Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is the creation of Nobuhiro Watsuki, with the manga and anime rights belonging to Jump Comics and Sony Entertainment, respectively. FF is non-profit, meant for entertainment only.

FF can be archived anywhere, just let me know where. Please send no flames, I'm sensitive. For all other comments 0_o you may contact me at kaoru_koishii@yahoo.com

Chapter One

*************

She fled into the necropolis, so vast and familiar. Stepping on the wet earth all the while smelling it's cool scent. She tilted her face upwards, closing her eyes while raindrops plunged from the heavens splattering on the surface creating an unworldly haze. She enjoyed gloomy days like this. Her eyes remained closed enjoying the darkness, wanting to be enveloped by the familiar shadow.

"What are you doing?"

Long fingers grasped her arms whirling her around. Her eyes snapped opened meeting a set of deep blue-violet eyes, narrowed in concern. His voice was deep, almost harsh. He grasped her hand and dragged her back inside, into the familiar house. Away from the rain.

Their feet made splashing noises as they walked on the hardwood floors. She almost slipped but he caught her, bringing her closer to his body. They reached her room quickly, not bothering to open the doors; he kicked them in angrily. He dragged her inside, sitting her in front of the large fireplace while he fetched her a blanket. She felt the warmth of the room and the thickness of the blanket as it was placed around her shoulders. Slowly she felt the numbness leaving her body.

"Kaoru."

She moved her eyes to familiar face. They looked at each other for a while before he moved closer. "How long are you going to stay angry?"

Kaoru stared at the redheaded man. He haunted her to no end. There where times when she felt so angry. She understood she was mad to some extend but she didn't know how she'd gotten that way.

"Koishii," He drawled in a silky voice, tempting her out of her angry mood. Extending his hand and tracing a finger over her cheek. She looked into his eyes wondering if they would change color. Wondering if he would reveal himself today. "How long will you stay angry?" His voice was deceptively low. A ghost of a smile played on his lips as his touch caused her to shiver.

She looked at his smug face and suddenly she had the urge to physically wipe the smile off his face. Her hands fisted, ready to whack him over the head but she knew better, now. He was much to fast for her.

In the last year she'd abused him almost as often as he'd angered her. Lately he seemed to be taking liberties though. She still didn't know how she felt about that. I mean yes, the first time it had been she who kissed him but she'd been . . . . out of touch with reality.

His hand traced the smoothness of her cheek; slowly moving his hand to her chin while his thumb caressed the curved of her bottom lip. "Koishii?"

The endearment broke her out of the spell. The false sense of security she'd fallen into. "I want you to leave." She ordered, slapping his hand away. "Get out!" She yelled.

"Koishii?"

She drew further into the blanket shielding herself from his alluring affect. "Get out!"

"Kaoru." He tried again.

"I loathe you Kenshin, with all that I am. I loathe you." She hissed in a low tone.

The concern and affection on his face vanished completely. She could see the muscles in his jaw moving as he gritted his teeth. The color of his eyes glinted silvery as their color deepened in hue. He turned and left the room.

She sighed feeling the hate simmer to a controllable rage. The fury often went as fast as it came. He never should have left her. He'd promised. And still he'd left. She knew that's where the problem stemmed from. Still she didn't know when he'd actually broken his promise but the anger and the hate where strong, overwhelmingly so. Because of that she reasoned it couldn't have been that long ago.

There where so many thoughts in her head. She wished they would all stop, at least for a while. She was so tired. She settled on the floor immersing herself in the large blanket. Her face turned sideways, looking into the fire. She could here the rain hitting the roof. The sound was comforting

Her eyes focused on a blaze of orange and yellow; staring at is until her thoughts whirled with the flames. She stared at it till she felt her eyelids drooping, heavy with sleep. Sleep a black abyss where there were no thoughts, no people and most of all, no HIM. Slowly, slumber encompassed her conscious allowing her a temporary escape.

"Was there any change today?"

"I'm afraid not Mr. Kamiya. She sat out in the sun for a bit before we brought her back in. She's been lying there since eleven." The nurse answered sadly.

"Thank you, Maggie." Kenji spared her a glance before taking his seat over by his daughters' bedside.

"Kaoru-chan." Kenji said taking hold of his daughters hand. "It's your papa." He said rubbing his palms over her cold hand. "I had hoped that you would have recovered by now." He pressed his forehead against her hand. "It's been three years Kaoru. Did you know that? Three years since you locked yourself away from me, from the world." Kenji felt a stinging sensation just behind his lids. He cried every time he came to visit. "I got another promotion. We'll be able to take that vacation I've been promising you." He squeezed her hand gently. "In a week. We'll be leaving in a week." He said as he looked at her peaceful features.

*************

The sun shone sadly in the sky. Pale blues, purples and reds, entwined with gray, creating a dismal mood over the necropolis where and old woman stood over a grave, trembling.

How I loathe you.

More than life and more than breath.

I will never forgive you. Not if I'm born a thousand times over. My hate will transcend time. Though if, I am, I swear to you now, I will find you and I will make you pay. For the pain, for the heartbreak.

I loathe you with all that I am. I loathe you.

I will make you suffer the pain of a broken promise. For leaving me. I will make you suffer. Suffer as I do now.

Kaoru watched from afar as the old woman fisted her hands, pounding on the dirt and screaming out the injustice of it all. She'd snuck out of the house again, coming here to her favorite spot. But her spot was currently occupied. The old woman stood over it.

I hate you, Kenshin.

Kaoru stood very still. She couldn't have heard what she thought she'd heard.

Kenshin

The anguished cry was so much like her own when she needed him. The old woman was . . . . . Kaoru looked up again but the old woman was gone. She wondered where the woman had gone but she pushed the thought to the back of her head. She needed to see what the grave said. She'd never bothered to read it before. Her heart raced the closer she got.

"Kaoru!"

She quickened her pace at the call of her name. Kneeling on the soft earth when she reached the grave. Her hands worked furiously, removing the vines wrapping the headstone.

"Get away from there." Kenshin's voice was tight with anger.

"Himura Ken . . . ." She read before she was roughly pulled away. Her eyes were wide in freight and disbelief. It couldn't be. How? No, it couldn't be.

Kenshin had stilled. His eyes were a dark gold filled with emotion as he watched her rise to her feet and face him. "I had hoped for more time with you." Kenshin said as he closed the distance between them. "It was nice reliving some of our time together:" He said caressing her cheek.

"Reliving?" Kaoru made out.

"I must say, nothing was better than when both you and I were real." He said cupping her cheek.

"What do you mean? I am real." Kaoru said in confusion. His bewitching eyes had a way of making her forget herself.

"How, I love you." He sighed. He leaned forward to kiss her but she pulled back. "Kaoru, don't let the past color the future." His hand moved to grasp her but it stopped in mid motion. He had one opportunity to claim her. He could have her if he decided to take her. He could show her how their passion burned, the intensity of their love. He could make her forget anything and everything. If he would.

But he could not do it. He could have made her his but he did not. Seeing her face, pale with anger and tight with hate. He couldn't because he hadn't given her the answers she sought. She might have longed for his touch, deep down in the depths of her soul but he doubted that he'd ever get the chance. If only she would forgive him.

He suddenly felt fear. What if she never forgave him? He could not harm her. He could not force his love on her. What would he become without her? If he took her, he could keep her here in the dark recess of reality. But if she stayed, it would be her choice. He would not use force, he would not hurt her and so his hand dropped to his side, limp and useless. "I love you."

Her eyes narrowed in anger. She refused to believe him. 'Love.' the word brought a bitter feeling to her mouth. "Before when I said the words, you recognized them." She accused. "You've known all along where my angry outburst where coming from. That's why you didn't say anything." She felt the familiar anger bubbling to the surface while hate wove itself in, creeping into her voice and into her mind.

"It's true then." Kaoru accused. This place, it was all a lie. She was the old woman.

The color of his eyes changed. Tortured blue-violet eyes, heavy with longing and love where met head on with stubborn sapphire eyes. She had her confirmation. But it was hard to break the trance his eyes pulled her into. His eyes so deep and dark, where searching, haunted and restless.

She felt like giving in, her heart beat to forgive him but her anger and hate seemed stronger and it dominated over the softer feelings in her heart. "The suffering you caused is too strong." Kaoru tried to explain. "You will suffer as I have." She felt hollow as she said it like it wasn't really her yet the words still spilled from her mouth. "You will suffer the pain of a broken promise." She said as she began to fade.

Glittering golden eyes watched her. "You will not escape the flame." He warned as the corners of his mouth turned upwards in the semblance of a smile. She felt the power of his spirit stretch out towards her, reaching out for her.

Deep sapphire eyes opened slowly, peering dazedly from beneath thick midnight lashes, soft and wet with sleep. Kaoru blinked slowly before opening her eyes completely, assaulted by blinding light as soon as she did. A light much too bright for her sensitive eyes. She squinted trying to make out the hazy shapes. The shapes eventually cleared and she was able to make out her surroundings. This looked like . . . . . an airplane.

"Everyone please, fasten your seatbelts we'll be landing in the next couple of minutes." The sound of the PA sounded loud to her ears.

She turned to her left and in the seat next to her was her father, slumped in his chair. Goodness did he look bad. Her eyes fell on a water bottle and suddenly she remembered her dry lips and parched throat. The muscles in her arm protested as she reached over into her father's seat and took the bottle. Opening the bottle was much harder than its retrieval. She twisted the cap and cried out in pain just as the plane's first wheel bumped the pavement. Still she had the top off. She drank the water slowly but still the semi-cold liquid burned her throat.

Kenji opened his eyes slowly. Feeling the familiar headache of having had one too many drinks. He noticed people were starting to get up, leaving their seats. 'Must have landed,' he thought. He turned left and . . . .

"Hi." Kaoru's voice was rough but she didn't remember been sick.

Kenji looked at his daughter and then began to cry. "Oh Kaoru." He sobbed. He knew it had all been his fault. The move. It was his fault. Her waking was proof of that. The moment they'd gotten back to Japan she'd woken. She'd woken. "Because we're in Japan." He said hugging her tighter.

Kaoru was confused. "I thought, weren't we going to the states?" She tasted blood in the back of her throat and it was becoming an effort to talk.

Kenji stopped crying, frowning at the new predicament. "Koneko, I think we can talk about this once we're settled in." He said wiping his eyes. He smiled at her lovingly.

"All right." She rasped. She tried to stand and found she couldn't. "Papa, I can't stand."

"It's all right. It's all right." He soothed. He bent down, affirming his grip before he lifted her in his arms and carried her off the plane.

Kenji walked through the airport feeling lightness in his heart. Kami, he was happy. She'd opened her eyes and she knew him. She knew him. They had luggage but they could always get that later. He made his way to the exit. First things first. She needed a check up. He sighed happily as he continued weaving through the sea of people.

*************

Kaoru lay back on a mountain of pillows drinking her tea. Her movements were slow but she could at least move, now without the constant pain. It'd been three weeks since they'd arrived in Japan and her father had taken care of everything down to the last detail. He'd spent a lot of time with her in that time but he'd always been reluctant to talk. She'd allowed him time, a week or so before she began to press him about what had happened.

She still couldn't believe she'd been out of it for so long. It all felt like one long dream; some things were still fuzzy but to her it's almost like they'd never left. She still had her room, in the same house she'd always lived in. Her father had even gone so far as to buy replica's of everything she'd ever own. Well almost everything.

She settled her teacup back on the tray by her side before she picked up her magazine again. She turned the page looking at the pictures of what was in style now. She'd go shopping as soon as she got better. Her eyes lingered on a pair of leather Prada boots; reluctantly she turned the page. She felt the blood drain out of her face.

A man with deep red hair and captivating eyes looked up at her from the magazine.

It couldn't be. She read the caption underneath the picture and it only served in making her feel unbalanced.

Himura Kenshin was spotted at the new club, Blade here in Tokyo. By his side, the well known model Kelly Yu. A new "friend."

Plans of her shopping trip disappeared from her head completely. Her mouth hung open, as she took in his appearance. His hair was tied back and from the angle of the picture it was hard to tell just how long his hair was, though it looked long. His eyes were something in between as deep blue and purple. An odd color. He had a serious expression on his face but it didn't lessen the effect. He was beautiful. Kaoru felt her heart skip a beat. She traced the angles of his face, her finger lingering over his lips. There was something about that face.

"You haunt me to no end."

Where were those words from? She bit her bottom lip in concentration. Her heart began to race and her hands became cold. Pain . . . . . Broken promise . . . . and . . . . What was that other word?

She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the side of her head. What was that other word?

Suffer.

Yes, those were the words. The ones from her dreams. Words she often thought she heard in the breeze. Her eyes turned back to the picture, to the image of the man. Such hunting features.

I was writing this story, skipping over two other Batt/Kao fics I have on my hard drive when I went to FF.net; RK section. It seems like everyone's jumped on the same timeline. So now I find myself unsure as to whether I should finish it or just go back to Dark Times. I guess I'll just wait and see how it's received. Hopefully my loyal readers will come out of the woodwork and help me out. Remember to read the small notes if you feel lost as to where we are in the story. Drop me a line if you have further questions.

I've left enough space between scene changes, so there shouldn't be any confusion so far.

Small Notes: Kaoru has fallen into a state between reality and dream. Her mind is caught in the past but not reliving things as to how they originally happened. A deep seeded anger has twisted things, memories, feelings.

Kaoru wakes up once she's in Japan with little to no memory as to what happened in the dreams. But sometimes she catches glimpses. Though not enough to peace together what was. For the moment, there is nothing but fascination for the redheaded man with haunting eyes.