Today I finally was able to update this chapter and come up with such cool ideas. Plus I'm so happy! I can't wait till winter! For any of you out there who are FINAL FANTASY X fans, well FINAL FANTASY X-2 IS COMING OUT IN THE WINTER! I can't wait! I love Final Fantasy X! Tidus is coming back and is up to Yuna, Rikku and another woman who Yuna and Rikku befriends to save Tidus from being trapped inside a spear! Okay let me stop. This story is dedicated to all of you out there. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please leave any comments, suggestions, and questions in your review. Please don't be too harsh because I'm literally a sensitive person. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin series. I wish I did but I don't. : (
Always there is Hope
Chapter seven
Kaoru struggled to break from her bindings. As much as she struggled it only made the rope bite deeper into her soft flesh. Her eyes animated pure diamond tears. Her voice was only just a mere whisper. She laid on a heap of dead leaves waiting for the stranger to come back. All she could do was hope for something, a special miracle to happen. She tried to contact someone for help across the distance in the eerie night of the dark forest, but there was no one at sight, and there was no presence to be felt. It was only her alone in the dark night.
Just then a soft sound came from the bushes behind her. The fire that was left unattended burned even brighter then before. Kaoru looked at it with fear and a little hope in her eyes. She wondered what made that sound, but nothing came into sight. She tried to clear her blurry vision, by wiping her eyes with her hands binded together, however she was unsuccessful.
"If you think there is hope, you're wrong my dear," said a familiar voice. Kaoru turned around quickly to see a shadow looming over her. Her shallow scream caught in her throat. The stranger looked even more intimidating then before.
The stranger appeared closer to her. His face by his hood, his large calloused hands tightened on his daggers, as he slowly bent down to watch the fear grow in Kaoru eyes. He smirked at her reaction. She had every right to fear him. Indeed she was very bright. She knew when to fear someone, and when to make the right moves. To bad she won't be living long on earth though. The stranger lazily brought one of his daggers to Kaoru's face. He traced from her full luscious pink lips, down to her bare throat.
"You are a pawn like everyone else in these kingdoms, however you are the important pawn of them all," said the stranger. He traced the dagger from her throat to the tip of her of her ear. He bent closer to her face so he could whisper special words in her ear. "You my dear are a Goddess."
"What!" Kaoru screeched as she jumped back slightly from him. Somehow his words affected her deeply. Not only physical but mental as well. Just now she could have sworn he was inside her body, invading her mind.
"Don't pretend you don't know," whispered the stranger as he leaned back to get a better view of Kaoru. "You are the one I have been waiting for all these years. You finally came where you originally belong; however I see I was not capable of capturing your heart. He was."
"I do not know what you speak of," declared Kaoru violently. Her blue eyes flashed both anger and hatred at him. She gathered all her courage and strength she had left to face him. All the stranger did was laugh at her reactions. He didn't take her seriously, the way she wanted to be treated. Instead he was toying around with her as though as if she were game.
"Of course you do. You don't even know the powers you possess. They are not childish powers to mess around with. They're serious, and serious enough to kill many. Do you not know the legend fully?"
"I know of the legend you speak of. Whatever you talk about me loving are lies. It's not true."
"Ah, but it is. I know you love, but you cannot fully accept that. Why were you willing to save the life of a man who kidnapped you from your master's home? You intrigued him, as he intrigued you. Your heart was captured by his ways, and without even noticing he began to possess you fully, until I came. I cannot afford to have you lose your purity. That is needed for the shrine. Your love for him though, will be needed because that will help you unleash your fully capacity. I lived years waiting to claim you as my own."
Kaoru couldn't say anything. She couldn't look away from his eyes. She felt lightheaded, sleepy like. Her head pounded as her body relaxed in a warm comfort. She saw him move closer to her. Her sapphire eyes were pierced by his amber eyes. She could feel him now, in her mind, in her heart, and in her soul. She could not deny him at the moment. He truly possessed her. She now understood what he meant when he said she was a pawn. She was only a puppet with no strings attached. Whatever decisions she made she always had someone who made them first. Whenever she did something, it was because she was ordered to do so. Her life was a life of follower. Never did she once truly have her freedom. She yearned for that.
"Let me tell you the full story of Desko my Goddess," the stranger whispered in her mind, as he drowned her in his dark spell. "Desko was not an ordinary place filled with ordinary people. It was said by human kind that these people who once inhabited Desko had the power of the Gods. What they failed to understand was they were Gods. The males of Desko were looked upon as God figures because they Gods. They were known as darkness, destruction, chaos, and the bringers of death. On the other hand where there was evil also had good. Goddesses were light to darkness. The pureness they carried in their souls came from the very existence of them creating life in this world. They were known as hope, happiness, the goodness life can bring itself. The sacred shrine in Desko was where the council between good and evil was held. There the link between both worlds only opened when they were there. However when Desko lost itself in the raging seas, it was the failure doomed to the Gods and Goddesses for not being able to operate the shrine correctly. Those who survived the tragedy forgot the experience and chose to intermingle with the human race. Eventually their special blood became mixed with ordinary human blood therefore mixing human with their powers."
Kaoru digested all the words in her mind. Her body became very languid, as she felt her heart, her mind, and her soul become invaded by her true enemy.
Misao woke up from her deep slumber to find herself in low, rundown shack. Without even glancing she knew where she was. She was located in her and Kaoru's friend shack by the name of Megumi Takani. They had known each other from childhood. Megumi unlike herself wasn't a slave. Instead she worked as a healer. Her special powers were to heal the wounded and the sick, however she couldn't always save people's lives. Some people feared her because of her special gifts. Others cast her as an outsider, because in appearance alone Megumi didn't look like them. Megumi's appearance was always filled with grace and confidence. She acted stoic when deep down inside she really cared. She lashed people out with diplomatic words, using her intellectual ways to wrap them around her fingers. She never knew how many men she swooned not only by her appearance but by the way how she acted the role hard to get. Once upon a time she and Kaoru wondered if Megimi would ever meet her match. But that day never came. Megumi dedicated her life, her work to help the sick and the weak. Because of her compassionate nature that Kaoru got to see Misao placed her trust in her.
Megumi also knew about some of Misao's powers like Misao having the power to warp into people's dreams, in their mind when they let her go in them. From there she could feel what they feel and tell their thoughts. Misao was able to do so with Kaoru because she and Kaoru had a special link since they were family.
"She will be fine. There's nothing to worry about. I dealt with her wounds, and checked inside her to see if they were any signs of sickness. She'll be okay Aoshi," said Megumi with a soft voice. Misao strained herself on the heap of straw on the floor to hear what her Aoshi and Megumi were talking about.
"I do hope she's going to be okay. I don't want anything happening to her. I'll make sure to pay that man a visit. He'll never get away for what he did to her," said Aoshi with a cold voice.
"You know your love for her is forbidden, yet you took the chance to love her. If you create a scene, not only will you be putting your life in jeopardy, but her life as well. And I won't stand there quietly when both of you will be put to death."
"Then what do you want me to do? Pretend like nothing ever happened while she walks with scars her whole life? The bastard tortured her for something she didn't know except only a few details, and her being so caring for her cousin took all the pain for her."
"Now Aoshi, you can't go blaming Kaoru for something she didn't know about. If Kaoru was kidnapped then you can't blame Kaoru for what happened to Misao. You can't blame yourself either for not being there. Misao has been through worst and she's lucky to survive the darker forces of nature."
"Why did you have to bring such a deadly topic? Can't you ever keep your mouth shut for once? I know what Misao went through, because I have seen many women like her being treated as nothing but ragged dolls to adulterate so quickly. Even though she lost whatever, she has not lost her spirit and her heart. That's what I love her for," said Aoshi in a deadly menacing tone.
Misao felt heartbroken at the topic they chose to discuss, but it also lifted her pride to know that Aoshi had complete faith in her whatsoever. "Aoshi," she whispered to no one in particular. When Misao finally looked up, she saw Megumi watching over her. Misao looked away with embarrassment. She felt her cheeks turn really pink.
"Do you want me to tell him you want to see him?" Megumi asked Misao politely.
Misao said nothing. Instead of saying anything at all she burst into tears to show her feelings. She had every right to worry for her dear cousin Kaoru. She went into Kaoru's mind earlier, she heard Kaoru's cry for help, and then felt someone or something possess her. That was when Misao lost complete contact with Kaoru. All Misao knew was that whoever held Kaoru captive had a malevolent, dark, aggressive aura, and if he possessed Kaoru, everything was over.
Misao was so lost in deep thought she never noticed when Megumi sat down next to her on the heap of straws and put her arms lightly around her to soothe her. Megumi whispered good words, and that everything was going to be alright.
"How is everything going to be alright when the world is coming to an end? They're mad, they want Kaoru and they're going to have her," whispered Misao as she looked away from Megumi to the doorway as if expecting Aoshi to walk in at anytime.
"Who is mad? Who wants Kaoru?" asked Megumi with a confused expression on her soft now expressional face.
"The dead, the spirits caught in worlds, heaven and hell. Kaoru is in love, when I warned her not fall in love. She has given her heart and now someone who is purely evil; who is a God possesses her."
"What Misao?" Megumi screeched. Misao saw Megumi jump to her feet and rushed across the room for some object that laid on an old wooden table. She saw Megumi pick up a large object and shoved it into her pocket.
"So the legends are true. He has survived all these years," replied Megumi who now began to act calm.
"What are you talking about? Who are you talking about? Yes the legend is true!"
"It was said by travelers who traveled far and wide, that a man, who lived forever, a man who is immortal, forever watched and served the shrine. It was because of him people like us didn't receive bad punishments. He lifted our curses for only a bit however for those who loved became cursed even more and they lost their love ones. He was the cause because he didn't want people like us to intermingle with humans. He was afraid that humans would make us lose our purity."
"So, that explains my parent's death and Koaru's parent's death. That explains why Kaoru never got touched by our Master, why I saw weird reactions from her."
Misao watched Megumi face turned into a puzzled expression. She had to explain to Megumi about Kaoru's weird ways. But she just didn't know how to explain it properly.
"Okay what I can tell you is this much. There were times when I noticed Kaoru wasn't Kaoru. She acted weird, especially around our Master. She never showed him any fear, and she never got abused or touched by him. There were times she acted like she was a complete stranger. There were times I sensed another presence around her that wasn't her own," replied Misao. She hoped her explanation cleared a few things with Megumi, but she saw the puzzled look on Megumi's face deepened.
Misao took a deep breath and then continued speaking. "What I'm trying to say is what happened if this man you speak about was watching and waiting for Kaoru a long time. He had to. Why go through all this trouble to get Kaoru? He wants revenge, and probably lust for power. Kaoru has that ultimate power and she' in the wrong hands. If she went into the shrine, she will lose her life, and because the man is evil, evil will over come good and take over earth."
"You're confusing me Misao."
"Think about it logically. The world is balanced with both good and evil. One can never overcome the other so easily. However with Kaoru under the possession of this evil man you speak about, because of his evilness, evil will overcome this earth and punish everything that walks the lands. Kaoru would become one of those evil spirits who only lusts for revenge."
"Then there is no hope. There is no way of saving Kaoru," said Megumi in defeat. She slouched her shoulder; put a hand to her head to rub her pounding temples.
Just then Aoshi walked in the shack, expecting to see a sleeping Misao and a hard working Megumi, but he didn't see any of that. Instead he saw woman both woman looked down. Bu their postures alone, he could tell they were depressed. He walked across the room to greet his beloved Misao. She smiled a warm smile that relieved his tensions.
"Sometimes I wonder how you do it Misao. Our love is forbidden, yet here we are breaking every single rule. Sometimes I wish to forget this love so we wouldn't have to live with our love secretly," replied Aoshi as he sat down next to his beloved.
All of a sudden, Misao burst out a joyful scream. She hugged Aoshi with all her energy. Her once sad greenish-bluish eyes brightened in wonder. She caught Megumi attention from across the room.
"I did it thanks to Aoshi! There is a way to save Kaoru, however me must act very fast!" yelled Misao cheerfully.
"And what is that?" asked Megumi as her eyes narrowed on Misao.
Misao looked at Megumi with a goofy smile on her face. "We still have hope for Kaoru's survival and the survival of mankind! All we have to do is make her forget her past and her love!"