasn't until Kenshin spoke that she began to wonder why. "K-kaoru... what have you done?" he asked, his voice trembling. Kaoru looked at Kenshin, then at the hitokiri. Make that the now deceased hitokiri, who had a serious wound on his head. She raised her eyes, looking at the messy blade of the poleaxe she was wielding. Finally, she glanced at the small drop on her hand, which had been un-noticed by her until just then. The tiny red pool the drop of blood had made drew Kaoru in as she realized what, exactly, she had done. As the weight of it all impacted on her, she screamed, and then blacked out. * * * * * Kaoru woke up to two loudly bickering voices. It took her a moment to clear her head and understand what they were saying, but when she did what she heard made her decide it probably wasn't a good idea to be waking up right then. "...r over to me," Saitoh was demanding. Saitoh? Wasn't he killed in that explosion at Shishio's stronghold? "Goddamit, Saitoh!" Kenshin cursed- not something Kaoru usually liked to hear him say. "You KNOW that what happened was not her fault- I was about to be killed, she was being held in mid-air by that giant oaf, she was swinging wildly, and she couldn't even see that she was holding a poleaxe at the time! She never meant to kill the guy- just to buy me some time to recover and prepare for his next attack!" 'Oh, god,' Kaoru thought, her mind suddenly snapping all of the sleepiness out of her system. 'It wasn't a dream- I really did k-kill him... but my father's teachings, my philosophy- why? Why was I not able to control myself better? Maybe I was in a desperate situation, but I should have known from its weight that it was more than just a bo, and swung in such a way to make sure only the flat of the blade would impact him! But I couldn't... I didn't... I failed. I failed to follow my budo- the sword that protects life.... Oh, god...' Saitoh nodded gruffly. "Of course I know that- and that's the only reason I haven't killed all of you yet to get to her! Remember, I live by the philosophy of Kill Evil Instantly, and if I thought Kaoru was a real murderer she would be dead already, as would anyone who tried to stop me! But if someone is obviously cut down by a blade, then his death MUST be investigated by the law, and for that reason I must take her down to the station with me for questioning, and so I need her to come with me now." "No!" Kenshin screamed. Kaoru could hear his sword sliding in its sheeth in preparation for some battou-jutsu technique, and she felt the shifting of Saitou's feet on the floor to indicate that he was moving to his Gattoutsu stance- she knew the battle was about to start, one which (between these two) would lead to one of them being killed and the Battosai likely emerging, but... she couldn't stop it. She'd killed a man- what right did she have to stop someone else from doing the same? "Stop it, both of you!" Megumi's voice shouted. "You are being as unreasonable as five year olds- no, less. Ayame-chan and Suzame-chan have always been more willing to compromise than the two of you are right now! Kenshin, Saitoh is right! He HAS to bring Kaoru in, or else she won't be able to explain what happened and will be thought of as a murderer!" Saitoh smiled slightly, amused at having been defended by one of Kenshin's friends. "And you, Mr. Policeman, should realize the necessity of allowing Kaoru the time to recover her wits- she's been in a great shock! And you should also allow Kenshin to accompany her, as well- she'll need the moral support-" Saitoh snorted. "Whatever. I'll just wait here until she's ready to travel, then. But don't make me wait too long, or else I won't bother with courtesy anymore, and I'll just sling her over my shoulder and drag her to jail." Megumi nodded, satisfied. Turning to the other swordfighter, she asked, "Ken-san?" "...hai." Kaoru was surprised. Kenshin had seemed to hesitate before agreeing- why? The agreement seemed perfectly reasonable to her. In fact, she didn't see the need for an agreement. She'd killed a man- she didn't deserve time to recover. She didn't deserve to have Kenshin stay with her any more. "Good. Now, let me return to my patient, and when I think she's ready to see the two of you, I'll let you know. Now, get out of here!" the female doctor ordered. A shuffling of feet indicated the two had left, and soon Megumi was back by Kaoru, and a cold wet cloth was placed on her head. Still, Kaoru did and said nothing. After a moment, Megumi clucked. "You know, I really don't like treating people who only pretend to be sick." Kaoru's eyes opened and she sat up. "Then why don't you leave?" Megumi smirked. "I'm not going to answer that just yet. First, I think you need to be caught up on the news. It seems our Saitoh was only pretending to be dead to us, but when he heard you had killed a man he rushed right over. To gloat about it to Ken-san, I suppose." "Gloat?" "Saitoh has always said that Kenshin was an idealist. You, as it turns out, were that ideal." "Ideal?" Kaoru asked. "The sword which fought for what it believed in, protected those it cared about, and never had to take a life. Your philosophy, in other words- and your ability to keep it." Kaoru sobbed. "Until now. I've ruined Kenshin's ideal, I've failed myself, and I've killed a man- what do I have to live for?" She closed her eyes again, laying back down. "I should just kill myself right now, before I mess up anyone elses life." The stinging sensation of Megumi's slap forced Kaoru's eyes back open. "Snap out of it!" the female doctor snarled. "You killed a man, yes, but in doing so you saved Ken-san's life! It would all be for nothing, though, if you were to kill yourself. You may have ruined Kenshin's ideal, but as long as you live he will go on with his own life. If you were to die, though, he would become a shell of what he is... or may even follow you in death." "But-" "Don't 'but' me! If anything, you can give Ken-san a new ideal- a person who was once forced to kill, but resists the urge to kill again. And if you kill yourself, you WILL be killing someone else." Kaoru sighed. "Okay... for Kenshin's sake, I won't kill myself...." Megumi frowned. "With that attitude, you'll start feeling suicidal the next time you and he have an argument. You have to live not JUST for him, but for you, as well. And Sano, and Yahiko-chan, and Ayame-chan, and Sazumi-chan, and Tae-san, and Tsubasa-chan, and Misao-chan, and... and me! Dammit, you're my friend, too! Live for yourself and live for us, because no-one here wants to see you die! Not even Saitoh- if he did, he would have killed you already." Timidly, Kaoru nodded. "Alright, Megumi-san. For myself, and you, and Kenshin...." Megumi smiled. "Good. Now, get some rest... when you wake up next time, I'll let Ken-san know you're awake, and you and he can go meet Saitoh and get everything cleared up...." * * * * * "Kaoru, Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" Kenshin asked, concerned. "We can always hold off for another day or two..." 'No,' Kaoru thought. 'I will not delay whatever punishment I deserve for killing that man. I deserve it...' She paused for a moment. 'And why isn't he calling me 'Kaoru-DONO any more?' "I'm fine, Kenshin," she said. "I want to get this out of the way." Kenshin nodded. "Don't worry- I won't let anyone to do anything to you for this." "No!" Kaoru shouted. "Don't you DARE make that promise!" Kenshin jumped back, startled. "Oro?! What did I say?" Kaoru blinked- she hadn't meant to sound so angry. "I'm sorry, Kenshin- I didn't mean to shout. But I really killed that man, so I deserve whatever punishment the law sets down for me. Don't get into a fight trying to prevent me from getting what I deserve." "But I..." Kenshin began. A stern glare from Kaoru stopped him. "Okay- but ONLY if the sentence is a just one. You know that they've gotten carried away in the past." Kaoru sighed. She really couldn't expect more from him- he would always be her protector, she supposed. Even if she didn't deserve him any more. "We're here," Kenshin said after a few minutes of walking. "Ready?" "Yes," Kaoru said, and started into the building without looking at him. Saitoh met them at the door. "Ah, good. You're here. About time, too. Come on..." He led them to a small office, and gestured for them to sit down. "Okay, Kaoru, all I need is for you to confirm the report. According to what we've heard from Yahiko and the Battosai over there, the hitokiri Gantarou Itoko came into your dojo and challenged Kenshin to a duel. You and Yahiko were detained, and while struggling you grabbed a poleaxe. You swung the poleaxe wildly, and wound up killing Itoko with it. Correct?" Kaoru nodded. "Hai... that's exactly what I did. Killed Itoko..." Something flashed in Saitoh's eyes at the hopeless tone in Kaoru's voice. Frowning, he nodded. "Good. As it turns out, Gantarou Itoko was wanted by us for having killed several regional leaders. Good job! Now, get out of here and go home...." Kaoru blinked. "But... what about my sentence? I killed a man- shouldn't I be imprisoned, or... or something?" Saitoh laughed. "If everyone who killed a man was imprisoned, then Kenshin, Aoshi, and probably Sano and Misao would likely be in jail right now... and we would have just executed Shishio Makoto's gang in quiet instead of giving them the jobs we did. And you were acting in self-defense, after all...." "Um... okay," Kaoru said, sounding somewhat disappointed. "Come on, Kenshin, let's go home." She turned to go, and a VERY relieved Kenshin started to follow. "One moment, Battosai- I'd like to talk with you in private for a moment." "Oro?" Kenshin said. Kaoru shut the door behind her and walked to the front of the police station, and started to wait for him. "Battosai," Saitoh said. "Just a suggestion- you might want to start wandering again. And I mean now." Kenshin's eyes widened. "But... I can't leave Kaoru alone- especially at a time like this!" "Who said you had to leave her alone?" A completely baffled look answered him. "I meant you should go... and take her with you. It took you a decade of wandering to finally get over what you did in Kyoto. Kaoru's only killed once, so it shouldn't take so long... and if you bring her with you, then maybe that time will be reduced." "Saitoh?" "Look, I don't like you- I think you know that," Saitoh growled. "But I'm a man, just like you. I know what it's like when your woman suddenly gets depressed- I AM married, after all. If Tokio were acting like Kaoru is now, I'd damn well do something." "This isn't like you, Saitoh," Kenshin said suspiciously. "What's in it for you? "You need a reason? Very well.... We haven't needed you for a while now- we probably won't for some time, still. However, until you can get Kaoru feeling better, I'm pretty sure we won't be able to bring you back into our service if we need you." Kenshin nodded. He expected the reason to be something like that. "Well, if that's so, then I'd like something from you...." Saitoh blinked. "From me?". ------------------------- Well, I cut it off a bit shorter than I wanted to, but the next section really didn't belong here, so... Anyway, that's Chapter 1. Expect Chapter 2 in... oh, before the end of the year, anyway. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee desaix@sysnet.net http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872 fanfics available at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872/fanfics.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Looking to expand your world? http://www.onelist.com ONElist has 170,000 e-mail communities from which to choose!