Read and review, please! Author's note at the end with explanation!
Kaoru finally understood what people meant when they compared a life changing event to the feeling of being thrown into a fairytale. She was positive she had not only been thrown into one but hogtied so there was no way for her to get out of it. She felt as though she were drowning and when Yahiko had burst into the room begging for lessons she'd felt like passing out.
She was thankful when Tomoe had ushered the boy out along with Kenshin. The older woman, much older now that Kaoru thought about it, had told her to find them once she was ready. Kaoru was unsure if she would ever be ready to face what else they were going to throw at her. She only hoped there wasn't much left for them to actually throw at her.
'Of course, they're all immortal with no hearts…I'm sure if they wanted to top what they told me they very well could. I think that's what bothers me.' Kaoru thought. She let out a soft sigh before swinging her legs over the side of her bed. She knew she couldn't wait forever to give them an answer. She could just imagine the reasons Kenshin was coming up with in his minds for her need to process everything.
'The thing is…I'm not sure myself what I'm feeling.' she sighed. She brushed her fingers through her hair. She really didn't know what she should do. She wanted to trust them but something in her heart was telling her it was too dangerous. She just didn't know what to do and she hated feeling so confused. Kaoru had always been the type of person to know what needed to be done and even if she hated it she would do everything she could to do it. It was so different this time because she just didn't understand what she needed to do. It was such an odd feeling to her.
'Don't give up on them.' her eyes widened as she jumped to her feet. She looked around the room with wide eyes as she tried to figure out where the voice had come. It had sounded familiar but at the same time she didn't recognize it. She looked around once more before letting out another breath. It was probably her imagination she mused as she went to the mirror. It made sense after all she had heard earlier from Tomoe and Kenshin.
Kaoru blinked at her reflection before giggling as she realized her hair was standing in every single direction it could. She attempted to get it to lay down only to laugh loudly when it refused to obey her. She checked her wrist and was relieved when she found one of her hair bands around her wrist. She quickly pulled her unruly man back into her signature ponytail only to make a face when she once again saw her reflection.
"You're not trying to impress anyone, Kamiya. They've already seen you at your worst so it's not going to matter if you have bed head. Anyway, Kenshin's never going to look at you like that…he will always be loyal to his wife. I admire him for that." she told her reflection before shaking her head. She let out a soft sigh before noticing her reflection didn't mimic the action. She watched in shock as it smiled at her.
'Don't dismiss him so easily.' Kaoru whirled around as she heard the voice once again in her head. She looked only to slowly turn back to the mirror to see her reflection was still smiling at her almost mischievously. Her eyes went wide. 'Bingo.'
Kenshin had gone back to his office only to turn around once he reached his door to head back to Kaoru's room. He didn't know what he was going to say to her but he felt as though he couldn't leave her alone. He continued walking towards the room only to pause. His conscious was telling him he needed to leave her alone if only so she could process the information she had been given. He wasn't sure how he would react to such a story if he hadn't lived through it.
'So I'll leave her alone. I will go check on her before dinner…yes, that sounds like a much better idea, that it does. I can get some work done so Tomoe won't come after me. Scary woman she is.' Kenshin thought as he turned away from his journey. He started his journey back to his office before pausing again. He really wanted to go talk to her despite his better judgment. He let out a soft huff before once again turning towards Kaoru's room.
"EEEEEEEKKKKK!" he only froze for a millisecond before taking off in the direction of the scream. He reached her door in record time considering how far his office was actually from her room. He threw the door open only to be met with an odd sight.
Kaoru was sitting on her bed looking rather pale. She looked like she had fallen onto it because she was sitting rather oddly. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail and her eyes were trained on something. He followed her gaze to find she was looking at the mirror. He furrowed his brow in confusion before turning back to her. He waited for her to notice he was there only to realize she wasn't going to move her gaze from the mirror.
"Miss Kaoru, are you alright?" he finally asked. She finally seemed to realize he was there as she turned to look at him He noticed her eyes were still wide and she looked as though she were in shock.
"Oh, Kenshin." she blinked at him before finally realizing Kenshin was standing in front of her. She felt her face turning bright red as she jumped off her bed. She opened her mouth only to hesitate as she remembered who was in front of her. She couldn't exactly tell him what had happened without sounding like an absolute idiot and possibly breaking his heart. "Sorry, I think I've let my imagination take off with me. I didn't mean to scream."
"Ah. Well, are you okay? You look pale, that you do." he told her. She swallowed before giving a soft smile. Kaoru knew Kenshin would probably never be able to love again, missing heart notwithstanding, but he was a good friend to have. She would never be able to deny that.
"I'm fine. Thanks so much for coming to check on me, Kenshin. I'm kind of embarrassed that you heard me though…you must've been on the other side of the house." she said as she scratched the back of her head. She could feel the blush threatening to spread up her neck and into her cheeks. She really hadn't thought her scream had been that loud even though she had been absolutely terrified at the time.
"Well, you see….I was actually coming to check on you. I wanted to make sure you didn't have any other questions." he told her. Kaoru blinked before shaking her head as she let out a soft sigh.
"No, Kenshin, I don't. I have made my decision though." she revealed. She watched as his eyes widened. He opened his mouth but she spoke again before he could even speak. "I'm going to stay to help all of you. Maybe I'm being a little quick to judge our relationships but I do think of you as my friends."
"Miss Kaoru….thank you." he whispered. She smiled before giggling causing him to look up at her.
"You can stop calling me that, Kenshin. We are friends now." she reminded him happily. She watched as a small smile spread across his face. Kaoru knew she had made the right choice.
"I see. Are you sure that's all? Ah, well, thank you. Aoshi left a few hours ago so he should be there shortly. Kenshin and Sanosuke will be leaving early tomorrow morning and get there around noon. Me?" Tomoe paused as she listened to the old man that ran the Aoiya in Kyoto. She let out a soft sigh. "I will be arriving as soon as I can finish some business here. No. She will be accompanying me. Unfortunately, that is the only option. Yes, good-bye."
"We're going back?" Tomoe looked up from where she had placed her closed cellphone on her desk to see Misao standing in the doorway. The girl had her arms crossed as she leaned against the frame. Tomoe sighed before finally nodding.
"It would seem if we hope to have any chance to stop Shishio we will have to do. I never thought we'd be returning." Tomoe mused as she leaned back in her chair. The last time she had been there herself had been ten years ago to visit Kaoru's grave for the first time since she had passed away. It had been a bad idea as Kenshin was with her and in the end neither of them was ready to reduce their friend to just a headstone. Even if it had been over a hundred years since she passed on.
"Kyoto holds painful memories for all of us, Tomoe. Do you really want to risk going there?" the younger girl asked. Tomoe glanced at her with a sad smile on her face.
"Of course not. What I want, what we want, however pales in comparison to stopping Shishio from setting the world ablaze. In the end the blame lies with me so I must do everything in my power to stop him." she explained. They remained silent for a moment before Misao took a step towards the desk.
"This will destroy him. How can you ask him to go back there to fight? I can only imagine the memories this could bring." Misao said. Even though she acted like the most childish one of the group, minus Yahiko, Tomoe knew she was also one of the more mature ones. She could see through to their true emotions and thoughts no matter how guarded they were.
"I know that, Misao! I was there! I watched her die in his arms! Don't talk to me about the memories it will bring! He was not the only one who lost a loved one that day. He is not the only one that has to live with sins from that time." Tomoe said. She met Misao's eyes. The other girl was staring at her in slight shock and Tomoe knew she had crossed the line. She had a feeling that being forced to relive the past had put her on edge.
"I'm sorry. It's hard to think of you as someone who's been hurt so much when you're always so strong for us." Misao finally whispered. Tomoe smiled before letting out another sigh as she glanced at her phone. She didn't want to go back to Kyoto either but she wouldn't hesitate to do so if it meant saving the world.
"Am I interrupting something?" Tomoe turned her gaze back to the doorway to see Kaoru standing there. She looked much better than she had when the older woman had left. Indeed, it looked as though all her color had returned to normal and she had her hair pulled back into its normal ponytail.
"We just finished. Come on in…I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon." Tomoe said with a gentle smile. Kaoru moved to stand beside Misao with a gentle smile on her face. The older woman had to wonder why the newest addition to her house had decided to visit.
"I wanted to let you know I've made my decision." she said. Tomoe shot a glance at Misao and saw her face expressed what she was feeling inside. Surprise and panic were painted across the ninja's face. Tomoe swallowed before moving her gaze back to Kaoru who was still smiling.
"Oh?" she finally managed. She was sure if she had a heart it would be beating up in her throat due to nerves. She wasn't sure what she would do if Kaoru decided to leave. She really didn't have anyone to spare to make sure the girl was kept safe while they fought Shishio. She also knew Shishio would take that advantage.
"I'm going to stay to help. From what I've gathered on Shishio he has to be stopped. I want to do whatever I can to help you." Kaoru told her. Tomoe felt relief flood her. She knew she should've trusted Kaoru to be understanding but after years of only trusting a handful of people it was hard to allow that trust to be place in others.
"Thank you, Kaoru. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised but I am. Your life will be in danger as long as you associate with us." she told her. Kaoru only laughed.
"My life is already in danger. My apartment is a smoldering mess leaving me nowhere else to go. There's no point to just wait around for all of you to save the world when I can be of at least some help, right?" Kaoru said with a bright smile. Tomoe shared a look with Misao once more before returning the smile.
"Thank you, Kaoru. I appreciate it." she told her. Kaoru nodded before letting a sigh.
"So, what do we do now? I have the feeling you already have a plan." Kaoru said. Tomoe blinked before laughing. She should've known Kaoru would be ready to help the moment she made her decision. Kaoru seemed like the type of person who threw herself headfirst into whatever she felt needed to be done.
"Actually, I was going to ask you what you thought of Kyoto." Tomoe stated. She watched as Kaoru blinked.
"It's a beautiful old city from what I've heard. I've never been there because I've always been so busy with school." Kaoru replied. The older woman cleared her throat as she folded her hands on her desk.
"Well, Kyoto is where Shishio's main base is. I've decided the only way to stop him is if we go to him before he can make a move. I've already sent Aoshi there and Kenshin will be leaving tomorrow morning with Sanosuke." Tomoe told her. Kaoru nodded in understanding before crossing her arms.
"You're right. I get the feeling that in order to stop him we have to make the first strike rather than to wait. What are we doing then? We aren't just going to sit here, are we?" Kaoru asked. She watched as the older woman folded her hands on the desk before meeting her eyes.
"Of course not. We're also going to Kyoto. Tomorrow if you can be ready." Tomoe told her. Kaoru began to smirk causing the older woman to blink. That wasn't the expression she had expected.
"I can. When do you want to leave?" she asked. Tomoe opened her mouth before blinking as another person ran into her office.
"I'm coming too! I'm not being left behind!" Yahiko cried. Kaoru turned to look at the boy standing behind her with raised eyebrows. She smiled before shaking her head as she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder.
"You're coming. You have to be with me to be my student, right?" she asked. She watched his eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. "That is unless you've changed your mind about becoming a master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu."
"No! I want to learn!" he cried before pausing. "But…how can you teach me when you don't even know everything?!"
"Teachers and students learn together." Kaoru told him. He opened his mouth to argue only to be interrupted by Tomoe.
"Be ready to leave by tomorrow afternoon. We have to be prepared which means Yahiko if you're serious about Kaoru teaching you, you must listen to her. You know what Shishio is capable of." Tomoe reminded him. The young boy looked at her before nodding then looking back at Kaoru.
"Shishio had my parents killed. Please teach me so I can help them defeat him." he asked. Kaoru smiled before kneeling down in front of him so she was looking up at him.
"I'm an orphan too…so I'll do my best just like you." Kaoru promised. He nodded in agreement.
"I guess I'm coming along too! You aren't leaving me behind. Besides, Tsubame can run the restaurant while we're gone. She's a good fighter." Misao said. Tomoe glanced at her before nodding as she reached for her cell phone. She quickly pushed the redial button.
"Jiya? Have three more rooms ready by tomorrow night. Also get as much information as you can on Shishio's movements. I have someone who will be able to read into them. Thanks." Tomoe once again before meeting Kaoru's eyes.
"You have to promise me something, Kaoru." she whispered. Kaoru nodded as she waited for Tomoe to speak again. "Don't let the past repeat itself."
"I promise."
I guess I have some explaining to do, right? Well, last semester was worse than I thought it would be but I finally have some free time to write on my stories! Sp I thought I would begin with updating this one! I'm sorry for the long hiatus and hope it won't be as long until I update again! I apologize in advance if it takes a little bit before I update again! I hope you enjoyed! Please review!