Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Mine ❯ Forever Mine Pt. 2 ( Chapter 19 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer - I don't own RK.

Happy New Year everyone!! Sorry once again for the lateness of this chapter, Christmas tends to throw a really big wrench into my writing. I hope you will find it was worth the wait.


Chapter 19 - Forever Mine Pt. 2

Tick...

Tick...

Tick...

Kenshin sighed and closed his eyes trying to ignore the incessant ticking of the wall clock above his head. 5 hours. Kaoru had been in surgery for five hours already, five very long hours. This was far worse than the seventeen hours he'd waited for her to wake. This was almost worse than the one hundred and twenty eight years it had taken to be here with her again. He couldn't lose her now, not after the lifetime it had taken him to reach this point. There was no way he could wait another one hundred years for her to be born again into his world. That was asking too much, way too much.

Shoving off the bench, he wandered to the doors leading into the emergency room and stared down the mockingly pristine hallway. If there was anything in this world that would deal the final blow to his spirit, it would be the loss of her again.

An ironic, cheerless, smile tickled the corner of his lips and he wandered back to the bench and took a seat again. This time, even love hadn't been able to save her from a similar fate. There was no doubt in his mind that Enishi's love was real and true, but it still hadn't been enough. Dropping his head into his hands, he sighed. And the really ironic twist was that Enishi now stood in the exact same place he had so long ago when he'd accidentally killed Tomoe. But at least Kaoru was still alive, if barely.

Shaking his head, he sighed again. Life was truly ironic sometimes.

"Excuse me, sir? Are you the one who brought in Kamiya-san?"

Startled by the unexpected interruption of his thoughts, Kenshin snapped his head up and met the guarded gaze of the nurse standing in front of him. "Yes."

"Would you please follow me?"

Not waiting to see if he would comply, she spun on her heel and started down the hallway. Stunned, Kenshin jumped to his feet, "Wait! Is Kaoru ok?"

The nurse stopped suddenly and he saw her tense slightly before she turned to face him, "The doctor will explain everything to you." With that she started walking away from him again. Fighting down the sudden surge of dread whispering through his veins, he took off after her, "Can you at least tell me if she's alive?" Kenshin pleaded, as the feeling that something was terribly wrong continued to grow.

The nurse stopped again and nodded, "Yes. She's alive."

Kenshin bit back the sigh that tried to escape and followed behind her as she made her way down the empty hallway. At least she was alive. That's all he needed, nothing else mattered.

Coming to a set of double doors they pushed on into the ICU and made their way towards the far rooms. Suddenly nervous, he continued to fight the nearly overpowering feeling that another obstacle had risen in his path. Something that would stop him from saving Kaoru. Reaching up, he ran his fingers over the bump in his breast pocket in an effort to settle his nerves some. She would be fine, with the powder in his pocket she would live.

Coming to an open door in the farthest reaches of the ICU, Kenshin tried to tamp down the feeling. Now was not the time to be worrying, first he needed to know exactly what state she was in and then he would figure out what to do. Satisfied with his internal rationalizing, he calmed slightly and followed the nurse into the last room only to stumble to a dead stop just inside the door; his attention fixed on the elderly man holding Kaoru's chart. Without thinking he mumbled, "Dr. Genzai?" The man's attention immediately snapped to him and he smiled sheepishly.

"Yes, my name is Genzai. Do I know you, young sir?"

Kenshin almost chuckled at the 'young sir'. If only he knew. Grinning, he decided to let it drop and shook his head, "No. It was just a lucky guess."

Dr. Genzai gave him a sideways look, then shifted his attention back to the chart. Stifling a sigh, Kenshin shifted his attention to the bed. His smile immediately dropped away as he took in the blinking machine stationed beside Kaoru, the mask attached to it covering her nose and mouth and the three IV's linking her to three separate drips. Paling at the sight, he turned his attention back to Dr. Genzai.

"Is she...?"

Dr. Genzai tucked the chart into the holder on the end of the bed and silently walked to the beeping machine beside the bed. Kenshin watched as he checked a couple of readings, then he turned to face him with a grave expression. "The next seventy two hours are critical. The bullet went through her right lung and shattered her shoulder blade. As of right now her right lung will not remain inflated on its own, which is causing a massive strain on her left lung." Dr. Genzai paused for moment and glanced at Kaoru. Turning his attention back to Kenshin, he continued "Also, pieces of her shattered blade lodged in her spine. We're almost sure she will be paralyzed from the neck down."

Kenshin felt as if someone had punched him dead in the gut, his insides all of a sudden aching. Swallowing, he shifted his attention to Kaoru's pale face and stepped up to the side of the bed. Taking a hold of her hand, he lightly rubbed the slightly cool skin beneath his thumb. But none of this mattered, she was still alive, he could still save her. All he needed was for her to wake.

Glancing back up to the aged face of his ancient friend, he asked "When will she wake?"

Dr. Genzai shook his head, "She is in an induced coma. We will keep her in this state until her lung has some time to heal. Then we will awaken her and remove the life support to see if she will be able to inflate the lung herself."

Kenshin's eyes widened slightly, "You mean she may not be able to use it, even after the seventy two hours?"

Dr. Genzai shook his head, "Usually wounds like these are lessened by the rib cage, the bullet only piercing the lung; but this bullet went in between her ribs and cut through her lung. Right now she has a 15 percent chance that she will be able to use the lung. She also has the added chance she will not be able to breathe on her own if she is paralyzed."

Kenshin felt as if the world suddenly fell out from beneath his feet. "And if she can't?"

"If she survives these seventy two hours, she will be attached to a machine for the rest of her life. For someone so young that would be no life at all." Dr. Genzai shook his head again and sighed, "I will leave you alone now. I have others I need to look in on."

Kenshin just watched him walk slowly from the room, the slight droop in his shoulders belying the detached clinical tone the aged doctor had used. And then it hit him, Dr. Genzai must know Kaoru in this life. His guess was proven true when the nurse spoke up from behind him.

"Dr. Genzai is taking this hard. He has known Kamiya-san since she was a small girl. He was the one who had to tell her when her family died and he really would rather not see her beside them so soon." With that she silently left the room, leaving Kenshin with only the blip of Kaoru's heart monitor and the hiss of the breathing machine forcing air into her lungs to break up the stifling silence filling the room.

Reluctantly relinquishing his hold on her hand, Kenshin walked to the other side of the bed and dragged the chair from the corner up to her bedside. Settling down he took her hand and caressed it loving with his thumb. Seventy two hours. It seemed like such a long time to wait to see if she would be alright. And yet, if he waited there was the chance she wouldn't live. Could he take that chance again?

No, he couldn't. Not this time.

With his free hand he reached up and withdrew the life giving powder from his pocket. Right here was the means to save her, but for it to work she had to ingest it, which right now was impossible.

Feeling the weight of the world settle on his shoulders, Kenshin laid his forehead on backside of her hand and closed his eyes. How was he going to do this? If he removed the life saving oxygen mask from her face she would die, but she had to swallow the powder mixed with his blood for this to work. Even if she did live after removing the mask there was still no way for him to get her to swallow it. Not without waking her somehow, and there was no way to do that. None.

It seemed as if fate was against him again.

Worn out from all that had happened Kenshin sighed and slowly succumbed to the exhaustion weighing him down. Maybe when he woke he would have the answers to the unanswerable questions spiraling through his mind. No, not maybe...he would find the answers or the past one hundred years would be for nothing, and he wasn't about to let her slip through his fingers again.

oooooooooooooooooo

What seemed like only minutes later Kenshin was rudely ripped from sleep as a voice he knew suddenly exploded into the ICU.

"Damn It! Let Me Through!!"

"I'm sorry, Sagara-san, but you are not family, so we are not allowed to let you through."

Kenshin almost chuckled as a growl rumbled down the hallway. Glancing to Kaoru he brushed his fingers lightly across her forehead and whispered, "Be right back, love. Your brother is having a little trouble seeing you." Rising from the chair, he reluctantly relinquished his hold on her hand and wandered to the door. The chuckle won out when he glanced down the hallway and saw Sano's eyebrow twitching, the rigid stance the fighter held screamed his irritation.

"The hell I'm not family! I'm all the family she's got left so, Let. Me. See. Her!"

The short, plump nurse standing in front of Sano looked over the rim of her glasses at him and shook her head. "That is impossible. No one may see her unless they are immediate family. Besides you shouldn't be out of your bed either, your wounds haven't had enough time to heal."

Kenshin inwardly nodded at her words and silently made his way down the hallway. She was right, Sano shouldn't be out of bed yet, but really he couldn't blame the fighter. Kaoru was like a sister to him.

Kenshin picked up his pace when the nurse tried to grab a hold of the wound up fighter; that probably wouldn't be a good idea right now. He was proven right when a barely audible growl rumbled from his old friend's throat. "I am not going back to my room until I've seen her." Then Sano pinned her with an icy glare and leaned in just a little, "Do you understand?"

The nurse took a step back, then frowned and met Sano's glare. "Go back to your room, Sagara-san. Kamiya-san is fi-"

Finally reaching them Kenshin cut her off before she could push his last button, "Please let him through."

Startled, they both swung their attention to him and he just smiled.

Sano's eyes narrowed to slits. "You mean to tell me they let you in but they're not gonna let me in? What the hell?!"

"But Himura-san, we aren't suppose to let those outside of the immediate family in to see the patients."

Kenshin ignored Sano and gave the nurse his most winning smile, "What Sagara-san said is true. He is the only family Kamiya-san has left besides myself. Please, let him see her."

The nurse blushed and she stuttered, "I..I guess it would be ok."

Sano smirked and bowed slightly, "Thank you." With that he slowly made his way past her. Coming up to Kenshin he finally let the groan he'd been holding back roll from his throat. "What took you so long? The hole in my stomach's killing me." With that the tall fighter pushed his way past the stunned redhead and made his way down the hallway. "Hey, you comin'? I don't know what room she's in."

Spurred into motion Kenshin dropped a slight bow to the nurse and spun on his heel to follow behind the slightly bent fighter. Coming up beside his old friend he pointed to the last door, "She's in there. Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine, but it's not me I'm worried about..." Sano paused and Kenshin glanced up at the fighter, he was surprised to see the lines of worry about the fighter's mouth and eyes. "Tell me straight, Kenshin, how is she?"

Kenshin sighed and shook his head, "Not very good." Silently leading him into the darkened room where Kaoru rested he heard Sano's sharp intake of breath as he entered. "Hell, Kenshin! What happened to her!? You were suppose to get her back, not kill her!"

Kenshin's eyes flashed gold as his hackles rose at what Sano implied. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he made his way back to the opposite side of the bed, "It was an accident Sano. Enishi didn't mean to hit her." Dropping into his chair beside the bed he took her hand again and reached up to run his fingers down her soft cheek to reassure himself that she was still warm, "The bullet was meant for me not her."

Sano's eyes grew wide and he dropped into the chair he'd hauled in from the far corner, "You mean to tell me Yukishiro did this to her! I'll kill him. So help me, I'll rip him apar-"

"No, Sano. It's over." Kenshin cut in shaking his head, "Enishi's given up, there's no reason to fight him anymore." Giving his full attention to Sano, he pinned him with an intense violet stare "What we need to do right now is find a way to save her. I can, but I need her awake and right now she's in an induced coma."

Shying away from the gaze fixed on him, Sano settled back into the chair and grimaced as he shifted slightly to get comfortable, "Why don't you ask the doc to wake her up?"

"Because, if she's awake she will put too much strain on her left lung trying to breath on her own. She can't be woken until her right lung has had time to heal. If she is and the mask is removed, it's very possible she will die before I can get her to take the powder mixture." Kenshin watched the fighter ingest that information and pale.

"You mean the only thing keeping her alive right now is that machine?" Sano growled, waving his hand to the life support system beside Kenshin.

Kenshin sighed and nodded, "As far as I can tell, yes. Dr. Genzai says they should be able to take her off life support in seventy two hours, but there's no guarantee she will make it that long. Plus..." Kenshin trailed off as the weight of the world settled on his shoulders again. Voicing the truth felt as if he was putting another nail into her coffin.

"Plus what?" Sano asked suspiciously.

Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly, "It's also possible she will be paralyzed from the neck down which could hinder her use of the damaged lung."

"Damn, Kenshin..." Sano whispered, as he shifted his attention back to the only person in the world he could call family. Tracing her pale features with his gaze, he felt his chest squeeze. She couldn't die. Not this time. They both needed her this time. And then he realized something that made his chest hurt even more. If it felt like this for him what must the redhead sitting across from him be feeling? Shifting his attention back to Kenshin, he finally saw the extreme strain hidden deep in the violet gaze watching Kaoru's chest rise and fall. No, this couldn't happen this time. This would break the ex-hitokiri.

"Are you sure there's no way you can give her that stuff?"

Kenshin shook his head and settled back in the chair, "Not without her awake to swallow it. There's no other way."

Sano settled even further into the chair and sighed as a heavy silence fell between them. This was too much. Way too much for these two to have to endure after so long apart. Glancing to his old friend he couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at the corners of his lips, Kenshin was fighting sleep with everything he had.

Kenshin settled deeper into the chair and rested his head against the back as the truth sapped what little energy he'd managed to regain during his earlier nap. Listening to the steady hum of the life support system beside him he fought against the exhaustion weighing him down. He couldn't sleep now, there was too much at stake to let it all slip away while he slept. And yet, he was so tired, the last two days had drained him completely. Fighting back a yawn, he finally lost the battle and slowly drifted into a light sleep, the steady beep of Kaoru's heartbeat chasing him into the awaiting darkness...

A warm breeze rustled Kenshin's bangs and he settled down to lean against a tree in his favorite spot beside the river. The ring of trees surrounding him gave him the privacy his soul ached for when the dojo became too much. Ah, but it wasn't just the male occupants that drove him to this solitude, it was the one he longed to have and yet knew he didn't deserve. He would seek this place when her presence became too much for him to handle. Ever since coming back from his battle with Shishio he had become more aware of her presence, and of the dull throb in the vicinity of his heart every time he was close to her.

"Kenshin?"

Kenshin's head snapped up as Kaoru's voice broke through the memory, her presence out of sync with the rest of the scene. Glancing up all he could do was watch wide-eyed as she walked slowly towards his private sanctuary, the scent of jasmine wafting to him on the gentle breeze.

"Are you really here?"

Confused by her question, Kenshin pushed off the ground and cocked his head to the side curiously, "Kaoru-dono? How did you find me here?"

Kaoru stopped suddenly and cocked an eyebrow, "Why did you just call me Kaoru-dono? You haven't done that at all in this life."

Startled, Kenshin just stared at her and then it hit him, this wasn't a memory, this was Kaoru. The very same Kaoru who's hand he still held in the waking world. At that thought he was all of a sudden aware of the smooth skin of her palm against his, even though she was still too far away for him to touch. Unconsciously giving her hand a squeeze, he started when she gave him an odd look and then she did the same. Her hand holding empty air and yet he could feel the pressure against his own.

Stunned, Kenshin woke with a start and his hand tightened on hers as he sat straight upright. How could? And then he remembered, they were linked. Giving his full attention to the woman sleeping peacefully in the bed before him, he just stared at her as everything fell into place. The answer he'd been desperately searching for suddenly becoming crystal clear. He hadn't really paid much attention to the link since her memories had awoken, but the truth was, it was still there... as strong as ever. This was it, this was the way he could make her swallow without having her awake. It was a risk, but a risk he was willing to take if it would save her life. With Sano here there was no way she would die. Even if the plan fell apart, Sano was still here to make sure she wouldn't slip away from them.

"You figured it out, didn't you?"

Kenshin jumped at the question and met the knowing gaze fixed on him. A small smile turned up the corner of his lips and he nodded, "Yeah, I think I have. I'm going to need your help though."

Sano smiled, "You got it. Anything I can do, I will."

Kenshin nodded and retrieved the life saving powder from his pocket. Pushing out of the chair he headed into the bathroom and grabbed a small paper cup. Wandering back out to his chair, he set everything on the hospital tray beside Kaoru's life support system and carefully opened the bag. With a smile he started to tap out a small amount into the cup and then all of a sudden it hit him, he didn't have a blade.

Without looking up, he went back to tapping out more of the powder, "Sano, will you go get me a razor blade?"

Sano gave Kenshin's bowed head an odd look, "What for?"

Glancing up, Kenshin smiled at the look Sano had fixed on him, "I need it so I can mix my blood with the powder, so she will be able to swallow it."

Sano continued to stare at him as if he were insane, "Why? Can't you just use water like you did before?"

Kenshin shook his head, "No. It will be too watery that way and she might choke. At least with my blood it will be more of a paste than liquid."

"Oh...” Sano muttered, not quite convinced. With a shrug he gingerly pushed himself out of the chair and headed towards the door. "I'll see what I can get, but I doubt they're going to give me a razor blade just because I asked for it."

"Just see what you can find. I really need it in order for this to work."

Sano shrugged and nodded, "Ok, I'll see what I can do."

With that he headed out of the door, leaving Kenshin alone with Kaoru. Reaching out he took her hand in his again and gave it a gentle squeeze. He smiled when, for a split second, he felt her hand tighten around his. This was going to work; he had no doubt in his mind that this was going to work.

And then all of a sudden another thought rose up to slap him across the face. Could he do this without her consent? Could he take away the choice, condemn her to eternal life without her assent?

His shoulders slumped and he sighed. No, he couldn't do that. She deserved to have the choice; he wouldn't take that away from her. Even now, with her life hanging in the balance he would still let her choose between a mortal life and life eternal. And yet...

Swallowing nervously, he tried to fight down the knot of fear that formed deep in his gut. What if she chose to remain mortal? Could she really accept the possibility of death over life? Sickened by the thought he clasped her hand even tighter in his and was relieved to feel hers tighten again before it once again went slack in his grip. He didn't even want to think of the consequences if she rejected him, it would cost her so much if she refused this gift.

"Hey Kenshin, you're in luck. The fox decided to visit and she managed to get you a... hey, what's wrong?"

"Kenshin?... Is everything ok?"

Kenshin glanced to the door and dug up the best smile he could, "I'm fine. Do you have it?"

Megumi gave him a look that said she didn't believe him and walked over to hand him the scalpel. "Throw it away when you're done. We don't need anyone to get their hands on your blood, no matter how minute."

Kenshin nodded and took the blade from her outstretched hand. "I will."

Turning his attention back to the cup of powder, he sliced his thumb open and held it over the cup. Squeezing the wound open he watched as a couple of drops dripped into the cup and then, much to his chagrin, the wound stopped bleeding and sealed itself up. Hissing in irritation, Kenshin sliced the thumb again, but no sooner did he get a couple of drops into the cup then the wound once again sealed.

"Do you want to use ours?"

Without looking up Kenshin shook his head and sliced his thumb again, this time deeper in an effort to keep the blood flowing. "No. It has to be mine."

A muttered 'oh' greeted his statement. Watching as the wound once again sealed itself after only relinquishing a couple more drops of the much needed blood he nearly growled. This was too much! Giving up on his thumb, he yanked the sleeve of his shirt up and, with one quick tug, sliced his wrist open. He smiled as a big puddle of blood immediately formed, tilting his arm over the cup he let the blood drip in until he was sure he had enough to mix.

So intent on his task, Kenshin jumped when a cloth was thrust into his line of sight. Smiling sheepishly, he accepted the cloth from Megumi's outstretched hand and held it against the wound until he felt it stitch itself back together. When the healing heat died away he set the soiled cloth aside and stuck his pinky finger into the mix, blending his blood and the life saving powder into a soft paste. Testing it's viscosity, he smiled at finding it loose enough for her to swallow in the state she was in. Now all he had to do was get her to agree.

Pushing the thought from his mind he finally turned his attention to the two sitting across the bed from him. The small smile tickling Sano's lips lightened his heart slightly and he gave his old friend a wane smile, "Are you ready?"

Sano's smile widened and he nodded. "Yeah. What do you need me to do?"

Kenshin offered him the cup of life saving powder. "When she gives you the sign I want you to remove the mask and put this in her mouth. From there it's all up to her."

Sano quirked an eyebrow in confusion and took the cup. "How is she suppose to give me a sign?"

Kenshin smiled, "Take her hand and squeeze it." Watching as the fighter did what he asked he almost laughed at the stunned look that instantly flew across his face. "Yes, she isn't in a complete coma. When you feel her squeeze your hand on her own, it means I've managed to convince her to swallow."

"What do you mean convince her? Why do you have to convince her? And how the hell are you going to-" Sano stopped suddenly and his eyes widened, "Her dreams. You're going into her dreams..."

Kenshin nodded and made himself as comfortable as he could in the chair. Resting his head against the back like he had before, he closed his eyes and did a few breathing exercises in an effort to help him fall asleep. Now was the hardest part, he had to convince her to take the life giving mixture. He wouldn't lose her like this, oh he would still give her a choice but really there wouldn't be a choice. He'd use every trick in the book if he had to convince her to take the gift he'd been holding for so long.

Slowly, the monotonous hiss of the life support machine beside him lulled him into a light sleep, the last thing he heard as he slipped further and further away was Megumi's confused voice as she asked Sano what he'd meant about dreams. Smiling slightly, he slipped into the comforting darkness and drifted half conscious until he felt himself begin to fall towards a pinpoint of light beneath his feet. Letting himself fall, he smiled when he opened his eyes and found himself back in the grove where he'd seen Kaoru just a few minutes ago.

Glancing around, his heart fell when he saw no sign of the woman he had come to find. Pushing off the ground he made his way out of the grove and scanned the riverbank both ways for some sign of Kaoru. He nearly sighed when he saw her sitting a short ways away from him to the right. Her legs tucked up against her body, her arms locked around them with her chin resting on her blue clad knees. A warm breeze blew along the riverbank, the scent of jasmine carrying to his nose. Inhaling deeply he tucked his arms into the wide sleeves of his red gi and slowly made his way to where she sat.

Coming to her curled form, he settled down beside her and waited to see if she was indeed here or if this was just a figment of his imagination.

"So you came back? Where did you go?"

Kenshin smirked and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "I didn't go far. I promised you I wasn't going to leave you and I'm not." His smile fell away as he watched her shoulders slump slightly at his words, the sad look on her face causing a sliver of fear to whisper down his spine. Did she not want to be with him?

"I'm going to leave you though. I can feel it."

Stunned by her statement, Kenshin's heart squeezed at her despondent tone. Opening his mouth to reassure her, he stopped when she shifted her attention to him and fixed him with a knowing look. "Something's wrong with me, isn't there?"

Taking a deep breath he gave her his full attention and reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from her face, "Yes, there is something wrong with you, but I'm not going to let you leave me. Not this time." He frowned as a single tear escaped her eye and trailed a wet path down her cheek. Rubbing the wetness away he let his fingers rest on her soft skin, "What is it?"

"I don't want to die. Not now, not when...." She trailed off and ducked her head as her cheeks suddenly flushed a deep red. Kenshin had to resist the urge to chuckle at the truth written on her face, maybe this wasn't going to be as hard as he'd originally thought.

Trailing his finger under her chin, he lifted her face and smiled. "There is a way, Kaoru. If you truly don't want to leave me, there is a way for you to be with me forever."

Kaoru's brows knitted together in confusion and she eyed him in curiously, "What do you mean?"

Kenshin took a deep breath and moved until he was facing her. Taking a minute to gather himself, he looked deep into the sapphire gaze fixed on him, "Do you remember when you asked me how it was that I'm still alive, but not reincarnated?"

When she nodded, he continued "A long time ago an old man gave me something that would allow me to live forever. This same gift also gave me the ability to heal. Any cut, scrape, gunshot, whatever it may be, will heal no matter the severity so long as there is nothing in the wound to hinder the healing."

Kenshin paused and watched Kaoru closely as she digested what she'd just been told. Unconsciously holding his breath, he waited for some sign that she thought him insane, or worse, that he was joking.

"So if you give me some of this 'gift' then I'll be able to live...and I'll live... forever?" She asked suddenly, her tone confused and yet laced with a small trace of hope.

Letting out his breath slowly, he nodded "Yes, you will live forever just like me, but..." Trailing off, Kenshin shifted his attention to the water sluggishly flowing by and tried to figure out the best way to tell her the catch. This was where he could lose her. What if she didn't want to be his for the rest of time?

"But what?" Kaoru prodded, and Kenshin let his eyes drift back to her guarded gaze. It was now or never. Taking a deep breath he whispered, "We will be linked for the rest of time."

Kaoru just stared at him and then her eyes widened suddenly and she whispered, "You mean, I'll be yours forever and... you'll be mine... forever?"

Swallowing his heart, Kenshin nodded as a fist of fear tightened in his gut. This was it. Watching her closely, he waited for what felt like a lifetime and then Kaoru's face lit up in a gorgeous smile and she asked, "You mean, you want to be forever mine?"

Kenshin laughed and grasped her cheeks gently in his hands, leaning in close he whispered, "Yes, Kaoru. With all of my heart I want to be forever yours. I've waited over a hundred years for you, I'm not about to give you up again... ever."

Kaoru's smiled widened and she laughed as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. Wiping away the wetness with his thumb, Kenshin leaned in and brushed his lips gently against hers in a chaste kiss. Leaning his forehead against hers he asked, "So, you'll take the gift?"

Kaoru nodded enthusiastically, "Yes."

Kenshin's heart stopped suddenly then started to beat a rapid tattoo against his ribs at the love swimming in the sapphire eyes fixed on him. And then slowly, her smile fell away to be replaced by a confused look again. "Do you have this gift here, Kenshin?"

Surprised by her question, Kenshin shook his head, "No, but I don't need it here."

"Then how am I supposed to take this 'gift'. I can't wake up. I've already tried and... and every time I try my chest hurts, and I feel like I can't breathe."

A sliver of fear whispered down Kenshin's spine at her words. Was it really that bad? But really, she didn't need to be awake. No, as long as she could feel Sano and could swallow that's all he needed. Right?

Ignoring the little nagging voice that whispered it wasn't going to be that easy, he gave her the best smile he could "You don't need to be awake to take it." When she cocked an eyebrow at him he added, "Your left hand. Do you feel as if someone is holding that hand?"

Kaoru's forehead creased in confusion then her eyes widened suddenly as she felt the truth of his words. "Y...Yes. I do. Is it you?"

Kenshin shook his head, "No. That's Sano's hand. He's waiting to put the mixture into your mouth." A small smirk tickled the corner of Kenshin's lips at the quiet 'oh' that spilled from Kaoru's lips, "He's not very happy right now. He wants you back almost as much as I do."

Kaoru laughed and shook her head. "It's weird how we're so close in this life, yet we barely knew each other before."

A slight twinge of jealousy swam through Kenshin's veins, but vanished almost as quick as it had come. "It's not really. I asked him to watch over you if he found you first and he did. I'll be forever grateful for that. He's taken very good care of you."

Kaoru blushed and whispered, "You did?"

Kenshin smiled, "Yes. I wanted to make sure you would be ok until I found you."

Kaoru's blushed deepened, but instead of ducking her head she gave him a curious look. "You know, someday you're going to have to tell me the whole story. It's still really weird when you say things like that."

Kenshin's smile widened and he reached out to take her right hand in his. Trailing his thumb over her smooth skin, he nodded, "I will. I promise. But first, we have to make sure you're there to hear the story. Are you ready?"

Kaoru nodded and looked at him in expectation. "What do I need to do?"

Taking a deep breath, Kenshin let it out slowly and held her hand a little bit tighter. "First, when you're ready, I need you to squeeze Sano's hand and then wait until you feel something placed on your tongue. When that happens all you need to do is swallow."

"It's that easy?" Kaoru asked in disbelief. Nodding, Kenshin bit his tongue, he could only hope that it would be that easy because if it wasn't then she...

Shoving the possibility out of his mind, he held on to the fact that Megumi was now in the room. There was no way they would lose her. None. Giving her hand a squeeze, he tried to quiet the doubts that continued to hammer through his body and asked, "Are you ready?"

Kaoru nodded completely oblivious to the nagging doubts plaguing him. “Yes, I think I am."

"Ok, then squeeze Sano's hand."

Kaoru did as he asked and she smiled when she felt Sano's hand tighten around hers before he let it go. Waiting patiently for Sano to put something into her mouth she all of a sudden felt as if a great weight was placed dead in the middle of her chest. Trying to take a breath she didn't feel the slight weight suddenly settle on her tongue. Gasping, she gripped Kenshin's hand in a death grip and did her best to take the breath of air her body was all of a sudden demanding. Just one breath, that's all she needed, and yet, she couldn't get that much needed oxygen. Straining to breathe, a small stream of tears broke loose and she stared dead into the frightened gaze of the man sitting before her.

Kenshin just stared in shock as Kaoru slowly began to fade before his very eyes, "Kaoru! Wha-" And then the truth of the situation hit him square in the chest and he grabbed her shoulders. Giving her a shake he shouted, "Kaoru, Swallow!... Please!... Swallow! You'll be able to breathe once you swallow, so please swallow!" Staring dead into her frightened sapphire eyes, he watched helplessly as she continued to fade away. Oh god, this couldn't be happening. Megumi! Sano! Do something!

Kaoru fought tenaciously to remain conscious as her limbs became extremely heavy, the world around her slowly starting to fade to black. With the last bit of strength she possessed she gripped Kenshin's hand even tighter and fought the urge to breath; instead doing what he'd asked and swallowed. And then everything stopped as something slowly slid down her throat.

All of a sudden her world was filled with a brilliant golden glow, the warm essence caressing her very being before it slowly faded away. Taking a great gasp of air her eyes flew wide open and she instinctively gripped the hand still holding onto hers for dear life. Blinking several times, the room slowly came into view and she almost laughed at the stunned look painted across her adopted brother's face.

"Kaoru!"

She didn't even have time answer him before he grabbed her. Hauling her into his arms to give her a huge bear hug; the pressure making her ribs creak in protest. "Damn it, woman! I thought we'd lost you! Don't you ever do that again!"

"S..a..no... can't... breathe.." She wheezed as his arms tightened even more. All of a sudden he released her and she had to grab onto him to keep from falling backwards.

Sano smiled sheepishly and gently laid her back down. "Sorry jou-chan. It's just... you had me scared to death there for a minute!"

Kaoru smiled at his worry, "Gomen, Sano. I didn't mean to." When Sano gave her a wane smile, Kaoru finally let her eyes drift to the one she still held a death grip on. She almost broke into tears at the unabashed relief painted across Kenshin's face. Slowly sitting back up, she reluctantly released her grip on his hand and without a word, grabbed a hold of him to drag him into a hug.

Kenshin chuckled slightly as his arms locked around her in a bone crushing grip and she felt him sigh into her hair. And then all of a sudden she felt his relief flow through her veins as if it was her own. Stunned, she pulled away from him and gave him an inquiring look.

Kenshin just smiled into her confused gaze, "Didn't I tell you, we will be linked forever now."

Kaoru eyes widened, "Oh, so this is what you meant?"

Kenshin nodded, and relinquished his hold on her just as Dr. Genzai entered the room. Watching the aged doctor walk quietly into the room it all of a sudden hit him, how exactly was he going to explain Kaoru's perfect health? Swallowing nervously, he watched the doctor take the last couple of steps to the bed and, without a word, start to remove the IV's in Kaoru's arms. Confounded, he was just about to try to explain when Dr. Genzai held up a hand to stop him and continued to remove the life sustaining drips. Biting his tongue he simply watched as Dr. Genzai finished removing the last of the IV's and took a step back. Readying himself Kenshin was just about to begin explaining when all of a sudden Dr. Genzai bowed deep and whispered "Thank you." And with that, the aged doctor turned his back on them and left as quietly as he'd come.

Stunned, they all glanced to one another before a small smile formed on Kenshin's lips. "So he's remembered too. Wonder what triggered him?"

Sano and Megumi just looked at him and then they both nodded. "That has to be it." Megumi agreed pushing out of the chair beside Sano. "Well, since there is no need for me in this room anymore, I'm going to see this idiot back to his room so he can heal."

"Hey! I'm not an idiot!" Sano grumbled, gingerly making his way out of the chair. He grimaced as the wound in his stomach continued to pulse in irritation. Ok, so maybe he was an idiot but she didn't need to know that. He should have thought before he'd hugged Kaoru like that, he seriously doubted any pain medication was going to get rid of the knee weakening ache now radiating out from the hole on his stomach.

Ignoring the throb, he leaned over carefully and placed a gentle kiss on Kaoru's forehead, "Welcome back jou-chan." With that, he turned and headed out of the room. Megumi watched him go then stepped up to Kaoru and leaned down to give her a quick hug, "Don't do that again. I don't think Sano can take it again."

Kaoru chuckled, "I won't, I promise. I don't think that will be a problem anymore anyway."

Smiling, Megumi glanced quickly to Kenshin, "I assume she is just like you now?" When he nodded she gave him a small smile and whispered, "Good." Without another word, she spun on her heel and followed in Sano's footsteps, leaving Kenshin and Kaoru alone.

Kenshin pushed out of the chair and leaned over to give Kaoru a light kiss. "I'll be back in an hour or so. I'm going to go get you some clothes."

Kaoru quirked an eyebrow, "Why?"

A small smirk tickled the corner of Kenshin's lips, obviously she didn't realize how she was dressed right now. "Well, although I wouldn't mind you in that hospital gown I doubt you want to walk out of here with your backside exposed for everyone to see."

Kaoru blushed four different shades of red at what he implied and she mumbled, "Oh, I guess you're right."

Leaning over again, he placed a gentle kiss of her forehead, "Why don't you take a nap. I'm sure you're still tired from everything that has happened."

Kaoru shook her head "No I'm no-" She was cut off as a huge yawned gripped a hold of her. Glaring at his knowing look she growled, "I'm not tired!" When all he did was quirk and eyebrow in disbelief she finally gave in. "Oh, fine. I'll take a nap but you better get back here soon. I don't like hospitals."

Kenshin nodded and smiled, "I promise. I won't be gone long."

Stifling another yawn, Kaoru gave him a look that said he'd be in a whole lot of pain if he was. "I'm going to hold you to that." With that she settled back into the pillows and shifted around until she got comfortable. Leaning down, he dropped one last kiss on her forehead as her eyes slid closed and then he quietly headed out of the room. Stopping just inside the door he looked over his shoulder and smiled.

It was over. After one hundred and twenty eight years she was finally his, and nothing or no one would ever be able to tear them apart again. Feeling slightly lightheaded at the thought, Kenshin headed from the room.

Yes, their nightmare was over, but Enishi's was just about to begin. He knew from experience just how hard it was to overcome a soul crushing guilt. But, if Enishi was anything like he had been all those years ago he would survive and maybe one day the three of them would be able to see each other without the shadow that had always hung over them.

Just maybe, the past could finally be forgotten.

oooooooooooooooooo

Although this may seem like the end, it's not. I have the last chapter all planned out and will hopefully get it up quicker than this one. After the hell I put Kenshin and Kaoru through I figured they deserved a little bit of sweetness, plus there's still a couple of little things I need to tie up.

Please review and let me know what you think.