Author's Notes: Hello everybody, we're just now starting into the
twenties!!! WHOOHOO!!! ^_^ Ahhh this is exciting. . . I'm sitting on the
edge of my seat!! Everybody's asking me what's going to happen, and I say
to myself, "What IS going to happen???" Cuz quite frankly, I'm reading this
with the rest of you. I'm just letting my imagination take control and
write for me. ^_~ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.
On with the story!
Chapter Twenty-One
The sun kissed the earth as it flew up to the sky. Orange, pink, blue and yellow were all mixed, and the sight was beautiful. It had stopped raining, and the mama birds fed their hungry little baby birds, who chirped loudly, awaiting their breakfast. Nothing could break the beautiful crisp air of that wonderful summer morning. Nothing except. . .
"YAHIKO-CHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kaoru screamed as she saw Yahiko trying his best to make pancakes for everybody.
The plan was simple, but Yahiko wasn't close to succeeding. The pancakes were all burned, and the toast was on fire. He screamed. "AHHH!!!!"
Sanosuke ran inside the kitchen, got out the large bottle of water and poured it over everything until the fire was out. He looked over at Yahiko, "Well kid, you tried. Thanks. But uhh. . . I think you need cooking lessons." He grinned.
Kaoru however, was not so kind.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING????"
Yahiko pouted with tears in his eyes, "I'm sorry I was just. . . trying to help. . ."
Kaoru softened at that. "Well. . . Thank you Yahiko, but like Sanosuke said I think you need cooking lessons. Maybe you could talk Kenshin into doing that!" she looked around. "Where is Kenshin anyway? He wasn't in his room. . ."
Sanosuke looked around as well, calling out for Kenshin.
About fifteen minutes later, everybody was searching for him. Misao sighed. "He's gone missing. AGAIN!!!"
Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "Probably went out to get. . . tofu or something I dunno. . ."
Soujiro shook his head. "There is darkness in the air. . ." he whispered.
Misao looked over at him with concerned eyes. 'Soujiro. . .'
Megumi smiled from ear to ear.
Kaoru sighed. "I. . . I saw him just last night. . ." she thought, 'Where could he have gone?'
~*~
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`
"So . . . um. Do you have . . . family?" she asked.
Kenshin looked over at her with a stern face. His different shades of blue eyes searched her, questioning. "I thought we said no questions."
She looked down. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to know . . ." her voice was barely over a whisper.
Kenshin looked down at his dinner that she had made. "My parents died of cholera when I was . . . but a small child. Hiko took me in and made me his apprentice and heir to the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. I . . . can't remember my family."
She looked at him with sad eyes. "I see . . ."
They continued to eat their dinner in silence. They lived in a small hut near Kyoto. It was small . . . but cozy. They went to town only to buy food and clothing. They took many walks. They were always silent but . . . they were happy.
The fire continued to burn. Kenshin stared into it, his blue eyes captivated. She couldn't help but think he was so handsome at that moment.
Kenshin stood up and walked away from the tiny table. He strode over to the futons on the other side of the room. He didn't bother with the dishes.
She took the dishes and began to wash them. Kenshin sighed as he changed into his white yakata behind the Japanese screen. The screen had a beautiful white swan on it. It was one of their few possessions.
After finally washing the dishes, she walked over to her vanity and pulled on the drawer.
Kenshin, at this point, walked over to the other side of the Japanese screen and over to the futons. He didn't get in his, though. Instead, he rested against the wall with his katana on his shoulder. His head leaned forward, his blood red bangs blocking view of his blue eyes. He pretended to be asleep, but she knew he was not.
Pulling out a mirror from the drawer, she looked at herself carefully. She had dark hair and brown . . . sad eyes. Still looking in the mirror, she raised her left hand to her left cheek. Running her finger down from the corner of her eye to the corner of her mouth, her thoughts strayed to Kenshin. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but, like a lady, she held them in.
Putting the mirror back into the drawer, she pulled out a journal. She began writing in ink of the day's events, which wasn't much.
She and Kenshin had taken a walk outside . . . towards town. They had walked together down long stone steps. The scenery was beautiful, since it was early fall. Kenshin had helped her when she nearly tripped down the stairs, and she felt safe with his hand in hers.
They remained silent together. Kenshin had bought the fish that they had for dinner. They had watched the water in the lake as the sun began to go down. It was one of their most precious moments; Kenshin had nearly smiled at her.
"Tomoe, you better get some sleep." Kenshin's concerned voice rang in her ears.
Even though she wanted to write more, Tomoe knew she could not disobey him. She carefully put the journal back into the drawer, and then closed it. But not without making sure her dagger was still there. She looked at it with hate and love at the same time. But she didn't hesitate to put it back in the drawer.
Walking over to Kenshin, Tomoe sat down on the futon. "You will not sleep on the futon?" she asked softly, but she knew he would refuse.
But tonight, Kenshin looked up at her. He put his katana down on the floor and got into the futon.
Tomoe watched in surprise. 'But then again . . . he is a very surprising man,' she thought.
Kenshin looked at her one more time before closing his eyes, and finally drifting off into peaceful dreams.
Tomoe softly smiled and nodded her head. She rested down on the pillow and closed her eyes as well, happy to finally sleep with Kenshin . . . her husband.
`~`~`~`~END FLASH BACK`~`~`~`~`
Kenshin had closed his eyes as he remembered that precious night with Tomoe. Anything before and after that was lost to him. But that memory with Tomoe was all he really needed. He knew he loved her.
Kenshin was sitting on a bench in the Tokyo Park; away from the woods. Things were quiet. Too quiet. His eyes opened as he was paranoid that somebody was bound to appear in front of him in ask of a fight.
But nobody came.
He knew that everybody was probably worried about him, but he knew that they knew he was able to take care of himself . . . . Except for when it rained. He still felt weak from yesterday, and with this bad feeling in the pit of his stomach he knew that being weak today was probably going to be his downfall.
But he was still tired and his eyes drooped closed. He was still awake . . . well . . . partly. But he was awake enough to notice the large shadow in front of him.
His now amber eyes snapped open and he saw who was in front of him. The man had dark green hair, a white and red cape, was fairly broad shouldered and very tall.
"Ahhh . . . there you are baka deshi," the man said.
Kenshin cocked his head, "Oro?"
The man raised an eyebrow. "Baka deshi, what has gotten into you these days?"
". . .Nani?"
"That's better."
Kenshin sighed. "Do I know you?"
The man chuckled. "Yes as a matter of fact. I'm the one who created you. I have this really cool detector that tells me exactly where you are, cool right?"
Kenshin looked at him like some kind of freak.
The man coughed, "Anyway, I would have hoped you would remember me, but apparently not all of your memory was restored." He sighed. "My name is Hiko Seijiro."
Kenshin's eyes widened. ". . .Master?"
Hiko grinned. "Correct, baka deshi. Now, you might be wondering why I tracked you down."
Kenshin nodded numbly.
"Well . . ." Hiko looked around to make sure nobody was listening to them. "It's about . . . well . . . some funky stuff."
"Oro?"
"It's a girl."
"What's her name?"
"Utena Tokashi. She's well . . . a bad girl in this story you might say."
Kenshin nodded slowly. "Okay. . . what did she do?"
"She took pills from me. If you give them to a person on a regular basis, they'll die in two months. No sooner, no later."
Kenshin cocked his head. "Why would she want those pills?"
"I don't know!"
"And this has something to do with me . . . how?"
Hiko slapped Kenshin upside the head. "BAKA DESHI!!!" he shouted, then looking around nervously and began whispering again. "I don't honestly don't know, but something tells me you have a part in this story."
"Well of course, I'm the main character. . ."
"BAKA DESHI!!!"
"ORO!"
Hiko calmed down. "Something tells me, with my swordsman instinct, something bad is going to happen."
Kenshin nodded slowly, "I feel the same way."
Hiko couldn't stop looking at Kenshin. It amazed him so much that he actually brought Kenshin back to life! . . . well . . . sort of. He didn't have all of his memories back . . . yet. Hiko grinned.
They sat in silence, waiting for something to happen.
It never did.
Well, not where THEY were.
~*~
Aoshi knocked on the Kamiya/Makimachi door.
Soujiro, being the gentleman he was, answered it. Putting a smile on his face, he asked, "What can I do for you sir?"
Aoshi's right eyebrow twitched some, but then he saw Misao behind Soujiro and he smiled softly. "Hello there Misao."
Kaoru came walking over, "Oh hey there Aoshi! Come in, come in!"
Soujiro opened the door all the way, and allowed Aoshi to enter. A butterfly was in his stomach the moment Aoshi first spoke to Misao.
Misao looked from Aoshi, to Soujiro, to Aoshi, to Soujiro. 'Okay Misao, calm yourself. You have to pick ONE of them. . .' but nevertheless, she smiled at Aoshi. "Hey there Aoshi-sama!"
Aoshi walked over to her, patted her on the head with affection, whispered hello, then turned to Kaoru. "Where is Himura-san?"
Kaoru's smile vanished. "He's off somewhere; we don't know where."
Aoshi's concern in his eye grew more. "This is not good. Something bad has happened in Tokyo."
Sanosuke frowned, "Why? What?"
Aoshi looked over at him. "Fires have spread all around. The police and firemen are trying their best to fight it, but they aren't doing much. Many people have already died."
Megumi sighed, "But it just rained!"
"It's not natural fire."
Everybody looked carefully at Aoshi. Soujiro frowned and his smile vanished. 'Fire. . .' his thoughts roamed to Shishio. ((AN: No it's not what you think. ^_~))
Misao looked over at Soujiro's sad face. She didn't know about Shishio, but she wanted to. She wanted to help him. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Sou-chan."
Soujiro looked at her with wide eyes. "Sou. . -chan?" he whispered.
Misao smiled and softly giggled.
Soujiro smiled back.
Aoshi watched with discomfort. 'Something's misplaced. . .' he thought. 'I'll have to meditate on this. . .' ((AN: No I'm not an Aoshi- basher. ^_^ I love Aoshi-sama!))
Megumi smiled from ear to ear.
Sanosuke huffed, "Well, what are we going to do about the fire? Not much I would think. . ."
Aoshi looked at him with a stern face, "Actually, you're right. We can't fight the fire as well as firemen and police can. But we can get out of here and save ourselves."
Yahiko frowned, "So we're just going to run?!?"
Kaoru nodded, "Good idea Aoshi. But . . . where do we go?"
Aoshi turned to her. "We go to Kyoto, where I live."
Sanosuke nodded.
"But . . . what about Kenshin?" Kaoru asked.
Aoshi looked down. "I don't know where to find him; I wish we had the time. We need to leave as soon as possible. The fire will soon spread here. Everybody needs to get packed. I'll write a note to Himura-san and leave it here."
Kaoru looked down as well, but nodded. 'Fire. . . it will soon consume my apartment and everything inside of it. . . Kenshin. . .' she decided to take action. There was no time to waste. "Come on everybody! Let's get packed!!! Sanosuke! Help Yahiko! Megumi! Help Misao! Come on people! Bring everything you NEED. Not WANT. NEED!!!"
Aoshi watched her with concerned eyes. He wrote down the note to Kenshin.
"Himura-san,
We have all fled from the fire spreading throughout Tokyo to Kyoto, where I live. Please join us there, or get to somewhere where it is safe from fire.
~Aoshi Shinomori"
~*~
Kenshin and Hiko were still in the Tokyo park.
Hiko looked around. "Do you smell something?"
Kenshin sniffed the air. "No."
Hiko frowned. "Oh. Okay."
Meanwhile, fire was spreading towards the park. People were running away and leaving their homes, fleeing to safety. The police and firemen were trying their best to stop the fire, but nothing would work. Saitoh was one of them. He grunted. 'This is not Yukishiro's doing. But it can't be a random killer either. Who did this?' he wondered.
~*~
Utena smiled deviously as she lit another house on fire. 'This'll drive Tomoe and Enishi out of town. Where will they go, eh? Tomoe cannot travel very far because of her illness. This will definitely kill her. Finally. . .'
To Be Continued. . .
Author's Notes: HELLO!!! Wow. . . 152 reviews!!! THANK YOU! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!! Chibi feels so happy! ^____^
Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.
On with the story!
Chapter Twenty-One
The sun kissed the earth as it flew up to the sky. Orange, pink, blue and yellow were all mixed, and the sight was beautiful. It had stopped raining, and the mama birds fed their hungry little baby birds, who chirped loudly, awaiting their breakfast. Nothing could break the beautiful crisp air of that wonderful summer morning. Nothing except. . .
"YAHIKO-CHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kaoru screamed as she saw Yahiko trying his best to make pancakes for everybody.
The plan was simple, but Yahiko wasn't close to succeeding. The pancakes were all burned, and the toast was on fire. He screamed. "AHHH!!!!"
Sanosuke ran inside the kitchen, got out the large bottle of water and poured it over everything until the fire was out. He looked over at Yahiko, "Well kid, you tried. Thanks. But uhh. . . I think you need cooking lessons." He grinned.
Kaoru however, was not so kind.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING????"
Yahiko pouted with tears in his eyes, "I'm sorry I was just. . . trying to help. . ."
Kaoru softened at that. "Well. . . Thank you Yahiko, but like Sanosuke said I think you need cooking lessons. Maybe you could talk Kenshin into doing that!" she looked around. "Where is Kenshin anyway? He wasn't in his room. . ."
Sanosuke looked around as well, calling out for Kenshin.
About fifteen minutes later, everybody was searching for him. Misao sighed. "He's gone missing. AGAIN!!!"
Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "Probably went out to get. . . tofu or something I dunno. . ."
Soujiro shook his head. "There is darkness in the air. . ." he whispered.
Misao looked over at him with concerned eyes. 'Soujiro. . .'
Megumi smiled from ear to ear.
Kaoru sighed. "I. . . I saw him just last night. . ." she thought, 'Where could he have gone?'
~*~
`~`~`~`~FLASH BACK~`~`~`~`
"So . . . um. Do you have . . . family?" she asked.
Kenshin looked over at her with a stern face. His different shades of blue eyes searched her, questioning. "I thought we said no questions."
She looked down. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to know . . ." her voice was barely over a whisper.
Kenshin looked down at his dinner that she had made. "My parents died of cholera when I was . . . but a small child. Hiko took me in and made me his apprentice and heir to the Hiten Mitsurugi Style. I . . . can't remember my family."
She looked at him with sad eyes. "I see . . ."
They continued to eat their dinner in silence. They lived in a small hut near Kyoto. It was small . . . but cozy. They went to town only to buy food and clothing. They took many walks. They were always silent but . . . they were happy.
The fire continued to burn. Kenshin stared into it, his blue eyes captivated. She couldn't help but think he was so handsome at that moment.
Kenshin stood up and walked away from the tiny table. He strode over to the futons on the other side of the room. He didn't bother with the dishes.
She took the dishes and began to wash them. Kenshin sighed as he changed into his white yakata behind the Japanese screen. The screen had a beautiful white swan on it. It was one of their few possessions.
After finally washing the dishes, she walked over to her vanity and pulled on the drawer.
Kenshin, at this point, walked over to the other side of the Japanese screen and over to the futons. He didn't get in his, though. Instead, he rested against the wall with his katana on his shoulder. His head leaned forward, his blood red bangs blocking view of his blue eyes. He pretended to be asleep, but she knew he was not.
Pulling out a mirror from the drawer, she looked at herself carefully. She had dark hair and brown . . . sad eyes. Still looking in the mirror, she raised her left hand to her left cheek. Running her finger down from the corner of her eye to the corner of her mouth, her thoughts strayed to Kenshin. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but, like a lady, she held them in.
Putting the mirror back into the drawer, she pulled out a journal. She began writing in ink of the day's events, which wasn't much.
She and Kenshin had taken a walk outside . . . towards town. They had walked together down long stone steps. The scenery was beautiful, since it was early fall. Kenshin had helped her when she nearly tripped down the stairs, and she felt safe with his hand in hers.
They remained silent together. Kenshin had bought the fish that they had for dinner. They had watched the water in the lake as the sun began to go down. It was one of their most precious moments; Kenshin had nearly smiled at her.
"Tomoe, you better get some sleep." Kenshin's concerned voice rang in her ears.
Even though she wanted to write more, Tomoe knew she could not disobey him. She carefully put the journal back into the drawer, and then closed it. But not without making sure her dagger was still there. She looked at it with hate and love at the same time. But she didn't hesitate to put it back in the drawer.
Walking over to Kenshin, Tomoe sat down on the futon. "You will not sleep on the futon?" she asked softly, but she knew he would refuse.
But tonight, Kenshin looked up at her. He put his katana down on the floor and got into the futon.
Tomoe watched in surprise. 'But then again . . . he is a very surprising man,' she thought.
Kenshin looked at her one more time before closing his eyes, and finally drifting off into peaceful dreams.
Tomoe softly smiled and nodded her head. She rested down on the pillow and closed her eyes as well, happy to finally sleep with Kenshin . . . her husband.
`~`~`~`~END FLASH BACK`~`~`~`~`
Kenshin had closed his eyes as he remembered that precious night with Tomoe. Anything before and after that was lost to him. But that memory with Tomoe was all he really needed. He knew he loved her.
Kenshin was sitting on a bench in the Tokyo Park; away from the woods. Things were quiet. Too quiet. His eyes opened as he was paranoid that somebody was bound to appear in front of him in ask of a fight.
But nobody came.
He knew that everybody was probably worried about him, but he knew that they knew he was able to take care of himself . . . . Except for when it rained. He still felt weak from yesterday, and with this bad feeling in the pit of his stomach he knew that being weak today was probably going to be his downfall.
But he was still tired and his eyes drooped closed. He was still awake . . . well . . . partly. But he was awake enough to notice the large shadow in front of him.
His now amber eyes snapped open and he saw who was in front of him. The man had dark green hair, a white and red cape, was fairly broad shouldered and very tall.
"Ahhh . . . there you are baka deshi," the man said.
Kenshin cocked his head, "Oro?"
The man raised an eyebrow. "Baka deshi, what has gotten into you these days?"
". . .Nani?"
"That's better."
Kenshin sighed. "Do I know you?"
The man chuckled. "Yes as a matter of fact. I'm the one who created you. I have this really cool detector that tells me exactly where you are, cool right?"
Kenshin looked at him like some kind of freak.
The man coughed, "Anyway, I would have hoped you would remember me, but apparently not all of your memory was restored." He sighed. "My name is Hiko Seijiro."
Kenshin's eyes widened. ". . .Master?"
Hiko grinned. "Correct, baka deshi. Now, you might be wondering why I tracked you down."
Kenshin nodded numbly.
"Well . . ." Hiko looked around to make sure nobody was listening to them. "It's about . . . well . . . some funky stuff."
"Oro?"
"It's a girl."
"What's her name?"
"Utena Tokashi. She's well . . . a bad girl in this story you might say."
Kenshin nodded slowly. "Okay. . . what did she do?"
"She took pills from me. If you give them to a person on a regular basis, they'll die in two months. No sooner, no later."
Kenshin cocked his head. "Why would she want those pills?"
"I don't know!"
"And this has something to do with me . . . how?"
Hiko slapped Kenshin upside the head. "BAKA DESHI!!!" he shouted, then looking around nervously and began whispering again. "I don't honestly don't know, but something tells me you have a part in this story."
"Well of course, I'm the main character. . ."
"BAKA DESHI!!!"
"ORO!"
Hiko calmed down. "Something tells me, with my swordsman instinct, something bad is going to happen."
Kenshin nodded slowly, "I feel the same way."
Hiko couldn't stop looking at Kenshin. It amazed him so much that he actually brought Kenshin back to life! . . . well . . . sort of. He didn't have all of his memories back . . . yet. Hiko grinned.
They sat in silence, waiting for something to happen.
It never did.
Well, not where THEY were.
~*~
Aoshi knocked on the Kamiya/Makimachi door.
Soujiro, being the gentleman he was, answered it. Putting a smile on his face, he asked, "What can I do for you sir?"
Aoshi's right eyebrow twitched some, but then he saw Misao behind Soujiro and he smiled softly. "Hello there Misao."
Kaoru came walking over, "Oh hey there Aoshi! Come in, come in!"
Soujiro opened the door all the way, and allowed Aoshi to enter. A butterfly was in his stomach the moment Aoshi first spoke to Misao.
Misao looked from Aoshi, to Soujiro, to Aoshi, to Soujiro. 'Okay Misao, calm yourself. You have to pick ONE of them. . .' but nevertheless, she smiled at Aoshi. "Hey there Aoshi-sama!"
Aoshi walked over to her, patted her on the head with affection, whispered hello, then turned to Kaoru. "Where is Himura-san?"
Kaoru's smile vanished. "He's off somewhere; we don't know where."
Aoshi's concern in his eye grew more. "This is not good. Something bad has happened in Tokyo."
Sanosuke frowned, "Why? What?"
Aoshi looked over at him. "Fires have spread all around. The police and firemen are trying their best to fight it, but they aren't doing much. Many people have already died."
Megumi sighed, "But it just rained!"
"It's not natural fire."
Everybody looked carefully at Aoshi. Soujiro frowned and his smile vanished. 'Fire. . .' his thoughts roamed to Shishio. ((AN: No it's not what you think. ^_~))
Misao looked over at Soujiro's sad face. She didn't know about Shishio, but she wanted to. She wanted to help him. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Sou-chan."
Soujiro looked at her with wide eyes. "Sou. . -chan?" he whispered.
Misao smiled and softly giggled.
Soujiro smiled back.
Aoshi watched with discomfort. 'Something's misplaced. . .' he thought. 'I'll have to meditate on this. . .' ((AN: No I'm not an Aoshi- basher. ^_^ I love Aoshi-sama!))
Megumi smiled from ear to ear.
Sanosuke huffed, "Well, what are we going to do about the fire? Not much I would think. . ."
Aoshi looked at him with a stern face, "Actually, you're right. We can't fight the fire as well as firemen and police can. But we can get out of here and save ourselves."
Yahiko frowned, "So we're just going to run?!?"
Kaoru nodded, "Good idea Aoshi. But . . . where do we go?"
Aoshi turned to her. "We go to Kyoto, where I live."
Sanosuke nodded.
"But . . . what about Kenshin?" Kaoru asked.
Aoshi looked down. "I don't know where to find him; I wish we had the time. We need to leave as soon as possible. The fire will soon spread here. Everybody needs to get packed. I'll write a note to Himura-san and leave it here."
Kaoru looked down as well, but nodded. 'Fire. . . it will soon consume my apartment and everything inside of it. . . Kenshin. . .' she decided to take action. There was no time to waste. "Come on everybody! Let's get packed!!! Sanosuke! Help Yahiko! Megumi! Help Misao! Come on people! Bring everything you NEED. Not WANT. NEED!!!"
Aoshi watched her with concerned eyes. He wrote down the note to Kenshin.
"Himura-san,
We have all fled from the fire spreading throughout Tokyo to Kyoto, where I live. Please join us there, or get to somewhere where it is safe from fire.
~Aoshi Shinomori"
~*~
Kenshin and Hiko were still in the Tokyo park.
Hiko looked around. "Do you smell something?"
Kenshin sniffed the air. "No."
Hiko frowned. "Oh. Okay."
Meanwhile, fire was spreading towards the park. People were running away and leaving their homes, fleeing to safety. The police and firemen were trying their best to stop the fire, but nothing would work. Saitoh was one of them. He grunted. 'This is not Yukishiro's doing. But it can't be a random killer either. Who did this?' he wondered.
~*~
Utena smiled deviously as she lit another house on fire. 'This'll drive Tomoe and Enishi out of town. Where will they go, eh? Tomoe cannot travel very far because of her illness. This will definitely kill her. Finally. . .'
To Be Continued. . .
Author's Notes: HELLO!!! Wow. . . 152 reviews!!! THANK YOU! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!! Chibi feels so happy! ^____^