To all readers out there, I will like to apologize for taking a long time to write this fanfic and posting it on sight. Please forgive me. I've been working on a new story and updating my other fanfics as well. I hope you do enjoy this chapter! Please leave comments, suggestions, or any questionss in your review. I happen to do take my reviews very seriously. Oh well please enjoy!

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

Departure

Chapter 7

Life can be so cruel at times, especially when there are so many choices, and so many different opportunities in life that can't afford to be missed. Sukura sat in a room once known as her room. She couldn't believe after two years of not being in this dojo that things still remained the same. Her room still carried her jasmine scent. Her possessions lay on her dresser just the same, as the night as she left them. The dojo didn't change much in appearance. It pretty much stayed the same, except the mantainence was much better settle then she could ever manage. The only things that really changed were her beloved friends, especially Kenshin. Even though Yahiko acted like his normal self with the name-calling, he majored in the ways he acted and carried a lot more confidence. Sano acted like himself with gambling and drinking, but he acted a little wiser and he was there for Yahiko. Kenshin, well Kenshin changed dramatically. His appearance was the first thing that struck Sukura. Kenshin wore a navy blue gi, instead of his magenta gi. His long red hair, which reminded Kaoru of blood, was tied in a high long ponytail at the back of his head. His once violet gentle eyes, were amber like, and showed coldness, sometimes-even sorrow. He looked haunted, more like himself during his time in the Revolution.

Kaoru didn't know why she was here in the first place. This was the last place she ever wanted to step her foot into. Her home was wandering with her lover Dimitri. With him she found peace. Yes she missed her friends deeply, but being here made her feel so different. Being here made her feel so left out. Two years she disappeared without any trace, hoping others wouldn't find her. She hoped to get all her loved ones out of danger. She didn't want to drag Kenshin into anything that had to do with her past. He already had to carry his burden of his past for so many years. She was sick and tired of seeing the man she once loved carry all his burdens, and all his pains. For god sake he blamed himself for Tomoe's death when it all happened by accident. She knew if she was in the same position she would have made them same mistake. There were so many times Sukura wished Tomoe never died. If she were still alive, she would make Kenshin so happy. After all she was the light to his darkness. She did so many amazing things for Kenshin, she taught him to love. Sukura knew she wasn't capable of half the things Tomoe could do. Sukura wasn't the gentle type, or the graceful pretty type who could take care of others. She was the type who could kick other people's ass, who took good care of herself as well as tried to help others in the best of her abilities. She didn't blame Kenshin for not loving her. He deserved someone so much better. Someone who could make him happier, someone who he could share his life with. No one like her. He needed a beautiful woman like Tomoe.

Just as Sukura lost herself deep in thought in complete darkness, she didn't notice a shadow entering her room. She never had the time to even feel her presence in the room.

"You know you ought to be ashamed of yourself for what you did to all of us," said a familiar annoying voice who acted like they knew it all. "You don't know of all the suffering you put us through especially poor Ken-san. He didn't deserve that at all Kaoru."

"My name is Sukura, not Kaoru. Please learn to pronounce it right. I'm not going to repeat myself. And as for you guys, I did it for the best. As for things around here, the dojo still looks the same to me and the others act like nothing ever happened. So if you don't mind Megumi I will like to be left alone," stated Sukura in a firm cold voice.

"No I'll not leave until I made my point. You don't know how long Kenshin suffered because of you. He loves you. Personally I don't know what he sees in you, but he loves you deeply. When you left, a part of him died. I don't even know how he survived. He's just a living corpse trying to find a main purpose in life itself," replied Megumi her voice full of hatred.

"Hmm… I think he has to learn to live without me. For his best, I think it's better for him to forget me. And as for his experiences, I'm glad he's going through what I went through. As a man, he thought the best way to protect me was to push me away from him. He treated me like a doll, a person with no feelings. Even if I did have feelings for him, he never cared. He pushed me away, scarred my heart, until I can no longer take the pain. My past became a burden as well as my love for him," said Sukura with a cold neutral voice. She refused to have Megumi hear any emotion in her voice.

"Is that how you look at your love for Ken-san? He did because he was afraid his past might come back to haunt him. He was afraid that what happened to Tomoe might happen to you. He didn't want to lose another lover in his life. He didn't want to lose you," replied Megumi her voice growing louder into the night. "The man suffered. He waited for the day you'll return to him. He waited because he loves you more then anything. Didn't the experience with Enishi teach you anything? He's willing to give anything for you. Going on this mission without his help, is driving him insane!"

"Megumi who are you to tell me about me? Who are you to talk to me like that? You're lucky I'm not going to do anything to hurt you. No one talks to me like that." demanded Sukura with a low deadly voice. "You once told me that we can't replace loved ones. You once told me, I was no replacement for Tomoe. Did you not? I never knew what you meant until now. I understand perfectly well. It took me two years of wandering to find who I truly am as a person and where I belong in this world. Megumi have you ever loved someone with all your heart until it hurts you?"

Megumi didn't say anything. She remained where she was. Her face passive, her dark eyes hiding her true feelings, but from her presence alon,e Sukura knew Megumi was shocked at the question and the wisdom she spoke from. "Life itself is funny. When we do one thing, we never really fully understand ourselves until we go through many different things. Do you comprehend what I speak? Past my two years in wandering, I realized that you could never forget your first love no matter what. Your first lover was the first one to teach love. The only person who can make a half a whole. But you see with Mr. Himura and me it's a different story. His life and mine are like two different worlds we live in. He's always haunted by his past, and by his lover. His lover made him wander so he can repent for the souls he ever took. Me, I was a person who had many lives taken because of me. My life was truly dedicated to protect Japan. That was my mother's purpose and that's my purpose. The man I love is Dimitri, not Mr. Himura. Yes I can never forget my love for him, for he's the reason I learn to love in the first, but I love Dimitri. Dimitri can never replace Mr. Himura and Mr. Himura can never replace Dimitri."

Megumi still didn't say anything. Her mind focused on the words the young woman spoke to her. She couldn't believe how much Sukura or Kaoru's changed in the past two years. Everything this young woman talked to her about was from her own experience. Megumi was sorry she ever doubted Sukura or Kaoru. Before she thought Sukura lived an innocent life and didn't know anything except about her own life struggles at home, but now she understood everyone's pain. She 's been through so much.

Sukura knowing she had Megumi right where she wanted her kept continue her speech, sharing her wisdom of love. "Someday when you love, you'll understand. As for replacement, no one could ever replace anyone close to us. However you know about my secret powers. One you should already know what I get is vision. If I ever did end up being with Mr. Himura, he would most likely leave me here to wait for him. He will continue to put others in front of him and his family, and continue to help Japan. It wouldn't make any sense to be with him, if he's going to wander and leave me home to wait for him. I have a life, Japan needs saving, there are souls I have to repent for, and I have a man who I think could offer me the best Megumi. Please do keep that in mind." And with those words, Sukura left Megumi's mind to think.

The wind blew very hard this night. The trees swayed violently, and swishing noises could be heard from all staying in the dojo. Sukura wandered in the dojo waiting for Dimitri and Susako to meet her. They decided earlier to leave when everyone was sleeping. It was better off to have an early start to get to Kyoto. Sukura continued to wait for the two men when she sensed another presence. This presence was familiar, yet a little different. She walked and slid open the door to meet the violent breeze in the cold night. Her braid went into her face, knocking her vision to see the person standing before her, blocking her only way out the dojo.

"What is it you want?" asked Sukura in a cold tone. Her hazel eyes cold showed no emotion to the man standing in front of her. Just then another man appeared behind the first man blocking her way.

"We don't think it's best you leave," said the first voice, which sounded harsh unlike the gentle voice she Sukura once knew.

"We believe you're going out there to more likely kill yourself. You're not thinking this through and we're not going to let you pass until you realize what you're doing," said the other voice.

"What makes you think, you both could stop me? Megumi had a hard time trying to stop me. I got to say for the first time I was able to shut her trap from saying any hurtful words," said Sukura indifferently, from her usual tone.

"And you're proud of that? You shouldn't be," replied the shorter figure.

Sukura couldn't help but smile a wicked smile. Her hazel eyes remained cold. Standing in a fighting stance, Sukura moved her right hand to the hilt of her sword Susako gave her. She was ready, willing, and able to fight. She waited for one of them to make the first move. Moments past, the winds blew violently against their poised fighting stance bodies. Sukura looked both at Kenshin and Sanosuke. Of all men, these two men thought they could take her on. They thought the could defeat her in battle. No they wouldn't. She wasn't helpless. She learned to fight from her mother and her friends. Plus with her super natural abilities alone she could defeat them both like nothing. Sukura heard Sano cracked his knuckles. Kenshin drew his sword from his sheath, with such god like speed it came out as a blur for Sano, but Sukura saw it all in slow motion. Even though Kenshin had god like speed, Sukura had godly seed. Within a flash Sukura had her sword out clashing with Kenshin's own. Sano stared at her in disbelief. He couldn't believe he was looking at Jouchan. Two years ago she wasn't even that fast or skilled with a sword, but now she acted like she forever held a sword.

"I'm warning you Mr. Himura, you better let me free or else you're going to feel my wrath," said Sukura in a cold voice. Her hazel eyes bore into Kenshin's amber eyes. Out of all the people Kenshin has ever faced he never knew someone who looked at him in the eyes the way Sukura or his Kaoru did.

No I must not let her win. I must not let her leave me again. I won't have her kill herself, I won't stand in the sideline and not be able to help her fight her battles. No I mustn't give in to her, Kenshin thought to himself. He lost her once, and he wasn't going to lose her again.

After a few loud clashes with their swords, Sukura held her position. "Now you know what it felt like when I had to watch you fight and I had to be helpless. Now you know how it felt like for me to stay up, endless hours wondering if you're okay or not. I wanted to help you so many times. You made me feel like a helpless doll, only you did it because you were trying to help me, when you were hurting me more. How does it feel to switch shoes?"

"Sukura please listen to me. Going on this trip will only kill you. Facing this guy, will kill you. You know that and others know that. Why are risking your life? Why are you willing to give it up so easily?" asked Kenshin. His amber eyes soften, his grip on his reverse blade sword lessened.

"Why were you willing to give your life for others? Especially people you don't know? Why were you willing to almost throw your life away when you had to go face Shishio in Kyoto? I didn't stop you because you were doing it for Japan, to only make it better. Even though most of us hate the government because they backstabbed us, only used us for their deals, and then killed us like we were nothing. They used us. We are survivors of the Revolution, yet we sill helped them. We only do it for the goodness of people. You do it to repent for the lives you taken, while I do it for the lives I was responsible for during the Revolution."

Sukura paused. Her hazel eyes soften, and trembled with so many different emotions. Kenshin could have sworn he saw her eyes turned blue for a second, but it was only for a mere second. "People depended on me to stop the war. They depended on me to bring a better future, but I failed miserably. The only way to repent for their lives is to do everything I could do now to save the peaceful times we are living through. I live for this country. And I'm gladly willing to give my life for the people of Japan. It's the only way to seek forgiveness to those who depended on me, and those of the departed souls."

Anger, sadness, hope, regret. So many different emotions clouded Sukura's mind. The Revolution came back to her, the bloodshed, and the deaths. Most of all what really haunted her was the death of her dear friend Domone. Because of his lost, her mind really opened. From that day forward everyone became important to her, even strangers. She helped many people she could with her sword, with her life. But she still couldn't help many people who followed her and her mother's beliefs. The only way to truly have their forgiveness, for her to truly have peaceful thoughts again, is if she were to give her life for the only true purpose of saving Japan.

Then out of nowhere, the wind blew stronger. Kenshin and Sano planted their feet to the ground as hard as possible. Blood dripped from Sukura's right hand to the ground staining the ground forever with her mark. And after a few moments, four elements came alive. Fire raged around Sukura, surrounding it was ice, covering it was water, and hovering around water was thunder. What really freaked Sano and Kenshin the most were Sukura's eyes. They were not hazel, or blue, instead an ice cold black which promised death.