I want to thank all you readers for supporting me in writing my story. I love the reviews and if you have questions or any comments please do leave them in the review along with your e-mail address, that's if you like me to contact you personally. Also I will like to congratulate you readers for finding out a little bit of my plot while I was writing this story. I tried not to reveal that much, but I guess somehow I gave it away.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin series. I wish I did but I don't. : (

The Truth

Chapter 5

It was early in the morning. The sky was a beautiful deep color of blue. The birds sang their peaceful tunes to the people and nature itself. Dimitri sat on the porch with his eyes closed. He looked as though he was trying to sense danger. Sanosuke, the doctor known as Megumi, and the young irritating boy known as Yahiko were in the dojo fussing about food. Sukura saw that Kenshin was by himself. Since she didn't see anyone in the kitchen, she decided that she would cook. The only problem was she didn't know exactly what to cook. She gathered all the ingredients she could find in the kitchen to help prepare the meal and make a special kind of seasoning to help make the food taste better. While making the seasoning she boiled down some white rice, and the vegetables.

"Dimitri!" she called. He came to her as soon she called. "Could you do me a big favor? Could you go to the market and buy some fresh meat so I could cook it to go with a meal, also don't forget the lemons okay." She smiled at him, because she knew Dimitri couldn't say no, and mainly because he was annoyed when he had to run a few errands.

Sukura made the special seasoning to the best of her knowledge. She remembered when her mother was first teaching her how to cook. Sukura knew there was no chance she could ever cook as well as her mother, but she cooked well enough to pass a cooking test. She was concentrating so hard on trying not to burn the chicken when she threw the meat into the pot over the fire. Her mother said that when it came to cooking everything had accuracy. Cooking something, you had to know that exact time when to do something. As Sukura concentrated on her tasks in the kitchen, she didn't know when a person came into the kitchen watching her every move. She noticed Kenshin, only when she turned her back from the stove to the kitchen counter.

"Kenshin, when did you come in? I think I should be more careful and alert," said Sukura, trying to ease the tension she felt in the kitchen. She turned around, so she didn't have to face him. His amber eyes were making her feel so nervous. She noted to herself that the white rice and the vegetables were done.

"Sukura, you should be more careful. If I was an enemy, you could have been killed by now. You should always keep your mind open. You don't know what could happen," Kenshin simply stated as he looked at the food she placed on the table.

"I am sorry Mr. Himura, but you do sound more like Dimitri," said Sukura with a little amusement to her tone.

"Please call me Kenshin. And never compare me to Dimitri," replied Kenshin. When he said that, he demanded it with a harsher voice she was so not use to hearing him usually speak with.

"I am sorry Mr. Himura, I mean Kenshin," said Sukura nervously. She wasn't use to calling Kenshin's name out loud. She was use to saying his first name in her head. For some reason when she said Kenshin's first name, it made her feel like she was getting to know him more then just a business level.

Kenshin watched the young woman before him cook lunch for him and the others. Knowing that she was cooking meal for the others, especially that Dimitri guy, was really irking him. Kenshin could believe that he was getting possessive over this woman. Yes she may resemble Kaoru, but this was not his Kaoru. She had hazel eyes, not blue.

"Look, I really came here to talk to you in person. I have something that I will to confess and some questions to ask you," said Kenshin. He paused for a moment not knowing how to continue. Eventually he carried on, knowing Sukura was giving him her undivided attention. "Last night I heard everything you said to Dimitri. I heard you told him you were receiving visions from Kaoru. I want to know if you have some link to Kaoru? How is it you are able to have these visions from Kaoru? And is she really dead?"

Sukura was astonished by his questions. She knew he was there last night listening to her and Dimitri's conversation, but she didn't know if he ever was going to confess it. Even if did confess that he did hear them, then she didn't know if he was going to sum up the courage to ask her about her visions she had of Kaoru. She didn't know how to answer him, without shocking him. People in Japan, knew about having super natural powers, but truly seeing it was a different matter. Sukura didn't know if she could trust him, but when she had the visions from Kaoru, she knew she could trust Kenshin and the others who he hung out with. She felt as she knew them already. She felt as though they were family. Choosing her words wisely, as not to startle Kenshin with something he was not use to hearing, she spoke.

"I don't know how to answer your questions properly, but I could say that I truly believe that your beloved Kaoru is not dead. Last night when I was speaking to Dimitri, I knew you over heard us. I knew you heard everything I said about Kaoru. I only said all that, because I wanted you to understand the love she had for you. I wanted you to understand how much feelings she had for. She believed that you did enough atoning for your committed sins. After everything that happened. Everything you and went through, she decided it was best you put yourself in front. She wanted you to think of yourself more, and then put everyone in front of you. But whenever she tried to reach you, you only pulled away. She was so afraid of you leaving her. However, that does not matter as this point. If you don't mind, food is ready, and there are people who are waiting to be served."

"Sukura, you still didn't answer my questions. If you believe Kaoru is not dead, then you have to tell me why you believe so. You have to tell me the truth. I deserve to know everything, or at least the truth. I have been waiting two years for her in this dojo. I had the police search every part of town for her. I even had some friends from far away help me look for her," stated Kenshin. He felt many emotions inside of him arise. He couldn't believe out of all the people he knew that Sukura was the only person he was willing to share his feelings with.

"You're right. You deserve to know the truth as well as the others too. You are not the only person who has suffered from Kaoru's disappearance. Her friends suffered as much as you did. Don't you think they need to know the truth as well? Well, I promise to tell you and the others everything I know. I promise to tell you the truth, but after we have our lunch," said Sukura. And with those words she left Kenshin all by himself in the kitchen to think.

Sukura was astonished to have a visit from her old friend she hadn't seen in years. As she sat down with Dimitri, Kenshin, Sanosuke, Megumi, Yahiko, Saitoh, and her old friend Susako Yortito, she was trying to prepare herself to tell her story. Like she thought earlier, she had a weird feeling she could trust Kenshin and his friends. What Kenshin told her before made perfect sense. When Sukura was in Kaoru's shoes, she felt she could trust Kenshin the most. From her efforts of trying to place herself in Kaoru's shoes, she knew she all of them needed to know the truth.

"Forgive me Dimitri and Susako. I have to tell them the truth. They all deserve to hear the truth. If I don't tell them now, I will regret never telling them anything later on," Sukura said. She inhaled a deep breath. Her body went rigid on her. She looked at the floor. What Sukura was trying to do was gather all the information in her mind, and make them in short sentences, that could cover everything in her life. When she looked up, she looked into Kenshin's eyes, and saw so many emotions. But what she saw was something she could never forget. His eyes weren't amber anymore. They were now a dull violent, so dull, they looked almost haunted. Just by looking into his eyes she found her voice to speak, yet she was unconscious.

"My true name is Sukura Tuskura. I never knew my father. He is still unknown to me today. My mother on the other hand was considered a disgrace for never marrying when she had me. But what made matters worst was that my mother was born different from most people. She was born with gifts, special rare gifts that anyone would kill her for. Anyone who possessed my mother's heart, soul, mind, and body were able to completely possess the true powers she carried. She was nothing but a pawn, a pawn for all the ninja clans to have. That was why she never got close to anyone. However, she did get herself involve with a man, who happens to be my father. Because she loved him very deeply, it was said he possessed her powers. They were wrong. My mother is like me. We cannot afford to have people close to our hearts because in the ending we lose them. My mother and father were never married. In order to save my father's life, she left him. It was said by many people, that since my mother was able to love, she inherited the strong belief about a sword was never meant to kill. Instead it was used to protect one's life." Sukura paused once again. Her direction turned from Kenshin to the others. The she continued.

"As you can see, what passes from one person, can to another. I inherited not only her beliefs, but her genes as well. When she had me, she created her own group of ninjas called the Mysterious Fighters. We were not known until the Revolution. My mother and the others in the clan fought for the belief of peace and prosperity. We tried to stop the Shisingumi and Ishishin from fighting against each other. We also were successful to stop a numerous of the assassinations that went on during the war. The outcome though cost lives. Because of my mother and me, many of the people in our ninja clan died. They protected us believing that we were the future for Japan." Sukura once again stopped. Her bloody past was coming to haunt her again. The people she knew. They all died because of her and her mother. She never really made so much of a difference. She felt Dimitri hands on hers, bringing her back into reality. When she looked up at the others, they all looked at her with concerned faces. Kenshin stiffened, at what Dimitri did. His eyes turned amber immediately. Sukura couldn't help but feel tears streaming down her cheeks. Inhaling a breath, she continued.

"You must have heard me sing in the Revolution. I sang for those who died. I also sang for those who were alive. I sang hoping to bring them peace, especially when the new error came along. And then that's when my life changed forever. I had a friend by the name of Domone Yortito. Actually he was more like a brother to me. One night he died, because of me. I was somewhere where I shouldn't be. He warned me not to go there, but I never listened to him. I never listened to one word he said. When he died because he was only trying to protect me, I regretted everything. I left my ninja clan. From then on it was just my mother and I who were trying to live in the peaceful Meiji Era, but we never gave up on our fighting. My mother taught me my skills which I hold very dear."

"What was your mother's style?" asked Yahiko. He was very sorry for disrupting Sukura.

She looked at him, and smiled a very sad smile. "My mother taught me the advance form of the Kamiya Kasshin style."

"There's the advance form of the Kamiya Kasshin style? That's not fair, I never learned it!" Yahiko looked bothered about not learning the Kamiya Kasshin style.

"That's not for anyone one person to learn so easily. You have to be very talented. In order to learn the style you have to know how to control the power that is harnessed within you. If you know how to do that, then you are truly ready to learn the style. But I must warn you, the training is very difficult."

"Can you teach me Sukura? Please can you teach me?" asked Yahiko.

"I am sorry, but I can't. I have to travel again. Even since the lost of my mother, I've been training along with my very close friend Dimitri. I have to defeat the man who killed my mother. Since he's stronger then my mother, he is stronger then me. I'm training hard to defeat him," said Sukura sadly.

"Yahiko, I think we should let Sukura finish what she was saying," said Kenshin.

"It's okay Kenshin." Sukura took a moment to gather her wits to continue what she was saying. "After my mother's death, I started to get visions from Kaoru. I got visions of her being alone, and then when she met all of you. But what I didn't know, how I was going to meet you all."

"So, wait a minute. You've been getting these visions for quite sometime?" asked Megumi.

"Yes. But the visions only come from the ones who are truly talented. They hold some special skill," answered Sukura.

"What is it you're hiding from us? You're certainly hiding something from us. If it has something to do with Jochan, then you should spill the beans," stated Sanosuke.

"Yes there's something else. The visions, that I've been receiving recently, was the night she left. She didn't leave only because of you Kenshin. She left because of another reason."

They all stared at her. Everyone wanted to know what was going on. They all wanted to know the reason for Kaoru's disappearance. They wanted to know everything.

"Wasn't it kind of weird how Kaoru would daydream at times? Wasn't it weird, when she smiled, she forced herself to smile? All of her spirit, the fighting spirit she possessed disappeared," said Sukura. She didn't know how to tell them everything, but what she was going to tell them now. It was going to be a start for them to fully comprehend Kaoru's disappearance. Sukura raised her head. She tried to look at all of them, but her stare remained with Kenshin. "The reason Kaoru acted the way she acted, was because she sensed something dangerous coming to the dojo. So dangerous that you all couldn't help her out with the situation. Instead of putting your lives in danger, she left to deal with the problem herself." She continued to look into Kenshin's eyes with her hazel eyes. She felt Dimitri hands her hands, letting her know everything was going to be alright. "To answer the question you had earlier Kenshin, the main reason I have visions of Kaoru, that I was able to feel what she feels, is because I am Kaoru."