Author's Notes :
First of all, I apologize to everyone for taking so long in updating this chapter. =(
Second of all, some reviewers brought up good points about my last chapter. I didn't want Higurashi's story to come off sounding too one-sided. Karen brought up that [the Shinsengumi], ". . .were ruthless and practiced the Samurai teachings of Bushido, honor before life, never run away from a battle, deserters will be executed, etc, but they were no more, and no less, ruthless or dangerous then the Ishin Shishi." That is completely true. Yes, they had certain ideals and followed them.
In this fic, however, Higurashi Miroku worked underneath one of the Shinsengumi leaders, Fujimoto Akane, and Fujimoto (unlike Saitou or Okita ) had his own twisted motives and selfish reasons for being in the group. The man craved power and was very corrupt. Fujimoto abused his power (killed people without giving them any chance for forgiveness or explanations, ie killing the little girl without any sign of regret). When Higurashi realized what kind of person he was working under and how the corrupt the government officals were, he decided that he wanted to change things so he joined the Ishin to fight for a peaceful era.
I hope what I wrote made sense. =)
WARNING : Violence and bad language in this chapter.
Off topic note: For those Kenshin fans who have not yet seen "Naruto". OMG, you guys should check it out! It's a great series! =D
~ A Memory Forgotten ~
Chapter 25
"Kaoru-chan," he began.
"Hai?" the girl responded in a curious tone. It was the first time the monk had called her with such an endearing term. Even though he was technically still a stranger to her, she liked the sound of it coming out of his mouth.
The man turned to face her once more. His blue eyes penetrated her own as he spoke. She felt her throat tighten and become dry as she awaited for him to start. "This story that I will tell you will hurt," he stated bluntly. His eyes closed in concentration as he thought of where he would begin.
Kaoru's heart quickened, but she nodded her head urging him to continue. Soujiro took a hold of Kaoru's hand and held it to brace her for what Higurashi was about to say.
The monk took another deep breath as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked straight into the girl's eyes with care.
"Kaoru . . . . I am your father."
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Kaoru's sapphire orbs widened in shock and disbelief. She subconsciously clenched her hand tightly around Soujiro's hand when she heard him confess. Her father? But.. but how was that possible, she thought. Her father was Kamiya Koshijirou. Why would this man in front of her lie to her? She shook her head uncontrollably and her raven-black hair was thrown into a mess.
"No! It's not true! How could you be?" she stated looking him straight in the eye.
Miroku looked at her solemnly. He hadn't wanted to break the news to her at a time like this. He hadn't wanted her to be involved in his past. That was the reason he had let her go in the first place. That was the reason why he had left her. The monk looked at her and said, "Kaoru . . . it . . . it's true. I am your father."
The girl looked him straight in the eye and studied him. His eyes did not flinch. His movements were still calm and his breathing had remained normal. He's not lying, she thought in slight fear. "Demo! Demo .. how can that be! My father was Kamiya Koshijirou! My father taught me Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. He died on duty during the Seinan War. He's not you!!!!! You can't be my father! You can't .. you can't . . .you can't be," she repeated with her hands clasped around her head. She had started to get a throbbing headache with his last couple of words. No, she muttered. It's not possible. If it is . . if it is . .
Miroku's eyes widened in surprise and sadness when he heard Kamiya Koshijirou's name. He had lost all contact with him ever since that day. That day, he thought in sadness. He had not known that his old friend had died on the field during the Seinan War. Kaoru-chan .. that means, he paused in thought as he took a steady look at the raven-haired girl who had grown so much, you were all alone.
Soujiro looked at the girl beside him and then glanced at the monk's image. His eyes narrowed. He didn't like seeing her in pain like this. He unconsciously clenched his fists tightly when he saw some wetness forming on the top of Kaoru's cheeks. The boy felt like he needed to protect her.
"Higurashi-san . . ."
Miroku looked up towards the boy and felt his heated ki. It seemed somewhat familiar to him. He shook the feeling off as he noticed the icy cold glare the boy held in his eyes. He swallowed hard as his throat suddenly went dry.
"Nani, Seta-san?"
"How are you Kaoru-chan's father? What exactly happened that day?" Soujiro asked in a voice laced with daggers.
Miroku nodded in understanding. He drew in his breath with much difficulty as he began to tell the rest of his tragedy. Kaoru's mind cleared as her ears became attuned to the monk's voice.
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Yahiko let out a large sigh. Kenshin, Sanosuke, and he had been patrolling the area where Kaoru was last seen for the past couple of days. The sun beat down on their sweat-laden backs and their clothes stuck to their bare skin. The young boy wiped some sweat from off of his brow. How much longer until we find you, Kaoru?, he thought. He dug his sandals deep into the earth and kicked it up. The particles of sand blew into the wind. Yahiko's eyes darkened.
"Himura!! Hey Himura!!"
The three heads quickly shot towards the direction of the voice.
A short girl with pigtails was waving at them while she bounced towards the group alongside a taller, more stoic man. Seeing that the girl was so joyful, Yahiko assumed that they had found some information about his sensei's whereabouts.
"Did you find any information on Kaoru?" Yahiko blurted out.
Misao's demeanor quieted down as she looked on the ground. She shook her head 'no' slowly. The young boy's excitement drooped at her negative response. "Oh," he said as he looked down on the ground. I was so sure that Misao and Aoshi would have gotten information about her. Did they not find any information about Higurashi Miroku either?
Kenshin looked at the newly arrived couple with an inscrutable expression donned on his visage. In the past few months, the man's amethyst eyes had lost that sparkle to them. His cheeks had grown a bit hollow since they had first seen him and his red hair, the ends were in knots and the once brilliant color had become dull. Dust and dirt had caked onto his skin and clothes. Kenshin looked like an entirely different man than he once was before Kaoru had disappeared.
"Misao-dono, Aoshi," he addressed the two, "did you find any information regarding Higurashi-dono?" He paused and then added in a meek voice, "or .. or .. Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin dropped his head at speaking her name and his fiery red bangs hid his lavender eyes.
Even his voice, Misao thought, has become dull and emotionless.
"No," Aoshi responded.
Sanosuke strut over to the group and laced his hands around Aoshi's dark blue gi. He pulled it threateningly towards him. "What do you mean 'no'? I thought you Oniwabanshu could get any information you wanted? How come you can't find the measly guy? He's a goddamn monk for goddamn sakes! WHAT THE HELL KIND OF NINJAS ARE YOU?"
Aoshi narrowed his eyes as he spoke calmly. "Sagara, remove your hands from my shirt. There's no reason to resort to violent means. "
Misao jumped up in between them as she put her hands over Sanosuke's hand in an attempt to pry him off Aoshi. "Let go of Aoshi-sama, baka roosterhead!"
The ex-street fighter smirked as his grip loosened. "Feh. You guys were gone for two weeks, you should have gathered some information about Jou-chan or that Higurashi guy at the least. Che! I think maybe you guys aren't taking this seriously."
"Sano . . ." Kenshin warned from the side.
Sanosuke released the other man and Misao's eyes narrowed at the streetfighter's accusations and her face became red with anger. The girl also dearly wanted to find out where Kaoru was located, but they were not able to come up with any useful information in those past two weeks. What Sano had said hurt her and seemed like a blow to their friendship. I want to find Kaoru-san, too. I miss her, she thought. She was about to spout off on him when Aoshi stopped her with an outstretched hand. He too was getting annoyed with Sanosuke's unprecedented remarks about the Oniwabanshu.
"Kamiya would never have gone missing if someone was using his head that night she was taken," Aoshi retorted in a monotone voice, his statement directed at Sanosuke.
Everyone became silent at Aoshi's stunned remark.
Sanosuke turned his back on the group and clenched his fight tightly as he muttered "chikuso" over and over again. His eyebrows furrowed in disgust towards himself as he dropped down onto the his knees and pounded on the dirt below him with his fist. Damn it! I know that! If only I were stronger and had used my brain instead of just my fists at that time. Jou-chan. We wouldn't even be in this mess, he thought. His back shook with anger at himself for not being able to protect her that night. The guilt that he had felt since she disappeared ate at him constantly. If anything happens to you, Jou-chan .. I will never forgive myself.
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"It
was that night that I had lost everything," The monk's phrase replayed over and over
again in Kaoru's head. What did he mean?
The monk took a deepened breath as he began to tell the rest of his story.
"As you know, I had found out that Fujimoto learned about Katsura's location and he was going to have him assassinated that night. I just couldn't let that happen. I told myself that this would be the last mission that I would do for the Ishin Shishi before my family and I would escape Japan."
"What happened that night?" Kaoru asked with a small waver in her voice.
"That night, Kaoru" Miroku started as he looked at her teary-eyed, "I gave up more for the Ishin Shishi cause than I ever thought I would.
I gave up my family."
Kaoru sucked in her breath as Soujiro continued to let his unwandering gaze stay on Miroku's visage. Is he telling the truth?, he thought to himself. But at seeing how the man's ki remained clear, Soujiro believed that the man was not lying. (A/N: This is some fictional part added for the sake of the story: If a person's ki remains clear, he is telling the truth. If it a little darkened or muddled, then that man is lying.)
Miroku continued, "The mission started off as any other mission I've gone on as an internal spy. I would go report to one of the underground Ishin men in the streets that would inform Katsura that he was a target of the Shinsengumi that night. However, what I did not know was that Fujimoto had begun to take notice of my short absences and became suspicious of them. He sent another one of the Shinsengumi to follow me when I had left. By the time I came back, I realized that they had known what I was up to and with whom my loyalties lay."
Flashback to that day
A man donned in a blue and white Shinsengumi uniform walked confidently back to the headquarters, his hair was tied back in a high ponytail and his katana laced to his side. He had a content smile on his face as he let his mind drift off to the thoughts of his family and him living without worries. Maybe they could go to China, he thought. His blue eyes narrowed when he noticed another figure that was walking towards him with a tense visage. The man continued to walk unwaveringly as he passed the other man.
"They know . .." the man said in a voice barely above a whisper.
Miroku's eyes widened in shock and he quickly tried to return to his normal demeanor before approaching home. His pace quickened and his hair sloshed from side to side. Tiny beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. "Kami-sama, please don't let it be too late", he prayed silently in his head.
His heart stopped as he arrived at the foot of the door to his home. Something was wrong. It was too quiet. He collected his senses as he calmly walked through the door.
"Tadaima," he called out casually.
No reply.
"Tadaima," he repeated, this time in a louder voice.
Still no reply.
He sucked in his breath as he advanced further into the confines of his home. He took precautioned steps as he neared the bedroom. "Anata?" he asked in a soft voice as he slid open the shoji door.
His breath caught in his throat as he saw what lay before him and the fragile images that he was daydreaming earlier that evening shattered into broken pieces.
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- To be continued
Author's Notes:
Please read and review! Thanks so much! I really appreciate the comments that you guys make. ^_^ Here are some notes about the chapter:
1.) Higurashi Miroku had notified the Ishin Shishi that he wanted to stop working as a spy for them and wanted to leave the country. The group had agreed as long as he did not reveal his identity to the Shinsengumi.
I wrote this while listening to "Eyes on Me- FF8" and "Wind-Akeboshi".
Reader Responses:
Blazes purple fire – Hi !! Sorry about not leaving comments on the last chapter. I didn't have time to reply to them. I just wanted to post up that chapter as soon as possible. ^_^ hehe.
Oh yes, btw you mentioned what Kaoru's mother looked like – you'll find out in the next installment. ^_^ Keke .. and yes, Saitou will end up meeting Higurashi Miroku later on in the story. Hmm .. I too wonder how he will react. Lol .. actually I already have an outline for that particular part.
And Happy belated belated birthday! =D hehe ..
Yes, I'm thinking of doing an alternate ending for this fic. But more than likely is that I will do a completely different story revolving around Soujiro/Kaoru. =D
Jessie - Thanks for all the emails that you have sent me. Sorry it took so long to update this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter! =D =D
Kenshinfan – Arigato for the comments. Lol . .I hope I satiated anna's desire for violence in the earlier chapter. Though, there will be a lot more violence and drama in the next couple of chapters. =x .. aiyee. This story is taking so long. Lol ..
Chibifrog – Thnx
Anna – Thanks for the comments and everything.
Ryoga and saotome – Haha. Thanks for the comments guys! =D
Lily –Hehe . .I can't believe you read it in the span of 2 days. ^_^ aww thanks . . I'm very flattered that you enjoyed it. Yeah, Miroku has led a very sad life. Hopefully things will look up for him later in the story. . maybe ..
Shermaine – thnx
Chibilee – Hehe . wow I'm flattered that you read this through one sitting. ^_^
Wolf ^-^x – Hehe . . Kenshin and Kaoru will meet up soon .. very soon ..
Van – thnx for reviewing all those chapters. ^_^ I'm glad you liked reading this fic.
Boomerang-chan – Hi! Hehe .. thanks for reading and reviewing!! =D =D lol .. yeah that last sentence is reminiscent of the Star Wars series .. hehe (in more ways than one .. *wink)
OniTokage – Thanks for reviewing! =D Lol .. I got that comment about the Luke's father thing in the other reviews =D hehe .. btw, when are you going to update your story? Sigh .. It's such a great story, I hope you still are continuing it. ^_^
Devotd-inu-fan - ^_^ Thanks for wishing me happy bday. I had a nice once, my roomies, sister, and bf went out to this Indian restaurant to have dinner. It was great. =) I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Kikyosama – thnx for reviewing.
Kago2350 – Hi! I'm glad you like my story so far. =D Hope you'll enjoy the rest of it. Sorry it's been taking so long to write the next chapters. =x I had to revise this one a lot of times before deciding it was decent to post on fanfiction.net
^_^ - Hi! Yeah, that sentence is reminiscent of Star Wars .. =) You'll see later .. umm .. nm .. I guess you'll find out in the later chapters.
Missbehavin – Thanks for your comments. Yeah, I'm planning on Miroku meeting up with Saitou later on in the story. It'll be .. *author clears throat .. quite interesting ..
Beriath – Gomen for taking so long in getting this chapter out =( Hope you still enjoyed it.
Rc - hehe .. oro .. thanks =D
Fyyrose – I'm glad the recaps are serving their purpose. ^_^ (especially since I have been taking a long time in updating these chapters. Sorry!) I hope you liked this chapter.
Karen – Hi! Thanks for bringing up the point about the Shinsengumi. I hope the above Author's note was able to justify my reasoning for Miroku betraying the group. Also, the thing about Kaoru's dad being Kamiya Koshijirou .. Yes, you're right. He did die in the Seinan War and such. You'll find out exactly what happened in the next chapters. =)
Hakaita – Lol .. I love Soujiro too! =D =D sigh .. he's such a cutie.
Kakashi-fan – I love Kakashi also =D sigh .I recently got into Naruto and I am in love with it! =D =D Hehe.. um.. yes, expect to see Kenshin and Kaoru meet up in the next few chapters. =D
Laurika – Hehe. I'm glad you like this fic so far. =D It will end pretty soon. Sniff sniff. Hope you enjoy the rest of it.
Erica – Thanks for your comments. ^_^ I'm so flattered that you like my stories. ^_^
Gypsy-chan – Hello! Thanks for reviewing !!! =d =d . I'm a big fan of your fics. I hope you can update your other K/K fic when you have time. Sigh. It's so good! And thanks for posting my fic on your site! =D =D Arigato gozaimasu.
Briar – Hhee.. thanks for the comments. I liked the lil scenario that you acted out there. It was so funny!
Tennyo no celeste – hi. Yeah, I'm using pin yin for the Chinese parts. =D I'm glad you're liking the story so far.