Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unfinished Business ❯ I'm getting that feeling again... ( Chapter 3 )

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DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and crew nor do I own Inu Yasha and company. As far as I know, the story idea belongs to my imagination.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: So sorry for the delay everyone. This chapter was supposed to be up long ago, but then I was bit by the dreaded Writer's Block and blindsided by the inability to upload. It has finally arrived, and I hope it was worth the wait. Hopefully it won't be so long until the next chapter makes it into print. Drop me a line on your thoughts, suggestions, hopes, dreams, etc... And as always, read and enjoy! = D

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Chapter 4

Kenshin slid open the front door of the dojo and made his way out into the courtyard. A small breeze played with the ends of his fiery red hair, carrying with it the sent of an approaching storm. His violet eyes slowly moved up to the sky only to see the bright stars being overshadowed by gauzy clouds. It was the night of the new moon, which was giving him a strange feeling of helplessness that he had never experienced before. Couldn't you have at least trusted me with it? Kaoru's voice asked. I trust no one! his own voice snarled. There was a little gasp of pain and then Kaoru spoke again, her voice wavering with emotion. I thought after all that we had been through... Its because you always have to play Mr. Macho that we...always get screwed like this YOU IDIOT! Yet another memory to add to his rapidly growing collection of them.

With a shrug and a shake of his head, Kenshin began to circle the Kamiya compound, a part of the routine he had fallen into during the week that he had been staying there. Yes, this had become just as routine as doing the laundry, breaking up fights between the instructor and pupil of the dojo, and cooking their meals. He winced at the thought of Kaoru's cooking. She was a lovely woman, both inside and out, but she couldn't cook to save her life, which he had found out the hard way on the third night of his stay. His stomach still groaned at the thought.

When his thoughts turned to Kaoru they naturally returned to the repressed memories that had been surfacing not only while he slept but while he was awake as well. He had never been a believer in reincarnation, but that didn't seem to matter, because it had apparently believed in him. That was the only conclusion that he had come up with that made even a tiny bit of sense, he was recalling images from a past lifetime. Unfortunately, that was only slightly more comforting than another option he had come up with, insanity. He had to wonder what kind of person he had been in that past life, if a step up or down the karmic ladder had led him to this life where he had become a Manslayer. What kind of monster had he been if this was a step up? He didn't even want to think of what he had done or who he had been if this was a step down.

With another rough shake of his head, and another uneasy glance at the moonless sky, Kenshin entered the dojo once again. Everything was as it should be outside, now he had to check on those inside as well. He padded down the hall to stop before Yahiko's door. He slowly slid it open and couldn't stop his grin at the sight before him. Yahiko's arms were flung over his head and his body was slanted across the futon so that both feet hung off the edge. He centered his young friend back onto the bedding and ruffled his hair gently. At that moment, Yahiko reached up and slapped the rurouni with a half made fist, catching Kenshin off guard and making him stumble back a few steps.

The boy was restless again. His sleep often seemed to be shadowed by dreams and he spoke to those within them, although it usually sounded like nothing more than the slurred speech of a man who had been in a sake house all night. Tonight however, those words were clear. Once he heard them, he wished that he hadn't.

"...baka...now she'll never come back!" the boy mumbled from the depths of his dreams. A single tear squeezed out from beneath his closed lids even as he bared his teeth in anger. "Why are you always so mean to Kagome, Inu Yasha?"

Kenshin gasped in shock, even as the guilt from the boy's words ate into his soul. Another emotion surfaced as well...panic. The thought of Kagome leaving him forever brought it out. Kagome, the woman from his memories...his lost love. The woman that he had found once again residing within Kaoru Kamiya. From Yahiko's words, it seemed that he had shared their past as well. How many others could he expect to run into from a life he only remembered in bits and flashes? And just what did it portend now that they all seemed to be coming together at this point in time?

The other name that the boy had spoken...Inu Yasha. Had that been his name? Or had it been someone else who was mean to Kagome? The sense of guilt and panic he experienced made him think that it could be nothing but his own. He rarely got information on himself from these flashes of memory. There were disjointed images of clawed hands, red cloth, a beaded necklace and of all things...dog ears. But those things didn't seem to add up to anything logical. That thought made him snort in derision, as if anything in his life was logical any longer. His clearest memories always had her in them. She had obviously been and was once again becoming his sole focus in life.

Yahiko had settled down and Kenshin left the room. He headed down the hall to see the main reason that he had taken up patrolling the grounds. This was one of his guilty pleasures. He had to check on her to be sure that all was well before he could settle down for the night, and if he stayed to watch her sleep for a minute... or thirty, that was only to be certain of her safety, right? Yeah, and pigs flew on their little golden wings. He watched her because it felt right to watch her, and just being near her calmed his senses.

Kenshin stood in the doorway, watching the woman of his dreams sleeping peacefully. A tender smile played upon his lips even as amber fire flared within his eyes. He quietly moved to her side, and knelt beside the futon, content just to listen to her soft, even breathing. He was unaware that he had spoken, until he heard the hoarse whisper which had broken the stillness with his own ears.

"I love you, Kagome." Her eyes fluttered open, and although they were hazy and unfocused there was recognition in them as well, and her smile was warm. She reached out a hand to cup his cheek.

"Inu Yasha..." Her voice was slurred and thick, and yet it was the sweetest sound that he had ever hoped to hear. It had been 300 years since she had spoken his name. "I missed you." He turned his head so that he could place a kiss in the palm of her hand, before he gently placed it back at her side.

"I missed you too... more than you will ever know. Now sleep. I will be here whenever you want or need me."

"Promise?"

"Feh." he snorted. "I said it didn't I? Stupid girl." His affectionate tone removed the sting from the harsh words. She sighed and snuggled back into the futon. He had almost missed the soft words hidden within the sigh... almost. Love you.

He stared down at the young woman for a long moment, unable to process the emotions those simple words still elicited from him. Finally, he reached out to brush a strand of ebony away from her face and then couldn't resist brushing his knuckles along her jaw line. With a deep sigh, he got to his feet and headed for the door, only to find that he was unable to leave until he took a final glance over his shoulder at his sleeping angel.

By the time he closed the door to his room behind him, his eyes had returned to their natural shade of violet. He dressed for bed and slid beneath the covers, only to find himself staring at the ceiling with wide eyes as he replayed their short conversation over and over in his head. Suddenly he clenched his hands into tight fists and tried to banish the images.

"I am not worthy of her, that I am not." He never expected a reply, so when the Battousai or Inu Yasha as he was coming to refer to that part of himself, spoke from the shadows of his mind, he couldn't have been more surprised.

I never was worthy of her, but that didn't stop her from loving me, and it sure didn't stop me from loving her. Come to think of it, it doesn't seem to be doing a very good job of stopping you now, does it? All it did was cause her pain and stop us from being together... from being happy. So much time wasted, and when I finally realized that, it was too late. The sadness in Inu Yasha's voice caused Kenshin's heart to ache even as his words caused a chill to run down his spine. It was too late echoed in his head long after his counterpart had finished speaking. That night sleep was very elusive for the rurouni.

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Kaoru awoke with the feeling that she was forgetting something extremely important, but finally shrugged it off. She had just finished tying a pink ribbon in her hair when there was a knock on her door. When she opened it, she found herself face to face with Kenshin. She couldn't stop the blush that rose in her cheeks. Sapphire met amethyst and time seemed to come to a screeching halt for the pair. A slow smile curved his lips, and Kaoru found herself returning it, even as she drowned in the violet depths. Violet depths that were coming closer! Was Kenshin going to kiss her? She had been hoping that he would, and now it looked like she might get her wish. Her heartbeat doubled, then tripled as Kenshin continued to close the gap between them.

"Hey Busu, Kenshin, what are you doing? I thought we were going into town." Both adults blushed and looked away from each other, Kaoru sighing in frustration at the lost moment.

"That we are Yahiko." Kenshin replied, pasting his patented rurouni grin in place, before turning to face the young boy. He was torn between relief and the urge to beat the boy senseless for his untimely interruption. Inu Yasha apparently did not share his relief, although the frustration was the same.

Stupid runt. Always did have rotten timing. Think he does it on purpose! came the bad tempered growl from the back of his mind. Kenshin almost laughed and had to remind himself that the others probably wouldn't understand. His past self seemed to becoming more social as time passed.

They spent a companionable morning shopping and then decided to go to the Akabeko for lunch. As soon as they entered the restaurant felt the now familiar tingling sensation at the back of his mind and groaned. Tae led them to a table and then sat down to speak with Kaoru for a few moments.

'Just how many more people are going to show up from your past, Inu Yasha?' He asked his darker self. It was strange that he could speak like this to him, but he had spoken with the Battousai for years. He hadn't realized that he had a proper name.

Feh! How am I supposed to know? But judging by your present company, I know that if there is any way possible, there are two others would make their way back to our group.

Kenshin turned his attention to a group of rowdy men that had begun arguing rather loudly. Tae left Kaoru's side and requested that they leave. One of the men hit the waitress, flinging her towards the back of the room. Kenshin was preparing to stand when a voice from the back of the room stopped them. A young man had caught Tae and set her back on her feet. He was tall and his brown hair stuck up from his head much like a rooster, although it was kept from his eyes by a red headband. He was wearing white pants and a jacket which hung open exposing his chest. His dark brown eyes were warm, as he made sure that Tae was all right, but they became cold as he took in the jumble of men that had started the problem.

"Lets take this outside." He said with a grin. His dark gaze traveled over the other patrons, stopping when they fell on Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko. He seemed puzzled for a moment and then shrugged, before following the rebel rousers out into the street. Meanwhile, the tingle in Kenshin's mind had intensified and he knew that he had found another one from his past. He looked at Kaoru, and couldn't stop the surge of jealousy when he saw that she was watching the young man closely, a puzzled expression in her blue eyes before she shook her head and then walked out of the restaurant.

In the middle of the street, the young man faced his older opponent without blinking. Suddenly the older man rushed forward, revealing a dagger in his fist as he threw his punch. The fighter didn't even seem to move, when suddenly the dagger dropped from a now useless hand which was attached to an arm which now bent the wrong way.

"This is too easy. I'll fight you with just one finger." With that said, a single flick to the forehead and the man went crashing into the street. His friend made a move to pull a hidden sword, but before he could do so Kenshin moved behind him.

"This is not your fight. If you choose to engage that weapon then I will be forced to use mine as well." His soft voice said, although it was as cold as steel. "Now collect your friend, pay your bill, and be on your way." They hastened to do as they were bid, mumbling all along the way.

"My name is Zanza." The young fighter said to Kenshin, as he eyed him up. "I am a fighter for hire, although if you ever want to go one on one..." There was something to the smaller man that made him think that he would be a worthy opponent. He rethought that impression when violet eyes looked up at him and a guileless smile spread on his face.

"I'll have to pass, Zanza, that I will."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, you can find me on Ruffian Row." The young man turned and walked away, allowing them to see the symbol for wicked emblazoned on his back.

"Does that stand for wickedly bad taste?" Yahiko asked with a grin. Truth be told, the boy was impressed with the fighter for hire's strength.

"Something about him..." Kaoru mused softly. Kenshin looked at her in concern, although he knew that she was probably feeling the same thing that he was. This wasn't over yet.

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A.N. 2: Sorry, but I don't have time for individual shout outs this time, but I will get them next time. But thank you all for your encouragement, you are my inspiration. Until we meet again....

Jewel's Light

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