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 problems, tell me in the reviews. Arigatou minna-san!!
Standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter eight¡X Rapture, the seventh heaven
The lights were so intense.
She tried to remember exactly what was happening¡Kred, visions filled with red. Why was it so hard to breathe? She could feel the weapon¡¦s vibration that sliced through her abdomen with every breath. She could feel the pressure, but the pain did not register.
She opened her mouth. No words came, only the voices within her mind.
The pain¡Kwill it go away?
She stared up at the ceiling above, clouded by her own dark memories.
Proved. She proved.
As if a decade ago, the blood she shed had told everyone the truth. It told them about the pain, the suffering, and the consequences. She too, saw the forbidden eternity hidden beneath the layer of crimson. She too, thought that it was the dead end. No more escapes, no more paths. Had she done something so shattering, that the tale itself would forever pass on? Would the people whisper, saying the devotion a prostitute had once given to a Hitokiri?
She didn¡¦t know.
Then¡Kwould there ever be an answer?
Maybe.
Every once in a while, a new chance, a new opportunity would be given to each lives. She saw hers, when the moment the light shone through. A feeling of warmth washed over her entire being, savoring her. The air that played in her lungs began to work its way out slowly, painfully at first. Her heartbeat increased, once again beating life into her. Followed by the pulse, the heat, then¡Kthe glow.
She walked into it without hesitation.
The room was dark, yet Battousai could not sleep. The recent events had him in a trance-like state, half alive, half dead. In the moonlight, he watched the silhouette of Kaoru, his Kaoru. Each shallow breath she took he cherished like gold. He just watched her, scrutinized by the way how her ravened hair made its way down the pillow and spread like silk. He touched her pale cheek softly. It doesn¡¦t matter to him if she could see or not, she saw through him before he saw through himself.
¡§Kenshin¡Kare you¡Kalright?¡¨
He took the blame, he wanted all of it.
In his mind he screamed.
His heartbeats were loud and stubborn; they never seemed to die down. But in that moment, when he saw her pale face, her bloodied form¡Khe wished his heart would fall like she did. He had been in hell; he nearly died for several times as a manslayer. He could handle the pain. He knew what it was like.
But Kaoru?
Oh, no. Hell no.
She was new to the blood-splattering world. She didn¡¦t know how much pain it would cost her, she didn¡¦t know how much more pain he had when seeing her fall.
He should have been the one who was hurt.
¡§Love you¡K¡¨
¡§Damnit Kaoru! I love you too¡K¡¨ his heart whispered.
His eyes stung him like thousands of needles, blinding his blurry vision. He blinked as small drops of tears fell silently.
To this point, his heart tore. He couldn¡¦t stand it anymore. Finally, he broke down both physically and emotionally, before shutting his eyes and cried, praying this could all be over.
For the second time he shed his tears for her. For the tenth time he broke his heart.
He had suffered so much, she had suffered so much. Why were those simple, perfect dreams so far away?
Before he knew it, the obsessive amber flames died out in his eyes, were replaced by helpless lavender.
¡§No one can break us apart. I swear.¡¨
That¡¦s what he said.
Those words were from his own mouth, his own heart.
And yet¡K
His knuckles turned to white as he clutched them tightly, not caring the nails were digging deep into his flesh, creating indistinct tingles.
Maybe he was right. Maybe he was right about the tragic love story. Maybe they were the one that could never have the happy ending.
In his own dark fears, he didn¡¦t notice when a pair of eyes revealed open slowly from aside, focusing on the white ceiling above. Her eyes looked numb, plain blue. Her chest rose and fell steadily. Very soon, the world registered around her and she took them all in. The soreness of her abdomen, the tight gap when he breathed¡Kand then she heard it.
Her head turned slightly to expose the reality.
And¡Kthank god there he was. Bending over slightly to hide away his tears, face hidden away from the red locks of hair, she recognized all the better.
Baka¡KKenshin¡K
A light, cold touch numbed his skin. It felt tender.
Face wet from the tears, he glanced toward where the coldness spread.
In his dreams, he thought he saw her face. A tiring smile was pressed against her lips, making it even more dreamlike. Right then his mind formed an only word¡Ka simple word.
¡§¡KKaoru¡K?¡¨
He cautiously stared at her in the clear, azure eyes, scared like a little boy. He feared that this was only in his unconsciousness, that she would fade into the cold form again when he opened his eyes.
And she smiled at that.
Reaching out to his hand, she intertwined her fingers with his, and mouthed the words, ¡§I¡¦m home.¡¨
Blinking rapidly back the new emerging tears, he smiled genuinely for the first time.
¡§Starting over?¡¨
Placing both of his hands in different directions beside her head, he leaned down, carefully not to crush her under his weight, and kissed her softly on the lips.
¡§Starting over.¡¨
A few days after Kaoru¡¦s recovery under Kenshin¡¦s tender cares, they decided to inhale the new world after the reign of terror that rose several weeks back. Kenshin had simply quit as a Hitokiri Battousai, now he tried to bury the name. His katana still stayed with him, however, but he vowed to never kill again. It was hard, but it was worth it.
Kaoru on the other hand was no longer a prostitute; she had put her past behind her and lived the life that they both dreamed. She cast out the name ¡¥Butterfly¡¦ by now, but it would always remain a special place in her heart.
¡§Kenshin?¡¨ Kaoru asked one day.
¡§Nani, koishii?¡¨ he smiled down at his love, his life.
She smiled back at him, ¡§You want to¡Kpay a visit to our past?¡¨
They stood under a sakura tree, its pink petals flying all around them peacefully. One fell on Kaoru¡¦s nose and Kenshin kissed it away. Her hand found his and held them tight. Smiling at her, he then turned his head straight in front, staring at the new structure.
Kaoru squeezed his hand. He realized the strength she needed and squeezed back, giving her all the support.
Away from the pink sakura tree, facing the new structure, was the back of a young girl. She had brunette hair, dancing around her shoulders along with the breeze. She didn¡¦t turn around, nor did she move. She just stood there, staring at the tall structure. In her chocolate brown eyes unknown tears shimmered under the sunlight. She wiped them away with her hand, her brows knotted together by old memories. She stood frozen by the recollections of days gone by, of a Hitokiri and a prostitute that she once met before.
Tsubame shook her head gently and smiled. They¡¦re probably off to somewhere like heaven, where the past only would become a tale. She stepped back, and turned.
Then cried.
In her eyes, stood two forms.
The one time Battousai and the young woman whom she¡¦d always looked up to¡K Kaoru-san.
Kaoru placed the cup of warm tea in her hands on her lap as the two sat. Tsubame still held on her fresh new tears when she drank the tea. The wind caressed their faces as if the past were slowly coming back to them, bit by bit.
¡§So you opened a new teahouse?¡¨ she asked gently.
¡§H-hai!¡¨ the younger girl looked startle as Kaoru laughed quietly. She blushed and her eyes were glued to the ground below.
¡§It¡¦s a nice place around her, isn¡¦t it?¡¨ sitting back and looked up at the clear sky, Kaoru could only smile. Things changed, for the better.
Tsubame peeked at her from sideways shyly.
¡§You really are amazing, Tsubame-chan.¡¨
The girl blinked at her in surprise. ¡§Eh?¡¨
¡§I mean¡Kjust look past our shoulders, and you will see the original Sakura House, with its horrible nightmares forever surrounding them,¡¨
Tsubame¡¦s face saddened.
¡§And look what you turned it into!¡¨ Kaoru laughed, ¡§A teahouse!¡¨
Tsubame blinked at her cheerfulness. She had never seen her so¡Khappy, so contented with her life before. A smile edged on her lips slowly, as she laughed with her.
¡§Thank you Kaoru-san. I¡¦ve never seen you so happy before,¡¨ Tsubame remarked.
¡§Mou¡Kthanks to that baka,¡¨
¡§Baka?¡¨
¡§My baka.¡¨ She smiled. ¡§He changed you know.¡¨
Tsubame realized that baka was Himura Kenshin and giggled.
¡§He¡Kwas a Battousai. A manslayer who shed thousands of life.¡¨ She turned to her, asking, ¡§Did you notice any differences when you saw him earlier?¡¨
Her mind clicked, ¡§Yes indeed! I think I never saw him smile until this day¡K¡¨
Kaoru¡¦s smile got even brighter, ¡§Hai, hai! He¡¦s more opened to me now, which I¡¦m glad!¡¨
¡§I¡¦m sure you are Kaoru-san.¡¨ Tsubame smiled.
After a few minutes, Kaoru gripped the cup tight in her hands. Finally, she spoke¡K
¡§I¡¦m really sorry about your aunt, Tsubame-chan.¡¨
Her words hit her and her face cast down to the floor.
¡§She¡Kshe raised me, w-without her, I-¡¨
¡§Without her you wouldn¡¦t have suffered so much.¡¨ She finished her sentence. Kaoru stared at her in surprise.
¡§I never liked her, she was the kind of woman who I don¡¦t want to be like,¡¨ Tsubame continued.
¡§And I see her nothing but as¡Kwell, my aunt.¡¨
Silence overtook them for a moment.
¡§Demo ne,¡¨ Tsubame smiled at the older woman, ¡§I¡¦m really glad that it¡¦s all over.¡¨
Kaoru looked back at the sky. Her clear eyes wavered with emotions.
Yeah¡KI¡¦m glad too.
Few hours had passed since Kaoru and Kenshin had arrived. It was the time to bid farewell.
Standing beside the wooden bridge, Kaoru and Tsubame said their last goodbyes.
¡§I¡¦m going to miss you Tsubame-chan.¡¨
Her chocolate eyes filled with tears and sadness, ¡§B-be, be sure to visit me and my teahouse,¡¨
¡§I will.¡¨ Kaoru smiled and patted her head.
¡§Do you have to leave so soon?¡¨
Kaoru¡¦s eyes traveled over to the other side of the bridge, where Kenshin was waiting. Never breaking eye-contact with him, she said, ¡§I have someone waiting for me.¡¨
Tsubame saw him too, as she nodded her head and tried to stop her tears.
¡§Sayonara.¡¨
¡§Sayonara. I love you.¡¨
The young girl stared at Kaoru¡¦s retreating figure as she walked towards the bridge, she watched as Kenshin extended his arms and Kaoru joined him. To her- this piece of memory would be forever etched into her heart; just as the tale itself would continue to pass on.
And to that she smiled.
¡§How is she?¡¨ Kenshin asked, while walking alone with Kaoru in the dark hallway.
She had a gentle smile on her lips, ¡§She¡¦s great. Thanks you for waiting for me back there,¡¨
He stared at her in wonder and they stopped in their tracks. Kaoru returned the stare equally, trying to search for an answer in the endless lavender orbs. She swam in them for a moment, capturing his intense stare. The two stood in the empty corridor, with the heavy air weighing on them. She suddenly became hot under his penetrating eyes. The heat was getting stronger, and Kenshin could feel it too.
She realized that their faces were getting closer, dangerously close.
¡§Kenshin-¡¨
The next thing he did was unexpected. Kenshin acted on his instincts and captured her lips with his in a swift motion. Feeling her knees went weak, Kaoru cling onto him. The intensity in their kiss grew, filled with passion and need. He pulled her closer and her arms went around his neck, as if they went through this a lot of times.
They broke the kiss after a few moments, panting heavily. Then he led her by the hand to the door of a private room. As they stopped, he found himself kissing her again. Kaoru responded with as much passion as he gave her. Kenshin slid the paper door open with one hand hastily while kissing her and stumbled in, shutting it behind loudly.
After getting inside, Kenshin pinned Kaoru against the cold wall and continued his sweet torture. She caressed his back in soft tender motions, encouraging him to do more.
Running his hands along her slender back, he ravaged her mouth with his passionately. It was the first time he¡¦d showed her this much, and she accepted it with more pleasure than ever.
He broke their kiss abruptly and picked her up. Kaoru let out a yelp in surprise as he laid her down on the futon gently, and tossed his katana aside without a care. Kaoru stared at him marvelously, trying to read the meaning in his eyes. They did not exchange words, for they would only ruin such a perfect moment. He took his right hand and brushed away some lose strands of her hair, and started running his hand down her cheek to her shoulder. Slowly he reached down to untie her obi, while he bent down to kiss her again, trying not to break their closeness.
Whole. She felt whole with him.
¡§Kenshin,¡¨ she said in between kisses.
He lifted his face up slightly, their lips still touching.
She could feel something wet in her eyes as she blinked. Looking back the days now, they truly went through a lot.
¡§Kaoru what¡¦s wrong? Did I hurt you?¡¨ concern etched all over his face and he sat up, touching her face gently.
Kaoru shook her head, ¡§It¡¦s just that¡Kwe¡¦ve been through so much¡K¡¨ he smiled softly down at her and kissed her nose. ¡§Our love was supposed to be forbidden¡K¡¨
¡§Never say that our love was forbidden Kaoru,¡¨ he said. ¡§We love each other, and that¡¦s all that matters.¡¨
She smiled up at him. ¡§Come here¡K¡¨ and pulled him down with her on the futon.
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. Their devotion for each other was so great that in the end, they survived through the door of the death. Their love was meant to be forbidden. But¡Kdid that really matter?
You¡¦re home, Kenshin thought quietly.
You¡¦re finally home.
--- OWARI---
It¡¦s finished!!!! Just like my exams, I have put an end to it. Now all I have to do is try to find a way for mah other fics ¡¥Lovefool¡¦ and ¡¥Rain of Blood¡¦. Please be patient! Your humble reviews are much welcomed. :D I really really enjoyed working on this fic, and I also found out that some new ideas about Kaoru being a prostitute have popped up everywhere. I¡¦m glad glad glad!!!!!
In closing, I want to thank every one of you, you guys have given me much hopes and encouragement that I¡¦ll ever need! I hope that for a little while, I was able to entertain for a few short moments of your life!! Thank you all!!
~digits
