STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY

            I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. If I did, I wouldn't have to right this fic at all!!! My darling Kenshin (and Sano and Soujirou and Saitou and shut up!!! okay ^_^) belongs to a wonderful, artistic tensai (ei, that's me!!! – Sakuragi (Slam Dunk not! Teme!!! Nobuhiro Watsuki. (Did I spell it right?)

A Memory Lost

Summary: Because of a disaster that happened, Kamiya Kaoru has amnesia and has wandered off in a faraway place, Osaka. Will she be able to regain her memory back or settle comfortably in her new life? KxOC but in the end KxK ^_^

Author's notes: I hope you all like this story. It's KxK so don't despair as someone, my own character will appear ^_^ Please r & r !!!


Chapter One: Dreams

            Thud, thud, thud. Stockinged feet could be heard padding across the halls. The door of a shoji opened, revealing a worn out man sitting in the middle of the room.             The boy, who was running towards this room, crept inside and quickly shut the door. He sat, waiting for the man to speak but the man did not move. After a few minutes the boy could not wait for the suspense any longer. He took and a deep breath and…

            "Oi, Kenshin!" Yahiko shouted.

            "ORO!" Kenshin exclaimed, falling headfirst on the floor.

            "Kenshin, what did you learn? Did you find her? Did you hear anything?" he asked excitedly, shaking the man back and forth.

            As Kenshin heard these questions, his eyes became dull and his face looked very forlorn.

            "Iie, Yahiko. Sessha did not find anything de gozaru. Sessha tried all her friends again and they told sessha the same answer. Sano wanted to search more but he was so tired even though he would not admit it so that I had to force him to stay in his place and rest." He paused, thinking what a failure he was. 'I should not have left Kaoru-dono alone. Baka! You promised her that you would protect her and see what you did? You're a failure! You're a –' He did not finish his thought as he heard Yahiko speaking.

            "Ne, Kenshin, you must be tired. If busu was here, she could have dragged you to bed," he said, standing up. "Don't worry Kenshin," he added, "as a Tokyo Samurai, I'll take care of the dojo in the meantime. I also have to practice. So sleep, k?" Inside he said, 'Kaoru, where are you?'

            "Arigatou Yahiko," Kenshin said, smiling. This was the pride of the Kamiya Kasshin style, but he could not be a full-fledged one without his master. Kenshin sighed as he fixed his futon and prepared to go to bed. It has been almost a year since Kaoru disappeared. The Kenshingumi minus Kaoru all thought that it was one of Kenshin' enemies but when no note, ransom or any of the kind arrived, they became very frightened indeed. Their friends, the Oniwabanshuu, sent their spies in Kyoto and Tokyo but no trace of Kaoru could be found. They also searched the whole of Japan, again with the same results; however, they could not search Osaka, though near to Kyoto because of the rivals of the Oniwabanshuu. They dismissed the thought that Kaoru could be there in Osaka since it was quite far from Tokyo so they did not send spies to find Kaoru there. They found people who looked exactly like Kaoru but it was not her. They were very exasperated. Kenshin, during the first few days of Kaoru's disappearance could not eat, but in the end he did because of Misao's urging. Yahiko kept on practicing his shinai determined not to break down in front of his friends, but at last, he cried as Megumi hugged him. Sano kept getting drunk and getting into fights. This was stopped when Yahiko gave him a lecture saying that they could not find Kaoru if they kept on acting like idiots and wasting their time when they should be looking for Kaoru. Yahiko, so young yet mature at the same time. This woke everyone up and they begun searching for Kaoru. Until this day there was no trace or news of her and her friends were getting hopeless.

            'Kaoru,' Kenshin thought, omitting the –dono. 'Kaoru, where are you?'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Osaka,

            "Miyuki-chan, can you get these in the market for me? They're for you , the children and the doctor," the elderly woman asked Miyuki, handing her a list of things to buy. "You can keep the change, my dear," the woman added smiling, showing the wrinkles on her face.

            Miyuki, the girl who was asked to do this task started to protest but as she saw the face of the woman, she sighed, defeated and smiled back and bowed, thanking the woman, her blue-black hair sliding gracefully at her back.

            "Arigatou, obaasan. This will really help us. We have everything, medicine, first aid but food in the clinic. Thank you also for teaching me how to cook. The children need food to grow, but I'm afraid that I'm not helping them," she said, wrinkling her nose, thinking about the food she first cooked that looked like grass and mud stuck together.

            The woman laughed. "Hahahaha, don't worry Miyuki-chan. You've done so much better. You can now find a husband. Hmmm…let's see, there's this man in-"

            "Ano…Obaasan, I have to go. I still have to buy these goods and cook for the children," she swiftly cut in, sweat dropping simultaneously. When Aya-san started to talk about matchmaking, no one can stop her from fulfilling her goal. Miyuki sighed as she waved her hands towards Aya. She felt so tired after another exhausting day at the clinic, helping Ooka-sensei cure the patients. She went to the clinic to check on the children.

            'Another day,' Miyuki thought, 'I wonder what the children are doing. Probably playing on the streets again. I warned them to be careful after Nanaho was almost hit by the carriage but they don't listen. Children.' She shook her head and smiled, thinking about the children's antics.

            "Miyuki-oneesan! Miyuki-oneesan"

            Miyuki turned around to see Shinji, Nanaho, Satomi and Yoko, running towards her. She stooped down and hugged the children as they run towards her.

            "Nee-chan," Yoko said, a girl of three years with brown eyes and hair. Her straight hair was in a ponytail, much like Miyuki's.

            "Nani, Yoko-chan?" Miyuki replied, looking concerned at the child in front of her. She noticed that her kimono was slightly disheveled. She looked at the other children and saw their clothes with the same results; however, Shinji's clothes were dirtier. She sighed inwardly, thinking about her laundry the next day. "What happened to all your clothes, Shin-chan?" she asked, addressing the older boy of seven years.

            "Ano…we were just playing when some boys my age started teasing Nanaho. I told them to stop or I'll tell their otousan's but they did not listen to me," he answered truthfully, his green eyes glistening. His knuckles were tightly closed, trying to fight the tears that would soon slid down his cheeks. He strengthened his resolve and continued. "They pushed Nanaho and Yoko and they took away Satomi's doll. They threw it and insulted me. I…I got mad. They rushed towards me and they started to attack me. Satomi, Nanaho and Yoko joined in but it did not last for a minute though because some people saw us and stopped the fight." The boy's head was bent down while he was talking. Finished with his story, he looked anxiously at his onee-chan, waiting for a scolding.

            Miyuki felt pity and anger towards Shinji and the boys who teased Nanaho. She wanted to wrap the boy in her arms while he was talking but she knew that it would hurt his pride. At a young age, Shinji and his twin sister, Nanaho were left alone when their parents died from a fire. They survived because they were playing at their friend's house. When they got back, all they saw were the ashes of their house and their parents. They did not know any living relatives so their doctor, Ooka-sensei, took them in.

            Miyuki looked at Shinji, then at the girls. She sighed. She could never get mad at these little ones. She smiled, her blue eyes, twinkling and opened her arms towards Shinji. Shinji looked at her questioningly, then at her open arms. He put his pride aside and went to her as she hugged him.

            "Shin-chan, don't ever fight again, okay? It would do no good because you will be just like those boys if you fight back," she whispered soothingly, as she heard the sobs of the child. "Demo, it's okay. You learnt your lesson, ne?" she asked. The boy's head nodded and his sobs died down. Miyuki looked at the other children and hugged them too. After a while, they all laughed, lightening the mood.

            Standing up, Miyuki dusted her kimono and took hold of the basket. "Let's go back to the clinic, ne? I'm sure Ooka-sensei would like you to help him in the clinic. Just don't mess up his things. I have to buy and cook food for us so we can eat, okay?"

            "Ne, Onee-chan?" Yoko said. "Are you going to cook tonight?"

            "Hai, Yoko-chan!" Miyuki answered gaily.

            "Will it be edible?" Nanaho's voice piped up, a teasing note audible. The children laughed, thinking about Miyuki's cooking.

            "Mou! You children. You don't like what I cook!!! Demo, I took lessons today, so I think your food will be edible," Miyuki said, slightly miffed. She didn't know why but when she first tried to cook, following directions from the recipe of the doctor, she got disastrous results. She gave up but then, Aya, a midwife at the age of 60, thought her how to cook and at last, she got some better results.

            Miyuki left the children in the care of the doctor and went to the market. She bought vegetables, tofu, chicken, and meat and got satisfying prices because of her sunny smile and cheerful disposition. Plus, it was near to noon and so the vegetables were slightly 'old.' She went back to the clinic and cooked the food wherein she got hesitant smiles from the diners. She took this as a sign that her cooking was improving.

That night…

            After tucking the young ones to sleep, Miyuki tried to get some herself but she couldn't. She sat up at the balcony, connecting from the room of the doctor. The house was slightly modern but it didn't destroy its image.

            She sighed.

            "Is there anything wrong, Miyuki-chan?" a voice called out in the darkness.

            Startled, Miyuki jumped but relaxed when she saw that it was the doctor. "It's nothing, Ooka-sensei. I just can't sleep that's all."

            "Are you afraid that you have those dreams again, young one?" he prodded gently.

            Miyuki shook her head. "No, it's not that. I just can't seem to remember anything."

            "Ahh…I see…" The doctor trailed off as he sat. "You were unconscious when I first saw you. You were in the docks and the sailors did not know what to do to you. The sailors saw me and they asked me to take you home. I protested but the sailors insisted, saying that someone has to take care of the children." He smiled, remembering the past.

            Miyuki stared in space, absorbing what the doctor told her. "What else, Ooka-sensei?" she asked, wanting to know more.

            "I gave up and I took you home. You were still unconscious till then. I saw that you had a few bruises and I tended them. When I got to your head, I saw a large bruise forming there. That was the result of your amnesia. After two days, you woke up and the rest, you know," he finished.

            When Miyuki woke up, she couldn't remember a thing. She tried hard to remember her name but all she could remember was being struck at the back by something hard. She didn't even know where she was when it happened. She looked around her surroundings and saw a beautiful countryside with lots of trees through the open window. She walked around the house/clinic and saw a peaceful koi garden. It had a stream running across it. She saw children playing and met the four children. She realized that no one was always there to tend to the children and so she agreed to stay with the doctor. Ooka Hajimoto was a professional doctor at the age of 60. He was already stooping and occasionally had an aching back. Over the year, he taught Miyuki the basic medicines and tending to the wounds and operations, hoping that she would, in time, take care of the clinic when he passed away. His wife died when she gave birth to his son but the baby died along with his wife.

            Miyuki yawned, sleepiness seeping in through her brain and body. Ooka noticed this and told her to go to bed.

            "Oyasumi nasai, Ooka-sensei."

            "Oyasumi, Yuki-chan."

            Laying down on her futon, Miyuki smiled. Ooka was a good and honest man and the children gave life to the clinic. She looked around her room and her eyes rested on her blue ribbon. Something about her ribbon tugged at her mind but she dismissed it. She slowly gave in to sleep.

            Sayonara…

            The riverside was beautiful. There were fireflies flying around. The moon casting a shadow on the road and the trees. A chilly breeze passed through. A beautiful yet sorrowful scene. A girl, with her long hair tied up in a ribbon was crying endlessly as the man with flaming red hair was speaking.

            "I have to go for the sake of Japan. I cannot possibly allow Shishio to take over Japan or the whole world…I have to go…" the man's tone was distressed as he spoke to the weeping woman. He suddenly hugged her; thanking her for giving him a home, for allowing him to stay. He broke off the embrace and turned around, walking rapidly. The woman opened her mouth to scream his name.

            "KE---"

            Miyuki gasped as she awoke from her dream She was sweating profusely and her heart ached for something she could not understand. She tried to remember the dream she had but she couldn't recall. All she could remember was a man with red hair. She felt sad, just thinking about the man in her dreams.

            'Who is he? Maybe he knows who I am. But where is he?' she asked herself. She looked out the window and saw that it was still nighttime. She went back to sleep.

Sakura-chan: So how was it? I forgot Kenshin's 'speech' when he left Kaoru so I just made up my own. Can anyone guess who Miyuki is??? Isn't it obvious???

Reader: Don't say it! Don't say it!!! You'll ruin it all!!!

Sakura-chan: *evil grin* It's…

*BONK!*      *KAPOW!!!*

Reader: *rubs her hand, taking off any residue* I told you to keep quiet!!!

Sakura-chan: *rubbing her head and hands* reader hit hands and head of Sakura-chan Haii…oohh, my aching head and my hands!!! How do you suppose I could write the next chapter!

Reader: *shrugs* Beats me, just don't spoil us!!!

REVIEW!!! Comments? Suggestions? Tell me!!!