~Crimson~
By: Alithiel Daystar
Disclaimer: Sorry this has taken so very long to complete.but between my job and life in general, I've been too distracted to finish.
This is it folks. The final part of the story that just won't leave me alone! I would like to thank ~all~ who read from the bottom of my heart, including Soul Flyer, The Masked Instigator, Melfina-Pan, Y sunfire, miko demon hunter, ayana, D.J., Moonwind (Sorry about the punctuation.my comp's crap. I'll do better, I promise!), mvdiva, Don't know who I am (are you having an identity crisis?), Mysterious Reviewer, Papaya!, Rei, and ambereyes/yosei (you can hide under my couch if ya want, yosei!). Thank you all so much for being so kind to Sessha and not sending me flames too hot to toast marshmallows.even if half of you were threatening me to hurry up and finish.
For so long, I've judged a good story by whether or not I thought it was still good when I read it in the morning. This one kept eluding me, and I kept finding things wrong with it when I reread it the next day. However, your kindness in reviewing has made me feel better about this story and about myself as a fledgling author. I never expected so many of you to review! Thank you all!
I'm very sorry for the cliffhangers, but don't worry. This is the end, so enjoy and review! I hope everyone has loved reading this fic as much as I've loved writing it!
This one's for you all! ^.~x
With Love, Alithiel
Part 4: Antibody
Kenshin burst through the dojo's sliding doors, barely able to kick off his sandals before dashing down the hall to Kaoru's room. He slid the door open. Megumi, Yahiko, and Sanosuke were already inside, along with Dr. Gensai, and they all looked at Kenshin a little confused. The two doctors were closest to Kaoru's futon, where she lay with her blankets in disarray, shaking and sweating, her breathing harsh in the air.
"What's happening?" Kenshin demanded, his voice begging no argument. Yet, somehow in his heart he knew EXACTLY what as going on.
"I.I don't know." Dr. Gensai replied in a wondering tone. "Only a moment ago she began to tremble like this, almost as if."
"As if she was fighting something of with her entire being." Megumi finished, looking with uncharacteristic concern to the tiny girl. Kenshin moved to kneel beside the futon, gazing down into the face of the one person he needed most in the world. His hand twitched: he wanted to brush the sweat-soaked bangs away from her forehead, to rest his hand against her flushed cheek for reassurance. He clenched his fist. Better for all that he kept his feelings to himself and away from everyone.especially Kaoru. He was too stained with blood to touch something so pure. Kenshin sighed.
-Fight, Kaoru!-
/////
Kaoru gazed at her dark double across from her in shock as Shinimegami laughed coldly, her black hakama and gi like slices of night. She cocked her head to the side with a swish of her ponytail
"What's wrong, KAORU?" She asked mockingly.
"What.what ARE you?" Kaoru stumbled, her mind strangely numb, cold seeping into her bones. Tomoe took a decisive step forward, stopping when she encountered resistance. The thickness of the air rendered her immobile, helpless.only able to watch as Kamiya Kaoru faced Death.
"Who am I? I am You!" Death said. "I am your anger, your hatred.and your fear!"
Fear.an image of Kenshin leaving her for good pierced her mind. Kaoru fell screaming to her knees, clutching her head as she tried to hold it together, before this excruciating pain tore her apart. Death placed her hands on her hips, the ice of her stare only adding to her pain. Kaoru screamed in agony, the sound wrenching tears from Tomoe's eyes and a snort from Death.
"This bores me."
Death clapped her hands. Instantly, darkness erupted from the doorway behind her, swirling through the white before devouring it utterly. Able to move once more, Tomoe ran to Kaoru. The girl looked up, her eyes flowing with tears as the older woman knelt by her side. They watched the white room vanish as if it never was, only to be replaced by a thick, viscous darkness. Shinimegami gazed at them both as she drew something black from the sash of her hakama. Like a living shadow the object flashed: a bladed katana, blacker than night. Death grinned mockingly. "Come, let's fight, little girl!"
Tomoe helped Kaoru to stand, taking a moment to study the two. So alike, yet so different.Death like a piece of live darkness, and Kaoru like the embodiment of light.
"Kaoru." She said urgently, giving the younger girl a good shake. "Don't do this! You'll die"
Kaoru looked up at Kenshin's first wife with a smile. Her sapphire eyes were still red and wet from her pained tears, but they shone with resolution. "But, I have to. For the people I care for, as well as myself."
"Seeing them all, so worried for me, made me realize that I am worth something to them. And.I can't have them crying if I die, right?"
Such innocence.such determination! Tomoe took a step back, dark eyes downcast. "Then.I can't stop you." Tilting her head to the side, she nodded, as if she was listening to another voice. She fixed her dark eyes on Kaoru. "But, I can help." She held her hand out before her, and in a moment a tiny, brilliant light floated from her hand to land in Kaoru's. A bright flash and she held in her hand a white bokken that shone with its own light. Bright multicolor cord rapped around the hilt of the wooden sword as she looked curiously at it. Death began to laugh again.
"A WOODEN sword?! It might have served her better to give her a gattling gun, Tomoe, though not much!" She swung her sword, the sound as it cut through the air sounding very much like a pained scream as she approached the Kamiya Kasshin assistant master. Death just stood a moment, then faster than lightning she flicked her sword out, slicing Kaoru's cheek!
Crying out in unexpected pain, Kaoru instantly felt something wet as she pressed her hand against her broken skin. She pulled her hand away, gasping as she saw the crimson blood that covered it and trickled down her wrist. "How." Kaoru half stammered, the cut making speech painful.
"Oh, I can't BELIEVE you haven't figured it out!" Shinimegami ground out angrily, stamping her foot like a child. "You're in the ONE place that the spirit can be made physical, to feel pain."
The meaning of the words dawned on Kaoru even as Shini gave the answer. Tomoe clenched her fist in anger. "You're in Hell, Kaoru! And here you will remain if you lose." Shini raised he sword, cold eyes glinting red. "Which, of course, you will! Let's go, little girl."
Turning to face herself, blood dripping from her cheek and bokken held at ready, Kaoru smiled in response. The electric blue of her eyes flashing like summer lightning at her opponent. "Yes, let's."
/////
"What the hell.?" Sano exclaimed, looking at Kaoru and pointing. Suddenly, like a sudden flash of red, a thin, deep cut appeared on her right cheek, a runnel of blood running across her fair skin. Kenshin merely nodded, concern and anger in his eyes as he watched the cut. Something snapped in him, and though no one saw, his eyes flashed amber for a moment.
"Megumi-dono is right, she is fighting something, and not just a sickness. And.I think I have a good idea what." He said in a quiet voice thick with pain and fury.
"What?!" Yahiko demanded as Megumi bent to wipe off the blood. "What could the hag be fighting? What could she be fighting that would cut her when she's not MOVING!?"
"Well, that's easy, Yahiko." Kenshin replied, giving a very pale version of his old rurouni smile. "Kaoru-dono's fighting Death."
/////
~There's another world inside of me that you may never see. There's secrets in this life that I can't hide.~
Kaoru and Death circled one another, focused completely on what was at hand.
Somewhere in this darkness there's a light that I can't find. Maybe it's too far away, or maybe I'm just blind.
Maybe I'm just blind.~
Death raised her blade. "Die, girl!!"
"You wish!!"
The black blade crashed into Kaoru's bokken. Instantly a shivering wave of sound ripped through the blackness. The battle had begun.
~Hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. Hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone. Everything I am and everything in me. Wants to be the one you wanted me to be. I'll never let you down, even if I could. I'd give up everything if only for your good. So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. You can hold me when I'm scared, but you won't always be there, So love me when I'm gone.~
Seeing an opening, Kaoru cracked her bokken against her opponent's elbow. Death shrieked in rage and pain as she brought her blade whistling upwards, slicing deeply into Kaoru's sword arm.
/////
"Damn!" Sano ground out as the arm wound soaked blood into Kaoru's sleeping yukata. "Don't you die on us!"
/////
~When your education x-ray could not see under my skin. I won't tell you a damn thing that I could not tell my friends.~
Rolling away from one of Death's attacks, she felt a strange pulsing energy tingle across her skin. A quick glance showed a strange shimmer coming from the red string on her bokken hilt. Instantly, she felt stronger.
~Roaming through this darkness, I'm alive but I' alone. Part of me is fighting this, but part of me is gone.~
/////
"Kaoru!" Megumi ground out as she bandaged the wound on her arm.
/////
Another pulse, another shimmering string, this time from the green one. Kaoru's weariness slipped away as she stood. With a loud cry, she renewed her assault.
~Hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. Hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone. Everything I am and everything in me. Wants to be the one you wanted me to be. I'll never let you down, even if I could. I'd give up everything if only for your good. So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. You can hold me when I'm scared, but you won't always be there, So love me when I'm gone.~
Shinimegami stumbled back, then pressed forward with her blade. A rapid slash, and a scream from Kaoru meant she hit her target.
/////
Yahiko felt tears gather in his eyes as he saw blood soak the front of her yukata. A long cut appeared across Kaoru's chest, deep and angry looking. Yahiko began to cry.
/////
Laying in a daze, Kaoru felt another pulse of energy travel up her wounded arm, and saw a bright yellow flash out of the corner of her eye. The energy flowed through her once again, giving her the strength to stand once more. Pain flowing through her, she took a minute to look at her sword once again, at the strange, colorful light that shone around the hilt. Then it struck her.
////
Finally giving in to his initial compulsion, Kenshin waved the others away from the futon as he scooted closer. The look in his eyes brooked no argument. The others moved to the other end of the room as he leaned close to her ear, placing one hand on either side of her head. Something hard bumped his knuckle. Beside Kaoru's pillow was a pink seashell strung on a purple string.
"This." It was the seashell he had given her, the first time he called her Kaoru without the honorific 'dono'. Stinging tears filled his eyes as he pressed his cheek to hers.
"Kaoru, listen to me." Kenshin whispered, his voice a mere thread of sound. "You can't let yourself die, that you cannot. Please, Kaoru, hear me. There is so much that you and I need to talk about."
/////
"This is." Kaoru murmured, as the violet cord ignited into luminous flame. Where before she had merely felt the energy, this tie she saw it, a powerful radiance that flowed over her body. Seconds later, a strand of light blue and a strand of dark gray ignited, bringing her the voices of Miaso and Aoshi praying for her wellbeing. The violet light grew more intense. The red, green, and yellow strings shone, bringing the voices of Sanosuke, Megumi, and Yahiko to her. But brighter than all was the purple string, and more beautiful and melodious that the other voices was Kenshin's.
"Kenshin.everyone."
~So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. Hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone. Everything I am and everything in me. Wants to be the one you wanted me to be. I'll never let you down, even if I could. I'd give up everything if only for your good. So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. You can hold me when I'm scared, but you won't always be there, So love me when I'm gone.~
"That's right!" Tomoe said. "They all love you. Their power is your power!"
Death glared at Kaoru. "Enough!!" She shrieked, bringing her blade up once more. She moved forward. "It is time for you to die!"
"Yes.it is enough." Kaoru turned to face Shinimegami for the last time, bringing her bokken up. The last string, bright blue, exploded into light, merging with the other colors. Her power.
~Love me when I'm gone.~
/////
The group watched in shock as Kaoru's body began to glow faintly blue. The pace of her breathing increased, she ceased trembling.
Taking up the small pink shell, Kenshin pressed it into her hand.
/////
Death bore down on Kaoru, blade set for the killing blow. The girl merely stood in the traditional fighting stance of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, waiting, as the power of her friends and he on power coursed through her veins.
Ten feet, eight, death seemed to come in slow motion.
~Love me when I'm gone.~
Kaoru set herself, the colored light waxing in brightness.
Death was upon her.
"Kamiya Kasshin Ryu! *Shichiburuu Ken!"
Seven swift strikes, blue flashes, and Death flew backwards through the air, a thin shriek rending the blackness. There was a crash, then nothing. Immediately the darkness vanished, leaving the white room, Kaoru, Tomoe, and a knocked- out Shinimegami crumpled in front of the shattered Mirror of Truth.
/////
The light flickered out. Kaoru remained asleep, her breathing deep and slow, thought still rough, her smooth skin dotted with beads of sweat.
"Megumi-dono!" But Megumi and Doctor Gensai were already moving, getting water and examining her.
"Her.fever's broken!" Gensai said happily.
/////
Kaoru winced in pain, clutching her wounded chest. Something hard scraped her skin: it was her shell, the one Kenshin had given her a while ago, the first time he called her by name. A soft smile crossed her face, and she looked at the bokken. The lights had gone out.
"That represents your bond with your friends, Kaoru." Tomoe said, sounding strangely distant. "Sanosuke, Megumi, Yahiko, Aoshi, Misao, and Kenshin all love you very much. Their power, and yours, was what you needed to beat Death. There is nothing more valuable that the love of friends, and that you must never forget. And now," Tomoe laughed, hugging the smaller girl, "It is time for you to go back."
"What.about her?" Kaoru asked, pointing to the prone form crumpled on the ground.
"I think she'll be quite embarrassed when she wakes up."
The area was growing blurry, and with a final wave, Tomoe vanished.
/////
Kaoru's eyes fluttered open, and the first image she saw was her circle of friends staring anxiously down at her.
"Give me a little space." She rasped out with a weak smile. Sano and Yahiko whooped and began dancing around the room with Megumi scowling at them. Kenshin was just smiling stupidly.
"OUT!!! NO MORE NOISE!!!" Megumi shrieked, shoving them, and Dr. Gensai, out of the room. Kaoru tried to laugh, but only succeeded in triggering a coughing fit.
"Don't push yourself." Kenshin said, relief apparent in his eyes as he brushed the sweaty bangs away from her forehead.
"Ken.shin." Kaoru murmured. Kenshin just smiled as he dangled something in front of her unfocused eyes.
"My shell."
"Yes." He lifted her head slightly, just enough to slip the string over her head. As he settled the string around her neck, he gave her a light, brushing kiss on the forehead. Kaoru shivered.
"Now rest." Kenshin said good-naturedly as he helped settle her back into her pillow. Standing, the turned toward where the doctors waited by the door. "But don't worry, Kaoru.I'll be back soon. And then." He smiled his old rurouni smile, "You can tell me what you were fighting, ne?"
Kaoru sighed with happiness, her eyes sliding shut as he walked out of the room.
/////
Another freak spring rainshower struck Tokyo that night, lashing against the sides of the dojo as Kenshin made his way down the hall. He was tired. Yahiko and Sano were asleep, and Megumi and the doctor had gone home after examining Kaoru.
Kaoru.It had felt so good to be so close to her for that short time. Giving into the urge to smile, he slid the door to her room open.
The sight he saw rent his heart. Kaoru was curled beneath her blankets, shivering. Making his way to the futon, Kenshin noticed that she was covered with all her blankets. A touch of her chilled skin confirmed that she was gripped with the after-fever chills. Kenshin was at a loss. What should he do? She was so cold.should he get Megumi? No.she needed her rest too.
It was the only thing he could think of, and though she may kill him in the morning.Kenshin shifted his body to the other side of her futon. Lifting the layers of blankets, he moved into her bed behind her, throwing his arms around her stomach and pulling her against his body in an attempt to warm her. The silk of her midnight hair tickled his nose, surrounding him in a cloud of jasmine scent. Kaoru sighed, curling her small hands around his larger ones and snuggling her head into his shoulder.
"Ken.shin." She mumbled in her sleep.
"Shhh, Kaoru.I'm here." He whispered in her ear as he caressed her bandaged cheek. Drowsiness stole over him. "I'm here, and I'm never leaving again."
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Part 5: Recovery
Weeks passed, and the first week of summer approached, bringing its heat and humidity, and replacing the sakura blossoms with summer flowers. Kaoru breathed deeply of the warm air as she walked with her friends down the river road one evening.
It was good to be alive.
She was recovered, fully, though the weeks after her illness were very trying. The weakness and itchy rash had finally passed, though Megumi had warned her not to exert herself or she'd personally kill her patient.
Kaoru thanked her luck every day, and thanked Tomoe as well. She remembered clearly the day after she awoke, waking in her rurouni's arms. And to add to the strange events, the white bokken was in the dojo! It had taken a lot of explaining, on both sides, to clear that one.
Yahiko and Sano were in awe. She fought Death?! Nah. She had told everything about her battle, even about meeting Tomoe, except. She turned her eyes to the redhead samurai walking before her.
Except about the mirror and everything she heard. His attitude, though concerned, had not changed. Even though his confession she had seen, his actions had remained the same. Even the Kaoru-dono.
A bright sparkle caught her attention. She could hear Megumi and Sano laughing at Yahiko ahead in the twilight gloom. She paused beside the river.
Fireflies.fireflies were everywhere! They danced around her like living fairy sparkles, making her feel like dancing as well for the sheer joy of it. She spun, laughing aloud.
"Beautiful." A voice said. Kenshin.
She spun quickly, breathless. "Yes, they are."
The rurouni shook his head. "I wasn't talking about the bugs." He said as he moved toward her. Kaoru felt a hot blush steal up her cheeks, suddenly thankful of the darkness falling. Kenshin looked around as if he saw the place for the first time. "This is where we said goodbye, before I left for Kyoto."
"Yes." Kaoru looked at her feet. "I.can't help but fear you'll leave me ag."
She never got to finish her sentence, because she was gripped in Kenshin's tight embrace. He buried his face in her shoulder, his breathing harsh against her skin.
"Don't, Kaoru."
Kaoru smiled. "I don't believe.I've ever heard you call me just Kaoru for a while."
"Well." She felt his smile against her neck. "I have a new one."
"Kenshin?" She asked in wonder as he pulled away from her, cupping her face in his callused hands. His amethyst eyes were inches from hers, and shone with such emotion.
"Kenshin??" She blinked.
"Aishiteru, koishii."
The sudden sharp sting of tears filled her eyes. "Ken.shin.aishiteru."
Gently Kenshin lowered his head. His lips brushed against hers once before he lingered. He kissed her, as deeply as he dared, before her soft sigh caused him to pull away.
"Koishii?"
"I guess.this means you're not leaving?"
"No." Kenshin smiled as he moved to kiss her again. "Never again."
They kissed, and the fireflies danced, and all was well.
THE END
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Ah, finally!!! ALL DONE! My brainchild is fini! *sniff* Wasn't that cute? The song I used is 'When I'm Gone' by Three Doors Down. Cool song!
I hope you like this story. Review, even if it IS the last part!!!!
LOVE, Alithiel
*Shichiburuu Ken: I made it up! I figured 'shichi' meant 'seven', 'buruu' meant 'blue', and 'ken' means 'blade or sword'. So, it means 'Seven Blue Sword'! Cool, ne?
By: Alithiel Daystar
Disclaimer: Sorry this has taken so very long to complete.but between my job and life in general, I've been too distracted to finish.
This is it folks. The final part of the story that just won't leave me alone! I would like to thank ~all~ who read from the bottom of my heart, including Soul Flyer, The Masked Instigator, Melfina-Pan, Y sunfire, miko demon hunter, ayana, D.J., Moonwind (Sorry about the punctuation.my comp's crap. I'll do better, I promise!), mvdiva, Don't know who I am (are you having an identity crisis?), Mysterious Reviewer, Papaya!, Rei, and ambereyes/yosei (you can hide under my couch if ya want, yosei!). Thank you all so much for being so kind to Sessha and not sending me flames too hot to toast marshmallows.even if half of you were threatening me to hurry up and finish.
For so long, I've judged a good story by whether or not I thought it was still good when I read it in the morning. This one kept eluding me, and I kept finding things wrong with it when I reread it the next day. However, your kindness in reviewing has made me feel better about this story and about myself as a fledgling author. I never expected so many of you to review! Thank you all!
I'm very sorry for the cliffhangers, but don't worry. This is the end, so enjoy and review! I hope everyone has loved reading this fic as much as I've loved writing it!
This one's for you all! ^.~x
With Love, Alithiel
Part 4: Antibody
Kenshin burst through the dojo's sliding doors, barely able to kick off his sandals before dashing down the hall to Kaoru's room. He slid the door open. Megumi, Yahiko, and Sanosuke were already inside, along with Dr. Gensai, and they all looked at Kenshin a little confused. The two doctors were closest to Kaoru's futon, where she lay with her blankets in disarray, shaking and sweating, her breathing harsh in the air.
"What's happening?" Kenshin demanded, his voice begging no argument. Yet, somehow in his heart he knew EXACTLY what as going on.
"I.I don't know." Dr. Gensai replied in a wondering tone. "Only a moment ago she began to tremble like this, almost as if."
"As if she was fighting something of with her entire being." Megumi finished, looking with uncharacteristic concern to the tiny girl. Kenshin moved to kneel beside the futon, gazing down into the face of the one person he needed most in the world. His hand twitched: he wanted to brush the sweat-soaked bangs away from her forehead, to rest his hand against her flushed cheek for reassurance. He clenched his fist. Better for all that he kept his feelings to himself and away from everyone.especially Kaoru. He was too stained with blood to touch something so pure. Kenshin sighed.
-Fight, Kaoru!-
/////
Kaoru gazed at her dark double across from her in shock as Shinimegami laughed coldly, her black hakama and gi like slices of night. She cocked her head to the side with a swish of her ponytail
"What's wrong, KAORU?" She asked mockingly.
"What.what ARE you?" Kaoru stumbled, her mind strangely numb, cold seeping into her bones. Tomoe took a decisive step forward, stopping when she encountered resistance. The thickness of the air rendered her immobile, helpless.only able to watch as Kamiya Kaoru faced Death.
"Who am I? I am You!" Death said. "I am your anger, your hatred.and your fear!"
Fear.an image of Kenshin leaving her for good pierced her mind. Kaoru fell screaming to her knees, clutching her head as she tried to hold it together, before this excruciating pain tore her apart. Death placed her hands on her hips, the ice of her stare only adding to her pain. Kaoru screamed in agony, the sound wrenching tears from Tomoe's eyes and a snort from Death.
"This bores me."
Death clapped her hands. Instantly, darkness erupted from the doorway behind her, swirling through the white before devouring it utterly. Able to move once more, Tomoe ran to Kaoru. The girl looked up, her eyes flowing with tears as the older woman knelt by her side. They watched the white room vanish as if it never was, only to be replaced by a thick, viscous darkness. Shinimegami gazed at them both as she drew something black from the sash of her hakama. Like a living shadow the object flashed: a bladed katana, blacker than night. Death grinned mockingly. "Come, let's fight, little girl!"
Tomoe helped Kaoru to stand, taking a moment to study the two. So alike, yet so different.Death like a piece of live darkness, and Kaoru like the embodiment of light.
"Kaoru." She said urgently, giving the younger girl a good shake. "Don't do this! You'll die"
Kaoru looked up at Kenshin's first wife with a smile. Her sapphire eyes were still red and wet from her pained tears, but they shone with resolution. "But, I have to. For the people I care for, as well as myself."
"Seeing them all, so worried for me, made me realize that I am worth something to them. And.I can't have them crying if I die, right?"
Such innocence.such determination! Tomoe took a step back, dark eyes downcast. "Then.I can't stop you." Tilting her head to the side, she nodded, as if she was listening to another voice. She fixed her dark eyes on Kaoru. "But, I can help." She held her hand out before her, and in a moment a tiny, brilliant light floated from her hand to land in Kaoru's. A bright flash and she held in her hand a white bokken that shone with its own light. Bright multicolor cord rapped around the hilt of the wooden sword as she looked curiously at it. Death began to laugh again.
"A WOODEN sword?! It might have served her better to give her a gattling gun, Tomoe, though not much!" She swung her sword, the sound as it cut through the air sounding very much like a pained scream as she approached the Kamiya Kasshin assistant master. Death just stood a moment, then faster than lightning she flicked her sword out, slicing Kaoru's cheek!
Crying out in unexpected pain, Kaoru instantly felt something wet as she pressed her hand against her broken skin. She pulled her hand away, gasping as she saw the crimson blood that covered it and trickled down her wrist. "How." Kaoru half stammered, the cut making speech painful.
"Oh, I can't BELIEVE you haven't figured it out!" Shinimegami ground out angrily, stamping her foot like a child. "You're in the ONE place that the spirit can be made physical, to feel pain."
The meaning of the words dawned on Kaoru even as Shini gave the answer. Tomoe clenched her fist in anger. "You're in Hell, Kaoru! And here you will remain if you lose." Shini raised he sword, cold eyes glinting red. "Which, of course, you will! Let's go, little girl."
Turning to face herself, blood dripping from her cheek and bokken held at ready, Kaoru smiled in response. The electric blue of her eyes flashing like summer lightning at her opponent. "Yes, let's."
/////
"What the hell.?" Sano exclaimed, looking at Kaoru and pointing. Suddenly, like a sudden flash of red, a thin, deep cut appeared on her right cheek, a runnel of blood running across her fair skin. Kenshin merely nodded, concern and anger in his eyes as he watched the cut. Something snapped in him, and though no one saw, his eyes flashed amber for a moment.
"Megumi-dono is right, she is fighting something, and not just a sickness. And.I think I have a good idea what." He said in a quiet voice thick with pain and fury.
"What?!" Yahiko demanded as Megumi bent to wipe off the blood. "What could the hag be fighting? What could she be fighting that would cut her when she's not MOVING!?"
"Well, that's easy, Yahiko." Kenshin replied, giving a very pale version of his old rurouni smile. "Kaoru-dono's fighting Death."
/////
~There's another world inside of me that you may never see. There's secrets in this life that I can't hide.~
Kaoru and Death circled one another, focused completely on what was at hand.
Somewhere in this darkness there's a light that I can't find. Maybe it's too far away, or maybe I'm just blind.
Maybe I'm just blind.~
Death raised her blade. "Die, girl!!"
"You wish!!"
The black blade crashed into Kaoru's bokken. Instantly a shivering wave of sound ripped through the blackness. The battle had begun.
~Hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. Hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone. Everything I am and everything in me. Wants to be the one you wanted me to be. I'll never let you down, even if I could. I'd give up everything if only for your good. So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. You can hold me when I'm scared, but you won't always be there, So love me when I'm gone.~
Seeing an opening, Kaoru cracked her bokken against her opponent's elbow. Death shrieked in rage and pain as she brought her blade whistling upwards, slicing deeply into Kaoru's sword arm.
/////
"Damn!" Sano ground out as the arm wound soaked blood into Kaoru's sleeping yukata. "Don't you die on us!"
/////
~When your education x-ray could not see under my skin. I won't tell you a damn thing that I could not tell my friends.~
Rolling away from one of Death's attacks, she felt a strange pulsing energy tingle across her skin. A quick glance showed a strange shimmer coming from the red string on her bokken hilt. Instantly, she felt stronger.
~Roaming through this darkness, I'm alive but I' alone. Part of me is fighting this, but part of me is gone.~
/////
"Kaoru!" Megumi ground out as she bandaged the wound on her arm.
/////
Another pulse, another shimmering string, this time from the green one. Kaoru's weariness slipped away as she stood. With a loud cry, she renewed her assault.
~Hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. Hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone. Everything I am and everything in me. Wants to be the one you wanted me to be. I'll never let you down, even if I could. I'd give up everything if only for your good. So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. You can hold me when I'm scared, but you won't always be there, So love me when I'm gone.~
Shinimegami stumbled back, then pressed forward with her blade. A rapid slash, and a scream from Kaoru meant she hit her target.
/////
Yahiko felt tears gather in his eyes as he saw blood soak the front of her yukata. A long cut appeared across Kaoru's chest, deep and angry looking. Yahiko began to cry.
/////
Laying in a daze, Kaoru felt another pulse of energy travel up her wounded arm, and saw a bright yellow flash out of the corner of her eye. The energy flowed through her once again, giving her the strength to stand once more. Pain flowing through her, she took a minute to look at her sword once again, at the strange, colorful light that shone around the hilt. Then it struck her.
////
Finally giving in to his initial compulsion, Kenshin waved the others away from the futon as he scooted closer. The look in his eyes brooked no argument. The others moved to the other end of the room as he leaned close to her ear, placing one hand on either side of her head. Something hard bumped his knuckle. Beside Kaoru's pillow was a pink seashell strung on a purple string.
"This." It was the seashell he had given her, the first time he called her Kaoru without the honorific 'dono'. Stinging tears filled his eyes as he pressed his cheek to hers.
"Kaoru, listen to me." Kenshin whispered, his voice a mere thread of sound. "You can't let yourself die, that you cannot. Please, Kaoru, hear me. There is so much that you and I need to talk about."
/////
"This is." Kaoru murmured, as the violet cord ignited into luminous flame. Where before she had merely felt the energy, this tie she saw it, a powerful radiance that flowed over her body. Seconds later, a strand of light blue and a strand of dark gray ignited, bringing her the voices of Miaso and Aoshi praying for her wellbeing. The violet light grew more intense. The red, green, and yellow strings shone, bringing the voices of Sanosuke, Megumi, and Yahiko to her. But brighter than all was the purple string, and more beautiful and melodious that the other voices was Kenshin's.
"Kenshin.everyone."
~So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. Hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone. Everything I am and everything in me. Wants to be the one you wanted me to be. I'll never let you down, even if I could. I'd give up everything if only for your good. So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong. You can hold me when I'm scared, but you won't always be there, So love me when I'm gone.~
"That's right!" Tomoe said. "They all love you. Their power is your power!"
Death glared at Kaoru. "Enough!!" She shrieked, bringing her blade up once more. She moved forward. "It is time for you to die!"
"Yes.it is enough." Kaoru turned to face Shinimegami for the last time, bringing her bokken up. The last string, bright blue, exploded into light, merging with the other colors. Her power.
~Love me when I'm gone.~
/////
The group watched in shock as Kaoru's body began to glow faintly blue. The pace of her breathing increased, she ceased trembling.
Taking up the small pink shell, Kenshin pressed it into her hand.
/////
Death bore down on Kaoru, blade set for the killing blow. The girl merely stood in the traditional fighting stance of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, waiting, as the power of her friends and he on power coursed through her veins.
Ten feet, eight, death seemed to come in slow motion.
~Love me when I'm gone.~
Kaoru set herself, the colored light waxing in brightness.
Death was upon her.
"Kamiya Kasshin Ryu! *Shichiburuu Ken!"
Seven swift strikes, blue flashes, and Death flew backwards through the air, a thin shriek rending the blackness. There was a crash, then nothing. Immediately the darkness vanished, leaving the white room, Kaoru, Tomoe, and a knocked- out Shinimegami crumpled in front of the shattered Mirror of Truth.
/////
The light flickered out. Kaoru remained asleep, her breathing deep and slow, thought still rough, her smooth skin dotted with beads of sweat.
"Megumi-dono!" But Megumi and Doctor Gensai were already moving, getting water and examining her.
"Her.fever's broken!" Gensai said happily.
/////
Kaoru winced in pain, clutching her wounded chest. Something hard scraped her skin: it was her shell, the one Kenshin had given her a while ago, the first time he called her by name. A soft smile crossed her face, and she looked at the bokken. The lights had gone out.
"That represents your bond with your friends, Kaoru." Tomoe said, sounding strangely distant. "Sanosuke, Megumi, Yahiko, Aoshi, Misao, and Kenshin all love you very much. Their power, and yours, was what you needed to beat Death. There is nothing more valuable that the love of friends, and that you must never forget. And now," Tomoe laughed, hugging the smaller girl, "It is time for you to go back."
"What.about her?" Kaoru asked, pointing to the prone form crumpled on the ground.
"I think she'll be quite embarrassed when she wakes up."
The area was growing blurry, and with a final wave, Tomoe vanished.
/////
Kaoru's eyes fluttered open, and the first image she saw was her circle of friends staring anxiously down at her.
"Give me a little space." She rasped out with a weak smile. Sano and Yahiko whooped and began dancing around the room with Megumi scowling at them. Kenshin was just smiling stupidly.
"OUT!!! NO MORE NOISE!!!" Megumi shrieked, shoving them, and Dr. Gensai, out of the room. Kaoru tried to laugh, but only succeeded in triggering a coughing fit.
"Don't push yourself." Kenshin said, relief apparent in his eyes as he brushed the sweaty bangs away from her forehead.
"Ken.shin." Kaoru murmured. Kenshin just smiled as he dangled something in front of her unfocused eyes.
"My shell."
"Yes." He lifted her head slightly, just enough to slip the string over her head. As he settled the string around her neck, he gave her a light, brushing kiss on the forehead. Kaoru shivered.
"Now rest." Kenshin said good-naturedly as he helped settle her back into her pillow. Standing, the turned toward where the doctors waited by the door. "But don't worry, Kaoru.I'll be back soon. And then." He smiled his old rurouni smile, "You can tell me what you were fighting, ne?"
Kaoru sighed with happiness, her eyes sliding shut as he walked out of the room.
/////
Another freak spring rainshower struck Tokyo that night, lashing against the sides of the dojo as Kenshin made his way down the hall. He was tired. Yahiko and Sano were asleep, and Megumi and the doctor had gone home after examining Kaoru.
Kaoru.It had felt so good to be so close to her for that short time. Giving into the urge to smile, he slid the door to her room open.
The sight he saw rent his heart. Kaoru was curled beneath her blankets, shivering. Making his way to the futon, Kenshin noticed that she was covered with all her blankets. A touch of her chilled skin confirmed that she was gripped with the after-fever chills. Kenshin was at a loss. What should he do? She was so cold.should he get Megumi? No.she needed her rest too.
It was the only thing he could think of, and though she may kill him in the morning.Kenshin shifted his body to the other side of her futon. Lifting the layers of blankets, he moved into her bed behind her, throwing his arms around her stomach and pulling her against his body in an attempt to warm her. The silk of her midnight hair tickled his nose, surrounding him in a cloud of jasmine scent. Kaoru sighed, curling her small hands around his larger ones and snuggling her head into his shoulder.
"Ken.shin." She mumbled in her sleep.
"Shhh, Kaoru.I'm here." He whispered in her ear as he caressed her bandaged cheek. Drowsiness stole over him. "I'm here, and I'm never leaving again."
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Part 5: Recovery
Weeks passed, and the first week of summer approached, bringing its heat and humidity, and replacing the sakura blossoms with summer flowers. Kaoru breathed deeply of the warm air as she walked with her friends down the river road one evening.
It was good to be alive.
She was recovered, fully, though the weeks after her illness were very trying. The weakness and itchy rash had finally passed, though Megumi had warned her not to exert herself or she'd personally kill her patient.
Kaoru thanked her luck every day, and thanked Tomoe as well. She remembered clearly the day after she awoke, waking in her rurouni's arms. And to add to the strange events, the white bokken was in the dojo! It had taken a lot of explaining, on both sides, to clear that one.
Yahiko and Sano were in awe. She fought Death?! Nah. She had told everything about her battle, even about meeting Tomoe, except. She turned her eyes to the redhead samurai walking before her.
Except about the mirror and everything she heard. His attitude, though concerned, had not changed. Even though his confession she had seen, his actions had remained the same. Even the Kaoru-dono.
A bright sparkle caught her attention. She could hear Megumi and Sano laughing at Yahiko ahead in the twilight gloom. She paused beside the river.
Fireflies.fireflies were everywhere! They danced around her like living fairy sparkles, making her feel like dancing as well for the sheer joy of it. She spun, laughing aloud.
"Beautiful." A voice said. Kenshin.
She spun quickly, breathless. "Yes, they are."
The rurouni shook his head. "I wasn't talking about the bugs." He said as he moved toward her. Kaoru felt a hot blush steal up her cheeks, suddenly thankful of the darkness falling. Kenshin looked around as if he saw the place for the first time. "This is where we said goodbye, before I left for Kyoto."
"Yes." Kaoru looked at her feet. "I.can't help but fear you'll leave me ag."
She never got to finish her sentence, because she was gripped in Kenshin's tight embrace. He buried his face in her shoulder, his breathing harsh against her skin.
"Don't, Kaoru."
Kaoru smiled. "I don't believe.I've ever heard you call me just Kaoru for a while."
"Well." She felt his smile against her neck. "I have a new one."
"Kenshin?" She asked in wonder as he pulled away from her, cupping her face in his callused hands. His amethyst eyes were inches from hers, and shone with such emotion.
"Kenshin??" She blinked.
"Aishiteru, koishii."
The sudden sharp sting of tears filled her eyes. "Ken.shin.aishiteru."
Gently Kenshin lowered his head. His lips brushed against hers once before he lingered. He kissed her, as deeply as he dared, before her soft sigh caused him to pull away.
"Koishii?"
"I guess.this means you're not leaving?"
"No." Kenshin smiled as he moved to kiss her again. "Never again."
They kissed, and the fireflies danced, and all was well.
THE END
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Ah, finally!!! ALL DONE! My brainchild is fini! *sniff* Wasn't that cute? The song I used is 'When I'm Gone' by Three Doors Down. Cool song!
I hope you like this story. Review, even if it IS the last part!!!!
LOVE, Alithiel
*Shichiburuu Ken: I made it up! I figured 'shichi' meant 'seven', 'buruu' meant 'blue', and 'ken' means 'blade or sword'. So, it means 'Seven Blue Sword'! Cool, ne?