Chikara's Good-Bye

Well, I haven't wrote a Rurouni Kenshin fanfic for a while so here you go. I know, most of my RuroKen fics are about my OC Chikara, but that's because my partner-in-write kai-himitsu, writes most of the stories containing Shinyo. This will be angsty romance. I thought I would give it a try. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimers: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters.

Claimers: I do own Chikara and Shinyo Shinomori, plus the mentioned Kimiko and Yuki. (They'll be revealed in other RuroKen fics eventually)

"Shinyo!"

SHUCK!

Shinyo's eyes widened. His blood went cold. Yahiko and Kimiko froze in thier tracks. They were too late! Shinyo quickly gathered her into his arms. Even though his arm was broke and his ribs were cracked, he would live, but not she. She who loved him more than life itself, quite literally. Those bullets... they hit directly.

"Why did you do that?" Shinyo asked. Chikara closed her eyes. "Dearest Shinyo, my body has been defeated. But my soul has been dead... for six years now." Shinyo stared at her sickly pale face. Blood was trickling from the hole in her chest, stomach, leg, and arms. The bullet in her chest had skidded right across her heart, ripping through all the cardiac tissue in its path.

Six years ago... was the fall of the Oniwabanshuu. "Chikara?" Shinyo asked. He hugged his sister to him closely. "You still have a family, so you must live on." Chikara told him. Shinyo pulled back to look at her. She was staring into the distance. "Don't talk that way. We're going to get you to a doctor. You'll be fine." he assured her. He hugged her tightly, as if squeezing her would help ease the pain.

"Is... Han'nya proud of me?"

The question totally hit him unprepared. He smiled. "Yes, Han'nya is proud of you. Now keep on your tough exterior. I trust you to keep your cool even in the face of death. That's just like you." He smiled at her. But his smile quickly faded. Tears were rolling down Chikara's cheeks.

"I don't fear death. It's just... I never completed my dream." Chikara said. Shinyo's eyes widened. "Yes you have. You've mastered the chain-blade, became an elite of the Oniwabanshuu, and so much more. You went far past your dream." She sighed softly. "No.. that was not my dream. I... I wanted to make the Oniwabanshuu famous. everyone should have known our name. We were meant to be the most powerful."

Tears plopped onto the ground. "They laughed. Shinyo, they scorned us, made fun of us. No one believed in the Oniwaban. No single-skill men, no traitor, no faceless spy, no child or girl could amount to anything. But they kept on.. dying to save the Okashira. What of us? Tell me... what of us?"

Kimiko and Yahiko were crying. Kenshin and Sanosuke were probably still outside. Hikari and Karou were somewhere. Shinyo placed a hand over hers. "We are the life of the Oniwabanshuu. We kept on while they couldn't." he whispered to her. Chikara closed her eyes. "You are the Okashira." she murmered. "And I... lost to save them. Forgive me."

"You don't need forgiveness if there was no way you could help!" Shinyo exclaimed. Chikara opened her eyes slowly to look at him weakly. "They were... all I... had. I was the Oniwabanshuu. The Oniwabanshuu was me, my life. It's gone now. My... my Beshimi, Shikijou, Hyottoko... and Han'nya. Dearest Han'nya."

Yahiko shivered. She called Han'nya dearest. That monster? 'Eww...' Kimiko understood. To treasure something so much to only have it shot down. Chikara wasn't the only one. Yuki, Kenshin, Sanosuke, they had all lost someone dear to them. Now Shinyo was going to loose the most precious thing ever.

"Shinyo... tell Megumi-dono thank you." He blinked confused. "What? But... you dislike Megumi-San. Why?" Chikara smiled through her pain. A smile that puzzled Shinyo greatly. "Because of her... the Oniwabanshuu reached its greatest potential. Thanks... to... her..." Shinyo's body was now trembling. Chikara... she had always blamed Megumi for the death of the Oniwaban. He knew she didn't mean it, but inside she had to blame someone. "Thanks to her..." she said softly. Her movements were slowing, her blood thankfully had decreased its leaking.

Shinyo's body was skipping beats non-stop. Was he going to lose her? The one person who could actually understand her, was going to be taken away as she died? "Oh, Chikara..."

"Heh," she said softly. "If I hadn't waited to say my last words... I could... have... lived..." Chikara told him in her dying breath. His eyes widened. 'She... she knew all along! She knew she was going to die today!'

He held her close so no one could see his tears. His dear sister would leave him for the beyond without realizing her purpose in life. Kimiko's eyes widened... "She can't be gone..." she whispered. Yahiko was too stunned to speak. Shinyo stood with her in his arms. Chikara's limp arms dangled downward. Without a word, he somberly walked outside.

"Ouka-Chan?" Chikara opened her eyes and covered them from the blinding light. She was lying on the ground with her gun shot wounds. "H... Han'nya? Is that you?" she called out. A shadow split the light. Sure enough, Han'nya stood before her. He looked as she had always seen him. His oni mask was on to cover his face.

Slowly Han'nya walked over to her. When he knelt down, she looked away. "Ouka-Chan?" He asked softly. Still Chikara couldn't bear to let him see her. She felt so ashamed for how far she had fallen. "Han'nya, your Ouka-Chan has failed." He chucked. "My Ouka-Chan cannot fail. She just went astray in her dream."

"Hm?" The young woman stared up at him in confusion. Of course she had went astray. "Remember, Chikara, I was once an onmitsu." Her eyes widened in shocking realization. That was right! 'If I could be anyone... it'd be you, Han'nya.' An unvolentary smile crossed her face. She was so in dept to sorrow, she hadn't remembered her becoming an onmitsu. That was why she had killed the General!

"Now you see?" Han'nya asked. She nodded. "You did complete your dream, the Oniwaban is still inside you, dont forget it... Okashira." She blinked. She... was the Okashira? It was true! Since Shinyo was married he wasn't fit for the task. She was the Okashira! She sniffled, wiping at her face. She was so happy she could cry...

Han'nya lifted her torso up. Chikara couldn't feel her legs, but her arms replied to her command to move. They reached up and pulled off his mask. Her heart froze, she gasped. "Ha... n'nya?" she breathed slowly. Her insides seemed rather spacious and buzzing with shock. "Yes?" he asked smiling.

She smiled back. He was just as she had pictured. Dark slick tresses, slightly tanned skin, a high cheek bone, and full lips. He looked jsut as she imagined he did before his own face remodeling. Rather handsome indeed...

Chikara ran her fingertips down his cheek. "You want me to live, don't you?" she asked, even though she knew the answer. Han'nya nodded. "You can't be with me, not yet." She sighed. "Wait for me then." He chuckled softly. She didn't even blush, why would she when he knew her deepest passion? "I will wait." he promised.

She leaned up and kissed him. Han'nya had a feeling she would, and kissed back. Not yet, but they would one day be together.

Chikara took in a breath. Karou jumped, her eyes wide and hair standing on end. "She's alive!" Megumi blinked and stopped her preperations. "How can that be? Her pulse was completely gone! She lost enough blood to kill a mule!" Megumi was exclaiming. "Shinyo!" Karou called. Not two seconds later Shinyo camed in, as soon as he saw Chikara's rosy cheeks his eyes widened. He dashed to her side. "Chikara!" he cried in joy.

Chikara didn't open her eyes. "Han'nya... says I can't die, another mission to fulfill. He'll... wait for me." she mumbled. Shinyo blinked. Was she dreaming or did Han'nya's spirit come ot her? He hugged her, practically crushing her. "I'm sorry I didn't pay attention to you, but this time around it'll be different."

Chikara smiled.

A/N: Oh yeah... about Kimiko and Yuki, they're a bit out of thier timeline here. You see, they come in long before Chikara and Shinyo ever enter the story. The reason I haven't uploaded them according to when the events take place is because my 30+ page story introducing Kimiko was deleted off my floppy disk. I was so discouraged that I have yet to gain the inspiration back to rewrite it. ;; I'm sorry... I really need to work on my fics. I'm drowning in my work! YY

R&R please!