History Lessons

History Lessons

- by Julie (whirleeQ) and Rose (BuffyBot76)

- Part 2 of 4

~*~

"...So anyway, poor Shuichi said he had to hide in the boy's bathroom
for nearly two hours before they gave up the search. Needless to say he was
late for history class, which, if you knew Shuichi, was a tragedy. He's never
late." Keiko's light hearted laughter filled the hut as she retold the
tale Kurama had related quite grumpily to her and the others. The image it had
projected in Keiko's mind had been somewhat amusing to say the least.

Kenshin smiled and laughed right along with her. They had been talking for
hours now, and he was somewhat surprised at how easily the conversation came.
She told him about her friends, and he told her stories about some of the more
amusing drunken escapades of the Ishin Shisi. They talked about the
future, the past, his favorite foods, her education. In fact, they talked about
pretty much everything – except about his acts as an assassin.

She really was quite delightful company, now that they had gotten over their
initial distrust of each other. In fact, he had not felt so… warm… in
a very long while – if ever. It was nice to talk with someone who wasn’t judging
him or trying to earn his favor.

“So, tell me, Keiko-dono. Are you a member of this Shuichi’s ‘fan club’?”
He teased, his violet eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Me? Ah, no." Keiko scoffed, "I draw the line at fawning over
a guy who's prettier than I am."

“I doubt that there would be any man that would fit that description, that
I do,” Kenshin said offhandedly, and then immediately blushed when he realized
what he had just said. “Er… so what does your friend Shuichi look like?” He
quickly asked, hoping that she would not pick up on his embarrassment.

Keiko blinked in surprise. Had he just... complimented her? She shook off that
thought. 'I must have been hearing things. Why would he say something like
that? He barely knows me.' "Well, let's see... he's pretty tall, probably
5'11" or something like that. He's got these really bright green eyes and
his hair is red, long too. And um... oh, well, he's nice looking, as I said
earlier. He sort of looks like you... oh." Realizing what she'd just said,
Keiko clammed up and diverted her eyes. 'Oh, no, I can't believe I just said
that!'

Kenshin blinked his eyes, fairly sure that there was a hidden complement somewhere
in there, and offered her a warm smile.

“At 5’11, he’s a lot taller than me though, that he is. Is he courting you?”

Amused laughter trickled from Keiko's lips. "Kur-ah, Shuichi? Courting
me? Haha… no. I don't think I'm the kind of girl he would go for." She
said honestly.

‘Then he is a fool,’ he thought to himself, as she smiled at him.

Suddenly, there was a burst of wind that threw the door to the hut open, bringing
in with it a rush of wet, cold air.

He stood and made his way over to the door, where he had to fight the wind
in order to force it to close.

When he turned back towards Keiko, he noticed that she was shivering.

“Are you cold, Keiko-dono? I can put another log on the fire, that I can.
Oh, and I have some sake. Would you like some, Keiko-dono?” Kenshin asked,
as he went to retrieve a jug that was sitting on top of a small chest, as well
as two sake cups.

"Thank you. That would be nice." Keiko replied through lightly chattering
teeth. "And, um, you can stop calling me -dono, now. Keiko will be just
fine."

“Okay… Keiko,” Kenshin said warmly, as he handed her the small cup of sake.

Keiko took a tentative sip of the sake, not knowing what to expect. It was
her first experience with alcohol after all, and a part of her felt a little
giddy about drinking it. The warm liquid met her lips, and burned a path down
her throat. A nice and surprisingly warm feeling began to spread throughout
her body. Somewhat bemused, Keiko finished off the rest of the beverage; the
additional warmth in her belly providing a measure of comfort against the cold
air.

Even though the door was now closed again, the cold and wind from outside was
pouring through the cracks between the boards of wood that made up the not very
sturdy walls. Kenshin threw another log on the fire, and moved to sit next
to Keiko, so that they could both share the jug of sake and the warmth of the
fire. She had already finished her first cup, so he poured her some more before
drinking from his own.

Keiko took another sip of sake before setting her glass aside. Daring a glance
at the man sitting beside her, she realized how close he was, a lot closer than
would seem appropriate, but at the moment she didn't really mind. She could
feel the warmth his body was radiating, adding to the comfort her drink had
already provided. Allowing her body to relax, Keiko gave a wistful sigh and
ventured to continue their conversation.

"So, um... do you have any brothers or sisters?" She asked, the alcohol
loosening her tongue a bit.

A flash of some emotion Keiko could not identify went through Kenshin’s eyes,
and then he turned his head from her to the fire.

He swallowed thickly and in that moment, with the light from the fire playing
off of his profile, and the somewhat longing expression on his face, he simply
looked like a boy and not a killer.

“My family… died of cholera when I was ten. I… buried them, and was soon found
by slavers. They took care of me for a short time, but then they were murdered.
I… buried them as well, that I did.” He said in a quiet tone as he proceeded
to down yet another sake. His eyes did not move from the flames while he spoke,
and the hand that was holding his sake cup was trembling slightly.

Keiko gasped, one hand flying up to cover her parted lips as a chill of dread
spread throughout her body. “Oh, no, I… I didn’t know! So sorry… I didn’t mean
to bring up painful memories.” She apologized as best she could, but still,
it upset her that she’d unknowingly opened old wounds.

He turned and offered her a small, sad smile, his violet eyes literally brimming
with unguarded emotion.

”That’s quite alright, Keiko-do… Keiko. I have not thought about them in
many years, that I have not. It has been a long time… a very long time since
this unworthy one has had someone to talk to.”

Keiko felt an immense wave of sympathy wash over her and her eyes grew misty
at the forlorn tone his voice had taken on. Overcome with the urge to comfort,
Keiko reached out a hand and tentatively placed it over one that was closest
to her "Well, for what it's worth, I'm here if you would like to talk."
The look he shot her was piercing and Keiko backpedaled a bit, "I-I-I mean,
only if you want to! You don't have to. Really." She amended, not wanting
to be pushy.

Kenshin glared at her for a moment and then sighed. It really wasn’t her he
was upset with. It was more that he had willingly told more about himself to
this girl than to anyone since Hiko. Even Tomoe did not know the fate of his
family.

Why was he talking now? Kenshin picked up a stick and started poking the embers
in the hearth. The fire had died down a bit again, and so he threw on yet another
log. The supply of wood was rapidly dwindling, but it still looked like it
would be enough to get them through the storm and then…

And then what?

And then she’d probably be on her way and he’d be alone again.

“Gomen, Keiko, for my conduct – I did not mean to make you uncomfortable again.
It is a habit that this unworthy one is really trying to change.” He admitted
quietly.

'Unworthy one?' Keiko wasn't sure why he referred to himself in such
a way. Her textbook hadn't said anything about how he spoke, after all. "You're
welcome - and it's alright. Sometimes I'm too nosy for my own good." She
confessed.

He was pleased to see her relax again, and at her request, he poured her more
sake. The girl was keeping up with him, cup for cup, and for a moment he was
concerned that she would drink herself into a stupor. She did not seem to be
the type of girl who had much experience with sake.

“You should be careful with how much sake you drink Keiko. That you should.”

She shot him a cold ‘don’t tell me what to do’ look, and he couldn’t help but
smile at her spirit. She was becoming more and more interesting to him by the
moment, and he decided to ask her a few questions about herself. It’d be better
if they got off the subject of him for the moment at any rate.

“So Keiko, do you have a husband or a fiancé in your… time?” He questioned,
and then briefly choked on a mouthful of sake, when he realized what he had
asked. He had intended to ask her about her family. He looked at her somewhat
sheepishly.

“Gomen, Keiko-dono, I did not mean to be so… nosy… myself.” He said apologetically.

Keiko tried not to frown as she gave a reassuring reply, “Ah, that’s alright.”
She said, even though her heart was clenching in her chest. “And, to answer
your question, no, I don’t have anyone.” But even as she spoke, images of Yusuke
and Botan flashed through her mind. Both of them, together and happy. Closing
her eyes to shut out the bad memories, she continued, “I guess you could pretty
much say we’re both alone, huh?”

He did not miss the small flash of pain in her eyes as she spoke, and he knew
that much like him, there was once someone. Someone who was – for whatever
reason – no longer there for her, and she was in pain about it.

He knew all about the pain of being alone.

Kenshin looked at her and sighed. Maybe it was the sake, maybe it was because
she likened her loneliness to his own, or maybe it was just because of the way
the glow from the fire played off of her hair. Whatever the reason was, his
next words surprised even him.

“I wasn’t always alone. I… had a wife, once. She… she died.”

For some reason, Keiko felt tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. She
was beginning to feel a strange connection with this man and she had no idea
why, but, it was palpable all the same. That, or the sake was beginning to take
effect. Either way, her next words slipped out before she could stop them, surprising
herself as well as the former hitokiri.

“Yeah… I know.”

Kenshin’s eyes opened in shock, as he turned to look at the girl next to him.
No one knew that. Well, a few former Ishin Shishi members knew, but definitely
not the general populace. He was slightly suspicious once again, but when he
looked at her, he could see the tears threatening to fall.

Tears for him and his loss.

No one shed tears for him. He was... unworthy of them.

He took her hand in his and squeezed it… but didn’t let it go afterwards.
They were both quiet for a moment, both watching the fire and lost in their
own thoughts, until he turned to her abruptly.

“How did you know?” He asked in a small voice.

Keiko was taken back by his tone, so... meek. Throughout their conversation
they hadn't really addressed her claim to be from the future, which she had
been grateful for it, but now due to her loose tongue the topic had reemerged.
She sighed, "I learned about it in school, in history class." She
finally said, figuring there was no point in avoiding the issue anymore.

Kenshin was absolutely silent for a moment as he digested that information.
He still did not know what to make of her claim about being from the future…
certainly she knew many things, and was very well educated for a woman – that
had been apparent from their conversation earlier. Still, if she really was
from the future, and she really had learned about him in a ‘history’ class,
then…

Then that meant that she had learned about him. And she had known who
and what he was all along.

Why hadn’t she run screaming? He was after all a monster.

He suddenly removed his hand from hers, startling her and she looked at him
questioningly. He shook his head minutely in response. It wasn't anything
she had done - he had just remembered how bloodied his hands were, and knew
how… unworthy he was of even taking the smallest of comforts from her.

And then, in a smaller voice he continued, just to confirm what he already
knew.

“You… you learned about me? All about me?”

Keiko was sad. She could see him withdrawing from her for some reason and it
confused her. Hadn't they been getting along so well and were actually enjoying
each others company? Then he asked the question that answered her own and she
relaxed.

'Ah, I see,' She thought to herself.

"Don't”, she said, reaching out to retake his hand back in hers. “Please,
don't turn away. It's true, I know all about your past... or rather, what's
known about it as far as the history books go. But that doesn't mean that I
hold it against you. Really, I know that you’ve changed your ways and to be
honest, I admire you for that. It reminds me of someone I know. The first time
we met was when he kidnapped me and at the time he had no qualms on killing
me to get what it was he wanted. But then, later on, something happened and
he changed his ways to the point where I trust him implicitly and am quite glad
to be able to call him a friend."

'Okay, so maybe friend is stretching it a bit, but he doesn't have to know
that.' She mused. Giving Kenshin's hand a light squeeze, Keiko looked into
his eyes, hoping that he understood and believed her.

Something inside of him broke, and he found himself looking at her in a new
light. She knew what he was, accepted him, and she was offering him comfort.

Comfort.

He hadn’t let anyone comfort him since Tomoe, and even then, the time they
had together was painfully brief. It was only two days after they had become
husband and wife in truth before she met her death at the end of his blade,
after all.



It occurred to him that if Keiko was from the future, then his time with her
would probably be even briefer. He tried to ignore the painful knot in his
chest that thought caused. At any rate, she was with him now, and God knows
that he did not deserve it, but a part of him couldn’t help but to think she
had been sent specifically for him – someone to whom he could confess his sins.

A tenshi who would listen to him and not judge.

With suspiciously wet eyes, he leaned his head up against her shoulder… and
told her everything.

Afterwards, Keiko was strangely quiet, but did not let go of his hand as they
continued to watch the fire; the jug of sake all but forgotten.

Meanwhile, Kenshin was shaking from the mixture of shame, grief, and remorse
that came with his confession. He turned his head to look at her, afraid that
her eyes would show horror, or worse, fear, and awaited her response.

The glow from the fire place cast a golden radiance upon her face, giving it
an ethereal appearance. Her brown eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, had remained
fixed on the dancing flames. But as he looked up, her head turned so that their
gazes locked and it was as if a window to her soul had been opened. Kenshin
had to stifle a gasp at what he saw. There was no horror in her eyes -- no disgust
or fear. Only... compassion.

Kenshin felt himself leaning forward as if on instinct. As his face loomed
closer to hers, her beautiful brown eyes slowly fluttered closed, and her breathing
quickened. Still, he kept his movements slow, allowing her ample time to pull
away from him if she desired.

When their faces were but a hairs breadth apart from each other, he felt her
warm breath ghost across his cheek as she slowly exhaled in preparation for
his kiss. His own eyes fluttered closed as his nose touched the soft skin of
her cheek in a gentle caress. His breaths were coming hot and fast as he gently
brushed his lips against her full and slightly parted ones. Her lips were warm
and pliant, and he made an inarticulate sound in his throat when he felt her
shaking fingers comb through his hair before gently cupping the back of his
head.

His heart was pounding as he increased the pressure of his lips against hers.
She hadn’t pushed him away – amazingly she was responding to him, and in turn
he was beginning to desire her with a fervor that was almost frightening in
its intensity.

Kenshin had kissed before. And he had been kissed in return. But none of
those kisses had felt as… complete… as the kiss he was sharing with the
girl from the future. As if they were not only blending their lips together
in a caress, but their souls.

He groaned when he felt her tongue dart out and sweep across his bottom lip.
When he reached for her, his own hands were shaking, and he pulled her into
his lap almost desperately. As he continued to worship her mouth with his own,
he felt something he hadn’t felt for many, many years.

Content.

---

End Part II