Rurouni Kenshin is created by and the legal property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, so please don't sue me...I have NO money ;-;

" And when were movin' sets across the stage...do us all a favor and move you ass's out of the wings!!"

Stage Manager Sarah CCHS Production of "OKLAHOMA!" 2001-2002 Drama Dinner Improv "The Actor and the Techi should be Friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Healer

Kenshin blinked in utter awe. ' What's going on here...how, how is this possible!?' Kenshin took a step toward the figure. "Tomoe...is...is it really you?" The women nodded slightly, then spoke. "Anata...listen to me. She is very delicate, you must take good care of her, especially now." Kenshin laid confused eyes on her. "Are you talking about Kaoru?" She nodded. "She is discovering things now that will forever change her life. Coming to Kyoto means you run the risk of running into your past once again. Protect her...never let her go." Kenshin took a few more steps toward her. "Tomoe...are you, are you alive?" She smiled and reached out to run her hand along his crossed shape scar. "You are alive...!" Tomoe shook her head slightly. "In a way I am, as of now, only you can see me." Kenshin swallowed then looked into her dark eyes. "Can I...feel you?" Tomoe stepped forward and embraced him. Years of guilt seem to be lifted from Kenshin as he felt her arms around him. ' So long..' he thought. ' It's been so long...' He held onto her tightly, not wanting to let her go again. Finally, finally he could see her again, touch her. He pulled back a bit to look into her eyes. Finally, not able to contain himself for any longer he kissed her. Reveling in the sensation of her lips against his for the first time in over 10 years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaoru opened her eyes and sat up. She looked around in confusion. She was outside on the Aoiya's porch. ' How did I end up here? Did I sleep walk? ' She got up, holding her yukata closer to her body. She walked back to the room her and Kenshin were staying in. Sliding open the door slowly, her eyes rested on the figure nestled in the blankets. Walking toward him, she brushed a strand of hair from his face. Kenshin's eyes fluttered open, and after a second her shot up, as if remembering something. "Kenshin? Are you alright?" He shook his head slightly. He had had the strangest dream. Tomoe had come to him bringing rather strange news. He looked back to his soon to be wife and nodded. "Hai, I just had a strange dream that's all." Kaoru nodded and stood. "I'm going into town for a little while again. I'll try not to be back late again." Kenshin nodded and pulled her to him for a quick kiss before letting her on her way. After she left Kenshin touched him lips and sighed. ' Tomoe...was it really a dream..? '

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaoru stopped again at the small river outside Hiko's clearing to think. ' How did I end up outside?' Shaking her head she listened to the rivers quiet answer. 'And...who was Kenshin talking to last night? '

Upon entering she noticed the man sitting on his log drinking sake. "Good morning Hiko-san." Kaoru bowed and sat next to him. "Well..." he started. "what did you think of the first bit of Kenshin's life...?" Kaoru looked down. "All I can say is that I need to learn more before I can judge him...if you don't mind Hiko-san...would you please continue?" Sighing he looked at the young women's profile. "You really want to accomplish this don't you jou-chan?" All Kaoru could so was nod. "Alright then...After I had found Kenshin, I brought him back here. I taught him the style he practices now, Hiten Mitsurugi. The years progressed, and the revolution came to its height. Kenshin, having heard the news was frantic. He was stupid." Kaoru lifted her head and his blunt comment, Hiko continued. "All the wanted was to get away from me and go fight in the war. His idea's then are the ones he lived by during then. He was stubborn. He hadn't completed his training and still kept on insisting he was ready. Finally, I got fed up. He left with sword in hand, and didn't return to see me till he came back to fight that Makoto Shishio. " Hiko took a sip of his sake. "Well...that's all of it in a nut shell. But, I will tell you, for being so young, I have never seen such courage in a boy. I made his training very hard to endure, hoping he would give up and go live a peaceful life. But, the baka kept going, and ended up being the man he is today." Kaoru looked at Hiko, questioning in her blue eyes. "Did you keep up with what Kenshin was doing during the revolution." Hiko shrugged. "Somewhat. Being here kept me away from the war most of the time. I learned through several sources in town who he was fighting for, and that he had become one of the most feared assassins in Japan. I learned that he basically turned into another person when he fought...the Battousai." ' Battousai...' "Hiko-san...during the war, do you ever hear the name Tomoe mentioned from your sources?" Hiko rubbed his chin slightly. "I think maybe once or twice. She had apparently been assigned to be Kenshin's sheath...protect him for a time during the war. All I had heard was that she and him had been moved to the mountains as a married couple." ' Married...' Kaoru swallowed. "W-What happened to Tomoe...?" Hiko stood. "I don't know...but why don't you ask someone who does know?" Kaoru looked at him for a moment confused. Hiko motioned for her to follow him inside. Inside he took a piece of paper and wrote something on it. "Go to this place, there you'll find her brother. His name is Enishi." Kaoru's eyes widened. ' Enishi!?!? Tomoe's brother, the man that....' Kaoru took a deep breath and looked out toward the woods. "Arigato Hiko-san...I-I appreciate your help." Kaoru turned to leave but was stopped by Hiko's hand on her shoulder. "He's lucky you know, to have someone like you. But...you do know, you probably will never be able to replace Tomoe-san in his heart." Kaoru let her head fall. Silent tears pricking her eyes. "I know this, but, I'm not trying to change that...If he believes he could never love me as much as he did Tomoe...so be it." Before Hiko could answer, she broke his grip and walked out of his clearing. He stood and watched her leave while shaking his head. Suddenly he felt a strange Kenki. Feeling eyes on him he turned quickly and looked around. He blinked and felt the wind change and looked in the direction Kaoru had gone off too. ' Something's going to happen...something very dangerous is going on...Kaoru-san, do you have any idea what your really doing?'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kenshin waited for Kaoru to return home till late that afternoon. Sighing he decided to go for a walk. He didn't have to take a second thought on where he was going, his feet leading him there by a will of their own. ' Tomoe...why? The last time I saw you was when I fought Enishi. Why are you here now? ' Kenshin stopped and touched his lips for the second time that day. Why had he kissed her? ' I'm over Tomoe...I made sure I was before proposing to Kaoru. I'm over her, I have to be...' Another part of him though, gave a different suggestion. ' If you were over her them why did you kiss her? Do you remember what happened after you kissed her?' His eyes widen as his thoughts returned to last night. He had kissed her, and held her again. But, after that...

"Tomoe...I-I..." His words traveled off as he couldn't describe his need. "Tomoe...I need you..." Her hand came to caress her cheek. "Hush anata... I know..." Their lips met a second time. This time the kiss held more in it, more passion, more heat. Kenshin let his hands travel down her body, his mind taking him back to when they were together during the revolution. Tomoe moaned slightly and a voice in Kenshin's mind responded. ' What about Kaoru? What will she think? ' Kenshin's eyes widened and he stopped his hands. He backed away reluctantly. "Tomoe...I...I don't know what to do..." Tomoe took a step toward him and cupped his face again. "You love her, but, you want me...is that it?" "Gomen Tomoe..." With that he had turned his back on the chance of a life time.

Kenshin leaned heavily against the tree he was standing next to. "I-I almost..." Not being able to finish his sentence, he pressed on. Finally he reached his destination. Kneeling next to the stone grave he let his head fall. "Tomoe...why, why have you come back to haunt me? Kami...why!?" A voice from behind startled him. "Himura...why are you out this late in the afternoon?" Kenshin turned and watched Aoshi step out from the tree's shade. "Aoshi...I-I just needed to go for a walk." Aoshi looked at the grave Kenshin kneeled next to. "Tomoe I presume..." Kenshin nodded as he watched Aoshi turned toward the road. "Watch her back Himura...if you don't...someone else will..." Kenshin sat there and blinked as he let Aoshi words sink in. "Aoshi-san...do you and Kaoru..." Aoshi turned toward him. "Think what you will Himura, I'm just warning you. Something wrong is happening, and she's the center of it all." Aoshi walked slowly back down the road. Kenshin looked back toward the grave in confusion. "Tomoe...you know what's happening don't you?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaoru stood outside the Aoiya's door and heaved a heavy sigh. Opening the gate she looked around. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she noticed Kenshin wasn't to be seen. Walking on quiet feet she went to the bedroom. To her dismay Kenshin wasn't there either. Sighing she changed into her yukata and decided to go to bed early. As the sunset and she drifted to sleep, she didn't even notice the pair of lavender eyes watching her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What are you trying to do Kamiya-san?

Kaoru looked around but couldn't place where the feminine voice was coming from. There was barley any light in the area, yet, Kaoru moved on desperate to find out who was talking to her.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

You can't change it. You can't change his past, and you can't change the way he feels...

Kaoru's eyes widened in shock. Her hands formed tight fists. "I'm not trying to change his past! I just want to be able to help him over come it! If I know what happened then...then maybe I can help heal him!" A tear rolled down her cheek. "I love him...and I will do anything to protect him!"

You cant....I won't let you. You said you didn't care about his past before ne? Yet...hear you are, trying to change the way he feels...

"The way he feels? Who are you!? SHOW YOURSELF!!" Kaoru's breath caught in her throat as a figure appeared. Black eyes regarding her with no emotion. "Tomoe?" she could barely mouth the name, mind too shocked to understand what was happening.

I won't let you change his feelings...I won't let you take my place!

"Tomoe-san! That's not what I'm trying to do...! If you would just list-" Before Kaoru could utter another pleading word she felt a pair of hands clasp around her neck. Her eyes widened as she watched Tomoe walk into the dark. She tried to break herself free but failed. Her eyes grew heavy, and her breath came in short gasps. She utter one last word before her world turned back...

"K-Kenshin...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N~ Sorry for the long delay ^^(). Been busy getting ready for Drama District Competition. Had to stay after school for the past 3 weeks . Anyway....For this chapter I just kind wrote what came to me. A lot of confusion ne? First Kenshin kisses Tomoe, then Kaoru meets Tomoe in her dreams...(a mighty pissed off Tomoe)....*sigh* Lot's of excitement I hope though. But, do not fear...there IS meaning to my madness. Also...I MADE THE CHAPTER LONGER!! ^^ Hehehe...Well...I hope you all enjoyed. Leave me a review. PLEASE EXCUSE ALL SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ERRORS. Till Next Time! Ja! =^.^=

~Kawaii Ayame~