Disclaimer: It suddenly occurred to me that I haven't been putting one of
these on! (bad me) I don't own Kenshin and like everyone else I wish I did.
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Chapter Fourteen: Shattered Image
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~Kenshin reached forward to stop him, but he was too late....Yukimura had already plunged it deep into his heart.....~
Everything went strangely silent for Yukimura as he dropped to his knees, his hand clutching his chest. He looked up to see Kenshin and Yahiko standing in front of him, identical looks of shock and horror on their faces as they realized what was happening. He could see their lips moving, shaping words, but he could hear nothing but the awful silence. The darkness ebbed at his vision as his eyes fell down to the knife in his chest. Sharp stabs of pain radiated from within him, causing him to cry out softly.
His chest oozed blood from the horrifying wound. With each slowed heartbeat a stream of blood sprayed out of his heart to splatter on his outstretched hands. He smiled faintly through his pain as he lost his strength and fell gradually onto the ground.
Yukimura coughed, blood leaking over his dry lips as he gasped for breath. With his last shred of strength, he managed to whisper one last thing.
"This is for you......Natsume......and......Kaoru......"
Lying in a pile of crimson blood that slowly seeped across the ground, a twisted smile planted on his pale face, Yukimura's heart beat for the last time....
Yahiko gagged at the sight of so much blood and he quickly excused himself to be sick. Kenshin's face was saddened as he looked at the prostrate man. He had failed. He had failed to save a life. He was stunned by this fact. The blood didn't bother him. Indeed he had seen much blood in his days as a hitokiri. What bothered him was his inability to do anything to save this man.
...........................
Kaoru ran as fast as she could, her feet pounding on the dirt road. She had no clue where she was going. She pushed her way through the busy market, frantically searching for signs of Yukimura. Now that she thought of it, she didn't really know that much about him. She hadn't paid much attention to him. She had been too busy worrying about Kenshin.
Kaoru saw Kenshin standing in the crowd talking to a police officer. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest. She knew already what had happened. She knew already that she was too late. She tried to push away this knowledge, not ready to accept it. It couldn't be.
Kenshin turned to see Kaoru standing in the crowd. He saw how haunted her eyes looked and he could tell that she had already realized it. He quickly walked over to where she was standing.
"Kaoru....I..." he said, unable to say anything to comfort her.
"Kenshin.....Kenshin, where is he?" she asked, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
Kenshin shook his head. "He....isn't....Kaoru....He's....he's..." Kenshin started to say, wondering how he could possibly say it.
Kaoru pushed past Kenshin, not wanting to hear the words, not wanting her fears to be confirmed. She ran down past the crowds to where most of the policemen had gathered. "No....no..." she whispered to herself as she approached.
Kenshin walked slowly after her, knowing that she needed to discover the truth for herself even if it would cause her great pain.
Kaoru pushed her way past the policemen, ignoring their cries for her to not come any closer. She fought her way through, ripping her arms away from the ones who tried to stop her.
"He's my friend...I have to see him!" she screamed as tears leaked down her pale cheeks and dropped down onto the hard ground.
Then she saw him and her heart stopped in her chest. Slowly she dropped onto her knees, staring, unable to accept what was laid clearly before her. He was.....dead. She started shivering, a couple tears sliding down her cheeks. She was still numb with disbelief when Kenshin approached from behind.
"Why....Kenshin? He still had friends! He had me and Yahiko! Why did he have to do this?!" she said, clutching onto him tightly.
Kenshin wrapped his arms around her and sighed. "Sometimes you don't realize that you have something, until you lose it. Sometimes all you can see is the pain and the sorrow. For Yukimura, I think he couldn't see the friendship he had with you, and even though it would never be more than that it was still special. If only he had held on a little longer he would have been happy.
I guess for some people it's hard to see past the sorrow that weighs so heavily down upon your heart. Yukimura knew that he had a lot to live for yet, but still he chose to end it. Maybe it was because he wasn't strong enough or maybe it was because he just didn't care anymore. Either way he's gone and there's nothing that any of us can do about it. I didn't know him very well, Kaoru, but I could see into his heart clearly. He was a confused, but honest person. He could have made so much out of himself.
Even though he's dead now, you can't blame yourself. I'm not telling you that it's going to be easy because that would be a lie. I know that this is going to be hard to accept and move on from. You can't really forget a person like him. Kaoru, I know you're in a lot of pain right now, but I'm here to help you. Don't forget that...Don't forget that I love you and I will do anything to help you."
Kaoru held back tears, not wanting to cry anymore. She was sick of crying, she was sick of all the sorrow and the death. Anger began to rise within her. No! This was not happening! This was not happening! Why wouldn't it all just go away! She jerked herself out of Kenshin's arms and turned away from him.
"You don't understand Kenshin. Don't pretend like you do." She said viciously.
Kenshin's face was etched in pain at hearing those words. "Kaoru....I want to help you..."
"Just leave me alone Kenshin! You don't care that he's dead. You don't care about him! Just admit it. You didn't know him. You probably hated him for what he did! Even though I knew him for only a short while, I could see what he was like inside! He was my friend and I lost him! " she screamed.
Kenshin's eyes faded and he slowly reached out a hand to touch her. "Kaoru....I..."
Kaoru didn't give him a chance to say anything before she slapped his hand away. "Go away Kenshin! Just leave me alone!" she said, as she turned away and started to run, angry tears running down her face.
Kenshin stood there for a while, his hand still outstretched. Anguish rose within him at her cruel words. What did she mean by it? Did she really just want him to go away? He had hurt her again. It was his fault for not saving Yukimura in time, it was his fault that she felt that terrible pain in her heart. His clenched his hand into a fist at his side. He had to find some way to make this right. He had to do something.
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Chapter Fourteen: Shattered Image
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Kenshin reached forward to stop him, but he was too late....Yukimura had already plunged it deep into his heart.....~
Everything went strangely silent for Yukimura as he dropped to his knees, his hand clutching his chest. He looked up to see Kenshin and Yahiko standing in front of him, identical looks of shock and horror on their faces as they realized what was happening. He could see their lips moving, shaping words, but he could hear nothing but the awful silence. The darkness ebbed at his vision as his eyes fell down to the knife in his chest. Sharp stabs of pain radiated from within him, causing him to cry out softly.
His chest oozed blood from the horrifying wound. With each slowed heartbeat a stream of blood sprayed out of his heart to splatter on his outstretched hands. He smiled faintly through his pain as he lost his strength and fell gradually onto the ground.
Yukimura coughed, blood leaking over his dry lips as he gasped for breath. With his last shred of strength, he managed to whisper one last thing.
"This is for you......Natsume......and......Kaoru......"
Lying in a pile of crimson blood that slowly seeped across the ground, a twisted smile planted on his pale face, Yukimura's heart beat for the last time....
Yahiko gagged at the sight of so much blood and he quickly excused himself to be sick. Kenshin's face was saddened as he looked at the prostrate man. He had failed. He had failed to save a life. He was stunned by this fact. The blood didn't bother him. Indeed he had seen much blood in his days as a hitokiri. What bothered him was his inability to do anything to save this man.
...........................
Kaoru ran as fast as she could, her feet pounding on the dirt road. She had no clue where she was going. She pushed her way through the busy market, frantically searching for signs of Yukimura. Now that she thought of it, she didn't really know that much about him. She hadn't paid much attention to him. She had been too busy worrying about Kenshin.
Kaoru saw Kenshin standing in the crowd talking to a police officer. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest. She knew already what had happened. She knew already that she was too late. She tried to push away this knowledge, not ready to accept it. It couldn't be.
Kenshin turned to see Kaoru standing in the crowd. He saw how haunted her eyes looked and he could tell that she had already realized it. He quickly walked over to where she was standing.
"Kaoru....I..." he said, unable to say anything to comfort her.
"Kenshin.....Kenshin, where is he?" she asked, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
Kenshin shook his head. "He....isn't....Kaoru....He's....he's..." Kenshin started to say, wondering how he could possibly say it.
Kaoru pushed past Kenshin, not wanting to hear the words, not wanting her fears to be confirmed. She ran down past the crowds to where most of the policemen had gathered. "No....no..." she whispered to herself as she approached.
Kenshin walked slowly after her, knowing that she needed to discover the truth for herself even if it would cause her great pain.
Kaoru pushed her way past the policemen, ignoring their cries for her to not come any closer. She fought her way through, ripping her arms away from the ones who tried to stop her.
"He's my friend...I have to see him!" she screamed as tears leaked down her pale cheeks and dropped down onto the hard ground.
Then she saw him and her heart stopped in her chest. Slowly she dropped onto her knees, staring, unable to accept what was laid clearly before her. He was.....dead. She started shivering, a couple tears sliding down her cheeks. She was still numb with disbelief when Kenshin approached from behind.
"Why....Kenshin? He still had friends! He had me and Yahiko! Why did he have to do this?!" she said, clutching onto him tightly.
Kenshin wrapped his arms around her and sighed. "Sometimes you don't realize that you have something, until you lose it. Sometimes all you can see is the pain and the sorrow. For Yukimura, I think he couldn't see the friendship he had with you, and even though it would never be more than that it was still special. If only he had held on a little longer he would have been happy.
I guess for some people it's hard to see past the sorrow that weighs so heavily down upon your heart. Yukimura knew that he had a lot to live for yet, but still he chose to end it. Maybe it was because he wasn't strong enough or maybe it was because he just didn't care anymore. Either way he's gone and there's nothing that any of us can do about it. I didn't know him very well, Kaoru, but I could see into his heart clearly. He was a confused, but honest person. He could have made so much out of himself.
Even though he's dead now, you can't blame yourself. I'm not telling you that it's going to be easy because that would be a lie. I know that this is going to be hard to accept and move on from. You can't really forget a person like him. Kaoru, I know you're in a lot of pain right now, but I'm here to help you. Don't forget that...Don't forget that I love you and I will do anything to help you."
Kaoru held back tears, not wanting to cry anymore. She was sick of crying, she was sick of all the sorrow and the death. Anger began to rise within her. No! This was not happening! This was not happening! Why wouldn't it all just go away! She jerked herself out of Kenshin's arms and turned away from him.
"You don't understand Kenshin. Don't pretend like you do." She said viciously.
Kenshin's face was etched in pain at hearing those words. "Kaoru....I want to help you..."
"Just leave me alone Kenshin! You don't care that he's dead. You don't care about him! Just admit it. You didn't know him. You probably hated him for what he did! Even though I knew him for only a short while, I could see what he was like inside! He was my friend and I lost him! " she screamed.
Kenshin's eyes faded and he slowly reached out a hand to touch her. "Kaoru....I..."
Kaoru didn't give him a chance to say anything before she slapped his hand away. "Go away Kenshin! Just leave me alone!" she said, as she turned away and started to run, angry tears running down her face.
Kenshin stood there for a while, his hand still outstretched. Anguish rose within him at her cruel words. What did she mean by it? Did she really just want him to go away? He had hurt her again. It was his fault for not saving Yukimura in time, it was his fault that she felt that terrible pain in her heart. His clenched his hand into a fist at his side. He had to find some way to make this right. He had to do something.