The Illusion of Normal

Part 9: Remembering

Ran watched Omi who was shaking his head, he thought about that night, the night of the explosion. He saw the boy's eyes and walked into his room, he sat down at a desk turned his attention to a newspaper, this one was from three to four years ago.

Sitting down, he remembered lying on a stretcher, he was bleeding, he knew that Aya-chan was injured too, but his injuries were a lot worse. He felt someone hooking up an IV, he watched a doctor talking. "He's losing blood, we have to wait and see," he heard the faint sound of someone bringing in the Himura heir.

"Kyo, leave me alone with him," he heard the soft voice, he opened his eyes to see the red haired head of the Himura family. He watched as the head of the family watch with a pensive look, his eyes were a dark yellow. "You know who I am." His voice was sad and almost afraid of being in this room.

Ran saw Kenshin's hands against where the bandages were. "You're dying," he looked sadly at him. "This one did not want one of my descendents to suffer. I will awaken the curse if you want me to, but you have to stay with me."

Stay? I will, I will stay with him, I have to live, I have to, Ran thought and nodded. "I will," Ran said this and soon he felt the bite, the terrible feeling moving through his body. He was breathing hard, he was shaking, he felt the blood that was his ancestors entered his body.

The first time he drank Kenshin's blood, it was not something Ran wanted to think about, when he saw Omi asking him about it, he had to think about it once more. He walked out, he remembered Kenshin standing by Aya's bed. He touched the girl's head and smiled. "You will wake again, this one has faith, Aya-dono," he kissed the top of her head and turned his head to the side.

Kenshin had a fondness for Aya-chan and Ran, it was a strange thing, Kyo before his suicide had told Ran the reason. "You're like him now," Kyo whispered and sat down looking down. "I'm not a vampire, at least not yet, until I drink his blood. Humans can be turned, but you will either awaken to the curse one day or you end up like many of our relatives, going insane because of it."

Ran looked at this, he found out the real reason Kyo committed suicide, he was slowly turning into a vampire. The insanity caused the young man to take his own life, and what was worse Kenshin was the one who walked in on it, he was staring with wide eyes as Kyo swung. He was shaking and almost staring out. "Kenshin?" Ran remembered as he tried to shield Kenshin from this, he brought him into the other room.

"Another gone," Kenshin could only say that, he was shaking, he was holding onto himself, tears were dripping down his cheeks. "Mamoru, then Kikono, now Kyo, we are truly a cursed family."

"No…no more curses, Kenshin," Ran swore that he would not let this come to pass again, he had called the police, he had handled all the family affairs. The Police did not need to know the whole thing, but they knew that Kenshin was in no good health to handle the questioning.

That was when Ran had to ask. "Why did you awaken the curse?" He saw Kenshin standing by the door. "WHY?"

"Did you want to die?" Kenshin walked into his room and stopped, he smiled a little. "You have Kenji's defiance, I don't know why I came to the hospital, but knowing that Maku and his wife were dead and only two were left, I could not abandon Rei-dono's children." It was a simple answer, drawn by family loyalty.

Now Omi was drawn into the curse, drawn into something that would forever control his life and his own way of living with it. When does it seem all right for us to abandon the human world? Ran walked around, then turned to see someone watching from the gate, a man with long black hair and dark eyes, this person was new. He did not enter the gate, but just seemed to stand, then very close to him was Kenji.

It was a strange set of circumstances as Ran walked out to inquire what brought Kenji out. "So To-san fully remembers and understands who did this?" Kenji was dressed in a dark business suit, his eyes moving over the dojo. "Does To-san still seek out what he cannot have?"

"I do not care what he seeks, he has taken Omi into the family," Ran whispered.

"That is to be expected," the man whispered and shook his head. "I wouldn't expect Baka-deshi to understand why he is doing all the time. Though family and though Kenshin had a special fatherly love for Kikono and Kyo, it tore him apart when both are dead and only that boy remains."

"Hiko-sensei, should we make ourselves known to To-san?" Kenji whispered.

"Not yet, I made a mistake that night and I dare not want Kenshin to fully realize what has happened, the vampire that did this to him has been found," Hiko whispered this. "He's hiding with Eszette, and he's obsessed."

"That's what I'm afraid of, Kenshin found out about Weiss," Ran whispered.

"Don't expect me to not be surprised," Kenji whispered and shook his head. "To-san was bound to find out, he will never agree with this." He looked up and still had a sad expression on his face. "We are the family of the Hitokiri Battosai."

Kenshin's life is in danger because of what I do, Ran leaned on the door to his room, he had to think, he heard Omi's voice. "No, that's not what I meant…er…oh no," he was sputtering on the phone. "Look, Ken-kun, I just want to see Sakura-chan. I'm worried, what do you mean she's gone?" Omi's panic was well founded.

Ran knew about the crush, he knew for almost a month that Omi had fallen in love with the sixteen year old girl. Her resemblance to Aya-chan was uncanny, but something about Sakura made the boy stumble.

"Aya-kun, she's gone, she's gone!" Omi was looking upset and whispered. "She must be so afraid!"

Sakura is in trouble because of us, Ran put on his jacket and saw Kenshin watching from the door. "I have to go get her, Omi and I have to do this."

"I am not going to argue that," Kenshin whispered. "Bring this girl back to him."

Callesto started to wish that her death would come soon, she lay on the bed, the drug induced coma had left her with little will. She would come out of the coma and then go back into a deep sleep. "Prep her, I want her ready for their arrival," someone was speaking, she knew who this was, Bradley was standing by the door, his eyes dark and piercing.

"As you wish," Bradley's words were cold and he walked away, he was staring through the door. "You have Aya, why do you need Callesto?"

"She's what I need to bring him," the man smiled, he was dressed in a white coat, he moved his head to the side. "You have no idea how connected these two are. Your sister and that young have known of each other's existence for awhile."

Kenshin, please don't come, Callesto wanted to scream, she was feeling the drugs, she felt how close she was to being in the dream like world that she and Kenshin met in. She stood dressed in a white and pink kimono, she saw a girl looking the same as her. "You're Kaoru, aren't you?" she asked the girl who nodded.

"Please look after Kenshin, I can't do it any longer. Love him as I have," the woman held her hands and smiled. "I'm not upset that he fell in love with you."

"Tell me, why is it that Kenshin and I are connected in this dream world?" Callesto asked.

"Your soul and mine are intertwined, you reach for him for safety and love that Rozen Kreuz took away," Kaoru looked sad. "While I sought Kenshin for love and bring him happiness. This is my wish to you, bring him happiness, even if it means forsaking your humanity. Keep him sane."

Callesto saw Kaoru vanish, her eyes were focused, she saw Kenshin standing in the brightness of the light in the dream. She ran toward him, her eyes closing, then she whispered, "Kenshin don't come for me, don't reach for me… I don't want you coming to Rozen Kreuz with me."

He was holding her, his eyes closing. "This one will come, this one will not wait for you to return. No more pain does Callesto-dono need."

The dream world faded and Kenshin woke, Callesto woke and found someone had removed the IV, she saw Nagi standing looking around. "Ne-san, please don't let them know," he was crying, he was holding onto her. "I can't stand it anymore, I can't stand them doing this to you." He trembled and sat on the bed. "I remember you said that falling in love was like falling asleep, is that what it felt like when you hold Kenshin?"

"It does," she whispered and her tears fell down her cheeks. "Nagi, are you sad that Tot cannot remember you?"

"It hurts worse that she could be dead," he muttered and smiled a little. "I don't mind her not remembering me, she deserves a happiness away from me." He stared down, then brought his hands up to her. "Will you take me with you when Kenshin-kun comes?"

"If that is what you want Nagi, you want to leave Schwarz that badly?" she saw the boy's eyes and he nodded.

The two were suddenly disturbed by a sound. "She looks just like her, like our sleeping princess," Schuldich was talking. "I'm sorry I had to snatch her, Crawford."

"What's done is done, fine, we will use her, but don't let her harm herself," Crawford walked off and turned his attention to Nagi who was looking out the door. "Make sure you hide Callesto, Nagi."

Kenshin woke from a dream, he sat up, he saw Ran had returned, he was injured, but the injury was not severe to need his attention. He went into the hall and saw Omi trembling, he was upset and beyond console, he was shaking his head. "She didn't do this because she wanted to, I saw her hesitate."

"I know it was against her will," Ran whispered and shook his head. "That orange haired, you said his name is Schuldich, he's a Telepath. He's like me!" He never liked to admit he was a telepath, he never liked using it. "The guy has no control."

"He's also not a vampire," Omi whispered, he was starting to show his vampire abilities, unlike Ran who was a telepath, and Kenshin the empath, he was somewhat a mystery. Omi was still trying to use his abilities.

"Omi don't push yourself," Kenshin walked into the room, he was trying to distance himself from Weiss, he had a lot to think about. "Was Callesto with them?"

"No," Ran shook his head. "That's something to be thankful for."

They waited, and Omi blinked, he looked down, he knew very little about his abilities, but as a vampire, he did some research. "So vampire's can't turn into mist and like in the books," he had so many thoughts on that.

"I never could do that," Kenshin whispered and then moved his head to the side. "The vampire that did this to our family never taught me anything, he robbed me of my memories." He touched his head and smiled a little. "Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions, what is said in the movies can prove false. Vampires can move during the day, but we are weak physically because the sun zaps our strength."

Omi was not one for Kendo, he had other methods, he was distance and long range. He was good with archery, that was one thing Kenshin did not have much luck with. He remembered that Omi was raised with a ninja upbringing. "The Oniwabanshu would have loved him," Kenshin laughed a little. "Aoishi would call Omi his student."

Ran remembered that there were still factions of the Oniwabanshu living in Kyoto that still remained loyal to the Himura clan, they were the ones that never left that city and were commanded by Kenji. He sat down on the edge of the veranda. He knew that tonight was no different, he was certain that something was going to happen.

As night started to move on, Callesto saw the girl, Sakura sitting in her room, she was staring down at her feet. "Don't worry, you will be safe," Callesto whispered and smiled. She looked at her and whispered. "You want to see your friends again?"

"I do, I hurt Aya-san, I didn't mean to," her eyes were down, she was crying.

"Don't be sad," Callesto whispered and looked over the girl's head. "You're safe."

"How can you say that?" Sakura was crying.

"Believe me, you will be all right."

Callesto thought about Ran and Kenshin, but her heart was beating hard, she had to think of an escape.