Hello Readers! My internet is slower than a dead turtle (not that I don't love turtles but just giving an example of something real slow) so I will try to update if my computer lets me, yes my computer is running my life….its almost like that movie Robots with will smith…yes the world is coming to end starting with SLOW INTERNET ACCESS! NOOOO! Well onto the next chapter!
P.S: I don't own any of these people if I did they would be locked up in a closet….specially Kenshin and so whatever! Yeah….I don't own them….at all.
LAST TIME:
Regular POV
"KAORU MOVE!" Screamed Kenshin
"DIE RAVEN! Yelled Gohan as he positioned his sword toward her but suddenly some one jumped in front of her.
"YAHIKO! GOD NO!" Kaoru screamed as she fell with the impact of Yahiko falling on her.
THIS TIME:
"YAHIKO! GOD NO!" Kaoru screamed as she fell with the impact of Yahiko falling on her.
"KID!" Sano yelled as he slid next to him trying to stop the blood flow.
"Kaoru are you all right?" Kenshin said as he tried to help Yahiko as much as he could.
"Yahiko I promised I would protect you, why did you jump in front of me. You stupid brat, always doing stupid things." Kaoru said as silent tears ran down her muddy wet face.
"Stupid boy, got in my way, I don't know why though, he only prevented your death for a while. I guess you could say he is dying in vain." Gohan said as he looked at the pathetic group trying to resuscitate there fallen friend.
"…Kaoru…" Yahiko whispered
"I'm here Yahiko, I'm here." Kaoru whispered back her tears running down her face.
"Beat the crap outa that guy, he needs a good whipping by the Kamiya Kasshin Style, don't you think?" Yahiko wheezed out
"Yeah Yahiko, a good whipping, but I think I might need some help, but you need to get better okay?" Kaoru said making another promise she wished will come true.
"Deal…no promise." Yahiko said grinning.
"Raven, don't fill a dying boys head with hopes and promises, he'll die by the end of the day with a wound like that, don't tell him he'll be fine, you'd only be wasting time!" Gohan said smirking.
"Then lets not waste any with your death." Kaoru said rising slowly from the ground. Her eyes were unusual; they were not her Raven colored silver eyes, or her Kaoru blue eyes. But one of such color they frightened you with there emptiness. Such vacant eyes that captured all warmth and crushed it with a single look. And yet her eyes spoke of such sadness you could only look in amazement with the intensity of them. Her face sported cuts and bruises from her recent battle and her ebony hair soaked, and mud that clung to her neck and shoulders. Her white gi stained with blood, almost unable to establish the true original color. Her hakama was slashed and torn, never to be worn again because of its state. Her blood still continuing to stain parts of her body. Her hands were shaking with the grip on her sword, her knuckles white from pressure. Soon her whole body was shaking.
"Kaoru…you are hurt, we need to get you and Yahiko to a medical center." Kenshin said almost scared at the sight before him. His love trembling in anger ready to strike at any second. Reminding him of what he once was, of what she is now. It all frightening him, knowing what could happen.
"I pay no attention to a man who has given up his life, his sword to a world of government and power." Kaoru said with such aggressiveness it was as he she herself was not talking.
"Raven!" Sano said in shock.
"What did you do to Kaoru? She…you are still hurt and in need of attention!" Sano said unsure of whom he was talking to and knowing that they were still one and the same.
"I am fine, wouldn't I be okay if I could stand and talk?" Kaoru/Raven said.
"Yes Zanza, she is fine let her walk right into her death." Gohan said watching this all take place highly amused at the scene before him.
"Kaoru, stop this, Yahiko would not want you to fight him in the state you are in." Kenshin said stepping in front of her. His face inches from hers. "Please, if not for Yahiko then for me, don't fight him, at least not in this state…please." Kenshin pleaded.
"Battousai, you don't tell me what to do." Kaoru said as she brushed past Kenshin.
"Kaoru, think about this." Kenshin said grabbing her arm.
"Let go Kenshin." Kaoru whispered glaring at Kenshin.
"I can't allow you to do that Kaoru, for your own protection." Kenshin said
"You think you can control me!" Kaoru screamed "You have nerve to tell me…" Kaoru said but was interrupted by a chop to the back of her neck making her unconscious.
"Aoshi." Kenshin said surprised
"It's a technique I use on Misao when she gets out of control." Aoshi said (lol.lol.lol)
"Thanks." Kenshin said while hold the unconscious girl in his arms.
Kenshin POV
I am so sorry Kaoru; I don't want you to get hurt. When you wake up, I know you will be furious but please know that I only mean the best for you.
"Battousai, why are you taking her away, she wanted to fight? Why deny her something?" Gohan questioned. "But I would like her to be at her fullest when I kill her. And she being weak now would only bore me. So when she awakens tell her to meet me in Tokyo at midnight." Gohan said
"Tokyo at midnight." Kenshin said
The rain pelted on the doors, drowning out the silence from within. They sat at the table whispering, wondering, and worrying. So much was going on and yet they could only do so little.
"So, how is Yahiko?" Sano asked Megumi
"He's okay; it was good that you brought him to me when you did. He's asleep right now.
"I would guess, he's had a long day." Kenshin replied. "How's…how's Kaoru." Kenshin asked.
"She…it's amazing that I could even save her. She lost a lot of blood. We just have to pray that she'll be okay." Megumi said eyes caste down.
"What about the fight in Tokyo?" Aoshi said surprising the people around him.
"I don't know, we will just have to wait and see what happens with Kaoru." Misao said and then suddenly she tensed up feeling cold steel pressed into her neck. And in a second Aoshi and Kenshin had jumped up hands on there swords before they realized who it was.
"Kaoru?" Kenshin whispered surprised that she was awake after her injuries.
"Kamiya I suggest you remove your sword from her neck." Aoshi said staring at the raven haired women with the sword
"What fight in Tokyo?" Kaoru said her eyes fully silver and dangerous.
"Kaoru, I don't think you are in any condition to…" Sano yelled but was soon cut off by Misao who yelped as the sword pressed deeper into her neck.
"Tell me or my sword slices her neck." Kaoru said not even caring that she was about to hurt one of her good friends
"We will tell you only if you remove your sword." Aoshi said menacingly looking at Misao who was helpless with Kaoru's sword pressed against her neck threatening her life.
"Kaoru….remove your sword." Kenshin requested having fear in his voice not for Misao, but of what Aoshi would do if she didn't remove her sword.
"Fine." Kaoru said as she slowly removed her sword sliding it across her neck drawing blood.
"Battousai tell your women that if she ever does that again I will not hesitate to kill her with my sword." Aoshi threatened.
"So it would be safe to say that she is Raven at the moment." Sano said whispering it into Megumi's ear.
"I believe so, but she needs to lie down, her wounds may re-open, she is no condition to be standing let alone fight." Megumi said scared for her good friend.
"You. You knocked me out you bastard. I could have killed Gohan right then and there but you had to intervene in my business." Kaoru yelled her sword pointing toward Aoshi
"You should thank me, if I hadn't you would have died fighting him with the injuries you had already sustained." Aoshi said.
"Kaoru, back down." Kenshin said trying to calm down Kaoru.
"I have no time for this." Kaoru said, as she walked away towards the pouring rain outside.
"Kaoru, come back!" Kenshin said running after her in the rain.
She suddenly stopped. He sensed something different about her know. A second ago her ki was angry and lethal but now it was sad, hurt, and confused.
"Why?" Kaoru said turning around her hair plastering to her face.
"Why what" Kenshin said exasperated
"Why do you care?" Kaoru said with her questioning eyes. No longer there dangerous silver, but gray, confused eyes that seemed empty
"Why do I care? I care because I love you." Kenshin said his hands reaching out for her.
"But why?" Kaoru said waiting for an answer. Her eyes searching into his soul tearing apart his heart at the pain she seemed to be feeling
"Because no one else makes me feel the way I feel when I am with you." Kenshin said holding her in his arms like he did before he left for Kyoto with Shishio.
"Not even Tomoe?" Kaoru whispered into his shoulder.
Kenshin's eyes widened as he slowly looked down at the raven woman before him.
"How do you know about Tomoe?" Kenshin asked full of surprise.
Kaoru backed away as she looked at him with disgust. Her eyes accusing him with their intensity.
"You mean how I know about your dead wife, the one you slaughtered with your own two hands. The one that bleed to death in that cold snow. The woman you murdered." Kaoru said looking straight into his face.
"It was an accident" Kenshin said trying to control his rage at the woman before him who was ridiculing his deceased wife.
"An accident, I never knew that an accident was where you sword accidentally goes in to one's stomach?" Kaoru said toying with his words.
"What's going on with you Kaoru?" Kenshin said his voice low and deep that sent shivers down Kaoru's back. (mine too! lol.)
"Nothing Battousai, just unleashing the truth." Kaoru said as she walked towards him slowly.
"Battousai did your wife really love you? I mean because you slaughtered her real fiancée too now didn't you?" Kaoru said but suddenly she was pushed up against the wall with Kenshin's hand pressed forcefully on her neck cutting oxygen from her lungs.
"Watch what you say Raven or I'll clip your wings." Kenshin said ruthlessly.
"Would you kill me too, just like your wife?" Kaoru asked silently looking at his amber eyes that glistened with anger.
Kenshin's eyes widened as he let her go. Kaoru fell to the ground clutching her sore neck.
"Kaoru I…I 'm sorry…please.." Kenshin said as he tried to help her up, but she refused.
"Don't apologize. I think I should." Kaoru said getting up.
"No, I am sorry Kaoru I never should have.." Kenshin was soon cut off by her hand raised for him to be silent.
"…You know I was supposed to kill you back in the wars? I was supposed to lure you out, by either the death of your master or of your new bride. I chose your bride. So I hired one of my best men and sent him to lure you out by killing your wife. Unfortunately that was the same night that I killed Mamoru so I never made it to you. But imagine my surprise when I saw you in Tokyo ten years later. I had given up my claim to Raven so when you helped me with Gohei, I thought what the heck, why not let him stay." Kaoru said to the red haired man whose eyes where glazed over trying to process all this information.
"So in the beginning you knew it was me, you knew when you turned the corner and told me to fight you, and you knew it was me? Kenshin said hurt evident in his voice.
"Yes, I knew. I kept you around to see how long it would take till someone found you and wanted revenge for the Battousai so I waited, and soon enough there were plenty of people still after ten years still after you. I thought maybe just maybe one of them could kill you, but you won, you lived after every challenge." Kaoru said her voice that was one sarcastic and degrading soon turned to soft spoken heartache.
"You always won, never thinking of yourself but of others. And soon I felt myself falling in love with you. I played along with the "Don't kill" act but soon I embraced my own words of my father. I thought I could never love another but I knew you were different.
But when the blood dragons came back a lot of things came up and things came out in the open. And I just want you to know that I helped kill Tomoe and when I die in this upcoming battle don't cry over me, because I'm not worth it. I'm sorry you had to learn it this way, but you needed to be told.
"So everything has been a lie?" Kenshin said his eyes cast down staring at the wet ground.
"Most of it." Kaoru said softly.
"What is true?" Kenshin asked looking into Kaoru's eyes.
"That I don't deserve your love, and I am sorry I took away someone that did." Kaoru whispered her tears rolling down her face.
Kenshin stood there looking at her. His hair blowing in the late summer breeze. His dark blue gi (yes I know it's really pink, but at the moment I want it blue) fluttering in the wind. His amethyst eyes bore into her like no sword could, she looked away unable to look into the eyes of the one she did love.
"Are you going to leave?" Kenshin asked still staring at her.
"I don't see reason to stay." Kaoru said
"What if I asked you?" Kenshin replied
"I can't…I have to go, I need to end this. I want all of this to end." Kaoru said crying in frustration that she caused.
"I just wanna go home and live peacefully, I don't wanna do this anymore, I'm tired." Kaoru said.
"Then let us help." Kenshin said reaching out to her only to be returned with nothing as she backed away from him.
"Please let me do this on my own Kenshin, I wanna end this all on my own." Kaoru pleaded.
"Kaoru." Kenshin said softly
"Kenshin please." Kaoru said.
"I will be sad, even with everything you and I have done we are still a same. Tomoe is my past, you are my present and hopefully my future." Kenshin replied as he reached out to her, this time she didn't pull away, but grabbed onto him like if she ever let go, she would lose him.
"Please let me help you, don't carry a burden that doesn't have to be carried by you." Kenshin said
"But it is my burden." Kaoru replied holding onto him remembering this moment, the way he smelled of pine and the forest. How the light smell of rain settled onto his hair. How his hands held her perfectly. How she fit perfectly right in his arms.
"Kaoru I love you so much and I hope you know it." Kenshin said
"I know." Kaoru answered.
"But your still leaving." Kenshin said sadly
"Yes." Kaoru replied
"Please watch the cherry blossoms with me next year." Kenshin asked.
Though the question was out of place in the seriousness of the mood, it meant so much to both of them. The question spoke of coming home, being together and that he wanted her.
"I'll watch them with you, I promise." Kaoru said her tears running down her face, but her smile stood there. And he saw her eyes, her beautiful blue cerulean eyes, ones that he had not seen staring at him for the longest time, the eyes he fell in love with the first time he saw her. The eyes that made him love her. Those eyes foretold her feelings like an open book.
"I'll be waiting." Kenshin said
"I know…and I'll be there." Kaoru said.
She walked away slowly, looking back over her shoulder, she stopped and turned around.
Kenshin who himself was walking away turned around also. There eyes met and soon they ran towards each other and they kissed. He hugged her like this was the last moment he might have with her. And she held onto him for everything he was worth.
"I love you Kenshin." Kaoru breathed out
"And I you." Kenshin said as he kissed her one last time.
She backed away her hand still entwined with his, they held on till the space between them was too long, but their gaze still lingered till each other's image was hidden.
NOW EVERYONE SAY AWW! BECAUSE I KNOW YOU FEEL LIKE SAYNG IT.
I TOTALLY CRIED WHEN I WROTE THIS BECAUSE I HAD LIKE REAL BEAUTIFUL CELLO MUSIC PLAYING WHILE WRTING THIS SO IT REALLY HELPED ME IN THE MOOD. So till next time readers!
- a rose by any other name71591