Chapter 7: Bloody Darkness
A/N: Well, I'm leaving my dad's today, so I'll be able to type these up finally. Not that I wrote that much. His house seems to...creatively stifle me. I don't know...it's weird. I've been there for about 5 days?! AH! *sigh* Horrible torture. But, after tonight I'm home free. YAAAA! Ohhhh...I do a bad thing. SHHH! All you all reading this, this is my "trigonometry notes." hehe. I'll probably get caught. Again. Ooooh well.
Disclaimer: We're supposed to be coming to some conclusion in Trig. right now. I'm not listening, so guess what my conclusion is? Here, I'll tell ya: I don't own RK. DARN! I guess I could just go plot and evil plot to storm...Bolivia and take over small children's minds and rule the world! But...I'm not. And I'd rather write.
~^~^~
Battousai stared at Kaoru's slim, slack, body. What was wrong with her? She was so beautiful, even in this stupor. He reached out with his hand to trace her cheek, which was wet with sweat despite her coolness. He neared her temple, grazing it slightly. Kaoru trembled before sitting bolt upright.
"Kenshin...Kenshin!" she sobbed; her jewel-like azure eyes brimmed with tears, but her gaze looked right through him as if he weren't standing there. The amber in Battousai's eyes softened, a small trace of violet was apparent now.
"Kenshin...why didn't you save me?" she whispered.
The sound of betrayal in her voice pierced his heart. She'd already given up on him! He blinked back tears of sadness as he peered into her eyes. The deep cobalt gems faded away, leaving only the gray drabness of before. Last time he'd seen this, Kaoru had spoken as someone else...what would happen this time?
"Hello Battousai..." it growled.
"Who are you!? And why are you terrorizing my Kaoru!" Battousai snarled protectively.
"You already know who I am, and if you don't you should. I've told you once already. I've heard that the Battousai is quite intellectual, but you have yet to prove this. In case you are a complete blockhead, I will remind you. I am Fuse Hitomi. And 'your' Kaoru's pain is you own fault. It's the direct result of those you slaughtered during the Bakamatsu. You are obtaining your atonement through her. After all, you've killed so many, what is one more?" Hitomi laughed menacingly.
"Too bad you're so close to her."
Battousai stared at her.
"Unless..." Hitomi continued tauntingly. "Unless you...don't WANT her to die for some ODD reason."
Battousai growled. He knew she was baiting him for something, what he wasn't sure.
"What do I have to do to save her?" he snarled. This...other...was annoying him very much.
"Snippy, snippy...Find your world's antidote...it shouldn't be hard. It goes with you everywhere, with every heartbeat it courses through you. Yes Battousai, I believe you understand." Battousai's violet/amber eyes narrowed. "The only antidote...is your life-blood."
Kenshin stared.
He'd finally fought Battousai off enough to become entirely himself. Why couldn't he just be left alone, to peacefully lay his demons to rest? The question of why Hitomi was trying to kill Kaoru was obvious. She was trying to get to him through Kaoru. But what pain had he caused Hitomi? Why was she so bitter? Surely she couldn't REALLY do anything...
"Hitomi-dono..."
"You don't believe me. Now you will pay." Kaoru's body slumped to the table. Had Kenshin spoken aloud?
"Kaoru!" Kenshin yelled, catching Kaoru but in the process falling backwards. He'd barely had time. As he lay there with Kaoru's lightweight body atop him, his heart beat furiously. That had been too close for comfort. Gently he lifted Kaoru, shivering against the ice she had for skin. When he placed her on the table, he smiled slightly before touching her cool cheek.
What could this 'Fuse Hitomi' do anyhow? Kenshin's long, slender fingers strayed from Kaoru's cheek towards her lips. 'Maybe just once...' he thought to himself. Kaoru would never know anyways. He gently bent and pressed his warm, moist lips to Kaoru's dry, icy ones, relishing the feel and the odd rightness. It was when he pulled away that he noticed they were faintly blue.
Startled, he examined the closer. Realization hit him as he failed to see the rise and fall of Kaoru's chest: She wasn't breathing! 'What do I do! What do I do?!' In all his years on this green earth, he'd never had to--or wanted to for that matter-- help someone breathe. He didn't even have a general idea of what to do! Kenshin was afraid to do anything, lest he do more harm than good.
Had his kiss done this to her?! Kenshin panicked as he took her pulse. Her heart was beating, albeit dully and continually slower. Even as he felt, the space between her tiny heartbeats grew longer. 'The only way I can save her is with my blood. I'm the only one that can do this, and it must be done. Kaoru's life is ten times more valuable than mine.' Kenshin leaned forward to kiss Kaoru again.
Just before he did, he whispered this message against her lips:
"Dearest Kaoru. Sessha loves you more than you could ever imagine. He's sorry he couldn't tell you before he had to go, but not even he had expected to go this way. I love you Kaoru, and I'm sorry."
In his fervor, Kenshin had left the 'sessha' out of the last sentence. He gently kissed her for the last time ever. A lone tear fell for the love he would never get to proclaim openly, a life he could have had and the fact that he wouldn't ever be able to live it now. He opened his eyes slowly, soaking up Kaoru's image. That would be the last to go.
Kenshin glanced to the counter. Several medical instruments were laid out, but none of them would do. Even the old knife used for cutting the bandages wasn't good enough. Years of overuse had dulled it. Kenshin sighed. Though he was sure he deserved to suffer, he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible and then get back to the-
'Baka. You do this and you aren't coming back. This is it.' his mind scorned.
Kenshin despised suicide, loathed it with every fiber of his entire being, but Kaoru's life was on the line. And he would do ANYTHING for Kaoru. Not to mention things in the world of options were looking bleak. He grasps his sakabatou, ignoring the smooth sound it made as he drew it. The sword was bulky, but it would do. He checked Kaoru's pulse once more, maybe he'd been wrong.
Maybe he wouldn't have to do this after all.
Hopefully he'd been wrong.
Please let him have been wrong.
Kenshin waited...nothing. No pulse. He had to do it NOW. Taking a deep breath he silently prayed. 'Please remember sessha did this for the life of another. In any other circumstances there would be no question, this would not happen. I wish there was a way Kaoru could know how much I love her, and I wish there were more time for me to prepare for this. Sessha never was a very spontaneous person. Sessha never meant to die this young, that he most certainly did not. The one thing he regrets most is that he will never get to apologize to sessha's friends. Just in case somehow they can hear this...Sessha is sorry. Goodbye.'
Silently, slowly, Kenshin looked to Kaoru. "For you..." he whispered, flipping the sharp edge of the blade to face his left wrist. Pressuring the sword down brutally, rocking it slightly back and forth, Kenshin carved a long angry line across his wrist. He grimaced; this hurt more than he thought it would. Surprisingly there wasn't that much blood. He must have missed the vein. Cutting deeper, Kenshin searched for the lifeline he would soon sever. A spurt of blood sprayed from the wound.
He'd found it. He can feel the blood gushing from him with incredible speed. If he were going to get the other wrist also--to make it quick--he'd have to do it soon. Already he was weakening, his left arm going numb. He transferred the sword to his left hand, nearly dropping it when his right released it.
Sloppily raising the sword, he sliced a slightly diagonal cut on his right wrist. It was considerably shallower, seeing as how he was quickly losing his strength. He hadn't expected everything to go so quickly. He'd missed the vein in his right wrist.
Cut again.
Missed.
Cut again.
Spurt of blood covered Kaoru's still form.
Everything was going dim. His vision was leaving. Kenshin dropped to his knees, bleeding on anything in sight. Blood was all over the entire room, everything, even Kaoru, was covered in it. Through the haze he was living in, Kenshin saw Kaoru take a breath. She was alive! Good. His life wasn't in vain. He could die in peace. And everything went black.
~^~^~
A/N: Geez. I'm crying. I wonder why?! This is one of the hardest chapters I've ever written.
/\(;-;)/\
^Firkin. 'Nuff Said.
A/N: Well, I'm leaving my dad's today, so I'll be able to type these up finally. Not that I wrote that much. His house seems to...creatively stifle me. I don't know...it's weird. I've been there for about 5 days?! AH! *sigh* Horrible torture. But, after tonight I'm home free. YAAAA! Ohhhh...I do a bad thing. SHHH! All you all reading this, this is my "trigonometry notes." hehe. I'll probably get caught. Again. Ooooh well.
Disclaimer: We're supposed to be coming to some conclusion in Trig. right now. I'm not listening, so guess what my conclusion is? Here, I'll tell ya: I don't own RK. DARN! I guess I could just go plot and evil plot to storm...Bolivia and take over small children's minds and rule the world! But...I'm not. And I'd rather write.
~^~^~
Battousai stared at Kaoru's slim, slack, body. What was wrong with her? She was so beautiful, even in this stupor. He reached out with his hand to trace her cheek, which was wet with sweat despite her coolness. He neared her temple, grazing it slightly. Kaoru trembled before sitting bolt upright.
"Kenshin...Kenshin!" she sobbed; her jewel-like azure eyes brimmed with tears, but her gaze looked right through him as if he weren't standing there. The amber in Battousai's eyes softened, a small trace of violet was apparent now.
"Kenshin...why didn't you save me?" she whispered.
The sound of betrayal in her voice pierced his heart. She'd already given up on him! He blinked back tears of sadness as he peered into her eyes. The deep cobalt gems faded away, leaving only the gray drabness of before. Last time he'd seen this, Kaoru had spoken as someone else...what would happen this time?
"Hello Battousai..." it growled.
"Who are you!? And why are you terrorizing my Kaoru!" Battousai snarled protectively.
"You already know who I am, and if you don't you should. I've told you once already. I've heard that the Battousai is quite intellectual, but you have yet to prove this. In case you are a complete blockhead, I will remind you. I am Fuse Hitomi. And 'your' Kaoru's pain is you own fault. It's the direct result of those you slaughtered during the Bakamatsu. You are obtaining your atonement through her. After all, you've killed so many, what is one more?" Hitomi laughed menacingly.
"Too bad you're so close to her."
Battousai stared at her.
"Unless..." Hitomi continued tauntingly. "Unless you...don't WANT her to die for some ODD reason."
Battousai growled. He knew she was baiting him for something, what he wasn't sure.
"What do I have to do to save her?" he snarled. This...other...was annoying him very much.
"Snippy, snippy...Find your world's antidote...it shouldn't be hard. It goes with you everywhere, with every heartbeat it courses through you. Yes Battousai, I believe you understand." Battousai's violet/amber eyes narrowed. "The only antidote...is your life-blood."
Kenshin stared.
He'd finally fought Battousai off enough to become entirely himself. Why couldn't he just be left alone, to peacefully lay his demons to rest? The question of why Hitomi was trying to kill Kaoru was obvious. She was trying to get to him through Kaoru. But what pain had he caused Hitomi? Why was she so bitter? Surely she couldn't REALLY do anything...
"Hitomi-dono..."
"You don't believe me. Now you will pay." Kaoru's body slumped to the table. Had Kenshin spoken aloud?
"Kaoru!" Kenshin yelled, catching Kaoru but in the process falling backwards. He'd barely had time. As he lay there with Kaoru's lightweight body atop him, his heart beat furiously. That had been too close for comfort. Gently he lifted Kaoru, shivering against the ice she had for skin. When he placed her on the table, he smiled slightly before touching her cool cheek.
What could this 'Fuse Hitomi' do anyhow? Kenshin's long, slender fingers strayed from Kaoru's cheek towards her lips. 'Maybe just once...' he thought to himself. Kaoru would never know anyways. He gently bent and pressed his warm, moist lips to Kaoru's dry, icy ones, relishing the feel and the odd rightness. It was when he pulled away that he noticed they were faintly blue.
Startled, he examined the closer. Realization hit him as he failed to see the rise and fall of Kaoru's chest: She wasn't breathing! 'What do I do! What do I do?!' In all his years on this green earth, he'd never had to--or wanted to for that matter-- help someone breathe. He didn't even have a general idea of what to do! Kenshin was afraid to do anything, lest he do more harm than good.
Had his kiss done this to her?! Kenshin panicked as he took her pulse. Her heart was beating, albeit dully and continually slower. Even as he felt, the space between her tiny heartbeats grew longer. 'The only way I can save her is with my blood. I'm the only one that can do this, and it must be done. Kaoru's life is ten times more valuable than mine.' Kenshin leaned forward to kiss Kaoru again.
Just before he did, he whispered this message against her lips:
"Dearest Kaoru. Sessha loves you more than you could ever imagine. He's sorry he couldn't tell you before he had to go, but not even he had expected to go this way. I love you Kaoru, and I'm sorry."
In his fervor, Kenshin had left the 'sessha' out of the last sentence. He gently kissed her for the last time ever. A lone tear fell for the love he would never get to proclaim openly, a life he could have had and the fact that he wouldn't ever be able to live it now. He opened his eyes slowly, soaking up Kaoru's image. That would be the last to go.
Kenshin glanced to the counter. Several medical instruments were laid out, but none of them would do. Even the old knife used for cutting the bandages wasn't good enough. Years of overuse had dulled it. Kenshin sighed. Though he was sure he deserved to suffer, he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible and then get back to the-
'Baka. You do this and you aren't coming back. This is it.' his mind scorned.
Kenshin despised suicide, loathed it with every fiber of his entire being, but Kaoru's life was on the line. And he would do ANYTHING for Kaoru. Not to mention things in the world of options were looking bleak. He grasps his sakabatou, ignoring the smooth sound it made as he drew it. The sword was bulky, but it would do. He checked Kaoru's pulse once more, maybe he'd been wrong.
Maybe he wouldn't have to do this after all.
Hopefully he'd been wrong.
Please let him have been wrong.
Kenshin waited...nothing. No pulse. He had to do it NOW. Taking a deep breath he silently prayed. 'Please remember sessha did this for the life of another. In any other circumstances there would be no question, this would not happen. I wish there was a way Kaoru could know how much I love her, and I wish there were more time for me to prepare for this. Sessha never was a very spontaneous person. Sessha never meant to die this young, that he most certainly did not. The one thing he regrets most is that he will never get to apologize to sessha's friends. Just in case somehow they can hear this...Sessha is sorry. Goodbye.'
Silently, slowly, Kenshin looked to Kaoru. "For you..." he whispered, flipping the sharp edge of the blade to face his left wrist. Pressuring the sword down brutally, rocking it slightly back and forth, Kenshin carved a long angry line across his wrist. He grimaced; this hurt more than he thought it would. Surprisingly there wasn't that much blood. He must have missed the vein. Cutting deeper, Kenshin searched for the lifeline he would soon sever. A spurt of blood sprayed from the wound.
He'd found it. He can feel the blood gushing from him with incredible speed. If he were going to get the other wrist also--to make it quick--he'd have to do it soon. Already he was weakening, his left arm going numb. He transferred the sword to his left hand, nearly dropping it when his right released it.
Sloppily raising the sword, he sliced a slightly diagonal cut on his right wrist. It was considerably shallower, seeing as how he was quickly losing his strength. He hadn't expected everything to go so quickly. He'd missed the vein in his right wrist.
Cut again.
Missed.
Cut again.
Spurt of blood covered Kaoru's still form.
Everything was going dim. His vision was leaving. Kenshin dropped to his knees, bleeding on anything in sight. Blood was all over the entire room, everything, even Kaoru, was covered in it. Through the haze he was living in, Kenshin saw Kaoru take a breath. She was alive! Good. His life wasn't in vain. He could die in peace. And everything went black.
~^~^~
A/N: Geez. I'm crying. I wonder why?! This is one of the hardest chapters I've ever written.
/\(;-;)/\
^Firkin. 'Nuff Said.