Chapter 21 is here!
Chapter 21: Love, Pain, and Longing
Darkness was all around her.
To her it seems that the shifting shadows were living creatures, they threaten to suffocate her.
She walked, but her transparent feet did not touch the grey ground.
Where am I? The question was uttered in silence.
And as expected, only silence answered.
Fear crept upon her, no not fear, apprehension.
She was not alone.
From where she stood, she could see a shadow, it was different from the other shadows that surrounded her, it was solid, and it was the form of a person.
Her mouth opened, shouting a name, but the name was swallowed by the darkness.
She felt the shadow tense and slowly he began to turn.
But she was not able to see him.
She was engulfed by light.
Sapphire eyes snapped open in the darkness of the hut.
For several moments Kaoru lied still on her futon, staring at the ceiling.
It was a dream
A different dream from what she usually experienced.
Usually her dark dreams were filled with the sense of fear and despair. But this time instead of the fear and sadness...
She felt longing
Kaoru raised her hand and touched her cheek.
It was wet.
And even as she tried to wipe the tears more kept flickering at the corner of her eyes.
Kaoru closed her eyes in helplessness as more silent tears escaped her eyes.
This dream is different...
This shadow person was part of her past, of this she was certain.
And she wept silently because she missed that person so much.
Sano stretched and yawned loudly as he strolled in the woods.
"Stop it, Sano," Kaoru chided for the hundredth time, as she walked beside him, "I know how much you want to sleep, but it's our turn today."
"I just can't understand why we have to patrol so early in the morning," Sano complained, stifling another yawn, "the sun has just started to rise."
"It's our duty to protect everyone, we can't risk any of the royal guards coming very close to out forest."
"Oh, Jou-chan, we are in the middle of nowhere, our location can't be discovered that easily."
"Still," Kaoru argued as her blue eyes darted around, "we have to be cautious, we haven't come this far with being otherwise."
Sano grunted and stuffed his hands into his pockets as they resumed their patrol in silence.
They walked thus for several moments, before both suddenly stopped.
Distant sounds were heard.
"What was this?" Kaoru jerked her head to the north, at the same time Sano did.
They were both silent for a while, straining to hear something.
"Clash of swords," Sano muttered, "the sound of a battle."
"This way!" Kaoru began to run in the direction of the sound.
It did take her long to reach a small clearing where a group of men were fighting.
Falcons
Yumi's men
And they were fighting one man.
Kaoru saw a red haired man moving among the men like lightening.
He is good. This was the first thought that crossed Kaoru's mind because where this man struck, his opponents fell dead in a heap.
But he was outnumbered. Kaoru could see a bleeding cut across his thigh.
"Sano, we have to help him," Kaoru said before she unsheathed her sword and ran toward the battle.
"Jou-chan, no!" Sano cursed and followed her.
The men turned to look at the newcomers.
"The girl," one falcon said.
"The midnight child!" another shouted, "quick! Some of us has to report this."
As Kaoru ran, she saw two of the falcons move the other direction. She had no doubt that they were going to report their whereabouts to Yumi, which made Kaoru wonder how those men had come so near the quarters in the first place.
"I will deal with them," Sano said before he ran after the two men.
Kaoru went to where the red head man was still fighting. She saw him pause as if surprised, his golden eyes never leaving her.
Golden eyes? Kaoru wondered about the colour of his eyes. They were blazing.
"Capture her!" one falcon said before a small group whirled to face her.
Kaoru fought them with her sword; she hated to use her fire. The screams those fires elicited always hunt her at night, therefore, she slashed and thrust, killing with her hands.
Kenshin fought like a man possessed.
Kaoru
She was here.
Kaoru
He had finally found her. And this time he would not let her go.
He just had to kill those men.
Kenshin recalled how he was ambushed by those falcons. He had been roaming the forests of the falcon kingdom for days now. He had felt their presence throughout all those days, sneaking behind them. The thought that they must have been sent by Yumi had not eluded Kenshin.
She wants to find Kaoru too.
And he had no doubt that they were ordered to kill him once he had found her.
But Kenshin had no intentions of letting them harm his mate.
He saw her fight, and marvelled at her skills. She had gotten better, of that he was certain. But they were outnumbered. Kenshin had to eliminate them.
Kenshin fought his way to where Kaoru was fighting. Three men circled her, it was obvious that they were ordered to capture her, not kill her.
A falcon intercepted Kenshin, not wanting him to reach Kaoru. Kenshin hands rose and, with an angry cry, slashed his sword across the falcon's throat. The enemy fell to the ground with a thud.
Kenshin glance at Kaoru, and saw that two of the three surrounding her were watching him warily.
This was what Kenshin was waiting for.
"Die!" he ordered and his eyes flashed golden. Those same eyes watched with impassiveness as the two falcons committed suicide.
A glance toward Kaoru told him that she wasn't as impassive; her eyes were wide as she looked from the fallen bodies to him.
She did not see the two falcons with a crossbow behind her.
"No! Behind you!" his legs carried him towards her as the same time one of the falcons fired his bolt. Kenshin saw Kaoru make a motion with her hand and the arrow wavered in its path. But there was no time to divert the other bolt.
Kenshin reached her at the same time the bolt was inches away from her body and he pushed her out of the way.
A great pain exploded in his chest.
Then his knees gave out and he fell down. Kenshin glanced down, seeing an arrow protruding from his chest, missing his heart marginally.
A movement made him turn his head up and he saw Kaoru standing defensively before him, her back to him. He saw as the remaining five falcons closed in around her.
She can't win...
I have to protect her...
"I am sorry," Kenshin heard Kaoru whisper. For a moment he wondered who she was apologizing to, but then the first scream sounded followed by another and another until they mingled together. And as Kenshin watched he saw the reasons for their screams.
Black fire
It consumed them within few minutes until nothing remained.
Amber eyes turned to Kaoru. She stood still, watching, and Kenshin thought he saw sadness in her eyes. Pain began to radiate across his chest and he fell on his side before he saw nothing.
I have finally found you...
Kaoru...
"We will not leave him."
Kaoru knelt by the injured man, his head cradled on her lap. He was unconscious and very pale, but, to her relief, still breathing.
He had almost died because of her.
"Jou-chan, for the hundredth time," Sano was angry, "we can't take him to our quarters, we can't trust him."
"He risked his life to save me," Kaoru said between clenched teeth.
"It might have been a show for all we know, he might be one of Yumi's men, he might open a portal in our quarters..."
"Most of those men perished at his hands!" Kaoru retorted, "he can't be one of them."
"Jou-chan..."
"No, Sano, I will not hear anymore, I'm not leaving him here to die, if we do that then we are no better than whom we fight." her blue eyes stared directly into Sano's, who saw in them stubbornness and strength, Sano knew that she would not budge.
With a curse he consented to her mad idea and bent to help carry the injured man.
Kenshin thought he was dreaming. He could hear distant voices whispering. If he wasn't injured he would have heard their words clearly, but now only fragments of the conversation carried from the other room.
"...it's madness..."
"We can't trust him..."
"He risked his life..."
Hearing that voice forced him to open his eyes.
Kaoru
He found her. He finally had. But she did not know him.
Pain twisted his heart, his mate did not recognise him; to her he was just another man.
This thought hurt him more than the wound on his chest.
Kaoru...
His eyes began to close, as her voice drifted to his ears again.
"He is not going anywhere, I will not allow it."
The next time he opened his eyes, she was there beside him.
He saw her gentle smile, and the way her eyes sparkle when they met his.
"Megumi-san!" she called, "come quick, he's aw-"
He words were suddenly interrupted and she tensed. Her eyes flickered to him for a moment before she clutched her head in her hands.
Kenshin's eyes widened and he began to rise; he wanted to reach for her, to be at her side. But another woman was suddenly there, kneeling beside Kaoru, who shook her head frantically.
"Kaoru-chan!" the older woman said, "What's wrong?"
"My head..." Kaoru whispered, "I feel...someone in my head..."
Confusion dominated the older woman's feature at the same time understanding dawned on Kenshin.
Their bond
Kaoru was feeling his emotions through their bond and she did not understand what they meant.
Immediately he blocked the bond. He had not done that for nearly two years, but now he had to do it, to spare her.
He saw her tense and slowly she brought her hands down, and her eyes met his.
"I'm sorry," she said in confusion, "I don't know what's wrong with me." She was apologising to him and to the other woman.
"What did you feel?" Megumi enquired, "did you sense any magic?"
Kaoru shook her head. "I felt hurt...and sad suddenly...it's as if..." Kaoru stopped talking and averted her gaze, "I'm sorry," she said again as she rose to her feet, "I need to be alone, please Megumi-san, take care of his wound." With that she walked out of the room.
Kenshin's amber eyes followed her until she was out of the room. He had found her finally, it felt as if he was living one of his dreams.
A bittersweet dream.
For the last two years he had always dreamed about the moment he finally met her, imagined how he would take her in his arms and kiss her deeply but gently, he dreamed about her forgiveness, her love.
In his dreams he did not imagine that she would not know him.
"Please excuse our Kaoru-chan," Kenshin's was drawn out of his thoughts by the other woman's voice.
"My name is Megumi," she continued as she removed some of her medical equipments from a small chest, "and I'm a physician."
Kenshin only nodded. He wasn't interested in all this, he wanted to go after Kaoru, to hold her and tell her the truth.
"You wound is not dangerous," Megumi was saying as she lowered the sheet that covered him. "But you suffered from blood loss." She began to undo the bandage that had been placed last night.
Kenshin remained silent throughout her examination. His wound was dangerous, but it had healed to a small extend since yesterday. Pain was felt as the woman exerted some pressure on the wound, but Kenshin's face did not betray what he felt. This wound should have healed completely by now, but no, it still throbbed with pain. The reason for this was known to Kenshin.
He had not fed for a long time.
Yes he had sustained himself with animal blood for months now. But vampires need more than that to function properly.
He needs his mate's blood.
Had his wound been more serious, he would have lost control and attacked Kaoru the moment his eyes were upon her. But, for now, he was in control, and he could fight the blood lust for the time being.
"You are not a falcon, are you?" Megumi was asking while she re-bandaged his wound, "I feel some magic within you but it's subtle."
Kenshin frowned, he had no magic at all. "I'm not a falcon." That was all he said.
Megumi nodded. "I see that you are in no mood to talk, but sooner or later you have to. You have to justify being so close to our quarters."
Again silence met her remarks so with a sigh she retrieved her medical equipments and stepped out of the room.
Kenshin did not look at her as she left, his mind elsewhere. Soon he had to face Kaoru and explain himself. Telling the truth seemed unwise for now. First he had to know what had happened to her during those two years and the reasons she had lost her memories. He wondered if magic was involved, and almost hoped that it was the case. He didn't want to think about the second possible explanation.
His hands fisted around the thick cover.
The possibility that her memory loss was due to suffering and pain did not escape him. In the short time he had seen her he did not notice any physical scarring or long term wounds, but...
Suffering did not have to be physical, there were many ways to hurt a girl like Kaoru.
And she had been pregnant the last time they were together, and now there was no sign that she had given birth.
A troubled sigh escaped Kenshin's lips.
He had finally found his mate, but he can't derive any joy from it yet. He can't hold her, he can't say that he loved her.
But he had to be patient.
He had to win her back.
"Hello."
Kenshin's head jerked toward the door when he heard her voice and a smile found its way to his lips when he saw Kaoru standing by his door.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Kaoru said with a smile as she took few steps inside the hut.
Kenshin was sitting on the futon. He felt better than the day before, if his growing thirst could be ignored.
"No, you are not," of course not, "come in."
Kenshin was topless, apart from the bandage that ran across his chest, and he noticed, not without some amusement, how Kaoru tried to look anywhere but at his bare chest as she sat by his futon.
"I wanted to see how you are faring," Kaoru said, "do you feel better?"
"I do," Kenshin said, his amber eyes not leaving her face. And from the way Kaoru kept averting her gaze he knew that he was making her uncomfortable, but he couldn't help it. Now that he was feeling better, he tried to absorb the sight of her. Her hair was swept in her customary ponytail, with few unruly strands free and framing her white face perfectly. She was as beautiful as two years ago. She had grown into a beautiful woman.
My woman...
"I don't know your name." Kenshin heard Kaoru saying and he couldn't control the pain that flashed through his eyes.
"Kenshin, my name is Kenshin," he answered nonetheless.
"And my name is Kaoru," Kaoru said automatically, wondering about the pain she saw in his eyes.
"Kaoru..." her name rolled out of his lips so slowly, and again Kaoru found herself wondering if it was sadness that she detected in his voice.
For few moments silence descended upon them, but even those short silent seconds were too much for Kaoru to bear. She could feel his pain so acutely.
"I wanted to thank you," she broke the silence, "you saved my life, and you risked yours."
The smile that grazed Kenshin's lips was bitter. You risked so much more two years ago. This he should have said, but instead he uttered different words. "My life is not easily put at risk," it was a vague whisper, "I don't believe your gratitude is necessary, because I remember it was you and your companion," Kenshin had to know more about this companion, "that came to my rescue, I was outnumbered."
Kaoru shook her head. "I believe that even without our help you would have fared fine," she paused, "your magic," Kaoru began, "it's the first time I encounter something like it."
Kenshin frowned. "Magic?" then realization dawned on him, "you mean my eyes? This is not magic, I am a pure blood."
Now it was Kaoru's turn to frown. "Pure blood?"
"I possess certain abilities since birth."
"Are you an elf?" Kaoru asked and felt foolish immediately because he looked nothing like an elf.
"No," this did not surprise Kaoru, but what he said next did, "I'm a vampire."
Sapphire eyes widened in surprise. "A vampire..." she was silent as she absorbed this, "a vampire?" she repeated, "Why..."
"Why am I here?" Kenshin said grimly, "what am I doing in the middle of the falcon kingdom?"
Kaoru nodded. "I'm not trying to interrogate you, but," she hesitated, "you must understand that we lead a hard life, we live in hiding."
Kenshin nodded. "I understand," your safety is important to me, my love, if only you know... "I'm looking for someone...on behalf of my king." Kenshin had given some thought about his fabricated story, "she had disappeared two years ago, he is devastated, but he won't lose hope."
He saw understanding settle on her face as she nodded. "Yumi."
Kenshin narrowed his eyes. "Why are you saying that? What does she has to do with anything?"
Kaoru's response was a troubled sigh. "I...there is a reason we live in this secluded part of the kingdom."
Kenshin merely nodded, knowing that he wouldn't get his answers now.
"So..." Kaoru said, "you are a vampire, I wonder how it is like there, we don't hear much about it here. Is...is your king fair to his people?"
Kenshin would have smiled at this. Am I? "He is as fair as he can be."
Kaoru was confused by this answer.
"He does not execute people randomly, if that what you are asking about."
Somehow, his answer seemed to sadden Kaoru, for she bowed her head and said. "If it was only execution that we fight..." but then she shook her head. "but I wonder why a vampire might spark Yumi's attention. Is your king's lady a pure blood as well?"
No it is you, you are my lady. "No, she is an avian."
"An avian?" this surprised Kaoru. "I've hear that avians have no magic in their blood," but then she shook her head. "No one understand Yumi, her evil is beyond comprehension."
Kenshin narrowed his eyes. Wondering how the falcon queen had hurt Kaoru. He should have acted long ago, he should have demanded answers instead of waiting.
But it did not matter now. Kaoru was here and he would not let her fall in Yumi's hands.
He would protect her.
"Jou-chan, you don't understand what you are saying! We can't trust him."
"He has no reason to lie," Kaoru fisted her hands on her lap, "he is a vampire."
They were in a meeting in a large hut, discussing Kenshin's case with the others.
"This does not make him an ally; Yumi's influence might have reached the west."
Kaoru shook her head. "He is not with her," her hands on her lap relaxed slightly, "he is looking for someone important," Kaoru took a deep breath, "I can feel his pain, he had lost someone important."
"But..." Sano began but was interrupted by Aoshi.
"Enough, Sanosuke," Aoshi said coldly.
"Aoshi," Kaoru turned to face the older man, "he is good, a very good swordsman, we could use someone like him, and we could help him find the avian girl."
Several moments passed before Aoshi spoke. "I will speak to him first."
Kenshin was setting on the futon when a tall, raven haired man entered the small room.
Kenshin regarded him with sharp eyes. The man's aura was hard to read, but there was no doubt about the danger this man represented.
"You are Kenshin," it wasn't a question.
But Kenshin nodded. "Are you the leader here?"
The man walked slowly to one end of the room and settled against the wall before answering. "Something like that." He positioned his sword beside him. "Our Kaoru said you are a vampire."
"I am."
"I'm curious about the manner in which they came upon you. Your reasons might be plausible; however, it's been a long time since we've seen one of your kind."
"We live far in the west," that was all the explanation Kenshin offered.
Aoishi regarded him for several moments before he nodded. "Kaoru seemed to trust you," he said after a while.
Kenshin almost smiled at this, remembering the night, long ago, when he had sneaked into her room in the palace and the trust she had shown him.
And I returned the favour by not believing her when she needed me most.
The thought twisted Kenshin's heart, but he tried push it away for now.
"You have nothing to fear from me, I only want to find someone, I mean you no harm."
"We might be able to help you," Aoshi said, "if our doubts are correct then the person you are looking for is a captive in the palace dungeons."
"Is this why you r hiding in this forest? Is it the queen that you are hiding from?" Kenshin has to know.
"The queen and the king."
Shishio?
"Kaoru...is she also hiding from them?"
For few moments the raven haired man regarded him sternly. Kenshin thought that Aoshi might suspect something but he didn't care, he had to know what happened to Kaoru.
"Most of us here had suffered one way or another by the queen's and king's tyranny, perhaps Kaoru more than anyone else."
His words cut into Kenshin more than the arrow that had wounded him.
Later at night...
Kaoru lied on her futon, unable to sleep.
Her thoughts were with Kenshin.
Kaoru wondered about him. She wondered what it was that drew her to him and made her trust him.
For a year now she had been living a hard life. Survival was her priority and she had not survived by trusting strangers.
And this red haired man was a stranger.
But there was something about him. She could feel his pain and loss so acutely; it made her want to comfort him, to take away his pain.
Kaoru sighed and turned on her back, staring at the ceiling.
She did not want to sleep, the fear of nightmares kept her awake.
However, soon sleep claimed her and so did the shadows.
Finding Kaoru's hut was an easy task. Her scent beckoned to him as was her sweet blood. There was another smell close to her and as he neared the hut and peered from the window he saw another girl sleeping on a futon next to Kaoru's. Both appear to be in deep sleep.
I have to go in now.
Kenshin sneaked around the hut till he reached the door. Then with great care he pushed the wooden door silently, pausing now and then as to not disturb the girls.
In the end he succeeded in entering without detection. Silent steps carried him to where the girls were sleeping. Kenshin was good at hiding his presence, particularly if he wished not be detected, and right now he didn't wish any of the girls to sense him. And as he peered at their faces he saw that both were sleeping peacefully. No, the other girl was sleeping peacefully, Kaoru's features were anything but peaceful.
Her breath was short and quick and her small hands were gripping the cover tightly. She was writhing slightly but her eyes remained closed.
Kenshin knelt by her futon and instinctively brought his hand to her forehead, touching her gently.
Immediately Kaoru's breathing began to slow and her hands relax.
Kenshin's eyes never left her face, his hand stroke her brow very gently.
What are you dreaming about, my love? Does the past hunt you? Do you suffer in your sleep? If only you know, if only you would accept me again, I would protect you from the shadows of your past, I would hold you and never let you go.
The urge to lean over and kiss her was so irresistible, was it not for the risk of waking her, she would have been in his arms by now.
"Kaoru..." a small whisper.
It was time to leave, but Kenshin lingered for another few minutes, his amber eyes drinking the sight of Kaoru's peaceful face.
"I love you," he whispered before he rose to his feet.
"Good morning," the voice drew Kenshin to the source as if it held some invisible strings to which he was attached.
He smiled as he saw Kaoru standing by the door, a tray in her hands.
"Good morning," Kenshin replied as he watched her stroll to where he was sitting.
"I thought you might be hungry," placing the tray down, she knelt by his futon, "I hope your wound is better today, no pain?"
Kenshin shook his head. "I wish I could say so, Kaoru."
As concern materialised across her features which made Kenshin wish he had kept his mouth shut. However, he was reaching his limit, he had to feed. Every moment was a danger to her, even now some part of him was contemplating how he could silence her while he took her blood. This wild part in him did not wish to knock her unconscious, the desire to feel her small body writhing and struggling beneath him was so tempting.
Kenshin gritted his teeth and fisted his hands. If this how he felt after two years of not seeing his mate, then he truly must feed, very soon.
"What's wrong?" her voice was filled with concern. It made Kenshin feel guilty.
"I am sorry," he sighed and closed his eyes, straining to control the blood lust. "It's just that I'm thirsty."
"Thirsty?" blue eyes flickered to the tray, where a cup of water was placed near the edge.
Kenshin smiled at her innocence. "No, Kaoru, I am a vampire, the liquid I need most is not water," he paused before he said the next words, and at the same time realization began to take shape on Kaoru's features. "I need blood."
"Blood..." Kaoru said slowly.
Not wanting to make her feel threatened, Kenshin spoke quickly. "I have been living on animals' blood for a while now, I need to hunt."
Relief flickered in Kaoru's eyes as she nodded. "I will speak to Aoshi, I can accompany you to the forest."
Kenshin felt fear for her life, but he did not protest. He desired the chance to have all to himself.
Alone.
"Ah..." Kaoru began in a hesitant voice, "is it possible wait for one day? I mean your feeding. What I'm saying is that I sometimes patrol the closest villages, to see if anyone need my help, I will be in such village today."
Kenshin didn't like the fact that his mate was leading this kind of life, but could not say no to her. "Yes of course, I can wait."
Kaoru smiled. "I thank you."
Late at night...
Further to the north, in a village not far from the quarters two men were walking when they stumbled upon an injured man.
"Oi, are you al lright?" one of the men called as he ran to the injured man, "he is injured," he said to his companion.
"Maybe he is dead," the other replied.
"I can't tell, bring the torch closer."
As the light of the torch illuminated the man before them, they could see that he was covered with small wounds with a large stain of blood at his side.
Together they began to flip the injured man, who had been lying on his stomach thus far.
"He is alive!" one man said in surprise as they watched the injured man's eyes flicker open.
"Help...help..."
"Lets carry him, Kaoru-chan is here tonight, she might be able to help him" one of the men said, "who are you?"
"My name..." the injured man rasped, his throat dry, "my...name..."
"Eh? I didn't catch that!"
The light of the torch flickered on the injured man's hair.
It was silver.
"Eni...shi."
What the men did not notice was the smirk that tilted the corners of the silver haired man's lips upward.
I have finally found her...
There you go! So sorry the chapter is short, but I just had to end it there.
Anyway, many were asking me what happened to the child and Soujiro, well I think what happened to the child is obvious, as for Soujiro, you have to wait cuz it is part of the plot and he will make an appearance soon.
Next chapter won't be long to be out. ^_^