Dark Tides

Authors Notes: What, another story! Yes, but this one is actually a combination of ‘the hunted’, ‘bound’ and ‘creature comfort’. So, when the stories start to overlap, I will be deleting those stories from Also, you will see many themes in this story that were presented in ‘Broken Pieces’. It’s just that I can’t stop myself from writing it … it won’t go away!

Summary: When Kenshin rescues a stranger, Kaoru, from the sea, neither of them are aware of the dark secret she carries with her – a secret that could change their world. What happens when the two of them, one with no past and the other with no future, must forge a relationship and travel to the centre of their existence?

Kenshin found her on the beach, her limbs tangled in seaweed. If it hadn’t been for the bright colours of the ripped kimono which barely covered her sand-encrusted skin, he might not have noticed her at all. Her jet black hair, which was nearly indistinguishable from the dark seaweed, was matted to her face, neck, and back.

The tide was just going out and the froth of the receding waves was still licking at her feet. He approached her body slowly, and nudged her glistening forearm with the tip of his sandaled foot. She didn’t even stir.

“Kenshin!” It was the voice of a child who had risen with the sun to greet the returning fishermen. “Have you seen my father yet?”

He didn’t turn to address the girl who was bounding closer to where he stood. “No, Ayame. The boats are just coming back.”

The child paused and looked up to the brightening horizon where small dark shapes drew closer against the pink hues of sunrise. She smiled brightly. “Here they come.” Then, in a spray of sand, she slid to a stop beside him. “Oh!” She crouched down to stare at the girl’s pale face. “Is she dead?”

Kenshin didn’t respond. Instead, he dropped into a crouch as well, his calm eyes keen on the stranger’s form.

“We should bury her.” Ayame said quietly, her small pudgy fingers finding the end of Kenshin’s sleeve.

“No,” he replied in his quiet but authoritative way, “She isn’t dead.”

“But she came from the sea!”

Kenshin reached out to push a thick tendril of hair, heavy and rough with salt water, back from the bridge of the young woman’s nose. His fingers slipped across her cheek and down her jaw to rest at the pulse point in her neck. He held his index and third finger there for a moment and felt the weak but steady pulse that beat through her cool skin.

“She’s not dead,” he repeated, more for Ayame’s benefit than his own. “We must take her to the doctor.”

“But Kenshin,” the child whispered, leaning in to his shoulder, “She came from the sea.”

“All the same,” he said, grunting slightly as he bent forward to scoop the stranger’s body from the sand and pull her toward himself, “She must be treated.”

Ayame’s small face crumpled into a frown. “Do I have to come?”

“No,” Kenshin said, rising with the girl’s limp body hanging over one shoulder, “You wait for your father.”

Ayame stood and sprinted away from him, throwing nervous glances over her shoulder as she rushed to greet the incoming fishermen. Kenshin watched her go for a moment, and then turned to trudge up the sandy incline. Even as near to the water as he was, he could just make out the tall wooden buildings over the cement wall that separated the beach from the village that lay on higher ground. As he neared a wooden watchtower at the crest of the shore, he shifted the girl’s weight higher on his shoulder.

“Kenshin!” The tower guard said, leaning over the wooden rails to peer down at him, “Who is that?”

“I found her near the water.” Kenshin stopped and looked up.

“A stranger?” The man shrank back so that only the top of his head was visible from below. “Are you sure it’s not a … a …” He began to stutter.

“See for yourself,” Kenshin said, twisting around so that the young guard could see the young woman’s pale face near the small of his back and the long hair trailing past his hips.

“Looks normal enough.”

“I am taking her to see the doctor.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Kenshin raised an eyebrow at the guard and then turned away without answering, setting his sights on the village. He walked briskly, despite the load he was carrying, and did not pause to greet the townsfolk who all bowed slightly as he passed them on the street. It was the perfect example of a small coastal fishing town. Beyond the grey cement divider lay an intricate system of dirt and rock streets, lined with dense clusters of apartments, houses, stores and restaurants. Crammed in between older, traditionally built wooden buildings were modern, box-like structures. Kenshin stopped abruptly in front of the village clinic which was housed in a two-storey cement cube lined with windows. Silently, he entered. He ignored the sick and those who were waiting with their sick and, after pushing through a swinging door and rounding a corner, he deposited the unconscious girl onto the nearest bed.

“Catch of the day?” A short, grey-haired man stepped up to the bedside. The stout doctor chuckled, stroking his pointy beard. “Where ever did you find her?”

“She was washed up on the beach, doctor Genzai,” Kenshin said, stepping back to allow the doctor room to look.

“By the sea?” The doctor said through a disbelieving smile, “Nothing – no one like this,I should say, has ever come by sea before. How interesting.”

“Indeed.”

The doctor began to examine the girl, starting at the head. “It’s just a normal girl,” he said placidly as he continued to prod lower. His aged and wrinkled fingers began to carefully work down her arms. “As far as I can tell, nothing is broken.”

“Is that odd?” Came Kenshin’s cool voice from behind.

“Well,” the doctor said, stopping for a moment to place the tips of a stethoscope in his ears. “She did wash up on the shore. Given the force of the waves and the number of rocks near the beach, yes, that is quite odd.” He pressed the cool disc to her chest and listened. “Normal heart beat,” he said, mostly to himself.

“And?”

Doctor Genzai pulled the stethoscope away from his ears and turned around to face the close-faced man with his arms crossed over his chest. “She’s a perfectly normal healthy girl, except for a few bruises here and there.”

“I see.” Kenshin nodded briefly, “Thank you, doctor.” He approached the bed and leaned over slightly to study the girl’s face.

“And now,” the doctor shuffled away with a loud sigh, “What to do with her? The village council must certainly be notified.”

“Of course.” He bent over further so that he could trace her delicate features with his steady, appraising eye. She was of average height and build, though perhaps on the slender side, with abnormally long black hair. Except for the blue bruise over one cheekbone, her skin was extraordinarily pale. But that, he thought to himself, could be attributed to her recent stay in the cool ocean water. The stranger had delicate features, Kenshin noted, as his eyes followed the elegant curve of her brows and the slight slope that was the bridge of her nose. And then, the thick lashes began to tremble and the eyes snapped open, revealing irises the color of the deepest ocean.

She awoke with a start, as if from a very bad dream. Her eyes flashed open.

“Where am I?” Her throat felt dry and her tongue numb in her mouth. She swallowed uneasily, and focused her sight on the figure looming over her. The face was smooth, with sharp angular contours. Long red hair from a pony-tail and wispy bangs fell across hardened, tawny eyes. It was a man, she decided belatedly, despite the delicate features. Pressing her lips together, she reached up to grab the edge of his black mandarin-collared jacket. “Where,” she repeated, suddenly out of breath, “am I?”

“You are in Edo, the Eastern fishing village.” Kenshin calmly pried her fingers away from his coat.

“Why am I here?” Her fingernails dug into his hand.

Kenshin frowned ever so slightly. “I don’t know. Who are you?”

She let go of his hand and sank back into the bed. “Who?” Her face darkened in confusion as she turned her face to the wall. Her breathing hitched in her chest. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t remember?”

“No,” She said, her voice a childlike whisper, “I don’t know.”

Kenshin looked over his shoulder at the doctor who was quietly observing. “Amnesia, perhaps?”

“It’s certainly a possibility,” Doctor Genzai said, with a slow nod, “Especially given her circumstances.”

“My circumstances?” She shifted in the bed to look at the doctor. “What do you mean?”

“You were found on the beach, unconscious,” Kenshin answered for the doctor. “Do you remember anything?”

Her eyebrows knit together and she frowned. “No,” she said, drawing the words out slowly, “I don’t even know if I have a name.”

“It is of no consequence.”

“But you have a name?”

“Yes.”

“And he,” she pointed at the doctor, “has a name?”

The doctor dipped forward in a bow. “My name is Genzai.”

She turned expectant eyes to her rescuer’s face. “And you?”

“I am known as Kenshin.”

“Kenshin,” she repeated, rolling the syllables around in her mouth as she spoke. “Well, Kenshin,” she pointed out calmly, “If everyone else has a name, perhaps I should too?”

Kenshin dismissed the request with the barest wave of his hand. “We will see. First we must take you to the village council. Then, if the situation merits it, I will give you a name.”

The girl’s eyebrows shot up. “You will give me a name?”

“You said that you did not know your own.” He held out a hand to her.

“Kenshin,” Genzai stepped forward hurriedly, “Don’t you think it’s too soon to take her from the clinic?”

“Now is as good a time as any,” he said, beckoning to the girl impatiently, “It would be better to get it over with.”

“Get over with what?” She asked, sitting up with a dark glare.

“With your meeting with the village council.” He tired of waiting for her to take his hand, so he firmly grasped her by the wrist and tugged. The girl slid from the bed, her bare feet landing on the cool linoleum.

“Why do I have to meet with them?”

“Because you are a stranger,” Kenshin said, “And you have no name.”

“Who are they anyway?”

“The village council is the governing body of this area.”

“At least let me provide her with more appropriate clothing.” Doctor Genzai stepped in front of Kenshin as he began to lead her from the small examination room.

“That is not an issue at the moment,” Kenshin said, gesturing that the doctor should move out of the way.

“What’s wrong with what I am wearing?” The girl looked down and smoothed out the material of her Japanese kimono, which was rough with dried sea-salt. She looked to Kenshin’s clothing. Over straight black pants, he wore a simple white shirt covered by a long, black high-collared jacket. Even through the thick material, she could see the braided hilts of the two swords that hung from his hip. Tilting her head to the side, she looked at Genzai’s simple white lab coat that hung over his collared shirt and grey pants.

“It’s just that not many people wear this kind of clothing anymore.” Genzai smiled gently. “And it’s slightly … worn.”

“It will do.” Kenshin brushed past the doctor, with the young woman in tow. He nodded curtly at the doctor as they left the room.

She wriggled in his grasp after throwing a warm smile at doctor Genzai. “Where are we going?”

“I told you,” he said, his quiet voice belying the steel grip he had on her wrist. “You are an unregistered stranger and I need to take you to the village council.” He pulled her through the crowded waiting room.

“What will they do?

They were out in bright daylight now, and he continued to pull and she to struggle half-heartedly – more out of pure stubbornness than mistrust. Kenshin ignored this and continued to stride through the town, completely unaffected by her squirming.

“They will decide what to do with you.”

Suddenly they emerged from the shadow of the quaint buildings that lined the route and a bright smile lit the girl’s face. They were walking across a heptagonal stone courtyard that was the hub of seven intersecting cobblestone roads. At the centre of the courtyard was a small grass park dotted with flower beds. And past that, in the direction they were heading, stood a tall, imposing stone building.

“Will the village council be able to help me?”

Kenshin shrugged and pulled the girl in the direction of the grand edifice. While she clambered after his longer strides, he easily climbed the steps leading up to striking wood doors hinged with wrought iron. When she fell under the cool shadow of stone, she shivered involuntarily.

“It’s not exactly a friendly place.” She fell in step with him as they walked through the wide hall, his shoes striking a clipped beat against the stone. Padding along in bare feet, the girl had to skip every four steps to keep up with his brisk strides.

As they approached another giant set of impressive doors, Kenshin shifted his grip to her upper arm. Confidently, he pushed one of the great doors open and marched into the council room, hauling the girl forward and standing her in front of him.

The young woman immediately lifted a hand to cover her eyes against the bright sunshine that streamed into the stone council room from the glass ceiling above. She started to shift out of the uncomfortable brightness but suddenly found herself pinned in place by Kenshin’s iron grip.

“Council members,” Kenshin said, his cold voice echoing through the seven-sided chamber, “This is a stranger I found by the water this morning. The doctor reports that she is but a normal woman.”

The woman in question strained to see the council members through her spread fingers but all she could make out were seven grayish figures at the far end of the chamber, their forms obscured by shadow.

“Bring her forward.”

She was pushed forward by the small of her back and she stumbled forward into the centre of the room. She squinted and, as her eyes adjusted to the brilliant light, she was able to identify the speaker. He was one of seven men who sat at a long table, their eyes all trained on her, appraising her.

“What is your name, stranger?” The man at the centre stood, addressing her.

“She has none.” Kenshin answered for her, and she twisted around to glare up at him.

“Where have you come from, stranger?”

“I don’t know.” The girl turned back to answer the standing councilman, her voice clear.

“Why did you come here?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you know where you are now?”

“No.”

“What do you know of this village?”

“Only that you are in charge.”

The councilman sat suddenly and turned to his peers. For a few moments, all she could hear were their faint murmurs. Then, the councilman at the left end of the table stood.

“Kenshin,” he asked, “What is your opinion of this stranger? Is she a threat?”

“She is of no danger to us,” he replied without hesitation.

“I see.” The councilman walked around the edge of the table and strode forward. “We have several options then: keep her here, send her away or terminate her.”

In front of him, the girl stiffened at the councilman’s words but didn’t flinch when he stopped in front of her. He leaned in to look into her face.

“She obviously doesn’t know enough to be of use in any of our established trades.” He scratched his chin. “What do you know of this country, girl?”

She shrugged. “Not much.”

“Do you know how many districts we have?”

She shook her head.

“There are seven, including ours. Do you know the names of the members of the high council?” At her blank stare, he continued. “What do you think are our main job trade?”

Again, she could only move her head to indicate her ignorance.

“How about the three laws of the land?”

“No.” She sounded annoyed. “I don’t know.”

“The doctor thought she might have amnesia.” Kenshin said offhandedly.

“Then she definitely wouldn’t have any useful skills, except perhaps in,” he paused and then said thoughtfully, “the pleasure district.” Without warning, the man grabbed the edge of the girl’s kimono and pulled it open, exposing one half of her slender body.

The young woman recoiled and, pulling her attire together hastily, lashed out at the councilman with a sharp slap to his cheek. The man rubbed his face, chuckling.

“But though she has the build for it, she’s apparently not suited to that sort of work.” He turned and headed back to the council table. “Well, gentlemen, that leaves us with two options. I, for one, think that terminating her would be a terrible waste. And besides, that option would bring us absolutely no profit whatsoever.”

“We should sell her to the trading caravan, then. She would certainly bring in a fine price,” another councilman said, standing.

“What?” She bristled, her fists clenching. “You can’t sell me!”

The council members ignored her. “Yes,” they agreed, “The traders would pay a lot for her.”

“But that’s impossible.”

The girl sighed in relief as the head councilman spoke. But when he uttered his next words, her heart leapt into her throat.

“The trading caravan just passed through our village two days ago,” he said, “It will be another month until they come again. Until then, what will we do with her?”

“I suppose we have no choice.”

“She must be terminated.”

“Very well.”

“Kenshin will carry out the termination, then.”

Kenshin waited for her to fall to her knees. He waited for her tears. He anticipated that she would rush forward to beg for her life from the council members or she might turn to him to plead her case with great heaving sobs as both men and women had done before.

But the girl drew herself up straighter than a pin and lifted her chin. He studied her posture and the glow that surrounded her sunlit form. Her thick black hair shone in the light and his eyes followed the smooth line of her shoulder. The ragged cloth of her flower-print kimono hung around her frame as she stood, feet apart and all alone facing her judgment. In the face of her fate, the girl wasn’t even trembling. But then Kenshin noticed how her fingernails were biting into the flesh of palms and how, with one hand, she was digging the nail of her index finger under the nail of her thumb. He watched, entranced, as a line of red appeared under the ridge of her fingernail.

“Kenshin.” His head snapped up as the head councilman addressed him.

“Yes?”

“Take her out to the-”

“She may stay under my surveillance until the trading caravan returns,” Kenshin heard himself say, before he even realized it, “And act as my servant.”

“But-”

“Kenshin has been our keeper for as long as I can remember.” The man at the end ran his fingers through his hair. “And he has served us well. Surely we can afford him this … request.”

“Indeed.”

The seven men turned to discuss amongst each other in hushed tones. Squinting, the girl saw different men reach across the table to make a point, or pound it with a closed fist. Then, they finally seemed to reach an agreement. Again, one man stood.

“Very well, Kenshin,” he said, “We accept your offer to hold the girl for us while we wait for the traders to return. Of course, we will give you part of the proceeds of her sale to thank you.”

He nodded sharply and took the girl by the wrist once again. Incensed, she shook his hand away and pointed an accusing finger at the council.

“How dare you think you can decide my fate – as if I were a thing!”

“ Kenshin,” the man said, looking past the girl, “I would advise you to take your charge away.”

Without a word, Kenshin grabbed the girl’s arm and spun her around. She fumed and tried to twist away but he dragged her toward the door. She kept trying to pull away from him, her teeth grit angrily. As he walked through the entrance, he jerked her close.

“If you don’t come along quietly,” he said into her ear, “I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you.”

“You wouldn’t.” She turned her face to his to glare at him.

He raised an eyebrow and tightened his grip. With a furious pout, the girl adjusted her gait to his and stopped herself from struggling. She walked alongside him without complaint and contented herself with throwing him an angry glance every few minutes.

The girl didn’t even realize how long they had been walking in heated silence until her feet touched sand. She looked down, surprised, at the grainy particles that clung to the soles of her feet. Looking around, she realized that they had left the cobblestone streets of the village behind and were now walking along the crest of the shore, a cement wall to her right.

“Where are we going?” She asked, pulling her arm from his loose grip.

“To where I live.”

“You don’t live in the village?”

“No.”

“Hm.” She kicked at the sand as they walked, watching the fine grains fly. Then, looking up, she caught sight of a small wooden structure ahead of them. It looked like a small house on stilts, lifted about four feet above the sand. “That’s where you live?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” She trotted ahead of him. “I suppose I will stay there too?”

“For now.”

The girl stopped short and spun around to stare at him, placing herself directly in his path. Kenshin paused to regard her expression.

“Why did you help me?”

He shrugged and made as if to walk around her but she grabbed his jacket by his elbow.

“Why?” She asked again, her fingers twisting in the smooth material.

“I don’t know.” He pushed her hand away.

“Well,” she said, flipping her long hair over one shoulder and turning to look out over the great blue of the ocean. “I guess I should say thank you. But I don’t know if I really want to.”

“Then don’t.”

“Kenshin.” She wasn’t looking at him but at the sea and he could only see her profile as she spoke. “Now that you’re not going to terminate me,” she smiled dryly, “A name would be nice.”

“Why don’t you just choose one for yourself?”

She turned slightly to look at him from the corner of her eye. “It wouldn’t really feel right if I chose one for myself.”

Kenshin inhaled deeply, stepping closer to her and looking out over the great expanse of water. “Fragrant.” He breathed in deeply. “Kaoru.”

“Kaoru?”

“It means fragrant,” he said wryly, “Because you smell like fish.”

“Couldn’t you just say that I smelled of the sea?”

“Same thing.”

He started toward his small house again, with a barely perceptible movement of his shoulders. She skipped to catch up.

“Kenshin,” she said with a smile, “Thank you.”

-d-b-

Kaoru paused in her work to sit up and wipe the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. The noon sun was beating down hard on her as she scrubbed away the dirt and salt crystals on the hardwood deck which overlooked the waterfront. She stood up and stretched with a loud sigh.

It was her second day in the small house. On the first day, Kenshin had given her the briefest of tours and explained what chores she was expected to do while she lived there. Although it was a large house, there was only one room, except for bathroom and laundry room, and Kaoru had quickly learned which of the walls served what purpose. Against one wall were a refrigerator, stove, sink and counters. A dining set occupied the space near the corner of the next wall. Originally, Kaoru had been assigned to cook Kenshin’s meals. But after the first botched attempt at lunch, she had been banned from that particular task. Instead, she was instructed to either heat or order food if he didn’t have time to cook himself.

Opposite the kitchen, was a wall of glass panels. When Kaoru had seen the floor-to-ceiling windows, she had clapped her hands and rushed over to slide the windows open and step out onto the large deck, which she now found herself cleaning.

Kenshin, she had learned last night, was the epitome of a minimalist and slept on a futon that he kept folded by the right wall. She was to sleep by the left wall on a similar floor mat. Other than that, the house was void of furniture. She had no idea why the room was mostly empty. But she did think it would be much easier to clean the room since she didn’t have much to move out of the way when she polished the wall to wall hardwood floors.

Kaoru placed her hands on her hips and walked out to the edge of the deck, her cleaning rag still in hand. Kenshin had left an hour before, after having received a short phone call, and she was under strict orders to stay and clean while he was gone.

She wondered if he had eaten and looked over to the pot heating on the stove.

Kaoru promptly shook the thought from her mind and returned to her knees to continue scrubbing. Her tattered kimono still hung about her body as there was really nothing else for her to wear. Without understanding how she knew to do it, she had tied back the sleeves to keep them from hanging down.

And still, she didn’t know who she was.

She crumpled the rag in her hand and bent over, scrubbing at the wood with all her strength. She didn’t particularly enjoy doing chores, but the physical activity did her good and helped distract her from the peculiar situation she had found herself in. She was living with someone about whom she knew nothing. He was not kind to her but not cruel. For the last twenty-four hours, he had practically gone about his affairs as if she didn’t exist.

Abruptly, Kaoru shot to her feet. Through the freshly cleaned glass, she saw Kenshin enter the house and slam the door shut with a little more force than necessary. With the catlike grace he always exuded, he shrugged himself free of his black coat and flung it to the floor. He began pulling his shirt off when he noticed Kaoru creeping around the sliding glass door. She stared at him and he stared back.

Then, Kaoru stepped forward tentatively. “Welcome back,” she said, “Are you hungry?”

Kenshin regarded her silently. The very first thing he had learned about his new servant’s personality was that she was utterly incapable of holding a grudge. For the first few moments in his house, she had been sullen and bordering on snappish. The thought of being a servant until being sold as human goods so soon after barely avoiding termination wouldn’t appeal to him, either. Then, after being amazed by the view of the ocean, her anger had seemingly vanished into thin air. He stopped himself from shaking his head at her.

He walked to the dining table. As he pulled out a chair and sat, Kaoru hurried to the stove and gave the beef stew she’d been heating a quick stir. She pulled a bowl from an overhead cabinet and scooped giant spoonfuls of the steaming stew into it, letting the aroma of potatoes, carrots and meat fill her face. Carefully balancing the food, utensils and a tall glass in one hand, she shuffled to the fridge to pull out a jug of water. Then, metal clinking loudly, she set a set of utensils and the glass of water in front of the man. She stood by him uncertainly as he picked up the glass and drank.

Kenshin didn’t even look up when the food and was placed in front of him. He didn’t raise his eyes as he started to eat but he knew the girl was still standing by his chair. And then, she pulled out a chair for herself, as quietly as she could, and perched at the very edge of the seat, watching him eat.

“What were you doing?”

He ignored her question.

“I am almost finished cleaning the deck. The rest of the house is done already.” She placed her chin in the cup of her palm as she leaned on the table.

Again, Kenshin chose not to speak. He finished his food and stood, his chair scraping back. He left the dishes where they lay and headed for an armoire across the room, pulling off his white shirt and leaving it to fall to the floor as he walked across the gleaming hardwood. Kaoru scurried after him.

“What should I do next?” She asked. “Hey!” She punched him lightly in the shoulder as she caught up with him. “I am talking to you!”

Kenshin stopped all of a sudden and turned slightly to catch her by the chin. “Kaoru,” he said in a deceptively soft tone, “You don’t know who you are, where you are from or anything about this world you’re living in.”

“So?” She tried unsuccessfully to jerk out of his grip but he adjusted the position of his hand so that his long fingers were cupping the back of her neck.

“But you understand the language, yes?”

“Obviously,” She said, trying to twist away but he only pulled her closer.

“So you understand what the word ‘servant’ means, correct?” The warmth of his breath spread over her face as he spoke in a dangerous hush.

“What?”

“It means, my dear,” he said and for the first time, Kaoru thought that she might be afraid of him, “That you serve me and do what I wish you to do. It means that I am your master and not the other way around.”

Kenshin grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. All of a sudden Kaoru noticed the fine film of sweat coating his bare chest and the tension stringing his lean muscles together “Have I asked you to do anything unreasonable as my servant?” He asked, the edges of his auburn bangs brushing over her cheeks.

Kaoru shook her head and looked away but he only tilted her face back to his.

“Do you want it to stay that way?”

She nodded vigorously and he released her, turning away to pull another shirt from the armoire. Kaoru, her face red, stooped to collect his discarded shirt from the floor. She hurried away from him to pick up his jacket across the room and, with the articles of clothing in her arms, she ran out to the laundry room.

Kenshin sighed deeply and tossed the new shirt back into the still open drawer. He gripped the edges with his calloused hands and closed his eyes. He replayed their moments in the council room over and over again and still could not fathom what had possessed him to speak up at that moment to help this girl, this child. He pushed away from the dresser and strode through the sliding doors and onto the deck. The salty wind blew his bangs around his face. He heard her light footsteps behind him.

“Did I do a good job?”

“Good enough.”

The sharp ring of the telephone interrupted whatever Kaoru might have said in response.

“Would you get that?” Kenshin said, not turning to look. He heard her pick up the receiver and speak quietly into the phone. He let his eyelids drift closed as he waited for her to come back out onto the deck.

He was so tired.

“It’s for you.” She held out the phone and he took it, pressing it to an ear.

“Where?” He asked, not opening his eyes. “Fine.” He pulled the phone away and handed it back to the girl.

Spinning away, he marched back into the house and pulled on a shirt. Kaoru watched wordlessly, her hands twisting together in front of her, as he stepped out the front door with one hand resting idly on the pommel of one of his swords.

-d-b-

Glass.

Water.

Breathe in, breathe out. She watched the bubbles rise to the surface above her. Breathe in, breathe out. She let herself float, suspended in liquid.

Pain.

She twisted and the cords tightened. She threw back her head but only succeeded in making her hair drift into her face. She thought she might be drowning. Special, she heard the voice whisper, you are special

So? She was screaming silently, So?

Glass.

Water.

Pain, pain, pain.

-d-b-

Kenshin saw Kaoru before she saw him. She was standing with her hands neatly folded in front of her, her ragged kimono wafting about her limbs in the wind. She was very still, much in the same way that she had been when he had left that afternoon, but now she stood on the sand facing the sea with her feet just out of reach of the incoming tide. Her face was to the sunset, the orange hues coloring her normally pale skin. If she heard him approach on the shifting sands, she gave no notice.

“Kaoru.”

She inclined her face to him, the sunset casting colored shadows across her face.

“I thought I told you to stay in the house.”

She turned back to the ocean. “I thought that was only for the morning.”

“How long have you been out here?”

She was silent. And since Kenshin had never been particularly good at small talk, the silence stretched long and thin until she chose to speak again.

“Tell me about this land, Kenshin.” She said suddenly, her eyes still on the horizon.

“This village?”

“No,” she said, “This land.”

“Hn.” He also turned to face the sea. “This village is one of seven districts. In total, there are four coastal and three inland districts and each is governed by a council of seven men. Above all is the High Council, whose members reside at the centre of this land, where the three inland districts intersect. The inland communities are far more dense than the fishing communities, of course.”

“Why?”

“Because,” he said simply, “People are afraid of the sea.”

“So why do they live here?”

“They have no choice.” Kenshin watched as the first of the fisherman began pushing out their boats. “The High Council dictates where every citizen will live. Each person is registered.” He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Is any of this familiar to you yet?”

She shook her head. They were both silent again, the roar of the surf and the distant shouts of the fishermen filling their ears. When Kaoru spoke again, Kenshin had to strain to hear her.

“Do you know the story of the fisherman and his fairy?”

It was Kenshin’s turn to shake his head. “Do you?”

A faint frown creased Kaoru’s smooth face. “There was once a fisherman who found a fairy bathing in the sea, her wings and clothes hanging on a tree so that they would stay dry.” Her voice trailed off, and her face grew even more pensive.

“And then?”

“And I can’t remember the rest.”

Kenshin watched as she twisted her fingers into the folds of her kimono. A cool gust of wind blew across them both and she shivered.

“Come,” he said, turning toward his house, “Let us go inside.”

Kaoru spun around in the sand. She dipped into a bobbing bow, her hands clasped behind her back and a light smirk on her lips. “Yes, master.”

By her lilting tone and the teasing sparkle in her eye, Kenshin knew she was mocking him. But he only raised an eyebrow and waited for her to catch up. She laughed suddenly, throwing her head back, and his other eyebrow lifted. It was a wild laugh, a free laugh. She dug her heels in and sprinted up the hill, throwing a challenging glance over a shoulder. Kenshin resisted the urge to chase her and, instead, quietly followed, an arrogant smirk pasted on his face when he passed her doubled over, panting form near the crest of the hill.

“Slow and steady-”

“Don’t even say it,” she said in a growl.

-d-b-

The next morning, Kenshin was already gone when she woke, his futon neatly folded against the wall. With the constant sound of the waves rushing to the shore in her ears, Kaoru began her day. After spending a few moments staring out into the sea, she started to polish the floors, then the windows. Toward the noon hour, she pulled a pot of something that smelled good from the refrigerator and, with the utmost care, turned on the stove and began to heat it, stirring and sniffing all the way.

It was only the third day and she had already fallen into a sort of quiet routine. Her life, she thought as she brought the wooden spoon to her lips for a quick taste, was rather simple. It wasn’t wonderful but then, it wasn’t terrible either. Yet, anyway.

But then, the door suddenly crashed open and Kenshin stumbled in. Kaoru turned to look, her eyes wide in surprise.

“Kenshin…” The question died in her throat and she froze, rooted to the spot in shock.

His red hair was wild and his tawny amber eyes were shining. His whole body screamed defiance and rage. He stepped further into the house, using his sword as a crutch, and tumbled onto the door frame. He pushed himself upright, leaving streaks of bright red blood where his fingers had touched the white paint.

The wooden spoon fell from Kaoru’s fingers and clattered to the floor in a spray of hot broth. Her arms went limp at her side and the blood drained from her face, leaving her complexion so pale it was almost translucent.

Kenshin fought to stifle the painful groan that rose from his stomach as he tottered further into the room. Vaguely he thought that he must be quite a sight for the girl, who had never looked as fragile as she did in that moment. He was covered in blood; it was matted in his hair, it soaked his clothes, it was crusted to his fingers, it ran down his face and it was dripping in thick, congealing pools on the polished floor.

He lifted an outstretched hand to Kaoru to calm her. But the sight of his palm, the lines darkened by the blood that filled the crevices, only seemed to make her stiffen even more. Kenshin swore to cover a grunt of pain.

She wasn’t speaking, he registered. She wasn’t shrieking or screaming or rushing to his side to help him or even rushing away to escape him. Kenshin studied her carefully through a familiar haze of pain.

Kaoru was as still as a statue. Her wide eyes followed the blood that down his temple. She took in the sight of blood oozing from between his fingers where he was pressing them to his side, the cloth of his jacket torn and ragged. Dimly she was aware that most of the blood was not his, or he would be dead.

Pain.

Death.

There was a loud ringing in her ears and she began to sweat. Then, as Kenshin watched, stupefied, Kaoru’s eyes changed.

Next chapter: Kaoru meets some of the townsfolk and it’s not always pretty.

This story will be just as dark as Broken Pieces, perhaps even more so.