Disc: standard applied

Fates and Destinies

It has been almost a month. Or has it been a month already? I am not sure, my time has been frozen since the day you were gone. So, it has been a month… the snow has been melted, and before I realize it, sakura would bloom anytime soon… And I would not be able to see it with you this year.

"Kaoru! What are you doing!"

"Ah… I am so sorry Okami-san, I did not mean to…"

"Oh, now what should we do? It was Katsura san's dinner! You supposed to be careful!"

"I-I am sorry…"

The dark eyed woman stood up from her seat, she opened the slide door and looked at the other two women with a slight worry in her beautiful face. There, in the corridor, was Kaoru stoo in front of an old lady who was the owner of the inn. Near to her feet there was a shattered dinner. The dark eyed woman guessed it supposed to be Katsura san's dinner. The younger girl's face looked pale while the older woman looked angry. She put her hands on her hips and she started to yelled again.

"I don't understand! Lately you're getting more and more sloppy than usual, Kaoru!" Okami san frowned and shook her head, "I don't know what your problem is but please focus when you're working! Now clean it up! I have to prepare the new one!" the old lady turned around and walk to the kitchen Leaving the now sobbing girl bent down and now collecting the shattered plate and food on the floor.

"Ouch…" The raven haired tomboy girl cried when the shattered plate she about to pick up cut her finger. She frowned and sucked her finger to stop the blood.

"Are you okay?" the other woman who had been watching this whole time walked and bent next to her. The older woman took the piece of the broken plate from Kaoru's hand and put it on to the wooden tray laying on the floor, "Go, take a rest and heal your wound, I'll take care of it."

"Eh?" her big blue orbs widened, "I … I can't, I…"

She gave her an assuring smile, "It's okay… you look pale, Kaoru-chan. You're in no condition for working, let me help you this time." She looked frowned in Kaoru's face so she added, "Please?"

Kaoru chewed her lower lip, but then she gave her a shy nod, "Thank you very much, Tomoe-san…"

Tomoe smiled.

I could not hate her. She is innocence. What have I done? What would I do? I do not want to hurt her but I could not avoid it, because over all in this world, I have chosen you. I do it for you. It will hurt her. It will but I have no choice. I hope you tell the gods, if they are really there, to ease her pain…

"I heard you make Okami-san angry last night?"

She nodded while continue to wash the clothes in the wooded basin, "Yes, I dropped the tray of Katsura san's dinner…."

The red haired teenager frowned, he leaned to the well, "You are too sloppy."

"I know…" she sulked, "You don't have to tell me."

She made a face that made the infamous man slayer couldn't hide his chuckle, "She yelled at you, didn't she?" he smiled imagining the old lady barking at the poor girl.

Kaoru nodded. She looked at the older boy for a moment before back to her work. Battousai was in an unusual good mood that morning. It had been quite some time since the last time he could spend some time with the younger girl, since the day where Tomoe asked him about his feeling for the tomboy, she seemed like drew a line from him. He was not quite sure why though.

Battousai enjoyed the comfortable silence as he watched the girl doing her daily task. He watched her swept the sweat on her forehead with her forehand and he frowned as he realized that one of her finger was bandaged.

"What's wrong with your finger?" his voice was harsh as he grasped her hand. He looked into her eyes. He scowled, clearly looked worried to her.

"Kenshin, it's just some papercut I got yesterday…" Kaoru looked away to hide her blush. She tried to pull her hand from him but he grasped her hand tighted, "Let go, Kenshin…"

"Doesn't it hurt? The soap water could hurt your wound!" Kenshin frowned, looking at the bandaged finger.

"It… It's okay, Kenshin…" Kaoru tried to pull away, their position was too close. She was afraid he could hear her heart beat at this rate, "It's bandage, the soap won't hurt me…"

"But…"

A feminine cough surprising both of them, using it as her only chance Kaoru pulled her hand away from Kenshin. Her face was burnt.

Kenshin looked at the pretty woman stood not too far from him and Kaoru. He narrowed his eyes, he could not feel her ki approaching before. Could it because he was too occupied with Kaoru, or it was true that he was getting dull?

"I'm sorry if I am interrupting something…." Tomoe stood elegantly.

Kaoru shook her head rapidly and laughed to hide her nervousness, "It.. It's okay… you don't interrupt anything… Me and Ken.. err Himura-san was just… err talking…."

Tomoe nodded, "So, is it okay if I borrow Himura for a moment, Kaoru chan?"

"S-sure…" Kaoru blushed, why should she asked for my permission?, "G-go ahead…"

"What is it?" Kenshin asked blatantly, he did not hide his scowled.

"Okami-san asked me to go to the market." Tomoe said with her stoic expression as usual, "And I have to take you with me."

"But it supposed to be my off day!" he complained, he almost never complained but he could see Katsura san from the second floor waving his hand teasing him with a big evil grin plastered on his handsome face. He knew this was Katsura's idea.

"Katsura san told me to take you with me."

Yes, he was right.

Kenshin gritted his teeth. He threw some killing glare to the older man on the second floor, "Fine. Let's go."

"Please be careful!" Kaoru waved cheerfully toward the couple as they walked away.

It was jealousy.

I should not be jealous. I know that, but the sight of two of them was somehow hurt me. It was weird, how could I feel this feeling? Now, on second thought, it was not a jealousy. I suppose to feel nothing. Nothing but hatred. Not even a slight jealousy.

Soon… everything shall be over soon.

Kaoru walked out of the kitchen when she heard some noisy from the main corridor. Somehow she had a bad feeling about it. Kaoru quickened her pace. Kenshin was not there tonight, he had another thing to do. Kaoru prayed as she practically flew to the main corridor. She hoped it was not about Kenshin.

"Oh, my God!" Kaoru became pale as she saw Fujitaka, one of the order member crawled on the floor. The samurai had been cut everywhere badly and covered by so much blood. Kaoru ran to the bleeding man and checked him, she gasped as she realized that he was losing his left arm, "What happened, Fujitaka-san? I thought you were in a meeting with the other…"

"Kat..sura… san…"

"Ah, Katsura-san is in the kitchen, he would go to the meeting in about five minutes… why…"

"I need to… talk to… Kat…"

"What's happened?"

The handsome black haired samurai ran toward them. He knelt in front of the younger samurai. He was frowning and his face went pale. Kaoru bit her bottom lip as Okami-san who walked behind Katsura san screamed.

"Oh Gods! What happened to you, Fujitaka-san?"

"Kat..sura… san…"

"Yes, tell me what happen!" Katsura looked at the younger man with slight panic look, "Where're the others?"

"…Am.. bush… we're ambushed… shinsen…gumi… The others… are killed…"

Fate and destiny is different.

God decides your fate, but your destiny is in your own hand. You could change your destiny but not your fate.

I don't know, about I have to kill him, is it a fate or destiny…

"Tomoe!" Okami san entered the room with a panic face, "Please help us! Prepare the hot water for Fujitaka-san!"

"What happened?" Asked the long haired woman.

"Hurry up! Fujitaka-san is dying!"

Tomoe nodded. She closed the diary in front of her and put it between her folded futon before then stood up and walked quickly to help Okami-san.

But, Himura…

That you killed Akira that day was a destiny. You should be able to avoid that. You could change that destiny to not kill him. You have choice. But you killed him anyway… The day you killed Akira, you have chosen your destiny…

And about I fall for you, it must be fate.

I could not do anything about it.

Author's note:

Thanks for reading (and reviewing). This chapter has been longer than usual. And yes, it took longer time for me to finish it too… I am sorry but I was quite busy lately.

It is a random topic but I have rewritten my other Rurouni Kenshin fic, Stereo. Not much revision, I just added some scene and fixed the lemon part. Please take a look at it if you have time. By the time you read this I am doing the third chapter of it, hopefully I could post it soon.

Now, thanks for all of you.

Recchinon: OUT