Another chapter! There's also a couple surprise visits from some characters! Hope everyone enjoys! Please read and review! Thanks!

Kaoru groaned as the pounding in her head woke her. She slowly opened her eyes only to swallow when she didn't recognize her surroundings. She attempted to brush her bangs away from her face only to groan as she realized her hands were bound. It was a struggle to sit up and could only sigh when she noticed her feet were also bound by a well-tied rope.

'What happened? The last thing I remember is telling Kenshin I would go ahead to the Aoiya to let Tomoe know he was right behind me. Oh, that's right. Someone must have ambushed me. I remember being hit from behind and there's only know one group that would be interested in kidnapping me.' she thought as she looked around the cell she was in. She was surrounded by bars that formed a room within a room. The door that led into the barred room had a large lock on it.

"Good. You're awake. I told Kamatari not to be too rough on you as our benefactor would be unpleased." Kaoru swallowed as the man who had appeared at her apartment previously to kill her appeared out of seemingly nowhere. His smile scared her but all the air left her lungs when another man stepped from the darkness to stand by him. A man clothed in bandages and a yukata that did not suit the times.

"Shishio Makoto." she whispered. He smirked at her before bowing his head in what Kaoru realized was a mocking form of respect.

"I see my reputation precedes me. How fortunate. I must compliment you, Kamiya, for managing to break through the firewalls on my computer system to find out our secrets. I would have quite liked to see Himura's and Yukishiro's faces when they had to tell you the truth. Although, I am sure Soujiro would like an apology from you. He spent many years building up the security on our computer systems and you bypassed it within seconds." Shishio said with a grin that made Kaoru wonder if he was sane or not.

"No need, Shishio-sama. I appreciate a person who is good at computers. Indeed, I volunteered to attempt to capture her the first time because I wished to meet the person who managed such a feat." Soujiro said. Kaoru met his eyes only to fight back a shiver when he grinned at her. She frowned as she remembered something he said only moments ago. She had been stunned by Shishio's appearance and almost forgotten to ask about it.

"You said something about a benefactor not wanting me hurt." she said. Shishio laughed and she watched as he sat down on a nearby crate.

"I may be wealthy, Kamiya, but not wealthy enough to take Himura and his friends down so I can build my new empire. I have a private benefactor who has agreed to fund my empire if I kill Himura and deliver Yukishiro to him. I found a way to get him Yukishiro a little earlier than agreed upon. However, he agreed to pay me double if I could deliver her to him before defeating Himura." he revealed. Kaoru furrowed her eyebrows before her eyes widened as she realized what he was telling her.

"You mean...you're going to trade me for her?" she asked. He looked at her in such a way that made her want to crawl under something and hide until he went away. She did not want Shishio's admiration.

"You are quite intelligent, Kamiya. I did not think you would catch on so fast. They have been informed of the trade, by Soujiro, and should be here soon to rescue you. If everything goes smoothly, you'll be back with them shortly and our benefactor will have what he wants." the man said as he stood up.

"Even if they do make the trade, Shishio, I will come after you. I will not let you take over this country so you can build your idealistic, sadistic world. I will make sure to stay a thorn in your side until you're defeated." she told him. He started to laugh in a way that made her shiver.

"Yumi told me you were feisty. I look forward to your attempts, Kamiya, but that is all they will be. Attempts." he said before disappearing into the shadows. Kaoru moved her eyes to Soujiro only to swallow when she saw he was still grinning at her.

"Do try to get comfortable, Kamiya-san, it shouldn't be much longer until they come to rescue you as I did tell them the longer they waited the more likely you would die. It's not true, of course, but I felt the sooner we get the benefactor what he wants the better." Soujiro told her with smile still firmly in place. Kaoru wondered what pain the teenager was hiding with such a joyless smile.

"Who is this benefactor? Why is he so interested in Tomoe?" she asked. Soujiro remained silent for a long time and Kaoru wondered if her guard was going to answer.

"He is someone who was once very important to Yukishiro-san. I suppose it won't do much damage if I told you who he is. It is her brother." he told her. Kaoru felt her heart nearly stop as the image of a young black-haired boy flashed through her mind as he told her he didn't like her cooking before disappearing around the corner of a building.

"Ah, excuse me. I forgot that Shishio-sama asked me to have a welcoming committee for our guests." Kaoru watched the boy disappear as she still recovered from the shock of learning that Tomoe's brother was still alive and helping Shishio.

'Enishi. He's alive. I don't understand. If he's...if he's like Tomoe then why didn't he look for her? He loved her and she loved him. She would have welcomed him. Why would he join with someone who has such evil intentions?' she asked herself. She sighed before tilting her head back. She jumped as she felt a touch on her shoulder and looked over to see that the other Kaoru was beside her. The woman looked sadder than Kaoru had ever seen.

"I never thought he could be behind this. I know he wants to see Tomoe more than anything but he's sacrificing the world for it. You must escape, Kaoru, and reach Kenshin and Tomoe before they capture her." Kaoru told her.

"I would if I could but as you can see I'm a little trapped. Unless you can untie me and have a key to that lock this is where I'm staying." Kaoru pointed out. She felt as though she were being reprimanded by the look her incarnation was giving her.

"You have powers, Kaoru. Use them. Focus on the knots of the rope coming apart." Kaoru told her. She let out a breath before closing her eyes. She could see the ropes binding her wrists clearly in her mind. She imagined the knot loosening until it untied itself. Her eyes snapped open when she felt the rope binding her wrists behind her back fell away. She brought her hands forward and stared at them in shock.

"You did it! I knew you could!" Kaoru said excitedly. She nodded before quickly reaching down to undo the bindings on her feet. She climbed to her feet and approached the locked door.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Do to the lock what you did to the ropes. Imagine it unlocking itself." her companion told her. Kaoru looked at the lock with a skeptical look. She had only known how to imagine the rope untying itself because she had an idea of what it looked like. She had no idea what the inside of a lock looked like when it was being unlocked or picked.

'Unlocking a lock isn't the only way to make it stop holding something closed.' she thought with a smile. She closed her eyes and imagined the lock in her mind. She took a deep breath before imagining a heavy hammer beating on the lock. She could almost feel the force of the hammer meeting the lock until finally, after one last strong blow, the lock fell apart.

"I guess destroying the lock works as well as unlocking it." her mentor said. Kaoru glanced at her with a shrug.

"It was the first thing that came to mind. I don't even know where we are or what to expect once I leave this room." she told her.

"Right. We're in an abandoned building near the waterfront." the woman informed her. Kaoru sighed before shaking her head.

"That doesn't really help me. I don't know Kyoto very well which is probably what they were counting on when they caught me." she said.

"You aren't in Kyoto anymore, Kaoru. The waterfront I'm talking about is in Otsu. Nearly thirty minutes outside the city. Otsu has become a ghost town since Kyoto became so large almost sixty years ago." the woman told her. Kaoru looked at the ghost with a curious look in her eyes.

"Otsu? The same Otsu that you, Tomoe, and Kenshin lived in during the Bakumatsu? The place you were killed?" she asked. The other Kaoru smiled at her sadly which gave Kaoru the answer she wanted. "Then...can you lead me to the house you lived in? You said it was near the main road during the Bakumatsu. It's probably still near the main road even today. Especially if Otsu isn't actually a town anymore."

"I would, Kaoru, but Kenshin burned it down before he went to the front lines. I think it was his way of trying to cut ties with a happier time so he could fight with no ties to anything. You won't be much safer there, Kaoru." she told her. Kaoru sighed before shaking her head.

"Maybe not but it's the only idea I've got. If it is near a main highway that goes through what is left of Otsu then I might be able to stop Kenshin and Tomoe from walking into a trap." she said. The other woman nodded as she folded her hands into her ghostly kimono.

"I understand. If you can get out of this building, I can lead you home...I mean...well, it was home but there's...just make sure you can get out undetected." the ghost said. Kaoru felt horrible when she saw the tears in her friend's eyes.

"Kaoru...I didn't mean to bring back bad memories." she whispered. The ghost nodded with a small smile.

"They're not all bad memories. We were happy there. I just get the feeling that was the only time we'll ever be together. You don't want to be with him." she felt her cheeks flare before turning away from her ghostly companion.

"It's not that, Kaoru. I...I just want him to care for me as me not as you. I don't want him to care for me just because I'm your reincarnation but because he likes me for me. Do you understand?" she asked. She jumped as the other Kaoru materialized in front of her with a small smile on her face.

"I do understand. We should go. Now. There's no one in the building now as they're all focused on making sure Kenshin and Tomoe won't find this place." she said. Kaoru nodded in agreement. She her cell and went through the door she saw Soujiro exit out of. She was surprised to find herself in what looked like the lobby of a hotel. She swallowed before deciding it was not time for exploration and quickly made the way to the front door and exited the building.

"That was easy." she observed as she looked around the abandoned streets. Kaoru could see the ocean sparkling in the distance and guessed it was less than a mile away from where she had been trapped.

"That's because Shishio is obsessed with stopping Kenshin. He doesn't see you as a threat and therefore you don't need to be protected against. Follow me. The house was this direction." her counterpart told her. She nodded and immediately followed the ghost as she floated down the man streets.

"You said there were good memories. What was one of your favorites?" she asked as she ran to keep pace with the ghost.

"Well."

"Kenshin? Have you seen Kaoru-chan?" Tomoe called to the man as she stepped out of the house as he worked in the garden with the herbs. She watched as he looked up at her and shook his head. She sighed before making her way over to him so she wouldn't have to yell at him to get his attention.

"She said she was going to take a short walk-eek!" Tomoe jumped as water drenched her. She slowly turned around to see Kaoru standing there with a large smile on her face and bucket in hand.

"I found her." Kenshin said from behind her. Tomoe scowled as she turned back around and pushed him hard into the dirt.

"Thanks, Kenshin. I can see that." she said. Kaoru laughed as Tomoe turned back around to glare at her.

"You are in for it." she warned. Kaoru watched as her friend stalked back towards the house. Kaoru giggled as she turned back to Kenshin to see he was sitting up in the dirt. He wiped some of the dirt off his face and she knelt down beside him to brush some of it out of his hair.

"Thanks for not telling her I was waiting on her." she said. He shook his head at her with a small smile.

"I still don't understand why you wanted to pour a bucket of water on her. She didn't look very happy." he told her. She shrugged her shoulders then helped him to his feet. She watched as he brushed off his hakama before grinning at him as he looked back at her.

"It wasn't about making her happy or angry but just getting a reaction out of her. She's been so...dead since she lost someone close to her. I just want to remind her that I'm still here and I can still pick on her. I want her to feel again, Kenshin. Does that make sense?" she asked. He smiled at her before moving close and placing his hands on her shoulders. She felt her cheeks flare as he leaned forward so their foreheads were touching.

"It does. You're a good friend, Kaoru. I feel lucky for knowing you." he told her. She moved slightly so she was looking up into his eyes.

"That's funny. I feel the same way about you." she whispered.

"Is that so?" he whispered before moving even closer. Her eyes slipped closed as his lips brushed against her before she screeched as water drenched both of them. She pulled away from him to see he had his eyes closed as water dripped from his bangs. She looked in the direction the water had come from to see Tomoe was standing there with the other bucket from the well in her hands. She had a victorious grin on her face.

"It is war!" Kaoru cried as she picked her bucket up and began to chase her friend around the house. Kenshin could only look up to the skies as he wondered if he would be able to finish harvesting the herbs with them running around like children. He found he couldn't stop from chuckling when he heard the splash of water, again, followed by a delighted squeal.

"Here we are. This is where our home was." Kaoru blinked as the memories faded away. As the other Kaoru had told her about the water incident it had felt like she was remembering it herself. She had the feeling she and the other Kaoru were beginning to merge and that soon the memories would seem natural. She wondered if she would still be the same person once the other Kaoru had fully reincarnated into her.

"Kaoru, are you okay?" she nodded as she met the other Kaoru's eyes. Her own eyes went wide when she saw the remains of the house behind the ghost.

"Wow. It looks as though it was just burnt down. I'm surprised no one has cleaned it up or tried to at least. This land is...beautiful." she whispered.

"It is, isn't it? I guess because it's so close to an abandoned town no one has bothered it." she said. Kaoru looked around only to sigh when she didn't hear anything.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru, but it doesn't look like this is near any main highways. I can't hear the sound of vehicles. It looks like this house is just as it was back then. In a place where no one would think to look." she whispered. The ghost sighed before smiling at her.

"It was a long shot but at least you're safe here. For now. It won't take them long to figure out you've managed to get away. I guess Shishio won't be so amused when he finds out that you meant it when you told him when you were going to be a thorn in his side." she responded with a laugh. Kaoru shrugged her shoulders as she attempted to bite back a smile.

"Yeah. Right now, though, I'm not interested in my safety. We need to keep Kenshin and Tomoe from making a 'trade' or 'rescue' when I've already managed to get away. I know you're somehow still attached to Kenshin...is there some way that you can tell me where he is?" she asked. Kaoru watched as the ghost closed her eyes and seemed to be concentrating. She met the woman's eyes as they opened.

"They're still in Kyoto. I think they're planning an attack to get you back. They haven't left yet but I'm not sure how much help that will be. Otsu is at least a two days' journey on foot even in this day and age. And there aren't any phones nearby that can be used to contact them." she informed her. Kaoru sighed before shaking her head.

"There has to be a way. I'm not going to let them walk into a trap. Tomoe doesn't even know that Enishi is alive!" Kaoru told her. She watched, curiously, as her ghostly counterpart went very still. She was sure if the other girl had blood she would have gone completely pale.

"Enishi?" Kaoru furrowed her brow in confusion at the way the ghost was acting. The woman knew Enishi was behind what was going on since she had expressed her surprise that he was involved.

"I must wonder how you know my name when we've never met, ma'am." Kaoru's eyes went wide as she heard a male voice speak from behind her. She shot the ghost a look and the woman shook her head before disappearing. Kaoru braced herself as she felt the woman's spirit enter her. She fought back the blackness that she knew would make her relive her death as Kaoru Himura. She took a deep breath as the blackness faded before slowly turning to face the man who had spoken.

Her eyes widened. The man towered over by at least a foot. His hair was stark white and the eyes behind his rounded glasses were black as coal. Despite the change, however, Kaoru was able to identify him immediately from her, or rather the other Kaoru's, memories that this man was the child who had once tried to protect her without her consent. Yukishiro Enishi.

As she was studying him, trying to determine if there was a way to escape, she noticed he had grown pale. She found her feet frozen to the ground as he moved towards her. She noticed he was dressed in a suit that seemed to mirror the one Tomoe had been wearing the first time they met. Kaoru was immediately pulled from her thoughts as he grabbed her chin. She winced as he moved her head back and forth.

"How is this possible? I saw him kill you. I watched them bury you. You are dead!" he said. She gritted her teeth as his grip seemed to tighten on her jaw. She attempted to pull away from him but instead he pulled her closer. "Who are you, girl?"

"First of all, let me go!" she demanded as she managed to pull away. She rubbed her jaw as she glared at him. The look in his eyes told her he was very close to striking her. "Second of all, I don't see how it's any of your business who I am! You're the one that had me kidnapped."

"I can assure you, girl, I did not have you kidnapped. I was told Shishio had a way for me to meet with my sister. I authorized them to use whatever means necessary." he told her. She scowled at him as she continued to rub her jaw.

"Just so you know, 'whatever means necessary', also includes the kidnapping of innocent people! Like me!" she snapped. She squeaked as he grabbed her arm. She was sure his grip would leave a bruise. Kaoru winced as his fingers tightened when she attempted to pull away from him.

"Innocent? You would be anything but innocent. Shishio would have not taken you as leverage unless you were tied to Himura." he hissed. Kaoru blinked as she realized he had decided that anyone connected to Kenshin was guilty. She didn't what she was guilty of but it was clear from the look in his eyes that he had already decided her guilt.

'It's because...he blames Kenshin for the other Kaoru's death! He believes anyone, except for Tomoe, that associates with Kenshin is also to blame.' she realized as she continued to study him. She swallowed as his scowl darkened when she continued to stay silent instead of answering his previous question asking for her identity.

"I will ask one more time, girl, who are you?" he asked. She sighed as she realized there was no way she was going to be able to get away from him without a fight. Indeed, she wasn't even sure she would be able to get away from him at all. She quickly glanced around and noticed the woods were closer than she had previously thought. She knew if she could get to them that she would have a slight advantage as she currently had the other Kaoru's memories of the lay of the land. She could only hope the shock factor of her identity would make him let her go so she could attempt to escape.

"My name is Kamiya Kaoru. I don't appreciate being declared guilty just because I know Kenshin." she snapped. She was relieved that her plan to shock him succeeded as his grip on her arm went slack. She immediately started running for the trees. She heard him chasing after her. She knew if she could make it to the woods she would be safe until she could figure out a way to get to Kenshin and Tomoe.

She burst into the forest and continued to run blindly, with branches scratching her face and tugging at her clothes, until she was sure that she had managed to get lost enough in the forest that Enishi would be unable to locate her. She slowed down and eventually stopped to lean against a nearby tree to regain her breath.

'I got away from him. That's good. I wasn't paying attention as I ran through this forest which means even with my memories I have no clue as to where I am. That's bad. Now what?' she thought as she looked around. She sighed before straightening up so she was no longer leaning against the tree. Kaoru shook her head as she continued to look around. She had grown up in one of the most populated cities in Japan. She had no idea how to travel through a forest.

'I got myself into this mess. I should be able to get myself out of it.' she thought. She groaned as she realized that every tree looked so similar she was no longer sure which way she had come. 'This is going to be difficult.'

'Let me take over.' the other Kaoru's voice whispered. Kaoru furrowed her brow before everything started to blur and she lost consciousness.

Kaoru watched from the doorway as Tomoe prepared lunch for the trio. She could hear Kenshin working in the garden as he finished planting the seeds they had bought the day prior when they'd gone to the town.

"Kaoru-chan, come here and serve the rice." she jumped as Tomoe spoke. The woman was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and Kaoru knew she had been caught. "You've been staring at me for at least ten minutes. The least I can do is make you productive while you stare."

"Oh." Kaoru replied sheepishly. She moved to sit at the table and took the bowls Tomoe handed her. She sighed as she opened the rice bucket and dipped the ladle in to serve the rice. She bit her lip as she wondered how to bring up what she wanted to talk to Tomoe about. She was unsure about how the girl would react as she had been acting differently since Akira's passing.

'Not that I can blame her. She loved him. I'm not sure what I would do if something happened to Kenshin.' she thought as she prepared three bowls of plain rice. She had to keep from making a face. She had never liked plain white rice. She had a feeling she would have to get used to it as it was cheap and at the moment they didn't have the funds to splurge on anything.

'Money doesn't matter, Kamiya. You're alive with your best friend and the man you love at your side.' she reprimanded herself. She nodded as she replaced the lid on the bucket to keep the rice warm and moist.

"What's on your mind, Kaoru? You're usually only this quiet when you're trying to think of a way to ask me something." Tomoe finally said. Kaoru swallowed before looking at the woman that was her best friend and sister.

"It's not so much ask as it is tell." she told her.

"Oh?" the older woman inquired. Kaoru took a deep breath before continuing.

"Yes. Kenshin and I talked and we decided we don't want to pretend to be married." she told her. Tomoe's eyes widened.

"Then what are we going to tell the villagers? It could bring us unwanted attention if word gets out that a single man and two women are living together." Tomoe told her. Kaoru shook her head with a small smile.

"You misunderstand, Tomoe-san. We want it be a real marriage." Kaoru told her. She watched as Tomoe's face went blank. She wasn't sure how long they sat there in silence before the woman finally spoke.

"Then a real marriage it shall be." Tomoe agreed. Kaoru squealed before throwing herself at her friend in a tight hug. Tomoe laughed as she returned the hug. "What is this for?"

"Thank you! Thank you for approving." the younger girl said. Tomoe laughed as she pulled away.

"I would never disapprove of your happiness. He's given you something that disappeared when your father passed away." Tomoe told her. Kaoru furrowed her brow as she wondered what Tomoe was talking about. "There's a gleam in your eyes that I haven't seen in a long time. I know he's the one that gave it back."

"He does make me happy, Tomoe. I have one more request." she said.

"Anything, Kaoru-chan." was the reply.

"There's a nearby shrine that Kenshin and I thought would be a good place to get a blessing for our marriage. I was hoping you would come with us to witness it." she said. Tomoe gave her a small smile before nodding.

"I would be honored." she said.

"It smells good." Kaoru turned as Kenshin entered the house. She grinned at him and he tilted his head.

"Tomoe has agreed to come with us to the shrine to get the blessing for our marriage." she told him excitedly. He stared at her blankly for a moment before also smiling. He turned towards to Tomoe with as the smile grew questioning. Tomoe nodded in response to the unasked question.

"You make her happy, Kenshin-san." she said. She blinked as he bowed to her deeply.

"Thank you, Tomoe-san. I will do everything I can to protect her and that happiness." he said. Tomoe smile before Kaoru chuckled.

"You may not say that after you taste my cooking, Kenshin." she said. The redhead looked at her before grinning.

"I will always protect you. I don't care if you can cook." he told her.

"Speaking of food, if you don't eat now this food will get cold. After we eat we can go to the shrine." Tomoe said. Kaoru beamed before moving so Kenshin could sit down beside her. Once they finished eating, they quickly cleaned the table and dressed for the journey to the shrine.

Kaoru glanced down at the kimono she wearing with a sigh. She could only wish she had a nicer kimono to wear as this was her wedding. She only had what she had been wearing when they fled Kyoto which happened to be her traveling kimono that she had worn on the journey from Tokyo. She brushed the skirt of her outfit as she tried to tell herself that Kenshin wouldn't care what she was wearing.

"Kaoru-chan, are you almost ready?" she turned to see that Tomoe had stepped into the room. Kaoru looked away from her friend as tears began to well. She wanted to look nice for Kenshin but knew she didn't. "What's wrong? You look like you're about to cry!"

"This is the only kimono I have besides my work clothes. I washed it but it still looks tattered, doesn't it?" she asked softly. Tomoe moved closer and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Kenshin-san isn't going to care about what you're wearing. He's dressed in his hakamas and gi that he wore when we fled Kyoto." she said. Kaoru just nodded as she kept her head bowed.

"I just want to look special for him." she confessed. She heard Tomoe sigh before the older woman moved away. She heard Tomoe rummaging through something before looking up as the woman took her hand and gave her a shawl and ribbon.

"You can borrow these." she said. Kaoru shook her head as she recognized the two items.

"I can't. Akira-san...he gave these to you before he left for war." she protested. Tomoe took the ribbon and walked behind Kaoru. The younger girl felt her hair fall down around her as Tomoe pulled the ribbon out of her hair that she had been wearing. She turned towards her friend when the woman put her hair back up with the ribbon that Akira had given Tomoe before his departure.

"Akira would be honored if you wore this to your wedding, Kaoru-chan. He thought of you as his sister. So please, wear this ribbon and shawl that he gave me. Think of it as our blessing." she said. Kaoru nodded as she took the shawl that matched the ribbon Tomoe had just placed in her hair.

"Thank you, Tomoe. Let's go. I don't want to keep Kenshin waiting any longer." she said. Tomoe nodded and they exited the room and the house. Kaoru smiled as she saw Kenshin standing with his back to the house looking out at the forest.

"Kenshin, I'm ready." she called. She smiled at him when he turned to look at her. It only took him a moment to return the smile.

"You look lovely, Kaoru." he whispered. She felt her cheeks flush at the compliment.

"Thank you, Kenshin. We should go so we can make it back before it gets dark." she said. He nodded before holding his arm out. She glanced at Tomoe who nodded. With a small smile, and a flutter of her heart, Kaoru took Kenshin's arm and they began their journey to the place where they would officially become husband and wife.

Kaoru took a deep breath as awareness flooded her. She blinked as she found herself staring at a shrine. She looked around confused as the last thing she remembered was being in the forest. She realized that the other Kaoru must have taken over her body and brought her to the forest. Her gaze moved back to the shrine and her eyes widened.

"This...this is where we got married. Kenshin found this place when he was exploring the forest. He told me that he found it and that he didn't want to pretend to be married but to actually be married. This...I can remember." she whispered to herself as she placed a hand over her heart. She searched her memories only for her eyes to widen when she realized she was able to remember almost everything that had happened over a hundred years ago.

"Kaoru? Can you hear me?" she whispered. She waited in silence only for her shoulders to slump when the other woman didn't answer. She shook her head with a small laugh. "How can she answer when I am her? I've been thinking of us as two separate people this entire time but that's wrong. We have the same soul. Our soul...it loves Kenshin. That's why she brought me here. So I would finally accept the truth that we are the same person."

Kaoru slowly knelt down in front of the shrine as tears welled. They weren't tears of sadness or heartbreak but tears of relief. She felt as though she had gained something she had been unaware that she was missing. She smiled as she looked up at the shrine while she leaned back onto her heels.

"I finally know who I am. I finally know where I belong." she whispered. She was no longer afraid of accepting the truth. Kaoru took a deep breath before climbing to her feet.

"Now, I just have to find a way to get back to Kenshin and Tomoe. I can't let them walk into a trap. Especially now that I know Enishi is behind all of this." she whispered to herself. She froze as she heard footsteps approaching from behind her. She fisted her hands as she wondered if she would be able to fight Enishi how he was now. She bit back a groan as she recalled how much bigger he was than her.

"Kaoru?!" she whirled around at the sound of her name only for her jaw to drop open.

"Kenshin? Tomoe?!" she cried when she saw them standing at the top of the steps that led to the shrine.

"Kaoru, are you alright?! You're covered in blood!" Tomoe asked.

"I'm fine. What?!" Kaoru gasped as she looked down at her clothing. Her eyes went wide as she realized she dressed in a kimono. She wondered how she had missed that important fact before realizing she recognized the kimono as the one she had died in so many years ago. She glanced farther down to her abdomen only to swallow as she saw the obi was ripped and blood was staining the surrounding area.

"Kaoru, what happened?!" Kenshin demanded as she touched the area. She looked up at him confused as she began to grow dizzy.

"I don't know." she managed to whisper before everything went dark for the second time that day.

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