Pain of the Past
By Hikari Tsuki Chi
Chapter 7
Disclaimer: If I owned RurouKen, would I be doing this?
Note: THIS STORY LIVES! No I didn't forget about it, I had writer's block. And a creativity boom on MI. Thank you, everybody who reviewed!
Chapter 7- Fire
Kaoru was uneasy. Why? She didn't know. She had had this sense of danger in her apartment building ever since she had come back from the dojo with Kenshin a few days ago.
Kaoru didn't put much stock in these feelings, but…
She still moved pretty much everything she owned out to the dojo. Her rent was coming up due, but she doubted that she'd stay when it came due. Kaoru only kept a week's worth of clothes in a duffel bag.
She was prepared for whatever could happen to the building, but she really hoped that whatever she was feeling would go away. It was driving her crazy. Also the dream of the rurouni leaving her on May 14th hadn't helped her mood either.
Sighing, she finished polishing the last bokken from her advanced class, and carefully stored it away. As she was doing that, Sanosuke popped his head. "Oi, jou-chan! You wanna come with me and Megitsune and Kenshin to the Akabeko?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"No."
"Thought so." Kaoru sighed again. "How's Kenshin been?"
Sano narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her as they walked out of the school building. "Why?"
Shrugging she said, "Just curious. Seriously," she added to his disbelieving look. "Anyway, what about Megumi-san?"
"What…what about her?"
Kaoru gave him a wry look. "You care for her more than you care for me, and that's saying something."
"Why would I care about a kitsune like that!" Can she read my mind or something? Does she know that I love Megumi? It's not as if she'd love me back, she prefers Kenshin over me, even if he'd never return her affections, especially now that he's in love with jou-chan.
Sanosuke's thoughts trailed back to his latest dream.
Fire raged around them. He couldn't see Yahiko anymore, as he had ran over to Tsubame just before a beam fell, separating him and Tsubame from himself and…
His gaze turned down to the woman cradled under him. She was fighting to stay awake as he was, the smoke making it harder and harder to breathe. A beam had fallen around his legs as he pushed her out of its path, and Sanosuke knew he would never be able to move, not with his hand still messed up. It was mostly healed from the final battle with Enishi's men a year ago, but its strength wasn't back up to full. Of course, traveling the world hadn't helped either.
Sanosuke's sight blurred, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to breathe much longer. Looking down at Megumi, his secret love, he regretted never telling her just exactly how he felt. He knew what he was going to do. Suddenly grateful for her inability to hit for what he was going to do, he kissed her, giving her his last breath, if only it meant that she would survive even a moment longer. Darkness surrounded him, and briefly, almost like a ghost, Sanosuke felt tears against his cheeks.
Yanking his mind away from the dream, Sanosuke sat down across from Megumi. "Anything else unusual happen since what happened to Kaoru-san and I at her dojo?" asked Kenshin.
"I've just had this sense of danger at my apartment building. I've moved almost all of my things out to the dojo, but I hope nothing happens." Said Kaoru, adding sugar and cream to her coffee until it was a very, very, pale tan.
"I've only had this weird dream of being in a fire." Said Sanosuke. I hope that they don't ask for details.
Megumi furrowed her brow in thought. "I've been having a dream like that too. Somebody was on top of me…I think he kissed me before he lost unconscious…or died…"
And needless to say, Sanosuke's heart leaped into his throat. There could be hope for me yet, selfish as it may seem.
Later that night…Kaoru rolled over, coughing. Opening her eyes, she saw smoke pouring from the vent she shared with her neighbor. Wide awake now, she grabbed her duffel bag, hastily slid on her shoes, and slid open the door.
Smoke poured from the stairway on the right. Kaoru dashed down the stairway down the far left end of the hall. Reaching the outside and fresh air, she ran far enough from the building as to not get caught in the mess. "Kaoru-san? Daijoubou de gozaru ka?"
"Ken…kenshin?" she stuttered out. "What…"
"My own apartment isn't too far from here. I saw the smoke. Daijoubou ka?"
"Daijoubou…de-" Kaoru started coughing again. Kenshin handed her a bottle of water, which she gladly downed.
"At least…" she began. "At least I haven't lost anything. I moved everything to the dojo except for this bag of clothes." Gesturing to the bag slung over her shoulder.
"I wonder who started this?" questioned Kenshin to the air.
"You'll find out soon enough." Said a voice, out of earshot of both Kenshin and Kaoru. "Oh yes…you will find out soon enough… and pay for your crimes…Battousai…"
Inside Kenshin's mind…"So he's still alive. Or re-incarnated. I would recognize that ki anywhere. So powerful…yet it is weak from his rage and desire for revenge." Whispered Battousai.
Focusing in on the cracks in the barrier that held him, he smiled a chilling smile. "Very soon…you will finally remember everything. I will not let him take her away from us again, Rurouni. Even if I have to kill everyone in my way." His cold amber eyes flashed with anger and his dark promise.
Back in the real world, Kenshin shivered. He could not for the life of him figure out why he felt rage directed at a specific person. After all, he had no one to be that angry at…
…Or did he?
End of Chapter 7- FireGomen nasai for the short chapter, but I figured that a short chapter was better than no chapter considering I last updated on Halloween. Sorry for the wait.
Would you believe I freaked out my friend Marie with my rendition of Battousai last chapter? I would probably freak her out with Battousai this chapter too. Of course, she says I've got a thing for redheads. Just because I like Rurouni Kenshin obsessively just about as much as Marie obsessively likes InuYasha and my friend Sarah obsessively likes Naruto doesn't mean I've got a thing for redheads!
Glossary:
Dojo- school of martial arts or kendo
Rurouni- if you don't know what it is, then leave
Daijoubou de gozaru ka?- Are you all right? (Kenshin asks Kaoru this after she frees herself from Jin-e's spell)
Daijoubou /ka- I'm fine/ Are you all right?
Please go to the purple/lavender/blue/periwinkle box. I'm beginning to think that in Rurouni Kenshin fanfics, people go running for the hills when they see "re-incarnation fic". At least I won't be like some other re-incarnation authors I've read. The stories are good, they just haven't updated in a year or two.