To my dear readers, I want to say thank you very much for your compliments on my story. I do hope it really is well. The last chapter I wrote was a day before I left the country, and I recently just came back so I apologize if this chapter wasn't really all to good, but the next chapter I promise you will be so much better. Thank you all for inspiring me. I don't know how to thank you. Also I'm sorry for this story being confusing and all. But later on I promise you'll get it. To all of you who are confuse with my story, please do write in your review where you are confuse. Please leave back any suggestion, any ideas, any questions in your reviews for I do take them seriously. Thank you once again and enjoy!

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

Hurting

Chapter 9

It was a cool morning. The birds sang their peaceful song, leaving everyone peaceful that morning except for Sukura and Anya. They were busy training. The way things were turning out for Sukura weren't pretty good. It looked like her memory of the unknown swordsman's style, was forgotten. If she didn't know that, then she would lose if she faced the man who killed her mother.

"Come on Sukura, tap in with your powers. Your mind is not focusing properly. You know if you face Yokishi Lee, then you wouldn't stand a chance against him," said Anya looking a bit annoyed and disappointed at Sukura.

"I can't help it. I can't remember the style. I can't remember how to fight at all. All I know is the advance form of the Kamiya Kasshine style my mother taught me a long time ago," Sukura said sadly. Her mind wasn't focusing like it usually was. The night she left Kenshin and the others played in her mind over and over again. She couldn't believe she would go against Kenshin like that. Yes she hated him, and for the times, he never paid any attention to her feelings, and yes they were times she wanted to get her revenge, to teach him how she felt when he left her by herself. But going against him like that, she could never forgive herself. In her state of chaos last night, she almost killed him. If it weren't for that vision, if it weren't for his amber eyes, and not his violet eyes, then she would have killed him and the others.

Anya noticing Sukura was not focusing on her training couldn't help but feel concern over friend who she looked at like a younger sister. "Is there something wrong Sukura? Is there anything you need to speak about? Maybe if you say out, then you could focus a lot better when we train again."

"There's something wrong with me. Ever since last night, everything's changed. I don't know who I am as a person anymore. I don't feel like I'm a whole person, just a person who's missing something very important in life," whispered Sukura as she looked at the ground and not in Anya aqua eyes.

"Is it possible? Could it be?" Anya asked herself, but Sukura heard her.

"Is what possible? What could be happening to me? Do you know anything Anya?" asked Sukura afraid of what Anya's answer might be.

"Can you tell everything that happened to you last night? Start from the beginning and don't dare leave anything out, for it might be very important. Got it?"

"I don't know how to explain this properly. Mr. Himura and Mr. Sagara were both trying to stop me from going to Kyoto. I wouldn't listen to them, for I was already angry for what Megumi said to me that night. That's when I felt many emotions. Mr. Himura didn't know how to let go of his past. He didn't know when to stop. He was being selfish, only thinking about himself and not Japan. Then when I hit my rage, I lost myself in chaos; I didn't know who I was as a person. I could only remember his amber eyes. Something about his eyes seemed to pierce my soul. I was searching frantically for Dimitri to order me to do something, to take some action, but it never came. Instead I lost myself in his amber eyes."

"Mr. Himura was able to capture your eyes when you were at your highest point?" asked Anya with shock in her tone.

"Somehow I felt I was connected to him. From that very same moment a vision appeared before me. Instead of looking into the amber eyes of Mr. Himura, I was looking into the amber eyes of the man who killed my mother," stated Sukura sadly. Her head bowed, her bangs covering her eyes expression. She knew the truth to her mother's death now. If she ever faced off with Yokishi Lee, he wouldn't be able to get her powers so easily, because her heart was already claimed by another.

"I see. Then you know the truth, about your mother's death and what I assumed was right," replied Anya. Her tone and eyes looked passive when she said her next lines. "I see that the amber eyed man by the name of Mr. Himura was the one who claimed your heart."

Yami walked with Dimitri and Susako in the forest. They didn't talk much when their minds were in full concentration mode. The three of them looked for a good spot to train, leaving the two girls to train for themselves. They could feel their aura in the forest.

"Do you think Sukura will remember the unknown way of the swordsman's style?" asked Susako breaking the concentration that filled the air. He looked at the others with concern and curiosity written in his light brown eyes.

"No not so easily. It will take her a lot of time to remember the style, after all her body is not prepared for the strenuous work out. Remember, the style takes not only physical strength, but mental strength that comes from the soul. Sukura hasn't used the style in years, so when she had to remember the style it will cost her body a lot of physical and mental damage," said Yami wisely. He knew what Sukura was in for. He knew the pain; she would feel very soon, after all his beloved Anya and he learned they style the hard way too.

"I still don't get it Yami. What makes this sword's style very different from other styles? What makes it different from the sword's style Battousai uses?" asked Dimitri. His face looked passive, but underneath his mask, rage filled him, knowing his beloved Sukura was going through a lot pain, and there was nothing he could do heal her pain.

"Oh believe me when I do say the unknown style is way different from any other style, especially its succession techniques. To learn the style you have to have a certain type of blood that is gifted with many powers. For example look at Anya; she's gifted in foreseeing past the person's appearance. She could see the depths of their soul and know things others don't know. I am gifted like you guys with the ability to learn fast, to be creative, to be agile, but unlike you two I am also gifted to know when dangers are around the corner, or far away. And as for Sukura, her blood itself carries many different gifts, but her main gifts are healing, and making someone immortal. With her powers alone Yokishi Lee cannot only take the whole of Japan, but probably conquer the whole world. Right now she may be weaker then us, but by the time she fully recovers and finish her training properly she will over take us over with her strength and spirit alone," said Yami as he looked into the peaceful blue sky. His eyes closed. At that same moment he tried to remember what his beloved told him about the unknown sword's style. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and Kamiya Kasshine Ryu, are completely different. For example the Hiten Mitsurugi style is one of offense attack which could kill multiple people. The Kamiya Kasshine style is a defensive style that protects the person using it, as well as other people. But you see with both styles have a weakness that could be easily spotted from the likes of us. You understand? The unknown style way of fighting is the combining of both offense and defense put together. When the combo attacks are done with the unknown style way of fighting, the opponents are all attacked, but if they try to hit us, they would never have a chance because we are defending at the same time, while we're attacking them. But the unknown style is about fast thinking and using our inner strength too. Because we have powers that people refer to the gods having the powers we have, we'll always have a better chance of winning our enemies, except the style doesn't go for anyone. Some people say that the style chooses the people, or person and the first person the style chose was Sukura."

"But that's impossible, don't you think?" asked Dimitri awed by Yami's revealing information about the unknown sword's style.

"Isn't it impossible for someone to have powers like us? Believe when I do say a sword's style, the greatest that will ever exist, exists through people like me. We are only waiting for the sword's style to choose its next person. More likely if Sukura continues her training with Anya, she might be chosen again to fully remember it's style, after all many people are counting on her," stated Yami calmly. His dark brown eyes never left his friends.

"Well whatever the matter I'll make sure no one hurts Sukura, because if something ever does, then they'll pay dearly for it." And with those words said Dimitri stalked away to go looking for Sukura to see where she was in the progress of her training.

Both Susako and Yami couldn't help but sigh.

"That man should really calm down. I think he's a bit over his head," said Susako with a little concern in his voice.

Yami couldn't help but agree with his friend.

It was a cold dreary night in Kyoto. Every single street told its horrible stories of the gruesome murders that use to take place every night in the Revolution. The only people who lived to tell the stories were those who killed. They were hardly any survivors who survived their time of deaths.

Sukura looked from one street after another remembering all the lives taken in the Revolution. She remembered their bloody images, their lifeless corpses that surrounded the place. Through her memories she remembered her dear friend Domone, the young teenage boy she refused to listen to. One moment she saw him smiling with her, the next moment, his black eyes held no life; they were dried off and pried from ever seeing daylight again. Sukura couldn't help but cry. A few tears trickle from her eyes to the floor of one of Kyoto's streets. All the dead bodies, the dreadful memories plagued her mind, refusing to leave her mind.

"Domone," she whispered his name. "I'm so sorry for failing you. Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

As she continued to look at the streets in Kyoto, every dreadful memory running through her mind, she saw a figure move through the streets. With a little hope of maybe that person being a survivor, she ran after the person, hoping that person could help her.

She saw the figure run through an alleyway all the way to a back corner. Sukura followed blindly, not caring what she was going to see, or at least that what she thought? Right before her eyes, she saw a young man, wearing a navy blue gi, a white hakama, carrying two katanas with him. Sukura's eyes widened when she recognized the person standing before her. The figure that had his bloody red hair tied in a ponytail, and amber eyes that could bore into anyone's soul, looked at two culprits standing in his way. With just a flicked of his wrist he killed them, like they were nothing. Sukura's eyes widened even more when she saw him look directly at her. His amber eyes clashed with her hazel eyes. She did nothing, but kept her spot.

"Kenshin," she whispered. Her body was too stunned to make a move. Her eyes clashed with his amber eyes. She waited, hesitating the fact she should move away from him, or at least try to run, but she still held her ground. "Is this the man I fell in love with? The man who took so much lives, when I tried to save them. How could my heart betray my mind? How could my body betray my mind?"

As their eyes continue to look at each other, he heard what she said. He took strides towards her way, sheathing his katana, getting ready to kill the obstacle standing in his way, when all of a sudden he saw her eyes turn blue. His amber eyes widened at what he saw. He never met anyone who did what she did. But not only did her eye color changed but her aura did too. Before, he sensed her aura as a stressful one, now it was quiet and peaceful.

"Kaoru," he whispered, as if recognizing her for the first time. Her sky blue eyes were something he could never forget so easily for that was one reason why he fell for her, besides of her childish, innocent ways.

And before Sukura who was now Kaoru could say anything to her beloved Kenshin, he disappeared, and so did the streets of Kyoto. Now Kaoru found herself standing in a forest with many dead corpses. Red flashed everywhere in the mysterious forests. Kaoru could not stand to look at the bodies any longer. She wanted more than anything to run from the place. To find a place sanctuary enough for her to run and hide in. Before she could actually get to do what her mind wanted her to do, she saw two people standing a great distance away from her. She was amazed to know her eyes could see the dark figures, even though it was night time.

Kaoru decided it would be best if she moved closer to see what was happening. She hoped to see no more killing. She moved closer, quietly, and carefully not to startle the two figures standing before her. She noticed one of the figures before her was a young woman with beautiful long hair. The other looked like a tall man.

'Oh thank god! At least there will be no more killing,' Kaoru thought, but she thought too soon. Before her mind could fully comprehend what was going on, she saw a sword slashed the woman's flesh apart, opening the new scent of fresh blood in the air. The young woman never cried out loud from the pain. Instead she stood her ground. She never moved when the sword struck her back, or sliced the skin from her stomach to her higher part of her chest right around her heart area.

"No!" Kaoru cried. Kaoru ran towards the woman who fell to the ground. Her limp body covered in fresh blood. The only word Kaoru ever heard from the woman was "why?". Then she fell away into the dark leaving Kaoru alone to face the man.

"Why, why did you kill her? What did she ever do to you for you to kill her like that?" Kaoru asked, her voice trembled, and her body trembled as she faced off with the stranger before her.

"Do you know what it's like to be loved, then to feel betrayed? Do you know what its like to suffer for so long and not have anyone to comfort you? Do you?" asked the stranger. The stranger who dressed all in black, who carried a dark aura, whose body reeked death itself, finally showed him her eyes. "Life can be so harsh. There's nothing anyone could do to stop destiny itself, unless you're willing to suffer the consequences of your actions. Your mother knew her destiny, and no matter what she couldn't overcome it. Soon you'll discover your true destiny too."

Kaoru began to tremble with fear, her mind screamed at her to run. On the floor laid her dead mother. Before her stood the murderer, who took her mother's life. How it is her mother found a heart to love a cold murderer like him? How? As Kaoru looked into the amber eyed man before her, she felt a sword slashed through her skin, and with the loudest shriek she fell into a heap onto the bloody ground.

Sukura woke up from her bloody nightmare. In her dream she faced off with the man who killed her mother. She feared for her life, and the life of others who depended on her. He was a cruel man who showed no emotions. How could her mother fall in love with man like him? Then again how did she fall in love with a man like Kenshin?