Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and its characters.

A/N: Hello…thanks for all the reviews..they really got me going. And for some reason this chapter took so long to finish. Had no idea why either. Anyway…I do hope you'll like this chapter. As for the story format:

-THOUGHTS- and "SPEECH"

Enjoy and Happy Reading!

Evangelistic Evanesce

Chapter 3

Two men stroll airily down the lane. Both of them were donned in dark cloaks and even in the middle of a crowd of colorful clothed people, no one seemed to be bothered by their weird clothing.

Bright sunlight and mossy green grass under his feet made him grin toothily at his friend.

"Well, Sano. This place beats all the other, isn't it?"

The taller guy whistled lightly as he kept his pace steadily behind his friend. "Yea…but it's not quite like home. You know what I mean" He replied loftily as they made their way into a market place.

Kenshin reached up his hand to brush away his hood, causing his fiery hair to glisten brilliantly in the sun.

"Oh come on Sano. What good is it to stay home all the time?" He replied as he flash one of the lady behind the fruit stall a light cheerful smile.

The taller guy jerked his hood back and shook his head. "As long as I've remember, you've never been home. It's always…one place or another…but home is out of question." He retorted as he gaze briefly at the vibrant town. "We've roamed earth and now Rhea…I bet the next place we'll end up is..the outer space." He muttered on bitterly.

Kenshin merely shrug. "Wow cool ..Thanks for the suggestion, Sano." He replied as he paused at one of the fruit stall and picked up an apple.

Sano shook his head in dismay. "Really, Kenshin. You should return home once in awhile. Obviously, you wouldn't want to miss the chance at the becoming the heir." He raked a hand through his spiky hair and lowered his voice. "You know there's a lot of people that would love to be in that position."

Kenshin ignored his friend and paid the lady behind the stall with tiny gold coins and sauntered on.

"I'm happy as I am, Sano. I don't care who will be chosen as the heir. I'd rather not be chosen. I want to live my life the way I want. Being the heir would limit that freedom..and I don't think I'd like that. By the way if coming along with me bored you that much. I wouldn't mind if you'd leave. And you had a chance at that title as much as anyone, Sano."

The spiked head huffed in utter annoyance. "Don't say that! I might----"

A blur of light emerald, swept pass him and ran head first into the smaller guy that was walking ahead.

Kenshin felt something ran into him and look around, catching whatever it was before they both stumble to the ground. He found his hand encircled around a small waist as his eyes lock with stunning blue eyes as deep as the ocean.

She quickly recovered from the impact and broke free from his grasp, muttering a small thank and sped hurriedly off.

Kenshin stood blinking as the girl sped away grabbing a yard of silk to cover her silky raven hair along the way from one of the stall.

"What the heck was that?" Sano said as he step up to his friend.

And to his amazement a second girl with waist length braid ran swiftly by in the exact same direction as the first one.

Scratching his head he turned to his friend and shrug. "I see the girls here are quite----"

His brown eyes landed on the other side of the street where another girl was walking briskly down the lane with afew guards at her heel. He watched dazedly as she signal for the guards to go in different direction and sprint off into one of the smaller lane.

"Beautiful….." He breathes clutching his heart.

Kenshin grinned at his friend. "Come on Sano, let's get going." And he half dragged his friend down the lane, hearing the mutter from the stall keeper.

"Princess Kaoru is out for it again…hope she'll remember to come back and pay for that silk." One of them sighed.

Kenshin's interest sparked up. He stopped by and smiled lightly. "Um..Excuse me. Princess Kaoru, you said?"

"Yes…you must be foreign, not to notice her. She's always sneaking out of the palace. Bet it must be boring in there."

"I see…the one in the emerald dress, you meant?" He pressed on.

The elderly woman nodded. "Yes. That's her. We had very high hopes for her. She'll make a brilliant queen, when the time comes." The lady said proudly.

Sanosuke who by now had regained his sense quickly prompted the old lady. "What about the lady with long hair? Do you know who she is?"

The lady looked quizzically at him for a while before she replies. "I think you're referring to Miss Megumi. She's the royal court's doctor."

"Megumi…oh what a nice name. She must be very sweet and nice and tender…." He said dreamily as his eyes became glassy once again.

Kenshin had to drag him away while nodding his thank to the old lady…..

Kenshin stirred on the large velvet bed as his eyes slowly adjust to the brightly lit crystal chandelier that hung in the middle of this bedchamber. Heaving a sigh he let his mind drift back to his dream.

He hadn't dream about that for so long.

The first time he had set foot into her kingdom. The first time he had met her. It seemed like an eternity ago. Back then his life seemed to be much simpler than it is now. He had loved traveling from one place to another. And for a certain period of time, he thought he had found the place where he really wanted to spend the rest of his life. Sighing once again he got up from bed and made for the door. –There's no use..thinking about that now. It's long gone.-

-""-

Kaoru flew into the study, in which Okina sat doing some paper works.

He glanced up at her and blinked. "Kaoru..what's the matter? Ah..Misao, Sanosuke." He addressed the other two that followed the young girl in right at her heels.

"Okina. I'm going to earth." She said briskly as she walk in closer to the elderly man.

Instantly the elder was on his feet, gaping at the young girl. "So you…"

Kaoru shook his head in annoyance. She was tired of people assuming that she had all her memories back. "No..I didn't remember everything yet. But that's the point. I want to do this before I chicken out." She said rapidly.

"I-I don't understand…Misao?" Okina said as he turned to his granddaughter who stood lurking behind Kaoru.

"Not my idea, gramp. But I'm definitely going." She replied nodding.

"What are you talking about?" He said gaping at the trio.

"Um. I came up with the idea..that maybe Jou-chan should go talk to Kenshin." Sano said as he place a hand onto the young girl's shoulder.

Okina's eyebrow shot up instantly. "You mean..go down there again? But then you'll have to wait.. another sixteen or seventeen year until you're old enough to do anything about it."

Kaoru shook her head stubbornly. "Nono, Okina. I don't want to go down there.. like being born again. I want to go down there as my present self. Get it? I want to talk to him as soon as I can. I really want to move on." She heaved a sigh and shifted her gaze towards the window to her right.

"I want to do this before I got all the memory back. Before I chicken out. And he definitely owe me one very good explanation."

The elderly guy sank down into his armchair. "That's….I don't think you have a body down there anymore, Kaoru. Obviously they must have given your body a proper..you know, burial."

"Well, I'll just have to get up from the grave then." She shot back hotly.

Tiredly the old man shook his head. "It's not like that, Kaoru, you can't use your earthy body after a certain hour after your soul left it."

"And what exactly am I now? An invisible-see through girl?" She gritted her teeth trying hard to suppress the anger that seemed to be brewing up.

"You're using the body that belong to this realm. Because this body is immortal. Each time your soul left it for earth, it went into rest in wait for your soul to return to it." He explained rubbing his temple.

"Then I'll go down there with this body. Simple. Just show me the way to get down there." She tapped her foot on the marble floor, a sign indicating that she was getting annoyed, very annoyed indeed.

"There's a law..set down by your great grand mother that no one can travel down to Earth using this realm's body." Okina clarified quietly.

"Ooh! I never knew there was such law." Sanosuke mutter, scratching his chin.

"There is! And you were made the Prime Minister? Really the people must be crazy." Misao mocked.

Sano's mouth opened to snap back, but Kaoru's voice cut him short. "I don't care. You will show me the way. And that's final."

She said as she spun around and march towards the door.

"The future queen shouldn't act arrogantly towards the elders." An icy voice caught her attention.

She halted in her track and turn around to see Aoshi standing next to the door that adjoins the garden.

Misao's face broke into a smile as she flounced over to her fiance.

Aoshi gave his fiancee a small smile before striding over to where his sister stood. "As the future queen you should be careful with your behavior and words." He warned.

Kaoru's expression remains annoyed. "You know how I am. I never---"

"You couldn't break the law." Was his crisp reply.

Kaoru spun around for the door once more. "I don't care."

"However…" Aoshi began, stopping Kaoru yet again. "…A law is merely a decree that the queen laid down. In other word it's what the queen thought would be best for everyone in the kingdom."

Okina frowned at those words but remain silent.

"I don't understand." Kaoru returned furrowing her eyebrows.

"It meant that every queen has the right and power to change or create a law, that she find to be useful." Aoshi went on neutrally.

Misao's eyes widen finally understanding what her boyfriend was trying to hint. "It meant that you can make up your own law to over ride the old one, Kaoru."

Sanosuke clapped his hands together gleefully. "Gosh. I never knew that was possible either!"

Kaoru turned to Okina as if to make sure that it really is possible.

The old man heaved a sigh and nodded his head. "Yes. You couldn't break the law but you can make up new ones, as you are the future queen. But if you use that power you are bound by that power to serve as a queen. You can no longer avoid the ascension to the throne."

Kaoru looked deep in thought for a minute before she took a deep breath and mutter audibly.

"Okaayy.. fine..but I've never make up laws before ..I've seen them do it in the movie so correct me if I'm wrong."

Misao and Sano grinned back at their friend while Aoshi and Okina merely nodded.

"I..Kamiya Kaoru decree that…anyone in this kingdom can travel to Earth in the body they possess if they had a good enough reason to do so." When she finished she look over to her brother to see him nodding lightly.

"Aoshi sama..I was wondering if I…could I err?" Misao started as she fuddle with her hand not daring to meet his icy eyes.

Slowly he shook his head. "If you want to."

She beamed up at him and gives him one swift kiss on the cheek. "Oh! Thank you so much! I'll go and pack then!" She screeched in excitement and disappeared in a matter of second.

Aoshi rubbed his cheek in a slight dazed expression. "Well..Okina will show you the way…goodluck." And he sauntered away his hand pressing gingerly at the spot where Misao had kissed.

Kaoru grinned lightly after her brother. She might not remember what their relationship were like yet, but if Misao fell in love with him, he couldn't' be that bad.

Speedily she shifted her gaze to her other friend.

"So do you need to pack or say goodbye to a certain someone?" She loved to tease him and sure enough a patch of light pink hue appeared on the guy's cheek.

"Nah…better leave without telling her... or I might not be able to go at all. She's not all that understanding now is she." Sighed Sano glancing up at the ceiling.

"I meant your assistant." She said and couldn't help snicker as the pink shade on his cheek deepened.

"Kaoruuu…" Okina warned the girl as he stood up, "Let's get going then. I don't want to attract attention..while we're doing it."

Kaoru nodded silently as she followed the old man out into the courtyard.

They walk up onto the hill that was situated slightly behind the garden. That's when she realised that they seemed to be walking up to what looked like an ancient shrine.

As she stepped into the cool shade of the shrine, Kaoru felt a deep shill ran down her spine. Reluctantly she eyed her friend and found that he looked utterly relaxed, infact he even had one of his cocky smile pasted on his face.

I've seen that smile…almost like the one Kenshin….- Shaking her head fervently, she was amazed how she knew that. Kaoru had to admit that most of the time she felt more than knew..the things about this mysterious redhead.

And to her own annoyance, she couldn't even remember what he looked like, only that he certainly had red hair and it's either amber of purple eyes.

A loud click from somewhere infront brought her out of her reveries. Okina had inserted a large golden key into what looked like a very large keyhole of an enormous double door that almost reach the ceiling above.

A second later her eyes widened involuntarily as the door creaked open slowly, while silverly gas- like substance billow gently out to where they stood.

Okina stepped aside as the door open to its full extend.

Sano paced back and forth infront of the door gazing deeply inside, where silver mist hung thickly.

"So..um..what do we do now?" He asked not taking his eyes away from the mysterious silver substance clouding at his feet.

"I think we should wait for, Misao. " Kaoru said simply, as she started to feel her own courage slipping away at a starling rate.

"I'm here!" Misao voice floated over to them even before she appear.

Kaoru eyed the two bulging suitcases the young girl was carrying and couldn't help asking. "Um..Misao….?"

Okina shook his head, knowing his own grand daughter. "You can leave those, right there, Misao chan."

"Gramp! You don't expect me to travel with just one gown on me do you?" She shot back, her blue eyes bulging in horror.

"Misao…er..where we're going…girls don't were frilly gowns." Kaoru explained calmly.

"Oh." The younger girl replied.

"Yea..they wear stuff..call kimonos." Sano piped in as if he was the expert in this field.

Kaoru almost want to bang her head into the nearest wall to keep herself from laughing.

"Erm..Sano…they don't wear that either..well not anymore, unless they're going to some very formal function."

Okina took that moment to talk, saving the young Prime Minister from further embarrassment.

"Alright. I'll say this only once so listen carefully. " He waited until all three of them nodded before continuing. "Kaoru..I want you to focus on the location you want to appear. Somewhere deserted would be a good idea. All you have to do is walk through that mist until you reach the other side. And most importantly..Misao, Sanosuke..do not let go of Kaoru's hand. Or you might be lost in the mist for all eternity. You both would need Kaoru's power to lead the way."

The two nodded vigorously.

"Oh..I almost forgot. To get back here." He handed the three a crystal pendant each. "Focus on what you want, the pendant will lead you back here. Okay..whenever you're ready."

Kaoru wracked her brain for a suitable place for them to appear. It had to be somewhere free of people. Obviously she didn't want to emerge right in the middle of the street in what they are wearing. And then it hitted her.

"I'm ready." She announced as she took a step closer to the door.

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Okina pressed something into his grand daughter's hand and stepped to the side.

Misao and Sano stepped up to her and took hold of her hands.

Together they stepped forward into the silver fog and disappear.

Okina watch anxiously as the heavy door swung shut.

"Goodluck..All three of you." He whisper and trodded out of the shrine.

After afew minutes Kaoru and her friends emerge into the total darkness of a room.

"Where is this place?" Came Misao's voice from her left.

"Ouch! I think I just knocked into something." Sano groaned from her right.

"Stay where you are. I'll get the lights on." Kaoru replied as she broke free from their hold and sauntered forward into the darkness. She made a beeline to the other end of the room and groped around for awhile until her hand rested on the switch. Smiling lightly she turned on the light revealing an expensively furnished living room.

Misao and Sano looked around in awe.

"Where is this place?" The younger girl asked once again.

Kaoru smiled brightly back. "Welcome. To Kamiya Kaoru's apartment." She cried throwing her hands in the air.

"Oh it's so good to be back." She said as she stomped off to the curtain and threw it apart, showing the beauty of the city at night.

"Wow!" Misao screeched bouncing over to her friend. "No wonder you like it here so much!"

"Ohhh…my this place changed so much since the last time I've been here." Sano muttered as he joined the two girls.

"Duh! When's the last time you're here, mister?" Kaoru asked grinning.

Scratching his head, Sano scrunched up his nose and look deep in thought. "Hmm…about six or seven hundred years ago."

"I'll be surprise if it hadn't change since then." Kaoru replied as she walked back to the sofa and sink down onto its softness.

Picking up the phone on the side table she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Both the phone and the electricity still works. How weird. Thought mom and dad would shut this place up." She muttered to herself.

Shrugging she stood up and stretch. "Oh well. Let's not waste any time then. Misao, Sano..I'll need to get you something to wear. You can't go out in that." With that she disappeared into another door, leaving the two friends to stand exchanging confused looks.

Afew minutes later Kaoru came scantering out in a pair of black demin jeans and a baby blue tank top. In her hand is a pair of jeans and a forest green t-shirt.

Sano and Misao blinked dumfounded at the young girl.

"What are you wearing?" Misao asked pointing.

Kaoru ignored her friend and trod up to the guy. "These are Tetsuka's…He left them when he stayed over night. Change into them. There's a bathroom over there that you can use." Kaoru said hurriedly as she shove the clothes onto Sanosuke."

Seeing the perplexed look on his face she steered him to the bathroom door and push him in. "Get change, fast, so we can get going."

Turning to Misao she smiles sweetly, causing the younger girl to sweat. Everytime Kaoru had a smile like that on her face it's definitely not pleasant.

"You can use my clothes, Misao. Come on." She said stepping closer to her friend who looked as if she was going to run away.

"Nononono. Kaoru…I will not change into those funny looking thing you had on. I'm okay with my own gown." Misao replied almost as sweetly.

"Misao. Come on, don't make a fuss. You can't go out on the street in that gown."

"Oh yes.. I can." She replied stubbornly stepping away from her friend.

"Oh no..you don't!" Kaoru answered back stressing her point pretty clearly.

In the bathroom Sano could hearing all the racket outside and couldn't' help chuckling as he change into the jeans and t-shirt. Glancing at the mirror he nodded at his own reflection. "Pretty cool." He whispered to himself. Not wasting anymore time he stepped out into the living room to find Kaoru sitting on the sofa, a smug grin on her face with Misao standing infront of a mirror, in a pair of faded jeans and a light pink turtle neck.

"Not bad." The young girl mutter almost to herself as she study her own reflection on the mirror.

Kaoru smiled at the guy. "Ooh fit perfectly. Now what's your plan, Sano?"

Misao stopped admiring herself and threw herself down next to her friend. "Yea…so where do we go from here?"

Sano strode off the window and sigh as he looked out at the busy city below. "Not so sure. This place changed."

That caused the two girls to cry in unison. "WHAT!"

"Hey! The last time I was here this place is still a forest. Nothing like this." He protests waving to the city outside.

Kaoru press a hand to her forehead trying desperately to clam her nerves. "Okayyy…what is it that you're trying to find? It might still be here..and I might know where it is."

"Oh right, Kaoru! Admit it he didn't know what he was doing half the time!" Misao raged getting to her feet.

Sano ignore the younger girl and close his eyes to think. "It's an underground portal to the 'down under'. And it's the only portal that doesn't have any barrier. I remember it was right under this house. Yea..it was in this village." He said lightly with his eyes still tightly shut.

"A village? Sano is there a river anywhere near?" Asked Kaoru trying to figure out the location.

Misao snorted and shook her head in frustration.

"No..there's no river…just a tiny stream. But the place does give me a creepy feeling. It emitted this really irky feeling of rejection. And I remember the people in the village avoiding this house. Said it was haunted." Sano carried on. "Yea…they said it was haunted. They warned us not to go near it. But Kenshin said it was nonsense."

Kaoru listen patiently as Sano droned on while Misao just stared blankly off into nowhere.

"Wait..it might be possible. But..I couldn't do it." His brown eyes snapped open to lock with Kaoru's blue one.

"Hold on." He said as he ran off into the bathroom.

"Sure…Take all the time you want. We can wait." Misao drawled sarcastically.

Kaoru shook her head in dismay and sighed deeply.

"OH MY! I can do it!" Came Sano's voice as he slowly materialised infront of the girls from thin air.

Both Misao and Kaoru both shrieked at him.

"Sano. What is happening to you!" Misao cried jumping away from her friend who now stood fully materialised in the middle of the room.

"A-are you alright?" Kaoru asked worriedly as she stepped up to him.

"Yea…perfectly fine." He assured grinning. "Infact I'm not just fine. I'm great! I can orb again." He said gleefully and gives Kaoru a big bear hug.

Kaoru could only blinked back, not understanding what he meant.

"I don't get it? You can what again?" Misao asked skeptically.

Sano waved fervently back. "It meant I could appear and disappear at will to any place I want."

He nodded at himself. "So…that meant…."

"….You can shimmer to anywhere you like." Finished Kaoru, smiling. "Sano..you're simply the best!"

"I know I am." He said nodded in triumph.

"Right..then, do take use to that place you've been droning on about." Misao muttered clearly not impressed with what her friend just did.

"Sure. You'll need to take my hands, I think." He said scratching his head.

Once both girls had each of his hand in her's. Sano closed his eyes and focus.

Within seconds Kaoru found herself drawing in a breath as her body seemed to fade slowly right before her eyes.

Even before she would say anything. She found that they were no longer standing in her living room but in what looked very much like a wine cellar.

She let go of Sano's hand and looked around.

"Sano…are you sure?" She began but was cutted short by a smirk.

"Got'cha. Over here, Kaoru." Came his voice mingled with an 'ooh' from Misao.

Kaoru hurried over and right before her was a tiny pathway leading off into total darkness.

"Look, someone left a gas lamp here." The older guy picked it up and smiled at the two girls. "Still working too."

And the three set off down the path deeper and deeper into the dark.

-""-

Kenshin's temper was getting the better of him and he didn't' like it. He knew it was a bad idea to come home, but he needed to, just to make sure everything is going fine. But the talk he just had with his guardian is somewhat aggressive.

"You should stay around longer. Do you realise the consequence of you absence? You're the one who ask for my trust. And I was foolish enough to make you the heir to my throne. Now what do I get…a useless heir who couldn't care less if anyone snatch that position away! Do you in the least, have any respect for me and yourself. If Shishio and his son didn't drool everytime I mention the throne…I wouldn't have given you that title..seriously" Hiko had shouted at him as soon as he had stepped into his guardian's room.

How he itched to tell his guardian that he does care about his title. That's the reason he had bothered to go home in the first place. Only if Hiko knew what he had to sacrifice to take that title. Maybe the older guy wouldn't shout at him..or maybe it might have been worse. Kenshin knew his guardian/uncle well enough. Even if he had done what was right, Hiko would still one way or another find a way to bash him.

He reached up a hand to knead his forehead as he loitered down the carpeted hallway until he reached the mirror. Sighing he walked through it unflinching at the icy sensation that shot through him.

He stepped out into the dingy pathway and bend down to pick up the torch he had left. He was about to light it with a lighter when his ears caught faint sound of people talking.

Narrowing his eyes, he knew that it was impossible for people to stray down into this path. They would have to enter his house and walk down into his wine cellar. –Thieves..probably..well they made a grave mistake in coming down here.- He thought as a smirk form on his lips.

Just as he was thinking of the ways to get rid of these intruders, his nose picked up a jasmine scent long forgotten from his sense.

Kenshin felt his heart give mighty jolt as his leg seem to carry itself towards the origin of the sweet scent. –It couldn't be.- He couldn't help thinking as he dash forward. Yet a deepest part of him yearns for it to be true. He sped around corner after corner until his feet seemed to nailed itself at the sight infront of him.

Merely afew meters away from where he stood, was the girl that had once been his life. She hadn't change in the slightest.

Amethyst clashed with Ocean blue while everything stopped.

"Kaoru…." Was the faint whisper that escaped his lips.

A/N: Oh my…that is the longest chapter I've ever written. But somehow I feel that they should meet in this chapter. So there you go. Do leave your comment and let me know what you think of this story. In other word…Please REVIEW! Thanks a lot and see you later…and Goodluck!