Disclaimer: don't own them, wish I did. Oh but I do own any mysterious characters that I made up.

Author's note:

Daat da da dat da daaaaaaa DAAAAAAAAAAA. "Last chapter" wow. I can't believe I am finally here. What a trip.

Two Hitokiri – The Fate of the Future: the last battle.

Kenshin struggled to rise to his feet. "Where is the meeting?"

Katsura placed his hands on the younger man's shoulder's urging him to lie back down. "No Himura. I will send another man out to help her."

"Another man! What other men Katsura-san? I know you sent out everyone already. There is no one left. You were planning to use all your reserves tonight. Who will you send? Hachiro?" Kenshin batted away his mentor's arm and rose to his feet. "Tell me where she is!"

Hachiro moved to defend Katsura but Kenshin quickly threw a fist to his face and knocked him down.

Katsura's eyes shifted from the man on the floor to his young apprentice. "Sobe compound. But it may already be too late."

Without hearing anymore of what his master had to say, Kenshin bolted from the room. He robed himself with his usually gi and hakama and grabbed his blade from the corner of his bedroom where it sat alone. Looking at the empty spot he could only think how foolish Kaoru had been to go out alone and to lie to him. But he shook away his thoughts realizing that they were not important now. It had been done and it was more important to know she was safe.


He had been leaping across rooftops when the sound of a familiar tune tickled his ears. He stopped for a moment, crouching down on the spine of the roof and waited as the whistling drew near. From the shadows of a dark alleyway where the sound resonated, Iizuka emerged, flipping what looked like gold coins from one hand to another.

Kenshin's blood boiled at the site of the slimy little traitor. He would bring down all of Japan with his work. With padded feet he leapt from the roof top to land softly behind the man. But Iizuka wasn't without some training of his own and easily detected the assassin's presence. "I knew this time would come." He casually slipped the gold coins into his money pouch and turned to face Kenshin, his rusty old katana drawn.

Without reserve, Kenshin slashed him twice across the chest and he fell to the ground. He bent down over the fallen man, grinding his knee into the fresh wounds. Iizuka screamed in pain then coughed. "I guess it was wishful thinking that I could take you since you are wounded."

Kenshin pressed the blade to his throat. "What did you tell them?" He growled, his amber eyes like a thousand needles to the heart.

"I told them she would be alone." Kenshin pressed his knee in further causing Iizuka to gasp. "I told them to have their meeting somewhere else and that she wouldn't be expecting him."

"Him who?"

"Saitou Hajime."


"I watched you die by my own hand." Kaoru hissed as she backed away, her sword drawn in front of her.

"A small wound. You should have stabbed me a few more times, just to be sure." Saitou rotated the shoulder she had wounded. Only the slight twitch of his lip suggested that he might still be in pain, but he was calm otherwise. "Close though. Mere inches from my heart."

"I suppose it's a pity then that I don't get a fresh fight with you. It must still hurt sorely." Her tone mocked him, but she knew well by the squad of men behind him that this would be no easy task and she would have to earn the right to boast.

"Ah, well I plan to level the playing field." He flicked the cigarette to the ground, and as the butt hit the floor, his men rushed forward at her, attacking from all sides making it difficult to block even for someone with her speed.

Knowing she had no help tonight she leapt up into the air and outside of the circle, allowing for a more unidirectional fight. They charged at her and she took them head on, cutting down as many as she could before they could surround her again. Strike after strike, swing after swing, kick after kick she fought for her life, for her future.

She curled over and sucked in a deep breath of air before she tossed her head back, flinging her now unbound hair behind her. Her chest rose and fell in rapid successions and she took a sleeve to her mouth, wiping the blood from her lip. Sapphire eyes followed the streams of blood that ran down the now muddy ground beneath her. Slowly they lifted and glared through dark bangs at the man who was her only opponent left.

The sound of hands meeting in a slow, taunting clap pained her ears. She didn't know if it was from exhaustion or one of the several blows to the head she had received. "I'm impressed Karasu. I really am. For you to have gotten so far, all by yourself is quite commendable."

"Shut up!" She snapped. Her eyes carried a deadly blaze fueled by Saitou's condescending smirk. "Let's finish this now Saitou! I want to go home."

"Not today Karasu. Not ever." He unsheathed his sword and took a familiar stance, his sword raised eye level. She had heard tales of Gatotsu. She knew many amateur assassins that died by its nearly un-blockable speed. With caution she took her own Kasshin stance, her blade held out firmly in front of her. A silence lingered in the air before she heard the faint sound of gravel shifting beneath his feet and then he was coming.

With hardly a moment to blink, he was there within her range, but she was also within his. His shoulders tensed as he began to thrust his blade into what would have been her shoulder had she not made the attempt to pivot back, leaning just enough to let the sword rip only her gi. She made a swing for him, but his rebound time from his failed attack was quick and he blocked easily. She struck again, aiming for his collar bone but he brought his blade up to lock against hers.

Kaoru looked up at the eyes of the Mibu Wolf bearing down on her as he forced his weight onto their locked swords. She would not be able to keep this up. He was bigger and stronger. Her advantage was speed more than strength and he would force her to the ground if she didn't let up. But his weight upon her was digging her heels into the gravel below, effectively making any attempt to escape a slow one.

Amber eyes appeared before her vision and blurred with impending tears. She could hear his voice murmuring gently in her ear. "We are going to spend the rest of our lives together." She could almost even feel her hair move and tickle her ears from the movement of his lips. "I told you. I will protect our future. I wouldn't do anything to lose that. I promise, I will protect it." Her own words echoed in her mind, and subconsciously she could feel her lovers lips caress hers, binding her vow. She pursed her lips, wanting to feel his caress just one more time, but she only felt the cold stiff wind graze them.

Her watery eyes rose to meet the hateful ones of her opponent and she cursed and scorned him over and over for being the one to take everything away from her. With so much hate and rage she pushed against him and forced the lock apart. Both fighters flew back, dust trailing at their feet.

"I won't lose!" Kaoru screamed. "I made a promise to protect the future and I am going to keep it!" She charged at Saitou's bigger form, hoping that if she was fast enough she could get in close and avoid his Gatotsu. In their split second of contact, it was over.

His blade felt cool in her abdomen, exactly how she thought it must feel for those she killed. With another grip of his hilt she felt the blade shake within her and her whole body below the wound began to tingle and her joints buckled.

"I got you." His voice was a harsh whisper in her ear and she could hear signs of his own labored breathing.

Kaoru's body was slumped against his, her entire weight supported by his blade. She coughed and noted the taste of blood in her mouth. "I got you too Saitou. And this time I didn't miss." She whispered against his bloodied gi. With an open palm on the butt of her hilt, she pushed the blade further into his flesh, just under his old wound, into his heart.


Kenshin hadn't bothered to wipe Iizuka's blood from his blade. He had been in too much of a frenzy to find Kaoru. He arrived at Sobe compound, his heart racing and beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

He froze at the sight of his lover and his enemy; both slumped over, both with each other's blades lodged in them. A lump formed in his throat when he realized neither was moving. He approached cautiously and stared at the pair closely. It was obvious that Saitou was dead.

He touched a finger to Kaoru's cheek. She still felt warm.

Dropping to his knees he took her by the shoulders drawing her away from Saitou and into his own lap. Shaking fingers reached for the hilt of the blade and slowly he pulled it from her abdomen. Her body convulsed at the movement and more blood spilled. Kenshin watched her intently as she flinched in pain then opened her eyes slowly.

Amber met sapphire and she began to cry.

"I'm sorry Kenshin. I'm sorry I broke our promise. I'm sorry I destroyed our chance at a future." She sobbed heavily and her body shook as if her tears made the wound more painful.

He hushed her stroking her cheek with a bloody hand. "It's okay." He whispered, tears forming in his own eyes.

Kaoru reached up and with her dainty fingers tried to grasp his. He took her hand and her fingers tightened on his. "I wanted it. I really wanted it all Kenshin. Everything you said. I believed we could have it. I'm sorry." She made and effort to wipe the tears from her cheeks but her own hand felt heavy.

"Shhh. Save your strength." He bent down and kissed the streaming tears, their saltiness mingling with the taste of dried blood.

Her fingers became slack in his hand and her glassy eyes began to wander from his. "No!" He cried as he gripped her hand and forced her attention to him as if his actions could stop the inevitable.

"I'm sorry." She whispered and her world went dark.

The End- WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or is it? Epilogue to be posted next. Stay tuned.

OMG, you guys are all going to kill me now aren't you?

Jupiter's light- Brilliant. I love that word. My friend from the HK uses it all the time. It sounds so sophisticated. Thanks

Himura Kamiya Kaoru- I made someone twitch! That is so cool.

Whitewinter21- wow, I am so glad to hear that. I have read people's stories or watched an anime right when I wake up and I am glad my story created that effect for you.

Xxsilentdreamerxx- I'm so happy that you liked it.

Alex- careful now….wouldn't want you to fall off. Slowly, BUT carefully back into the chair a bit more…ok, there all safe. That is if I haven't made you fall already with this "ending"

Baka-deshi- awe, you can write too, I write on paper when a comp isn't available

Kenshin's angel – puppy eyes? Oh not the puppy eyes. I can't resist puppy eyes. Damn, now you know my weakness.

Sasika- sorry, sometimes that's just were the dramatic parts tend to fall, so I have to end it there. I'm a sucker for ending on dramatic notes.

Half breed demon fox- thanks a bunch

Weasel1029- don't kill kaoru huh? Hmmmm. But he can't meet tomoe, I already killed her.

Sweety- hmmm, I guess then you are/will be unhappy with what I did. Please don't die. Stick around and lets see if what we can do about an ending.

BritannieLove- well I wouldn't say its god….good maybe, but certainly not all powerful as god. j/k typo.

Cyjj- gee thanks. Hope you come back and read more.

Fan- I like the member name…simple, yet so powerful.

Marzoog- well its easy to write good K/K when the producers created such wonderful characters.

Mz. Amber eyez- haha, but the more I make you wait for waff, the more satisfying it is to read when its actually there.

Rain angst- I think I had no real excuse for waiting this long to update cept sheer laziness

Kenjutsu Priestess- well I'm glad you comp in cooperating again. Glad to get your reviews too.

Crystal Renee- truly you must be one of the few people in the world that understands me.