This is coming out very close to the last chapter because the whole thing pretty much came out at once. I would have uploaded it as one chapter...but that would have been painfully long. Anyway, it works better as two. They are both long as it is. Things are winding down for our AU Kenshin-gumi. It's been over a year since I started this story. I can't believe it's been that long, but it has. When this is finished, I will be focusing on 'Do You Want to Live Forever?' and 'Black Hawke'. 'Black Hawke' is NC-17 and only available on or (penname Mangetsu); it will NOT be available on 'Do You Want to Live Forever?' is here on or on and MediaMiner. The version on AFF and MM is unsensored and NC-17 for sexual situations. It is cut to pieces in that area when I upload it here.

I don't know at this time if I will be writing anymore fanfics. I don't have any new ideas at the moment. But... I love this anime so much, as well as Inuyasha, I probably will. :) You guys are the greatest. We have come a long way together. You are my second family and I love all of you. I wouldn't be having the courage to work on a true and actual novel if it weren't for you... and that is the truth. You guys are the ones who gave me the confidence. Now I'm working with a professional editor who thinks the story I'm writing is publishable. I just have to make it work... and work very hard to get it right. I owe much to each of you who reads and writes reviews for me. Without the support of true fans/friends, I would have never tried to do this.
God bless all of you.
My heart belongs to you.
Kanzen ne Tsuki

Chapter Twenty-eight
The LampLighter

Someone was crying and there were sounds of other voices milling around as well, but it was the pain that was really noticeable. It flared inside his chest and then radiated down both arms, into his back, and then up his spine where it exploded like fireworks on the Fourth of July. 'Not again,' he groaned in his mind. 'Didn't we just leave this party?'

"How can what you're doing possibly be of help? It's looks like you're trying to cave the poor man's chest in."

"Where we come from, Reverend, this is called CPR, and it is a proven life-saving technique, so please stand back. Soujiro and I know what we are doing." Aoshi couldn't remember the last time he felt so much fear and panic mixed together inside of him. Not even at the lighthouse had he felt this close to losing his precious control, but seeing Kenshin looking very dead on the floor of the old chapel was pushing him closer to the edge than he had ever been. 'Come on, Himura... breathe, dammit! Breathe.'

"Do you need a switch, Aoshi?" Soujiro looked into friends face and felt a pang of fear stab through him. He could see the worry on the older boys face and he didn't like it. From what he knew of Aoshi, he wasn't one to let much of what he was thinking or feeling show unless it was important. He dropped his gaze to the still body of his brother. 'Come on, brother. Don't give out on us now. We can't do this without you.'

"No, Sou. I'm fine, just keep with the cadence and breath for him."

"I'm already there, man." He said, taking a deep breath and blowing it into Kenshin's mouth, watching closely to make sure his chest rose. Then he started counting off Aoshi's compressions in his head. 'One and two and three and four and five. Breath. One and two and three and four and five. Breath. One and two and three...'

'COUGH COUGHCOUGH COUGH COUGH!'

"St-stop... Jesus... what a-are you t-trying to do? Kill me?" Spluttering and hacking, Kenshin rolled onto his side and crossed his arms over his chest. "God, my chest feels like you took a baseball bat to it."

"Are you okay?" Soujiro leaned over his brother and stared at him in complete astonishment. "I mean, are you feeling alright?"

"I guess so, considering what you were doing to me." He growled.

"Hey, you were dead, man! What were we supposed to do? Sit here and watch you turn to mold, or what?"

"Dead?" Kenshin looked between Soujiro's tight features and Aoshi's pale, blank face. "I was really dead? You sure?"

"Hey, man, you had no pulse, you weren't breathing. In my book that means your dead."

"Shit," Kenshin pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Then it was real. Sonofa..."

"That is just about enough profanity from you, Mr. Himura. This is still a house of God." The Reverend knelt down beside Kenshin's feet and stared into his pale face. "I listened for your heart myself, and it wasn't beating. You were quite dead. I'm sure of it. But I don't understand how any of this is possible."

"I told you," Aoshi's voice was bland and icy. "It's called CP..."

"It wasn't the CPR that brought me back, Aoshi. Sorry to tell you that after you obviously went to so much trouble to save my ass, but that's not what did it."

"Then what did, Himura? Because like the reverend said, you were definitely dead."

Kenshin's eyes wandered past his friend and started to survey the room. He was looking for something...or someone. "Kao?" He heard a shuffle and turned toward it. Her face was white with flushed cheeks, and her eyes were red. She'd been crying again. "Oh honey." Kenshin pushed himself to his feet and moved to take her in his arms. "I'm so sorry about all of this."

"I can't take anymore, Kenshin. I just can't. It's been enough. This has to stop, do you hear me? This has to stop." Then she buried her face in his shoulder and cried, clinging to him with desperate arms.

"I know, I know it has to stop. That's why I came back."

"What?" Kaoru looked up at him. "What do you mean? Where did you go?"

"Well," Kenshin's eyes softened as he gazed into her face, and then he turned to look straight at his brother. "My dad says 'hi'." Soujiro looked like he was going to pass out.

"Your dad? But Kenshin, your dad's..."

"Dead. Yeah, I know. There for a little while, so was I, so it would seem."

"You...you saw your father?" Kaoru touched his cheek.

"Yes. He looks just the same, just not as tall." Kenshin grinned and hugged Kaoru close. 'I'm not going to lose you.' "But, ah... he's not the only one who was there."

"What does that mean?" Aoshi pinned Kenshin with a serious look. "Who else was there?"

"Edmond."

"Edmond?" Aoshi was incredulous. "That's impossible. The two of you can't be in the same place at the same time. You're... you're the same person for God's sake." Aoshi was finally losing his cool.

"I know. That's what I said. But he was right in front of me Aoshi. I touched him with my own hands and he was real."

"You mean you were both dead, don't you?"

"Whatever," Kenshin's patience was wearing thin. "It doesn't matter anyway. What matters is we figured out what we have to do to beat Daniel... before he kills someone... and not kill him in the process."

"Really," Aoshi calmed visibly. "And that would be?"

"We have to reach Hiko."

"Hiko? Hiko isn't here, Himura..."

"Yes, his is!" Pushing a gapping Kaoru behind him, Kenshin glared at the other three men. "He's inside Daniel. Daniel's just too strong for him to break through like we have, so we have to give him a little shove and help him out."

"What happens then?" Kaoru grabbed him from behind and spun him around. "Another pissing match between the two of you?"

"No," he gritted. "The four of us. Edmond's with me this time, and we're gonna all dance together."

"If that is true," Reverend March said, folding his hands behind his back and regarding Kenshin with sober eyes. "Then we have much to plan, yes?"

"Aye, Reverend. That we do." The voice of Edmond Fetlock slipped free of Kenshin's mouth and the violet eyes took on a sense of new maturity. "If we are going to save all of our souls, we must save Daniel's wretched ass first."

Reverend March finally reached the end of his endurance. His mouth gapped while his eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped quietly to the floor.

"He's had a lot to deal with in one day, Edmond." Kaoru tugged on the colonial man's sleeve, pulling his attention back to her. "He's just had a crash course in time travel and reincarnation. I think he's a little overloaded."

"Hmm, possible." Edmond looked down at the crumpled form of the preacher and then up into Aoshi's stunned eyes. "Would you mind?" he asked, indicating the body. "I think it would be prudent to get him to his bed, yes?"

"Of course, I'll help you." Aoshi's head was still swimming from the abrupt personality change as he helped Edmond lift the reverend off the floor. "I think his rooms are this way." The two of them carried the old man through a slender doorway and up a narrow staircase. It was not too difficult to recognize which of the three bed chambers lining the hallway was his, and they gently laid him on his bed.

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" Soujiro looked down at the unconscious man and pursed his lips. "He looks awful pale."

"He's nearly eighty years old, Master Soujiro. I should think he would be a touch pale, don't you?"

"Eighty? Damn, he looks good for being that old.."

"We should all be so lucky." Edmond turned to Kaoru and asked her to see if she could find a cup to put some water in. "I think he'll be wanting something to drink when he comes around."

"I'll be right back." she said, disappearing out the door. Her footsteps echoing in the small room as she walked down the hall.

"You and Kenshin were really dead... together?" Soujiro cast a wary look at Edmond, stuffing his fingers through the waistband of his breeches. "What was that like?"

"Strange, just like everything else that has been going on lately, be he was right. It will take the both of us together to bring Hiko out of Daniel, and that is the only way we will have a chance of altering his plans."

"But how? What does Hiko have to do with this?"

"The same as what all of us do. He's here to make sure everything happens the exact same way it did the first time."

"But from what we can tell, Daniel is clueless about 'everything' that's going on." Soujiro scratched his head in a perfect imitation of his brother, and Edmond chuckled.

"Indeed, but when we pull Hiko out of him he will."

"Are you certain of this, Edmond?" Aoshi looked worried as he turned his gaze back to the reverend. "There is a lot at stake if you're wrong."

"I realize that, Master Aoshi, but believe me, it is the only way."

"What about 'him'?" Soujiro leveled his gaze at Edmond and folded his arms across his chest.

"Whom?"

"You know, 'him', the scarey yellow-eyed guy. Does he fit into this anywhere, or is it just the two of you this time?"

"How do you know about 'him'?" Edmond looked uncomfortable. "I was not aware anyone knew, except Kaoru and Kenshin's father."

"Hey, come on, get real. I grew up with Kenshin. Do you think I could spend the majority of my life with him and not ever see 'the other' him that lived in there? Who do you think put up with Dad's beatings and stood up to him all the time? Dad used to call him 'a wild animal', but he looked more like a... a..."

"Wolf," Edmond supplied in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, a wolf. It always freaked Dad out, but I knew when I saw him, the old man wasn't going to get his fists on anybody. All hell was going to break loose, but at least Cleo and Mom were going to be ok... and me too." He dropped his head as if saying that made him feel ashamed. "That wild animal saved us more times than I really care to remember. If 'he' hadn't been there... well, I think Dad would have killed Kenshin a long time ago, but 'he' would never let him get enough punches in to do any serious damage. He took care of all of us...including Kenshin."

"I... I don't know what to say." Edmond turned away and met Kaoru's horrified face as she stepped through the door.

"It's true," Soujiro looked into Aoshi's pale, astonished face and then back at Edmond's stiff form again. "If it wasn't for 'him', I don't know what would have happened to us." He scratched his head again, and then walked around the foot of the bed to approach the silent red-head. "You made him . . . didn't you? The 'wolf' personality. He's yours, isn't he?"

"Aye," Edmond continued to look into Kaoru's face. "After Cassandra died . . . I... I went mad, I suppose you could say, and I nearly drank myself into hell's oblivion during the next six months. That's how long Daniel hid out before he came back for me, and by the time he got there, I was so mired inside my own grief, I didn't care what happened."

"What did happen, Edmond?" Kaoru set the cup of water on the table next to the reverend's bed, and then she turned and caught the man's disturbed look once more. "That is one thing we haven't really figured out in this whole mess. We pretty much know what happened to everyone else, but not you. All the records in Evermore said was you were found in the lamp room with a gun in one hand, a bottle of whiskey in the other, and a bullet in your head. One of the refracting panes was shattered, but no one ever found the bullet. They called it suicide, but it wasn't, was it?"

"No. I was too bloody depressed to kill myself, but I was packing my pistol. It was like a security blanket of sorts. Something to remind me that I had a way out of the pain if I chose to take it, but I knew I wouldn't be able to see Sandra if I did that... so I just carried it around with me."

"Loaded?" Kaoru was horrified.

"Aye. Loaded." Edmond moved passed everyone and stood to look out the window. "I knew it was me own fault she was dead. If I had listened to my own instincts and stayed... even if he killed us both, at least I could have been with her."

"What did he do to you, Edmond?" Kaoru moved to his side and put an arm around his waist. "I think it's time everyone knew what happened, don't you?"

"Aye, perhaps it is." He smiled gently at her, running a finger down the slope of her nose. "Aye, but you do look like her when she was alive, darlin'. So beautiful."

Kaoru blushed and dropped her head on his shoulder. "She's still here, Edmond, you know that, don't you."

"In some way I suppose I do. I can... I can feel her here." His chin moved to rest on top of Kaoru's head. "Tell her I love her, will you, sweetling?"

"She knows." Kaoru shivered as Edmond's arm rose to pull her close to his side. It was strange, but she could feel Kenshin so close. 'I love you.' She whispered in her mind. 'You better know that, tough guy.'

"I will tell you what happened." He murmured almost to himself. "But there really isn't much point other than Sandra deserves to know the truth. Now that I know what that beast did to her... I suppose it is only right she should know what happened to me."

"Yes." Kaoru hugged him. "That is something she has always agonized over, wanting to know what happened."

"Then I'll tell it... but only once, Young Kaoru. Then we are finished with this. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Evermore

Somberman Lighthouse

1818

One more day passed, and when he opened his eyes, she was still gone. His bed was still just as empty as it was when he went to sleep the night before. He threw his arm over his face and tried to drown out the image of her face, but it was impossible. Her delicate features would be burned into his mind forever.


"Sandra," he moaned, rolling over onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow she used to sleep on. "I miss you. Oh my dearest love... I miss you." Hoarse sobs shook his shoulders and he gathered the pillow into his chest. There were still blood stains on it. He fingered them with almost trance like fascination. They were reminders. Reminders of what a weak-minded fool he was. Reminders that he left her to die at the hands of the worst human God ever created. His mind had fashioned a hundred different scenes of Daniel killing his beloved that would have left so many bloody spatters on her pillow... and the walls, and the ceiling, and the floor. He must have beaten her to a bloody mess. Edmond screamed, shredded the pillow case in his hands, rolled off the bed, and stumbled to the bureau.

A half empty bottle of whiskey was setting in front of the mirror, and he grabbed it, bringing it to his lips. As the amber liquid burned a path of pain down his throat, he caught a look at himself in the mirror and froze, letting the whiskey drip off his chin and spill down his naked chest.

"That's not me," he whispered, staring at the apparition. "That can't be me." But as he lowered the bottle, the reflection lowered its as well. "Dear God, what have I done?" Shaggy red hair hung in matted strings over his shoulders and in his face, stark proof of how long it was since he'd bathed. His once bright, crystalline eyes were dull and a lifeless, grayish-lavender with deep red rings circling the bloodshot whites, and heavy, bruised bags sagging underneath. The color of his skin was a pasty gray, and he was so thin he looked more skeleton than man. The stubble of more than a week's growth of beard covered his lean cheeks and chin, and the trembling of his body bespoke the lack of food in his diet. He looked like a corpse.

Shame crept over him and turned from the accusation he saw lurking in his own eyes. 'What would she be thinkin' of you now, Edmond, if she could see you?' He pressed his fingers into his eyes and pushed until he saw spots. He knew what she would say, but it really didn't make any difference. She was still dead, he was still alone, and he was still responsible.

"God," he rasped, dropping the bottle to the floor with a hollow 'clunck'. "Please, just let me die. I can't bare this anymore. I can't live without her anymore. Life means nothing with her with me. Please . . . haven't I suffered long enough? Isn't this enough?" Silence surrounded him and he slumped inward on himself. 'No, it will never be enough. Living my whole life in pain will still not be enough for what I did. Oh Sandra, my beautiful Sandra. How do I live without you? How?'

He wandered over to the washstand and picked up a bathing cloth, staring at it like he never saw one before. Then he took the bar of soap in his other hand and proceeded to wash. It took him more than an hour before he was really clean. Shaving was the most difficult because his hands trembled, but he managed to scrape most of the whiskers from his face and neck without to many nicks.

'Ought to slit my bloody throat,' he mused morosely, looking at the straight blade, but he knew she would never approve of that, so he put it away and moved to the closet, reaching for a clean shirt, vest, and breeches. Then he was standing in front of the mirror again, looking at the reflection of a man who bore some minor resemblance to his old self. He was still much to pale and much too thin, but at least he was clean.

Edmond pulled the edges of his blue-satin vest down and then straightened his cravat. She always liked him in blue. It was her favorite color. His stomach growled and he considered how much effort it would take to get himself something to eat. He knew that new provisions had been brought a few days ago. He heard the crates being dropped by the pantry door, but didn't care enough to get up and see to his stock.

"No time like the present." He muttered to his face, which looked back at him with a baleful eye. "No one else is going to put the goods away for me, now are they?" He snorted and left room, making for the short stairs leading to the ground floor.

The kitchen was a mess. Every dish was dirty, the cooking stove was covered with spilt and burnt food, and the cold storage smelled as if a rat crawled inside and died. Guilt of a new form filled the Lampkeeper's heart as he looked at the devastation his drunken stupor had wrought upon his living quarters. Cassandra always kept the kitchen so clean, and he had utterly destroyed that concept. It would take hours to set it to rights again. He sighed and rolled up his sleeves. There was a water pail by the backdoor. He took it out to the pump and filled it up. It was going to be a long morning.

By midday, Edmond finally finished cleaning up the kitchen and eating area to the point he felt like he could live with it. He sat wearily in one of the chairs by the table and stared into space, thinking about what he and Sandra might be talking about. Once more, he slid into the far reaches of his mind, and it was as if she were sitting with him.

"I miss you."

"I know. I miss you too."

"Where did you go? I can't find you when I look."

"I'm not really that far away, Darling. All you have to do is think about me and I'm with you."

"I know, but I miss touching you, Sandra. I miss holding you, smelling your hair. It hurts not having you here."

"I'm sorry, Edmond. I wish it wasn't so."

"Why can't I be with you, Dearest? Why do I have to stay here alone?"

"It's not time, but soon. I promise... soon."

He knew she wasn't real, and he was just making her up in his head, but he couldn't help it. He ached without her. There was another bottle of whiskey behind the bread box. He stood up and found it, then he wandered into the parlor and opened the top drawer of his writing desk. There was a long, cherry wood box which he lifted out and set on top. Inside was his prized revolver. A gift from her . His fingers slid lovingly over the long barrel and he lifted it out, holding it in his hands like it was her heart. Mechanically, absently, he loaded it.

The climb up the spiral stairs was habitual. He'd made it a hundred times before, and once more meant nothing to him. His feet 'thumped' as they stepped from one stair to the next. It was monotonous. He opened the door at the top and entered the lamproom. How many nights since he's lit it, he wondered? Edmond couldn't remember, but the oil smelled old and the wick was black with old carbon and dirt. It needed to be cleaned.

There was a small cupboard underneath the lamp where he kept his cleaning and lighting supplies. He opened it and extracted what he needed for the job, then he removed the old wick and started cleaning the lamp. It was a mindless job. Something he'd done so many times he could almost do it with his eyes shut.

He was wiping the last refracting pane clean when he noticed the revolver and whiskey weren't setting on the floor where he'd left them. Confusion clouded his mind as he laid his cloth next to the lamp and began looking for the items. He was certain he set them next to the cupboard door when he retrieved his supplies, but they were no longer there. 'Odd,' he thought. 'Perhaps me mind is gone after all.' He shrugged and turned to put his supplies and tools away, but froze when a deadly whisper drifted into the tight space of the lamproom.

"Don't ye just look all pretty and cleaned up, Eddy-boy, and 'ere I thought I'd find you mourning me sweet Cassy like the yellow bastard you are." Sour laughter followed the cruel jibe and the heavy footfalls of a large individual entering the room echoed off the glass. "Aye, I must admit, you're not the mon you were when ye took 'er from me, that yer not. Why, yer skinny as a stringy rooster, and this here whiskey is something I never thought I'd see you be touching... seeing how bloody sanctimonious ye always was. I never dreamed I be finding you dead drunk in yer cups, School Master."

"What do you want, Daniel?" Edmond was fairly certain he knew why Cassandra's husband was there, and a sad sense of relief passed over his tormented soul.

"What do I want?" Daniel walked up behind the smaller man and leaned close. "I want to send you to Hell, Eddy. I want you to know what it feels like to have your heart torn from your body when the one you love chooses another. I want you to know the pain of losing everything you hold dear to another man's arms... I want you to suffer."

"I am, Daniel." Edmond slumped, walked away from the man behind him, then turned to face him with a tragic face. "I did lose everything I hold dear. You took it from me."

"I?" Daniel struggled to look innocent.

"Aye... you. You killed her, didn't you." It was a flat, emotionless statement.

"Aye. I killed her. Threw 'er off the catwalk...just there, I did." He pointed out the outside door onto the iron ledge. "It was easy. Just picked her up and heaved her over. She was so light, so small... It took no effort at all."

"You bastard," Tears filled Edmond's eyes as the image of his beloved's death formed in his mind. "How could you? How? She was your wife. Whatever else she may have been, she was still your wife."

"She was a fucking whore." Daniel yelled, his face turning red. "A whore living in sin with a man not her husband, and she flaunted it in me face."

"No she didn't. I know her better than to believe that. She would never do that, not even to you. Sandra didn't have a cruel bone in her body. She was kind and sweet and pure..."

"PURE?" Daniel waved Edmond's revolver in his face. "She was carrying your bastard babe in her belly. How can you call her pure?"

"My...my baby?" The words choked in his throat and his vision dimmed. She hadn't told him.

"Aye! She begged me not to touch her because she feared it would hurt the little spawn. Like I would give a rats ass about that."

"You-you raped her? You raped my Sandra!"

"I raped my WIFE! MY WIFE! MY RIGHT! And then I threw her over the railing and listened to her scream all the way to the bottom... all the way... all the... oh god..."

"My Sandra. My beautiful Sandra." Edmond started to cry. "You killed her and my child? You killed them both?" He could feel something breaking inside of him. Something primitive and ferocious. Something violent and ugly, and as it boiled to the surface of his consciousness, he lost control of it. "MURDERER!"

The wild, yellow-eyed demon leaped across the lamproom, pouncing on top of Daniel, snarling and clawing at his throat. Hands possessing an incredible strength despite their smallness, closed around his windpipe and began to squeeze, shutting off the flow of oxygen. The pair tumbled to the floor and the demon pinned the larger man on his back, laughing cruelly as his large green eyes bulged in his face.

"How does it feel, Daniel?" The voice was raspy and harsh. "How does it feel to be the weak and defenseless? Can you hear the sound of your heart beating inside your head? Does the rush of blood roar in your ears? Are you dying, you filthy bastard? Are you ready to meet your maker?" The demon leaned down and pressed his nose against the dying man's. "If so, then let me send you on your way to Hell. The Devil's waiting for you."

Fear filled the frantic heart of Daniel March, and a surge of adrenaline rushed through his body. A burst of strength and he threw the demon off of him and rolled to his feet, grabbing the pistol on his way up. The demon stumbled across the room and fell into one of the refracting panes, Daniel took aim and fired. Blood splattered across the glass as it cracked and broke. The demon's head snapped back, his body froze, and then he slipped to the floor.

Edmond Fetlock was dead. Shot in the back of the head by Daniel March. A matter of self-defense, perhaps, except that it was Daniel's plan to kill Edmond from the beginning.

Carefully, Daniel arranged the body on the floor, pistol in one hand, bottle of whiskey in the other. Who would know it wasn't suicide? After all, the rumors in town were he'd killed Cassy himself, anyway. He picked up the spent lead from inside the broken refraction pane and dropped it in his pocket. No one suspected a third party. No one knew about him. He was finally finished. It was over. They were all dead.

Father, Elliot, Ethan, Cassy... and Edmond. There was no one left to mock or degrade him. No one left to stand in his way. He could go back to Sedgmont and resume the Reverendship that was his by right. He could start over.

Edmond Fetlock was found several days later after a ship full of coal foundered upon the reef and sank because the lamp in the lighthouse had not been lit. It was five years before the hauntings started.

No one in Evermore ever knew anything about a Daniel March.

Kaoru was crying as Edmond finished. She knew it was going to be a terrible thing to hear; how he died, but she didn't know it would be like that. Now she understood where the Angel-Wolf came from, and why he had been created, and why he was such an integral part of both Kenshin and Edmond. He was Edmond's anger and grief let loose. The result of all of his emotions seared into one final seething entity of rage and fury. But for Kenshin, he was the shield that protected, the strength that supported, and the will that made him who he was. The fiercest fighting spirit and most honorable man she ever knew. But without Edmond, Kenshin would not be who he was.

"Oh Edmond," she whispered, nuzzling his neck. "I'm so sorry."

"Aye, darlin'. I know. But it's long passed now, and needs to be done and forgotten. It is true, Daniel has much to pay for, but then... so do I."

"Aye, that you do, Master Fetlock. That you do." The tired voice of Reverend March reached them from his bed, and Edmond turned to find the old man's eyes upon him. "You are Edmond Fetlock, aren't you?"

"Aye, Reverend." Edmond moved to the old man's side and knelt beside the bed. "Are ye feeling better, Master March?"

"Aye, but this is certainly a fine mess you've all gotten yourselves into. I can't even begin to say I understand how it is possible, but now that I am looking at you and not young Himura, I can sense as well as see the differences. There really are two of you inside this body, aren't there?"

"Aye, Reverend. As terrible and strange as it sounds. There are."

"And you have seen this strange future where these... ah, children say they are from?"

"Aye, that I have."

"Have you been a ghost...Master Edmond?" The Reverend's eyes bore into the man's face with a ferocity that few could withstand, but Edmond Fetlock was not any man. He stared back.

"No, Reverend. I have not, but I have existed somewhere I cannot explain. It was a world of infinite blackness with no sound or form. I drifted there unable to progress beyond that place. Not until just a day ago when young Kenshin did look upon the face of my Sandra and I rose to the surface of his mind. Then was the first time since the day Daniel took my life that I knew a change in the darkness that surrounded me."

"Were you in Hell, Master Edmond?"

"No, I do not believe so, but I was not in heaven either. Perhaps limbo?"

"Limbo?"

"A place where restless souls who cannot pass beyond go." Aoshi caught the reverend's eyes. "Daniel and Cassandra became lost in the lighthouse. Edmond became lost in time."

"If all of that is true," Reverend March sat up on his bed and looked deep into Aoshi's ice blue eyes. "What happened to Daniel after Master Edmond died? If he came back to Sedgmont, how did his soul end up back in Evermore five years later haunting the lighthouse with Cassandra?"

Suddenly there were many confused faces inside the small bedchamber. Not one of them had the first idea as to how to answer that question.

"There is only one person who would know the answer to that." Kenshin's voice rose out of Edmond's face. "Daniel himself."

"Then, perhaps it is time we asked him, eh?" The Reverend swung his legs off the edge of the bed and stood up. "If it is true that the persona of Hiko Seijuro exists beneath the face of my son, then the memories of the future and Daniel's ghost exist there as well. Would this be a true assumption, Master Himura?"

"Yes, Reverend." Kenshin nodded respectfully and reached out to put a steadying hand on the old man's shoulder. "I understand how difficult this is for you, Master March. Truly I do, but it cannot be helped. I hope you understand that."

"I am beginning to, young master. The more I hear, the more I am convinced. I know Master Fetlock, and I believe I was just speaking to him. Now, it is beyond any doubt that I am speaking to you, though it is the same face and same voice. You are two different individuals–yet the same. I must be forced to reevaluate my beliefs in reincarnation. God help me."

"I don't believe you need reevaluate your beliefs, Reverend." Aoshi further assisted the old man to leave his bed chamber. "I think this is a very special and isolated instance. No need to worry, good sir."

"Thank you, Master Shino... Shin..."

"Shinomori." Aoshi smiled, and helped the Reverend down the stairs. "Please, just called me Aoshi. It is much easier to say."

"Aye, Master Aoshi. That it is."

"Where are we going?" Soujiro thumped down the stairs behind everyone as they filed back into the chapel. His wide, blue-gray eyes seeking out those of his brother. "You don't intend to go look for Daniel NOW, do you? I mean, not right now?"

"Why not?" Kenshin's voice resonated with the tones of duality. "There is no time like the present, and no need to waste the time we've been given."

"Great. I knew you were going to say something like that."

TBC

My Cat has, once more, taken a turn for the worse. I belive I have reached the end of mine and her limit of endurance. Again she staggers through my house, but now only a few inches or feet at a time. She can no longer lay down in comfort or eat. She only wants water and to be left alone. She will not let anyone hold her and she is wasting away before my eyes. My heart is breaking and I must find the strength to ease her suffering instead of being selfish. It is so hard. My soul cries.

Review Responses:

blue unknown: You're welcome. I hope it was worth the wait. God Bless.

Catti-dono: Arigato, koishii. I am in hopes you enjoyed the new chapter as well. Once more my kitty has taken a turn for the worse. Grief restricts the creative flow. Gomen nasai.

De Lazy Lime: Hai, I am going to save Hiko. So many arguments in the beginning and one rousing flame that I was turning such a loveable and beloved character into such a bad guy. No one ever thought to believe something could change in the end. I wish I could find the girl who chewed me up for making him bad and smack her.

SteelPhoenix: Hai... a massive amount of foreshadowing. It was meant to be so. As for the memories... the world would change 'around' them but not necessarily 'change' them. They will remember everything, but perhaps end up in a different place because of differences in circumstances. Try to remember the 'Back to The Future' movies. Remember when Marty went to his house in the second movie, but it wasn't 'his' house anymore because circumstances had changed 'around' him.

Lynn-Minmay: I know I spelled Hiko's last name wrong. It hit me a while after I posted the chapter. I knew someone would see it. It just goes to show that my mind is not on my writing. I am glad that you enjoyed the chapter, koishii. God Bless you, sweet one.

Tameka-tanuki-jouchan: Much love to you, little racoon girl. I love to see you.

Lolo popoki: Thank you for your kind words. My writing is far below my own standards so what you said means a great deal. bows Saitou is one of my favorite characters to tweak with. He shows many sides of himself in the OVA and I just like to expound upon it in my own way. Arigato, my friend.

Whitehaizea: Hai, windchild. I am still alive. Thank you for caring. God Bless, dear one.

Rain Angst: God Bless, sweetling. I think I am going to take up residence in the cabin for a bit. Need to hide and take some time to mourn. My kitty is sick again and I think I am going to have to put her to sleep soon. My creative pool is quite dry, but I am pleased you enjoyed the chapter and relieved at least one person wasn't confused by the time paradox.

Unknown beedee: I hope this chapter was worth the wait and at least almost interesting. I am still waiting to see something more from you. When are you going to write regularly again?

Kireitenshi00: You don't sound corny. I thank you for your support. My 'furry friend' is very sick again today and I fear I may have to put her to sleep soon. Thank you for your kind words about this story. It has been with me for such a long now, it's almost a part of my life. God Bless. I hope you enjoy the ending.

Immortal Blood: Thank you, dear one. That means much to me. God bless always.

RkfaN930: My kitty is sick again... it's so hard. Thank you for your sweet words and support. It means so much. I'm so glad your still here. I hope this chapter was worth checking for. God bless, dear friend.

XiaXue: Glad you liked the update. You know this is almost over... sigh

ixchen: And I thank you for the time you take to read and leave me your thoughts. Arigato, dear friend. We have been doing this a long time. bows You are humbly appreciated.

Kean: God Bless, dearest friend. Thank you for being here for such a long time. You have long been my voice of honesty and reason. Hai, I misspelled Hiko's name. It just goes to prove that my mind is not on my work. I hope this chapter is better. Pray tell, dear one, what will you read of mine when this is finished? I will miss you if you disappear.

Luraia Soul: God Bless, Luraia... It is so nice to see you. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, sweetling. Hope this one was enjoyable as well. We are nearly to the end. It has been nice to have you here for the whole ride.

Lendra-chan: Dearest Alendra. I have not made it over to read your updates, but I will this week. So, please, do not apologize to me for being late. I am far behind on you. Gomen nasai, sweetling. As for Kenshin being in purgatory... That put a smile on my face. Thank you for that. God Bless, my shining light.

LegolasEstelstar: Sweet Estel, God bless you and your sweet words. My kitty is sick again. My heart it heavy and I am in such a sad place right now. My creative pool is dry and I'm feeling so lost. I had a seizure over the weekend and I just feel like everything is falling apart. Having friends like you is so comforting. Arigato.

Pixel-the-evil-fairy: Real dad's are an interesting. I am glad that you enjoyed it. I hope this one was as well. God bless, Fern-Gulley-Girl.

Paisita: Gomen for no review responses last chapter. I just didn't have the heart or the where with all to do them. I promised them this time, and you are one I can never forget. God Bless you always, dearest friend. You are among those I love the most. I hope your cousin had a good time.

Steph: Thank you, Stephy. I am so happy you loved the last chapter. The interaction between Kenshin and Edmond was the bright spot in the chapter for me. It was the one part I enjoyed writing. Having them both dead at the same time was an interesting idea... I just had to run with it. God bless... glad things with your horse are good, and thank you for your concern about me.

Psychotic-catster: Ohayo, wild child. Yes, my kitty has taken another turn for the worse, and my health is taking a bit of a beating... but all will work as it is supposed to. Now then, thank for going insane for me... it made my day. God bless, you wild thing. I love you.

BelleDayNight: Hai, Belle, Aoshi is always adorable, but I have made him a very 'attentive' son here at the end. Something no one has seen from him before. I have enjoyed. My kitty is sick again, and I think I have reached the end of my vigil. Her kidney failure, I believe, has escalated to a point now that she is in pain and wanting fluids constantly. I think I need to take her to the Vet and let her go... but it's so hard. God help me.

Lere and JD: I have missed you this time. But I know you are both still there; as are the others who have not yet read or reviewed. You are all missed but remembered and loved. God Bless, Minna-san.