A Distant Memory
It's Friday the 13th. Kenshin and the others planned a vacation in the farm of Megumi's friend, Kasumi. The whole night of the trip, the moon's gaze was foiled by the dark clouds making the road hard to identify. Kenshin, together with Kaoru, Sano, and Yoshi were all past asleep. Megumi is at the wheel; she was troubled as she scanned the map. After a few moments the car stopped moving causing the others to wake up.
"Hey! What's going on?" ask the confused Sano.
"I'm very sorry but we have run out of fuel." Megumi said uneasily.
"WHAT!"
"Megumi tell me, how far are we from your friend's farm?" Kaoru asked.
"That's our second problem-" Megumi sighed.
"What do you mean?" Kenshin asked.
"Don't tell me we're-" Sano suddenly realized they where lost. He looked at Megumi and she nodded. The others panicked from the fact that they were lost in an unfamiliar place. They have no choice than to leave the car and look for shelter near by. They are entering in gloomy woods. No one was sure if he or she would be able to find any house around.
"Does anyone of you recognize this place?" Megumi asked them as she glance around the place.
"Nah! Actually, we should be the one who have to ask that to you!" Sanosuke chided.
"Yah! I know! I'm sorry." Megumi said disappointedly.
Kenshin's eyes grew wider because of disbelief, or maybe fear. "Wait, this place… This is…"
Kaoru noticed that Kenshin was slightly shaking. She's not sure what it meant, so she ask him, "What's the matter Kenshin? Is something wrong?"
Kenshin didn't answer her.
"Kenshin…"
Yoshi pointed his fingers to a house nearby, "Hey looked, there's a house over there!"
Sano was glad they found shelter just in time for him to sleep. Megumi was relieved because of the house. She thought Friday the 13th wasn't that bad at all. But Kenshin thought otherwise. He looked anxious. Kaoru was sure something is bothering Kenshin. But she wasn't sure how could she asked Kenshin about it.
"Wai… Wait…" Kenshin's voice seems scared.
"What's the matter Kenshin? Come on! Will you stay here outside? It's cold you know!" Sano commented.
Kenshin shake his head slowly, showing that he is not at ease with Sano's idea, "You… you don't understand! That house, it shouldn't be standing there. It can't be!"
"What do you mean Kenshin?"
"Sano, that house… it should be…"
Yoshi check the door. He was pleased when he discovered that the door was open, "Hey guys look it's open! Let's go inside!" He went inside the house. Megumi followed him inside. Sano entered into the house as well. The temperature outside was dropping. Kaoru was getting cold. She was sure that Kenshin was cold as well. She grabs his hand and she pulled him into the house. "Kenshin doesn't feel at ease with this house, that's for sure!" Kaoru told herself. They lighted a candle and placed it in the table. Megumi was tired that's why she decided to take a bath. She told Yoshi to heat the water for her. Yoshi has no choice than to follow her.
"Why am I always following her?" yawned Yoshi.
"Have any problems with that?" Megumi said in a spooking voice.
"Ah… no… none! Really!" Yoshi said as he continued to heat the water (for the tub) outside the bathroom.
Megumi was pleased with the relaxing feeling of the warm water in the tub. But suddenly she felt an eerie feeling. She can feel something cold at her back. Her hair rose on end. She just closed her eyes and thought it was just nothing, but it wasn't. As she opened her eyes she saw a lady all dress in white floating near the door. The lady's head was bowed and her long hair covered her face. Megumi didn't know what to do. Then the lady disappeared but still Megumi is in a stupor. She didn't moved a bit. Then finally she managed to moved, she immediately grab her towel and put it on and she hurried outside.
"There is… There is…"
"Megumi, what's wrong? You looked like you've seen a ghost." Kaoru asked.
"Ye…yes! A ghost! In the bathroom!" Megumi's voice is really scared.
"Pretty pathetic Megumi! I thought doctors don't believed in superstitions." Sano teased Megumi but she just give him a glanced full of terror.
"I'm… I'm not joking you guys! I know what I saw!" Megumi defend herself.
Yoshi run to the dinning room. He was wondering what is the commotion all about. Then Megumi told him what had happened but he just laughed.
"A ghost huh? I don't think there is any ghost in this place! They'll probably got scared because of me." Yoshi laughed
Megumi was so spooked that she can't scold at the boys who don't believe her. Kaoru saw the fear in Megumi's eyes that's why she believed her. And besides, Megumi was a brave woman; the only reason why she'll be that scared is because she saw something not human.
"Now, now! Enough of that! We should all take a sleep." Sano said.
They looked at the closet and they only found 2 mattresses. So the boys will just sleep in the floor while the girls will use the mattresses. Yoshi thought it wasn't fair but he was afraid with Kaoru so he just agreed with her. Kenshin closed the window and doused the candle.
"Good night everyone!" Sano said.
Everyone fell asleep easily because they were pretty tired. Then suddenly a ghost appeared in front of them. She was staring at everyone. The ghost presence seemed to have woken Kenshin for he slowly opened his eyes. As he does, the ghost vanished. Kenshin stood up and went outside the house. As he glanced the house outside he told himself "This house doesn't change a bit. It was just like it wasn't flared with fire. But that's pretty weird. And the ghost Megumi was talking about earlier, could it be… could it be her?"
Kaoru woke up and she searched for Kenshin, but he was not in the house. She went outside and saw him there. She approached him.
"Kenshin… What's the matter? You start to act weird when we arrived here."
"Don't worry about me Kaoru! It's just that…" Yoshi's screamed stopped what his saying. Kaoru and Kenshin exchanged glanced then they run inside the house to check what's happening.
"What's the matter Yoshi? Why did you scream?" Kaoru asked worriedly.
"I… I heard something move over there." Yoshi pointed over the chimney.
"Goodness! Maybe it is just a rat!" Sano exclaimed.
"Oh yah! I didn't thought about that!" Yoshi laugh as he scratches his head.
Then the window suddenly opened and closes continuously. But there is no wind outside. This gives the gang the creeps. They decided to live the house and to go back to their car. But when they arrived there Megumi noticed that the key was no were to be found.
"We should go back to the house and look for the key." Megumi said.
"Wha… what? You want us to go back to that creepy house? But Megumi! Let's just wait till morning." Yoshi exclaimed. The others agreed.
"I think Megumi's right! We should go back there. And besides it's 1 am, the sun will come up soon." Kenshin said. Kaoru glanced at him warily. The others thought it's not a good idea.
"But Kenshin… that house… it's haunted!"
"Yoshi we need to find the key or else we wont be able to go back home!" Kenshin said with a slight anger in his tone. The others don't know where his sudden anger comes from. Without any choice, they followed Kenshin back into the house.
"Hey Megumi! Did you remember where you've placed the key?" Kenshin ask her.
"Not really! But I think its in the…" Her face suddenly became ashen white as she thought of the place where she might leave the key. "Bathroom!"
"Is that so? But we are not sure of that right?" Kenshin asked. Megumi nodded and said, "Aha!"
"If that's the case, we should take groups. Sano, come with Megumi. Check the bathroom."
"But…"
"Yoshi, Kaoru, search this room ok! I'll go there to find the key."
"But Kenshin… You'll be alone. Isn't that dangerous?"
"Kaoru, don't worry I can handle myself." Kenshin went out of the room; Megumi and Sano went to the bathroom to search for the key. But the key wasn't in the bathroom that's why they decided to search in the other rooms. Sano went out safely but when Megumi was about to go out the door shot closed and they can't open it.
"Sano helped me… I'm scared!" she cried with fear.
"Megumi, stay away from the door. I'll try to ruin it." Megumi did what Sano told her. Sano prepared to bang the door, but when he is about to bang the door, it opened and Sano flew straight to the tub. Megumi approaches Sano.
"You ok?"
"I guess so, I was about to bang the door but it opened by itself. I think the ghost was playing a joke with as. Don't you think?"
"I think you're right Sano!"
Kaoru and Yoshi are still in the place where they slept. Kaoru search in the mattresses while Yoshi is searched in the drawers.
"Found anything Kaoru?"
"Nah! It's not here!"
Yoshi found ribbons and perfume in the drawer.
"Hey are these things yours?" Yoshi asked as he shows the ribbons and the perfume.
"No, maybe it's Megumi's."
Yoshi smelled the perfume then he stared blankly at Kaoru.
"Wow that perfume smell's nice. Umm… I guess it's white palm." She looked at Yoshi, "Hey what's the matter?"
"Megumi's not using a perfume like this!" Yoshi said, terrified.
"You...You're right!"
Then the window opened again then the both of then looked at the window terrified. Then suddenly they felt a cold breeze entered the room. The door suddenly opened and the two screamed.
"Hey! Don't be afraid! It's just me and Sano." Megumi said.
Kaoru took a deep breath then she finally managed, "Oh… have you found it?"
"Not yet! There is something eerie happened in the bathroom."
The window closed again and the gang's hair rose at the end as they heard a terrifying voice.
"Whe…re?"
The others don't know what to do. They are pretty scared of the ghost.
"Whe..re?" repeated the ghost as she slowly floats near them.
"Stop where you are! Don't go near us, you… Ghost!" Yoshi growled. The ghost stopped moving as she stared at him. Yoshi sweat cold and swallowed hard.
"Whe…re is…" the ghost uttered as she makes the things in the room floats.
Everyone screamed. Kenshin heard them and he hurried to go to them. He opened the door and he saw the transparent ghost. The ghost looked at him and slowly, the ghost became solid. She dropped the floating things.
"Ken…shin..." whispered the ghost. Kenshin recognize her and his tears start to fall down hard.
"To…Tomoe…" Kenshin sighed. Tomoe's soul approaches Kenshin. Her hand reached out to Kenshin's face and he felt the cold yet gentle caress on his left cheek.
"Kenshin…I… I've been waiting…just for you! I've been waiting for your return… but you… but you never come back. You…forget all about me!"
"I'm…sorry Tomoe…I didn't… I didn't mean to… I just… I just can't come back here to face the pain that this place had given me. And you… you know how much I loved you… Tomoe…that's true! But… but…"
"Ssshhh… It's okay… I understand you my love. Just remember I'll always love you no matter what…" Tomoe kissed Kenshin on the lips. Kenshin felt this chill in his lips. Well that's natural because Tomoe's dead. And the one who is kissing him was just a soul. Tomoe's soul vanished. Kenshin collapse in his feet and he is still in tears. The others don't know what to say. They were left into a stupor. Kaoru approaches Kenshin and hugs him.
THE END