Disclaimer: *hugs Oro-chan* Mine! *Kaoru grabs him* _ Not! *Grabs Ran instead* Miiiiine! *Ken, Youji and Omi grab him* ;_; Not. Get my drift? The song 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls belongs to the artistes themselves, as well as anyone else who might own the rights to it.
A/N: ;_; I officially hate the ending of Seisouhen, the 2nd OVA for RK. _ It's so darned depressing! *Sniffle* I borrowed it from one of my friends, and then watched it _ noooooooo! That can't happen! *Goes back to normal* Anyway, yes, school has started, and thank goodness some people do read A/N's. Thank goodness the schedule isn't all too hectic yet _ but it will be after mid-term. And then I'll be bogged down with accounting projects, and then some. Mwahah~ classes finish at 11.45am! Rox. Aaaaaaanyway…yes, onto the story. More family-esque moments with the Kenshin-gumi, as well as some more WAFF and fluff with Kenshin and Kaoru! ^^ Everyone who's been waiting for Yahiko to call Kaoru 'busu' will have their wish granted now!
Reviewers' Space!
Neko Oni – You! Person! XD yay! You finally updated your fic, evil one! ^^;; Haha, don't mind me; I was overjoyed to find that you'd updated. It's great!! Keep on going! XD Kenshin's just being Kenshin, and that's what makes him so sexy! ^^ and the eyes drive everyone up the wall as well! Amber eyes rock! Lol, yes, no privacy whatsoever! ^^ but they'll deal with it somehow; may work out to be better for them even. Mwahah. I have the right huh? ^^ I think I'll exercise it if people start asking me repetitive questions over and over again. XD All ye beware!!! Yup, Ranma ½ is currently showing on a channel on cable called AXN. Think they only have it in Asia though. I live in Malaysia. ^^ We've got quite a few anime shops around in the malls, coz there are quite a few anime and manga fans around, and it doesn't hurt that there's a Kinokuniya (Jap. Book store) about 20 minutes drive away from where I live. XD Nope, doesn't hurt at ALL! Heheh. I regularly borrow anime off my friend ^^ coz he's got quite a large collection, while all I have is well, tiny. Stressed? ^^;;; On the contrary, school this week has been really relaxing so far! ^^;;;; Hahahha, that's coz my classes start at 8 and finish by like, 12! Then I spend the rest of the day rotting away. ^^;;; N e way, thanx for R&Ring girl, and you'd better update both your stories soon! Grrrrah! ^^ Lol see ya round next time!
Irksome one - ^^ Glad you liked all of 'em! Eh? Footnote? Which footnote? What footnote? 12 isn't supposed to have footnotes. Nvm, just tell me which one it is, and I'll try to sort it out if there's a problem. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you again next time!
Kaoru - =) That's no problem at all. Yup, I have school now. Our summer break is kinda squished, so that we can get all the studying done by December. 3 subjects in six months is kinda tight, so our holidays are short to accomadate that. And I live in good old Asia. Lol, I'd want to pass school too! ^^;;; however, I will try to write as much as I can, so that people don't get left hanging on evil cliffhangers and the sort. Thanks for reviewing and I'll see you again in the next chapter!
Ravyn - ^^ Glad you think that it's fun to read! Hehe ^^;; I'll try to update as much as possible! Thanks so much for reading! See you around in the chapters to come!
Rogue solus – Naaaaah, that was just the holidays; I wanted to get out as much of the storyline as I could before school started (-_- and now it has), but now my updates are probably gonna be limited to one per week, or at most, 2. _ Homework is a pain in the bum. Glad that you think it's getting better! Hrm…I don't know about that yet, but if he does indeed get an interest in swordsmanship, then you'll see, ne? ^^ As for the ugly thing ^^;;; here it comes! Mwahah XD thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you in the chapters to come!
LaurelLeaf – Ooh! Yet another new reviewer! ^^ Welcome to the story, and I'm glad that you like it so far! Thanks for the hara-kiri thing! I'll alter it soon! Hope that you'll continue reading my story, and thanks for R&Ring!
Rekka's Angel – Cute fluff, no? ^^ Thanks for the compliments! ^^ I try my best! Thanks for R&Ring, and I'll try to update ASAP!
Dragowolf – Eh, it's alright. ^^ To each their own, ne? Didn't mean to yell at you either. I'm glad you're still reading the story though ^^ Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy this one too, as well as the ones that'll come after it!
Innocence – No problem! Yeah, the Crucible is boring. But the movie version which Winona Ryder stars in is pretty good o_O if you like the bizarreness of it, that is; we on the other hand were forced to watch it during English. MacBeth is yucky, but Lord of the Flies isn't actually all that bad, in comparison to the other two. I'm glad that you like the idea of how Kaoru is stronger; _ since she always seems to get left out of the action that all the guys are getting. Pooh! Just coz she's a girl don't mean that she can't fight as well (or maybe even better than! XD) the guys ^^ I've only got volumes 18-21 and 24-28, but I've read the translations and watched the TV series. Yeah, 'Mou!' can be used in that context as well, but in this case, Kaoru's just expressing her exasperation and embarrassment. ^^ Heheh I love long reviews. Thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you around for the chapters to come!
Cute Emerald - ^^ Glad you liked it! Heeh XD yesh, quite the cliffhanger indeed. Thanks for R&Ring and I hope to see you around in the chapters to come!
Flyinangel777 - ^^;; lol, yes, embarrassing situations galore when Kenshin and Kaoru are around each other! I just remembered there's a fic floating somewhere about on ff.net which is about how accidents always seem to happen around Ken and Kaoru, and it's based on the TV series storyline. It's really cute, so you might wanna read that. Weeeeell…as for what will/will not happen to them, ^^ you'll just have to wait and see ne? Glad you liked the ending! My school holidays started on the 7th of June; we only had 5 weeks off, so that's why we started school early. Thanks for R&Ring, and I hope to see you in the chapters to come!
Moonblossom – Thanks for reading! I'm glad that you like it. This story will definitely keep going, and thanks ^^ I'll need it! See you around in the chapters to come!
L3al3yanime – o_O Hopefully not! Lol, you'll just have to wait and see, but I probably won't be so evil as to kill them off. ^^;;;; but then again, that's what I did for my Inuyasha fic. Thanks for R&Ring, and I'll update as soon as I can!
InuYasha22 – o_O Oro? That was considered lime? ^^;;; oh dearie me. Glad you liked the fluffiness of it all! Yup, I'll R&R your story, since you've been nice enough to keep R&Ring mine! It might take a while for me to review though, considering that I may not have as much time on the net as I would like to have, but I will definitely review your fic! Thank you for reviewing, and I'll see you in the chapters to come!
Sharai Darekin – Glad that you're enjoying the story! Misao's code name is Chii, and you can find it in um…chapter 6, when Misao and Aoshi are on a spy mission. It means 'small' in this context. ^^ I'll update as soon as I can and thanks so much for R&Ring!
Dragontamer9741 – Hehen ^^ Glad that you loved it! Lol, XD I can always ask Sou-chan to reach into the 'net and pop up on your monitor screen so HE can see you instead of me! Ahaha ^^;;; I don't know why I say that either, but lol, it sticks ^^ Thanks for R&Ring and see you around soon!
Dragona – It ain't all THAT bad, but well, it's the work-pile that really sucks. I'm quite happy with the subjects that I've got this semester, and the teachers are really nice and all, but whooo~ projects and h/w are sure as hell gonna be el pothole. Thanks for reading, and good luck to you at school too!
Nicky - ^^ Yesh, of course I will! The way that I write my chapters? O_O what way is that? ^^;;;; if you don't mind me asking of course. Yeah, hope that all that HalfSoul information was understandable ^^;; As for Kaoru and Kenshin…hrrrm…time will tell, that it will. Anyway, thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you in the next chapter!
Baka-Ryu – What has Katsura foreseen? _ From the likes of it, nothing good! Ack. Glad that you liked the romance in this chapter! ^^;; Much as Kaoru would like to pummel both Katsura and Takasugi into submission, she can't! lol. Thanks, I just hope that the workload doesn't overload me or something. See you in the next chapter!
Missaw - ^^;; eeto…it was a train! :p But not like it matters. ^^ I'm glad that you liked it though! I'll try my best to update soon, and thanks for R&Ring!
Chris – why indeedy. Well, that's basically coz she knows the burdens of being an assassin, and so does Kenshin. They always have to keep training, and they never know when their life will um…end. That's basically what Kaoru's worrying about, and that's why she got so upset. Ah, ^^;;; Kenshin's always hiding something, isn't he? Weeell…maybe they'll find out soon, and maybe they won't! XD Mwaha. Thanks for R&Ring, and I'll try to update ASAP!
On to the fic!
Chapter 14: Iris
Thoughts are in ' '
Speech is in " "
Dream scene/telepathy is in italics.
Kenshin and Kaoru returned to Black Dawn Headquarters to find that Soujirou and Sanosuke had started dinner, along with Yahiko's help. They were pleased to find that the boy had indeed accepted both the men as family, and to find that Yahiko was actually laughing and smiling. His healing had indeed begun. Shirking all the unhappy thoughts that they had been having earlier, Kenshin and Kaoru joined in on the fun, shrugging their coats off as they helped out with dinner. Light banter carried on right through dinner, the little family enjoying themselves thoroughly in their newfound members, and happiness. Curious about what Katsura had wanted to talk to Kenshin and Kaoru about, Sanosuke finally asked, chopstick poking out of the side of his mouth.
"So. What did Katsura talk about anyway?" As blur as Sanosuke could be, even he noticed the change between Kenshin and Kaoru when they had returned from Shinjuku. They seemed to share a closeness that had not been there before, and there were more affectionate glances, adoring touches.
The said pair glanced at each other, before looking over at Soujirou, Sanosuke and Yahiko on the other side of the table. Kaoru reached for Kenshin's hand under the table, and he squeezed it comfortingly, smiling at her. She smiled back at him, before narrating the conversation that had taken place in the Kouka Teahouse, leaving out the parts of the 'incident' in the train, as well as Kaoru's question to Katsura, and her private conversation with him.
"Hooo~" Sanosuke leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head. "So that's what all the strange stuff was about. I really was starting to wonder whether you two were pulling those stunts accidentally-on-purpose." He smirked. "All the better then. It's out in the open now. I know that I'll be having sleepless nights, coz you'll be making a lot of noise." They glared at him.
"Ii nan janai no?" Soujirou asked. He was personally happy that there was indeed another who had a connection to his twin, and it just proved that Kenshin would truly do nothing that would hurt Kaoru. 'Kenshin was right when he said that his connection with Kaoru was deeper than to allow him to fool with her.' He regarded his sister's HalfSoul quietly. 'Besides, he doesn't look like the type of guy who would fool around, and Kaoru can be a tough rock to crack sometimes'. "It is, after all, quite useful, and you'd probably be able to go on missions without requiring any communication equipment, and still be able to send mental messages to each other, and even find each other if something happens." Soujirou pointed out.
"Un!" Kaoru beamed at him. This newfound happiness that she had with Kenshin would prevail, and she wasn't about to stay away from him just because she was afraid that she would lose him in a mission. 'Besides,' she mused. 'He wouldn't let me.'
Of course not, koishii. Her blue eyes turned to meet warm amethyst orbs, and she blushed slightly at the new pet-name he had given her.
"Ano…" Yahiko spoke up, and the lovebirds looked at him. He put a hand to the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "Um…can I have more please?" His rice bowl was empty, and he felt hungrier than he had ever felt in years. Of course, that could be due to the fact that he had never gotten any real food back at the lab where he had been experimented on, just the liquid food that had been fed to him in all those tubes connected to his body. The thought of it made him shudder slightly, and Kaoru noticed this.
Kaoru smiled as she took the bowl from him. Getting up from the table and walking over to the rice cooker, she spoke over her shoulder as she ladled more rice into his bowl.
"You know, Yahiko, you don't have to be so polite with us." She looked over her shoulder once, before turning her attention back to the rice. "We are, after all, your family."
Her acknowledgement of him as family struck a cord deep inside of him; he had indeed, accepted Kaoru as a mother-figure, and Kenshin as a father-figure, but neither of them had ever vocally said that they thought of him as family. Yahiko was comforted by the acknowledgement, and a comforting warmth surrounded him, that had nothing to do with the heaters that were on in the living room.
"Hai." He replied. He hesitated slightly; how could he make this sound right? "I…I want to thank you for saving me from…from there…and giving me something that I thought I would never have again." His chocolate eyes met Kenshin's, then Kaoru's as she smiled gently at him, then Soujirou's and finally Sanosuke's. Yahiko took a shaky breath before returning his eyes to the table. "I don't know how you ever managed to find me, but all I know is that I'm here now, and I have all of you to thank for it."
He looked up as Kaoru's hands cupped his face, the way a mother would do the same to her son. "This is what you deserve; this family is what a young boy like you should have." She tapped him on the nose playfully. "You belong to us just as much as we belong to you now. If there's anything that you ever need, all you have to do is ask."
Her hands left his face as she placed the bowl of rice in front of him, sitting back down in her seat beside Kenshin. Wagging a finger in the young boy's face, she continued, "I've never known a 12-year-old who was so polite." She glanced at Soujirou. "Sou-chan was never as quiet as you when he was your age."
"Hey!" Soujirou protested. "I resent that!"
Kaoru flapped her hand at him, dismissing him easily. "Anyway, this family may be the strangest thing that you've ever encountered, but that doesn't mean that you can't act like a normal 12-year-old." She smiled. "And from what I've seen, 12-year-olds don't sit there quiet; they mouth off!"
Yahiko blinked at her, not quite sure of what she was getting at. "Hai?"
Kaoru closed her eyes to think, brow furrowing; Kenshin watched on in amusement as his HalfSoul took on the role of a mother-hen. Her eyes snapped open again, idea in hand, and Kenshin's eyebrows rose as he read (1) what she was going to do next.
"Give me a nick name." Yahiko stared at her.
"Huh?" Was the blank response.
"Give me a nick name." She repeated, smiling pleasantly. "Any nick name. A bad nick name, an insulting one, you know?"
His eyebrows rose, dumbfounded at what she was saying. "Why on earth would you want me to insult you on purpose?"
"To emphasize to you that you don't have to be so darned polite around us!" She drummed her fingers on the table as she tried to drive her point home. "Families are allowed to tease each other, call each other insulting names, without ever making anyone mad, and sometimes, it's even a form of familiarity." Her fingers stopped drumming on the table, and her index finger lifted to point at him.
"You, my dear boy, are going to be integrated into this family completely, and that means giving us all nick names. Insulting ones. Ne?" Soujirou grinned at his sister's unorthodox method of trying to make the boy more comfortable with them.
"Eh?" Yahiko was too surprised.
"I'll give you an example." Kaoru pointed to Sanosuke. "This is our resident tori-atama." The said man protested, but the smile on his face contradicted him. "Our beloved kappa (2)," Her finger moved to rest on her grinning twin. "And," She tapped Kenshin on the nose. "Our Oro-chan!" 'Or should I say my Oro-chan?'
Kenshin's eyebrow rose in amusement at the new nickname. 'Oro-chan? Where did that come from?' Kaoru's girlish giggle echoed in his mind. "And Saitou-ojisan calls me tanuki-musume sometimes." She frowned momentarily before breaking out into a smile. "But it's alright, 'coz he's just teasing, and it's a family thing. So, I must be something to you too, ne? I don't care what you call me, so you choose a nickname for me."
Yahiko was rather upset at having to call his saviour names, but Kaoru was being rather adamant about it. He scratched his head in exasperation. "Do I really have to?" She nodded to confirm it. The young Empath grumbled, crossing his arms as he slouched back in his chair. Sanosuke grinned. 'That's more like it; he's finally acting like a spoilt 12-year-old brat now. Jou-chan's methods might be unorthodox, but she sure has ways of making you do stuff.'
"So, what'll it be, Yahiko-CHAN?" She emphasized the suffix on his name as she teased him.
'CHAN?! I'm not a kid!' Yahiko's 'manly' pride bristled. "Ooooooooooooh, you asked for it, BUSU!"
Three pairs of eyes blinked. 'Busu?' Was the thought that crossed their minds. Kaoru, on the other hand, was straining a smile. 'Of all the nicknames, he had to call me UGLY! But I did tell him to call me an insulting name after all. His well-being matters more than my face, so I'll bear with it, but ooooooh that boy could second Sanosuke for getting on my nerves!'
"I accept the nick name, but that doesn't mean that you won't get unrelentlessly teased for yours, YA-HI-KO-CHAAAAAN!!" The boy leaped from his chair, and pulled a face at her, grinning boyishly as he ran from the table.
"Bite me, Busu!!!" Kaoru took off after him brandishing a ladle just as playfully, the table she left behind cracked up into laughter at their crazy antics.
'And this is how it should be like.' Soujirou mused to himself as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye; Yahiko's and Kaoru's name-calling race had made him laugh so much that his stomach hurt as tears oozed out of his eyes.
'This is our family.'
~*~
Kenshin looked up from the book he was reading as he heard a soft knock on his open bedroom door. Yahiko was in Sanosuke's room in the moment, and the man was trying to teach him how to play dice; Kenshin had retired to his room after dinner and a hot shower, and had been enjoying a crime thriller when Kaoru knocked on his door.
Her midnight-black hair that was usually tied up in a ponytail tumbled around her shoulders, whispering across the white turtleneck sweater that she was wearing. The sweater was large enough to cover her hips, but even then, Kenshin could see the signs of the delicate curves underneath. Loose blue pajama bottoms sprinkled with barely noticeable navy blue stars decorated her legs. She leaned against the door slightly, a small smile lighting up her face as her blue eyes twinkled at him. The petite man shoved himself off the window seat that he had been sitting on, going to embrace her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist, nuzzling her nose into the open V-neck of his long-sleeved gray shirt and breathing in his sandalwood smell.
"Doushita no?" Kenshin's hand stroked over her hair.
"Betsuni." She breathed. "Just wanted to see if you wanted to go stargazing on the roof."
He stepped back slightly to look into her eyes. "Stargazing?"
"Yup. TV says that it's a good night for stargazing tonight, coz it'll be really clear and stuff. It's really beautiful, and you don't get to see them often." She made puppy-dog eyes at him.
He brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, smiling down at her expectant face; it would give them some quiet time together out of the house, and it had been a long time since he had seen the stars. "Aa." He agreed. "Just let me get a scarf and an extra shirt, then I'll be ready to go."
Kaoru watched from the door as he shrugged another thicker long-sleeved shirt on, admiring the grace with which he could carry even when doing something as simple as putting on a shirt. 'Yum.' She hid a cheeky grin behind her sleeve as his amused eyes met hers.
"Let's go."
~*~
The air was chilly, and their breath was illuminated in white puffs in the cold winter night. Kaoru was seated in between the space of Kenshin's knees, toasty warm in his embrace, and her head rested back into the red head's chest. The stars twinkled brightly above them in the silent night, shiny lights blinking in the black curtain of darkness. It was a beautifully clear night, as Kaoru had said earlier, and both of them were enjoying it immensely, despite the biting cold. She smiled as she felt one of Kenshin's hands tangle themselves in her ebony tresses, running his fingers through it easily.
"Nee, Kenshin?" She closed her eyes to the comforting touch.
"Nani?" He bent his head to nibble at her ear.
"Have you ever been star-gazing before?" The nibbling on her ear was rather distracting.
"Once, a long, long time ago." Fingers brushed against the skin of her neck, lips soon following the path.
"Really? With who?" Curiousity pricked at her mind. The electric tingles spread through her body.
Kenshin's mouth lifted from her neck, and he moved her blanket of hair back again, breathing into her hair. He closed his eyes. 'I must tell her sooner or later.'
"My sister. (3)" Came the answer. His voice was steady enough, but she could feel that the mention of his sibling was making him sad, and there was also a feeling of bitterness that overlapped it. She twisted in her seat to meet her eyes with his.
"Gomen nasai." Kaoru had no idea why she was apologizing; she didn't even know what had happened to his sister – she didn't even know that he had siblings! – but she felt bad for making him sad.
He smiled, and it was tinged slightly with sorrow. Kenshin brought one of her hands up to his lips, kissing her dainty fingers.
"Iie." He replied. "You didn't know." He could practically hear the unspoken question in her mind. Will you tell me? Phantom fingers brushed the surface of his mind, and he reached back to brush against hers. In time, I will. Please be patient until then, koishii. She nodded, understanding and respecting the need for privacy, and she would not push him into revealing things that he didn't want to reveal, even though she could easily have done so through their HalfSoul link. Instead, she chose to draw closer to the warmth in his arms, delighting in the embrace. He smiled into her hair, thankful that she didn't pry any further into his past; the pain had dulled some, but it was always there, even if he tried to forget it. 'For once, kami-sama has smiled on me; she is such an understanding woman.'
Arigatou, koishii.
They sat there like that, until midnight rolled around, revelling in each other's presence, never speaking, but just feeling, until midnight came around, and the cold became almost unbearable. Kenshin held Kaoru in his arms carefully as he leaped from the roof of the house to the ground, landing gracefully and as easily as a cat would. By the time that they had gotten into the house, it was deathly quiet, for everyone else had, or at least seemed, to have gone to sleep. Sharing a sweet goodnight kiss, the couple parted, going to their separate rooms.
That night, Kaoru would dream.
~*~
She opened dark blue eyes to the darkness. She was dreaming again, and she knew it. The difference, however, was that she wasn't dreaming of being in her family's burning dojo all over again. Kaoru blinked; there were two blurring figures in the distance that seemed to be coming closer. As she looked closer, she could see that they were duelling, katana against katana. Her eyes widened as she recognized one of the sparring duo in front of her.
And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest thing to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now
His crimson hair was loose, flying about him for the most part like a red storm. A few of the red bangs clung to the side of his face because of the sweat. He was breathing heavily as a trickle of blood ran down his face, mingling with the sweat and hair there. Kenshin's eyes were completely amber, and his lips were drawn up into something akin to a ferocious snarl. Anger and desperation were mixed together in his eyes, even as he held the hilt of his katana tightly, knuckles a burning white. The stranger also held a sword, but it was no Japanese katana; but looked like a Chinese sword. Kaoru disliked the man instantly, as his face drew up into a manic grin, the light that danced in his eyes displaying madness, and it told her that he was far from being sane. Blood ran down the side of his left arm, but he took no notice of it. The stranger with the shock of white hair opened his mouth to speak, but although his lips kept moving, there came no sound. She could hear nothing, even as Kenshin himself answered, amber eyes burning; his anger displayed on his face. It was as if the figures in front of her were turned on mute. Kaoru could only watch as the fighters leapt into action again, swords clanging together in the deathly silence, bearing unholy snarls at each other. A sense of dread filled Kaoru's heart as she could only watch the duo engage in their death match. Unbidden tears seemed to fall from Kaoru's eyes as her hand reached out towards Kenshin's back, a silent plea for him unheard.
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
Kenshin was the first to leap back from the cross of their swords, wincing slightly as a shallow cut on his cheek opened, warning him that his opponent had gotten too close. Kaoru's heart clenched in fear as he reached out to wipe his cheek with the back of his sleeve, and then readjusted his hold on his katana. The stranger charged towards him, sword aiming for his heart, and she ran towards the charging figure, throwing herself in front of Kenshin as she stretched her arms, forming a human shield before him. She braced herself to feel the cold metal snake through her body, but the stranger passed through her completely, sword and all, as if she was a ghost. Kaoru turned quickly to see that Kenshin had stopped his blow, his hand shaking with exertion as the katana's flat side stopped the point of the stranger's sword from going any further.
And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
Back in the real world, Kenshin had awoken to the sound of Kaoru's distressed mental cries in his mind. Her emotions of worry, dread and fear leaked into his mind, and his senses were alert as he threw them out to detect any intruders into the house. He could feel no overbearing presence, and only the familiar auras of Soujirou, Sanosuke and Yahiko, sleeping stood out to him. Kaoru's aura however, was jumping in some never-ending dance as she chased nightmares. 'She's having a nightmare!' He realized. Was she trapped within her father's burning dojo again (4)? He would only know when he reached her. Kenshin rose from his futon quietly, so that he wouldn't wake the sleeping Yahiko beside him, and left his room only to walk to Kaoru's room, and he let himself in; if he was going to force himself to Dreamwalk, he needed to be close to her in order to enter her dream, but he would try to wake her first. His heart twisted worriedly as Kaoru twisted in the blankets atop her futon, and tears ran down her face as her mouth opened in a silent plea, her arms reaching out to something that wasn't there. The soft rasp that came from her lips didn't escape him as he neared her futon.
"Kenshin! Kenshin!"
The said red head frowned as he grabbed her hands lightly, holding them in his, and he took up a seat beside her futon. "Kaoru, Kaoru, I'm here." He watched as her brows furrowed, but she did not wake up. It seemed to him that she was entrenched deeply into her dream, so he had no other choice but to Dreamwalk into it to bring her back. He bent down to kiss her cheek as he muttered an apology to her under his breath in advance for entering her dream. Thanking the gods for his strange talent – for once in his life it would actually be useful! (5) – Kenshin's eyes closed as he forced sleep upon himself.
And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive
Kaoru's fists were white-knuckled as she clenched them, her nails drawing deep enough to make her palms bleed. 'Kami-sama, please tell me that this isn't happening!' Blood spurted from Kenshin's thigh as the white-haired maniac managed to drive another cut to his body. It wasn't as if the grinning psycho didn't have his own share of wounds inflicted onto him by Kenshin, but with each cut that was inflicted onto him, he seemed to gain more strength, and his insanity seemed to grow. Kenshin on the other hand, was growing tired; the cuts all over his body had taken their toll on him, and his movements were slowly, but surely, growing slower. She watched as Kenshin tore off part of his sleeve, wrapping it around the hand on his katana. His eyes narrowed as he brought his katana up to eye-level. The sword swung in an arc as he brought it downwards to his side once again, ready for the white-haired man's next attack.
He slid down into a position that oozed his knowledge of Chinese martial arts, sword held in a back-hand grip behind his back, one leg crouched, while the other almost touched the floor in a stretch. Kenshin sank back into a battoujutsu stance himself, back leg straightened, front leg bent, as he gripped his sheathed sword in his left hand, while the right hovered over the hilt of the katana. Kaoru watched on, anticipating their next move. Everything seemed to slow as she watched Kenshin blink, eyes closing and reopening again in the next second. The stranger leapt towards him, clearing the distance between them in two leaps. Kenshin drew his sword, ready to meet the blow that would come, but the man suddenly leapt over him, tucking himself into a forward flip over his head. Kaoru's eyes widened in horror as the grinning maniac plunged his sword through Kenshin's back, blood spurting from his lips as his body convulsed against the pain.
The sword was pulled out of his body a moment later and Kenshin collapsed to the ground on his knees, a hand over the wound that gushed blood, as his sword clattered noiselessly on the ground.
And I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
A muffled cry came from Kaoru's lips as she moved to run towards the dying Kenshin in front of her, a pool of blood gathering around his body. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but then a hand gripped her wrist. She turned, only to meet the amethyst eyes of Kenshin, who shook his head slowly. Confusion overcame her as she looked to the fading images of the dying Kenshin and the white-haired man to the Kenshin who had her wrist in a firm, but gentle grip.
"Kenshin?" She breathed, afraid to believe what her eyes were seeing. His grip on her wrist loosened as she reached up to brush her trembling fingers over his face and his hair, as if she was blind and trying to make out his features by the sense of touch alone; she needed to touch, to feel, to make sure that he was really there. She threw her arms around his neck, sobbing into his chest in relief. He in turn, linked his arms around her waist, pulling her trembling body closer to his. Kenshin stroked her hair, whispering soft words of reassurement into her ears. "Yokatta…" She breathed into his crimson locks. "Yokatta…" He hooked an arm underneath her knees, bracing the other just above her waist.
"Let's go back now." He whispered. She snuggled closer to him in reply. The pair disappeared from the darkness as a pair of red eyes watched them in the distance.
The light reflected off the earring in his ear as his lips twisted into a nasty smile. He whispered the words to himself.
"I will have my revenge, Battousai." Then he too disappeared from the darkness of the dream.
I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
"Kaoru." Calloused fingers drifted over her eyelids as the voice called her. "Kaoru, wake up." She opened her eyes to find Kenshin smiling at her, amethyst eyes relieved. He gathered her up into a hug, breathing in the vanilla-jasmine smell. She clung to him like a lifeline, small tears of relief sneaking into his hair. "It was just a dream koishii. Nothing happened, and I'm here now." He pulled away, only to return again to cover her face in sweet kisses, like soft raindrops upon her skin.
"Kenshin…" She breathed as he rained kisses upon her face. Words failed her, and she had never felt more relieved in her life than now. Kaoru closed her eyes, breathing in his sandalwood scent. Kami-sama, I thought you were…I thought you were… He answered her vocally.
"Shh, koishii, it's ok now. It was just a dream, a bad dream." He brushed his hand comfortingly over her back.
Confusion clouded her eyes as she pulled back slightly to meet his eyes. "But, how did you…?" 'How on earth did he get into my dream anyway?'
Her unspoken question was heard in his mind, and he grinned impishly. "I didn't say this, but I'm a Dreamwalker, and it's one of my abilities. I didn't mention it, because I thought it wasn't really all that important anyway, but for once I'm glad that I was able to dreamwalk into your dream and pull you out of it."
"Mou!" She tugged on his hair in mock anger. "And you didn't tell me!" She smiled at him as the worry washed itself away.
The grin returned as he continued to speak. "Can I say that this isn't the first time that I've walked into one of your dreams?" She opened her mouth to ask, but he continued before her question could get out. "It was before I ever met you. I think it was a few days before we actually met, and in your dream, I saved you from a fiery death."
Kaoru's eyes widened in recognition, and the memory of the dream came back. "Eh? That was you too?" Her fists hit against his chest softly, and she leaned into his embrace. She sighed. "What else are you hiding from me, itoshii? It's not that I don't respect your privacy, but I don't want to be taken by surprise if somebody from your past just pops up out of nowhere."
His lips met hers briefly before he pulled away to answer her question. "Soon koishii, soon. But for now, you need to go to sleep." Kenshin got up to leave, but the hand on his sleeve made him turn around.
"Please, Kenshin, just sleep here with me tonight? I don't want to go back to that dream again; I don't want to find you gone." She pleaded with him. He nodded once, sitting down on the floor again beside her futon. Kaoru settled into her futon happily, wrapping her arms around Kenshin's waist. He frowned at her from his seat; how on earth would she sleep like that? Her arms would be numb in the morning. Prying Kaoru's arms off his waist, he made her shift over in the futon, then lay down beside her; he smiled as she immediately nuzzled her head into his chest, sighing contentedly and wrapping her arms around his waist once again. Sly little thing, you just want my arms around you. He chuckled at her response. Yes, my own personal lion to hug! Kenshin kissed her forehead once before closing his eyes.
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
Sleep claimed her quickly, and her breaths slowed into peaceful sleep; he however, stayed awake, thinking of the white-haired figure that had been in Kaoru's dream. The man had looked too familiar for his liking, and he didn't like the fact that someone from his past had just turned up in Kaoru's dream, and then 'killed' him in front of her eyes. He sighed mentally, and Kaoru cuddled closer to him. He couldn't keep the past away much longer, and would really have to tell her soon. Katsura's probable 'seeing' had already made him wary, and the appearance of the familiar man in Kaoru's dream had made him even more so. It was no use worrying about things like that now though, and Kenshin allowed himself to take comfort from Kaoru's embrace as a light blanket of sleep covered him.
'Soon…' he promised himself. 'Soon.'
Dictionary
Ii nan janai no? – isn't that a good thing?
Koishii – beloved, darling. Usually men call their girlfriend/wife this pet name.
Un! – yup!
Ano – um…
Hai – yes
Tori-atama – rooster head/chicken head
Kappa – a mythical water demon. Found in some Japanese folk stories
Ojisan – uncle
Tanuki-musume – racoon girl
Jou-chan – little miss
Busu – ugly, hag
Doushita no? – What's wrong?
Betsuni – nothing
Aa – male informal way of saying 'yes'.
Nee – hey
Nani – what
Gomen nasai – I'm sorry. Formal way
Iie – not at all, no.
Kami-sama – God
Arigatou – thank you
Yokatta – Thank goodness/thank God
Itoshii – beloved
Mou! – Kaoru's usual way to express her exasperation
Notes:
(1) Read. What I mean here is that Kenshin could see Kaoru's thoughts via the HalfSoul link.
(2) Eheh~ Borrowed this from sayo-chama's fic, Patchwork Family. ^^;; they called Sou-chan a kappa there, and I couldn't think of anything else, so I used that too!
(3) O_O Ah. ^^ Yesh Kenshin has a sister. Or rather, had a sister. Any guesses as to who it is? Lol.
(4) First time Kenshin ever dreamwalked into Kaoru's dream in chapter 3. He 'saved' her from a fiery death. Kaoru was dreaming that her family dojo was burning down around her, but Kenshin got her out of it.
(5) Kenshin basically thinks that his Dreamwalking ability is pretty useless, but this chapter showed otherwise! XD You probably wouldn't think that it'd be too useful either to go traipsing around in people's dreams, ne? _ Unless you actually want to that is. ^^
A/N: Whew! This chapter took forever to write, sorry for taking so long! But I think this 5006 word chapter more than makes up for it! Hrph! Yesh, hints as to Kenshin's past are starting to show up; any guesses on who his sister is, and who the guy in Kaoru's dream is, hmm? ^^ more info shall be showing up in chapters to come, and I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter!
Btw, in the future, I'll try to update at least one chapter a week, but I'm not gonna make any promises, because school could very easily eat up into all my time. So, yeah, there should be one update a week or so, or if you're really lucky, 2 at the most. Thanks for R&Ring people, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!
