Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki and Sony. I'm just borrowing the characters for this story.

Author's Notes:

My birthday is this upcoming Sunday ^_^ Sigh ..

The reason why I named my character Higurashi Miroku:                 

The name "Miroku" is derived from the name "Maitreya" who is the fifth Buddha. In recent times, Maitreya has been portrayed as a fat, happy Buddha whom you make a wish on while you rub his tummy. This is not true because as seen from history, the maitreya Buddha is actually tall, thin, and muscular. The similarity between Miroku and the Maitreya Buddha is that for one, Miroku is a Buddhist monk. He is also selfless, patient, and level-headed. He is also quite wise when it comes down to making hard decisions. You'll see more of these characteristics as the story goes on. I got the idea to name him Miroku because I was thinking of the Miroku from "Inuyasha" as many of you have already guessed. ^_^

Special Thanks to: Hakaita for adding me to your Favorite Authors List! =D Thanks .. sniff sniff .. ^_^

WARNING: A lot of violence in this chapter.

~ A Memory Forgotten ~

Chapter 24

Kaoru's long raven-black hair was in disarray as she tossed and turned in her sleep. She was having nightmares that night once again. The monk looked in on her figure with watery eyes and walked into the room. He set down his Buddhist staff and crouched next to her sleeping figure. He rested a hand on top of her forehead, which at the moment was laced with beads of sweat. As his the coolness of his hand touched her forehead, Kaoru instantly calmed down and she started to breathe normally. A small smile crept up on her lips subconsciously.

The monk watched her sleeping visage with a wistful look. If only I could stay with you longer like this, my dear Kaoru-chan. His robes felt like a weight and left him rooted on the ground for a while longer. This would be the third time that he was leaving her side. A lone tear slipped from his own blue eyes as he slowly got up. He took his staff and walked out of the room. The man took one last glance at the girl before he closed the door.

He turned around back towards the hall and his eyes widened in shock at the figure that blocked his exit.

"You have a lot of things to explain, Higurashi-san," Soujiro exclaimed with piercing, narrowed eyes.

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Miroku stepped back wide-eyed.  The intensity of the boy's eyes made his throat dry and his hands sweat. "S-Soujiro-san," the monk stammered.

It was then that they heard a gasp behind the door. The monk and the boy's faces instantly paled. Did she hear everything?, they thought. Miroku, who was standing nearest to the door, gently opened it to the dark and silent room. The two figures walked in and found her.

She was kneeling on the floor beside the door. Her sapphire blue orbs were held wide open in shock, her right hand still over her gaping mouth, her black hair was strewn about messily, and her form was absolutely still. No movements at all. Soujiro was instantly worried and quickly came over to her side, kneeling beside her prone figure. He shook her.

"Kao-chan? Kao-chan?" he called out urgently in a worried tone.

No response.

A single tear fell from her eye.

Miroku, heart-stricken at seeing his daughter in such pain, rushed over to her side. "I'm sorry . . . so sorry. I didn't mean to deceive you like this. It's just that . . . that I didn't want to hurt you by allowing myself to stay here. If I were to stay with you, they would target you. I didn't want you to be in harm's way."

Kaoru's mind instantly clicked. Why do his words sound so eerily familiar. Where have I heard it before?, Kaoru thought. She took her hand from her mouth and slowly put it over the monk's cool hand and squeezed it.

"Please . . please tell me why they are after you? What are you to me?" Kaoru asked with her eyes directed to the man's blue eyes.

The monk's eyes softened. "It's a very long and very painful story."

"I need to hear it," Kaoru stated firmly.

Miroku's eyes cautiously looked over at her determined visage and decided that he would have to tell her. There would be no other way. He looked over at Soujiro who was kneeling across from him.

"Yes, please explain Higurashi-san," the boy exclaimed.

The monk nodded his head meekly as he adjusted himself to sit in a more comfortable position. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before he began to speak. "I used to be a part of the Shinsengumi before the Boshin war began. I worked under Fujimoto Akane and under him, I was given orders to kill any of those people who were suspected of treason or any other wrongs.

Our motto was simple: Aku. Soku. Zan.

However . . I started to question those ideals when I met a girl. It all started when . . ."

Flashback to the Past – 20 years ago, Miroku Age 22

Pre-Bakumatsu War

A thin, muscular man sprinted through the darkness of the night with a katana clutched tightly in his hand. His black hair was tied back in a high ponytail. He crept in the shadows, waiting for his prey to be seen. His icy blue eyes narrowed in a feral glare as he found his target.

Another man wearing an off-white gi and hakama came out of the house and stretched. He bent down to pick up a wooden bucket and walked over to the stone well not so far from his house to fetch some water.

The man in the shadows followed his movements and silently crept up behind the unsuspecting victim. He silently unsheathed his katana and held it above his head.

SLASH

Blood splattered everywhere on the dirt ground. The shadowed man flicked the katana of the crimson red blood that stained it. He turned around and it was then that he saw her.

A girl about six years old.

Her eyes were wide with fear. Her small frame had begun to shake uncontrollably. Her mouth was open in a silent scream. And her skin, her skin became drained of all blood, pale at the sight before her young innocent eyes. Her father had just been killed right in front of her. The girl's eyes began to well up with tears of grief.

"Otousan! Otousan!" she screamed as she ran over to the bloodied man that lay on the ground. The assassin was shocked and he could not move from the depressing scene.

"Why?!?!?! Why did you have to kill papa?!?!" the little girl screamed at the assassin, her hands and face were covered with blood from the corpse. "I didn't have anyone left! Papa was a good man! He didn't deserve to die! He made lots of people happy!" she continued with her eyes glazed over in confusion, anger, and sadness. "Why!?!" The tears continuously streamed down her petite face.

The shadowed man was rooted in place by guilt. Seeing her made him think of his wife who was at home taking care of his newborn baby boy. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the poisoned dart that whizzed by his ear. By the time he noticed it, it was already too late.

The little girl's body slumped over her dad's red corpse, the dart firmly embedded on the left side of her neck.

The assassin turned around quickly on his heel to see another man walk out of the shadows. He had a tall physique, dark black hair, and brown eyes that were narrowed into slits.

It was Fujimoto Akane. The man's eyes narrowed in hate and disgust at the man's presence.

"Why did you have to kill her?"

"She saw everything," he simply replied with a smirk. "Plus, she's probably in a happier place now with her father."

"How could you do such a thing," the man seethed, anger rolling off his body like waves.

"If I did not kill her now, she could turn on us when she grows older. This is the only way to ensure that we will not have any betrayers in the future, Higurashi" Fujimoto replied. "You're done here, let's go." He turned on his heel and began walking back. His voice and eyes showed no sense of guilt for what heinous crime he had just committed.

"There has to be another way," Miroku muttered underneath his breath as he watched the other man return back to their headquarters. Miroku took another glance at the two dead bodies and his heart wrenched in pain. He began to question the ideals of the group he had been working with for the past six years. The people he had targeted were names given to him by the upper officers. And what if the ideals that he wanted to uphold in this era were not those ideals that he believed in? He thought back to Fujimoto's nonchalant attitude in disgust. How could he follow someone who had so little regard in killing innocent children?

His eyes watered up as he walked over to the two bodies. He kneeled down and said a prayer for the both of them. He put his hands over the girl's eyes, which were still wide open, and closed them for her. As he got up and started to walk back home, his cheeks were wet with tears.

End Flashback

Miroku took a breath after telling them the entire story. His heart still clenched fiercely when he remembered the sadness that reverberated from the little girl's eyes. Those eyes had haunted him for the past twenty years. Doushite?, he thought sadly. Why did she have to die so young? Kaoru and Soujiro watched as Miroku remained silent. They could tell how much re-telling the story had pained him. The muscles in his jaw had tightened when he mentioned Fujimoto Akane's name.

Out of sympathy for him, Kaoru squeezed Miroku's hand and silently asked him to continue. The monk let his blue eyes rest on her face for a while before continuing.

"It was then that I began to question the ideals of the shogunate and how far I would go to appease them. I didn't want my children to grow up in this kind of world where there was no sure sense of justice. The term 'justice' didn't apply to this government's rule. Who was wrong, who was right. It was all up to the Shinsengumi to declare that. I didn't believe in it anymore. It was then that I had found about the now ever growing faction against the government called the Ishin Shishi," he paused and took a breath before he began again.

"I became a spy for the Ishin Shishi. I allied myself with them, but I stayed within the ranks of the Shinsengumi and was still part of Fujimoto Akane's group of assassins. I betrayed the shogunate by informing the Ishin Shishi whom we were going to attack. That way the person who was our target would be able to escape certain death. For about one and a half years, I was able to do so without getting myself caught. And within those years, I had been able to revert some followers of the Shinsengumi into the Ishin Shishi.

As time went on, the captains had discovered that there have been people within their group who were betraying them. I knew that it would not be long until Fujimoto, Saitou, Okita, or any other higher number of captains found out. They had already found a number of people, some of who had reverted to Ishin Shishi because of me, and had killed them mercilessly along with their family and friends. They made those who were labeled as traitors perform seppuku in front of all of us.  My wife at the time was about to give birth to another child. I could not let such a fate happen to my family. I had to get out before it was too late.

Of course . . . . things weren't that simple.

One night, I had found out that one of the Shinsengumi assassins had found out the whereabouts of a man named, Katsura Kogoro. At the time, he was a rising leader of the Ishin Shishi. Losing him at a crucial time like that would have surely caused some chaos within that group. I decided then that I would need to warn him.

It would be the last thing I would do for the Ishin Shishi before escaping Japan with my family.

It was that night that I had lost everything most precious to me."

Miroku paused. The silence within the room was almost deafening. His palms had become sweaty while he was telling them about his past. For the past eight years at the temple, the man had been trying to find peace. But of course, peace would not come to a person with such a troubled past so easily. He tried to block out the demons while meditating, but it would only work for so long before his demons came back to haunt him again.

And those child's accusing eyes.

They have been with him ever since that horrid day. Every time he would close his eyes, he would see her. Those brown eyes laden with sadness, confusion, and fear. Miroku had blamed himself for the child's death. If only he had seen the dart coming. If only he had not killed the father, the both of them would have been alive. If only he had realized sooner that there were other ways other than killing. If only . . if only . .

Kaoru sat on the ground digesting all the information that he just gave to them. Her eyes were focused on the ground beneath her as she was lost in thought. No wonder Fujimoto Akane wants Higurashi-san so badly. He had deceived the man for so long without him knowing until the very end. He must want to kill Higurashi-san because that way he would have his revenge for what happened back then. At that moment the girl looked up at the monk's hunched form and her heart instantly went out to him. His pain was almost palpable. She scooted herself closer to him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

Miroku's head lifted up a little as he turned his eyes towards her.

"I know this is hard for you, but telling us may take a little weight off your chest," she said softly.

The man's eyes softened. His daughter reminded him so much of his wife. He took another deep breath as he nodded and tilted his head back to look up at the ceiling before beginning once again.

"Kaoru-chan," he began.

"Hai?" the girl responded in a curious tone. It was the first time the monk had called her with such an endearing term. Even though he was technically still a stranger to her, she liked the sound of it coming out of his mouth.

The man turned to face her once more. His blue eyes penetrated her own as he spoke. She felt her throat tighten and become dry as she awaited for him to start. "This story that I will tell you will hurt," he stated bluntly. His eyes closed in concentration as he thought of where he would begin.

Kaoru's heart quickened, but she nodded her head urging him to continue. Soujiro took a hold of Kaoru's hand and held it to brace her for what Higurashi was about to say.

The monk took another deep breath as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked straight into the girl's eyes with care.

"Kaoru . . . . I am your father."

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- To be continued

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Author's Notes:

Please read and review! Thanks I would appreciate it a lot! =D It's really a positive motivator when I hear responses from readers. Oh yeah, I know you guys already know that Higurashi is her father, but Kaoru wasn't sure of it especially since she remembers growing up with her father, Kamiya Koshijiro and his wife.

Anyway, I was looking through the chapter and lol .. I could write an entire story on the background of Higurashi Miroku. Hehe . .but no, I think I've covered some of the more crucial parts of his life in this chapter. Here is some historical information relating to the Shinsengumi that could be useful in understanding Higurashi's background better.

The Shinsen-gumi were an elite yet rag-tag group of low-class samurai sponsored by the Aizu Han, who supported them and provided them with funds. Only the captains are given any screen time in RK so here they are: Kondou Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, Okita Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saitou Hajime, Takeda Kanryuusai, and Harada Sanosuke. Their motto was, "Aku. Soku. Zan." Kill. Evil. Instantly or Sin. Swift. Slay. "Although the Shinsen Gumi acted on their own brutal will, the Bakufu Alliance supported their actions. Loved by the Bakufu and hated by the Ishin Shishi, they were a vigilante force that patrolled the streets of Kyoto, cutting down anyone thought to be suspicious. They were a major cause for blood spilling in Kyoto every day. The rivers an streams that flowed through Kyoto were always red from blood."

Usually the traitors of the Shinsengumi were made to perform seppuku. Seppuku is the process in which the person splits his own bowels. Sometimes after doing so, another Shinsengumi member will come and behead him. This was usually done in front of a group of other members in order to set an example for them. (Sigh .. how cruel!)

Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far! Hehe . .I came out with this chapter much faster ^_^ I hope you guys enjoyed it.