Obsession

WANRNING: If your quotes and commas (¡§¡¨,) look like ¡¡±,¡¨, you¡¦ll need to change your browser. If you¡¦re using Netscape or M. Internet Explorer, just go into your pull-down menus at the top of the screen and select ¡¥Character Set ¡¦ (Font ). Open it and select ¡¥Chinese Tradition Big5¡¦. That¡¦s the font this story is in. I¡¦m sorry it took you guys so much trouble! If you have any troubles, tell me in the reviews. Arigatou minna-san!!

Standard disclaimers apply.

Author¡¦s notes: So sorry it took me so long! It¡¦s just that, exams are coming up and I really need to study. You understand. XD This is the second last chapter of Obsession! Whaaa so fast!! Although this story was quite a challenge, demo ne, I really, really enjoyed it! I still love you people!! Wait for the last chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and review please ^-^

Chapter seven¡X let go!

¡§I¡¦ll kill myself, now.¡¨

The atmosphere dripped with heavy menace. The stewardess breathed in unbelievingly as Kaoru stepped away from Battousai and shouted hoarsely.

¡§No Tsubame!¡¨

The girls smiled vaguely at the prostitute, the dagger firm in her hands, ¡§I¡¦m sorry Kaoru-san. It¡¦s the only way.¡¨

¡§Please don¡¦t¡Kjust drop that dagger and get out of here! This affair has nothing to do with you!¡¨ tears fell down Kaoru¡¦s pale face. Battousai stared from aside with cold silence.

The older woman asked in a skepticism tone, ¡§Why Tsubame? Why do you endanger yourself for the sake of a whore?¡¨

¡§Kaoru-san¡¦s not a whore! You made her become one!¡¨ Tsubame fought back. She gasped slightly, ¡§How dare you say that, I raised her!¡¨

Tsubame bit her lip. She raised the dagger right in front of her chest and breathed in deeply, closing her eyes.

¡§Tsubame!¡¨ the stewardess yelled.

¡§Oh god Tsubame!¡¨ Kaoru was about to run to her when suddenly something red caught her eye and she stopped.

Tsubame prepared for the strike when abruptly, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Battousai had use the hilt of his katana and hit her in the stomach, causing her to widen her eyes in shock, and soon enough she closed them and drifted into unconscious. Battousai caught her falling form swiftly, and lowered her to the ground. Kaoru rushed to them and he handed her over to the prostitute.

¡§Tsubame¡Krest now,¡¨ Kaoru whispered.

The stewardess stood there for some time, her mind unable to register what had happened. Battousai stood up from his bending position and glared at her threateningly. His eyes burnt.

¡§Why¡Kwhy are you looking at me like that?¡¨ the older woman stuttered.

¡§You¡¦re the one who caused this, aren¡¦t you?¡¨ he stepped forward and grasped the hilt of his katana, preparing to sweep it out. Kaoru widened her eyes, why must everything be done the worst way?

¡§Kenshin, Don¡¦t make this any harder,¡¨ she stared at him in the eyes. Battousai blinked in shock. His hand withdrew from the sword.

¡§Hand over Kamiya, Battousai. She¡¦s still under my sort damnit!¡¨

He silenced her with his fierce glance. Kaoru watched them with worried eyes.

¡§My guests are going to get distressed if you¡¦re not there.¡¨ She attempted.

¡§Is that all you care about? Some fucking men who contaminated my woman?¡¨ Battousai asked coldly. His words caused Kaoru hanging her head low.

The stewardess laughed, ¡§Contaminated? My, my Battousai. Kamiya is the best whore around. She consented it. Am I right?¡¨ she asked.

Battousai turned his head to see Kaoru, holding Tsubame in her arms, her face shadowed.

¡§Kaoru?¡¨ his face contorted into concern.

She didn¡¦t response.

The stewardess laughed again. Battousai frowned and turned his attention back on the wretched woman.

¡§Shut up!¡¨ he growled.

Gently, Kaoru placed Tsubame against the tree and stood up. She walked over to the Hitokiri and touched his arm. Battousai stared back at her.

¡§I¡¦m sorry I was whore. I¡¦m sorry for everything that had happened.¡¨

He tilted her face up and smiled for her, words didn¡¦t need to be said. Kaoru wanted the time to stop. She would never get tired of looking at him. She could stay like that for hours.

¡§Oh, you guys.¡¨ The stewardess grunted.

Battousai snapped his head and glared at her. ¡§Alright, you want money?¡¨ he pulled Kaoru by the arm and pushed her forward. The prostitute stared in confusion, standing between the two conflicts.

¡§How much for the girl,¡¨ he said swiftly.

The stewardess and Kaoru both widened their eyes at his words. His face remained still.

¡§What?¡¨ the older woman asked.

¡§Kenshin-¡¨

¡§I said, how much for the girl,¡¨ he said again, waiting impatiently.

Kaoru stared at the Hitokiri, her heart thumped.

¡§Are you buying her from me?¡¨

¡§I asked twice already! Are you deafened?¡¨ he shouted angrily. Kaoru stared back at the stewardess, who was silence for some time. The prostitute clutched onto her chest, her heart beating unusually fast.

Is that it? Kenshin¡¦s going to buy me away from her, and I could live a new life as I¡¦ve always wanted? Really, Kaoru prayed for this day ever since she became a prostitute. Joy leaped onto her face briefly, but was soon covered by worry.

Battousai shook his head. That damned woman was taking too much time to think. Yearningly, he reached out for his Kaoru and pulled her against him again, gazing deeply into her clear blue eyes. Their foreheads touched.

¡§Don¡¦t worry. Soon we¡¦ll be living a new life, to a place where people don¡¦t know us. And our past.¡¨ Battousai said gently.

Kaoru smiled, ¡§Starting over?¡¨

¡§Starting over.¡¨

But clearly, the stewardess¡¦s voice echoed in their minds.

¡§No.¡¨

It was strange how the older woman had spoken so low, that they could hear it as clear as crystal. Battousai snapped and forced to restrain himself. He broke away from Kaoru and stared at the stewardess, panting heavily. She in return stared at him expectantly.

Fear crept upon Kaoru¡¦s delicate features. No? She asked herself, no?

¡§I will not sell her.¡¨

It shattered the last bit of hope in the prostitute.

Battousai clenched his fist and declared angrily, ¡§I demand to know why.¡¨

¡§I will not sell her, that¡¦s it! It¡¦s finished!¡¨ the older woman shouted.

The Hitokiri swallowed the lump in his throat. He heard. He understood. He suffered. But hell, for all the time he wasted, he wouldn¡¦t take no as an answer. They would not be the tragic love story; they would not be the one that could never have the happy ending!

¡§Like hell,¡¨ he swept out his katana out of his sheath, ¡§I¡¦m asking you again. Are you going to give her to me?¡¨

It took a second for the stewardess to reply, ¡§My final answer is no Battousai.¡¨

¡§Then be it.¡¨ He said curtly. He lowered himself and frowned.

¡§No Kenshin! Don¡¦t!¡¨ Kaoru urged, her face pale.

He blocked out her voice and focused thoroughly. He¡¦ll end this, now. Too much time had been wasted. He tightened his grip on the sword. Too much time.

He rose up his sword.

The stewardess stared at him in surprise, before she had the time to realize the look in the assassin¡¦s orbs, he plunged the weapon into her flesh. She rolled her eyes when something as quick as a lightening struck her, slowly twisted to an excruciating pain.

Kaoru could only watch from aside.

The crimson blood smeared out, blemishing his dark colored gi with trails of sin.

Battousai watched his victim as she struggled her last standing breaths. He couldn¡¦t even feel the slightest remorse as he plunged in deeper, darkening his soul. The stewardess choked on her own blood as the Hitokiri pulled out his katana, as she collapsed onto the red earth.

¡§Kami-sama¡K¡¨ then he heard her soft voice.

Turning his attention, he dropped his sword and rushed to the girl, with the blood daubing both their bodies.

¡§Hey,¡¨ he said, holding her in his arms. ¡§Did I¡Kscare you?¡¨

She shook her head lightly, betraying her eyes. He lips curved into the smallest smile.

In all their warnings, all their visions¡Keverything that lead up to this day, they already knew the consequences. The answers would always remain the same, no matter how they try to break through the barrier.

Unable to resist himself anymore, he lowered his head as Kaoru closed her eyes. His lips grazed passed hers as the Hitokiri shuddered inwardly. She tasted so sweet. Kaoru brought her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, playing with his flamed red hair. He tightened his embrace around her frail form and pulled her closer against him, deepening the kiss. The slightest touch of his tongue set her world on fire.

Hot. She felt hot all over.

Battousai could barely keep his sense of reality. Her lips were just too much.

Breathing wasn¡¦t important, only drowning in her.

In that moment all the truths laid discovered¡Kbut by one second.

Make sure your enemy is truly down.

If for one second, the two of them would have seen the stewardess holding up the bloodied sword, before she breathed out the last air in her life¡K

In for second, Battousai would have realized the sudden fear etched on her face, and why she had pushed him away so unexpectedly¡K

If for one second¡Khe would hear her heart-tearing scream¡K

If for one second¡K

The sound repeated itself in the dark wood, in front of the Sakura House. It was sharp, piercing, heart wrenching, and cut through her very being. He stood still when the tip of his sword, emerged from her abdomen sickingly. Her own blood now was far more than the stains on Battousai. She gasped brokenly and barely turned her head to see his face.

¡§Kenshin, are you¡Kalright?¡¨ Her mind was in denial of the dreadfully pain, trying desperately to stay focused on him.

He saw her began to sway slightly, as her eyes fluttered open and closed. The blood was pouring out from the gash so swiftly, like a river of crimson. He reached out to her inaudibly, as he felt her weight gaining on his body. And as she fell, so did his heart.

The older woman coughed up the last gasp of her life, before collapsing into the pool of red. But Battousai was too rigid to notice that.

She asked him if he was all right. How in hell could he be all right? His watery amber eyes flashed back to their first night in the House, when she had driven him mad. Now, everything he had ever been or ever would be, turned to bits of frost that moment. He tried to believe that all of this was a dream, a cruel dream. This couldn¡¦t be happening¡Kit had to be some nightmare.

A soft cry escaped from Battousai¡¦s lips as he collapsed onto the ground along with Kaoru. But it seemed so¡Kreal. He could even feel her heat failing. Her heartbeat slowing.

¡§Kaoru¡KKaoru,¡¨ he choked.

She tried to smile for him, but found that intricate. She felt so cold, as if the sands of time was slipping away from her, eating her alive. The pain was too much to endure, even when she breathe.

¡§Why¡K¡¨ hot, salty teardrops danced softly on her face as she blinked rapidly, trying to stay active. The Hitokiri¡¦s amber eyes faded into teary violet¡Kas he held her tightly in his arm.

¡§Why did you do it?¡¨ he rocked her back and forth, back and forth. ¡§Why did you do it? I¡¦ve sworn to protect you Kaoru!¡¨ he shouted hoarsely.

¡§It¡Kdoesn¡¦t seem as much as it¡Kh-hurts,¡¨ she rasped and touched his face gently.

He leaned in to her touch but felt the coldness in her palm.

¡§Am I¡Kam I dying?¡¨ she asked weakly as her eyes opened halfway. Her vision was so blurry; she couldn¡¦t see his facial expression. Only the flamed red hair and a glimpse of his violet eyes. Suddenly, she panicked. Hands grasping wildly.

¡§Kenshin?¡¨ she said, her tone dripped with fear. ¡§Kenshin!¡¨

¡§I¡¦m here!¡¨ Battousai grabbed her hands firmly and affirmed. ¡§I¡¦m here¡K¡¨

¡§I can¡¦t see! Where are you Kenshin?¡¨ she asked into nothingness. Battousai widened his eyes and squeezed her hand. So much tears in his eyes. So much. Seeing his love like this was harder than digging out his own heart with a spoon.

Scared. He was so scared.

¡§Don¡¦t leave me¡K¡¨ he pleaded.

¡§Gomen ne, Kenshin¡Kbut it hurts s-so much¡K¡¨ Kaoru coughed as more blood came out. Battousai could only stare in hopelessness. He failed. He failed as a protector; he failed as a weakling who couldn¡¦t even notice the attack; and he failed as a human being! He was so fucking lame! It had been days since he tried to save her, buy her away from that dead woman¡Kand¡Kthen this happened.

Kaoru closed her eyes slowly and swallowed. Feeling her breaths shallow and frail, Battousai cried out, ¡§Kaoru? Kaoru?¡¨

¡§Love you¡K¡¨ she whispered.

¡§Kaoru! Wake up Kaoru! Open your eyes! Please¡K¡¨

And then, reality snapped him. He wrapped his left arms around her cold form and used his right one to tear out a corner of his hakama, draping them across her abdomen. Stopping the blood slowly. His tears smeared out of his eyes as he carried her up.

¡§Don¡¦t leave me,¡¨ he bit his lip, ¡§If u did¡KI¡¦ll never forgive myself.¡¨

Somewhere on earth, on this forsaken land¡Kan assassin tried to find his existence in this so-called world. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months. Until he met a fallen prostitute with mysterious blue eyes. They fell in love with each other so unexpectedly, forbidding the coding that made up the empire. One told them to be careful about the consequences, but they wouldn¡¦t listen. Dream world met reality, reality met truth. In the end, not only did his heart tore, so did the woman who gave her life for him. Would there ever be happiness?

I stared and thought about the past times we spent together. I realized how I couldn¡¦t live without you. Now, I beg you to take the chance, to breathe fully, and miracles would appear. I know that wherever you are, must be happier and freer than in this world. I will wait for you Kaoru, my Kaoru. Whether it¡¦s in hell, or heaven, or even on earth. You chose the decision; I will find you until the end of the world. And to live a new life, a life we never had. So koishii, remember that I¡¦ll always love you, and please- wait for me.