Disclaimers: I do NOT own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters. I also do NOT own the band Nickelback or any of its songs.

Yep, it's that time again! Time to read more depressing, angsty, badly written fics by Gamja! ^_^''

Aha! Notice that this time, the song's by Nickelback. Thought this was going to be a Beatle's fic, weren't you? :P Don't worry, there's going to be a couple more Beatles songs or so coming up, so hang tight!...if you can handle the writing... ( This one may be a bit of a challenge, so please give me some feedback!

""= Speech ''= Thoughts **= Lyrics []= flashback speech

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How Did We End Up Like This?

*How the h**l'd we wind up like this?*

*And why weren't we able*

*To see the signs that we missed?*

"Kenshin? You're not serious are you?" said the young swordswoman, tears and desperate hope shining in her eyes. "Gomen, Kaoru-dono... but sessha is serious. Now please let sessha go." The red headed man looked deeply in Kaoru's pained eyes, the twin jewels of amethyst reflecting reluctance and determination that came out of that hesitation.

Suddenly, Kaoru's sapphire orbs shined with near-insane desperation and she grabbed on for dear life to Kenshin's pink gi, mumbling "No Kenshin, you left me once already, don't go again, onegai, don't go..." "Sessha must go Kaoru-dono, that he does. Sayabata." But Kaoru did not release her grip. Although she didn't know Kenshin just wanted to get away from the dojo, she had a feeling that Kenshin was lying...

*And try to turn the tables*

*I wish you'd unclench your fists*

*And unpack your suitcase*

"Kaoru-dono, please, let me go." His voice was firmer this time, but Kaoru wasn't called a raccoon girl for just her looks- she had a grip like a c- clamp's. Trying to ignore Kaoru's wailing sobs, he finally took hold of her wrists, wrenched them away from his gi, then said in almost a shouting tone, "Kaoru! Geta hold of yourself!" She finally snapped out of her reverie, her eyes once again showing hurt. She slowly stepped backwards, then avoiding Kenshin's apologetic eyes she whispered, "If you really want to go, Kenshin, then just go. You didn't have to lie to me about the unrest in the South, but it doesn't matter. Just go." In a soothing voice Kenshin replied, "Kaoru-dono, sessha-" "I said go!" Kaoru snapped. This time it was Kenshin's turn to back away. Then she said something that was like a bombshell:

"Go away, and don't come back you baka!"

*Lately there's been too much of this*

*But don't think it's too late*

The hate was apparent in her voice, the stress gathered up from months of concern, frustration, anger and worry lashing out at the ex-hitokiri like a barbed scourge. Eyes now full of guilt, he looked downward at the ground and turned around.

*Nothing's wrong *

*Just as long as you know that someday I will*

*Someday, somehow*

*I''m gonna make it alright *

"Kaoru-dono...I'll be back. Just wait for me..." He walked off into the setting sun, the dying rays giving Kenshin's hair a dull, dried-blood hue.

*But not right now*

The momentary anger leaving her, Kaoru collapsed to her knees and buried her face in her hands, tearfully sobbing "Kenshin, gomen nasai...just come back please.. come back will you?" She kept saying it over and over again, hoping that the man she loved more than herself would return like he always did...

But she knew it was all in vain.

She went back home, away from the small field that Kenshin had said farewell to her. When she got back, she found Sano lazing out on the porch, while Yahiko was gnawing on his head with more gusto than usual-apparently, Sano had teased Yahiko about Tsubame, and Yahiko's "Manly" pride forced him into action.

The rooster head called out, "Oi, jou-chan? Where were you? Yahiko and I were getting hungry here." Looking around, he didn't see Kenshin anywere. "Hey, where's Kenshin? Didn't you two go somewhere together-" He stopped when he noticed Kaoru's tear-streaked face, the hauntingly beautiful blue orbs spilling out tears like a waterfall. The hungry pair (Yahiko and Sanosuke) immediately knew something was wrong.

*I know you're wondering when*

*You're the only one who knows that*

Concern in his voice, the ex-fighter merchant cracked his knuckles and asked, "It's Kenshin isn't it? Where is he? What happened to him?" Kaoru put up a hand to stop the stream of questions. "He's alright...he just left. I don't think he's coming back." Sano shouted, "Don't say things like that! Which way did he go?" Rather startled, the young woman simply said "South...he said he was going south..."

*Someday somehow*

*I'm gonna make it alright*

*But not right now*

*I know you're wondering when*

Kaoru went into the now cold, dead recesses of her once warm dojo. Collapsing onto the futon, she buried her hands into her arms and resumed crying her pain out, each tear pulling her closer and closer to the bliss of oblivion...

*Well I'd hope that since we're here anyway*

*That we could end up saying*

*Things we've always needed to say*

-The next day-

Sano had come back the night before beaten and bruised, using Yahiko's shocked form as a crutch. It seemed that Kenshin was adamant on being left alone. "I'm sorry jou-chan...I tried. I tried real hard. But it just wasn't good enough..." Kaoru simply looked out into space, and quietly answered, "It's alright, Sano...maybe it's for the best."

Both Sanosuke and Yahiko nearly had a heart attack then and there.

"N-n-nani?!" A flood of stammered "Busu!"s and "Jou-chan!"s crashed into Kaoru, yet she stood firm. Forcing a small smile, she said to the shocked pair, "I'm sure he's doing what he thinks is for the best. Just leave him alone Sano."

*So we could end up staying*

*Now the story's played out like this*

No one noticed the dead look in her eyes as Kaoru went back into her room, comforted only by the swirling chaos of her tortured mind...

*Just like a paperback novel*

*Let's rewrite an ending that fits*

*Instead of a Hollywood horror*

-Somewhere in Southern Japan-

Kenshin looked up from the small book he was reading and watched the stars, each little gem reminding him of something long ago. 'That group of stars resemble Sano's hair, that it does...and that one...oh why do all the large ones remind me of Kaoru-dono's eyes?'

Not a single hour passed without Kenshin's mind drifting back and forth from his beloved. Neither did he fail to ask himself constantly about why he left; he had everything, a loving "family", a warm house to return to, a sweet and beautiful woman to love... 'Perhaps sessha truly is a baka...'

[Go away and don't come back you baka!] Kaoru's words hurt him more than any blade could, but it hurt not only because it was from his beloved, but also because it was true- he had no right to leave them like that, not when they needed him so much. Each little memory of happy times together no longer brought him joy-only guilt. Each little memory of the hard times they shared together only showed him his weakness of not being able to protect them.

Kenshin's mind was slowly falling apart like a decaying corpse...

Right there Kenshin made his decision. He would go back and redeem himself, wether Kaoru liked it or not.

*Nothing's wrong*

*Just as long as you know that someday I will*

*Someday, somehow*

*I''m gonna make it alright*

-A week later in Tokyo-

By now, Kaoru had become a pale shadow of her former self, anemic-looking and always depressed. Try as they might, Sano and Yahiko could not get her out of her path that led to the black hole that was oblivion...

In a whisper that was like the dying wind, Kaoru said to the young duo, "I'm going to go out for a walk...just don't follow me. I'll be alright." Sharing puzzled looks, Yahiko and Chicken head-san simply shrugged and went on with their business.

*But not right now*

*I know you're wondering when*

*You're the only one who knows that*

The fading sun mournfully cast its shadows as the last few minutes of sunlight speared the sky. No birds sang and the frogs near the ponds let up a requiem of croaks as Kaoru stumbled through the forested path. Her own instincts told her to be armed and ready, although people rarely came through that path anyway. 'Why am I so edgy?' she thought. 'Usually I'm just thinking about Kenshin or- stop! He left you baka! Move on!' But her own little voice inside her head sounded hypocritical, the proof being her physical and mental state of health.

Pulling out a small knife, she warily trudged through the leaf-strewn forest, half-expecting to see a wild animal rise and attack her. And one did.

Well, if you consider a human-sized object bursting through the underbrush a wild animal.

Throwing her knife at what she thought was its head (its middle section), she instead missed and hit the creature at the top of its oddly thin form...

In which it made a gurgling sound and dropped to the ground.

Curious about what she just crippled, she walked up to its now twitching form.

*Someday somehow*

*I'm gonna make it alright*

*But not right now*

She grasped the body and turned it over, expecting to see a feral baboon (despite the fact that there were none in the region)...

She certainly didn't expect Kenshin's quivering form look up at her with pained eyes, her knife lodged in his jugular artery.

In a painful gurgle, he said "K-Kaoru-dono?" "Kenshin..." Kaoru put a hand up to her mouth to suppress a scream of horror. With incredible sadness and regret shining in her eyes, she grabbed Kenshin and began hyperventilating. "K-K-Kaoru-d-dono... sessha is just happy to see his love again...." He fell limp, a smile on his bloody lips...

"KENSHIN!!"

*I know you're wondering when*

*You're the only one who knows that*

Kenshin's body was found by the police the next day, dried blood covering him like a blanket. "Which ******* did this?" he growled. Yahiko didn't answer, too shocked to speak. Suddenly he perked up and asked, "Sani...Kaoru didn't come back home last night did she?" "Yeah, what about- oh kami-sama, come on!" He grabbed Yahiko and sprinted for all he was worth out the door.

Kaoru was walking by the train tracks when Sano finally found her, walking so close to the metal path that he was afraid that a train might clip her if one was there: and there was one hurtling down the tracks right then. "Oi Kaoru!" he shouted. "Getaway from the tracks! You're gonna get hurt!" She completely ignored him and walked on as if in a daze. Sano noticed that she had blood on her hands. "Kaoru, did you her what I said?" The train was getting closer by the minute...

Sano decided to take some action and ran to catch Kaoru. Just before he got to her, though, she whipped around and caught Sano square in the jaw and ran off toward the train. Right before she got to the train, both Yahiko and Sano screamed, "Kaoru!!"

They squeezed their eyes shut and looked away when the train smashed into Kaoru like a charging bull into a mere cat.

Yahiko saw something purple flying into the distance like a kite-Kaoru's hair ribbon. As he watched it dance into the horizon, he asked himself, "How'd we end up like this?..."

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Can you say "ouch?"

Sorry about having to kill off Kaoru and Kenshin, but it's not quite as depressing if they survived, ne?

This one's not nearly as good as the rest since I didn't have anyone to check it over so that will explain a few thing, I think.

Thank you for slogging through my worthless fic. :D