Reflected Moonlight
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Chapter Five: Broken Soul
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Kaoru lay on the bank of the lake as the rain poured down her body. Her soul was broken, hurt beyond repair. She was soaked to the bone, and cold not only in body, but also in heart. She didn't want to go on. She didn't want to live. She decided that she would just lay there forever, till the rain washed away her body and the wind scoured her bones dry.
Kenshin thought frantically of where she could have run off to. The first thing that popped into his head was the lake. Somehow that place held something special for both of them ever since that night among the fireflies. He began running faster and faster. With each step he gained speed till he could barely even breathe anymore. Finally he approached the lake and then he saw her.
She was lying on the shore of the lake. She wasn't even moving. He ran up to her, his heart racing. Was she hurt? Was she dead? Was he too late? He scooped her up into his arms as soon as he reached her. She was limp in his arms, and soaking wet too. He closed his eyes in relief when he saw that she was still breathing. She was just unconscious. He needed to get her somewhere dry, somewhere where he could take care for her. He began to run back to the dojo, her in his arms.
As he approached the dojo Yahiko came running out. "What's wrong Kenshin?" he asked oblivious to anything that had been going on for the last hour.
Kenshin didn't have time for explanations. There was no time to lose. He had to help Kaoru. "Get some water and all the blankets you can find! Quick! As fast as you can!" yelled Kenshin as he pushed past Yahiko and went into Kaoru's room.
Carefully he set Kaoru down on her futon. Her clothes were soaked. He had to get them off to stop her from getting too cold. He quickly stripped them off her skinny body, thinking nothing of modesty, but only of saving her. He quickly buried her body under the covers, but it wasn't good enough. She was shaking and burning up with fever. Finally Yahiko walked in with more blankets and a bucket of water.
"Finally! Now please leave us." Kenshin demanded as he took the blankets and spread them over Kaoru. He didn't even notice when Yahiko left because he was already wiping her face clean with a wet towel.
"I guess I came back just in time." Kenshin whispered softly. What would have happened if he had not returned? What would have happened if he had not met up with Sano? She would have died. His Kaoru would have died. And now because of him, she was lying in bed unconscious, with a horrible fever. It was all his fault again. He had caused her more pain. He was such a fool.
"Don't worry, my Kaoru. I won't ever leave you again. I swear to you on the love that I feel for you, that I will never leave you behind, even in death."
Kaoru felt so terribly cold, but so feverishly burning hot. She was having horrible visions. Some so horrible that she cried out. She dreamed that she was the one standing over Kenshin with a sword slashing it down upon him. But when he begged her to not to kill him, she laughed and plunged the sword right through his heart. She could see the blood spurting out of his chest as his heart struggled to keep beating. The blood seeped down his chest and onto her, dripping in steady streams of crimson. She could see the pain in his eyes as he stared up at her in disbelief. She could see the sting of betrayal in his eyes as they glazed over in death. It was all too vivid. She couldn't stand it.
Kaoru cried out in screams while she lay thrashing in her bed. Kenshin restrained her to keep her from hurting herself. His tears dripped down onto her as he watched go through such inner turmoil. This was all his fault. She was hurting so bad because of him. It was all his fault. He would never ever forgive himself for this.
Now in Kaoru's dreams she was being chained down. She couldn't see the face of who was doing this to her, but the pain was real. She couldn't move, she could barely breathe. Then she saw Kenshin next to her, chained also. He looked over at her, the look of total betrayal on his face. He seemed to be asking her, why did you do this to me? Why? Why are you doing this? She tried to tell him that she didn't want to. She tried to tell him that she was a victim too, but the words would not come out. She couldn't speak, she couldn't think. Her world was a blanket of crimson blood, splashed with pain and anguished screams. But then finally she heard a soft voice through the shroud of endless tears.
Kenshin softly he whispered into her ear as he stroked her head.
"Kaoru....My Kaoru....I'm here now. I won't leave you ever again. I love you, my Kaoru. I can't live without you. I just needed to lose you for a while to figure that out. I'm sorry I put you through all of this. I'm sorry you're in so much pain. It's all my fault. My Kaoru. I love you."
Kaoru's eyes slowly opened as she heard those words. She looked up to see the Kenshin was standing over her. She felt her heart melt and crack at the same time. It was Kenshin! He was back! He was really back!
"I knew you would come back again. You always do." She whispered feverishly.
Kenshin's heart raced when he heard her sweet voice answer him back. He smiled down at her and took her hand in his. She was sweaty and dangerously hot. That wasn't good.
Slowly smiled up at him though she knew she would not be able to smile much longer. She knew that her body was dying, she knew it was giving away to the call of death. She could see it in Kenshin's eyes that he knew it too.
"I can't let you go. Not after I just found you again!" Kenshin said painfully aware of her death approaching.
"Kenshin. Don't leave me. Please, not ever again. Don't leave me.....I love you so much....." Kaoru said as her words slipped away with her last breath.
As he saw her there dead in front of him he could not help but scream out in rage and sadness. How could he lose her already? How could this be happening.
Yahiko rushed into the room. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kaoru.....She was dead.
~Can you guess what's gonna happen next??? There's still a lot of the story left.~
Chapter Five: Broken Soul
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaoru lay on the bank of the lake as the rain poured down her body. Her soul was broken, hurt beyond repair. She was soaked to the bone, and cold not only in body, but also in heart. She didn't want to go on. She didn't want to live. She decided that she would just lay there forever, till the rain washed away her body and the wind scoured her bones dry.
Kenshin thought frantically of where she could have run off to. The first thing that popped into his head was the lake. Somehow that place held something special for both of them ever since that night among the fireflies. He began running faster and faster. With each step he gained speed till he could barely even breathe anymore. Finally he approached the lake and then he saw her.
She was lying on the shore of the lake. She wasn't even moving. He ran up to her, his heart racing. Was she hurt? Was she dead? Was he too late? He scooped her up into his arms as soon as he reached her. She was limp in his arms, and soaking wet too. He closed his eyes in relief when he saw that she was still breathing. She was just unconscious. He needed to get her somewhere dry, somewhere where he could take care for her. He began to run back to the dojo, her in his arms.
As he approached the dojo Yahiko came running out. "What's wrong Kenshin?" he asked oblivious to anything that had been going on for the last hour.
Kenshin didn't have time for explanations. There was no time to lose. He had to help Kaoru. "Get some water and all the blankets you can find! Quick! As fast as you can!" yelled Kenshin as he pushed past Yahiko and went into Kaoru's room.
Carefully he set Kaoru down on her futon. Her clothes were soaked. He had to get them off to stop her from getting too cold. He quickly stripped them off her skinny body, thinking nothing of modesty, but only of saving her. He quickly buried her body under the covers, but it wasn't good enough. She was shaking and burning up with fever. Finally Yahiko walked in with more blankets and a bucket of water.
"Finally! Now please leave us." Kenshin demanded as he took the blankets and spread them over Kaoru. He didn't even notice when Yahiko left because he was already wiping her face clean with a wet towel.
"I guess I came back just in time." Kenshin whispered softly. What would have happened if he had not returned? What would have happened if he had not met up with Sano? She would have died. His Kaoru would have died. And now because of him, she was lying in bed unconscious, with a horrible fever. It was all his fault again. He had caused her more pain. He was such a fool.
"Don't worry, my Kaoru. I won't ever leave you again. I swear to you on the love that I feel for you, that I will never leave you behind, even in death."
Kaoru felt so terribly cold, but so feverishly burning hot. She was having horrible visions. Some so horrible that she cried out. She dreamed that she was the one standing over Kenshin with a sword slashing it down upon him. But when he begged her to not to kill him, she laughed and plunged the sword right through his heart. She could see the blood spurting out of his chest as his heart struggled to keep beating. The blood seeped down his chest and onto her, dripping in steady streams of crimson. She could see the pain in his eyes as he stared up at her in disbelief. She could see the sting of betrayal in his eyes as they glazed over in death. It was all too vivid. She couldn't stand it.
Kaoru cried out in screams while she lay thrashing in her bed. Kenshin restrained her to keep her from hurting herself. His tears dripped down onto her as he watched go through such inner turmoil. This was all his fault. She was hurting so bad because of him. It was all his fault. He would never ever forgive himself for this.
Now in Kaoru's dreams she was being chained down. She couldn't see the face of who was doing this to her, but the pain was real. She couldn't move, she could barely breathe. Then she saw Kenshin next to her, chained also. He looked over at her, the look of total betrayal on his face. He seemed to be asking her, why did you do this to me? Why? Why are you doing this? She tried to tell him that she didn't want to. She tried to tell him that she was a victim too, but the words would not come out. She couldn't speak, she couldn't think. Her world was a blanket of crimson blood, splashed with pain and anguished screams. But then finally she heard a soft voice through the shroud of endless tears.
Kenshin softly he whispered into her ear as he stroked her head.
"Kaoru....My Kaoru....I'm here now. I won't leave you ever again. I love you, my Kaoru. I can't live without you. I just needed to lose you for a while to figure that out. I'm sorry I put you through all of this. I'm sorry you're in so much pain. It's all my fault. My Kaoru. I love you."
Kaoru's eyes slowly opened as she heard those words. She looked up to see the Kenshin was standing over her. She felt her heart melt and crack at the same time. It was Kenshin! He was back! He was really back!
"I knew you would come back again. You always do." She whispered feverishly.
Kenshin's heart raced when he heard her sweet voice answer him back. He smiled down at her and took her hand in his. She was sweaty and dangerously hot. That wasn't good.
Slowly smiled up at him though she knew she would not be able to smile much longer. She knew that her body was dying, she knew it was giving away to the call of death. She could see it in Kenshin's eyes that he knew it too.
"I can't let you go. Not after I just found you again!" Kenshin said painfully aware of her death approaching.
"Kenshin. Don't leave me. Please, not ever again. Don't leave me.....I love you so much....." Kaoru said as her words slipped away with her last breath.
As he saw her there dead in front of him he could not help but scream out in rage and sadness. How could he lose her already? How could this be happening.
Yahiko rushed into the room. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kaoru.....She was dead.
~Can you guess what's gonna happen next??? There's still a lot of the story left.~
