The Unseen
I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or the following quote(and also I dont own any songs that may appear in this fanfic) Both belong to their rightful owners.
l ~*~*~~*~* ~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ l
"All men whilst they are awake are in one common world: ~*~ but each of them, when he is asleep, is in a world of his own." ~*~
-Plutarch
l ~*~*~~*~* ~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ l
XXX
Hello everyone :D Thanks for the reviews again! I greatly appreciate it :)
indielokimin: i laugh alittle myself when i imagine him playing basketball xD It was the only sport I knew most about. I was originally going to make him run track, but I didnt know barely anything about track Oo So I went with the next best thing: basketball ^^ Oh my, I just now noticed I misspelled that lol thank you for letting me know :) Yes, indeed the dorms are co-ed :) Im happy you asked ^_^
On with the story!
XXX
Chapter 7
Haunting Memories
XXX
He gave a great groan before falling backwards onto the matress, violet eyes dull with exhaustion. He placed his hands over his face. Today had been an awkward, tiring day. Kenshin removed his hands to stare up at the lavender ceiling. He was just glad that the day was almost through; the sun was beginning to set outside, casting shadows over his side of the bedroom through the window. And though he enjoyed the light of day rather than the black of night, Kenshin felt somewhat glad that it was going to be nightfall in a few more hours. After the days inccident with Heather in the bathroom...
He shook himself begrudgidly.
Already, he was feeling the heat rushing into his face at the slightest thought of it that trickled into his mind. It had been so humiliating, Kenshin had kept his distance from his roomate for the remainder of the evening. He wasn't prepared to face her just yet at the fear of what she would say -or worse- what she'd think.
Absentmindedly, Kenshin glanced at the digital clock sitting on the midnight blue nightstand by his bedside. The neon numbers luminated the time: 7:59 P.M. Only a minute longer, he thought, sitting upright and staring intently at the clock. The seconds ticked by and the sun continually moved lower on the horizon. Finally, the clock's time changed and glowed a satisfying time to Kenshin's eyes. It was officially eight o'clock at night, and now the sun had fully vanished, replaced by a pale faced moon and a darkening sky.
Kenshin sighed with relief. He sank back into the comfortable bed and started to indulge himself in some soothing memories. Within moments, the tired red head had fallen asleep.
The fall of pure white winter snow glittered around upon the ground of the park. All around, the trees were coldly bare and the sky was charcoal gray. A soft silhottete touched the snow as a couple strolled past. They held eachother, hand in hand, smiling and talking almost in whispers.
"It's beautiful today, isn't it?" asked the man staring at his girlfriend for a response. The woman simply swept her eyes over the sky and back to the ground, shrugging. "I guess so," was her quiet reply. His eyes searched her face for an answer; sadly, none showed through those emotionless scarlet eyes, and her expression was solemn and cold.
An idea sparked into his mind. "Tomoe?"
Tomoe turned to him. "What?"
Smiling, he dragged her off of the park's path and into the freezing snow. She yelped with surprise and free'd her hand from his grip. "Kenshin, where on earth are you taking me?" She stood, glaring at him indignantly.
Kenshin meerly moved toward her, grabbing her hand and saying, "I'm taking you to have some fun." He held her hands firmly in his own and went on. "I figured we'd go see the frozen lake where the ducks always wad in during the summer times. It is an absolutely stunning sight."
Then, Tomoe's glare softened and she smiled. "Alright then," she agreed, allowing for him to hold her hand. "Lead the way."
Together, Kenshin showed Tomoe the quickest way to the lake, helping her cross over long jumps and over frozen ground. At last, the clearing below came into view and the reflective icey surface of the lake shined brilliantly though no sun shone. Kenshin eased Tomoe to his side and they both gazed down at the breathtaking sight in silence.
She pressed close to his chest. The warmth of her body against his made Kenshin feel tingly all over. He wanted this moment to last forever. He longed to kiss her right there to complete the dazzling scenary. Just when Kenshin faced Tomoe and leaned toward her lips, her excited murmur stopped him from kissing her. "Let's go down there."
Kenshin stared at her blankly. "Excuse me?"
"Come on, Kenshin. It'll be even better to look at it from below, don't you think?"
He hesitated. 'Should I really let her drag me into one of her schemes again?' he asked himself. Kenshin thought of all the times Tomoe had talked him into doing many things he would never be caught doing. Such things as drinking achohol when they were still in high school, making him drive to the malls to go shopping for clothes, forcing him to try on half of the clothes she had picked out, and the list could go on forever. He wasn't sure half the things she made him do were even legal.
Kenshin, nevertheless, was persuaded by the provocative spark in her eye. Cursing himself inwardly, Kenshin smiled back at her and replied, "Alright then. What will it hurt?"
'But it hurt the both of us in the end,' thought Kenshin, gripping his blanket in his clenched hands. 'It scarred me mentally, and it killed her physically. It was all my fault. I was the one to blame for her death...'
Suddenly, Kenshin started to awaken, dreaded by his dreams far too much to continue sleeping. When he awoke, darkness cloaked the bedroom not counting the open door shredding light through its' crack. Drowsily, he peeked over at the clock which read - to his disappointment- 9:24 P.M.
Kenshin grimaced and laid back in bed. The dream replayed in his mind, torchering every fiber of his being. I can't believe the nightmares are returning again... Why now? After so long, I thought they would be gone from my mind. Why are they returning so suddenly?
A vibration buzzed noisily from the nightstand. Kenshin sprawled over, recovered his gray cellphone and flipped it open with his thumb. He pressed it to his ear and said, "Hello?"
"Good morning Sleeping Beauty!"
Kenshin cocked his head. "Oro? Sano, is that you?"
"Who else did ya think?"
Yes, it's definately Sano. "Why are you calling so late in the night?" Kenshin grunted as he sat up in a sitting position against the head of his bed. "Do you not realize the time?"
"Duh! Of course I know what the time is, baka. It ain't that late anyway..." The last part of Sanosuke's sentence was lowly uttered, but Kenshin still heard every word and frowned. "Well, then, would you mind telling this one why you've called?" Before I beat you mercilessly with my sakabatou for disturbing me...?
"I was wonderin' if you wanted to hang out tonight?"
"Oro?" Kenshin blinked twice.
"Yeah, you know, have some guy time away from the girls for the night. Whatdya say?"
"Well Sano, I'm not sure..." Kenshin trailed off.
"Geez man, do you have to act like such a 'Mr. Goody-two-shoes' all the time?" remarked Sanosuke with a hint of mockery.
Kenshin's eyes slitted; they flashed amber. Goody-two-shoes...? I'll show him...
"Alright then, Sano." Kenshin staightened up in bed. "I'll meet you tonight afterall. Let me know the time you want to meet up and we'll go have some guy time as you say."
"How about now at my dorm?"
"Sounds like a plan."
" 'Kay then. See ya in a few."
"Goodbye."
Kenshin shut his cellphone with a single flick of the index finger. Accending from the bed, he strode over to the dresser and dug out a plain magenta shirt with faded gray jeans, slipping them on cleanly in a heartbeat. Kenshin left the bedroom and made his way to the door.
"Where are you heading off to?" The sudden voice behind caused the man to fall backwards with an exclaimation of "ORO!" Kenshin looked upwards from his position on the floor to see Heather erupted in laughter. His nerves settled in heartbeats and he got up. "I love when you do that, Onii-chan!" she howled, wiping the escaping tears from her eyes. "Whoo." Her laughter was dying away as she repeated her question.
Kenshin gulped nervously.
Normally he would feel alright with letting Heather in on where he'd go. Nonethless, he didn't find this to be one of those occasions tonight. He had two choices: either lie or be honest. When the choices were narrowed down, Kenshin felt entirly ashamed at the outcome. "I'm going to see Miss Kamiya, that I am," he replied, appearing innocent and not allowing for his eyes to betray any sense of dishonesty.
A twinkle shined in Heather's blue eyes, and for some reason, it made Kenshin feel akward and slightly nervous. "Oooh! Your seeing Kaoru?" He nodded slowly. She grinned. "Let her know I said hi. Wow, how long has it been since you two last visited eachother?"
Kenshin was caught off guard by the question. How long had it been? A couple days? Weeks perhaps? He had no clue. That made his heart sink in guilt. Have I been diliberately avoiding her? The nightmares must be taking their toll on me more than I thought. He turned on his heels, opening the door with his head hung low, his eyes hidden by his overhanging bangs. "It's been quite a while I suppose," said Kenshin. With that, he shut the door behind himself.
XXX
"Help yourself to a beer man." Sanosuke tossed a cold can Kenshin's way and the red head caught it with expertise. He sat it down on the coffee table and watched Sanosuke emerge from the kitchen and sit down on the sofa. Once everything was situated amongst themselves, Kenshin started the confersation. "So I've noticed your quite the talented one at basketball. How long have you been playing for?"
"Man, it's been a while I can tell you that," replied Sanosuke. He leaned back. "I've played basketball since eighth grade in middle school. My dad always told me how extrodinarily talented I was at the sport and encouraged me to keep playing." He breathed a sigh, seeming to be reminincing a bit about some past memories left unspoken. "He was there when I needed him - my dad, I mean. Even when he was busy with his job as a track coach, he always seemed to somehow find the time to spend with me. I just wish..." He trailed off, letting the sentence hang loosely as a clouded look befell his face. Kenshin caught the man's drift even without Sanosuke stating it aloud.
He must be wishing his father was here. His father must've passed on a while ago. He felt his throat constrict. Kenshin knew what it felt like to lose someone close. It was a gut-wrenching feeling. A feeling of which Kenshin never liked to think too often about. But seeing the sad expression on his friend's face made him remember Tomoe. Death had taken her so quickly; she was so young back then. Why does death make the living suffer? Kenshin wondered. If death was truly this horrible fate everyone would meet one day, why did it take such a rough toll on the deceased victim's loved ones? Could death truly be so cruel? He knew better than to ask himself that. Death was the bitter reality that took Tomoe from him without hesitation. Death was the number one cause of all his grief. Death played an active role in his life, now until the end.
Kenshin held back tears which threatened to arouse in his violet eyes. He turned away to avoid Sanosuke seeing his face. He murmured, "I'm sorry to hear that, Sanosuke. Your father must have been a great man..." Sanosuke arched a brown brow. He was beginning to wonder what was changing Kenshin's mood so abruptly. He shrugged it off. Maybe it's all this talk about my dad that's bringing him down? He took a quick glance at the red head, seeing that the man's back was turned to him and his head was hung low. No-that's not it. If that isn't the case, then what's up with Kenshin?
"He was pretty great," Sanosuke agreed, looking away from Kenshin. He smirked. "But, you know my old man's still alive, right?" Kenshin threw his head back. His eyes were close to falling out if his head whereas his jaw looked like it'd hit the floor. "WHAT? YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOUR FATHER IS STILL ALIVE?" Sanosuke erupted into laughter at Kenshin's comical shock.
Kenshin blushed slightly.
"Well, yeah. Of course he's alive, baka! Whatdya think he was: dead?"
Kenshin glared. "Yes, that's exactly what this one thought." He folded his arms over his chest. "The way you were speaking of him gave me the notion he was deceased, indeed it did." Sanosuke was enjoying the look of embarrassment on his friend's face. He tried to suppress his laughter due to the fact it wouldn't help cease Kenshin's humiliation but he could hardly contain it any longer and was soon wrapping his arms around his stomach, laughing so hard it made it feel as though his sides would split. That only caused Kenshin's face to turn redder.
With his face as red as his own hair, Kenshin turned his back angrily to his friend. Sano, I swear..sometimes this one can never understand you, that I most certainly cannot! Sanosuke smiled and placed a hand reassuringly on Kenshin's shoulder. "Hey," he said cheerfully, in hopes of easing the tension between them. "Come on man, I didn't mean to laugh. It kinda just slipped out unexpectantly. I really didn't mean anything by it; honest."
It took long silent moments before Kenshin gathered the nerve to face Sanosuke again. He tried to appear as though he had accepted the apology, but nevertheless, deep in the recesses of his mind, he did not keep that forgiveness intact. He spoke with a calm sereneness in his tone, low and almost in a whisper: "Fine Sano. I believe your claim...and I forgive you."
Kenshin watched the look of relief wash over Sanosuke's face. His violet eyes lightened a teenie bit and he could no longer call his forced smile a fraud. The two friends laughed at themselves afterwards, the anticipated tension ebbing away within heartbeats and being replaced by a happy-filled atmosphere.
And as calmness swept through the dorm, Sanosuke started a new confersation this time. Kenshin payed close attention to what his friend was saying.
"I've been kinda curious about this since the day we met," said Sanosuke. "With a guy like you, your bound to have had at least one girlfriend in your life...so what I'm asking is," and he looked Kenshin in the eye, "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"
It caught the red head completely off guard. His heart lurched in his chest immediatly. His mouth grew instantly dry. His violet eyes darkened, glossily shining in the dim lamp light of the main room. Kenshin shifted his eyes away from Sanosuke, afraid the man would see the weakness he was feeling and the secret he was concealing. "I had a girlfriend," he murmured quietly. His eyes were shrouded by his ginger bangs. "But she was the only one.."
Sanosuke was puzzled by his friends odd change of behavior. He scratched his head. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, did you two break up or something?"
Kenshin shook his head slowly.
Sanosuke grew silent. Now he was starting to get concerned. He watched with great intent the red head start to tremble and sway unnaturally left to right. Before Sanosuke could ask Kenshin if he was okay, Kenshin had thumped to the floor of the dorm, curling into a fetal position, his entire body shaking, his eyes tightened shut and wailing in agonizing pain.
Sanosuke lunged forward. "Kenshin!" he exclaimed, daring to touch the student on the arm. Kenshin wrenched his arm away from Sanosuke's grip, cold beads of sweat rolling down his face. "Leave me alone!"Kenshin cried out. Sanosuke stared down at his friend with fear. "Kenshin, you gotta snap out of it! Kenshin!"
His efforts only proved to be doing worse for the poor red head. While Sanosuke tried, to no avail, to calm him down, Kenshin had long left reality and was wandering in a supernatural world all his own... a world to which seemed to be no escape from the darkness that started consuming Kenshin from the inside since the day Tomoe died.
XXX
Sorry for taking so long to update my friends! A thousand apologies for the late update on the chapter! School got in the way of things as did real life, so I wasnt able to update for a while ^^'' I surely hope you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless :) Thanks for reading! Dont forget to review :) Until next chapter, farewell!
Special thanks goes to my wonderful readers and reviewers :) You guys are the reason why I write and I thank you all for that deeply ^^
Until next chapter, farewell!
-MrFoshizzleProTheWanderor