A mini-chapter to tide you guys over while I rewrite the other chapters.

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Kaoru thinks about Tomoe while waiting for Kenshin. Kaoru was old. Older than Tomoe, and far older than any other that still walked the earth. The earth had been dark at that time, except the constant lava flows. She had been alone in the world for a very long time, and she had her body had begun to glow as she aged. By the time there had been others walking the earth with her, the light coming from her was so bright that none could bear to look upon her.

So she secluded herself on a mountaintop and contented herself with watching the colors below. As the others that walked the earth had come into being, she had watched to learn their behaviors. Humans, gods, and demons were the three groups that continued to exist in an almost symbiotic relationship. Gods would emit light and the humans would flock to them for the chance to be in the light.

However, the gods were nothing like Kaoru. They could turn off their light. They had to turn off their light or they disintegrated from the effort to keep the light. So they appeared to make deals with demons. The gods would provide light, humans would grow food, and demons would protect them from what lurked in the dark when the light went out.

The largest settlement was at the base of her mountain. Her light was so bright that they never experienced the dark once they entered her realm. She would watch them through pools of water, and was delighted with what she saw. All three groups were living in harmony even with the balance skewed by her light. Watching the other groups had mixed results.

Sometimes there was peace. Other times gods proclaimed themselves superior and grouped together to keep constant light. Sometimes humans did it as well with light created from fires. She even saw raiding parties of demons stealing from others. There is a type of balance that existed in the world, she realized.

Eventually, she realized something else. If she is light, then there must be a darkness that matches her. So, she waited. For so many years, she waited for the darkness to find her. Her other half. Her… sister. The idea of a sister resonated with her core. Kaoru's light felt like it was burning her from the inside out by the time her sister had come.

Darkness came in the form of a woman with white skin, black eyes, and even darker hair. "I've come to seek permission to stay in your realm." Kaoru had nearly fallen over when she realized the woman was looking at her light. The woman was able to look at her. "Yes sister, you can stay. Yes a thousand times."

She hadn't been able to stop herself from hugging the woman. Kaoru hadn't known what the colors meant, but even she could understand that it was surprise on her sister's face. Her sister stayed with her for a long time. She seemed content to be near Kaoru, and didn't speak much or show a lot of interest in the pools that fascinated Kaoru. "Ryōmen." She whispered to Kaoru.

"Ryōmen?" For the first time, her sister had a faint smile. "Us. Sisters. We are Ryōmen." So clearly now, Kaoru remembered the elation that rose within her. "Yes, sister. We are Ryōmen now."

She sighs and leans against a tree. Still, she waits for Kenshin but she can't stop herself from thinking about the past. Kaoru had been able to forget the pain of her light tearing her apart for a little while, but she wanted more time with her sister. She had a thought of making lights in the sky instead so that there was no longer a need for lights. It would give her more time and have the added benefit of providing light so others no longer needed to strain themselves trying to provide eternal light.

Her sister was on board almost immediately. In retrospect, Kaoru isn't sure she understood what was going to happen. After they woke up, Kaoru had wandered the earth for what felt like just a short while looking to see if what they had done had positive effects in the world. When she came back home, her sister had moved on to love a human man. "I love Akira, Kaoru. We will still see each other sometimes."

Sometimes had turned into months. Months turned into years, and then one day… One day she heard her sister refer to herself as Tomoe. "I have no sister. I am no longer Ryōmen." That's what Kaoru had told them before she left. Later she found out her sister became the Queen of the Underworld. A cruel queen with hate in her heart. Tears slip through Kaoru's closed eyes. She regrets.