Author's Note: Got this chapter out sooner than I thought I'd be able to. I was a little afraid it wouldn't come out like I hoped, but I think it actually turned out better than my original expectations. Goody…

Reviewer Responses:

Thanks to everyone who read…

Brittanie Love - Happy you like it! Thanks for reviewing.

Ange Noir - Tomoe will come eventually…I just haven't decided when and where…hmmm. Lol. I loved your review…made me laugh. Support group for fanfiction? Not a bad idea, actually. I've felt the same way about some of the other fanfictions out there. And if I don't update again before your birthday (hopefully I will) …Happy Birthday! Thanks bunches for reviewing.

chakitattyla2h8 - I'm glad you were finally able to review. Computers can be so finicky sometimes, huh! Maybe your theory about Kenshin and Tomoe's marriage is correct…we'll have to see. Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like it.

leiko47seta - I liked that dragon comparison as well…came up with that when I was revising the chapter for the second time. More characters will come. I mention another one in this chapter, but more don't appear until the next one. I just wanted to get these characters established first, then I'll bring in more. I'm glad you liked chapter. Thanks for dropping in again. It's great to see repeat reviewers.

cyjj - Here's the update. Thanks for reviewing!

erica6060 - Hello again! I liked that 'my girl' line as well. Very fun writing it. I'm happy you enjoyed chapter 3!

Bradybunch4529 - Wow. What a great review. You really know how to flatter a writer, huh? I'm very happy you liked my story this much so far. I hope you like this chapter as much as the previous ones. Thanks so much for reviewing…I appreciate it alot.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…I only own a pair of lime green tennis shoes that squeak when you walk…makes me sound like a spastic mouse. Sigh. Oh, well.

REVISED 3/1/11

Tendrils of Sunset

Chapter 4

"Twinkling Stars"

The water swirled around Kaoru like a suffocating blanket, dunking her and leaving her breathless. When Kaoru instinctively opened her mouth to breathe, water filled them, choking her. She clenched her eyes shut and closed her mouth, letting out a whimper muffled by the water.

For a second, she lost all thought to where she was - who she was - what the hell she was doing. It seemed as if she were floating in oblivion, unconscious to the surrounding world.

Abruptly, it rushed back to her, flooding her mind. Her eyes opened, and she was suddenly overwhelmed with the insane motions of the moving water. The resulting dizziness almost engulfed her . Kaoru snapped her arms out away from her sides, kicked her legs and tried to stretch her body to the surface.

That's when she looked up.

The stormy blue of the sky mocked her and the rolling water above her distorted the clouds, revealing them to be black masses of dripping demons. Bubbles escaped from her mouth, water once again filled her lungs. Her eyes burned with an intense fiery pain.

Oh, God, she had to get free of this imprisoning lake.

As if suddenly possessed by an avenging angel, adrenaline shocked through her body, and she began to propel herself up.

Almost.

Almost there.

Kick. Kick. Kick.

Vision dimming. Heart pounding. Ears aching from pressure.

Almost…

Almost!

And then…she surfaced. Gasping, choking, and shaking, she filled her starving lungs with air. But she wasn't out of danger yet.

Water pounded her, flying over her head in slashing waves almost dunking her under again. She panicked at the thought. If she went underneath the surface of the water again, she didn't think she'd make it out again.

Already, her muscles felt as of they were being stabbed by a thousand daggers. Salty tears blended with the lake water on her pale face. She sucked in a desperate breath and almost cried out at the hopelessness of the situation. She didn't know how long she'd last. The pounding, it seemed, went on for hours when reality it had probably been a few excruciatingly long minutes.

Despair wrapped her in its merciless embrace, clearing Kaoru of rational thought, and just when she felt herself start to slip beneath the surface once more, two arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her against a hard chest.

Although she couldn't see the person who held her tightly, sheltering her from the storm and relieving her body momentarily of physical and mental pressure, she knew in her heart it was him. It was Kenshin.

Willing herself to not fall into the grasping fingers of unconsciousness, she weakly helped him propel their bodies to the steady shore. Water hit them with a brutal force, causing Kenshin to grunt and tighten his grip on her. They moved slowly against the raging strength of the wind. When they had almost reached the shore, the tall police officer darted into the water to help pull them to safety.

Her feet dragged against the mud as she was pulled onto dry land. She moaned and slowly opened her eyes. They focused on the wet, worried face of her young cousin.

Safe.

She could see the relief in his eyes. She could feel the relief blooming within her constricted throat. With a thankful sigh, she let herself drift into unconciousness, relieving herself of the mind-numbing panic which had almost consumed her.


When she opened her eyes, they settled on a chestnut brown ceiling. She was home. Her blue eyes misted and fluttered shut for a moment as a shudder passed through her tired body. It felt so good to be home. She was wearing dry clothes and a warm wool blanket covered her. She basked happily in the warm shelter, content.

"Are you okay?" a hesitant voice to her left asked.

Kaoru's eyes snapped open and she rolled her head to the side. Yahiko sat on the edge of his chair beside the couch she rested on. His eyebrows were drawn together, his eyes roaming over her face, worry hidden poorly within their brown depths.

Her lips curved into a lazy smile.

"I'm fine," she croaked. Mentally, she groaned. She hated having a dry, scratchy throat. As if reading her mind, Yahiko passed a glass half-filled with water to her. Hours ago, this innocent looking liquid had been her mortal enemy, now it reverted back to a vital part of her existence. Ironic. Kaoru accepted the glass from him and struggled into a sitting position.

She took a couple sips of the tepid water, then handed the glass back to the boy.

"I'm fine," she repeated, reassuring the doubtful looking Yahiko.

With a now steady hand, she brushed the blanket away from her legs and settled her sock clad feet onto the cool laminate floor. She slowly lifted herself, stood, and gave the boy beside her a calming wink.

Reaching down, she plucked the blanket from the couch and wrapped it snuggly around her shoulders. Sighing contently at the warmth it provided, she quietly padded to the sliding glass door and slipped outside into the now sleepy night. The scent of rain lingered in the silent darkness.

Kaoru lowered herself onto the damp wood of the bench overlooking the reflecting ripples, mirroring the full moon's bright clarity. Her back relaxed against the hard wood while her fingers traced the coarse wool of the blanket.

She had been sitting on this very deck with Kenshin when he had announced his engagement. She had avoided this place for a while now because of that memory. But, now, she realized it's time she became acquainted with it once more. Lost in her thoughts, she stiffened slightly when the door behind her clicked and slid open. It closed softly.

Kenshin stepped next to her and sat down. His scent enveloped her, reminding her of past days filled with laughter and starry-eyed wishes. His warm presence embraced the brisk night.

He let out a breath of air and settled back comfortably beside her, stretching his legs out. Kaoru turned her head and let her eyes trace the painfully familiar planes of Kenshin's kind face.

His violet eyes were glued to the subtle twinkle of stars peeking through dissipating clouds. His mouth, though not smiling, hinted at amusement and hooded pleasure. Long red hair, pulled back from his face in its usual blue elastic hair-band, spilled over his right shoulder, overlapping his crossed arms resting on his chest. His eyes moved from the stars and slowly crept to her wide, blinking gaze. Their eyes locked and held. Violet studied blue. Blue studied violet.

It was the first time in years they had been alone on this deck, full of so many memories, watching the night sky. Kaoru's breath caught in her throat and her stomach curled nervously. It had always been like this; this feeling of unsettling adoration swelling within her heart. His eyes seemed to bore into her mind. Into her soul. Her heart thumped loudly.

How did he feel about seeing her, again?

As if he she'd expressed her thoughts aloud, Kenshin's mouth curved on one side, his head tilted. His breath brushed against her cheek from his close proximity as he said in his quiet voice, "Your time away has washed you of your commonsense, huh?"

Without waiting for her response, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. Shock paralyzed her body from doing anything except complying with his movements and resting her head against his warm collar bone.

Slowly, she relaxed against him, slipping one arm around his slim waist to clutch him to her. It had been a long time since they had sat like this. So long.

"You know better than that, hmmm?" he asked, his voice rumbling in his chest against her ear. She let out a soft laugh of ease.

"Oh, I know," Kaoru replied, a smile apparent in her voice. "I've just gotten rusty."

Her best friend sighed. "Am I going to have to teach you everything again?" he teased, pulling her loose hair away from the side of her face. She tilted her head up to where her eyes met his. She grinned.

"I guess."

Nothing had changed. Everything had changed. It was confusing, but not, at the same time. The only thing Kaoru knew of was that she had her best friend back. How he could so easily forgive her for her callous behavior, she'd never know. But, she thanked the heavens he could reach within himself and dodge the hurdles and obstacles she'd thrown his way in what she now considered childish distress. She realized, though, it was in his personality to forgive, rooted deep within his subconscious.

An intense itching to tease him plagued her. Kaoru smiled, pinched his arm causing him to jerk in surprise, and threw a playful insult at him that had always seemed to jerk a reaction from him, whether it was patient laughter or annoyed vengeance. Today, he was startled at first, his eyes wide, searching her giggling face. Then, he burst out laughing, rocking them back and forth in his merriment.

Kaoru sighed.

Everything was just fine.

Just fine.


The next morning, she slowly awakened to the honks of the geese outside the house. It varied every morning when they would start their ritual songs of morning fun. Kaoru pressed her face into the welcoming comfort of her pillow and moaned. It was too early.

Her alarm clock bleeped, the small penguin mechanically signaling the dawn of a new day. Kaoru slapped a hand from underneath the warm confines of her quilt and tapped the top of the penguin's head to halt his overenthusiastic welcome.

A thumping in the hall outside her closed bedroom door caused her sit up warily and rubbed a hand over her sleep hazed eyes. She blinked, focusing on the waving curtains, dancing to the beat of the soft breeze. The morning light peeked in through the window, brightening up the room and bathing it in a warm glow.

Kaoru threw back the covers and slipped from the bed reluctantly. She trudged across the wood floor and into the cheerful yellow bathroom, smelling of fresh flowers and perfumed shampoo. Daisies sat in a clear, yellow vase on the lip of the sink, greeting her with their welcoming presence. Kaoru smiled and slid a finger down a slim petal. It never failed to make her smile when she noticed nature within her surroundings.

Kaoru stripped down to her skin and stepped into the shower to jolt the remaining sleep from her system. She shuddered slightly as the lukewarm water ran down her skin.

Kenshin had sat with her for almost an hour before calling it a night and returning to his house across the water to make sure it still stood. Which of course it did. Her toes curled when she thought with wonder at how much she had missed being around him.

Five minutes later, she stepped from the shower, rejuvenated and clean for the coming day. She returned back to her bedroom to pull on some clothes comfortable for working outside around the island. She'd have quite a bit of work to do thanks to the storm. Leaving her room, she hurried down the stairs into the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee. These days she found it hard to maintain a fast speed of action without at least one cup of the hot caffeinated drink.

While in the process of turning on the coffee maker, Yahiko walked in, running a hand through his tangled hair. He gave a grunt of greeting to Kaoru, then reached within the refrigerator to pull out the carton of pulp free orange juice. He looked at the label and groaned.

"Come on, Kaoru. Why do you keep buying sissy orange juice? What's the point of drinking it without the pulp, huh?" he asked in a aggravated tone, shoving the rejected carton back into the refrigerator and hunting for a more agreeable juice.

"Sissy?" Kaoru repeated with a small frown and turned to her cousin as he pulled out a gallon of apple juice. A slight grimace graced his lips as he poured a small mount of it into a cup and gulped it down. "How is pulp free orange juice sissy?" Kaoru's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Orange juice with the pulp is just nasty. I shudder whenever I drink that stuff. Who wants to have chunks of stuff floating in their juice?"

Yahiko snorted. "I do."

Sano shuffled into the room, snatched a donut off the plate leftover from the previous day, then shuffled out again. The front door slammed.

Kaoru turned back to the coffee maker and mumbled to herself, "Someone's in a hurry this morning."

Yahiko leaned against the kitchen table and crumpled the now empty paper cup in his palm. He tossed it towards the trash can and frowned when it failed to land within its target. He was bending over to pick up the paper when Kaoru asked, "So when do you want to leave? Aren't you helping with the freshman orientation this week?"

None too pleased by the reminder, he nodded and gave Kaoru a sour look. "I don't see why though. It sucks to have to go back a few weeks earlier than you're supposed to."

Kaoru nodded and sighed with pleasure when the aroma of coffee drifted into the room. "I had to do it one year. Felt the same way."

Yahiko started toward the door leading to the outside, then turned to his guardian. "Uh, Kenshin's taking me today, so you don't have to, uh, drop me off."

Kaoru turned in surprise and lifted an eyebrow. "Kenshin?"

"Yeah. He's here right now. See?" Yahiko asked, pointing to the small rowboat docked on the shore close to the house. The red-haired man sat in it, and motioned for Yahiko to come on down. Yahiko opened the door, waved to Kaoru and darted down the many stairs to the waiting boat.

Kaoru stood in the doorway, at the top of the landing, and watched them push away from the shore. The bright morning shine of the sun blossomed and enveloped her. The water shone with cheerful ripples, lapping happily against the shore. A smile creased her lips when Kenshin turned and lifted a hand to wave back at her. She bit her bottom lip and raised her hand in response, waving it back and forth slowly in response.

When they had disappeared from her sight, she sighed and clasped her hands in front of her. Turning, she stepped inside to call her close friend, Misao. The door shut with a small click, the red curtain pulled upwards from the window, allowing the sun to enter the house.

What a beautiful morning.

So full of hope.


Author's Note: I'm delightfully pleased with the way this chapter turned out. I managed to get it all done in one night, and proof read by the next day to be posted. Faster than any chapter I've written so far. It's funny, but for some odd reason I've written every chapter of this particular story out by hand, then typed it up on the 'puter. It's a process I absolutely detest. But it seems to be working out well, I think.