I do not know if those were the longest ten days of my life, or the shortest, all I know is that they are now gone and Enishi is standing in front of my being.

"I have no intention of running away. You can take your revenge on me." I say.

"Don't think you can get off so easy." Enishi tells me.

I turn to look at my friends. She is there, but right now, right this moment, this fight has nothing to do with my present or my future. I had always known that I had no future, even if I had a pass, for as long as Enishi was alive I could not really move forward.

'Oh Tomoe, please forgive me for my sins. Soon I will be joining you.'

I have no hopes of defeating Enishi, his anger, his reasons are a lot stronger than mine, and against that nobody can win.

'Kaoru-dono, Yahiko-kun, I do not want you to be in harms ways, so I ask of you, Please don't interfere. Enishi is a dangerous man and I have to do this.'

'You don't have to do this. Kenshin!' Kaoru pleaded, but I closed my ears to her, just as I done with my fight against Saito and faced Enishi.

I hear Kaoru sob in the background, but no matter how hard I had tried, I could not run away from my past, and Tomoe deserved to be avenged.

Without looking at her I say:

"Don't worry about me, I need to do this in order to move on forward, I just want you to get out of here so you won't be harmed."

The fight got underway, and it was intense. In the eleven years Enishi was gone, he'd aquired a fighting technique that could surpass my Hiten-Mitsurugi Ryu.

I am worn out, tired, and now I know that I can't win, his passion is just too much for me, I don't have the passion for this fight, I deserve to be killed for what I did to them; To Tomoe and to Enishi.

'I'm sorry Kaoru. I know you're strong and will find somebody better for you. Please forgive me, but this is good-bye.' I am thinking this as I fall to my knees. This is over; in a moment I will join Tomoe in the after life.

She's standing there, waiting for me, her hand outstretched, smiling, she's smiling at me.

I smile back, 'Thank You.', I say and wait for the final blow, but it never came.

"NO!" I hear and open my eyes. Kaoru is standing there, between Enishi and I. A feeling of dread overcomes me, I can't take the blood of another woman on my hands, I cannot. Another woman died for me, no, this can't be, it can't.

"Move woman! I cannot strike with you there!" Enishi screams, and I see that Kaoru is fine.

"I won't move, don't you see that this is enough? You really think this is what your sister wanted? She loved him; I don't think she's angry with him for what he did. I think she understands that it was an accident."

I cry, moved by those words, is it true? Tomoe have you really forgiven me for it? Do I deserve to be forgiven?

Enishi falls on his knees, holding his head "Shut up, Shut Up, SHUT UP! WHAT DO YOU KNOW!YOU NEVER KNEW MY SISTER! YOU NEVER KNEW HER! HOW CAN YOU SAY SHE LOVED HIM? DON'T TALK ABOUT HER LIKE YOU KNEW HER! DON'T, DON'T!

I fall into a slumber, Enishi's screams in the background.

'Have you really forgiven me Tomoe?' I ask her again. I see her; she smiles and nods. Yes she has forgiven me, but why? I ask her, 'I'm leaving you again, for the third time, I am leaving you with your hand outstretched to me.' I tell her, I am crying.

'Do not cry,' she tells me, 'it is better this way. You will join me when the time is right. Just don't forget me.' And she's gone.

How can it be better this way, how? I asked myself that same question when she died in my arms, how? How can it be better?

'To…Tomoe!' I scream and wake up in Kaoru's arms. I notice that I am crying.

Enishi's sobs had subsided, and I leave Kaoru's embrace and walk towards Enishi.