Silent Screams

A FanFiction by Kitty Katana

Rurouni Kenshin

Summary: Something is driving Kenshin away from his friends and the Battousai won't miss the opportunity to gain control. But Battousai's not his only problem…

Dedication: To Sara-chan, who listens to my nightmares and is constant to spur me on to embrace my dreams. And for Misty, ruler of Antarctica and Mistress of all penguins.

Disclaimer: Must I say it? I don't nor will I ever own Rurouni Kenshin. All aspects are property of their rightful owners. The song lyrics used are also copyright © their owners, their titles and singers are accredited to them below. All lyrics found on: www.leoslyrics.com

Notes: This is probably my most serious story yet, so if you're looking for humor, go elsewhere. This has been my release for the last five months, and as corny as it sounds, I put a piece of my soul into it. In short- you flame it and I WILL go insane… don't test me. I know Battousai may be a bit OOC and my views on some of the material are wrong and/or different than yours, but please be tolerant. I wish I'd been able to see a bit more of Battousai… I'd appreciate a review with your positive thoughts.

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"Don't you sleep?/
Don't you have /
a single moment's peace?/
Just walk through the darkness/
With fears that are deep /
And don't you even sleep?"/

-"The Curse" (Dwight Yoakam)

Scarlet Dreams

}{Screaming.}{

}{They were screaming. Their faces swam from out of the depths of hell, staring, accusing with unearthly cries. He covered his ears against the terrifying sound, tried to drown them out, but they seeped through. He tried to scream. No sound could escape his clenched throat. Crimson waves flooded the ground beneath him. An ocean of blood. It was all over his hands, creeping up his arms, devouring him. Their blood. The blood of those he had killed.}{

"Kenshin?"

Her voice was the hand that shattered the ice, brought him back to reality. He looked up, the color previously evaporated from his face returning, his breathing hard. As if seeing from outside his body, he watched not blood, but water drench the ground around him. He'd knocked over the wash, again. He put on a smile, a mask and calmed his breathing. Why worry her more?

"Are you……… All right, Kenshin?" She asked uncertainly.

He nodded, a bit overzealously. "Hai, Kaoru-dono, just doing the wash." He looked at the ground. Well, he was doing the wash. Now clothing and soapy water littered the yard in front of the Kamiya dojo. She was staring at him strangely. Kenshin pushed his shaking hands out of her line of sight and moved to pick up the laundry. "Gomen, Sessha shall clean this up immediately."

Gods, she was so beautiful. It was all he could do to keep himself from running over and holding her close to him and whispering to her the words he'd longed to say. He looked her over for a moment, her silken black hair, her angelic face, and every other thing about her that made him understand why men wrote poems, songs for such women. He finally pulled himself back to reality, returning to the wash.

She nodded slowly. 'What's been with him lately?' She wondered, walking inside the dojo. He was usually so alert, cheerful even, for the most part. Kenshin was drifting away. Certainly, he had not gone anywhere, but his thoughts wandered, and she feared why……… and what was to come. 'If he left again-' She didn't allow herself to complete the thought. She could already hear Yahiko practicing in the dojo.

Ayame and Suzume watched with their naïve smiles and childish giggling, and the sight brought a small smile to Kaoru's own face. Yahiko looked up at her, quietly dropping the bokken to his side. "Anything wrong, busu?" The normally thoughtful question was marred by his aversion to affection. She took no notice.

"Nothing." She answered, meeting the boy's almost surprised gaze. Normally he would have been in physical pain a moment later, but she was preoccupied. She took both little girls' hands and tread slowly toward the door. She called back an afterthought,

"Oh, Yahiko-chan? Add another five hundred strokes for the busu remark." She smiled, self-satisfied, and walked out the door, followed by the heavy groan of Yahiko.

A blanket of petals lay lightly on the ground, set to flight by light summer breezes that carried the scent of sakura blossom. Raven hair swept across the pale plane of her face as she walked with the girls in toe. The doctor met them just outside, smiling as his granddaughters ran into his arms. And as soon as they had come, they were gone. 'Yet another ordinary day.' Her mind whispered as she watched three forms fade into the distance, then hurried inside.

The sun lent its brilliant setting to the dojo wall, painting it orange, red and purple before fading into the velvet blue of early night.

"Five hundred!" Yahiko stated triumphantly.

"Dinner! Kenshin! Yahiko!" Kaoru answered, peeking her head out the door.

Kenshin was holding the final laundry basket, watching her as she disappeared into the house. She could capture his attention by breathing alone and his heart stopped when she called his name. He almost smiled sincerely, but shook his head. Surely, Kaoru-dono was his landlady, his friend, even, but………

"Yeah! Let's eat!" He hurried inside at the sound of Sano's traditional eat-dinner war cry. If he was to have any food to live off of, he ought to have hurried.

It was obvious that Kaoru made it due to the fact that it was nearly inedible, but Kenshin didn't much mind it. He'd been too distracted to make anything, she knew. He could have cut his hand off, set fire to the house, if he'd tried to cook. At the moment she watched him, he was staring thoughtfully at the opposite wall, as if it was the ceiling of the Sistine chapel.

"Kenshin- you haven't eaten." She suggested quietly.

"Can you blame him?" Sano was washing off his tongue after again trying to eat.

Kenshin jumped visibly and began on his dinner, if only to quell the fear in Kaoru's eyes. But food no longer satisfied him; it didn't fill the void that he felt. But why now? Why ten years later? He'd never felt so guilty, so empty, before. And an inexplicable anger was rising within him, but with himself or someone else, he couldn't tell.

She didn't look away, even as he obediently ate. His eyes were not those of her rurouni, to be sure. They were cold, calculating, as if they willed the dinner plate to shatter into a million pieces under their frozen gaze. It sent a chill through her, but her stare was met by violet. He was back to normal.

Did no one else notice? Both minds raced, both mouths stopped eating. Yahiko was scarfing down food, but Sano quickly became aware of their awkward silence, broken only by the slurping from beside them. 

Kenshin rose from the table, picking up the bowl of half eaten food and beginning to clean. Kaoru watched those telltale eyes until she was sure all was well with Kenshin.

He sat down against the wall in his room, letting his head slam back against the wall. 'How could I lose control?' His hands clenched. A steel cold voice hissed through his head, threatening, chilling his very soul.

::Have you given up yet? You cannot fight me.::

||I will not allow you to harm more people. This is a time of peace.||

::You cannot keep me confined forever………::

||But I can try………||

::For the girl? I would take care of her.::

||NO!||

The Hitokiri's cold laugh reverberated through him, fading into the dark corners of his mind. His eyes flew open, purest purple. He couldn't let the Battousai have his way. It would plunge the world into chaos again. Who knew what the manslayer, chained for ten years, would do if freed?

He noticed detachedly that blood trickled down his palm. The fist at his side unclenched, and he raised his hand to watch the light glisten off the ribbon of blood that steadily made its way down his wrist. He swiped it away. "No………"

The covers were strewn about her in wild waves.

}{Golden eyes flashed, a sword struck its target. A form collapsed just behind her. 'Kenshin. Kenshin!' The girl looked wildly around. He was crumpled in a corner of the blackness that overtook the place that trapped them. She shook him, to no avail. She pulled a hand away. It was covered in blood. Her breath became ragged. He was only injured. He would return to normal just like always.

A cold wind cut her to the marrow of her very bone. Suddenly, those golden eyes were bearing down on her, cold steel reflecting the girl that stared up, eyes tearful. She screamed, throwing up her hands to protect herself.}{

"Kenshin!" She flew up, sweat cold on her face and tears fresh in her eyes. She drew her knees to her chest and gathered her covers around her, shaking. A terrified Kaoru stared at the wall for the rest of the night, fearful of what torture her dreams might bring her.

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Status: End chapter One. Please review.