Warning: There is more anguish in this chapter...
After this one, we will finally do another jump in time.
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki, the song is Halsey's The tradition -you should listen to it, it's perfect for the story-.
Chapter 6: "Two Roads."
Winter of 1863
The fire was dying in the bonfire, having burned for most of the afternoon and with no one in charge of stoking it every time the winter air cut its jaws, it would be a matter of time before it went out completely. There were only a few hours left until nightfall, more than enough time, Hiko knew, to test how rusty his student's skills had become.
"Concentrate!" roared the man, having rejected and returned his stupid student's ryu tsui sen.
Well, the abilities were still intact, which was not good but not bad either. If the fool had focused on training as he should have, his level would have improved instead of stagnating. But at least it hadn't dropped, and that was something. Pathetic, but at least that would prevent him from rejecting the boy outright.
Kenshin was about to fall backwards to the ground, but managed to turn around in time; holding on to his left arm - and pivoting with it - he managed to land on the balls of his feet to take flight and launch a second attack.
One that Hiko forsaw even before his apprentice thought of it.
"You are worse than when you left."
In a matter of seconds, the man had managed, not only to dodge the blow, but to move forward and position himself behind the boy to strike him with the back of his hand, dangerously close to his neck.
Kenshin gasped, and fell face down on the ground. For an instant he almost dropped the sword.
"Your mind is in chaos. And your movements are clumsy." The older reproached.
The redhead barely managed to get up on all fours.
"Should I assume that you only dedicated yourself to being the shadow of a girl?" The man provoked hitting the nail on the head.
Fierce golden eyes flashed with anger.
'Her name is Kaoru,' the boy's mind growled.
Funny how despite his anger towards the girl, he couldn't let anyone else to mess with her. It was an act of protection, without a doubt, of interest and affection for someone he already considered family, even if he had barely known her for less than four months.
It was his to protect.
The attack was accurate, managing to hit his master with enough force to make him back off in his attempt to contain him.
'Interesting,' the man thought.
Even when he finally managed to break the connection and push him back, Kenshin was already on top of him, time and time again. Until Hiko had enough. In midair, the master met the apprentice. And the latter fell backwards to the ground.
This time, the sword did flew out of his hands.
"Even if your strength increases, it's useless if your mind is a mess." The man asserted. He gave his apprentice a long look. Kenshin had his face fixed to the sky, arms outstretched and breathing hard. His teacher fixed his gaze on the latter's expression... tormented eyes, there were too many doubts in his blue eyes that at times shone with a golden light. The annoyance was obvious.
"It's enough." He decided, sheathing his katana. "There is no point in continuing with such a pathetic performance."
The redhead clenched his hands, feeling desperate and upset, he hit the ground with his right fist. And then, he took a deep breath, in an attempt to control his dazed mind. He closed his eyes, remembering what had brought him back.
Fight without emotions. Was there ever a time when he would manage to do it?
Did he want to do it?
The sun was dying in the sky, and Kenshin felt that pull again in the direction of the sanctuary. He had to go back for his things, small belongings that had found their own place in Kaoru's room; he had to go back for his backpack, the unstitched bag where he hid the rabbit mask that had actually been hers.
They were excuses, he knew. But his master had already accepted him back, and he was free to decide where he spent the night... Or so he thought.
Debating with his mind the whole way, Kenshin headed back to the shrine. His heart refused to stay angry with who he already considered his mate.
…
"Shouldn't you stay with your fiancée?"
Akira stopped as soon as he left the main compound of the mansion, after finding his younger brother Shiji blocking his way out onto the busy streets of Kyoto. His look was one of reproach, and although the older understood the younger's concerns, his heart and mind had already made up their minds hours ago.
"Tomoe needs to rest" he tried to excuse.
Because it had been true, the young girl had returned hours ago quite stunned and distressed, along with her brother. Aunt Kagome had stayed in the sanctuary after giving birth there, she had explained. But that hadn't been what had ended up upsetting Tomoe, nor was it even remotely what had worried him.
"And you should stay by her side," Shiji pointed out, determined not to give in.
'I'm not even sure she wants me with her.' Akira thought, regretting for the umpteenth time his fiancée's silence. Even if they had known each other since they were children, the boy had not quite managed to cross the screen that his childhood friend had erected after the engagement announcement, to the point of doubting that she was truly happy with such an arrangement. "I want to make sure that her relative is okay," he lied.
Shinji sighed in annoyance.
"They would have informed us otherwise," he told him, "in any case, it would have to be her uncle and not you who goes. What you want is to see Kaoru." He accused.
The aforementioned was slightly startled after hearing that, unable to deny it but equally unable to accept it.
"Watch your language," he warned, not liking the minor's familiarity with the miko's apprentice.
Shinji shrugged dismissively.
"Why should I? She does not care."
During the last year, and after seriously failed attempts to make a omiai (arranged political marriage) between the samurai apprentice and the priestess apprentice, Shiji and Kaoru had developed a kind of friendship, although it was not entirely genuine it could be said that it was heading towards becoming one. If Kaoru's attempts to break down the boy's wall were any sign of this. Kaoru did not enjoy formal language and was in a desperate search for a friend who would not see her just because of her fate, Akira had been able to understand that, which is why he had ended up reaching out himself when his attempts to get Shiji to be more open did not bear fruit.
However, after a fortuitous encounter -the arrival of the young and mysterious samurai- Kaoru had given up looking for him.
There had been a time when Akira had been sure Shinji and Kaoru would become close. His brother finally agreeing to cross that line even if the engagement never came to fruition; but that small advance had been suddenly interrupted by the presence of Kenshin.
And now, given what Tomoe had told him about she saw in the priestess's room, he felt that he had to make sure.
"Shinji. You are being rude."
"Not more than you at least." The boy refuted. "You are not yet married, but it is basically a fact. The ceremony will be in less than a month. Your place is here."
H couldn't deny that. It would be improper. And more if he considered meeting her outside the Guji's eyes and the knowledge of his guardian Yumi. It could almost be seen as the meeting between two lovers…!
Akira smiled weakly at that thought, knowing there was no point in insisting. "Can you give her a message at least?"
Shinji frowned.
"Father won't like it."
"He will, if you're the one to give it."
The boy opened his eyes in surprise, his cheeks painting for a brief moment the color of Sakura's flowers; he knew his father had not given up joining his house with the Kamiya clan.
He sighed irritably, knowing perfectly well that he would end up doing this errand.
…
In the winter, due to the New Year celebration, Fushimi Inari Shrine used to be very busy. Many worshipers visited Kioto city from Edo and other nearby villages. It was therefore normal to receive support from other shrines, and also from the pilgrimages of the mikos and all the Meikai (highest rank within the shrine such as the Guji) and the Seikai (high rank at the prefecture level) to the houses of the daimyos who patronized them.
At the time the sanctuary had three main mikos, Momiji, Kaede and Yumi. The first being the oldest and most ranked, the closest to Guji and an authority in itself, constantly making trips to Edo and joining the court of greats mikos that surrounded the emperor. Kaede, although she lived in the shrine's room building, was the second oldest; her job was to tend the altar of the megami Inari who protected the shrine, so she was rarely seen. Of the three, Yumi was the one in charge of the apprentices, more specifically Kaoru.
However, that afternoon after having returned to the sanctuary and finding that chaos (a samurai giving orders to the chokkai to send back those who were invited under the pretext that they were making his protégé uncomfortable, and worse, that the chokkas consented to with him and followed his orders... Not to mention the transgression that occurred in the divination rite...!) Momiji had no qualms about pointing out her partner's failure.
Yumi had ended up with a punishment worse than a couple of lashes... Going down from Seikai to Gonseikai, a rank just above chokkais... At least until Kaoru's ascension and, luckily for her, that event was about to take place sooner rather than later.
She had given her, however, the kindness to decide the punishment that the girl and everyone involved in the matter would bear, promising not to judge, or reproach, if they considered it convenient to ignore the seriousness of the act.
That did not mean that the young woman was ignorant of Kaoru's advance and what it represented.
"Momiji-sama!"
Hikari stood still in surprise to find the older miko at the entrance to Kaoru dono's room. Most of the chokkai were intimidated by her, and with good reason.
Momiji inspected the room, noting with concern how the samurai's presence remained in it even after his departure. For her part, Kaoru remained seated -still inside the futon- looking at her apprehensively.
"Hikari, leave us," she ordered.
The mentioned did as ordered, but not before giving her partner a worried look.
Kaoru, feeling small for a brief moment, got out of the futon, facing the older one. Momiji was very different from Yumi, although she had the same kind heart, she was much more strict and had the ability to say without words what she expected others to do.
At that moment, Kaoru knew in part the reason for that visit. She lowered her yukata when the older had sat down behind her, her hands leaving ribbons of electricity shaking her skin where she touched it, over each of the scratches that the bamboo fan had opened on her skin.
"They're healed," the younger assured, getting dressed again as soon as she felt the older one walk away, turning in front of her.
"I'd be worried if they weren't." Momiji answered, there was a hint of sorrow in her honey-colored orbs that at times looked green. "Kaoru dono, the Yukishiro family has requested your blessing." She informed, the younger nodded, Tomoe had already told her the previous afternoon, but Momiji was making it official then. "I understand that since it is the first time that a birth has taken place inside the sanctuary, it is strange that it such importance is given to it. But you must understand that the event represents a blessing, an omen of good fortune, mainly in your favor."
The girl's heart skipped a beat.
"Am I going to be promoted?"
Momiji smiled at her, but the sorrow was still in her expression.
"Not at all. It's still too early, even for you. -She assured. -But after the end of winter, it would be convenient for you to begin spring on a path of flowers."
The black-haired's eyes widened in surprise. Spring means barely three months of preparation.
"Do you have any doubt?"
"A lot, actually," she confessed puzzled, cheeks flushed.
Her companion laughed moved; everyone in the sanctuary knew the seer's desire to belong to the sanctuary not as an apprentice but as a priestess.
"Only Kagome san and her baby will remain in the sanctuary until the end of the rites; her nephews have already returned to the Kiyosato house. However, we will have the presence of the family the same morning at sunset for the ceremony."
"Will there be a festival?"
"In a way, yes. -She said, the same previous anguish returned with greater force. -After all, it is the first time that the famous miko apprentice, who is barely eleven years old, receives a baby in the sanctuary." Kaoru blushed again. "You will perform the swords dance with Yumi and me after the traditional baptism dance. And before your oracle, you must present the Kagura dance."
The blood froze in her veins when she heard that. The ceremonial costume consisted of several folds of cloth, and the wounds on her back…
"But…"
"Can't you do it?" The older questioned narrowing her eyes in a clear gesture of defiance.
Kaoru bit her lip to keep it from trembling, finally consenting.
"I must start preparing," she tried to reason, the dance itself was complicated even for a miko.
"You have prepared enough." Momiji refuted with authority. "The oracle comes first."
Kaoru had no choice but to nod.
"I'll go right away."
"The prayers have already begun; you have an hour before your presence is required." She said, getting up towards the exit. Hikari moved as fast as she could from the door, even though it was obvious she had been peeking. Momiji ignored her, and said goodbye to the seer. "Good luck."
"Hai, arigatou Momiji sama," Kaoru said, bowing.
Hikari came back into the room and sat down next to her with a hint of weariness.
"I don't know whether to congratulate you or give you my condolences," she said.
Kaoru smiled with some pity.
"The condolences now, and we will save the congratulations for when I have succeeded."
Hikari smiled.
"Wise decision Kaoru dono."
And the next moment, she dedicated herself to helping the girl prepare for the clairvoyant rite. Something she could have avoided if she hadn't broken her promise the day before. Now she had to do it properly, as Kaede did at the altar to the goddess Inari. Now Kaoru had to offer a similar dance but much more funeral.
If only Kenshin were there..., she thought.
…
As Shinji passed through the Tori, he found the procession of the Shoguji (assistant priests, including miko) leading Kaoru along with a small group of chokkais toward the altar. What startled him even more was meeting Yumi at the entrance to the main compound with a contrite expression on her almost sad face.
"Yumi sama, shouldn't you be there?" He questioned after having made the due greetings.
The young woman smiled bitterly.
"It's not me they asked for," she said, with no intention of revealing the true reason for her absence.
"Then by whom?"
"Can't you guess?" She inquired, now smiling mischievously; Shinji instantly understood, feeling embarrassed. Yumi then noticed the parchment he was carrying in his hands and how he was squeezing it tightly. "Message for Kaoru dono?" She inquired.
The boy was startled, coming out of his thoughts, looked at the object in his hands and finally decided that the gods ultimately refused another meeting between him and the future blue-eyed priestess.
"If you'd be so kind," he asked, extending the object; Yumi took it.
"Tell me something Shinji. -She said suddenly, just as he was about to leave- If Kaoru dono hadn't rejected the omiai, would you have accepted it too?"
Irritation was clear in the boy's expression, a sensitive threat in his soul was touched.
"Something like that…why does it matter now?"
He himself had questioned that countless times. H personally had no interest in a wedding. And Kaoru was still too young to arouse any feelings of attraction, he told himself. The truth was that he had another reason for not getting involved with her, but recognizing it would put his house, specifically his brother Akira, in a precarious situation.
"Because if that fate is to be avoided, it must be done now." Yumi warned.
Shinji jumped in surprise.
"Is she going to be promoted?" He questioned, suddenly no longer convinced to stay distant.
To his regret, Yumi nodded.
"As soon as spring comes."
Suddenly he felt as if the world was shaking under his feet. His brother's wedding would be after the spring if everything went according to the plans already made.
Akira would be affected... But also...
"What about Himura?"
At the mention of the name, Yumi frowned, although she couldn't tell if she was annoyed with the young samurai or simply out of concern for him.
"It's better if you don't think about him."
The young man looked at her in bewilderment. Until that moment, he had believed -like the rest- that the miko felt a certain favoritism for the redhead, even to the point of seeking his relationship with her apprentice. However, the young samurai, Himura, did not have a clan behind him, what could he offer Kamisama's chosen one? Although, hadn't that been the point? Offering the company of someone who could never steal Kaoru away of the sanctuary?
And if now, she was going to have her meditation time, that moment in which she could deny of her path... The out option was clear, it would be a good arrangement with an honorable family.
"I'll consider it," he promised.
…
When an apprentice performs the Kuchiyoze ceremony, at the end of the last dance, the young woman enters a trance, the priests ask her the name of the kami who has chosen her, and once she says it, rice is thrown into her face, after which she falls unconscious.
The kami who claims her has a right over her. And sometimes, this deity is not the same as the sanctuary in which they are raised.
Oh, the loneliest girl in town is bought for pennies of prize
Such had been the case with Kaede. Claimed by the goddess Inari at the age of fifteen, she had served her ever since, more than a decade ago. Watching Kaoru now being dressed in the ceremonial haoris and the small decorations in her hair, brought back memories buried deep within her own memory.
We dress her up in lovely gowns, she's easy on the eyes
She had been sold to pay off her family's debt, her beauty the only thing that had saved her.
Her soul is black and it's a fact that a sneer will eat you alive
But no matter how much she cried, in the end she ended up staying in the place where she had been so afraid of being. Unable to deny the kami's presence the night she was crowned miko. Her virginity being the payment she had had to give. Their eternal union that separated her from the rest of the world, and condemned her to remain locked in the main pavilion where the megami resided.
The buyer always brings her back because all she does is cry.
As she pulled the veil over the girl's head, covering Kaoru's face, she shuddered. Which Kami would claim her? She thought.
So take what you want, take what you can
Take what you please, don't give a damn
Ask for forgiveness, never permission
Dressed as required by the rite, Kaoru followed Kaede into the pavilion of the goddess Inari, Momiji trailing behind them along with Hikari and Fuu. The rest of the priests raised the voices of their chants. Inside, the room was illuminated by the light of multiple candles, the aroma of incense dominating the air. Kaoru positioned herself at the center of the outlined circle of rice.
Take what you want, take what you can
Take what you please, don't give a damn
It's in the blood and this is tradition
The dance began instantly after. Kaoru stood in the center as her companions danced and her superiors began their prayers.
The air felt heavy, and her pulse was beginning to rise to a strong baritone that dominated her ears. Invisible ribbons, charged with magic, began to wrap around her, the limits of her world fading.
When the dance ended, the priests withdrew, only Momiji remained inside the pavilion with Kaoru, Kaede, Hikari and Fuu waiting outside, kneeling and with their foreheads on the palms of their hands; they could only wait.
Oh, the loneliest girl in town was bought for plenty a price
They dress her up in golden crowns, her smile hides a lie
Momiji rang the bells, telling Kaoru to kneel at that moment, the girl was already in a trance; her gaze was unfocused, and her breaths were slow and deep. The miko looked at her apprentice then and saw her own reflection, not sure how it made her feel to see the similarities between herself and the girl before her.
She smiles back, but it's a fact that her fear will eat her alive
She got the life that she wanted, but now all she does is cry
Her gift would undoubtedly put her in an elevated position within Shinto, no matter what shrine she ended up being sent to. She would have everything… And if she continued to be blessed in this way, she hoped at least, that her fate would not end up being the same as her own.
Take what you want, take what you can
Take what you please, don't give a damn
Ask for forgiveness, never permission
Momiji leaves when the last of the incense has been consumed. The doors close behind Kaoru who has been left at the mercy of the guardian of the sanctuary. The eldest takes her place in front of her companions, Kaede behind her, Hikari and Fuu are on each side of her.
Take what you want, take what you can
Take what you please, don't give a damn
It's in the blood and this is tradition
Inside the air has become dense. The sun has been dying in the sunset, and now the sky is dyed with a purple mantle. The only lighting is provided by the candles that have slowly been dying.
Kaoru feels the pulsations in the air again, and the ribbons tighten around her body and bind her, squeezing hard until they merge with her soul.
"Ah!"
It is only an ephemeral moment.
You can take it back, it's good as gone
The girl's body is lifted and stretched, moving like a doll. The air has become almost impossible to breathe.
Well, flesh amnesiac, this is your song
There are voices chasing her and images flooding her vision, overtaking one another in a stream that goes too fast.
And I hope what's left will last all summer long
In that last moment, she sees what is destined for her. And the ice eyes that hold the thread of her life.
And they said that boys were boys, but they were wrong
And how in a fluid movement, it crosses its center and leaves it empty.
"Kaoru dono!"
Almost like the edge of a katana, the air has been cut, and the candlelight eradicated. There is a loud scream from inside the pavilion, followed by a loud bang that sounds like a roar.
"Kaoru dono!"
Take what you want, take what you can
Take what you please, don't give a damn
Ask for forgiveness, never permission
It's Hikari who has run off trying to open the wooden doors without success.
"It does not open!" she sobs, hurting her hands as she continues to desperately try to open the seal.
Kaede gets up to help her, being Inari's priestess she is the only one who can open the lock that the goddess has imposed. Momiji pulls Hikari away, and after a long struggle, they finally manage to open the doors.
"Kaoru dono!" They shout.
The girl is with her back to the ground, her gaze unfocused - her neck stretched her face in the direction of the entrance - her chest rises and falls too quickly.
"She's catatonic," Kaede reports.
Take what you want, take what you can
Take what you please, don't give a damn
It's in the blood and this is tradition
Momiji intervenes, taking the girl's face carefully, she casts a charm and manages to connect with the girl's psyche on the first try.
The attack seems to stop, and Kaoru's body relaxes...
...a little too much.
"She's not breathing…" Fuu notes desperately next to Momiji.
The latter touches the black-haired girl's neck and places her fingers on the jugular, frightened by the dullness of her apprentice's blue orbs.
"There is no pulse."
It's chaos then.
Fuu runs out of the pavilion for help; Hikari remains fixed to the ground unable to stop crying, Kaede and Momiji hastily accommodate the girl and begin to remove the haoris -all the cloth that gets in the way- to reveal the chest of the girl. Kaede holds her, Momiji begins to press down on Kaoru's heart in an attempt to revive her heart.
"Come on, Kaoru dono, come on…!"
Take what you want, take what you can
Take what you please, don't give a damn
Ask for forgiveness, never permission
"There is no answer," Kaede sobs, internally regretful for not having accompanied Kaoru inside the pavilion during the rite, perhaps if she had been there she would have been able to take her place.
Momiji is tired… she wants to give up, to give up even though she is desperate and afraid. It shouldn't end like this. But she couldn't do anything else, she didn't know how to do anything else. Her spells didn't work on the dead.
She was about to give up, withdraw her hands...
When the oni was present at the sanctuary.
"Step aside!"
Kenshin seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. He entered as if he were the god of the wind himself and took the place of Momiji -whom he had pushed away without her noticing the movement.
The boy's eyes were liquid gold, his ki heating the air in the pavilion as if it were burning it. His hands pressed hard -and to the rhythm of his own heart- on her friend's chest.
Take what you want, take what you can
Take what you please, don't give a damn
"You said you had a dream... -he murmured with a sorrowful face- ...that you were happy that it was your duty..."
There was no answer... Momiji closed her eyes with painful sadness...
"Kaoru please…!" Kenshin sobbed.
It's in the blood and this is tradition
"KAORU!"
…
When Kaoru opened her eyes, Kenshin was by her side again, back in her room in the shrine's clergy building.
And just like that same morning, the boy was upset.
"Kenshin…" she whispered.
"Don't praise yourself, I'm not here for you," he cut her off. There was an evident tremor in both his voice and his body.
More than angry, he was visibly scared... He was trembling with fear, with worry...
For her.
Kaoru nodded. Her heart vibrated in the same sea of feelings as her partner.
"Of course not," she said. "You have no place here."
Silence.
Kenshin studied her. He needed to make sure that she was alright, that she was there, safe, sound, and that she wouldn't vanish like he had found her hours before… when he felt the world cut half of his soul.
'Do you even know where your feelings will take you?' His teacher had questioned him that same afternoon when he had informed him that he would return the following morning. Kenshin knew that he wasn't fooling anyone but himself.
He was tied to the girl in front of him. And he wasn't sure he wanted to assert that bond.
On the way, he met Shiji. Both of them hadn't quite agreed with each other, it was too obvious that their interest was the same. However, then the aristocrat informed him that Kaoru was in the goddess's pavilion, had warned him, and asked him, in a way, to go to her. He didn't need his advice, but he was grateful now for the warning.
He had had a bad feeling and finding Fuu running with tears in her eyes and with her friend's name in her mouth like a mantra of bad omen, had confirmed his greatest fear.
He couldn't feel Kaoru's ki…
She was gone.
He didn't need her to tell him more. He had thrown himself in the direction of the pavilion with the fear and terror of losing her, devouring him from head to toe.
The image of her lifeless body...
Kenshin closed his eyes for a brief moment, then forced himself to look at Kaoru, drinking in her image until he convinced his heart that she was there.
He decided to please her then and answered her provocation.
"You know where I'm going. Even if I never told you, you know." He accused her, but this time she didn't startle, she looked at him as if waiting for him to finish judging her... But Kenshin's words turned in another direction. "Why you choose to suffer on your own I don't understand," he said sadly, "but... Tell me something, Kaoru dono, is it just curiosity or do you care about me?"
Kaoru sighed with emotion, her gaze crystallizing with tears.
"You must know… surely, you must know," she begged.
Kenshin closed his eyes, forcing his own tears not to fall...
She felt the same as him…!
The boy took a risk then. Leaving the sword on the tatami, he rose until he was at the height of his partner, sitting next to her, he took her in his arms, burying his face between the curve of her shoulder and her neck.
"Can I trust then, that you will have me in your prayers?" He murmured, his voice a ticklish murmur against his friend's skin, who at that moment shared his embrace with the same fervor.
"You're already in them," she confessed. "I don't want you to hate me."
Kenshin understood then. Even with a wounded heart, because never before until that moment had he been truly aware of the limits that separated them and that would possibly separate them forever. They belonged to two different worlds, two hierarchies that were not destined to meet, and yet had managed to recognize each other as equals.
"I'm upset, I still haven't decided whether to forgive you or not." He confessed when his heart had managed to synchronize with hers. "But I don't hate you, I never could. You should know that too, Kaoru dono," he confessed in a whisper.
"I do." She said, clinging to him more tightly "I don't want to influence your decision, Kenshin."
The aforementioned snorted.
"Even if you didn't say anything, lately you are the person with the most influence on my decisions."
Kaoru pulled away just then to face him. Her gaze contained a plea full of hope and a hint of fear.
"Will you stay?" She asked.
He felt a stitch in his chest, he had made his decision then.
"I have to come back tomorrow."
She felt that he was rejecting her.
"You're still upset," she whispered, lowering her gaze.
Kenshin raised her face with both hands.
"I don't understand your commitment… I don't enjoy seeing you suffer. -He said. -But at the same time… I admire you. And I want to be someone capable of generating the same admiration."
They searched for each other in their eyes. Both trying to find understanding and acceptance, and maybe something else, a feeling they still couldn't name, but it was definitely there.
Kaoru then, in turn, made the decision to take the risk, blindly trusting that, if those visions came above any other request, they must be a gift to her... An opportunity that, although she could not join this person, at least she could make sure that he didn't suffer.
"Kenshin…" she spoke to him, placing her hands on top of his, lowering them from her face and bringing them to her chest. She looked at him again. "Even if your desire is to save those who suffer... you must recognize the humanity of those who inflict that pain on others..." the redhead started, his pulse racing in his veins. "If you don't, this truth will hit you in the face so hard, you'll spend years digging graves..."
His hands balled into fists, under hers. She knew, as did he... that it was only a matter of time.
"Whatever you decide, Kenshin…" she called, now bringing her hands to his chest. "I'll be here, always," she promised.
They spent the night together…without the screen dividing them.
Each one on their futon, separated by that invisible line, while facing each other. He reached out as she did, taking her offered hand. With their faces leaning towards each other, they told each other secrets through their gazes.
Sleep embraced them in a luminous mantle. Aware that they had found a deviation in their path together, they parted silently, vowing to watch each other's path, until both were out of sight.
Secretly praying, that at some point, their paths would meet again...
A/N: I definitely need help! =(