Part eleven

 A few hours later, Kenshin was using the perfect weather outside to do the
laundry.  His hands paused in scrubbing as he mingled through the facts of the
present situation in his head.  He thought about Kaoru-dono and her recent
listlessness, he was concerned not only because of the amount she worked, but
of the toll it was taking on her.  Gone was the feisty, temperamental girl he
had come to care for, instead to be replaced by a quiet, secretive shade of
the person he once knew.  And he knew mixed into all that was the grief of the
death of her father, so far down that she didn't realize it herself.  And
guilt as well.  As Kenshin was familiar with these darker emotions, he felt
them more deeply than most and was able to find the same dark feelings in
others.

 That is one of the things that drew him to Kaoru-dono in the first place.
Besides her deep loneliness, Kenshin always felt a darkness in Kaoru-dono's
soul.  Though it was no where as near as dark as his, that is the one thing
that intrigued him about her.  That for a girl who appeared so simple and was
so giving,  a darkness in her would exist. All he could understand about it is
that it comes from the death of Kaoru's parents.  And as far as he can label
it, the darkness in her soul is called-

 Kenshin felt a hostile presence near the dojo.  He resumed his scrubbing, but
scanned the area around him with narrowed eyes.  Ah, that tree, he thought.
He couldn't see the person hiding there, but could feel him through the
person's powerful aura of evil and malcontent.  As suddenly as the feeling
appeared, it was gone.  Kenshin put the laundry away and walked towards the
main door that opened into the dojo area.  It was there that he saw Megumi
bending over and picking up a small doll from the ground.  The smell of blood,
Kenshin thought as he approached the doctor.

   * * * * * *

 Instead of his customary cheerful greeting, Megumi was surprised by Kenshin's
clipped voice, "Give me the doll."  When she complied, she looked down at her
hands in surprise.  Her hands were stained with the freshness of blood.

 "What-?" Her gaze moved from her hands to the doll in Ken-san's hand.  Oh,
from the doll, she thought, but who's blood is it? Megumi paled, but kept her
composure as she swept past Kenshin, past the gates.

 "What's going on, Ken-san?"  Kenshin's glance up at her chilled Megumi's
blood.  Instead of the customary bright purple eyes that usually greeted her,
she was met with hard, narrowed eyes stained almost amber with hatred.  His
usually easy-going expression was transformed by the tightness of his mouth.

"Megumi, go wash your hands."

 Megumi's eyes widened at the lack of formality that usually accompanied
Kenshin's speech, but did as she was told.  As she came back from doing so,
she spied Kaoru sitting on the porch outside the doors of the dojo, deep in
thought and totally ignoring the antics of Yahiko who decided it would be much
more fun practicing by calling her 'old bag' with each downward stroke of his
wooden sword.  Megumi was going to call out to Yahiko to chide him for his
rudeness when Kaoru's eyes widened as she finally registered what her pupil
had been saying.  Kaoru stood up and approached the now fearful boy and leaned
over him, "What did you just call me?"

 Yahiko realized that he was in big trouble.  There was something in Kaoru's
eyes that scared him more than the low, angry tone she used in her voice.
When her hands tightened on her own wooden sword and lifted it above his head,
he couldn't help but flinch and close his eyes.  When the expected bashing on
the head didn't come, he looked up to see Kaoru's blue eyes brimming with
suppressed tears.  Strangely enough, he was relieved but was still shocked
even more than he was previously, "Hey Kaoru?  Kaoru, what's wrong?"

 Kaoru lowered her practice sword in front of her till it's tip touched the
ground.  Gripping it with two hands, she assumed the stance of the budo master
that she was, "Yahiko," she started, "You will commence practicing right now.
Five hundred swings, done correctly, starting now."

 "Five hundred?!?" The boy howled.

 The bashing on his head,this time, only angered him, "There's no way I'm
doing five hundred!"

 Kaoru yelled back, "Yes, you will and you'll do them now!"

 Megumi relaxed as she saw that Kaoru and Yahiko were now resorting to their
normal antics.  She continued walking back to the front of the house where
Kenshin was once again doing the laundry.

 "Ah, Megumi-dono, good morning."  Kenshin was back to his normal self.

 "Good morning, Ken-san," Megumi smiled in relief.  She looked around, but
couldn't find the doll she'd held earlier, "Um, Ken-san what hap-"

 "Megumi-dono, tell me about Kawasaka Ikeda."  Megumi's eyes widened in
surprise, but she complied, "Well, he is a very handsome and charming man, but
he is also something else.  There is a darkness in his eyes,  I can't tell you
if he is capable of cruelty, though.  But he does seem like two different
people, at times." Kind of like you, Ken-san, Megumi finished silently.

 Kenshin's pleasant expression didn't change as he silently absorbed what
Megumi had just said, " I see.  "  He paused and looked up at Megumi then,

"When Sano and I came to see Kaoru-dono a few nights ago, where was she?  Was
she hiding from me?"

 Megumi felt annoyance at the question, "If you didn't see her, she must have
been hiding."

 Kenshin was surprised by the vehement answer but stayed silent a moment
longer before continuing, "Megumi-dono, Kaoru-dono and yourself may be in
danger working there, but I don't know how to stop Kaoru-dono from going back.
She's determined to gain all the money she needs from that place."

 A wind suddenly rose around the two.  Megumi tucked a straying hair back
behind her ear.  Kaoru, Kaoru is all he thinks of, she thought.  Yes, he is
concerned about me, but he truly worries about the little country girl.  As
feelings of regret and envy came over her, she looked up and noticed that
Sanosuke was leaning against one of the wooden supports on the porch, "Good
morning, Sano-san."

 Sano nodded, "Fox Lady."

 Megumi instantly fumed, "Chicken head."

 Sanosuke's fuming matched hers, "Why you-"

 "Sanosuke.  Megumi-dono."  The battle of name calling was averted by
Kenshin's voice, "Please, Ayame-chan and Suzame-chan are sleeping."

  Megumi was startled to see that beyond the porch, past the half-opened door,
there were indeed the forms of two sleeping little girls.   Megumi turned a
little red at being caught acting so immature.  She turned to Kenshin, "If you
want me to try to talk Kaoru into not going..?"

 "No, that's alright, Megumi-dono. I'll talk to her myself.  But thank you for
offering."

 Megumi nodded, "Well, I'm going to head back to the clinic, if you both will
excuse me."  Megumi nodded to both of them and turned to go.

 "Um, Megumi-dono?" Kenshin's inquiry stopped her, "Please allow Sano to go
with you."

 Sanosuke's eyes narrowed at the request, but as his eyes met Kenshin's he
knew that it was necessary, "Yeah, let me walk you back, Fox Lady."

 "Thank you very much, Chicken head." She gritted out through clenched teeth.

  Sano shot Kenshin a 'why me?' glance and followed the doctor out of the
gates.

  *  *  *  *  *

 Kenshin shook his head at the antics of his friends.  Then his eyes focused
on the doll which he held under the water in the washtub.   Kenshin felt
sorrow come over him as he imagined the small, sweet little girl who had
probably owned this very doll before she was murdered in cold blood.
Kenshin's hands clinched on the doll as if it were the hilt to his sword.  His
teeth clenched in growing hatred as he heard the scream of little girls being
murdered.  Of all the crimes he'd ever been guilty of, it had never been the
murder of a child.  And those who had murdered children surely had a dark spot
in hell waiting for them, he thought.

 When Megumi had left to wash her hands, Kenshin inspected the doll carefully.
The only thing besides blood out of place was the word "Maku" written
carefully across the doll's heart.  He knew it was a message to him.  One he
did not fully understand yet, but by damn he would, he thought.  Then he would
get revenge on whoever cut the doll away from the little hands who'd once held
it.  Kenshin's murderous gaze met his own reflection in the water...