Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Aren't copy right laws horrible, except when they are protecting your work? When they protect others it just plain sucks!

Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open.

Sir James Dawar(1877-1925)

May You Never

Chapter Four: A Pounding Storm

Kaoru felt her stomach churn like butter. They had passed the entrance of the Sea of Tethela; a huge white structure built on both sides of the massive river. It was built going steady up until it reached a summit about seventy five stories in the air followed by cups of fire at the very top which were always lit, while carvings of Hiten's history were engraved onto the white stone.

It was magnificent, Kaoru thought as she passed it not a few minutes ago. Looking back behind her she could still see its white glimmer and burning cups of yellow. If there was ever to be a more accurate sign to tell anyone that they were now in the Land of Hiten it would have been that and maybe...a huge banner. She shrugged.

They had been on the river for five days now, and making good time which meant that they should reach the port of Sadiva, the capital of Hiten, by the evening. She had heard rumors on and off the ship as they where docked in a few middle ports that Sadiva was one of most exquisite sites in the world. Kaoru knew it had to be. Why would they put the capital anywhere else but perfect. Still, even if it were perfect nothing could replace her mountainous home land.

The river too had widened in width as it slowly turned into the sea. She could barley see the banks of the river; they were so far from her, and when she squinted she could make out flags waving silently in the wind, and brown, white, and peach castles stuck against the horizon that was filled with huge lush trees that stood like mountains. And when she had asked the captain for his binoculars she could make out well built roads made of flag stone and slate brick.

She had expected nothing less from this Kingdom.

Far out in the distance she saw two stone towers on the edge of the sea turning river holding together a very high bridge that had huge columns of stone crash into the water for support. She had never seen such a sight.

Remembering a few days before they had gone for hours at a time without seeing any sign of man, but they were no longer on the Chain. Now little skiffs and boats rocked in and out with their nets, gaffs, and coils of rope. It was a lively sea.

So this was her country, she thought to herself.

It had been another hour since they passed the bridge, and nothing but water was to be seen. Her raven hair flowed around her as she pulled it back once again having her sapphire eyes narrow in agitation. She had lost her only hair tie on the third day, and she was stuck wearing her hair down. It hadn't been easy.

"Princess you had better get some rest." A young deck hand came next to hear. She hadn't even heard him.

Smiling carefully at him she replied, "Thank you for your concern Sir Hiture, but I will in due time. Don't worry."

"We should be there by the sunset or maybe earlier." He slide a glance at her. Her face was distant as if she were looking at something no one could see but herself. "Princess?"

"Yes." She said shaking out of her daze.

"Thank you for doing this." He proclaimed and before she could answer he had already walked away. Her hand was raised wanting to pull him back, but lowering her head she dropped it slowly by her side. She felt so tired all of a sudden. It seemed to her as if she had existed a thousand years, and had never lived. This was her first time out of Kadir, and for once she was intimidated.

She was marrying a man she didn't know, a man who probably was arrogant and spoiled, a man of great power and greed, a man who probably didn't give a thought to his people...a man named Battousai. She shivered. She had to be strong, show him and the rest of Hiten that they would never scare her. Never.

Her head pounded; she need to lie down; she needed to rest. She stepped off the deck and went to her cabin that smelled of wet water and fresh wind. There was a little circular window that let her look out onto land, if it had been there, while it filtered in some much needed light.

Her bed looked so welcoming that she quickly tossed a book off that she had been reading the night before. It had been interesting enough, a history book it was, she always adored history. "The Foundations of Hiten" by Ueten Haliter. If she was to become queen of the land she would have to know about the land's history; she had to know what she would be dealing with. It was the last thing she remembered thinking before she fell asleep in a deep slumber.

"Princess you must wake up." A man's deep voice pounded next to her ear.

She woke up in an instant rubbing her head, groggily. "Are we there?" He shook his head making platinum long hair wave in the motion. Nodding she got up and asked him to leave so she could dress.

Walking to a wooden iron cast chest at the end of her bed and bent down and opened it, and almost fell doing so. There was a constant pounding outside, and Kaoru look up from grasping her bad to the small window. It was pouring.

A loud clap of thunder drummed through the darkening sky. She shivered. She had always loved storms especially on the sea. It always reminded her of good times when her mother...

Placing her feet apart to steady herself she tried to open the chest again managing it perfectly. She was to wear, for her opening appearance, Kadir's colors; silver, and white.

Pulling out the dress her eyes smiled. It was so beautiful.

It was long and flowing in layers of satin and silk. Her sleeves dropping off at her shoulders that had the material puff up an bit as it was circled lower on her arms by silver ribbons having the rest of the snow white material flow down uncontrolled past her hands. A silver ribbon also adorned her waist line, also having decorative ribbon strands at the collar of her dress, and where the dress meet the wooden floor precious clear beads adorned the hem in no specific pattern.

Kaoru looked at herself in the small brass lined mirror and smiled. For once she actually looked beautiful in her eyes.

With a quick flip of her raven hair she bent down to close her trunk, but the top of the trunk never meet its twin because a silver glint caught her eyes.

There it was.

Her mother's tiara.

'Don't cry.' She shushed herself. Bending slightly she gingerly touched the simple diamond band. It was small simple and glorious. It was almost a sin to put in on her raven head, so instead she just held it silently having nothing but warm memories over flow her. Looking down again there was a note on the bottom of the silky trunk.

A curious glow lined her eyes. Picking up she felt the years of weight on it. The parchment had become yellow with time and made cracking noises when she opened it, and there in elegant loopy writing was a letter from her mother.

My Dearest Daughter,

My time is fading fast. Your father says I will be alright; that silly man was always such a liar. I feel the Lord calling to me, its becoming louder everyday, but Kaoru I'm so scarred. I don't want to leave yet. There is so much I want to say to you my dear, my only child. I want to be there when you marry, I want to see you grow with every spring, I want to be able to cry when I see you leave Ivory Hall, I want to teach you about men, and I want to be there for you when you have your own children.

My daughter, go with courage and don't be like me, don't give up on life, nor love. Never loose faith in the one above, and take care of your father for me. Kaoru...if you could only see me now you would be ashamed. I'm crying. You always thought I was so strong, Kaoru, but I'm nothing but flesh and blood. Easy torn, battered, and seared. Easily weak. Remember Kaoru we are only as strong as the Lord makes us. Remember that I will always love you. Go with life and do what you have to do with your head held up high. Never look down upon others, and never, never give up hope no matter what. God has you in his hand always and he will always bring you back when you go astray, God knows what better for you than you do.

Please, Kaoru remember me as I use to be. Remember me full of life and love for my land and family, please don't remember me in this bed sick and delirious when that time comes. Please, daughter Live.

Love Forever and For Always,

Queen Saco Frien Malay Bontiea Kamyia, of Kadir

Your Mother

Kaoru felt her tears drawing near. Her breath hush. She couldn't breath. "Mom." She cried out loud. Lowering her head she pleaded with herself not to cry. She had never cried for her mother; if she ever did then she would be letting her go forever. She didn't want her pain to go away for fear that her mother would go with it.

Her mother asked her to live, go with God, and never lose faith. She had done those things...except for Live. Shaking her head Kaoru laughed silently.

'What are you talking about Kaoru, you are living? What are you doing right now?' She thought reprimanding herself. There was a knock at her door.

"Princess. Will you please come into the captain's den? We are almost there." Kaoru heard the voice clearly and was thankful for the interruption. She needed the change of thoughts, or at least something to distract her from her memories.

Kenshin stood looking out towards the sea of one of the many vast circular windows that stood feet taller then himself or even his father. It was raining. The sound against the stone numbed his mind. The city had become desolate and quite as everyone went for shelter from the rain. The lively city now looked bleak and gray. He hated rainy days, because it was then that his memories haunted him. He hated rain just as he hated sleep for those memories took the shape of dreams. He hadn't had a dreamless sleep in seven years, and it was all because of her.

He sighed. She was suppose to be coming today; The Princess of Kadir, Kaoru Kamyia.

His long crimson hair floated around him held back by a simple leather band at the nape of his neck. He walked closer to the opened aired window holding out his hand to catch the cloud's tears.

Who was this princess? everyone he had asked had barely heard anything of her. The only thing anyone told him was that she cared for her people very much, and did the job of a man. The ladies of his court snickered about it in their gossiping groups, and Kenshin for some unexplainable reason felt a tightening of his jaw. They were talking about his future wife. A woman that sounded a mere dream to him and dreams were never good.

He had always wanted to marry a woman unlike the rest, and from the little he heard she was very unordinary. Or that's how he use to think before she came along. His sister Shura had talked about her, though not in a spiteful manner. All she had said was that she sounded very particular and strange, even though Shura herself loved to be in control.

His violet eyes dropped to his infamous sword that always was by his side. He had killed; killed so many and so brutally because of his hate for that woman who stool his heart. Women to him now were nothing but novelties. Nevertheless, he wanted to meet this future wife of his that would give herself up to a man that she never knew just to help her people.

He laughed.

'That father of hers probably made her.' He thought back to the King of Kadir, but something in his mind stopped him from thinking further. All Kenshin knew was that he never wanted to love again. Love was something for fools and weaklings, and he had ridden himself of that long ago. His only purpose was to work; work hard and die hard. His mind was only for his people of all his lands, and by God eyes he would do it.

His black garb matched the castles romantic furnishings of long past. The palace was beautiful and ancient. Grey stone, new marbled, flag stone, and slate decorated every corner of the palace. It stood on the outside like a golden fort, because the white stone was embed with particles of gold.

He strode down the now closed palace condors, whose walls were meters apart in width, and lighted with beautiful chandeliers shinning down upon the patterned titled floor until he came upon a massive oak door.

Without knocking he strode inside.

"Hey Kenshin." Kenshin was startled for the most part, but hide under the mask he always wore. He rarely talked now a days.

"Sano what are you doing here?" He smirked at his long time friend, looking at the other people in the enormous sitting area.

His sister Shura, along with Prince and Princess Aoshi, and Megumi, a young Prince named Yahiko who adored him, and his confidant Tomoe.

They all sat around the fire place which was seated in the middle of the room surrounded by rising brick. It was an usual room decorated by the late King Odeon many centuries past.

"I just arrived now I heard you were getting married to Missy." Sano smiled.

He had gotten the news a mouth ago that his best friend Kenshin, Prince of Hiten was marrying Kaoru. He hadn't seen her since a year after her mother died. It was like she didn't want to see Soujiro, Misao, or him ever again. Karou wasn't the same their last visit.

They always went over to Ivory Hall every summer to spend time with one another, but that ended when Kaoru metaphorically died. He missed her.

"Missy." Shura laughed. "Who are you talking about?" Shura said smiling over at her brother as he sat next to her on a huge crimson couch. "Kenshin is getting married to that Princess from Kadir, Kaoru Kamyia."

Sano smiled as he sat next to his fiancé, Megumi Princess of Storlim, and her brother Aoshi who nodded to him. Megumi and him had a long past of fighting, making fun of one another and causing chaos at every ball they attended together. That is until they finally realized that they loved each other and got engaged. Kaoru never wrote him a congratulatory card.

"I never told you guys about her did I?" Megumi's hand tightened on his, but all he did was smile.

This awoke Kenshin's attention. He knew her. None of the royals that he talked to knew her, and he had asked all of the in the past month except for Sano, and the Prince and Princess of Anteal.

"What do you know of her, Sano?" Kenshin asked his voice steady, but having a cheerful cover. He wanted to know all. "And please don't leave anything out. I would like to know about my future wife some what before I meet her." He smiled a little.

All eyes were on Sano, and he liked the attention. "Well what do you wan to know."

"Well," Shura ventured, "What does she look like?"

"How about I start how we meet. Not allot of people know about her." Sano went on. Tomoe smiled.

Her silent voice broke his, "Yes, we are all aware of that Sano." He smiled dumbly back.

"I remember when I was younger about Princess Misao, and Prince Soujiro and I always went to Ivory Hall to play for the summer. We all meet about sixteen years ago. Kaoru and Misao were three and Soujiro and I were about eight." Sano smiled at the memories.

"You should have seen the land of Kadir, and the capital Lome. It was breath taking. Any way we all became the best of friends and the times with Kaoru and the others were some of my best childhood memories. She was always so good, but I tainted her because when she was with me she became so mischievous. It was so funny every time we got caught."

Kenshin stayed silent. She sounded tiring for what Sano was telling about her; way to childish, but then what about those others...

"That is until her mother died nine years ago." His voice became broken. "He mother was an angel that graced this world. She was like a mother to me to all of us. When she died Kaoru died with her. We all went one more summer to Ivory Hall, but when we arrived Kaoru was nothing but a shell; she was empty. All she did spend her time working on helping other. It didn't matter that she was only ten years old, she did anything. She read about politics, about history. She worked at an orphanage; she spent her time in village visiting sick people. She pled with her father to be able to go to parliament meetings, and he let her."

Sano's face dropped. "When we asked her why she never acted like she use to she always replied, 'I have a duty, and that's all that matters.' She changed. She never got angry anymore, and if she did she never showed it. She barely laugh, barely truly smiled, but she remained kind and loving to everyone.

She treated everyone as if they were royalty and if she were a servant, and she gave up her passion of swordplay. If you ever knew her, you knew that she loved fighting, but even when we asked she shook her head. That was the last summer we ever spent with her.

We all wrote to her and she never wrote back, her father always replied instead saying that she was sorry but Kaoru was traveling the Kingdom working. He wrote that she never acted like a child anymore; she acted more mature than any other adult. And we knew too, because she has never gone to a ball or any other festivity. You know because none of you have ever seen her. I know that she doesn't ever pay attention to anything but her country now a days.

I think she doesn't mean to ignore her friends, but she works endlessly, and even when I wrote her of Megumi and I's engagement, she never wrote back."

Sano finished quietly, and not a sound was to be heard. Kenshin stood still thinking about his future wife. Was she as Sano told she was? In his mind swam a picture of a detached angel; a girl that was lost and confused, and need his help. His eyes widened, and he shock his head. 'I think God is playing tricks with my mind.'

Megumi was the first one to speak up first. "She sounds inconsiderate. She sound have a least written a two word letter that said Congratulations Sano on it." Her voice was high and arrogant. Sano was to kind of a man to be treated like that; she wasn't even thinking of herself. She could have cared less if a dreary Princess that barely anyone had heard of wrote to her. "I mean she use to be your best friend."

Kenshin felt a muscle in his jaw tighten and pulse. Megumi, one of his dear friends, was talking about his future wife, and for some reason he felt as though he wanted to slap the silliness out of her when almost everything that she had told him for years before was always of wit and logic.

Aoshi spoke up then, for out of his silence. It was rare and when he spoke an aura of strength flowed around him. "Sister, we do not know the reason for the Princess doing so. Make no judgments now."

Megumi glared at her brother; lips drawn and tight, but she sighed. "You are right Aoshi. I should wait to meet her before I make any judgments." Sano placed his hand on hers and she immediately smiled. She loved that silly rooster head.

"Kenshin, I'm going down stairs." Yahiko who had tried to ignore all there stupid talk had gotten board and wanted to go see Tusbsume, Sano's sister.

Kenshin smiled nodded his head to the young Prince of Chenel. "Go converse with Princess Tubsume, Yahiko." Kenshin smiled at the boy as he turned a crimson red, not only from embarrassment, but anger as well.

Sano and the others just laughed, expect for Aoshi giving a quick grunt. They all knew of his thing of Sano's younger sister. Sano got up and patted him on the back. "You have my blessing to court her little Yahiko." He laughed.

"Shut up rooster head. And I'm not little!" Sano and Yahiko continued there shred until Kenshin got mixed between the two of them and told them to break it up as he always did. It was quite tiring work.

Yahiko threw one more insult before she walked through the door leaving Sano laughing.

"I'm interested about meeting my soon to be sister in law." Shura smiled at her brother's frown. Her short blackish blue hair swirling around her cheery face. "She sounds interesting." She quietly sipped her tea.

"Yes, she does sound interesting Shura. She is quite the mystery and the center of gossip now a days." Kenshin sat back down on the plum sofa next to his confidant Tomoe, Princess of Bilato.

"Tomoe what do you have to say. You have been silent this whole time." Kenshin spoke smiling a little. Tomoe smiled back and set down her cup.

"I'm just worried about Enshi. He has been gone so long." Kenshin face became stiff. He and Enshi you to be quite close; always training and hunting together, but that changed as soon as she came. Enshi warned him to stay away, but he had been to arrogant and prideful to listening. Instead he accused Enshi of wanting her for himself, and that was their parting of ways.

...and Kenshin wouldn't apologize, and Enshi didn't have to do anything because he was right for the first time. Enshi had always been so brash, that no one ever paid heed to him. He was the boy who always cried wolf for fun. From then on Kenshin relied on Tomoe and Sano more. He and Tomoe when they were younger had a brief season of summer love, but they soon found that they were better off as friends.

She was now engaged to a wonderful man that Kenshin had always trusted; Akira, King of Glademere. She was overjoyed showing it humbly from time to time.

"Where is he now?" Sano asked laying his head against the couch. Tomoe shook her head, "I wish I knew."

Aoshi got up and went to the window searching for something it seemed. "But on a better note, I cannot judge your future wife Kenshin. I do not know her."

"Thank you." He replied. "I think it is best if we all waited to asset her personality and what kind of person she is." He got up again and went to stand next to Aoshi.

"The royals of the Kingdoms are starting to arrive." He informed Kenshin. Kenshin put and hand on his back and squeezed.

"I do not know if she is coming Aoshi." Kenshin's eyes were remorseful.

"I don't know what your talking about Himura." Aoshi looked him dead in the eye and walked out of the room.

"He misses her so much." Megumi sighed. "She is such a rash girl, that Misao, but I love her dearly."

"I don't think she ever knew that he had feelings for her." Kenshin put in gently looking towards the closing door. Sano nodded.

"I think her and Soujiro are still away across the ocean." He held Megumi's hand. "I think they should be coming back soon."

Sano's eyes lowered thinking of some of his dearest friends, "Misao was never so rash before, I mean she was wild, but when Kaoru stopped talking to her it was like her losing a sister." Kenshin looked out the window. The rain was still dancing along the glass. He hated the rain.

"Hey lets stop talking about sad memories." Megumi put in smiling as she looked at Tomoe. "Tomoe when is Akira coming." The quite angel's eyes lit up.

"He should be here by now." Tomoe said getting up faster than normal. Smiling slightly at them and blushing just a tad, she muttered a quick see you later, and went off.

The others just stayed in a companionable silence with only the sound of china clapping together and sweet in take of breath that is until a door opened suddenly scaring everyone except Kenshin and Sano who could feel the man's ki coming a mile away.

Kenshin stood straight. "What's the matter?" His voice was cool and calm. Sano felt a bad feeling wash over him, but didn't let it show.

"The Princess." He was running out of breathe. "Princess Kaoru...her, her carriage..."

Kenshin and Sano rushed up to the informer. "What about the Princess?" Kenshin's voice came out a bellow. What happened to his wife? What, why was her calling her that already. Why did he worry about her?

Sano looked at Kenshin quickly startled at his tone of voice, but it soon turned into a smile.

"She jumped..."

A/N: Hey guys sorry...I just couldn't resist. It was such a good cliff hanger. Please review if you want to see what happens next. Did Kaoru runway? Did the carriage turn over? Did someone attack her? Did she go crazy with grief? What will happen to her?

I'm planning on getting the next chapter out soon, but if I don't just know its because I'm either a) dead, b) in the hospital, or c) family problems. But sorry to do that and please I'm begging of you to review and try to guess what she did and why she did it. It will be fun, and please tell me anything else you would like me to do to make thins story more enjoyable for you and don't be scarred to say it all.

Don't You Just Hate Me,

CrypticMaidenRK