In Memories Ko-To-Wa-Ri By: P.P.V.V.

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me, but the wonderful Watsuki. This is a standard Disclaim.

Summary: Wherein Kenshin begins to forget. And forgetting means death. Can he hold on long enough to see the one he loves? (K/K) A series of interwoven one-shots. Some memories are worth living for.

AN: Hello, all. I've gone off on a tangent from my usual works and writing style but I enjoyed the challenge. I hope you enjoy it, too. Here are a couple of notes to keep in mind before you begin reading.

1) This fanfiction will contain spoilers for Seisouhen.

2) It is made up of short, disjointed one-shots that all connect in one way or another.

3) There are vague indications of Japanese culture, but nothing that really warrants translation.

And finally 4) The title "In Memories: Ko-to-wa-ri" is from the Rurouni Kenshin Tsuiokuhen Original Theatrical Soundtrack. That said, please enjoy.

PROLOGUE

-In Memories-

There were words.

And snippets of colors and places.

But mostly words.

Home.

Home was the word that came to mind most often. But just as quickly as it came, it would leave, brushing his mind in a teasing, almost malicious manner. It filled his heart, and left it void. It kept him sane, yet drove him to depression.

Oh, how he wanted to go home!

…What was the meaning of the word again?

In confusion, the man turned his eyes out over the water, not caring that there was a slight chilling bite to the air. The cries of birds circling the beach just beyond the shack he'd holed himself in filled the air, making his ears ring and his head throb.

The pain seemed to travel from there, down his throat, to his limbs, burning and stabbing and…and…

He coughed, his breath wheezing, hacking, squeezing his lungs as he tried to gather more air but struggled to. His hand caught onto the windowsill, the only thing that kept him upright as he succumbed to his weakness and his small body trembled with the effort of fighting back.

When he was able to gather enough bearing, he realized that there was a foul smell in the air: rotten fish and rotten flesh. But soon, even that thought flew from his mind, as though it wasn't important. As though it never existed.

There was something calming about the ocean, so he satisfied himself with looking out over the horizon, knowing something beyond it was out of reach.

Something beyond it was important.

For what seemed like an eternity, he stared.

Eventually, the sun set, casting a fiery glow to the sky and in return, the ocean reflected it, bathing him in orange and violet and red.

Red.

That was the color of his hair, he remembered. It had fallen loose from the string that usually held it back. Long thin strands made the back of his neck itch and hung lazily by his bandage-wrapped chest. They picked up with the sudden wind that gusted in so that they tickled his face. Absently, he brought a hand up to swipe them aside.

As the day reluctantly gave way to night, the man distinctly felt fatigue dig itself into his skin. He turned to go to his pallet, a motion that his body had come to memorize.

Your name...

The thought came to him, unbidden. Blinking his eyes, he tried to grasp that thread of mental stability. He breathed a deep, rattling sigh as he rose to the challenge of piecing it together with other words despite how weary he felt.

What is your name?

That command made his determination falter.

He was so tired of trying to make sense of things! He wanted to surrender, to give up. Why on earth was he continuing to torture himself like this?

An innate stubbornness narrowed amber-coloured eyes and screamed angrily at him.

No.

No, try to remember.

Tears of frustration sprung forth and he was unable to stop them from falling down his cheeks.

Just one word.

What word was it?

Fingers buried themselves into his hair as he summoned every ounce of energy into trying to remember it.

In his mind's eye, he saw a face, with eyes as hard as stones and as intense as a wild beast's. Familiar and terrifying, it made his heart pound when it frowned in disapproval. It opened its mouth to speak just as he won the battle over his tongue which tripped over itself with his revelation.

"K..."

The sound of his voice sounded foreign. He forced himself to concentrate.

My name...

"K...Ke..."

My name is...

"Kenshin."

To Be Continued...

AN: Thank you for taking the time to read this and giving it a chance. Please review and let me know your thoughts. Until the next chapter,

-P.P.V.V.