His breath came in ragged gasps, two shots had been fired already. He was running blindly through the trees, ducking behind branches, weaving madly. He could hear his pursuer, following closely behind, easily keeping up.
He didn't dare look back to see how much distance lay between them. There was another bang, causing the tree just to the left of his head to explode. The redhead ducked, diving behind the trunk for protection.
He didn't dare pause there though, he sprang forward, diving for another clump of trees. He winced as the low hanging branches scratched at his face. His entire body was aching, his wounds screaming with pain. He was aggravating them, he knew.
He heard a branch snap to his right, giving him only a second to spring away from the gunman who gave chase. Another shot blazed passed him, grazing his temple. He hissed, ducking behind a few more trees for protection. He then made a sharp turn to his left, praying it would buy him some more time.
He could hear Shishio, his hunter, laughing savagely, not even trying. They both knew it was almost impossible for the redhead to escape. Kenshin's head whipped around wildly, trying to find a place to hide.
A small voice in the back of his mind suddenly piped up asking him, why he was so desperate to get away. He didn't fear death, not for as long as he could remember. He had never understood what it meant as a child but by the time he did, he'd seen so much of it that death just didn't scare him.
Yet, here he was, running. So desperate to keep his life and yet at the same time not. He had no desire for life and no request for death. Then, he wondered, where did that leave him?
He screeched to a halt, ducking and rolling as another shot was fired. He tumbled down the slanted earth, crashing onto hard ground. He didn't take the time to register where he was. He scrambled forward on all fours, the aggravated wound on his side burning as though it was on fire. He was desperate to get away.
Was he scared? He wondered, was that why he kept running? He couldn't remember the last time he was afraid for his own well being, it had been his desire to protect Miss Kaoru that had started this race. His fear that a stray bullet might hit her had made him dash away, but what kept him going now?
Suddenly, the ground wasn't there below his hands. He gasped as he fell forward into the pond. He pushed himself up, spluttering on the water in his mouth. He froze. His lavender eyes staring at Shishio who stood above him, a smirk of pure satisfaction on his bandaged face. The gun was held so simply before him, aimed towards Kenshin's heart.
The redhead's eyes darted around, searching for an escape. It was all clear ground around them, the trees were too far away to provide any cover. Shishio would kill him before he even got close. So he stayed where he was, violet eyes trained on the gun.
So, he wondered, this was how it was going to end, after everything. He closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath. His heart was pounding in his throat, because he really was scared? No, that wasn't the reason, he'd been in this situation more times then he could count. But this time, it was different. He wasn't going to live through it this time and he just didn't care.
"Promise me you'll live. I want you to live, Kenshin."
He felt his heart pang, it had been Tomoe's words but it was Kaoru that had come to his mind. He could almost feel her there against his back, gripping him in a tight embrace, begging him not to go after Shishio. Sitting there in the cold water, death just moments away, his only thoughts were of her.
He could see her sapphire eyes, the one's that always shone with laughter, now dimmed with tears that he had caused. She'd asked him, if he wanted to live and he didn't have an answer for her.
Shishio's voice pulled him back to reality. "And now, Battosai, our little chase has finally come to an end."
The gun glinted in the morning light, Shishio's fingers slowly squeezing down on the trigger. Everything happened at once then. Kaoru appeared, screaming a battle cry with Sano just behind. Kenshin yelled her name, springing to his feet. Shishio pulled the trigger.
"Tomoe, I promise."
The gun sounded, ripping through the air, stilling every other sound. Shishio found two bodies had tackled him from behind to the ground. While a third had forced his gun up into the air. He glared up at Kenshin who knelt before him, breathing hard. The redhead held Shishio's gaze, his hand still tight on the bottom of the gun keeping it pointed up in the air. Then Shishio's face contorted into a smile of triumph.
It confused Kenshin for a moment until he felt the pain exploding through his shoulder. The bullet hadn't missed him. He let out a cry, tumbling on his side, forcing the gun out of Shishio's grip as he fell.
"Kenshin!" cried Kaoru, diving to his side. Sano twisted Shishio's hand behind his back to stop him from getting away.
Kenshin lifted his head, panting hard. He clung to his left shoulder, feeling warm blood oozing from the wound. "T-this one is alright…" he gasped, sweat rolling down his face. Waves of pain tore through him, emanating from his shoulder. He tried to focus on Kaoru's face but couldn't manage it. He gritted his teeth holding back another cry. It had been a long time since he'd last been shot, he'd forgotten what if felt like. More pain assaulted him, causing his mind to spin. His vision blurred suddenly, his head fell back onto the ground. He heard Kaoru shout his name.
Shishio was laughing, there was a growl followed by a crack. Shishio's laughter stopped abruptly as Sano said something that sounded like, "go to hell." A deep feeling of satisfaction filled the redhead as the last of his senses faded.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
His shoulder hurt. In the inky darkness that surrounded him the dull pain beat like a heart. He wanted to fall back into oblivion and get away from the discomfort. He felt exhausted but he was slowly but surely waking up. A soft moan escaped him, as he shifted, causing his shoulder to flare. He grimaced, lying still.
"Kenshin?" asked a voice, moving closer to him.
His eyes slowly fluttered open. He gazed up at the face above him, taking a moment to focus on her. "Miss… Kaoru," he whispered slowly.
"Thank goodness your awake, Sir Ken," he shifted his gaze to see Megumi standing a little ways away with Sano. "How do you feel?"
"Horrible," he answered truthfully. His eyes drifted to Sano for a brief moment. The gruff street fighter met his gaze, not speaking. "What… happened to Shishio?"
"I knocked his lights out," Sano answered with a delighted grin at the memory.
"You're such a brute," grumbled Megumi, shaking her head.
"What? He deserved it!"
"Hiko's put him under arrest," added Kaoru. "He's taking him to the station right now. He's really worried about you Kenshin."
The redhead sighed, sinking into his pillow. "Then it's finally over. This one's glad." He was silent for a moment. "Sano," he began, hesitantly looking up at the rooster headed teen. "This one knows it doesn't cover it but, I'm sorry." He paused unsure what else he could say. He felt a gentle squeeze on his hand, he glanced over at Kaoru who gave him an encouraging smile. "And… thank you… for helping me."
Sano scoffed, shifting uncomfortably. "You really should be thanking Jou-chan, she's the nut who keeps going after you."
"Hey!" yelled Kaoru, her face turning a bright red.
"Well it's true," Sano grinned. "You should have seen her," he continued to Kenshin. "After you left to face Shishio at the warehouse, Jou-chan was sulking like a baby. Then she got this crazy idea into her head to ask Saito, of all people, where you were. You should have se- Ow!"
Megumi had clamped her hand down on his ear and was tugging on it viciously. "That's enough out of you rooster head, come along." She than began to drag him out of the room. "Let's leave the two love birds alone." Both Kenshin and Kaoru's face turned crimson. "Good luck, you two," she laughed in a mischievous way, causing them to blush more. With that final comment she threw Sano out into the hall, waving at them as she closed the door.
The two sat there silently for a moment, neither sure what to say. Kenshin slowly shifted his position where he was propped up on the pillows. The two birds sang joyfully outside his window.
"Did you…" he began after a long while. "Really ask Saito where this one was?"
She grinned broadly, "Practically yelled at him to tell me. I… was desperate to find you. You… really scared me again Kenshin… I thought- I thought that I was going to lose you."
He gave a weak smile. "This one is sorry, Miss Kaoru, that I am."
They fell back into silence for a while, staring absently around the room. "What will you do after they release you?"
"This one wants to move back in with Hiko that is… if he'll let me."
"Of course he will. He was worried sick when they rushed you back in… he didn't want to leave but Shishio had to be dealt with. Hiko cares about you, Kenshin," she hesitated, her voice becoming soft as she added, "and so do I." Her cheeks deepened in shade.
He grinned then, a pure smile that shone in his eyes and for the first time she noticed that he looked more relaxed. It was like he'd pushed a heavy weight off his shoulders, it wasn't completely gone, but had lessened greatly.
"This one never answered your question, Miss Kaoru, that I didn't," he cleared his throat. "You asked if this one even cared if I lived and… I never gave an answer." He took a deep breath, looking her in the eyes. "Miss Kaoru, this one does wish to live, that I do."
Her smile grew, sparkling in her sapphire eyes. "I'm glad," she whispered. Neither had noticed that their faces had moved closer, now barely inches apart. "Kenshin," she began. She gazed into his deep lavender eyes as she spoke. "I love you."
He felt something well up inside him and he acknowledged for the first time that it was love, his love for Kaoru. He could feel her breath on his face, their lips almost touching.
"This one loves you to, Miss Kaoru."
A small scowl came onto her face as she pulled away slightly, tapping her finger against his nose. "You mean Kaoru," she corrected him with annoyance.
Amusement flickered in his eyes. "Kaoru, I love you." The effect of those four words was amazing. Her face flushed the deepest pink he'd ever seen. A fleeting thought made him wonder what state his own face was in as the last distance between them was covered and they met for the first time, lips gently touching as they shared their first kiss.
THE END
Stay tuned for the sequel Yesterday's Reckoning! Any and all information about it can be accessed on my profile page.
Sorry it took so long for me to post the last chapter, I really wanted to get it in perfect shape. I can't believe I've finished it… wow… Now it's onto my next project! I've already typed the first chapter of the sequel so all I have to do is polish it and then post it!
Big thanks to all my reviews that have supported me through this story and all future reviewers who drop a comment.
Summer Star: Thank you very much for all your reviews and I hope you enjoyed the last chapter! D
Valinor's Twilight: I'm glad you've enjoyed reading my story, if you like sequels you can give Yesterday's Reckoning a try when I start posting it.
Reignashii: I had a lot of fun writing that last chapter. Writing arguments between characters, I have to say, is one of my specialties in story writing. Hope you enjoyed the last chapter.
Hikari Hime: Well I've made up for that almost kiss for Kenshin and Kaoru, hope you enjoyed that. I had a lot of fun mixing the original story with my own thoughts to create something new.
MikaylaMae: Hope you enjoyed reading the last chapter. I think I managed to resolve things quite nicely.
Michika-chan: I really enjoy writing arguments, they're so much fun. That's the first time I've written a three way argument though, bit tricky trying to keep them all active in the conversation. Hope you enjoyed the last chapter.
Well, that all folks, thanks to all for reading my story and I hope you take a look at Yesterday's Reckoning when I get it posted, till then! Bye!