Title: Because It Hurts

Chapter One: Till Death Do us Part

Pairing: Kenshin/Kaoru, Yahiko, Sanosuke/OC, slight Megumi/Sanosuke

Summary: The death of Kaoru leaves Kenshin in heartbroken grief as he escapes to the depths of his mind. Yahiko, Megumi, and Sanosuke try their hardest to try and revive the Kenshin they know and love but things turn to the worst as the Legendary Man Slayer Himura the Batosai seems to be reviving instead. Will the arrival of an old friend be any help? Or will we lose of beloved Kenshin to the likes of his former self?

Disclaimer: I do not own the anime Rurouni Kenshin.

Death. Death can be the sweet escape you've been hoping for, the final door to true freedom and yet it can also be your one-way path to a world of pain and nightmares. Your soul can receive salvation or be condemned to an afterlife of suffering. But that all depends on you, on your life, your feelings, and your deepest darkest desire and yet the smallest thing could bring everything to a close and into a future you either received for your good will or earned as punishment for years of treachery. But then there are those special souls, those pure lights that if you looked at them you wouldn't be able to tell that such a "sweet lovable creature" would be able to commit the darkest of deeds. The same mistake could be made with a dark light. Appearances are often deceiving as they say; so don't judge a book by its cover.

Two figures stood on the deck of a steamboat, one a female dressed in a simple forest green kimono with a lime green obi, her hands were clasped in front of her head bowed and eyes closed as the wind played with her short dark green locks. Before her, staring at the approaching land before them was a male with short chocolate hair dressed in a dark brown suit and matching overcoat. The female of the two opened her eyes to reveal large violet-blue orbs as her male companion turned towards her, hazel eyes shining with barely contained mirth, and headed past her only to stop shortly as the captain of the ship, an old burly man appeared on the upper deck and ordered silence as he announced that in a matter of moments they would be reaching their destination. Hurriedly some of the passengers dispersed from the deck and headed to the lower levels of the ship to most likely then not collect their belongings. Hazel orbs narrowed slightly before being concealed once more as the male closed his eyes took a deep breath of the salty air around them and opened his eyes again to look down at the woman next to him, only a head lower than him, and offered her his arm, smiling softly when she accepted it before heading off to collect their own belongings.

Brown eyes glared at a darker version of themselves as Yahiko and Sanosuke fought over a rice dumpling. "Give it to me!" growled a now older and taller Yahiko reaching for Sano's outstretched hand that held the oh-so-tempting dumpling. "No way squirt, you've had four already," this response only made Yahiko blush slightly and increase his attempts to reach the precious desert as well as cause them to fall over and the dumpling to roll into the small koi pond before them. At least the fish would enjoy it.

Megumi smiled to herself from around the corner, stifling a smile behind the sleeve of her white and purple kimono. "Those two," she shook her head slightly, her dark locks moving with her movements as she turned to walk the way she'd come. The smile soon disappeared as she walked by the familiar room of one Kenshin Himura. She shuddered hesitating slightly as she walked carefully across the closed screen doors.

"…Ms.Megumi…" the voice was dark and void of the emotion it had once possessed.

Megumi froze mid step shaking slightly as she turned to face the screen doors, "Yes, Sir Ken?" she asked in a quiet voice.

There was a low shuffling on the other side of the door and Megumi could only gulp as a thin sheet of sweat gathered on her forehead. The screen slid open slowly and a pale hand held out a folded piece of paper that upon closer inspection appeared to be sealed. "Please see to it that this be delivered."

With a quick nod Megumi grabbed the offered letter with a shaky hand bowing and leaving as soon as possible with a short "of course, Sir Ken".

"What's wrong Megumi?" asked Yahiko after seeing said doctor round the corner in haste tripping over her self and, had Sano not caught her, would've fallen on the floor.

"He…He talked."

Yahiko's eyes lit up at hearing this. "…H-he did? Are you sure… maybe…maybe he's getting be-"

"I doubt it" interjected Sanosuke. Yahiko glared at him.

"I just don't know anymore." Said Megumi she shook her head sadly. Looking down she caught sight of the letter Kenshin had given her, "He gave me this" she held up her hand, only to pull it out of the way as Sanosuke reached for it "No."

"Don't you want to know what's going on through that head of his?" was Sano's only explanation as he reached for the letter once again only to fall on his face when Yahiko grabbed the letter from Megumi and tripped Sano before running off.

"Grrr! Get back here runt!" growled Sanosuke from his place on the ground, shaking a fist at Yahiko's back before grunting as Megumi stepped on his back and jumped over him after Yahiko. "Do I look like a stepping mat!" he yelled after them.

Master. I will be leaving for Kyoto in a week's time. There are things I must talk to you about, one concerning Kaoru and the other myself. Himura.

'He's leaving?' thought Yahiko in disbelief as he read the letter over a third time. He only blinked when Megumi snatched the letter from his hands and folded it back up, hitting him on the back o the head as punishment for taking it in the first place, "Now Yahiko wh-" before Megumi could finish her sentence Sano came up behind her and snatched the letter away.

"Now let's see" he mumbled as he scrutinized the letter.

"…." Yahiko hadn't moved since Megumi had come; now he stared at Sano and watched as, much like himself, Sano starred at the letter in disbelief. He fisted his hand crumpling the paper in the process.

"What are you doing I have to send that out you moron!"

Yahiko and Sano remained unfazed at Megumi's outburst, they looked at each other before nodding, Sano ran off and before Megumi could go after him Yahiko grabbed her arm shaking his head no.

"But why? What's going on!"

"Kenshin's leaving"

Megumi gasped, "What!"

"The letters for Seijiro Hiko, Kenshin's master. It said he's leaving in a week to talk to him about something that has to do with Kaoru and something about Kenshin himself." Was Yahiko's grave response.

"That can't be. Kaoru's been dead for 6 months now. What could he possibly be thinking?" she said more to herself than Yahiko.

Yahiko said nothing as he looked on to where Sano had run off.