Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ How the Past Can Change ❯ A Peek at My Future ( Chapter 4 )

How the Past can Change

A K&K Rurouni Kenshin Romance FanFiction by: bunny ;D

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is the creation of Nobuhiro Watsuki, with the manga and anime rights belonging to Jump Comics and Sony Entertainment, respectively. I do not own and did not create the series or its characters...I'm just a fan, and I have no money anyways, so NO SUING ME!! :D

AN: This story is altering the original story of Rurouni Kenshin / Samuai X. It also has some OOCness, (especially with Battousai.) If you don't like that idea, or can't handle it…I would advise you not to read this fic. If you are a hard core Tomoe and Kenshin forever kind of person, I would advise you to not read this fic. Don't get me wrong, I like Tomoe, this is just a different story ok?

Ja ne,

Bunny ;D

"What's the matter Kenshin?" she questioned.

"Kaoru, are you aware that you just said all of that aloud?" Kenshin growled to her, noticeably upset.

Frustrated Kaoru exploded, "Mou!! Kenshin!! What are you talking about?"

"You said something along the lines of…I knew it…you are so in for it when I get home Kenshin…" he paused, noting her shocked face, then continued, "I knew all that oro business was fake. There is no way the great x-hitokiri battousai, the best swordsman in Japan could ever really be hurt by a little girl like me, then you proceeded to say my swordsman technique, AND your own." He narrowed his eyes at her, "nobody, besides, Hiko-sama knows the name of my technique. You have to tell me how you know immediately, or else." He demanded grabbing her arm tightly so she could not run off. "What exactly did you mean by, when I get home you are so in for it Kenshin?" He said, more than asked in an even more threatening tone.

Kaoru's face paled as she winced at the hold Kenshin had on her arm. 'Oh God, what have I done?' she asked herself.

Chapter Four

Kenshin's frowned deepened even further as he started putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "Ok, so let's see here now. You obviously know me…I would say quite well. You know my assassin name, you know my swordsman technique, previously, you had mentioned something about the future…and if I remember correctly you said something about my scar not being an x…" Kenshin trailed off in thought. Then he looked up into Kaoru's pale face once again and stated, "Now, Kaoru, you have some serious explaining to do."

Kaoru paled even more. 'OH God!! Now what do I do? I won't put it past him to kill me over this, in the state he's in…and I so very badly want to go home and marry my Kenshin and have lots of children. Should I really tell him…should I tell him about US? Should I tell him about Tomoe? Should I tell him about the Meiji, and about him being a rurouni for 10 years? I don't think this is a good idea.' She thought before saying, "Kenshin, are you sure you really want to know? I don't think it's a good idea for me to tell you the things I know…about…your future." She finished lamely.

Once again, Kaoru shocked Kenshin beyond his wildest imagination. "So let me get this straight, you're saying that you know what my future will be?" he asked her. "Are you some kind of witch?" he added.

Kaoru glared at him. "I'm not a witch!" she yelled to his face.

Kenshin loosened his grip a bit on her arm. "Then how do you know about my future?" he asked her.

Kaoru frowned, and sadly looked at the ground, a tear rolling out of her eye. "Because…I'm from the future." She answered.

"WHAT?" Kenshin asked, then making the connective he said a bit more calmly, "you mean…the bright white light?"

Kaoru looked back up, wryly smiled at him, and nodded.

Kenshin felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of him. 'I will live through this war!' he thought happily, 'and I must turn out ok to know someone like Kaoru!' "Kaoru…how do you know about my future then? Do you know me? What's our relationship?" Kenshin said, beginning to bombard her with questions.

'I can't tell him about us. I can't tell him about us.' She began chanting to herself in her head. "Well, um, actually, you're my…um…you're my best friend Kenshin!!" she said with forced enthusiasm. 'Well, at least it's partly the truth,' she consoled to herself for her dishonesty.

Kenshin quirked his eyebrow at her. 'I feel like she's not telling me the whole truth.' He thought. "How did I get to be your best friend? How did you meet me? When and where did we meet?" he probed. 'Maybe if I ask enough questions, it will slip out.' He hoped.

Kaoru's eyes got a little glossy, Kenshin noted. 'I wonder if I was supposed to marry her? I wouldn't be surprised. I've felt a deep connection to her since I found her.' He thought.

"Well, one day I was looking for this man who had been killing people around the city, and claiming that he was trained at my dojo, bringing a great disgrace to my school…I lost all my students…" Kaoru began.

"How old were you then?" Kenshin interrupted.

"Ah…17." Kaoru answered.

Kenshin's eyes bugged out. 'I had no idea she was so old.' He thought. "How long ago was that?" he asked her.

"2 years ago…" she said.

"What!!?? You're older than me!!" he exclaimed.

"Kenshin no baka!! You are 11 years older than me!! I'm most certainly not older than you are." Kaoru rolled her eyes.

Kenshin rolled his eyes back, feeling better than he ever had in his entire life. "In case you weren't aware, Kaoru, I happen to be 15 years old right now."

Kaoru blushed. "Ah, I knew that, but Kenshin, why did you tell Tomoe-san that we were getting married?" she asked changing the subject.

To Kaoru's delight, Kenshin blushed. "Well, I was thinking that if everyone thought we were married that they would let you stay with me here…in my room" Kenshin finished in a whisper.

"Kenshin!! You pervert!!" Kaoru exploded.

"Now, now!! I didn't mean it like THAT Kaoru" Kenshin explained, blocking the book that was headed for his head.

"Sure you didn't!! I know you in the future Kenshin don't you forget that!!" Kaoru yelled.

Kenshin blushed even harder. 'Now, I have to wonder just how well, she does know me in the future,' Kenshin wondered feeling like he was on top of the world. "Am I really like that in the future?" he asked her.

Kaoru blushed furiously. "Well, actually Kenshin -"

"Himura!! We have a meeting with Katsura-sama right now, let's go!!!" a voice yelled through the paper screen door.

"Coming!!" Kenshin called back and headed towards the door. "We will continue this conversation later, Kaoru…please stay here. I would hate if anything bad happened to my future best friend." He grinned his rurouni grin at her and opened the screen paper door, stepped out and closed the door behind him.

Kaoru stood there dumbfounded for a moment. She blinked a few times. 'Did Kenshin just grin at me?' she asked herself. Then she rubbed her eyes. 'Was I seeing things? Could the knowledge that he will live through this and be my friend really make him that happy?' she wondered.

~ Meanwhile ~

As Tomoe slid the paper screen door to Himura-san's room closed, she heard his bride yelling "Kenshin no BAKA!!" and Tomoe suppressed a giggle. Although there was a part of her, hidden somewhere that was horribly disappointed that she wasn't the one to bring happiness into the assassin's life, she knew things were better this way. For one thing, she had a vendetta against Himura Kenshin, and it would have caused great problems for her had she gotten herself too attached to him on a romantic level. Not to mention that the woman he was with…they made such a cute couple. Tomoe sighed, thinking of her own fiancée, who was dead, and that it was all Himura's fault. Himura-san needed to be removed from the Earth as far as Tomoe was concerned. He was nothing more than a cold-hearted killer…or at least that's what she tried to tell herself to make herself feel better over her revengeful actions. Tomoe began to walk down the hallway to go help in the kitchen to begin preparing lunch. It had been Himura's absence at the breakfast table that had made her want to check on him…and now that he had someone else to take care of him…'take Care of him? What am I thinking?' She asked herself. 'Is it too late for me? Have I already grown too attached to my fiancée's killer to exact my revenge on him? Do I really want no harm to come to him, even if I can't be with him?' she wondered. Tomoe sighed to herself, "I will think more about this later" she uttered under her breath as she entered the kitchen and received her instructions for preparing lunch.

Kenshin suppressed a yawn. He was finding this meeting with Katsura-sama, to be quite long and boring. He found his thoughts drifting back to Kaoru. He sure wished he could be with her instead of here. She was so light hearted, full of spirit and happy. Always calling him names…baka, pervert...Kenshin blushed. He wanted to know everything about her, all her secrets, from the future or not, really HIS fiancée or not, he didn't care; he had to spend as much time as possible with this amazing woman as he could. So beautiful and innocent, these things were a rare find in these days. Kenshin smiled a dreamy smile, 'maybe that's because she was from the future…maybe she lives in a time of peace…she's honest, even though she knew I was worried that she might be crazy. But, why is she here? What if she has to stay here forever? I wonder if maybe she would consider marring me?' He wondered. 'No, I am too young for her, and I am stained from all the blood I have spilled.' Kenshin snorted. 'I probably feel the same way about her in the future, if she's really telling me the truth about all this.' Kenshin frowned. 'Is that his fate in the future? To fall in love with a younger girl and feel so unworthy of her that he never admits his feelings for her? Was she going to marry someone else and THAT'S why she was sent into the past? To meet me…because, I'm destined to be with her? Is that it?' Kenshin couldn't help but wonder.

"Himura, you seem rather distant today." Katsura commented to him.

Kenshin bowed politely. "I'm sorry Katsura-sama, I have a lot on my mind today."

Katsura smiled. "Well, that's a change. Is it a woman?" he asked.

"Yeah!!" one of the other men there said "Himura here, brought home a lady last night dressed in a bridal kimono!! He got married!! She's a fiery little tart too, I heard her yelling at him this morning."

Kenshin's eyes took on a yellow hue and he growled to the man "Don't talk about Kaoru that way."

"Now, now, battousai, I didn't mean any harm." The man said, backing down immediately.

"Be careful, Himura-san, that you do not let your life be placed in danger from the distractions women can cause in your life." Katsura wisely advised.

"Yes." Kenshin said. 'But what a nice distraction,' he thought, and began paying attention to Katsura's latest plans.

"Mou!" Kaoru said out loud, stomping her foot on the ground in frustration after hours of trying to concentrate her life force on getting home and failing utterly. She frowned. 'Enough waiting for Kenshin in this room, I'm tired of wearing this wedding kimono and I'm tired of trying to get home. I'm going to find some clothes to change into and' Kaoru paused as her stomach growled, 'get some food in my stomach!! That jerk!! Leaving me here to starve to death!!' she fumed.

Kaoru marched to the paper screen door with determination in her eyes and thrust it open, only to walk right into someone.

"Ah!!" Kaoru and the other person yelped as they fell onto the hallway floor. Kaoru, using her built in swordsmen reflexes twisted to the side and somehow ended up on her feet.

"I'm sorry…" she began "…Tomoe-san!!" She exclaimed recognizing the beautiful woman, looking rather funny, sprawled on the hallway floor.

Kaoru giggled. Tomoe looked up at her, and couldn't help giggling herself at the funny situation. Kaoru offered her hand to help the woman up. "I'm terribly sorry Tomoe-san, I did not see you. I'm so tired of wearing these clothes and I'm so starving that was the only thing I could think of." She explained.

Tomoe smiled. "You don't have any clothes to change into and you haven't eaten all day?" Tomoe asked feeling quite sorry for the poor bride.

Kaoru pouted. "No!! That BAKA Kenshin told me not to leave the room, and he's been gone for hours at his stupid meeting!! Mou!!" she exclaimed.

Tomoe laughed. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Ah, you can call me Kaoru" Kaoru replied.

Tomoe smiled, a very heartfelt smile. 'I really like this girl' she thought to herself, 'she's so spirited and full of life…the exact opposite of Himura-san who brings about nothing but death and pain…no wonder he is attracted to her…no wonder I like her,' she added to herself. "Come with me Kaoru-chan, I will let you borrow something of mine, and I can get you some food, I help out with the upkeep around here, and have access to the kitchen."

Kaoru threw her arms around the other woman "Oh Tomoe-san!! Thank you so much!! It was so fortunate for me to have ran into you!!!" Kaoru gushed.

Tomoe giggled and returned Kaoru's hug. "Oh, Kaoru-chan, you are so sweet, you have made this depressed woman happy and smiling again, and for that I thank you very much!!" Tomoe said. Then she took her hand and they ran down the hall giggling like school girls over the outfit Tomoe was going to lend Kaoru that she was sure would look so cute on her.

On his way back to his room, Kenshin witnessed the scene between Kaoru and Tomoe and smiled. He was very happy that Kaoru had been able to cheer Tomoe, who had seemed so terribly sad. Disappointed that he wouldn't see Kaoru for a few hours, he slightly dragged his last few steps into room, but he felt grateful that he at least knew where she would be, and that she would be ok.

AN: Well, that's it for chapter 4. I'm going to start on chapter 5 right now, but I doubt I will have it finished until tomorrow, or the next day, depending on when I have the time to work on it.

Please leave me some feedback, it's much appreciated. It's good comments that make me want to write more, all that much sooner ;D

Ja ne,

Bunny ;D