DISCLAIMER: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to the ingenious people who own and created the series!

PART 5. A Fork in the Road

He felt blinded by the light and overwhelmed by what had just occurred. Kenshin looked over at Kaoru still crouched over holding her head in her hands. Then he suddenly became aware of another presence. He whirled around as a figure appeared as if out of thin air. Tomoe stood before him with a deep sadness that was painted on her expression. "Tomoe…" Kenshin felt his heart tear in half as he stood between the two people he had held the dearest in his life.

"When the choice resurfaced to you, my spirit was detained from me. It's up to you whether or not I receive my life back or not."

Tomoe wasn't looking at him as she spoke. How can I make this decision? To kill her once was distressing… twice would be…

"Tomoe…" it was all he could bring himself to say.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru had lifted her head to find him facing another direction, and she thought she had heard him say something.

He turned around and looked guiltily back at her. "Kaoru-dono."

"What are you doing, Kenshin? Are you just standing there talking to yourself?"

Talking to myself? He turned back around to face Tomoe. Her face let him know that Kaoru couldn't see Tomoe.

"No, not to myself, to a part of me."

She looked at him quizzically. What is he spewing? Anyways, I wonder where we are…

Tomoe continued to speak. "It seems you awoke after rekindling your bond with that girl. She must be very special." Her words held the note of happiness that he truly had found someone after her, and envy of the same reason. But no matter, her love was pure.

"Is this the time for me to make my decision?"

"Do you feel it is?"

Kenshin contemplated this inquiry as his mind brought up each and every event from both lives. Although he had only seen Yahiko and Sano briefly in the second life he knew that had he not been involved in their lives their present day existences would've been completely altered. Maybe even in a fatal way. But, Tomoe… Tomoe had always been there for him, even if sometimes she was missing physically, she had always watched over him in spirit… in both lives. Both lives? When she lived, she watched over me. When she passed away, she watched over me. He looked up at her. No, he decided that was not a basis of decision. She loved him as he loved her. He thought of the way this had come to happen in the beginning… Kasumi-san, Akane-san, and Sakura-san practically forced me into this heartwrenching decision… They were trying to help, but in the long run they're just playing God with my life. I lived a life of suppressed pain and suffering, but that part of my life began to fade… He raised his hand to his cheek. With this scar…

He knew what to do.