Thanks so much to everyone that reviewed!!!!! I hope you all like this chapter (it's short, I know) but I think it's really kawaii ::squeals::

Thanks to:

bob you know who- hahaha, we'll just tell her to switch our seats back again, lol.

kibou eien/bootleg- you changed your name AGAIN! ty for the review ^.^

mya-thank you! I can't wait till they're older too…

So on to the fic!

disclaimer: should I even bother?

Part I: The Past

Chapter 4: Saying Goodbye

Kadori sat inside, eating dinner. Her parents were entertaining guests tonight, and she wished she could go and visit Soujiro. She walked to one of the panels in the wall that were propped open. This one gave you a view of the backyard. Kadori sighed, and stared blankly outside. 'I'm so bored…' she thought.

Kadori heard a whistle. And then she saw someone dart by.

"Soujiro."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Kadori quietly opened the door, stepped outside with an umbrella, and closed it. "Soujiro? Soujiro?" she called. She spotted someone standing under a tree. Kadori ran towards the figure. As she approached, she saw Soujiro's beat up figure. Tears threatened in her eyes as usual. 'Don't cry,' she told herself, 'be strong like Soujiro.' Kadori tried to grin, but she ended up choking out, "Soujiro! What happened?"

Soujiro, smiling, watched as she ran to him and placed the umbrella on the ground. "Well…" he started, but Kadori was already talking.

"What did they do to you this time?" she said, some tears trickling out as she ripped off a bit of her sleeve. She dipped it in a puddle of water. "Something terrible must have happened!" Kadori dabbed at Soujiro's face.

Soujiro smiled. "Y-you could say that. Something bad did happen." Kadori stared at him, slightly mystified. He seemed…different.

"But you're still smiling," she said softly. Kadori tied the piece of cloth around Soujiro's arm where he was bleeding. "You're still smiling."

There was a silence where Kadori kept her tears in and tried to smile like Soujiro. He still stood there, with a smile on his face, but his eyes were open; gazing emotionlessly at Kadori. But the more he looked at her, trying to smile like he was, the less emotionless he felt. Soujiro found himself talking.

"Kadori…no matter how strong you think I am…it's still not enough. Remember what I told you? In the end, only the fittest survive in this world. If you're strong you live…"

She whispered, "If you're weak………you die."

Soujiro suddenly felt his smile slipping. "I'm going to get stronger. You'll see. But I have to………to…go away." His grip tightened on the wakizashi. Soujiro undid his belt, took out a rope and tied it around his waist instead.

Tears slipped down Kadori's face. "But Soujiro…"

Soujiro interrupted. "But I want you to get strong too. You have to become stronger Kadori."

Kadori nodded. "I'll be strong like you too Soujiro." She looked at his sword. 'With swords.' Kadori thought.

Soujiro held out the piece of cloth that was his belt. "Here. It's just my belt, but………it's just……… to remember me. I'll come back when I'm stronger. You're… my only friend."

She took it, and beamed through the tears. "Okay. We're best friends, so you have to return." Kadori clutched the cloth in her hands. She told herself to smile.

Soujiro said, "Goodbye Kadori."

Kadori picked up the umbrella and whispered, "Goodbye, Soujiro."

As Soujiro turned away, more tears slid down her face. Shishio, who was watching from behind the wall thought, 'Well that's over.'

Soujiro kept walking, clutching his sword tight. Slowly, the smile returned. 'I'll come back. Once I'm strong like Mr. Shishio.'

Kadori watched him go. 'My only friend…'she thought. Suddenly Kadori ran forward, dropping the umbrella. She didn't care about rain. "Soujiro!" she yelled, "Wait! Soujiro!"

As my tears keep overflowing,

I can't see your last smile through the blur.

Don't go! Don't go! Stay with me.

Light breaks through the sky.

Soujiro stopped and turned around. "Kadori?" She ran up to him, and stopped to pant slightly.

Shishio looked at the two young people standing in the rain. 'What's she going to do now?' he thought. His eyes narrowed.

Kadori looked at Soujiro. "I………I…wanted to give you something. So you'll remember me too."

Soujiro looked at her empty hands with a puzzled smile. "What is it?" Kadori stood for a moment, silent. She seemed to be hesitating. The rain fell down on their heads.

Soujiro's smile faded as Kadori stepped closer. She raised herself on tiptoe, closing her eyes. Soujiro's eyes widened and Kadori very softly brushed her lips against his. And as just quickly as it happened, Kadori had stepped back and hid her face beneath her bangs. Soujiro's eyes were big as he stared at her and he felt his face get warm, in spite of the cold rain. Soujiro lightly touched his lips, in shock.

I'm so insignificant but

I loved you with all my soul, more than anyone.

Thank you for all of the precious feelings

That you gave to me.

Soujiro stared at her for a while, and then said quietly, "Goodbye, Kadori." He turned around and walked slowly away.

Kadori looked up at him. "Goodbye," she said.

She watched him depart silently and went to pick up the umbrella by the tree. As she went to the door, she looked back at Soujiro's faint figure. Kadori waited until he disappeared into the misty rain. Then she went inside. And she wasn't crying.

"At that time, I just watched for ages as the vapor trail vanished."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Shishio looked at Soujiro out of the corner of his eye. They were walking silently, and the rain had turned into fine mist by now. Soujiro's eyes were covered by his bangs, but Shishio saw that he was still lightly touching his lips and blushing. And Shishio was willing to bet that his eyes were still wide, as well.

'That girl…' Shishio thought, 'If he thinks of her too much…Soujiro may not become the strongest he could possibly be. Soujiro may be able to bottle up his emotions, but with her in his mind they can still come back. I'll make sure that he will forget her.' And that's just what Shishio was going to do.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Don't forget…you're not alone.

Even if we part, our hands are still linked.

It was my first love, when I first

Learned of a sadness like this.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

For ten years, Soujiro was with Shishio. During his training, Soujiro became his right hand man.

But Shishio didn't forget Soujiro's goodbye to the little girl. During Soujiro's education, Shishio would use subtle manipulation to slowly make Soujiro forget all about Kadori's kindness.

Soujiro's emotions were buried deep in his heart, as were his memories of his childhood. All of the training, moves, and knowledge he gained pushed out any thought or memory connected to Kadori and his past. But Shishio still made sure that any memory of Kadori wouldn't return. Something like that could break him.

And Soujiro became the cold blooded, ever smiling assassin.

Even if something fades away,

Something will live again.

The smile you gave as we parted

Was your message for me to triumph.

But a certain fight with a red-haired rurouni was going to change everything.

Someday surely we'll meet again and be together.

No matter how far, we'll stare into each other's eyes

Bet all our hopes and dreams.

Lets promise each other

That we'll hold on to the intensity

Of that day

And live in the future that blooms in tomorrow.

@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@

Namida ga ato kara afure dashite
Saigo no egao ga nijin de mienai no
Ikanai de, ikanai de, koko ni itta
Sora e ... hikari kake nukete yuku

Konna ni chisai na watashi dakedo
Anata wo dare yori sei-ippai aishita
Arigatou wo ikutsu mono taisetsu na kimochi
Te watashite kure tai yo ne

Sono toki zutto, watashi wa kiekaketa hikooki kumo wo mite ita...

Wasurenai de
Hitori janai
Hanare demo te wo tsunai de iru
Hajime demo koi hajimete shita
Konna kanashimi ga aru koto

Nanika ga shoometsu soshite nanika ga futatabi yadotte
Wakare ni kureta hohoemi wa tsuyoku iki you to iu anata kara no messeeji

Itsuka kitto aeru
Futari naraba
Tooku demo hitomi mitsume au
Kibou to yume no subete o kakete
Yakusoku shouyo
Ano hi no hageshisa o daite
Ashita saku mirai o ikiru

@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@

ok, that song I put in between the text was Yubiwa, from Escaflowne: The Movie (I really liked it). I got it in english from the subtitles…don't ask. And the song below it are the original Japanese lyrics. I just thought it fit…

I'm excited! Next chapter will begin part II…when they're older! Yay! Excitedness…

Note: Soujiro really doesn't remember Kadori. At all. So when he does fight with Kenshin, even though he will remember his childhood, Kadori won't come up in it. It'll be like big blanks in Soujiro's memory. This is for my plot…PLEASE ignore it, lol! And Shishio didn't think that memories could be rekindled by smell or sounds…and also he didn't think that Soujiro would leave. So let's see what happens.

Ja ne!

silent H