Chapter 19- A Mixture of Three Fates
A/N: Sorry to all you guys for making you wait so long. I've started another story that just popped into my head one day. I like it a lot, so after this story is over I may not write anymore until it is finished. It's all up to you guys. If after I post this there is like, mass panic and confusion and people are committing suicide because their TV's won't turn on, then maybe they should get the remote, and the other people just need to calm themselves. There is a possibility that I might have to have knee surgery, which I've heard is painful, and I don't wanna...I don't wanna at all! I'm afraid of surgery!!! But then again...perhaps surgery is better than the frickin' sticks (crutches) I've been lugging around. GOD I hate those. But still...I'm afraid. ANYHOW, I want to know now, would you guys want a sequel? Or what...what do YOU want to happen? I know half of you aren't going to read this, but I don't care. As for me, I probably WON'T write a sequel...but if majority says yay, then yay it is. Wow...I am one weird little person. Ok, you know you've officially crossed the weirdness barrier when ALL your personalities agree that we scare me. AH! I mean...Read the chapter?
Disclaimer: We-she-I! Do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Hm...it's been a while since I typed THAT.
~*~*~
Kenshin stomped to his room in the dojo. "What's eatin' him?" Sano said quietly to Yahiko. "Dunno." Yahiko answered, chowing through the leftover tofu. Sano turned thoughtfully to the brooding Kenshin. 'Something's not right.' he said to himself. 'Something is NOT right.'
Kenshin crashed around his room, looking, searching, NEEDING what he had to find. Through his drawers, behind his chest, inside his trunks, he looked EVERYWHERE. "What did I do with that damn sword?" he growled. He knew he wasn't thinking clearly; he could feel the bad thoughts muddling his mind. Searching through another trunk only to come up empty-handed once again, Kenshin inadvertantly took all his anger and frustration out on the trunk. "DAMN YOU!" he screamed, punching the trunk with all his might. The trunk exploded into a million pieces, and Kenshin--and his bloody knuckles--was astounded to see the sword lying in the rubble.
"I searched there already." he grumbled.
He grabbed the sword out of the debris of his old trunk and sat moodily on his futon, staring at the sheathe. Finally he scowled and pulled the sword from its hiding place. The katana glistened with an evil glint in the dim evening dusklight. 'Still sharp.' he noted with a smirk. 'This blade never rusts, though it absorbed the blood of so many. And it will absorb the blood of Kaoru's kidnapper with much greed.' he thought. Sano walked quietly to the door of Kenshin's room, wondering what all the commotion was about.
From within he heard these terrifying words, "This time...the Battousai's back for good." "NO!" Sano burst into the room, only to find the very fine honed edge of a very real, very sharp, very exact opposite of reverse-blade sword at his throat. His eyes widened as the breeze of displaced air whistled by his head. Another inch and Kenshin would have taken his head off! Sano took a deep breath and glanced down, careful not to move his head. He swallowed when his almond eyes met the ungiving amber ice. "Kenshin?"
Kenshin scowled at him before lowering his sword and sitting back on his futon, filled with almost teenage-like angst. Sano stared at the man he used to know but hadn't ever figured out. "The Kenshin I know would never have done something like that." he said. "The Kenshin you know is gone." Kenshin spat. Sano looked up sadly. "I wish I didn't believe you. But I saw the look in your eyes just then. Whatever happened to her must have been bad, huh?" Kenshin tensed.This bloke would never understand. Kaoru had been kidnapped right out from under his nose! He was too weak like this! What everyone said was true...he couldn't NOT be a manslayer anymore.
The not-so-easy task of admitting that to himself over, Kenshin relaxed. "Sano..." he said, his demeanor reverting to the rurouni's kind actions. "I hope you can forgive me...but I can't do this anymore. Sessha is too weak, too weak to even protect that that means most to him, that he is, and he will do anything to fix that. He must. I must. We will." Kenshin stared deep into the eyes of his best friend. Sano looked away. The voice was Kenshin's, but the cold eyes staring him down belonged to the hitokiri,which had remained until now a long displaced memento of a past unsuccessfully forgotten. "Kenshin...I don't understand. I know I don't, and I can't even begin to fathom your reasoning, but I really have no choice but to accept it. I do forgive you, because I can imagine what it would be like, to lose what I love. It would drive me absolutely insane, knowing that at any minute someone could be at her throat. I just want you to know...you don't have to do this."
Kenshin closed his eyes. "You're right. You don't understand. Sano...if I don't do this Kaoru will die. She may not now, or anytime soon, but eventually she will die because of my incomptence. AND IT WILL BE MY FAULT. I don't want that. I'm willing to put everything I believe aside for her. She will not die because of me!" Kenshin stood, glaring at Sano. "Ok, ok...I understand." Sano lied. "Just tell me one thing." he said pleadingly. Kenshin sighed and tried to relax his trembling body. "What?" he said, almost tiredly. "Was everything you ever told me a lie? All the things about how you didn't have to be something you didn't want to be, all the talks about being a better man, helping people instead of hurting them...were they true?" Kenshin blinked his cold eyes, and Sano was surprised their frigidity didn't freeze them to his skull. Kenshin stared at Sano for almost an eternity before finally replying. "I don't know anymore."
~*~*~
Kaoru wondered at the sheer vastness of the Others HQ. "This place is HUGE!" she exclaimed to Fjork as they strolled along under a giant suspended aquarium. A giant, vibrant purple fish was happily swimming among various blue and pink plants. An almost transparent white angelfish hid behind the teal coral. Kaoru found she couldn't get enough of these awesome creatures. "Where do you get them all?" she asked breathlessly. Fjork chuckled. "Most of them are all figments of our imaginations. We think them into existence, so to say. What you see in that aquarium is the manifestation of what YOUR mind would have in that aquarium. What do you see?" he asked, genuinely curious. Kaoru stared up at the fish her own mind had created. Did that mean...Kaoru smirked. The fish in the aquarium twisted and twirled together, and then in the purple fish's place, there was a playful dolphin. Kaoru gasped in surprise and wonder. "A...dolphin!" she cried joyously.
Fjork grinned boyishly. "A girl of true class." he remarked. And then to Kaoru's astonishment and glee, before her very eyes tiny pieces of glass began assembling themselves into a pair of playful dolphins. When the assembly came to a halt, the two dolphins began to frolick, their tails whipping and fins shining as they danced about gaily. Kaoru clapped her hands and laughed. "How wonderful!" Fjork smiled. "They're yours." He could see why Hitomi had fallen in love with a human. They were so easy to please.
"Kaoru, we must get you back to Earth."
~*~*~
Hitomi readied herself for the long teleportation to Earth. It would take several minutes, and if anyone disturbed her...she would die. She knew that she wasn't in the safest of places, not with a killer having been in her room the very night before, but she knew she had to get out. She was going to Earth, no matter what. There was only one way for her to get there though. She must have a firm grip on the mind of the individual she was going to visit, in this case Kenshin. "That shouldn't be too hard." she smiled and closed her eyes.
If only she had kept them open.
If they had been open, she would have seen the figure sneaking up behind her. She would have known that she would never make the teleportation. And she would have known that if she tried, Kenshin's mind would be ripped to shreds.
But unfortunately, she didn't keep them open. And she didn't see the figure.
~*~*~
A/N: Well...It's kind of a cliff-hanger...*shrug* I dunno. I like it. I'm trying to get you guys a chapter out there, and I think I've finally hit my inspiration. WOOHOO! Anyhow, I have to go work on homework now lol. Talk to you guys later! Let me know about the sequel in your reviews!
Shaolin 10: Sorry I didn't update like I be supposed to. *sigh* Oh well! ^- ^ Enjoy my chapter, for bad things are to come. BAD things. Yeah, sorry but i don't know about anonymous reviewers...*sigh* Too bad about them saying they were bad, I'm sure they were just on crack.
DarkShadowHuntress: WOW! IT'S SCARY HOW MUCH WE ARE ALIKE! LOL! I have a best friend that is almost exactly lik--no actually she's the exact opposite of me lol. But we finish each others sentences and know what the other is saying before they say it and sometimes we can tell what we are thinking and yeah we can freak our friends out. That is fun.*gasps* I HAVE GIR'S DOOM SONG ON MY COMPUTER! *does happy dance* WE'RE ALL ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY! THEY WILL DANCE FOR US! *grins* Glad to hear you like it, and I hope you're right about my future. I want to be a writer so badly, but I'm not sure I can make it. *sigh* u.u
Brownie-luving Icee-chan: Lol, SUGAR IS A GOOD THING!
Falling_from_the_sky: Hey! Oh believe me, bad, bad, bad murderous scenes are to come. I fear for my characters! Actualyl, I know relatively what all Bad I'm going to do to them. *grins* It scares me.
A/N: Sorry to all you guys for making you wait so long. I've started another story that just popped into my head one day. I like it a lot, so after this story is over I may not write anymore until it is finished. It's all up to you guys. If after I post this there is like, mass panic and confusion and people are committing suicide because their TV's won't turn on, then maybe they should get the remote, and the other people just need to calm themselves. There is a possibility that I might have to have knee surgery, which I've heard is painful, and I don't wanna...I don't wanna at all! I'm afraid of surgery!!! But then again...perhaps surgery is better than the frickin' sticks (crutches) I've been lugging around. GOD I hate those. But still...I'm afraid. ANYHOW, I want to know now, would you guys want a sequel? Or what...what do YOU want to happen? I know half of you aren't going to read this, but I don't care. As for me, I probably WON'T write a sequel...but if majority says yay, then yay it is. Wow...I am one weird little person. Ok, you know you've officially crossed the weirdness barrier when ALL your personalities agree that we scare me. AH! I mean...Read the chapter?
Disclaimer: We-she-I! Do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Hm...it's been a while since I typed THAT.
~*~*~
Kenshin stomped to his room in the dojo. "What's eatin' him?" Sano said quietly to Yahiko. "Dunno." Yahiko answered, chowing through the leftover tofu. Sano turned thoughtfully to the brooding Kenshin. 'Something's not right.' he said to himself. 'Something is NOT right.'
Kenshin crashed around his room, looking, searching, NEEDING what he had to find. Through his drawers, behind his chest, inside his trunks, he looked EVERYWHERE. "What did I do with that damn sword?" he growled. He knew he wasn't thinking clearly; he could feel the bad thoughts muddling his mind. Searching through another trunk only to come up empty-handed once again, Kenshin inadvertantly took all his anger and frustration out on the trunk. "DAMN YOU!" he screamed, punching the trunk with all his might. The trunk exploded into a million pieces, and Kenshin--and his bloody knuckles--was astounded to see the sword lying in the rubble.
"I searched there already." he grumbled.
He grabbed the sword out of the debris of his old trunk and sat moodily on his futon, staring at the sheathe. Finally he scowled and pulled the sword from its hiding place. The katana glistened with an evil glint in the dim evening dusklight. 'Still sharp.' he noted with a smirk. 'This blade never rusts, though it absorbed the blood of so many. And it will absorb the blood of Kaoru's kidnapper with much greed.' he thought. Sano walked quietly to the door of Kenshin's room, wondering what all the commotion was about.
From within he heard these terrifying words, "This time...the Battousai's back for good." "NO!" Sano burst into the room, only to find the very fine honed edge of a very real, very sharp, very exact opposite of reverse-blade sword at his throat. His eyes widened as the breeze of displaced air whistled by his head. Another inch and Kenshin would have taken his head off! Sano took a deep breath and glanced down, careful not to move his head. He swallowed when his almond eyes met the ungiving amber ice. "Kenshin?"
Kenshin scowled at him before lowering his sword and sitting back on his futon, filled with almost teenage-like angst. Sano stared at the man he used to know but hadn't ever figured out. "The Kenshin I know would never have done something like that." he said. "The Kenshin you know is gone." Kenshin spat. Sano looked up sadly. "I wish I didn't believe you. But I saw the look in your eyes just then. Whatever happened to her must have been bad, huh?" Kenshin tensed.This bloke would never understand. Kaoru had been kidnapped right out from under his nose! He was too weak like this! What everyone said was true...he couldn't NOT be a manslayer anymore.
The not-so-easy task of admitting that to himself over, Kenshin relaxed. "Sano..." he said, his demeanor reverting to the rurouni's kind actions. "I hope you can forgive me...but I can't do this anymore. Sessha is too weak, too weak to even protect that that means most to him, that he is, and he will do anything to fix that. He must. I must. We will." Kenshin stared deep into the eyes of his best friend. Sano looked away. The voice was Kenshin's, but the cold eyes staring him down belonged to the hitokiri,which had remained until now a long displaced memento of a past unsuccessfully forgotten. "Kenshin...I don't understand. I know I don't, and I can't even begin to fathom your reasoning, but I really have no choice but to accept it. I do forgive you, because I can imagine what it would be like, to lose what I love. It would drive me absolutely insane, knowing that at any minute someone could be at her throat. I just want you to know...you don't have to do this."
Kenshin closed his eyes. "You're right. You don't understand. Sano...if I don't do this Kaoru will die. She may not now, or anytime soon, but eventually she will die because of my incomptence. AND IT WILL BE MY FAULT. I don't want that. I'm willing to put everything I believe aside for her. She will not die because of me!" Kenshin stood, glaring at Sano. "Ok, ok...I understand." Sano lied. "Just tell me one thing." he said pleadingly. Kenshin sighed and tried to relax his trembling body. "What?" he said, almost tiredly. "Was everything you ever told me a lie? All the things about how you didn't have to be something you didn't want to be, all the talks about being a better man, helping people instead of hurting them...were they true?" Kenshin blinked his cold eyes, and Sano was surprised their frigidity didn't freeze them to his skull. Kenshin stared at Sano for almost an eternity before finally replying. "I don't know anymore."
~*~*~
Kaoru wondered at the sheer vastness of the Others HQ. "This place is HUGE!" she exclaimed to Fjork as they strolled along under a giant suspended aquarium. A giant, vibrant purple fish was happily swimming among various blue and pink plants. An almost transparent white angelfish hid behind the teal coral. Kaoru found she couldn't get enough of these awesome creatures. "Where do you get them all?" she asked breathlessly. Fjork chuckled. "Most of them are all figments of our imaginations. We think them into existence, so to say. What you see in that aquarium is the manifestation of what YOUR mind would have in that aquarium. What do you see?" he asked, genuinely curious. Kaoru stared up at the fish her own mind had created. Did that mean...Kaoru smirked. The fish in the aquarium twisted and twirled together, and then in the purple fish's place, there was a playful dolphin. Kaoru gasped in surprise and wonder. "A...dolphin!" she cried joyously.
Fjork grinned boyishly. "A girl of true class." he remarked. And then to Kaoru's astonishment and glee, before her very eyes tiny pieces of glass began assembling themselves into a pair of playful dolphins. When the assembly came to a halt, the two dolphins began to frolick, their tails whipping and fins shining as they danced about gaily. Kaoru clapped her hands and laughed. "How wonderful!" Fjork smiled. "They're yours." He could see why Hitomi had fallen in love with a human. They were so easy to please.
"Kaoru, we must get you back to Earth."
~*~*~
Hitomi readied herself for the long teleportation to Earth. It would take several minutes, and if anyone disturbed her...she would die. She knew that she wasn't in the safest of places, not with a killer having been in her room the very night before, but she knew she had to get out. She was going to Earth, no matter what. There was only one way for her to get there though. She must have a firm grip on the mind of the individual she was going to visit, in this case Kenshin. "That shouldn't be too hard." she smiled and closed her eyes.
If only she had kept them open.
If they had been open, she would have seen the figure sneaking up behind her. She would have known that she would never make the teleportation. And she would have known that if she tried, Kenshin's mind would be ripped to shreds.
But unfortunately, she didn't keep them open. And she didn't see the figure.
~*~*~
A/N: Well...It's kind of a cliff-hanger...*shrug* I dunno. I like it. I'm trying to get you guys a chapter out there, and I think I've finally hit my inspiration. WOOHOO! Anyhow, I have to go work on homework now lol. Talk to you guys later! Let me know about the sequel in your reviews!
Shaolin 10: Sorry I didn't update like I be supposed to. *sigh* Oh well! ^- ^ Enjoy my chapter, for bad things are to come. BAD things. Yeah, sorry but i don't know about anonymous reviewers...*sigh* Too bad about them saying they were bad, I'm sure they were just on crack.
DarkShadowHuntress: WOW! IT'S SCARY HOW MUCH WE ARE ALIKE! LOL! I have a best friend that is almost exactly lik--no actually she's the exact opposite of me lol. But we finish each others sentences and know what the other is saying before they say it and sometimes we can tell what we are thinking and yeah we can freak our friends out. That is fun.*gasps* I HAVE GIR'S DOOM SONG ON MY COMPUTER! *does happy dance* WE'RE ALL ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY! THEY WILL DANCE FOR US! *grins* Glad to hear you like it, and I hope you're right about my future. I want to be a writer so badly, but I'm not sure I can make it. *sigh* u.u
Brownie-luving Icee-chan: Lol, SUGAR IS A GOOD THING!
Falling_from_the_sky: Hey! Oh believe me, bad, bad, bad murderous scenes are to come. I fear for my characters! Actualyl, I know relatively what all Bad I'm going to do to them. *grins* It scares me.