Author's Note: Hmmm...I've just been reading the rules, and it seems I've broken a few of them :). So maybe I'll group the review responses together, and shorten each response to a few well-written words. I hope this is okay. Complying with another rule, I took out the Author's Note originally placed at number 4. However, the result of this is that the reviews get a bit mixed up at which chapter they're referring to, and all of the chapters are booted down one. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone.
Oh yes—my 2-week absence—I'm not sure if I can update next week as well. I'm extremely busy nowadays, and so perhaps the next chapter will be out the following week :).
Review Responses:
(GoldAngel2: I hope you're feeling better, and thank you so much!)- (Dragon Master 271, NargieGirl21, Dark Thorn White Rose, and Whisper of Darkness: Thank you!)-(Shihali: I was planning to get someone to take food to Kaoru in the last chapter-however I got lazy :) Remember when Sano warned Kenshin that Shishio couldn't be underestimated? Even Sano knows that his pride and two fists won't defeat Shishio in the least. So to at least boost up his power a little, Sano wants to get some 'reinforcements', even if it damages his pride a little (so at least he can help 'Jo-Chan'. And yes, this is where the plot hole comes in.)-(Star0704: I think I may have spoiled something for you—did you watch the Kyoto Arc of the Rurouni Kenshin series yet? Going on: your compliments stir up warm, fuzzy feelings!)-(rurouni madness: Don't worry, romance is definitely piled into the mix—most of it at the end of the story.)-(Emerald Genie: Don't worry about your spelling—it's the thought that counts, and you've expressed such a wonderful one. Your question—8th Grade is 13 years old. About the phrases: I tried not to make them clichés but that was a bit hard. Thanks for the inspirational comment about me writing books! :)-(PrincessSakura4: YAY! Kaoru's dream made you emotional! My work here is complete :). Thanks—I hope your parents simmer down as well.)-(assassinatorgirl: Actually, I typed the fight scene like I visualized it in my head. Imagine how surprised I was when I got out the episode to confirm my facts, and discovered that my fight scene had almost the same actions as in the real thing. About Yahiko's eyes—oops. I thought auburn meant brown. Stupid me—I didn't want to use 'brown' all the time.)-(Diane-posing as 'Me'/'Me again': my strange sister. Why should I bother responding to you when I can just scream at you from the computer room? :) And by the way, your reviews were just so perverted!!!!!)
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, but this story idea is mine.
A Cloak of Protection
Chapter 12: Betrayal and Misgivings
DAY TWO—2:30pm
A rough hand slammed into the middle of her back, trying to roll her over. Fingers fumbled at her side, digging short nails into her back. Knuckles rapped painfully at her tender ribs, shoving at her. A gruff voice hissed angrily from somewhere a few feet above her.
The rough hands fell away angrily from her for a moment, and dry, tired pants echoed through the room. Then the ungentle hands came back, and a hard object moved beneath her. The hands seemed to be straining at the object and pulling it out, but to no avail.
"Insolent wench..." the owner of the rough hand angrily hissed. The hard, sticklike object beneath Kaoru's left side bucked a couple of centimeters up and down, digging into her side.
She gradually resurfaced from the deep black, lying as still as she possibly could. Why was this abysmally rude person trying to disturb her? What a hentai, groping at her.
Was it Soujirou-kun? Did he come back yet?
Kaoru cautiously opened her eyes to a narrow slit, dark lashes standing out on her pale skin. The soft fabric of the yellow couch she was lying on greeted her, filling her narrowed vision.
As the hard, long object jutting into Kaoru's ribs jerked again, she suddenly realized what it was. Her handmade bokken! She must have collapsed on it when she fainted.
But who was trying to get at it? Who was right now tugging on it, trying to tear it out from underneath her?
Trying not to make her movements starkly visible, Kaoru cautiously transferred more of her weight onto the wooden bokken, biting the inside of her cheek when the end of her bokken once again jabbed into her left ribs. She slowly raised her chin up, trying to see who was trying to take her bokken away from her. If she could just stall as long as she could...and try to think up a plan before the gruff hands could get at it...
The ornately carved 'bokken' started to move out from beneath her.
The ungentle hands were starting to drag it out from under her, depriving her of her desperately needed weapon.
Kaoru almost let out a startled gasp. Instinctively, she threw more body weight onto the wooden stick beneath her with a sharp movement, catching herself with her hands. She landed hard on her back, jolting the couch and her heart.
In her mind, alarm bells rang shrilly, as the hands drew back sharply.
A sharp hiss of frustration sounded through the room. "...Wench!"
It was undoubtedly a male voice—but it wasn't Soujirou. This voice was much deeper, with no trace of happiness hidden beneath the voice.
It was undoubtedly one of Shishio's men.
Kaoru wrenched her eyes completely open, and quickly rolled over onto her wooden bokken, grimacing as her sore muscles protested in pain. Above her, a pale-faced man with a protruding chin stared at her, hooded eyes wide in surprise. Then his face twisted in fury, seeing her awake and guarding her only good weapon—when he had been trying to get at it himself without waking her up!
The man that seemed slightly taller than her sported a truly horrible hairstyle. All of his dark hairs were carefully slicked back from his forehead, revealing a rapidly receding hairline—as if he'd been deliberately yanking out his own hair in frustration. His mass of hair was not slicked to his scalp; at the back, it rose in a tapered fashion away from his head, so that his skull looked distinctly unproportioned. Not a hair was out of place, so this slight clue revealed that he was impeccably neat.
So neat that he wouldn't stand for the slightest bit of interference! a voice screamed in Kaoru's head.
Instinctively, she tried to pound more weight onto her bokken, which was uncomfortably squashed beneath her torso. The pale-faced man, whose ensemble seemed to consist of a woolly brown suit and a long dusty-green overcoat, seemed to regain his composure, and lunged for her again, fingers bent menacingly into claws.
This time, Kaoru was sure she was going to have her bokken wrenched forcefully away from her. The cold fury in his eyes and twisted mouth screamed danger at her, and she unconsciously started to move away from his line of attack. Her long sheet of dark hair swung wildly around her shoulders, and her sapphire eyes widened in fear.
Then her rational mind overtook her sudden panic, and her body flew into action. Plunging her right hand beneath her chest, soft cloth of the yellow couch pressing into her hand, she groped for the hard wooden stick of her handmade bokken. A second later, though it seemed like hours as the pale-faced man hurtled angrily toward her, the wood struck against her fingernails. With barely time to gasp for air, she flung herself sideways off the couch, the bokken safely in her hands.
The land onto the green-carpeted floor took the very breath out of her. Heaving in large gasps of air, she opened her panicked blue eyes to see her attacker collide into the side of the couch and, with his heavy acceleration, fall over the restricting couch arm and land facedown. He let out a strangled cry, muffled in the softness of the couch. His legs flailed in the air like out-of-control windmills.
In one motion, Kaoru quickly swept herself up and drew up her wooden bokken. Just as she was about to plunge it down onto his head, an image from her gray-tinged dream erupted into her face.
Kenshin's accusing, pain-filled violet eyes stared into hers, as he struggled to move his lips and gasp out a few words. "K-Kaoru-dono...why? Why?"
And as the beautiful sparkling color of his violet eyes gradually dulled to a deep gray, Kaoru shoved aside the vision and determinedly focused all of her power into her arms holding up the bokken.
The bokken seemed to be shivering with crackling white electricity from Kaoru's intense concentration on it. She imagined the man's strangely shaped hair to suddenly transform into a long, shining midnight-black sheet of hair...for him to transform to the shadow Kaoru from her dream, who had killed Kenshin...taken the life out of his eyes...
The male in the green overcoat started to force himself back up. His arms struggled to lift up his weight off the couch. Kaoru tensed visibly, clenching the handle of her bokken still tighter, lips slightly parted as she began to draw down the wooden weapon.
With a force Kaoru didn't know she had ever possessed, she hurled down the bokken, the wrapped pink-purple obi contouring to the grip of her hands perfectly, straight at the man's/the shadow Kaoru's head. The downward slashing movement seemed to take hours, but with the tremendous force Kaoru heaved down the wooden sword, it should have taken a mere second, maybe less.
The other end of the wooden sword neared its target at a heartstopping rate, and if Kaoru had wanted to change her mind and pulled out of the slash, there was no way to.
Instinctively, the man in the green coat threw up his left arm, at least to block some of the attack. But defense came too late.
Skull and wood connected forcefully, and a sickening crack resounded through the room. The bokken had collided solidly with the man's head, as Kaoru swung through with her force.
The pale-faced man's eyes widened enormously. Mouth gaping open slightly, his eyeballs rolled back into his head to reveal the whites of his eyes. He slowly slumped back onto the couch, a fleck of foamy drool spilling over his bottom lip.
Kaoru drew up her bokken again and prepared to swing it back down again, but looking down at the unconscious man, she found that she couldn't bear to hit him again—not while he lay there looking so woefully pathetic.
With a sigh, she stepped back and dropped her bokken to the ground, the force of hitting her attacker's head ringing through her arms. Slowly stepping over to the seemingly unconscious man, she knelt down low enough to see a lone trickle of blood seeping out of his hair.
Yes, he was unconscious. It was pretty obvious from all the force she had put in her emotion-wracked swing. Kaoru smiled in relief—she had taken the first step onto the path to getting out of this wretched room.
A lightheaded feeling cut through her head suddenly, and she winced, throwing her left arm up to her forehead. She knew she hadn't eaten or drank in more than a day. But if she could just keep on going...just to tie up her attacker, in case he woke up before she could properly restore her strength...
The room seemed to waver before her eyes, and she swayed a little on her feet, clenching her fingers tightly against her palms.
She slipped down the length of the couch, landing on the green-carpeted floor, left arm sprawled over her forehead. Her blue eyes blinked in rapid succession, fighting to keep awake.
Then, through her hazy stupor, she saw it.
In the center of the room, a little table was set up awkwardly. Its legs were sprawled in opposite directions, indicating that it had not been set up very well. But on its surface sat a tray—a tray of—
Kaoru grinned, and slowly stood up. Stumbling over to the little table, she sat down to the small tray of food that suddenly seemed delicious and tea that suddenly seemed like the cool, clean, refreshing water from the base of waterfalls that one hungrily sips at in thirstiness.
As she took the first bite of warm bread, it didn't even matter that it was starting to turn hard. The delicious nourishments stacked on the tray seemed to have landed from heaven, and she had to force herself to eat slowly.
If this strange man carried food to her, and she had just struck him unconscious, it wasn't likely that she was getting more for the remainder of the time she was going to spend here. Soujirou-kun had told her that she was to stay here for a couple of weeks, as it would take a while to prepare for Shishio's plan to be finally enacted—and for Shishio's and Kenshin's battle to happen...
Suddenly, the lump of bread on her tongue turned to a dusty, stone-like taste. She struggled to swallow the bread and quickly washed that down with a tiny sip of tea, which also started to taste horrible and badly mixed. She still couldn't believe it. Shishio and Kenshin—fighting? And her being kidnapped? It still amazed her that so much had happened in so short a time.
Suddenly, her ravenous appetite disappeared, and she just sat there, staring at the murky depths of her cup of tea, clutching the piece of slightly hardened bread in her right hand so hard that it crumbled in her fist, raining crumbs into her lap.
Finally, she stood up, the tray of food barely touched. However, the lightheadedness had disappeared—that was a plus.
Her mood dampened, Kaoru's gaze fixed on the unconscious man, who was still sprawled ungracefully on the couch. And then she remembered—she had to tie him up. When he roused, she would interrogate him thoroughly, asking him what Shishio would really do with her—so far, Shishio had just been giving her vague hints on her purpose in his seemingly monstrous plan. How would she hurt Kenshin?
A flashback of her dream exploded into her face again—of herself as a shadow murdering Kenshin with her own hands.
She angrily shook her head, midnight-black sheet of hair flying everywhere about her face. No, that wouldn't happen. She would kill herself if it did—if Shishio forced her to murder Kenshin like that.
But no—Shishio had told her that she wouldn't necessarily kill Kenshin with her own two hands. She had forgotten about that.
But it all came down to the unconscious man—he was the only source of information she had currently. She could try to weasel out the plan of how she was to hurt Kenshin, and try to extinguish it herself by avoiding it, whatever it was.
But first things first—she had to tie him up.
Biting her lip, she gazed around the perimeter of the room for something she could use to tie up the brown-haired male. Rope would be preferable, but if not in reach...
Her obi would have been perfect for this. The length of magenta cloth was so long that it could stretch more than halfway across this room. However, it was being used as a very good grip for her bokken...
But she could take the general idea of using her garments as useful materials.
Kaoru strode over to the yellow couch with the man in the long green overcoat sprawled over it. Sitting by his head, Kaoru gingerly bent down and pulled up the bottom hem of her blue kimono towards her.
With her calculating eyes, she measured the appropriate length and width of cloth to use for binding the man's wrists and ankles. It took a while to tear out the appropriate length out of the bottom of her blue kimono, and she had to resort to using her teeth for the task.
After about half an hour or so, two ragged but thick strips of cerulean- blue cloth lay on Kaoru's knees. She smoothed out her dirty-and-torn kimono, knowing what a mess she looked, and picked up the two strips of blue cloth.
Bending slightly over the brown-haired man with a strip of cloth in each hand, she was faced with a problem. He was lifelessly sprawled on his stomach, both arms tucked underneath his head. He seemed to be asleep for all she knew, but one simple glance at his eyeballs rolled perilously into his head proved this theory false.
A tiny sigh escaping from her rosebud lips, she spread the two lengths of cloth onto the couch beside her and stood up. Almost unceremoniously, she knelt down and pulled up one of his arms from beneath his head. As his head lolled to the left, mouth slightly open, she seized the opportunity to lift up his other arm and clasp his wrists together.
Leaning over, she gingerly plucked up a blue strip of raggedly torn cloth in her left hand, and wound it as tight as she could around the man's slightly clammy wrists. She finished off with a spectacularly tight knot that almost tore the cloth in two and secured the binding of his wrists.
His profusely sweating hands, tied together behind his back, fell carelessly from Kaoru's grasp, as she finished tying off the knot and moved on to the task of tying his ankles.
Kaoru leaned over to take the last strip of blue cloth, and moved down to his ankles. As she wound the strip of cloth around and around his ankles, she noticed how impeccably shiny his black shoes were. This man was definitely high-class in Shishio's gang of followers.
However, Kaoru pondered as she twisted the cloth into a sturdy knot, from her few close-up observations of him, he didn't seem all that muscular. In fact, he seemed altogether pathetic and wimpy in the fighting role.
Maybe he scored points in intelligence. Then perhaps he was Shishio's advisor...?
Kaoru glanced again at the man's unconscious face, biting her lip. But if he was Shishio's advisor...if Shishio had chosen him for that high rank of making decisions...he must be a clever planner.
Kaoru just hoped that the knots around his ankles and wrists stayed in place. However, she knew that someone clever enough to be Shishio's advisor—as Shishio seemed to be constructing a major plan right now—could skirt the tied knots, no matter how tightly she tied them.
Fine—she would watch him, waiting for the first signs of his awakening. She would watch him, clutching her wooden sword in her hands, ready for anything.
--------------------
5:00 pm
Outside, the relentless downpour had finally ceased. The dojo glistened in the shyly emerging sunlight, wet drops of rain coating the roof and vast, watery puddles of rainwater reflecting the sky. The cold breeze flitted through the air, touched with the fresh scent of rain.
A slight scuffling sound could be heard in the Kamiya dojo grounds. Without caring whether he stepped in a puddle or not, a red-haired rurouni trudged slowly around the perimeter of the Kamiya dojo grounds, bushy bangs shading his amethyst eyes, hands dispiritedly limp at his sides, shoulders slumped.
Kenshin felt old. He didn't know what to do. He didn't even know what he was doing now, sloshing through deep puddles of rainwater with no intentions in mind. He felt...useless.
Sano had gone out to Katsu's an hour ago so to collect some bombs—"Just in case, Kenshin—you never know when they'll come in handy, you know," Sano's steady voice rang through Kenshin's mind. Kenshin also had a vague feeling that while Sano was there getting bombs from his good friend Katsu, he would try to freeload a dinner as Kenshin was clearly not up to cooking something up tonight...
At least Sano was doing something useful—while he, Kenshin, just meandered around outside doing nothing. Nothing at all—while Kaoru-dono went through who knows what.
As Kenshin slowly paced by the dojo hall, he could hear Yahiko's forceful shouts and yells as he swung down his bokken. Even his violent swings could be heard slicing through the air. Judging by the energy of Yahiko's practice, Kenshin figured that Yahiko wasn't a bit fazed by the many drops of blood speckling the hardwood floor of the dojo hall.
A wry smile touched Kenshin's lips for a second. Yahiko also was doing something useful...building himself up to have a good fighting chance...
As Yahiko's powerful yells faded from hearing and Kenshin trudged away from the dojo hall, Kenshin thought about what had happened before Saitou had interrupted.
He, Kenshin, had told Yahiko and Sanosuke that they could accompany him on the way to Kyoto. But at Kyoto, they would encounter Shishio...whom even Kenshin wasn't sure he had a chance at beating...
And Kenshin didn't want Yahiko or Sano to get hurt. Which they most definitely would—it would be outrageously dangerous.
Kenshin threw up his head to gaze up at the sky, which was patched in blue and splattered in thick white clouds. The slightest hint of a beautiful rainbow soared across the left half of the sky, cutting through a particularly thick cloud and disappearing beyond the horizon.
Without notice, a single, shining tear slipped from Kenshin's violet eyes and trailed its salty way down his cheek, splashing onto the already wet ground he was standing on.
Kenshin sank slowly to the rain-soaked ground, not caring whether his clothes got wet or not. He raised his face up to the sky again, eyes troubled. So many people had got hurt because of him—Kaoru-dono, To-
No, he wouldn't think of Tomoe. It was too much to bear.
And now...more people would get hurt. Sanosuke...Yahiko...Kenshin couldn't bear if any of them got injured because he dragged them into his fight.
And Shishio had somehow managed to drag Kaoru-dono into this whole mess. Even though she hadn't done anything—Shishio was just using her. Shishio would probably use Kaoru-dono against him or something—he didn't know. He didn't know precisely why Shishio had kidnapped her.
Shishio had managed to drag in everyone he cared about, into this horrible battle they were supposed to fight out. Did Shishio mean to use his major weakness against him? Judging by Okubo's description of him, Shishio was the type to do that. He seemed coldblooded; relentless.
But Kenshin couldn't afford for any else of the people closest to him to be hurt...all because of him...
That meant he would have to leave Sanosuke and Yahiko here, and go off on his own. They might be furious with him later on, but even that would be worth it—they wouldn't get hurt, or even killed, that way.
And even if they did try to follow after him to Kyoto, they wouldn't know where to go. Kenshin had grown up in Kyoto—the others hadn't. He alone would know where to go to fight Shishio—and get back Kaoru-dono.
With a great sigh, Kenshin pushed himself up from his sitting position and brushed off the back of his white pants. It wrenched at his heart to betray Sano and Yahiko like this, but it had to be done. No more pain had to be brought upon his friends.
He, Kenshin, would have to go out to Kyoto alone.
But he would have to plan a good time to escape into the night, without Sano or Yahiko noticing.
He would have to become a wanderer again—away from this wonderful place which he called 'home', for the first time in ten years.
Away from this dojo, which housed the young woman he desperately loved, desperately felt a need to protect, to care for. He would have to leave his wonderful friends—Sanosuke, Yahiko, Dr. Gensai, Megumi, Ayame, and Suzumi.
But he would do it, if his leaving brought them safeness, away from harm. Besides, in that fight with Saitou, Kenshin had almost lost control of himself.
He had almost reverted back to the Battousai, and he couldn't stop himself. Sure, he had punched himself in the head to snap out of it, but how about next time? What harm would he conduct before he could snap out of it again?
Yes, Kenshin sadly decided, after he killed Shishio and returned Kaoru-dono to her home, he would leave to become a rurouni again. That is, saying if he did kill Shishio.
Kenshin was still uncertain about that, but he would do anything to get back Kaoru-dono. Even killing a man—but that man was a dangerous murderer.
Heaving in a deep sigh, Kenshin trudged his way back through the deep puddles to his room. He would pack whatever items he needed, and leave at nightfall, under the full moon.
With all his heart, he wished he could have been able to say goodbye to Yahiko and Sanosuke.
------------------
6:00 pm
Sanosuke quickly shoved his long-fingered hands into his wide pockets again as another cold, cutting breeze wafted through the row of tenements, where Katsu lived. He angrily clenched his teeth together as he stamped his shoes on the concrete ground.
He had been waiting there, outside Katsu's home, for such a long time now. Where was that freaking guy?
Pursing his lips in annoyance, Sano turned to the door and pounded on it again. "Katsu! Katsu!! Where the hell are you?!"
Huffing, Sano waited a few more seconds, eyes trained on the door. When it became obvious that no one would answer, Sano slumped down on the ground in frustration and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
God, Kenshin had gone through hell today. That note about Jo-chan, the bloody fight with that bastard Saitou, and Okubo's information about Shishio. Any normal guy would have exploded under the pressure. But Kenshin wasn't a normal guy.
In fact, Sanosuke was amazed that Kenshin was waiting for Okubo to come tomorrow. Kenshin seemed so concerned about Jo-chan, and it was hard imagining him waiting when Jo-chan could be in danger.
Sanosuke sank even lower so that he was lying flat on his back on the concrete ground. He could feel the chill seeping off the concrete and penetrating his clothes. On the inside of his closed lids, red fire blinded him, and he could feel the warmth of the setting sun on his face.
The ground vibrated a little under Sanosuke's sprawled body, and he could hear footsteps coming up the street. Sano kept his eyes closed, his arms folded across his chest.
The foosteps stopped. "Sano?"
Sanosuke blinked, and quickly sat up, opening his eyes. The full, blazing glare of the setting sun shone into his eyes, illuminating the gentle chestnut warmth of his eyes, and he hastily threw up his right arm so to block the rays.
The footsteps came closer, at a quicker rate. Sano turned around and blinked away the dots swimming in front of his eyes. As his vision cleared, he saw a familiar man dashing up to him. His shoulder-length raven hair was kept in slight order by a dark green band the man wore around his head. He wore a simple red cloak around his shoulders. On his face shone a surprised smile.
Sanosuke felt the corners of his lips curve up in a smile as well, as his longtime friend caught up to him. "Katsu, where the hell were you? I was waiting here for such a hella long time." But he couldn't stay angry with his friend any longer.
Katsu let out a chuckle, and turned to the door of his small home. While he opened the door, Katsu spoke over his shoulder. "Sano, you know me—I was just out by the river, enjoying the sight. It's one of my favorite pasttimes, and it helps calm myself." He stepped into the interior of his home, and beckoned Sanosuke in behind him.
As Sanosuke sat down, Katsu made tea for both of them. Then as Katsu joined him at the little table, Sanosuke plunged into his story. As Katsu sipped slowly at his steaming tea, Sano explained about Kaoru's kidnapping, Kenshin's fight with Saitou Hajime, the danger of Shishio, and their predicament.
"So you see," Sanosuke finished, his voice a little hoarse from talking for such a long time, "I'm coming along with Kenshin. It's going to be real dangerous, that fight with Shishio, and I want to be there in case something happens to Kenshin."
Sanosuke took a deep breath and reached for his untouched cup of tea, raising it to his lips. Katsu set down his own cup of tea, eyes solemn and serious.
"I'm afraid I can't really rely on my own two fists," Sano continued, staring into the depths of his swirling tea. "Shishio seemsway too powerful for that. I'm going to need some backup weapon, in case it does get out of hand. And—"
Sanosuke's words died on his lips and he glanced up, as Katsu got up and headed over to a set of doors across the room. Clicking open the doors, Katsu bent down slightly and rummaged through its interior for a few seconds. Then he stood up again, holding something in his arms. Without a word, Katsu returned to the little table and gently dropped whatever he was holding onto the table.
A large handful of bombs landed onto the table in front of Sano. There were bombs of every kind Katsu had ever made—extremely useful in battles.
Wordlessly, Sano stretched out a hand toward the pile of bombs and picked one up. Bringing it close to his eyes, he could tell by scrutinizing it that it was one of Katsu's best made.
Something gripped Sano's heart and choked him, forming a lump in his heart. He looked up at Katsu and gave him a warm smile, thinking about how kind his friend was.
Katsu gave Sano a smile in return. "Since you've been going on about how this Shishio Makoto guy's all dangerous and coldblooded, I figure I won't see you anytime soon. Or anytime at all, at that."
Sano got up and slapped Katsu hard on the back. "Don't start underestimating me yet, you big idiot." In his chocolate eyes shone a curious warmth and glint.
Katsu slapped Sano back just as hard. "Don't give me any reason to yet, you bigger idiot." A huge smile broke out over his face.
The two friends laughed, and Sano felt a surrendering wave of nostalgia. Impulsively, he reached out for his friend and clasped him into a tight hug. Katsu was right—there was a chance that he wouldn't come back.
Katsu bit his bottom lip and hugged the taller man back, knowing that this man, his best friend, may disappear from his life in the matter of a few weeks.
Then Sano stepped back, and collapsed back onto his cushion, examining the bombs piled in front of him. "Honestly, this is really good stuff, Katsu," he said, trying to sound normal. "Are you sure it's okay to give 'em to me?"
Katsu drew in a deep breath. "Sure, it's not like I'm going to use them anytime soon." He gave Sano a wavering smile.
As Sano began stacking the bombs into neat piles, Katsu walked to the door and pulled it open, glancing outside. It had gotten dusky, and a few stars had started to faintly emerge in the twilight sky.
Katsu turned back to his friend, closing the door. "Sano, you should stay overnight. It's getting dark outside, and you should be saving up your energy. After all, you are setting out tomorrow or the day after, right? After Okubo Toshimichi comes?"
Sano looked up, and set down a bomb. "Uh...I guess so. Thanks, Katsu. I really appreciate this."
Katsu strode over to sit back down on his cushion and pick up his now-cold cup of tea. He didn't say what he was thinking: that he wanted to do all that he could for his friend before he set out. After all, there was a strong possibility that he would not see Sano again—ever.
---------------------
10:00 pm
It had taken a while for Yahiko to fall asleep. Kenshin had had to persuade him, saying that he had to keep up his strength for the long journey to Kyoto. But at last, Yahiko had reluctantly rolled out his futon and collapsed on top of it.
But as Kenshin gently closed the sliding screen door, loud fake snores had issued from Yahiko's room. Kenshin knew Yahiko just wanted to practice some more, but the reasoning about energy conservation made sense.
Kenshin did feel guilty for tricking Yahiko like this. But to have Kaoru-dono suffer just one more day...
Kenshin had sat outside Yahiko's room for a while, listening to the volume of Yahiko's fake snoring decrease ever so steadily. Now, as he pressed his ear to the sliding screen door, he could hear the soft, steady sound of deep breathing. Yahiko was asleep.
As softly and slowly as possible, Kenshin stood up. Treading gently down the hall to his room, he slid back the door and stepped in.
The room was pitch-black. In the middle of the room sat a rolled-up futon, with a sheathed sword lying against the stack of blankets. On top of the stack sat a small, worn carrypack, which contained some money and food.
Stepping further into the room, his sandals giving dry scratching sounds, Kenshin knelt to pick up the sakabatou and his pack. As he slowly tucked the sheath into his hakama and slung the pack over his shoulder, his dark violet eyes suddenly gleamed with unshed tears.
From beside the stack of blankets, Kenshin drew out a sheet of paper and a pen. Kneeling down on one knee, Kenshin quickly penned out a note:
"Sanosuke, Yahiko, and everyone else,
I'm sorry. I've decided to become a wanderer again. It isn't worth putting you, my friends, in danger—I might become Battousai again. Please tell Okubo-dono, when he comes, that I've set out for Kyoto. I'll do what he requested of me.
I can't wait any longer.
Sayonara."
A tear splashed wetly onto the paper, beside the last word he'd wrote down. Quickly, with his finger, Kenshin wiped it away. Then he carefully set down the note onto the stack of blankets, and stood up again, tied red hair swirling around his shoulders.
As he walked out of his room, and started to walk out of the Kamiya dojo, he decided to stop by the fireflies, just by sentiments' sake.
It was a rather cool night, the full moon shining down benevolently upon the world. As Kenshin walked out of the gates of the Kamiya dojo, the road stretching ahead of him was bathed in a soft blue moonlight.
Kenshin walked a little down the road, and stepped a little into the woods. The gentle lapping of the river could still be heard, and fireflies flitted about. Kenshin sadly watched their many lights dance around the grass, around the trees, and around the river.
He and Kaoru-dono used to step outside in the night to watch the fireflies flitting around in the cool night air, sitting right at this place where he was standing. It was just outside of the Kamiya dojo, and an easy walk at that.
It had been so romantic, just the two of them. The soft blue moonlight shone across the river, rippling the water gently. Even in the latest of night, it was so bright, as the moonlight and fireflies' light swept away the darkness.
Kenshin could almost hear his heart breaking, in the soft silence broken only by the sound of crickets chirping happily. He sadly gazed out over the moonlight river, the lights of the fireflies flitting around the peaceful scene.
Kaoru-dono...I'm thankful for everything you've done for me, that I am. You didn't care about my horrible past—that I was once Battousai the hitokiri.
You made me so happy, you and the others, because you took me for who I was. You let me live a normal life with you. For that, I'm eternally grateful, that I am.
I'm going to miss you all—but I have to leave. That's for the best, that it is.
Kaoru-dono, you gave me such happiness; you gave me a break from the harshness of my life. I'll get you back from Shishio, and return you to your happy life. You'll do well without me, that you will.
If I defeat Shishio, I'm going back to being a wanderer.
Everyone—Kaoru-dono, Sanosuke, Yahiko, Megumi, Dr. Gensai, Ayame, Suzumi—I'll miss you all.
Sayonara.
And with that, Kenshin turned on his heel, the pale blue moonlight awash over his face, illuminating a single, sparkling tear trailing down his cheek. His gi shone dark purple in the dimness, and his hakama glowed a pale blue.
Without a word, Kenshin started walking slowly into the shadows, his heart breaking, as the darkness swallowed him up.
-----------------
"Meiji 11... ...Kenshin returned to being a wandering rurouni again. He disappeared...into the dark, alone."
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Note: Okay, now I think this is the longest chapter I've ever done. This could easily be the most angsty chapter, as well.
Goodness, I feel stupid...A few days ago, I accidentally reviewed myself. :) I was trying out that new feature had on my own fic, and little did I know, you can't delete signed reviews. So if you click on the Review section and see it there, don't think I'm obnoxious or want a ton of reviews—just know that it's a good, honest mistake. :)
Until the next chapter!
-Twilight Sky