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Chapter Sixteen: The Clearing Sky
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Kaoru ran as fast as she could through the freezing rain. The umbrella she brought only managed to block out a fourth of the torrents of rain that swirled through the air. She was heading back to the riverside where she had last seen Kenshin. She doubted that he would still be there, but she didn't know where else to look. She was frantic with heartache, knowing now how much hurt he was in. He probably would blame it on himself, all the things she had said. He was that kind of person, a person who could only take it on himself and not others.
'Where are you Kenshin?' she thought to herself as she reached the wind swept riverbank only to find that it was completely empty. Where could he have gone?
The sky flashed with lightning and the whole ground seemed to shake with thunder. Kaoru shrieked and gripped the handle of her umbrella tighter, her knuckles turning pale. She wanted to run right back to the dojo right now where safety was, but she couldn't. Kenshin's was still out here and she had to find him.
Kenshin was sitting down beneath an old tree where he gained a small amount of cover from the storm. That didn't matter to him. He was too busy wrapped up in his thoughts.
He gripped his sword tightly against his chest, gaining little comfort from its cold steel. This sword could not warm his heart or soothe him the way that Kaoru's smile could. Nothing in the world could replace her in his heart. He hung his head so that he sopping bangs covered his eyes which were beginning to tear up. He gritted his teeth, hating himself for not being good enough for Kaoru. What had he been thinking? He would never be good enough for her. It was all just a dream, an illusion.
His thoughts turned back to that old woman and her words to him. "You're wrong. I never be anything, but a killer." He cried out softly, pounding his fist into the muddy ground.
In the distance he could just barely hear something through the overpowering roar of rain and the crash of thunder. He lifted his haunted eyes to stare through the swirls of water and he could not believe what he saw. It was Kaoru.
She was standing there, with a flimsy umbrella soaking wet, looking as though she was about to die with sorrow. He watched, unable to move as she walked slowly up to him and collapsed at his feet.
Kaoru gripped onto the bottom of his pant leg as though begging him. "Kenshin!...I'm so sorry..." she sobbed out.
Kenshin stared at her in amazement. She was apologizing to him? Why would she do such a thing? Wasn't it him who had done everything wrong? Then he realized just what this meant. She didn't hate him. She was asking for him back.
Gently he brought her into his arms wrapping her shaking frame in his arms, clutching him to her like she was a precious treasure. "Kaoru! I thought I'd lost you forever. Forgive me. I'm the one who's wronged you." he said, his voice shaking.
Kaoru looked up into his violet eyes and reached a pale hand to trace the line of his scar. "I said such horrible things. I didn't mean them. I just..." she mumbled out. She carefully took one of his hands in her own and planted kisses on it as though she were pleading for forgiveness.
Kenshin's eyes widened at her actions and he carefully lifted her chin so that she was staring right into his eyes again. She shifted her eyes away from his intense gaze that seemed to over power her. "Look at me." He said demandingly.
Slowly she met his eyes again only to wince slightly.
"Don't ever do that again. I don't want you to think that you're lower than me. I want us to be equals." He said seriously.
Kaoru nodded at him, shivering once more from the cold. Kenshin smiled softly at her, pulling her closer. Gently he planted a soft kiss on her lips before he stood up, her still in his arms.
"We need to get you back. You're soaking wet." Kenshin said, ignoring the fact that he was soaking wet too. He could take a lot more than she could.
Kaoru nodded and he carefully scooped her up in his arms and began to run back to the dojo through the blinding rain. Shivering they arrived back to see Yahiko waiting for them anxiously. The tension in his face seemed to lessen when he saw them.
"Kenshin! Kaoru!" he greeted happily.
Kaoru sneezed and huddled closer to Kenshin.
"Yahiko, can you please get some towels for Kaoru?" he asked bringing her to her room.
Yahiko ran off to get some.
Kenshin turned to Kaoru. "You should probably get out of those wet clothes, that you should."
She nodded and he left her for a second so that she could change.
Kenshin met up with Yahiko on the way to his room, where he was planning on changing out off his wet clothes.
"So, you're staying here with us, right Kenshin?" Yahiko asked pensively, looking down at his feet.
"Of course I am, Yahiko. Whatever gave you the idea that I wasn't! Once Kaoru and I are married..."
Yahiko's eyes widened at that last part. "You and Kaoru are getting married!" he exclaimed.
Kenshin laughed at the surprised look on the boy's face. "We haven't told you yet, have we?"
He walked off leaving the 'little' boy there stunned. Kenshin smiled. Everything was back to how it should be. He stared down and his hands and clenched them softly.
"Yukimura, wherever you are, I hope you're happy now." Kenshin said softly, as he changed. With one last look at his sword he left the room and went back to find his love.
The End.
~Author's Note: Yes, that's the end. I really didn't want to end it, that's why it took me so long to write this chapter. So I guess, yeah, that's all. Hope you liked it, and I hope you think the ending wasn't 'too' pathetic.
Chapter Sixteen: The Clearing Sky
......................................................................................................
Kaoru ran as fast as she could through the freezing rain. The umbrella she brought only managed to block out a fourth of the torrents of rain that swirled through the air. She was heading back to the riverside where she had last seen Kenshin. She doubted that he would still be there, but she didn't know where else to look. She was frantic with heartache, knowing now how much hurt he was in. He probably would blame it on himself, all the things she had said. He was that kind of person, a person who could only take it on himself and not others.
'Where are you Kenshin?' she thought to herself as she reached the wind swept riverbank only to find that it was completely empty. Where could he have gone?
The sky flashed with lightning and the whole ground seemed to shake with thunder. Kaoru shrieked and gripped the handle of her umbrella tighter, her knuckles turning pale. She wanted to run right back to the dojo right now where safety was, but she couldn't. Kenshin's was still out here and she had to find him.
Kenshin was sitting down beneath an old tree where he gained a small amount of cover from the storm. That didn't matter to him. He was too busy wrapped up in his thoughts.
He gripped his sword tightly against his chest, gaining little comfort from its cold steel. This sword could not warm his heart or soothe him the way that Kaoru's smile could. Nothing in the world could replace her in his heart. He hung his head so that he sopping bangs covered his eyes which were beginning to tear up. He gritted his teeth, hating himself for not being good enough for Kaoru. What had he been thinking? He would never be good enough for her. It was all just a dream, an illusion.
His thoughts turned back to that old woman and her words to him. "You're wrong. I never be anything, but a killer." He cried out softly, pounding his fist into the muddy ground.
In the distance he could just barely hear something through the overpowering roar of rain and the crash of thunder. He lifted his haunted eyes to stare through the swirls of water and he could not believe what he saw. It was Kaoru.
She was standing there, with a flimsy umbrella soaking wet, looking as though she was about to die with sorrow. He watched, unable to move as she walked slowly up to him and collapsed at his feet.
Kaoru gripped onto the bottom of his pant leg as though begging him. "Kenshin!...I'm so sorry..." she sobbed out.
Kenshin stared at her in amazement. She was apologizing to him? Why would she do such a thing? Wasn't it him who had done everything wrong? Then he realized just what this meant. She didn't hate him. She was asking for him back.
Gently he brought her into his arms wrapping her shaking frame in his arms, clutching him to her like she was a precious treasure. "Kaoru! I thought I'd lost you forever. Forgive me. I'm the one who's wronged you." he said, his voice shaking.
Kaoru looked up into his violet eyes and reached a pale hand to trace the line of his scar. "I said such horrible things. I didn't mean them. I just..." she mumbled out. She carefully took one of his hands in her own and planted kisses on it as though she were pleading for forgiveness.
Kenshin's eyes widened at her actions and he carefully lifted her chin so that she was staring right into his eyes again. She shifted her eyes away from his intense gaze that seemed to over power her. "Look at me." He said demandingly.
Slowly she met his eyes again only to wince slightly.
"Don't ever do that again. I don't want you to think that you're lower than me. I want us to be equals." He said seriously.
Kaoru nodded at him, shivering once more from the cold. Kenshin smiled softly at her, pulling her closer. Gently he planted a soft kiss on her lips before he stood up, her still in his arms.
"We need to get you back. You're soaking wet." Kenshin said, ignoring the fact that he was soaking wet too. He could take a lot more than she could.
Kaoru nodded and he carefully scooped her up in his arms and began to run back to the dojo through the blinding rain. Shivering they arrived back to see Yahiko waiting for them anxiously. The tension in his face seemed to lessen when he saw them.
"Kenshin! Kaoru!" he greeted happily.
Kaoru sneezed and huddled closer to Kenshin.
"Yahiko, can you please get some towels for Kaoru?" he asked bringing her to her room.
Yahiko ran off to get some.
Kenshin turned to Kaoru. "You should probably get out of those wet clothes, that you should."
She nodded and he left her for a second so that she could change.
Kenshin met up with Yahiko on the way to his room, where he was planning on changing out off his wet clothes.
"So, you're staying here with us, right Kenshin?" Yahiko asked pensively, looking down at his feet.
"Of course I am, Yahiko. Whatever gave you the idea that I wasn't! Once Kaoru and I are married..."
Yahiko's eyes widened at that last part. "You and Kaoru are getting married!" he exclaimed.
Kenshin laughed at the surprised look on the boy's face. "We haven't told you yet, have we?"
He walked off leaving the 'little' boy there stunned. Kenshin smiled. Everything was back to how it should be. He stared down and his hands and clenched them softly.
"Yukimura, wherever you are, I hope you're happy now." Kenshin said softly, as he changed. With one last look at his sword he left the room and went back to find his love.
The End.
~Author's Note: Yes, that's the end. I really didn't want to end it, that's why it took me so long to write this chapter. So I guess, yeah, that's all. Hope you liked it, and I hope you think the ending wasn't 'too' pathetic.