Sorry I haven't updated this in a long time.  I hope this chapter makes it up to you.  I don't know when it will be the next time I update this story, but most likely when winter break do come along, I will surely update.  Please do leave comments, suggestions, any questions in your review.  But please don't leave hard hurting flames, because I am a sensitive person. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin series.  I wish I did, but I don't. : (

The Fallacy

Chapter Two

                Across the glittery dance floor, marked red streaks of blood.  Bodies clashes against each other moving fiercely to the pace of the music.  Hands gliding, hips swaying, feet moving all at once speeding to the music as the music got faster.  From the right of the dance floor, a dark stranger sat along with his kind, glancing back to the dance floor.  Every night was the same thing.  Vampires from all over New York met in this nightclub called Akebeko, where they ruled for the whole night.  No humans every dared to come into this bar, unless they were owned by a vampire.  If any human ever did come uninvited, they would not last long enough to see a few minutes of their life.

                It was also a rule that not every human could become a vampire.  They had to have a rare blood type, and a certain connection to a vampire to ever be a vampire, but besides that a regular human was meant to die or become deranged if ever tried to become a vampire.

                Sitting across the counter, the bar tender stood there in fear, watching the stranger take sips of blood from his cup.  As he finished his cup, amber eyes stared at the young vampire.  He could smell her fear, almost taste with his very tongue.  All he did was smile a predatory smile, a smile telling her, he knew very well that she feared him with her life.

                "Battousai we meet again," said a familiar voice.  Only few people ever had the right to call him Battousai.  The ones, who gained his respect, the ones who were honorable to him had the obligation of calling him Battousai in public or private.  Reluctantly he turned from his seating position to meet his mentor.

                "Well Hiko Seijuro it's good to see you again," greeted Battousai, as he laid his money on the bar counter.  He sensed the woman vampire hesitating to pick up the money from him.  It only made him smile more. 

                "I see you're doing fine.  Tomoe asked for you.  Certainly she hasn't seen you for the longest time.  She said she hoped to see you again after all she hadn't seen you for almost two centuries," said Hiko formally.  He clasped both his hands together in a polite manner, trying to make the conversation sound like two old friends were conversing with each other.

                "Actually I haven't seen her for two centuries.  The last time I saw her was the night I thought she died, however she never did," answered Battousai calmly.  His amber eyes never stared into Hiko's dark eyes.  Instead his amber eyes scanned the area, watching the fresh warm blood falling from the ceiling, splashing vampires, bading them in the warmth of it.

                "The last time both of you met was the time before the Meiji period started in Japan.  Now you both have moved forward going your own separate ways.  However she never forgot about you as you never forgot about her.  Even throughout the long centuries, she missed you. Battousai."

                "Things cannot be the same as they were a long time ago.  She no longer carries the name as my wife.  Yes I know she saved me a long time ago, from ever dying in a regretful way, saying I have atoned for my past sins, but things are different now.  As time passes things change.  They're never the same."

                "Ah but I see you haven't changed one bit.  The only thing that has changed is your gentle Rurouni side no longer exists."

                "Well Hiko, as one of my past lovers exist, Battousai will exist.  The other died, therefore Rurouni died.  But I wonder at times if what Enishi said was true.  He himself truly never died.  He said those who died would be born someday, remembering the very past.  If that's true, then that means that she is alive."

                "But Battousai what about the one who wrote the stories about you?  The author knows everything about your past, from detail to detail.  How does she know, when only a few people know about your past?  The only remaining few will never tell a soul about you.  You have gained more enemies then before, and they know your secrets."

                Battousai stood from his seat in a calm manner.  He straightened his long black trench coat, pushed aside his bloody red hair from his face.  He looked away from Hiko's dark gaze, back to the dance floor.  "You see those vampires out there.  They will never take something that is mine.  They are too cowardly to face me off and ever win.  I told you once before and again.  The woman who is the author of those books is mine.  I chose to face her myself.  I chose to kill her."  With those words Battousai left Hiko to wonder.

                Drowsy sapphire eyes opened to find a dimmed room.  From the couch, Kaoru could see television from across the room.  Above it were very familiar pictures of Soujiro and her, of moments when they grew up together.  Kaoru couldn't help but smile a little.  She felt the same pounding in her head, as she felt earlier.  Silently as not to alarm anyone, she got up very slowly from the couch she laid on.  Just by looking throughout the room, she knew exactly where she was, but she didn't know how she got here in the first place.  All she remembered was she got into an argument with Soujiro about something she didn't want to talk about and then she felt a familiar headache.

                Oh no, please don't tell me I fainted again.  I really don't want to have to go through that gain.  Before I know it, I'll be fainting everywhere I go, Kaoru mentally scolded herself.  She believed the weak, always fainted or cried.  She tried so hard to never cry when she wanted too.  Soujiro always told her she had more pride and will power then anyone he ever knew.  Just then before Kaoru could head towards the kitchen of her best friend's house, she felt a large hand grabbed her by her shoulder.

                "Kaoru, are you okay?" asked a familiar voice.  Kaoru didn't have to think twice.  She twirled around so fast, that Soujiro never expected her to hug him so fiercely.

                "How did I get here Soujiro?  Please don't tell me that I you know…" Kaoru said nervously, keeping her arms wrapped around his neck as she choked the air from his lungs.

                For awhile Soujiro didn't move.  He stayed dead silent, as if waiting for Kaoru to let him go.  Kaoru forgot she was choking him, until she felt strong arms wrapped around her as if bringing her back into the real world.  She let go of him and mumble an apology for almost killing him.  If it was one thing Kaoru knew, she knew without Soujiro she would never had made it far in her lifetime.

                Kaoru sat down on Soujiro's couch, while trying to avoid his eyes.  She didn't want to explain herself for her  not so appropriate actions towards him.  She also didn't want to have to explain why she fainted earlier.  If she had a chance right now, she would leave him and head home to sleep in her room, plus hope she didn't have to face him, like she was facing him right now.

                "Okay Kaoru we have to get some things cleared."  Soujiro sat down on his regular couch across from her.  She can fell her heart rate increased, her pounding temples hurt more then before, her body stiffened in fear.  She brought her small hands to her face, to bury her facial expression of pain from him.

                "What is it you want to know Soujiro?" asked Kaoru with tears in her throat.  She crouched on the couch to make her body feel a little bit better, but instead her body felt worse.

                "Are you sure you're okay?"  Warms arms supported her, while she felt another presence in the room in the living room of Soujiro's home.

                "Misao, is that you?  Are you there?"  She felt like she was calling someone in a lost fog.

                "Yes Kaoru I'm here," said a warm, sweet voice, a voice that always made her feel like everything was going to be okay.  Slowly Kaoru raised her head, to meet beautiful emerald green eyes staring back at her sapphire eyes.

                "Misao, you're really here," cried Kaoru as she limply got up and hugged her really goof friend.  Throughout her whole summer she really missed having Misao around to converse with.  Since Misao was an understanding person, who gave great advice, plus always found a way to make someone better, Kaoru knew Misao would find a way to make this situation better for her.

                "I came here as soon as possible after Soujiro told me about the incident that happened on Liberty.  I was so worried about you, that I came after school was done," said Misao in a worried tone.

                Kaoru could see her concern for her in those emerald green eyes.  "I'm fine. I can guarantee that for the both of you.  You two know you shouldn't worry about me.  I always do make it through don't I?"

                "Yeah Kaoru you do, however it's getting worst for you.  We don't know for a fact what's going on with you.  You're hiding things from us, important information we need to know.  You barely eat any food and your excuses are not enough to hide the real truth from us.  Today for instance like what happened on Liberty Avenue was one of those incidents," said Soujiro seriously.  For the first time he wasn't smiling as he usually did.

                Knowing this scene was going to get deeper, Kaoru finally decided it was time to them the real truth instead of covering it with so much lies as she always did.  "You want to know the truth.  Well here is the real truth.  I wrote books about a legendary swordsman who brought peace to Japan."  Kaoru looked away from her friend stares.  In order to tell them the truth, she had to not be able to see their facial expressions as she continued speaking.  "He was called Battousai the manslayer.  He killed to bring the future of Japan.  However the very lives he took, the blood that stained his hands, remained there to haunt him forever.  After losing something very precious to him, something that saved him and kept in humanity, he wandered ten years endlessly looking for a way to seek atonement for the lives that he took.  It was then he came upon a young woman who shared idealistic, something that he was trying to do, trying to keep until his dying day.  His main promise to never kill again kept him going as well as the young woman's belief.  It was in her courage, the strong beliefs she had for the phrase 'a sword is to protect, not to kill' that kept her going.  Eventually she was able to capture the wanderer's heart because of her courage, her strength, her spirit, her will power etc.  After awhile the wanderer married the young woman, in hopes of settling down once again.  The young woman though by him marrying her, would settle him from wandering, but it never did.  He made her a promise to never leave her and their only son, but he broke that promise to wander again.  He told her he didn't feel like he truly atoned for his sins, so he must continue to wander, however he will come back home whenever he had the chance too.   The woman agreed.  It was her heart, her undying love for him, which kept her truly loyal to him.  Even her son could not understand why she loved him so much, when all he did was made her cry.  In the ending of not seeing him for years, he finally return to her, dying in her arms as they watched the cherry blossoms together for one last time, but what she never knew was that if she were ever to be reincarnated, all the grief, the pain that her heart bared, would be true hatred in her upcoming life."

                Soujiro and Misao looked at Kaoru with shock and disbelief.  They couldn't believe she was the successful author who wrote those novels.  It was considered the number one best seller books, recommended by the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, scholastic industry etc.  They couldn't find the right words to speak to the famous author right before their eyes.

                "You see, from writing those books, I started to feel a weird connection.  It was rather strange how I was able to feel every single character's feelings that were in my story, especially the woman who was the wanderer's wife.  Writing in her perspective effected me the most.  I felt her love, yet inside her heart I also felt the hatred growing for her own husband, the sense of betrayal.  The conviction, the agony, the pain she walked with all her remaining years, I felt it all inside me."

                "Kaoru, or shall I call you Raven Walker?  Those books that you wrote were unbelievably good.  What made them so awesome were the historical facts, as well as the descriptions you put in them.  But I also noticed you put both Soujiro's name and mine in it.  Why?" asked Misao trying to keep herself in a calm posture.

                "They were the only names that my head would come up with.  I couldn't use any other names.  They wouldn't go good for the characters.  I'm sorry to have used your names, but for some reason something told me those names have existed before in the past."

                "You have to be going crazy.  There is no hell of a way those names could have existed in the past.  Maybe first names, but personalities too.  Don't talk about last name," said Misao quietly.

                "It's not that.  You both don't understand," said Kaoru miserably.  She shook her head with frustration.  She felt her hands clenched at her sides in annoyance.  Why did she even bother?  It would have been so much better, if she kept everything in her mind then speak them out loud to her friends.

                Soujiro seeing her reactions over Misao's remarks decided to take some action.  The last thing he wanted Kaoru to feel was she lost support from her friends, however he read her books and everything she talked about, being able to understand the characters, feeling a weird connection towards them all did make sense to him.  When he read about the little boy who worked for a dark master, everything that was described about the little boy felt so real.  He dreamt about being that little boy before reading her books.

                "Then Kaoru makes us understand you.  Tell us something Misao doesn't want to hear but what I want to hear," responded Soujiro.

                Kaoru looked at him with an astonished look in her eyes.  She expected to be treated as some kind of lunatic.  She thought her friends were going to tell her she needed some break, but to hear Soujiro supporting her, seeing the look of determination in his warm blue eyes, made her see a whole new light.  Without waiting for Misao to stop doubting the inevitable, Kaoru said her last statements.  "What if we are them?  What if we are their reincarnated souls?"