Author Notes: :Original: There is a short story/song fiction that preludes this one. You don't have to read it; I'd like you too though. It has some things in it that help certain things in this story better understood, because I probably will not explain them in this story.

As always, I love reviews! I also love reviewers who give me advice and ideas! This helps the story become more personal and easier to write.

This is the new version on the first chapter

:New: I have primarily started the story from fresh. I have saved some parts that I have liked, but I'm re-organizing and rewriting the story, so any chapters from now on will be TOTALLY NEW (well most likely). This first chapter is actually longer than the original first chapter. Have fun!

---PLEASE REVIEW!---

Disclaimer: Hello, My name is Adelaide MacGregor. Thank you for choosing this story. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, any of its characters, ideas, story, or anything else! I got my own twisted little idea, so I morphed the author's story and characters to my own idea. I only own this idea. I hope you enjoy this story. They do drink, but the legal drinking age is 20, and they are all at least that! Don't get mad at me!

Chapter 1: Putting Together Their Past (Revised Ed.)

Let the poem emerge,
you tell me. Bring it out

"Kaoru?" Kenshin asked as they walked down the brightly lit street, "Is something wrong? You seem distracted."

"No Kenshin, nothing is the matter." Kaoru answered, smiling up at him.

"Are you sure? We don't have to go out with everyone this evening. We could go back the apartment."

"No. I'm fine. I need this; it's been so busy this week. Mid-terms are here, and projects are starting to become due."

"Hey Jou-chan! Kenshin! Hurry up guys!" Sano yelled from ahead of them.

Megumi was laughing, pulling him along, and Kaoru could have sworn she saw fox ears appear on the young woman. The group of six friends where walking down the street heading out of Tokyo University's campus. They were headed to the same bar that only a month earlier Sano and Megumi, Aoshi and Misao had set Kenshin and Kaoru up. Kaoru looked over at Kenshin, who was talking to Aoshi about their Kendo match coming up next week.

She couldn't believe how lucky she had been to find Kenshin. It had only been for a month, yet they had a connection neither of them could explain since that first night. It just wasn't because he had protected and saved her, it went deeper than that. She looked down at their hands clasped between them; it was often how they walked together. Her gloved one, her long, thin fingers, in his strong callused ones that dwarfed her own, yet protected hers. Just that action, Kenshin holding her hand as gently as he does when his where so strong, and big, made her love him even more.

"Kaoru?" Kenshin asked.

"Hm?"

"I know you said you were fine, but are you sure you want to go?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking, that's all." Kaoru said.

"Hey guys! We're here!" Misao shouted as she reached the door of the bar, the name Shirobeko written across the door and also in Kanji above that.

Minutes later they were seated by their friend Tae and had ordered onion rings and rum n' cokes.

Kenshin grabbed Kaoru's hand and led her to the dance floor as The Distance from the American Disney movie Hunchback of Notre Dame started to play.

"This is a perfect song for those two." Megumi said, leaning back on Sano to watch their two friends.

"Yes, it is, it's strange. They have only known each other, and have been going out for a month. It's like they have been together forever. They've wondered if they have some sort of connection, I wonder if they do." Misao said, turning to Megumi.

"They have something others don't." Megumi said.

:---:

Kaoru leaned against the cool brick of the Shirobeko. It was cool out and the fresh air felt good on her skin. Her eyes drifted close as she thought of another night where she had stood here, the cool air cooling her sweaty skin, lifting her tousled hair. It was only a month ago, it seemed like so much time had passed.

She saw the sign for the Shirobeko just ahead as she reached the street. She looked behind her, and looked either way down the street, then continued to run, she ran as fast as she could, collapsing against the wall of the bar where she was to meet her friends.

'I don't want to go in there. They'll know something is wrong just by looking at me.' Kaoru said, looking down at her ripped sleeve of her shirt, and the dirt smudge marks here and there. 'Why did I have to take that ally? Kaoru you should know better than take a dark ally at night time when you are alone.' She thought, dusting herself off as much as she could. She stood there for a few minutes, looking up into the sky, at the full moon that shone there. She looked down at her hands, covered in gloves, then stood up straight and walked to the door. 'Might as well see what Sano was talking about when he said that he knew someone that was like me.' Kaoru thought, opening the door to the loud bar. 'Maybe I can figure out why I have this…this, ability.'

Kaoru looked down at her hands. That night, when she had met Kenshin, it seemed like her life had fallen into place. His ability wasn't like hers, he didn't see the images. Happy, sad or troubling that she saw, but like her ability, his was unexplained.

:---:

"I have her in sight sir." The man said into his cell phone. "No, looks like she's just outside for some fresh air." He answered the other person. "No, no one is with her. Do you want me to approach her?"

"No. Follow her when she leaves the bar though." The man on the other line said, hanging up the phone.

"Yes, sir." The man said as he shut his cell.

He didn't know why, but he was following a fairly boring, typical University student with eccentric style sense.

"Who are you, and why does Boss want me to follow you?" He said as he watched the young girl open the door to the bar and walk in to rejoin her friends.

:---:

"Hey Kaoru!" Megumi asked, holding on to Sano as she turned around to quickly and got dizzy.

"Watch out, Fox." Sano said, grabbing better hold of her. "I think you had too much to drink tonight."

"It's a night of celebration! Let the stress go! Feel the breeze!" Megumi shouted, laughing loudly as they walked down the street towards the apartment the guys shared just off of campus. Out of all of them, she was the one that had drank the most, and secretly, they were laughing at her as she swayed back and forth on Sano's arm.

"You are going to take a cold shower when we get to the apartment." Sano said.

"I hope you do not have plans on joining me."

"Absolutely not. I'm exhausted carrying half your weight as well as my own." He responded, righting her a bit better to walk straight.

"What did you want to ask me Megumi?" Kaoru asked, taking Megumi's arm and helping Sano keep her up right.

"Hm. Lets see." Megumi said, a puzzled look on her face. "Oh yeah! Can I borrow that shirt sometime?" Megumi asked, talking of Kaoru's black sleeveless tank top with red stars scattered over the front.

"I thought it was something serious." Kenshin muttered from where he was walking slightly behind Megumi and Kaoru.

"It is of utmost importance Ken-san. That shirt will be the shining star of an outfit planned out in my head at this exact moment!" Megumi answered, throwing her hair back over her shoulder best as she could without any arms.

"Thank goodness. Thank you Jou-chan, I can take her from here." Sano said as they reached their apartment building. Lifting Megumi up in his arms, Sano entered the building just behind Aoshi and Misao. The group walked up to the second floor where their apartment was located. Aoshi unlocked the door, letting Sano go in first with Megumi, who was now fast asleep and snoring lightly.

While Sano was putting Megumi to bed, Kenshin picked a movie out from their collection and Aoshi got drinks and made popcorn.

"We need to get you some new movies, I think." Kaoru said.

"Yeah, definitely. You guys keep watching the same ones over and over." Misao said as she sat down in front of the couch.

"Can't help it if their our favorites." Sano said, coming out of his room.

"Sano's right. We have plenty, it's just that we like watching our favorite ones." Kenshin said after placing Kung-Pow in the DVD player, and sat down next to Kaoru on the couch.

"Aoshi, do we have any messages?" Sano asked, taking the recliner chair, leaving the couch for the others.

"Yeah, I was just about to play them."

'Aoshi, it's Okina. Please call me back when you get this!'

"Hm, I wonder what Okina wants?" Misao asked. "He sounded like it was somewhat urgent."

"I don't know. It's too late to call tonight, I'll call him in the morning. With him it couldn't be anything too serious." Aoshi answered her, the next message coming up.

'Baka Deshi! Call me tomorrow!' The group heard Hiko's booming voice over the machine.

"Ugh, What does Hiko want now! I swear, he's been calling me way too much lately. It's starting to scare me." Kenshin said, his head falling into his hands."It's like he's getting ready to die or something."

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's something he just forgot one of the other times he called." Kaoru responded, patting Kenshin shoulder while she laughed inside. 'Poor Kenshin, Hiko gives him so many problems, but cares for him so much.'

"Most likely." Kenshin answered, pulling her into his lap. "Ruins tonight though."

"Lets get this movie started guys!" Misao exclaimed from her spot on the floor.

"How can you be excited about this movie Misao? We've seen it a million times." Kaoru asked.

"I don't know, I guess I love it as much as they do."

"It's a ninja movie." Aoshi said, coming to sit down on the couch, saying it like it was so obvious. "It's just great."

"Of course, the two with ninja training, say that." Sano said.

"Yep!" Misao said, laughing. "It's funny to see how wrong they are!"

:---:

"Hm, Kenshin?" Kaoru said sleepily.

"Shh, I'm gonna put you to bed, you fell asleep during the movie." Kenshin said, lifting her up, and walking down the hall. She was already asleep when he placed her on his bed, and moved to walk to the couch under the window in his room. As he moved away, he felt her grab his hand.

"Don't go. Please." Kaoru mumbled in her sleep.

"Shh, go to sleep, I'll be right here." Kenshin whispered, brushing one of her bangs out of her face. She stirred slightly, holding tighter to his hand, making him sit on the floor next to the bed. He stayed there for a few minutes, watching Kaoru as she slipped into her dreams, whether they would be happy, sad, or hurtful tonight, he didn't know, only hoped that they weren't troublesome to her.

It wasn't to longuntil he felt a tug on his hand. He slowly woke up, 'I must have fallen asleep here.' He thought as he felt a jerk on his hand, and he felt Kaoru squeezing his hand. When he looked up, she was on her back, clutching his hand to her chest, her eyes wide open, but he knew she wasn't awake. It hadn't been to long ago when he saw her like this last.

As he watched her, her head started jerking from side to side. 'Koshii what are you dreaming of tonight? What is so horrible? What is it that makes you clutch my hand so tightly, and thrash around so much?' Kenshin thought as he moved from the floor to sit on the edge of the bed and try to settle her back down, at least until a more pleasant dream, more peaceful than what she was living through now.

'What is it that makes you see such things? Are you dreaming of a past that I don't know I have? Will your dreams, visions be the answers to the questions we are both searching for?' Kenshin thought as he stroked her beautiful raven hair.

:---:

'KEN-SHIN!' Kaoru yelled. She was traveling down a river, but she wasn't exactly like she was now. She was being carried away on a raft by a man in a large straw hat, laughing, and on the bank of the river stood Kenshin. It was him, she knew it, like she knew the girl was her, yet not her. He wore a bright magenta gi and white hakama, yelling after the man that was carrying her farther and farther from Kenshin. The scene drifted into another where she was surrounded by the dark forest.

"Coward! You kidnapped me because you couldn't fight and win against Kenshin other wise!" Kaoru yelled to Jin-e who was standing in the clearing in front of the small shack with porch that she was kneeling on.

"Don't get it do ya?" Kurogasa asked, laughing. "I can finish the Battousai as he is now in less time than it takes to smoke a cigarette. That's no fun. Battousai will be angry when he arrives because I have kidnapped you, bringing the legendary Battousai out in his anger.

Time moved forward by a few minutes, Kurogasa Jin-e laughing as he talked to Kaoru. A twig snapped, causing Jin-e and Kaoru to look up.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru yelled.

Kenshin and Jin-e took a few steps towards each other and drew their swords.

They clash swords for a few minutes, Kenshin reading Kurogasa's every move. Kenshin went in for the attack, moving as Kurogasa's sword hit his shoulder, Kenshin fell to the ground, blood spilling onto the ground from his shoulder.

Kenshin remains on the ground, "Kenshin!" Kaoru calls out. He doesn't move, Kurogasa stands over Kenshin's body and taunts him.

"You're horrible! You're a horrible, horrible beast!"

"Let your anger build in you." Kurogasa replies to Kaoru, speaking to Kenshin as well. He brings his eyes up to look Kaoru straight in the eye, holds the contact, a blinding light pierces the black night, lit only by the moon.

"Ken…shin." Kaoru says weakly as Kurogasa looks down to where Kenshin has brought himself onto his knees.

"Kaoru-dono, no!" Kenshin yells, "You bastard! What have you done to her?"

"I have placed a stronger version of the Shino-ippo on her. It is so strong that I have paralyzed her lungs. The girl can only last five minutes before she dies of suffocation."

"What!" Kenshin said as Kurogasa laughs.

"There are only two ways to overcome this attack. The first way is for the target to overcome it themselves, but this takes a very high swordsman spirit, one that this girl does not have." He explained. "The other is for the person who casts the Shino-ippo to be killed." He finished saying, watching the Battousai. "So are you going to let her die without lifting a finger?" Jin-e asked Kenshin.

Kaoru felt the change. She knew that Kenshin was there, felt his presence next to her. "Kenshin?" She whispered.

"Shh, Koshii, just a bad dream, go back to sleep, I'll be right here." Kenshin answered from his spot next to her.

"It was terrible. Jin-e Kurogasa. That's what his name was, he kidnapped me. Or a girl that looked like me, just like me, had my feelings, and you, a guy just like you, red hair, violet eyes that turned amber, and the Hiten Mitsurugi." Kaoru said, turning to Kenshin, her eyes still closed. As she thought of the dream, pain cursed through her heart like a knife being twisted, and shoved in further, and twisted again in there.

"What are you talking about Kaoru?" Kenshin asked.

"My dream, a man, Kurogasa kidnapped me because he wanted to fight you, well Kenshin, and bring out the Battousai. He used something called Shino-ippo on me, suffocating me. The only way for it to let go was for me to over come it, or for you to kill him. Kenshin used the Hiten Mitsurugi, but for some reason, Kurogasa taunted him with the fact that Kenshin couldn't kill him. It's like Kenshin couldn't kill Kurgosa, or anyone at that." Kaoru whispered, tears choking her voice. "Just like you. Looked just like you and I."

"It's okay. We'll talk about more tomorrow. Go back to sleep now." Kenshin whispered, lying down on the bed this time, holding her tight as her tears fell on his shoulder.

"Shh, everything will be okay. I promise you. I'll make everything okay." Kenshin whispered to her as she drifted once again into sleep.