Part II – Had a little trouble finishing this off. Sorry it took so long posting it. ^_^;;; Enjoy, and don't forget to R/R!
Oh, and by the way-
Italics=thoughts and flashbacks
Just incase some people get confused… ^^;;
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The sun was just starting to rise in the sky when Kenshin had finished packing up his few articles of clothing and valubles in a sack. He left his room, watching for any signs of Yahiko or Kaoru walking around. He was sure they wouldn't be up though since it was so early. He headed for the gate, trying hard not to look back. When he reached the entrance, he paused. He heard the sound of footsteps on the porch. He turned slowly, only to see nothing. He blinked and narrowed his eyes. Then he shook his head and turned around again.
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Kaoru stood on the porch, watching as Kenshin closed the gate and made his way down the road. Tears streamed down her face as she watched him go. She knew that he wasn't going to stay, even as he held her in his arms yesterday. The man could be really stubborn sometimes. She hated herself for not chasing after him, but what would have been the point? He probably would have worked the same old charm on her, telling her that he was sorry, making promises he knew he couldn't keep, and then he would have continued on his way. Kaoru loved him with all her heart, and she knew him so well now that it was easy to figure out what he meant when he said things. She knew Kenshin never meant to hurt her, but she couldn't help but feel betrayed.
Why did you do this to me, Kenshin? Why did you do this to yourself?
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It was mid afternoon when Sanosuke arrived at the dojo. He'd spent all of last night and early morning with Megumi, and he had one hell of a headache at the moment. Too much sake--and Megumi. He wiped the sweat off his brow and looked around. It was incredibly quiet. By now there should have been the usual cries of Kaoru and Yahiko fighting, or Kenshin's constant 'oro's as he tried to complete his daily chores with all the ruckus behind him. Instead it was eerily silent, and he wondered if something really bad had happened.
Suddenly he heard a door slide open, and out walked a very upset looking Yahiko.
"Hey kid, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked, walking over to him. Yahiko looked up at him, and Sanosuke could see that he was holding back tears.
"Kenshin is gone. He left this morning." the boy said, looking away angrily so that the older man wouldn't see him crying. Sanosuke didn't reply and just looked down at the boy for a moment before walking past him to look for Kaoru.
He found her sitting in the kitchen, sipping a cup of tea very slowly and looking like she was in a completely different world.
"Jou-chan... Why did he leave?" Sanosuke asked as he sat down at the table across from her. Kaoru stared at him, putting her tea down with a sigh.
"I wish I knew." she said softly, looking up at him. Sanosuke shook his head and frowned. This was not doing anything to help his head ache. He ran a hand through his unruly hair.
"Was it your cooking?"
"Sanosuke!"
Sanosuke sighed. Well, he tried to make her feel better. But when he looked at Kaoru's face and saw the tears in her eyes, he knew that this was definitely not a laughing matter.
"I could always go look for him..." he said, wishing there was something he could say to make everything right. He really wanted to know why Kenshin left in the first place, but he had a pretty good idea it had to do with his past. That was something he knew Kenshin could never let go of, even though he wished he could.
"Sano... There's no use. He doesn't want to stay here. We can't force him." Kaoru said. I can't force him to stay with me forever like I want him to...
"You love him, don't you?"
Kaoru didn't reply, and Sanosuke smirked. It was obvious. He knew that she loved Kenshin as friend and watched over him, but somewhere deep inside he also knew that it was more than she let on. It was evident in everything she did and said to Kenshin.
It was quiet for a few more moments as Sanosuke thought, and then cleared his throat.
"Jou-chan, you know he loves you."
Kaoru looked down at the table and bit back a sob.
"He never meant to hurt you. You and I both know Kenshin well enough to understand that. But you know why he left... That was something important to him. He never wants to hurt anyone ever again. For him, that comes with a sacrifice. He left to protect you, Jou-chan. To protect Yahiko." Sanosuke said.
"I know that already. He told me his reasons, but I don't agree with them at all. He's hurting us more by leaving than staying! I love him, Sanosuke... I love him more than anything. Maybe if I had told him sooner, he wouldn't have left... Or he probably would have anyway. He deserves so much better..." Tears rolled down Kaoru's pale cheeks, and Sanosuke reached over to wipe them away.
"You know that's not true. You both deserve each other. Nothing you did caused him to leave. Nothing."
"But that's just it! I didn't do anything! If I had done something, he'd still be here!"
Sanosuke stood up from his chair and placed both hands on Kaoru's shoulders.
"Jou-chan, trust me. He's coming back." he said, moving down a little so that their eyes were at the same level.
"H-How do you know?" Kaoru asked, blinking in surprise.
"I just know. Once he gets his thoughts together and realizes what he's leaving behind, he'll return." Sanosuke replied, and gave her a half smile.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I think I hear a bottle of sake calling me... As well as a certain young swordsman-in-training." he said, standing up again and leaving the kitchen.
Kaoru watched him leave, and sighed. She never knew Sanosuke to give advice on things of this matter before. She smiled a little. It was nice to hear him say something positive without complaining about her cooking while he was at it.
I hope he's right though. Please come home Kenshin... Please...
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Kenshin stopped on the road to sit underneath a tree and rest for a moment. He'd been walking all day, and although he wasn't really tired, he needed to sit down and think. He rested his head against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. The smell of cherry blossoms wafted around him.
Cherry blossoms... again...
He sighed as thoughts ran through his head. His Friends... Kaoru... Home... He opened his eyes and stared up at the sky. For a mere second he thought about turning back, but he quickly forced the idea into the back of his mind. He couldn't go back, even if he wanted to. Not after what he had done.
He had become the wanderer again. The man who went without a purpose, just walking wherever he could go, never looking back. He couldn't look back. He couldn't allow himself to remember. He had done it before, and he could do it again.
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The night was still, no stars in the sky, and a slight mist hung above the ground. The Battousai made his way through the darkness, moving without a sound, almost like a ghost. And that was what he felt he was now. He no longer existed in his mind. He was someone else now. A part of him had changed. He was no longer the manslayer, no longer a bloodthirsty killer. He would leave that all behind now. And if walking to the ends of the earth made him forget, that was what he would do. The farther away, the better. And no one would ever see him again, or know of his past, his old self. Ever.
His sword was still in his hand, and he stopped under a tree to sheath it. It made a loud clinking sound as he did so, and his eyes widened. For the first time... He felt it. He felt... relief. He would never raise his blade and take another human life as long as he lived.
He turned back to the road, and another strange thing happened. He smiled. Maybe... This road could take him somewhere. It could lead to something. Maybe somewhere along the way, he would find closure. Somewhere...
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Kenshin stared down at the ground, thinking.
'Don't go, Kenshin... Please, don't leave me...'
Kaoru's words stung, interrupting the distant memory, and he felt his breath hitch in his throat.
No, he couldn't forget. It was too hard. Too hard to just run away from it all. He couldn't go back to that life again. And even if it didn't kill him, it would kill her. Could he really just leave her? Could he allow himself to lose another?
He had been right that one night, long ago. He had found something. He found acceptance, and love. He found Kaoru. That was what mattered to him, not the past. He couldn't give up what he'd been searching for.
Kenshin stood up quickly, and got back on the road.
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Kaoru was sitting outside in the grass, enjoying the cool breeze of the night air against her skin. Today had been a very hard day. Without Kenshin, chores just seemed to pile up. Not that it bothered her. Anything to take her mind off of her recent heartbreak. She needed something to get away from it all. Yahiko had done the same; he hadn't been around the dojo at all today. Kaoru assumed Sanosuke took him out somewhere to make him feel better. She also assumed that he wouldn't be returning until early morning. Sanosuke had a tendency to do that, and sometimes it irked her that he could keep a child out so late, but at the moment it seemed like a good thing to do.
She looked up at the evening sky, watching the stars twinkle dimly. She wondered if Kenshin was watching those very same stars at the moment. She wondered how far he had gotten, and where he was headed.
Maybe he'll find another girl to fall in love with…Kaoru looked down bitterly from the sky to the ground. She didn't want to think about such things. Knowing that Kenshin could fall for someone else… Knowing that he was somewhere out there, holding another girl in his arms, and giving that girl his affections… It hurt, and she felt the tears spring up in her eyes again.
No… I won't cry. I have to be strong if I'm going to have to learn to live without him.
But the tears came anyway, and she rested her head on her knees.
"Kenshin, why? I told you not to go, but you did anyway… What did I do wrong? What did I say to make you leave me?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
Kaoru jerked her head up at the sound of Kenshin's voice and she saw him standing a few feet away from her, his sack lying on the ground. She hadn't even heard him come through the gate.
"Kenshin, you-"
He put a finger to his lips, and walked over to sit next to her. "You did nothing wrong, Kaoru. Nothing at all."
Kaoru stared at him for a second, and then threw herself into his arms. Kenshin smiled and hugged her close.
"It was my fault. I left you, even though I knew it was wrong. I was being a fool, and it took me this long to figure it out. You're what I've been searching for, Kaoru. I thought I'd never find peace, and then I met you, and… everything changed. I can hardly believe that I walked away, and almost left this behind. I would understand if you never forgave me, but I promise you with my whole heart, body, and soul that I will never leave you again. That goes for both sides of me. But… do you really want that?
Kaoru looked up at him kissed his nose. "Baka. I want all of you. I don't care about anything else. And you can never leave again, because…"
She paused, and kissed him on the lips briefly, smiling at the way his cheeks turned almost as red as his hair at the unexpected action.
"…once you're here, you're stuck with me forever. And nothing you do will ever make me let you go."
Kenshin could only sit there and gape at her, before crushing her against him and burying his face in her hair.
"I don't ever want to hurt you. I don't ever want to leave you again. I'm so sorry, Kaoru." he whispered, and Kaoru felt something drip down onto her hand. A… tear?
"I forgive you Kenshin. I love you." she said, stroking his back soothingly.
"I love you too, Kaoru. Now and forever."
~OWARI~
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Aww, sappy ending, eh? ^_^;;; I'm so bad at these romance stories, but for some reason I love reading and writing them. I can't help myself. I hope the characters weren't too OOC. I tried to keep them in character… I really did! o_o;;; *dodges rotten fruit* @@;;
Um, once again, I'm sorry for the delay. But hey, I finished it, didn't I? Finally! My first multi chapter story on FF.net, completed! Woo hoo! *throws confetti* Well, now that I've got this done, I can start working on other projects… *looks helplessly at her other stories* Okay, hope you enjoyed the story. Reviews would be just fantastic! ^_^