Eternal Bonds of Fate
AN: Hello minna! This is a new story of mine and hope that you guys would like it! As much as I would like to wish, RK characters are not mine! They all belong to Nobuhiro-sama! Jan ne and enjoy! Reviews are well and very much appreciated!
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Chapter 1: The Haunting scent of blood
Blood… there's too much blood. I'm drowning in the scent of blood…
Turning her head to study her surroundings, she shivered from both the cold winds and fear. Slowly walking along the snow covered grounds, she chocked back a sob as bodies littered the ground in which she walked on. She gasped out loud as the bodies seems to pile up from before her, the white snow turned crimson red with blood. She tired backing up and she found that she couldn't move, looking down she saw the hands of the dead bodies holding her feet firmly to the ground as they tried to reach up to her.
Opening her mouth to scream, she saw a sword appear from nowhere and stab her straight to the heart. She felt a cold searing pain and saw silver eyes glowing at her. Before darkness claimed her, she saw the light shift to reveal her mirror image with crystalline silver eyes that glimmered with blood lust. The girl moved her face closer to her own and smirked. Her blood red lips moving with whispered words.
Jolting abruptly awake, sapphire blue eyes quickly scanned her surroundings before she breathed a sigh of relief as the clear moon shone to reveal her room. Flopping back down to her futon, she curled tightly into a little ball as she remembered the whispered words…
I am you and you are me… SakuraGripping the blanket, she huddled deeper into its warmth and closed her eyes. Yukari had arrived earlier that day gasping for breath, telling them that the Akkabeko has just been attacked. At her words, the entire gumi tore out of the dojo and towards town. Arriving at the scene, Sano and Kenshin began helping with the debris and Yahiko ran to help Megumi with the injured… right after he checked on Tsubame, that is. Kaoru, on the other hand, stood paralyzed at the sight of the engraved words on the remaining wall standing that used to be the part of the restaurant.
Death from the heavensAfter the incident, they all returned to the dojo, the cold feeling that had settled over her after reading the engraved words didn't disappear. In fact, as Tsubame re-told the Kenshin-gumi what had truly happened, the cold feeling increased and left her numb. A man arrived at the restaurant earlier and took one look at the restaurant before he chuckled out loud. Moving towards the northern wall, he then lifted his hands and started writing the words they all saw. He then laughed maliciously before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke had cleared, the untouched walls them started to rumble and creak before everything collapsed.
Kenshin frowned and started to worry that this might be another attack from someone who wanted to fight or hurt Kenshin. Someone from his past. As they all continued to talk, Kaoru looked down in her hands, silent tears fell on her face. She closed her eyes as Kenshin wrapped his arms around her, protective and possessive at the same time.
"I will protect you… I won't let anyone hurt you… this is my fight. I won't let them take you from me…" came his low whisper
Kaoru sobbed and buried her face in her pillow. How can she tell them? How she let them know that this is not about Kenshin. Not from his past… Not his fight, his burden. How she tell them what those engraved words mean? How can she… when she herself can't bring herself to face her own darkened past. She clenched her eyes close and sobbed.
Please… I don't want to remember… I don't want to go back… please…00000000000000000
Two weeks have passed since the attack at the Akkabeko and another attack kept the gumi on their toes. This time, the attack was focused on the house of Dr. Genzai and his two grandchildren. The three almost died in the attack when they were tied and locked in a room and the entire house set on fire. Kenshin and Sano charged in and got them all out before the fire consumed the entire residence. Dr. Genzai and the children were now living in Aizu with a relative of theirs until the problem can be resolved, but before they left, unknown to the others, Dr. Genzai talked to Kaoru and told her to be careful. Him knowing her entire past, he knew exactly who had almost killed them and knew what was about to happen would give a terrible blow to the young kenjutsu shihondai.
After the two attacks, Kaoru's nightmares were getting worse and worse as well. Reminding her of her well hidden past… a past long forgotten. Because of this, the rest of gumi now started to notice the change in her demeanor as she started to stare into space, eyes glazed and unseeing, somber and quiet and it was as if she didn't have any emotions at all.
Kenshin greeted Kaoru with his usual greeting and blinked worriedly at her when she didn't respond to him. Yahiko frowned as well when Kaoru merely walked past him despite his yelling and teasing her. Looking up with worried eyes to the former hitokiri beside him, the two of them followed Kaoru to the dining room for their breakfast. This particular scenario had been going on for weeks now and it was already getting on his nerves.
Kenshin looked at Kaoru worriedly and noticed the dark circles under her eyes as she continued to pick at her food. He frowned and called her name gently, when she didn't seem to hear, he called her name over and over again until Yahiko slammed his palms flat on the table with such force that some of the dishes overturned. Kaoru looked up in surprise at the sudden noise, her bleak sapphire eyes moved from a worried rurouni and a furious self proclaimed samurai.
"Kaoru! Kenshin has been calling your name over and over from the past few minutes and you haven't even moved a muscle! What the heck is wrong with you!" Yahiko growled at her.
A red flush covered her cheeks and ducked her head. "Gomen nasai…" she whispered she looked right back up at them as she chuckled nervously.
Kenshin leaned forward and caught Kaoru's hand with his own, shocking the young shihondai. Locking his gaze with hers, he gripped her hand tighter with his own.
"What's wrong Kaoru-dono? You've been acting differently these past weeks and you're getting more and more distracted… are you worried with what's happening?"
Kaoru shook her head vehemently, "Iie! Daijobou! I'm alright! Really!" she told them as she hurriedly pulled her hand from his own and stood up. "I… I have to go now… I have a class at the Himeki dojo…" she told them in a rush before she ran out from the room in a hurry, leaving two worried men behind.
Yahiko turned to Kenshin, "You know… I'm getting worried with Kaoru, even if there's something wrong, she'll never tell us…" he gritted his teeth, "I hate it… I hate it when I see her that way… and I can't do anything to help her…"
The older man nodded and sighed as he looked at the place where Kaoru had just vacated, her breakfast left untouched. "I know… I wish she would tell us, how are we going to help her if she doesn't talk to us?"
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Later that night, both Yahiko and Kenshin bolted up from their beds as a loud piercing scream echoed in the night. Kenshin jumped up from his bed and raced towards Kaoru's room and wrenched the doors open.
He stood there eyes wide as Yahiko skidded to a stop beside him, "Kenshin! What's wrong!" he gasped out. Looking at Kenshin he then turned to the open room and gasped. Kaoru sat huddled in the corner of her room, her eyes wide and unseeing, and her hair free from its usual braid.
Slowly entering her room, Kenshin immediately noticed the change in her ki. As he took another tentative step inside her room, Kaoru swiftly turned her head to look at him. She continued to sit there shuddering with fear as he advanced closer to her. Reaching his hand to her, amethyst orbs widened when her glazed sapphire eyes widened and immediately turned to crystal silver.
He snatched back his hand when Kaoru moved away from him, her eyes wide… scared. His own eyes widened, she was scared of him? He tried to move towards her again, this time he was completely stopped by her voice.
"Don't come near me, Battousai!" she hissed
"Kaoru…" he whispered. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to move cautiously towards her again. Kaoru's eyes turned wild and she flung out her arm, a powerful wave of energy surged out from her and hit Kenshin directly in the chest, throwing him forcefully backwards and out of her room and onto the front yard.
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Index of Japanese words:
1. Kenjutsu Shihondai Kaoru's title as head of the Kamiya kasshin ryu technique :p
2. Hitokiri shadow assassin (I think? ehehehe)
3. Iie no
4. Daijobou I'm alright (did I get that right? Help?) (,x);
