Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Wish Unrequited ❯ Please Don't Go... ( Chapter 1 )

A Wish Unrequited

By: grey tears

Disclaimer: None of the Rurouni Kenshin themes do NOT belong to me. They belong to the respected owner. I am the owner of this story, however. And you WILL be hunted down, if this piece of work is plagarized in any form.

Other than that, enjoy.

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A Wish Unrequited ~ Someone's else's story

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The day seemed unusually bright and cheery for such a glum mood. Strange. Very strange. Often I enjoyed and envied such days. Mirth was to be celebrated on such beautiful days. Not grief.

Perhaps my reason of sadness had come from that cursed piece of printed paper that seemed to contented in staying pinned to that cursed wall.

May 14

I could have sworn, the world itself seemed to be laughing shamelessly at my shock. I could have imagined how I would have looked right about now.

Eyes wide, mouth hung distray in the open, and my body, seemingly stitched to this evil world.

No Kami...please no.

How could I have been so stupid, in thinking that I could forget this would ever happen? How naive I must have sounded, when thinking over and over to myself, that I wouldn't even remember?

The sound of laundry washing snapped me out of my thoughts. My gaze lifted and turned towards the happy trio outside.

Blazing red hair stood out. Face down, eyes covered. Laughing. He was laughing. His gentle purple gaze sparkled with amusement as he sat there helping the two sisters wash the laundry.

Kenshin...

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Once again, I proved to the world, of how stupid I can really be at times. Of all the times to not speak.

I had just looked on as he departed. Hearing Dr. Gensai's soothed words, did nothing to my grieving heart:

"I'm sure he'll come back very soon."

I couldn't believe he had left.

Well, maybe not.

But he didn't take us with him. And for reasons, I don't know. He wanted to speak to him alone, he said.

"It'll be better if I went alone...that it is."

I wanted to cry out to him, to argue until he let us help him, but I couldn't. This was not something that could be avoided just because I wanted it to be.

Oh, but how my heart begged to differ. It seemed to be the only thing keeping me from screaming from all of this.

Yahiko seemed to notice the worry etched on to my face. Was it really that obvious?

"Don't worry about him, Kaoru. Kenshin has found a pretty decent place for himself at the Kamiya dojo, so he'd never leave us to go to Kyoto!"

His words were a bit soothing. But they didn't help relieve the real battle that was being fought in my heart.

Kenshin...would you really...leave?

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The day continued with it's usual cheery self. It seemed too normal. Those same sunny days with that same lazy atmosphere seemed to haze over Tokyo once again today.

Strange weather. It had been unusually warm for a couple of nights now.

A bright idea suddenly popped in my head.

Perhaps the hot springs! They always cool me off. I wonder if Kenshin would.....oh.

Oh. How could she have forgotten? Kenshin...wasn't there.

It had seemed so normal. There were those random remarks that were being thrown between Yahiko and Sanosuke. That same giggling heard between the two sweet sisters.

But there had been something that was missing.

Kenshin.

When did he start becoming so important to me? When did I see him as one of "us?"

When?

I was at a loss. I was grieving for that brilliantly, soft goofy smile that the rurouni had. Grieving for those gently purple orbs, that seemed to shine like the morning light.

That same light....now missing.

With a glance at the lonely laundry-washing basket it reminded me of the gentle ripples the water would usually create with his hands, as he so carefully washed the laundary.

The soft humming he would make out of what seemed happiness.

Those sweet Kaoru-dono's his lips used to make....

A small, rose-tinged blush plastered itself onto my face.

Since when did I start noticing such little details?

Strange, I had never realized how much Kenshin meant to me, until I was in danger of losing him.

Losing...him...

The incident of the other day replayed in my head over and over again.

Battousai.

How could Kenshin, that gentle rurouni we so knew and loved, be so…so...different at the same time?

He didn't hear my cries. I was afraid that day. Afraid that I was going to lose him. He didn't hear me. Those amber orbs showed no emotions in them.

Amber eyes. They were so different from that gentle purple. Something about his nature scared me. And yet oddly enough, it also excited me. I knew it wasn't in his nature to show his emotions. It never was.

But..still...

That..name. Battousai.

A single name. It's a name, that causes shivers to run up and down a person's spine. A single glare from those haunting demon's eyes could seem to kill a person.

Kill.

He truly was a killing machine.

But….Kenshin is not a killing machine. NO! He's my gentle Rurouni. My…

A smile crept onto my face.

Yes, MY Rurouni. Did I love him? All of those times, he saved me, giving me those encouraging words, soothing me.

I hold onto dearly a precious memory that he once told me,

"No matter what happens, Kaoru-dono, I shall always protect you." (A/N: awww)

Yes. A thousand times..YES!!

Do you hear that Kenshin!??! I LOVE YOU!

But...when to tell him? I know, I shouldn't be expecting a yes. But I just have to tell him.

A thought came to my head. Tonight.

He promised. Promised to come watch the fireflies with us. Would he keep that promise? Yes, he has to. He would NEVER break a promise, especially to me.

A harsh rapping broke my thoughts of concentration.

"EVERYONE..HURRY AND OPEN THIS DOOR!!"

*********

Megumi burst through the dojo door. My head snapped up.

"Lord Okubo has been assassinated!!" She shouted.

It took me a minute to recover from the shock.

Lord Okubo….Kenshin… was supposed to meet with you. Was Kenshin…? NO! There is no way….

I wasn't the only one in shock I realized as I looked from Sano to Yahiko.

"W-What DID YOU SAY??!" Sano proclaimed.

"He was assassinated at Kiwazaka." Megumi told in a sober note.

I tuned out. Kiwazaka. That was where Kenshin was supposed to meet him. Did he…..

My shaking hand reached towards the clutched newspaper in her hands. She handed it to me.

As I read more and more, my hopes seemed to fall.

"Lord Okubo was assassinated by seven former samurai that were disattisfied with the government…"

I couldn't read any more, for I was afraid of realizing the truth. I wondered if my hopes should continue to soar….

*********

It was late. Very late. Megumi was packing her supplies. She had gotten an urgent call from Dr. Gensai. An operation was needed on a patient right away she was told.

She had been a bit of comfort. Staying there with me telling me that he will return. After all 'Sir Ken' would never leave her.

If it hadn't been for such a somber day, I would have been trying to resist the urge at yelling at her. But I felt nothing today. Just one thought seemed to occupy my mind for the whole day…..When will you return…Kenshin?

And she was leaving. Sano had told her that it would not be safe for two girls and a fox to be walking around at night so he had left with them also.

His last request for Kenshin still echoed in my head.

"Oh and missy, if Kenshin comes back, tell him I'll be right back."

I promised him with an uncertain "sure."

It was really late now. "Where is he…"

I hadn't realized that I had thought that out loud until Yahiko answered me.

"Don't worry about him Kaoru. I feel bad for saying this and all, but now that old man Okubo is gone doesn't that mean that Kenshin doesn't have to go to Kyoto."

I smiled at him. And he deserved that. Poor kid. He had been trying to comfort me all day, by telling me that Kenshin would never leave us.

"I think I'll go see if I can find him…" and with that I ran to the destined place.

Yahiko shouted something from behind but I couldn't quite hear him. Not with my heart feeling as if it were about to explode.

I ran. And ran until I reached the place where Kenshin was supposed to be at. But to my dismay, I only saw the lush greenery, now a dark green due to the night. Faint green glows surrounded the pond.

Fireflies…

There were fireflies. All over the pond faint green balls of light inhabited it.

Beautiful...yet...unspeakable sad.

Strange…the scene didn't seem quite as beautiful as it should.

My head hung low. Bangs covering my face, until I heard it.

"They're beautiful fireflies…aren't they?"

Almost as if a reflex, my head snapped towards the figure."Kenshin!" I breathed.

All of my worries had started to slip away. He came back! He came back!

But my smile vanished almost instantly as I saw the look on his face. There was something wrong. I felt no joy in his presence. It seemed as if this was almost a somber visit.

"Lord Okubo was assassinated today…." He said

"I know…I heard the news" Mentally, I cursed at myself for the sudden lack of words. Here I was a minute ago, overjoyed in complete relief and happiness, and now here I stand, finding myself suddenly speechless.

"Shishio was behind it all.." He stated.

My eyes widened in disbelief.

Shishio.

The man that was responsible for all of this, was him….Shishio. Ironic isn't it? How a single word, can cause so much hatred and never-ending sadness, is beyond me. (A/N: Amen.)

Kenshin's lips were moving, but I didn't hear much of what he was saying.

"I'll be going to Kyoto…." Was all that I managed to hear.

The night felt unusually cold for such a warm summer night.

Kyoto…he's going to Kyoto…

I never knew..how much having him say this would hurt. It hurt...the pain..it was unbearable. My heart felt like it had shattered and had been replaced by a single block of ice.

He was leaving…..he was leaving. Leaving Sano. Leaving Yahiko. Leaving Megumi. Leaving...me?

I gently stepped to the left, fearing that if I moved to fast I was going to fall from all of this. If possible I would have screamed already. Screamed and then pull out my hair.

WHY? WHY KENSHIN?!! my mind seemed content on knowing the cursed reason on why..he was leaving.

But all I could make out was:

"Kyoto….does..does that mean that you're going back to the man you were 10 years ago…?" my voice was barely above a whisper. I was lucky. I was sure that I wouldn't be able to talk.

"I dunno yet." His expression seemed to have a difficult time from containing a pained expression. Both of us knew that I was referring to the 'incident' the other day.

I zoned out again. He's leaving. I looked at him and realized that his lips were moving. He was telling me something.

"If I stay here any longer, all of you will be in danger" he told me.

'NOT TRUE!' my mind screamed.

"But…Kenshin..you were always able to back to normal again. No matter what happens you will always be the person I know you as, a wanderer!"

But I realized that he wasn't even looking at me. He was looking at the fireflies.

"When I first met you Ms. Kaoru, I remember you telling me how you felt as if my past wasn't really all that important." He said.

I looked down. 'Why..of all times..must he bring on such a painful conversation...'

"I was glad you said that" He said in that same sad voice.

I couldn't hold it any longer. Tears were starting to form in my eyes. I was on the verge of bursting out until I felt like I was being pushed into something.

I looked up in disbelief.

Kenshin…he was holding me…

"Thank you for everything..Ms. Kaoru. I'm a wanderer…and it's time to wander again….goodbye.."

That was when the dam broke. A single tear escaped from my eye. I felt as if I was about to suffocate. Those words…it was as if they had clamped my throat shut.

He was leaving…He was really leaving…

More tears started to fall.

I felt like screaming. 'COME BACK KENSHIN!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!' He couldn't be leaving! He just couldn't!

But all I could manage to say with a barely audible gasp was, "Kenshin"

The world had started to spin. I couldn't feel my body.

The next thing I knew..I was on the ground, crying my heart out.

"Ken..shin.."

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Owari.

Review Onegai.