Hello there!

I know, I know, I'm cruel for leaving you with that cliff, but hey, I just couldn't help it. By the way, when I said short story, I didn't mean a one-shot, I meant a story of more or less three or four chapters. :P

On the other hand, Kenshin is "cruel" because he has to be. It wasn't his fault to be attracted to Tomoe while being to Kaoru. How everything is going to turn out? You'll see. *evil grin*

Hope you like this chappie. ^-^

Vic

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine *cries*

Chapter 2: A departure and a friend

He was walking to her home.

He was really depressed. How everything can change in a matter of hours, not even years, but hours.

The world seemed to hate him. Just like she hates me now. He sighed.

He was in front of the door now, and was hesitating about ringing the bell or not.

He sighed again and decided to do it. He had nothing to lose.

He waited for a few seconds when a thin man opened the door. He recognized him and smiled, before letting him get inside the house.

"How are you, Kenshin?" He said motioning the red haired man to sit on the couch.

"I'm good, Enishi. How are you?" He tried to smile back.

"There, full of homework," Enishi glanced at Kenshin and knew that something was wrong with him. He better call his sister.

"Anyways, I suppose you're here to see Tomoe. I'll go for her, ok?" Kenshin just nodded, and Enishi left the room.

Kenshin sat there staring at nothing. His mind was somewhere else. It hadn't been a good day, it hadn't been, and… it was his fault.

"I'm sorry sir, but we have orders that you can't see her." The nurse behind the desk said while checking at the computer. Yes, the name was right. Kenshin Himura, according to Kamiya Koshijirou, he couldn't see her.

"But-but I need to see her," he was getting exasperated, "at least tell me how she is," he needed to know if she was ok.

"I'm sorry sir, but I know nothing about patients, I'm just here checking the visitors." She replied without looking at him.

"B-but…" He sighed. "Ok, thanks." He turned around and began walking toward the gate.

Then, just when he was about to open the door, Misao was entering into the hospital.

She looked at him but said nothing. She walked pass him, when she felt that a hand grabbed her right wrist.

"Misao, please, tell them to let me see her," he pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Kenshin. You won't. Her father said it clearly, as well as I did. You won't see her, not anymore." She got rid of him, but noticed that he began to follow her.

"Leave, now!" She yelled at him not caring about the 'Silence' poster on the wall. "You don't have to be here, you don't need to be here. This is not your place… Leave" This time her voice was quieter.

"I won't. This is my place, I-I love Kaoru, I need to know how she is" His gaze was on the floor.

"You love her? Please, you're such a hypocrite." Misao was getting angry by his response.

"I love her, although I'm with Tomoe, I still love Kaoru. She's still my friend." He looked at her directly in the eyes.

"Listen, you're nothing to her but a part of a sad and wasted past. You are nothing to her, Kenshin, nothing… And, and I'll be sure of it." Her words hurt, she knew, but not more than what he had done to her friend. "I used to respect you, like you, but after this… Kenshin, please, leave. Don't make me call security."

"I won't give up, Misao. I'll see her, whatever I have to do. Be sure of it." And he left bumping on the door with such a fury that everyone else in the room looked at the gates when they got shut.

"Whatever you do, you won't. She's leaving tomorrow." Misao continued her way to Kaoru's room.

"Kenshin, how are you darling?" Tomoe's voice brought back to reality to a tormented Kenshin.

"Hi" His face showed worry and sadness.

"It's her, right? I know, I heard it today" She knew what he was going through, she knew, but she couldn't feel what he was feeling; she couldn't understand him.

"It's my fault, Tomoe… and I can't even get close to her room. They won't allow me" Kenshin clenched his fists.

"It is not. Kenshin… I don't know how to say this, but… She is part of your past now, you have to go on… we're together you know? Isn't this what you wanted?"

"But not in this way!" Suddenly he felt very angry at her words, "She may die, Tomoe. She may die and all because of me, of my selfishness."

"Ken…" She tried to comfort him, but what could she say? They had been hiding their relationship for almost two weeks; it was true, she didn't like how things had turned out, but at last they were together.

"I better leave… I'm not in the mood." He looked at her sadly and then went to the door.

With a soft bang, he was already out of her house.

``````````````````````````````````

"Are you sure, Mr. Kamiya?" She wasn't sure about his decision. She would miss her friend.

"I'm sure, Misao. Besides, I don't want to see her suffer, no more." He was firm.

"Ok, then I'll go to get the nurse." She looked at her friend again, and let one tear fall down her face.

``````````````````````````````````

Three days, three days since he knew about the accident, and three days not able to see her, know how she was.

"That's it; I'll see her tonight no matter what." He was determined. Nobody would stop him, not her father, not Misao, not the doctors, nobody.

He opened the door of his car, and drove quickly in direction to the hospital.

"Wait for me… wait for me, Kaoru"

``````````````````````````````````````

He walked in and stood in front of the front desk. Good, another nurse was there; she wouldn't recognize him.

"Good night, sir. May I help you in something? She said politely.

"Good night… Mmm, I'm coming to visit my-my cousin… Kamiya Kaoru" Suddenly he felt nervous. He just hoped nobody could discover him.

"Your name sir?" She asked him while opening a file in her computer.

"S-Sagara Sanosuke" Yes, Sano was allowed to see her. Everybody but him.

"The patient's name again, please?" She checked twice on the screen.

"K-Kamiya Kaoru?" Something was wrong.

"Mmm, I'm sorry sir. The patient is gone."

"G-gone? How so?!" He said alarmed; he was waiting for the worst.

"Well, here says that she is not here. It seems that Mr. Kamiya took her out." The nurse raised her eyes. They were blue, just like hers, but not as beautiful.

"Where?" Why him? Darn it.

"I'm sorry, sir. It doesn't say anything about where she was taken to."

"Ok…" he sighed frustrated. "Thank you"

And once again, he wasn't able to be with her.

"Where did they take you, Kaoru? Where?"

``````````````````````````````````````````

Kenshin was annoyed, depressed, sad, feeling guilty. Damn it! Ok, it was his fault that Kaoru was in a comma, it was his fault that she was hurt, but he needed to see her! Why everyone couldn't understand that? He still cared a lot for her.

He still loved her… still.

"Tomoe" He sat down on a bench close to the cafeteria. "I need to talk with you" He whispered immersed in his thoughts.

"Oi, Kenshin!" A loud voice called after him bringing him back to reality. "How's everything man?"

Sano

"Bad, can't you tell?" Kenshin laughed sarcastically.

"Yeah, you know? What you did was hell, man. I didn't know you were capable of that, but… but you're still my friend, you know?" Sano patted at his shoulders.

My friend… Thank you, Sano.

"Thank you, Sano… I really needed that" Kenshin smiled at him; his first smile in days.

"No problem, man" Sano smiled back at him.

"Mmm, Sano… Do you know where she is?" Maybe he knew. He only hoped.

"I-I don't know, Kenshin" Sano said sadly. He wasn't lying. He didn't know either. After that night when she was taken away by her father, he didn't know anything else about her.

"Do you, do you think if you ask Misao, she will tell you?" He could try, anything. Just to see her again, to say he was sorry.

"Kenshin…" Sano's gaze dropped, "She is not here, she won't be for a year."

"What?" Just what he needed. "Where is she?"

"She went to an exchange program to Holland. She's not gonna be back till next year, Ken" Sano knew how much this was hurting him. He knew that although he was with Tomoe right now, he still cared a lot for the missy, and knowing that she was almost dead and not be able to be with her, see her, it was just destroying his friend.

"I'm sorry, man… I-I'll try to find something out" Sano could see the hurt in his eyes. Well, he could try to help him.

"Thanks, Sano… You know? You're a great friend." Kenshin looked at his friend and smile widely at him. A smile with sadness.

"That's why I'm here for, man… Don't worry. We'll find something" He winked at his friend.

"I hope so" He closed his eyes. Please, let me see her again. Don't let her leave, not like this.

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Woooo!!! Yay! Second chappie. One or two more and the story will be done. And… a surprise… *looking innocent*

Hope you liked it, see ya!

Vic

PS: No time to check grammar right now, gomen.