Disclaimer: still don't own the series or the characters.*sniffle*
Thank you everyone for reviewing!!!
Here we go on with the story!
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Kaoru's POV:
They had finally finished dinner, as soon as they walked out of the Akabeko Kenshin looked back and noticed that Yahiko wasn't even following them.
"What's the matter?" Kaoru looked at him concernedly.
"I am going to stay back a little-"
"To see what Yahiko is doing?" Kaoru said finishing his sentence "You know that you are becoming more meddlesome these days." She smiled at him as she walked off. The night breeze whipped across her face, she shivered and looked up at the few stars that where twinkling dimly in the early evening.
"They're pretty aren't they?" said a deep voice from behind her.
Kaoru whipped around to face Kenji. "What do you want?"
He looked at her seriously "We haven't had much of a chance to talk since I came home-"
"This place is no longer your home you fore fitted that when you left." A small twinge of anger that had been buried for a while was starting to surface again, but she ignored it and walked on.
Kaoru had already made it to the bridge before Kenji caught up to her. He grabbed her wrist. "We need to talk, there are things that you don't understand-"
She wrenched her arm from his grasp. "Understand?!" she yelled. "No, I think you don't understand, you have no idea what I went through." Tears started to well in her eyes.
"You left us..." her voice cracked, "You left me... Most of all you left mother-left her to die. I found her-" she said this through clenched teeth. "I found her, but it was too late. Do you know what that is like to see her like that?" She closed her eyes. The picture was still fresh in her mind. "You left, the time I needed you the most and you weren't there-"
"I-"
"You will not interrupt me, you owe me that much." She said furiously.
Kenji fell silent at the look of her face and let her continue.
"I was alone." she was shaking uncontrollably with anger, "Father didn't make it home in time for the funeral, but you wouldn't know weren't there. He asked me what happened to you. Do you know what I told him?" she looked him straight in the eye, he had a sincere look on his face was it pity that she saw in them? "I told him that you left after the funeral that you just couldn't handle it. He believed me, he understood, he didn't blame you, not like I did. I knew that if he ever found out what happened, what really happened, it would tear him apart." She clenched her fists. "I don't know why I lied, but I did."
She sighed. "It wasn't long until you came waltzing home and father was just so happy, he was so proud, proud of the stories and treasures that you brought from far away places, I kept quiet I hoped that maybe you would stay and for a while." She laughed at herself, "At one point I started to believe you would. I started to heal, started to trust you again.
"It was a cold morning when father died. You didn't stay long did you? As soon as the news came of his death you were off again, but not before grabbing the deed to the dojo. I'm not stupid Kenji I know that's what you did..."
"But you don't know why" Kenji said with a voice that made him sound like he was all knowing.
"Do I need to?"
"You at least owe it to me to let me explain what happened." Now sounding like he deserved a chance to talk.
"I owe it to you!?" This was absurd, she owed him nothing.
"You don't know why I left." It was his turn now he was going to tell her what really happened.
"Yes I do. You left a letter and it said that you-"
"That I needed to find myself?" he smiled meekly "come on Kaoru you have known me your whole life. You should have known that I didn't need to find myself. I was going to be the master of the Dojo we both know that was all I ever wanted to be. I left to protect you, and mother." Kenji shook his head he never wanted to tell her this but he thought that she needed to know.
"Protect us!" This was getting more ridiculous by the minute.
"Yes, father knew," Kaoru had a blank expression on her face as he said this, "Did you really think that he believed your lie? Kaoru you maybe good at some things but lying isn't one of them." Kenji looked at the water flowing under the bridge. "Mother didn't die from falling out of bed, like I led you to believe so that you wouldn't..."
"What do you mean 'she didn't fall out of the bed'? Of course she did she- "
"I kept myself from interrupting you I ask you to do the same for me." Kenji said sternly, "Kaoru there has been someone who was after the family and the Dojo."
"Yes I know it was Goheh Hiruma but he-"
"Who?" He looked at her curiously.
"Never mind."
"This person killed father, whoever that Hiruma person was, was not the person I'm talking about, the man I'm talking about also killed mother. And now-" he looked at her. "And now he is after me."
"I don't understand" Kaoru shook her head in disbelief, "Who is this person and why are they after you?"
"If you would let me finish telling you, you wouldn't have these questions so please stop talking and let me finish." He had a frustrated look on his face. Kaoru fell silent and Kenji continued still looking down at the water below. "This person was after the family, and he won't stop until he gets his way." Kenji turned to face Kaoru once more. "Father had arrested this man's brother, and his brother was executed soon after... That man became consumed with anger and wanted to pay father back for what he did; he wanted to destroy what meant most to him. So that meant killing us. I couldn't save mother, but I vowed to protect you no matter the cost, so after he killed mother I made it look like she died of her illness instead of what really happened. And left leading the killer after me, he chased after me for a while but then he somehow landed in jail. That is when I came back home to see you and father. When I got word that he somehow escaped from jail it was too late he had gone after father... and killed him. He was after me once more, but somehow he wound up in jail again, so I took the opportunity to come back home and to see you and to tell you the truth."
"Wha-" this was more absurd than she thought. "I don't believe any of this. Why then if he was after the family, why didn't he kill me? I mean I am right here wouldn't I have been like a sitting duck?" She glared at him again. "And how was mother killed? All that you have told me is that you made it look like she died of her illness."
"It is all true." Kenji looked up at the stars, "He didn't come after you because he thinks you are dead. He thinks that you- the alive you- are just someone who has taken the dojo for yourself after father died." Kenji looked at her confused expression. "Do you remember how I was the one who told you to go and get mothers medicine and buy the supply of food?"
Kaoru nodded, 'What if he is telling the truth? Why, why would he do all this?'
"He came, I tried to stop him but it was too late, he had killed her," Kenji was now talking about their mother once more. "He strangled her and I could do nothing. I was helpless...I was too weak." His eyes looked misty. "He came after me, I lead him off and away from here before I doubled back to leave you the note and set everything up..."
Kaoru felt a twinge in her heart; she looked down at the ground. "This makes no since do-do you even know who the person is?"
Kenji nodded
"What was his name?" If someone had killed her family she deserved to know his name.
"Subaru"
"Subaru?" She whispered that name it had become like a burden to her. Tears welled in her eyes once more. For so long she had blamed Kenji for everything and now she learns that for so long she had hated him for no reason.
"Do not cry," he brushed away a stray tear. "I'm sorry that I ever caused you pain, I never wanted you to feel so alone. You are my only little sister and I would do anything to protect you-"
She wrenched away from his hand once again. "Why couldn't you trust me?!" Anger filled her. "I have been alone for so long and then you come back and you think that you can just try to fill a void by just telling me something that you thought I deserved to know a long time ago and apologize for it!?" she was shaking with anger as she said this.
Kenji could sense something. He looked away from her and noticed that off in the distance Kenshin was walking towards them. "You are right, I have been a horrible person, I will get my things and I will leave I feel that my welcome is well out lived here." He started walking but in the opposite direction of the Dojo, instead he walked up to Kenshin.
Kenshin's POV:
Kenshin stood there looking curiously at Kenji who was walking towards him.
"Let me take the child, I think my sister needs you more than he does." He whispered to Kenshin as he lifted his burden.
Kenshin said nothing but looked over Kenji's shoulder to see Kaoru who was looking lost and confused as she paced back and forth on the bridge. He nodded agreeing with her brother; Kaoru obviously needed him more than Yahiko did.
Kenji walked off, and passed by Kaoru without saying a word.
'Miss Kaoru looks even more upset now than she did earlier.' Kenshin walked up to her and stared at her for a moment before she noticed he was there.
"Kenshin!" she said before she buried herself in his arms and started to sob.
"Miss Kaoru what is wrong?" Kenshin said as he put his arms protectively around her.
She pulled herself away from him and turned her back to him. "Am I a horrible person?"
"Haven't you asked me this before?" Kenshin looked at her with a warm smile.
She turned around and gave him a faint smile, "Remind me."
"I have said it before, and I'll say it again; you could never be a horrible person." His words sounded true and she could feel it.
"What do you know." She said sarcastically
"You're shivering, are you cold?" he put his arms around her tighter.
"No-" she blushed a little her heart starting to flutter. "I-" but she stopped
"What?" Kenshin looked at her but most of all he was focused on her soft lips that where quivering. Was it fear he saw?
She started to tell him what Kenji told her. "Now that you know what happened I ask you again am I a horrible person."
"No" he said taking the opportunity to kiss her lips.
She pulled away from him only to breathe. "It's been a while" she whispered.
"Yes it has," he kissed away a stray tear that was falling down her cheek.
How could he make her feel so happy when only moments before she had been so miserable? It just wasn't fair; she couldn't help but think that she shouldn't be happy.
* * *
Kaoru's POV:
She woke up the next morning in Kenshin's arms. She could hear sounds of rummaging in the next room. She got up as quietly as she trying not to wake Kenshin up. She noticed that the sounds were coming from her old room that was now occupied by Kenji who was busily packing things.
"Ahem" She coughed standing in his open doorway.
"Oh Kaoru, I was just getting my stuff." He gave her a faint smile "I guess that you won't have to worry about me coming around again." He tried to walk past her but she grabbed his arm.
"Kenji, I have never been good at apologies and well-" She looked at him nervously. "It has been a long time since I had a brother, and it would be nice to know what it is like to have one." She looked up at him. "That is if he is willing to stay."
To be continued...
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AN: Didn't see that coming did ya? Like I said before I can be an evil little monkey *grins evilly*
Kaoru: ok I know being nice to him was not in my contract. Battosaichick: I have said it before and I will say it again you don't have a contract! Yahiko: Yeah ugly so shut up already! Kaoru: *hits Yahiko with a bokken that appears out of nowhere* shut up little Yahiko! Yahiko: DON'T CALL ME LITTLE! Battosaichick: ///_^;; until next time *waves while running out door*
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Kaoru's POV:
They had finally finished dinner, as soon as they walked out of the Akabeko Kenshin looked back and noticed that Yahiko wasn't even following them.
"What's the matter?" Kaoru looked at him concernedly.
"I am going to stay back a little-"
"To see what Yahiko is doing?" Kaoru said finishing his sentence "You know that you are becoming more meddlesome these days." She smiled at him as she walked off. The night breeze whipped across her face, she shivered and looked up at the few stars that where twinkling dimly in the early evening.
"They're pretty aren't they?" said a deep voice from behind her.
Kaoru whipped around to face Kenji. "What do you want?"
He looked at her seriously "We haven't had much of a chance to talk since I came home-"
"This place is no longer your home you fore fitted that when you left." A small twinge of anger that had been buried for a while was starting to surface again, but she ignored it and walked on.
Kaoru had already made it to the bridge before Kenji caught up to her. He grabbed her wrist. "We need to talk, there are things that you don't understand-"
She wrenched her arm from his grasp. "Understand?!" she yelled. "No, I think you don't understand, you have no idea what I went through." Tears started to well in her eyes.
"You left us..." her voice cracked, "You left me... Most of all you left mother-left her to die. I found her-" she said this through clenched teeth. "I found her, but it was too late. Do you know what that is like to see her like that?" She closed her eyes. The picture was still fresh in her mind. "You left, the time I needed you the most and you weren't there-"
"I-"
"You will not interrupt me, you owe me that much." She said furiously.
Kenji fell silent at the look of her face and let her continue.
"I was alone." she was shaking uncontrollably with anger, "Father didn't make it home in time for the funeral, but you wouldn't know weren't there. He asked me what happened to you. Do you know what I told him?" she looked him straight in the eye, he had a sincere look on his face was it pity that she saw in them? "I told him that you left after the funeral that you just couldn't handle it. He believed me, he understood, he didn't blame you, not like I did. I knew that if he ever found out what happened, what really happened, it would tear him apart." She clenched her fists. "I don't know why I lied, but I did."
She sighed. "It wasn't long until you came waltzing home and father was just so happy, he was so proud, proud of the stories and treasures that you brought from far away places, I kept quiet I hoped that maybe you would stay and for a while." She laughed at herself, "At one point I started to believe you would. I started to heal, started to trust you again.
"It was a cold morning when father died. You didn't stay long did you? As soon as the news came of his death you were off again, but not before grabbing the deed to the dojo. I'm not stupid Kenji I know that's what you did..."
"But you don't know why" Kenji said with a voice that made him sound like he was all knowing.
"Do I need to?"
"You at least owe it to me to let me explain what happened." Now sounding like he deserved a chance to talk.
"I owe it to you!?" This was absurd, she owed him nothing.
"You don't know why I left." It was his turn now he was going to tell her what really happened.
"Yes I do. You left a letter and it said that you-"
"That I needed to find myself?" he smiled meekly "come on Kaoru you have known me your whole life. You should have known that I didn't need to find myself. I was going to be the master of the Dojo we both know that was all I ever wanted to be. I left to protect you, and mother." Kenji shook his head he never wanted to tell her this but he thought that she needed to know.
"Protect us!" This was getting more ridiculous by the minute.
"Yes, father knew," Kaoru had a blank expression on her face as he said this, "Did you really think that he believed your lie? Kaoru you maybe good at some things but lying isn't one of them." Kenji looked at the water flowing under the bridge. "Mother didn't die from falling out of bed, like I led you to believe so that you wouldn't..."
"What do you mean 'she didn't fall out of the bed'? Of course she did she- "
"I kept myself from interrupting you I ask you to do the same for me." Kenji said sternly, "Kaoru there has been someone who was after the family and the Dojo."
"Yes I know it was Goheh Hiruma but he-"
"Who?" He looked at her curiously.
"Never mind."
"This person killed father, whoever that Hiruma person was, was not the person I'm talking about, the man I'm talking about also killed mother. And now-" he looked at her. "And now he is after me."
"I don't understand" Kaoru shook her head in disbelief, "Who is this person and why are they after you?"
"If you would let me finish telling you, you wouldn't have these questions so please stop talking and let me finish." He had a frustrated look on his face. Kaoru fell silent and Kenji continued still looking down at the water below. "This person was after the family, and he won't stop until he gets his way." Kenji turned to face Kaoru once more. "Father had arrested this man's brother, and his brother was executed soon after... That man became consumed with anger and wanted to pay father back for what he did; he wanted to destroy what meant most to him. So that meant killing us. I couldn't save mother, but I vowed to protect you no matter the cost, so after he killed mother I made it look like she died of her illness instead of what really happened. And left leading the killer after me, he chased after me for a while but then he somehow landed in jail. That is when I came back home to see you and father. When I got word that he somehow escaped from jail it was too late he had gone after father... and killed him. He was after me once more, but somehow he wound up in jail again, so I took the opportunity to come back home and to see you and to tell you the truth."
"Wha-" this was more absurd than she thought. "I don't believe any of this. Why then if he was after the family, why didn't he kill me? I mean I am right here wouldn't I have been like a sitting duck?" She glared at him again. "And how was mother killed? All that you have told me is that you made it look like she died of her illness."
"It is all true." Kenji looked up at the stars, "He didn't come after you because he thinks you are dead. He thinks that you- the alive you- are just someone who has taken the dojo for yourself after father died." Kenji looked at her confused expression. "Do you remember how I was the one who told you to go and get mothers medicine and buy the supply of food?"
Kaoru nodded, 'What if he is telling the truth? Why, why would he do all this?'
"He came, I tried to stop him but it was too late, he had killed her," Kenji was now talking about their mother once more. "He strangled her and I could do nothing. I was helpless...I was too weak." His eyes looked misty. "He came after me, I lead him off and away from here before I doubled back to leave you the note and set everything up..."
Kaoru felt a twinge in her heart; she looked down at the ground. "This makes no since do-do you even know who the person is?"
Kenji nodded
"What was his name?" If someone had killed her family she deserved to know his name.
"Subaru"
"Subaru?" She whispered that name it had become like a burden to her. Tears welled in her eyes once more. For so long she had blamed Kenji for everything and now she learns that for so long she had hated him for no reason.
"Do not cry," he brushed away a stray tear. "I'm sorry that I ever caused you pain, I never wanted you to feel so alone. You are my only little sister and I would do anything to protect you-"
She wrenched away from his hand once again. "Why couldn't you trust me?!" Anger filled her. "I have been alone for so long and then you come back and you think that you can just try to fill a void by just telling me something that you thought I deserved to know a long time ago and apologize for it!?" she was shaking with anger as she said this.
Kenji could sense something. He looked away from her and noticed that off in the distance Kenshin was walking towards them. "You are right, I have been a horrible person, I will get my things and I will leave I feel that my welcome is well out lived here." He started walking but in the opposite direction of the Dojo, instead he walked up to Kenshin.
Kenshin's POV:
Kenshin stood there looking curiously at Kenji who was walking towards him.
"Let me take the child, I think my sister needs you more than he does." He whispered to Kenshin as he lifted his burden.
Kenshin said nothing but looked over Kenji's shoulder to see Kaoru who was looking lost and confused as she paced back and forth on the bridge. He nodded agreeing with her brother; Kaoru obviously needed him more than Yahiko did.
Kenji walked off, and passed by Kaoru without saying a word.
'Miss Kaoru looks even more upset now than she did earlier.' Kenshin walked up to her and stared at her for a moment before she noticed he was there.
"Kenshin!" she said before she buried herself in his arms and started to sob.
"Miss Kaoru what is wrong?" Kenshin said as he put his arms protectively around her.
She pulled herself away from him and turned her back to him. "Am I a horrible person?"
"Haven't you asked me this before?" Kenshin looked at her with a warm smile.
She turned around and gave him a faint smile, "Remind me."
"I have said it before, and I'll say it again; you could never be a horrible person." His words sounded true and she could feel it.
"What do you know." She said sarcastically
"You're shivering, are you cold?" he put his arms around her tighter.
"No-" she blushed a little her heart starting to flutter. "I-" but she stopped
"What?" Kenshin looked at her but most of all he was focused on her soft lips that where quivering. Was it fear he saw?
She started to tell him what Kenji told her. "Now that you know what happened I ask you again am I a horrible person."
"No" he said taking the opportunity to kiss her lips.
She pulled away from him only to breathe. "It's been a while" she whispered.
"Yes it has," he kissed away a stray tear that was falling down her cheek.
How could he make her feel so happy when only moments before she had been so miserable? It just wasn't fair; she couldn't help but think that she shouldn't be happy.
* * *
Kaoru's POV:
She woke up the next morning in Kenshin's arms. She could hear sounds of rummaging in the next room. She got up as quietly as she trying not to wake Kenshin up. She noticed that the sounds were coming from her old room that was now occupied by Kenji who was busily packing things.
"Ahem" She coughed standing in his open doorway.
"Oh Kaoru, I was just getting my stuff." He gave her a faint smile "I guess that you won't have to worry about me coming around again." He tried to walk past her but she grabbed his arm.
"Kenji, I have never been good at apologies and well-" She looked at him nervously. "It has been a long time since I had a brother, and it would be nice to know what it is like to have one." She looked up at him. "That is if he is willing to stay."
To be continued...
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AN: Didn't see that coming did ya? Like I said before I can be an evil little monkey *grins evilly*
Kaoru: ok I know being nice to him was not in my contract. Battosaichick: I have said it before and I will say it again you don't have a contract! Yahiko: Yeah ugly so shut up already! Kaoru: *hits Yahiko with a bokken that appears out of nowhere* shut up little Yahiko! Yahiko: DON'T CALL ME LITTLE! Battosaichick: ///_^;; until next time *waves while running out door*