Only One
by
Trisana of Burns
AN: Just a little fic I whipped up because I'm feeling crappy right now. First Kenshin fic I've posted since March of 07. Nowthat I've got this written, I'm going to go write a happier story to make up for it.
He stood before his opponent, sword in one hand. Sweat plastered his coppery hair to his head and trickled with blood down his back. The other man lunged and the hero skipped out of the way. As soon as he steadied, his sword darted in and nicked the man's side, once, twice, then three times. The young hero's eyes flickered over to the young woman huddling in the corner, tears in her blue eyes and scratches on her arms.
His opponent followed his gaze and grinned wickedly. The hero reacted and raced the other man to where the woman sat, swinging at him. He pushed his legs as fast as they would go and struggled to gain ground on the other man. Just as the other readied his sword to run her through, the young man stepped between them and took the blade himself.
Blood flowed freely now from his abdomen as he raised his sword. The older man had no time to react as the blade struck him in the neck, knocking him unconscious instantly. When the man's body fell to the ground, the hero stumbled forward and fell to his knees. The woman scrambled to his side, her hands pulling her ribbon from her dark hair.
She pressed the fabric to his wound, hoping to staunch the flow of blood until the doctor arrived. "P-please," she cried, "don't leave me again." The man's violet eyes, so full of pain, met hers.
As he raised one hand to touch her cheek, he took a shaky breath and spoke. "I'll never leave you. You'll never be alone, even if I am not here in body I will be here in spirit." He coughed and blood stained his lips.
"Don't die on me, not when I've finally found you again! Stay with me, Kenshin. I love you!"
His smile was slight and the pain in his eyes receded a bit, only to be replaced with a stronger emotion. "I love you too, Kaoru-dono." His eyes drooped and his voice faded, though his smile never did. "Be… safe… Kaoru…" His eyes slid shut and his chest became still.
The cries that filled the air that night were overflowing with heart-breaking sorrow and pain. It was a pain that no one should know, the pain of losing a loved one. The young woman, Kamiya Kaoru, lived her life as full as she could. When asked about her life before, she would only respond with a sad smile and shake her head before changing the subject. When asked about marriage and love, she would respond with the same thing every time.
"My heart belongs to only one and the time will come when we are together and happy again."