Disclaimer: puts hands into the air I. DO. NOT. OWN. THEM. PERIOD.

Summary: Kaoru, a recently orphaned teen, is struggling to discover herself and her 'gifts.' What will she do when a young man forbids her from further discovering them?

In A Bed of Roses :Chapter Two


It was not necessary that he remain to watch the corpse burn, but he waited anyway at the threshold of stone after he'd thrown the torch on to the body. The oil burnt with a sudden burst flare of flame and the intense heat made his own skin burn. The room glowed orange, the smell made him gag and the smoke made his eyes water. He made himself stay at the threshold, turning away only to breathe the cool, damp air outside. His responsibility was not over.

- Basilisk, N. M. Browne

I tried to open my eyes, but it seemed as though something was keeping it shut. It took me a while, however, to discover that my eyes were not closed and that I was in some dark place. Rubbing my eyes, I decided to just keep them shut in fear of getting a headache from straining them in the dark. Taking a deep breath I felt my way through the area, which was still unknown to me.

Suddenly, I was pushed against what I assumed to be another person because a loud grunt was heard on collision. I pushed against the person and tried to gain my balance on the floor, but then the floor seemed to move and I was once again thrown into the person once more.

He pushed me away once again, as if I was something so despicable that he couldn't bear touching me. I rubbed my arms, which were somewhat numb from the constant pushing and shoving I received as I walked down what I assumed to be a hallway. The floor was wet against my bare feet and the air was musky. The salty, tangy smell caused me to breathe in hollow and sharp breaths. The damp air also caused me to perspire.

Sweat formed behind my neck, causing me to feel uncomfortable with the sticky feeling it gave me. Great. I didn't have any spare cloth on me, seeing as I was wearing my kimono and I didn't have any pockets.

I wiped my neck with my hand, immediately regretting it when my hand got sticky. I wiped the perspiration onto my kimono, ruining the silk cloth. I grinned to myself, I could imagine what my mother would do if she saw me.

"Don't you understand the importance of tidiness? That kimono was beautiful, now look at it."

She was always so uptight and strict. I normally pinned her behavior on my father's disappearance.

Thinking of which whenever I asked my mother about him she would just ignore the question and change the subject. I can't remember much about my father. I just remember his hands. They were so gentle whenever he carried me, played with me, and when he hugged me. He was so kind and gentle. I remember thinking about how lucky my mother must've been to have met someone like my dad.

Everything collapsed when he disappeared.

Our family fell apart. My mother became distant and I, well, I became stubborn and unruly – as my mother likes to put it. We became different. She wasn't someone I could always confide in, but her calmness was something I could hold onto. She like a refuge, a haven. She always had this comforting and yet demanding air around her, which made me comfortable.

I continued down the supposed hallway and only stopped to open my eyes to see if there was any change in scenery. There was.

It wasn't dark anymore, mostly because I was standing under the gap in the ceiling and the moon was shining proudly in the night's sky.

It was different looking at it from where I was. It seemed brighter. I took a moment to look around and see what I could in the dim light. There were more Japanese people, like myself, sitting, standing, lying down, and doing anything else possible to get comfortable in the limited space. The walls and ceiling was made out of wood and I assumed that we were on the ship to America.

I guess Himura took the liberty to take me unconscious onto a ship and abandon me there.

There cool night's breeze blew down upon me and I found myself shivering. The cold air caused goose bumps on my arm and I rubbed them in an effort to make them go away. They didn't, however, and I opt for pulling my kimono tighter over my body to keep from shivering. The breeze was stronger now and it didn't seem to pass.

I took a deep breath and continued down the hallway. Soon it grew darker and darker, till I couldn't see anything. Instead of closing my eyes, I kept them open although I was sure I wouldn't be able to see anything. I felt my way through the ship and soon my fingers touched cool, moist wood. I smiled in satisfaction and felt my way down as I started to sit. I leaned against the wood and sighed.

Pulling my knees towards my chest, I laid my chin on them. Slowly, I started rocking back and forth. I couldn't help it.

Something about this ship, about my running away disturbed me. I felt so small, so weak.

My mom died.

I felt a tear make its way down my cheek at the thought that I had no family left. Everyone was gone and I didn't know anyone on the ship. I felt so alone. Suddenly, a cold, chilling feeling surged through my body. The mysterious feeling like someone was watching me. I tried to brush off the feeling, but it persisted. I have no idea who would take interest in me, an orphan. I was a worthless person. I had no father, no husband, and no mother. I was on the bottom end of society, the outcast.

Deep in thought, a constant wrenching feeling broke my chain of thoughts. I let out a small whimper as the pull became stronger. I held back, however, and pulled my arms across my chest as if my heart would beat out of my chest. I started panting, and in my mind the small noises I made seemed to echo unceasingly.

I shouldn't, but the temptation and my curiosity was so great. In that one moment, at the edge of another vision, Himura's eyes popped into my mind and suddenly I didn't care what he said. He didn't have any right to tell me what and what not to do. So my defiant personality took over and I let my vision overcome without a strong struggle. The strange sensation filled my body as I felt like I was being pulled from one world and heartlessly thrown into another. The world started spinning quickly till it was nothing more that a whirling blur of color.

I held my head and closed my eyes trying to block out the unusual spinning, which made me feel a little nauseous. Suddenly everything stopped buzzing and spinning.

I glanced at my surroundings and found myself somewhere in Japan. I saw a village over the edge of the hills where I stood. Everything seemed calm, and I risked a little walk towards the village.

The dirt was crushed beneath my sandals as I walked down a path that obviously leads towards the village. I was almost tempted to whistle to myself because of the wonderful silence and peace I found.

Suddenly, a flash of red caught my eye. Something or someone was running in the woods. It was then that I was aware of all the screaming and chaos that wasn't too far away. I ran.

When I finally arrived at the village, after a long run, I found it in ashes. No one survived, or so I thought, and the houses laid in ruins. My feet felt numb and I couldn't walk. In that moment, I found myself immobile because of the cruelty unleashed on this seemingly innocent village. Dead bodies of women, men, and children were scattered everywhere. Some were burned and others were bleeding profusely.

Unwanted tears filled my eyes.

Then there was another flash of red and I followed it. It was a little child with bright red hair. He kneeled before three dead bodies, crying into his little hands. I wanted to walk towards him and try to comfort him, but something held me back. It was his voice. His small, shivering voice broke through the dead silence.

"I'm sorry." He started sniffling and wheezing. "I wasn't able to protect you… I-"

He stopped talking and looked around. He seized a dagger from one of the dead body's hand and held it in his hand. Was he going to kill himself? This reminded me of my mother's suicide. A sad chill ran down my spine as the sadness and disgust fueled my tears.

Contradictory to my thoughts, he didn't kill himself. Instead he dragged the blade across his cheek and I realized that a bloody cross was scarred across his left cheek… just like Himura.

"I swear…" His small quivering voice became stronger and deeper with a hollowness that left me feeling empty. "I swear I'll avenge your deaths."

He started digging, to bury the bodies I presume. I watched helplessly as he slaved over the dead bodies and pulled them into small makeshift graves. His small body collapsed, but that didn't stop him. He pulled himself up and limped towards the other dead. He carried bodies that seemed to be twice his weight and pushed them into holes he had dug. Gathering sticks, he made crosses which he placed at the head of each grave. On three separate graves, however, he place three huge stones.

After surveying his handiwork, he turned around and faced me. Two eyes burned with anger and I found myself covering my mouth in wonder.

They were two amber eyes and I finally realized that I had seen the past. I saw Himura Kenshin's past… and now I knew why there was a cross shaped scar across his cheek.

I pulled myself out of the vision, feeling as if I had violated his privacy.

TBC

Well, I have returned from Mississippi! Didn't you miss me?! Anyway, nothing much happened. I just stayed in the arcade as my parents gambled. I recently started practicing DDR now since I haven't been playing in a while. I want to get better so I'm playing everyday. I get kind of tired, however, and my legs hurt every morning, but that's okay. I just really want to be good at DDR. I love watching people play all those difficult songs and soon I want to be able to do those songs too. I think I can do up to eight or seven feet difficulty, but it depends on the song as well.

I hope you guys liked this chapter and review.

!!Review please!!