Chapter 11: The Truth of Lies

Kaoru's POV

"Who are you?" I asked, turning around.

A faint outline of a tall man stood in the dim lights cast by the computer panels.

"Computer, lights on," said a soft, male voice.

Bright lights flew on and illuminated a tall, handsome, and well built man in a black suit. His shoulder length white hair was brushed back a sleek manner with a pair of black-tinted rimless Armani sunglasses propped on his head.

"Enishi Yukishiro at your service," he said in a suave manner, slowly walking toward me.

"Leave me alone," I said coldly, feeling my body sway slightly in fatigue.

"Ah. But shouldn't you at least thank me for letting you into the Archives room?"

I glared at him. "What do you mean?"

"It was me who allowed you easy access into the headquarters by cutting off security on your path to the Archives area. Also, this machine only obeys my command. Every command you were giving, I was in the back repeating those orders so the computer followed them," he said calmly, looking at my face with ease.

I stood up from the leather chair and took a step away from him. "What the hell."

"You have changed a great deal since you left NOIR. I have known you your whole life. You see, I created you when I was about 5."

"What do you mean?" I muttered in shock. My mind felt like a piece was crumbling away at every second.

Enishi took a few steps forward and placed a slightly tanned hand on the leather chair. His black eyes shining as he looked at me with a fond expression on his face.

"Well, my dear, as you found out by Archives, you are indeed the clone of Tomoe Kamiya. You see, Tomoe was the same age as me and we grew up together as best friends. But, at the young age of 5, she was diagnosed with Leukemia. She only had ten years to live. Or so the doctors told me. Her parents didn't have a lot of money and decided to make the last years of her life as normal as possible. I panicked at the thought of her dying and asked my father to do something. My father was the major stock holder in one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. He asked his wealthy friends if there was a way to save her. There was none, they said. So he said he would fund some money to me and told me to figure out a way to preserve her. I did. I created NOIR at the age of 5, and immediately began the process of cloning her."

He paused for a moment, his dark eyes lingering on my face. I closed me eyes, and repeated what he had just said in my head. So if I'm a clone, then what are these memories?

I looked at him, about to ask my question but he held up a finger to silence me.

"Let me continue. I should be able to answer all your questions," he said softly as he took a few steps closer to me, leaving only a few feet of space between us.

"I was a young genius with an infinite supply of money so cloning was not far fetched for me. I cloned Tomoe without her or her parents knowing it. I took Tomoe's memories and stored them inside the clones head. That clone's job was to protect Tomoe till she died. That clone, you, did that job remarkably well. You protected Tomoe without her even knowing it. In fact, to reduce questions, I told Tomoe that you were my little sister. But I figure she had an idea of what was going on and didn't protest. I believe she treated you like a little sister as well. Anyways, Tomoe lived past her projected lifespan. When the rebellion began to stir up in Japan 7 years ago, Tomoe was horrified that so many people were dying so she begged her parents to let her become a nurse's aid at the battlefront. Her parents, not wanting to upset her unusual long life, let her go. I had you follow her to battle."

"Wait," I said, stopping his story. "How could I protect Tomoe when I'm a clone of someone so fragile?

"Well, I had intended you to become 'Tomoe' after she died. That's why we trained you in Tae Kwon Do as well as many other martial arts so you would protect the stored memories inside your mind. We even grafted your skin with a special thread that when controlled by your power, will make you camouflaged."

I took a few more steps back and leaned against a computer screen. I wasn't trained to be an assassin but a protector

"If that's true, then why didn't I become a 'Tomoe' immediately?"

Enishi smiled sadly at me and his hand began to reach for me, but he drew it back quickly as if touching me would burn his flesh.

"It's because it was locked in your brain and the memories wouldn't activate unless we did. In fact, if we activate your memories you would become Tomoe."

"So these flashbacks are not of my life but of Tomoe's?" He nodded his head. "Then what about my memories with Tomoe while I was her 'little sister'? How come I cannot remember them?"

Enishi sighed and brought his gaze down to the ground before returning to me. "I was about to get to that. There was a surprise attack on the medical tent one day, and the rebels surrounded all the occupants of the tent. You were about to be shot in the head by a rebel but she leaped in front of you and took the bullet instead. Though she took the impact of the bullet that instantly killed her, the bullet kept going through her and was lodged in your brain. When our medics from NOIR arrived at the scene they were able to deduce what happened. You were barely alive and we brought you back to the labs before the army arrived at the scene. You were in a coma for a few months before you regained consciousness. As you probably suspect, your memories were gone. We even had the respect to plant a few temporary memories, like you fighting in the war and the battles. But I do believe a few of Tomoe's memories began seeping through right?"

Those last few words stung as my brain digested them. "So why did you have me killing officials in the medical field?"

His face dropped its originally calm appearance and twisted with fury for a few moments. Then, he took a deep breath and gazed back at me with a calm expression on his face again.

"I was angry. I was afraid that your memories along with the precious ones of Tomoe were lost forever. And I soon found out after the rebellion died down, that the same medical colleagues of my father were lying to him. According to some digging around in data, I found out that they did not want to bring the cure for Tomoe's particular type of Leukemia to the public just yet. They were making a fortune selling semi-efficient treatments. In short, there was a way to save Tomoe but because of their greed Tomoe could have died. Even though she wasn't killed by those rebels, which I made sure were disposed of by your such caring god-like hands, I still hated those greedy bastards."

His face began to become sinisterly happy, the calm expression evaporating very quickly off of his face. He looked like he was a wounded creature out for revenge. That savage look in his eyes…

"So, as revenge, I sent you out to kill these leaders off one by one," he said excitedly then stopped and took another deep breath. He looked up at me and then continued in that suave, calm voice. "That last man you killed was the last man I sought revenge for. In fact, I then changed your status at NOIR from 'worker' to 'prize'. But those damned HARM people found out and sent their Battousai to take you before we could get a chance. They didn't even know that we were planning."

He looked at me strangely for a second and averted his gaze to his finger tips that he had shaped like a pyramid in front of him.

"What…er…did you have you planned for me?" I asked hesitantly.

"We found out that Tomoe's memories were retrievable in your mind. We heard you say my name whiel you were asleep. Only a select few know my name and that included Tomoe. You didn't know who I was. I believe I was called 'Mr. Sanzo' for your sake. Back to the point, I was going to activate those special memories so you would become my Tomoe."

I gasped out loud. I couldn't help it even though in my would-be profession as an assassin I was trained to never make a sound in the most extreme conditions. I looked at him, shock probably written all over my face.

He looked at me for a moment and closed the feet between us in less than a second.

"I love you, my Tomoe," he said as he drew him lips close to mine, his eyes holding me captive. Move…hands…anything…I don't…want this…I don't…love him…

His lips lowered onto mine. He kissed me with relish, his soft lips full of love that I could probably never return. I stood there, horrified. I still couldn't move…someone…save me…Kenshin…

His lips released me and looked down at my face. His dark black eyes looked hurt as he pulled a tanned hand to touch my face tenderly.

"You fell in love with the Battousai, no? You love him even as I try to woo you. Well he won't come to rescue you, Tomoe."

At the sound of that name, my blood began to boil. Fueled by the contempt in his voice as he talked of Kenshin, I felt like my body began to regain control and was overflowing with fire-like chi and power.

"My…name…is…Kaoru!" I said through gritted teeth but at the sound of my name, my voice exploded.

"You think you can possess me? Woo me? You can't! I'm no longer a doll, a mere replacement for your damned Tomoe! I AM KAORU KAMIYA!" I yelled, feeling my energy burst through every pore of my body. My skin began to glow and become invisible then coated me with red-orange colored flames then turned me invisible again. I couldn't tell what Enishi was doing but I saw him muttering something, frightened by the looks of it. I began to laugh hysterically in a voice I had never used before. Enishi looked back up at me and yelled out loud something. I couldn't hear what he said because of the blood pumping in my ears at an astonishing rate.

The screens around me began to change and a video of someone lying on a bed in what looked like an infirmary. The man on the bed was severely injured by the looks of it and his breath came out in slow foggy intervals against his mask and his long red hair was unbound…

"Kenshin!' I yelled, the euphoria and power quickly draining itself away. Then a young man with dark black hair came onto the scene carrying a katana at hand. He placed the sword at Kenshin's throat and looked at the camera with a benign smile on his face that looked out of place due to the circumstances.

I tore my eyes off the screens and faced Enishi with a look of utmost of loathing on my face.

"Let him go," I mumbled through gritted teeth.

Enishi smiled at me. "No," he said simply as if it was a trivial matter.

"Let him GO, you bastard!" I yelled in rage as I pulled out my dual shamshirs, the lions on them glinting in the dim light that reflected the anger I felt.

Enishi pulled out his katana without hesitation and shook his head.

"So, you would like to fight me?"

He pulled his katana at eye level and swung his sword at me from above. I easily deflected the attack with one sword and swung the other at Enishi's face. He pulled up his free arm and the shamshir cut deeply into his arm, but he caught the sword in his now bleeding arm and brought the injured arm to my face, his fist collided with my skull

"Always bring protection," he muttered in a slightly cocky voice; his suit was cut at his arm revealing a deep gash.

I flew backward and hit my head against a computer panel, a sound of shattering glass echoed through my throbbing head.

Enishi paced forward and placed a hand around my throat.

"Either you become Tomoe, or I will kill your Kenshin!"

His black eyes felt like they burned a hidden message in my head that only I could understand. His gaze was fierce, but I could feel love tangled in between with a tinge of jealousy. He really loved this Tomoe…

"Let her go!" yelled a familiar voice from the direction of the elevator at the far back of the circular room.

I lifted my head a bit and saw Sano, clutching the right side of his chest as if something pained him there. But he still had his faithful enormous sword swung over one shoulder.

"You're here!" I exclaimed feeling relieved and then at the same time shocked still.

Enishi, with a snort of frustration, let go of my throat and face Sano. "So you've come to rescue Kami? Take her, but she will come back to me. And you'll let her if you want to save the Battousai's life!" He stood up and walked closer to Sano, away from me. He gripped his injured arm with his other hand as droplets of blood welled up on his arm and splattered on the ground.

Sano's mouth fell open. He finally looked at the surrounding screens and saw Kenshin. "Kenshin's here? You bastard! Take a hostage, will you coward!" Sano pulled down his sword and began to get ready to attack, his eyes locked on Enishi.

Sano's POV

I felt my anger boil up uncontrollably and ready to overflow.

I pulled my Zanbatou down and lifted it one handed so the point faced that…what did Kaoru call him?...oh yeah, Yukishiro bastard.

"Sano! You, idiot! What are you doing! Did you find Kaoru?" Megumi's voice snapped in my head, in the midst of my rioting feelings.

Yeah, she looks fine. More importantly, Kenshin is being held hostage, and they want Kaoru as an exchange. There's some screens in the archive room and they show some guy holding a sword to Kenshin's neck.. And he doesn't look like he could put up a fight at the moment!

"Listen, we have to end this mission. Take Kaoru and get out of there! They won't kill Kenshin if they want Kaoru, right?"

True, but that Yukishiro bastard sounds like he's manipulating Kaoru a bit. Something's not fitting here…

"Whatever the reason, get Kaoru and the data she collected and get out of there! Remember you're injured to you numbskull!"

I felt like rebelling against that dictator of a girl but a part of my mind reasoned that Kaoru's life and her mission was slightly more important to HARM then a mere hostage situation involving Kenshin and the jeopardy of the whole mission.

"Kaoru, you finish your mission?" I asked with sigh.

She slowly nodded, obviously still shocked by Kenshin.

"Then let's go," I said quickly grabbing her and heaving her over my shoulder with my Zanbatou in my other hand before Yukishiro could stop me.

I turned back at Yukishiro with a look of digust.

"Don't think I'm letting you go just because of your ideal threats. I'll be back. And I'll be taking Kenshin too." With that I stormed into the elevator with Kaoru in tow and pressed the little plastic button to take us back to the first floor. I was getting a little worried because she wasn't putting up a fight, very un-Kami like. "You got the data right?" I asked.

"Yeah."

Finally she slid from shoulder and fell gracefully to the ground. "Thanks Sano," she murmured coolly. I couldn't help but wonder what happened to her when she got into that room as I looked from her expressionless face to the horror in her deep blue eyes.

Meanwhile, in the Infirmary at NOIR

"You can remove the sword, Soujiro," Enishi's voice said through the speakers in the room. Soujiro pulled away the sword and glared at the Battousai.

"He still hasn't regained consciousness," Soujiro murmured. Suddenly, Kenshin gave a yelp and struggled against the crisp white bed sheets as if the bed sheets were chains that were causing him pain. Kenshin whispered something that vaguely sounded like, "Don't die, master." Then Kenshin stopped moving but continued to mumble in his sleep.

"What could he be dreaming about?" Soujiro thought aloud as he pulled up a chair next to the bed and watched the assassin struggle to get past his nightmares.

hey everyone! Sorry it took such a long time for this chapter to come out but I had writer's block on how to do this chapter just right! Well I hope everyone enjoys it and if so, please review!

-KishofWings