Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Dreaming ❯ Dreaming ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own RK.

Dreaming

I had a dream last night. I was wandering again, walking down one of the all too familiar roads out of town. I didn't seem sad to be going, which was odd, but it wasn't the strangest part. I came to a fork in the road just in time to meet two others, both familiar, but strange at the same time. One was a small child with bright red hair like mine, the other a violent youth with angry eyes and the same flaming hair. We stopped, and looked upon each other, not saying a word at first, but the boy smiled, and the teen glared.

"I know you." I finally spoke. "But how can we all be here?"

"Fool, you already know how." The teen spoke. "Are you happy with what you have become?"

I thought of Karou-dono, Sanoske, and all the others, then nodded.

"I was not happy with who I was, so I became someone I could be happy as."

He simply smirked, then stepped aside so I could pass.

"No." I replied, starting towards the other path and the small boy. "I'm not going back down the path of destruction and bloodshed."

Then the boy stepped aside to let me pass, and none of us said anything more, but I looked back to see Shinta, the small, innocent child I hadn't been in over twenty years, and Battousai, the manslayer of my past, walk hand in hand down the way I'd come from. I realized both were my past, but I was my own future. I turned my eyes back to the road, and saw Karou-dono waving at me, a small boy in her arms. At first I thought it was Shinta, but then realized he had her eyes. I sped up my pace to meet them, and broke into a full out run to get there sooner. She placed the small boy in my arms, and hugged me as tightly as she could. It was then I chose to look back one last time. Shita and Battousai were still visible, although there were others there now. Shinta was walking along side three women from my earliest memories, all laughing as they had when I'd known them, no matter how brief it was. And Battousai was now arm-in-arm with another woman from my past, one closer to my heart then the ones with Shinta. It had been years since I'd seen Tomoe...years since I took her life with my own two hands, and I almost wanted to cry. But all my tears had been shed a long time ago. I turned back to Karou-dono, and walked hand-in-hand, the small boy still in the crook of my arm, towards an immense light. Once the light engulfed us, I awoke to find Karou-dono standing silently at the door to my room, early morning sunshine streaming in behind her.

"Did you need something, Karou-dono?" I asked sleepily.

"I was going to wake you up for breakfast, but you looked like you were dreaming or something…"

"Hai, that I was."

We both looked at each other silently for a moment, then she spoke.

"What was it…your dream…about?"

"I don't remember." I lied, knowing the details would be hard to explain. Truth be told, a few hours later I wouldn't remember, and that'd be okay. You can't miss what you don't know.

"Let's get some breakfast, Karou-dono." I smiled, getting up and walking to meet her. I saw how beautiful she looked in the sunlight, and almost commented, but I stopped myself and simply smiled as we headed together towards the other side of the dojo. I felt slight Déjà vu as we walked together into the sunlight. Another day, another step closer to who I want to be, who I'm happy being.