Hi! Howdy? I truly missed you all. It's been a very busy week; I wonder how I managed to finish this chapter. My life is currently like the food inside a pressure cooker! I just started writing my biography, but it still stinks.
Any way, I really hope that you all enjoy this chapter...
Kaoru stood facing Kenshin, both hands holding her shot side as if that could help ease the pain. She was intense, waiting to hear him say the words that would put her soul in eternal torment. The tension was too strong for her weakened body, her surroundings seemed to swing slowly like a pendulum. Kenshin seemed to multiply into two every few seconds.
Kenshin could almost swear that his brain was swelling up inside his skull. It was painful standing there on weak knees not knowing what to do or say. He had only two choices that he preferred to die a thousand times than to have to do any of them. Either to confess his emotions to Kaoru and stay, but that will put her in great danger all the time. Or, he could lie to her and walk away, but he couldn't live without her and he was now sure that she couldn't either.
Kaoru couldn't stand straight any longer; she was starting to lose balance.
NO! Hold yourself up! Don't be weak in front of him.
Kenshin could almost feel Kaoru's pains and he realized bitterly that he caused them all.
If you love her you do what's best for her.
"Kaoru-dono, thanks for hosting me all this time but I really must get back to my wandering" Kenshin said, deciding that it was much easier to pretend to have never heard what she last said.
"SAY IT" Kaoru yelled, angry at his cowardice using all her residual energy, "YOU NEVER LOVED ME!"
Kenshin didn't reply, he just turned away and opened the door to get out.
No one saw Sano's punch coming. It made forceful contact with Kenshin's jaw and sent him flying onto his back at Kaoru feet. Kaoru, Yahiko and Megumi all gasped in reaction.
"What's the matter with you?" Sano said through gritted teeth, angrily, "You love her, you're crazy about her. You were supposed to be proposing to her by now".
No one dared move or speak as they watched Kenshin get up casually and slap the dust off his clothes, silently.
Yahiko went to stand by Kaoru side, sensing her fragility and wanting to support her if she needed it.
"Kaoru" Yahiko gasped, pointing towards Kaoru's shot side, "You're bleeding".
Kaoru looked carelessly at her shot side for a second then back at Kenshin. Kenshin looked away to avoid her eyes. He could feel her becoming weaker every second. Although he avoided looking at her, he managed to predict her collapsing and caught her in his arms, preventing her from hitting the ground before even Yahiko could.
"Kaoru" he whispered, heart broken. Holding her in his arms on the ground. The rest of the Kenshin-gumi watched sorrowfully at how things got so bad. Just a month ago no one would have thought that things would take such an ugly turn for the Kenshin-gumi.
"If you love me like I love you, if you need me like I need you, it's alright" She said to him weakly, "If you want me like I want you, let me be the one to hold you through the night".
Kenshin's tears rolled down his cheeks guiltily.
Kaoru's eyelids became too heavy for her to hold them open. She looked like she was slowly drifting to sleep.
Kenshin looked at Megumi questioningly. She read his eyes and understood his doubt. "She is losing blood because the wound has opened. It's not so deep, but the bleeding will weaken her and that'll make it easier for an infection to occur and that's what WILL kill her" Megumi explained matter-of-factly, hoping that she'd terrified Kenshin into confessing to Kaoru.
"Well do something" Kenshin pleaded, feeling sick at pit of his stomach for what he caused Kaoru.
"No" Kaoru said, groaning, "I don't want to live if you're going to leave me. I don't want to be so alone, like I was before I met you. I'd rather die"
"I can't, she won't allow me" Megumi answered coolly, "I can't force her into it".
"Happy now, Kenshin?" Sano spat in disgust, "What are you waiting for, run away. Isn't that what you wanted to do at the first place?".
The words slashed Kenshin like a blade.
"Sano, shut up" Kenshin rather yelled, now shaking with the violence of the emotions that ran through his veins.
"NO" Sano yelled, "You're right, you don't deserve her"
"Kenshin please, you're the only one who could make her change her mind and let Megumi help her" Yahiko pleaded, stepping between the two guys.
"Kaoru please, you have to let Megumi help you, there are a lot of people who care about you" Kenshin begged Kaoru desperately.
Kaoru shook her head slowly, her eyes now shut.
"No" she said in barely over an absent minded whisper.
Sano glared at Kenshin angrily. Megumi was starting to feel her stomach turn with worry, the medicine she gave Kaoru to sleep was starting to work too strong for her, and the shot wound was re-opened and the longer she was bleeding the more in danger she got. Yahiko, however, still had his famous faith in Kenshin.
"Please, Kaoru, listen to me" Kenshin said, the desperation clear in his voice.
Kaoru didn't seem to be even hearing him anymore. She seemed to have drifted into some distant realm.
Sano's gulp was heard aloud. Yahiko's hopes were fading. Megumi was calculating the time left before it was too late to try and do something for Kaoru, C'mon Kenshin, shout the truth before it's too late.
"Kaoru" Kenshin called her name again but she wouldn't respond.
He shook her desperately hard by the shoulders, but her head just shook from side to side almost lifelessly.
Kenshin held her closer in his arms. "Kaoru?" still no response. Her skin felt eerily cold. He strengthened his grip around her again, pulling her closer, his face hiding in her shoulder.
"Kaoru, please don't" he begged in a whisper into her ear, "I need you, I want you, I love you. I can't live without you. I just didn't want you to get hurt. I thought that by leaving you I'd be doing you a favor because I was always the reason you got hurt"
Kaoru blinked, as if Kenshin's words were giving her power. Sano, Megumi and Yahiko saw her, but Kenshin didn't. They all smiled at her, but she was too weak to even grin back.
"The truth is.....I love you Kaoru Kamiya, I loved you since I first saw you. I love you way too much to see you get hurt" Kenshin said tears wetting Kaoru's shoulder, "I really, really love you".
He heard a soft gasp. "You do?" Kaoru asked weakly.
Kenshin's eyes widened, but the tears still blinded them easily before they trickled down in relief. He nodded, the side of his face brushing against Kaoru's.
"Really?" Kaoru asked hopefully, a little louder but still feeble.
Kenshin pulled back slightly so that he could she her face and she could see his.
"Kaoru, I LOVE YOU" he screamed into the air. He looked onto her beautiful eyes, his words seemed to have done magic to them, and they shone in a way that he'd never seen before. He smiled at her and she could instantly feel its warmth invading her body. She managed to smile back with her renewed reason for living.
Sano subconsciously wrapped an arm around Megumi's shoulders and she didn't seem to mind. Yahiko knelt down next to Kenshin and Kaoru and bear hugged the both of them.
"And I love you both" Yahiko said laughing.
The rest laughed a little.
Kenshin felt Kaoru resting against his chest. He felt her faint in his arms, but before the panic could rise in his chest Megumi explained, "That's alright, it's the late effect of the medicine I gave her earlier. She'll be all right if you guys could just leave us so that I could stitch her up again".
Kenshin got up, carrying Kaoru, unconscious, in his arms, in bride style and laid her gently on her bed. He turned and left, followed by Sano and Yahiko. Everything was back to the way it was exactly a month before.
So, how do you like it? I really need to know what you think about it. Also, please if you have anything to tell me please do so. Plus, if you have any advices on how to improve my biography plz let me know.
P.S: Yes, I did use a line from a song by Blue, can anybody guess which line and from which song?