Wow, it's been awhile, hasn't it? I'm sorry it's been so long! I've been busy finishing up school and apartment hunting for graduate school and all that fun stuff. (I just aged myself, didn't I?) Anyway, I have plans to finish this story but I don't know how much longer it will take. I hope you enjoy the update and please remember to review!
Kaoru was laying on her futon in her room at the Aoiya staring up at the ceiling. She was still in shock. She was unsure how she got back to her room unharmed as the last thing she remembered was the look Kenshin had given her before everything became a fog that had refused to leave.
She blinked when she realized she had been staring for so long her vision had started to blur. She continued to stare as the images of Tomoe's now nonexistent wound and her uninjured hand played through her mind. She sighed as her eyes closed. She could feel tears trailing down the sides of her face but she couldn't explain the emotion behind the tears. It felt as though there was something knotting in her chest that was about to snap.
"What are you, Miss Kaoru?" she let out a breath as the words played through her mind again. She put her hands over her face as the tears came even faster. She rolled onto her side. She slowly opened her eyes so she was staring at the wall. She swallowed as she wondered what was going to happen now. She let out a soft sigh as the image of Kenshin's face went through her mind again. That expression had hurt more than anything else. It had been the look of a stranger.
'I should have gone home when I had the chance.' she thought. She felt a shiver go down her spine. She nearly jumped out of her skin when something gently brushed her bangs away from her forehead. She hadn't realized they were sticking from where she had showered before locking herself in her room.
"Are you giving up so easily?" she sat up while looking around the room for the owner of the disembodied voice. She found she was unsurprised to see there was no one there. She slowly brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.
"You're the other Kaoru, aren't you? Why are you haunting me?" she asked softly so no one would hear her. The last thing she needed was one of the others coming into the room to ask her who she was talking to. It was bad enough that her wound had healed itself.
"How can giving advice to your reincarnation be considered 'haunting'?" the voice answered her. She sat there for a moment before her eyes went wide and her head snapped up as realization hit her. She found herself staring into eyes that mirrored her own causing her to jump away from the apparition that had appeared. She stared in shock as the other Kaoru smiled at before moving to sit down in front of her.
"I had hoped you would realize it on your own but unfortunately time is not on our side anymore. It is time to learn who you truly are."
"Well, this day has certainly not ended the way I had imagined." Tomoe sighed as they all sat at one of the secluded table in the restaurant. It really didn't matter as the area was already empty because of how late it was.
"And what did you expect when you went there, Tomoe? What did you expect to happen when you took her to Kaoru's grave?!" Kenshin hissed. Tomoe looked at him with a frown before shaking her head. She wasn't going to fight with him over how they had ended up in this situation.
"It doesn't really matter at this point, Kenshin. The fact is Kaoru has been locked upstairs in her room for nearly four hours without any communication from her. I watched her fight today without hesitation but now…it would seem she's shut down on us." Tome said with a soft sigh as she shook her head.
"Shut down is the delicate way of putting it. I would say she's ignoring us." Sanosuke spoke up. Tomoe sent him a look with tight lips. She knew Kaoru wasn't ignoring them on purpose. It was because she didn't know how to react to what had happened only a few hours ago. Tomoe didn't know how she would have reacted if she had been put in the same situation with the same circumstances.
"She's not ignoring us because she's mad at us. She's ignoring us because she doesn't know what's going on." Tomoe said. She folded her hands and rested her chin on her fingers. For the first time in a long time she was at a complete loss as to what needed to be done. She wanted to go to Kaoru but she knew doing so would only confuse the girl more.
"I'm not so sure we're any better off, Tomoe. What was that back there? We saw Kaoru cut herself to help you but there was no wound when she showed us her hand." Kenshin told her. Tomoe glanced at him. She knew he was right. They really had no idea what had happened at the cemetery after Yumi and her accomplice had left.
"In the many years we've been alive I have never seen anything like that. Unless it's one of us…I've never seen that in a mortal before." Tomoe said as she leaned back in her chair while looking at the table. She had never felt so unsure in her life even after waking up when she had thought she killed herself by carving her heart out.
"So, what do we do? We can't send her home because now it's absolutely certain that Shishio will be after her. We also can't just let her sit upstairs moping forever. Someone is going to have to talk to her." Misao told her. Tomoe sighed as she closed her eyes. She felt as though she had been cornered and had no way out. She hated feeling this way. She could only imagine how much worse it was for Kaoru.
"I'll go. I feel partially responsible for this whole mess. I know I didn't react properly in regards to her having healed so quickly. She might be willing to at least hear me out." Kenshin said as he stood up. Tomoe looked at him before nodding. She sent him a small smile as she watched him leave the empty dining room. She called out to him to get his attention before he closed the door behind him.
"Remember, Kenshin. She may not be the Kaoru we knew so many years ago but she's still a friend of ours." he blinked at her. Kenshin chuckled before nodding.
"I know." he said before leaving. He made sure the door was closed behind before sighing. He really had no idea what he was about to walk into other than the fact he had to find a way to soothe Kaoru. He couldn't wipe the look she given him when he questioned her from his memory. The look on her face had been a mixture of confusion, shock, and hurt. He had felt guilty the moment the words had left his mouth but before he had been allowed to apologize she had shut herself up in her room.
'Well, there's nothing like the present. The longer I let her sit up there and think, the harder it will be to talk to her. I know Tomoe wants to be careful with her but I get the feeling Kaoru prefers for people to be honest with her.' Kenshin thought as he climbed the stairs to the hotel rooms. He paused when he reached the door that separated him from Kaoru and her room. He reached up and knocked while hoping she would answer. He was disappointed but unsurprised when he didn't receive a reply.
"Kaoru, it's me, Kenshin. I was hoping we could talk. Everyone's worried about you." he told her. He could hear movement in the room causing him to wonder what she was doing. He bit back a sigh when he realized she still wasn't going to let him into the room. "Please, Kaoru, can we talk? Kaoru?"
Kenshin frowned as he realized the movement had suddenly stopped. He knocked on the door more loudly than he had before. He waited for her to respond with a sound only to frown as silence continued to meet him. He called her name in hopes to get a response but was once again met with silence. He swallowed as he reached down to his side where his sakabatou rested against his hip. He quickly pulled the door open only for his hand to fall away from his sword and his jaw drop.
"Kaoru?" he asked the empty room that met his eyes. She was nowhere to be found in the small hotel like room she had been staying. Her futon had been rolled out and it looked as though she had been laying on it at one point. Kenshin continued to look around the room wondering if the girl was going to jump out at him. It was as his eyes looked around that he noticed the window to the room was open. His eyes went wide as he rushed to it.
"Kaoru?!" he cried as he looked out the window and down into the street below. He could feel his breathing accelerate as he wondered if Kaoru really had run away. He thought she would have known better than to leave when she had Shishio undoubtedly looking for her after what she had done to Yumi. Kenshin wouldn't tell Kaoru that he had been proud of her for defending herself and Tomoe so wonderfully. He just wished she hadn't run off when it was obvious Shishio would be after her.
"What were you thinking?!" he growled as he continued to stare down at the street. He hoped she hadn't hurt herself by making the jump. His brow furrowed as he remember her leaving her shoes at the front door of the building. He found it odd that none of them had noticed her sneaking in the front to grab her shoes. Especially when the front door was in the dining room where they had been sitting.
"That it would be nicer to look at the stars from the roof." he jumped in surprise only to groan as his head met the top of the window. He rubbed the back of his head as he turned to look up at on the roof only for his eyes to widen. Kaoru was peering at him from the edge of the roof and had a smile on her face. He blinked as she reached her hand down.
"Come on. The view is amazing." she told him. He blinked before reaching out to take her hand. He pushed himself out the window as she helped pull him up. There were a few slips and some moments where the redhead thought he was going to fall to his death. He was breathing hard when was finally sitting beside Kaoru while ignoring the way she was laughing at him.
"I don't think I've been that fearful for my life since the Bakumatsu." he told her. She continued to laugh at him causing him to look at her. He made a face at her causing her to cover her mouth before she looked up at the sky.
"Don't you think it was worth it, though?" she asked. He blinked at her before looking up at the sky. He felt his breath catch at the stars blinking down at him. The inn and restaurant were in an older part of the city and the light pollution was much less than it was in the newer parts of the city. He let out a breath as he allowed himself to finally relax. He moved so that he was laying down on the roof with Kaoru sitting beside him.
"It certainly is." he told her as he moved his arms so they were crossed behind his head. They continued to stargaze in amiable silence. He could see why she had decided to climb up here. It was a good way to clear a person's head when they were confused. He let out another breath as his eyes closed. He found that he was willing to fall asleep on the roof if they continued to stay silent.
"I know you came here to talk to me, Kenshin. I'm not sure why they sent you but I was expecting someone to come. I just want you to know that I'm not going to run from this. I know it's not normal to be able to heal someone with my blood or even heal so quickly from that deep of a cut that I made. I understand that and while it scares me I'm not going to run. I've never given up in my life. I'm certainly not going to start now. I promised to help all of you. I'm going to keep that promise." she finally spoke. He opened his eyes to look up at the sky with a smile on his face.
"As funny as it sounds, I expected you to say that. I didn't truly think you had run away when I saw you weren't in your room. I was afraid you had gone looking for Shishio or Yumi on your own. To what end I have no idea but I can almost see you thinking that you need to fix this on your own. I guess what I'm trying to say is this: we've dealt with Shishio for over a hundred years. We do need your help but please remember that you also need ours. You aren't alone anymore." he told her. He blinked in surprise when she leaned over him. He met her blue eyes to see she was smiling down at him.
"How long did it take for you to learn that lesson, Kenshin?" she asked. He laughed as he sat up forcing to move out of his way. He continued to laugh until he finally looked at her to see she was blinking at him in surprise. He continued to chuckle as he looked back up at the stars.
"Around a hundred years. It's a tough lesson to learn, I have to admit. Once you learn it, though, you begin to realize there's a lot more people out there that you can depend on. It's a good feeling." he told her. He looked at her to see she had pulled her knees up to her chest as she smiled down at her feet.
"You don't have to worry about me. I know I'm up against something stronger than me. I'm not going to do anything stupid, I promise." she whispered. He watched as she looked at him with a smile that hid her thoughts from him. He just smiled at her before scooting to the edge of the roof.
"I'm going to let the others know you're okay. Tomoe will probably come to check on you before she goes to bed. Please don't give her the scare that you gave me. She's been known to overreact and would probably fall out the window." he told her. Kaoru blinked at him as he disappeared before sighing. She moved her attention back to the stars.
'I wish I knew what it was you were going to tell me before he knocked on the door, Kaoru. You disappeared the moment you heard his voice and I had to cover. I'm just glad he didn't hear me talking to myself. It's obvious he's already worried about me. I don't need him thinking I've completely lost my mind.' she thought as she pushed herself to her feet. She stretched as she walked to the edge of the roof to prepare to climb down.
"KAORU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she jumped before looking down. She squeaked as she saw Tomoe was standing on the street below her with her mouth wide open as she looked at her. "SUICIDE ISN'T THE ANSWER!"
"Eh?! I'm not…eek!" Kaoru squealed as she lost her balance and nearly fell. She looked up at the stars with an exasperated look. 'Someone up there has it in for me….I can just feel it.'
Kaoru had been sleeping soundly in a dreamless sleep until something started poking her in the side. She turned to try to get away from it but it continued to poke her. She blearily opened her eyes ready to fight only to bite back a scream as she saw her face staring back at her intently. It wasn't actually her face but the other Kaoru resembled her so much that if she were still alive they would pass as twins.
"What are you doing?!" she hissed as she sat up and scooted away from the ghost. She watched as the woman made herself comfortable by sitting on the floor with her arms crossed over her stomach. Kaoru swallowed as she waited for her spectral visitor to speak if only so she could return to her dreamless sleep. A sleep, she was happy to say, that didn't include ghosts.
"We didn't finish our conversation. I couldn't talk to you with Kenshin present. He would be able to sense me…and I know my presence would only confuse and hurt him." the other Kaoru finally spoke. The living Kaoru scratched her head before crossing her legs. She knew she wasn't going to be able to return to sleep until she heard her counterpart speak.
"Alright, then. Start talking. It's past midnight and if I don't get some sleep I will be the crankiest person on this planet. And trust me, if you have even an ounce of love for these people you don't want them to deal with a sleep derived me." she told her. The woman giggled as she put a hand over her mouth.
"Very well. I will make this quick then. As I said earlier, you are my reincarnation. I know Kenshin and Tomoe told you the story of how I passed away. Kenshin blames himself, I can feel it, but you have to understand it wasn't his fault. The way things had been at that very moment would have caused anyone to die. I refused to let Kenshin die…he had just learned how to live for himself.
"My death, however, is not the reason I've contacted you. I need your help, Kaoru, to help them stop Shishio. I don't know how Yumi gained the power she does but what she did to Tomoe is only the beginning. You're the only one who can help them stop Shishio from washing this world with flames." the girl told her. Kaoru blinked at her before part of the statement caused her brows to furrow.
"Wait a minute. If I'm your reincarnation…how come you're here as a ghost? Shouldn't you, I don't know, be my subconscious or something? Or just showing me memories? I know you showed me that snowy scene when I first met them." she said. The other Kaoru smiled at her softly before shrugging her shoulders.
"When I died, I bound part of my soul to Kenshin so he would know he was never alone. The rest of my soul was free to reincarnate as was seen fit. I knew that when I met the other part of my soul that Kenshin's new soul-mate had been born." she said. Kaoru felt her jaw drop open.
"Soul-mate? What are you talking about? And how did you bind only part of your soul to Kenshin?!" she exclaimed. The ghost studied her with a smile.
"Isn't it obvious? Soul-mates…as in you were meant to be together. We share a soul, Kaoru, you are me and I am you. I was his soul-mate over a hundred years ago and you are his soul-mate now. As for the soul binding…isn't it obvious? I was a witch…that's how that knife had those powers…I gave Tomoe my powers when I gave her that knife." she explained. Kaoru just continued to stare before her eyes went wide with understanding.
"All of these years…you've been watching over them. Have…have you been pulling the strings to make sure all of this happened?!" she cried. The other Kaoru quickly shook her head with a stunned look on her face.
"Of course not! I've been watching and waiting for you to come along! You are the only one that can end this, Kaoru! I have been waiting for you so that I can finally rest knowing that my friends are happy." she cried.
"What do you mean by 'end this'?" Kaoru asked curiously.
"You have to return their hearts to them. You have the power that I did so long ago. The knife has accepted you as it's new master. Why else do you think you healed so fast? It submitted to your will because it recognized the soul of it's true owner. In time, Tomoe will lose her power and become as normal as the others who don't have their hearts. You must defeat Shishio before that happens." the ghost told her. Kaoru felt as though her jaw couldn't drop any lower than it already in the past five minutes she'd been listening to her past self.
"And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that? I doubt even Tomoe knows that's possible." she pointed out.
"It's not possible for Tomoe to do because she isn't the true owner. It's only possible for you to do this. There is only way to return their hearts…you must have the conviction to return their mortal life to them and stab their heart with the knife. Only then will you be able to defeat Shishio." she told her. Kaoru felt her heart drop to the floor.
'But…stabbing their heart…that will kill them. Is she saying that…I have to kill them to bring them back to life?!' Kaoru thought as she stared at the woman who resembled her so closely.
"There is one last thing…you can't tell them. If you do, they will try to stop you and for very good reason. If your conviction isn't strong enough to bring them back…if the ties you have with them aren't tight enough…when you stab their heart, it could cost you your life. It would not hurt them other than a mild stinging in their chest. But you could very well die if you don't believe." Kaoru said.
"You really were a witch…there's no other way to explain it."
"And so are you."
I hoped you enjoyed! Please remember to review as reviews are motivation for me! That and I love hearing from all of you!