A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner! I really wanted the last few chapters to go smoothly so I outlined them. Yeah, that's right, this story is coming to a close! *tear* I'll write maybe...2 more chapters, an epilouge, and a authors note. I WOULD say more but I don't want to spoil the ending for ya. ;) Although you're going to find out in a few minutes anyways....oh well. (The next one I plan to have a sickening amount of WAFF ) Well, thanks again!

Poor Excuse for a Disclaimer:

Sadly, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or the characters. If I did Aoshi and Battousai would be my eternal slaves because they're sexy. Duh.

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Forbidden- Chapter Four: Reverie

by

Black Twilight

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sano walked through the mist. It was one of those autumn nights when you could barely see your hand in front of your face. To his left he noticed a figure sitting on the riverbank. A woman, judging by it's figure. His ears pricked up. Yes, she was singing. He drew nearer and he could make out the words...

'...give me smile and shine days kimi no smile de

itetsuku yoru samusa no mo good koraerareru

kowareru hodo aishitemo san bun no ichi mo tsutawaranai

junjou na kanjou wa karamawari i love you sae ienaideiru my heart...'

The song ended and she turned to him. It was Kaoru! "Kaoru! Kaoru!" he called. She saw him and ran. She kept running. Running into the mist....into the mist....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Sir. Sir? SIR!" the man was yelling now. Sanosuke woke up to find that he was still on the train. He sighed, it was just a dream. He was here and Kaoru was safe in Kyoto, with Kenshin. With someone else..... Sanosuke rubbed his eyes trying the annul the image of her face. It wasn't working.

"Excuse me?" It was the man from the couple he saw earlier. He didn't recognize him when he wasn't hanging over a girl. Sano turned to him with an imposing look. The man seemed uncomfortable. 'Good' he thought. Yeah, it was fair to say that he held a grudge.

"Well I...was just wondering, you know. Who is Kaoru?"



"What did you say?"

"Um...who is Kaoru?"

Sano snapped. He grabbed the man the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the back of the car. He raised him off the ground a few inches so his feet were dangling beneath him.

"How do you know Jou-chan?" he hissed.

"You were calling the name in your sleep! I swear, man! I swear!"

Sanosuke's eyes softened and he lowered him to the ground, muttering apologies. Who was he kidding? He still loved her, even if she was with another man. His best friend. That part bothered him; but he would have her.

"Oi, conductor! Stop the train!"

"What?!"

"Stop the train. I'm going back to Kyoto."

"I can't do that. Do you even know fast this thing is moving? It's almost impossible to stop it at the speed we're traveling."

"Fine," Sano said, and he jumped off.

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Kaoru looked at Kenshin and he returned his best rurouni grin. She blushed and turned her head, giving Kenshin time to slip his hand around her waist. She blushed down to her roots. Things were going so smoothly now that they were a couple. It was like a huge weight that had been lifted of their shoulders. Life was wonderful.

They continued to walk towards the dojo, but Kaoru stopped.

"What is it Kaoru-dono?" She paused.

"Have you seen Sanosuke recently?"

"Now that you mention it sessha has not seen him. Why do you ask?"

"It worries me...that's all," she forced a smile and walked into her dojo.

Kenshin purposely stayed behind & watched her walk in. He was glad she couldn't see the menacing scowl upon his face.

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It was 11 PM now and Sanosuke still hadn't returned. A few hours before Kaoru had been screaming at everyone for not realizing sooner, although mentally she was kicking herself. She was like family to him. What kind of family member wouldn't notice another dissapearing? Then she had sent them out to look for him. Which meant she was alone.

Alone...again. She sighed and picked up her bokken.

'If I keep this up,' she thought, 'I'll turn into an old woman in no time! Always worrying over people.' She brought the bokken down. One. Two. Three.

'Over Kenshin...' Four. Five. Six.

'Over..........Sano.' Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Kaoru continued to swing until her arms screamed with pain. Unbeknownst to her, tears trailed from her eyes and ended at the base of her arms, dampening her palms. On the twelfth swing the bokken flied out of her hands and landed with a 'clang'. She collapsed on the floor and began to wallow in self pity.

The tears started to fall.

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Sanosuke's eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes. It took him a minute to realize where he was; a ditch. He immediately tried to sit up but pain seared through his body. His head pounded. His eyes felt heavy. Where the hell was he?

The he remembered.

'You jumped of a train you crazy bastard.'

Sano groaned and forced himself to stand. He concluded that he must've looked like shit by all the blood that was on his Aku jacket. But it didn't matter. He would see Kaoru.

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((several hours later))

Kaoru was still laying in the fedal position at 1 AM; her arms and legs scrunched up to her chest. She had stopped crying several hours ago but she still made no move to get up.

"What's the point?" she asked herself. "No one's here anyway. Sano left. Oh Sano...if only you'd stayed a little longer maybe we could have worked it out." What was she saying? She loved Kenshin. Kenshin! She shook her head. She knew now that it wasn't true.

"Sano, if only you were here, I'd tell you..."

"Tell me what, Jou-chan?"

~*~*~JAPANESE~*~*~*

The song at the begging was '1/3 Junjou Na Kanjou.' The best anime song ever! Translation:

Give me a smile and shiny days, by your smile

I can withstand the cold of a frozen night...

Even if my love reaches the breaking point, 1/3 of it won't reach

My true feelings are just spinning on air. My heart isn't even saying "I love you"

bokken - bamboo sword

aku - evil

jou-chan - missy