Title: Because It Hurts

Chapter Five: A Promise Is A Promise, Part 1

Pairing: Kenshin/Kaoru, Yahiko/OC, 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 Battousai 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.

All was silent each lost in thought or merely lost in the scenery of the mountains and beautiful green fields. Yahiko was a nervous wreck, his right leg jumping as the muscles clenched and unclenched in barely contained need to be let out of the carriage and start the fight he'd waited four years for. "I can't wait…" he said to himself arms crossed at his chest before his whole body started shaking catching everyone's attention and if that hadn't the following cackle of glee sure was.

Sanosuke gave him a weird look as if to say you-finally-lost-it before turning once again closing his eyes and going into s light sleep while Megumi merely smiled before turning to look at the scenery once more, the only one that seemed unfazed by the outbreak was Kenshin as he stared out blindly out the window, the only sign that he was still alive was the barely noticeable rise and fall of his chest or the occasional blink of his violet eyes.

"We've arrived" called the coachman as the mansion came into view.

"Finally!" yelled Yahiko throwing a fist in the air in his excitement.

"I'm glad you came," said Yutaro giving a small smile as he directed them into the dinning room. "I've sure your all hungry from the long journey." He motioned for them to sit down as a couple of maids brought in some food and refreshment.

"How could we not come, we haven't seen you for-what was it four years-since you left for Germany. How did that go?" questioned Megumi before thanking a maid for the tea and sipping some quietly.

"Yeah, we never heard from you except for a letter about a year after you'd left." Added Yahiko, before stuffing a piece of meat into his mouth and looking at Yutaro with a pointed look awaiting an answer.

Yutaro stifled a laugh, "I see your appetite is as big as ever and your manors haven't changed at all." He laugh harder when Yahiko tried to swallow the contents of his mouth to say something back on to start choking slightly and end up in a coughing fit al the while glaring at him until Megumi patted him on the back and he drank some tea. "There is much to tell but now is not the time for that. Come I will show you around, after all I can't have you getting lost now can I." He informed them gestured for them to raise and follow him. Yahiko merely grunted in response following nonetheless.

Idly Sanosuke followed behind them all, 'I wonder if she's still here?'

Watching as the clouds rolled bySano couldn't help but wish he hadn't come. "Stupid Megumi-"

"What was that?" said Megumi suddenly appearing in his line of sight blocking the cloud from view.

He sweatdropped cursing himself for not noticing her before she'd snuck up on him. Laughing nervously at her glare he decided to change the subject, "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged before moving to sit down next to him, "Yutaro got called away by one of the maids something about someone needing him for something or another." She finished waving it off.

Yahiko wondered about after leaving Kenshin in his room, "Maybe this trip will do him some good and make him reconsider leaving." He paused as he came to a fork in the hall. "Hmm…which way to go… was it that way…or was it…no…but maybe..AAH! I'm LOST!"

Violet eyes flashed an eerie yellow as they stared out the window before they were enclosed behind cringing eyelids, pale hands came to bury themselves in the scalp of red tresses as Kenshin tried to focus on anything but the images running through his head.

He saw himself and yet he knew it wasn't him. Before him what seemed to be an older version of himself was on his knees in a pool of blood, his clothes too were smeared with the red goop…but that wasn't it. It was the bodies…the dead bodies around him. Older Kenshins blade was covered in blood not his own. The blood of those that surrounded him, the ones he held dear. Their eyes haunted him; those lifeless eyes stared at him as if condemning him to hell. He should go to hell. He'd killed them, he'd made them suffer…betrayed the trust they had in him and when they'd given him their love he'd given him their sword…he'd killed them.

"N-no" he growled to himself as he backed away from the window a thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead as his breath became ragged.

Older Kenshin turned slightly to stare it him from the corner of his eye a sadistic pleasured smile on his face and blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His tongue darted out licking at it before he fully turned and Kenshin got a good look at the mons- no at himself. Older Kenshin was bruised yet his fists clenched as the thrill of the kill pumped through him. His head was bowed as he handed the sword, hilt first, to Kenshin. It was not the reverse-blade sword Kenshin carried but a sword like the one Himura the Battousai had carried, a real-sword. Older Kenshin raised his head slightly a single yellow eye glared at him through messy red bangs. Before Kenshin could take action, Older Kenshin flipped the sword between them and stabbed Kenshin through the stomach.

"NO!" he screamed eyes snapping open as he fell to his knees. Immediately a hand came to his stomach the other to his throat as he gasped for breath making sure that the bizarre dream had been nothing more than that a dream.…right? That couldn't possibly happen, he'd never do that.

In the back of his mind a voice cackled making Kenshin flinch subconsciously as he curled in on himself on the floor. 'Well just have to make sure I does then won't we' the cackling increased as Kenshin started to whimper griping his head and mumbling to himself and he tried desperately to drown out the voices in his head.

Yutaro had to laugh as he watched Yahiko come running out the open door and immediately fall to his knees kissing the porch. He distinctly heard him say something about "thank god I'm free from that maze" he chuckled causing the young woman next to him to give him a curious look before turning back to Yahiko. He looked down at her and whispered something in her ear watching as she nodded bowing and watched her walk toward Yahiko before he left.

"Thank god I found that maid when I did or I'd still be wondering about," said an exhausted Yahiko as he sat cross-legged on the ground. "I'm staying right here, no way am I going back in there alone." Feeling eyes on him he turned around to see the familiar young woman from the carriage walking towards him.

"Excuse me," she said inclining her head as she reached him. "Are you Yahiko?" He nodded entranced once more by the striking violet-blue orbs. She parted her lips to speak only to be interrupted as Yahiko's stomach gave a loud growl, making said person blush a deep red. "Sorry about that all that wondering about made me hungry."

"No worries. Come we shall have something to eat together."

"So" Yahiko paused swallowing the piece of kitchen in his mouth and taking a drinking some of his tea before continue, "Who are you exactly?"

The young woman across from him paused in he chewing before she too swallowed and drank some tea. "What do you mean?" she asked innocently without looking across at him but continuing her meal.

Yahiko frowned before taking another bite of rice, "alright let's start with this. What's your name?"

"My name?" she repeated pausing the fork halfway to her lips before bringing it all the way and eating its contents, taking her time in answering his question.

"Yeah your name." Said a now annoyed Yahiko as he took a large bite out of his bread.

She looked across the table at him as if deciding whether to tell him or not.

Once again feeling eyes on him Yahiko looked up and straight into the violet-blue eyes that so easily captivated him.

"My name…is…Tori." She finished before nodding to herself and bringing a napkin to her mouth dabbing it slightly before putting it back down and looking across at Yahiko again. "Tori Shin."

Across the table Yahiko smiled, "Yahiko Myojin."

Violet-blue eyes seemed to shin with glee as a small smile appeared on her face. "Nice to meet you Mr. Myojin"

"Come we're all friends here, call me Yahiko," he said grinning.

A slight blush appeared on her cheeks at his grin before she tilted her head to the side and fully smiled at him. "Alright Yahiko"

Megumi let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the flowers to her side idly touching the petals of a daisy before pulling away and crossing her arms over her chest and looking at the man next to her only to look away and let out another sigh this one lengthier.

Sanosuke twitched before moving to his side, a frown set on his lips. Just as he was relaxing again, he heard Megumi let out another sigh. That was it. He sat up quickly half startling Megumi in the process.

"Will you stop it?" he ground out between gritted teeth as he stood up and dust himself off.

"Stop what?" asked Megumi innocently as she too rose and straightened out the wrinkles in her kimono.

Sanosuke clenched a fist a vain in his forehead pulsing as he tried in vain not to loose his control and yell at Megumi. "Stop with your sighing already. I cam out here to get some peace and quiet and just be alone with my thoughts."

"And what thoughts would that be?" Megumi said sarcastically as she walked ahead of him, all the while smirking to herself as she heard him growl and curse as he followed.

She could her them approaching and no doubt so could Yahiko, "Come let's retire to the garden shall we?" she said sweetly as she walked around the table and hooked her arm into his, leading him out the back way just as Sanosuke and Megumi entered through another.

"Flowers are fragile things," she whispered to Yahiko as he pulled a white rose from a bush and handed it to her. "These are my favorite. Beautiful and pure, sweet smelling and innocent in their own way." She turned from the rose and looked Yahiko as they came to a stop. "What do you think of flowers?"

"What's there to think of? Their plants and some seem to enjoy them a lot especially women." He said trying to avoid looking her straight in the eye and focusing instead on the clearing before them. 'Kaoru liked flowers' he thought as a sad smile came to his lips.

He turned when he felt Tori let go of his arm and move away to sit under a sakura tree. He turned to follow her when out of the corner of his eye something moved, turning he looked for it only to see something moving on the opposite side. He looked around wildly thinking it might be bandits or something of the sort. Scanning the clearing again he turned only to stop as he saw Yutaro behind him kneeling in front of Tori a wooden sword in hand and reaching for another from her hands.

Yutaro stood and turned to face him throwing him one of the wooden swords and getting into a sparing stance. Yahiko mirrored his movements as they faced each other.

"Its time I fulfilled my promise to you Yahiko!" yelled Yutaro to him.

"Well see about that!" yelled a smirking Yahiko, momentarily his eyes drifted to Tori and he smiled softly in thanks for leading him here before focusing his attention on the fight ahead.