HAPPY NEW YEAR! And because I didn't say it in the last…MERRY LATE CHRISTMAS!

So, I've got my boyfriend's grandmother reading this story, and in fact she has been ever since the earliest chapters, but I've never had her harass me as much with any of the other chapters as she has with this one. She has, in fact, threatened to beat me because of poor Tae. I am going to take it as a compliment, because a death threat is, by all means, the biggest compliment… lol.

Disclaimer: It was never mine to begin with… well, at least the characters aren't.

Chapter 23: Taking Responsibility

Kaoru sighed as she closed the door to the shrine and stepped out into the chilly night air, Tomoe's goodnight a soft echo in her ears. The woman was an incredibly good listener, even if her answering advice was mostly vague. In many ways she reminded Kaoru of her mother, her gentle coaxing suggesting she find her own answer instead of seeking it out from another. There was also the way she petted her hair comfortingly that gave a vague impression of maternity; or the graceful way she moved, the same as her mother; or perhaps it was simply the deep blackness of her eyes, their bottomless pools holding all the wisdom in the world. Once, she remembered her father saying he could get lost in her mother's eyes. Sometimes, when Kaoru's conversations with Tomoe turned more serious, she could almost understand what it was he spoke of.

After Kaoru's most recent fight with Kenshin her turmoil had driven her to seek Tomoe out as the only being in the palace that would have an outside perspective on the situation. She wasn't sure if Kenshin knew she was visiting the shrine, and she feared the extra tension his reaction to the discovery would cause, but Kaoru had needed to vent. Besides which, she felt bad leaving the poor woman alone by herself when she had blatantly advertised her loneliness on her first visit. So even though she was probably only bothering her with her personal problems, Kaoru felt she could justify her disobedience by alleviating Tomoe's seclusion. Even after her multiple visits, however, she was still conflicted on how to properly handle and encourage Kenshin onto the right path.

It saddened her, every time she had to watch his muscles tense and panic enter his warm golden eyes. It was like witnessing a child waiting for his punishment, fearing a lash or cruel word. There had been many times when she had wanted nothing more than to tell him that it was alright, he didn't have to try if he didn't want to, just to stop the torment haunting his every move. A part of her knew, though, that to give into such a sheltering instinct would only hurt him more than help. There was a time for empathy and a caring touch and then there was a time for indifference and a firm hand. Kenshin needed a good shot of both. She just hoped she was giving them in the right dosage.

I know there is so much that he needs to come to grips with himself, but sometimes I just want to grab him and shake him as hard as I can. There has to be something there that's holding him back. Something I'm not seeing. I know his brother has a lot to do with his indecision and lack of confidence, but at the same time his brother was probably the best male influence he had in his life. I have this awful feeling that his father has a lot to do with his aversion to ruling, but I'm not sure what to do about it or even how to bring up the subject to learn more. I suppose I should just listen to Tomoe and give him some more time… but he's already had a thousand years, and I don't have anywhere near enough time to wait around for another thousand! My patience isn't even going to last until spring!

"I-it's been a few days, milord."

Slowing to a distracted halt, Kaoru blinked her way out of her thoughts and frowned at the anxious stuttering coming from inside the building she was walking near.

"A few days! And no one thought to inform me?"

The incredulity in Kenshin's voice was bordering on anger, and the small hint of concern tangled in with the combination made Kaoru nervous. What, she wondered, was going on?

"We… we did not want to bother you, milord. We've been taking turns searching, and… a few of the others are helping as well, but…"

"Who else? I want everyone who knows brought to me at once." A pause followed, then a quick scrambling of soft feet on the floor before the scrape of Kenshin's talons indicated his movement as well. "On second thought, take me to them, I have no patience to wait."

The door around the corner from her opened and Kaoru was finally able to catch her bearings enough to realize she was next to the kitchens. One of the small snow monkeys that helped Tae scurried out onto the veranda, Kenshin quick on her heels. They turned the other direction, neither aware of her presence, and she quietly followed at a distance, curious of the circumstances.

In the eerie black and white of moon glow they hurried along towards the western side of the palace and the male serving quarters. It was here that they came across the second snow monkey, her shock at seeing Kenshin evident in her squeaky greeting. The dark outline of a large bird was perched next to her, and as Kaoru's eyes slid over the smaller form of a weasel she realized the bird was undoubtedly Aoshi.

"Do you no longer report to your superiors, Okashira?"

The quick snap of a question caught the raven off guard, and Kaoru was beginning to feel alarm curl in her stomach as he cautiously replied. "What is it my lord thinks I have not informed him of?"

"Only that one of my servants has gone missing."

There was a pause, during which Kaoru's alarm grew. Who's missing?

"My lord, if I may, we have been very fortunate in the last several hundred years, but that doesn't change the fact that a missing servant is not unheard of."

"That does not explain why I was not told."

"We did not think you would wish to be bothered."

Hearing his own words only fueled the anger seething in his mind, a loathing that continued to grow the more he wished to correct the last thousand years worth of mistakes. Except a more selfish part of him still did not understand why they would keep something as important as a missing person from him. "Perhaps I have not wished to be bothered by smaller issues in the past, Okashira, but even then the absence of one of my own personal servants would have had a direct effect upon me. It is my right to be told."

"My lord…" Ayame spoke up softly, her hands clutched tightly together with her sister's. "I apologize if you have been dissatisfied with your meals for the last few days, but…"

"My meals?" The rein on his emotions finally broke and his voice rose abruptly in volume, causing the two small snow monkeys to cower. "Do you think my anger is for the quality of my meals? What use do I have for food? It is your silence and secrecy that angers me! Do you think so little of her life that you would keep her absence to yourselves?"

"Of course not." There was a touch of indignity in Aoshi's voice when he responded, his small, black chest puffing out as his head lifted. "We acted only on the orders we were last given by our master. The lives of his servants were of no importance to your father."

"I am not my father!" The words flew from his mouth with all the fury of a tornado, their force like a hammer snapping a pin through their tongues. For one astonishing moment Kaoru recognized the large step the lord had taken, her eyes wide as she stared at how his posture had changed. He was now more sure of himself, the conviction in his voice gaining strength with the release of each pent up word pouring from his lips. "Nor would I ever wish to be! That selfish bastard cared nothing for the lives surrounding him! Not when he could find a replacement if one were lost! But this palace is no longer his! It is mine! My home! Just as it has been for the last thousand years! That means everyone living here is under my care, and there is not one of them that can be replaced! This includes my cook!"

Frozen in awe, a feeling of relief and thankful joy warming her heart, Kaoru's blooming smile melted away as his words unwittingly identified the missing servant. Still standing, unnoticed at the edge of the veranda behind them, Kaoru gasped in a breath, her hands fisting to press into her sternum.

"Tae-san is missing?"

All eyes swung to her, Kenshin's tense form jerking at the sound of her voice. The fierce set of his irises and thin slits of his pupils abruptly softened at the sight of her, his shoulders relaxing as he slid easily into an almost regretful attitude. "Then you did not know, either."

"No, my lord." Aoshi's voice when he addressed him held a note of respect that had been absent from his previously polite speech. "We did not wish to upset the lady."

"An understandable wish." Carefully shielded eyes watched as Kaoru trembled and stepped closer, the blatant concern on her face heightened by the exhaustion she was already fighting off. "Who is out searching right now?"

"Sanosuke is, my lord."

Gaze never leaving Kaoru's, he nodded. "Sanosuke is a good tracker." She was directly in front of him now. "Send word to Saitou and his city patrol to be on the lookout, and have Soujirou and Kogorou meet me in my pavilion." Slender fingers wrapped around his and he gave them a reassuring squeeze before he returned his attention to the raven. "What of your unit, Okashira? Have they been informed?"

"Yes, my lord. They have been searching the surrounding woods, but there is no sign of her, or of a struggle."

"Then we will have to assume for now that she hasn't gone beyond the outer wall. When exactly was the last time she was seen, and what was she doing?"

"It was three days ago, milord." Suzume spoke up, her face pressed into the chest of her older sister. "Just after lunch. She said she needed to clear her head. We didn't see where she went, but… she never came back."

"Do you think… someone or… something grabbed her?" Kaoru spoke up anxiously, a touch of firmness in the question that suggested she would not be kind if that were the case. Kenshin couldn't help but smile.

"Not so close to the palace and in the middle of the day, Kaoru-dono." The slight twitch of a smile turned into a frown as he studied the dark circles under her eyes. "You will leave this one to me. I wish for you to get some sleep. I will have it sorted out by the time you wake up." Looking over his shoulder, he jerked his head at Misao who sat silent and observing in the background. At his signal, she jumped forward and stood alert next to Kaoru's leg.

"He's right, milady. You haven't been sleeping as much as you need to, and you won't be of much help if you are tired."

"But Tae-san…"

"Now has everyone in the palace on the lookout for her. She will be found. I promise." There was a different tone of command in his voice now, and Kaoru knew he was in complete charge; of the situation and of himself. It was just as Megumi had said. Kenshin fell smoothly into the role of master in times of a crisis, although Kaoru had to wonder if one missing person would have really demanded his undivided attention before today, like Aoshi had said. There was definitely something different this time around, especially after that little speech about his father and making it perfectly clear where his priorities now were.

Without waiting for her reply, his hand slid from hers, his focus no longer open to anything other than Tae and her whereabouts. Glad that he was stepping up as the master, Kaoru still felt a moment of frustration that he would cast her aside so easily. Why couldn't she help? Even if Tae did have the entire palace looking for her, it couldn't hurt to have one more pair of eyes out searching. Besides, Tae was her friend. How did he expect her to just lie down and sleep when she was missing; possibly lost, hurt, or even…

Aoshi took off in a flurry of black feathers, and with his departure Kenshin directed himself towards his pavilion. His arm wrapped around her as he walked by, forcing her to follow along, and she knew his intention was to make sure she made it to her own sleeping quarters without detouring elsewhere.

"Come along, Kaoru-dono. I meant what I said." Misao's hurried triple step suggested she was having to run to keep up. "You have been working much too hard lately. I want you to take it easy from now on."

"But…"

"Everything will be taken care of. There is no longer any reason for you to worry."

The door shut firmly behind her once she was safely inside her own pavilion, and she listened as Kenshin's feet thumped a quick rhythm back to his rooms. Sighing, she glanced at Misao, her heart undecided and her limbs restless. She couldn't sleep now, even if she wanted to. There were things that needed to be done. Someone precious to her was somewhere out in the night, alone, possibly scared or even wondering when someone was going to find her. Sure she couldn't get sick, or die from starvation, but a serious wound would still be a problem, right? What if a wild animal had found her? She didn't want to lose anyone. It was too difficult to deal with.

Wait a minute…

"Someone precious…" Whispering to herself, her blue eyes widened and she turned fully on the weasel, her words urgent. "Does Katsu-san know that Tae's missing? Is he out there looking right now?"

Misao hung her head, her aquamarine irises subdued. "No. Sano didn't think telling him anything would be a good idea. Apparently… Katsu hasn't come out of his room in weeks, and no one can get him to respond… Sano seems to think telling him anything bad at this point might have… damaging repercussions."

"Is there something wrong with him?"

"I don't know, milady, but… he has done something similar once before, and… only Tae was able to talk him back out of it. I think that's why Sano doesn't want him to know that Tae has gone missing. Without her… he might do something drastic."

"But what if she needs him this time? Argh! What is it with all the selfish men around here?" Pulling quickly at her kimono, she dropped the silk layers to the floor as she ranted. "Shouldn't he want to be out there looking for his beloved? I mean, what would you do if Aoshi were missing?" Jerking her arms through the sleeves of her training kimono, she pinned Misao with an intense stare.

Without hesitation, Misao answered. "I'd go looking for him. I'd look until I found him."

"Exactly! And he'd do the same for you if you went missing. And I know Sano wouldn't hesitate if it were Megumi missing, so I can't even believe he wants to keep this from Katsu."

Shrugging as she watched Kaoru knot the tie of her hakama belt, Misao smiled softly. "Well, Sano always has had this protective best friend thing going on for Katsu. Those two and Shinta-sama were quite the trio, so I've heard, and since Katsu was the smallest and weakest of the group, the other two stuck up for him a lot. Now that Shinta's gone, Sano's taken all of the responsibility on himself to look out for Katsu. In some ways, Katsu can be completely naïve, and its gotten him into a lot of trouble once before… so you can't really fault Sano for wishing to shelter him from making any other mistakes."

Nodding, Kaoru shrugged on the oversize haori Kenshin had given to her and started for the door. "Then I won't fault him, but I don't think Katsu needs to be kept in the dark. Not only do I think he would want to know, I think he should know. Loving someone means a lot more than just experiencing a few mushy feelings." Peeking around the edge of her outer tsumado, she chanced a glance towards Kenshin's pavilion. There was a light glowing brightly from inside and several shadows were passing in front of it. Kenshin's wings were a dark outline, and from his movements she could tell that he was pacing. It wouldn't be long before he lost patience and went out himself to look.

The warning clack of wood forced her to duck further back into the hallway, and she watched as a sleek, large cat slid out into the night. From the length of its tail and the pattern of spots on its yellow coat, she recognized it for the cheetah it represented. Behind it came a large lion, its voice dignified as it spoke a few low words to the first feline, and then the cheetah was gone. Kaoru blinked, momentarily in awe over the speed it possessed. Then the lion was ducking back into the pavilion and the coast was clear.

"Come on." Whispering for Misao to follow, Kaoru stepped out into the night and made a quick detour off the veranda so as to avoid going too close to Kenshin's location.

The darkness helped to hide her presence, but it took longer than she would have wished to make it to the painter's abode. Once at the door, her eyes glancing cautiously around her to make sure no one witnessed her, she knocked and forced her voice through the barrier.

"Katsu-san… may I come in?" There was no answer, the silence deeper than usual for nighttime. Frowning, she glanced at Misao. "Do you think he's sleeping?" The weasel shrugged, helpless to answer. Knocking again, Kaoru spoke louder. "Katsu-san, it is urgent that I speak with you."

Sighing angrily when there still wasn't an answer, Misao beat her small paw against the lower portion of the sliding door. "Answer the damn door, Katsuhiro! The lady wants to talk to you!" There was a suspicious shuffling from inside, but the noise didn't move any closer to the shoji. "Oh, he's awake alright." Speaking in an aside to Kaoru, Misao lifted her voice so that Katsu would hear. "Fine, we'll just let ourselves in!" Taking the cue from Misao, Kaoru yanked on the door, but it was blocked from the inside. Irritated, Kaoru struggled futilely to jerk it open.

"Open the door you idiot! It's about Tae!"

As if conjured by her name alone, his voice answered directly on the other side of the wood. "Miss Tae? Has something happened to her?"

Letting go, Kaoru tapped her foot with a huff. "Open the door and I might think about telling you."

The loud clatter of a wooden stick was dropped to the floor, and then the shoji was sliding open to show a bare slice of the thicker darkness inside. The vague shadow of a lemur moved across the opening, and his voice was pleading. "Is Miss Tae alright?"

Wedging her fingers into the crevice to make sure he wouldn't shut it back on them, Kaoru bent slightly at the waist. "I don't truthfully know, Katsu-san."

"Why not?" He sounded confused, leery, but above all disbelieving.

"She took a walk three days ago and no one has seen her since. I was kind of hoping that you might have an idea where she would have gone."

His small dark fingers dropped from the shoji and he stepped back. "I don't know, Lady Kaoru, and perhaps… it is better that I don't."

Kaoru frowned and cracked the door open wider to keep him in view. "What is that supposed to mean? Aren't you worried? Don't you want to help look for her?"

"I am the last person she needs to associate herself with, milady. I would be doing her a favor by not looking. Someone else would be better. Yes, anyone else." His voice trailed off into the room as he turned his back and disappeared into the concealing clutches of gloom, and all they heard next was the soft rustling of paper. Pushing the door completely open, Kaoru stepped inside to follow.

"What is going on? Did you have a fight? Is that why you've been cooped up in here by yourself?" Fumbling around in the dark, she swore as she tripped on some loose objects in the middle of the floor. "Argh! And what the hell are you doing sitting around in the dark?" A match struck and light illuminated a small area before catching fire to the wick of a lantern. Carefully scooting some stray papers away from it, Misao looked at Kaoru and nodded her head to a far corner.

Katsu flinched away from the light, but did not stop in his task, the rustling of paper continuing. One quick glance showed him to be plastering many small pictures to the wall in front of him. Blue eyes darting away from him and the only free space left, she relaxed in amazement at the hundreds of drawings and paintings covering every inch of his room. Some were in perfect color and detail, others simple black and white and harried, but all were of one subject. All were of a small, sleek, spider monkey.

"Katsu…" Fixing him once more with her attention, she tilted her head to get a better view of the space of wall he was trying to conceal. The underneath was white, not wood, and there was the tiniest spot of brilliant pink peeking out from behind the papers already up. Stepping up to him quickly as he lifted another painting and tried to fix it over the spot, she grabbed his hand and gently pulled him away. He didn't argue, only stumbled to a sitting position, his head hanging into his chest. Curious, Kaoru peeled the papers back.

The splash of pink she saw revealed itself to be a delicate blossom decorating what looked like the bottom portion of a rich kimono. Surprised, Kaoru ripped at the rest of the papers, dropping them on the floor as she exposed more and more of the lovely dress. Letting the last bunch slip from her fingers, she stared up at the true painting, slightly stunned by the beauty of the woman he had portrayed. From her light brown hair and warm tan eyes, her shy smile and slender figure, she was a picture of love, happily looking down upon her viewer in tender affection. But not at me… she would have been painted to look down upon…

Turning in place she stared at Katsu. "Is that… Tae?"

"Katsu you idiot! What have you done?" Kaoru started as Misao jumped out of nowhere to attack the unsuspecting lemur. "If the young lord finds out about this…!"

"It's too late. He already has."

Misao paused, astonished that no whisper of punishment had reached her ears. "He has?"

Letting out a quiet moan, the lemur pressed both hands to his face. "I've messed up again, but it's worse this time. So much worse."

"What is going on?" Bending down to carefully pick Misao up off of the painter, she sat her aside and then helped Katsu up. "Why is it so wrong that Katsu has painted a picture of Tae? I think it's wonderful. And it's nice to know what she really looks like. Why aren't there more?"

Still eyeing Katsu, Misao spoke reluctantly, her voice tight. "The young lord forbade him to paint portraits of our human selves." Slowly her irises swung to the life size painting on the wall and sighed. "They entice too much longing and… there were many that could not handle the emotion."

Kaoru's mouth opened, afraid her own conclusion was far too right, and then turned in agony to the lemur when he murmured in a daze. "It's a curse, you know, to remember everything, everyone. Even now their faces are clear in my mind. I never thought my paintings would ever hurt anyone." He trembled, a sob shaking his throat. "I swore I would never hurt anyone else. But I wasn't thinking. I only wanted to give her something special. Something to show her how much I love her, but… it doesn't matter." One hand wiped over his face and he sniffed, collecting himself. "The young lord brought me to my senses, and I got it back. I took it away and she should be safe. She should be safe."

"You gave Tae a painting?" Horrified, Misao stood on her hind legs.

His head nodded. "But I took it away. She doesn't have it anymore."

"That's not even the point! Katsu! Tae's missing! She's not safe at all! What if she's…?" A look of immense pain twitched Misao's features and she turned to dart out the door. Too stunned to move, Kaoru watched every small sign of despair bloom on Katsu's face before he slumped forward, his head in his hands.

"No. Not Miss Tae. Not Miss Tae."

He seemed so lost and alone, so small and breakable, as he lay there sobbing on the floor and her heart went out to him. Briefly placing a hand on his shoulder to offer comfort, Kaoru moved to stand, ready to follow after Misao. If everything they had said was true, then finding Tae had become a race against time. Who knew what they would find when they did locate her, but Kaoru didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to think the wonderful lady that had given her so much good advice might possibly be gone from the world. Not because of a simple painting.

"Wait." Quickly his hands were wrapped around her one, his dark eyes desperate as he stared up at her. "She used to love walking the mountain paths. There's one, on the east side of the northern rice field. We found a lone dogwood there once, in a small dell between the mountain peeks. I remember… it bloomed twice that year. She said… that it was our tree." The clue gave her a sense of relief, and she nodded quickly, suddenly more eager than before to be out looking. "Please, my lady. You have to find her. You have to make sure she's safe."

"No, Katsu." Pulling her hand roughly from his own, she frowned and grabbed him by the arm. "I'm not doing you any favors. You're coming and you're going to make sure nothing happens yourself. It's you she needs, not me." Dragging his struggling form to the door, she pulled him off the veranda and headed out into the night.

X

Kenshin stood at the eastern most border of his palace city, staring up at the stars above and impatiently waiting for the black raven to make his report. It was difficult tracking anyone by night, but he wouldn't be able to rest until the cook was found. There were too many predators this close to the mountain, and although he had reassured Kaoru that nothing like that could have happened to her, he was finding the outcome to be more and more likely. No one had seen the small spider monkey walking through town, and Kenshin was getting a sneaky suspicion that she had wanted it to be that way. It would have been easy to conceal her slight body among the trees and then hop from one to the other. There were thousands of trees, both inside and out of the boundary wall. The woman could be anywhere.

The harsh panting of a dog warned of Sanosuke's return first, and Kenshin looked down expectantly. Foam was forming on the sides of his mouth, and he swallowed thickly before he spoke. "My lord… there is still no sign of her, but…" He panted some more, his hind legs folding underneath him as he sat back. "I thought you might want to know… we spotted your lady…" Kenshin frowned. "She was leading Katsu out around the border of the northern rice field. Soujirou's following her, with Hennya. They're not stopping, my lord." Letting out one last heaving breath, he was finally able to speak properly. "It looks like they might have some idea of where Tae is."

Closing his eyes, Kenshin sighed. The woman is going to drive me crazy. "That seems like a fair observation. I want you to wait here, Sanosuke, and tell the okashira when he returns what you just told me. Tell him to inform the others and then come find us. Nobody is to stop looking until I say so."

"Yes, sir." Flopping down as Kenshin disappeared into the sky, Sano rolled to one side and groaned. "Damn… I really need to get back in shape."

X

Yanking on Katsu's arm for the hundredth time, Kaoru leaned forward to catch herself as the loose rocks and slick snow under her feet gave way. The path was steep, but not truly dangerous. It was the darkness that was doing them no favors. Twice they had been forced to turn back, Katsu's eyes unable to correctly navigate the terrain without the helping rays of the sun. They were a long ways up, and a quick glance over her shoulder showed the indistinct stretch of the rice field below, the ocean a glittery black mass off in the distance.

"Are we almost there, Katsu-san?"

"I-I think so, milady." Breathing heavily, he was trying his hardest to keep up, and it made Kaoru wonder when exactly was the last time he had been up this path, and why they would have taken it in the first place when it was such a pain to traverse. "If I remember correctly, it should be just over this rise."

"Good." Saving her breath, she pushed off with her bracing leg and continued.

The top of the rise showed everything just as Katsu said it would be; a small dell, and at its center, a lone tree. Its branches were craggily, and absent of any form of life, a sad omen, Kaoru thought, if it was supposed to be a representation of their love for one another.

"Was there anywhere special you would stop when you were here?" Glancing around and squinting to see through the darkness, Kaoru studied each dark mass in the hollow, wondering if it were Tae.

"Just near the tree, milady. We would sit under its shade… and watch the blossoms dance."

There was nothing under the tree when they reached it, and Kaoru huffed in frustration. Turning her third circle around it, her breath coming in white puffs before her face, she stopped, glancing down at Katsu. Already half resigned, depressed and worn, he was leaning against the trunk, his arms wrapping around the bark.

"I was going to ask her to marry me." There was an ache in the whisper of his voice, a fervent desire to be part of such a dream. Then his tone turned bitter. "But then I realized how awful that would have been, and I hated myself for even thinking to ask her such a thing."

"But…" Shocked, Kaoru started to argue, unsure why he would say something so terrible.

"Was the thought really so appalling?" A thin voice threaded through the air above them, and Kaoru jumped, her head craning back. Tears were present in the question, and the stillness around them offered little covering for the despair in her gasping breath.

"Miss Tae…" Surprised, relieved, and anxious, Katsu jerked his head up, his fingers digging into the tree.

"Is it because of how I look?" A petite, irregular lump near the highest branches spoke of her presence, the shadow shifting as her words muffled. "Is it because I am no longer the way you remember me?" Katsu whimpered, hearing all of the words his lord had warned him she would say. "If so, then why haven't you said anything to me before? Why make me believe you feel something that you do not? Why Katsu?"

"You don't understand, Miss Tae." Forehead pressing into the bark, he fought for a way to explain. "It could have never worked."

"I know we could have never been together in any other way then simple words, but I would have been happy just being able to say I was your wife. I thought you felt the same, Katsu. I thought… it didn't matter, as long as we were together." She was crying in earnest, the accent in her voice painful. "I've been waiting for so long to hear you say you loved me. I thought you just needed some time, so I tried to be patient. But those words you spoke to me that night. They were so hurtful. I couldn't believe what you were saying. I wanted them to be a lie. But… this is the second time you've said you don't want me. I guess I have to believe it's true."

"You…" Trying to hide the torment in his mind, he swallowed and started again. "You will be just fine without me, Miss Tae. I know you will. So… why don't you come down and let us take you back home? Everyone is worried about you."

There was a long pause, and then a soft creak of a limb, suggesting she had moved. "You're right, Katsu. Everything is going to be just fine. You see I… thought of a way to make sure my presence no longer bothers you. After the last three days, it has even started to make me somewhat happy, because I'll be able to be just like you want me to. Just like you remember."

"Miss Tae?" Stepping back from the tree, alarm fighting to break into panic, he stared up at her shadowed figure. "Miss Tae, please… what are you doing?"

"Trying to make you happy, my love."

Pale light from the moon shot across a sliver of metal, and a loud splintering crack signaled the end of his world.

X

A/N: So… I think this is one of the saddest chapters I've ever written, but… too bad, you've already read it. -author ducks and hopes no one comes after her with a knife- Well, it started out on a good note. -nervous laughter- At least Kenshin is starting to act the way he should, though… it might just be his first failure as well. Such horrible repercussions I have insinuated. I will admit, this turned out a bit more drawn out and slightly different than the way I had imagined it, but I think most of my chapters have done that, because after all, as a daydream I can make them do whatever I want without having to worry about pesky things like making it sound real. Anyway, it still ended the same, so I'll be alright. Well, uh, review? Please? And uh… no hate mail? I know it was kind of mean to leave you with two cliffhangers in a row, but they've got more impact, and the after math of this chapter is going to be one big mess of twisted emotion. So… I couldn't fit it all on the end of here. I guess that kind of tells you what to expect in the next, and ciao for now. Hope you guys are still here for the next chapter. -author bites her nails in worry-