People I'm really trying to get away from the episode plotline….just bear w/ moi…this is after all the first fanfic ive written. I did try to sorta change the plot from the last episode of the pirates arc….don't know if I actually succeeded. Oh well….enough of my yapping cus u didn't come here to hear moi yap…
Her yelp of pain brought Kenshin out of his stupor. He had been reminiscing about the old days.
Shuura was on her knees, blood flowing freely from her freshly re-opened wound. How could she forget the number one rule, never give your back to your enemy even when they're down.
The scream had traveled through the small island. Kaoru and company heard it and stood up very straight, all ears open.
Kaoru was still sulking about the slap when the scream brought her back to reality. All her negative thoughts came rushing back to her.
"Kenshin!" she said.
"Let's go!" Sano commanded.
The small group ran towards the sound of the agonizing scream.
Shuura was on her knees, writhing in pain but she wasn't completely down yet. The thug went in preparing to strike the final blow, but she was too fast for him and with one swift move knocked him unconscious. The rest of the outlaws backed down and bowed down to her, except for one that was too proud to admit that their former leader had beaten their new leader. The unconscious outlaw had rigged their part of the island with explosives, and now this pirate ran to light them.
Shuura limped her way towards Kenshin, where her body finally gave out and she fell exhausted. Kenshin caught the woman and started to carry her back to the cave when a loud bang was heard. The bombs had gone off.
"Ah!" Kaoru gasped.
"What was that!" Sano asked rhetorically, and kept running.
Kenshin managed to get himself and Shuura out of there unscratched. The explosion had taken out most of the pirates and the only ones that remained were Shuura and the kid.
Kenshin was headed towards the cave, but before he could get there he was stopped by …
"Kenshin!" Kaoru called.
Kenshin moved his gaze until it fell on Kaoru's face.
"Miss…Kaoru?" he said incredulously, "What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean 'What are you doing here!', we came to rescue you idiot!" Kaoru screamed and was about to smack him when she noticed that Kenshin was carrying someone.
"Who's that Kenshin, she's quite the looker." Sano told him.
It was at that moment that Kaoru noticed that the person Kenshin was carrying was a woman.
"She's Miss Shuura, the leader of the Kairyu Pirates." Said Kenshin.
"Whoa, you're saying that the leader was a woman?" Sano asked.
Kenshin nodded.
"But the leader was very fast and almost as good as you Kenshin and you're saying that was her?" Yahiko asked.
"Yes."
"But what are you doing here?" Kenshin asked again.
"Well you see, they rescued all the passengers from the ship, but the ship was trashed so we took it to come look for you." Sano told him. "Missy here was worried sick about you."
"Thank You."
"So are you ready to go home?" Kaoru, who had been quiet, asked.
Kenshin lowered his gaze, and his eyes fell on Shuura. She was free and got to go wherever she pleased without ever looking back. He needed his freedom again.
"Kenshin?" Kaoru asked uncertain.
He looked up and smiled.
They took Shuura to the cave, where they bandaged her leg up again and waited for her to wake up.
"What's up?" Sano asked Kenshin.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't act stupid with me, I saw you back there when the Missy asked you about coming home with us."
"Oh that." Said Kenshin smiling sadly.
Sano was going to ask Kenshin something, but at that moment Kaoru and Yahiko came out.
"What are you talking about?" Kaoru asked.
"Nothing." Sano answered.
She smiled and sat down next to Kenshin. She was happy that he was alive and well. At that moment, when Kaoru was about to have a romantic moment with Kenshin, Shuura woke up.
"Himura?" she called.
Kenshin stood up in a flash, leaving Kaoru in a shock.
"Yes Miss Shuura?"
"What happened?"
"You got injured again."
"I know that, but after?"
"That part of the island blew up…all your crew is dead."
"Oh." She said smiling sadly.
"What are you going to do now?" he asked.
"The ocean awaits me. No matter how hard the journey is, or how dangerous, I can't stay put for too long. I will live and die in the sea." She told him.
Kenshin wished that he could do that too.
Two days later Shuura was ready to set sail again. She was still limping a bit; she felt that it was time to go.
' My wounds will heal faster out at sea.' She had said.
Now the gang stood at the shore watching Shuura and the kid walk towards their ship.
'I wish we had met under better circumstances, maybe as friends.' Kenshin remembered telling her when they first met.
' We'll meet again as friends.' She had assured him, but now she was walking away from him.
"Miss Shuura!" he called out.
She turned around with a funny look on her face.
"Can we be friends?" he asked her.
"Yes."she responded, the funny expression still on her face.
"Well then can I accompany you on your adventures?" he asked.
Kaoru gasped.
"I'm sorry Miss Kaoru, but I can't stay in one place for too long…I become restless. My spirit is a wandering one, but you won't be alone any longer you have Yahiko and Sano to take care of you." He told her turning his head to look at her. She was crying.
"Sano, Yahiko take good care of Miss Kaoru and thank you for worrying about me, but it is now time for me to take my leave."
"But I liked you…" Kaoru started, sobbing, " I really liked you…" but she couldn't say anything more.
Kenshin didn't turn around this time, "I'm sorry, I really am. I'm sorry." He said walking away.
"Are you sure?" Shuura asked him once he caught up to her.
"Yes." He answered firmly. He hadn't been surer of anything in his life.
And once again Kaoru stood there watching the man she loved walk away from her life…. She fell on her knees and cried her heart out.
They stayed there until the ship that had taken Kenshin disappeared into the horizon.
"Come on let's go." Sano told Kaoru extending his hand towards her. She shakingly took it and they too disappeared into the horizon.
Well ppl I just need the epilogue and I am done….this story is way longer than I expected….it was originally going to be a one shot..but that obviously didn't work…so I said 'ok I'll make it 3 chapters long'….but as you'll know that didn't happen either…well hope u enjoyed this….
